A Psych Case Just Joined the Team Chapter 008

Bloodshed – 08

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Xing Zui narrowed his eyes slightly and said unhurriedly, "No, we should be using a different title... Lin Datong's twin brother? Or older brother?"

As he spoke, he pulled up a photo on his phone and tossed it onto the interrogation room table... The phone hit the table with a thud, as if in protest, making Li Li's heart involuntarily clench. Her eyes couldn't help but fall on the phone screen...

"This signature was taken from the old herbalist and it's already been compared to Lin Datong's, it wasn't written by him. In other words, the person who went to the traditional Chinese medicine shop and left this signature wasn't the deceased Lin Datong. Moreover, the man the old doctor saw just happened to look very much like him."

Li Li's body began to tremble slightly. Xing Zui's gaze was so cold and direct that she couldn't bring herself to meet it.

"On the night of the 6th, at your home... the primary crime scene, there was another person present. He was involved as well, and during the struggle with Lin Datong, was wounded, which is why he went to the Chinese medicine shop. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that he went there deliberately, to confuse the police, to mislead our judgement, to cast doubt on the estimated time of death, and reduce suspicion on you... And this person shares Lin Datong's blood type, and even his appearance, a twin brother."

As Xing Zui spoke, he retrieved the phone from the interrogation table and slid it back into his pocket. Then he added, "Am I right? Hmm?"

Hearing this, an image flashed through Qing Ming's mind... from when he and Xing Zui had visited Lin Datong's old hometown, and what that old man had said.

– There's an old rule in our village, set by our ancestors. Every generation can only pass on one child. If a family has o twins, whether boys or girls, only one can be kept... But Laogen's daughter-in-law gave birth to a pair of twins...

Thinking of this, Qing Ming broke the brief silence. "Senior, didn't that old man say the villagers forced Lin Laogen to abandon one of the twins on the back of the mountain..."

"Even a vicious tiger won't eat its own cubs. I think Lin Laogen and his wife never abandoned the child to the wolves, they must've kept him hidden and raised him in secret. Since they were identical twins, the two boys would've looked nearly the same, raising them as one person would've been entirely possible..."

Xing Zui's theory might have sounded far-fetched, but that didn't mean it was impossible.

If the truth was indeed as Xing Zui had speculated, that the killer and the victim were identical twins, then the DNA of the deceased would naturally match Lin Datong's. That would also explain why the forensic team had failed to detect a second person's DNA or blood at the crime scene or on the corpse, and it would unravel the mystery of why witnesses had seen "Lin Datong" on both the 7th and the 8th.

The interrogation room was silent. After a long pause, Li Li finally spoke: "I'm the murderer, I confess, there was no accomplice, I acted alone."

Xing Zui raised his eyebrows and said, "Since Miss Li insists, I suppose we'll just have to waste a little more time."

After leaving the interrogation room, Xing Zui instructed Fang Lai to gather all the medical records from Lin Datong's hospital visits. Since Li Li wanted to play games, he didn't mind spending a bit of extra time.

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That evening, as the workday ended, Xing Zui stepped out of his office. Qing Ming, ever sharp-eared, heard the jingle of his keys and quickly stood up, calling out to Fang Lai and Xie Xun nearby:

"Uh... Fangzi, Blindy, I'm off first!"

With that, he picked up his phone and dashed out the door... After watching Qing Ming leave, Xie Xun couldn't help but ask Fang Lai, "Say... is Qing Ming's living with Boss?"

Fang Lai had never liked gossiping about other people, he didn't even pause his mouse clicks as he replied, "No idea."

Xie Xun slid his chair over beside Fang Lai and said in a conspiratorial tone, "Let me tell you, I've seen Qing Ming climb out of Boss's car two mornings in a row. Right! And... did you notice they've been leaving work together the past couple of days?"

Fang Lai genuinely hadn't noticed. He paused his work and said, "Is this what you spend your days paying attention to?"

