Chapter 167: Door Crack
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Ruan Yesheng slightly leaned forward, carefully peeking into the alley where the sound came from.
She saw a beam of cold flashlight light. The flashlight was the type that could be clipped onto clothing, easy to carry, freeing both hands, perfect for moving around at night.
The one holding the light was a woman with a sharp ponytail. She had her back to Ruan Yesheng, both hands raised forward. From her stance, it looked like she was aiming a gun.
“Stand there. Turn around slowly. Hands up, hold your head.” The woman was panting from chasing earlier, her voice harsh. “Or I’ll shoot.”
Ruan Yesheng recognized the voice, it was Cui Jiayu. She wasn’t surprised. Since Cui Jiayu came to the town, she must be here to investigate. Maybe she had just found something and was in pursuit.
In front of Cui Jiayu stood a figure, a man, his back facing her.
“Yang Zhen, I know it’s you.” Cui Jiayu steadied her aim and said, “Don’t hide. Your family’s looking for you. Come with me and cooperate with the investigation.”
Yang Zhen still didn’t turn around. His hand slowly lifted, holding something.
His body was blocking it, so Ruan Yesheng couldn’t see what was in his hand. But an uneasy feeling rose inside her, and a chill spread all over her body.
“Put down whatever you’re holding!” Cui Jiayu also noticed it. She didn’t know what it was but shouted, “Put it on the ground! Hands up!”
Cui Jiayu was already sweating.
Her instinct told her that Yang Zhen was very dangerous.
Before, when she made arrests, most suspects would surrender when faced with a gun. Though they carried firearms, actual use was rare, and the higher-ups kept strict control over it. But now, Cui Jiayu felt she might really have to shoot.
This was a small town, and firing a gun would cause a huge commotion. She was doing a private investigation, so it was inconvenient and might even get her reprimanded. If not necessary, she didn’t want to do it.
But Yang Zhen was truly reckless.
Even under threat, he didn’t react at all.
Ruan Yesheng’s heart jumped to her throat. By the light of Cui Jiayu’s flashlight, she saw a pair of hands appear on the right wall. Then, a figure poked out its head and crouched on top of the wall, very close to Cui Jiayu, almost right above her.
Ruan Yesheng recognized the person and froze, her breath catching.
Xi Mo also saw it and frowned tightly.
Yang Zhen suddenly ran toward the left wall, throwing something from his hand. His speed was terrifyingly fast; in just a few steps, he climbed the wall and vanished. At the same time, a flash of cold light shot through the air, aiming straight for Cui Jiayu.
In that instant, Cui Jiayu had no time to fire and could only dodge. But the thing sliced through the air at her, sharp and fast, targeting her directly.
Seeing Cui Jiayu in danger, the figure on the right wall jumped down at once, tackling her to the ground. Cui Jiayu fell under the weight, their bodies lowering just in time for the cold flash to pass over them, slamming into the ground with a chilling metallic clang. It bounced a few times before stopping.
The thing landed near Ruan Yesheng and the others. Ruan Yesheng looked and saw it was a sharp dagger.
Cui Jiayu, pinned beneath the person, felt pain all over and started coughing hard. She instinctively pushed the person off and reached for her gun. But when the flashlight lit up the face above her, she froze.
After a moment, Cui Jiayu cursed, “Lin Tingyu, fuck, what are you doing here?”
Lin Tingyu brushed the dust off her clothes and glanced at Cui Jiayu. "If I wasn't here, you probably wouldn't be here and I'd be at your memorial service."
"Did you just curse me?" Cui Jiayu snapped, about to curse back.
Then she calmed down.
If Lin Tingyu hadn't jumped down from the wall and tackled her, the thing Yang Zhen threw would have hit her. She hadn't looked that way, so she didn't know what it was, but it was bad.
Seeing only Lin Tingyu and Cui Jiayu there, Ruan Yesheng whispered, "Jiajia, Lin Tingyu, come here."
They heard the familiar voice and looked. Both froze.
