Chapter 130: So
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Cui Jiayu refused without hesitation: “Even if I know, I can’t tell you. That’s the rule and discipline.”
Lin Tingyu said, “You can tell A’Shuang a few things that aren’t too serious. Doctor Zhao is gone. She’s really sad.”
“You trying to get information out of me again? Don’t think I don’t know what you do. Your company’s all about breaking news for marketing, right? What, you wanna make money off gossip now?” Cui Jiayu gave Lin Tingyu a nasty look and sneered, “I’m telling you, don’t even think about it. And you just put your hands on me. I can totally arrest you for assaulting a police officer!”
“Go ahead and try,” Lin Tingyu said like it was nothing.
Cui Jiayu snapped, “You think I won’t dare?”
Lin Tingyu calmly shook her phone, a hint of a smile in her eyes. “I knew you would never say anything nice to me. I started recording the moment you walked in. I recorded all that colorful language. I’ll send it to the big marketing accounts at my company. Let the passersby see how excellent Officer Cui randomly accuses innocent people. Let them hear how rich your uncivilized vocabularies are. And when you lose the argument, you try to hit someone. Really chills the hearts of the innocent.”
“You—!” Cui Jiayu didn’t expect that move.
This woman eats people and doesn’t spit bones. Always acts kind, but plays dirty behind the scenes.
Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo frowned.
Even though Lin Tingyu said the recording was for Cui Jiayu, they were also there. They didn’t say anything shameful, but still, being recorded felt off.
Xi Mo had been in the entertainment circle for years. She got tense the moment she heard “recording.”
Lin Tingshuang noticed their stiff expressions and quickly said to Ruan Yesheng, “Ruanruan, don’t worry. A’Ting was bluffing to trick Jiajia. She would never record private talks. That’s rude. A’Ting’s not that kind of person, I promise.”
Cui Jiayu: “…”
Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo subtly breathed a sigh of relief.
“A’Shuang.” Lin Tingyu shook her head helplessly, but still smiled. “Next time before you expose me, give me a signal first. What if I really want to lie?”
“What kind of signal do you want?” Lin Tingshuang pointed at the wheelchair armrest. “I’ll tap it three times with my finger. How’s that?”
“Sounds good.” Lin Tingyu grinned. “But now everyone in this room knows it. It’s not a signal anymore.”
“It’s okay.” Lin Tingshuang had been protected by Lin Tingyu too well. She looked innocent and full of pure trust and love for the world. She said, “Jiajia grew up with us. She’s like family. Ruanruan and Xi Mo are new friends. You can’t lie to family and friends.”
“You’re right.” Lin Tingyu gently patted her head.
Lin Tingshuang asked Lin Tingyu for her phone, opened the screen, and showed the recording log to Ruan Yesheng. “Ruanruan, look. A’Ting didn’t record anything. She was just scaring Jiajia.”
“Thank you, A’Shuang. I believe you. No need to show me.” Ruan Yesheng was good with people. After Lin Tingshuang started calling her Ruanruan, she stopped calling her Miss Lin. That made Lin Tingshuang even happier.
“It’s still better to look.” Lin Tingshuang smiled, then handed the phone to Xi Mo. Xi Mo nodded in thanks.
Then she brought it to Cui Jiayu.
Cui Jiayu had really thought she was recorded. Her lungs were about to burst from anger. In her eyes, Lin Tingyu was the kind of villain who could do anything immoral. Now she could only be mad, nothing else. After all, the recording was still in Lin Tingyu’s hands.
But then she heard Lin Tingshuang explain. And now Lin Tingshuang brought the phone to prove Lin Tingyu’s innocence. She felt a mix of emotions and said irritably, “I know, I know, stop proving it already.”
“I proved it,” Lin Tingshuang said seriously. “So you’ll really feel at ease, Jiajia, and won’t overthink.”
Cui Jiayu didn’t speak, but her face softened a bit.
She remembered how Lin Tingshuang was always a little slow as a kid, but kind-hearted and thoughtful. Maybe that’s why Lin Tingyu was always scared someone would bully her and always stepped up to protect her.
Lin Tingyu’s expression turned a bit serious. She said, “Jiajia, don’t worry. I only cover entertainment stuff. Everything about Doctor Zhao was a private talk. I won’t say a word. That’s basic decency. Miss Ruan, Miss Xi, you don’t need to worry either. Work is work. Life is life. We met at a hospital and talked. That’s personal. I’ll keep it private. That’s the rule.”
Lin Tingyu's assurance eased the atmosphere in the room a lot.
Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo only knew a little about Lin Tingyu before. They just knew she was very capable and had a lot of influence in the entertainment circle. Someone who held many big marketing accounts. If she wanted to stir things up, she could do it in minutes. That kind of scary reach made many stars feel uneasy.
But after this private talk, their impression of her became much clearer.
Cui Jiayu crossed her arms and stayed silent.
"Jiajia, please," Lin Tingshuang said. "Just tell us a little. We won’t spread it."
Cui Jiayu always did well at the station. Mostly because she was competitive. She didn’t stop unless she came out on top.
She actually had quite a few small flaws. Some principles she held weren’t that rigid either. After a while, she finally gave in, looked at Lin Tingshuang and said, “You win. Okay. I’ll say a little bit. Don’t let it spread and get me in trouble.”
Lin Tingshuang’s eyes lit up. She promised right away, “Never.”
Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo listened closely.
Cui Jiayu said, “Zhao Yinchu’s cause of death was stab wounds. She died from blood loss. The time of death is estimated between 10 a.m. and 12 noon today. We’ll know more after the autopsy. At 9:50 a.m., she had a video call with a friend. Confirmed it was her. So no fake messages or voice tricks. Around noon, her friend entered her home and found the body. Then called the police.”
She paused, then said, “Her body was lying not far from the door. She had fallen backward. Her feet faced the door. There was a lot of blood near the living room entrance. No signs of guests inside.”
“What does that mean?” Lin Tingshuang asked.
"This means the killer probably knocked on Zhao Yinchu’s door. When she opened it, the killer rushed in and stabbed her right away. She got hurt without warning, and the pain made her step back. But the killer gave her no chance to run or call for help. A footprint was found at the bottom of the door. After the first stab, the killer kicked the door shut."
Cui Jiayu went on, "The killer pressed Zhao Yinchu down, grabbed her hair, and slammed her head on the floor. The back of her head had bruises. The marks matched the floor. The killer tried to knock her out and keep her from fighting back. At the same time, more stabs were made until she died. The whole thing was smooth and fast. Every move took very little time. Zhao Yinchu had no chance to scream."
Lin Tingshuang was stunned.
Ruan Yesheng listened while thinking. Cui Jiayu said she would only share a little, but the details were very full.
That made Ruan Yesheng feel a bit moved toward her.
Cui Jiayu wasn’t the kind of police who stuck to rules with no room to bend. She had her own style. But she was definitely not simple.
On one hand, she softened when faced with Lin Tingshuang’s curiosity and decided to tell her some things about Doctor Zhao. On the other hand, she stayed very alert. What she said just now was a mix of real crime scene details and her own guesses. It was likely she hadn’t told anyone else before.
Now that she said it, if this information ever got out and parts of it matched what she just shared, she would know someone from this room leaked it. That way she could settle accounts later.
Telling and guarding at the same time. Ruan Yesheng had already thought Cui Jiayu was sharp. Now she admired her even more.
She turned to glance at Xi Mo. Xi Mo’s face stayed calm the whole time, but she knew Xi Mo must have caught the deeper meaning too.
But this was good for them. They weren’t going to leak anything. They just wanted more clues. Having someone who knew the case best willing to talk was already a huge stroke of luck. If Cui Jiayu wanted to stay cautious, that was fair. It didn’t affect them.
“Jiajia, you explained it so clearly. Thank you,” Lin Tingshuang said, eyes slightly red. “So is the killer really one of those people like the doctors at the hospital were guessing, those so-called medical troublemakers*? That’s too cruel. You have to catch them soon and get justice for Doctor Zhao.”
*医闹 (yīnà o) or medical disturbances- violence or assault against medical personnel; professional defrauding targeting hospitals and doctors by alleging medical malpractice.
“You’re all listening to those doctors guessing blindly. They don’t know anything, but each of them acts like they’re a great detective.” Cui Jiayu couldn’t hold it in anymore.
Xi Mo was careful and focused most on the case itself. Now that Cui Jiayu had started talking, she finally asked, “Officer Cui, do you mean the police already have evidence it wasn’t a medical troublemaker?”
Cui Jiayu’s heart jumped.
Before, she could barely hold it together in front of Xi Mo. By using the case as an excuse, she could talk to Xi Mo a few times, maybe keep a few things Xi Mo had written, and no one would notice.
But just now, she had embarrassed herself in front of Xi Mo. She even called her goddess to her face. All her cards were out in the open now. She couldn’t hide anything anymore. She was so nervous her face even turned a bit red.
Once someone gets exposed, they can’t go back to pretending.
She was Xi Mo’s fan. And not just a normal fan, she's a hardcore one.
