S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 175

Special Files – Witches 22 – Xiao Yumi

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In the Bai Group building, Bai Jintang was in the office with Gongsun and the twins, waiting for Xu Lie.

The child had been crying continuously for a while, and the twins were covering their ears, pacing restlessly at the door, anxious!

Bai Jintang looked at Gongsun, who was sitting on the sofa trying to soothe the child, and sighed, "How can such a small child cry so loudly and for so long? Isn't it exhausting?"

Gongsun found the question quite interesting, "That's why taking care of a child is not easy."

Bai Jintang observed for a moment more and asked, "Is the child hungry?"

As he spoke, he instructed the twins, "Get something to eat!"

The twins, exasperated, replied, "How? We don't know how!"

Gongsun pointed to Bai Jintang's desk.

Bai Jintang opened the drawer, which contained a medical kit and a bottle of red wine.

Big Brother Bai took out the red wine, looking uncertainly at Gongsun – Are you going to get it drunk?

Gongsun, speechless, said he wanted the stethoscope from the medical kit.

Big Brother Bai handed over the stethoscope.

At that moment, the sound of the elevator doors opening could be heard from outside, and the twins rushed out, "Finally! Hurry up and hypnotise the child so it stops crying!"

Outside the office, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were the first to enter, followed by Xu Lie and Chen Mi, then Zhao Jue, Bai Ye, and a sleepy Zhao Zhen.

Bai Jintang leaned against the desk, gesturing to Xu Lie – Come here!

Xu Lie ducked behind Bai Ye.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both nodded – Xu Lie was indeed a single-celled organism with the instinct of a beast... knowing where to hide at crucial moments for maximum safety.

Xu Lie, hiding behind Bai Ye, swore to Bai Jintang, "I swear it has nothing to do with me, Big Brother! I'm innocent!"

"Are you sure?" Bai Jintang asked, looking at Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao nodded, indicating, "We interrogated him on the drive over, it shouldn't be him."

Xu Lie scratched his head. As soon as the shoot ended, he was dragged into the back seat of a car, with Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue sitting on either side of him while Bai Yutang drove to the Bai Group building.

During the drive, he was "interrogated" in various ways. Xu Lie was confused about the child they mentioned, and worried because Chen Mi, sitting in the front seat, remained silent, only showing his back. Xu Lie anxiously explained – No! It's not! It has nothing to do with me!

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue interrogated him the entire way, concluding that Xu Lie, who only had Chen Mi on his mind, couldn't be behind this.

Chen Mi, relatively calm, walked over to check on Gongsun, who was using a stethoscope on the child's chest.

Gongsun removed the stethoscope, his expression more serious than before.

"Is this child six months old?" Chen Mi asked.

Gongsun looked up at him, "Isn't it?"

Chen Mi said, "The child looks smaller than usual."

"The weight is also a bit low." Gongsun clicked his tongue, picked up the child, and said, "Let's go to the hospital first."

As he spoke, he took out his phone to contact Yang Fan.

Everyone exchanged glances – What was going on?

When they arrived at the hospital, Yang Fan was already waiting. After a brief exchange with Gongsun, he took the child for an examination.

Everyone waited at the door.

Ma Xin had just returned with the DNA results from Xu Lie and the child, rushing in to clear Xu Lie's name, "There's no relation at all!"

Xu Lie's face scrunched up, "I told you so!"

The twins eyed him sceptically, "Then why did they bring the child to you?"

Xu Lie looked up at the sky, "How would I know..."

Muttering, Xu Lie snuck a glance at Chen Mi.

Chen Mi stood at the slightly ajar examination room door, watching Yang Fan and a few doctors examine the child.

Gongsun walked over, standing at the door with Chen Mi.

Chen Mi asked, "Does the child have any issues?"

Gongsun replied, "It might have a heart condition."

......

Before long, Yang Fan came out holding a report, "The child has congenital heart disease."

Everyone looked over.

Gongsun took the report and looked at it. Chen Mi asked, "Is it serious?"

