Bai Muchuan went to the Munic.i.p.al Bureau after they left the detention center.Xiang Wan followed Tang Yuanchu back to the Criminal Investigation Unit. During their way back, they discussed Zhou Dequan"s case and exchanged their opinions about it.
Up till now, everyone knew that Zhou Dequan must have something to do with the case.
But there were other obstacles to bring this man to justice other than the need to obtain ironclad evidence. With regards to this point, although no one said anything about it, they knew this very clearly.
When the two of them got back to the office, it was already time to knock-off from work. Those not on duty were preparing to go home while the rest were preparing to eat their dinner at the canteen.
Xiang Wan packed her stuff and was thinking if she should go back to get dinner or just eat at the canteen.
After pondering for a while, she messaged Fang Yuanyuan. "Knocked off from work?"
Fang Yuanyuan: "Yes!"
Xiang Wan: "What are you eating tonight?"
Fang Yuanyuan: "I"m going back home for dinner."
Xiang Wan: "…"
Fang Yuanyuan: "Don"t worry about me. Just treasure your lovey-dovey time together."
Yuanyuan had not gone back to her parents for a long time. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, she might go back home more often.
Xiang Wan knew that she did this because of Huang He. She needed more time to get over it. She also knew that what she had heard from Bai Muchuan at the detention center earlier must not be disclosed to Fang Yuanyuan.
At least, if Fang Yuanyuan did not ask, she would not dare to reveal the fact that Huang He had been sent to the detention center once again…
Xiang Wan heaved a sigh and then ran her fingers through her hair. "Fine, I guess I"ll have my dinner at the canteen today then."
After sending that message, she decided to go to the canteen for dinner and put down her stuff.
Fang Yuanyuan sent another message: "Do you have some free time soon? I think you better come and visit your mom."
Eh? Did something happen to her mom?
Xiang Wan replied nervously, "Is my mom not feeling well?"
Fang Yuanyuan: "I feel that she did not look too well when I saw her last night. But she"s as stubborn as usual. She keeps saying that it"s just some old illness acting up and it will be alright. I told her I can accompany her to the hospital but she refused… So, I guess you have to make this trip yourself."
Could it be that she has not yet recovered from her cold last time?
She contemplated for a while and replied, "Okay, got it."
After that, she immediately gave her mom a call.
However, when her mom picked up her call, she sounded perfectly alright and immediately asked Xiang Wan if she had apologized to her Youngest Aunt.
The moment Xiang Wan heard that she felt her head aching again.
"Don"t worry, I"ve sent a message to Youngest Aunt."
"You sent her a message? But I didn"t hear her talking about it?"
Yesterday, Xiang Wan did call up Youngest Aunt when she reached home. She also sent her an apologetic message and added some cute emoticons.
It was just that, she never received a reply.
She did not tell her mom about these details. "Youngest Aunt is busy after all," she smiled. "She can"t be telling you every single matter, right? Besides, it"s just a small matter, don"t take it to heart… we are close relatives with Youngest Aunt…"
"Precisely because she"s close to us…" said her mom, "you need to maintain your relations.h.i.+p with her." Next, Xiang Wan"s mom started to nag her about getting married.
"How are you and Little Cheng getting on?" She remarked, "Youngest Aunt"s on good terms with Little Cheng"s mother. Yesterday, she put in a lot of good words for you. She told me that the Cheng Family is very picky… But from what I heard, Little Cheng"s parents should be able to accept you…"
Accept me?
Could it be that Youngest Aunt has yet to receive a call from Cheng Zheng"s mom?
We almost fought in the office this morning. There"s no way that Cheng Zheng"s mom can accept me, Xiang Wan reb.u.t.ted in her head.
Of course, Xiang Wan dared not tell her mom about this incident as she was worried she might suffer from a heart attack.
Hence, after a short pause, she told her mom hesitantly.
"Mom, actually I… I"m dating someone else."
"What?" She heard her mom gasped.
Then, as if she had choked, her mom went quiet.
Xiang Wan: "Mom…"
The next instant, her mom bombarded her with a series of questions. "You la.s.s! How dare you try to keep such an important thing from your mom… What"s his name? How old is he? What is he working as? Do you have a picture of him? Hurry up and sent it over to let mom help you have a look at him…"
Xiang Wan: "…"
She was speechless at her mom"s behavior.
"You asked so many questions. Which one should I answer first?"
Her mom sounded relaxed. "Just reply one by one, no hurry."
But before Xiang Wan answered anything, her mom suddenly changed her tone to that of worry.
