Chapter 104: He Wasn’t There

The next morning at 9:20 a.m.

When Xiao Fen walked into the gym equipment room, Xue Chengge was already waiting there.

He had just finished exercising and was panting heavily. When he saw Xiao Fen, he let out a light chuckle.

“As expected, it’s you.”

【How did Backdoor Bro know it was Brother Fen? How did he figure it out?】

After the photo incident yesterday, Xue Chengge had earned the nickname “Backdoor Bro.” Before that, he was a nobody who only rose to his current status thanks to the videos shot by Xu Haokong. Whether in front of or behind the scenes, he had truly taken the backdoor route.

【Blind cat stumbling on a dead mouse. He just randomly bluffed the killer to see who would show up. But Brother Fen’s mental fortitude isn’t up to par this time—why’d he come?】

Xiao Fen looked at him calmly. “You’re assuming I’m the killer. What’s your evidence?”

Xue Chengge gazed at him with venomous eyes and revealed a smile like a jackal. “Come with me. I have something to show you.”

He wiped the sweat from his body with the towel hanging around his neck, opened the door, and entered the lounge next door.

Xue Chengge walked to the bar counter and pulled an envelope out from a hidden compartment. Before the smug look on his face could fade, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck and collapsed to the ground with his eyes closed.

Xiao Fen put away the injectant, took the envelope, and went into the bathroom.

Two minutes later, wearing gloves, he tore the photos and papers into shreds and tossed them into the air. They fluttered down and scattered over Xue Chengge’s body.

————

At 9:40 a.m.

Fang Si Ting stepped out of his room and patted his pocket, only to find his room key missing. He remembered clearly taking it out earlier.

He looked around and happened to notice that the doormat at his room door was askew, revealing a glint of silver from the key underneath. He picked it up.

Just then, Tang Shen came out too and saw the scene. “What are you doing with my key?”

“Mine.” Fang Si Ting inserted the key into the lock but found it wouldn’t turn.

Suddenly, it seemed like something occurred to him.

While he was stunned, Tang Shen snatched the key with a smile, inserted it into his own lock, and sure enough, it clicked shut.

He laughed. “I always forget my key. Once the door’s locked, I just leave, so I got into the habit of leaving it under the doormat. Even if I forget to take it when I leave, I can still get back in when I return. I brought that habit here.”

“Why under my room’s doormat?”

“Anyone trying to break into my room would check under the door first. Who’d think to look next door?” Tang Shen pocketed the key. “If someone sees the key under the mat, they’ll assume it’s for your room. When it doesn’t work, they’ll doubt their life choices and give up. It’s basically helping you with security too.”

“Crooked logic.”

The two headed downstairs to the gym. When they arrived, only five or six guests were there.

“So much for group action,” Lu Jin said, visibly disappointed.

It seemed many people dismissed what Xue Chengge had said.

Even those who showed up were cracking cold jokes.

“If Xue-ge could really crack the locked-room mystery, he wouldn’t have us meet here. He’d just go straight to Director Xu’s room and explain it on-site,” Zhong Jinghuan said. “So don’t get your hopes up.”

“What if he says Director Xu stabbed himself? Would that count as an explanation?” Song Hui joked. “That’s what Director Xu said about Assistant Yan before.”

“No syringe was found in the bathroom, and given how fast the drug kicked in, that’s unlikely,” Ou Yu ruled out.

“I’m leaning toward a confession: just straight-up saying, ‘I’m the killer,'” Zhong Jinghuan said, hands on his hips.

“What’s the point of that?” Tang Shen said with a wry smile.

“I think Director Xu was killed by Brother Chengge too,” Jiang Xu said hesitantly after staying silent.

“Great minds think alike,” Zhong Jinghuan said delightedly.

“That’s nothing like your wild guesses,” the crowd shot back.

“Teacher Jiang, share your thoughts.”

“Last night, I found over a dozen dead ants in the trash can in Director Xu’s bedroom. The only thing in there was the box from the almond cake that Brother Chengge brought everyone the day before yesterday as a souvenir.”

