Insights Chapter 75: Filial Piety

Chapter 75: Filial Piety

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

TW: Injury to an animal (cat)

Nighttime, East Penang, there was wind tonight, and the sky was densely covered with dark clouds, obscuring the moon and the myriad of stars. This area is the wealthy district of Penang, surrounded by some of Penang’s best malls, hospitals, and schools. And the property prices here are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

In a huge villa, four people sat around, with a table full of red wine, pastries, and fruits. This was a small private gathering. And the people sitting here were either rich or influential, each one a legendary figure in Penang. But today, the topic of their discussion was not as light-hearted as usual.

Seated on the left was Penang’s wealthy businessman, Sheng Qiancheng, who lit a cigarette and said with a solemn expression, “Many things have happened recently, obviously targeting us.”

The middle-aged man beside him adjusted his glasses and said, “Ah, I think you’re being paranoid. Everything is fine on my end. This month’s revenue has increased quite a bit.”

Sheng Qiancheng was a bit displeased; he flicked the cigarette butt and said, “Han Qingyi, you’re speaking carelessly. These incidents have not affected you yet. Yao Lin was arrested, Zhang Xiaojie’s Revival Electronics Factory lost a female worker in an accident, one incident after another. Everyone in the Trading Association is worried. Do you still think I’m being paranoid?”

Seated on the right was a woman named Huo Lei, the only lady present. Huo Lei was about forty years old, but she took good care of herself, looking like she was in her thirties. Her figure and posture didn’t betray her age either. At this moment, Huo Lei held a cat in her arms, a white long-haired ragdoll. The cat was beautiful, like a plush doll, lying quietly on her lap, sleeping soundly.

Huo Lei lazily ran her fingers through the fur of the ragdoll cat, agreeing with Sheng Qiancheng’s words, “It seems like ever since Zhong Zhichun was arrested, these incidents have been happening one after another. It seems like the Central Bureau is itching to reopen the case. Who knows where they’ll dig next?” She looked at the people beside her. “After doing so much, which one of you can withstand scrutiny?”

The people present fell silent for a moment.

Over the years, the Hetu Trading Association, as the manipulator behind the scenes, had firmly rooted itself in Penang. They wielded power, amassed wealth, and were enjoying their days in the limelight. But now, they were being pursued. Would they just sit back and let themselves be manipulated?

Han Qingyi picked up a glass of wine and asked, “So, what are you suggesting? Are we going to do something like a few years ago…”

At the mention of a few years ago, everyone’s breath seemed to catch. A few years ago, they were forced to gather and plot together, eventually taking the risky move of assassinating the director of the City Bureau. It was like a gamble, and they won, enjoying good days for a few years. But now, danger loomed once again.

Sitting among them, an elderly man in his sixties. He had been silently listening to everything until now, finally opening his eyes. “Times have changed.” As he spoke, he straightened up. “Our move against Captain Lin last time was a risky move. Although nothing happened at the time, it seemed safe, but it planted seeds of trouble. Over the past few years, you have been reckless, greedily sucking up the wealth of the whole society, and at the same time, hindering the development of the entire city.”

The old man’s words were heavy, and Han Qingyi coughed.

The old man lifted his eyelids and continued, “Why, feeling guilty? Did I say something wrong? Each of you is only concerned about your own interests, never understanding the principles of fairness. You secretly collude with officials, arbitrarily command the people from brother companies to work for you. You casually make the cleaning company do your dirty work, and even if something goes wrong, a phone call can sort everything out for you. It’s because of your arrogance that you’ll have to pay the price. Now, those above have long been aware. That’s why Director Wang was dismissed, and Director Ding has just taken office for a year. If there’s another accident involving a director… by then…”

Sheng Qiancheng frowned, realizing the potential outcome. “By then, they might send people to investigate rigorously…”

The old man nodded. “Inviting heaven’s wrath, you’ll be like Mount Wutai pressing down, never to be reincarnated.”

The faces of the three people around him turned ugly.

Huo Lei asked, “Godfather, what should we do then? Are we just going to let them continue investigating?”

