Chapter 69

He Chen’s style of dress was the same as always: a loose sweater and casual pants. As Jiang Xiao approached, he saw He Chen looking completely relaxed, just smiling at him.

Maybe it was his imagination, but Jiang Xiao felt the smile concealed a deeper meaning. Was it indifference? Or certainty that Jiang Xiao wouldn’t find anything suspicious?

Jiang Xiao began to search He Chen seriously. He Chen carried a faint scent of roses, a barely perceptible trace of blood, and another odor so faint it lingered like a ghost.

However, Jiang Xiao couldn’t identify what that smell was. It was a bit like the pungent scent of pepper.

Jiang Xiao looked up, about to ask about the source of the smell. But at that moment, He Chen lowered his head, seemingly wanting to say something. Their noses nearly brushed. He Chen immediately stepped back, saying, “Sorry.”

He looked almost flustered.

Jiang Xiao felt puzzled. He Chen seemed to realize something, pursed his lips, and explained, “I’m not very used to being so close to others. I didn’t mean anything else by it.”

He Chen was truly very polite. Jiang Xiao didn’t dwell on it, asking instead, “Did you handle any pepper powder today?”

“Pepper powder?” He Chen looked surprised, then shook his head. “No—”

“Why do you ask?”

“You have a kind of… Achoo!” Jiang Xiao turned his face away and indeed sneezed several times. Rubbing his nose, he said, vexed, “The smell of pepper. It’s a bit irritating.”

He Chen thought for a moment, then said, “There’s a newly cultivated plant species at the Botanical Garden called ‘Hu Chi Leaf’. After it blooms, its seeds give off a scent similar to pepper.” Saying this, he took a plastic sealed bag of seeds from his pocket. “I asked Ji Yanli to buy some. Is this the smell you mean?”

“Hu… what?” Jiang Xiao was baffled again, thinking, is this plant supposed to exist in this world? He’d never heard of it.

“It’s a variety scientists only recently discovered. Many people don’t know about it.” He Chen smiled again and added, “It’s said to be a plant that can be used in medicine.”

“I see…”

Jiang Xiao continued the search. This time, He Chen didn’t move around, obediently letting him search his entire body: a little cuttlefish souvenir, a USB drive, and a wallet. The wallet only contained some money; there was nothing else.

No suspicious items.

“Can I take a look at the USB drive later?” Jiang Xiao asked.

He Chen said, “Of course.”

Jiang Xiao held the little cuttlefish charm, thought for a moment, then returned the item to He Chen, keeping only the USB drive.

Next, he walked up to Lu Moxing. “CEO Lu, hand over your items.”

Lu Moxing had his arms crossed, watching Jiang Xiao with an amused look. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow slightly. “You’re not going to search me?”

“Better not,” Jiang Xiao said earnestly. “After all, if I did that, I’d be suspected of trying to seduce you. To avoid misunderstandings, please do it yourself.”

Lu Moxing: “…”

“I’m granting you permission to search now.” Lu Moxing narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Jiang Xiao with a hint of danger.

“Still, no. How could I touch the noble CEO Lu?” Jiang Xiao said. “Please hurry up, we’re almost out of time.”

Before he finished speaking, Lu Moxing had already grabbed his wrist, pulling him in his direction. He then pressed Jiang Xiao’s hand against his own chest and said impatiently, “If you know we’re short on time, search quickly, so you don’t suspect me later.”

Jiang Xiao didn’t think for a second that Lu Moxing was afraid of being suspected. He gave him a skeptical look. “I’m starting then?”

Lu Moxing: “Do I need to say, ‘Please begin’?”

Jiang Xiao replied with impeccable politeness: “That would be ideal.”

Lu Moxing: “…”

Jiang Xiao had finally found the trick to dealing with Lu Moxing. If Lu Moxing was sarcastic, he just had to be even more sarcastic.

In the end, the one dying of anger wouldn’t be him.

Lu Moxing was dressed in a single black shirt and black pants. Like an assassin in the dark of night, no one would notice him if he stood in a corner. A thought suddenly struck Jiang Xiao:

If it was a pitch-black night, even if someone moved around the cabin setting something up, the audience wouldn’t be able to see. One would only need to wear all black…

Thinking about it, Lu Moxing had said he wanted to sleep in the living room but changed his mind and slept with him instead. Why? Could it be because he did something at night and needed to room with Jiang Xiao for an alibi?

