S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 6 Chapter 62

The Culinary Murderer 14 – Noodles

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"Who?" Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang froze when they heard the familiar name.

"Shi Yanshuo," she repeated.

The two of them exchanged a look. At that moment, they had only one thought: This is absurd, absurdity has opened the door for even more absurdity, it is utterly ridiculous... Again? How can so many coincidences pile up like this?

Zhao Hu and Ma Han had overheard them earlier in the office, talking about their old classmate planning to marry Shi Yanshuo. Once they left the shop, the two of them asked, "Shouldn't we try to talk her out of it? If something does come up after the wedding..."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were conflicted too.

This wasn't some trivial matter. Shi Yanshuo's past shady dealings had only been investigated by the economic crimes division, but this time, this time, it involved two murder cases.

But how were they supposed to talk her out of it? The wedding was on Saturday. What were they meant to say now – Don't marry him, your future husband or possibly even your future mother-in-law might be a murderer? And a serial one at that!

Besides, there was no evidence. Just three suitcases? If they hadn't even clarified the link yet, telling the parties involved might spook them and ruin everything.

Bai Yutang called Jiang Ping and asked him to look into Shi Yanshuo and Wang Zhen, especially whether their household had ever reported any thefts or if there were any records of them selling second-hand luggage.

Jiang Ping found the whole direction of the investigation rather baffling. He and Bai Chi had been about to go get lunch, but now that was off. He asked the four of them to bring back some noodles for them when they returned, those in the forensics room hadn't eaten yet either.

After Bai Yutang hung up, he told the others that both the forensic team and Jiang Ping's group needed takeaway for lunch.

Zhao Hu said the noodles from that shop still tasted good even as takeaway, and recommended the crab roe tossed noodles and the noodles with soybean paste.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both gave him a look – You really know how to eat.

The four of them retraced their steps and returned to the front of Youjia Noodle House.

The name sounded like the sort of small noodle shop you'd find tucked away in a back alley, but the interior was actually quite trendy. The sign featured an adorable cartoon of a chubby little cat holding a bowl of noodles, it was rather charming.

As they pushed open the door, a staff member wearing a white short-sleeved uniform and an orange apron greeted them warmly. "Come in, how many of you?"

Zhao Hu held up four fingers. The server clearly recognised him and led them inside with a cheerful smile.

Zhan Zhao glanced around. The number of customers was decent, but considering it was the height of lunchtime and there were so many office buildings nearby, there ought to have been more people coming here for noodles. If the place was truly as tasty as Zhao Hu claimed, business wasn't quite as booming as one might have expected.

The four of them took their seats. Zhao Hu and Ma Han each ordered a bowl of beef noodles, while Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang ordered in unison, egg noodles.

They also ordered takeaway noodles for the rest of the team back at the office.

Once the server had jotted everything down, she headed off to the kitchen to hand in the order.

Despite the shop's trendy decor, it looked more like a flamboyant dessert parlour. The ordering process was surprisingly old-school. Nowadays, it is rare to see a server take orders by jotting them in a notebook. There was something oddly nostalgic about it.

Hu Zi took the dessert menu and began poring over it with Ma Han, telling him the strawberry-flavoured ice cream here was especially delicious.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both glanced over curiously, Hot noodle soup with ice cream?

While waiting for their noodles, Bai Yutang began going through the files Jiang Ping had sent over bit by bit, starting with a look at what Wang Zhen looked like and Shi Yanshuo's academic background.

Zhan Zhao, meanwhile, was taking in his surroundings.

There was a large promotional poster on the wall, featuring a young and rather handsome young man cuddling a chubby, adorably dopey-looking golden-shaded British Shorthair with white paws.

Sure enough, their signature dish was egg noodles. The advertising slogans read: "The simplest ingredients, the most extraordinary taste", and "Flavour: the memory of childhood."

Zhan Zhao stared at the young man on the poster, trying to recall if he was a celebrity. He looked vaguely familiar, but Zhan Zhao couldn't quite place him, so he nudged Zhao Hu and pointed, asking, "Who's that?"

Just then, the server returned with four bowls of noodles. As she placed them on the table, she answered helpfully, "That's our boss!"

