Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 143

The applause stopped and Li Jingtian finally took his seat.

He nodded to the host and dragged the microphone in front of him. He looked weak, but his temperament was neither too humble nor overbearing. He didn’t even need a script. He faced the camera and spoke slowly.

“Today, I specially invited everyone to come here because of my business. I’m really sorry. Before I went on stage, I thought about a lot of things to say, including how to correctly state that I have proven my innocence. To tell you the truth, I even thought about how to say things that would make me appear more credible. For this reason, my company has drafted a great speech for me. Believe me, it was written professionally, but the moment before I got on stage, I felt I didn’t need it. My fans, including you, didn’t come to listen to some formulaic report, so I came here to say two things. First, I did not rape Xu Ran, and second, I didn’t have any role in the Ansheng International Mall throat-slitting case.”

After Li Jingtian made his two points clearly, he got up and bowed again. “I’m done.”

No one expected Li Jingtian’s speech to be so concise and straightforward.

It was also because of the simplicity that there was an unspeakable strength.

“How amazing,” Lin Chen said coldly.

“Have you figured out what to do?” Xing Conglian asked.

“No.”

“Eh, A’Chen Gege, don’t you have a plan?”

“What plan can I have?”

“But Professor Fu and that pervert have entered the venue. What do we want them to do? No matter what, we have to fight back since Li Jingtian is so arrogant!” Wang Chao clenched his fists.

“We don’t have any substantive evidence so far.” Lin Chen emphasized the word “substantive”.

“But… but…” Wang Chao pointed to the tough and confident singer on TV and said, “He’s right there. We have to do something.”

“That’s right.” Lin Chen nodded.

Following Li Jingtian’s brief speech, the press conference entered the question session.

Li Jingtian was familiar with the major media platforms. Most of the reporters who could enter were good friends with CA Entertainment, so the first reporter he picked naturally asked a question that suited him best. “Hello, Mr. Li Jingtian. I’m a reporter from LA International TV. My question is, it’s true that you experienced a very difficult few weeks after being accused of rape, but during that time, you didn’t hold any press conferences. What prompted you to come to the stage today and face the public?”

Hearing this question, Li Jingtian’s face was serious. He put down the cup of water and slowly said, “I’m very happy to answer your question. If you ask me why, I can tell you it’s because of my own selfishness. I am also a human. After all these kinds of unfair investigations, I will also feel resentful and don’t want to bear it any longer. Why should I bear these trumped-up charges? Of course I have to come out and explain everything.”

“I’m afraid your purpose is not so simple. You just mentioned ‘unfair investigation’. Are you protesting the investigation of our country’s police?”

“Actually, it can’t be called a protest.” Li Jingtian and the reporter matched each other tacitly, as if they were dancing in perfect harmony. “I know that the police in your country are only doing what they are supposed to do. To be honest, my reputation has been ruined after this incident. I’m afraid that it will be difficult to gain a foothold in the entertainment industry in the future, but what did I do wrong? Just because some prostitute accused me of raping her, do I have to be humiliated hundreds of times? Is this the so-called judicial justice of your country? Because, compared to a vulnerable prostitute, I’m a glamorous foreign star, so the police must think that I’m at fault. No, I don’t believe this is the so-called fairness and justice.” Li Jingtian took a deep breath and continued, “I don’t think the police should look at everyone with colored glasses, let alone identify us as criminals based on our identities. No matter if your status is high or low, you are entitled to the same investigation. This is true. This is the justice we all deserve.”

After Li Jingtian finished speaking, the audience was silent.

A criminal was talking about justice on stage. Was there anything more ridiculous than this? However, what was even more unbelievable was the reactions of everyone in the assembly hall, which showed that they seemed to be convinced by Li Jingtian’s words. Indeed, what Li Jingtian said made sense.

The person who interrupted the tranquility of the house was Lu Xu.

“That’s a beast wearing human skin,” the manager of the PR department of CA Entertainment, who had never done anything good, said.

Lu Xu’s words made Lin Chen recover from an emotion that questioned the rationality of the world. He took out his phone and made a call.

……

The phone rang abruptly. It was an absurd ringtone of agricultural heavy metal music, which was commonly used in the repertoire of square dancing by aunties or fringe drag racers in urban-rural areas.

Everyone in the entire conference looked at the source of the sound. Before the conference started, the host had warned everyone to silence their phones, so they all looked at him with anger and contempt. This kind of unqualified reporter was simply embarrassing all his colleagues.

However, the reporter-like person didn’t immediately stop the ringing. He pushed his seat away and stood up. What was unexpected was that he not only stood up but also walked up the aisle leading to the podium.

The music singing, “I love you. You don’t love me, you big bastard” was still playing. The host finally reacted and quickly picked up the microphone and shouted, “Sir, please abide by the venue etiquette!”

However, the other party didn’t have any intention of stopping. That person walked at an unhurried pace, as leisurely as if he were walking down a street covered with fallen leaves.

“Security, please escort this gentleman out of the venue,” the host angrily said.

As soon as his voice fell, the perpetrator happened to walk up to the reporter who had asked Li Jingtian his question earlier. He took the microphone from the dumbfounded reporter, nodded to the other party, and said, “Your question just now is really shameless!”

The embassy’s security had already rushed over. Just as they were about to capture the man, everyone suddenly heard the man speaking leisurely into the microphone. “Wait~ Actually, someone wants Mr. Li Jingtian to answer the phone.”

The first reaction of the security personnel was to snatch the microphone out of the reporter’s hand, but the man held it with a strange force. The moment he was pressed to the ground, everyone heard him say, “Hongjing Police is calling. Is Mr. Li Jingtian really unwilling to answer it?”

The venue fell into a deathly silence again. Even Mr. Li Jingtian, who had always behaved decently, had a frigid expression on his face.

The phone was still ringing.

Lin Chen held the phone and watched the live broadcast.

It was a completely deadlocked situation. The man who changed the situation was a man named Sheng Chenggong, because he did nothing.

It was hard to understand, given that, from another angle, Su Fengzi should have been taken down by Xinni’s security personnel before he even made it halfway to the stage, but he managed to walk safely under the podium and pick up the microphone from the first row of reporters.

Truthfully, for the staff of the Xinni Embassy, it was shameful for them to come forward to protect a citizen of their country who may have violated the law. For example, Mr. Shen Chenggong, the embassy military attaché who was previously subdued by Xing Conglian at lightning speed, thought so. At his level, there was no need to stand up for a noble son, but the orders of his superiors couldn’t be disobeyed. In short, it was difficult for a child from an aristocratic family to win goodwill wherever he went.

So when the phone rang just now, Shen Chenggong just chewed gum as he stood on the sidelines and didn’t give any orders, perfectly pushing the situation to a neutral point again.

Because of Shen Chenggong’s inaction, Su Fengzi had the chance to add one more sentence before the microphone was snatched away from him. “If you dare not talk to the police directly, it’ll look very suspicious on live TV.”

Li Jingtian finally recovered from his consternation. He was always good at hiding his emotions. He responded with a good temper, “Actually, you really don’t need to do this. If the Hongjing Police want to talk to me, they can do it at any time, but your attitude and methods just now are a bit rude.”

“Then, are you going to pick up… or not?” Su Fengzi asked indifferently. He was really good at dealing with people like Li Jingtian.

Li Jingtian’s face stiffened again. Everyone’s eyes were burning, as if expecting something.

Finally, Li Jingtian could only grit his teeth and say, “Of course. Please connect the phone.”

After the phone connected, there were about three seconds of silence.

Su Fengzi pointed the microphone at the phone’s speaker, but neither Li Jingtian nor Lin Chen spoke first.

