Shi Nian left the Golden Sands Hotel and headed to the music bar where the incident occurred.
Ye He arrived earlier and was conducting interviews in the area.
Ye He was perfect for this kind of public interview work. Her sweet and approachable deanor sotis led her to speak in a way that seed thoughtless, which endeared her to people and avoided the sharp-tongued, pretentious nature typical of journalists, preventing any resentnt from interviewees.
When Shi Nian arrived, Ye He had already finished her round of interviews. The two stood in the middle of the street, making it inconvenient to converse, so Ye He looked around, preparing to find a place to sit down.
This street was lined with small shops, cafes, tea rooms, and bars. However, Shi Nian pulled Ye He’s hand: "Let’s go into that one."
Shi Nian was referring to the music bar where the murder happened.
To protect the interests of the owner, the police, after collecting evidence, had lifted the cordon and returned the place to the owner for regular business.
The murder had a dual impact on the bar: on one hand, so curious about the case would co in to spend money; but on the other hand, so considered it unlucky and chose another place.
Shi Nian and Ye He walked to the entrance and saw about half of the tables occupied. Around the entrance were bouquets of flowers, posters of ng Chuyan, and various purple items that ng Chuyan loved. Shi Nian felt a pang of sadness and went to buy a bouquet of purple irises, placing them reverently in front of ng Chuyan’s serene smiling poster.
The two entered the bar, looking to sit where ng Chuyan used to sit. However, that seat was covered with a white cloth, with a sign saying it would no longer be offered to any guest, asking for understanding.
The owner had been taken back to the police station for investigation, leaving only two young boys, apparently student staff, in the bar. Shi Nian asked if there were any other changes in the bar aside from that seat.
The student staff hesitated, so Shi Nian quickly explained: "This seat is no longer available, so I was worried there might be other changes and wanted to ask just in case."
The student staff finally smiled: "No, there haven’t been any other adjustnts. It’s only been over 40 hours since the incident, and with the owner at the police station, we haven’t had ti for more changes."
Shi Nian ordered drinks, choosing a quiet seat with Ye He to talk quietly.
Ye He cautiously observed Shi Nian’s expression: "... Are you upset, Boss?"
After getting off the plane, they went straight to see the coroner, then went their separate ways: Shi Nian to the police station to et Tang Yanqing, and Ye He to the bar to conduct interviews. Ye He was concerned because, having gone to et Mr. Tang, why Shi Nian still seed upset?
Shi Nian was also a bit surprised, touching her cheeks, wondering: Is it that obvious?
She shook her head: "No, there’s nothing to be upset about."
Ye He stuck out her tongue: "But Boss, you clearly look upset... What did Mr. Tang do?"
Shi Nian eventually sighed: "Never mind. Anyway, Golden Sand or whatever, I can’t afford to stay there."
It turned out that once soone like that put on a playboy attitude, they were genuinely annoying. No wonder he could easily say "you’re not worthy" back then. What a contemptuous jerk!
Sensing sothing was off, Ye He had to suppress her curiosity and switched back to business.
Ye He said the bar had refused photography due to the incident, and on checking their phones, found the shop’s wifi had been shut down to prevent curious thrill-seekers from taking pictures and posting them online, which would only further spread the impact. Ye He smiled like a little kitten: "But I still took photos from a distance."
She showed Shi Nian her phone.
To avoid attracting too much attention, neither Shi Nian nor Ye He brought large caras.
Ye He was thorough, with dozens of photos of the bar saved on her phone, capturing almost every angle.
Shi Nian asked: "Do you have any from the night of the incident, a week ago, or a month ago?"
Ye He was dumbfounded for a mont but quickly grabbed her phone, painfully using her own data to go online. After a few minutes, she laughed with eyes bending into crescents: "Thanks to the resourceful netizens, travel blogs have everything." Ye He handed the phone back to Shi Nian, indeed finding photos from the night of the incident, during the New Year holiday, a month ago, and three months ago.
The facade of a shop is its living signboard; travelers may not rember the shop na but will rember the uniquely designed facade. Therefore, the music bar’s facade barely changed, only displaying different flowers for the seasons or hanging colorful lights for comrcial needs, or decorative items/posters for event thes.
