Chapter 79: Refined Nose & Cherry Lips
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xiang Wan felt a chill in the heart.
A feeling of chill went down her spine.
Bai Muchuan was a little too late!
And Cheng Zheng—
Ultimately, he did not listen to her suggestion and missed the best ti to save Huang He.
It was indeed a pity.
At this mont, Tang Yuanchu and the other two detectives who brought the police dog started to get busy in the room.
i Xin looked at Cheng Zheng as well as Bai Muchuan. “I’ll start working now.”
“Hm.” Cheng Zheng acknowledged and put on his gloves when Xiang Wan suddenly shouted.
“Wait! I have an idea.”
Both Cheng Zheng and Bai Muchuan turned around, to look at her suddenly excited face.
Not sure what Xiang Wan had thought of, her eyes were wide-open, flashing with sparks as if she was a little girl who had opened Pandora’s box out of a sudden. That agitated look of hers sohow gave off a supernatural aura.
“What idea?”
Xiang Wan coughed and regained her composure after realizing the stares of both n.
“Actually, I just wanted to suggest to Captain Cheng whether we can examine the ashes...”
Bai Muchuan used his fingers to prop his temples as he lowered his head, not saying a word.
Cheng Zheng chose to be more direct. “In order for the body to be completely decomposed in the fire, the temperature of the furnace is usually around 1,000 degrees. At this temperature, all organic matter would be burned, sa for drugs as well... Teacher Xiang didn’t know about this?”
Xiang Wan was already unhappy about the fact that he had refused to do another autopsy. Now that he replied with another sharp question, she returned a not-so-polite awkward laugh.
“I didn’t know that. As you see, I’m not dead yet. Captain Cheng is so capable, you know so clearly about this.”
Thinking back of what she said, she seed to be implying...
Bai Muchuan grunted a laugh, “It’s as if you’re saying Captain Cheng has died before.”
Pffft! Xiang Wan couldn’t hold her laughter.
She was just implying it, but Bai Muchuan said it out openly.
Seeing the two of them echoing with each other, their attitude seed to be more than friends. However, there wasn’t any trace of any emotion on Cheng Zheng’s face, not even displeasure as both of them had mocked at him.
“The ashes were burnt to fine powder without any value for examination.” He looked at Xiang Wan, unperturbed. “I suggest to Teacher Xiang to watch lesser trashy shows...”
That’s a rebuttal!
She got retorted by a cold-blooded animal called Cheng Zheng.
Xiang Wan rolled her eyes. She was ticked off by his calmness and totally unconcerned attitude.
“At least trashy shows taught to be compassionate. Well, I would suggest Captain Cheng to take a look if you have ti. When you’ve watched more of such shows, who knows if you might be able to cultivate so humanity? That’s a good thing too.”
Cheng Zheng narrowed his eyes.
That night, Xiang Wan was particularly cutting in her remarks.
Every sentence she said encompassed her dissatisfaction toward him.
She was being antagonistic toward him, and Cheng Zheng did not like that feeling. As for Bai Muchuan... he was displeased, even much more than Cheng Zheng.
Be it good or bad, hate or love, if one showed too much emotions toward soone, one would pay special attention to that soone all the ti.
Bai Muchuan took a glance at Xiang Wan and patted her shoulder lightly.
“Not everything could be cultivated...”
Eh? Xiang Wan took two seconds to react. He was echoing her words to say that Cheng Zheng lacked humanity.
She was simring with laughter and wanted to say sothing when he leaned over and whispered, as if the two of them were having a private conversation. “Feelings, however, could be cultivated,” he said teasingly.
“...”
Feelings could be cultivated?
Xiang Wan did not think that he was trying to flirt.
This was because she saw annoyance on Cheng Zheng’s face, obviously because of Bai Muchuan’s words.
Bai Muchuan obviously know how to antagonize people, and he was much better than Xiang Wan on that.
“Did you find anything?” He turned to look at the rest of the detectives, putting on a serious deanor as if he was not the one who tead up with Xiang Wan earlier.
“Not yet, Captain Bai,” answered Tang Yuanchu.
Bai Muchuan nodded and said to Cheng Zheng, “Get cracking! Once work is done, you might still have ti to go ho and watch so television dramas...”
Cheng Zheng took a glance at him, pursed his lips, and started to work.
“...”
Xiang Wan looked at Bai Muchuan’s serious expression and found him funny and annoying at the sa ti.
This fellow!
...
Xiang Wan exclaid inside her head.