Lin Chen took a step back and sat down on the sofa. He looked at the silent singer on the TV screen, and finally, just before Li Jingtian wanted to speak, he said, “Mr. Li Jingtian, hello.”

Lin Chen’s calm voice came through the speaker of the phone, then through the microphone. It wasn’t clear, but anyone at the scene could hear the solemnity in it.

“Consultant Lin, long time no see.” Li Jingtian nodded at the live broadcast camera with a gentle smile.

“Don’t be so polite. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since we last saw each other.”

“Yes, it really hasn’t been long. I still remember the humiliation you inflicted on me yesterday, so, choosing to talk to me at my press conference—do you want to humiliate me again?”

“Oh, because you just asked us a question, I have to answer.”

“What question did I just ask?”

“You asked us, what did you do wrong?” Lin Chen’s tone was full of sarcasm.

“I don’t understand,” Li Jingtian said.

“Indeed, it’s impossible for people like you to understand that anyone has the right to say no when it comes to sex. This power has nothing to do with gender, status, or identity. Whether it’s an intimate lover or a husband and wife, even a decent prostitute has the right to say no, and any sexual intercourse against their will is rape.”

Lin Chen’s voice was calm, as if he had transcended time and was expounding a kind of innate human power. Xing Conglian looked back at his friend sitting on the sofa and saw Lin Chen slowly open his mouth while bathing under the sun. He’d never felt stronger than he did now. Lin Chen was good—really good.

Whether it was in front of the TV or inside and outside the venue, many people were silent.

A woman knitting a sweater stopped her needle motion in her hand, and a girl wandering on the streets stopped and looked up at the big screen on the square. The reporter stopped their shutters, and the photographer stopped shaking their heads. Even the embassy security personnel restraining Su Fengzi let go.

Su Fengzi held up the microphone and stood upright.

Everyone was silent; everyone was no longer silent.

After Li Jingtian finally pinched the palm of his hand to the point of pain, he slowly said, “Consultant Lin, I wholeheartedly agree with your point of view, but I hope what you just said is not implicitly alluding to what happened between me and Xu Ran.”

Lin Chen interrupted Li Jingtian with a tone as if he couldn’t care less about what he had to say. “I’m just talking about the things you did to Xu Ran. It’s 12:10. Before we actually meet, you still have about an hour to consider turning yourself into the police for a lighter sentence.”

Li Jingtian frowned slightly, not feeling happy or angry. “I’m sorry. No matter how hard you force me, I won’t admit to these false charges. Because of your prejudices against me, for my own personal safety, I’m afraid I won’t see you.”

“You can try,” Lin Chen said.

Li Jingtian’s face tightened. “I thought we were having a good exchange. Did you just threaten me?”

Lin Chen said, “Huh, put away your hypocritical rhetoric. After an hour, there will be no need to maintain your facade. If I were you, I would carefully think about it in the next hour. Among the despicable, nasty, and disgusting crimes I have committed, did I accidently miss something, and it was found by others? Of course, you can also eat and drink and find a woman or two. After all, that may be the last two hours of your freedom. I hope you can cherish it.” Lin Chen paused and added, “Please understand, this is really a kind reminder.”

Li Jingtian wanted to retort, but Lin Chen had already hung up.

The media inside and outside the venue was in an uproar. They didn’t know what was going on, but just a phone call made them look at Li Jingtian differently.

Li Jingtian couldn’t hold back his expression anymore. He got up angrily from his seat and rushed off the stage, even forgetting to bow.

Shen Chenggong raised his brows, yawned, and waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to temporarily detain the fake reporter who made a scene.

The sun was still shining on Song Shengsheng’s house. Lin Chen slowly put down his phone and was silent.

Wang Chao suddenly asked, “A’Chen, won’t it take us an hour and a half to reach the Yongchuan Embassy?”

“Yes,” Lin Chen said lightly.

“Then why did you tell Li Jingtian he only has one hour left?”

“Because a long-delayed guillotine is frightening, anxiety-provoking, and brings out desperation. There’s no similar suffering in the world that can make people more likely to make mistakes.”

Hearing Lin Chen finish his words, Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen and stretched out his hand to him. He knew very well that their siege on Li Jingtian had already begun the moment Lin Chen decided to make that call.

Although there was no chance of winning, they had to move forward.

Lin Chen put his hand lightly on Xing Conglian’s palm and stood up.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 142

“It’s time!”

At the entrance of the assembly hall on the south side of the Xinni Embassy, someone said something similar to Li Jingtian.

Only compared to Mr. Li Jingtian’s excited and impatient tone, the person who said this was quite anxious. He looked down at his watch and then shouted to his companion, “It’s really too late!”

The other person who was urged didn’t feel the slightest tension. His hair was soft amber, and his eyes were gentle. At this moment, he was standing contentedly under the camphor tree, holding a camera in his hand, and shooting at the crazy female fans around him, like a dedicated reporter.

Seeing that his companion was so addicted to the long legs of the girls without a care, the one who was a bit short and fat finally took out his phone anxiously. “If you don’t call shixiong, then I will!”

“What’s the hurry?” Finally, the man put down his camera and leaned against the camphor tree as he replied slowly.

“We’re here. Why didn’t you tell shixiong? Maybe he needs our help. There must be something wrong with Li Jingtian.”

“Since he has use for you, why are you in such a rush?” the other party asked rhetorically.

“I… I have to help!”

“Help with what? Fate?”

After saying this, the man looked at the live video of Yongchuan Satellite TV from a distance and smiled slightly at the camera.

At this moment, Lin Chen didn’t know there were strange people trying to communicate with him through the live broadcast. He was standing in front of Song Shengsheng’s TV, staring at the live news in silence.

The anchor was doing the final background introduction before the live broadcast. Yongchuan Satellite TV’s in-field camera was installed at the end of the venue, giving a huge panoramic view of the entire area.

The assembly hall of the exchange center wasn’t very large. It was filled with dark green tables and chairs that were occupied with journalists whispering to each other. The background cloth on the podium had the words “Mr. Li Jingtian’s Press Conference” written on it. Although time was tight, Li Jingtian’s team still remembered to make this backdrop. Obviously, it meant this press conference wasn’t just a whim.

It was five minutes past noon. The host finally walked out of the backstage. It was only when the host, wearing a standard suit, stood on the podium that the reporters in the audience stopped talking and whispering. Such standard actions weren’t normally seen at a celebrity press conference and were usually reserved for serious government press conferences, where journalists had to be obedient.

As a result, the venue fell silent, giving off quite an unpleasant atmosphere.

The host, probably realizing that there were countless pairs of eyes watching him, coughed lightly and said proudly, “The conference is about to begin. Please adjust your phones to silent and abide by the corresponding venue etiquette. After Mr. Li Jingtian speaks, everyone will be given ten minutes to ask questions. Please prepare your questions beforehand. The candidates for questioning will be selected by Mr. Li Jingtian. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Looking at the host’s high-strung face, Lin Chen felt this was all unbelievable. The criminal suspect was holding a press conference with great fanfare, but they, the so-called police, could only stand in front of a TV to watch the live broadcast. They allowed Li Jingtian to turn black and white; not to mention seeking justice for the victims, they couldn’t even do the most basic thing and be present there. This sense of powerlessness was excruciating.

He had never wished to appear on the live broadcast as much as he did now, but Fengchun was hundreds of kilometers away from Yongchuan, and technology like space teleportation was still being developed, so naturally he couldn’t be there now.

Just as Lin Chen was making this unspoken wish, the director once again gave Li Jingtian’s support, holding their banners outside the venue for one last broadcast.