They hurried over and saw Ruan Yesheng, Xi Mo, and Yan Tinghuan hiding at the corner.
Cui Jiayu was more and more shocked. "Why are you all here? What happened?"
Xi Mo explained, "We were going back to our room and passed this alley. The dog we brought sensed something and ran in. We followed to find the dog. Then we saw you facing Yang Zhen and didn't want to make a sound and affect you."
When Cui Jiayu saw Xi Mo talking to her, she felt a bit excited, but she still pretended to stay calm. She could not lose face as a police officer, she must stay cool-headed before her idol. She said, "I see. This is too dangerous. If you encounter such a situation, never rush in. You must find someone to help."
“We came in after finding Tinghuan.” Ruan Yesheng pointed at Yan Tinghuan. “She’s good at fighting and can protect us.”
Cui Jiayu seldom met Yan Tinghuan, but she knew she was Ruan Yesheng’s friend and also her manager. She nodded as a greeting. Yan Tinghuan, however, stared at Cui Jiayu with a smile in her eyes. She was very familiar with Cui Jiashu, so she naturally knew about this sister whom Cui Jiashu cherished the most.
Cui Jiayu glanced around and saw the dagger Yang Zhen had thrown not far away. She quickly walked over and picked it up.
“This guy is really vicious.” Cui Jiayu gnashed her teeth. “He even dared to attack a police officer. Before, I didn’t have solid evidence, but now that he’s this arrogant, he must be connected to those murder cases.”
If Lin Tingyu hadn’t helped her, she might have been stabbed by that dagger just now.
“Why didn’t you tell me you came to Heizhugou Town?” Cui Jiayu didn’t know Lin Tingyu came at Cui Jiashu’s request. She looked displeased and questioned Lin Tingyu, “What are you doing here, and why have you been secretly following me?”
Otherwise, Lin Tingyu couldn’t have saved her so timely.
“If I say I came to interview the guests filming a variety show here, would you believe it?” Lin Tingyu said.
“I believe your damn uncle.” Cui Jiayu frowned. “If you came to interview, why are you following me?”
“Your brother told me to follow you. He knows you’re secretly investigating Yang Zhen and is afraid something might happen to you.” Lin Tingyu shrugged. “I couldn’t help it. He kept begging me. You know I can’t say no.”
“Stop talking nonsense!” Cui Jiayu snapped as soon as she heard Lin Tingyu show off her close ties with her brother again. “My brother would never beg you. You think too highly of yourself.”
Seeing Cui Jiayu safe, Ruan Yesheng finally relaxed. She walked deeper into the alley with Xi Mo and said, “Jiajia, we need to find Baolai first. What are you and Lin Tingyu planning to do?”
“We’ll go with you.” Cui Jiayu was worried about them. This alley was creepy, and Yang Zhen might still be nearby.
Ruan Yesheng nodded. With Cui Jiayu and Lin Tingyu around, it was indeed safer.
Yan Tinghuan walked in front. The group continued along the alley. After a while, Xi Mo heard Baolai’s whimpering. She quickly looked toward the sound and saw Baolai running out from another side path, rushing straight toward them.
Baolai had something in its mouth and whimpered a few more times.
At first, Xi Mo thought Baolai was hurt and grew anxious. But after checking carefully, she found no wounds on Baolai. The whimpering was because Baolai sensed them coming and was calling out to them.
Xi Mo reached out her hand, and Baolai placed what it was holding into her palm.
When she looked closely, she saw it was a piece of torn fabric, likely bitten off from someone’s clothes.
Xi Mo looked at it, said nothing, and handed the piece of fabric to Cui Jiayu.
“It’s from a pair of pants,” Cui Jiayu examined it carefully and analyzed, “but it’s not from the pants Yang Zhen wore today. His pants were a different color. It belongs to someone else. Looks like Baolai chased another person in the alley and bit off a piece of their pants. But since there’s no blood, that person must’ve run very fast and moved swiftly, or it’d be hard to escape a dog’s bite.”
