Chapter 25 Part 1

The lingering drowsiness was completely shattered by that one sentence.

Jiang Xiao used every ounce of his life’s experience to manage his expression, saying calmly, “When did I ever go through your luggage? You need evidence to make such accusations.”

He put on the look of someone who had no desire to speak further with Ying Weizhu, turning his head away. “Bo Xiting—”

“Shh…” A cold finger blocked Jiang Xiao’s unfinished words. Ying Weizhu’s voice was laced with a chilly menace. “I haven’t finished speaking. Trying to leave already?”

“Who are you looking to for protection? Bo Xiting? Or Wen Xu?” A sinister, viper-like breath poured into his ear, as if his very bones were being frozen solid. “Don’t mention them again. If you make me unhappy, Qin Guan won’t be the last body in this hotel.”

Ying Weizhu made no effort to hide his murderous intent toward the others. Although Jiang Xiao had no idea what he had been through—he was acting like a complete outlaw right now—he truly couldn’t afford to clash head-on with Ying Weizhu any longer.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. I just want to find the killer as soon as possible. It’s best for everyone.” Jiang Xiao shrank back slightly, as if frightened by Ying Weizhu’s words. “It wasn’t you who killed Qin Guan, was it?”

Ying Weizhu seemed to give a cold laugh, his tone contemptuous. “That fool? He’s not worth my effort.”

Jiang Xiao: “…”

A chill flickered in Ying Weizhu’s eyes, but his next words were completely different.

“Besides, when would I have had the time to bother with him?” His voice turned incredibly soft, as if carrying not a single threat. “Weren’t we kissing at the time?”

“How much longer do you two plan to chat?” Bo Xiting’s voice was now tinged with impatience, clearly displeased at the two whispering right under his nose.

“Let’s go back to the previous room first, okay?” Jiang Xiao said gently. “There might still be evidence there. If the killer destroys it, it’ll be very hard to find more clues later.”

Ying Weizhu smiled and spat out two words: “For. Get it.”

Jiang Xiao detected a special, deeper meaning in those words.

Ying Weizhu lifted Jiang Xiao’s chin and stared into his eyes. Those usually incredibly lively and beautiful eyes were now like inorganic glass, utterly devoid of emotion.

Ying Weizhu looked carefully.

By all logic, he shouldn’t have felt a single ripple of emotion. But right now, an aching, sour pain, like being bitten by ants, was spreading through his chest.

This was his muse.

The most perfect piece of art, now broken and ruined.

Although Ying Weizhu was notoriously a genius painter at school, his personality was extremely eccentric. Or rather, everyone else was merely an ant in his eyes, never worthy of his attention.

Except for Jiang Xiao.

He usually loved staring at Jiang Xiao. No matter what Jiang Xiao did, there was always an inescapable gaze glued to him.

It was a look filled with deep obsession and fervor. If any outsider saw it, they would likely be terrified.

Ying Weizhu’s heart throbbed with this sudden, unfamiliar emotion, but it was followed by even deeper confusion.

Why was this happening?

Ever since meeting Jiang Xiao, strange and uncomfortable emotions had been sprouting within him.

This feeling drove Ying Weizhu absolutely mad.

If he left Jiang Xiao, would everything return to how it was before?

But he would rather endure this pain than give Jiang Xiao up.

He didn’t care at all whether Jiang Xiao had searched his luggage or seen what he’d brought. But he could not tolerate Jiang Xiao ignoring him.

“Beg me,” Ying Weizhu said with a smile.

Jiang Xiao didn’t hesitate for a second. “I’m begging you. Is that good enough?”

Ying Weizhu let out a soft scoff. “When you dumped me back then, did you ever imagine today?”

“A freak car accident, turning you into a little blind man who can’t even take care of himself. Then, in this crisis-ridden place, scared sleepless by a dead body. Truly pathetic.”

Ying Weizhu walked nonchalantly toward the living room. Seeing several sheets of paper on the table, he picked them up without any regard for privacy and examined them closely. “What’s this?”

Bo Xiting immediately strode over, intending to snatch them back. But Ying Weizhu dodged with agile reflexes, quickly scanning the papers. The smile on his lips grew deeper.

“Ah, so you weren’t blind after all.”

“No wonder he ignored you back then. He must think you were putting on an act to deceive him. How pitiful.” Ying Weizhu held the papers between his fingers and, with a casual flick of his wrist, scattered them into the air. They floated down, covering the floor.

