When they set off on their journey back to Xi City, it was 10 o’clock in the morning the next day.

When Xiang Wan woke up that morning, she even felt that her bones were sore.

Last night, Sir Little Bai did nothing with her since he was busy with the case, but she did not write her story, either.

Her failure to update for a day made her annoyed and disappointed with herself. She felt like she owed someone 10 million yuan or more…

Her occupational disease was at it again, and that really drove her crazy.

Soon after, she noticed that the people surrounding her seemed to be in a worse mood.

The journey from Nanmu to Xi City was peaceful. The sky was high and blue; it was so clean and clear as if it had been washed but the atmosphere was heavy and quiet.

Xiang Wan and Xie Wanwan sat together at the back passenger seat.

Bai Muchuan sat beside her, by the window.

Cheng Zheng took the front passenger seat; the same arrangement as when they came to Nanmu.

No one seemed to be in the mood to chat. The only sentences that they heard were when the driver got tired and Cheng Zheng switched with him, taking turns to drive the car… In the afternoon, they stopped for lunch, but everyone’s mood was still the same—abnormally quiet.

They arrived at Xi City in the evening.

Bai Muchuan and all relevant personnel needed to go to the Xi City police station. It was not really convenient for Xiang Wan to go there; she did not want to go there as well.

At a junction, she alighted and went to the hospital to look for Fang Yuanyuan.

Yeah, she missed her pet, Blackie.

Well, she also disliked the atmosphere inside the police car… she felt that if she stayed there any longer, she might suffer from depression.

Generally, Xiang Wan was an optimistic person. She did not like to stay in places where there was such a cold and heavy atmosphere.

After all, she was a web novelist!

She needed to maintain a balanced mentality, so she could write her story better…

This case… seemed too harsh for her, and it actually affected her a lot.

The investigation process would probably take quite a while to complete.

She was a little overwhelmed and needed a change in mood. She needed fresh air so she could return to her usual self—

In that way, she could be reborn and escape from that sadness…

The case had made her too emotional and too exhausted that she could not write her update last night.

Bai Muchuan did not stop her. He dropped her off at the junction near the hospital. Ten minutes later, he even called Xiang Wan.

“Are you in the hospital now?”

“I’m on my way up now. Don’t worry.”

“All right,” said Bai Muchuan, “talk to you later.”

“Okay, bye!”

…

Bai Muchuan hung up the phone.

The street outside the window was bustling with people.

When the sky slowly darkened, lights started to appear in the city which gave off a gentle vibe.

Once again, he felt as if he had “transmigrated” back to the prosperous Xi City from Nanmu. As he stroked the name on his mobile phone screen, a smile appeared on his face unknowingly.

Xie Wanwan leaned against the seat. “Will I be locked up in the interrogation room this time?”

Bai Muchuan’s gaze was still gentle when he looked at a pair of mother and son by the road. The mother was squatting and tying her son’s shoelaces.

He paused for half a second. “We just wanted to know more things related to the case.”

“I see.” Xie Wanwan suddenly smiled. “I thought I’ve already told you all you wanted to know.”

Bai Muchuan furrowed his eyebrows slightly. “This is just an investigation process.”

That was just the necessary procedures the police had to adhere to; it was not something Bai Muchuan could decide recklessly.

Xie Wanwan just snorted a laugh and said nothing again.

Cheng Zheng, who had been cold all this while, suddenly opened his mouth, “Are you actually hoping that he’ll make an exception for you?”

In the past, Xie Wanwan did not have a good impression of him. However, since he had helped save Tang Yuanchu in Vulture’s Mouth, her opinion of him had changed for the better. Nonetheless, sometimes, one’s mood could change because of a sentence.

“I’m not a VIP like you!” Xie Wanwan retorted back in a normal tone, she was even smiling. “Even if it’s Xiang Wan, Captain Bai might not make an exception to anyone, either, let alone to me… I still know my place well.”

“I beg to differ,” said Cheng Zheng with no emotion, “that is the thing you lack the most!”

“Cheng Zheng!” Xie Wanwan sat up slowly and looked at the man sitting in front.

Cheng Zheng heard her and turned around.

They looked at each other in the eye, but Xie Wanwan did not flare-up. Instead, she reached out a hand. “Can I have a cigarette? I forgot to bring it with me.”

Cheng Zheng replied, “You clearly know that I don’t smoke, yet you actually asked me for cigarettes? Do you really know yourself well enough to know your place?”

“…”

Since when did he become so eloquent and cutting?

Of course, Xie Wanwan would not know how much Captain Cheng had suffered for the past few days in order to master such eloquence.

She turned to ask Bai Muchuan, “Do you have cigarettes?”

Bai Muchuan replied lazily, “Nope.”

Cheng Zheng responded as well, “I do not condone second-hand smoking.”

Fine!

Xie Wanwan laid back to her seat.

“I’m in big trouble this time, right?”

No one answered.

“How long do I have to stay in Xi City?”

Nobody answered her.

“…”

Silence.

For a while, Xie Wanwan gave up talking to them in polite hypocrisy.

“Is it because of Meng Chi, Yu Ning, or Ye Lun… Who’s the one who committed a crime? How is any of them related to me?”

Bai Muchuan just gave a glance at her. “When you arrived in the Criminal Investigation Unit, you’ll know.”

