Chapter 15

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The Special Crimes Department actually had a private plane.

Shen Chuyi stood in the howling wind, staring at the aircraft on the tarmac emblazoned with the Special Crimes Department insignia. Her heart trembled; she had only ever seen private planes in works of fiction. Was this the treatment given to civil servants in City A?

“I’ll help you, Officer Shen,” Bao Xiao smiled as he steadied her onto the plane.

The seats were spacious, and the in-flight meals abundant.

Shen Chuyi sat by the window, stretching out her legs and reclining comfortably. Not only could she lie flat, she could even roll over.

The meals and coffee were served, each person receiving different dishes.

Bai Shizhou noticed her glancing at his meal and pushed his own tray closer, saying, “You can tell the flight attendant your preferences; next time, they’ll prepare your meal accordingly.”

Next time? Who knew if there would be a next time? She might as well enjoy it now.

“I’ll swap with you,” Shen Chuyi didn’t hesitate and exchanged her untouched meal for Bai Shizhou’s. She had chicken and fish, while he had steak. “I prefer red meat.”

She had always liked hearty red meat and filling carbs.

Bai Shizhou said nothing, ate her meal, and saw her opening a virtual screen to review the case files of the missing actress, Weng Xue.

There wasn’t much information in the file this time. After flipping through it twice, she asked, “The kidnappers took Weng Xue two days ago but didn’t demand a ransom or contact her agent. They only released her confession video today. What’s their motive?”

“Exactly,” Bao Xiao said. “The kidnappers made no ransom demands, so the local police initially thought Weng Xue had an accident somewhere near the coast. We can’t figure out what the kidnappers want. Is it just to put Weng Xue on trial?”

Ransom demands.

Shen Chuyi thought of Zhang Dian. From his perspective, the motives of this ransom-less kidnapper must be confusing as well. He probably never encountered a kidnapper whose motives were so unclear, which is why he cooperated curiously, hoping to find a motive.

Once the motive was found, their cat-and-mouse game would end. With Zhang Dian’s connections and abilities, catching her and silencing her would be easy.

Besides, all she had was a photo of Zhang Dian’s tentacles in the bathtub. It was a weak card, just a bluff. If she revealed it, she would surely lose...

“After landing, we’ll head to the local police station to gather information,” Bai Shizhou said. “Agent Shen, you can provide a preliminary profile analysis of the suspect.”

Damn it.

Shen Chuyi stared at the virtual screen, unable to swallow the meat in her mouth. She racked her brain, trying to find some professional jargon or profiling insight.

But she wasn’t even an amateur.

An Jia Shu, sitting diagonally across from her, passed a small cup containing a peeled egg. “Egg for Agent Shen. She’s injured and can’t peel eggs easily.”

The smell of the egg made her nauseous.

Si Kang wanted to push away An Jia Shu’s outstretched arm, but Bai Shizhou reached out and took the egg, placing it on Shen Yulan’s tray. He hadn’t noticed An Jia Shu was so attentive before. Was Director Bai really that easy to work with? What kind of magic did Shen Yulan possess to enchant everyone on the team?

Si Kang couldn’t eat a bite and stuffed his meal into a garbage bag, opening the virtual screen to review Weng Xue’s case file instead.

“Not hungry?” An Jia Shu asked in surprise. “Or are you feeling unwell?”

Without looking at him, Si Kang flipped through the files and said harshly, “I’m allergic to eggs. Just smelling them makes me want to vomit. Spend your energy trying to please Agent Shen, not me.”

An Jia Shu was caught off guard by Si Kang’s reaction. Didn’t he know Si Kang was allergic to eggs?

“Ignore him,” Shen Chuyi couldn’t stand it. “He just ate too much last night.”

An Jia Shu saw Si Kang’s face visibly reddening—from his neck to ears and the entire face, as if ignited by anger. Si Kang unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up, heading straight to Agent Shen’s seat.

Everyone looked at Si Kang, confused why a single sentence had angered him so much.

Only Shen Chuyi quietly ate her meat, ignoring him.

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“Agent Shen, I need to speak with you alone,” Si Kang said, staring at her. “Can you come with me?”

Though a request, it sounded threatening.

Shen Chuyi finished the last bite of meat before looking up. Before she could speak, Bai Shizhou said, “Si Kang, Shen Yulan joined to help solve the major case faster. Please accept the new colleague.”

Si Kang was nearly having a heart attack from anger. Did Bai Shizhou think he was jealous because Shen Yulan was sidelining him? No, he was furious because Shen Yulan had marked him but acted as if nothing happened! She even humiliated him in secret over it!

Shen Chuyi’s gaze settled on Si Kang, then she smiled and unbuckled her seatbelt. “Where does Officer Si want to talk privately?”

There was limited space on the plane; the only private place was the restroom.

Si Kang had reached his limit and didn’t want to wait another second, so he walked straight to the restroom.

Shen Chuyi followed.

Everyone watched the two enter the restroom one after the other, feeling worried.

“This isn’t good, right?” An Jia Shu said, seeing the restroom door close. “Should we check on them?”

