Chapter 34

No. Impossible.

Wen Xu had plummeted into the deep abyss right before everyone’s eyes. The attendant might have been mistaken, but Bo Xiting had been closest to Wen Xu. If Wen Xu hadn’t fallen, he would have definitely seen it.

“How do you know Bo Xiting secretly took photos of me?” Jiang Xiao showed no sign of being swayed by Jiang Mu. “You know I can’t see right now. Even if you spin the most elaborate tale, I won’t believe it. Unless…”

“You have Bo Xiting confront me face to face.”

After a long moment, Jiang Mu let out a soft laugh.

“You want to find Bo Xiting to help you leave this place? I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.”

“Aside from me, you won’t be seeing anyone else, not until we leave.”

Jiang Xiao was stunned. He hadn’t expected this man to be as deranged as Jiang Mu, both wanting to lock him up here.

But as for the matter of the photos, Jiang Xiao wasn’t skeptical.

According to what Bo Xiting had said before, “He got hold of something, used the thing I fear most to threaten me.” It was probably that Wen Xu had somehow learned Bo Xiting had secretly taken photos of him, perhaps even gotten the pictures. An argument ensued, and Wen Xu’s fall off the cliff was an accident.

But this man was also clever, knowing Jiang Xiao wanted to find someone to help him escape, and he refused without hesitation.

Tsk… really hard to deal with.

Jiang Mu: “I will tell them that the consecutive murders terrified you, so you begged me to leave here early. Although the small path at the mountain’s foot isn’t very safe, you insisted on doing it.”

“They will believe it eventually.”

“You have no right to do this!” Jiang Xiao’s voice was suppressed with anger, striving to show the attitude he should have towards ‘Jiang Mu’. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll go back and tell Dad? He’ll take back your company, and all the rights you currently enjoy!”

“I don’t care.” Jiang Mu smiled gently, then stood up. “Hungry? Today we have your favorite egg custard and curry rice.”

Jiang Xiao was stunned again.

This man didn’t seem to be Ying Weizhu.

Although Ying Weizhu held a ghost-like obsession and hatred towards him, given his arrogant personality, he would never remember what Jiang Xiao liked to eat. As for why they had dated, Jiang Xiao had some guesses now.

Perhaps it was precisely because he fit Ying Weizhu’s “aesthetic” so well that they became lovers. That was why, before they broke up, Ying Weizhu had even offered to paint a picture of him.

The ones who truly knew what Jiang Xiao liked to eat were Jiang Mu, Bo Xiting, and Wen Xu.

Jiang Xiao’s previous certainty that the other man was Ying Weizhu wavered slightly.

…Could it really be Jiang Mu?

Because the room could be forcibly entered by others, he had moved him to a completely unfamiliar room. This way, no one knew he was still in the hotel; they would all think he had left by car.

And when Jiang Mu lowered his voice, his speech speed seemed a bit similar to Wen Xu’s…

Both were calm, steady, yet carried a hint of gloomy, oppressive feeling, like the profound, dark sensation of a water ghost.

“Before you release me, I won’t eat anything.” Jiang Xiao said, word by word. “And I won’t leave this hotel. I’m going to find the murderer who killed Qin Guan.”

Jiang Mu sighed softly.

“You seem to have a pretty good relationship with Qin Guan. It makes me a little jealous.”

“Xiaoxiao, if I died, would you grieve for me?”

Jiang Xiao: “…Don’t say things like that.”

“Would you?”

Jiang Mu was very persistent.

“Of course I would. I’d grieve if any of you died.” Jiang Xiao said. “Besides, Qin Guan came here because of me. I bear some responsibility for his death.”

…A great deal of responsibility, one should say.

If Qin Guan hadn’t investigated the truth of the car accident, hadn’t told him, perhaps he wouldn’t have died.

As this thought flashed through his mind, Jiang Xiao felt a spark of inspiration. He suddenly understood why Qin Guan had been so determined to investigate the car accident to the very end.

Qin Guan had been in that car at the time. Naturally, he would also have been questioned as a suspect.

But was Qin Guan getting into that car really just a coincidence? Or was it that he was “bound” to get into that taxi, the one prepared to crash and kill Jiang Xiao?

And why did Qin Guan have to come all this way chasing after him? This was something Jiang Xiao had never been able to figure out.

“Although that statement was a lie to placate me, I’m still very happy.” Jiang Mu said gently, then picked up the spoon and brought it to Jiang Xiao’s lips.

“Eat a little. You’ve lost weight recently; you need to replenish your nutrition.”

Jiang Xiao turned his head away and said stiffly: “I’m not eating, unless you let me go.”

The spoon moved to Jiang Xiao’s lips once more.

“I said I’m not eating, and I mean it. I won’t eat even if I starve to death.” Jiang Xiao said, pushing Jiang Mu’s hand away and burrowing into the blankets while hugging a pillow.

With a clatter, the silver spoon fell to the floor, egg custard spilling everywhere.

Wasting food is shameful… Jiang Xiao thought silently.

The man didn’t speak, but the atmosphere was oppressive, like the calm before a storm. Jiang Xiao would actually prefer him to go crazy; it would be easier to find an opening then.

Footsteps retreated and then approached again.

The blanket was pulled off Jiang Xiao.

A meaningful gaze seemed to be scrutinizing Jiang Xiao.

“Really not going to eat?”

“How many times do I have to say it? Before you let me go, I absolutely won’t… Mmph!”

Jiang Xiao’s eyes flew wide open.

A scent tinged with agarwood suddenly drew near. Jiang Xiao’s lips and teeth were pried open, and then the fresh, savory, tender egg custard slid inexorably down his throat with this kiss. But the other party clearly had no intention of stopping, continuing to kiss him in silence but with intense motion.

