Chapter 138: Soul Interrogation!

“Quick, call an ambulance!” Fang Si Ting pushed that vice squad officer, who finally snapped out of it and hurriedly rushed to the front desk to grab the phone.

This was just a clerical position. They rarely even saw fights on a normal day, let alone a scene this bloody. He had no idea what to do, so he followed Fang Si Ting’s instructions to the letter.

Fang Si Ting hurriedly dropped to his knees on the ground. He had just torn open the clothes when Xiao Fen handed him the strips of cloth he had already ripped.

The vice squad officer guarding the door heard the commotion and rushed over. When he saw what was happening, he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

“I’ll go call the prison doctor.” One of them turned and ran off without another word.

Elijah’s face was ghastly pale, his lips trembling. He looked on the verge of passing out, the pain so intense he couldn’t even speak.

The prison doctor soon arrived and gave him preliminary bandaging. The ambulance had to come all the way from the city, but Aether Corporation and the Program Crew urgently contacted nearby hospitals and even dispatched a helicopter to airlift him out.

By the time all the back-and-forth was done, one or two hours had passed. Elijah had fainted completely, his lips deathly pale and his pulse faint.

The viewers in the Live Stream Chat had already torn into the Program Crew. Elijah, with his privileged background, tragic past, and outstanding looks and demeanor, had already won over a huge fanbase of men and women alike. With something like this happening, even random passersby were cursing the Program Crew for failing to ensure the safety of their own guests.

Several hours later, an official statement went out. After emergency treatment, the victim was out of danger. They would coordinate with the prison and vice squad officers to crack the case as quickly as possible and catch the real culprit.

News of the incident spread like wildfire through the prison.

“This show is way too jinxed, huh?” Ou Yu sighed.

It was lunchtime now. Thanks to Xiao Fen’s protests, Fang Si Ting and Ulysses had let him stay in the infirmary for an extra meal.

He immediately dragged Ou Yu and Matthew along. The five of them crowded around the prison doctor’s little table to eat lunch.

Ou Yu slurped up some tomato pasta. The carb overload drew a sigh of satisfaction from him, though he didn’t forget to gripe. “Getting tangled in one case was bad enough before. Now we’ve switched production teams, and this still happens. I hope Bram and Elijah both pull through safely.”

“Suggest they go pray to some spirits.” A glint of mischief flashed in Matthew’s eyes. “I know this one yin god…”

“Don’t say another word.” Xiao Fen cut off his attempt to mislead everyone. He turned to Ou Yu. “We’re in a dangerous place like this. We’re already brushing up close to crime and all sorts of darkness. You guys can’t let your guard down—especially not here.”

As he spoke, he looked across the table at the other two. “Any results on Bram’s case from last time?”

Ulysses shook his head and elegantly sipped his instant coffee. “We interrogated over thirty people. No leads at all. Inspector Fang might be right—this isn’t an internal prison conflict. It’s coming from outside.”

“Looks like what Elijah and Joey said was true. Someone’s trying to silence him. Dead men tell no tales, and they can pin all those murder charges on Bram.” Xiao Fen said.

“What did Elijah see?” Fang Si Ting asked.

“No idea. He says he can’t remember,” Xiao Fen replied with some pity. “He went through too much trauma. And now this? Talk about rotten luck.”

Matthew let out a chuckle.

The other four all turned to stare at him in confusion.

“Isn’t this the part where you laugh at a joke like that?” Matthew asked, puzzled.

“You wouldn’t get it.” Xiao Fen sighed.

“Unfortunately,” Ulysses said, “the knife came through the bookshelf from behind him. Elijah’s chest camera and the close-up camera didn’t catch a glimpse of the attacker.”

Fang Si Ting picked up from there. “The library’s surrounded by welded iron bars on all the windows. The only way out is the front door, which was guarded by two vice squad officers the whole time. They were there to maintain order inside and prevent any trouble.”

“So this was a locked room?” Ou Yu clicked his tongue in amazement.

“Exactly. At the time, the only people in the library were me, Inspector Fang, the library officer Anderson, Elijah, and three others,” Xiao Fen said. “That corner was a blind spot for the cameras. Inspector Fang, Anderson, and I were always visible on the footage, but those other three stayed out of view.”

“Very suspicious.” Fang Si Ting summed it up.

As he pondered, Xiao Fen leaned over from the chair beside him with a grin. “Want me to give those three a hard time? I can handle it for you. No service fee.”

Fang Si Ting’s eyes flickered. He averted his gaze and replied in a distant tone, “Your status makes you a better fit. If that doesn’t work, we’ll step in.”

Being fellow inmates made it easier to pry words out of them.

Ulysses chuckled. “Wouldn’t it be awkward for us to just sit back and reap the benefits?”

“How do you manage to light a fire under people with every single sentence?” Xiao Fen shot him a glare.

“I propose that Inspector Fang and I handle the interrogations. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to get involved—too dangerous,” Ulysses said.

“We don’t mind.” Ou Yu had watched them finish eating. He cleared the table scraps, bagged up the trash, and tossed it. “As long as we uncover the truth.”

Their roles put them at odds on the show, but when it came down to a vicious assault like this, they were definitely on the same side. They all wanted the facts.

Xiao Fen patted his belly and stood up with a contented yawn. Ulysses happened to pass right by him, and it looked like they were about to collide. Xiao Fen quickly pulled back—and promptly fell back into his seat.

Ulysses noticed the motion and reached out to steady him. His hand stopped a mere 0.01 centimeters from Xiao Fen’s body, perfectly missing.

Xiao Fen’s butt was about to smack into the wooden stool when a hand caught him from behind just in time.

His ears, nose, mouth—everything was filled with Fang Si Ting’s scent.

