Chapter 3
As soon as Zhou Mubai finished speaking, even Zhao Yiqing, who didn't pay attention to the news, was slightly moved: "It turns out to be Editor-in-Chief Lin. I remember that the human flesh barbecued pork bun case in Shenzhen and Hong Kong ten years ago was first investigated by Editor-in-Chief Lin. He got the news faster than the police and became famous for a while." As he said that, he took the initiative to step forward and shake hands.
"It's old news." Lin Xian lowered his eyes. "Captain Zhao and Captain Lu are very brave in solving cases. The kids in the magazine often talk about them, but it's a pity that they never accept interviews. It seems that I have to do it myself next time." As he said, he took the initiative to extend his hand to Lu Chengtian, with a gentle mask on his face.
The thunderbolt from nine years ago exploded in Lu Chengtian's mind, and the ebony amulet on his chest suddenly felt hot. He shook the hand in return. It was cold and thin, devoid of warmth. The other party had clearly not exerted much strength, merely a loose grip that broke at the touch.
His gaze shifted from the cinnabar-like mole on the side of Lin Xian's neck to the glaring kiss mark, and then fell back to the wrist with the black metal ring, seeing the faint scar on the inside of the wrist.
Lu Chengtian took a deep breath and tried his best to suppress the surging undercurrent in his heart: "Nice to meet you, Editor-in-Chief Lin." His voice was a little hoarse.
Zhao Yiqing might be a playboy, but he was also a shrewd one. He noticed Zhou Mubai's overly affectionate gestures toward Lin Xian, but he also saw the small red mole next to the ambiguous kiss mark, which immediately reminded him of the surveillance footage on the USB drive—the faceless figure next to Zhou Xinzhang had a small bright red mole on the side of his neck.
He immediately smiled and flattered, "Editor-in-Chief Lin is truly both talented and beautiful. Mr. Zhou's standards for making friends are a bit too high. I'm really envious of him."
The atmosphere became relaxed and everyone was seated under the guidance of the waiter.
Zhao Yiqing took out two bottles of his own red wine and handed them to the waiter beside him, saying, "My last glimpse of you, Master Zhou, left a deep impression on me. But while foreign wines are good, they ultimately lack a bit of the local flavor. I asked a friend to bring me two bottles of Mountain Soul from the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia. Please, Master Zhou, taste them."
The ruby-like crystal liquid fell into the decanter, and the low-key mellow aroma dissipated in the air.
Zhou Mubai narrowed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath, and said, "Nourished by the water of the Yellow River, crushed by the rough sandstorms of the northwest, it emerges from the barren soil with a cool and elegant aura. The more you taste it, the more delicious it becomes."
After making this comment, he turned to look at Lin Xian, who had always had a gentle expression and remained silent, and said slowly, "Just like Editor-in-Chief Lin, it's very tempting."
Even Master Zhao, who had returned from studying in Italy and had learned the art of flattery, was humbled by the flattery and said with a smile, "After all, he is Master Zhou. If you were praising me like that, I'd probably be moved."
Lin Xian smiled softly, but didn't look at Zhao Yiqing or Zhou Mubai. Instead, he looked at Lu Chengtian. Under the other's direct and somewhat sharp gaze, he said gently, "Young Master Zhou, you flatter me. I do know someone who is untainted by the muddy environment, with outstanding character and restrained elegance. He seems to have something in common with the wines from the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains."
"Really? Then you have to introduce her to me." Zhou Mubai put a crystal clear black truffle mushroom dumpling on Lin Xian's plate and brushed it against his wrist as if inadvertently.
Lin Xian did not refute him in public. He added the food up casually and ate it slowly.
Lu Chengtian's eyes flickered slightly. Lin Xian's words seemed to be directed at him, although he was the only one who heard it.
After a few rounds of toasts and pleasantries, Zhao Yiqing casually said, "The city police recently seized a batch of drugs at the docks. Unfortunately, the drug dealer escaped, but I'm sure he suffered a heavy loss. Tens of millions were lost, and a key member was killed. Master Zhou, do you think the drug lord is furious?"
