85 – The Murder Case Reencountered

Episode 85: The Murder Case Encountered Again

Anger surged before his cognitive circuits could even process the situation. He slammed his fist against the room’s light switch. The moment the room became as bright as broad daylight, He Yu, eyes blazing red, lunged forward and ripped back the clumped-up duvet.

“Xie Qingcheng, what the hell are you—”

“Fuck, what is this! Are you crazy?”

“Aaaah! What is this!”

The screams of a man and a woman echoed across the bed. Blinded by rage, He Yu only then recognized the couple’s faces. They weren’t Xie Qingcheng and Chen Man; they were supporting actors participating in this shoot.

The two actors also got a clear look at him. In an instant, their angry expressions were stained with terror.

“…….”

“…….”

Even for supporting roles, a major blockbuster film wouldn’t cast third-rate unknowns. Since they were reasonably famous in the industry, He Yu knew that these two were already married.

Furthermore, the man’s wife was pregnant. She had even trended in popular searches after posting affectionate photos of her full-term pregnancy on social media.

And yet, here were two people who had never written their names on a marriage certificate together, lying in one bed. He had just witnessed two actors in the middle of an affair.

“No, this place… how…”

“…….”

After a brief silence, He Yu spoke indifferently.

“I must have received the wrong key. Isn’t this room 2209?”

“It is…” the woman said in a trembling voice. “We just… changed rooms. The air conditioner in my room was broken…”

“There should have been someone staying here.”

He didn’t care whether they were committing adultery or not. Wasn’t adultery the most common gossip in the entertainment industry? Thus, without a hint of surprise, he asked with an expressionless face:

“Where is that person?”

The woman carefully pulled the duvet to cover her body and answered in a shaking voice.

“We don’t know. We went to the front desk and asked to change rooms, and they gave us this card key. Um… maybe the previous guest checked out early…?”

With a face darkened and sunken, He Yu turned around abruptly.

The woman screamed from behind him.

“Excuse me! Mr. He, please keep this a secret from others—!”

He Yu headed straight for the front desk and asked where the guest of room 2209 had gone.

Perhaps because He Yu’s expression was so grave, the desk clerk, who had been tapping away at the computer, looked up nervously.

“…That person has checked out.”

“Check…”

He Yu was speechless.

Checked out?

According to the schedule he had seen previously, Xie Qingcheng still [unauthorized copy]had a long way to unauthorized copygo with filming before he could finish his role as the on-site consultant.

But he hadn’t just changed rooms; he had checked out? Then where was he staying?

Unable to find Xie Qingcheng, He Yu eventually called him.

“Hello. Xie Qingcheng.”

He had expected the call to be ignored, but surprisingly, it connected. In his urgency, He Yu gripped the phone and leaned his body forward.

“Where are you right now?”

After a short silence, Xie Qingcheng spoke.

-He Yu.

“Yes.”

-Fuck, you aren’t so narcissistic that you actually believed I’d be waiting for you obediently in the room, are you?

Sex wasn’t what was important right now. He Yu simply wanted to speak with Xie Qingcheng alone.

-Did you hit your head on the hotel door?

After cursing him out to his heart’s content, Xie Qingcheng hung up, feeling refreshed. He Yu stood there frozen, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

“…….”

You brought this on yourself, He Yu murmured inwardly.

He sat in the hotel lobby lounge and opened a phone hacking app. Searching through the line of the call that had just ended, he pinpointed Xie Qingcheng’s location in less than a minute.

Xie Qingcheng was at a porridge shop on South Street.

Since he hated being followed, He Yu didn’t call a driver; instead, he borrowed a private car from a junior staff member—of a make he couldn’t even identify—and rushed to the porridge shop.

Upon arriving, he saw that Xie Qingcheng wasn’t alone. He was with the associate producer and the executive producer. The three of them had just finished a late-night snack and were standing at the entrance hailing a taxi. Of course, Xie Qingcheng must have stepped aside for a moment to take the call. He wouldn’t have wanted others to hear such personal matters.

“Oh, Young Master He.”

“Mr. He Yu?”

When He Yu rolled down the window, the two women were startled. Xie Qingcheng also looked slightly surprised. Then, perhaps guessing that He Yu had used a hacking app, his complexion darkened.

“Did you come for porridge too, Mr. He Yu?” the executive producer asked.

He Yu paused for a moment, then smiled brightly.

“I was just passing by. Where are you going at this hour?”

“We were just having a meeting for tomorrow’s shoot. We’re filming the researcher’s scene tomorrow. The director mentioned there might be an issue with the props, so we’re taking Professor Xie to the site to take a look.”

“Then get in.”

Holding the steering wheel with one hand and unlocking the doors with the other, he stared intently at Xie Qingcheng.

“I came out for some fresh air myself. I’ll give you a ride while I’m at it.”

Who would refuse a ride from a handsome man? The two women quickly climbed into the back seat.

