S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 6 Chapter 18

The Card Murderer 18 – Suspect

---

Pei Wen and Pei Yun, the two sisters, met on the stairs.  

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked at the nearly "opposite" sisters and felt that, visually speaking, there was hardly any evidence that they were actually sisters.  

"Sister..." Pei Wen smiled sweetly at Pei Yun and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"  

As she spoke, she subtly observed Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang.  

Pei Yun's expression was clearly much softer towards her than it had been with the receptionist earlier. She asked, "Where are you going? Didn't I tell you not to wander around alone? Where's Kevin?"  

Pei Wen clung to Pei Yun coquettishly, saying she was just heading to the office building at the back and didn't want to bring that big oaf with her, if she brought him out, people would laugh at her!

Pei Yun shook her head. "No bodyguard, no going out!"  

Pei Wen pouted.  

Pei Yun took out her phone and made a call.  

Looking displeased, Pei Wen fished a lipstick out of her small bag and used the window to touch up her makeup.  

Bai Yutang noticed that there was also a band-aid on the base of Pei Wen's right thumb.  

Bai Yutang frowned slightly, this girl seemed particularly keen on imitating Mingdi, even down to wearing the same type of band-aid in the exact same spot.  

But on closer inspection, he saw traces of disinfectant around the edges of the band-aid, suggesting that the injury was real...  

Pei Yun hung up the phone.  

Soon, someone came running down from upstairs.  

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang tilted their faces to look up at the "giant" descending the stairs. He was a foreigner of African descent, and was clearly a bodyguard at first glance; dressed in black, wearing sunglasses and an earpiece, and nearly two metres tall with an imposing physique.  

This was probably the Kevin Pei Yun had just mentioned... most likely Pei Wen's bodyguard.  

When Kevin reached the bottom of the stairs, he glanced at Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao... Though he was wearing sunglasses, Zhan Zhao noticed that his gaze lingered on Bai Yutang in particular, perhaps it was some kind of silent recognition between experts...  

Pei Yun motioned towards Kevin with a small tilt of her chin, signalling him to follow Pei Wen.  

Kevin nodded without saying a word and walked over to Pei Wen's side.  

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang could now understand why Pei Wen didn't want to take this bodyguard out with her. Good grief, it was like having a walking mountain in tow. She was bound to attract attention.  

Pei Wen pouted as she walked downstairs, all the excitement from earlier completely gone.  

Pei Yun, on the other hand, continued leading Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang upstairs.  

As they passed each other, Pei Wen suddenly asked, "Hey, are you guys from SCI?"  

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang turned back to look at her.  

"Has the murderer in Zhang Yuancheng's case been caught yet? I heard Liu Jing was seriously injured," Pei Wen asked the two.  

"The case is still under investigation," Pei Yun answered for Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang before waving a hand at Pei Wen like she was shooing away a cat, telling her to stop asking.

Pei Wen continued to pout but reluctantly headed downstairs with Kevin.  

Bai Yutang, as usual, was a man of few words, glancing up at the placement of the surveillance cameras in the stairwell as he walked.  

Zhan Zhao, on the other hand, asked Pei Yun, "Has she always had a bodyguard, or is it because of the threat letters?"  

"I only started having one around her recently," Pei Yun frowned slightly, looking somewhat troubled. "Actually, the trouble we've been facing lately isn't just about the threat letters."  

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged a look – More than just threatening letters?  

"I don't know if you did any background checks before coming here, but our family is quite unusual," Pei Yun sighed somewhat helplessly.  

Bai Yutang remained silent, while Zhan Zhao smiled and asked, "Unusual in what way?"  

Pei Yun turned to look at him.  

Zhan Zhao said, "We just received the assignment and haven't had time to investigate yet."  

Pei Yun nodded.  

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao had indeed only just received a call from Bao Sir instructing them to come to the publishing house, the reason they already had information on the Pei family that morning was because they had asked Jiang Ping to investigate the night before. Zhan Zhao deliberately pretended to be uninformed, because if he admitted they had already looked into it, it would be tantamount to telling Pei Yun she was a suspect.  

Pei Yun's reason for asking this question was also a subtle test.  

Based on his first impression of Pei Yun, Zhan Zhao felt that everything Pei Yun did had a purpose... which meant he needed to be extra cautious when dealing with her.  