"Is that guy from Jin City? What"s his family like? What do his parents do for a living? How many people are there in his family? Is his household account from the countryside or city?"
"… Mom!" Xiang Wan felt amused. "You want to know even all these details?"
"I just want to understand his background… I need to let your Youngest Aunt know about this." Xiang Wan"s mom puffed a sigh. "After all, your Youngest Aunt just invited Little Cheng"s mom over and yet you"re dating someone else. If we don"t make it clear to her, it"s really not nice!"
Xiang Wan: "…"
If not for this incident, Xiang Wan did not want to disclose that she had found herself a boyfriend.
When two people fell in love, it was a matter between them. The moment they publicize the relations.h.i.+p, it would become a matter between two families.
She and Bai Muchuan had just started dating and their foundation was not yet solid enough. At this critical juncture, she did not want unnecessary disturbances to affect their relations.h.i.+p. In addition, they were busy with their work, so she really did not want to waste time explaining all these to her family.
But if she didn"t let her family know about this, they wouldn"t stop pairing her up with Cheng Zheng.
Even if it wasn"t Cheng Zheng, there would be other men…
That would be really unfair to Bai Muchuan and herself as well…
However, now that her mom suddenly talked about all these, Xiang Wan noticed a hard truth.
Her understanding of Bai Muchuan was really too limited.
Besides knowing his name and his occupation, she knew nothing of his actual age and birth date, not to mention his family.
"Mom, don"t bother about this first. We just got together. It"s too early for all these, how can I be asking about all these details?"
"No, you need to ask him. What if you met a liar?" Her mom seemed to be anxious. "Aiyo, you silly la.s.s… how can you get into a relations.h.i.+p without knowing anything? During my era…"
"Mom, this is the new era," coaxed Xiang Wan with a smile after puffing a sigh. "How "bout this? I"ll try to find out and let you know immediately when I have news. What do you think?"
"Hmph! You only know how to coax me…"
"No, no, I"m serious. You really need not worry about me. I"m the one…" Xiang Wan paused for a while and asked in a worried tone, "I heard from Yuanyuan that you"re not feeling well? Did you go to see a doctor?"
"Yuanyuan that la.s.s… Since when am I not well? It"s just that the weather is not good, it"s just some coughing…"
"You"re always like this," Xiang Wan said in a solemn tone, "I"ve decided, don"t be stubborn! I"ll drop by tomorrow to bring you to the doctor"s. I"ll hang up now."
Xiang Wan hung up the phone as she did not want to give her mom the opportunity to object to the arrangement.
When she looked up, she had reached the canteen.
People nowadays wanted convenience. Most youngsters hardly cooked and would choose to eat out before going home. The canteen food was cheap, and it actually tasted quite good. Hence, business at the canteen was always good.
After Xiang Wan got her food, she came to sit together with Mei Xin.
The two of them had not eaten together for quite a while. "Hi."
Mei Xin looked up and without showing much emotion. "Eating dinner?"
Xiang Wan: "…"
Mei Xin"s really not good in chit chatting! She thought.
If she was not eating dinner, what was she eating then?
Pffft! Xiang Wan chuckled and sat opposite Mei Xin. "You usually don"t eat dinner here. So, you finally decided to do so?" Xiang Wan ate her food with her chopsticks.
Mei Xin picked on the vegetables slowly. "I"m working overtime today."
"I see." Xiang Wan felt that the topic got terminated again.
She lowered her head and ate her dinner seriously.
They were quiet for a moment before Mei Xin suddenly opened her mouth, "Do you have something on later?"
Xiang Wan looked up and asked as she ate her food, "What"s up?"
Mei Xin: "Captain Cheng"s succulents need to be re-potted. I wanted to ask for your help."
Xiang Wan: "…"
Frankly, if Mei Xin had raised this issue prior to Cheng Zheng"s mom coming to their office, Xiang Wan would have agreed to help out.
But now that things had gotten to such an embarra.s.sing stage, she would be crazy to go help Captain Cheng re-pot the succulent plants.
Xiang Wan gave Mei Xin an apologetic look as well as a smile. "Sorry, I have something on later. Captain Bai"s waiting for my profiling a.n.a.lysis."
"Hm!" Mei Xin"s hand, which was holding the chopsticks, paused for a while and suddenly changed to another topic. "I"ve heard what happened from them…"
Xiang Wan asked casually, "About what?…"
"About what happened this morning between you and Captain Cheng…" Mei Xin blinked her eyes and took a glance at the people in small groups of twos and threes eating in the canteen. "Earlier on, some of them came to ask me if you and Captain Cheng really went on a blind date and if you two have dated before…"
Xiang Wan: "…"
So embarra.s.sing!
