S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 116

Screen Murderer 12 – Gossip

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Jiang Ping managed to find a game Jin He was previously involved in the development of, and indeed, there was one with the two words "new world" in its name. Specifically, the game was called New World. (Angel: The first new world was in Mandarin, and the second was in English.)

Jiang Ping wanted to try this game out but found that it was no longer available.

"This game has been shut down." Jiang Ping said, "It was released a few years ago, and its content was... er..."

Jiang Ping searched and found some old posts discussing this game. It seemed like he had discovered something and was carefully examining it.

Zhan Zhao noticed halfway through that Jiang Ping had fallen silent and asked, "What's the content?"

"It's about a mental hospital." Jiang Ping said, pointing out several scene images to Zhan Zhao, "Does it look familiar?"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang leaned in to look at the computer screen – The photos were small, and the resolution was not high, but the "0"-shaped underground passage seemed very familiar, as did the two giant "monsters"...

"Isn't this the underground laboratory of Qian Yu's mental hospital?" Bai Yutang asked.

Jiang Ping nodded vigorously.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged a glance. How could Jin He know about this underground laboratory? And why was it included in this game?

Zhan Zhao asked Jiang Ping if he could find this game.

Jiang Ping stroked his chin and said, "It's already shut down. To find the server and database, sort out the source code for hosting, and make a standalone version..."

Zhan Zhao nudged Jiang Ping. "Speak in Chinese!"

Everyone in the office paused.

Jiang Ping lifted his head with a sense of satisfaction as if finally avenging some past grudge. "You're getting a taste of it today..."

Zhan Zhao squinted at him.

Jiang Ping said he would first inquire with the gaming company.

But it was still early in the morning, and they had to wait for them to start work. Jiang Ping decided to ask among his group of friends who loved playing games to see if anyone had played this game before.

Surprisingly, he received quite a few responses.

Zhan Zhao looked a bit puzzled and asked Jiang Ping, "Your friends are all online in the early hours?"

Jiang Ping chuckled and said, "There are a few who are online all day."

Zhan Zhao was disgusted, "Don't they ever sleep?"

Bai Yutang dragged Zhan Zhao away, telling him not to disturb Jiang Ping while he was searching for information.

......

Zhao Hu said that Tang Xing had been placed in the interrogation room.

"That kid's got a temper, looks pretty unhappy."" Hu Zi pursed his lips.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked outside and saw Tang Xing's manager talking on the phone in the hallway, seemingly complaining about the police bringing Tang Xing in for no reason.

Bai Yutang signalled to Zhan Zhao – Time was short, they needed to ask questions first.

The two of them headed to the interrogation room.

In truth, SCI had no concrete evidence against Tang Xing. Zhan Zhao was relying on behavioural analysis to deduce that Tang Xing might know something, so this questioning was primarily exploratory.

Before entering the interrogation room, Zhan Zhao whispered a few words to Zhao Hu, then went to the forensic room and grabbed a magazine, handing it to Bai Yutang.

Upon entering the interrogation room, Tang Xing looked quite displeased. "Why did you bring me back? Jin He's death has nothing to do with me!"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang sat down opposite him. Bai Yutang, expressionless, opened the magazine and started reading, while Zhan Zhao smiled and said, "We didn't say you were involved in Jin He's murder. We just want to ask you a few other questions. As a citizen, you must cooperate with the police investigation. Don't be nervous, let's just have a chat."

Tang Xing's lips twitched, and he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Can't this wait until tomorrow morning, it's the middle of the night..."

"We're doing this to avoid causing you trouble." Zhan Zhao said amiably, "You know there have been reporters outside the police station during the day these past few days. Wang Meiyun was just released yesterday, and now Jin He is dead. If we brought you in during the day, wouldn't you end up in the headlines tomorrow?"

Tang Xing pondered for a moment and stopped complaining. It seemed he found Zhan Zhao's explanation reasonable.