Zhou Mubai swirled the red wine in his glass, seemingly observing the situation on the wall carefully. He said leisurely, "This is really difficult for me. I'm not the drug lord's inner worm, so how do I know if he's angry?"
Lu Chengtian observed Lin Xian's reaction calmly. He lowered his head and sipped the red wine, occasionally picking up a leaf or two as if he had lost his appetite, chewing it carefully for a long time, with an attitude of "I don't care what you say."
Zhao Yiqing used his serving chopsticks to pick up a piece of goose liver from Zhou Mubai's plate and took the opportunity to lean closer. "Mr. Zhou, you have a doctorate in criminal psychology from Columbia University. It won't hurt to help the police analyze this."
"What a coincidence! Editor-in-Chief Lin is my senior, graduating a year earlier than me. He was also a very influential figure at Columbia University back then. Foreigners would block his dormitory door with roses every day." He turned to look at Lin Xian: "Editor-in-Chief Lin, can you analyze this for the two police officers?"
Lin Xian suddenly coughed violently, holding a napkin to his mouth. His lips turned pale. He said "sorry" and turned to leave.
"I'll go and take a look." After saying this, Lu Chengtian immediately chased after him.
Lu Chengtian followed Lin Xian all the way to the bathroom.
In the mirror, so clean that not even a watermark was visible, Lin Xian's slightly frail figure was reflected. From Lu Chengtian's perspective, he seemed much thinner than he had been nine years ago. His rib cage stood out prominently under his thin sweater, but his face showed no sign of age.
Lin Xian lay by the pool, coughing violently for a moment before rinsing his mouth. The specks of blood in the pool were quickly washed down the drain and disappeared without a trace.
Lu Chengtian's heart tightened. He had imagined countless reunions, but never this one.
The silhouette that appeared with Zhou Xinzhang at the drug shipment scene in the surveillance video, the identical bright red mole on the right side of his neck, and his overly ambiguous and unclear relationship with Zhou Mubai, all shattered his nine-year fantasy to some extent.
Lin Xian took off his glasses, pulled a tissue from the box under his glasses, and wiped his face, his complexion pale as paper. He had just put his glasses back on, his hands trembling slightly, when he felt an irresistible grip on his shoulder. The pull on the wound on his right shoulder made him groan in pain, and he was forced to look into Lu Chengtian's dark brow.
Through the thin, dark gray cashmere sweater, Lu Chengtian could sense the man's emaciated form. He slowed his grip, forcing himself to ignore the ambiguous kiss mark on the man's fair neck. He frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you? Why are you involved with someone from the Zhou Group?"
A sarcastic smile soon overflowed from the corner of Lin Xian's lips. He seemed to find it a little funny. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Lu Chengtian who was "coming to question him": "Captain Lu, are we familiar with each other? Are you concerned about my health or my emotional state?" As he said that, he shook off Lu Chengtian's hand on his shoulder and turned to leave.
Due to the violent coughing, his voice was a little hoarse, like a blade with a slightly rusted edge, rubbing against Lu Chengtian's heart.
Lu Chengtian grabbed his wrist, which was clad in a black iron ring, and rubbed the scar with his index finger. His voice trembled with anger. "Severe electric shock, was it Zhou Mubai who did it? Do you really enjoy being with this kind of beast in human form who engages in S/M?"
Lin Xian seemed to be in high spirits and turned to move closer to Lu Chengtian. Footsteps were heard outside the bathroom, and before Lu Chengtian could react, Lin Xian grabbed him and led him into the inner cubicle, locking the door behind him.
Lin Xian looked frail, but his grip was incredibly strong. He took control, grabbing Lu Chengtian's wrist and pressing it against the cubicle wall, his nose almost touching him.
Lu Chengtian's thoughts were in chaos when he suddenly smelled the cool sandalwood scent that had lingered in his heart for nine years and seemed to be engraved deep in his soul.