"Our family is practically cursed," Pei Yun said calmly. "Accidental deaths often occur."  

Zhan Zhao silently nodded to himself – Another pitfall, what do you mean by accidental death? It's clearly multiple suicides.

"Do you think these threatening letters are connected to the family curse you mentioned?" Zhan Zhao didn't go along with her and instead asked, "Did similar letters appear in the past when the curse struck?"  

Hearing this, Pei Yun let out a short laugh and nodded. "I almost forgot that Dr. Zhan is a psychologist, you probably don't believe in curses, do you?"  

"Nothing is absolute," Zhan Zhao shook his head. "As long as something can't be proven to be completely nonexistent, we can't rule out the possibility that it does exist."  

As they spoke, the three of them arrived on the third floor.  

The publishing house's conference room was on this floor, and stepping out of the stairwell, they were directly facing the glass wall of the conference room's side panel.  

Pei Yun said to them, "Dad is still in a meeting, let's sit in my office for now."  

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both nodded and followed Pei Yun past the window of the conference room.  

As they walked, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang glanced through the glass at the situation inside.  

Inside the conference room, there was a long conference table.

At the head of the table, in the main seat, sat Pei Tian, his head lowered as he read a book. To Pei Tian's left, a row of seats faced away from the window, while to his right, the seats faced towards it.  

At that moment, three people were seated on the side with their backs to the window, while on the opposite side, only one person sat – it was Pei Xiu.  

From where Pei Xiu was sitting, it was almost impossible for him to ignore people passing by the window, and sure enough, he noticed the three of them walking past.  

Zhan Zhao observed Pei Xiu's expression. He didn't seem to know that they would come, and when he looked at Pei Yun, who walked ahead without sparing a glance in his direction, there was not just confusion in his gaze but also a hint of anger.  

At that moment, Pei Tian lifted his head and spoke to Pei Xiu.  

Pei Xiu immediately withdrew his measuring gaze and turned back to converse with Pei Tian.  

Pei Tian, however, remained fully focused on the sample book in his hands.  

Bai Yutang glanced at the projection screen behind Pei Tian, where a PowerPoint presentation was displayed. There were a few pictures that looked extraordinarily familiar – They were from Mingdi's new book, the very one Liu Jing had handed to Zhan Zhao before falling unconscious the day before. There were also various card-themed merchandise items, and a stack of playing cards sat beside Pei Xiu...  

After passing the conference room and turning a corner, there were several offices.

The largest office at the far end presumably belonged to Pei Tian... The ones on either side of it likely belonged to Pei Xiu and Pei Yun.  

Pei Yun pushed open the door to the office on the right and led them inside.  

This office had a whole wall of windows, offering a great view. Looking out, you can see the city centre, with the Bai Group's hotel and the grand theatre directly ahead.

Bai Yutang mentally calculated the orientation. If the office across belonged to Pei Xiu, his view would be directly towards the subway entrance.  

Pei Yun gestured for them to sit on the sofa before walking over to a vending machine behind it, and asking them what they wanted to drink.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both looked at the vending machine, which was fully stocked with beverages, with confusion... It was an unusual setup, aren't vending machines typically placed in corridors?  

Both of them replied – Mineral water is fine.

Noticing their puzzlement, Pei Yun handed them two bottles of mineral water and said, somewhat resignedly, "My father doesn't drink anything that has passed through someone else's hands."  

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were even more perplexed – Beverages that had passed through someone else's hands? Did that mean he refused to drink tea or coffee made by others?  

Pei Yun explained, "There are ten vending machines on this floor, all fully stocked and replenished daily. My father chooses his drinks at random."  

Bai Yutang frowned slightly. "Is he afraid of being poisoned?"  

Pei Yun nodded.  

Bai Yutang glanced at Zhan Zhao – Is this being overly cautious?  

Zhan Zhao thought – This is already at the level of paranoid delusions...

"Has there ever been an actual poisoning incident?" Zhan Zhao asked.  

"Not in reality."  

Bai Yutang found this phrasing odd. "Reality?"  

"It's happened in dreams," Pei Yun replied.  

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were momentarily at a loss – In dreams...  

"My father isn't particularly superstitious, but he relies on experience," Pei Yun explained. "He has dreamt of many unfortunate events, and almost all of them have happened in reality, so, he firmly believes in his dreams."  