Bao Xiao stood up, hesitated, then said, “No, since Agent Shen went in, she must think she can handle it herself and doesn’t want interference.”

Bai Shizhou was also troubled. Why was Si Kang so aggressively targeting Agent Shen? He had never been like this with other interns.

He glanced at the time and decided if they didn’t come out in three minutes, he would knock.

※※

Unexpectedly, the plane’s restroom was large, with a separate shower and toiletries.

Shen Chuyi marveled that it was almost bigger than her old bedroom.

“Why did you mark me?” Si Kang stood in front of her, almost angry, cornering her against the sink. “Do you know what being marked means?”

It meant he would belong to her for life, could not disobey her orders, and would be her lifelong partner. Unless one of them died, the mark could never be removed...

“Who marked you?” Shen Chuyi leaned on the sink, looking at him speechlessly. Seeing him freeze, she asked in surprise, “You don’t really think I marked you, do you? Who would mark someone they don’t like?”

Si Kang stood there stiffly, his flushed face suddenly pale.

Shen Chuyi added, “But you were begging me to mark you last night.”

“You’re lying!” Si Kang gritted his teeth.

She raised her hand and played a clip from her wristband—

“Mark me… please mark me… bite me, neck, bite the gland…”

It was Si Kang’s own voice, filled with confusion and longing, painfully clear and humiliating in the quiet space.

“Ah, Shen Yulan marked me… I beg you…”

Si Kang’s face turned as pale as death amid his own sobbing. Furious, he grabbed her wristband. “Delete it! You actually recorded this? Shen Yulan, you’re despicable!”

Shen Chuyi didn’t stop his hand. Instead, she grabbed the back of his neck, sliding her fingers under his black turtleneck to press on his swollen gland.

“Ah…” Si Kang moaned, trembling uncontrollably as his knees buckled, sweat breaking out on his hands gripping her wrist. “Let go…”

He tried to struggle, but when Shen Chuyi pressed harder, he was easily pressed against the toilet.

“Despicable?” Shen Chuyi pulled his hair to lift his head, standing between his knees with a smile. “I’m the one who helped you through your heat last night. Without me, you might have died from fever. You don’t appreciate it and still dare to call me despicable?”

His gland was badly swollen. She only moved her fingers slightly, and he couldn’t hold on, blushing with bunny ears, trembling as he frantically grabbed her sweaty hand. “Let go… Shen Yulan… please don’t!”

Even his voice trembled, sounding like a plea.

Shen Chuyi pulled her hand away and covered his mouth. “You’re being too loud.”

Footsteps approached. Someone knocked and asked, “Are you okay?”

It was Bai Shizhou’s voice.

“We’re fine,” Shen Chuyi said, muffling Si Kang’s mouth and raising her voice. “Director, we’ll be done soon.”

The words sounded odd.

After Bai Shizhou left, she released Si Kang’s mouth. “Don’t worry, I only recorded it out of habit, as evidence. I’m afraid you’ll later claim I did something to you and try to cling to me.” She looked down and saw a bit of blood on her finger, probably from the gland she accidentally bit last night.

Si Kang’s eyes reddened with anger, his body weak. He gritted his teeth. “Delete it. Delete it now. From now on, we keep to ourselves.”

“Afraid of being found out?” Shen Chuyi smiled and leaned closer.

He immediately guarded his neck.

“Let’s make a deal,” she teased. “If you can find the culprit in the Weng Xue case before I do, I’ll delete it. But if you lose again…”

Si Kang couldn’t stand her scent. He turned his head away, waiting for her demand.

After a pause, she said, “You’re too useless. Even if you lose, there’s nothing you can offer me.”

Si Kang glared at her, nearly furious.

She, acting as if nothing happened, opened the door and left the restroom.

Si Kang slammed the door, locking it. Seeing his disheveled face and the bleeding gland in the mirror, he hated her over and over in his heart.

He must beat her. He would win!

※※

The plane landed in Yaha City at 9:30 p.m.

The Special Crimes Department immediately went to the local police station and learned that Weng Xue disappeared after the opening banquet for the new film “The Investiture of the Gods.”

The banquet was held on the Pearl, a luxury cruise ship chartered by the film crew. The party lasted from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. the next day, when the ship slowly sailed back to port.

But at 12:30 a.m., Weng Xue claimed her agent sent a speedboat to pick her up for an urgent matter. She took the speedboat alone and left the cruise.

Since then, she had been missing. No one had seen her again.

The police investigated the agent Zhao Ming’s communications and found he had no contact with Weng Xue that night, nor did he send a speedboat to pick her up.

The Special Crimes Department boarded the Pearl cruise, which was sealed off by the police, overnight.

The three-story luxury cruise was still brightly lit, with champagne towers toppled and the scent of celebration lingering.

Shen Chuyi donned gloves and shoe covers, following the others closely. She wanted to see if the “flashback” images from the Goat’s Eye would appear again.

But there were no deaths this time, and it was clear Weng Xue’s kidnapping happened not on the cruise but on the speedboat that took her away, now missing.

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