Soon, the police dog grabbed Xiang Wan’s attention.
...
What a cool dog!
It was a german shepherd with a black back and a huge fra.
It looked really serious when it worked.
Yes, even when it was wagging its tail, it seed to be different from the ordinary dogs.
Xiang Wan liked it a lot.
She had never had a pet before. Nevertheless, at that mont, she had the sudden notion of keeping a german shepherd as a pet.
If she were to have a dog, she might no longer be afraid when she walked along the dark alley.
She could bring the dog along to get breakfast and no one would dare to approach her easily.
When she was ho alone, the dog would keep her company. She need not worry that it would ever betray her. It would definitely be more obedient and understanding than a boyfriend...
She was smiling from ear to ear. Her eyes followed the dog to wherever it went.
When it went toward the east, she would look to the east. When it headed to the west, she would follow suit as well.
“Xiang Wan!” Bai Muchuan suddenly called her.
“Ah?” Xiang Wan broke out of her trance and looked toward him.
Bai Muchuan was standing beside Tang Yuanchu and he reached out his arms to her. “Co, help roll these up.”
“?” Xiang Wan had a confused expression.
Bai Muchuan’s face fell, his arms were hanging in the air. “Quick, help ! It’s inconvenient to work like that.”
He was wearing gloves and was unable to roll up his sleeves.
But why did he call for her as if he was sure she would help?
Xiang Wan squinted her eyes and realized that besides herself, everyone else was wearing gloves.
Alright then!
She looked at him then went over and rolled up his sleeves.
Bai Muchuan lowered his head to look at her serious little face—she had a refined nose, cherry lips, long and curly eyelashes as well as fair, delicate skin...
Both of them were standing close to each other.
His breath seed to land on her face where she felt itchy.
This kind of feeling made Xiang Wan felt abashed as well as ambiguous.
Huff! She quickly rolled up his sleeves for him and took two steps back as if protecting herself from a plague. “Done!”
Bai Muchuan frowned. “What are you doing?”
“What do you an?”
“One mont you were grinning at the dog, the next you are so nervous as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
Hurhur! Xiang Wan finally caught sothing she could use as as retort.
“You’re right! I grin when I see the dog, and I get nervous when I see a ghost.”
Bai Muchuan: “...”
He pulled a long face at her. “Do you believe that I’ll ask for water and ask you to go downstairs to get water for ?”
Sh*t! Xiang Wan smiled slowly, “Do you believe that I would not bother with you at all?”
With that, she quickly collected herself and walked away to look at the police dog.
...
This was the first ti Xiang Wan had co in close contact with the police dog.
In the past, she felt police dogs were a mysterious breed. She was very curious about the way police dogs worked.
Cool! It’s really too cool!
She held her breath as she walked closer to look more carefully at the dog.
“Woof woof! Woof woof woof...”
Not waiting for her to co closer, the police dog barked so suddenly that Xiang Wan gave a scream and took a few steps back, her heart pounding furiously.
Oh my! It’s so fierce!
“My apologies, I just wanted to look...”
She lifted both of her hands and was embarrassed for disrupting their work.
Before she finished her sentence, however, everyone started to get excited and walked over to the police dog...
“Xiao Tian, what did you find?”
“What’s the situation?”
The police dog was not barking at her at all.
The direction that the dog was barking at, was exactly the spot that Sun Shangli had jumped down...
That spot was a huge window that was frad inside the wall.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly beca tense.
Xiang Wan’s back went stiff. She clenched her fists as she followed Bai Muchuan to walk to the window.
“Is there anything strange with the window?”
The police dog would not be able to answer that, of course.
Swoosh! Bai Muchuan drew the curtains open.
Outside the window, they could see the fountain in front of “The Palace”.
The fountain was not opened, but the goddess statue at the fountain was still there. The dancing gesture looked arrogant and beautiful in the dark, and the slightly lifted expression seed like a sneer...
Of course, at Xiang Wan’s position, she was unable to see the expression of the goddess distinctively.
It was because Xiang Wan rembered the features of the goddess that she sohow felt that she was mocking at everyone.
Xiang Wan was thinking: Sun Shangli was standing right here that night, dancing on a very tall stool, not having anything on. What was she feeling when she was dancing in front of the n and won in this room?
If the forensics team was accurate in their autopsy report that she did not take any drugs, that would an she was clear-headed. Would her suffering be deeper in this case?
There was sheer decadence within the window. Outside the window was the haughtiness of the goddess.