Even though he had some experience with kissing, caught off guard, Jiang Xiao was once again swept along by the other’s pace. His hand pressed against the other’s chest. When he could finally gasp for a breath, he shoved hard.

“Jiang Mu, have you had enough?” Jiang Xiao fiercely wiped his mouth. “We’ve already broken up, there’s nothing between us anymore!”

The man pushed away by Jiang Xiao hadn’t spoken the whole time, only breathing shallowly. After a moment, he asked, his voice calm:

“Does breaking up mean I can’t do this?”

Jiang Xiao was dumbfounded. “…Of course!”

What kind of stupid question was that?

“You and Ying Weizhu also broke up. Why was he… able to leave a mark on you?”

Cold fingers touched the disheveled Jiang Xiao, landing near the collarbone on the side of his neck, right where a bite mark still hadn’t faded.

Jiang Xiao’s breath hitched.

How did he know…

About Ying Weizhu biting him?!

This was something even Bo Xiting, who had been just a wall away at the time, couldn’t possibly have known.

But Jiang Xiao couldn’t say, “He forced me.”

Too shameful to speak of.

Sensing Jiang Xiao’s breathing become disordered, Jiang Mu’s voice didn’t change in the slightest. He just coughed a few more times and dropped the subject.

“Can you eat properly now?”

His words strongly implied: “If you don’t agree, I’ll kiss you again.”

Now even refusing had become some kind of ambiguous invitation.

Jiang Xiao was completely outmatched by him.

Objectively speaking, the hotel chef’s skill was quite good. Even the simplest bowl of egg custard had a complex flavor, using simmered chicken broth as an accompaniment, without a trace of artificial flavoring. It melted in the mouth. The curry was authentic in taste, paired with a bowl of fragrant rice, perfectly suiting Jiang Xiao’s palate.

Jiang Xiao ate with his head down, ignoring Jiang Mu’s long, complex gaze fixed on him from the side. After finishing, Jiang Xiao said:

“I still want dessert.”

Jiang Mu was a little surprised. “Good appetite. What do you want to eat?”

Jiang Xiao ignored him and said: “Go call the attendant. I want to speak with him alone.”

Jiang Mu smiled slightly. “Want him to find someone to rescue you?”

He leaned in close and whispered into Jiang Xiao’s ear:

“If you try to ask him for help, I’ll kill him.”

His breath was also cold. In such a warm room, it felt like a sudden, chilling gust of ghostly wind from the netherworld, seeming to lower the ambient temperature by several degrees.

“Why are you just like Ying Weizhu, always talking about killing and fighting at the drop of a hat?” Jiang Xiao’s expression remained unchanged. “Don’t worry, I won’t drag others down… nor will I let anyone else die for me.”

Jiang Mu actually did go fetch the attendant and temporarily left the room, giving Jiang Xiao privacy.

The attendant had rested in the morning and seemed much more spirited in the afternoon. “Guest, our hotel has many kinds of desserts. Would you prefer sweet or savory?”

“Read them all out to me.” Jiang Xiao said. As the attendant fluently recited the menu, Jiang Xiao pondered some things and finally ordered two items. As the attendant was about to leave, Jiang Xiao asked, “I heard a film crew once shot scenes here at your hotel?”

The attendant: “Oh yes, that’s right! That show was really popular. I was following it daily back then, truly thrilling.”

“So you recognize Qin Guan?” Jiang Xiao asked again.

“Qin Guan is…?”

Jiang Xiao: “He’s the male lead of ‘Murder Game’.”

The attendant had a sudden realization. “Ah, no wonder he looked familiar. It was him! Ah, how did he just die like that? Looks like the sequel will need a new male lead.”

Jiang Xiao: “…Where did they film back then? It couldn’t have been in our guest rooms, could it?”

“Well, no. After all, it was a horror film. How could they use guest rooms?” The attendant said seriously. “They used rooms on the fifth floor. Because I heard there were plans to film a sequel later, they didn’t take the stuff away and even kept a separate props room.”

A new clue had appeared.

Jiang Xiao thought for a few seconds. “The props room, is it also on the fifth floor?”

“Yes.” The attendant said. “The fifth floor is management. Guests don’t go up there.”

“What’s… inside the props room?” Jiang Xiao asked again.

“Just the things they used for filming, costumes, and some props.”

Jiang Xiao said slowly: “In other words, the prop knife used by the male lead for the murder scenes, is it also in there?”

“Mhm, seems like it.” The attendant thought, uncertain. “To pursue authenticity, they didn’t use a fake knife but a real one. But, that stuff is all in the props room now, locked up. No one goes to get it. Even if someone wanted to, they couldn’t.”

Jiang Xiao: “Then who has the key to the props room?”

“Apart from their director, there’s Mr. Butler.” The attendant said, beginning to feel something was off. “Why are you so focused on that knife? Does it have something to do with the murder downstairs?”

“I was just curious, because that show was really brilliant. No wonder I couldn’t see the flaws; the props were all real.” Jiang Xiao smiled. “Besides, hasn’t the knife used for the killing already been confirmed? I imagine it wasn’t that prop knife.”

“True enough.” The attendant relaxed, echoing the sentiment. “Since you have no other requests, I’ll go to the kitchen and hurry your order along.”

“Wait a moment.” Jiang Xiao said. “I have one last question.”

“Please, go ahead.”

Jiang Xiao: “Is this a room on the third floor?”

“No, it’s not.” The attendant shook his head, puzzled. “…This is 415, which is Mr. Jiang Mu’s room.”

“I understand.” Jiang Xiao gave him a smile. “Thank you.”

He now completely understood everything: the matter of the knife found in the corner, and the reason Qin Guan had traveled such a long distance here.

And he also knew one more thing:

This attendant was suspicious.