Zhan Zhao thought he might be some pop idol. Hearing that, he was surprised. "He looks like a student..."

The server smiled and nodded. "He does look young, he just turned twenty. A genius chef! Apparently the youngest five-star chef at the moment."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang instinctively glanced back at the poster again – Seriously? That impressive?

"So, is he the one cooking the noodles?" Zhan Zhao asked curiously.

The server chuckled and shook her head. "Oh no, we're a chain. The boss sometimes visits the flagship store to sign autographs for fans, and he always brings Jia Jia along."

"Jia Jia?"

The server pointed to the chubby cat. "That's our boss's cat, his name's Jia Jia."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang had probably absorbed an overwhelming amount of information today and they seemed to be handling it pretty well – These days, even chefs and cats had fans, and they actually gave out autographs...

"Most people go to the flagship store to eat. Aside from possibly bumping into the boss and Jia Jia, they also sell Jia Jia plushies and other merchandise over there." As the server spoke, she pulled a brochure from a rack by the wall. "This has our shop's merchandise and our branded instant noodles. We've got an online store, you can order from the website."

Zhan Zhao took the brochure from her and the server went off to take orders at another table.

Ma Han and Zhao Hu were already slurping away at their noodles.

Zhan Zhao set down the brochure and, along with Bai Yutang, lowered his head to examine the bowl of "egg noodles" in front of him.

It really was an incredibly plain bowl of "egg noodles". In a clear broth floated a tangle of noodles, topped with a straw-hat-shaped fried egg and a few slivers of spring onion... Can this really taste good?

Zhan Zhao picked up his spoon and took a sip of the broth.

Bai Yutang, meanwhile, lifted a pair of chopsticks' worth of noodles and gave them a quick inspection.

To be fair, the noodles were quite fine in texture, but they looked springy and almost translucent.

Both of them opened their mouths at the same time, one spoonful of broth, one bite of noodles, and then fell completely still.

Across the table, Zhao Hu and Ma Han also froze, watching their reactions intently.

Then they saw Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang make the exact same move: one set down his chopsticks, the other his spoon, and both took out their phones. Click. They took a photo and sent it to Zhao Jue and Bai Ye with a recommendation for this divine bowl of noodles.

Once they'd taken the photo and sent it, they both buried their heads in their bowls and started eating. It truly was the simplest of ingredients with the most extraordinary flavour!

It was rare for Ma Han and Zhao Hu to see the pair look so boyish and enthusiastic. Shaking their heads in amusement, they too lowered their heads to eat.

Before long, the noodles were gone, and the server began packing up the takeaway.

Bai Yutang went to pay the bill, while Zhan Zhao idly flipped through the brochure.

Ma Han and Zhao Hu came back with the bagged-up takeaway, and Bai Yutang, having paid, stood by the entrance and looked back, signalling for everyone – Time to go.

But Zhan Zhao remained seated, unmoving, his brows furrowed as he stared at the brochure.

Zhao Hu nudged him.

Zhan Zhao looked up and asked, "Do you know where their flagship store is?"

Zhao Hu said it was over by the art gallery, right by the subway station exit, with a big shopfront.

Zhan Zhao nodded and stood up, telling Ma Han and Zhao Hu to head back first and deliver the food. Then he pulled Bai Yutang along and started walking toward the entrance of the pedestrian street's subway station.

"Cat, where are we going?" Bai Yutang was puzzled.

"To buy a plushie, and try our luck while we're at it."

Before long, the two of them had taken the subway to the exit of the Art Gallery Station. Sure enough, not far ahead stood a large three-storey shopfront with the sign for Youjia Noodle House and the chubby British Shorthair cat, Jia Jia, on the logo.

This shop looked far grander than the one they had eaten at earlier, and there was even a queue forming outside the entrance.

Zhan Zhao spotted a few schoolgirls who had just finished eating noodles walking out of the main entrance. One of them was holding a cat plushie in her arms.

Zhan Zhao asked where she had bought the plushie.

The girls enthusiastically pointed the way, saying that the queue at the front was for dining, while there was a merchandise shop around the back, just go in through the rear entrance and up to the second floor.

