A corner after sunset

Cheng Xiangwu had nothing to write or was able to write, but she guessed that Gu Wanqiu did. She could find the answers to questions such as what Gu Wanqiu had found out, why she suddenly stopped investigating, and why she decided to stay and become mayor.

But as she touched her phone, she found it quite difficult to make the call. Her fingers just didn't want to move, she couldn't open her mouth, and her vocal cords were a bit tight.

Yes, why is that?

She realized that she really didn't have the right to let Bai Yunxian and her family talk face to face, and she didn't even dare to make a phone call herself.

A message from an unknown sender popped up at the top of her phone screen. She opened it and found an ingredient list.

"Two parts marine mammal oil, two parts lard, three parts white beeswax, three parts coconut wax, and one part base wax make up one kilogram. The wick is made of wood chips, which can be bought in supermarkets. A handful of verbena, a handful of primrose leaves and roots, a handful of fresh saltwort, and a handful of white nightshade flowers. After all the wax has melted, turn off the heat and put them into the pot. Aunt Cheng basically just grabbed whatever was in the pot and threw it in. I think about 200 grams is enough. Stir it a few times and then you can throw the ingredients into the pot and let them solidify naturally. Light it before serving."

Bai Yunxian added, "The wax made with this recipe has extremely low plasticity. Without a pot, it basically cannot be shaped, the wick will burn out quickly, and the wax melting tool cannot release its proper odor. Moreover, the large amount of herbs used can cause materials to burn and small explosions during the process. Using pre-refined essential oils would be much better. The ignition problem can now be solved with a lighter, but I do not recommend that you try to reproduce it at home."

Cheng Xiangwu thought about it. She realized that no customers had complained about food exploding in front of them. Besides, she was the one who cut most of the ingredients after they were taken out of the restaurant, so if there had been an explosion, she would have some memory or scars.

"Thank you," Cheng Xiangwu replied. "Then how did my mother set it on fire back then?"

Bai Yunxian's speech bubble rose and fell, as if she had a lot to say, but in the end, she only said one sentence: "How would I know?"

And that was it. Cheng Xiangwu, worried, saved the person in her contacts and sent the formula to expert Xiao Fu.

“Thank you for your trust, but I must first state that no marine animal fat is a legally traded commodity within your country,” Xiao Fu replied.

“So it’s a secret recipe,” Cheng Xiangwu replied, then sent another message asking, “How’s it going on your end?”

"The results were pretty good, but the questioning process was hardly interesting. As compensation, I witnessed a rather interesting land grabbing battle," Little F answered the three questions.

"Do those police officers also work overtime on Sundays?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.

“Some people are deeply entrenched in this, believing that their career is their life,” Xiao Fu replied. “What is Miss Bai Yunxian’s attitude?”

“I think she doesn’t care about things outside her own family, but she doesn’t know much about her own family either, at least not as much as Gu Wanqiu,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

"Did I say that she suspected you were seeking revenge against her family?" Little F asked.

"Now you've said it," Cheng Xiangwu replied, not really caring. If the result was the same, she really had nothing to explain. "Is there anything else you haven't said?"

"Nothing yet," Xiao Fu said. "Let's talk later. I look forward to your findings."

Sunday evenings are always a mix of quiet and anxious streets, with people scrambling to catch the last rays of the weekend's sunset. The time between then and sunrise the next day is probably the most expensive of the week. The sky is still a bright blue, with the moon joining the mix as an inconspicuous white shadow.

Cheng Xiangwu walked along the street without looking up, she always remembered the way. The barbed wire fence that quietly passed by in the corner of her eye seemed to have been there when she last came back. After that, she didn't know what it was used for, but the building was repaired again and again, and she always managed to find a way to refresh some people on her body.

She happened to pass by a station with only a sign and a blue stainless steel openwork bench. She saw a person sitting there all alone. His face was completely covered by a baseball cap and a mask, but his dazed look was obvious.

"Sen Sen," Cheng Xiangwu called out.

Mori Lake City seems small. That's Golson. She looks quite different from the person I saw in the hospital bed who could shrink away at any moment. Not much time has passed, but teenagers always grow up very quickly.

"Sister Xiangxiang!" Gao Ersen quickly looked up to greet her. Her wrist was still strapped with a brace, and her eyes widened in surprise under the brim of her hat. "What a coincidence! You've finished your work?"

"No, I have somewhere to go later." Cheng Xiangwu sat down beside her. "How was your day?"

Today isn't over yet, but there's always a chance to ask that question.

