S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 2 Chapter 7

The Innocent Murderer 07 - Feast

---

At 7:30 in the evening, cars were parked at the entrance of the International Hotel in City S. Unlike large parties in the past, most of the cars parked at the entrance today were police cars, and the people who got out of the cars were not celebrities, and some of them were very plain. Of course, there were also a few dazzling public figures; however, they appeared relatively low-key instead of their usual eye-catching looks in the past.

There were no reporters at the entrance and no red carpet; only the parking attendant was busy.

Bao Zheng's car stopped under the building. After getting out of the car, he looked around. He didn't see Bai Yutang's conspicuous sports car. He frowned, looked at his watch, and gritted his teeth, "Stinky boy!"

"Bao Sir, here they come." Lu Fang pointed behind.

Bao Zheng turned his head and saw four cars approaching from a distance. The first one was Bai Yutang's Spyker C8. He frowned, "How could they come to the banquet like that? So eye-catching."

Lu Fang couldn't help laughing.

At this time, other guests also showed up one after another. Many people were attracted by Bai Yutang's car. Wondering about which star was coming, they all stopped to watch.

The door opened and the people in the car got out...

"Heh~~" Bao Zheng heard a gasp clearly.

Lu Fang covered his mouth and laughed. He whispered to Bao Zheng, "Did you know that there will be girls watching when the SCI team is on a mission."

Bao Zheng felt his eyelids twitch again.

The people of SCI who got out of the car were indeed very worthy. Several guests were whispering, asking who it was. When they learned that it was the famous SCI, they were all taken aback and secretly praised them, they were really both talent and visuals. 

Among these "visuals", the most eye-catching ones were naturally Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao who got out of the car at the front...

Bai Yutang was dressed in a white suit, a style that hasn't changed over the years, his mother had it specially prepared for him to attend a wedding with. Bai Yutang's clothes were all white because of his serious cleanliness, and among them, there were only two suits: this white one for weddings and a black one for funerals.

Bai Yutang usually liked white sweaters, white jackets and white windbreakers to try to keep a low profile. However, while he was too eye-catching, the colour was only a supplement to the true cause. The key to his problems was his eye-catching face and figure. When a man has a charm that a woman cannot resist, if he wears a white suit, he is destined to be prince charming! 

Zhan Zhao glanced at Bai Yutang, who was shining next to him, and muttered, "Dead mouse."

In fact, while Zhan Zhao scolded Bai Yutang, he didn't notice that half of the eyes were on him. An indigo suit was Zhan Zhao's most common outfit. Scholars generally like to wear suits, but Zhan Zhao's suits have some "ulterior" purpose; wearing a suit will make you look "stronger". Whether he wore a sweater or he swapped his suit for a shirt, he looked like a beautiful college student, elegant and gentle. The key to his visuals was his face that had the ability to make people faint.

It was very easy for the two to attract a crowd and cause a commotion.

Compared with Bai Yutang's confident appearance, Zhan Zhao appears to be gentler. Simply put, Bai Yutang's handsomeness may make people feel threatened. Women like it, but men usually feel uncomfortable when standing next to him. On the other hand, Zhan Zhao is the standard for everyone; men and women from all age groups liked him.

In the car behind was Gongsun, Bai Chi and Jiang Ping.

Jiang Ping's presence was weak since he stayed inside for so long, and as such, he was ignored by the crowd. On the other hand, the coldness of Gongsun and the cuteness of Bai Chi created a contrast that attracted attention.

In the words of the Ding twins, people like Gongsun could cause men to be fascinated by him while causing women to hate him. He has a poison-like attraction to other men; this caused many men to chase him like headless flies all day. This caused Bai Jintang to gain new enemies every day, so he hired a group of bodyguards to keep an eye on Gongsun.

Opposite of Gongsun, Bai Chi's style was more popular with the elderly. However, the suit he dressed in tonight gave off an air of awkwardness; he looked like a child that was pretending to be an adult. The style not only made him look less mature, but it also gave him a sense of cuteness.

In the car behind them was Ma Han, Zhao Hu and Luo Tian. The reason why SCI is said to be the star force of the S City Bureau, is that in addition to their outstanding appearances, several team members are also very interesting.

Ma Han is the cold type; this is probably related to the work he did as a sniper. He is the type that is popular with women.

Zhao Hu is the sunny type; he feels very kind and easy to bully, but he always has a smile on his face.

