Chapter 86: This Is Also A Routine
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
This is a hotel. Some people stay for just one night and leave, while others, like this large group from the film crew, stay for a long time. However, the person next door seemed to have been staying for quite a while. Once, Xi Mo even saw hotel staff leaving food ordered from the room at the door, which gave the impression that this kind of delivery happened frequently.
But as for who exactly was staying in that room, Xi Mo never figured it out.
The police came to ask questions, so it was definitely a big deal. Xi Mo prepared herself mentally and opened the door.
Outside the door, Cui Jiayu saw Xi Mo and also noticed Ruan Yesheng standing next to her. Cui Jiayu looked at Xi Mo with nothing unusual in her expression, as if it was just an ordinary encounter. However, when her gaze shifted to Ruan Yesheng, there was a hint of surprise in her eyes. But she quickly returned to her calm demeanor.
Xi Mo noticed the subtle changes in Cui Jiayu's expression.
The face Ruan Yesheng had now was her own. Cui Jiayu’s current interest in Ruan Yesheng actually meant she had some interest in her as well. If it were a fan, Ruan Yesheng wouldn’t have been surprised by such a reaction. However, the other person was a police officer investigating a case. Being scrutinized like this naturally made her feel a bit uneasy.
Ruan Yesheng also noticed this but didn’t say a word.
“Miss Ruan, hello.” Cui Jiayu shifted her gaze to Xi Mo and said, “Please don’t be nervous. I’m just here to ask you a few questions about the situation next door. It's a routine procedure.”
“Officer Cui, please go ahead,” Xi Mo replied. “If there’s anything you want to know, I’ll cooperate fully. You mentioned something happened next door. What exactly happened?”
Cui Jiayu didn’t answer directly. Instead, she asked, “Do you know the person staying next door?”
Xi Mo shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
“Have you ever seen her before?” Cui Jiayu asked. “Or have you ever seen her leaving her room? If you have, could you tell me about her condition? Was there anything unusual about her, or did anyone else come looking for her?”
As she spoke, she handed over a photo.
Xi Mo took the photo. She saw a young woman in the picture, and after just one glance, a chill ran up her spine.
The person staying next door was actually this woman?
She truly didn’t know her.
But she had seen her before, and the impression was very vivid.
That morning, Feng Tangtang had gone out to buy supplies. She returned a bit later than usual and said there had been a death on the road, causing a traffic jam. Several people from the same crew had seen it too, and one bold person even took a picture. At the time, that person sent the photo of the deceased to Feng Tangtang, and it eventually made its way to Xi Mo’s phone.
The photo showed the deceased in an especially eerie and horrifying state. Blood flowed from all seven orifices, and even in death, her hands were clawed like hooks, clutching tightly at her own chest.
And that deceased person was the same as the one in the photo Cui Jiayu had just handed over.
Ruan Yesheng calmly leaned closer to Xi Mo and glanced at the photo, her heart sinking instantly. However, in front of Cui Jiayu, she displayed no unusual behavior. It appeared as if she was merely curious, looking at the photo a bit longer out of interest. Her face then showed a few traces of feigned confusion and bewilderment.
Her acting was flawless, indistinguishable from reality.
Ruan Yesheng knew that the police officers from the Municipal Public Security Bureau’s investigation team were as sharp as foxes. They typically handled major cases and were skilled at catching subtle facial expressions and micro-movements. If Cui Jiayu detected even the slightest change in her expression, it would inevitably arouse suspicion. She would think Ruan Yesheng either knew the deceased or had some knowledge related to the case, which would undoubtedly lead to further entanglement later.
Now was not a good time. Besides the danger lurking all around, she had also swapped bodies with Xi Mo. Facing these police officers, the best approach was to avoid them as much as possible.
“I’m very sorry.” Xi Mo had the same thought and did not mention having seen the deceased’s photo before. Instead, she spoke truthfully about other points: “I work with the crew. Every day, I start work early and return late. Our schedules never overlap, so I’ve never seen the person staying next door.”
She paused and then said, “But I once saw the hotel staff delivering a meal to her. They left it at the door, and later, when I went out, I saw the tray had been taken inside, but I didn’t see her in person.”
“What did she order? How many portions?” Cui Jiayu’s gaze was sharp.
“Just one portion—steak and some wine to go with it,” Xi Mo replied. “I don’t know anything else.”
Cui Jiayu tore a sheet of paper from the small notebook she carried and wrote down a phone number before handing it over. “Thank you for your help, Miss Ruan. This is my number. If you remember anything else or see anyone suspicious in this hotel, feel free to call me.”
Xi Mo looked at her, politely taking the paper. “Alright.”
“Will Miss Ruan be leaving in the next few days, or will you stay in your hotel room to rest?” Cui Jiayu smiled slightly. “I heard from your director that he gave both you and Miss Xi some time off. You don’t need to go to the set for the next few days, so will you be staying here?”
