15 Devil Mountain

Reaching the second floor, Zhou Yun went to the room door, pushed it open, and turned around to gently close it. The moment she closed it, she heard another set of footsteps. She assumed Pan Fei had followed her up, and without hesitation, she closed the door again.

Pan Fei had feelings for her, even liked her, and it was love at first sight? Zhou Yun found it all very strange.

She turned around and looked at the people in the room again.

Fang Chengjin was lying on the large bed, his hands gently resting on his abdomen, his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

Zhou Yun thought to herself: If he sleeps on the bed, does that mean I'll have to sleep on the sofa tonight? As she thought this, she glanced at the narrow sofa next to her, which was indeed more suitable for a petite woman.

The main lights weren't on in the room; instead, the bedside lamp was on, casting a soft glow that created a half-dark, half-bright atmosphere. The curtains were all drawn back, and Zhou Yun discovered that there was a forest right outside the window, pitch black, and she couldn't see anything.

Zhou Yun's gaze returned to Fang Chengjin, and after glancing over at him, she suddenly noticed the doll on the bedside table.

This is......?

Zhou Yun's breath hitched, and she immediately took a few steps forward to the bedside table to examine the doll placed on it.

When she first came in, she didn't notice this thing on the bedside table. Could it be that Fang Chengjin found it? Zhou Yun looked around the room. The pillows on the sofa were scattered, and the books on the coffee table were piled up haphazardly... There were indeed messy signs of searching.

Zhou Yun stared intently at the doll, observing it closely.

This doll is completely different from the one Li Li had before. Li Li's doll was more like a princess from a dark fairy tale. This one in front of me has golden curly hair, a snow-white wedding princess dress, red lips, and big eyes; it looks exactly like Snow White from abroad.

There was also a... strong fragrance.

Zhou Yun picked up the doll and whispered, "The scent of this doll is a bit strange. Is it lavender? It doesn't seem like it..."

The doll's limbs were still translucent and shiny, and the whole doll was a bit heavy.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Disinfectant".

Fang Chengjin's sudden voice startled Zhou Yun, causing her hands to tremble and almost to drop the doll.

Fang Cheng opened his eyes and replied calmly, "It smells like disinfectant. This lavender scent is mixed with a lot of disinfectant."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yun leaned closer to the doll and took a deep breath. Her nasal cavity was immediately filled with a fragrance, a bit pungent. Zhou Yun shook her head, "I don't smell any disinfectant."

Fang Chengjin: "There's something wrong with your nose."

Zhou Yun: "......."

Whose nose is malfunctioning? Normal people can't smell it.

Zhou Yun didn't argue. She believed Fang Chengjin's words. If he really smelled it, then the doll must have the smell of disinfectant.

Zhou Yun asked, "Could it be that this doll was disinfected with disinfectant?"

Fang Cheng remained silent, offering no further response. His eyes were bright as he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Suddenly, Fang Cheng turned to look at her and said, "Come up."

He patted the large bed.

Zhou Yun swallowed hard: "..."

Fang Cheng moved aside, clearly letting her lie down on top of him.

Zhou Yun still trusted Fang Chengjin, even though this action was somewhat unexpected. Zhou Yun quietly got into bed and lay down. As soon as she was settled, a blanket was pulled over her.

"Don't make a sound." Fang Chengjin's voice was more serious.

Zhou Yun immediately froze, everything was pitch black. The blanket was pulled over her head, and the two of them were under the covers. Zhou Yun wondered, were they really just chatting under the covers?

"There are security cameras in the room. To prevent our conversation from being overheard, I'm afraid you'll have to make do," Fang Cheng explained.

Zhou Yun hummed in agreement.

**

The two fell silent immediately, and a faint, elegant fragrance filled the space.

Fang Chengjin felt a refreshing sensation in his nasal cavity. He liked Zhou Yun's presence, as it filled his nostrils with her scent, which made him feel at ease.

Since entering this manor guesthouse, Fang Chengjin has been constantly exposed to a pungent and unpleasant odor, and he has had to wear a mask from time to time.