Is life really too dull for these people?
Just a little gossip, and it could also go viral in office.
Xiang Wan smiled awkwardly and chose to stay quiet.
"I said no," Mei Xin glanced at her and said seriously, "I know you don"t like him and do not like people making irresponsible remarks."
Uh! Xiang Wan was slightly taken aback and met Mei Xin"s gaze.
In the office, almost everyone thought that this girl had a problem. She always treated others coldly, and she seemed difficult to communicate and get along with.
Therefore, in this place where there were so many bachelors, n.o.body went after such a young and good looking girl…
But Xiang Wan had always felt differently about Mei Xin.
Mei Xin"s coldness and indifference might be a matter of personality or due to work. But in actual fact, she was actually very soft and warm inside. Her simplicity was not faked. Her pair of crystal clear, dark eyes were enough to prove that point.
"Thank you," Xiang Wan said sincerely.
Mei Xin did not say anything or looked at her, either.
"I"ve finished eating. I"ll make a move first."
After that, she left with her tray, leaving only a back view.
Suddenly, Xiang Wan had a creative desire to write… This girl really had a nice disposition about her. She was elegant, cold and indifferent, but she was also a lonely medical examiner…
Such a character was someone who could get remembered by readers.
But, what kind of character would be suitable for her if Xiang Wan were to pair her up with someone in her novel?
…
She fantasized about that, eating her dinner slowly and left the canteen.
Bai Muchuan did not come back to the office. She did not call him, either, as she was worried it might disturb his work.
Nevertheless, she kept thinking of him and even looked back at the messages they sent to each other… she actually had different thoughts now that she had read them again.
Bai Muchuan, his character was actually similar to those male leads in romance fiction novels.
He was n.o.ble, tsundere, humorous, good-looking, and full of justice… The most important of all, he had talent.
Well, when Xiang Wan thought of that, she suddenly felt that she might be too ordinary?
By pairing her female lead with such a male lead in her novel, would her readers smash her with rotten eggs?
She was amused by her own thoughts. When she reached home, she faced an empty apartment and started to feel bored.
When she was writing her novel, she always felt that she did not have enough time and wished that she had 48 hours in a day.
This period after she announced that she would stop writing, she felt incomplete… She felt as though half of the enjoyment in life was being taken away from her.
Sigh!
While Xiang Wan was cleaning up the house, she started to miss Fang Yuanyuan"s presence.
Fang Yuanyuan was basically a happy-go-lucky girl and loved to laugh. Living with her was actually quite relaxing, at least, she wouldn"t feel so lonely…
Xiang Wan really hoped that Fang Yuanyuan would not change her optimistic and romantic personality after the break-up with Huang He.
The sky gradually darkened.
Xiang Wan finished cleaning up her room and sat on her computer table as she opened her book reviews and comments page of "Murder The Dream Guy".
She knew very well that she would feel upset when she read those negative remarks, but she was unable to control herself.
This was the book that had gotten her a lot of encouragement and recognition. This was also the book where she had become an irresponsible person in the eyes of her readers.
The comments at her book reviews page had dropped compared to the past two days. Some readers had hurled enough abuses at her and left as they did not receive a reply.
There were readers who came back and saw that she really did not update her story. They felt annoyed and left some unpleasant remarks before they left.
The remaining readers were either those who really loved her novel or really hated her novel…
Xiang Wan scrolled through the comments slowly and ignored those really negative comments. Subconsciously, she was as though searching for something… she was actually searching for the mysterious ID.
Maybe because that ID"s comments were always made at a critical time or fitted strangely to the case, so Xiang Wan had subconsciously given that ID a lot of attention. She wanted to know if he said anything about her discontinuation…
The first page, no sight of that ID.
The second page, nothing, either.
When she flipped to the third page, she finally saw the mysterious ID that she had been searching for.
"The book"s discontinued. It"s no fun now. Dear author, do you want to play an even more exciting game?"
Exciting? Xiang Wan"s heart seemed to take a dip.
It had been a long time since she replied to anyone"s comments. But when she saw that strange comment, she could not help but reply with a question mark.
She thought that the mysterious ID would not reply to her and went on to surf for other stuff.
When she closed the new window and went back to the book review and comments page, she saw that the mysterious ID did reply to her just before she proceeded to close that page.
"For example, I"m your crazy fan. In order to chase you for updates, I started to lose my mind. I"ll kill a person when you stop writing for one day and so on?"
…