Xi Mo thought to herself that Cui Jiayu was indeed a capable police officer. Before even questioning them, she had already investigated everything she could about the hotel. Since most of the hotel’s guests were crew members, she had even thoroughly looked into the production team. She even knew about their time off, and perhaps she had already inquired about the time Ruan Yesheng and she had spent in the hospital.
“Our health hasn’t been great, so Director Lin gave us some time off,” Xi Mo responded calmly. “I’ll be staying at the hotel for the next few days.”
“Alright,” Cui Jiayu said. “If you hear any noises or see anyone at the door next to yours, please do me a favor and let me know.”
“No problem,” Xi Mo agreed, but her heart already turned several corners.
Judging from Cui Jiayu’s approach, she was clearly investigating a significant homicide case, likely because the person next door had died under suspicious circumstances. If the room the deceased stayed in contained clues, the police would certainly seal it off. However, Cui Jiayu didn’t seem to want to blatantly cordon it off. Instead, it seemed like she was intentionally leaving the room as bait, trying to lure someone connected to the case. Based on this reasoning, the room was probably already equipped with surveillance devices.
Having Xi Mo, who lived next door, keep an eye on things was indeed a thorough plan.
“Thank you, Miss Ruan.” Cui Jiayu handed over her small notebook again. “There’s one more thing I need your cooperation on. Please write your name here to confirm that you’ve been questioned by the police. I’ll take it back for our investigation records.”
“It’s blank; there’s nothing written on it.” Xi Mo found it odd. “You didn’t record the questioning? I just need to sign my name?”
Cui Jiayu said, "It's fine. I’ve already kept everything in my mind. It’s inconvenient right now, but I’ll fill it out later. Miss Ruan, you just need to sign at the bottom. This is routine, no way around it."
Xi Mo wrote Ruan Yesheng’s name at the bottom of the page that Cui Jiayu had opened.
Then Cui Jiayu looked at Ruan Yesheng. The gleam in her eyes was a bit more pronounced than before as she said, "Miss Xi, please write yours as well."
Ruan Yesheng smiled faintly, "Officer Cui, I’m not staying here. You didn’t question me, do I still need to write?"
"Since you’re here and witnessed the whole thing, I still need you to write." Cui Jiayu said without changing her expression, "This is also a routine."
Ruan Yesheng had no choice but to sign Xi Mo's name next to where Xi Mo had written before.
"Thank you both. I won't disturb you any longer." Cui Jiayu said, "If you find anything, feel free to contact me anytime."
At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and Yan Mu, Shen Qingbie, and Yu An stepped out one after another.
Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo watched as Cui Jiayu and the male police officer walked away. They also saw the three people coming from the elevator.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Perhaps it was because Cui Jiayu looked different from the other residents, carrying a distinct aura. As she passed by, all three of them glanced at her at the same time.
Once they entered the elevator and pressed the floor button, the male police officer finally dared to speak. "Boss, I have something I want to ask you."
Cui Jiayu glanced at him. "Speak."
The male police officer said, "You just mentioned routine procedure, but in our investigation team, we don't have such a requirement. There's no need for the other party to sign. If we had to get signatures from everyone we questioned, the notebook would be filled up. You questioned so many people from the hotel and the crew, why didn't you ask them for signatures?"
Cui Jiayu: "..."
"I don't know Miss Ruan very well," the male police officer tried to recall. "But the one standing next to her, Miss Xi Mo, is quite famous. Do you remember that during our break earlier this year, we went to see a movie? It starred Miss Xi, and it was really good. I remember you even took a photo with Miss Xi's poster in the cinema."
Cui Jiayu lazily lifted her eyelids and said, "Really? I don't remember that."
"Of course, you do!" The male officer scratched his head and suddenly had an epiphany. "I understand now, Boss, your so-called routine procedure... you're just using this as an excuse to get Xi Mo's signature!"
Cui Jiayu got angry and knocked him on the forehead. "No... that's not true! If you go back to the station and start spreading nonsense, be careful, I’ll crush you to death."
"Calm down, I won’t say anything… I promise I won’t."
Cui Jiayu snorted coldly. "The room next to the deceased Zhang Yuning’s has been vacated. Find someone unfamiliar to move in and monitor Zhang Yuning’s room to see if anyone shows up."
"The medical examiner said Zhang Yuning died of heart attack. It should be a natural death, right? Boss, why are you so invested in this case that you even requested approval from Director Li to take it over?"
"You don’t understand." Cui Jiayu's gaze turned somber. "Don’t you think there have been too many cases of deaths by heart attacks with this kind of death scene in recent years? When we get back, grab some case files from my office and take a good look at them."
"Yes, Boss."
Author’s Note:
The next chapter will be updated on Thursday, the evening of the 31st of this month. [Teaser, it looks even cuter.]
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