Chapter Sixteen: Conspiracy

After leaving the office, Yan Xue went downstairs for a stroll. When she reached the back of the police bureau, she unexpectedly spotted a coffee shop on that street and decided to go in and buy several cups. Originally, she had no particular knowledge of coffee and wasn’t especially picky; after all, during work, early mornings and late nights, coffee was merely a beverage for keeping awake. But ever since she’d tasted the coffee Kang Ge brought her from home, instant coffee, though still drinkable, always seemed sour and not nearly as pleasant.

She bought coffee for Kang Ge and the others, and judging by the time, it should be about right. Yan Xue headed back to the bureau, and as she entered the office, she caught Luo Wei laughing so hard he was slapping his thigh, nearly doubled over.

“What’s going on? Why are you so happy?” Yan Xue noticed Song Chen was absent and Luo Wei was so exuberant—it must mean their previous plan had gone smoothly, so she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yan Xue, you’re back! Those few sentences you said before you left were brilliant! I had doubted whether you two were really cousins—the difference in style is so vast—but after you intervened, I’m absolutely certain you are. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have grasped her psychology so precisely!”

“Pretending to be cousins isn’t exactly a glorious thing,” Yan Xue responded, amused and exasperated by Luo Wei’s reaction. “So, is everything handled with Song Chen? Has she left?”

“She’s gone!” Luo Wei could barely contain his laughter.

Yan Xue was puzzled. “What’s the matter? Was Song Chen such a headache that you’re so glad she’s gone?”

“No, no, her departure isn’t anything special. This place isn’t a holiday resort—would she really want to stay of her own accord? Leaving was inevitable. It’s the little episode before she left that’s so hilarious!”

“What little episode? With whom?” Yan Xue hurriedly asked. She didn’t share Luo Wei’s lighthearted mood; instead, she felt anxious, fearing Song Chen might have done something embarrassing while she was away.

When she decided on this tactic earlier, she had been deeply uneasy. On one hand, Song Chen’s haggling was infuriating; her own feigned avoidance would inevitably put psychological pressure on her cousin, hopefully coaxing her into cooperating with the investigation instead of causing trouble. On the other, Yan Xue worried that, if Song Chen said or did something foolish while she was present, she could scold her directly—but if absent, and if Song Chen truly made a mess, there might not be anyone who could rein her in, leading to utter disgrace.

Luo Wei, suppressing laughter, recounted the scene: “At first, Song Chen said it was getting late and she was afraid to go home alone, asked if we could escort her. I told her to wait; it’s not impossible, but we’d have to finish our work first. She sat there, probably bored, and began chatting up Kang Ge.

At first, she kept trying to strike up a conversation with Kang Ge, telling him she’s timid by nature, new to the city, renting in an open neighborhood—dark downstairs at night, she’s not used to it and feels scared.

Guess how Kang Ge replied? He said, ‘Why not consider getting a dog?’ Song Chen was left speechless, but that wasn’t the best part—the best is yet to come.”

Luo Wei paused, grinning and rubbing his hands, glancing at the innocent-looking Kang Ge beside him. “Kang Ge, you should tell it yourself!”

Kang Ge looked blankly at Luo Wei, clearly clueless about what he was referring to.

Luo Wei didn’t press him, too caught up in his amusement: “Song Chen kept going on about how lonely and difficult it is to be new in W City, how tough it is. She thought she could rely on her cousin, but her cousin is all about minding her own business, so that’s out. She hasn’t even started her new job and already encountered such trouble—she was practically on the verge of tears.

You really are talented, Yan Xue. When she got to this point, she actually teared up, eyes reddening—no way back now, she said, no retreat, has to grit her teeth and endure alone.

Then Kang Ge told her, ‘It depends on how you see yourself. An arrow shot can’t turn back, but a boomerang can. So, are you an arrow or a boomerang? That’s for you to decide.’

Oh, you have no idea how hard I struggled not to laugh, and how odd your cousin’s expression was!”

“So, judging by this, after I left she became more cooperative, right? If you’d still been talking business, you wouldn’t have had leisure to watch her perform,” Yan Xue was amused, casting a sidelong glance at Kang Ge and handing out coffee as she asked about the incident.

“She cooperated! Your departure scared your cousin stiff. She thought we genuinely suspected her of something serious, stopped acting haughty, stopped bargaining, terrified we might take her to the interrogation room and detain her as a suspect,” Luo Wei clicked his tongue. “Your cousin really is quite a character!

I’ve been on the job for years, but it’s the first time I’ve seen someone come to the bureau to cooperate, darting her eyes all around, totally restless, openly bargaining—really opened my eyes!”

“Nothing odd about it. We’re not from the same year. If we’d been classmates, you’d have had plenty of chances to see this,” Yan Xue smiled wryly.