Xie Xun scratched his head and grinned. "... I also noticed a pretty girl in forensics called Tang Xin. Fengzi sent me to Mu Sen's office for a report today and I saw her... She looks just like her name, sweet."

As he spoke, Xie Xun's imagination drifted off... then, as if showing off, he added, "The most important thing is, she smiled at me... hehe..."

Fang Lai, seeing the lovestruck look on his face, like a boar in heat, simply turned his head away and focused back on his own work.

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Xing Zui got into the driver's seat and had just inserted the car key when, at that exact moment, the front passenger door was pulled open. A gust of cold air rushed in, followed by Qing Ming's face appearing.

"Senior, you don't mind giving your beloved roommate a ride, do you?" Without giving Xing Zui a chance to refuse, he was already in the car.

"Please remove 'beloved' and replace 'roommate' with 'housekeeper'... thank you!" Xing Zui replied as he started the engine.

On the road, Xing Zui actually took the initiative to speak. He asked, "Hey kid, are you unhappy with our station's salary?"

Qing Ming turned his head, not quite following.

"Huh??"

Xing Zui: "You're already freeloading off my food and shelter, now you're freeloading my car too, so why don't you just save the money for a taxi?"

Qing Ming: "Well, we're heading in the same direction anyway. Times are tough, save where you can, conserve energy."

As he spoke, Qing Ming flashed his signature "lady-killer" grin and glanced sideways at the man beside him... The car's interior lights were off, so shadows cloaked the cabin. Xing Zui appeared focused on the road ahead... The streetlamps flashed through the windows now and then, teasing the eye with deliberately tantalising glimpses.

After a short silence, Qing Ming spoke again. "And besides, having one more roommate, especially one who's handsome and can cook and do laundry, Senior, you've definitely struck gold. Just looking at the current market rates, a nanny who cooks, cleans, and does postnatal care earns way more than us poor souls out there risking our lives."

"Then why don't you just quit and become a nanny?"

"No can do. With my charm, being a nanny would be wasting my talents. Err... being a celebrity's still doable. Even if I don't become galaxy-famous, I could easily be the dream man of billions of girls..."

?

"Based on current market trends, the aesthetic standards of teenage girls haven't sunk that low yet. You..." Xing Zui paused, glanced sideways at Qing Ming, "... might just be fit for the adult entertainment industry."

Qing Ming forced a dry laugh. "... Senior, you're so funny."

Xing Zui didn't respond, he seemed lost in thought... until a few minutes later, when he suddenly spoke again, "Not bad."

Qing Ming's brain hadn't quite caught up with the shift in topic. "Huh??... What?"

Xing Zui smiled faintly, though there was a wicked edge to it. He said meaningfully, "Having a free nanny is pretty good."

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As soon as they got home, Qing Ming took off his jacket.

"I'm going to have a shower first."

Xing Zui turned his head and asked: "Not cooking?"

Qing Ming froze: "Huh... cook what?"

"Dinner."

Hearing that, Qing Ming let out a breath of relief. "Of course I'm cooking! How could I let Senior go hungry?"

"Then why are you showering now?"

"Senior may not know this, but I have a habit of showering before I cook."

"You didn't have this problem the past few days?"

"Well, that's because I'd only just moved in... I had to be a bit reserved. I couldn't just walk through the door and strip off for a shower on the first day, it'd look like a sexual transaction."

Xing Zui narrowed his eyes and sized him up: "Do you have body odour?"

Qing Ming: "No..."

Seeing that Xing Zui's expression clearly screamed disbelief, Qing Ming stepped up close: "Seriously, I don't. If you don't believe me, have a sniff?"

Xing Zui stood rooted to the spot and issued a warning through gritted teeth: "Stay – back."

That intimidating glare forced Qing Ming to retreat to his original position. He chuckled awkwardly, saying, "After a good shower, I feel fresh all over, and the food I cook ends up infused with my natural body fragrance, and..."

