Chapter 409: A Deeply Hidden Secret

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

“Not sure if he was fortunate or unfortunate… Many years later, the man was thousands of miles away from Jin City, in a place called Nanmu. He met a girl… donned in ethnic clothing; she was exquisite and warm. With just one look, he knew he liked her a lot. The strong feeling of attraction he felt was as if it was born from the heart. He wanted to take her away… not even giving a hoot to expose his identity, so as to threaten the girl’s father to agree…

“He loved her very much. Never had he felt such passion as though his youth got rejuvenated. He felt alive once again… He spent about two months with her quietly and led a life of extravagance with the girl, giving her everything he could offer… The feelings of the young girl are pure, so pure that by just showering her with material things and pampering, she had fallen in love with him…

“If the story had ended here, perhaps countless lives wouldn’t have to end.

“Nevertheless, it seemed that our destiny had already been decided in this world… What should happen will happen eventually… One day, when he was helping to wash the girl’s hair, he accidentally found a large birthmark… He found a picture of his daughter when she was several months old and had her hair shaved. He looked at the birthmark similar to the one his daughter had; he was shocked beyond words…

“He knew about all those sins he had committed, and what he was doing now. Even if he died a thousand or ten thousand times, it wouldn’t be enough. However, his daughter who didn’t know about all these shouldn’t be made to bear all these sins… He did not tell the girl the truth but gave her a sum of money and returned her safely to her adoptive father… The girl had told him that her dad doted on her and treated her like his own… In fact, the girl didn’t know that they actually adopted her…

“The man thought that it would be better for the girl to live with that dad…

“He hoped that she would find herself a dependable guy, get married, and be happy…

There was an abrupt pause.

Just as everyone thought it was over, they heard a sigh.

“Hi! My dear darling, are you asleep? Doesn’t this story sound a little too cruel? Lima, you’re the little girl with the nickname ‘Lili’… You didn’t die in the flash flood but was saved and survived… But I’m sorry to inform you that, you will die at the hands of your father very soon…

“He would be coming to look for you and kill you… Don’t ask me why… What’s the point of living in a world where your souls are so broken and imperfect? A sad story should have a sad ending…

“He’s here… Did you hear the sound of knocking from the door? My dear darling, are you expecting it already?

“Be good… Don’t be bitter about it. All human suffering comes from our consciousness… In no time, you’ll lose your consciousness, and you’ll lose the source of your pain… quietly, peacefully… you’ll wait for your father… and follow him to a clean place. There is no such thing as imperfections over there, just as you had once lain on the cradle, listening to your mother singing a lullaby…

“Go to sleep, child! Goodbye, my dear darling. Life is too ugly. There won’t be any next life; all of us would go back to being a part of space. There will be no morning, no evening, no sunrise, and no sunset. Of course, there will be no crying, ever…

“Leave this horrid world and you’ll see the sunlight that brings salvation.

“From then onward, you’re free of worries…”

That voice saddened everyone.

Unknowingly as they listened on, Xiang Wan’s face was covered in tears.

When Lima heard this… did she go crazy?

It was now quiet all around.

For a long time, nobody spoke.

That voice recording seemed to have made them immersed in the story’s sadness…

It affected even the men for none of them said a word.

“Doesn’t the voice sound like Meng Chi?” Cheng Zheng was the first to break the silence.

Sure enough, he had lived up to Xiang Wan’s expectation of being the coldest among them and had the lowest emotional sensitivity. Hence, he was the least affected by the story.

Since nobody answered him, he started to inspect the stereo system.

“We can bring this back to perform an in-depth analysis of the voice recording, but…”

However, the level of technology used to create this tape was so advanced that they might not be able to differentiate if it was synthesized or if it was really Meng Chi.

Cheng Zheng did not continue his sentence, but his expression turned serious as he spoke in a lower pitch.

“So the ‘father’ Lima mentioned inside the interrogation room… besides Abdul, it could have been Cui Ming as well?”

Cui Ming could have come to get the stuff Lima had collected.

However, during the interrogation, only God would know whether it was Abdul or Cui Ming that Lima had seen…

A detective puffed a sigh. “It seems that it’s difficult to conclude if Lima had heard this before or after Cui Ming came…”

“It should be after Cui Ming had come.” Xiang Wan suddenly turned around and wiped her teary eyes. “If Lima had heard this prior to Cui Ming coming to her house, Lima could have been acting abnormally after listening to this. Cui Ming would never leave her alone at home if she was like this, right?”

Cheng Zheng’s eyebrows crumpled together. “At this moment, we can’t conclude as to what had constituted to Lima’s abnormal mental condition…”

Xiang Wan said solemnly as she sniffled her nose, “If it was only this voice recording, I feel that it would be very unlikely that Lima would go crazy just because of the voice recording. After all, she had been through so many things; she should be more resilient than the average person… My take is that she could have been under the influence of some kind of drug.”

