Chapter 17
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This time, Shen Chuyi did not refuse to accompany Bai Shizhou, because some matters were more convenient to handle with the director present.
At two in the morning, the Special Crime Unit split into two teams: Shen Chuyi and Bai Shizhou went to investigate the source of the black lilies, while the others continued to look into the unlicensed speedboat and its connection to Weng Xue’s network.
Tracing the origin of the flowers was not difficult. By investigating the cold storage transport company that delivered them, they could find the client.
Shen Chuyi had Bai Shizhou take the lead, asking the local police to immediately check the cold storage company and client information.
While waiting for the results, she and Bai Shizhou went to meet Weng Xue’s agent, Zhao Ming, who was currently staying at a hotel in Yanghai City cooperating with the police to find Weng Xue.
On the drive there, Bai Shizhou rolled down the window slightly to let in the warm night breeze because Agent Shen, sitting beside him, was hot enough to have taken off her uniform jacket, wearing only a blue shirt, her cheeks flushed.
Yanghai City, by the sea, had a typical tropical maritime climate, where even in winter December, the temperature felt like spring or summer.
At 2:30 a.m., only a few decorative lights flickered along the coastline.
The car was quiet, save for the sound of her sucking on an empty red ginseng concentrate tube.
Bai Shizhou noticed she was browsing information online, still holding the empty concentrate tube in her mouth, biting the tip while her fingers swiped the virtual screen.
He remembered that the red ginseng concentrate was a gift from Bao Xiao, said to help stay alert. When she asked the price and heard how expensive it was, she widened her eyes and said, “It’s so pricey. When I get my bonus, I’ll transfer you the money.”
She seemed genuinely short on money, but with her parents’ considerable inheritance and a scholarship from the academy, how could she be so strapped?
“What are you looking at?” Bai Shizhou asked proactively.
Shen Chuyi looked up in surprise, not expecting him to start a conversation. “Just online.”
“Is there any useful information online?” Bai Shizhou wanted to reach over to take the empty tube from her mouth and toss it, but that would be intrusive.
“They’re digging into who the ‘new actor’ and the ‘Lion official’ mentioned in Weng Xue’s confession are,” she said, holding the tube in her hand without discarding it, then repeated a line from Weng Xue’s confession video: “I lured new actors to parties, got them drunk, and sent them to the Lion official’s bed…”
“These crimes Weng Xue confessed to must have been forced by the kidnappers,” Shen Chuyi said, then borrowed Si Kang’s phrasing to add, “I think the suspect isn’t necessarily someone with an intimate relationship to Weng Xue, nor someone with social status.”
Bai Shizhou gestured for her to continue.
She slightly turned her body toward him and explained, “Look, Weng Xue’s confession mentions ‘new actor’ four times: first, admitting to suppressing new actors; second, admitting to stealing new actors’ resources; third and fourth, admitting to luring new actors to parties and sleeping with officials.”
“Four times, each time seemingly vouching for the ‘new actors’ innocence,” Shen Chuyi said. “Don’t you think this confession video looks more like the suspect is seeking revenge on behalf of the new actors, trying to clear their names and set things right?”
Without waiting for Bai Shizhou’s reply, she continued, “Also, look at the video — Weng Xue’s hair was shaved off by the suspect. Shaving a woman’s hair was an ancient method used to shame and punish women accused of adultery or impurity. If the suspect was a successful person in a romantic relationship with Weng Xue, they would know exactly what kind of person she is — she’s had constant scandals, three publicly confirmed relationships, and four secretly documented ones. How could such a person suddenly be enraged by her ‘impurity’ and seek revenge through kidnapping?”
Bai Shizhou listened attentively.
“The suspect’s emotions in this confession video are clear: they see the ‘impure’ Weng Xue as someone who seduced and harmed innocent new actors,” Shen Chuyi said. “Of course, this is just my intuition. I have no other evidence, so I didn’t bring it up during the profiling meeting.”
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She knew she wasn’t as skilled as Si Kang, whose profiling always came with abundant evidence for verification.
Unexpectedly, Bai Shizhou nodded and seriously asked, “Why do you think the suspect isn’t someone with social status?”
Why?
Shen Chuyi’s mind jumped to Zhang Dian: “Because the suspect doesn’t act like someone in power. True high-ranking people are rarely easily angered.”
“Hm?” Bai Shizhou glanced at her.
