70: Detective, Mastermind

Half an hour later, under the cover of night, Lu Fan arrived at the entrance of an inconspicuous alleyway.

Deep within the alley, a small copper plaque hung on an unremarkable metal door: "Lin's Consulting Agency."

He pushed the door open and entered; the room wasn't large, and the furnishings were simple.

A large desk, a few chairs, and a metal cabinet stuffed with folders.

It looked the part, but it was all just a facade—all gloss and no substance.

Old instant noodle cups left lying around, an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts, and especially the mottled yellow stains on the walls.

It was hard to have high expectations for this detective.

However, as a detective highly recommended by Xia Yunting, he suppressed the urge to turn around and leave.

"Is anyone alive in here?" Lu Fan hollered.

"What's with all the shouting! I'll send the rent over tomorrow~~~~" a voice called from the inner room.

"I'm not here for the rent. Old Xia sent me?"

Hearing that business had arrived, a man in his fifties wearing a worn-out suit hurried out from the inner room, pulling up his pants.

His gaze swept over him as sharp as a hawk's: "What's your commission?"

Lu Fan met his gaze without flinching: "Take a look first!"

"Slap~~"

Without any pleasantries, he threw the kraft paper envelope in his hand onto the desk.

"Whatever the commission is, leave it to me, Lin Minjie The Cleaner, and you can go home and sleep soundly!"

Lin Minjie's lips curled up slightly into a confident smile as he began to boast and brag on the spot.

He reached out, picked up the envelope, opened it quickly, and scanned the documents inside.

"Live-stream e-commerce, suspected of 'AB goods'? Interesting."

Listening to the boasting, Lu Fan said with a hint of annoyance, "Old Xia said you're an expert in this field. Can you investigate it or not? Give me an answer."

Lin Minjie was unfazed and said with a grin, "As long as the money is right, I'll even break the pot for you."

"Hmph, quite the big talker." Lu Fan snorted coldly and casually lit a cigarette. "This matter isn't that simple; the supplier has a significant background.

Finish reading it before you start boasting."

"Rustle, rustle, rustle~~"

As he flipped through the documents, Lin Minjie's expression became visibly solemn.

After finishing, his confident expression had vanished, replaced by complete seriousness.

"The people behind this setup have a strong background. This isn't just about 'AB goods' anymore; it's clear someone is designing a trap for you!"

Hearing this, Lu Fan couldn't help but be startled.

This Lin Minjie indeed had some skill to be able to judge the situation's trajectory so accurately.

His eyebrows twitched slightly, revealing a hint of surprise and appreciation, as he signaled with his eyes for the other to continue.

Seeing this, Lin Minjie spoke eloquently, "The opponent's setup is very clever. This 'cleverness' doesn't mean the trap is seamless;"

"On the contrary, there are many flaws, making it very likely an impromptu decision.

But that doesn't affect the outcome; they only need to make you fall into the 'tenfold compensation for fakes' whirlpool.

Then, they will follow up with supporting measures, increasing the pressure layer by layer until you are beyond redemption.

Furthermore, I can guarantee that the mastermind will absolutely not be directly involved in the specific events."

Listening to Lin Minjie's analysis, Lu Fan grew increasingly shocked.

Especially the judgment that the mastermind would not participate in specific matters.

It made him realize that this setup was far more complex than he had imagined.

The Li Jun and Zhou Wei who had surfaced were most likely just pawns.

Lin Minjie seemed to see through Lu Fan's thoughts and said with a smile, "President Lu, if I'm not mistaken..."

"...the other party has probably already moved against you, right?"

Lu Fan nodded and replied helplessly, "That's true. The entire live-streaming team was poached, and the bank suddenly came to collect debts."

Lin Minjie gave a confident smile. "Next, someone will come to you with documents seeking compensation—tenfold for fakes."

Lu Fan's expression turned grave. "You're very accurate. Someone has already come knocking."

"How much was paid out?"

Lin Minjie frowned at this; things were moving even faster than he had anticipated.

Lu Fan replied with a stiff face, "Everything!"

Hearing this, Lin Minjie suddenly stood up and asked in shock, "The entire compensation is finished?"

Seeing Lu Fan nod, he sat back in his executive chair and curled his lip. "Then why look for me? Just file a lawsuit!"

Seeing this, Lu Fan shook his head with a smile on his lips. "A lawsuit is necessary.

However, what I want to know more is who the mastermind behind the scenes is and why they are targeting me."

"This matter is quite tricky."

Lin Minjie's face instantly turned grave. He took a sip of water, sat back in his chair, and sighed, "It's not hard to sue and recover the funds.

But identifying the mastermind behind the scenes is not something an ordinary person can do."

Lu Fan gave a calm smile and teased, "Are you an ordinary person?"

Lin Minjie shook his head with a bitter smile. "Boss Lu thinks too highly of me.

The opponent moved so quickly; they clearly have significant influence, and the waters behind this are very deep."

"'Hand the case to you, and I can sleep soundly'—those were your words." Lu Fan smiled faintly, using reverse psychology.

"Damn~~~~ No need to goad me," Lin Minjie lit a cigarette. "To investigate them, I not only need to dig up the opponent's background, social connections, and capital chain..."

"...but also follow the clues to find the factories and financial backers behind them.

This requires using unconventional methods and entering gray areas; the risk factor is very high.

Since the opponent has such strength, their counter-surveillance capabilities won't be weak either."

"Name your price." Lu Fan didn't waste words and cut straight to the core.

Lin Minjie was taken aback, then gave a thumbs up. "Straightforward! A flat fee of two million."

He quoted a price and explained with a firm tone, "An upfront payment of two hundred thousand for startup funds..."

Before he could finish, Lu Fan pushed a 500-gram gold bar directly in front of Lin Minjie.

"I don't want to hear your detailed plans. I only want results. This is the advance payment.

As for the rest, once you've investigated everything thoroughly, I'll pay it off in one lump sum."

Lin Minjie looked at the gold bar before him, a flash of surprise in his eyes, but it was instantly overwhelmed by joy.

"President Lu, so domineering!"

"My money isn't that easy to take. I want a thorough investigation to the end, leaving no loose ends."

Lu Fan slapped his hand onto the gold bar and warned with a solemn expression.

"Consider it done." Old Lin's voice carried a hint of grimness. "I take the money and do the job—flush out the culprit, leave no trace."

Having received the promise, Lu Fan stubbed out his cigarette and stood up to leave.

After a few steps, he hesitated but still took out that list.

"This is the list left from the last debt collection. It might help you uncover the truth quickly."

Facing the information provided by his 'sugar daddy' client, Lin Minjie scurried over and caught it immediately.

"I won't promise too much, but I'll give you preliminary news by the end of the month!" Lin Minjie's voice sounded somewhat solemn.

"I look forward to your good news!" Lu Fan left those words and quickly walked out of the alley.

Returning to the busy, bustling streets, he raised his hand to hail a taxi. "Driver, to the airport~~~"