CH 104

Translated by: Dust Bunny

Edited by: Crooked 

Gu Xizhou asked, “Did he mention a name when he called?”

Huang Yuzhen thought a moment before replying, “No. Even if he did, I only overheard him by accident, and it wasn’t intentional. Who would eavesdrop on their colleague’s phone calls intentionally?”

Gu Xizhou was sitting in the car talking on the phone and felt that he couldn’t ask for more information. But it was also important to be able to confirm that the deceased had a dispute about debts.

“Okay, thanks for your cooperation.” 

After hanging up the phone, Gu Xizhou felt uneasy and told Fang Zhi, “Let him investigate Huang Yuzhen and see if she has transferred a large sum of money recently… No, investigate everyone related to Liao Shuang and monitor them for a while. Hiring a hitman would definitely cost money.”

Fang Zhi nodded, craning his neck as he asked, “Where are we going?”

Gu Xizhou, “To eat.”

“Oh.” Fang Zhi was taken aback for a moment before bowing his head to look at the time. It was already three in the afternoon. He had forgotten that they hadn’t eaten yet.

The two drove to a roadside stand and ordered two bowls of noodles without much thought. Gu Xizhou didn’t care about the time, it was just that thinking of the meal from last night, he felt that these noodles were a little shabby by comparison.

After eating lunch, it was 4 o’clock, and Fang Zhi drove them back to the station. From time to time people passing by would glance at the luxury car parked in a corner of the lot.

Additionally, there were two more spots in the parking lot dedicated to police officers. Fang Zhi parked and Gu Xizhou got out, heading straight for Xiang Yuan’s office. He walked over to the forensic investigation room and ran into Xiang Yuan idling at the door.

Xiang Yuan pulled out a cigarette and waved him over saying, “You’re back. How’s the situation?” 

Gu Xizhou handed the phone to Xiang Yuan and explained, “Not only is the deceased in debt, but he also has a lot of women outside. Compare the fingerprints on the phone to those of the deceased.”

Xiang Yuan took up the discussion, “You doubt the identity of the deceased? Relax, ba. I can check the fingerprints.”

Gu Xizhou patted Xiang Yuan’s shoulder and said, “You said you were going to take care of your health, and the outcome is you smoking? This won’t do.”

“Tch, is the chain smoker lecturing me?” Xiang Yuan laughed. “Don’t think I believe you really quit.” 

Gu Xizhou hesitated. Ji Ji was the one who couldn’t quit; Gu Xizhou didn’t like smoking at all. Thinking of this, Gu Xizhou suddenly turned to Xiang Yuan and said, “When the case is over, come to my place for dinner.”

“Okay,” Xiang Yuan said, taking the phone and walking into the examination room. He handed it to Li Yan, shaking his head helplessly.  Previously, Lao Gu would have asked him to eat but would never have invited him to his home.

Maybe it was because of the dog. He had to go back to take care of the puppy.

When Gu Xizhou returned to the office, he found the case file already sitting on his desk. 

Gu Xizhou glanced at the latest information—Liao Shuang, 46. College graduate. Worked as the head of financial affairs for a corporation. Time of death: 11:25:15. Killed by two stab wounds. The first wound cut the deceased’s throat so that he could not scream, and the second pierced him upwards through the nape, killing him instantly. The whole murder took place in under a minute.

Gu Xizhou read through the material carefully and said to one of his colleagues outside, “Help find the phone number of the deceased’s ex-wife for me as quickly as possible.”

“Okay, Team Leader Gu.” A criminal police officer answered Gu Xizhou’s request and called him back less than five minutes later with the number.

“Hello Ma’am, are you Liao Shuang’s ex-wife?” When Gu Xizhou called, he brought in Fang Zhi and two other criminal police officers to record. 

“En, I am.”

“I’m an officer from the Jinluo police department. I want to ask you some questions.”

“I know he had an accident, but he and I have been divorced for many years now. I’m not really familiar with his affairs.” Zhang Rongrong said, somewhat flustered.

Gu Xizhou asked, “Don’t worry, we just want to ask a few questions.” 

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“Was it because he was cheating on you?” Gu Xizhou asked. 

“Ah?” The woman was stumped. After a moment she said, “You mean he had an affair? No, at that time we divorced peacefully. He didn’t have an affair.”

“It really wasn’t because of this? Please don’t hide anything from us.”

Zhang Rongrong moved to the corner and lowered her voice, “Really, it’s not, but if you have to call it cheating, then the one who cheated wasn’t him.”

Hearing Zhang Rongrong, Gu Xizhou and the others all raised their brows, “Can you tell us in detail?” 

Zhang Rongrong said, “The fifth year we were married, the company temporarily transferred me. If I wanted a promotion I would have to work in another part of the country for some time. By then our feelings for one another were already pretty weak.”