“A wealthy person who owns private maritime territory and can summon Weng Xue to board a speedboat in the middle of the night with a single call must be the one in control in this relationship. How could such a powerful person be so furious about Weng Xue’s impurity, suppressing new actors, or forcing them to sleep with officials that they’d resort to kidnapping?” Shen Chuyi found it “very strange and contradictory.”
The suspect profile Si Kang developed conflicted with the emotions conveyed by the suspect in Weng Xue’s confession video.
Would Zhang Dian be angry enough over her extortion to act this way?
No; in their conversations, Zhang Dian was always the one in control. He might just see her as a fearless pest.
Bai Shizhou looked at her in the dim rearview mirror. She gave him a contradictory impression — possessing a genius-level intuition and acuity far beyond Si Kang’s, sometimes even surprising him.
Yet she lacked the ability to rationalize her instincts, an ability one could learn at the academy.
Why?
She kept pondering, sucking on the empty tube again.
Bai Shizhou smiled helplessly, “Like ginseng, huh?”
Shen Chuyi was caught off guard by his sudden question and paused before answering, “It’s okay — bitter, though.”
But it was expensive, and just two sips used it up; she couldn’t afford to waste any.
She swiped through the online lists she’d dug up of “Lion official” and “new actors,” all of whom were new actresses or male officials with some history with Weng Xue. The list was a full page long — Weng Xue’s wild, untamed personality had earned her many enemies in the entertainment industry.
Suddenly, her wristband vibrated, popping up a game notification. Startled, Shen Chuyi turned away from Bai Shizhou, afraid he would see.
It was from the game “Gene Zoo,” reminding her: [The lion is critically injured. Would you like to use the Dream Card immediately to save the lion?]
The image of a male lion with bleeding eyes was flashing.
Lion?
Could it be that the male lion in the game corresponded to that “Lion official”?
Shen Chuyi was utterly confused, but Bai Shizhou sat right beside her, and now was obviously not the time to use a Dream Card…
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They arrived at the hotel to meet agent Zhao Ming just after three in the morning.
But Zhao indeed did not know who the “mysterious friend” who had sent black lilies for years was. He only knew that these black lilies had been delivered for five or six years, always appearing at crucial moments for Weng Xue.
He had asked Weng Xue who it was, but she only told him it was the biggest backing she had after all these years and told him not to inquire further.
Shen Chuyi wanted to ask more about Weng Xue’s social circle when Bai Shizhou’s phone rang. It was the local police.
She immediately leaned in to listen and heard that the cold storage company delivering a thousand black lilies had been found, and the client list had been traced, but the client might have to be contacted personally by Director Bai.
Because the client who sent the flowers was a person named Wang Ke, who was the assistant to Qin Rong, the Cabinet Minister and candidate for Prime Minister.
When Qin Rong’s name came up, Shen Chuyi was stunned. How could she not know Minister Qin? Her speeches and campaigns were everywhere; she was the frontrunner to become the next Prime Minister.
And her ability type was the Lion.
Heavens, how had the investigation led to such a prominent figure?
At that moment, Shen Chuyi, the impostor, instinctively wanted to retreat.
※※
It was a rare sunny day in City A. By 7:30 in the morning, the sun had already gilded the coordinates building in gold.
“Minister Qin is waiting for you,” the assistant politely opened the door to the living room for Zhang Dian.
Zhang Dian thanked her courteously. As he entered the living room, decorated in a Chinese style, Qin Rong had just hung up the phone.
She stood from the sofa, dressed in a neat shirt and trousers, and smiled warmly as she approached Zhang Dian to shake his hand. “Long time no see, Professor Zhang.”
Only then did Zhang Dian remove his black leather gloves and briefly grasp her hand with a light, quick shake. “Long time no see, Minister Qin.”
He then put his gloves back on.
Qin Rong was unfazed; she knew well that Zhang Dian disliked physical contact, especially touching his hands. For him to remove his gloves to shake hands was already a great gesture of courtesy. “It wasn’t easy to get you here. I had to call twice.”
Qin Rong had indeed called him twice. The first time was to ask him to investigate the Weng Xue kidnapping case, which he declined.
The second time was just after six this morning. Qin Rong said the kidnappers didn’t just abduct Weng Xue — the new Special Crime Unit agent Shen Yulan had already uncovered something about her at three in the morning...
So she thought he should come in person.