The camera swept across the excited crowd under the scorching sun. Everyone’s eyes were flushed with anger. They chanted the slogan “Protect”, as if they were forming an unstoppable torrent. Among this angry crowd, the only ones who were calmly smiling became particularly eye-catching.

Lin Chen thought he was hallucinating.

He closed his eyes subconsciously, and when he opened them again, the TV screen had cut back to inside the venue.

He looked around and saw that both Wang Chao and Xing Conglian were in a daze, just like he was now. Lin Chen knew it wasn’t just him who was seeing things.

“I… Did I just see a big pervert?” Wang Chao asked tentatively.

Ever since he had experienced someone’s mental torture in Yongchuan, Wang Chao was used to calling Su Fengzi by that name. When thinking of him, Lin Chen had an inexplicable feeling. Are you kidding me? Why is Su Fengzi on the sidelines?

“The one next to him… is that Professor Fu?” Xing Conglian inquired, as if he hadn’t fully grasped the situation.

However, no one answered his question.

After Xing Conglian finished speaking, the two of them took out their phones at the same time, as excited as a lottery player who just saw they had won the jackpot on TV and was planning to call the lottery center immediately. In fact, this feeling was really no different from winning five million.

The moment the phone connected, Lin Chen almost couldn’t help yelling, “Su Fengzi, are you kidding me? Why didn’t you call me earlier?”

“Because it’s fun to hear you get angry.”

“Fuck off!”

“Hey, you actually cursed. Are you upset that I’m here? Why do you want me to fuck off?”

“I’m very happy.” Lin Chen gritted his teeth.

“Is he happy too?” Su Fengzi asked.

Lin Chen subconsciously looked at Xing Conglian, who was obviously talking to Fu Hao. Professor Fu was talking non-stop, most likely complaining about Su Fengzi.

“He’s also very happy.” Lin Chen said it with extreme emphasis.

“Just be happy…” Su Fengzi laughed. Lin Chen was about to speak, but he interrupted, “Then, please ask that kid next to you to get on the line.”

When Wang Chao heard him talking to Su Fengzi, he had already shrunk to the far corner of the sofa. Lin Chen turned it on speaker and forcefully pushed the phone over.

“Wang Chao~…” Su Fengzi stretched his tone.

“Why are you looking for me?!” Wang Chao shouted boldly.

“I’m now walking towards the entrance of the press conference hall, about 300 meters away from the security guards checking the invitation letter. If your A’Chen Gege needs my help, then please prepare an invitation letter for me and Professor Fu to attend the conference within 60 seconds…”

Wang Chao looked at the phone and was stunned. “What?”

“You see, the press conference was so sudden that there was no time to send paper invites, so the reporters only got…”

“Electronic invitations!” Wang Chao replied.

“Yes. There are only 50 seconds left.”

The next moment, the teenager dropped the phone, jumped from the sofa as if he were flying, and rushed frantically to the laptop on the dining table. He began to tap the keyboard at an unprecedented speed.

“You’re scaring him.” Lin Chen turned off the phone from speaker.

“Hey, listening to you say that, it sounds like you already got married and became a stepmother to others.” Su Fengzi laughed.

Lin Chen almost had the urge to drop the phone.

Su Fengzi changed the subject and said seriously, “Okay, tell me. What is going on with Li Jingtian?”

When Su Fengzi asked this, he didn’t want the details, so Lin Chen only said to him, “The crime is heinous.”

“I understand,” Su Fengzi said.

The background sounds on the phone gradually quiet down. He could hear Su Fengzi walking up steps. He seemed to have reached the security checkpoint.

He took a deep breath and then said, “I’m really sorry. We came as soon as we received the call from the agency, but the traffic jam on the road was too severe. I’m not too late yet, right?”

“Sir, please show me your ID and electronic invitation,” the security guard said in a businesslike tone.

“Wait a minute.” Su Fengzi put down his phone and said, “It’s in my email.”

After he finished saying this, he hung up the phone.

He exited the call interface and the moment he opened his email, the prompt of +1 mail lit up.

Su Fengzi laughed, clicked on the scan code in the email, and handed it over with his ID.

He turned his head and saw Fu Hao running up the steps, panting.

“I also have a colleague. So sorry,” Su Fengzi leaned slightly toward the security guard as he said this.

……

Lin Chen could no longer hear Su Fengzi’s voice.

Since the time he hung up, the director had fixed the TV screen at the podium. Because Li Jingtian had just walked out of the backstage area and onto the podium, the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

The anchor said excitedly, “After weeks of the sexual assault scandal and yesterday’s throat-slitting incident, Mr. Li Jingtian is finally holding a press conference to face the public and answer their questions for the first time. Regardless of the truth, let us first applaud such courage.”

The anchor’s voice was spoken to the audience in front of the TV, but the applause inside and outside the venue was exactly the same. Some people even blew whistles off the stage as flashes kept blinking, brightly illuminating the venue.

Lin Chen watched as Li Jingtian walked on stage amidst the applause.

The moment he saw Li Jingtian again, Lin Chen found that he was much calmer than he thought.

The singer maintained a humble and decent expression, as if to show respect for this occasion. He wore a suitable light gray suit and had his hair combed back, which was held together by hairspray and revealed his smooth forehead. His face was pale and blue; a complexion that was completely different from when Lin Chen met him yesterday. Presumably the makeup artist had put in much effort to make the singer look haggard and pitiful.

Li Jingtian slowly took to the stage. After he stood up on the stage, the first thing he did was bow to everyone at 90 degrees. There was a burst of applause from the audience, which seemed like they were welcoming a hero’s commendation, which just made everything all the more ridiculous.

But Lin Chen was no longer angry by these applause, because that kind of anger was meaningless other than occupying emotions.

He keenly noticed there were two groups of black-clothed security personnel on both sides of the podium. That was the same group of people who picked up Li Jingtian from the hospital. He thought of these embassy staff who had diplomatic immunity and were armed.

Lin Chen thought that what Su Fengzi was going to do next might be a bit dangerous.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 141

Xing Conglian patted him on the back with some force and then let him go. The process was short.

Lin Chen even had a hard time understanding the meaning of this hug. It was probably encouragement, support, or worry. It wasn’t until now that Lin Chen realized Xing Conglian was a typical example of someone who didn’t display his emotions. He couldn’t even figure out why Xing Conglian gave him this hug, but naturally, this hug came too suddenly, and the posture was ambiguous. There was still the slight heat that Xing Conglian left on his body, which made his ears red.

Lin Chen thought this reaction was normal, but when they opened the door and saw the strange eyes of Wang Chao examining them, he felt inexplicably guilty.

The TV in the living room was turned on, and the chaotic background sound of the live broadcast filled the entire room.

The noise of people, the same broadcasting sound of new reporters, and the occasional sound of cars driving into the embassy fill the entire picture, creating a complex scene that made people feel excited, like they were witnessing history in the making.

The embassy of Xinni stood against such a complicated background of sounds. The main building of Xinni was standard Xinni architecture, with red walls and gray tiles. Because it was an equatorial country, the rainforest atmosphere gave off a calm feeling, much like the rainforest nations’ guardians protecting the people of that land from the evil that it bred.

After the panoramic view of the street, the director finally cut the screen to the reporters at the scene. Lin Chen looked at the sign and saw Yongchuan Satellite TV doing a live feed.

“In response to yesterday’s uproar over the throat-slitting case and the previous case of sexual assault, singer Li Jingtian will hold a press conference at the entrance of the Xinni Embassy at 12:00. Previously, Mr. Li Jingtian’s manager, Ms. Liu Ying, revealed to reporters that due to multiple instances of unfair judicial treatment suffered in China, Mr. Li Jingtian will choose to return to Xinni at 15:30 this afternoon under the protection of embassy personnel. We will contact Inspector Huang Ze, the Inspector of the Supervision Department of the Police Department, on this matter.”