Bo Xiting stared coldly at Ying Weizhu, a faint, uncontainable malice slowly rising in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” Jiang Xiao asked, confused.

“This guy somehow got a hold of your hospital diagnosis report.” Ying Weizhu said cheerfully. “There’s nothing on here about problems with your eyes. Jiang Xiao, isn’t this… interesting?”

“Impossible. I really can’t see…” Jiang Xiao started, then stopped abruptly.

Another possibility had just occurred to him.

Ying Weizhu had thought of it too.

“Regrettably, I’m afraid someone has tampered with you. Someone didn’t want you to see, or wanted you to be blind forever.” Ying Weizhu said. “Where did you go provoking such a vicious, ruthless person?”

Though he said “regrettably,” his tone held not a single trace of regret. He even seemed to rather approve of it.

There was no point being soft-hearted with Jiang Xiao. Do that, and you’d just end up abandoned.

Bo Xiting said flatly, “It seems now that this matter isn’t as simple as we thought.”

At that moment, Jiang Xiao finally understood completely. Why Bo Xiting had clearly seen him walking along the walls yet had shown no intention of helping him.

Perhaps Bo Xiting had meant to confirm this matter with him earlier, which is why he’d brought him back to the room. But Jiang Xiao had fallen asleep, and this paper had just happened to be spotted by Ying Weizhu.

“Who hates you this much, Jiang Xiao?”

Ying Weizhu feigned surprise, then added, “When you were in the hospital, I’m afraid only your dear childhood friend was by your side the entire time. If someone wanted to make a move on you, he had the best opportunity, didn’t he?”

Everyone else knew Wen Xu.

This man was different for Jiang Xiao.

He occupied Jiang Xiao’s memories from childhood to adolescence. At every stage of Jiang Xiao’s life, Wen Xu had been there.

Even when Jiang Xiao had a boyfriend, Wen Xu’s position remained unshakeable. Even during dates, if he got a call from Wen Xu, Jiang Xiao would stop the date and go meet Wen Xu instead.

Because of this, all of Jiang Xiao’s ex-boyfriends harbored varying degrees of animosity toward Wen Xu.

And at this moment, Wen Xu had become the target of all suspicion.

He didn’t have a so-called “alibi”. Similarly, he had never tried to defend himself. More importantly—

He just so happened to be a medical student.

The knife blow that had pierced Qin Guan’s heart was clean and precise. The killer clearly understood human anatomy or was skilled in dissection; otherwise, such precise knifework would have been impossible.

“Not necessarily.” Bo Xiting suddenly spoke. He glanced at Ying Weizhu, seeming to weigh something, but after saying that single sentence, he fell silent. Then he said, “Jiang Xiao is right. We should head back.”

“You can go,” Ying Weizhu said. “But he stays.”

Jiang Xiao: “…Didn’t I already beg you?”

“Besides that, I want you to promise me one thing.”

“Say it.” This guy is so twisted, Jiang Xiao thought. He has to beat around the bush and circle around just to make a request. Could he be trying to stall for time?

But… stalling for time?

A point he hadn’t considered before suddenly surfaced in Jiang Xiao’s mind.

What if… the killer isn’t just one person?

What if someone is acting as an accomplice?

Imagine this: If Ying Weizhu was the killer or an accomplice, and he knew Jiang Xiao was about to go look for clues, it would make perfect logical sense for him to delay, giving the killer more time to clean up the scene.

Jiang Xiao’s response had been casual, but Ying Weizhu furrowed his brow slightly.

What if I demand that you get back together with me…

But such words could never, ever come out of Ying Weizhu’s mouth.

Impossible in this lifetime.

“Tomorrow, your entire day belongs to me,” Ying Weizhu said.

Jiang Xiao hesitated. “Doing what?”

“Being my model.”

…At a time like this, how can your head be completely filled with painting?! Do you not feel the impending danger at all?!

Jiang Xiao was utterly exasperated with him and gave a perfunctory triple-nod. “Fine, okay, I agree.”

Having gotten his answer, Ying Weizhu was finally satisfied. He condescended to leave. “Let’s go.”

On the way, Jiang Xiao held onto Bo Xiting’s sleeve. Ying Weizhu wasn’t angered by this. He simply stared at Jiang Xiao with a meaningful look, a pleased curve on his lips. Even his flowing silver hair seemed to shimmer under the light.

