Misfortune knocking at misfortune's door

Chapter 61: When Bad Luck Opens the Door for Bad Luck

Bringing the tight-lipped young girl to the hotel, Lu Li slammed his ID card onto the counter. "One standard room."

The young receptionist gave him a surprised look, then looked at the girl behind him who was wearing a school uniform and looked no older than a high school student, before giving him a very strange look.

The look one gives a scumbag.

Lu Li glared right back.

What are you staring at?!
I'm acting out in the open!
I am righteous and confident!
I am full of upright integrity!

Lu Li puffed out his chest and led the girl into the elevator.

Once inside the room, the girl sat cautiously on the edge of the bed, her small hands tucked inside her sleeves, with nowhere to put them.

Lowering her head, she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "I... I don't have any experience yet... please be gentle..."

"..."

Lu Li looked at her, feeling like a tortoise reading a book—he couldn't hold back his laughter anymore.

Why was this little girl's head full of such scandalous thoughts at such a young age?

Could this be a honey trap?

She didn't look like it, though.

Lu Li fished out two hundred-yuan bills from his pocket—which he had just changed on the way—and placed them on the bed. "Buy yourself something to eat if you're hungry. I have to go to work, and I'll be back after I get off."

"Mm..."

The girl nodded obediently, neither calling the police nor grabbing Lu Li's clothes to scream about assault.

Alright, she seemed to be an obedient girl.

Leaving the hotel and getting into his car, Lu Li immediately pulled out his phone and made a call.

It connected quickly.

"Brother Li, don't you know I'm at work right now? We have a meeting on Monday..."

"As a professional salary thief, do you even have the right to talk about meetings?" Lu Li raised his hand to check the time. "You're about to get off for lunch anyway. I'm inviting you to lunch. I'm already at the entrance of your workplace."

"That's reasonable fish-slacking, not being a salary thief! Whatever..." Fang Yuebai sighed on the other end. "Fine. But Brother Li, tell me first what you're looking for me for."

"Can't I invite you to lunch without a reason?"

"If there's no reason, you only invite me to dinner on weekends."

"Can't I be lonely?"

"Even when you're lonely, you only invite me to dinner on weekends."

".Fine, I actually do have something to find you for."

"I knew it. Wait for me in the parking lot for a bit, I'll come right out as soon as work is over."

"Okay."

Hanging up, Lu Li pulled out a cigarette.

But after a second thought, he didn't light it.

After all, Fang Yuebai would be getting into the car shortly.

It would be better if there was no smoke smell in the car or on him.

After waiting for more than twenty minutes, Fang Yuebai, dressed in an OL work outfit and swinging her ponytail, walked over.

She pulled open the passenger door, got in, and let out a long sigh of relief. "I'm brought back to life... It's way too hot outside!"

Lu Li handed her a bottle of iced mineral water. "Busy today?"

"Handling a case. It's quite a bizarre one... Never mind, I don't want to talk about work during my break."

Fang Yuebai clearly didn't want to discuss it. She took a gulp of water, then turned her head curiously. "Brother Li, tell me what you wanted to see me about."

Lu Li smiled. "Let's eat first, let's eat first."

"That won't do." Fang Yuebai's ponytail swung back and forth. "Depending on what favor you want me to do, Brother Li, I'll choose what you're treating me to for lunch today~"

Usually, they went dutch when eating together, or took turns treating each other.

However, since Lu Li was asking her for a favor now, wouldn't it be a waste not to bleed him dry?

"Fine." Lu Li smacked his lips and then roughly explained the situation with the girl. "I mainly want you to help check if her family situation is that kind of setup. If it really is, then see if she has any other relatives left."

Fang Yuebai wore a rather strange expression. "Brother Li, what's the name of the girl you mentioned?"

Lu Li thought for a moment and shrugged. "To be honest, I didn't even get the chance to ask."

"Then let's go eat first, and I'll tell you while we eat." Fang Yuebai leaned back. "Right, I want hot pot."

"Hot pot it is then."

Lu Li started the car.

Half an hour later, after parking in the lot outside the hot pot restaurant, Lu Li got out, walked around the car, and was left speechless. "How on earth did the car door get a scratch like this..."

And he had no idea who did it!

This meant it must have been scraped by another car last night in the underground garage beneath his apartment building.

And the culprit had driven away!

How utterly disgusting!

"Brother Li, everything alright?"

Facing Fang Yuebai's puzzled look, Lu Li waved a hand and smiled. "No problem. Let's go inside and eat."

It wasn't like a falling object from high altitude was suddenly going to smash my car right now, right?

Too funny, utterly impossible.

Bang—!

Lu Li's breath hitched, and he spun around abruptly!

Someone had thrown a gnawed corn cob, and it had stuck straight into the BMW's front windshield.

The front windshield, now covered in a web of spider-web cracks, felt entirely like mockery directed right at Lu Li.

Instead, Lu Li laughed out of sheer exasperation.

"Brother Li?"

Lu Li waved his hand dismissively. "Let's go! Eat!"

He wanted to see just how unlucky he could possibly get today!

Ten minutes later, one minute after the hot pot broth was served, he found out.

Looking at the few maggots floating up and down in the spicy red broth, both Lu Li and Fang Yuebai wore expressionless faces.

Lu Li gestured for the waiter to come over.

He didn't give the person a hard time, just pointed at the maggots doing the breaststroke in the spicy soup and said, "I don't play Dota 2 tournaments, there's no need to serve me Maggot-Powered Hot Pot, thanks."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

The waiter bowed frantically and apologized. "I'll have someone replace your pot base right away!"

"Mm."

A working stiff shouldn't make things hard for another working stiff.

They frequented this restaurant, and coupled with the waiter's good attitude, Lu Li didn't say anything further.

Taking advantage of the time it took to replace the broth, Lu Li asked, "Xiaobai, what did you mean by your question about that girl earlier? Do you know her?"

"I don't know her, but the situation you described is quite similar to a case I'm handling right now... except for some minor differences in the details."

Fang Yuebai hesitated slightly. "How should I put it? Everything else matches up—parents dying in a car accident, uncle and aunt acting as legal guardians and then swallowing up the inheritance. I'm not clear on the abuse aspect, but mainly, this girl has gone missing."

"Doesn't that match up completely?!" Lu Li slapped his thigh. "I'm telling you, the one I found is definitely her!"

"It doesn't match," Fang Yuebai shook her head. "Brother Li, there's another difference, and it's the most important one."

Lu Li raised an eyebrow. "What difference?"

Age is the same, gender is the same, family background and experiences are also the same.

Wouldn't that make it the exact same person?

Fang Yuebai took a sip of water and said softly, "That missing girl's uncle, aunt, and her two female cousins... are all dead."