Rubbing his eyes, Tang Xing yawned.

At that moment, Bai Chi came in with a cup of milk tea for him.

Tang Xing took a sip and raised an eyebrow. "Wow! This milk tea is good, what brand is it?"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both looked at Bai Chi – How about we start a side business? SCI-branded milk tea?

Xiao Bai Chi suppressed a smile and quickly left.

Tang Xing had relaxed by now, "Go ahead, what do you want to ask?"

"Do you know Wang Meiyun?" Zhan Zhao asked straightforwardly.

Tang Xing froze, taken aback. "Wang Meiyun?"

"Mhmm!" Zhan Zhao nodded.

Tang Xing looked puzzled. "Why ask about her?"

"I heard that Wang Meiyun and Jin He often argued because of you." Zhan Zhao cut to the chase.

Tang Xing's eyes flickered slightly and he smiled awkwardly. "Where did you hear that...?"

"A lot of people on the set have been saying that Wang Meiyun didn't want you as the male lead, but Jin He insisted on using you." Zhan Zhao continued, "Do you know about this?"

"Mhmm." Tang Xing rubbed his neck and nodded.

"Did Wang Meiyun mention who would replace you after she insisted on replacing you?" Zhan Zhao pressed on.

"Tsk." Tang Xing let out a sigh and glanced at the curious Zhan Zhao, and Bai Yutang, who was flipping through a magazine on the opposite side, seeming hesitant to speak.

Bai Yutang was reading an introduction booklet for a film festival, which Zhan Zhao had brought from Gongsun's office earlier. There were a few photos of Bai Jintang on it.

Zhan Zhao specifically asked Bai Yutang to flip to the pages introducing the Bai family.

Tang Xing had previously felt Bai Yutang looked somewhat familiar. Later, he heard from his manager that Bai Yutang was Bai Jintang's younger brother. It was mentioned that Bai Jintang doted on this younger brother, and supposedly, they even lived together.

Tang Xing couldn't help but wonder. Considering Bai Yutang's appearance and background, if he were to debut in the entertainment industry, with his brother's financial support, he would become extremely popular... So why choose to become a police officer? It was exhausting, dangerous, and not profitable.

"I just heard from people on the set that when Wang Meiyun took over the Dong Group, many of the Dong Group's artists wanted to jump ship to the Bai Group." Zhan Zhao asked Tang Xing, "Do you have such plans?"

Tang Xing seemed somewhat tempted as well and nodded, "It would be great to join the Bai Group. There's basically no future staying with the Dong Group. Wang Meiyun is erratic and favours people based on her own preferences."

"Oh?" Zhan Zhao asked Tang Xing to elaborate.

Tang Xing seemed to weigh his words, thinking it would be good to leave a good impression on Bai Yutang, so he opened up, "I've also heard before, during the filming of Don't Open Your Eyes, that Wang Meiyun was determined to replace me. I thought it was because I didn't have enough status and she thought I wasn't suitable to be paired with her, so she wanted someone more prominent. But the person she wanted to recommend was a completely inexperienced newcomer... How could a newcomer directly become the male lead in a film? It's not like he's a child star. Even I still have to play supporting roles in a few films because I'm relatively new. Don't you think she's crazy?"

"Who did she want to recommend?" Zhan Zhao asked, "Do you remember the name?"

"Hmm, I don't remember the name... He was mixed-race and quite handsome, but I don't know his background. Many people in the crew speculated behind her back whether he was Wang Meiyun's boy toy, but I don't think so." Tang Xing told Zhan Zhao, "As for Wang Meiyun, she doesn't like handsome guys."

Zhan Zhao held his chin and listened to Tang Xing's gossip, noting that Wang Meiyun had two current romantic partners exposed, Qian Fu and Dong Yuan, neither of whom was particularly handsome.