When she had time off, she would scream out loud over Xi Mo’s every post online. Some of those “ahhhhhhhhh goddess I love you” comments might’ve been from her.
But in front of Cheng Yu, she still had to act serious. Once, when Xi Mo had a new movie coming out, Cheng Yu wanted to see it. Cui Jiayu even warned him, “Don’t chase stars. Chasing stars ruins your life. If you don’t focus on work, forget about bonuses.”
Cheng Yu got so scared he nodded fast. He wasn’t even chasing stars, just wanted to watch a movie. But after hearing that, he felt the boss made sense. No star was more important than his bonus.
Then behind his back, Cui Jiayu quietly bought a pile of tickets and booked a whole theater for Xi Mo’s movie. She was too busy to go cheer for Xi Mo in person, but she had to support the box office.
“Of course it’s not... not a medical troublemaker.” Cui Jiayu had dropped all her acts today. Her usual calm was gone.
“How can you tell?” Xi Mo asked step by step.
There was no way Cui Jiayu could resist the glow of her goddess.
Before, she had deliberately resisted the urge to look at Xi Mo and just listened to the conversation between the Lin sisters and Ruan Yesheng. Later, she used the case to divert attention. Now, hearing Xi Mo actually took the initiative to talk to her, she could hardly hold it in.
"Because there were no fingerprints at the scene." Faced with this kind of Xi Mo, Cui Jiayu immediately stood up straight and reported, "Normally, in medical troublemaking cases, it's usually a crime of passion. The suspect loses control in the heat of the moment and wouldn’t think about hiding fingerprints. But there were no signs of cleaning at the scene, yet no fingerprints were found. That can only mean the killer... wore gloves from the start. It was premeditated."
As she went on, she actually started to stammer a bit, maybe without even noticing.
Lin Tingyu had been smiling the whole time. Now, seeing this small change, her smile deepened, like she was enjoying the show.
"And then?" Xi Mo asked softly.
"Th-Then... Zhao Yinchu was stabbed twelve times. At first, it looked messy, but the forensic team checked the wounds and found the placement and force were very precise. The killer likely knows how to use a scalpel, it was definitely not something a medical troublemaker could do."
"So your visit to the hospital wasn’t just for routine questioning. You wanted to check out the doctors, right?" Xi Mo said. "If the killer knows how to handle a scalpel, they might be a surgeon."
"Yes," Cui Jiayu nodded. She loved dealing with smart people. Blushing, she said, "Miss Xi, y-you’re really smart."
No doubt about it, her goddess! She picked the right person to chase!
Xi Mo smiled but didn’t point out her stammer.
Cui Jiayu deep down was never that kind of police officer in a traditional sense. On the outside, she wore a tough shell. In Cheng Yu and the others’ eyes, she was a bright and shining team leader. But only she herself knew what kind of person she really was. Or to say it better, what kind of moral quality she had.
Now Xi Mo smiled at her, and Cui Jiayu’s face turned even redder.
No doubt she’s her goddess! That smile was charming!
Lin Tingyu said beside her, “Jiajia, how come you started stuttering? That’s strange.”
Cui Jiayu snapped back like waking from a dream. She realized how she just acted and felt regretful.
When Lin Tingyu laughed at her, she got even more mad. She glared at Lin Tingyu, wanting to curse. But she remembered she was still in front of Xi Mo. It’s not polite to curse here, so she held it in. She shot Lin Tingyu a deadly look instead.
Let Lin Tingyu laugh for now. She had a backup anyway. As long as that girl dares to leak anything about the case from today, it’ll be solid proof. Later, she’ll make sure to get her punished by the law.
At this moment, Cui Jiayu felt her phone buzz. She took it out and saw a message from Cheng Yu. It said, “Boss, the guys just checked all the elevator movements on Zhao Yinchu’s floor. There was one person. Take a look.”
Cui Jiayu opened the footage Cheng Yu sent. The timestamp showed 10:50 in the morning. The elevator doors opened, and a man in a black hoodie, carrying a backpack, walked into the elevator from Zhao Yinchu’s floor.
The camera got a clear shot of the man’s face. Cui Jiayu saw it and her face darkened right away.
She walked up to Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo and asked, “Do you know the prop master Yang Zhen? He’s in your crew. Do you talk to him much?”
Ruan Yesheng noticed Cui Jiayu was using her serious tone, the kind she used during investigations. She said, “Did Yang Zhen show up near Dr. Zhao’s place?”
Cui Jiayu froze for a second, then asked back, “Why do you think that?”