Li Fei came to a sudden realization. “So if the drug was injected into the cake ahead of time, the locked room doesn’t matter. He locked the door himself from the inside with the key. After eating the cake, he went into the bathroom to shower and passed out. His leg just happened to block the door when he fell.”

“Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that trick?” Zhong Jinghuan exclaimed dramatically.

“Teacher Jiang, you should be the detective next episode,” Li Fei said enviously.

“Huh? We don’t even know if that’s the right answer yet.” Jiang Xu fidgeted, his gaze drifting awkwardly toward Lu Jin.

“What does he know? He’s just guessing wildly. Xiao Fen’s way better than him,” Lu Jin said with a contemptuous smirk.

Jiang Xu’s face paled, and he grew even more embarrassed.

“I checked the trash can too, and there wasn’t just the almond cake box. There were other snack wrappers,” Lu Jin said. “That doesn’t rule out someone else drugging those snacks.”

Jiang Xu pursed his lips and countered, “No, the other wrappers were from spicy chicken with bones. If Director Xu ate that, there should be bones in the trash, but there weren’t. The killer probably added those wrappers to cover up the cake—tore open a couple packs casually and tossed them in without eating. Maybe flushed the bones or something.”

“But that still requires someone entering the room after…”

“Hasn’t it started yet? Isn’t it exactly 10 now?”

Xiao Fen walked in and immediately heard their heated discussion.

“Brother Fen, what do you think formed Director Xu’s locked room?” Zhong Jinghuan eagerly scooted over.

“You all jump straight to complex, ingenious methods when you think locked room. Maybe simplify it.”

Zhong Jinghuan said, “Tell us, how do you simplify?”

“Trying to trap me?”

“Of course not, just normal discussion.” Zhong Jinghuan laughed heartlessly. “Brother Fen seems to have some insights. You were so good at solving cases before—you must’ve seen through this little trick at a glance.”

“I didn’t see through it.” This guy seemed carefree but was actually a bit black-bellied. Better stay cautious.

“Our Teacher Jiang figured it out,” Zhong Jinghuan boasted, pushing Jiang Xu to the front.

Jiang Xu’s face flushed bright red, and he stammered incoherently.

“Not up to par.” From the crowd, Lu Jin let out a disappointed sigh that Jiang Xu just happened to hear.

Jiang Xu felt even more mortified.

Zhong Jinghuan, being hot-tempered, directly repeated Jiang Xu’s deduction.

“Like showing off in front of an expert. I was just throwing out a possibility,” Jiang Xu said sheepishly, not expecting agreement.

“But you’re the first one who thought of it—better than all of us. Even Mr. Black Cat has to learn from you. He’s been slacking lately.”

Xiao Fen spoke sincerely, with a touch of coquettish complaint.

“Talking bad about me again.” Fang Si Ting spoke up from where he leaned by the window.

The five members of the Pursuit Team gathered around him, separate from the guests.

It had snowed all night, but today brought some sunny warmth, and the sky was much brighter.

A faint smile appeared on Xiao Fen’s face as he looked over from afar. “Admit it—you’ve been slacking lately and not taking my words seriously?”

“You tell him,” Fang Si Ting called to Tang Shen, “how hard we’ve been working on the case.”

“You two lovebirds bickering has nothing to do with me.” Tang Shen quickly stepped aside.

“What lovebirds? I have nothing to do with him. Don’t play matchmaker.” Xiao Fen laughed and cursed.

Fang Si Ting’s expression tightened slightly.

Ou Yu, Lu Jin, and Matthew hiding behind Ou Yu all glanced back and forth between them.

“Should we go check out Director Xu’s room?” Li Fei suggested.

“What’s there to see? Just a few dead ants,” Zhong Jinghuan said. “Xue Chengge claimed he knew who killed Director Xu. Let’s see what story he spins.”

“It’s past 10. Did he ‘flee in guilt’?” Song Hui checked his watch and joked.

“The snow outside is heavy today—super dangerous,” Li Fei said worriedly.