"It might require surgery, but it shouldn't be a big problem." Yang Fan said. "To arrange for hospital admission, we'll need identification information and a guardian's signature. It's best if we can get a family medical history."

Zhan Zhao quietly told Yang Fan, "The child is an abandoned infant."

Yang Fan's eyes narrowed, "Why was it abandoned? Just because of the illness?"

No one else knew the reason.

At this moment, a nurse brought out the now quiet child.

Gongsun took the child and inspected them, "The facial features are very good, and the face shape is also nice."

Yang Fan nodded in agreement, anger rising, "Such a beautiful child, and they could abandon them!"

Chen Mi reached out and poked the child, who smiled, causing Chen Mi to smile, too.

Xu Lie tilted his head and stared in a daze – Smiling…

"Prepare for the child's admission and surgery," Chen Mi said.

Yang Fan looked at him, "Then who should be listed as the guardian?"

Chen Mi pointed at Xu Lie.

Xu Lie's mouth dropped open.

Chen Mi asked Xu Lie, "Do you want to give the child a name?"

Xu Lie held his forehead.

In the end, Xu Lie signed the forms and covered all the hospital and surgical expenses for the child.

Actually, Xu Lie was quite willing to spend money to save a child, but he felt it was unfair. What was going on here? The child's parents were way too unreliable!

......

Early the next morning, somehow the news leaked, and the media exploded.

The headlines were sensational, mostly claiming that Xu Lie had fathered a child out of wedlock and so on.

In the villa, while everyone was having breakfast, the twins' phone on the table kept ringing. The twins, however, weren't anxious at all. Instead, they leisurely enjoyed their breakfast while scrolling through the news on their tablet.

Bai Yutang fed the cat while watching the twins with their "sinister" faces.

Bai Chi asked, "How can you two still laugh? Isn't this a big deal?"

The twins clicked their tongues and shook their heads, "Let it brew for a bit."

As they spoke, they contacted various media outlets to prepare for a press conference.

The news blitz continued all morning, with Xu Lie dominating the headlines.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang returned to the SCI office and first went to see Bao Sir, saying that they wanted to investigate a car accident from five years ago.

Bao Zheng asked for their reason, and Zhan Zhao launched into an explanation involving inherited personality disorders, ghosts, and witch curses.

Zhan Zhao spoke excitedly while Bai Yutang shook his head beside him.

Sure enough, their request was dismissed, and both were kicked out by Bao Zheng.

Bao Sir told them to find a legitimate case to investigate.

Zhan Zhao stormed out, asking Bai Yutang, "What's not legitimate about this case?"

Bai Yutang sighed, "I told you to keep quiet and let me do the talking."

Zhan Zhao was dissatisfied, "Then what would you say?"

"Suspected reappearance of the Leapfrog Killer," Bai Yutang said concisely, "multiple murders over several years at the same location."

Zhan Zhao looked at Bai Yutang, pulling him back, "Let's go say it again..."

"Ai." Bai Yutang stopped him, "It might be better if we don't get involved in this case. Let's have Zhao Jue investigate, and we can assist."

Zhan Zhao looked at Bai Yutang in surprise, "Have Zhao Jue investigate?"

"The organisation's files were originally Zhao Jue's responsibility." Bai Yutang said, "Bao Sir probably had this intention, so he hasn't assigned us any other cases."

Zhan Zhao thought for a moment and agreed, "I thought so. It's obviously such an interesting case, and he doesn't want us to investigate..."

Bai Yutang was exasperated, not understanding how Zhan Zhao defined "interesting".

When they returned to the office, they found a group of people gathered around the television.

"What's going on?" Zhan Zhao asked as he approached. On the screen, all the major TV stations were broadcasting Xu Lie's press conference live.

The Bai Group's legal and PR teams were truly remarkable. The story of the child being taken to the Bai Group and then to the hospital was narrated dramatically and touchingly.