Sun Shangli was once like a goddess that had a bright future ahead of her!
...
Would she feel that the goddess outside the window was mocking at her?
When the police barged in, she jumped. And she seed to want to leap toward the goddess statue?
...
Xiang Wan’s mind was in disarray.
Her brain cells were so active, but she felt chilly throughout.
“Xiao Tian! What’s wrong?”
The police dog seed to get impatient as they hovered around the window.
He was still barking and looked extrely restless as he sniffed desperately in the air. Suddenly, he dashed toward a corner of the wall below the window, trying very hard to dig with his front paws.
The dog’s paws were sharp, and the wallpaper started to get scratches.
Well...
Xiang Wan suddenly had a thought. “Could it be that there’s sothing strange inside the wall?”
Bai Muchuan had a severe expression; he watched on as Xiao Tian seed intent on digging the wall. He slowly walked over, patted the dog’s head, and stroked its back as an indication for it to quieten down before getting a detective to lead him aside.
“Grab so tools! Dig the wall.”
“Ah?” Tang Yuanchu felt perturbed and asked again, “Now?”
Bai Muchuan squinted his eyes and looked at him from the sideways. “Is there a problem?”
Tang Yuanchu shook his head. “No.”
A detective needed to get their work done fast. They work around the clock as and when necessary, regardless of what ti it was.
Just that...
Tang Yuanchu gave it a thought. “We should at least inform the owner about it and obtain his permission?”
After all, “The Palace” was such an expensive place, what if the owner made them compensate for making holes on the wall?
With Huang He’s case serving as a lesson for them, the detectives were now more careful in their actions.
Bai Muchuan nodded his head in approval. Next, he stood up and ordered, “Dig!”
Just one word was enough to show his boldness.
Alright, let’s not forget the owner of ‘The Palace’ is his cousin.
Tang Yuanchu recalled that and hastily got to work.
A short while later, Tang Yuanchu ca back with the manager who brought a tool box with him.
He seed to be worried. “This wall... is it really alright to make a hole in... this wall?”
“It’s not the load-bearing wall.” Bai Muchuan gave him a look. “I’ll answer to your boss, you need not worry about it.”
“Alright, I got it.” The manager looked relieved, and he stood aside to not disrupt their work.
The next mont, Bai Muchuan handed the tool box to Cheng Zheng. “Such stuff is better left to the forensics team.”
“...”
Digging a hole in the wall was not that simple, but as they had tools, it should not be too much of a hassle, either.
The wallpaper was cut and torn apart. Next, the paint and plaster were removed bit by bit...
The hole started to get bigger and bigger, but there was nothing inside the wall.
Xiao Tian was looking nacingly at the wall and started to bark even more fiercely.
If not for the leash, he would surely dash to the wall and dig, or maybe bite.
But what exactly did the dog find in the wall?
The police dog was unable to communicate to people but what was certain was that he would not bark for no reason.
“Continue!” Bai Muchuan could not stand Cheng Zheng working slowly on the wall. “Everyone, dig the wall!”
Many hands make light work.
No one talked. Everyone was busy working on the wall.
The atmosphere was rigid, tense and stuffy. There were beads of perspiration on Xiang Wan’s head.
She held her breath, stood at where she was and stared at the wall.
It was as though the next second, sothing might pop out from the wall.
Ti seed to be moving extrely slowly.
The walls started to get mottled and scattered from their digging.
Nevertheless, be it inside or surface of the wall, there still was nothing.
“What’s the matter? Xiao Tian?” Tang Yuanchu asked the police dog.
Xiao Tian still continued to bark fiercely. His serious face showed his frustration of being unable to make them understand.
“Could it be that Xiao Tian is just feeling hungry?”
“...”
Soone chuckled a laugh.
“Actually with regards to this case... I wanted to say if we have overthink it to be too complicated?”
“... Exactly.”
“Taking drugs, committing suicide, it’s just sothing simple...”
“Shut up!” Bai Muchuan stood up suddenly.
There was a sharp, piercingly-cold aura from his handso face.
Xiang Wan’s heart was in her mouth when she saw him like that.
He turned slowly toward Cheng Zheng and pointed at the bits of the wall that they had dug.
“Take a sample of that for a test!”
...
“Let’s withdraw!”
Everyone packed up and ca down from the fifth floor.
In the main hall, the manager and a few waiters had dutifully prepared so drinks and snacks.
“Officers, you’ve worked hard. Please have so food before you go.”
“It’s alright. Thank you!” Bai Muchuan removed his gloves. “We’ve troubled you tonight.”