"It's alright." Gorson swung his leg. "I went to talk to my mom, and it felt amazing. No normal person would talk to their mother like that, right? She was actually quite polite and even bought me bubble tea."

She dragged out the last four words, with a strange feeling as if she were watching an acquaintance speak on the morning exercise platform.

"Mm," Cheng Xiangwu replied.

“I just asked her directly, what if your child suddenly comes back to life?” Gorson laughed. “My mother actually said that would be a real headache. Registering a corpse is such a hassle, and we’d have to come up with a new name.”

She laughed so hard her legs almost lifted up. "I... I asked her again, 'If you can accept a corpse coming back to life, then why are you still worried about the household registration issue?' Guess what she answered?"

"How did you answer?" Cheng Xiangwu asked cooperatively.

"'I'm not handling the procedures for resurrecting the corpse, so why should I worry about it?' That's what she replied. Wow, I didn't know she was like that. It's a real shame she didn't take the civil service exam." Gorson said with a laugh, his words occasionally muffled by the sound of traffic.

When someone passing by saw her like this, they couldn't help but take a longer route. She suppressed a laugh and sat down properly on the chair.

“Well, everyone only worries about what they can see.” Golson sighed seriously. “Yeah, until I can actually see that thing flying in the sky, I won’t consider the density of people around me. But there are so many people lately.”

“That’s right.” Cheng Xiangwu recalled the crowded supermarket. “I hope the supermarket can restock properly tonight.”

"Speaking of which, where's Sister Fov? Isn't she here?" Golson asked, puzzled.

“She went to see the police again,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “Maybe she thinks that places with a lot of police have good feng shui.”

"...Where there are more police, there are more deaths, right? Could it be that for Sister Fufu, this is also a plus for real estate?" Golson wondered, but quickly gave up thinking about it. "Speaking of which, how was Sister Xiangxiang's day?"

“I ran into someone from a long time ago. She treated me to a meal, but she wasn’t very polite.” Cheng Xiangwu frowned as she thought of the report, but then she suddenly remembered that Gorson was a high school student, so she couldn’t help but look at her.

"...What's wrong?" Golson became inexplicably nervous. "Is that person troublesome?"

“Indeed.” Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment, and as the other person grew increasingly nervous, she asked, “How should a critical report generally be written?”

She's written reports before, but they never exceed a hundred words, and any critical elements are utter nonsense. What is there to criticize about a killer like her?

"...How could something like this suddenly appear here?" Golson was very puzzled.

"I don't know either," Cheng Xiangwu sighed.

Hearing the sigh, Golson immediately straightened his back, pondered for a moment, and then said, "For a report, you just need to write down everything you know, and then add a bunch of nonsensical descriptions as evidence. The difficulty lies in the critical aspect, isn't it?"

"Mm." Cheng Xiang nodded.

“…You have to be skeptical of everything first, like Officer Xie, you can ask her.” Golson said thoughtfully, “In short, critical thinking is about expressing ‘I think’ and then devaluing ‘I don’t think’ to nothing, while also taking a jab at the original author’s point of view, and then making some hypothetical enemies and their hypothetical weaknesses to prove yourself right.”

“…This is so troublesome.” Cheng Xiangwu couldn’t help but say this. Every part of this was something she wasn’t good at, including the part where she called Xie Wuchang for advice at the beginning.

"Why does this person ask you to hand over a report as soon as you meet her?" Golson asked, puzzled. "What kind of nonsense is this? It's not fashionable to fill out a compatibility questionnaire before meeting someone anymore, has this become the new trend?"

“…I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m getting old,” Cheng Xiangwu said. The only reason she could think of was that Bai Yunxian had reached an age where she no longer had the energy to slowly probe someone’s attitude. People who need to take a nap don’t have time to listen to bedtime stories. She always had to figure out whether she was holding a grudge or not. Since she didn’t have Xiao Fu’s good hearing, she could only force herself to write the report.

Upon hearing this, Golson couldn't help but glance sideways, "This person couldn't be—"

A bus slowly pulled up in front of the station, stirring up a gust of wind, followed by the sound of brakes and the announcement from inside the bus.

Gorson quickly stood up. "I'm off now. Good luck, Xiangxiang! If you really can't figure it out, just use the formula. Bye-bye!"

After saying that, she turned and got into the car. Cheng Xiangwu waved, and another gust of wind blew by as the car drove away with her. She got up and continued walking towards her destination.

Outside the Shechao Hotel on the first floor, Zhou Yan was on the phone, speaking to herself. She was leaning against the side of the bar door, her shirt sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She held her phone in one hand and supported a trolley full of drink boxes with the other, wearing gloves. She had a helpless smile on her face, as if she had sighed.