The passenger seat was naturally yielded to the only older gentleman. Sitting next to a man as solemn as Xie Qingcheng was, as expected, a bit awkward. Even if he was happy inside, it was true that he felt bashful.

After exchanging glances with He Yu for a few seconds amidst the snowfall, Xie Qingcheng had no choice but to stretch out his long legs and enter the car.

So enraged that he forgot [Read on Read BL Novels]to fasten his [Read on Read BL Novels]seatbelt, he turned his head with a [visit our site]stern face and stared only out the window.

Only when the young man’s lukewarm breath drew near did he suddenly snap back to his senses and speak in a cold voice.

“What are you doing?”

He Yu leaned in slightly. Because of the ambiguous angle, the women in the back couldn’t see the two of them clearly. Lowering his eyelashes, he blatantly revealed the desire in his eyes as he felt Xie Qingcheng’s breath.

“This is a borrowed car, so I can’t get caught in a crackdown. I ask for your understanding, Professor Xie.”

As he spoke, he reached out, pulled the seatbelt down, and clicked it into place.

“I’ve fastened your seatbelt for you.”

The associate and executive producers simply enjoyed the spectacle from the back.

Xie Qingcheng had no intention of bickering with He Yu. [visit our site]He didn’t even want to [Read on Read BL Novels]grant him [visit our site]the emotion of annoyance.

He replied coldly.

“You have a mouth and I have hands. I’d prefer it if you told me with words before touching me.”

At those words, He Yu laughed.

“Yes. I’ll tell you first next time.”

Then, he started the engine and headed toward the filming location for tomorrow’s shoot.

The filming site was an indoor studio built with a structural frame. It wasn’t far from here, but since the surroundings were entirely rice fields, there was no one around except for a few staff members.

Originally, a cousin of He Yu’s had participated as a consultant for the scene, but unlike a university lab, the hours for a hospital emergency room were flexible. Because the cousin had received an emergency call, the production team had to seek advice remotely.

When the group entered the studio, the staff had completed the background according to the blueprints. Of course, there unauthorized copywere many details that needed further refining. As discussed with Xie stolen contentQingcheng at the porridge shop, the two producers moved the props one by one.

Xie Qingcheng explained his opinions to the prop manager and quietly observed the site from behind with He Yu.

The interior of the studio looked like an underground laboratory where modern advanced science converged. Oxygen tanks, chemical containers, operating tables, surgical lights, and so on…

Both the props and equipment were qualitatively perfect. Some were actual pieces of equipment specially rented from a partner hospital.

Xie Qingcheng glanced at a giant culture tank standing in the corner of the wall. It was a form where several tanks were attached; each appeared to be two or three meters high, and inside were mannequins made as props. The hair of the mannequins immersed in chemical solution floated like seaweed.

It was the same prop he had mistaken for a corpse trapped in a glass case in the hotel hallway a few days ago. Being immersed in water made it look even more grotesque.

As he stood momentarily entranced while staring at the mannequin, someone quickly pulled him away.

“Which room did you move to?”

He Yu, who had been leaning beside him, suddenly asked in a low voice.

Xie Qingcheng knew He Yu very well. Since he could find out on his own regardless, there was no point in hiding it.

So, in a blunt voice, he named the hotel.

“Why did you move there?”

“No matter who you are, you don’t have the authority to take another hotel’s room card key as you please.”

“…….”

It was truly a piercing remark.

“How much is the cost of staying separately? For someone who is dreadfully stingy with money…”

Not to be outdone, He Yu struck Xie Qingcheng’s sore spot.

Xie Qingcheng countered as he lit a cigarette.

“When I checked out, the production team gave me the lodging fee.”

“…….”

Did this stupid production team sell their intuition to a dog! To let the sex partner of a He family capitalist sleep outside while even providing the lodging fee!

Smoking in a narrow studio hallway is bound to affect others. Sure enough, the associate producer began to cough as if distressed.

Xie Qingcheng quickly crushed the cigarette.

It looked as though his nicotine withdrawal symptoms were acting up. Watching him, He Yu leaned against the wall and asked.

“Do you want to go for a walk?”

Seeing Xie Qingcheng’s gaze, he added one more thing.

“Near the entrance. There are staff members outside; why are you so scared?”

“Who said I’m scared. There’s a limit to your delusions.”

Saying so, Xie Qingcheng stepped outside first.

He Yu quickly followed him.

“No, I changed hotels because I was scared—”

“I changed because it was annoying.”

“…….”

In the cold weather, snowflakes fluttered, turning the entire field a pure white.

Xie Qingcheng leaned against the studio wall and smoked in silence. He Yu stayed by his side the entire time. There were many things he wanted to ask Xie Qingcheng, but it seemed unlikely he would get a satisfying answer.

There were also many things he wanted to do with Xie Qingcheng. He didn’t know why he craved Xie Qingcheng to this extent.

The snowflakes gradually grew thicker, and the night deepened. The staff who had finished their on-site work left one by one.