The walk was much easier for Jiang Xiao this time.

Knowing now that Jiang Xiao’s blindness was real, Bo Xiting was far more patient than before. Jiang Xiao could feel he had deliberately slowed his pace, and his attitude was no longer so cold and rigid. He even warned Jiang Xiao of obstacles from time to time.

But…

Bo Xiting was definitely still hiding something from him.

“Do you think it could be Wen Xu?” Jiang Xiao asked.

“I don’t know him.” Bo Xiting’s voice was steady, rational, and utterly objective. He was completely unlike Ying Weizhu, who would seize any opportunity to stomp a love rival to death.

“Just chatting casually. What’s your intuition?” Jiang Xiao thought for a moment, then immediately added, “Never mind. You thought it was me at the very beginning. If you were a detective, you’d definitely be a bumbling one.”

“…”

A faint ripple ran through Bo Xiting’s voice. “You already have an answer in your heart. Why ask me then?”

“Just some speculations.” Jiang Xiao muttered. “Although he is indeed a suspect, he shouldn’t have a motive to kill Qin Guan, right?”

“What if Qin Guan wanted to kill you?” Bo Xiting calmly dropped a sentence that shocked Jiang Xiao to his core.

“…What?” Jiang Xiao said in disbelief. “How could Qin Guan want to kill me?”

This was the second time Bo Xiting had said something like this to him.

The first time was “Qin Guan planned the car accident.”

Since Bo Xiting dared to say this, it meant he must have concrete evidence.

But hadn’t Qin Guan died precisely because he’d uncovered the truth about the accident? He couldn’t possibly be out to kill himself, right?

Bo Xiting glanced at Ying Weizhu, who wasn’t far from them, and said expressionlessly, “That’s a question you should ask yourself.”

“Jiang Xiao, just how many people have you provoked? And what number am I?”

“Among all these people, besides Ying Weizhu and me, who else has been your ‘boyfriend’?”

Jiang Xiao: “Ying Weizhu and I aren’t…”

“You think you can fool me with those little tricks of yours?” Bo Xiting said coldly. “If he wasn’t your boyfriend, why didn’t you show any resistance when you heard him say he kissed you? Or is it that you just never refuse anyone? Anyone will do?”

Facing Bo Xiting’s words, saying “yes” was wrong, and saying “no” was also wrong.

Jiang Xiao was completely tongue-tied.

“If you really have that much nerve, daring to invite every single one of your ex-boyfriends here,” Bo Xiting said slowly, “I’m afraid I’d want to stab you too.”

Jiang Xiao said sincerely, “…How could that be possible? You’re overthinking it.”

No emotion could be detected in Bo Xiting’s tone, but that calmness was the most terrifying thing of all.

“I certainly hope so.”

The corridor in the deep night was pitch-black and profound, like a bottomless black hole. Someone had opened the window at the far end. A fierce, icy wind howled mournfully. Dozens of candles on the wall had been extinguished, leaving only a sparse few struggling to survive, their flames flickering weakly. They probably wouldn’t last much longer.

Outside, the long, barren branches of a tree swayed in the wind, dancing upon the deep walls reflecting a pale blue moonlight like frantic, ghostly apparitions.

The corridor was completely empty. No attendant, no guest. It was as if only the three of them existed within this vast building.

For a moment, this European-style hotel—elegant and beautiful by day—felt as empty and terrifying as a haunted house from a horror movie. Yet Bo Xiting and Ying Weizhu seemed utterly oblivious to the chilling atmosphere, calmly walking down the long corridor.

Beep—

The door opened, and the three of them entered. A cold stillness filled the room. As expected, Wen Xu was not there.

Wen Xu often left the room for various reasons. Even Jiang Xiao didn’t know where he went, and Wen Xu’s answers were always vague.

Where exactly did he go?

“Let’s split up. It’ll be faster,” Jiang Xiao said. “I’ll check the storage room first.”

The storage room was the primary death scene, and Jiang Xiao hadn’t been there yet.

Besides, there was one thing he needed to verify…

“If you take one more step, you’ll step on the corpse.” Ying Weizhu, making no move to search the room, sat on a high stool, one long leg bracing against the floor. He watched with amusement as Jiang Xiao stopped in his tracks, then slowly detoured around. “Little blind man, and you think you can find evidence like this.”