“There are at least two people in the alley, maybe Yang Zhen has an accomplice,” Cui Jiayu said, frowning even more.
Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo looked at each other.
Could it be Ding Qihong again?
Cui Jiayu had always suspected a connection between Yang Zhen and Ding Qihong, believing that Ding Qihong’s case, Yang Zhen’s case, and Dr. Zhao Yinchu’s death were all linked.
Ding Qihong had escaped the tight net Cui Jiayu set up at the hotel and vanished without a trace. Soon after, Yang Zhen also disappeared. Surveillance footage showed him leaving with a large suitcase. Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo guessed Ding Qihong might’ve been hiding inside that suitcase and was secretly taken away by Yang Zhen, and the two hid afterward.
Later, Yang Zhen appeared in the elevator of Dr. Zhao Yinchu’s building shortly before Dr. Zhao’s death.
Though the full connection wasn’t clear, Cui Jiayu would naturally link it all together and suspect them.
Because of Cui Jiashu, Lin Tingyu knew everything Cui Jiayu knew. Seeing what Cui Jiayu was thinking, she said, “Do you think Ding Qihong came here too?”
Lin Tingyu looked indifferent. “Your brother told me all the details of your investigation. There’s nothing you need to hide from me. Honestly, I’m not even interested in what you’re investigating. If your brother hadn’t asked me, I wouldn’t bother with you.”
“…You!” Cui Jiayu couldn’t stand her attitude. “Stop dragging my brother into this.”
Lin Tingyu glanced at Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo, then said to Cui Jiayu, “You better be careful with this investigation. Don’t make too much noise, or Ruanruan and Xi Mo will be the ones in trouble.”
“What do you mean?” Cui Jiayu frowned.
Lin Tingyu reminded her, “Think carefully. Why did Yang Zhen come to Heizhugou at this time? What’s in Heizhugou Town? Since he came, he must have a reason.”
Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo stayed silent.
Xi Mo already understood what Lin Tingyu meant back when they were standing in front of A’cuo Rize’s house. Lin Tingyu was smart. She suspected that Yang Zhen came for her or Ruan Yesheng, or maybe for both of them.
When Xi Mo and Ruan Yesheng talked in private, they actually had the same chilling thought.
Cui Jiayu had been too focused on the investigation before, so she didn’t think much about Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo’s side. Deep down, she hoped they had nothing to do with such dangerous things and could stay far away. Now that Lin Tingyu pointed it out directly, Cui Jiayu’s face grew darker and darker.
“Sui Ting Film Crew, Shanghai,” Cui Jiayu sorted out Yang Zhen’s route and the timeline, muttering, “…Heizhugou.”
She said, “Did you offend Yang Zhen, or are you holding something against him? Why does he keep haunting you?”
Now Cui Jiayu had to face the guess that Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo got dragged into this and might even be at the center of it. She thought the same as Lin Tingyu before, her first reaction being whether Yang Zhen had some grudge against them.
“No. Back when we were in the crew, we didn’t even meet Yang Zhen,” said Ruan Yesheng.
Cui Jiayu couldn’t figure it out and got a bit upset. “It’s my fault for not catching that guy Yang Zhen, or I could’ve questioned him.”
Lin Tingyu stared at Cui Jiayu and said, “Ruanruan and Xi Mo make a living in the entertainment circle. Especially Xi Mo, even a little rumor related to her can stir up talks. If you make your investigation too big and it turns out Yang Zhen really has been following them, once entertainment reporters catch a hint, Ruanruan and Xi Mo will end up on the hot searches along with those cases. Netizens don’t care about the truth, they just like the thrill of gossip. By then, all kinds of rumors will spread online, and it’ll hurt their reputation. Every celebrity tries their best to stay away from criminal cases.”
Cui Jiayu now had a good relationship with the two, so of course she would think for them. She said seriously, “I’ll be careful from now on.”