“The bridge down the mountain’s been destroyed. Where could he flee? The other side’s a cliff,” Lu Jin said impatiently. “We still have victims here. Let’s wrap this up.”

“Can’t handle it on day two, Young Master Lu?” Xiao Fen sneered.

Lu Jin, seeing his concern, immediately said, “I’m not having trouble. I just feel cooped up.”

They could at least game online back in remote Tengcha. This place was boring.

“Hold it in.”

Lu Jin’s temper flared at those blunt words, but before he could snap, Song Hui fawned, “How’s Madam Lu doing?”

“She’s fine. My dad’s with her.” Actually, Lu Chengze just didn’t want to be on camera.

“Let’s go check Xu Haokong’s room. Dead ants beat standing around here,” Lu Jin said, standing from the gym equipment.

Just then, a crash of something falling came from next door.

“Someone’s in the next room—why aren’t they coming over?” Song Hui said puzzled.

“Got lost maybe? This place is huge. I get lost every time,” Li Fei stuck to her ditzy sweet girl persona.

While they hesitated, Bai Zhu opened the side door.

Besides the main entrance, the gym had a side door connecting to the next room.

But as soon as he opened it, he saw the door to the adjacent room closing.

Looking closer, Xue Chengge lay on the ground, unconscious.

“He got stabbed!” Those were the only words he managed before rushing in, through the room, and flung open the lounge door.

Meanwhile, Fang Si Ting had already burst out of the gym, down the corridor, and halfway down the stairs before stopping.

“Where is he?” Bai Zhu, a step behind, asked Fang Si Ting.

The other guests rushed out, following them and looking around.

“Gone.” Fang Si Ting frowned.

“More precisely, vanished into thin air.”

“Huh?” The crowd looked shocked.

Few lights were on in the corridor, making it dim.

The guests felt a draft leaking somewhere, raising goosebumps all over.

Xiao Fen stepped forward from the corridor railing, calling everyone back down.

“Check the crime scene first.”

Fang Si Ting obediently returned to the second floor.

“Brother Fen, stay close to me.” Zhong Jinghuan felt much safer seeing him and warmed up.

“Where Brother Fen is, all evil retreats,” Li Fei said, also spooked. She stuck close to Xiao Fen for a few steps, then suddenly felt a chill at the back of her scalp, like something was watching her.

She glanced back. Matthew was staring at her and Zhong Jinghuan.

He wore a cute smile, but it sent a shiver down her spine. She instinctively edged away from Xiao Fen.

Zhong Jinghuan did the same.

“Um… Matthew, why are you staring at us like that?”

Matthew shook his head and hurried a few steps to follow behind Xiao Fen, his deep eyes growing darker and more fanatical.

Xiao Fen couldn’t possibly miss that gaze—sticky and damp, making him uncomfortable, like the days before retirement.

He glanced back at Matthew. Milk-white and pure, with an innocent face and big sparkling eyes. He didn’t look like someone from that kind of place.

Noticing Xiao Fen looking, Matthew’s eyes lit up more, his smile widening with a hint of flattery.

Xiao Fen couldn’t quite read him.

“Matthew, over here.” Ou Yu smiled warmly from nearby.

Matthew slowed, watching Xiao Fen enter the room.

As Ou Yu passed, his gaze turned icy and blatant in warning, without any disguise.

Matthew’s expression faded, staring emotionlessly at his back.

Xue Chengge lay in the lounge next to the gym—a narrow room. The door opened to a tightly shut window opposite.

The window showed no signs of climbing or wear.

The left wall had shelves, with a sofa, chairs, tea tray, drinks, and fruits nearby for resting.

Xue Chengge, in workout clothes, lay by the bar counter with a bloody needle mark on his neck.

An overturned glass on the counter had spilled lemon slices, ice, and liquor over the edge onto him.

A fascia gun hummed beside him, still running.

From the scene, it was clear: after exercising, Xue Chengge sat at the bar for a cocktail and used the fascia gun for massage when attacked.

Tang Shen wondered, “How’d that guy run off so fast?”

“Like a ghost,” Zhong Jinghuan whispered.