Before the incident, due to the New Year holiday, the facade in the photos was adorned with many golden paper stars, big red Chinese knots, and door gods, all symbolizing festivity, which were naturally removed after the incident. Shi Nian took the photos to the entrance and looked back and forth.
Due to the incident, the police, dia, and tourists focused too much on the store, which put a great burden on the student staff, so seeing Shi Nian looking around made them a bit guarded.
Shi Nian decided not to reveal her identity as a journalist, rely smiling and pointing to the photo: "I really like this wind chi. From the photo, I can’t tell the material; it seems like ancient pottery? Anyway, it has a primitive beauty. I want to ask if it’s sold here?"
The student staff looked a bit puzzled too: "A wind chi? It’s not from our store, just a New Year decoration. It’s been disposed of after use."
.
After finishing their drinks, the two left the bar and paid the bill.
Sitting in a taxi, Ye He finally asked: "Boss, why are you so interested in a wind chi?"
Shi Nian pulled out the photo from the night of the incident, showing it to Ye He: "You’re a shopping expert; have you seen wind chis like this on e-comrce sites?"
Ye He thought hard: "I don’t think so."
Shi Nian nodded: "Even though the photo is a bit blurry and the exact material isn’t clear, I still believe it’s not made from ordinary materials."
Saying this, Shi Nian called Xiao Mai, sending him the picture: "Log in with your travel blog identity, ask if any netizens have seen this wind chi at a music bar entrance in Singapore. Just say you like it, and seek a detailed description."
The potential of netizens is limitless; it wasn’t long before Xiao Mai received many replies from fellow travelers. Although so couldn’t be specific, many still provided clearer pictures; and so experts analyzed the possible materials for such a primitive-style wind chi: perhaps jade fragnts, wood chips, green bamboo, clam, or copper.
One person confidently concluded: copper.
Xiao Mai compiled the information and sent it to Shi Nian.
Shi Nian felt more certain and told Ye He: "Such a unique style, possibly handcrafted copper wind chi, wouldn’t be cheap. Do you think soone would casually discard it after a few days as a re decoration for the shop?"
Ye He pondered but shook her head: "Maybe the student staff who answered didn’t know the situation."
Shi Nian nodded: "That’s possible, but sothing still feels off to ."
.
Returning to the hotel, which was also an international hotel but only three-star, Shi Nian felt inexplicably annoyed and went to shower first.
As soone born with a matchmaker divine assist personality, Ye He couldn’t resist dialing Tang Yanqing’s number, quietly asking how he made their boss angry, and warning him that she was genuinely upset, and still hadn’t cald down.
Tang Yanqing unusually snorted coldly from the other end: "If she wants to be angry, what can I do? What could I have done but say that the Golden Sands Hotel exceeded your company’s travel budget standard? Did I say sothing wrong?"
Ye He directly asked: "Then, Mr. Tang, can’t you book a room at the Golden Sands for our boss?" She ekly added, "You don’t need to include , just a room for our boss is fine. I’m okay staying in this three-star hotel, it’s quite nice."
However, Tang Yanqing arrogantly snorted again: "I book a room for her? Haha, why should I?"
Ye He beca a bit annoyed too.
Just then, Shi Nian’s phone rang, and Ye He stood at the bathroom door with the phone: "Boss, you have a call."
Shi Nian closed her eyes, assuming it was Tang Yanqing, choosing not to answer, and instructed Ye He to take the call.
Ye He didn’t expect it to be Huangfu Huazhang calling. Facing this proud and mysterious director, Ye He stuttered nervously. Huangfu Huazhang, however, smiled warmly: "Did your boss have a smooth day at work today? Is she happy?"
Ye He couldn’t resist revealing: "The boss isn’t happy because she can’t afford to stay at the Golden Sands Hotel..."
.
The night was shimring. Though the New Year had just passed, Singapore’s recent temperatures still reached 27°C. Many tourists from winter lands gathered at the rooftop "infinity" pool to enjoy the sumr vibe.
Luo Xiansheng and Tang Yanqing also ca, though Tang Yanqing didn’t go into the water, lying on a lounger, squinting at the city’s night lights.
Luo Xiansheng swam a lap, coming ashore he asked with concern: "You barely ate dinner. How about ordering sothing? If you like it here, it’s nice to sit and eat here too."
Just then, soone near them jumped into the water like a weight, causing a splash. Tang Yanqing was about to speak when he got a face and mouth full of water.
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