Lin Xian's youthful face, seemingly beyond her years, brushed past Lu Chengtian's ear, and she whispered softly, "Does Captain Lu have to interfere in the affairs of adults? And—your pulse rate is abnormal." The warm air flowed like feathers. "Or do you want to try it, too?"
Lu Chengtian felt the other person's cool fingertips brush against the inside of his wrist, and his breathing became disordered for a moment. He suddenly broke free from the force and grabbed the other person's wrist with his backhand. The cold touch of the electronic shackles pressed against his palm.
He took a deep breath and looked directly into Lin Xian's light brown pupils behind his glasses: "Stop pretending. The first time you looked at me, I knew you recognized me."
Lin Xian raised the corner of her lips and scanned him from head to toe, as if admiring a work of art. Her gaze seemed so affectionate that Lu Chengtian looked away uncomfortably.
After a while, Lin Xian smiled softly: "Little brat, you have no respect for your age. You were more well-behaved when you were a kid. I really miss you."
Lu Chengtian was stunned for a moment, his Adam's apple moving slightly. Then he slowly released Lin Xian's cold wrist, and his eyes regained their clear and sharp insight.
He spoke word by word, "On behalf of the Lu Chengtian from nine years ago, thank you. But if one day, you embark on a path of no return, I will never let you go."
Before turning around and opening the cubicle door, he gave Lin Xian a deep look and said, "I hope Editor-in-Chief Lin takes care of himself and doesn't overindulge himself."
At the same time, Lin Xian pressed the flush button on the water tank.
The loud sound of flushing covered up the sarcastic concern, but did not drown out the scream of the waiter in the corridor.
A figure fell from the sky on the rooftop of the Jinyuan Building opposite the restaurant. The Central Business District, where every inch of land is valuable, was covered in blood, and pedestrians downstairs screamed one after another.
The tentative dinner ended in vain due to a sudden murder. Lu Chengtian quickly contacted the Criminal Investigation Team and asked them to rush to the crime scene.
This had nothing to do with the Narcotics Control Team. Zhao Yiqing picked up Lu Chengtian's coat and put it on him: "Captain Lu, let me go and take a look. I'll just consider it as working overtime with you."
Zhou Mubai was also very tactful. He politely shook hands with Zhao Lu and the others and said goodbye. "Thank you again, officers, for your kind invitation. I happen to be busy, so I won't disturb you from working on the case." Then, he gentlemanly put his arm around Lin Xian's waist, leaned close to his ear, and whispered in a deliberately "soft" voice that everyone present could hear: "Want to come to my place tonight? I can also go to yours."
Zhao Yiqing looked at his nose and pretended not to hear.
Lin Xian was about to decline, but Lu Chengtian said coldly, "I heard that the news industry is very competitive these days, and everyone is scrambling to get the exclusive first release. With such big news, won't Editor-in-Chief Lin go and take a look?"
Zhao Yiqing looked at him with some surprise.
"Captain Lu is right. I was thinking the same thing." Lin Xian unbuttoned Zhou Mubai's hand from his waist and smiled at Lu Chengtian gently and innocently. "I also hope Captain Lu, considering our relationship over dinner together, can provide us with some exclusive content for Mirror View."
It was Friday night, and the business district was bustling with people: shoppers, diners, and those taking their children out for fun. They all gathered around the crime scene, a mixture of fear and curiosity. Within a few minutes, they had formed a circle seven or eight times, their voices buzzing with discussion.
"Have you called 120?"
"Over seventy floors, is it really necessary to call 120? Even a tough guy would be shattered to pieces!"
"She was wearing the uniform of No. 15 Middle School, the same school as my child. It was not easy to get into No. 15 Middle School. I wonder how much effort the parents put in. How could they not let it go? What a pity!" A middle-aged woman passing by sighed.
"Children nowadays are so pitiful. They have no Saturdays or Sundays and study every day. How can they not be stressed?" said the old man walking his dog indignantly.
There were also more conspiratorial speculations: "Don't blame everything on the pressure of studying. Why are other children fine? There might be something else..." Halfway through the speech, the voice gradually lowered and turned into a whisper.
