Chapter 9

After Jiang Xiao left, Ying Weizhu took a phone call. The signal wasn’t good, and the voice kept cutting in and out, so he simply went out to the balcony to talk.

Bo Xiting was in the cocktail room. Only Wen Xu remained, methodically hanging up his damp coat before turning and heading towards the storage room.

The storage room was filled with the fresh scent of moisture, as if someone had recently washed something.

Per his request, this cabin had been meticulously cleaned before their arrival. Every corner was spotless, and the floor was covered entirely with expensive carpet.

Wen Xu scanned the area but found nothing unusual. Jiang Xiao’s sweater was hanging on a clothes rack. Jiang Xiao had already been wearing a fresh sweater when Wen Xu arrived.

The sweater had been washed, wrung out, and was hanging smooth and flat, emitting a faint, fresh fragrance.

It had been washed quite cleanly.

A flicker of surprise showed in Wen Xu’s eyes.

The Jiang Family, having only this one son, had spoiled Jiang Xiao since childhood. Any request he made was granted. Even when he didn’t want to study financial management in university and wanted to pursue photography instead, they agreed.

Naturally, they wouldn’t have let Jiang Xiao wash his own clothes. During university, when Wen Xu visited him every week, he always had to clean Jiang Xiao’s laundry. Jiang Xiao even refused dry cleaning, insisting that hand-washing was the only way to get things truly clean.

But sometimes, Jiang Xiao’s conscience would suddenly awaken. He would mumble, “Actually, dry cleaning is fine too… Do you get tired of always washing my clothes?”

Wen Xu would just smile and say, “Then you can treat me to lunch.”

Sometimes Jiang Xiao remembered, sometimes he didn’t. Wen Xu would arrive at the classroom door to pick him up, only to be told that Jiang Xiao had already gone to lunch with someone else.

So… who had washed this garment?

Wen Xu opened the suitcase. The originally neatly folded clothes were now slightly disheveled, some corners flipped up. Jiang Xiao had pulled out a sweater and had haphazardly folded the remaining items a couple of times before shoving them back into the suitcase.

What had happened just now?

Patiently, Wen Xu refolded the clothes, stacking them neatly one by one. Just as he was closing the suitcase, his movements suddenly halted.

He bent down and lightly swept his fingers over the dense wool pile of the carpet, his expression thoughtful.

—

Downstairs, Jiang Xiao was sitting on the reception sofa in the lobby, his chin resting on one hand, listening to the butler recite the menu.

It was winter, and up in the mountains, the sun was already about to set. Only the residual glow of twilight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting a few faint specks of light onto Jiang Xiao’s profile.

In that moment, Qin Guan suddenly understood the meaning of photography.

Beautiful things are always fleeting. If you want to preserve them, you can only rely on cold, lifeless photographs.

“What were you talking about with those two? You were so secretive.” Qin Guan sat down next to Jiang Xiao and draped the jacket over his shoulders. Without those men from upstairs, even the air felt refreshing.

“We discussed some personal matters.” Jiang Xiao tugged at the jacket slightly, clearly not intending to elaborate.

Butler: “West Lake Vinegar Fish, Sticky Rice Lotus Root, Steamed Pork with Rice Flour…”

Jiang Xiao: “Add those. Oh, and please, later on, go upstairs and collect any clothes that need washing.”

Jiang Xiao’s cuffs had also been damp, probably stained with blood. With nowhere to put the sweater, he’d had to toss it in the laundry basket. It was best to have it cleaned as soon as possible to avoid future complications.

The butler acknowledged the request, then bowed and turned to leave.

“Are you planning to stay here for a few days?” Qin Guan asked, striving for a casual tone.

“What about it?”

“I’m free lately. I’m planning to stay for a few days too.”

“Then go to the front desk and get yourself a room.” Though Jiang Xiao said this, he thought to himself, None of you will be able to leave soon anyway.

He should start thinking about how to arrange their rooms.