“While I was away I met a man who was very kind to me… That is to say, my current husband. There was no physical affair, but we did develop feelings for one another. After that, I immediately asked Liao Shuang for a divorce…”

“He obviously wasn’t very happy about it. For months, he wouldn’t answer my phone calls and ignored me. After a while he came around, and divorced me. He also didn’t say anything in order to preserve my daughter’s image of me.” 

“At the time my daughter was very young and was more dependent on her mother, so she wanted to follow me. At first he didn’t agree, but later seeing that his daughter’s heart was set, he changed his mind. To tell you the truth, I’m grateful that he defended me in front of my daughter.”

The call ended. According to the deceased’s wife’s description, the deceased was a good person. The employee from the company also described him as an upright person. The content on the cellphone however… And the phone call that Huang Yuzhen overheard…

Gu Xizhou frowned. As he was pondering these connections he saw Xiang Yuan come into the office looking for him. Gu Xizhou looked away from the file and turned to Xiang Yuan asking, “What was the result of the fingerprint identification?”

“Just because you asked, you think I don’t have to work overtime for you to get you the results?” Xiang Yuan said, a dumbfounded expression spreading across his face. 

“You don’t think I have to work overtime for what you ask?”

Gu Xizhou glanced at him and realized that recently not only was he tired of looking at these cases, but that the forensic investigator Xiang Yuan was working overtime everyday. Unable to think of anything better to say he said, “It’s been hard for you. Are the fingerprints on the cellphone the deceased’s?”

“The fingerprints on the cellphone and the fingerprints of the deceased are one and the same,” Xiang Yuan said softly, putting the information on Gu Xizhou’s desk.

“Thanks,” Gu Xizhou said, raising his eyebrows. The fingerprints on the cellphone and the deceased were the same, which must be different from Liao Jun’s. 

“By the way, the car outside is Si Yu’s, right? He lent it to you?” Xiang Yuan asked in a low voice.

Gu Xizhou glanced at him and nodded, “One of his men hit my car. Shouldn’t it be like this?”

“Oh.” Xiang Yuan nodded sagely, and suddenly said conspiratorially, “Didn’t you want to know what I was talking about with Si Yu that day?”

Gu Xizhou raised an eyebrow, “What?” 

“He said he’s never been in love. He was an interesting person.” Xiang Yuan winked at Gu Xizhou.

Gu Xizhou was a little surprised by this, but his surprise was fleeting. It wasn’t strange to Gu Xizhou that Si Yu had never dated. Afterall, they were all people rising and falling in the mission world. Who knew when they would die? Dating was unnecessary. Leaving the other person broken-hearted.

Seeing Gu Xizhou’s unperturbed face, Xiang Yuan glanced at the time. At 5:58 he said, “It’s time. I have to get home early to my family. Come on!”

Gu Xizhou watched him leave, and felt that this man was really in need of a beating. 

The wind picked up, rolling in with a heat wave.

Gu Xizhou left to go out to his car. In the parking lot he met Wang Ao who was also going out to his car and was embarrassed. The two looked at each other silently in the almost empty parking lot.

“Chief Wang,” Gu Xizhou greeted.

Wang Ao corrected him, “It’s time to get off work now. Why are you calling me Officer Wang?” 

“Uncle Wang”

“En.” Wang Ao heard Gu Xizhou calling him “Wang Shu” and looked a little pleased. Come to think of it, a few days ago some young woman came into his office looking for Gu Xizhou and he wanted to ask, “When are you going to let me meet that girl from the station last time?”

Gu Xizhou explained, “Don’t listen to the nonsense of the people in the police department. Do you see how busy I am, do I look like I have the time to date?”

Wang Ao narrowed his eyes as if to observe Gu Xizhou’s facial expression. He examined Gu Xizhou for a long time before shaking his head in defeat. “If you find someone to date, the sun will rise in the west.” 

While the two people spoke, Gu Xizhou opened the door to his car. He was just about to get in when he suddenly heard Wang Ao say, “How did you get this car?”

“My headlight got broken and is being repaired. I’m driving this car for a few days until it gets fixed.” Gu Xizhou explained immediately, afraid that Wang Ao would misunderstand.

Wang Ao stared at the car intently for a moment before saying, “Forget the Land Rover you drove before, this car isn’t suitable. Don’t drive it here tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Gu Xizhou agreed, watching Wang Ao’s car as it left. He sat in his car and took out his phone to send a message. 

Wang Ao drove his car away shaking his head. This kid Xizhou was becoming more and more unreasonable. Even if the money left to him by his parents was no small amount, forget the millions of dollars it took to buy a Land Rover, now he had bought another one. He really was a wastrel.

At that moment a man swimming in the pool on the roof of his villa heard his phone go off from the table and got out of the pool putting on the bathrobe lying on a beach chair.

A bead of water dripped down ink colored hair and rolled down the beautiful outline of his neck. It continued down the line of his neck until it disappeared into his collar. He picked up the towel to dry off his hair, bowing his head to look at the message in his phone.

