CSGM - Chapter 52
Chapter 52: Cracking the Case Overnight
At nine in the morning, a new day of live streaming for Our Restaurant began.
But when the members gathered in the work RV this morning, they looked at each other, realizing there were only four of them. It just didn't feel right.
Luo Yangtian went to the back kitchen and immediately started taking inventory of the ingredients. He muttered to himself for a long time, getting more and more confused, until he suddenly squatted down with a headache and slapped his own head.
"Aaaahhh-" he thought. If Chu Xi were here, she'd know the usage and remaining amounts of the ingredients with just a glance. She was usually the one who did this, and she was extremely efficient.
Suddenly having to do it himself today, his head was a mess from trying to take stock.
It was over. The back kitchen was also short a chef today. It was hard to imagine how busy he and Sister Ling would be during mealtimes!
Not seeing Chu Xi walk past her smugly this morning, even Ren Zhi felt a sense of disparity.
With her back to the camera, she secretly frowned, her expression lost in worry.
She didn't know why Chu Xi had been taken away by the police. Had she done something illegal? Or was it just a false alarm-maybe she wasn't the one who broke the law, but a friend or acquaintance was, and she had to provide information?
Chu Xi's departure was shrouded in mystery. Although unexpected lawbreakers were often exposed in this industry... Ren Zhi, in her heart, naturally didn't want a member of her own show to be involved in anything illegal.
No matter how carefree Li Xiling was, she knew not to mention the sensitive name of someone who'd gotten into trouble on the show. But she couldn't help thinking about it, so she could only discuss it with Luo Yangtian-
"Xiao Tian, do you think it'll just be the two of us busy in the kitchen today and tomorrow?"
"We're short-staffed... Do you think the back kitchen staff will go back to being three people?"
The Director had no idea either. Listening to their discussion, he sighed with a worried frown.
The police had taken her away quietly, and he had planned to keep the matter under wraps. He wanted to wait for a result, good or bad, before saying anything, so as not to unsettle everyone. But he never expected the news about Chu Xi to be exposed by the paparazzi that night! The entire internet knew overnight!
The show's post-production team had been on edge since last night, their sleep quality plummeting by half.
Oh my god, please no. If something happened to Chu Xi, the replays from the past ten-plus days would have to be re-edited. The post-production department would be worked to death with overtime!
In the live stream's bullet comments, there was a new topic of discussion today.
【Huh? Chu Xi really isn't here today.】
【It's over. She's probably done for. Is the five-person restaurant going to become a four-person one from now on?】
【No, Chu Xi's content is still in the replays. She should be fine.】
【Hahahaha... maybe post-production just hasn't gotten around to it yet.】
【Keep an eye on the early replays. We'll know she's in trouble when she gets edited out.】
【I hope my little Restaurant show won't be affected, amen.】
【So what did Chu Xi actually do? Curious, someone please explain.】
Since yesterday, everyone at the police station had been busy welcoming their outside help, reviewing the case, and monitoring its progress. Their curiosity was focused on their external expert, who seemed to possess a miraculous talent. It was a bit like being so absorbed that they lost track of time in the outside world.
It wasn't until now that an officer on the team happened to see a trending news notification pushed to his phone by an app.
He clicked on it and saw that Chu Xi was being discussed all over the internet.
The officer who saw the Weibo topic: "??!"
His mouth fell open, his eyes filled with disbelief, followed by an expression that said, "This is ridiculous." Finally, his brow furrowed in anger.
How could there be so much alarmist content online!
He went to get his team captain and colleagues. A group of officers gathered around, frowning as they seriously discussed the Weibo topic with the "Explosive" tag- #ChuXiTakenToPoliceStation#
Below it were a bunch of netizens just there for the drama, their comments filled with contempt, openly and covertly mocking Chu Xi for not cherishing her future and for bringing this on herself. Some emotional users even angrily cursed Chu Xi for not knowing how to behave herself, telling her not to drag down the show they loved!
"Captain, take a look. What's going on here?"
They had clearly invited Chu Xi back quietly, and the director of that show hadn't explicitly said where she was going. How did someone still manage to photograph it and post the pictures online?!
An officer who knew the industry pointed out that the photos online were definitely taken by paparazzi. That's what paparazzi do-they specialize in photographing celebrities and famous people, gaining attention by exposing their private affairs.
Paparazzi?! Their business was actually leaked by paparazzi?!
"This is outrageous!"
The officer who spoke out wasn't just referring to the paparazzi fanning the flames, but also to the insolent netizens online.
The officers looked at the online comments, growing more and more indignant as they scrolled.
"We were supposed to protect the privacy of the person assisting with the investigation. How did it get spread all over by them?!"
"It's true that rumors only take one mouth to start. So many people are talking nonsense without knowing anything!"