Lin Chen sighed inwardly. What a coincidence.

A moment later, Inspector Huang’s gloomy face appeared on the TV screen. He was wearing a plaster cast. Obviously, he was injured in the stampede accident yesterday. The interview location isn’t in the hospital but in the office building of the police department. Behind Huang Ze was a huge golden police badge. Presumably, they made too much noise yesterday and today, so Inspector Huang had to end his sick leave early to deal with this mess.

Naturally, this was what Lin Chen was guessing was in Huang Ze’s mind.

Facing the reporter’s microphone, Huang Ze’s face was livid.

“May I ask if the Hongjing Police have determined that Mr. Li Jingtian committed sexual assault against Xu Ran, and therefore the investigation on that case has been reopened? At the same time, what is the official position of the Supervision Department regarding the unauthorized cross-provincial investigation by the Hongjing Police and the threat to Mr. Mu Zhuo, an artist of CA Entertainment?”

“I’m sorry, the case is still under investigation, so I have no comment.” Huang Ze’s voice was so cold that it seemed to freeze everything as it dripped to the ground. He looked deeply into the camera. Lin Chen had the illusion that this was a warning to him.

Because Huang Ze was difficult to deal with and seemed too lazy to deal with them, the director deftly cut the picture and switched to the previous interview with Mu Zhuo.

On the bustling lawn, Mu Zhuo faced the media alone. It seemed to be a routine interview before the Watermelon Music Festival. The youthful rocker on camera looked angry. He complained, “Why are we artists always in a vulnerable position? The pervasiveness of entertainment journalists has robbed us of our dignity and privacy. Usually, when we call the police, we don’t see them investigate so seriously. Why do the police have to hold so tightly when it comes to artists? The point is, the questions they asked me about Jingtian blew me away!”

A reporter asked, “Is the Hongjing Police still investigating the sexual assault case of Mr. Li Jingtian against Ms. Xu Ran?”

“Yes! They tried forcing me to say that Jingtian was guilty, but Jingtian is not that kind of person. I swear on my character!”

That was the end of the lawn interview recap.

Lin Chen could imagine how crazy the audience in front of the TV, especially the female fans, would be when they hear these words, but he felt calm. Mu Zhuo had such a smug look on his face when he said “character”, as if no one in the world would ever find out what he had done.

“Consultant Lin…” Lu Xu, who had been coaching, bit the coffee table, and suddenly looked up.

“What?”

“Can I throw up?”

Lin Chen frowned. Lu Xu was expressing dissatisfaction with Mu Zhuo’s speech. Even a person like Lu Xu felt disgusted and wanted to vomit, which showed just how revolting Mu Zhuo was.

Although the live broadcast was still in progress, the flashing pictures could no longer arouse Lin Chen’s interest.

Sometimes, a photo of Xu Ran would appear on TV, and sometimes it would cut to the stampede in the shopping mall yesterday. His and Xing Conglian’s names were repeatedly mentioned.

The news briefly mentioned their contribution in dealing with the stampede in Ansheng International Mall and then sorted out the context of their cross-provincial pursuit of Li Jingtian’s case overnight. They were like two vicious dogs chasing Li Jingtian, determined to put him to death, which was actually the reality.

Interestingly, in the timeline compiled by the reporters, the section regarding Royal One was erased. It wasn’t difficult to guess who was behind the promotion of these news reports.

In fact, Lu Xu was right. CA Entertainment was more powerful than they thought.

The live broadcast footage once again returned to the entrance of the Xinni Embassy in Yongchuan. The sky was blue, and the clouds were white. The tall ginkgo and camphor trees around the embassy were lush. The reporters surrounded the embassy in an orderly manner. The official press conference was about ten minutes away. The reporters who were still outside the embassy were probably those who were not invited because the media behind them weren’t big enough.

The real location of the press conference was a two-story assembly hall next to the Xinni Embassy, which technically wasn’t within the scope of the Xinni Embassy, so photography and recordings were allowed.

The director finally cut the picture to the door of the assembly hall.

People holding protest signs surrounded the garden outside the two-story building. They wore red t-shirts and black masks, which were the standard outfits for Li Jingtian’s fans.

The slogans on the protest signs they held roughly showed things like “Defend”, “Jing*Tian”, “Police Injustice”, and “Equal Treatment”. The slogans were painted on pure black cardboard in blood red or white by fans, which particularly showed a bleak scene.

A similar situation probably only occurred where there was a major territorial dispute. In any case, it seems quite odd that such a thing would appear at a singer’s press conference.

To be honest, Lin Chen didn’t expect that things would develop into such an uproar. Theoretically, no matter what the attitude of Xinni was towards Li Jingtian, while they could provide him with diplomatic protection, they shouldn’t show such a clear attitude towards protecting him. But now, not only had the Xinni Embassy done so, but they also had the momentum of protecting him all the way to the end, to the point where an ordinary criminal case was about to escalate into a diplomatic dispute.

However, the term “diplomatic dispute” may not be appropriate, since both foreign and domestic fans were actually supporting Li Jingtian, while they were the enemy.

Lin Chen thought that for Li Jingtian, just imagining the attention cast on him from their country and abroad, he was probably in an orgasmic state.

It could be said that Lin Chen was probably the person who knew Li Jingtian the best in the world.

Li Jingtian was indeed extremely happy now.

He was sitting in a dressing room backstage at the assembly hall, holding a glass of lemonade while biting the straw carefully. The reason he was careful was that the makeup artist had just applied the last layer of powder on him, making his lips paler. Naturally, he couldn’t destroy such an outstanding work of art.

He put down the cup and let the makeup artist adjust his final makeup. The person in the mirror looked weak and haggard, like crystal glass that could break at the slightest touch. If he appeared in front of the public, even onlookers who didn’t like him would be sympathetic.

After all, as a poor artist who was coerced by the police, after experiencing so many things, he was disheartened and was ready to leave. Was there anything more explosive than this?

He didn’t know what kind of medicine those two policemen had wrongly taken when they wanted to investigate an old case from nine years ago, so much so that the company executives, who originally wanted to calm things down, finally decided to fight back. The counterattack strategy had nothing to do with him. Whether they would win or not, naïve people would always believe that good always prevails over evil, which was quite laughable.

And as long as he enjoyed the benefits during this period—the thought of his face appearing in streets and alleys, the thought of his voice filling the big screens in commercial squares, the thought of drivers in every car on the road waiting to hear him speak—Li Jingtian was so excited that his groin had hardened to the point where he could cum at any moment.

Just when he was immersed in such a pleasant fantasy world, a worried woman’s voice suddenly sounded beside him. “Jingtian, is this really okay?”

Li Jingtian almost trembled. He wanted to pick up the chair and smash the woman on the head, but he held back. Of course, the news he wanted wasn’t that a top star had killed his manager, so it wouldn’t happen. He must not get too excited.

“It’s fine.” Li Jingtian pushed away the makeup chair and stood up. He patted Liu Ying on the arm and said softly, “Everything is arranged at home. We’ll be safe.”

“But do we really have to make things so big? Anyway, we’re leaving soon. Wouldn’t it be causing too much trouble holding a press conference?”

The woman raised her head. Under the exquisite makeup, she revealed a timid gaze. This face, especially the cautious eyes, made Li Jingtian almost unable to contain his anger. He took a breath to control his emotions and said, “We have backed down. If this was just about my reputation, I could leave it at that, but now this matter is related to the reputation of my family. Grandpa called specifically, so I really can’t back down anymore. Sorry.”

He said this with such emotion that the idiot woman in front of him really looked like she was moved.

