Qiming Chapter 17

Chapter 17

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"Officer Gu!" Yuan Man's voice, clear and bright, pierced through the air as she trotted over, wearing a mask. She waved at them while wearing a white, wide-hemmed dress, making her look like a cute little elf due to her petite and slim frame.

"Who is he? He looks familiar." Yuan Man pointed at Xu Chengyue, who was standing to the side, and asked dejectedly.

"That's Officer Xu, he was here the last time you reported a case."

"Let me think... Oh, he's the officer who first recognised me that day!" She clapped her hands in sudden realisation, her eyes clear and bright, with dimples making her smile look youthful and friendly. She shuffled over to Gu Yunfeng's side, casually sizing up Xu Chengyue, and suggested they go to the café on the fifth floor.

"Why does she only remember you?" Xu Chengyue asked quietly as they walked behind.

"Maybe it's because... you're not as handsome as me?" Gu Yunfeng comforted him, "Teenage girls have very unstable aesthetic standards."

The three of them sat by the window in the chilly café. Yuan Man had delicately applied makeup, and she playfully asked the waiter for three cups of coffee.

"I've been so busy at the company these past two days, signing contracts and recording interviews, it's so boring." She complained, tapping her fingers rhythmically on the table. In the centre of the café stood a piano with a crystal vase filled with red roses on top, and a melodious French song filled the air, mingling with the rich aroma.

"Do you enjoy performing outside?"

"Yeah, staying in one place for too long is so uncomfortable. My free spirit feels confined." Yuan Man said nonchalantly, "That's why I snuck out to meet you guys despite my busy schedule. If Chen Jie finds out, you two will have to come up with an excuse for me." She added a few sugar cubes to her coffee, stirred gently, and took a small sip after removing her mask. The freshly brewed coffee was quite hot, and she nearly spilt it on the table as she drank.

"Slow down, did you burn yourself?" Gu Yunfeng handed her a napkin and wiped the spilt coffee off the table. "You've been in Nanpu City recently, right?"

"Yes." She blinked, "Have you been following my schedule?"

"He's been following the surveillance footage with you in it." Xu Chengyue replied for him, taking a handsome sip of his coffee.

"......" Gu Yunfeng was momentarily stunned.

Luckily, after a few days of getting along, he had become accustomed to it. Professor Xu was straightforward, even when selling out his teammates.

"I knew it... If you two are here together, it's definitely not good news." Yuan Man's energy vanished, and she slumped onto the table dejectedly. "Are you going to interrogate me like a criminal again?"

"We wouldn't dare treat you like a criminal..." Gu Yunfeng said to her. "Officer Xu and I came here instead of asking you to come to the police station. This is special treatment, you should cherish it."

He handed Yuan Man a few photos, which included images of Guan Jianhua and Cao Yan, as well as other criminals involved in the human trafficking case. Alongside the frontal shots, there were several images extracted from surveillance footage from different angles.

"Tch – even if you invited me, I wouldn't go." She glared at them from across the table, drawing out her words to show her displeasure, but still took the photos with her right hand and examined them carefully.

"Have you seen any of these people before?"

She looked over the photos several times and finally shook her head, firmly denying, "None of them look familiar."

"Have you been followed by any strangers in the past two months?"

"Me? Followed by someone?" She stared at them blankly, unable to speak for a moment, before crossing her arms on the table in front of her.

"No, I haven't been followed."

Xu Chengyue raised his eyebrows at her straightforward denial, his almond-shaped eyes full of doubt, "Do stalker fans not count?"

"I..."

"I know Miss Yuan has had a few well-known stalker fans, it even made the news." Xu Chengyue listed the entertainment gossip he knew. "One of them is the young master of a listed company, not young, surname Jiang. There are also a few students, but they haven't gained much attention."

"Stalker fans? What are those?" Gu Yunfeng interrupted him, propping his head on one arm and tilting his head to look at him.

Xu Chengyue cleared his throat, "Extreme fans who follow and spy on celebrities' daily lives."

"Oh..." He seemed to half-understand. Gu Yunfeng couldn't really comprehend such extreme behaviour, thinking it was empty and crazy, it must be a severe lack of self that would lead someone to tie their life's focus to a distant person.

"Those don't count, they've been following me for years." She placed her hand on her brow, her voice growing softer.

Seeing her mood decline, Gu Yunfeng didn't want to push further. He put away the other photos, leaving only the image of Guan Jianhua in front of Yuan Man.

"Think carefully. Have you seen this person in the past two months?"

She lowered her head, feeling at a loss. Just a few minutes ago, she could joke with them easily, but now she has become cautious and quiet. Every small, strange movement of hers could be magnified in their eyes.

"No," she spoke hesitantly.

"Then what about her?" Xu Chengyue placed a photo of Cao Yan in front of her.

"Not her either." She shook her head vigorously, taking a deep breath to calm herself, then looked up and tried to appear composed. "Do these have anything to do with the threatening letters I've received?"