It was still early. Zhou Yan paused noticeably after seeing Cheng Xiangwu, then spoke a few words to the person on the other end of the phone before putting her phone away.

"Xiao Wu!" Zhou Yan called out, raising her empty hand. The direct sunlight made her squint. "Why are you out alone at this hour? Have you eaten yet?"

"Hello, Sister Yanzi, I'm here to wait for someone. We agreed to meet here tonight. I had lunch late, so I haven't had dinner yet." Cheng Xiangwu replied as she stepped forward. The cart was loaded with a considerable amount of goods. She rolled up her sleeves and took the handle of the cart. "Are you restocking? I'll push it."

"You've been a huge help!" Zhou Yan said with a smile, making way for me. "There have been so many people these past few days, the number of customers has increased several times over, especially on weekends. I need to stock up on more goods for tonight."

As she chattered on, she noticed the teeth marks on Cheng Xiangwu's wrist and paused, then asked after a moment of silence, "Xiao Wu, did you run into a mental patient?"

"Huh?" Cheng Xiangwu was taken aback. "No, I just accidentally got bitten."

The bar hadn't officially opened yet. Accompanied by violin music, Cheng Xiangwu pushed a small cart inside the bar counter, glanced at the refrigerator and wine cabinet, and began to arrange the bottles and jars in order.

"...Where is it?" Zhou Yan followed behind the bar, seemingly chatting casually as she asked while tidying up her things.

“That’s right, I was just looking into what happened before, so yesterday I went to my dad’s hometown with a policeman.” Cheng Xiangwu said, thinking about how to phrase it. “Then on the way back, something happened, uh, an argument, and that family bit me. But it’s okay now, it doesn’t hurt, it just looked scary.”

"Brother Du's hometown? Isn't that a place that takes two or three hours to drive there?" Zhou Yan asked in surprise. "You actually went so deep into the mountains. I couldn't even contact the people there back then. Did they say anything?"

“There’s only one younger one left there. She’s about the same age as Xiao Mi. I don’t know what happened back then.” Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment and then said, “But I did say that my father was expelled from the family for breaking the family rules. Their family rules are quite strange.”

“That’s a local belief, a rule of the Lake Fairy. The Du family used to make their fortune by ferrying people across the lake. If people in the mountains wanted to avoid climbing those peaks, they all had to rely on their boats to get out of the mountains,” Zhou Yan said slowly. “The people in that area all believe in the Lake Fairy and follow those rules. They used to be able to hunt birds and beasts, but later, in order to establish their own authority, the Du family added extra restrictions to the people in that house.”

"...Is that so?" Cheng Xiangwu paused. "Has this rule established any authority?"

“No, it just makes their family seem special, as if they are blessed by immortals,” Zhou Yan said casually with a smile. “But the Du family members are indeed all strong and healthy, your father is, you are, and the person who bit you should be too.”

Like many fasting practices, the Du family refrained from hunting creatures outside the designated area of ​​the forest lake and then threw their bodies into the lake after death. This cycle made the Du family "pure," at least in the eyes of outsiders. But regardless of the effectiveness of a man-made or catalyzed cycle, later generations mostly followed it blindly, unable to escape the rules no matter how narrow the scope was drawn.

Neither physical strength nor prestige could stop the helicopter. Cheng Xiangwu thought to himself, even whales can't control things in the sky. Immortals still need wings to fly, or maybe they should consider technology.

“Don’t go to those remote, desolate places next time, Xiao Wu,” Zhou Yan said while stacking tonic bottles. “There’s no signal monitoring there. Look, you got bitten and there was no way to get evidence. The police didn’t protect you either.”

“…She tried her best,” Cheng Xiangwu said. The labels on the soda bottles all faced outwards, making her look like a solid glass wall inside the refrigerator. She patted the dust off her hands and turned around to ask, “Is there anything else I can help with?”

The beverage crates inside the trolley emptied out very quickly, and the current interior space will be much appreciated by the sage.

“Well… actually, it’s like this.” Zhou Yan touched her chin, clapped her hands and said, “Could Xiao Wu come help me out tonight? Like serving dishes or something. Last night I was already busy running around, and I asked Xiao Mi, but she said she wanted to watch some kind of live stream.”

“Yes, thank you for taking care of Sen Sen before, Sister Yanzi.” Cheng Xiangwu nodded without hesitation.

Upon receiving the reply, Zhou Yan smiled, her eyes crinkling and the lines at the corners of her eyes widening. "This has really been a great help to me. Here, let me get you your work clothes."

