After breakfast, Long Bing’s car arrived.
Xia Lei got in the car, carrying only a bag.
“What’s in the bag?” asked Long Bing curiously.
Xia Lei said, “It’s for you. You can check it when you return.”
“Money?” Long Bing furrowed her brows. “I don't need your money.”
He smiled. “It’s not money. Just open it when you get home.”
“No, I want to see.” She reached to grab the bag.
He swatted her hand. “Be careful, focus on the road. I’ll tell you.” With a pause, he said, “It’s all the property certificates, accounts detailing corruption and briberies, investments owned by Yu Shanhe.”
Long Bing was stunned for a moment and laughed. “You’re joking right?”
“I’m not.” He was very serious.
“Hehehe…” She chuckled. “You think I’ll believe you? I know you have a good friend who can steal very well but even he would not be able to steal anything in the house. Especially not evidence of his crimes. It’s fine if you don’t tell me, I’ll check later. If it really is money, I’m giving it back to you.”
He sighed. “Does no one believe me anymore? It’s fine if other people don’t believe me, but you?”
Long Bing suddenly reached to pinch his waist.
He pinched her thigh back.
They almost fought in the car, pinching and grabbing at each other. In the beginning, there were some boundaries but it escalated quickly into more inappropriate places.
After a while, they finally stopped.
Long Bing’s cheeks were red and her eyes teary. “If it weren’t for the case at the beauty centre, I would’ve brought you to the forest.”
Xia Lei smiled. “Haven’t you had enough? We can do it anytime you want.”
They started flirting once again.
They had been acting like a couple for a long time. Although she was usually quiet, there was nothing she couldn’t say around Xia Lei. Most of the time, she voluntarily flirted with him too. Only with him, she could feel the joy of being a woman.
“Was it really a terrorist attack?” He finally pulled the topic back.
“That’s what the bosses say. But I think something’s wrong. It must not be this simple but I can’t place my finger on it,” said Long Bing.
“Still no evidence?”
She shook her head. “No. Bureau 101’s experts had already scoured the entire place but found no traces. No suspicious footprints, fingerprints, blood, DNA or otherwise. The higher-ups have given us an ultimatum. Find out who is behind this or more people die.”
The experts’ death, athlete’s death and now customers of a beauty salon. Although he did not see the bodies, he guessed that their deaths were similar. He was nervous.
If he was right, then he did not know what to do.
“Lei, you’ve seen quite a number of deaths. Tell me what could cause a human brain to lose its water content and shrivel quickly?”
“I don’t know, did the victims’ brains shrivel?”
Long Bing elaborated, “They performed several autopsies and the results were the same. The brains lost most of its water content, then shrivelled and rotted as if they had been dead for a long time.”
Xia Lei knew of this but couldn’t explain how he knew. All he could do was pretend not to know. This was a large secret. It’s contents were more destructive than a bomb!
“It’s such a huge case, who’s in charge?” asked Xia Lei, changing the topic.
“Boss Shi volunteered. This will be his last mission before his retirement. I hope he gets a nice closure to his career. He made me and Liang Siyao his assistants, Liang Siyao is already waiting at the salon,” she said.
“Aren’t you already in charge of a time-sensitive case? And they decided to give you another one? What is this?” He knew what this was but this still made him very uncomfortable.
Long Bing smiled bitterly. “It’s fine, I understand. It’ll be great for everyone if I leave. If any responsibility has to fall on someone, I’ll take it.”
“No way!” he shouted. “You might understand but I don’t! How could they shun you like that? You love your job, they cannot do this. This is unfair.”
“The world is unfair.” She smiled. “Alright, let’s not talk about me. How are you and Fan Fan progressing?”
“Haven’t I told you? It’s all fake between us. Oh, right, how could I have forgotten?” Xia Lei suddenly grinned. “She is influential enough to talk to powerful people. I can get her to say a few words so you can stay. Also, you’ll solve Yu Shanhe's case. How could they send you away when you’ve made such an achievement?”
“I don’t have confidence in that case. I won’t be able to solve it. However, if Fan Fan can put in a few words for me, I think it could improve my situation.”
“You’ll solve it, I’m sure. If you don’t, I’ll help,” said Xia Lei.
“Then… thank you.” Long Bing gave a sincere smile.
Xia Lei grinned. “Do you have to thank me? You’re so practical. You actually wanted me to get Fan Fan’s help but you never asked.”
“I couldn’t ask! She’s your fiancee, it’s best you offer. Right, does she know about our relationship?”
“She does.”
“Huh? Will she still help me?”
“Both of us have an agreement. Even if we are officially married, she can’t control me. I can be with anyone I want and she won’t bother me.”
“You can do that?”
Xia Lei smiled. “Yes, because I’m Xia Lei.”
“Idiot.” She suddenly squealed, “Don’t touch me, I’m driving!”
“You dare call me an idiot?”
“Idiot!”
“You must be doing this on purpose?”
“Mmm…”
They were back in the city. He returned to the western restaurant on the same street. It was just two minutes away from the beauty salon.
“You’re both finally here.” Liang Siyao hurried over and smiled at both of them. “What have you been doing? You took so long.”
Xia Lei said shyly, “It’s early, we shouldn’t talk about it.”
Long Bing glared at him.
Liang Siyao pointed at his crotch and said gently, “Your zipper’s open.”
He looked down and saw that the fly was opened. He wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow him whole.
Long Bing blushed too. “Where’s Boss Shi?”
“Inside. Follow me.” Liang Siyao was calm but there was a pained look in her eyes. She was a traditional woman. When she saw the man she loved being intimate with another, it was very unsettling. This was the difference between Long Bing and herself. Long Bing did not care who he was with.
The three of them went to the salon but he looked at the back wall of the western restaurant.
He saw a window. Its glass was broken.
He suddenly recalled hearing something like shattered glass last night. That was when Zhu Xuanyue was in the toilet!
“You all go first, or Boss Shi will get mad. I’ll come as soon as I can.” Xia Lei did not elaborate, striding over to the western restaurant.
“What’s he doing?” Liang Siyao asked.
Long Bing answered, “I don’t know, this isn’t the first time he’s done this. Don’t you know your man?”
“What? My man, and yet you’re having sex with him?
“Siyao, we both know that we’re not innocent in this game. Get off your high horse and you’ll have more joy in your life.” Long Bing crossed her arms and walked into the centre before Liang Siyao could speak.
Liang Siyao looked unwillingly at Xia Lei, who was already at the wall, then cursed him. “Unfaithful bastard!”
At the wall behind the western restaurant, Xia Lei’s left eye twitched. He could see everything inside the wall.
The female toilet was behind the wall.
While the shattered glass had already been cleaned off, there were still pieces on the ground.
He saw a string of thread caught on a piece of glass.
There were no footprints or other traces, just this thread. It was pink. Xia Lei’s heart sank.
His guess was right.
The experts, the athletes at the gym and the people in the beauty centre were all killed by one person, Zhu Xuanyue!
He recalled what happened yesterday.
She said she was hungry, yet she went to the washroom. There was the sound of glass shattering. She was gone for only ten minutes. She was more energetic when she returned. More importantly, she did not say she was hungry again.
Human brains were her food!
Fear took over his nervous system. He stood at the wall, frozen for a very long time. His face was pale to the point where he looked very, very sick.