“Fine!” Xie Wanwan raised both hands as though she was surrendering. “I got to hand it to you, buddy!”

…

Xiang Wan’s desire to uplift her mood was tremendous.

The effect was also very significant.

Being with Fang Yuanyuan was the best way for her to relieve her stress.

Prior to reaching the hospital, Xiang Wan had sent a message to Fang Yuanyuan.

Hence, she had waited for Xiang Wan outside Huang He’s ward. The moment she saw Xiang Wan, she immediately lectured her.

“You did not update again! How can you fail to update again? Are you’re tired of living? Don’t you want to be in the recommended page anymore? Don’t you want to earn more money…?”

Pffft, this is the normal behavior of her editor she has not seen for a long time!

Xiang Wan did not argue with her as she always did in the past. Instead, she put down the things she was holding, extended both of her arms, and sprinted toward her, hugging her warmly.

“Darling,” she grinned, “I’m back! Come, give me a hug—”

Fang Yuanyuan looked at her with a surprised expression. “…”

That felt like a fist landed onto cotton!

She pushed Xiang Wan a little. “What are you doing? Don’t even think your hugs are worth a lot of money and I won’t reprimand you after this?”

“… I’ll make it up today!” Xiang Wan giggled. “Only I can stand your domineering way of chasing for updates!”

As she said this, she held her waist with one hand as if soothing it while looking towards the ward. “How’s your Huanghuang doing?”

Fang Yuanyuan then looked as though she was reminded of something and quickly made the hush gesture. “He’s asleep!”

Xiang Wan looked at her silently. “…”

Miss, why didn’t you think about that when you were yelling earlier! She dissed her inside her head.

Fang Yuanyuan grinned and pulled her to the sofa. “Why did you go to Nanmu again? Did something happen again?”

She used the word “again” twice.

Xiang Wan’s smile was a little stiff. “It’s just to help Bai Muchuan out! It’s that same case, nothing else!”

“I see. As long as it’s not another new case, I’m terrified out of my wits, you know!?”

Whenever Fang Yuanyuan thought about Vulture’s Mouth, her heart would pound in fear.

Nevertheless, she was a happy-go-lucky person. The moment they saved her from that miserable experience, she was brimming with liveliness again. It was especially true since she was together with Huang He for this period, and it filled her with happiness.

She had attributed this to that unfortunate incident.

Since fate had made them suffer a lot, it was surely time for a sweet period together?

She puffed a sigh as she leaned against the sofa comfortably. Sensing that Xiang Wan did not seem glad to talk about that incident since she still had not responded to her, Fang Yuanyuan decided to change the topic.

“Babe, did I gain some weight?”

Well, she had to start somewhere, right?

It was just a casual question.

However, she never expected Xiang Wan to still be as blunt to her as ever. “You get plump when you’re carefree and contented! Don’t worry, you’re good as long as Huanghuang doesn’t mind it!”

Fang Yuanyuan stared hard at her; she wished she should have bitten her tongue earlier. “Did I just throw myself under the bus?”

“Yeah, you did.” Xiang Wan smiled. “The IQ of women when they fall in love is zero, and you’ve proven that true!”

“You!”

Fang Yuanyuan glared at her then started to scrutinize her smile.

“Sis, I feel that you’re acting weird today!”

“How am I weird?”

“You’re too calm and too happy. This is abnormal.”

“… So you’re expecting me to behave normally by pulling a long face? What kind of heart do you have?”

“It’s not that—” Fang Yuanyuan took a peek at Xiang Wan’s face. “I’ve been surfing the internet, and there are a lot of gossips and hot news all over about ‘The Grey List’ and the 121 case. Since you went to Nanmu to check out the film set, are you telling me you’re not affected by all of these?”

“Tch, I’m not the one behind all these, why should I be affected?” Xiang Wan took some grapes which was placed on the coffee table and started to peel the skin off. “The case… will not affect me directly! It will not affect my happiness.”

“Really?” Fang Yuanyuan did not seem to believe her.

This was because she knew that Xiang Wan was always a sensitive and perceptive person.

“It’s true!” Xiang Wan popped the grape into her mouth and raised two fingers. “I guarantee that only the writer’s block and failure to update will make me sad…”

Fang Yuanyuan scrunched her nose at her before she suddenly heaved a sigh.

“Looks like my Master Yu will lose a lot of popularity, huh?”

Her ‘Master Yu’ was referring to her idol, Yu Ning.

He was well-known for his superb acting skills and his consistency on taking the roles of tough, tenacious guys.

Such roles coupled with a tender heart towards their love interest were always a magnet to attract female fans. When Yu Ning was chosen to cast as the first male leading character of “The Grey List”, the film crew soon released some pictures of him during filming. He gained many female fans because of that…

Fang Yuanyuan was one of them.

She was not into hot young studs but adored this type of men.

Maybe the reason why she loved Huang He so much was because he belonged to this type of men.

“Sis, do you have some insider news?” Fang Yuanyuan used her elbow to poke Xiang Wan’s arm. When Xiang Wan did not reply, she directly poked her. “Tell me, please? I’m almost blinded from all the gossip news circulating around. Can’t you just give me some candy… please?”

“I don’t have candy to offer, but I do have some arsenic, want some?” Xiang Wan glanced at her with a smile as she ate the grapes.

“Ah!” Fang Yuanyuan said in an alarmed tone. “So serious?”

“…”