“It’s time. Let’s go.” He put down his glass as he said this to her.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 140

Lin Chen felt he was about to lose control. This didn’t mean he would do something violent or strange. He just felt like he was going crazy.

His eardrums hurt, as if someone had whacked him in the head with a shovel, giving him tinnitus that was so painful it was impossible for him to think. Although he could see Xing Conglian’s face, Wang Chao’s pale face, and everything in the recording studio, when he lost control, these things seemed to lose any meaning; even if it was Xing Conglian, whom he liked so much. Nothing was making sense.

It was like something had drained all the happiness and joy from the world, so that even the air that people breathed freely had turned into thick malice like ink, and there was a fishy smell in the air…

No. There was no air. Where was he smelling these smells?

So, the luckiest thing about this was that he knew he was losing control, just like if he were sober and knew that he was mentally ill.

Lin Chen recovered quickly. He used all his strength to restrain these emotions. Although no psychologist would agree with the view of suppressing emotions, he didn’t have the time to think about such things now.

The original faded picture was gradually stained with some colors. What caught his eyes were the straight bridge of Xing Conglian’s nose and his handsome face because he had shaved. Xing Conglian’s hand covered his cheek, and his thumb was pressed tightly behind Lin Chen’s ear. He was so close to him that Lin Chen suspected Xing Conglian had been calling his name for a while, and when that didn’t work, he took a slightly ambiguous posture to try and wake him up.

Lin Chen stepped back a little, wiped away his tears, and said, “Sorry.”

Xing Conglian frowned, but he didn’t let go.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Chen felt the rough calluses on Xing Conglian’s finger and the heat of his palm, but he couldn’t understand Xing Conglian. Frankly, if there were people in this world who sometimes couldn’t understand, one of them would be Xing Conglian.

Sure enough, as soon as he opened his mouth, Xing Conglian’s face became as gloomy as dripping water. Xing Conglian let go and returned to the stereo to turn off the music. He then turned around to the other two people in the recording studio and said, “Get out.”

Wang Chao was exceptionally resourceful this time. The teenager didn’t say a word as he dragged Lu Xu out without looking back, and also remembered to close the door on his way out.

The noise of a door slamming sounded.

Xing Conglian pointed to the sofa next to the stereo and said to Lin Chen, “Come here. Sit down.”

Lin Chen looked at the dusty sofa and hesitated. “I’m not that fragile.”

Xing Conglian stood there, ignoring him. He gave Lin Chen a gloomy look as if he were saying, “Come here and don’t make me repeat it a second time.”

Lin Chen thought about the possibility of Xing Conglian saying this next, so he walked over obediently. He moved to the side and took just half a seat. However, Xing Conglian didn’t intend to let him just sit. He looked down at him and asked, “What’s wrong with you just now?”

Xing Conglian also asked him this in front of the ICU after he witnessed Xu Ran’s accident, but his tone this time was much worse than before.

After asking, Xing Conglian added, “I don’t want to hear you say you need to take it easy or use any scientific name to prevaricate me. You’re in a very bad state right now.”

Lin Chen bowed his head slightly, feeling ashamed. Xing Conglian was sharp and more like a psychologist than himself at this time.

Lin Chen replied calmly, “It may be a panic attack. It should be the sequelae from witnessing Xu Ran’s accident. It was triggered after suffering moderate emotional trauma.”

But Xing Conglian’s gaze didn’t soften because of his answer, as if he were judging Lin Chen’s situation and whether he was concealing anything from him. After a while, Xing Conglian squatted down and was at eye level with Lin Chen. He stared at him with a cold face and a worried expression.

“Captain Xing,” Lin Chen leaned forward and whispered.

“Consultant Lin.” Xing Conglian showed no signs of softening. “You have suffered too many traumas recently. No matter how healthy a person is, it’s easy to develop problems in your situation. So now, please use your absolute professional ability to do the most objective self-evaluation and tell me, are you still able to continue and persist?”

Lin Chen was grateful for such a tough and merciless tone, which made him understand that Xing Conglian regarded him as a comrade-in-arms rather than a pitiful object that needed protection because of his psychological fragility. If Xing Conglian comforted him with soft words at this time, it would only embarrass him.

Lin Chen asked, “What if I can’t?”

“Then I’ll handle it.”

When Xing Conglian said, “I’ll handle it”, his eyes were cold, as if there was no emotion involved. Lin Chen didn’t even have any doubt that if he had said “No”, Xing Conglian wouldn’t hesitate to take out his phone and send out some kind of death star and directly eliminate Li Jingtian. Of course, this would be a plot that Wang Chao would make up, but Xing Conglian’s expression made it clear to Lin Chen that he would really do something similar.

“The situation may be worse than I estimated. Psychological trauma is indeed different from the trauma of a stab wound, but as long as the police reimburse me for the cost of counseling after closing this case, there shouldn’t be a big problem,” Lin Chen said.

Xing Conglian still stared at him, trying to see if he was lying from his expression. Lin Chen didn’t dare look away. In fact, he certainly didn’t dare tell Xing Conglian that one-third of patients with panic disorder* often suffered from severe depression. Although it wasn’t that serious, human understanding of mental diseases was far less than that of obvious physical diseases. Even he couldn’t judge how his own problem would develop.

*Mental and behavioral disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder characterized by reoccurring panic attacks. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, numbness, or a feeling that something terrible is going to happen.

Xing Conglian nodded, as if he approved of his explanation, and finally stood up and sat down next to him on the sofa.

Lin Chen felt the depression of the sofa.

If this were normal, Xing Conglian would light a cigarette now, but since this was a crime scene, he obviously couldn’t. “Now tell me, why did you make that inference, and what do you need me to do.”

Lin Chen leaned on the sofa. Every trace of the air here made him uncomfortable. He stabilized his breath, pointed to the musical instruments that Wang Chao had knocked down, and said, “First of all, I have seen the guitar in Song Shengsheng’s room. It’s in a completely different state from the pile of garbage in the recording studio. With Song Shengsheng’s serious attitude towards musical instruments, it doesn’t look like those were used by him.”

“So you suspected it was used by Li Jingtian. He came and used Song Shengsheng’s recording studio?”

“It’s just a suspicion, but even if we find Li Jingtian’s fingerprints or DNA on it, it’s not enough, and I really hope we don’t detect Song Shengsheng’s blood on it.”

Xing Conglian nodded and said, “Go on.”

“With Li Jingtian’s extremely distorted attitude towards Song Shengsheng, he must do everything he can to humiliate him. What could be more exciting than humiliating Song Shengsheng in his most private and proudest place?”

“Right here?”

“Yes.” Lin Chen looked at the clean and tidy recording studio, feeling a bit unbearable. He hoped that the inferences he made were all delusions and that Song Shengsheng had never experienced what he was thinking. “The control room is a mess, but the recording studio is clean and tidy. All the microphones and instrument stands have been moved aside. If I’m not mistaken…”

“The inside is clean and tidy because Li Jingtian often tortures Song Shengsheng inside.” Xing Conglian had a rare tremor in his voice.

Lin Chen looked away but couldn’t help wondering what Song Shengsheng had experienced in that small room. “I know that such inferences are wild, but I have seen the photos of the scene. The brackets were placed like this before the police did their search. Of course, it may also be that Song Shengsheng had cleaned it the day before…”

When Lin Chen said this, he couldn’t continue.

How he wished it was because Song Shengsheng had cleaned the recording studio on a whim the day before.

Xing Conglian said, “Li Jingtian recorded the whole process while torturing Song Shengsheng, and he also intercepted Song Shengsheng’s screams and mixed them into his own song. When CA Entertainment realized this afterwards, but couldn’t find the master tape or were afraid there was a copy, they sent Lu Xu and his brother to Song Shengsheng’s home to take away all the tapes during that time?’