Luo Tian is the new type in the SCI team; he had a different type of maturity that made him more attractive. His memory loss and the arrival of Luo Yang paired with his gratitude for the entire SCI team and his gentle nature all contribute to his attractiveness. However, hidden behind his gentleness was a sense of transformation that is happening over time. This made Luo Tian very interesting. However, Luo Tian was also absent-minded; he was worried about leaving Luo Yang home alone. So, he asked Bai Chi to take Luo Yang back to stay with Lisbon. Even though he knew Luo Yang was safe, he still wondered if he did his homework, what he had for dinner, if he had candy before going to bed, if he brushed his teeth, and so on.

In the last car were Zhang Long, Wang Chao and Xu Qing.

Zhang Long belonged to the type that appeared to be the least like a policeman; he always appeared to be a bit of a slacker but he was actually very clever.

Wang Chao belonged to the normal type; he was very ordinary, a type of person who would not be spotted in a crowd. However, he was definitely not ugly.

Xu Qing is relatively large, strong, a little shabby, and looks wild.

In short, the group of people that stood outside the door would definitely light up the world of those looking. Everyone would definitely be able to find one that they like.

"Young Master Bai." The parking attendant recognized Bai Yutang, greeted him quickly, and led the group to the special elevator.

The special treatment made people even more speculative about the identities of the people.

Bao Zheng shook his head. But looking at the other old and ordinary appearances of the police officers, he still felt that bringing those guys was the right thing to do; after all, it was related to the face of the police station. 

The special elevator was big and wide. Everyone sighed; it was definitely worthy of being a six-star hotel. The elevator brought everyone directly to the top floor, the door opened and they walked out. Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao saw the familiar hall, but the decoration had been changed. It is said that since the last incident, all the glass in the restaurant has been replaced with bulletproof glass.

Zhan Zhao leaned forward and asked Bai Yutang in a low voice, "Xiao Bai, do you want to guess how much property your brother has in total?"

Bai Yutang thought for a while, lowered his voice and replied, "Who knows, you have to ask Gongsun. Who knows, maybe my brother will hand him all his money."

Unsurprisingly, they received a fierce eye roll from Gongsun. Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao hurriedly laughed and shut their mouths.

Many guests in the hall gathered together in small groups to talk and laugh. Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao glanced at them, but they didn't find Bai Jintang. Maybe he hadn't come back yet?

As soon as they walked into the hall, they heard someone shouting: "Old Hu!"

Zhao Hu just shrank his neck and turned back tremblingly. Sure enough, he saw Qi Le running towards him. He instinctively wanted to lift his legs and run, but was grabbed by Ma Han and couldn't flee.

"Why didn't you answer the phone?!" Qi Le was fierce.

Zhao Hu smiled and scratched his head, "That... I was busy the last few days."

Qi Le was dressed in a neat black dress today, and looked energetic. After glaring at Zhao Hu, she smiled and greeted Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao.

Both Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao felt happy; it could be said that their fate with Qi Le started in this hall. It felt as though the student from half a year ago who wore thick smoky makeup, wore haggard clothes, and was so thin from suffering from her drug addiction had returned. However, the girl in front of them was now the lead singer of a famous rock band who had accumulated a large number of fans. She got over her drug addiction long ago and is now radiant and youthful. 

The more amazing part was that Qi Le does not shy away from her past; she would openly admit that she used to use drugs but has since quit. Apart from singing, Qi Le and her band spend the energy that they don't use on music on charity. They do campaigns about fighting against drugs and encourage young people who have previously gone astray to start over again.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang often think that this little girl is really not easy. What's funny is that Qi Le often claims that she has a boyfriend who is a policeman that saved her life and has to marry her. In the beginning, Zhao Hu only saw Qi Le as his sister. However, as he was chased by Qi Le, he became miserable and simply gave up.

Qi Le took Zhao Hu and went aside to meet Chen Yu and the others. They started talking happily together.

The rest of the SCI team also dispersed. Xu Qing and Jiang Ping went to the window to chat with their former friends, and Luo Tian took the time to run to the corridor to call Luo Yang.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao each took a glass of champagne brought by the waiter, and heard Ma Han beside them suddenly whisper, "Boss, look who it is."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao followed Ma Han's line of sight, and they were taken aback. They saw a gorgeous woman in the crowd not far away. Although she was well-dressed, they could still tell that she was not young. A luxurious evening dress and precious jewellery adorning her body made her appearance one that could be considered dignified. But what attracted Bai Yutang was not this woman, but the man holding hands with this woman; it was Fang Wo dressed in a white suit!

Bai Yutang frowned. Not long ago, he was still talking about Fang Wo's sudden disappearance. All the people who were sent to follow him had lost him, and everyone was at a loss. He didn't expect Fang Wo to appear here.