In essence, it was explained that the child had nothing to do with Xu Lie, but Xu Lie still took the child to the hospital, discovered the heart condition, and covered all medical expenses. Additionally, the Bai Group urged the child's biological parents to contact the company and mentioned their charity program for sick children where you can apply for assistance, encouraging people not to abandon their kids...

By the end of the morning, the narrative had flipped several times, turning Xu Lie from a reckless playboy into a kind and loving hero. The story was dramatic enough to be made into a movie.

The PR team and reporters were thrilled, having surpassed their monthly KPIs, but Xu Lie remained in a daze.

He kept recalling Chen Mi's smile as he poked the child yesterday. Was it because Chen Mi grew up as an orphan that he empathised with abandoned children? But Chen Mi wasn't truly abandoned, his parents had no choice but to leave him. Growing up alone while secretly taking care of his sister must have been lonely.

Lost in thought, Xu Lie heard a reporter ask, "If the child's parents never show up, would you adopt the child?"

The manager and PR team beside Xu Lie became nervous, this was a tricky question...

The manager kept signalling to Xu Lie with their eyes.

Xu Lie, possibly oblivious, held his chin and murmured to himself, "Treat the illness first..."

The reporters all stared at Xu Lie, and in front of the TV, the SCI team was curious about his response.

"If they really intended to abandon them, they wouldn't specifically bring them to the Bai Group. Though I don't know why they were given to me... maybe there's a special reason, or something happened." Xu Lie looked into the camera, his expression more serious than ever, "In any case, once the matter is resolved, make sure to come and get them, you must come!"

"So, you won't be adopting them?" The reporters pressed.

Xu Lie smirked mischievously, "Be careful with your words, we haven't confirmed they were abandoned yet, they're just temporarily staying with me."

After saying this, Xu Lie left, and the PR staff quickly ended the press conference.

......

"Wow... Xu Lie really handled that well."

In the SCI forensics room, Ma Xin watched the live broadcast while sipping on milk tea, "I've changed my opinion of him a bit!"

Gongsun was reviewing the surgery plan for "Xiao Yumi", which Yang Fan had sent this morning. (Angel: 小玉米, or little corn)

Yesterday, when Chen Mi asked Xu Lie to name the child, he called her "Xiao Yumi" because he received the news while he was in a cornfield…

Hearing Ma Xin's comment, Gongsun became curious, "What was your opinion of him before?"

Ma Xin scooted her chair closer to Gongsun, saying, "Well... let's put it this way, if I had a child, Xu Lie would be the last person I'd entrust with them."

Gongsun thought for a moment, "True... Xu Lie does come across as quite unreliable."

"He really is unreliable, but today, at the end, he suddenly seemed dependable." Ma Xin pondered over her milk tea, "Maybe he has some hidden qualities?"

Zhan Zhao was also grappling with this issue.

In the office, Zhan Zhao followed Bai Yutang, asking, "Yutang, if you had a child, would you give them to Xu Lie to raise?"

Bai Yutang, tidying his desk, replied, "I wouldn't even trust him to take care of Luban, his attributes are similar to a husky."

"Right!" Zhan Zhao clearly shared the same opinion, "Xu Lie is someone who sets off fireworks at reporters, dangles thieves out of high windows and has had multiple run-ins with ghosts. His reputation is far from reliable. Why give the child to him? They could have given her to Brother since she was already brought to the Bai Group. Why Xu Lie specifically?"

"The twins showed me last night's surveillance. The person delivering the box wore a courier uniform and a motorcycle helmet. When two of the three security guards at the front desk went on patrol, the person dropped the box and ran. They acted very professionally, like it was rehearsed." Bai Yutang analysed, "And this morning, the incident was leaked to the media, complete with photos of the box and Xu Lie at the hospital. It was clearly premeditated."

"So, not only did they want to give the child to Xu Lie, but they also wanted everyone to know the child was given to Xu Lie?" Zhan Zhao grew more confused, looking at Bai Yutang, "But why?"

Bai Yutang spread his hands – Exactly, why?

‿︵‿︵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: June 10, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 18, 2024 by Soojin