Before he could finish the sentence, Xing Zui cut him off coldly, "You'd better shut up..."

Sensing the warning, Qing Ming wisely swallowed the rest of his words. Whistling a hooligan's tune, he casually unbuttoned his shirt and sauntered towards the bathroom... Xing Zui, resisting the urge to kick him, turned and entered the study, shutting the door behind him.

He rubbed his chin and stood by the door, deep in thought:

"Having another species in the apartment really is a nuisance."

After dinner, Qing Ming carried a glass of water, ready to return to his room to join his gaming teammates and dominate the virtual world. Just then, he saw Xing Zui coming out of the bedroom with a jacket and heading for the door. He asked, "Senior, where are you off to?"

"Nightlife."

"Wow," Qing Ming's mind immediately conjured up a scene of neon lights, nightclubs, and seductive wild kittens luring men in with a glance. "Can I come?"

Xing Zui didn't respond. Qing Ming took it as silent approval and happily trotted after him. When the car pulled up outside Lin Datong's housing estate, Qing Ming was filled with bitter regret for letting his lusty brain abandon his teammates back home.

"Coming out to work a case this late, Senior's nightlife really is rich..."

"Get out, I'm going to find somewhere to park."

Qing Ming got out of the car. "Isn't this spot perfect? Would the colleagues from the traffic police team even dare issue you a ticket?"

"It's not like I'm having an affair with the traffic police, why wouldn't they dare?"

After speaking, Xing Zui stepped on the accelerator and drove off in a certain direction.

Qing Ming stood in the night breeze, looking towards the nearby block of communal apartments. "Alright then, let's sacrifice the noob teammates this once, and let me, 'Detective Little Whirlwind', conduct a midnight investigation of the crime scene."

With that, he didn't wait for Xing Zui and strode straight towards Lin Datong's building...

By the way, Qing Ming's in-game ID was, indeed, "Detective Little Whirlwind".

He was a bit of a gaming master. Even when carrying clueless teammates, he could still easily clinch a win, which earned him a loyal following of simpering devotees in the game. Just before heading out earlier, Qing Ming had left a message:

– "This handsome man's got a biological emergency, off to the place where grains are reincarnated (WC)."

And with that, he hurriedly logged off.

When his teammates saw his avatar remain grey and offline for ages, the game's message feed had long since erupted in chaos... Some teammates were guessing whether "Detective Little Whirlwind's" toilet had exploded. Others were convinced the boss had constipation. A few even offered up bizarre home remedies for it, all manner of suggestions... (Content omitted due to potential discomfort.)

Though Qing Ming hadn't been deeply involved in this case, it'd be unfair to say he wasn't paying attention, after all, he remembered Lin Datong's apartment number. In no time, he arrived outside the door.

Xing Zui had parked the car and, seeing no sign of Qing Ming, thought he'd snuck back home. But when he knocked on Lin Datong's door, it was Qing Ming who opened it.

Xing Zui couldn't help being surprised: "Kid, how did you get in?"

Qing Ming shrugged: "I knocked, and Qi Qi opened the door for me, just like that..."

Seeing Xing Zui frowning at him, Qing Ming began to feel a bit uneasy. He asked, "Senior... is... is something wrong?"

Xing Zui didn't say anything and walked inside.

Lin Qi was lying on the coffee table in the living room, drawing, and Xing Zui walked over.

"It's quite late, why aren't you in bed?"

Qi Qi lifted his small face and replied, "I'm waiting for Mom to come back."

Xing Zui glanced at the watercolour drawing on the paper, a woman and a man, with a child in the middle. Then his gaze settled on the boy's little hand... He placed his large hand gently on Lin Qi's head. "Are you the only one home?"

Lin Qi thought for a moment, then nodded.

Qing Ming had been wandering around the apartment. When he turned around, he saw Xing Zui heading straight toward him...

‿︵‿︵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, 2025 by Angel

Edited: July 30, 2026 by Angel