Ideally, place them close by, so he’d immediately know if there was any commotion… But what if they came to kill him? That would be paving the way for them.

“And you? Staying with Wen Xu?” Qin Guan sounded displeased. “Do you realize that guy looks at you the wrong way? Sharing a room with him, you should be careful he doesn’t… you know.”

Jiang Xiao paused. If he told Qin Guan right now that he and Wen Xu were lovers, would the guy just “woof” out loud in despair?

Very likely.

“Not everyone is gay,” Jiang Xiao quipped. “And, are you worried about me?”

“You’re my roommate; it’s my duty to care about you.” Qin Guan said uncomfortably.

“Never heard of that. Maybe I should give you a ‘Best Roommate Award’.”

Qin Guan was practically bristling with frustration.

“Alright, no more joking.” Jiang Xiao dropped the teasing tone. He leaned slightly closer to Qin Guan to ensure their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. He asked in a low voice, “You said earlier that you’d found out the truth about my car accident. Is that true?”

“It’s practically conclusive, but I haven’t traced the real mastermind yet. I’ll have a conclusion tonight.” Qin Guan also lowered his voice. It lost its usual roguish drawl and sounded considerably more mature.

Tonight…

Jiang Xiao’s fingers tapped unconsciously on his knee. “I’ll come find you.”

Qin Guan countered, “I’ll come find you.”

Jiang Xiao shook his head. “…Let’s meet in the lobby.”

The lobby had staff on duty all night and was a public space; it should be safe.

“Why did you investigate the accident?” Jiang Xiao asked again, deeply puzzled. Why would a homophobe like Qin Guan take such an unusual interest in a traffic accident?

It didn’t make sense.

Qin Guan seemed to hesitate, considering whether or not to speak. But finally, he only said, “I’ll tell you the result in the end either way. Just don’t trust Wen Xu too much. Back when you were in the hospital, he blocked all news and wouldn’t let anyone visit. He even moved all your stuff out of the dorm, saying you wouldn’t be living there anymore.”

“Guys like him act all nice on the surface, but they might stab you in the back. Very dangerous!”

Jiang Xiao hadn’t expected such an assessment of Wen Xu from Qin Guan. His expression turned a bit odd. “And what’s your take on the other two?”

Qin Guan didn’t hold back in the slightest.

“Bo Xiting, a sanctimonious hypocrite. On the surface, he’s all aloof and restrained, but behind the scenes, he’s a fawning, boot-licking… pretty boy!”

“Ying Weizhu isn’t any good either. Dresses up flamboyantly like a male peacock. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was the main character. A man who loves stealing the spotlight like that must have low morals!”

Jiang Xiao: “…”

His heart, which had risen in anticipation, slowly sank back down.

He’d originally hoped to get some hidden clues from Qin Guan. Unexpectedly, Qin Guan viewed everyone through this bizarre “evil person” filter. His opinions were unreliable and couldn’t be used as a standard for judgment.

“What about me?”

Jiang Xiao asked with a smile.

He was rather curious—what image did he have in Qin Guan’s eyes?

Though, come to think of it, he could already guess. Probably some kind of playboy who toyed with people’s feelings.

“You…?” Qin Guan hesitated for a few seconds, looking him up and down. His tone turned serious. “If you came to the film academy, you could be the campus belle.”

Jiang Xiao choked. “Oh, get lost!”

Qin Guan burst out laughing; clearly, he’d been teasing Jiang Xiao.

Perhaps due to his young age, Jiang Xiao’s facial contours still held a soft, youthful quality. On closer inspection, there was an inexplicable, indescribable beauty about him.

Even his laugh had a clear, boyish energy.

He didn’t have Qin Guan’s sharply defined handsomeness, nor Bo Xiting’s piercing, silent coldness, nor Ying Weizhu’s unapproachably dazzling looks. Even Wen Xu, the most amiable of the bunch, always had a perceptible coolness and distance in his smile.

No one could help but like Jiang Xiao.