The old man shook his head. “Director Ding is different from Lin Xianglan. Lin Xianglan was capable, a hands-on person. Once we take him down, it’ll be like a dragon without a head.”

Sheng Qiancheng suddenly understood. “Right, if the people above can’t move, if we take down or fire them, what’s left are a bunch of incompetent fools. They won’t be able to investigate the case themselves?”

After discussing their strategy, the old man looked at the woman. “Huo Lei, go and gather some information, find out what you can.”

Huo Lei responded with a yes. The serious topic soon passed, and their discussion turned to business. At one point, Han Qingyi boasted about earning another two billion this month, while Sheng Qiancheng mentioned that another of his companies was about to go public. Huo Lei listened to them, silent on the side. She pretended to listen attentively, but inwardly she thought these men were just trying to save face and loved to brag. Utterly foolish.

Suddenly, her hand paused, her long nails inadvertently catching the fur of the ragdoll cat. The cat, startled from its sleep, meowed, and its claws instinctively scratched. Huo Lei exclaimed in pain. By the time she reacted, there was already a scratch mark on the back of her hand, fortunately, it didn’t bleed.

Han Qingyi turned to see this scene, sneering, “Animals will always be animals.”

“Yeah, can’t even tame them no matter how much you feed them.” Huo Lei chuckled, “Too mischievous, I’ll just take it upstairs.”

She stood up, carrying the cat into the elevator, heading to the second floor. Her high heels clicked against the ground. Passing by the study, she casually grabbed a knife from the pen holder and walked into the bathroom.

After a few minutes, Huo Lei emerged from the bathroom. She had tidied up, as if nothing had happened. Huo Lei pressed the service bell, and a cleaner came over. With a smile, she said, “Could you please clean the bathroom?” After speaking, she walked away, her figure seductive in high heels. ¹

.

The case of the Revival Electronics Factory was concluded later. Those female workers were also transferred out and are about to face questioning.

On Thursday morning, Gu Yanchen woke up and saw a message on his phone. He quickly washed up, got ready, and knocked on Shen Junci’s door.

Shen Junci had just finished breakfast and was hurriedly changing clothes, starting to put on shoes. “Why so early today?”

When he went to the City Bureau in the morning, he usually had to be punctual to the second. Gu Yanchen came eight minutes earlier than usual.

Gu Yanchen said, “Haven’t you seen the group message? The case has come out.”

Only then did Shen Junci open his phone and read the messages in the group. Twenty minutes ago, Director Ding’s secretary informed them that a case from a sub-bureau had been transferred over.

The two got into the car, and Gu Yanchen started the engine. For driving safety, he didn’t look at his phone and directly asked Shen Junci sitting beside him, “Did the sub-bureau send the information?”

“It’s been sent,” Shen Junci looked at the data and reported to him in real-time. “It’s about a popular internet personality named Qiu Wenhui. His mother was paralyzed below the chest due to a car accident and has been bedridden for many years. She committed suicide yesterday. This incident seems to be trending online.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “Cause of death?”

Shen Junci replied, “When the police were called, it was reported as death by suffocation with a plastic bag over the head.”

Gu Yanchen nodded upon hearing this, having a basic understanding of the case. It didn’t sound too complicated.

Shen Junci continued, “Qiu Wenhui’s media account is called ‘Carrying My Mother on My Back’. His mother became famous because of him carrying her on his back to collect mountain goods. I think I’ve seen it before; they used to work together, and he even sang folk songs while working, like a mother-son duet.”

As he said this, Gu Yanchen recalled, “I think I’ve seen it too, vaguely.”

He occasionally browsed online news, and many promotional accounts had pushed this, claiming him to be an exceptionally filial son. The videos were very simple, featuring rural scenery and had a personal touch. Most importantly, the singing was genuinely beautiful, and many people were moved by the genuine affection between the mother and son, gradually increasing their viewership.

At the beginning, Qiu Wenhui was hailed as a grassroots internet celebrity, with donations in his live broadcasts amounting to tens of thousands in a single night. But later, those who liked him said he had changed. His family moved to a big house, and advertisements started appearing in his broadcasts. Moreover, his mother appeared less and less in his videos.