"Yes," Gu Yunfeng nodded. "We're trying to catch the bad guys for you."

"Can't you just come for a simple coffee chat with me?"

"Aren't we having a simple coffee chat now? We're drinking coffee and chatting about your situation."

"But we're clearly talking about your work. I'm the victim, a victim who was threatened, the police should be comforting the victim's emotions too," she pouted, looking very reluctant.

"However, I always felt that the threatening letters I received were just a joke. There's no need for you, Chen Jie, or anyone else to make a fuss..." She looked seriously at the two of them, her hands trembling slightly.

Just a joke.

Yuan Man was still a young girl. She might not have been entirely innocent, but she wasn't good at lying. Every expression, every movement, blatantly declared: I am guilty.

He and Xu Chengyue exchanged a glance, ready to share a knowing smile when Xu Chengyue's phone rang.

"You guys continue, I'll take this call outside." He donned his suit jacket and waved his phone at Gu Yunfeng, showing Shu Pan's number on the screen. Gu Yunfeng felt a pang of anxiety. He had checked the calendar before leaving, it was the month of Renwu and the day of Wushu, it was a day considered inauspicious for travel. (Angel: These are more pinpointed and detailed horoscopes.)

He glanced at his dead phone and had a bad feeling. Was something else going to happen?

Yuan Man silently watched Xu Chengyue leave, sweat beading on her forehead, her pale face even more drained of colour.

—————

"Three weeks ago," Gu Yunfeng pointed at Guan Jianhua's photo and said to her, "in some of the surveillance footage we retrieved, you and he appeared together multiple times. He was following you, but unfortunately, he wasn't very good at it. You looked back many times."

"You might think it's unimportant because he didn't harm you," he continued before Yuan Man could respond. "But just a week ago, this man was murdered, found dead in an abandoned garbage bin in a house slated for demolition."

He leaned forward, his deep eyes fixed on her. "Xiao Man, have you considered the possibility that he was killed because of you?"

"Of course, this isn't a guess but a fact." Gu Yunfeng looked at her, his gaze gentle yet piercing. Yuan Man cautiously lifted her head, the dazzling aura of a star gone, leaving only a frightened, ordinary girl.

"Who exactly sent you the threatening letters?"

"What if it was the murderer?"

"He sent you threatening letters and killed the person following you."

In the team, Gu Yunfeng normally wasn't good at interrogations or dominating conversations. Dealing with children who had unique experiences was especially difficult. They always instinctively hid within their safety boundaries, cautious and strategic.

So now, he had to make Yuan Man believe that Guan Jianhua was killed because of her, that she was not an outsider. The threatening letters were not a joke, and being followed was real. Only by cooperating with the police could she escape the danger.

"According to you, he wasn't following you, and you didn't know each other. Your only connection was an unusually frequent proximity. Think about it. Among all the crazy fans truly disturbing your life, could any of them one day end up like this man, silently disappearing into a garbage bin in some corner?"

"Who would take care of their bodies? You?" he continued. "The murderer handed you the threatening letters at your company, which scared you. And by killing the person following you, he made you even more terrified. His obsession with you is deep, and one day, this obsession will turn into unavoidable harm directed at you."

"You are his target." He sat back in the seat, staring at Yuan Man's pale face. The previous gentleness was gone, replaced by an overwhelming sense of pressure.

The vitality had drained from the girl's face, her head drooping, her entire body trembling. She wasn't good at lying and lacked the courage. Maintaining a lie requires too much effort and cost. Exposing the truth might land her in jail.

Gu Yunfeng stood up to go to the restroom but saw Xu Chengyue signalling him from outside the door. He indicated that there was something urgent.

"Xiao Man, think carefully. Although the criminal's ultimate target is likely you, I am here to ensure you're safe." He added sugar to her coffee, purposely removing his hat and placing it on the table.

Yuan Man watched his departing figure, then crouched down and hid under the table, burying her head in her crossed arms. The barista, seeing the suddenly empty café, wondered if he was seeing things.

"Have you considered the possibility? He was killed because of you."

"She died because of you."

"You are a curse."

"You've caused so many deaths, why aren't you in hell yet?"

She lowered her head, covering her mouth but still crying. These voices stabbed at her heart like daggers, her veins constricting and her blood vessels bursting.

She had lied, but it was supposed to be a small lie. This lie shouldn't have caused any consequences, and Officer Gu wouldn't blame her. From the moment Gu Yunfeng stood before her when she reported the case, smiling and saying they were in the same boat, she had shed her superstar exterior and reverted to the helpless little girl from the orphanage, who saw any warmth as a lifeline.

That was her true self.

She even missed life at the orphanage. Although she was often bullied as a child, she didn't have to lie or survive in the cracks, nor encounter faces distorted by greed.

If only she were a real orphan. She closed her eyes, imagining.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

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

Translated: July 1, 2024 by Angel

Edited: July 11, 2024 by Angel