The two sat in the lobby for a while, but it wasn’t as warm as inside. They eventually returned to the room.

“Wen Xu?” Jiang Xiao called out.

“He’s not here,” Qin Guan said.

Bo Xiting was still drinking; he’d already downed more than half the bottle.

Ying Weizhu maintained his aristocratic, elegant posture, the kind that made Qin Guan grind his teeth. He seemed to have finally realized his attire was out of place. Besides, no matter how well he dressed, it was just casting flirtatious glances at a blind man. So he’d changed into a shirt.

“If we wait any longer, it’ll be dark.”

“No need to wait,” Jiang Xiao said. “The other person has something and can’t make it. We can have them serve the food.”

“A birthday banquet for five people. I’ve never attended one before,” Ying Weizhu remarked. “Not even any fireworks. That’s rather stingy.”

This was also the most superficially harmonious yet internally fractured birthday banquet Jiang Xiao had ever attended. In terms of its nature, perhaps describing it as a funeral would be more fitting.

Everyone had their own hidden agendas; few faces showed genuine smiles.

Wen Xu came upstairs together with the butler, offering no explanation for his whereabouts. A stream of people followed, carrying exquisitely prepared dishes into the dining room. The room immediately filled with tantalizing aromas.

Jiang Xiao was hungry too; he hadn’t eaten much all morning. But before starting, he cautiously asked the System a question.

“There’s no poison in it, right?”

System: “You could test it with a silver needle.”

Jiang Xiao: “No way, it’s actually poisoned? Logically, that shouldn’t be possible…”

System: “Just eat your food.”

Jiang Xiao thought about it. It made sense. It was such a public setting, and the dishes were prepared in the kitchen and brought directly up. There was no window for poisoning during that process.

And if it were poisoned, it wouldn’t just poison one person; everyone at the table would be down.

Jiang Xiao felt the tableware; it was still in its sealed packaging.

Reassured.

Jiang Xiao sat with Wen Xu on his left, and on his right…

Bo Xiting.

Jiang Xiao smelled the pungent scent of strong alcohol and sneezed.

Bo Xiting got up. When he returned, the smell of liquor was gone.

“How much did you drink?” Jiang Xiao asked. “It was so strong… are you drunk?”

“Not drunk.” Bo Xiting’s hair was damp. He had changed clothes and freshened up, all in just a few minutes.

“Today’s my birthday. The reason I invited everyone here is that I didn’t want a huge party with a bunch of strangers. So I just invited you all, my good friends.”

As Jiang Xiao spoke, Ying Weizhu laughed. “We’re friends. Then what is he? An uninvited stranger, I suppose.”

Qin Guan shot him a cold glare.

Jiang Xiao: “Ying Weizhu.”

Ying Weizhu scanned the faces around the table, his unfathomable smile still on his lips. “Alright, I won’t talk.”

Jiang Xiao didn’t want to exchange veiled barbs with him. Once the food was served, he started eating. Wen Xu served him food and moved to feed him, but Jiang Xiao whispered, “I can manage.”

It seemed like a cold gaze was directed at him from the side.

Wen Xu didn’t insist. Out of the nearly eighteen dishes on the table, almost half were dishes Jiang Xiao disliked, yet everything he ate happened to be his favorite.

…This game could be so realistic? It even knew the player’s preferences.

Jiang Xiao’s heart grew heavy. This didn’t seem like good news for a player.

“Don’t stand on ceremony. It’ll be dark soon, and the roads will likely be treacherous. You can head back after dinner,” Wen Xu said. “Cars are already waiting downstairs.”

“I’m not leaving,” Qin Guan declared first. “I’m planning to stay here and have fun for a few days. I’ve already booked a room.”

Wen Xu didn’t seem particularly surprised. He was about to speak when a lazy voice drawled—

“I’m not leaving either.”

“Jiang Xiao, you haven’t forgotten what you promised me before, have you?”

“Tonight, I want you to fulfill your promise.”