She looked at Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo and calmed down. “But you still need to work with me privately. We have to sort this thing from the start, or we won’t find the connection. Tell me everything you know about Yang Zhen. Yang Zhen is connected to Ding Qihong, and Ding Qihong is tied to Zhao Yinchu’s cause of death. Ding Qihong used to live next door to you, Ruanruan, and Zhao Yinchu was the doctor who sent you two to the hospital. Now that I think about it, everything seems to be linked to you two, but I still don’t know how. You need to tell me in detail.”
Before, Ruan Yesheng was still careful because of Cui Jiayu’s identity as a police officer, but now that Cui Jiayu had spoken openly, she felt relieved. “I understand. Xi Mo and I will tell you everything. If you have any leads, tell us too, we can analyze together.”
Cui Jiayu was still mainly worried for them and comforted, “Don’t worry. I won’t make this public, it’s just a private investigation. It’s late now. You found the dog, so go back and rest. If you’re free tomorrow, we can talk in detail.”
Ruan Yesheng said, “I can finish filming tomorrow morning. After that, I’ll have free time. We can meet in the afternoon.”
“Okay.” Cui Jiayu nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
“Lin Tingyu, you come too.” Ruan Yesheng looked at Lin Tingyu and smiled, “We also want to hear what you think.”
“No problem,” Lin Tingyu said. “Where do we meet? Find a private and safe place.”
“At Uncle A’cuo’s house,” Xi Mo thought for a while and suggested.
The few of them talked for a bit in the alley, then walked out, each going back to their own place.
Ruan Yesheng looked at the backs of Cui Jiayu and Lin Tingyu as they walked away. Cui Jiayu seemed to be saying something to Lin Tingyu, sounding a bit worked up. Lin Tingyu was always light and easy in front of Cui Jiayu, so Cui Jiayu’s temper was like punching cotton, with no effect at all. In the end, Cui Jiayu looked angry and walked off, and the two went their separate ways.
Yan Tinghuan stretched and said, “I should go back to sleep too.”
Releasing cicadas also took a lot of her energy, though Yan Tinghuan rarely showed her tiredness.
“Get a good rest,” Ruan Yesheng said, knowing she was tired. “Come to Uncle A’cuo’s house tomorrow afternoon.”
Yan Tinghuan nodded. “This town is really not safe. Tomorrow I’ll walk around more and release cicadas nearby to see if there’s anything suspicious.”
After saying that, she smiled at Ruan Yesheng. “Hurry back. Don’t waste your time here. Xi Mo came specially to pick you up and take you back to sleep.”
Xi Mo: “…”
“I already told you, it's not…” Ruan Yesheng knew very well that Xi Mo would not let her go back tonight. She would definitely sleep with Xi Mo tonight. But she could not admit that in front of Yan Tinghuan. “We’re just discussing things.”
Yan Tinghuan patted Ruan Yesheng’s shoulder and left.
“Let’s go.” Xi Mo looked at Ruan Yesheng.
Ruan Yesheng walked side by side with Xi Mo, and Baolai followed beside them.
It was not far from here to A’cuo Rize’s house, so they arrived soon. Baolai slipped into its own little nest. After they entered the house, they closed the door and tiptoed upstairs, afraid to wake A’cuo Rize and his wife.
It was the same sneaky way as last night.
Ruan Yesheng almost wanted to laugh. The heavy feeling from the alley was gone. Back in this house, she felt like she had taken off a burden and could finally enjoy some quiet time alone with Xi Mo.
Xi Mo turned on her phone’s flashlight and went to check the hair she had clipped at the door before leaving.
Her face suddenly darkened.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
“What’s wrong?” Ruan Yesheng noticed Xi Mo’s expression and asked softly.
“When I left, I clipped a hair at the door. Now it’s fallen off.” Xi Mo became more alert after what had happened in the alley. Her heart tensed. “I don’t know if someone touched my door, or… went inside.”
“Why did you suddenly think of clipping hair there? You didn’t do that yesterday.” Ruan Yesheng also started to feel nervous.