Many people began to accuse him of forgetting his roots. It was precisely at this time that his mother suddenly passed away. Many related short videos were dug up online, and netizens were buzzing with discussions. The group was also discussing this case, and Shen Junci turned on the speaker.

Lu Ying said, “How come even filial piety becomes an internet sensation? Isn’t filial piety something natural?”

“I dislike showing off affection and pretense…” the voice sounded a bit timid, obviously Qi Yi’an.

Bai Meng then sent a video link.

Shen Junci played it on speaker, and suddenly, the whole car was filled with sobbing.

In the video, Qiu Wenhui, in his fifties, was crying bitterly, “My mom… my mom didn’t want to burden me. Yesterday, she asked me for some fruit before I left. I gave her a plastic bag with a few washed apples inside. I never thought she would put the bag over her head…” Qiu Wenhui choked up almost immediately, calming his emotions before continuing. “I should have noticed earlier… she… she left me a suicide note. When I came back after buying groceries, she was already… already dead… cold. Mom… why did you leave me alone? What should I do in the future…”

He cried as he spoke.

Shen Junci glanced at the video translation.

“Qiu Ge, hang in there, even if you’re left alone, you must live strong.”

“Tears filled my eyes. I’ve been following your videos since you had only 500 followers.”

Different voices emerged; someone commented, “Isn’t this too fake? His mom died, and he still has the mood to livestream?”

It was quickly silenced.

Shen Junci browsed through the online comments and summarized to Gu Yanchen, “Many people online express sympathy, saying his mother suffered from a long illness and lived a hard life. They hope he handles the funeral well. But some people say he’s profiting from his mother’s death, seeking sympathy, and attracting attention. They demand an investigation into whether he killed his mother. Supporters and critics are at odds. Because of this, the sub-bureau forwarded the case to the City Bureau.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “What has the sub-bureau done about it?”

Shen Junci looked over the details of the handover. “The sub-bureau initially handled the case, sent a medical examiner to the scene, concluded it as a suspected suicide, reviewed the surveillance footage. Qiu Wenhui has an alibi, and he signed to reject an autopsy. Later, they received a transfer request, so they sent the corpse here. Under pressure, Qiu Wenhui agreed to an autopsy to clear his name.”

In the group, discussions about whether it was matricide or suicide were ongoing. Bai Meng and Qi Yi’an suspected matricide.

Lu Ying, however, felt Qiu Wenhui wouldn’t have the audacity for that. “I’ve read some online analyses, but I can’t wrap my head around it. Qiu Wenhui became famous online because he carried his mother every day. Frankly speaking, his mother was also a tool for his earnings. He’s renowned for his filial piety. How could he commit matricide?”

Bai Meng said, “A detective from the sub-bureau told me that recently in his livestreams, he mentioned his mother’s poor health and stopped bringing her. Instead, he partnered with another internet celebrity.”

Lu Ying asked, “Okay, so there’s a motive, but what about the alibi?”

Bai Meng suggested, “Tampering with the time of death? Or falsely reporting the time of death?”

At this point, Lu Ying noticed something, “Huh, where’s Captain Gu? Why isn’t Captain Gu here?”

Bai Meng guessed, “Probably driving, right?”

“Everyone’s calling for you in the group,” Shen Junci asked, “Captain Gu, don’t you want to comment?”

Though safety is a priority while driving, it’s still okay to send a voice message when stopped.

Gu Yanchen typed, “Let’s keep the work group for business discussions.” He issued a mild warning before turning to Shen Junci, “What were you guys chatting about just now?”

Doctor Shen remained composed, “Nothing, they just made some typos.”

Though Gu Yanchen didn’t see it, he understood clearly in his mind, “If it’s all a misunderstanding, isn’t it unfair for nothing to have happened?” He paused for a moment and asked, “Doctor Shen, can I invite you to watch a movie?”

Shen Junci remained silent and walked towards the medical examiner’s office. It was unclear whether he didn’t hear or didn’t intend to answer. When Gu Yanchen felt it was hopeless, he turned back and said, “Wait until this case is solved.”

In an instant, Captain Gu was full of enthusiasm.