It felt quite tedious to return to the studio after putting out a cigarette he hadn’t even finished. After thinking it over, Xie Qingcheng decided to take out his phone and message the executive producer to ask when they would be finished. However, the words ‘Limited Service Area’ appeared at the top of the screen.

“Is it always like this here?”

He asked a staff member who was loading boxes into a car nearby.

It was an unfamiliar staff member wearing a raincoat. He [visit our site]was loading useless props into [visit our site]the cargo bed of a truck, struggling stolen contentto move a heavy and large prop box.

Unable to watch any longer, Xie Qingcheng approached and helped him.

“Thank you.”

“No, not at all.”

“You’re having signal issues, right?”

The staff member said, brushing the dust off his hands.

“It’s such a remote place that the signal comes and goes. You have to go out about five hundred meters to use it stably. Do you want to go out? Shall I give you a ride?”

“No, I’m fine. I have a car.”

“…….”

The staff member glanced at Xie Qingcheng, pulled the hood of his raincoat deep over his head with a smile, and silently closed the cargo door and left.

The fact that this was the last cargo truck meant there were almost no people left inside. Xie Qingcheng waited outside until the two producers came out. Even after finishing his third cigarette, the two women were nowhere to be seen. To discuss for this long—something must have happened.

As he was about to return to the studio, Xie Qingcheng looked at the last remaining cigarette in the pack, hesitated, and eventually put the final one in his mouth.

Though he coughed, he flicked open his Zippo lighter. Just as he was about to light the cigarette, He Yu suddenly spoke.

“Stop smoking and give that to me.”

“…….”

His tone sounded like a negotiation, but his intention was different. He snatched the cigarette from Xie Qingcheng’s soft lips and took the lighter as well. Then, to avoid second-hand smoke, he walked a distance away and lit the cigarette.

The orange ember flickered dimly between He Yu’s fingers.

Xie Qingcheng frowned his dark eyebrows and stared at him.

Sometimes, He Yu’s personality was truly unpredictable. He would smile sweetly, then suddenly reveal a beast-like side. Smiling didn’t necessarily mean he was in a good mood, and getting angry didn’t mean the situation was irreparable. In short, he was a man whose inner thoughts were difficult to penetrate.

It was the same now. Xie Qingcheng couldn’t understand why He Yu would suddenly snap and steal someone else’s cigarette to smoke.

And the last one, at that.

He Yu lifted his head, exhaled a hazy cloud of smoke, and gazed at the relentlessly blowing blizzard.

The way he smoked was quite elegant yet sensual. It was far from the greasy smell of so-called pretentious men. Of course, it was different from Xie Qingcheng as well. When Xie Qingcheng held a cigarette, a macho atmosphere wafted strongly, like a fine wine.

He Yu was closer to the soft silhouette one might see in a Wang Wei director’s film.

The last cigarette burned down to the filter.

As He Yu returned, stepping over the thin layer of snow, grains of sleet were clinging to his eyelashes.

“Have the two of them not come out yet?”

“Yeah.”

“I guess we should go in.”

There was truly no one inside. Most of the studio lights were off, leaving the interior pitch black. Only a small camping lantern, kept on constantly on the ceiling of the middle room, cast a dim, whitish light.

As they entered the studio, sand crunched beneath their feet.

It was at that moment.

Clunk.

At the sound of the door, Xie Qingcheng immediately turned his head.

“The main door closed?”

“It must be the wind.”

He Yu didn’t even look back, only frowning slightly. After thinking for a moment, he added:

“Let’s call the two of them and leave immediately.”

They walked deep into the studio along a narrow, long path. The structure was divided into rooms like a house, and some of those sections had been modified into laboratories for the shoot. Earlier, the two producers had been talking with the set director in the largest room. However, when Xie Qingcheng and He Yu arrived, that room was empty.

An empty space.

The room was as silent as a grave. He Yu called out the Read on Read BL Novelstwo people’s names, but there was Read on Read BL Novelsno answer. Instead, a subtly irritating noise could be heard from the back of the room.

Xie Qingcheng spoke.

“Did those two leave first?”

“No, that’s impossible.”

An ominous feeling began to crawl up from deep within his heart.

Xie Qingcheng took out his phone and checked the screen. The words ‘Limited Service Area’ still floating at the top added to the foreboding.

He said to He Yu, “Let’s check the room next door.”

He Yu simply stood still in his place.

When there was no response, Xie Qingcheng looked back. [stolen content]He visit our siteYu was staring at the giant culture tank [unauthorized copy]installed in this ‘laboratory.’ Inside, mannequins were immersed one by one, according to the movie script.

A moment later, the lights on the studio ceiling flickered dimly. Simultaneously, He Yu’s low voice was heard.

“Xie Qingcheng, hurry and look at the person inside here.”

Unlike before, his voice was sharp with emotion.

The solution in the tank reflected the dim lighting, casting a spectrum-like reflected light across He Yu’s face. Because of that, He Yu’s face looked even paler.

“This person, could it be—”