The bartender's uniform consisted of a black vest with a half-length apron and a white shirt underneath. Although the manager himself didn't wear it, there were a few sets kept in the storage cabinet. Cheng Xiangwu put it on and it fit him quite well.

"Xiao Wu, have you seen Gu Wanqiu?" Zhou Yan asked casually as she leaned against the wall watching her change clothes.

"I've seen her," Cheng Xiangwu said while buttoning her clothes. "She's changed a lot."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan burst out laughing. As she laughed, she leaned against the shelf and switched legs. The shelf seemed to laugh along with her. The two of them were as happy as if they had heard an old friend make a fool of himself, and they were gloating together.

After she finished laughing, she asked again, "So what did she say to you?"

Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment, "She originally wanted me to cook for her, but we couldn't reach an agreement. So she asked us to investigate something."

Zhou Yan stood up straight, no longer smiling. "...What did she tell you?"

Her tone was somewhat serious. Cheng Xiangwu paused, realizing that the other person might be worried that she was in trouble.

“There are police officers from out of town investigating the No. 2 Middle School incident. After Qin Zixi’s incident, those police officers also went there to investigate. She said those police officers were unreliable and hoped we could help her find the culprit.” Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment and lowered her voice to say, “Don’t worry, Sister Yanzi. Besides, it’s better to resolve this matter as soon as possible.”

It's unclear how much of what Zhou Yan heard was taken to heart. She stood there silently for a long time, sighed, and then resumed her usual relaxed demeanor. "In any case, the most important thing is your own safety, Xiao Wu. Adults know what they're doing."

"Yes, I understand." Cheng Xiang nodded and tied her apron. She wanted to roll up her sleeves like Zhou Yan did, but then she saw the teeth marks and put them down. Seeing this, Zhou Yan came over and rolled up her sleeves, then took a bandage from the shelf and wrapped it around her arm several times, tying it into a bow.

“…That’s good.” Zhou Yan said, taking two steps back, nodding and praising with a smile, “Our Xiao Wu looks so smart in this outfit, and he’s really handsome. Come on, let me take you for a walk outside.”

Before the official opening hours began, Zhou Yan introduced Cheng Xiangwu to the work environment. Simply put, her job was to hand the bar's products to the customers. The bar was small, with no more than ten tables in total. Usually, only hotel guests would come here to sit for a while, and at most a few people who came to drink after get off work.

"Customers will order themselves, but what if they try to chat with you?" Zhou Yan thought for a moment, then smiled and suggested, "Should I teach Xiao Wu how to refuse chat requests?"

“…No need,” Cheng Xiangwu said. Chatting wasn’t difficult, and she felt she was quite good at saying no.

“Although nothing has happened before, there are a lot of people from out of town lately. If anyone causes trouble, please leave. If you can’t handle it, come find me.” Zhou Yan nodded and added, “It’s not just physical contact; it includes those who inexplicably grab you and won’t let you leave, ask you strange questions, and slip you weird little cards.”

"Mmm." Cheng Xiangwu nodded helplessly. "Don't worry, I know."

Those who came to the birthday party all stayed at the Senhu Grand Hotel, which is a distance away from the Shechao Hotel. Most of the guests here are local residents and college students who are on summer vacation.

Just as the store manager was emphasizing the importance of personal safety, the streetlights outside came on, signaling that it was time to open for business.

When Cheng Xiangwu first arrived in the big city, she worked odd jobs to make a living. She didn't start out relying on others for money, and she was familiar with the procedures of a waitress. Zhou Yan only asked her to carry plates, but she could also do the basic tasks such as checking IDs, showing customers to their seats, and informing them when the bar was full. She didn't know how much the bar usually had, but tonight it was definitely crowded. The bar was full within half an hour of opening, with only a few seats left at the bar.

If things continue like this, Cheng Xiangwu is worried that if Diana comes, they will have to wait in line, or they will have to talk to her in the warehouse, which seems a bit too suspicious.

"Excuse me." A young man called out to the waitress who was putting down her water and heading towards the bar. When she actually turned around, he was startled, then mustered his courage and asked in a low voice, "Will anyone be coming to that stage over there for the concert?"

The stage curtain had been drawn, but the high chair behind the microphone was still empty.

"Let me ask," Cheng Xiangwu said.

“Oh, okay.” The young man’s voice was drowned out.

“That one.” Zhou Yan also looked over, her Snow Cup still swaying by her ear as usual, casting shimmering shadows in the warm light of the statue lamp. “That’s for the guests. If anyone wants to sing, they can go up and sing. There’s a karaoke stage next to it.”