“I learned it from Miss Luo in the next room,” Xi Mo said. “That’s what she does.”
“Miss Luo?” Ruan Yesheng thought of the Miss Luo Shen Qingbie had mentioned. It could not be such a coincidence, right? She asked, “Have you seen Uncle A’cuo’s friend? What does she look like?”
“I haven’t seen her yet, but she seems very cautious.” Xi Mo glanced at the hair on the floor.
“Then should we go in now?” Ruan Yesheng asked.
Whether someone had entered Xi Mo’s room or not, they had to go in and check if anything was wrong.
“Okay.” Xi Mo made up her mind and got ready to unlock the door.
They both became even more careful, not even daring to make a sound when turning the key. They looked more cautious than real thieves sneaking into a house.
While Xi Mo was unlocking the door, Ruan Yesheng felt nervous and subconsciously looked around. Then, she caught sight of a figure standing by the stairway.
The figure was tall and graceful, standing there like a shadow in the dark night.
Ruan Yesheng had no idea how that person showed up. If she had walked there, why had there been no sound of footsteps at all? She was so startled that she quickly covered her mouth with one hand and grabbed Xi Mo with the other.
Xi Mo turned around when pulled. The flashlight in her hand shone on the woman.
The cold, dim light draped a thin veil over her. It lit up her deep eyes, her face of stunning beauty, and the red cinnabar mark between her brows.
The woman said nothing. She just looked at them quietly.
Ruan Yesheng saw the cinnabar on her brow, and with that soul-stirring beauty, she connected it with what Shen Qingbie said about Miss Luo, and also what Xi Mo mentioned about the Miss Luo next door. Then she understood who it was.
“Are you the Miss Luo from the next room?” Ruan Yesheng quickly explained, afraid she would think they were thieves. “My name is Ruan Yesheng. She’s Xi Mo. We’re staying here in Uncle A’cuo’s house. We just got back from outside.”
“I am.” The woman nodded lightly, as if returning their greeting. She said softly, “I also just came back from outside.”
Miss Luo said nothing more. She walked to her door, used her phone’s light to check the crack, and saw the hair still in place. It was the one Ranla Changxiu had helped her put back earlier.
Xi Mo hesitated for a moment, then took a few steps toward Miss Luo’s door. “Miss Luo, may I ask you something?”
“What is the matter?” Miss Luo turned around.
“Auntie Ranla told me that when you stay outside, you always clip a strand of hair in the door crack, so you can tell if someone has touched or entered the room,” Xi Mo said.
“Mm.” Miss Luo had already taken Ranla Changxiu’s call earlier, and knew this Miss Xi was the new guest. She had even noticed her curiosity about the hair in the door crack. “That’s true.”
Xi Mo had a good impression of Miss Luo after hearing Aunt Ranla’s words. She looked serious and asked, “I would like to ask, if the hair you placed in the door crack moved and fell to the floor, what would you do?”
“First, listen if someone is hiding inside.” Miss Luo spoke calmly.
“This… can that be heard?” Xi Mo was stunned. She had been hesitating at the door for so long because she was unsure if someone was inside. If no one was, it's okay, but if someone was, rushing in could be dangerous.
“Yes.” Miss Luo said, “A person breathes. Unless they know how to hide their breath, you can tell.”
Ruan Yesheng was also shocked. What was this? Could someone actually hear breathing through the door? That kind of thing only happened in TV dramas about martial arts masters.
“Then what if you hear that someone is inside?” Xi Mo glanced at her own room door.
Miss Luo’s face stayed calm. Her dark eyes looked at Xi Mo, and her voice was light as clouds and wind. “Go in and beat them up.”
Ruan Yesheng: “…”
Xi Mo: “…”
Author’s Note:
Ruanruan, Xi Mo, it's useless to ask Luo Shen about this question, you both are on a completely different level.
Bringing together “Exploring The Empty Tomb - Modern Times” and the plot of Swapped Movie Queens is a wonderful feeling for me. It feels like the world has become clearer and they seem to be more alive.
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