There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, only traps laced with sweet poison—
Jiang Xiao politely declined and continued eating breakfast.
Ying Weizhu realized the bait was clearly insufficient to hook Jiang Xiao. The slight smile on his lips gradually faded, and he looked away with a bored expression.
It wasn’t until Jiang Xiao was full that Ying Weizhu stood up and said flatly, “Let’s go.”
Ying Weizhu was truly going to paint. Jiang Xiao felt a complex mix of emotions. Just what kind of psychological fortitude did one need to calmly focus on work right after witnessing a murder?
…But then again, these few people were all quite composed. None of them seemed afraid because of Qin Guan’s death. Was it because they didn’t care, or did they know this would happen all along?
Ying Weizhu was already at the door. When he turned around, Jiang Xiao was several meters away, cautiously feeling his way along the wall, walking slowly.
“Slow.”
Ying Weizhu strode back to Jiang Xiao’s side in a few steps, grabbed his hand, his tone displeased: “Are you doing this on purpose?”
Jiang Xiao blinked. Ying Weizhu led him, mocking, “Seems like Wen Xu doesn’t care much about you either, not even in the room all day.”
“He’s busy.” Jiang Xiao mumbled vaguely.
Ying Weizhu let out an ambiguous, cold laugh: “You’ll soon find out exactly what he’s so busy with.”
Ying Weizhu clearly knew some inside information but refused to tell him, seemingly waiting for him to ask on purpose.
If he kept holding back, Ying Weizhu might get angry again.
Once angry, he would become even more perverse.
Then his mortality rate would rise again.
“What price do I have to pay?” Jiang Xiao decided to grant Ying Weizhu’s wish.
If it was just being bitten again, he could accept that.
Ying Weizhu glanced at Jiang Xiao’s pale face and said sinisterly, “I want your life. Dare you give it?”
Jiang Xiao: “……”
The familiar scent of roses still clung to Ying Weizhu, striking and prickly, perfectly matching his flamboyant personality.
Jiang Xiao suddenly spoke: “I know that knife is yours, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you killed him. Someone could be trying to frame you. Who do you think it is?”
“Does it matter who?” Ying Weizhu’s reply was cold. “Even you can see it’s a frame-up. Even if I admit the knife is mine, no one would really believe I did it.”
“What if it was you?” Jiang Xiao pressed. “What if you’re very smart and thought of this trick—deliberately using your own knife to kill someone, creating the illusion that you were being framed?”
“If it were me, I would have killed him before the blackout. Why sneak around?” Ying Weizhu stopped walking. He pinched Jiang Xiao’s cheek without any gentleness, with considerable force. “Besides, I was kissing you at that time. Jiang Xiao, do you have amnesia?”
He put heavy emphasis on the word “kissing,” with a somewhat gritted-teeth tone.
The way all three of them mentioned this matter with such seriousness left Jiang Xiao unable to detect any flaws in their stories.
His face must have been pinched red. An involuntary heat rose in his eyes, and in Ying Weizhu’s gaze, a crystalline, shattered glimmer suddenly surfaced in Jiang Xiao’s long-silent, pitch-black pupils, the corners of his eyes also turning red.
Startlingly beautiful.
Ying Weizhu stared fixedly at his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing unconsciously.
“But Bo Xiting said he was the one who kissed me that night.” Jiang Xiao, unaware of Ying Weizhu’s abnormal reaction, continued, “One of you must be lying. Ying Weizhu, do you have proof?”
“Proof?” Ying Weizhu laughed, but his voice was hoarse. “Then I’ll just kiss you again, just like I did that night.”
Jiang Xiao suddenly sensed danger: “That’s really not necess—”
Ying Weizhu had already pinned him against the wall. In his dark golden pupils burned a spark of excitement. Jiang Xiao could even feel the scorching intensity of his gaze, like the viscous venom of a snake coating his face, exuding a cold, dangerous aura.
This single tear seemed to be a signal.
And Jiang Xiao still didn’t know what exactly Ying Weizhu found so exciting.
Ying Weizhu was different from Bo Xiting. Jiang Xiao dared to tease Bo Xiting recklessly because he knew Bo Xiting would never actually do anything to him. Bo Xiting had a very restrained and cold personality.
But Ying Weizhu was a completely different type—a completely uncontrollable mad dog who bit you when he hated you and bit you when he loved you.
And now, the mad dog was out of its cage.
Cold strands of hair brushed against Jiang Xiao’s cheek. Jiang Xiao tried hard to turn his face away, but a pair of hands gripped his chin and forced it back.
“I can tell you another clue…” Ying Weizhu chuckled softly, sending an even colder sentence into Jiang Xiao’s ear.
“The mastermind who planned the car accident that left you lying in the hospital for months is the very person you thought was so caring and considerate towards you…”
“Wen Xu.”
Then, an even hotter warmth landed on Jiang Xiao’s eyelid. He instinctively closed his eyes. Uncontrollable tears fell, only to be greedily lapped up by a tongue.
Then the kiss moved downwards again, licking his reddened eye corner, the bridge of his nose, leaving that patch of skin damp.
“Cry, baby.” Ying Weizhu panted lowly, his tone full of infatuation, yet the words he spoke sent violent tremors through one’s heart. “I really love watching you cry…”
He truly wanted to preserve this image of you forever.