With that, she expertly tapped the bottle cap, poured the liquor into a glass, added a mint leaf, and placed a mojito on the tray. "Good luck, table number three!"

"Okay." Cheng Xiangwu took it, but her voice was immediately drowned out by the conversation of the violin concerto.

"Then can we go up and sing too?" After the message was conveyed, a couple at the next table peeked out, eager to try. Cheng Xiangwu didn't know how they heard her, but she nodded.

Soon, violin records were replaced by more modern audio equipment and electronic music. In order to keep up with the times and the entertainment needs of the people, the stylus regretfully lifted its foot, and the vinyl record stopped playing.

Amidst cheers and shoving, a young woman stepped onto the stage and instantly became the center of attention before she could even say a word. Shy yet excited, the first thing she did upon stepping onto the stage was to bow to the audience.

Someone clapped, and then that person started singing a recently popular rock song.

"It's so good to be young," a customer at the bar exclaimed. In reality, you can hardly hear the music from the karaoke bar area, but the atmosphere is something that can captivate your gaze and thoughts.

"When I was young, I also liked to sing in front of people. At first, I was afraid I wouldn't sing well, but once I started singing, I didn't care what others thought." Another customer at the bar, whose mouth was never closed, said while swirling his whiskey glass, "The young lady is quite efficient. She's been a lifesaver these past few days. Where did you find such a good helper, boss?"

“She’s from our family. She’s played with Xiao Mi since she was little. It’s amazing how tall they’ve both grown.” Zhou Yan seemed quite familiar with this person, or rather, she seemed to be able to become familiar with anyone within three sentences. “I saw you looking over there a lot. If you want to sing, then sing. Who’s stopping you?”

"Hey, you should think about everyone's ears before you say that," the man said, wrinkling his nose. People around him started laughing. It seems the bar area has its own focus of attention.

Moving between the two ends, Cheng Xiangwu was often forced to engage in small talk, interspersed with informative snippets of conversation. She couldn't help but think that there must be many of her colleagues working as bartenders. The singers changed several times, and the accompaniment shifted from slow love songs to rock and then to rap, as everyone present had their own taste to showcase.

Suddenly, the sound of a glass shattering on the floor came from a corner near the bar, and the singing stopped.

“...I’ll go check, is the broom in the warehouse?” Cheng Xiangwu said, “That wasn’t the sound of a cup hitting the ground.”

"Here." Zhou Yan frowned and looked over, wiping her hands with her apron. "Xiao Wu, if he's drunk, take him out first. Don't let him argue with anyone."

Cheng Xiang nodded five times.

This is a table of young people who have just entered the workforce. They are dressed as if they want to wear all their labels on their bodies. Fortunately, before they show their ID cards, everyone passing by can accurately call them by name.

Except for the one who slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

"Try saying that again!?" she yelled, her white coat wrinkled from standing up suddenly, her right arm still trembling, clearly the one that had smashed the cup.

Cheng Xiangwu remembered this person. There were all sorts of people wearing clothes in the bar, but she was the only one wearing a white coat.

"...Why are you so angry?" The person who was yelled at was a little confused, but also got angry. "This isn't something that just started a few days ago. I've said it before. What do you mean by this attitude now?"

Those around her didn't understand why the person who slammed the table was acting this way, but their first reaction was to calm her down.

"I told you not to mention it again!" But the man clearly didn't appreciate it. "In my opinion, it's you guys who are unreasonable. What business is this? Why did you come to me if you wanted to buy that stuff?!"

Everyone around her was looking at her, and she herself was still confused at the center of the chaos.

"Hey, hey, keep your voice down!" The person next to her quickly intervened, glancing at the people around them. "If you don't want to talk now, then don't. Calm down. We just invited you out for a normal outing today. Come on, have a drink!"

As he spoke, he took the Gin and Tonic from in front of him and handed it to the person standing there.

"What do you mean 'now'?!" The man's anger escalated even further. "You've been talking about this since before, and now I'm going to make things clear to you!"

She picked up the gin and tonic and was about to smash it into the corner again when Cheng Xiangwu quickly stepped forward and grabbed her arm. The bar had few customers and few glasses. Each glass was picked and bought by Zhou Yan herself, and smashing one meant one less to go.

"Uh!" The woman was startled by the figure that suddenly appeared behind her. She turned around and saw Cheng Xiangwu's clothes, and her anger subsided considerably. The long coat she was wearing seemed to have been magically prevented from slipping off her shoulders and remained flowing.

