Shanghai police say they have detained a suspect in the death of the potential poisoner of the billionaire founder of a Chinese video game company who makes films based on the popular science fiction novel “The Problem of the Three Bodies”. Lin Qi, 39, died on Christmas Day after being hospitalized, according to his company, Yoozoo Games Co., also known as Youzu Interactive.
A 39-year-old colleague, identified only by his last name Xu, was detained in a police statement. The statement said the victim was hospitalized on December 17 and was diagnosed with possible poisoning, but did not provide further details. The Hollywood Reporter, quoting the local press, reported that Lin was ill with a cup of poisoned pu-erh tea.
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An employee who answered the phone on Monday at the Shanghai police press office said there was no additional information to release.
Business magazine Caixin, citing unidentified industry sources, said the suspect was an employee of Yoozoo’s film division and was working on “The Three-Body Problem.” The novel is currently being adapted as a Netflix series produced by the creators of “Game of Thrones” David Benioff and DB Weiss. Lin is listed as the executive producer of the series.
Yoozoo is also known for its “Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming” game.
Lin ranked 870th among China’s richest entrepreneurs, with a net worth of 6.8 billion yuan ($ 1 billion), according to the Hurun report, which follows China’s richest.