Gu Xizhou: I’m returning your car. 

Si Yu: Not driving? Your car is still being repaired, right?

Gu Xizhou: No, my boss just criticized me.

Si Yu: Are you home right now?

Gu Xizhou: I’m still at work. I’m about to go home, why? 

Si Yu: I’ll meet you at your place.

Gu Xizhou: Okay.

After the two made an arrangement, Gu Xizhou drove straight home. He figured it would take Si Yu a while to arrive and found a family restaurant in the neighborhood to eat at. He was eating when he saw a fine-boned hand wrap on the table three times.

“This is all you’re going to eat?” Si Yu sat down impolitely and looked towards Gu Xizhou. His voice was clear and bright, his low tone giving it an indescribable sense of laziness.

“I’m just eating by myself,” Gu Xizhou nodded. Noticing the car keys in Si Yu’s hand, he raised his eyebrows slightly and said, “Did you drive here?”

Si Yu ‘en’-ed, placing the car keys in front of Gu Xizhou, “I looked in the garage and found a car similar to yours. You can drive it for now.”

Saying that, Si Yu pointed to the off-road vehicle parked next to the curb. Gu Xizhou narrowed his eyes, sizing up the car. How was this car similar, ah? It was exactly the same! 

The interior might be different, but Gu Xizhou couldn’t see any difference in the exterior. Gu Xizhou suddenly realized something. Last time his car was hit at Si Yu’s house, it wasn’t that the young woman didn’t know it wasn’t Si Yu’s, but that Si Yu really did have an off road vehicle just like it.

“You really didn’t have to go through all the trouble,” Gu Xizhou said, “My car will be fixed in two or three days at the most.”

Si Yu gave Gu Xizhou a deep look, “You can use it.”

Gu Xizhou looked at him and asked, “Why do you say that?” 

“Felt like it.”

Gu Xizhou smiled at Si Yu and rolled his eyes as he said faintly, “You just can’t think of a good reason. Oh right, is what Xiang Yuan said true, you’ve never been in love?”

“En,” Si Yu nodded, “What’s the problem?”

Gu Xizhou closed his eyes slightly, sizing Si Yu up for a moment before he asked, “Do you still have your first kiss then?”

Si Yu shook his head and Gu Xizhou thought that he really was experienced… But in the end he heard Si Yu say, “I gave it to you.”

“Pu…” Gu Xizhou choked and coughed.

Si Yu asked the boss for a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Gu Xizhou. When Gu Xizhou recovered he asked, “That bad?” 

Gu Xizhou: “I still think you’re experienced”

Si Yu laughed, and the two began chatting again with ease.

“I’ll go back first then with the car…” Gu Xizhou glanced at the two vehicles. It was impossible to drive both cars back by himself so he was forced to say, “Before you go back in the Maybach, put the off-road vehicle in my parking spot, ba.”

“En.” After parking the car in Gu Xizhou’s spot Si Yu handed him the keys and said, “Trust me, you’ll use it.” 

Hearing Si Yu’s confident tone, Gu Xizhou frowned slightly.

Watching Si Yu drive off, he shrugged his shoulders and prepared to return home. The phone in his pocket went off with a message from WeChat.

Repair Shifu Qiu: I’m sorry Mr. Gu… but there’s a problem with your car.

Gu Xizhou: ???? 

Repair Shifu Qiu: Today someone buying a car came into our store. The client said that they didn’t know why, but when they were test driving a car they hit yours again.

Gu Xizhou heard what was said and stared strangely at the black car that had already left the neighborhood gates and his figures moved to type out a question: What was the name of the person who hit my car?”

Repair Shifu Qiu: “Eh? I don’t know. Oh, we have their phone number right here, I’ll send it to you. You can ask them yourself, ba!”

Gu Xizhou called and the other party kept apologizing to him. Finally Gu Xizhou asked strangely, “Do you know Si Yu?” 

“Ah? I don’t know ah! Is, is there something wrong?”

Intuition told him that the person on the other end of the phone wasn’t lying.

Gu Xizhou suddenly went numb all over. Was there really something wrong with Si Yu? Before, Si Yu had avoided him and entered the mission world on his own.

Gu Xizhou took out his phone and sent a message to Si Yu: How did you know my car hadn’t been repaired? 

Si Yu: Just open the car okay?

Gu Xizhou: ?

Gu Xizhou read what he said and opened the door of the Land Rover. Inside he noticed that there was a pamphlet for the car dealership, which was the same as the shop he’d had his car repaired in near the mall. It seemed that his guy had been to the car dealership today and probably heard people talking about his car being hit.

Gu Xizhou instantly felt relieved, massaging the space in between his eyebrows. Just as he relaxed, his phone vibrated again. 

Si Yu: Did you see it?

Gu Xizhou: En, thank you for the car.

Si Yu: No problem ^_^