Translator: MintCatnip Editor: Chrissy
Of course, Xiang Wan was not in the neighborhood.
Bai Muchuan only found an empty house. When he drove out from the alley, he took a glance at the cramped residential buildings by both sides of the alley. His expression was heavy and cold like water.
He had acted rashly. Xiang Wan was timid as a mouse. Why would she come back to this place?
However, if she did not come back here, where would she be?
Bai Muchuan’s eyebrows were knitted very closely. He called up Huang He while driving.
“Send me a copy of Xiang Wan’s personal information. Her home address, all her family relationships, and their contacts!”
“But… what happened, boss?” Huang He had a deeply puzzled tone.
Bai Muchuan frowned. “Just send them over and don’t ask so much!”
With that, he hung up the phone.
Three seconds later, Huang He sent a text message.
However, that was not Xiang Wan’s personal information, but a message that made him doubt his life.
Huang He: “Teacher Xiang is just beside me eating hotpot! Boss, are you sure you want to look for her?”
Bai Muchuan was speechless while looking at the message.
It was the end of July. In Jin City, even the night winds were also hot.
He had charged over in a haste. Driving his car, gliding his way through the congested streets from a faraway location to look for her, and he was bathed in perspiration. In the end, that woman was eating hotpot leisurely?
…
Bai Muchuan hurried back to Ocean Sky Hotpot. It was their peak hour. From the first floor of the main hall to the third floor, all of the tables and private dining rooms were occupied.
This hotpot restaurant was very famous in Jin City. There would be customers queuing up at the main entrance every evening.
Bai Muchuan breathed in the flavor of hotpot as he walked up the third floor with a grumpy and gloomy face to find Huang He. “Where’s that woman?”
Huang He had previously received Bai Muchuan’s call to specially come over to keep their two guests entertained while he was away. He was currently with Quan Shaoteng and Zhan Se chatting inside a private dining room.
Looking at his boss who had a face as dark as the soot at the bottom of a pot, he signaled with his lips, hinting toward the private dining room beside theirs.
Hmph! With a snort, Bai Muchuan went over.
However, besides Xiang Wan, there was another man and two women at the other private dining room.
They were Cheng Zheng, the Forensics Captain, Mei Xin, the Medical Examiner, as well as Fang Yuanyuan.
They seemed very familiar with each other. When Bai Muchuan entered the room, they were laughing and chatting with each other. Xiang Wan was laughing so heartily that her mouth was open.
“Captain Bai?” Cheng Zheng noticed Bai Muchuan who was standing at the entrance of their dining room and greeted him casually, “Have you eaten? Wanna eat together?”
Bai Muchuan shook his head to reject the offer and pointed to the next door. Then he stared at Xiang Wan coldly. “Why didn’t you answer the phone?”
If it was in the past, Xiang Wan would have been slightly afraid of him.
But now that she was clearly his creditor, not his suspect, on what basis should he be questioning her?
Xiang Wan used a piece of tissue to wipe her mouth. In deliberation, she asked in a skeptical way, “Detective Bai, do I have the obligation to answer your call?”
Bai Muchuan said, “You have.”
Xiang Wan was confused.
The corners of Bai Muchuan’s mouth curved upward, but his face was solemn. “I remember telling you before that when the case has not come to light, you are obligated to accept being summoned by the police anytime. Teacher Xiang is a student of the prestigious Zhong Zheng after all. You understand that, right?”
Xiang Wan was choked by his words. “You…”
Bai Muchuan did not look at her now annoyed face but nodded gracefully toward the other three people who were speechless. “Enjoy your food,” he said before leaving the room.
The whole room was now filled with a strange atmosphere.
The nice atmosphere earlier was now ruined by him.
This man must have come deliberately to make me angry? she thought.
Could it be… he saw the chapter I’ve updated today and knew that I’ve “demonized” him, so he wanted to take revenge?
Xiang Wan was perturbed. It was not easy to get out from the laptop incident, and now her good mood was once again covered with a layer of dust.
Cheng Zheng glanced over and smiled. “You don’t have to be angry, Teacher Xiang. Captain Bai is like that. Actually, besides the fact that he hardly has any compassion, he is a very responsible person with regards to work. He said all this because of work.”
No compassion! Yes, Xiang Wan totally agreed with that.
This was the first time she and Captain Cheng had a tacit understanding about something.
Without demur, Xiang Wan took the bottle of wine on the table, poured a cup for Cheng Zheng, and also filled her own cup.
“Captain Cheng, I salute you. First of all, thank you for your gracious invitation tonight. Secondly… for what you’ve just said!”
“Oh yes!” A cold chilly voice was heard when Xiang Wan’s hand was raised in midair. The door was pushed open once again.
Xiang Wan saw Bai Muchuan’s frosty face with the boiling hotpot in front of her. “Please inform me when you’ve finished eating, I’ll take you home and talk about the compensation!”
Home?! This remark made Xiang Wan’s face turned red.
Not because of embarrassment, but because of anger.
What does this guy mean? He had refused to compensate, but now he wanted to, is he messing around with me deliberately? thought Xiang Wan.
