Chapter 18

The kiss was exceptionally fervent. Jiang Xiao couldn’t spare a thought for anything else. Jiang Mu’s kissing technique was very practiced, only allowing Jiang Xiao room to breathe once he was completely breathless, accompanied by a soft laugh:

“Xiaoxiao, how did your kissing skills get worse?”

Jiang Xiao’s head was completely muddled. Being kissed twice in a row in one day was simply too much, and to be mocked for it on top of that… he was utterly furious. Without thinking, he immediately raised his hand and delivered a slap.

Smack! Jiang Mu, completely off guard, had his face turned aside by the slap.

“Who told you to kiss me?” Jiang Xiao said.

Jiang Mu slowly turned his face back, his deep eyes fixed on Jiang Xiao. “What, I can’t?”

“We’ve broken up. Don’t do inappropriate things like that again.” Jiang Xiao said coldly.

Jiang Xiao’s action had been entirely reflexive. He couldn’t push Jiang Mu away, couldn’t bite him, so he could only slap him.

Only after doing it did he feel it was a bit improper. But Jiang Mu’s actions always had an unreadable, ruthless edge that even made Jiang Xiao somewhat afraid.

However, beyond Jiang Xiao’s expectations, Jiang Mu showed no intention of pursuing the matter of the slap. Instead, he smiled. “It was inconsiderate of me.”

…This now made Jiang Xiao seem petty.

And then, a realization dawned on Jiang Xiao. Jiang Mu had also been drinking alcohol, and it was a type he was very familiar with…

Peach Wine.

Suspicion rose in Jiang Xiao’s heart. He wanted to ask, “Do you also love drinking fruit wine?” but feared Jiang Mu would retort with something like “Relishing my kiss?” That would be far too awkward.

He groped his way toward the door. Jiang Mu didn’t stop him. Just as Jiang Xiao touched the door handle, Jiang Mu’s voice came from behind:

“You came to find me for more than just questioning me, right? What happened?”

“I don’t want to play games with you anymore,” Jiang Xiao said.

“Then let’s not. I don’t want to make you angry anymore either.” As Jiang Mu spoke, he drew a little closer to Jiang Xiao. His eyelashes lowered slightly, making those usually stern and sharp eyes appear much gentler. He asked, “Still going to hit me?”

Jiang Xiao had originally thought Jiang Mu wanted vengeance for that slap. He never expected him not to be angry at all. That made him instantly feel this man was even stranger.

What attribute did this guy have?

A masochist?

“I’m not a violent maniac,” Jiang Xiao said, slightly uncomfortable.

“Sit down and talk. Isn’t it tiring standing?” Jiang Mu said.

Jiang Xiao said stiffly, “I’m fine standing.”

Jiang Mu looked at Jiang Xiao, completely in a defensive, tense stance, and sighed softly. “I really won’t do anything to you again. If I do, you can hit me. I won’t resist, alright?”

Jiang Xiao: “…”

The atmosphere seemed to have become a little strange, as if they were a quarreling couple, and he had become the one being unreasonable.

Under Jiang Mu’s guidance, Jiang Xiao had to sit down on the sofa. There was a very comfortable cushion behind him.

In terms of meticulousness, Jiang Mu could almost rank first alongside Wen Xu.

But he clearly wasn’t as emotionally stable as Wen Xu. Wen Xu, at least, wouldn’t inexplicably pounce on him and kiss him.

A rustling sound came from Jiang Mu’s side. After listening for a moment, Jiang Xiao asked warily, “What are you doing?”

“The documents fell all over the floor. I have to pick them up, right?” Jiang Mu’s expression didn’t change as he gathered the thick stack of photos, tidied them up, and placed them on the table. Then he sat in the chair opposite Jiang Xiao, looking perfectly at ease. “Go ahead.”

“So, an hour ago, the attendant said he saw…”

Jiang Xiao carefully chose his words, trying not to reveal key information, ideally hoping to get Jiang Mu to inadvertently betray some flaw. Consequently, his speech slowed.

As he spoke, Jiang Xiao continuously felt a sensation of being intensely watched. He frowned. “Are you listening?”

“I’m listening. You continue.”

Jiang Xiao’s premonition was correct. Jiang Mu’s gaze was glued to him, not leaving for even a second.

Jiang Mu stared at Jiang Xiao deeply, deeply, with an almost obsessive fixation. He looked at his fluffy, messy hair that gleamed gold under the light, his lips slightly swollen from the kiss, the slender neck barely visible above his high-necked sweater. Every detail was a vividness completely different from the photos.

Even though, up until now, Jiang Xiao hadn’t smiled at him even once.

During these years apart, Jiang Xiao seemed to have been living well. His university life was rich and colorful, with countless friends around him. Were there, among those friends, others like him, who had been “favored” by Jiang Xiao?

Whenever this thought crossed his mind, it was as if a venomous snake had injected poison into his heart. Even breathing became difficult. His blood pulsed with the acidic juice of jealousy.

How could there not be?

Without Jiang Mu, there would be Zhang Mu, Li Mu. To Jiang Xiao, he could never be the only one.

Unless…

“…Was that person you?” Jiang Xiao finally finished speaking, fully expecting Jiang Mu’s next reaction.

He would probably find another excuse, like he was on an online meeting at the time and had an alibi, or he hadn’t left his room and didn’t know what the attendant was talking about.