“I’m afraid so.” Lin Chen felt his eardrums tingle again. The entire recording studio seemed to be surrounded by Song Shengsheng’s heart-wrenching cries for help. Although it was extremely uncomfortable, he had to finish. “Song Shengsheng has a habit of recording music tapes at home. He may be alone when recording, so he wouldn’t press pause in time. Perhaps occasionally Li Jingtian would come and find that Song Shengsheng was recording his songs, so he raped him on a whim, and those voices happened to be recorded. Li Jingtian left the tape, or…” Lin Chen took a deep breath. “Li Jingtian specially dragged Song Shengsheng by the hair into the recording room and tortured him over and over again. He forced Song Shengsheng to scream in the bleakest voice and then recorded it. He would play those screams of Song Shengsheng to him over and over again… and even… put those screams and begs for mercy in his album to play to Song Shengsheng again and again.”

“Okay, I understand.” Xing Conglian quickly interrupted him. “Stop thinking about those things just to explain them to me.”

Lin Chen knew his concern, but he still said, “It’s not like if I don’t think about it, they would never appear again.” He looked at the cold floor. “If they happened and really existed, they would always be there.”

“Until justice is sought,” Xing Conglian stated.

“Yes, until justice is sought,” Lin Chen said calmly. “But I have no evidence. Even if the screams in Li Jingtian’s song are really mixed with Song Shengsheng’s screams, as I guessed, those sounds may have been processed by tuning or other mixing methods, so it’s difficult to identify them as Song Shengsheng’s voice. Even if the identification is successful, Li Jingtian can easily say he didn’t know the source of those materials.”

“So the only evidence that Li Jingtian cannot turn over is the complete original tape he recorded when he raped Song Shengsheng.” Xing Conglian said, “And Mu Zhuo is worried that Li Jingtian didn’t destroy that original tape.”

Finally, Lin Chen showed a very cold smile. “Yes, I suspect it’s very likely that CA Entertainment didn’t find the original tape in the end, and even if they did, Li Jingtian must have a copy in his hand.”

Xing Conglian looked at his watch and said, “Then, Consultant Lin, we need to get it out of Li Jingtian’s hands within three and a half hours.”

Lin Chen nodded. “Now we first need a voiceprint identification expert to confirm that there is indeed Song Shengsheng’s voice in Li Jingtian’s album, but…” Lin Chen was a little worried. “The time is too short. Voiceprint identification is a very complicated process, and we may not even be able to find such an expert in time.”

“Coincidentally, I know such a person, and he must have time,” Xing Conglian said.

Lin Chen wanted to ask who it was, but before he could speak, there was a knock on the door.

Wang Chao didn’t push the door directly in, but said anxiously through the door panel, “Captain, Li Jingtian is holding a press conference at the entrance of the embassy. Come out and watch!”

“I see,” Xing Conglian said.

Lin Chen was startled and couldn’t help standing up and walking to the door. The moment he put his hand on the doorknob, he felt his other hand being grabbed suddenly. His figure swayed as Xing Conglian pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 139

Naturally, a private home recording studio was different from a regular recording studio, but with Song Shengsheng’s decent income, the equipment he could afford was quite good. Though the recording studio wasn’t large, it actually had everything it needed.

There was a thick layer of carpet on the ground, and the walls were professionally soundproofed with noise-absorbing sponges. Because of the need for quiet, there were no windows. A wall separated the recording studio into two parts: the studio and the control room.

The air was turbid, and the floor outside was full of things that were knocked down by Wang Chao. There were two chairs and some large musical instruments stacked on them. They look scattered and seem to have no use.

As a result, the outside looked extremely chaotic. It was a far cry from Song Shengsheng’s clean and tidy living room and bedroom. Nine years later, the smell of smoke still lingered, and there were still obvious traces left by heavy instruments on the walls and floors.

Lin Chen withdrew his gaze from the wall and looked through the glass window of the control room to the studio.

The scene inside the room was completely different from the outside. The studio was very clean and tidy. There was even a microphone stand in the corner. The music stand was neatly arranged in a row.

Xing Conglian nodded to him, twisted the doorknob, and walked into the studio.

Lin Chen was still standing in the control room. He turned around and continued to observe the rest of the room. Finally, his gaze fell to the back wall of the recording studio.

There were two certificate-like objects hanging in the frame on the back wall, and then in the corner next to the frame, there were two dark gray, semi-open lockers.

The lockers were about one person tall, and there were several baskets in the lower part that weren’t covered by the cabinet door. Lin Chen walked over and moved one of them out.

He found that there were small musical instruments in the baskets, such as maracas, triangles, and the like. There were corresponding labels on each basket. Although a long time had passed and the musical instruments were dusty, the labels were faded, and the handwriting was blurred, Lin Chen could still feel Song Shengsheng’s careful attitude towards these piecemeal instruments.

Then he looked at a pile of things in the corner of the room.

Whether it was a guitar with broken strings, a dilapidated bass, or even things like drum parts, those large musical instruments were thrown randomly at the corner, as if Song Shengsheng suddenly had a split personality, resulting in two different attitudes.

Lin Chen put the basket back in its original position, stood up, and opened the cabinet door.

The moment he opened the cabinet, his hand rested on the handle for a long time.

He thought this was probably what he was looking for.

Rather, it wasn’t correct to say that because what he wanted wasn’t behind the door.

Footsteps sounded from the studio and stopped beside him. Lin Chen felt a hand on his shoulder.

Xing Conglian didn’t say anything. He just put on his gloves, gently brushed the dividers in the cabinet, and said, “Lu Xu’s brother took some CDs from here?”

“Most likely,” Lin Chen replied lightly.

There were three layers of CDs neatly stacked behind the cabinet door. Lin Chen’s eyes moved to the bottom layer, which was empty.

For people who collected books, they should understand that when a certain cabinet became suddenly emptied after being filled with books for so long, the place where the books were taken would be obviously brighter than other places. So what Xing Conglian brushed over was the light-dark boundary of what was missing.

The CDs on the bottom layer had obviously been cleaned up, and the person who did this was most likely Lu Xu’s brother.

Xing Conglian’s finger fell on the label on the side of the cabinet door. He read softly, “From 2003 to…”

There was nothing after “to” because nothing was written on the label.

“2003–2007,” Lin Chen continued.

After he finished speaking, he took down a CD from the top shelf and opened it. The label on the CD shows: “2000.1.3, snow, garbage.”

“Wang Chao?” Lin Chen turned his head and shouted softly.

“Here!” The teenager stood up straight and shouted back in response.

“Can you put this CD in?” Lin Chen handed it over.

Wang Chao snapped his fingers, fiddled with Song Shengsheng’s equipment for a while, and then a singing voice immediately flowed through a pair of high-end speakers.

Although the singing voice sounded distant and ethereal, Lin Chen confirmed that it was Song Shengsheng’s song the moment he heard it.

After all, Song Shengsheng’s voice was truly unique.

Of course, Li Jingtian was a good singer, but he couldn’t match Song Shengsheng. Lin Chen didn’t know whether it was because of temperament or something else that made the difference between them.

Although on this CD, Song Shengsheng seemed to be humming casually, the moment his voice appeared, it seemed to light up the entire room.

Such a metaphor might sound exaggerated, but the moment the singing reached Lin Chen’s ear, he suddenly felt very happy, as if all sadness, melancholy, and bittersweetness had been erased, leaving only pure bliss.

Listening to Song Shengsheng gently humming, Lin Chen looked at the dark gray cabinet in front of him again.