But he wasn’t sure exactly when Lu Moxing had entered the room…

“How much longer are you going to keep pressing?”

Lu Moxing’s sinister voice rang in his ear, accompanied by a sneer. “And you said you didn’t want to. Looks to me like you’re practically drooling.”

Jiang Xiao had been so lost in thought, his hand had been resting on Lu Moxing’s chest the whole time. Hearing this, Jiang Xiao immediately withdrew his hand and countered, “Not much to write home about, really. Not as well-built as He Chen.”

Lu Moxing’s sharp gaze shot towards He Chen, clearly wanting to have a chest-measuring contest.

He Chen: “…Six minutes left.”

“You say I’m not as good as him? You’ve touched him before?” Lu Moxing gnashed his teeth. “Do you even understand anything, huh?”

Saying this, he forcibly pressed Jiang Xiao’s hand back onto his chest, saying word for word, “Feel it properly. Who’s better, me or him?”

Jiang Xiao hadn’t expected Lu Moxing’s male competitive spirit to be so fierce, even disputing pectoral muscles. Completely speechless, he could only say, “Yours are bigger, yours are bigger. Happy?”

“Perfunctory.” Lu Moxing said coldly. “I’ll let you know later whose are really better.”

Jiang Xiao facepalmed, no longer wanting to debate who had bigger pecs. He refocused on the search. In the end—

Lu Moxing had nothing on him except a Great White Shark souvenir.

Jiang Xiao had searched for nothing.

Feeling a vein start to pulse in his temple, Jiang Xiao said, “CEO Lu, couldn’t you have said beforehand that you weren’t carrying anything?”

Lu Moxing glanced at him. “If I had told you, would you have believed it?”

No. Not only would Jiang Xiao not have believed it, he would have insisted on checking for himself to be sure.

Jiang Xiao looked at Ji Yanli, who said, “Go ahead.”

That tone was like someone saying ‘Bottoms up’ at a drink: ‘Suit yourself, I’ve done my part.’

Ji Yanli was still wearing a beige shirt and trousers. On him, he only carried the ‘Rose Funeral’ bottle and a cell phone.

Feigning casualness, Jiang Xiao asked, “Doctor Ji, where’s your souvenir? You’re not carrying it?”

Hearing this, Ji Yanli frowned slightly. “I was carrying it. How is it gone?”

He searched for a bit. “Maybe it fell somewhere.”

“Where did it fall?” Jiang Xiao asked again.

Ji Yanli pondered for a moment. “Probably in the media room or my room. I’ll go back and look for it now.”

“No need to look.” Jiang Xiao said slowly. “Ji Yanli, are you really not hiding anything from us?”

“Finally, you’ve stopped calling me Doctor Ji.” Ji Yanli looked at Jiang Xiao. After a pause, a refined, cultured smile appeared on his lips. He asked in return:

“I imagine that jellyfish is in your hand right now, isn’t it?”

Jiang Xiao met Ji Yanli’s gaze without flinching. “Aren’t you curious where I found it?”

“It was under the cabinet with the dart case. You walked over there once. Obviously, you saw the case and the darts inside.”

“But earlier, you didn’t mention that at all.”

This unexpected revelation made everyone except He Chen turn their eyes to Ji Yanli.

“So that’s where it fell.” Ji Yanli showed no panic at being caught. “No wonder you were looking at me strangely earlier.”

“I did indeed… hmm, see that case in the media room. But I didn’t pick it up. I just thought it was something one of you left behind and forgot to take. After a few glances, I left.”

Ji Yanli continued slowly, “As for why I didn’t say anything, the reason is simple. I didn’t do anything. Speaking up would only complicate things and add suspicion.”

“But it seems my suspicion has increased now?”

“You’re lying!” Si Mingyu shouted angrily. “If you found that dart, why didn’t you say so? Unless you’re the murderer!”

