Chapter 28: Searching

The netizens in the Live Stream Room doubled over with laughter at this slick move.

“Brother Q wanted to speak but stopped. It’s just so hard.”

“Brother Q must have deeply experienced the hardships of being a woman this time.”

“Big boss: I’m definitely not implying anything, I’m just self-reflecting. “

“Some people are incredibly arrogant and overbearing at home, finding all kinds of excuses to oppress women and bully the weak. But in reality, they know this fig leaf can’t be pulled away, so they don’t dare to utter a single word in public.”

“Big boss: That’s right, I’m indeed not a man. 【You just haven’t seen me transform】”

·

Ever since the ambulance stopped at the hospital, Qiong Cang’s phone had been ringing nonstop.

She pulled it out to check the number and saw that the caller ID read “Mom.”

The doctors and nurses kept glancing at her out of the corners of their eyes. Combined with the previous phone calls, they could easily guess who the caller was. They were also very eager to see how the legendary battlefield would be settled.

But Qiong Cang was Qiong Cang, destined to disappoint them. Without changing her expression, she muted her phone, helped the doctor take He Jueyun to get his scans, and then went to the front desk to pay. She didn’t show the slightest panic throughout the entire process, remaining completely calm and composed.

Only after settling He Jueyun and clearing her hands of chores did she find a quiet spot to sit down and answer the phone.

As soon as the call connected, a wailing sound like ghosts crying and wolves howling came from the other end. The cadence of that voice was enough to paint a vivid picture of the caller’s state.

Zhou Langxiu had been ignored by her for so long that she had gone from initial madness to a complete breakdown. Hearing her voice now, there was no anger left, only the relief of grabbing onto a life-saving straw.

She humbly begged her most trusted son, crying out to him for help: “Son! A bunch of scammers came to the house! I don’t know where they got the keys, but they burst right through the door to grab me, and they’re pretending to be police officers! Hurry back! Help me! Call the police, they want to arrest me! They’re going to kill me!”

Qiong Cang listened to her finish before saying calmly, “I called the police. They are the police officers I called. I suggest you cooperate with the investigation. Assaulting a police officer is also against the law.”

“You… you called the police?” Zhou Langxiu on the other end froze completely, then shrieked hysterically, “There has never been a son in this world who called the police to arrest his own mother! Wu Ming, have you gone mad? I’m your mother!”

Qiong Cang hung up directly, blocked the number, and then stood up to head to the ward.

He Jueyun didn’t actually have to undergo a physical examination; after all, that would be too inhumane. He only needed to lie in bed, wait for the game time to pass, and then obtain the physical examination data that Li Yujia had once done at the hospital.

But during this time, he could only lie in bed and couldn’t go anywhere.

When Qiong Cang entered the ward, He Jueyun was staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, looking completely devoid of life.

What should have been a thrilling Case Analysis game had been played by him like an idle game. Thinking about it, it was quite pathetic; she didn’t even know how to comfort him.

Qiong Cang pulled up a chair, sat down beside him, and asked, “How long?”

He Jueyun glanced at the prompt and said, “At least until the afternoon.”

Qiong Cang said, “Zhou Langxiu should have been taken away by the police. How about I go home and get you some change of clothes and snacks?”

He Jueyun looked up, finally showing a bit of life, and added, “And a book or a laptop, thanks.”

Qiong Cang said, “Sure.”

He Jueyun hesitated for a moment and said, “You don’t need to stay with me, do you? Aren’t you going to look for clues?”

“No rush. We don’t have a direction right now anyway, so what clues would I look for?” Qiong Cang reassured him. “Besides, aren’t we giving the audience a moral education lesson? It wouldn’t look good if I just left like this.”

So far, the murderer she suspected most was Li Yujia. It was just as well to keep an eye on him first and see what his next move would be.

·

When Qiong Cang returned to the villa, the house was already a mess. Various smashed ornaments littered the floor.

Vases, porcelain, appliances, and even the paintings hanging on the wall had been taken down and stomped on. There were various scratches on the walls, and a messy blur of footprints near the door, showing how fierce the struggle had been.

Given Wu Ming’s personality, he definitely wouldn’t keep cheap things in his home. Zhou Langxiu’s fit of madness had truly caused him heavy losses.

The responding officer had left a contact number on the dining table, hoping she could come and handle it when she had time.

Looking at the line of writing, Qiong Cang found it inexplicably funny. She bypassed the debris on the floor and made her way up to the second floor.

Qiong Cang stood at the doorway, paused, swept her eyes completely over the room, and then walked inside.

He Jueyun had left in a hurry and hadn’t brought his phone. It was placed on the nightstand against the wall.

Qiong Cang went straight over to pick it up and tried to unlock his passcode, but failed twice in a row. Without hesitating, she slipped the phone into her pocket, planning to find an opportunity to unlock it later.

Afterward, Qiong Cang walked over to the front of the walk-in closet.

He Jueyun had spent a whole day in the villa, and it was impossible that he had just been sleeping. In such a large villa, there were bound to be many clues hidden. Yet after Qiong Cang returned, he hadn’t given her any useful information, which meant the details he discovered were very likely unfavorable to him.

And when Qiong Cang had returned, his first reaction was to leave the living room and go back to the bedroom, and he had refused to let Qiong Cang inside. Therefore, those things were most likely hidden in the room.

Qiong Cang reached out and felt through every single pocket.

A man’s skill at hiding secret money was said to be superb, a clever strategy developed through years of guerrilla warfare. But He Jueyun was an inexperienced fellow and didn’t have much wariness toward Qiong Cang. He had probably just crudely hidden the things in a place not visible on the surface, thinking that would be enough.

Qiong Cang let out a hypocritical sigh.

She couldn’t be blamed for this. If a man wasn’t ruthless, his position wouldn’t be secure.

·

The viewers in the Live Stream Room watched her busy herself for quite a while, lingering by the wardrobe without actually packing anything. They finally realized her intentions in hindsight, and for a moment, their hearts were filled with grief.

“Just a second ago, I was praising the big boss for being a good man, saying that women care about women more than men do. I was wrong. It turns out they’re all national-level drama queens. My apologies, my apologies. 【Cupped Hands¹】”

“So much for trusting Brother Q. Behind his back, you come right back to dig up dirt on him. 【Pointing fingers】”

“This looks like someone hunting for a hidden stash of cash. Brother Q really trusts you, you know?”

“And here I actually believed all that talk about trust and carrying each other. Poor Brother Q is just too naive and completely off his guard, probably still crying tears of gratitude to the boss back at the hospital. I feel so bad for him.”

“A man’s words are as reliable as a lying ghost². Even occupying a man’s body brings this kind of curse. Terrifying.”

“People really are so sinister…”

“Deliberately leaving Brother Q at home to gather clues while he slips back to reap all the rewards, all while looking like the good guy. What a ruthless man.”

Translator’s Notes