"Do you like older ones?" A clear and bright female voice rang out from behind them, and Ma Han felt his scalp go numb.

"What's there to see?" Behind him, a beautiful woman in a purple dress came up and reached out to hold Ma Han, "Am I not as good-looking as her?"

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao walked away with their glasses of champagne intriguingly.

Ma Han looked weakly at Chen Jiayi who was smiling beside him, "Why are you here?"

"Hehe." Chen Jiayi smiled, "It's because I know you are here. What are you looking at? Is that person your suspect?"

Ma Han raised his eyebrows slightly and asked Chen Jiayi, "Do you know that person?"

Chen Jiayi looked at her and said, "The woman is the initiator of today's party, the president of Tianyu Group, Yan Li."

"What about the man next to her?" Ma Han asked.

"I don't know." Chen Jiayi shook her head and added after thinking about it. "But today it is said that Yan Li is going to be engaged to her boyfriend who was wrongly accused."

"What?" Ma Han was surprised.

"Why are you so nervous?" Chen Jiayi stared, "Yan Li is old enough to be your mother, and her daughter is eighteen!"

Ma Han sighed, "I didn't..."

"Let's go, you are not allowed to look." Chen Jiayi lifted her hand and pulled Ma Han away.

The conversation between the two was heard by both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang not far away. They looked at each other in a puzzled manner. The injustice-stricken boyfriend... isn't it Fang Wo? Was Fang Wo going to be engaged to Yan Li tonight?

"No wonder so many people wanted to save Fang Wo." Gongsun took a step towards them and said, "With Yan Li's ability, naturally she can find many experts to help him. She can even mobilise the media."

"Zhao Zhen is here too." Bai Yutang pointed in the direction of the elevator with his glass in hand.

Bai Chi looked around and saw that Zhao Zhen was walking out of the elevator leisurely. After entering the lobby, he looked around as if he was looking for someone.

"I haven't seen him for a few days..." Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao both frowned and asked Bai Chi, "Why does Zhao Zhen seem to have lost a lot of weight, Chi Chi, are you torturing him?"

Bai Chi stared, "No, I feed him every day. He is preparing for a new performance recently."

"Right." Zhan Zhao said suddenly, "I watched a video collection of Zhao Zhen's magic on the internet a while ago... His trick where he threw himself into the meat grinder is really abnormal!"

"And the one where he walked vertically down the windows from the thirty-sixth floor." Bai Yutang said, "How did he do it?"

Bai Chi shook his head and said awkwardly, "I don't know, I have never dared to watch his magic show."

As they were talking, Zhao Zhen's sight fell on the group, but he did not come over immediately. Instead, he stared at Bai Chi in his suit for a while, then he leaned on the wall and started laughing.

Bai Chi's face started blushing. He knows that he looks really weird in a suit, but Zhao Zhen didn't have to laugh like this, right?!

After laughing happily for a while, Zhao Zhen leisurely walked over with his arms folded. As he was a big star, many people knew him and followed him with eager eyes.

Zhao Zhen flashed past the crowd lightly and joined Bai Chi and the group. He nodded to Gongsun, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, saying hello. Then he went over to put his arm around Bai Chi's shoulder and laughed, "Chi Chi, do they sell suits in the children's clothing stores?"

Bai Chi's face turned dark and he saw that the other three couldn't hold in their laughter, so he turned his face to the side.

Bai Chi gritted his teeth and glared at Zhao Zhen, saying viciously, "Why are you here?!"

Zhao Zhen pointed her finger at Yan Li not far away, "Didn't I tell you, I'm going to perform for her entertainment city this time."

"She... is so old." Bai Chi suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his head and glared at Zhao Zhen, "You said she was drooling while staring at you?!"

When Zhao Zhen heard this, he was taken aback, and then couldn't help but laugh, "You are still holding grudges."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao glanced at each other. From the moment he walked over, they strongly felt that after Zhao Zhen became thin, he became more and more like Zhao Jue, especially when he was laughing.

"What's wrong with your hand?" Bai Chi suddenly stared at Zhao Zhen's wrist. Zhao Zhen raised his hand and saw that Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao also frowned; this was a clear trace of rope binding.

"I was injured during practice just now." Zhao Zhen said indifferently, pulling Bai Chi's hand, "Let's go get something to eat, I'm so hungry."

"You haven't eaten yet? It's so late!" Bai Chi angrily pulled Zhao Zhen aside to get something to eat.

Soon, only three people who were glowing were left. Bai Yutang, Zhan Zhao and Gongsun were chatting, and of course, Fang Wo was the topic of their discussion.