Ruan Yesheng said, “You looked at your phone intently just now. Your face was tense. It looked like someone sent you a case update, and an important one too. No matter what, the police would try to get all the useful camera footage. You were just talking about Dr. Zhao’s case, but after checking your phone, you suddenly brought up Yang Zhen. Bringing up someone so specific all of a sudden, maybe the police saw him in the footage. That’s why I guessed.”
Ruan Yesheng was someone good at hiding things. She is smart and has a high EQ. She knew what to say, and when not to say it.
Based on her past habits, asking the police her own guesses about the case straight out was not a smart thing to do. Even if she guessed it in her heart, she would still act like she didn't know anything when facing the police, because this kind of moment wasn’t the time to show off how smart she is. If she wasn’t careful, people might even suspect her.
But now, even if she knew it wasn’t a good idea, she had to ask.
Only by bringing up Yang Zhen’s name herself could she get more clear clues from Cui Jiayu. That way, Cui Jiayu might say more. Otherwise, Cui Jiayu might just be asking about Yang Zhen and wouldn’t tell them the real reason behind it.
Luckily, Cui Jiayu was totally a fan of Xi Mo. Just that one fact already helped lower a lot of pressure. Plus, Cui Jiayu’s personality was different from normal police. That’s why she dared to take this risk.
Xi Mo must also want to ask about Yang Zhen. But instead of letting Xi Mo get suspected, it was better for her to step out first. At least she could help block some of it for Xi Mo.
When Ruan Yesheng said that, her voice got even softer, trying to make her answer sound natural: “I know guessing the case like this isn’t very proper, Officer Cui, sorry. I just really like reading detective stories, so when I run into something like this, I can’t help but guess a little.”
Cui Jiayu stared at Ruan Yesheng for a while before she finally spoke: “Miss Ruan, your guess is right, it’s logical, and it fits the reasoning methods I learned from case studies. This isn’t random guessing.”
Her tone was calm, with a kind of admiration for smart people.
“Is it really Yang Zhen?” Ruan Yesheng acted like she was just someone who liked solving mysteries and couldn’t stop herself from guessing
“Yes. Yang Zhen’s the one I’ve been looking for. He’s been missing for quite a while. I didn’t expect him to show up near Zhao Yinchu’s place, in the elevator,” Cui Jiayu said. “So I want to know everything about Yang Zhen. I already asked your production coordinator and gathered a bit of information, but it was all scattered and not really useful. Since you two are in the same crew with him, maybe you know something else, so I wanted to ask.”
Ruan Yesheng frowned, “Me and Xi Mo mostly just film on set. Yang Zhen is the prop master, we barely work together. We actually know less than the production coordinator. She’s the one who knows everyone in the crew best. If you already asked her, then you’ve probably asked all that could be asked.”
She knew Yang Zhen showing up in the elevator was already a big clue. Even if Cui Jiayu was willing to share some details, she wouldn’t show them the actual surveillance footage. She couldn’t expect too much.
“Then there’s nothing more I can do,” Cui Jiayu put away her phone. “I still need to keep checking. Also, I can only say this much. I can’t tell you more. Just listen and don’t tell anyone, or I’ll be in trouble.”
“Don’t worry,” Ruan Yesheng said. “Thank you, Officer Cui. Dr. Zhao saved me and Xi Mo. We both hope the killer gets caught soon.”
“Miss Ruan, can I maybe add you?” Cui Jiayu asked kind of shyly, “I really like detective stuff too. Maybe we can talk when we’re free. Not about the case. Just personal.”
Ruan Yesheng picked up on it right away.
Cui Jiayu’s intention of asking to add her contact information wasn’t really about herself. It was about Xi Mo.
Cui Jiayu really wanted a chance to send messages to Xi Mo sometimes. Even if she didn’t dare message her, just seeing Xi Mo’s name in her chat list would make her feel like flying. No matter how sharp she looked on the outside, she was still a fan. This meeting at the hospital already felt like fate. Next time, there might not be another chance.
She is a police officer. Getting close to someone like Xi Mo in real life was nearly impossible. If not for this case involving the Sui Ting crew, she would never get to meet Xi Mo in person.
Cui Jiayu treasured this rare moment, but she didn’t dare ask Xi Mo directly.
Ruan Yesheng seemed friendly, so she took a roundabout way. She added Xi Mo’s good friend first. Maybe after they got familiar, she will have another chance to talk to Xi Mo later.
Ruan Yesheng saw right through her little plan, but she didn’t say anything. She smiled and handed over her phone, “Of course. It’s my pleasure. Go ahead, Officer Cui.”
Cui Jiayu added her and felt so happy inside, but she kept her cool and just said, “Thanks, Miss Ruan. Let’s chat when we’re free.”