"Police, please make way and don't go near the scene. Put away your cell phones and don't take photos or videos." Lu Chengtian had a cold face, holding his police ID in his hand, and squeezed through the crowd to make way. Zhao Yiqing and Lin Xian also squeezed in.
Lu Chengtian quickly instructed the security personnel of Jinyuan Building to set up an isolation belt around the body, and then went in.
"Captain Zhao, please go and check--" "Yes, Captain Lu." Before Lu Chengtian could finish his words, Zhao Yiqing went to the security guard to check the surveillance footage before and after the deceased entered the building.
Lin Xian, however, stood outside the isolation zone "law-abidingly" and did not follow rashly.
At this moment, a naughty child from some family took advantage of the adults' inattention and sneaked into the isolation zone. Lu Chengtian frowned, turned around and looked at Lin Xian and said, "Editor-in-Chief Lin, please come."
Lin Xian bent down slightly and entered the isolation zone. He took out a soft-centered chocolate from his coat pocket and carefully peeled off the candy wrapper.
The naughty kid saw the pool of blood and the creepy brain tissue on the ground, and seemed not to be afraid at all, and walked closer curiously.
Just as he was about to see the corpse's face, its eyes still open, a pair of slightly cold hands covered his eyes. The hands then grabbed his shoulders and turned him around.
He is an uncle who wears glasses and looks like a movie star.
"Want some candy?" Lin Xian curved his eyebrows, and the naughty kid took the candy and stuffed it into his mouth, and he was then carried out of the isolation zone.
After walking out of the crowd, he put the child down and just held his hand. His expression suddenly became serious, but his tone was still warm and gentle: "You shouldn't eat your uncle's candy. What if your uncle is a bad person? Remember, you can't eat anything given by a stranger. If you remember, just nod your head."
The naughty kid wiped his nose, opened his sparkling eyes, and nodded emphatically. Lin Xian smiled and touched his furry head.
"Did your parents bring you out?" Lin Xian pulled the kid to a place with fewer people and looked around for his parents.
At this time, Lu Chengtian was concentrating on looking at the young female corpse in the pool of blood.
She had a small face, delicate features, and black hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. Her heavy bangs obscured her eyes a bit—though even that couldn't hide her wide-open pupils, revealing a large patch of white. Her school uniform was washed pale, and she wore simple white sneakers, the leather surface cracked with black cracks that couldn't be brushed clean. Her family didn't seem to be well-off.
Lu Chengtian's gaze shifted from the girl, and he looked up at the skyscrapers dotting the skyline. If it was suicide, how much courage would that take? What had happened to make her want to die?
His youth was certainly rough, but he never considered suicide. He simply carried the burden silently, walking alone. It was only on that night nine years ago, when his mother's horrific death appeared behind the creaking wardrobe and the debt collectors kept bringing down sticks at the gate of Chengtian Temple during a thunderstorm, that he began to think, "Maybe I'm going to die."
If Lin Xian hadn't passed by, if Lin Xian hadn't saved him——
Lu Chengtian turned around and saw Lin Xianyun standing on the roadside with the naughty child in her arms, calmly supporting him through the crowd. She was talking on the phone to someone. The other person seemed to notice his gaze and returned his gaze calmly.
At that moment, Lu Chengtian actually had the illusion that they had known each other for a long time.
The whistling sound of sirens interrupted his thoughts. The technical investigators from the Municipal Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment finally arrived and made way for the crowd.
Following this, there were also people who came on electric bikes and motorcycles to watch the fun, and even internet celebrities live-streamed the event.
"Fuck, it's trending! I've been checking it all the way, and they've been saying all sorts of things. They didn't even bother censoring the girl. These people are truly wicked." Ma Qiang breathlessly entered the isolation zone, deliberately raising his voice and shouting, "Captain Lu, don't worry. I've already notified the guys at Cyberspace Administration. They've deleted all the videos showing my face. Those who don't will be brought to the Municipal Bureau for questioning."
The few people behind him who were secretly broadcasting live immediately put away their phones.
Hearing the sound of high heels hitting the ground, Lu Chengtian stood up and looked back: "Divine Doctor, I leave it to you."