That familiar body fragrance was reassuring in its familiarity.

Xiao Fen glanced back. Fang Si Ting’s sharp profile filled his view.

“Careful.” Fang Si Ting slowly helped him sit back down properly.

“Mm.” Before Xiao Fen could say anything else, the other man decisively withdrew his hand.

Ou Yu eyed Inspector Fang’s resolute retreating back and secretly gave Xiao Fen a thumbs-up.

Xiao Fen shot him a glare. Don’t think I didn’t see you gloating.

Ulysses straightened up and smiled. “You actually lose your balance sometimes?”

“Mind your own business.” Xiao Fen gave him a warning glare. “Hurry up and investigate the case.”

Ulysses wisely shut his mouth, opened the door, and left.

【Here’s another one. Why does Xishi Bro look so amused too?】

【Fang Si Ting just now looked like he’d hit the jackpot or something. It’s rare to see him with a smile like that. Kinda creepy, honestly.】

【What the heck are they talking about to be so happy? This is supposed to be a live stream—don’t hold out on us.】

【Yeah, yeah. We wanna see!】

In the infirmary, Xiao Fen let out an annoyed sigh. “This Cold-Faced Freak’s thoughts are getting harder and harder to read.”

He used to be able to hook the guy with just a little hand gesture. Had his level really upgraded now?

Ou Yu whispered teasingly, “Aren’t you just treating him like a bedmate? Why bother trying to figure out his thoughts? Just enjoy the face and body, right?”

“What else is there to enjoy besides the face and body? His daily moodiness? His cold face?” Xiao Fen pouted unhappily. “It was always supposed to be mutual consent, each getting what we need. But lately, he seems so distant. We’ve talked a lot of things out already, and he’ll even smile at me now. But we just can’t get back to how things were before.”

No, it wasn’t good. He didn’t like it.

“Where’s the distance? I think it’s pretty normal—straight Q&A, no cold shoulder. You said yourselves you weren’t that close. Besides the physical stuff, what other connection do you even have?”

“What connection?”

“Do you know how big his family is? Have you met his family? What’s his family do? Has he taken you to meet his friends or brothers? Has he included you in any of his life plans? Is he curious about your life? Has he ever said he wants to get involved in it?”

Xiao Fen was left dazed and speechless by the barrage of questions.

“Have you ever opened up to him about your own thoughts or shared your life story? Do you have any plans to introduce him to your friends?”

“My friends are you. You already know.” Xiao Fen paused and pointed at Matthew. “He’s half a friend now, and he knows too.”

Fang Si Ting already knew about that mess with Lu Jin. What more was there to say?

“Have you ever thought about spending the second half of your life with him in it?” Ou Yu asked gently.

Xiao Fen’s heart tightened, his expression turning troubled.

“To be honest, your defenses are way too strong. Normal people can’t even begin to read your inner thoughts,” he sighed.

The only reason Xiao Fen had opened up about his relationship with Fang Si Ting was because he’d been crying at the time.

He’d probably been hurt too deeply by Lu Jin. Once bitten, twice shy. With that in mind, he couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for him.

“Yeah, a little.” Xiao Fen admitted glumly.

How could he not stay on guard? That man was harder to predict than even a Weird. Back in the early days, he’d nearly gotten killed countless times, turned into someone else’s stepping stone for solving puzzles.

At least Weird had rules you could exploit. Human hearts shifted without a trace.

Stay guarded long enough, and it became second nature.

“Relax. All that stuff I asked is for actual couples. Your answers were all no, which means Inspector Fang feels the same way. You’re just playing around. A private mutual-benefits setup like that can never go public. In front of everyone, it’s all business—no extra emotions. He treats his colleagues the same as he treats you.”

“Is that so?” Xiao Fen felt a twinge of discomfort.

Wasn’t he supposed to be the only special one in Fang Si Ting’s heart?

Ou Yu paused as he reached for the door, thinking it over. “That relationship you two had before? Even as a bystander, I thought you were dating. You didn’t even do anything—just stood there in front of me—and I felt like there was no room for a third wheel. That was the abnormal part. Things are much better now. Don’t overthink it.”

“Really? You’re not just messing with me?”

Ou Yu saw how serious his eyes were and hesitated. “I’ve been single my whole life. Never dated.”

“Then where’d all that expert analysis come from?” Xiao Fen asked, baffled.

“I’ve acted in a ton of dramas.”

“…”

————

According to the list, the first one was Black Octopus Gudbai. Under Xiao Fen’s moral persuasion, he finally confessed that he often conducted some trades in the library’s blind spots.

He had his own channels and would occasionally smuggle in cigarettes, magazines, instant noodles, and the like to improve life. He swore up and down that he’d never brought in any contraband all this time—let alone something like a spring knife.

At the time of the incident, he had been in the middle of a transaction with another inmate. Both of them were there for it.

Alright. That eliminated two people right there.

The third one was Elijah’s neighbor in Room 6278, a guy named Tom.

Under Xiao Fen’s loving education, Tom quickly spilled the truth.

“I just tore out a few pages. He stuck his nose in and tried to stop me. Even said he’d report me,” Tom said urgently. “But I didn’t hurt him. No idea who he pissed off.”

“What pages?” Xiao Fen asked, puzzled.

Tom started hemming and hawing. “N-nothing much. I was just bored and wanted to tear some for fun.”

“The blank pages from those library books,” Ou Yu realized with a start. “I’ve been reading lately, and tons of books had their blank pages ripped out. One or two could be chalked up to itchy fingers, but dozens like that? That’s deliberate.”

“What’s so special about those books? Other than being old…”

As he spoke, Xiao Fen spotted the issue.

“You guys planning to counterfeit fakes?”