Fang Cheng leaned closer to Zhou Yun and asked, "Tell me your current thoughts."

His voice sounded muffled under the covers, with an unusually deep tone.

Zhou Yun closed her eyes, recalling her previous interactions with the group. "I didn't suspect anyone was planning to kill anyone, or if someone is the murderer, we'd have to wait for them to take action. Otherwise, we can't just accuse someone. It's all uncertain. I've looked at the information you sent me. Lin Long and his team didn't find the body or any traces of the crime, only that these people had been near Devil Mountain before they disappeared. That's actually very difficult to investigate; investigations rely on evidence. As it stands, we have no evidence."

Fang Chengjin took another deep breath: "Lin Long is only suspicious, so he can't spare too many police officers to come here to solve the case. We need to investigate secretly."

Zhou Yun then asked, "Did Professor Fang find anything?"

Fang Chengjin: "Smell."

Zhou Yun was puzzled and waited for Fang Chengjin's explanation.

Fang Chengjin continued, "This guesthouse has a strong plastic smell. Think about it, what kinds of things use a lot of plastic materials?"

Zhou Yun remained silent. There are many things that use plastic as a material, so how can it be specified in a single way?

Fang Chengjin continued, "There's also the smell of disinfectant. The smell is too strong. A normal guesthouse or hotel wouldn't have such a strong disinfectant smell. It's like being in a hospital morgue."

Zhou Yun suddenly opened her eyes, somewhat shocked by the metaphorical choice of words.

She didn't smell a particularly strong odor, but judging from Fang Chengjin's sensitive nose, the guesthouse probably did have that smell, but it was just masked.

**

The temperature is very low in the mountains at night, and if the windows are not closed tightly, gusts of cold wind will rush in.

Room 201.

Li Li sat at the table, looking at herself in the dressing mirror, and smiled knowingly. Suddenly, she started humming a song, singing "Today You're Going to Marry Me..." As she sang, she took off her long, wavy wig, revealing a buzz cut, and then took off her dress, revealing her slender figure.

She was dressing up and enjoying herself.

As she was combing her wig, she suddenly heard a loud slam on the wall next door, followed by a muffled groan from a man.

Li Li paused for a moment, then quietly approached the wall to eavesdrop on the noise.

Pan Fei lived next door to "her". Li Li had a good impression of Pan Fei, who was "her" type of boyfriend.

It's said that you can have a romantic encounter while hiking, and it really happens. However, Li Li could also tell that Pan Fei seemed to be more interested in Zhou Yun. The girl was not bad looking, but she was a bit cold all over and her face was stiff. She looked like a tough guy, which was no match for "her" sweet and cuteness.

Li Li turned around, opened her suitcase, and took out a new, beautiful dress and a bottle of perfume. She sprayed it on her snow-white neck, closed her eyes, smelled it, and showed a satisfied expression. Then she changed into the new dress, looking delighted.

As a woman, how can you seduce a man if you don't take the initiative?

Li Li decided that she would make Pan Fei fall at her feet tonight. Turning around, she glanced at her phone; it was one o'clock in the morning—the timing was perfect.

**

Li Li left her room, gently closed her own door, and then walked to the door of the room next door.

Li Li took a deep breath, afraid of waking the people in the next room. She looked around and saw that apart from the sound of wind blowing in from the window at the end of the corridor, there was no other noise.

In the corridor, a small lantern hung outside each room, with a tiny flame inside illuminating a small area. In the dim, yellowish space, Li Li became even more nervous.

Soon, the door opened, and that handsome face emerged from the darkness.

Pan Fei appeared to have just taken a shower; his face was delicate, his short hair was still damp, and he was wearing only a white short-sleeved shirt on his upper body and black loungewear pants on his lower body. His fair skin exuded a kind of ascetic allure.

Meeting Pan Fei's puzzled look, Li Li smiled, raised the high-quality Longjing tea bag she had prepared, and deliberately revealed a section of her fair and delicate forearm.

"Could I come in for a cup of tea?"

Pan Fei's initially puzzled expression gradually changed, revealing a look of understanding.