Kidnapped
"How did Linglong die?" Shen Wumei asked the same question she had asked the madam earlier.
The gentle smile on Liu Bohan's face gradually disappeared, and he lowered his head, his tone somewhat sorrowful: "Linglong's death was because of me."
The two exchanged a glance. Shen Wumei was about to speak when Zhu Qinghe stopped her with a look. She asked gently, "Mr. Liu, what do you mean by this? Is it really because you were two-timing her that Linglong was so heartbroken that she couldn't think straight?"
Liu Bohan looked up in surprise, his eyes revealing genuine emotion. "Two-timing? Mr. Science is joking. I am not that kind of shameless person."
“I love playing the zither, but I have never found a kindred spirit. Linglong is extremely talented in music. I only took care of her out of a heart that cherishes talent. I never expected that it would cause her to have other thoughts and end up harming her.”
His words were so sincere and heartfelt, it was like a scene of unrequited love, and from both a moral and logical standpoint, there was nothing wrong with them.
"If that's the case, then what is the relationship between Linlang and Mr.?" Zhu Qinghe asked.
When Linlang was mentioned, Liu Bohan's eyes trembled, and his voice was not as strong as before. "Linlang and I are mutually in love, but our feelings are restrained by propriety."
"So this wooden hairpin was a gift from you to Linlang?" Zhu Qinghe took the hairpin out of her bosom and asked with a smile.
"What wooden hairpin?" Liu Bohan looked confused, then shook his head after seeing what was in her hand. "This is not a gift from me. I have never seen this before."
Zhu Qinghe was taken aback upon hearing this. So, Linlang has other lovers?
Things are getting a bit messy.
After asking the questions, the two politely declined Liu Bohan's invitation to dine together and walked out along the alley.
This trip wasn't entirely fruitless; at least I learned that the girl named Linlang wasn't as innocent and simple as she appeared. So, who exactly was the person who gave her the hairpin?
Zhu Qinghe was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the carriage speeding towards her from behind.
Shen Wumei stretched out his long arm, grabbed Zhu Qinghe's arm, and pulled her towards him. Zhu Qinghe was caught off guard and rushed straight into his broad arms, her nose hitting his chest hard, causing her to feel a sharp pain.
The carriage roared past, and Shen Wumei looked down with disdain: "Don't you even watch where you're going?"
Zhu Qinghe covered her nose and looked up, indignantly saying, "I don't have eyes in the back of my head, how can you blame me for this?"
She bumped her nose, and her clear eyes filled with tears, which inexplicably revealed a touch of the pure and charming beauty of a young woman. Her eyes were full of emotion, and although she was baring her teeth and claws, she was not threatening at all. She was just like the spoiled tabby cat that her aunt kept.
Shen Wumei's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. She belatedly looked away, took a step back, straightened her clothes, and said, "I really don't know how you got that reputation of being a half-immortal."
Zhu Qinghe pinched the bridge of her nose; it was still straight. She breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it wasn't crooked. She wondered what it ate to grow up so hard; it hurt terribly.
Hearing Shen Wumei's words again, he thought to himself, "Of course she bought it. But she's not exactly a fraud. If she didn't have a fake reputation in the first place, who would have asked her to tell their fortune?"
These are things she figured out herself after living a second life.
Speaking of her unlucky master, if he hadn't been so reluctant to promote himself, he wouldn't have remained unknown all this time, even though his skills were far superior to hers.
She had already planned it all out. If her master came back to see her, she would keep him here, give him the title of "living immortal," and the two of them would make a fortune together. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
“By the way, sir,” Zhu Qinghe suddenly remembered something, “there should be a time limit for solving this case, right?”
“That’s right,” Shen Wumei nodded. “Because it involves the children of officials, the time is extremely tight, with only three days. Today is already the second day.”
Zhu Qinghe was shocked. Time was so tight! Yet he remained so calm. Zhu Qinghe grabbed his arm and exclaimed, "Then what are you waiting for, sir? Let's go!"
Shen Wumei's tone was unfriendly: "Don't pull me, I can walk by myself!"
"Oh, don't be shy at a time like this. I'll pull you so you can run faster."
"Ha." It's clearly slower now, okay?
Red sleeves beckon.
When Zhu Qinghe saw Linlang again, she looked much more haggard. However, her expression remained calm, and she even greeted him with a smile: "Mr. Sai, we meet again."
Zhu Qinghe returned the greeting: "Miss Linlang looks like she's lost a lot of weight."
Linlang sighed softly, "I'm heartbroken for my mother. With the incident at Hongxiuzhao, my mother is the one who suffered the most."
The woman was graceful and beautiful, her head bowed and brows furrowed, looking genuinely worried, which made one feel that this girl was truly kind and approachable. If the madam were here, she would probably only think that this daughter was truly sensible.
Shen Wumei wasn't in the mood for pleasantries and asked businesslike, "What is your relationship with Linglong?"
Linlang looked somewhat surprised, seemingly not understanding why Linglong was mentioned, but still replied, "Sister Linglong was the former courtesan. When she was alive, all the girls in Hongxiuzhao admired her beauty and talent, and I was no exception."