After all, if Jiang Mu had indeed plotted and killed Qin Guan, he would have already known the surveillance camera at the door was broken. He wouldn’t leave any useful information behind.

What Jiang Xiao aimed to find was a hole in his words.

But beyond Jiang Xiao’s expectations, Jiang Mu showed no intention of denying it. He pondered for a moment and said, “That person was indeed me.”

All the prepared retorts Jiang Xiao had lined up, like “You’re just making excuses,” suddenly became useless, stuck in his throat. After a long pause, he managed to utter:

“Then why didn’t you come in?”

“The day I found out my mom was marrying your dad, you called me to say you wanted to break up. You also said you’d never see me again in this lifetime.” Jiang Mu’s voice was calm. “I sent you texts and called. The messages sank like stones into the ocean. You blacklisted me, not even giving me a single chance to explain.”

“Knowing we were about to become family, you moved out of the house overnight. You said that if we moved in, you’d never come home again. You wouldn’t even answer Uncle Jiang’s calls. What else could I do?”

“Xiaoxiao, you don’t want to see me. I will never actively appear in front of you.”

—

Outside the door, the attendant was so cold he’d started stamping his feet. The other two, however, were like sculptures rooted to the spot, neither moving nor speaking.

An oppressive silence slowly descended.

The attendant really didn’t want to stand around in this atmosphere any longer. He asked weakly, “Can I leave now?”

No one answered.

The attendant said, “Then I’ll go back first. Call if you need me.”

“Prepare a car,” Wen Xu said. “I’ll take Jiang Xiao away later.”

“Leave? There’s nowhere to go right now.” The attendant said, surprised. “With this much snow, no driver would dare take this road. Plus, there are mountains on both sides. What if there’s an avalanche?”

Wen Xu said, “There’s a small path at the bottom of the mountain. Take that route.”

“But they’ve been doing roadwork there recently. It’s impassable,” the attendant explained. “Ah, with something like this happening, I totally understand how you all feel. But this is the situation right now. No one can leave. We can only hope you catch the murderer quickly.”

Wen Xu’s face was as cold as a frozen statue. Seeing they had no more questions, the attendant added, “The candles on the walls shouldn’t go out. If they do, you can use the lighter next to them to relight them,” before hastily leaving, shivering.

Bo Xiting’s gaze lowered slightly, uncertain what he was thinking. After a moment, he said, “You killed him.”

His tone was certain.

Most people, when suddenly accused of murder, would likely first try to clear their name. But Wen Xu merely remained silent, as if his patience and attention had been entirely drawn away by Jiang Xiao, who was separated by just one wall, making him somewhat distracted.

“Rather than making baseless accusations, why not look for evidence more carefully?” Wen Xu raised a hand to press his neck. “Right now, your suspicion should be heavier than mine.”

Wen Xu had never offered much opinion on the murder case. But when he spoke, it was a tightly reasoned deduction:

“Assuming Ying Weizhu told the truth, and he and Xiaoxiao had no time to commit the crime, that leaves only you and me in the room. Furthermore, your position at the time was closer to the storage room than mine. If I had left, you would have noticed, wouldn’t you?”

“But I don’t think you’re the murderer, because you and Qin Guan probably haven’t met often. What reason would you have to kill him?” Wen Xu continued. “But here, everything becomes a dead end, unless Xiaoxiao and Ying Weizhu lied. There’s another possibility…”

“Jiang Mu is the murderer.”

“What reason would Jiang Mu have to specifically kill Qin Guan?” Bo Xiting spoke again, his gaze sharp. “I don’t think it’s him.”

“Perhaps, the person he wanted to kill was someone else.” Wen Xu’s words seemed to carry a deeper meaning. “This big brother of Xiaoxiao’s is not simple.”

“What do you mean?” Bo Xiting’s eyes held a chill.

“You and Jiang Mu look quite similar,” Wen Xu said.

Sure enough, Bo Xiting’s expression changed slightly. He lifted his eyelids, his gaze sharp as a blade scraping across Wen Xu’s face, and twisted his lips emotionlessly. “Is that so.”

“I don’t know what relationship you once had with Xiaoxiao. But still, you should stay away from him,” Wen Xu said. “Otherwise, you will regret it.”

Bo Xiting remained unmoved.

“Because Jiang Mu is Xiaoxiao’s first love. They were together for a long time.” Wen Xu said calmly, “If Jiang Mu hadn’t betrayed him, perhaps Xiaoxiao would have considered marrying him.”

A sarcastic smirk twisted the corner of Bo Xiting’s mouth.

At this point, the door opened from the inside. Wen Xu stopped talking to Bo Xiting and turned toward the door.

However, the person standing in the doorway wasn’t Jiang Xiao.

Jiang Mu sized up Wen Xu for a few moments and said, “I remember you, one of Xiaoxiao’s friends… Young Master Wen of the Wen Family, Wen Xu?”

“That’s me.” Wen Xu nodded, but he had no intention of chatting with Jiang Mu. He simply asked, “Are you done talking?”

“We’re done,” Jiang Mu said. “But you can’t take him away.”

Hearing this, Wen Xu’s expression grew cold. “What do you mean?”

“He’s staying with me tonight. You don’t need to worry; it’s very safe here.” Jiang Mu said nonchalantly, moving to close the door again.

Quick as a flash, Wen Xu shot out a hand and held the door open, preventing Jiang Mu from closing it. His voice was deep, enunciating each word:

“Have Jiang Xiao come out.”