Bai Muchuan did not give her the opportunity to ask any questions. His slender fingers raised and waved downward to indicate her cup-lifting hand to be put down.
“Captain Cheng doesn’t drink wine, right? Eat more food.”
Then he nodded slowly. “Enjoy.”
What the!
Xiang Wan’s mood to eat hotpot immediately disappeared without a trace.
The man who had provoked her, however, left with an aura of unapproachability and acted like as if she was the one who owed him money.
Watching Xiang Wan seething with anger, Fang Yuanyuan was full of sympathy and helplessness—after all, she couldn’t afford to offend Detective Bai.
Just when she wanted to console Xiang Wan with a word or two, the female assistant who was sitting beside Cheng Zheng spoke up, “You’re a student from Zhong Zheng?”
Xiang Wan was startled. “You can say so. You’re from there too?”
This female assistant was called Mei Xin, who finally revealed a smile ever since she sat down in the room. “No, my father is a professor at Zhong Zheng.”
“Oh, I see.” Xiang Wan felt a sense of respect and wanted to give her a toast, but Mei Xin had lowered her head to eat her food.
This female assistant was somewhat similar to Cheng Zheng. Both were reticent and seemed cold and apathetic. Perhaps they had dealt with corpses for too long and did not like to interact with living humans.
They had bumped into each other by chance this evening.
When Xiang Wan saw Cheng Zheng, she got reminded of the awkward blind date they had, while Fang Yuanyuan happily went up to them to say hello.
Hence, they were treated to dinner by Cheng Zheng.
“Come on, everyone, let’s dig in! The ingredients are all fully cooked, let’s not waste the food!”
Fang Yuanyuan showed the full spirit of a foodie. She was especially active on the dining table.
With her around, the atmosphere ultimately recovered from the earlier episode of awkwardness.
Bai Muchuan did not come over to disturb them again.
The one who came over this time was Zhan Se.
She knew Xiang Wan was here and came over specially to say hello. By chance, she found out that Mei Xin’s father was a professor at Zhong Zheng. In fact, Mei Xin’s father was also one of the college professors who had taught her. Due to the fact that Cheng Zheng, Bai Muchuan, Huang He, and Mei Xin were actually colleagues, Zhan Se warmly invited them to combine their tables, which meant they would be eating in one dining room.
How awkward!
Xiang Wan could not decline the request.
Due to her Senior, she had to eat with Bai Muchuan in one dining table.
Fortunately, Bai Muchuan did not embarrass her any further. Besides “releasing” his cold aura throughout the dinner, he hardly participated in any chatting.
Only Zhan Se, Fang Yuanyuan, Huang He, and Quan Shaoteng were the main players in terms of chatting.
Xiang Wan was focusing on eating, eating, and eating… occasionally answering Zhan Se’s questions, totally behaving like an outlier.
That was until Huang He’s mobile phone rang.
He got up to take the call, and came back whispering a few words to Bai Muchuan, “Boss…”
Bai Muchuan waved his hand, “You can go there first, I’ll be right there.”
Huang He nodded, apologized to everyone, and left in a huff.
Xiang Wan did not know what happened, but when she saw Bai Muchuan’s grave expression, her nerves also started to tense up.
Everyone’s gaze was also on Bai Muchuan. “Laowu, you’re responsible for the safety of all the ladies here!” He said.
After that, he turned to look at Cheng Zheng. “Old Cheng, time to start working!”
He couldn’t continue to eat, so he had to drag someone down as well? Xiang Wan was somewhat suspicious of Detective Bai having ulterior motives.
Cheng Zheng did not say much, and he got up after wiping his hands. “Dr. Mei, you can stay here, I’ll go with them.”
Mei Xin nodded her head without saying a word. As for Quan Shaoteng, he had a helpless expression as he suddenly had a task to “take care” of so many ladies. “Little Bai, you really trust me so much. Don’t you know what is my Red Thorn code?!”
Snow Wolf!
Yes, he’s a wolf! Or so he claimed.
These beautiful ladies were like little lambs sent to his care. Was this arrangement really okay?
Bai Muchuan gave him a “go figure out yourself” expression and turned to leave.
The ones still at the table remained seated. Xiang Wan suddenly stood up. “Hey!”
Bai Muchuan turned around. “You’re calling me?!”
Eh? I didn’t call your name, yet you know I’m calling you? You’re wise enough!
Xiang Wan spread out her hands, “Money? I’ve no laptop to use now.”
Uh…
The ones present were thunderstruck by that!
Xiang Wan noticed from the gazes of the ones present.
She had clearly wanted compensation, so why did their gazes look like she was a child asking for money from an adult?
She cleared her throat and retracted her hands. “Forget it, you handle your work first, the issue of compensation can wait till tomorrow!”
Bai Muchuan looked at her without much emotion. He took out a bank card from his pocket and handed it to her. “I’ll message you the password later!”
And he left!
Xiang Wan was a little bewildered. She looked at the bank card, not knowing the amount of money in it!
What in the world happened that made Detective Bai lose his mind, that he can give me money like that with such confidence and boldness? she thought.