“But Kang Ge, what was up with you? Normally, you’re great at interrogations! Today you were so unusual—apart from that last brilliant line, you barely said a word, just took notes!”

Luo Wei suddenly realized something was off.

Kang Ge shrugged, looking innocent. “I was saving time. No need to waste words and delay things.”

“That’s true. While I was questioning, Song Chen didn’t even look at me, just kept glancing your way. If you’d done the questioning, she’d probably have gone off on more tangents!” Luo Wei agreed, about to describe Song Chen further, then suddenly caught himself, glancing sheepishly at Kang Ge.

“Your cousin was finally escorted home by Huo Yan. He’s reliable, so don’t worry,” Kang Ge told Yan Xue, ignoring Luo Wei as if he hadn’t heard him, “Either way, she’s our witness officially, your relative personally. Ensuring her safety is our duty, and you’ll need to answer to your family.”

“Huo Yan?” Yan Xue was surprised. She saw everyone else present and thought it was Qi Tianhua who’d escorted Song Chen, and felt guilty for possibly inconveniencing him. She hadn’t expected it was ‘Gun God’ Huo Yan.

He hadn’t been with their team for long, and didn’t interact much with others. All she knew was that he was efficient and decisive; otherwise, little was known. The thought of him escorting her troublesome cousin made Yan Xue anxious again.

“No need to worry. Ning Shuyi recommended Huo Yan for the task, and she’s the most familiar with him in our team. She’s your close friend, already knew Song Chen, so her suggestion should be sound.”

Seeing Yan Xue’s concern, Kang Ge reassured her: “I doubt Song Chen had any chance to chat up Huo Yan. He’s got that unyielding spirit forged in the HX unit, not someone you’d want to mess with.”

Just then, Kang Ge’s phone received a message. He glanced at it: “Huo Yan says he’s already delivered Song Chen safely.”

Hearing Song Chen was home safe, Yan Xue felt a weight lifted. Since she wasn’t familiar with Huo Yan, she didn’t dare ask more. As for whether Song Chen had done anything annoying, she’d have to ask Ning Shuyi later. “What clues did she provide?”

Luo Wei and Kang Ge relayed the details Song Chen had shared.

Last night’s masquerade party had a rule: everyone must wear a mask, or, if not, have their face painted—one way or another, their true appearance had to be concealed, or they’d be shown the door.

The reason for this rule was unclear now, as Bai Yue-ni’s intentions were unknown. According to Song Chen, the guests wanted to party wildly without unnecessary entanglements.

At the party, many were eager to curry favor with Bai Yue-ni, who was using Lin Zhen’s identity—Lin Zhen was famous for being rich and uninhibited, loving fun and excitement.

Among those vying for Lin Zhen’s attention were two standouts: one dressed as a vampire, the other in a tailcoat with a fox mask covering half his face.

That was why Song Chen noticed them—she saw the ‘fox man’ first, tall and well-built, with an attractive nose, lips, and jaw visible beneath the mask. She thought of using the ‘we’re both foxes’ line to strike up a conversation.

But the attempt failed; the fox man wasn’t interested in Song Chen or anyone else, entirely focused on impressing Lin Zhen.

While watching the fox man, Song Chen also noticed the vampire man competing for Lin Zhen’s favor. Compared to others, these two interacted more with Lin Zhen, and Lin Zhen seemed to prefer them—especially the fox man.

Song Chen also mentioned that the fox man and vampire man seemed to have a dispute with another attendee—a young man in ordinary sportswear, wearing a V for Vendetta mask, completely out of sync with the party’s vibe and seemingly uninterested in participating.

The ‘V mask man’ appeared intent on approaching Lin Zhen, ignoring everyone else and going straight to her. The fox man and vampire man teamed up to block him, and the three had a tense confrontation before Lin Zhen, seemingly regarding the V mask man as a nuisance and stepping in heroically.

Interestingly, Lin Zhen herself didn’t seem bothered, reacting to the V mask man no differently than to any other guest, and showed no particular response to the fox man and vampire man’s ‘protection,’ though she was notably warmer toward the fox man.

But that wasn’t the most important part. If it had only been that, Song Chen might have watched the spectacle and left it at that. What made these three memorable was her accidental discovery that, though they seemed at odds—one intruder, two defenders—they actually knew each other and were friends, not only without hostility but in fact very close.

Song Chen, bored and feeling out of place, had slipped out to the terrace for some quiet. Lin Zhen’s home had two terraces; one small, beside the dining room, and a larger one, big enough to be partitioned, with screens dividing the space.

Song Chen was sitting in a corner on the swing when she saw the fox man and vampire man come out, each lighting a cigarette. Soon, the V mask man came out and headed straight for them.

She thought they were about to fight and, eager for entertainment, secretly recorded a video with her phone. She’d originally planned to use this video to bargain with Kang Ge and the others, but was frightened by Yan Xue and handed it over without fuss.