"I've worked with Wang Meiyun on two films, and I feel like there's something off about her." Tang Xing said, pointing to his temple, "Either she's mentally unstable, or she has some psychological issues. And you know, when she gives interviews, she comes across as very artificial, like she doesn't have much substance or culture, but I think she actually has a very clear mind and she's quite malicious. Her innocent facade is just an act. And, her choice of romantic partners is all strange – that Qian Fu guy, and the former director of that hospital... I heard her sister's death was also related to depression caused by Wang Meiyun's interference."

Zhan Zhao originally intended to probe Tang Xing to see if he could extract any clues, but unexpectedly, he hit the jackpot. Although he wasn't sure about the authenticity of Tang Xing's claims, there were suddenly many leads to follow up on.

"Which hospital's director?" Zhan Zhao prepared to clarify each point one by one.

Even Bai Yutang's attention was drawn away from the magazine and onto Tang Xing.

Of course, this tactic was something Zhan Zhao had taught him before coming in. Zhan Zhao had instructed Bai Yutang to gradually show more interest in Tang Xing's conversation, from seeming uninterested to becoming intrigued, which could encourage Tang Xing to speak more freely.

This tactic worked like a charm. Seeing Bai Yutang seemingly interested, Tang Xing became even more forthcoming.

"Didn't Wang Meiyun's older sister kill her fiancé and then herself?" Tang Xing said. "I've heard a few makeup artists talk about it, saying Wang Meiyun is twisted, intentionally meddling in her sister's relationships, causing her sister to suffer from depression. And then, while visiting her sister in the hospital, she got involved with the hospital's director..."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both recalled – This wasn't the first time they had heard about Wang Meiyun's connection to her sister's death... Who was the director of that hospital? Wasn't it a research centre? Who did Wang Meiyun date?

Zhan Zhao asked for more details.

Tang Xing said he wasn't sure. He had once overheard Wang Meiyun on the phone referring to someone as "director" while they were working together, but he didn't know any specifics. He only heard gossip from some crew members.

"What about Dong Yuan?" Zhan Zhao asked Tang Xing again. "Do you know Dong Yuan?"

Tang Xing chuckled. "Of course I do. He's my boss... well, former boss now."

With a sigh, Tang Xing added, "Dong Yuan is actually a decent person, but it's a shame..."

"What about Wang Meiyun dating Dong Yuan? Do you know anything about that?" Zhan Zhao continued to inquire.

Bai Yutang felt like this was more of a gossip journalist's interrogation than a police inquiry.

Tang Xing furrowed his brows slightly and shook his head, "I don't think Boss Dong ever dated Wang Meiyun."

Zhan Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly. "How do you know?"

"Just a feeling! And Dong Yuan doesn't like Wang Meiyun's type at all." Tang Xing whispered, "I suspect Boss Dong has someone else. Those scandals might just be a cover-up. And he often looks at children's stuff, maybe he even has a child..."

Bai Yutang was quite impressed by Tang Xing. He seemed to have discovered things that nobody else knew about. His powers of observation were remarkable.

Zhan Zhao nodded approvingly, appearing very satisfied, and seemed like he wanted to ask more.

Tang Xing listened attentively.

But unexpectedly, Zhan Zhao changed the subject abruptly and asked, "Do you know why Jin He died tonight?"

Zhan Zhao's sudden question caught Tang Xing off guard.

Bai Yutang also observed Tang Xing's reaction – it seemed he indeed knew something.

As Tang Xing hesitated, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Bai Yutang furrowed his brow, but Zhan Zhao looked at Tang Xing and smiled.

Tang Xing's expression changed slightly, and Zhan Zhao's smile made him feel uneasy.

At that moment, the door to the interrogation room opened. Zhao Hu entered, gesturing towards the outside.

Outside stood Tang Xing's manager, along with Boss Dong's secretary and... Wang Meiyun.

‿︵‿︵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: April 9, 2024 by Angel

Edited: April 10, 2024 by Angel