Taking advantage of her momentary daze, Cheng Xiangwu quickly freed the cup from her hand before asking, "Why did you smash the cup?"

"It's not that I wanted to smash the cup, it's this group of people—" The person couldn't pull one arm back, so they simply turned around and looked at Cheng Xiangwu, pointing at her companions with their other arm around her, "Do you know what they were saying to me just now?"

"Hey, hey, hey!" One of the people she pointed at stood up anxiously. "Don't talk nonsense in front of outsiders!"

"Now you realize you were talking nonsense?!" the person being dragged sneered. "Just now you insisted on buying from me—"

A person next to her lunged forward to cover her mouth, but Cheng Xiangwu held him back. The person looked back in disbelief at the hand on his shoulder, tried to twist it, but couldn't move it.

Cheng Xiangwu gleaned some insights from those few words. Buying and selling things is quite common in bars, but fighting is not good, and smashing glasses is even worse.

"You two, come out with me." She gestured with her chin towards the remaining two people and added, "Let's pay the bill first."

The two who weren't being held down glanced around, then glared at the person being pulled, and as she instructed, took out their phones, paid the bill, and ran away.

"Um, can I walk too? I didn't mean to cause trouble, really." The one being helped said cautiously. Cheng Xiangwu let go of her hand, and the person quickly ran away. Without someone to argue with, the person being pulled also calmed down, so Cheng Xiangwu simply let go of her as well and started tidying up the table.

As the traces of chaos were cleaned up, the surroundings returned to their original liveliness. Cheng Xiangwu wiped her hands on her apron and turned around to find that the person who had smashed the cup was still standing behind her.

"I'll transfer the money for the cup to you," she said, still looking angry, but not actually getting angry at anyone.

Cheng Xiangwu nodded. "Come with me."

At the bar, the little incident from earlier is already out of the news; the hot topic now is the mental health of modern youth.

"What happened?" Zhou Yan swirled the ice in her glass with a long spoon, her eyes downcast, but her tone still tinged with amusement. "That was part of a complete set of handcrafted whisky glasses. If you broke it, at least give me an explanation."

"...I'm so sorry." The woman's shoulders slumped, the fabric dangling from her shoulders, almost slipping off. "I'll pay whatever it costs. Those people dragged me out, and the moment they saw me, they started saying all sorts of nonsense. I got angry and..."

"Xiao Wu, take her outside and clear things up first." Zhou Yan sighed slightly, looked up and smiled, and said, "I can't afford to compensate you, but at least tell me the whole story to make amends."

“…Okay!” The man nodded.

Outside the bar, the streets were not much quieter than inside.

"My name is Ye Luan." Ye Luan said irritably. As soon as she stepped out, she took out a cigarette from her pants pocket and was about to light it when she glanced at Cheng Xiangwu. She then put it back and simply rolled the braid tied behind her head in front of her. "I do some small business, and I also sell some flowers and plants."

As she spoke, she pulled a business card from inside her coat and handed it to Cheng Xiangwu: CHCIN Flowers, owner Ye Luan, providing pricing guidance and material procurement. Looking at the woman and the business card, Cheng Xiangwu sensed a familiar scent of someone in the same industry, and something inexplicably familiar.

"Don't worry, at least the flowers and plants are absolutely legal." When the other party didn't take it, Ye Luan handed some forward and explained, "Take it, give it to the store manager when you get back, and tell her to call me directly if she needs anything."

“…Okay.” Cheng Xiangwu put the business card in her pocket. “What were you trying to say just now?”

"That group of people wanted to buy hallucinogenic drugs from me." Ye Luan sneered. "I didn't even know I sold that stuff. You saw those people yourself, a bunch of opportunists. They've been coming to my shop ever since they heard my name somewhere, saying all sorts of nonsensical things. Like, 'We understand your pain, but business can't be neglected,' or 'Looking forward is the only way to have a future.' They act like I'm wasting my life by doing business normally. Are they crazy?!"

She got angrier and angrier as she spoke, to the point that she was practically grinding her teeth to powder by the last three words.

"Then today, they approached me and asked me to hang out, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to clear things up and came. But as soon as I sat down, they started giving me psychological counseling! Psychological counseling in a bar?!" Ye Luan spread her hands, asking Cheng Xiangwu for confirmation. "Putting aside the fact that I don't need this service at all, these people all look like they need counseling themselves, where do they get the confidence to give me psychological counseling?!"

"What did they tutor you on?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.

“They said they wanted to understand my confusion.” Ye Luan rolled her eyes. “In the end, they still firmly believed that I sold hallucinogenic drugs, but when I actually asked them about it, they wouldn’t say a word.”