"Chu Xi didn't break the law at all. These online rumors are ridiculous! It's all stuff they made up!"
"Netizens these days love to gawk and chime in even when they don't know the facts."
"Ugh... unbelievable!"
At the same time, they couldn't help but feel a little guilty and worried for Chu Xi.
Chu Xi is a public figure, after all. We never thought just asking her for help would cause such a huge public opinion storm.
No, no, it should be said that we never intended to leak the fact that Chu Xi was helping us. But we didn't expect that countless people would find out overnight.
It was completely unexpected.
"We can't let so many people misunderstand Teacher Chu..." one officer said quietly, conflicted.
The others felt similarly.
"Chu Xi is an entertainer, after all. This will have a negative impact on her."
"It's not like we brought her in on suspicion of a crime. We can't let this keep spreading online."
"We wanted to keep it confidential, but who knew the paparazzi would get it out first... We were careless this time..."
Just as everyone was frowning and discussing the matter in the team captain's office, their colleague, Xiao Wei, suddenly ran over in a hurry. His excited voice caught everyone's attention-
"Captain, Captain! Teacher Chu said she found him!"
Hearing this, everyone was overjoyed!
There was a breakthrough in the case! The officers immediately followed Xiao Wei and rushed over to Chu Xi.
The team captain jogged over, coming to a sliding stop. He braced his hands on the desk, leaned down to look at Chu Xi, and asked, "Teacher Chu, what have you got?!"
The atmosphere in the office seemed to suddenly intensify. Seven or eight officers surrounded Chu Xi, watching her with anticipation, their focus entirely on what she was about to say.
Everyone was suppressing their delight. There was hope of solving the theft case!
Chu Xi pointed to a photo on the computer to her right and said, "It's him. I've looked at all the photos, and no one else is a closer match."
The officers looked at the photo on the computer. The person Chu Xi had identified was a middle-aged man with a long, round head, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a sharp gaze.
The captain clicked the mouse, and the man's basic information appeared on the screen, including a note that said "No Criminal Record".
He asked Chu Xi, "Teacher Chu, how did you determine it was this person?"
Chu Xi pointed to the surveillance footage on the left to explain. "The most basic things are the face shape and forehead. This person's face is shaped like an egg, and he has a prominent forehead. That's one characteristic."
The officers stared at the paused footage.
Uh... in this blurry, indistinct shadow, they really couldn't make out the face shape or forehead. But after hearing Chu Xi's explanation, they vaguely felt that the face did seem to have a bit of an egg shape. They weren't sure if it was just a psychological suggestion.
Chu Xi continued, "The main thing is that this person has scoliosis. It's likely not severe, an inconspicuous deformity, most likely acquired later in life. It's very mild, but you can see that his shoulders are uneven and his back is asymmetrical."
Her gaze shifted from left to right. Pointing at the high-definition ID photo on the computer, she gestured with her fingers between the middle-aged man's shoulders. "In this photo, you can also see that in a natural posture, his left shoulder is a bit higher than his right."
Everyone's eyes moved to where her fingers were, their faces completely baffled.
You... you can see that...?
Alright, it was hard for an ordinary person to see.
Chu Xi took a ruler from the pen holder on the desk and placed it level with the right shoulder in the photo. "Look."
It was obvious now. It was actually true. The man's left shoulder was a few millimeters higher than the ruler.
The officers stared at Chu Xi, utterly astonished.
Was this a difference she could see with the naked eye?!
What an extraordinary person! They really found the right helper this time!
Chu Xi also provided other supporting evidence. For example, she played a segment of the video where the thief, after jumping over the threshold between the villager's door and the small courtyard, subconsciously made a motion to support his lower back. That was because scoliosis can cause pain in the lower back and legs.
Also, when the thief was prying the lock, using the door as a reference point, she judged his height to be around 1.65 meters, perhaps slightly taller.
And when the team captain pulled up the man's personal information, his registered height was indeed 1.66 meters.
The officers contacted the local health clinic and looked up the suspect Chu Xi had identified using his ID number. Sure enough, the clinic confirmed that the person in question had been diagnosed with scoliosis two years ago.
This was also exactly as Chu Xi had deduced-acquired later in life, and not for a long time!
"Teacher Chu, you should use some eye drops. Your eyes are all red." An officer noticed the corners of Chu Xi's eyes were bloodshot and quickly took out his own eye drops.
Their gazes toward Chu Xi now held an extra layer of reverence!
This was too amazing, and too professional. She cracked the case for them overnight!
"Mm." After staring at a computer screen for so long, Chu Xi's eyes were indeed a bit strained. The eye drops relieved some of the dryness.
With the suspect identified, the team captain patted Chu Xi's shoulder, grateful and excited. "Teacher Chu, there's a break room next door. Go get some rest. We're going to arrest him now!"
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