If the CDs contained Song Shengsheng’s songs, then the three-tier cabinets should be regarded as music samples or other music materials that Song Shengsheng made during the five years he was active. There were no years following “2003-“.

So 2007 should be the time of the unfilled label.

If this was ten years ago, this cabinet of things would probably be a treasure fans would flock to in droves. Singers and musicians might even fight for any songs in this cabinet.

But now, ten years later, the CDs were worthless. Except for those fans still checking in on Song Shengsheng’s personal website, no one would take a second look at these demos.

Those neat plastic CD cases were shining under the light, and the things in the box could be rare treasures or garbage. The value of music depended on Song Shengsheng’s reputation. Thinking of this, Lin Chen felt all this was still a bit absurd.

“CA Entertainment sent someone to take away some of Song Shengsheng’s demos, but they didn’t take them all. They still left some. Why?” Xing Conglian questioned.

Lin Chen replied, “There could be many reasons. For example, if they take these demos, they can replace the music made by Song Shengsheng with someone else’s name. Of course, that’s a business motive. But it’s also possible that Song Shengsheng’s demos recorded something unspeakable, so after CA found out, they had to send someone to steal it.”

“I don’t get it!” Wang Chao said.

“It’s normal for you not to understand, because I don’t understand it very well either.” Lin Chen took a deep breath.

Perhaps it was because the singing floating in the dust was so soothing that Lin Chen couldn’t help but close his eyes. Song Shengsheng slowly appeared in his mind, and he began to imagine him wandering in this recording studio.

Song Shengsheng would sometimes lean in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his bedroom to write songs. If he felt that his new writing was good, he may rush into the recording studio in his pajamas to make a demo. Sometimes he would feel dissatisfied with his work, so he would turn on the table lamp and take out a pen to make some changes to the music score. Among them, the things that satisfied him or had the most commercial value would be included in the album for his fans, while the rest of the music would be thrown into this cabinet and shelved.

Occasionally, during special times, he would take out a CD from the cabinet and listen to it, then ignore it for a long time. This kind of Song Shengsheng was the one that fans would never see, but was absolutely the real him.

Song Shengsheng…

Lin Chen thought, ‘If music can really guide people, then this wonderful music now—tell me. What exactly am I looking for? How exactly should I turn over this case? Please tell me.’

At that moment, the recording studio became quiet. There were no sounds; the music and vocals stopped.

Lin Chen opened his eyes. The blue fluorescent characters on the CD player were still jumping, indicating the CD was still playing.

Then, he heard the sound of the door opening and closing. Someone walked into the room and was talking to Song Shengsheng about tomorrow’s itinerary. Song Shengsheng was a little angry. He said he was recording and asked the other person to get lost. After the other party apologized, they left.

That person who entered was probably Song Shengsheng’s manager…

There was a long blank period before the sound of a door opening and closing sounded. Song Shengsheng walked back to the studio and took something out. After some subtle tuning, a pleasant guitar sound emerged. Song Shengsheng began to accompany himself and continued humming the tune of the previous song.

After that, a beautiful piece of music was played, which could be considered a finished product. At least Lin Chen couldn’t tell the difference.

Accompanied by Song Shengsheng’s song, he once again looked at the pile of broken musical instruments in the corner.

The old musical instruments were illuminated by a very dim light.

Lin Chen suddenly understood something. He searched stiffly for Wang Chao and then said, with difficulty, “Among the materials you compiled for me, has any media reported that Li Jingtian has been to Song Shengsheng’s house?”

“I… I don’t seem to have seen such a report… but…” Wang Chao paused, as if he wanted to stop talking.

“But?”

“This large community used to house many artists under CA Entertainment, and CA’s staff apartments are here too, including Li Jingtian’s and Mu Zhuo’s dorms.”

“So it was very likely that Li Jingtian would often go in and out of Song Shengsheng’s home that year and it wouldn’t be suspicious, right?”

Wang Chao nodded vigorously.

Lin Chen leaned back, propped up the mixer, and looked inside through the glass.

The floors were log-colored, and a microphone stand stood on them. In addition, it was clean without a speck of dust…

Despite their investigation into this case until now, Lin Chen suddenly had the urge not to continue, as if he had gone completely crazy.

“What’s wrong?”

Xing Conglian instantly noticed his abnormality and held his hand to give some reassurance.

“Wang Chao.” Lin Chen tried to control his voice so that it wouldn’t tremble too much.

“A’Chen Gege, tell me what you want.”

“Bring your laptop and play a song.”

“What song?”

“Last night, the song we listened to in the car. The one sung by Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo; Illi’s most famous single.”

Wang Chao was stunned and didn’t know why Lin Chen had requested this.

Xing Conglian yelled at him, “Go!”

The teenager rushed out like the wind. Song Shengsheng’s singing suddenly stopped, and after a while, the voices of Li Jingtian and Mu Zhuo sounded.

Mu Zhuo was singing in a low voice, while Li Jingtian was backing him. The music was melodious and gentle. After a few seconds, the style suddenly turned, and unbearable screams sounded; agonizing, depressing, and desperate. It was such a realistic scream that it made people no longer believe that there could be any bright screams in the world. Among those screams, there were men, women, old and young, mixed in, as if all the malice in the world instantly poured out leaving only pain.

Tears welled and fell from Lin Chen’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Chen felt someone gently rubbing his cheek with his finger. He looked up and saw the worried, dark green eyes of Xing Conglian.

Lin Chen responded, “Among those screams, there are voices that belong to Song Shengsheng. Li Jingtian mixed Song Shengsheng’s scream into his own song and played them to the world.”

Kinky Thoughts:

This arc… is really tough to get through.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 138

While Lin Chen was talking, Lu Xu was in the living room. He was sitting on the armchair in the corner. Because the position was far away, the policemen were talking to themselves, and no one paid attention to him.

This dark corner was like a protective cover that could keep him from touching the bright world over there. Lu Xu felt quite at ease.

After listening to Lin Chen’s analysis of Song Shengsheng and Li Jingtian, Lu Xu didn’t feel touched. He felt the story Lin Chen put together was quite ridiculous. A successful singer was easily overwhelmed by another person? This was too unreasonable. When did God become that unreasonable?

However, when he thought of God, he felt that the story had a semblance of truth. Ah, when did God start talking in the corridor?

There would be good people who would die early in the world, and there would be bad people who wouldn’t. Of course, he hoped to be the latter.

He rubbed his face with both hands and felt the room become quiet again. He raised his head abruptly before realizing that everyone in the living room was staring at him.

“What… What’s wrong?”

“Mr. Lu, tell me. What kind of person is your brother?” Lu Xu heard Lin Chen ask.

Lu Xu was blindsided for a moment. He could only look at the man standing against the light from a distance.

“My brother?”

“Tell us.”

Lin Chen’s eyes looked serene. When listening to what he was saying just now, Lu Xu felt there was a sadness in Lin Chen’s tone, as if he were about to cry, but he didn’t see any redness under Lin Chen’s eyes.

When looking at Lin Chen, Lu Xu had no reason to think of his brother. Of course, his brother wasn’t the same as Lin Chen. They grew up in the slums since he was a child. His parents had died early. In order to eat, his brother taught him how to steal. He didn’t think his brother was evil, and even sometimes felt that he was actually a good person—the kind who would steal ten yuan, give him eight, keep one for himself, and donate the other one to a beggar. But after he gave the beggar uncle the money, they saw him in another place. The uncle was standing at a crayfish stall getting food to go; he was eating and wearing clothes much better than them.

So at that moment, Lu Xu understood it was pointless to be a good person because nice guys always finish last.