After a while, more and more people entered the hall. Many of the new arrivals were high-level political and business leaders. Bao Zheng was worthy of being the director; many people came to shake hands with him to say hello.

Bai Yutang smiled and asked Zhan Zhao, "Cat, don't you think it looks like Bao Sir's wedding tonight?"

Zhan Zhao glanced at Bai Yutang with a smile, "You really dare to say it? If he heard that, you would be cleaning the toilets tomorrow." Before he could finish speaking, he froze. Bai Yutang froze beside him.

They saw the elevator door open and two men walked in; it was Bai Yunwen and Zhan Qitian.

The two immediately turned around. Bai Yutang was nervous, "Why did the old man come too?"

"How would I know? At least your father is outgoing, my father has never participated in such a party." Zhan Zhao was even more nervous than Bai Yutang. As the two were whispering, they heard Gongsun cough gently. They felt a chill go down their spine as they turned back; their fathers had made their way over and were standing behind them.

"Dad, Uncle." The two children obediently greeted.

"Mhmm." The two elders nodded and the four of them stared at each other for a while. Shortly after, the two fathers turned around to greet and chat with others.

Bai Yutang pulled Zhan Zhao to a corner. The more they thought about it, the more suspicious they became. They just couldn't figure it out.

Gongsun shook his head and asked, "How long has it been since you last visited your homes?"

Zhan Zhao blinked, "That... it's been three or four months. How about you, Xiao Bai?"

Bai Yutang cried and said, "Almost the same." The two understood immediately; the two fathers took the opportunity to see their unfilial children who did not go home.

Gongsun couldn't help but laugh. These two children were the standard for a happy family; they were doted on and never lacked anything as they grew up. That's why they are so mature in their careers. While out in public they acted independently, but they would behave like children in front of their families. It was indeed an enviable life.

"What a coincidence." A female voice came from behind him. Gongsun turned his head, and Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked over curiously. They saw a fashionable and sexy woman standing in front of the three of them.

Gongsun felt his temples throb. What he saw was the "most important woman to Jintang" who had troubled him at the cafe in front of the police station two days ago.

"It is said that the elites from the police force would be attending tonight." The woman asked Gongsun with a low smile, "You are not a police officer, are you?"

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked at each other. They were both slightly surprised.

Bai Yutang winked at Zhan Zhao – Who is that?

Zhan Zhao frowned slightly – I haven't seen her before.

Bai Yutang looked up – She appears to be hostile towards Gongsun.

Zhan Zhao looked down – Could it be his former girlfriend?

Bai Yutang's eyes widened – No way! Won't that cause Brother to explode?

Zhan Zhao squinted his eyes – Fortunately, your brother did not come today.

"Should I have a car send you back?" The woman said triumphantly, "I could also be considered half of the host tonight." 

Gongsun sighed helplessly and decided that it would be best not to start a conflict with this woman. Therefore, he took a sip of his drink, looked in the direction where Bai Yunwen was standing, and smiled at the woman, "Uncle Bai is over there."

The woman instantly turned cold.

Bai Yutang wondered, 'Cat, isn't Uncle Bai my old man? Does he know this woman?'

Zhan Zhao was also wondering, 'Could she be your father's friend? But why would your father's friend have conflict with Gongsun?' 

The woman stared at Gongsun for a while, then stretched out her hand to take the champagne held by the waiter next to her. She sneered, "I want to see who will save you today!" 

As she said it, she raised her hand with the glass of wine and poured it over Gongsun's face.

Both Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao were shocked. At that moment, a figure flashed next to them and stood in front of Gongsun. Gongsun looked up and saw a familiar back in front of him...

The woman was even more dumbfounded, and she lowered the cup nervously, "Jintang..."

Bai Jintang stood in front of Gongsun with a cold face. He looked down at the wine slowly dripping down his chest and reached out to brush it off. Looking up at the woman in front of him, his expressionless face showed a hint of boredom.

The woman instantly paled and her eyes went red.

Behind them, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao opened their mouths wide and looked at each other. They both saw that the other's eyes were also full of excitement – Wow! What an exciting night, so many ups and downs!

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

Translator Note

I audibly gasped when Jintang showed up. That lady is screwed~~ 

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ This is how I imagine she felt inside when she saw Bai Jintang show up, hehe

This chapter took the longest so far; the descriptions of the characters in the beginning took so long to get to feel right. But once I got to the end of the chapter it felt so worth it reaching about the impeding doom hovering over the lady.

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: March 13, 2021

Re-edited: August 31, 2023