Ruan Yesheng smiled warmly.
Xi Mo didn’t show any reaction. She just silently stared at Ruan Yesheng.
Lin Tingshuang sat on the side, looking so jealous, and said to Cui Jiayu, “Jiajia, I want to add too.”
Cui Jiayu got annoyed and amused, “Add what? Don’t you already have all my contacts? What are you missing?”
“I wanna be like you and add Ruan Ruan too.” Lin Tingshuang looked at her with big hopeful eyes.
Ruan Yesheng walked over and said to her, “No problem. I had a great time talking with you today.”
Lin Tingshuang saw Ruan Yesheng’s name pop up in her contact list, and she looked so happy she was bubbling. Lin Tingyu saw her sister like that and joined in too, “Miss Ruan, may I have that honor as well?”
Ruan Yesheng was more than happy to exchange contact information with Lin Tingyu too.
Xi Mo: “...”
She felt a little annoyed. Ruan Yesheng’s social skills were way too smooth. She added three new friends in a blimk of an eye. How come her chat list isn’t blowing up yet?
...But it can't blow up yet.
She still needs to keep talking with Ruan Yesheng later.
They already stayed here for quite a while. Cui Jiayu had to go. She said goodbye to Lin Tingshuang and Ruan Yesheng, but didn’t even glance at Lin Tingyu. Then she walked over to Xi Mo, took a deep breath, and said, “Miss... Miss Xi, about what I said earlier that wasn’t very polite, I had my reasons. Sorry you had to hear that. Now I have a bold request.”
Xi Mo looked at her and said, “No need to be so polite, Officer Cui. Go ahead.”
Cui Jiayu asked carefully, “About that part... could you... forget it?”
Xi Mo said, “...I forgot.”
Cui Jiayu was thrilled inside. Of course, Xi Mo wouldn’t really forget it, but just hearing her say that meant she didn’t take it to heart. Her image wasn’t totally shattered.
Thinking this, Cui Jiayu left the hospital room feeling satisfied.
Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo stayed a little longer, chatting with the Lin sisters, then said goodbye and went downstairs to their ward.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
There were too many people around on the way, so they didn’t dare talk about Dr. Zhao Yinchun. Once they got to Xi Mo’s hospital room, Ruan Yesheng finally spoke with a serious face, “I didn’t expect Dr. Zhao to actually die. What’s more, I didn’t expect this to be tied to Yang Zhen.”
“Back then Yang Zhen was suspected of being Ding Qihong’s partner. I thought he was just hiding or maybe Ding Qihong killed him to shut him up.” Xi Mo’s mood was also heavy. “But now, it looks like he’s not simple at all. I wonder if Ding Qihong is somewhere nearby too.”
Ruan Yesheng felt a chill and said, “Something about all this feels weird. Like everything is linked somehow, but I just can’t figure out how. Even if it looks like we’re not directly involved, and Ding Qihong and Yang Zhen aren’t after us, I still feel uneasy.”
“We have time this afternoon,” Xi Mo said without hesitation. “How do you feel? Can you leave the hospital? If you can, I’ll tell Lu Qingming to do the discharge procedures. We’ll go back to Shanghai tonight.”
“I was thinking the same,” Ruan Yesheng nodded. “It’s better to get back early, take a break and stay out of this mess.”
Xi Mo called Lu Qingming and told him a few things. Lu Qingming knew her recovery well and knew she was fully ready to leave the hospital, so he agreed right away.
Once everything was set, Ruan Yesheng said, “I’ll go back to my room first and get ready. Later I’ll pack up at the hotel.”
Xi Mo quietly watched her back as she walked away.
She froze for a moment, then suddenly called out, “Ruan Yesheng.”
“What?” Ruan Yesheng turned around.
“It’s really dangerous lately.” Xi Mo seemed like she wanted to say more, but part of it got stuck in her throat.
“I know.” Ruan Yesheng smiled. “We’re in the hospital, there’s a murder case going on, of course it’s dangerous.”
“So...” Xi Mo lowered her head and looked at the floor.
“So?” Ruan Yesheng was confused and really curious about what Xi Mo was thinking.
After a while, Xi Mo finally lifted her eyes and looked straight into Ruan Yesheng’s. She said softly, “So when we get to Shanghai, you can stay at my place for the next few days. My house has good security measures, it was all set up by my dad just for me. Even entertainment reporters can’t get close. It’s especially safe.”
Ruan Yesheng was instantly stunned.
Author's Note:
Ruanruan has been overwhelmed by happiness, if we round it off, this means they are living together.
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