The chief female forensic doctor, Shen Yi, who had just arrived from the blind date scene and was known as the "miracle doctor", called out "Captain Lu". She had quickly put on a white coat over her coat, neatly tied up her long hair with a ballpoint pen, and then took the disposable sterilized rubber gloves handed to her by her assistant Tang Tang and leaned over to inspect the scene.
Chen Yi looked extremely focused and serious, and he didn't hear the uncles and little girls around him who were exclaiming "goddess".
After completing the preliminary examination, she signaled her assistant, Tang Tang, to start recording. "The deceased suffered a skull fracture, a comminuted fracture of the manubrium, and bilateral symmetrical calcaneal fractures. Preliminary findings suggest a triad of injuries consistent with a fall." Chen Yi's rubber-gloved fingers traced the abrasions on the body's back. "The signs of life are evident, and the contusion is spindle-shaped, consistent with a vertical fall. Judging by the clarity of the cornea, the time of death was within 40 minutes, consistent with the eyewitness's account of the fall."
"The rest will have to wait until we get back to the police station for further investigation." After Shen Yi finished speaking, Tang Tang pointed at the girl standing behind the isolation belt with a backpack on her back and gestured to her, "Forensic Doctor Shen, this is a reporter from Mirror View. She said you know each other and she wants to interview you."
The girl, wearing a gray sweatshirt and jeans, had her hair tied in a simple bun and was bare-faced, looking like a college student. She was the same girl Lin Xian had been talking to at the entrance of Mirror View magazine—Chen Fei, a new reporter in the in-depth reporting department.
Chen Yi sighed silently, stepped on his high heels, and walked gracefully to the girl: "Chen Fei, right? Let me tell you, President Yun, the honey trap doesn't always work."
After saying that, Chen Yi took off his gloves, lifted the isolation belt, and went outside. However, Chen Fei grabbed her forearm and said softly, "Sister Divine Doctor, don't speculate about President Yun like that. She didn't assign me any tasks this time. She just said it was too cold at night and asked me to bring you a cup of brown sugar ginger tea—she made it herself."
Chen Fei's mischievous eyes were filled with "I understand, I understand everything" written in capital letters. Chen Yi suppressed the corners of his lips that were about to curl up and took the thermal bag with pink hearts painted on it.
"I don't have any new discoveries for now. You can go ask Team Lu." She signaled with her eyes to Lu Chengtian who was on the phone nearby. Her intention to shift the blame was extremely obvious. The latter sneezed unexpectedly.
"Team Lu has to rely on our Editor-in-Chief Lin. I've run into many setbacks." Chen Fei stuck out her tongue and looked at the "culprit" who had sent her to the scene - Lin Xian, who was talking to a parent holding a child, and the other party seemed to be thanking him all the time.
Lin Xian contacted the parents of the naughty child and waited for them to take the child away before walking slowly towards Chen Fei and others.
Shenzhen-Hong Kong is a coastal city in the north. Winter nights are filled with howling sea breezes, and the temperature is much lower than during the day. Lin Xian exhaled, pulled his coat tighter, and covered his lips with one hand. He coughed a few times, suppressing the pain in the wound on his shoulder.
Suddenly, someone behind him wrapped him tightly in a down jacket, which weighed heavily on his shoulders, but his body gradually warmed up.
"You are already old, but you still care about your manners?" Lu Chengtian's voice sounded from behind him, cold and sarcastic.
Lin Xian warmed up and felt a little better. Looking back at him, Qingjun's face was covered with a smile like he was coaxing a naughty child. "Captain Lu, do you have an emotional expression disorder?"
"What?" Lu Chengtian didn't react for a moment.
"There is a fierce conflict between the emotional needs of anxiety and the psychological defense mechanism." Lin Xian's amber pupils looked a little sharp behind the cold lenses.
Lu Chengtian felt as if he were being seen through by those eyes, but he didn't shy away. "You're overthinking it," he said calmly, striding towards the isolation area.
"Little brat." Lin Xian chuckled and followed.
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