The elegant, silver-haired man was like a spirit that fed on tears, thirsting for more sweet liquid from his host, thus employing more and more wicked methods.
The thin skin was licked over and over, as if hoping to squeeze out more fluid. The scent of roses seeped into Jiang Xiao’s mouth and nose, almost suffocating him, making him unable to speak.
Flashes of large, shattered black-and-white fragments crossed his vision.
He was about to drown in that suffocating garden of roses.
This incredibly ambiguous, erotic kiss was just about to land on the corner of Jiang Xiao’s lips.
“Ah—!”
A terrified scream, like a bullet shattering glass, suddenly pierced through their eardrums.
The sound was so horrifying it jolted Jiang Xiao awake in an instant. He shoved the man in front of him hard. Ying Weizhu was forced to stop, his voice filled with the mournful resentment of unfulfilled desire.
“What is it?”
Jiang Xiao seriously wondered if he was deaf. That scream had made his ears ache; how could Ying Weizhu ask “What is it”?!
“There’s a commotion.” Jiang Xiao spoke weakly, stars still floating before his eyes. He calmed his breathing for a moment before saying, “Let’s go check.”
“What’s there to see.” Ying Weizhu showed no interest in joining the excitement. “I gave you a clue. Now you can’t go anywhere.”
“We’ll have time later.” Jiang Xiao gave a casual, perfunctory reply. This guy was practically a sticky ball; once he attached, it was hard to shake him off.
But he had already figured out how to ditch Ying Weizhu later.
Hearing this, Ying Weizhu finally stopped forcing Jiang Xiao to finish what they had started. He even kindly pulled out a silk handkerchief, lifted Jiang Xiao’s chin, and wiped his face for him.
Halfway there, Jiang Xiao sobered up a bit. His mind automatically replayed the previous conversation.
The mastermind behind the car accident… was Wen Xu?!
Was Ying Weizhu’s claim credible?
No. Besides, the answer was so bizarre that Jiang Xiao originally would never have believed it.
But why would Ying Weizhu lie to him?
Moreover, a cold voice in the bottom of his heart said: If it was Wen Xu, wouldn’t everything make sense?
The car accident was planned by Wen Xu. Qin Guan happened to learn the truth about the accident last night. Everyone knew Qin Guan and Jiang Xiao would be alone together. The only window of opportunity to strike was the three minutes during the blackout.
Add to that, Wen Xu could never provide an alibi; his answer couldn’t be verified. He was a medical student, skilled with a knife. Although Jiang Xiao never saw him answer calls, he frequently went out. Perhaps he learned of Qin Guan’s investigation into him during those times.
And this morning, Wen Xu had also appeared in the room. He had the opportunity to take the knife.
But… why would he do this?
Weren’t they supposed to be lovers?
For a moment, Jiang Xiao recalled Wen Xu this morning, still smiling and chatting with him, pretending nothing had happened. A chill rose from the bottom of his heart.
It seemed everything had been resolved.
Whether the side quest or the main mission, Jiang Xiao clearly seemed to have his answers.
But… would things really end so smoothly?
The source of the scream was an attendant pushing a dining cart. He seemed to be delivering food to guests in other rooms. Now, the plates were scattered all over the floor, soup and food in a messy puddle.
“What happened?” Ying Weizhu frowned slightly but didn’t approach, clearly disdainful of the dirty floor.
“How could this happen… so terrifying…” The attendant was pale as death, his whole body trembling. He had clearly suffered a considerable shock. He pointed at the man standing on the flower terrace. “I saw him… push another person off!”
The man standing on the flower terrace turned around. His face was cold and stern, his dark eyes showing no fluctuation of emotion. Only when he saw Jiang Xiao did a flicker of something strange pass through his eyes.
Someone else died?
Jiang Xiao felt the situation was getting worse. However, the atmosphere at the scene seemed a bit strange. Even Ying Weizhu hadn’t spoken, which made Jiang Xiao’s feeling of unease even stronger.
“Who died? And who pushed him off?”
Attendant: “……b… bo…”
“Bo Xiting,” Ying Weizhu raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly teasing, carrying a hint of watching a good show. He glanced at Jiang Xiao and drawled, “Who did you push off?”
Bo Xiting showed none of the panic one might expect after being caught in the act. He said coldly, “He fell off himself.”
“No! You two were arguing. I saw you physically fight. You pushed him off! I saw it clearly!” The attendant’s voice was sharp, his final note almost cracking. He pointed at Bo Xiting, stammering incoherently, “The murderer… you’re the murderer!”
The attendant’s voice clearly disturbed many guests. Others started coming out of their rooms. A clamor gradually arose. Then the butler arrived hurriedly and persuaded those guests back inside.
“What happened?” Someone came downstairs, unhurriedly fastening his cufflinks. He seemed to have come out only after hearing the noise. He had a pair of deep green eyes, exactly like Bo Xiting’s.
His identity was immediately obvious.
“Now it seems, the identity of the person who fell is quite clear.” Ying Weizhu raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing at the still-confused Jiang Xiao. His voice carried an exaggerated, deliberate tone of pity. He sighed softly, as if mourning for the deceased.
“What to do? Your most trusted Wen Xu was pushed off by Bo Xiting.”
“That’s a cliff outside! It’s absolutely impossible to survive a fall from there.”
Although he spoke these words, his voice faintly held a malicious delight and barely contained joy.
“You need to find a new backer, Jiang Xiao.”