Cheng Xiangwu was taken aback, and then she remembered why the name sounded familiar.

"Do you have a family member named Ye Shu who used to be a teacher at No. 2 Middle School?" she asked.

“…Yes, that’s true.” Ye Luan frowned. “You know her?”

The moment that name appeared, she seemed to want to grasp something, crossing her arms over her chest, and her every move carried a visible layer of vigilance.

“…I know a little about the case at No. 2 Middle School.” Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment before choosing her words.

Upon hearing this, Ye Luan paused, looked at the street and fell into thought, his hands, which had been tightly gripping the fabric of his arms, fell down and went into his pockets.

“We are twins,” she said, her expression unchanged. “It’s true that I collected her ashes after she was cremated, but it’s ridiculous to say that they came to us because of her. You also said that she was a teacher.”

"Anything else?" Cheng Xiangwu asked. "You live together? So you're so sure she couldn't be involved with hallucinogens?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Luan didn't respond for a moment. Her hand kept tapping her cigarette case in her pocket, her lips tightly pursed. Her white coat fluttered in the night wind, the white tinged with the dim yellow of the streetlights, and the sleeves wrapped around her arms.

"Go ahead and smoke," Cheng Xiangwu said.

"Thank you." Ye Luan didn't hesitate for long. She took out a cigarette, raised her palm to block the wind, lit it, and inhaled nearly a third of it in one go before her tightly furrowed brows showed signs of relaxing slightly.

The wind blew away the smoke, and she held the cigarette in front of her heart.

“I don’t remember,” she said. “I don’t remember anything about her. My family situation is complicated. The police came to me and said that as the only direct relative, I had to collect her ashes. That’s when I remembered that I had a sister. At that moment, I felt, well, it’s really hard for me to explain this to you.”

She took another breath, exhaling a sigh that lingered in the air.

“You know what? I’ve really forgotten a lot of things.” She looked at Cheng Xiangwu and slowly shook her head. “We didn’t live together, but every single thing in my room that I couldn’t explain was related to her. At first, I didn’t care because I was a fucking idiot and didn’t care at all. I was living a good life, so what if there were a few more decorations around? I was used to them anyway. It wasn’t until the day the police knocked on the door and I came back with her ashes that I realized that all those unnamed things in my room that I had gotten used to were actually hers. Do you know how I felt then?”

She tugged at her white lab coat, her tone genuinely puzzled, "And this coat too, who is she? I love this coat so much, why would it be hers?"

Cheng Xiangwu was speechless. Ye Luan was probably the most serious cat victim besides Gorson. Was it because the twins were tied too tightly to each other that taking away Liulian required taking away so many extra memories? She was not a professional, so she had nothing to say.

"And the shop too! I don't like flowers and plants at all, so why would they open a shop like this, and with such a name? I don't recognize any of the plants in the shop, and it took me ages to almost kill them all," Ye Luan complained. "And those people too! We can tell the difference between the two of us at a glance, so why does she come after me when she dies?"

She brought the cigarette to her lips again, but first sighed, "...Who exactly is she..."

The cigarette was gone quickly. Ye Luan reached out and stubbed it out on the extinguisher. "Sorry to have you hear all this nonsense. Anyway, that's all. I'll think of something else to get the cup."

"Can I come to your shop to look at those plants and such?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.

"Hmm?" Ye Luan was taken aback, then nodded. "Sure, check the business card for opening hours. But let me make it clear first, I don't recognize most of the items in the store. I can't even be sure if they're alive or dead, so I can't tell you anything."

"It's alright. If those people come looking for you again, just tell me." Cheng Xiangwu said, making a phone call to the person and deciding to take Xiao Fu over to see him.

"Okay, anyway, I was planning to call the police if you came again. But speaking of which, this is the first time I've seen you around here." Ye Luan paused, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just pulled her coat tighter. "I'm leaving now, you should go inside and get busy."

Cheng Xiang nodded five times, returned to the bar, handed the business card to Zhou Yan, and told her about the group of people who were trying to buy medicine from Ye Luan.

“This name.” Zhou Yan was stunned when she saw the business card. “Isn’t this Paraquat? Why would a perfectly good flower shop name itself like this?”

"...I see." Cheng Xiangwu didn't know either. "Maybe this style is popular now?"

Zhou Yan didn't say anything more, put away the business card and continued to mash the lemons and crushed ice. Now that there were fewer people, Cheng Xiangwu put on gloves and went behind the bar to help cut the fruit in the basket. She was really good at this.