As she spoke, Pei Yun took out a tray from a drawer beneath the coffee table.  

On the tray lay an antique silver letter opener, and three letters that had already been opened.  

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang put on gloves and picked up the letters.  

There were three threatening letters in total.  

The content of the letters was almost identical, all were made by cutting words from newspapers and magazines and such, pasting them together, and then photocopying the assembled text.  

As a result, the envelopes contained only black-and-white photocopies.  

The envelopes themselves were exclusive to the publishing house.  

Zhan Zhao recognised this type of envelope. When magazines were published, they sometimes included reader surveys. These envelopes were sold along with the magazine, and readers could write their feedback, seal it in the envelope, and drop it off at any courier station or post office for it to be sent to the publisher. The publishing house would cover the postage.  

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang frowned – The murderer was cautious, and the unique nature of these envelopes significantly reduced the chances of extracting useful evidence from the letters.  

Inside each letter was a playing card.  

These cards immediately caught Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang's attention.  

Typically, a wide variety of playing cards could be found on the market, but ones without numbers, featuring only patterns, were rare.  

Each of the three envelopes contained a card with a design of five red diamonds. Logically, they should have been the five of diamonds cards, but the number "5" was missing from all of them.  

These cards closely resembled the ones scattered at two previous crime scenes, even down to the identical design on the back, a decorative-style skull illustration with a black background and gold detailing.  

As they examined the cards, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang recalled the details...  

At Zhang Yuancheng's murder scene, the scattered playing cards were hearts. At Wang Qiu's so-called "suicide" scene, the cards were also hearts. Since Wang Qiu had been "set up" as Zhang Yuancheng's killer, did that mean they shared the same suit?  

Last night, the body of "Cotton Candy" found in the cemetery was accompanied by a spade card, but today's discovery was a red diamond card.

Was there a pattern to this? Or were they simply being scattered at random?

The content of the letters indeed carried a threatening tone. The messages were similar, all stating that Pei Tian's past actions were known, that retribution was inevitable, and that he should wait for the day punishment arrived.  

"At first, we didn't take the threatening letters too seriously. After all, our corporation isn't just involved in publishing, we also have news, new media, and various other projects... Some of our commentary programmes often end up offending people. We've received threats before, and to be honest, the wording in those was far nastier than these. But when I saw the news coverage of the Zhang Yuancheng case this morning, I noticed something in the photos..."  

As she spoke, Pei Yun pulled out her tablet and opened a news image she had saved, a censored photo of Zhang Yuancheng's body. It was the same image widely circulated in the morning news reports, with the deceased's face and the surrounding environment blurred. However, the playing cards scattered on the ground had not been obscured.  

When Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang saw the image earlier that morning, they had already been critical of it. The playing cards were key evidence in the case, yet they had been published just like this. If someone attempted to replicate them as a prank, it could seriously disrupt the direction of their investigation. However, news spread too quickly online; once a photo was uploaded, people would immediately share and save it. Not long after, the image was replaced, this time with the playing cards blurred as well...  

Fortunately, most of the headlines that morning had focused on the campground, diverting public attention away from the cards...

With that in mind, Zhan Zhao asked Pei Yun, "Was that headline coordinated by your team?"  

Pei Yun nodded. "After seeing the news images this morning, I instructed all our company's platforms to focus on emphasising the campground, downplaying the significance of the cards."  

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked at Pei Yun – Her swift and decisive response could certainly be attributed to her professional competence. However, making such a rapid decision and executing it without considering the cost suggested there was more to it. Was it really just about the cards? There had to be another reason.  

Pei Yun clearly understood what they were suspecting. Before they could ask, she spoke up, "Aside from the threatening letters, Zhang Yuancheng and Liu Jing, the latest victims, are particularly significant..."  

Before Pei Yun could finish, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the door.  

The glass door was suddenly pushed open, and Pei Xiu stormed in with an angry expression. "Pei Yun, what the hell are you doing?"  

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang turned to look.  

Pei Xiu was clearly furious, but with them present, he was making an effort to compose himself.  

Compared to his agitation, Pei Yun remained remarkably calm, responding expressionlessly, "Cleaning up your mess!"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

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: March 27, 2025 by Angel

Edited: May 19, 2025 by Soojin