Most of the ti, he was polite and courteous. He was not one of those selfish and good-for-nothing wealthy spoilt brats. Even though they had co to “The Palace” for work, they had indirectly made the employees stay up together with them.
“It’s nothing, really.” The manager sent them out with a smile. “I hope we can resu operations soon...”
Bai Muchuan glanced at him. “Do make adjustnts according to the guidelines!”
“Yes, we will.”
...
The light rain had not stopped. The air outside was much fresher than inside the building.
Xiang Wan stretched herself. “Oh my, why did I feel that I’m alive again!”
Earlier when she was on the fifth floor, she had felt slightly out of breath.
“In that room, sohow, I get a feeling of fear that I have stepped into a murder scene?”
She remarked in a joking manner, but unconsciously, she took a glance at the tall goddess statue at the fountain.
In the dark, the goddess still had that expression.
Suddenly, Xiang Wan felt her heart skip a beat and was sowhat terrified. She quickly retracted her gaze and looked at Bai Muchuan. “I feel that my direct psychological response is worth referencing...”
“That’s simply your own psychological hint!” Bai Muchuan snorted, “Stop your self-hypnosis or you won’t be far away from Zhan Yuan. Sooner or later, you’re going to beco a scamr like him.”
“...”
Psychological hint, self-hypnosis.
What he said did make so sense. Due to the subconscious hints in her mind, she would constantly try to reinforce her thoughts and would find everything to have a problem. When that happened, she might talk non-stop about it. Take for example the goddess statue, it was just an ordinary statue, but to the earlier psychological hint, she would feel the expression scary and eerie...
Ain’t all these just her thoughts?
Xiang Wan took a deep breath and laughed. “Okay, you’re right this ti.”
Bai Muchuan took a look at her.
At this mont, everyone proceeded to get onto their cars.
Naturally, Xiang Wan had prepared to go in the sa car as him.
Bai Muchuan helped to shield her from the rain and opened the door for her.
“Let Tang Yuanchu send you back.”
What about you? Not going back?
Xiang Wan thought that inside her head, but she did not ask. Instead, she just smiled.
“Thank you!”
...
Tang Yuanchu followed Bai Muchuan’s instructions and sent Xiang Wan right to the doorstep of her rented apartnt. He only left when Fang Yuanyuan woke up to open the door for her.
However, when Fang Yuanyuan saw Tang Yuanchu’s back view, she was shocked.
“D*rn! Xiang Wan, you’ve got another target?”
“Hush!” Xiang Wan dashed in imdiately, wishing she could have covered Fang Yuanyuan’s mouth. “Don’t talk nonsense! People are going to joke about it.”
“Hey, isn’t that...”
“What are you thinking about?”
Xiang Wan closed the door by giving it a kick with her legs as she gave Fang Yuanyuan a glare.
The house was filled with warm lights, and the familiar sense of ho sward towards her.
Even though this was a rented apartnt, it was her ho for now.
Xiang Wan heaved a long sigh of relief when she ca ho. She threw her bag on the sofa and gave Fang Yuanyuan a bear hug.
“My darling, I’m back. Quick, call sis, I’ve brought you nice food...”
“Oh please!” Fang Yuanyuan wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Where did you go earlier? You sll! Go have a good wash.”
“Okay, Xiao Fangzi, go fill water in the bathtub for this lady!”
“Scram!”
The two of them jested around happily as if the happy monts had co back again.
Xiang Wan took out the snacks she bought from the capital and placed them on the coffee table before she went for a bath.
When she ca out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head, she realized that Fang Yuanyuan had brought all the snacks into the bedroom. She was sitting on the bed, eating the snacks piece by piece. She looked quiet and weary.
Xiang Wan stopped moving at that instant.
She suddenly wondered how Fang Yuanyuan spent her days during these two weeks that she was not around.
“Yuanyuan,” Xiang Wan furrowed her eyebrows, “you haven’t been eating well? You’ve lost a lot of weight!”
Fang Yuanyuan rolled her eyes casually and offered her a snack. “I’m on a diet! It’s not been easy for to slim down.”
Do people lose weight like this?
Xiang Wan puffed a sigh, rejected the snack, and sat on the chair to blow-dry her hair.
“You... you’re torturing yourself,” she suddenly remarked.
The loud humming sounds of the blow dryer covered Fang Yuanyuan’s soft sigh in response.
“I’m not torturing myself. I just... miss him sotis.”