At Wen Xin Nunnery, both Xiang Wan and Bai Muchuan had been drugged as well.

Cheng Zheng did not forget about this incident. “I can conduct an autopsy on Lima!” He said calmly, “Captain Bai?”

When everyone was discussing over this, Bai Muchuan had shown no reaction.

His tall stature was like a stone statue.

He was cold and stiff as if he was petrified, unmoving and mute.

Cheng Zheng’s voice pulled him back to reality. A good while later, he managed to say a few words with a low, hoarse voice.

“Mm, go ahead!”

“What’s up?” Xiang Wan drew closer to him.

Bai Muchuan saw Xiang Wan’s eyes which were red from crying.

He took a piece of tissue and wiped her tears gently. “It’s okay now! Don’t be sad.”

“Hmm…”

Xiang Wan was not sad.

She could swear that she was not particularly sad.

The people mentioned in the story that the recording spoke of were so intricate and selfish.

There was also… some kind of emotion that the story had shredded into pieces.

Which was why she sobbed and felt a conflicted emotion.

She could not say why.

She did not know why either.

Maybe that was why she couldn’t become one of the top authors…

She couldn’t even find the words to express what she was feeling.

“Bai Muchuan…” She puffed a sigh.

“Mm?” responded Bai Muchuan gently.

“Why is it… that the story took place in Jin City again?”

Xiang Wan sniffled slowly as she looked at his well-defined face. She felt her head fumbling in a mess.

“If this recording is indeed the same as the one in Wen Xin Nunnery, and that Meng Chi left it himself, how is he related to that story? Why did he know so much about it?”

Bai Muchuan gently brought her into his arms and stroked her hair with his palm.

“I’ll investigate all of these, trust me.”

“Mm.” Xiang Wan buried herself in his arms and snuggled against him a little.

“The case mentioned inside the recording… is that the reason why you came to Jin City?”

She asked him directly.

Hence, she dared not look into Bai Muchuan’s eyes.

Her strong sixth sense seemed to be indicating the contents of her soul.

When she heard that part of the recording, she had already thought about that.

Nevertheless, she did have some hesitation on plucking up enough courage to ask Bai Muchuan about it.

She wanted to touch those things… that he didn’t want anyone to touch.

After all, the human heart was fragile.

“…”

Bai Muchuan’s chest seemed to quiver for a moment.

For a good while, he did not reply.

His breathing seemed irregular as they fell onto Xiang Wan’s forehead and fringe, tickling her…

She moved and brushed her hair with her hand, then looked at him with her pair of bright eyes.

“Bai Muchuan…”

The crisp, pleasant voice was filled with bewilderment, yet it was so gentle that he could not deny her an answer.

Bai Muchuan gave a gasp. “Yeah?”

Xiang Wan was taken aback. “Is this story also related… to you?”

Bai Muchuan’s gaze felt cold. “Yes, but I’m different from them. I’m the police, and I have my mission!”

He would not let his emotions get the better of him.

He would not be led by the nose.

And he would always keep a clear mind…

“Everything will come to light.” He patted Xiang Wan’s head.

This habitual movement seemed to give him some strength and comfort and that reassures him.

When his fingers ran through her smooth hair, his mood had calmed down. He would even smile gently at her.

“Teacher Xiang, don’t you have confidence in me?”

Xiang Wan was still immersed in the sorrowful mood.

“Umm… I think I do!”

“Silly!”

Bai Muchuan patted her on the back. When he turned around, he was steady and peaceful.

“Let’s go, everyone! Time is of the essence!”

…

This was a really tough case, and finally, they got a major breakthrough.

They carried the investigative work out in an orderly manner; they had also held all relevant personnel.

Including Meng Chi.

From the looks of it, he was the biggest suspect in this case.

Xi City, Nanmu, the officers in these two places carried out their investigative work simultaneously.

After they left Lima’s house, they had the relevant evidence kept safely at Nanmu Police Station. Bai Muchuan then led the team to pay a visit to the film crew of “The Grey List”.

The case had seriously affected the progress of the shoot.

They took away the main actors involved in the case for investigations just like that. Meng Entertainment Group’s investment funds was flowing away in large amounts every day… There was also some gossip that had spread to the internet which caused the shares of Meng Entertainment Group to plummet sharply… The affected shareholders were in a panic. Everyone’s emotions in the film crew were also shrouded in haze.

Xiang Wan met Xie Wanwan when they arrived at a shooting location of the film crew.

She seemed tired and sat lazily under the sunshade her assistant had set up for her. She was wearing a pair of aviators, and no one could see her eyes clearly.