“My brother… Well, look at me. He’s not much different, yeah?” Lu Xu stood up from the chair, not wanting to talk about the issue.

But he heard Lin Chen’s voice coming through like water. “You and your brother should have a good relationship. When we first asked you about him, you gave us his nickname, and seemed disdainful towards him, but in actuality, you respect him very much. So tell me, how did your brother die?”

When he first heard Lin Chen ask about his brother, Lu Xu wanted to scold them and say, “It’s none of your business”, but when Lin Chen finished speaking just now, Lu Xu felt a terrible chill go down his spine.

He had no choice but to answer obediently. “Lung cancer. He didn’t have the money to see a doctor and just died like that.”

“Did he like smoking?” Lin Chen asked.

“He did. Such is fate. Even though he likes to smoke, he would never smoke more than two cigarettes a day. He was so afraid of death, yet he still died early.” Lu Xu laughed.

“Recall, how long did it take your brother to go in and out of Song Shengsheng’s house?”

“What?” Lu Xu looked lost for a moment. Why did this question suddenly return to the case and his brother?

“The time when CA Entertainment sent you here to look for something…” Lin Chen added.

“I know… I know…” Lu Xu interrupted. “It’s been too long. How can I remember it?”

He really couldn’t keep up with Lin Chen’s rhythm. This feeling of being stripped naked was too uncomfortable that he didn’t want to continue the topic.

But Lin Chen kept talking. “Lu Xu, did you smoke? You and your brother came to Song Shengsheng’s house under CA’s orders. Your brother sneaked in while you kept watch outside. I think you should be pretty anxious and irritable. When you’re irritable, it’s hard for an old smoker like you not to smoke… so, how many cigarettes did you smoke?”

Lin Chen kept probing.

Lu Xu couldn’t help following his question and recalled the scene at that time.

Indeed, he was annoyed at that time, mainly because sneaking into Song Shengsheng’s house was quite dangerous. After all, Song Shengsheng’s case was on the cusp at that time. If his brother was accidentally seen by the neighbors, it would be over, so he couldn’t help but take out a cigarette and smoke, one after another… It seemed he smoked two. After smoking, he wondered why his brother still hadn’t come out. Then, when he put out his cigarette, his brother came out, which meant he wasn’t in there for that long…

“I… smoked two cigarettes during that time my brother went in, so it should be less than ten minutes,” he replied reluctantly.

“I see.” Lin Chen nodded thoughtfully.

“What do you see?” Lu Xu asked rhetorically.

Lin Chen said, “First, your brother should be a strict and disciplined person. If CA sent him to deal with the scene, then he wouldn’t take away extra things. His purpose was clear. Some people who enter a big star’s home would touch things out of curiosity, but your brother didn’t. You said he only stayed there for less than ten minutes, but at that time you were anxious and tense. When people feel like that, days would seem like years. Therefore, your brother’s exact entry and exit times should be discounted. That is to say, he was probably there for about five minutes.”

Lu Xu was stunned, not knowing how to respond.

Soon, Lin Chen asked again, “Tell me, how big was the bag your brother was carrying at that time.”

“It’s the size of an ordinary backpack.”

After he said this, Lin Chen nodded. He opened the door on the left and said, “Then, let’s get started.”

“Start what?” Lu Xu asked blankly.

“Start looking for what your brother took from the house, stupid!” Wang Chao patted Lu Xu on the shoulder and smiled triumphantly.

“I don’t know what it is. No one knows, so how could you!” Lu Xu couldn’t help but raise his voice.

Lin Chen’s tone was still calm as he patiently explained to him, “Of course I don’t know. In fact, according to the formal process, we have to find someone from the forensic department to test for fingerprints and footprints and then roughly establish that your brother was here. Then, we could build a model of your brother’s actions and infer what your brother did and what he took, but we don’t have that much time right now, so we’ll have to guess.”

Lin Chen stood at the door of the room as he spoke. Wang Chao rushed in first and drew the curtains and opened the window.

The bright sunlight penetrated the room. Its light was so bright on the furnishings that every detail could be seen. There was still a lot of dust floating in the air. Lin Chen stretched out his hand and waved off the oncoming dust, then he looked into the room.

This should be the master bedroom.

There was an iron bed in the middle of the bedroom and a messy blanket on it. Because of the rape case, the comforter and the bed sheets had been removed by the police. There were no photos or picture frames on the bedside table. It seemed that Song Shengsheng was a simple person.

There was a straw mat next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, and a guitar at the other end. Apart from that, there was nothing else in the room.

After Lin Chen looked around, he walked towards the closet that connected to the bedroom.

“Isn’t it here?” Lu Xu asked.

“No.”

“How do you know it wasn’t something in this room that was taken away by my brother?”

“Because the room looked harmonious. It doesn’t look like something is missing.”

“What harmony?”

Lin Chen glanced at Lu Xu. “Because I have seen the photos of the scene. This room is exactly the same as the photos taken by the police at the time. Nothing is missing here.”

“Oh…” Lu Xu said, “Then why did you ask me so many questions? Don’t you already know if you have a picture comparison?”

Lin Chen ignored him and instead turned on the light in the closet.

Song Shengsheng’s closet was more complicated than his bedroom. There were various punk and rock outfits hanging in two rows. There were colors everywhere that didn’t seem to match any pattern at all.

What was more frightening was that the closet must have been the focus of the police search, so all the clothes and accessories were scattered about, looking like a disaster scene.

Wang Chao patted Lu Xu on the back heavily and shouted, “Fatty, don’t question others casually if you don’t understand, especially my A’Chen Gege!”

This feeling of being touted was bizarre. As Lin Chen continued to observe the closet, Xing Conglian stood beside him and turned to the two of them and said, “Okay, shut up.”

“Have you found any important clues?” Wang Chao ran to them in a flash. “A’Chen Gege, do you need me to show you the photos of the scene?”

Lin Chen nodded.

Wang Chao dashed to the living room, then rushed back to the laptop. He was always reliable in this regard and had also sent a copy to Xing Conglian’s phone.

Lin Chen looked at the photo once again.

In fact, although the police had taken live photos of the scene, they couldn’t possibly capture all the details, and even fewer of those photos would actually be included in the file.

Fortunately, the closet had a simple structure that was similar to a hotel’s.

He looked at Xing Conglian and asked, “Captain Xing?”

“One person takes each side,” Xing Conglian replied with a smile.

Lin Chen nodded. Without delay, he and Xing Conglian turned their backs to each other and began to compare the photos with the current closet. They slowly walked from one end of the closet to the other, and finally, they met at the end.

Xing Conglian shook his head and put his phone in his pocket. Lin Chen sighed. He looked at the time in the upper right corner of the laptop. It was now 11:05. They really didn’t have much time.

“Did you find anything?” Wang Chao craned his neck as he asked anxiously when he saw the two of them exiting the closet.

Lin Chen handed the laptop back and said, “Don’t worry. It’s actually not very likely that Lu Xu’s brother took any clothing items. We’re doing this as a just in case.”

“What could it be?” Wang Chao asked.

Lin Chen walked out of the bedroom, glanced at the layout of the house, and walked to the room at the end of the corridor.

He gently put his hand on the door and turned the doorknob gently.

The room was pitch black.

Probably because he felt he had been standing at the door for too long, Wang Chao rushed in and wanted to open the window, but suddenly slammed into something. The teenager screamed in pain as a chain of clanging noises sounded in the room.

Lin Chen raised his hand and pressed the light switch.

With a soft click, warm yellow light covered the room like water, as gentle as music.

When looking at the photos of Song Shengsheng’s house just now, Lin Chen suddenly saw a small room in the photos at the scene, so he walked over.

It was a simple recording studio, and this room was that.

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