S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 3 Chapter 20

Smiling Murderer 19 - Perfect Interpretation

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After eating, Eugene led the group to a small shop that resembled a beauty salon. They were greeted at the door by a beautiful young foreigner with blond hair and snow-white skin that at first glance resembled some kind of doll.

Eugene introduced them, “This is Evan, a very famous stylist.”

Bai Yutang frowned, slightly puzzled, “Why’d you bring us here?”

Evan surveyed the crowd and couldn’t help but admire, “Eugene, no wonder Leonard says you’ve been full of desire recently, there are so many beautiful men here.”

Eugene smiled and spoke to the Bai brothers who turned dark, “The others are fine, it’s just you policemen, you'd better put on a little makeup or you'll be easily recognised.”

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked at each other and immediately understood; it was true, many people recognize them.

“Will the makeup be noticeable?” Bai Yutang asked.

Evan laughed and said, “The so-called makeup is just a change of appearance, a change of appearance that will make a person look completely different. There's no need to use a fake beard or anything like that, those are just tricks for the camera.” After saying that, he gestured for Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao to sit down. He looked at the mirror, then began to put their makeup on. 

The first to be dealt with was Bai Yutang. Evan disheveled his hair and styled it into a very flamboyant hairstyle, which was very uncomfortable for Bai Yutang, who is slightly OCD and has a cleanliness fetish. Evan also found him a black leather jacket to change into.

Bai Yutang felt a headache starting when he saw the black leather… It’s not that he couldn’t wear black, he just feels uncomfortable wearing it.

While he looked quite good to the others, Bai Yutang himself was uncomfortable. Bai Yutang was already quite distinguished and handsome, so he could create a sense of dominance while wearing white. After changing into black, he looked a bit more evil.

The group shook their heads, Bai Yutang’s appearance is a disadvantage. His face, looking at it in a crowd, one would think that he is a fashionable man, a carefree person. As for his job, one would guess that he is a model or an actor, in any case, one would never expect him to be the leader of the criminal police, or a lover.

They had to admire Evan’s skills. After Bai Yutang changed his clothes and hair, he looked like a new person. If you didn’t know him well, you wouldn’t be able to recognize him on the street.

Bai Yutang looked in the mirror and nodded, feeling good, as the chances of being recognized should not be that high.

The second to go was Gongsun. Evan gave him a long hair extension, replaced his rimless glasses with a pair of black-framed glasses, and changed him into a black shirt, making him look less elegant and educated… and much more wild.

Bai Jintang frowned slightly, stepped over, and buttoned up two of the buttons that Gongsun had open on his chest. He slightly narrowed his eyes… if that place is very complicated, Gongsun would probably cause a lot of trouble if he went like that.

Evan looked at Bai Jintang and spoke somewhat helplessly, “Your aura is too strong for makeup.”

Bai Jintang looked at Evan somewhat confused and asked, “What does that mean?”

“It means it’s hopeless,” Eugene interjected, “even makeup can’t save you, Big Brother, your aura is too strong.”

The twins both laughed. They received a cold look from Bai Jintang and hurriedly hid to the side… wondering in their hearts, Bai Jintang has been out in the mafia for so long, how come he still has this aura?”

Evan smiled and said to Bai Jintang, “Unfortunately, I like men who are a little older… If you were fifty, it would be superb and you would have the kind of aura I like best.”

When the group looked Evan up and down, they saw that he was only in his twenties, and they didn’t expect that he would like this kind of father-like character… no, Evan is still a man… although that’s not the main point.

“What aura?” Gongsun was a little puzzled.

Evan smiled and said, “The temperament of Godfather.”

Bai Jintang raised an eyebrow and the twins hung their heads at the same time… it’s scary to think about!

After this, Eugene changed out of his flowery shirt and put on decent white clothes. His red hair was dyed black and tied up, making him look well-mannered and like a completely different person.

The twins, however, were dressed up in flashy clothes like Eugene usually wears.

The younger one threw his arms over the older one and cried, “Yuck, I don’t want to be a cauliflower!”

Eugene’s eyes twitched.

The last to go was Zhan Zhao. Evan looked Zhan Zhao up and down and smiled, “Well… this is the most beautiful face I’ve ever seen in its raw state.”

Zhan Zhao did not say much, he seemed to have had something on his mind from a while ago. When he saw Evan was ready to work on him, he asked, “Can you make me look a little sick?”

“Huh?” Evan was stunned, and the group didn’t quite understand what Zhan Zhao meant, “Sick?”

“En.” Zhan Zhao nodded and said to Evan, “Can you understand the kind of feeling a schizophrenic has?”

Evan seemed to be confused. He thought for a while then asked, “Is it the look that the psychopathic killers in Hollywood movies often have?”

“That’s right.” Zhan Zhao nodded happily, thinking that this is why a good understanding is more useful than any explanation.

With a raised eyebrow, Evan seemed to have understood. He sat Zhan Zhao down, tucked his hair behind his ears, and then used some special powder to make his face a little whiter.

The twins came up to take a look and said, “Oh, Zhan Zhao’s skin is really good ah.”

“That’s right, it’s better than those beauties who use photoshop.” Da Ding glanced at Bai Yutang and said, “Xiao Bai isn’t bad either.”

Xiao Ding poked Zhan Zhao and asked, “Zhan Zhao, how does your face have such nice skin?”