Do you know the details of her death?
Linlang shook her head: "Sister Linglong committed suicide. I don't know why she couldn't think straight."
What is your relationship with Liu Bohan?
Linlang bit her lower lip, looking troubled. Shen Wumei impatiently snapped, "Speak quickly."
Linlang trembled and reluctantly spoke, "Mr. Liu is just my musician and a very good friend. We have no other relationship."
"Hey," Zhu Qinghe raised an eyebrow at Shen Wumei, "it's different again. Liu Bohan said they were mutually in love, but now it seems that's not the case."
Shen Wumei was also somewhat speechless. These men and women falling in love all the time, with you loving me and me loving her, was just too annoying. That's why he hated love the most; it was all so drawn out and never-ending.
"And what about this?" Shen Wumei asked, slamming the wooden hairpin on the table.
Linlang approached timidly with small, hesitant steps, picked up the wooden hairpin, and a complex expression flashed across her eyes, a mixture of nostalgia and regret: "It's just a worthless old thing."
"It should have nothing to do with the case."
Shen Wumei's tone grew increasingly cold: "Whether it's related or not isn't up to you to decide. Chen Shikun died in your room, and anything about you is related to the case."
After a moment's hesitation, Linlang replied, "This was given to me by Linglong."
Just then, Mo Wu hurriedly walked in and whispered a few words in Shen Wumei's ear. Shen Wumei nodded, then stood up: "The coroner has made a new discovery. Miss Linlang, let's go together again."
Zhu Qinghe originally wanted to go see the corpse, but Shen Wumei stopped her and told her not to cause trouble.
Tch, Zhu Qinghe was very dissatisfied. Tomorrow night was the deadline. What if he couldn't find the murderer by then? He might lose his job and come crying to her.
However, the new shop does need a thug. If he really can't be a constable, she could consider hiring him and giving him a job.
Oh, she's such a kind person.
Zhu Qinghe exited the central courtyard and collided violently with someone at the corner of the corridor. The other person was quite delicate; she was unharmed, but the person fell solidly to the ground, letting out a soft cry.
She's still a girl.
Zhu Qinghe was still very chivalrous and quickly helped the woman up. It was already dark and there were no lights around, so Zhu Qinghe couldn't see what the woman looked like. She could only ask in a daze, "Miss, are you alright?"
The girl had a soft, delicate voice, and she said in a gentle, low voice, "Thank you, Mr. Sai, I'm fine."
Zhu Qinghe frowned, feeling that something was not quite right.
The young woman said somewhat shyly, "It's quite a distance from here to the entrance of Hongxiuzhao. Sir, you must not have been here often. Would you mind if I escorted you out?"
After a moment's thought, Zhu Qinghe said, "Alright, then I'll trouble you, Miss."
The two left one after the other in the quiet night.
In the morgue, Linlang trembled slightly as she looked at the corpse covered with a white sheet, appearing quite frightened.
Shen Wumei observed coldly for a long time before asking, "So? What are your thoughts on seeing the masterpiece you created yourself?"
Linlang looked up, her expression inscrutable: "What do you mean, sir? Do you suspect that I killed someone? That dagger was deep in my flesh, almost into my bone. How could a weak woman like me have such strength?"
“Of course you don’t have that much strength,” Shen Wumei said. “That’s why I didn’t doubt you at first.”
The deceased died in her room, and if she were really the murderer, it would be too obvious, so no one would think in that direction.
Not to mention that when the coroner examined the body later, the dagger was found to be stuck very deep, something a woman could not have done, so her suspicion was basically cleared.
Linlang's expression was cold and stern, yet amidst the eerie and strange atmosphere, she exuded a captivating and unapproachable charm. "Sir, are you perhaps trying to push this humble woman out as a scapegoat because you can't find the murderer?"
Shen Wumei sneered: "Don't worry, the evidence will appear soon."
"I suppose your accomplices are getting impatient too."
Linlang looked back in horror, only to see the man's handsome and superior profile, as sharp as if carved by a knife and axe, but to her, he seemed as cold and terrifying as a demon crawling out of hell.
Her fingers, hidden beneath her sleeves, clenched tightly in tension as she silently prayed that she wouldn't fall into their trap.
When Zhu Qinghe woke up rubbing the back of her head, she only saw a dim, yellowish candle flame.
"You're awake?" It was still that same melodious voice, but the tone was extremely cold.
Zhu Qinghe turned her head slightly, her body tightly bound by ropes. She moved her body with difficulty and sighed, "Isn't this route a bit too exciting for you, young lady?"
The woman's voice sneered: "Nothing is more exciting than Mr. Sai. I never expected that the famous Mr. Sai, the Half-Immortal, would actually be a woman."
Zhu Qinghe visibly panicked: "You...how did you find out?"
This girl isn't going to take off her clothes, is she?
A long, soft beard hung down in front of her, and Zhu Qinghe had to strain her eyes to recognize it as her beard.
Damn, why is my beard falling out at such a crucial moment?
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