The film crew was in a frenzy when the police visited them again out of the blue.

They were afraid and worried.

They did not know who the police would bring away this time.

Xie Wanwan did not have much reaction when she saw them. It was as though she had met an old friend and greeted Xiang Wan normally, still sitting on her seat.

Bai Muchuan did not bring any of them away. The team he brought with him just did a round of identification and information verification. Those who had come in contact with Yu Ning, Ye Lun, and Meng Chi would be questioned on the spot…

For such matters, Xiang Wan could not help them out.

She sat beside Xie Wanwan and looked at her exquisite side profile, thinking about the latest “secret” about her she just got to know and finally showed a relaxed smile.

Xiang Wan asked, “Are you… alright?”

Xie Wanwan removed her shades and seemed to examine Xiang Wan’s face carefully.

“What about you?” she replied with a question.

Xiang Wan was a little startled. Looking at Xie Wanwan’s gorgeous face with nice makeup, her lips pursed in a smile.

“You do look fine.”

“It’s just as what you say!” Xie Wanwan leaned back against her chair. “But you don’t look very well.”

Xiang Wan said in a low voice, “… Is that so?”

As she asked that, she touched her face slowly. “Maybe I’m just tired.”

Xie Wanwan smiled. “Seems like Little Bai has quite a lot of stamina, huh?”

“…”

Xiang Wan looked at her seriously.

Things had come to such a state, and she still had the mood to crack a joke.

‘This woman… is she heartless?’

Regarding Meng Chi, did they not have much sibling ties with each other?

Xiang Wan did not hear from Bai Muchuan why Xie Wanwan used a stage name or if she was on good terms with her brother Meng Chi.

Moreover, she did not need Bai Muchuan to remind her… that this was a secret Xie Wanwan had really hidden deep in her heart. She had no right to ask Xie Wanwan about all these, and she did not need to sell out Bai Muchuan.

“Fine!” she seemed shy as she lowered her head. “Now that you praise him, I daren’t refute that, or he might get even with me!”

The corners of Xie Wanwan’s lips lifted upward. “It’s nice to be so energetic! He didn’t forget to work hard on the case as well!”

“…”

Xiang Wan’s eyes turned grim with the mention of the case.

“You’re not worried?”

Xie Wanwan stretched her shoulders. “Worry about?”

Xiang Wan looked at the messy situation in the film crew and gazed at Xie Wanwan. “If the filming of the drama gets stalled, won’t it also affect you? There are so many people waiting to watch this drama…”

“Maybe I would!” Xie Wanwan seemed relaxed, not affected by what Xiang Wan said. “When people open their eyes, they wake up seeing yet another day of solving problems. What’s the use of worrying?”

“Ding!”

A notification came in from WeChat.

Xiang Wan took out her mobile phone and swiped her phone.

It was that Gossip WeChat group.

The one who sent a message was Tang Yuanchu.

“Captain Bai, Teacher Xiang, what’s the situation like over there?”

Immediately, another message appeared.

Tang Yuanchu directly pinged Xiang Wan.

“Teacher Xiang, are you there? Did something happen to the film crew? There are so many posts about the film crew of ‘The Grey List’… I don’t know why, but I’m feeling uneasy about this!”

Xiang Wan glanced at Xie Wanwan who was sitting beside her.

Coincidentally, she had looked over as well.

Her gaze fell onto Xiang Wan’s mobile phone screen.

Tang Yuanchu’s WeChat profile picture was a funny cartoon which looked very special and unique. Just one glance at it was enough to identify that it was him.

Xiang Wan did not shy away from Xie Wanwan as she typed her reply. “Don’t worry. We might be back in Xi City tomorrow!”

Tang Yuanchu’s response was quick as well.

“Okay then, see you tomorrow! I feel that I can totally get back to work, but the hospital simply refused to discharge me…”

Xiang Wan replied, “All right, see you tomorrow!”

She smiled at Xie Wanwan after she put down her phone.

“Actually, I feel that your current emotional state is pretty good.”

Xiang Wan paused for a moment and continued. “Sometimes, people tend to entangle in some matters, and they couldn’t withdraw themselves from it. It was clear that it frustrates them when they behaved in that manner, yet they could not convince themselves. No amount of positive thinking or motivational quotes could help at all!”

“When they thought it through, they will be fine!” Xie Wanwan said indolently.

Behind them, a group of people would come and go, busy with their work.

Bai Muchuan walked over to them.

He placed his hands on Xiang Wan’s shoulders and squeezed them.

“This time around, I’m afraid you might need to come with us to Xi City!”

He said that to Xie Wanwan as he turned to face her.

“Alright.” Xie Wanwan seemed like she was feeling very drowsy as she replied with little energy and did not seem bothered at all. “I’ll cooperate.”