Zhan Zhao glanced at him and said, “Just wash your face less often.”

The corners of Xiao Ding’s mouth twitched as Da Ding asked Bai Yutang, “Captain Bai, you take good care of your hands, what kind of hand care do you usually do?”

Bai Yutang looked at him and said, “Just wash the dishes more often.”

The group was speechless.

Xiao Ding and Da Ding wrinkled their noses, and retreated to the corner while muttering to themselves, “Sure, natural beauty is great, but what’s there to be proud of…” While sulking, the two noticed Gongsun and said, “Sister-in-law… you are looking better and better everyday recently ah.”

The two had not finished talking yet when they heard Bai Jintang say, “Just do it every night…” He had not finished his words when Gongsun glanced at him. Bai Jintang obediently stopped talking, coughed, and turned to look elsewhere.

The twins’ eyes widened in shock – Gongsun is Gongsun, he can make Bai Jintang shut up with just one glance! Oh my god!

At that moment, they heard Eugene whistle. When everyone looked back, they saw that Zhan Zhao’s makeup was done. As he turned around, the group couldn’t help but frown.

Zhan Zhao’s handsome beauty cannot be concealed by any attire. However, at this moment, under his clothes, he looked unusually thin. His face was pale, his lips were bloodless, and he looked somewhat sickly, especially with the realistic shallow black circles under his eyes, the red eye sockets, and the blood red streaks from his contact lenses… At first glance, he looked like someone who suffers from insomnia and nervousness.

Seeing the look in the group’s eyes, Zhan Zhao figured that the makeup was successful, and asked, “How is it?” As he asked, he turned around to look at himself in the mirror.

“Cat, can this makeup be washed off later?” Bai Yutang asked worriedly, as his look was too heartbreaking to see, and he looked too sickly.

Evan handed him a bottle of makeup remover and said, “When you get home, just wipe it with this and then rinse with warm water.”

Bai Yutang nodded and accepted the bottle.

After thinking about it, Zhan Zhao held out his left wrist and extended it towards Evan, asking, “Can you make two scars for me? The kind the resemble suicide.”

Evan was stunned but quickly nodded, “That won’t be hard.”

After saying that, he went into a room, took out a small box, then took Zhan Zhao’s arms and fiddled with it. Around half an hour later, two clear and realistic knife scars appeared on the inside of Zhan Zhao’s wrist, which was frightening to see.

Everyone admired Evan’s skills and expressed their gratitude to him before leaving. Evan smiled and sent them to the door, saying that they could ask for his help again in the future and that he could go to them if it was inconvenient for them to come out. And of course, it was Bai Jintang who paid the bill at the end, and he gave a considerable tip, causing the group to admire him... Brother Bai is so generous.

As they went out and got into the car, Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao, “Cat, what do you want to do?”

Zhan Zhao smiled, “I’ll pretend to be sick to get those people interested in me so that we can get more clues.”

Bai Yutang frowned deeply, “Wouldn’t that be too risky?”

Zhan Zhao thought about it for a while, then said, “People like Xu You are hard to come by.”

Bai Yutang nodded in agreement, “That’s true.”

“The odds of developing split personalities is very low, there probably are not that many cases of it in S City. Xu You was one of their more special cards… The sudden loss of that card should have taken a toll on their organization. They would desperately need another character like Xu You, so it’s just the right time for me to appear!”

Bai Yutang was helpless, “I know that the idea is good, but… I’m afraid you’ll be in danger, so why don’t I go?”

“Don’t worry,” Zhan Zhao smiled, “the first time is at best just getting a feel for the person, but if they do take me, it’s still a good thing. After that, there will inevitably be a second meeting, and we will be prepared to seize them!”

Seeing that Bai Yutang still had a worried expression, Zhan Zhao said, “Yutang, although the process of this case is quite complicated and the motive is not obvious, the idea of the case is actually quite clear and simple… we're looking for the location and the instigator of that organization. Once their members are caught, their purpose and intentions will naturally become clear. The fact that this organization has sacrificed so many members at such a high cost means that they are brewing further plans, and we should act quickly or more people might die.”

Bai Yutang nodded, “You’re right.”

Zhan Zhao patted him on the shoulder, “You can pretend to be my lover. When the time comes, I’ll need you to cooperate with my acting.”

Bai Yutang smiled as he drove, “Pretend? Do I need to pretend?”

Zhan Zhao laughed as Eugene waved to the two of them from behind, “Don’t treat me like air, okay? I’m here too!”

Zhan Zhao looked back at him and asked, “Where are we going?”

“A nightclub in S City.” Eugene said, “The name is Lan Gui Ren.” (Angel: The name of the nightclub is 兰贵人)

Bai Yutang frowned, “That sounds very ordinary.”

“Hehe.” Eugene nodded, “It’s very ordinary ah. The location is also very busy, with snakes and dragons mixing together, there are all kinds of people. There are several floors both underground and above ground, ranging from elegant to vulgar, which is the epitome of this prosperous city.” (Angel: Snakes and dragons is a metaphor for mixing good and bad people.)

“This is indeed a good place to find newcomers.” Zhan Zhao nodded with a smile and muttered to himself, “Let’s put on a good show and lure a big fish out.”

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

I totally lost track of what day it was. It was 11:30 last night when I realized that it was Friday and that I hadn't uploaded this chapter yet 😭

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

Translated: August 24/25, 2021