"Wow—" A young man in a plaid shirt, who looked like a college student, leaned against the bar counter, watching the peaches transform into peach tofu sheets at lightning speed, and exclaimed, "Is this the level of skill that everyone working in bars is doing these days?"

“Only our family is like this,” Zhou Yan said with a smile. “Isn’t Xiao Wu amazing?”

The young man nodded repeatedly, "Awesome, Fruit Ninja!"

The fruit ninja gathered up the fruit peels and pits to throw away, but the trash can under the counter was overflowing, so she took off her gloves, picked it up, tied it up, and replaced it with a new trash bag.

"I'm going to throw out the trash," Cheng Xiangwu said, turning around.

"Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Wu. The garbage room is outside the door. Turn right and walk to the end, it's on your left." Zhou Yan turned her head and said, "Go and rest for a while after you throw out the garbage. Your friend should be coming to find you soon."

"Mm." Cheng Xiang nodded, picked up the bag and walked out the door. The city streets were brightly lit even at night. She threw away the trash and walked back when she saw Diana just walking into the bar. A corner of her trench coat quickly disappeared by the door.

Back at the bar, the enthusiastic reporter had already sat down at the bar and started chatting with the owner. There was an empty seat next to her, so Cheng Xiangwu went and sat down.

"Oh! What a coincidence." Diana turned around and saw Cheng Xiangwu's attire, which was too fitting for the bar atmosphere. She couldn't help but pause, and said tactfully and hesitantly, "...Actually, you don't need to go to such lengths..."

Cheng Xiangwu had nothing to say.

"So these are Xiao Wu's friends." Zhou Yan blinked. "Come on, have something to drink, you hardworking young people. This drink is on me, and of course, the food too."

"Wow, I never expected such an interesting bar owner to be so nice!" Diana exclaimed, then frowned as if troubled. "From now on, I'll just have to nitpick the owner's cooking. I won't hold back!"

"Thank you, Sister Yanzi." Cheng Xiang nodded.

Zhou Yan smiled happily.

The bartender's skills are undoubtedly superb, but Cheng Xiangwu's are even more so. The cola she drinks is far too ineffective for her, both in terms of alcohol and flavoring, if she's trying to get intoxicated.

However, the fries, fried shrimp, and chicken nuggets were crispy.

"Do you remember what I told you before about what I filmed and how I had to run away to save my life?" Diana asked, swirling the olive in her martini glass. She lowered her voice and drew closer, the smell of alcohol and her tone of voice conveying only between the two of them.

Bars are places where this kind of magic is applied. No matter how outrageous the topic, as long as you speak softly, no one will care. No matter how trivial the topic, as long as you speak heavily enough, you can resonate with everyone.

"Six months ago." Cheng Xiang nodded.

“Someone died six months ago, and I decided to start the investigation by investigating this person’s identity.” Diana nodded. “You know, Sen Lake isn’t a big place, and there aren’t many people who can get a commercial helicopter pilot’s license. Even fewer people can fly to the top floor of White House to pick up the dead person. I checked the records with the letter of authorization and actually found a few locals whose identities matched. I found a way to investigate these people’s backgrounds and went to their homes to ask them one by one.”

Faced with this seemingly automatically activated screening mechanism, Cheng Xiangwu asked, "Why are you only asking locals?"

“...Because the Bai family is essentially a bunch of bandits, and business bandits at that.” Diana laughed, propping her head up with her hand, her slightly disheveled hair slipping down the collar of her trench coat and onto the bar counter, unable to hide the determined light in her eyes. “They will try every means to reduce the risk, such as leaking information, and try every means to circumvent the law, such as directly threatening the lives of their entire family.”

She paused here, glancing at her wine glass, "Besides, those people can't leave Senhu City anymore. In short, a living person who can be gagged can always talk again, so I don't think the person I'm looking for is among them. This person is either dead or has been sent away. But I did find out some other things."

She took out her phone and placed it on the table. On the screen was an architectural design drawing. Pointing to a long passageway, she explained, "The BaiBai Co., Ltd. building has three emergency exits, only two of which lead to balconies. One of these is only for the top floor, which is the floor with the chairman and his secretary's offices, and the other is for upper-level staff. And of these, only this staircase on the top floor leads directly to the helicopter landing pad. The person in the photo I took the other day ran out of this doorway."

"...There is a dedicated elevator on the top floor with a special access card, which does not lead to other floors," Cheng Xiangwu pondered.

“It matches up.” Diana chuckled, looked up and stared into Cheng Xiangwu’s eyes, and said, “I suspect that Bai Yuntian is the one who died.”