Xiang Wan’s hand that held the blow dryer suddenly tightened. She got reminded of Huang He who was being detained, but she found herself not able to say those words to Fang Yuanyuan that she had been keeping inside her heart.
She was in a daze and recovered when she felt a sowhat scalding pain in her scalp.
She turned to look at Fang Yuanyuan. “Stop eating, go back to sleep. When you’re asleep, you won’t think so much.”
“Hm.” Fang Yuanyuan put away the snacks. She washed her hands and brushed her teeth before going to bed.
Then, she turned around, and her back was now facing Xiang Wan.
The night was now quiet.
Even the humming sounds of the blow dryer could not bring away the chilly feeling of loneliness.
Xiang Wan knew that Fang Yuanyuan had not fallen asleep, but she didn’t know how to comfort her.
When she finished drying her hair, she lay beside Fang Yuanyuan and picked up her mobile phone.
There was a ssage that was sent 30 minutes ago from Bai Muchuan.
“I’m in the office waiting for Cheng Zheng to finish with his testing on the sample. Do rest early!”
Xiang Wan looked at each and every word of the ssage.
She took a long ti to look at it and edited her reply several tis.
Finally, she deleted everything and only replied with a word—”Okay”.
The night seed long. She was unable to sleep.
Xiang Wan’s mind was in a state of confusion that night after going to the fifth floor of “The Palace”. The scenes of the goddess statue when she looked down from the fifth floor window kept flashing by in her head.
She could not sleep, so she started to write about the details of the case in her mobile phone.
Maybe it was because she was writing her story based on a real case, and in addition to having been to the “cri scene” earlier, the experience and conjectures she ford had simulated her brain so much that she realized the speed of her fingers could not keep up to the speed of her brain.
This can’t do, I have to write all these down using the laptop , Xiang Wan thought.
When inspiration arrives, it can’t be stopped.
She got out of bed, carried her laptop to the living room, and sat on the sofa. Then she wrote whatever she had thought earlier.
As she had a lot of ideas, it was a smooth process for her. She finished writing when it was after three o’clock in the wee hours.
Xiang Wan did a check on erroneous words before she uploaded the chapter and published it. When all these were completed, she went to bed.
This ti, she had peace of mind and was able to get a good sleep.
When it was early morning, she was awakened by the shrill ringing tone of her mobile phone. She was so irritated that she wanted to cuss.
“You better have a very good reason to explain the reason of your call, or else...”
The one who called was Bai Muchuan. “Xiang Wan!” His voice sounded dead serious and had successfully gotten her to listen. “We have a major discovery! However, since you didn’t want to know... Then, bye!”
“Eh? Don’t!”
Xiang Wan imdiately sobered up.
However, it was too late. She could only hear the hateful sounds of the disconnected call.
Bai Muchuan had hung up the phone!
What the! This guy!
Xiang Wan was peeved. She scratched her head in dismay. She didn’t really want to call back, but she lost control of her finger.
“Detective Bai, what’s the major discovery? Quick, tell about it!”
Bai Muchuan’s unhurried voice had a hint of fatigue. “Oh? Beg then?”
“...”
This scoundrel!
Xiang Wan gnashed her teeth and decided to use a soft, mushy voice that even she would get goosebumps all over.
“Detective Bai, I beg of you. Tell about it, please.”
“...”
Bai Muchuan could really be disgusted by that.
It was a while later when he puffed a breath.
“I feel glad that I haven’t eaten my breakfast.”
“So?” Xiang Wan’s eyebrow were raised.
“So, co out and eat with . We’ll talk over breakfast.”
“Okay, that makes sense.” Xiang Wan felt it was amusing. “I haven’t had my breakfast too.”
She had adopted a healthier routine recently, so it was ti for her to get up and eat.
“Where are you?”
“Hurhur!” Bai Muchuan chuckled a laugh. “At the breakfast eatery near your neighborhood together with Cheng Zheng.”
Uh! Cheng Zheng is there too?
That ans they have worked for one whole night without sleep?
Xiang Wan suddenly felt his earlier laugh didn’t sound quite right. There was a chilly feeling to it.
“I want to find out for myself what’s so different about the taste of breakfast here,” sneered Bai Muchuan, as if he was suggesting sothing.
Breakfast is just breakfast. What’s so different about it?
Xiang Wan felt that the brain of this guy must have malfunctioned.
Nevertheless, seeing him work so hard to serve the people, she did not want to antagonize him.
“Yeah, the taste is really not bad. Wait for , I’ll be right there!”
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