Zhan Zhao pulled Bai Yutang towards the back entrance, but as they walked, Bai Yutang kept glancing over his shoulder, his eyes fixed on that cat plushie... They had seen this cat before. Wasn't it the one in the "corpse" photo they'd received at the seafood market?! There had been an identical lifelike cat plushie on the shelf in the victim's apartment!

The two of them reached the back of the building and went up to the second floor. Zhan Zhao immediately spotted something and strode over, quickly reaching out to pick it up.

Bai Yutang followed and saw Zhan Zhao holding up a plastic package for him to see.

Inside the package was a pendant, clearly designed for a cat, featuring a tiny whale with a bell on it.

"It's a set!" Bai Yutang exclaimed in surprise. "That fake cat at the murder scene is one of this noodle shop's merchandise items!"

Zhan Zhao nodded.

At that moment, there was a sudden commotion among the crowd browsing the merchandise, and downstairs too, quite a few people started running towards the front.

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang watched curiously, and they heard the same phrase being repeated throughout the crowd: "Xiaoyue is here!"

"Xiaoyue?" Bai Yutang turned around.

Zhan Zhao was casually looking up information about Youjia Noodle House and opened the section introducing the brand's founder, showing it to Bai Yutang – Founder: Guan Xiaoyue.

The introduction was full of his accolades and included praise from renowned international gourmets and global food bloggers.

In short, this man was a genius chef, someone blessed by the god of cuisine, whose plain boiled water would still taste amazing!

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were both deeply impressed by this man's résumé and had the same question at the same time – Will he be participating in the upcoming food competition?

But neither of them could be certain, because every time the twins played the promotional video at home or there was an ad on the street, they just glanced at it and passed by, never watching it to the end.

There was a balcony beside the building, so the two of them went up, circled to the front, and looked down.

They saw a car parked by the roadside in front of the shop. A tall, skinny young man who looked like a student, wearing a white hoodie and jeans, stepped out. On his back was a cat travel backpack with a transparent window, inside which they could see a chubby British Shorthair.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang instinctively glanced at the poster... No doubt, it was Guan Xiaoyue!

Guan Xiaoyue waved at his enthusiastic fans and squeezed into the shop. Staff came out to maintain order, clearly used to this kind of thing and not his first time.

Zhan Zhao asked Bai Yutang, "Good luck, huh? Shall we go in and have a chat with him?"

Bai Yutang was on the phone and pointed down at the crowd of fans blocking the entrance, "Can we even get in?"

At that moment, the call connected, and the person who answered was Xiao Ding.

Bai Yutang asked him, "Is Guan Xiaoyue competing in the competition?"

"Of course not, he's a professional chef. If he joined, what would other influencers do?"

Bai Yutang felt a little deflated. Zhan Zhao was still eager and leaned closer to listen.

"But," Xiao Ding's tone suddenly changed, "he's a judge."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang immediately perked up and asked together, "Do you know him well? Can you arrange a meeting?"

Xiao Ding seemed taken aback for a moment, "A meeting? Aren't you two going to Shi Yanshuo's wedding on Saturday?"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were confused. "Yeah, so?"

"You'll meet him there." The twins said. "Guan Xiaoyue and Shi Yanshuo are partners, they're fairly close. Guan Xiaoyue is in charge of all the food at the wedding. This guy is strange, back then, both Big Brother and Shi Yanshuo said they wanted to invest in him, but he didn't even hesitate and chose Shi Yanshuo."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang immediately looked down at the Youjia brand introduction on their phones, which they hadn't finished reading before. Sure enough, Shi Yanshuo was the second-largest shareholder.

Bai Yutang was speechless – How is this guy everywhere?!

Zhan Zhao was puzzled. He took the phone and asked Xiao Ding, "Why did he choose Shi Yanshuo over Big Brother? By all accounts, Big Brother seems more reliable!"

"We also want to know," the twins said, sounding a bit annoyed about it. "Next time you meet him, help us ask."

‿︵‿︵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: May 19, 2025 by Angel

Edited: August 11, 2025 by Soojin