“I imagine the murderer wouldn’t be like me, dropping such an obvious item right under the murder weapon.” Ji Yanli said. “To be honest, I’m not sure how it ended up down there either. Because at the time… hmm, I did put it in my pocket. Maybe it accidentally slipped out.”

“Can’t you come up with a better excuse?” Lu Moxing said casually. “Like, it was stolen by the murderer to frame you. That line of yours sounded like something you made up on the spot. It might fool Jiang Xiao, I suppose.”

Jiang Xiao: “I wasn’t fooled, okay?”

“Your eyes looked like you were about to believe it,” Lu Moxing said. “You still have a little angel living in your heart.”

Jiang Xiao: “…”

No one could beat Lu Moxing at sarcasm.

“The poison is yours. You brewed the coffee. The dart is connected to you.” Si Mingyu said. “Isn’t all this enough? You must have killed Si Lin!”

Ji Yanli said helplessly, “If you really think so, I can’t do anything about it.”

“We can’t confirm the dart is connected to him yet.” Jiang Xiao said to Si Mingyu. “Calm down. I know you’re also grieving Si Lin’s death, but right now… I need to check your belongings.”

“If we’re talking about it, the one who often plays with darts is you. If you sneaked one away while no one was paying attention, no one would know either.” As Jiang Xiao searched Si Mingyu, Ji Yanli said out of the blue, “You’re also a suspect, little brother.”

“Who’s your brother!” Si Mingyu said angrily. “The darts were still there this morning. They only disappeared in the afternoon. You probably stole it.”

“Wait.” Jiang Xiao said. “What time were the darts still there?”

“Around two or three, I guess.” Si Mingyu thought for a moment. “I took a nap around then. I came downstairs after four and realized one dart was missing.”

Four in the afternoon.

This was a very delicate time point, because Ji Yanli and Lu Moxing also returned around that time. Looking at it this way, these people all had the opportunity to steal the dart.

If the murderer stole the dart during this period, then someone must be lying about entering the media room!

“Did you guys go straight into the living room after you came back?” Jiang Xiao asked again.

“No. When we got back, no one was in the living room. We went back to the bedroom to change clothes. CEO Lu came out a bit later. I don’t know what he was doing.” Ji Yanli said.

Jiang Xiao looked at Lu Moxing.

Lu Moxing said coldly, “Showering. There were too many people at the Botanical Garden.”

Jiang Xiao then looked at He Chen. “Where were you during this time?”

He Chen thought for a moment. “I was in the study, looking for a book.”

In other words, before Lu Moxing came out, no one could prove that Ji Yanli hadn’t entered the media room.

However, checking this would be very easy.

Jiang Xiao pondered, speeding up his search. From Si Mingyu, he pulled out a clownfish souvenir, a few pieces of candy, a cell phone, wired earphones, tissues, a pen…

It was practically more stuff than the others combined. Jiang Xiao inspected it all but found nothing unusual. By then, time was up.

Ji Yanli was the prime suspect. If Jiang Xiao could find proof that he had entered the media room during the afternoon, it would mean he was the murderer.

But… would it really be that easy?

The three entered the media room. Unexpectedly, Si Lin’s body was gone. The media room looked brand new; the bloodstains on the floor had vanished. But Jiang Xiao was certain no one had entered this room during that time.

What was going on?

Jiang Xiao still chose the original seat, the spot Si Lin had sat in.

Lu Moxing said, “Aren’t you scared?”

Jiang Xiao: “If you’ve got the guts, kill me. Who’s afraid of who?”

Lu Moxing made a ‘tsk’ sound, then suddenly frowned. “You’re not thinking of a lover’s suicide, are you?”

Jiang Xiao raged, “Are you insane?!”

However, after this banter with Lu Moxing, a heavy weight pressing on Jiang Xiao’s heart quietly dissipated.

Just as the two were arguing, the large screen suddenly lit up, and the broadcast sounded:

[Please select your date gifts]

The necklace Jiang Xiao wore reflected a faint glow under the blue light of the screen. Three items appeared before him, in blue, black, and red respectively.

Jiang Xiao was looking when he suddenly heard an extremely faint “click”, like a switch being activated. But the sound was hidden under the loud broadcast, making it seem almost like an illusion.

Jiang Xiao listened again, but he couldn’t hear any sound at all.