The time was now eight o"clock in the evening.Cheng Zheng, Tu Liang, and several others were in the Forensics Department now.
By asking Bai Muchuan to go over there immediately, there must be something urgent to discuss.
"All right, I"ll be right there!"
Bai Muchuan agreed readily. Just as he was about to hang up the phone, Cheng Zheng added another sentence.
"Bring Xiang Wan along as well."
Bai Muchuan"s eyebrows furrowed into a cold, puzzled look.
"She"s not part of the police."
"But she"s one of the victims!"
"Is this something to do with her?"
"Yes."
"What is it about?"
"Just come and you"ll know!" Cheng Zheng was very persistent.
Bai Muchuan kept quiet for a moment then hung up the phone without another word.
There was still half a bowl of rice left, and he quickly took another two mouthfuls.
The conversation in the ward suddenly came to a standstill.
While Bai Muchuan was on the phone, Huang He, Tang Yuanchu, Fang Yuanyuan, and Xiang Wan did not talk but just looked at him. In the quiet atmosphere, they sensed that something unusual must have cropped up due to his sudden sour expression…
"We need to go now! Please enjoy your meal." Bai Muchuan put down his bowl, pulled his chair and looked at Xiang Wan. "Let"s go! If you"re not full, we can go eat later!"
Xiang Wan was holding her bowl with a confused look on her face. "Me?"
"Mm." Bai Muchuan"s gaze on her seemed a little deep. "Maybe there"s something that requires your a.s.sistance!"
Being needed was certainly the most comfortable recognition one could get.
Xiang Wan was delighted.
"Okay, got it!"
She stopped eating thereafter. In a hurry, she put down her bowl and wiped her lips.
"Let"s go!"
Both of them said their goodbyes and left.
Fang Yuanyuan mumbled as she saw them leaving the ward.
"You bought so much food but left without finis.h.i.+ng them! I still have to clean them up by myself… This is so annoying!"
…
Bai Muchuan was used to such interruptions due to his work as a detective.
Both of them went downstairs.
Their car was at the ground level of the hospital.
They prepared themselves to pick up the car from the gate.
At this point in time, there were fewer people compared to when it was daytime in the hospital.
As soon as they left the elevator, they b.u.mped into four men who were walking down the hall.
On the left and right, there were two tall men who looked like bodyguards.
They saw two people between the bodyguards; one was Meng Chi while the other one was… Yu Ning?
Yu Ning was wearing a black baseball cap where he kept it very low. He was also wearing a face mask and a scarf around his neck. If they were not in close proximity, and that he was not walking side by side with Meng Chi, it was impossible for one to realize who he was…
Celebrities were, indeed, celebrities.
He was the male lead of "The Grey List" after all; definitely a celebrity with good looks.
Even though he wore simple clothes and covered himself up from head to toe… His features and demeanor were simply different from everyone else.
Everywhere he went, he would attract attention.
When Xiang Wan saw them, she felt a twinge of strangeness within her.
Why were they in Xi City?
The shooting in Nanmu was not over yet, right?
Didn"t Xie Wanwan say earlier that she would return to Nanmu the next day?
Meng Chi halted his steps when he saw Bai Muchuan and Xiang Wan.
They were not sure if his expressions indicated that he was surprised or not surprised to see them; he was smiling yet there was a hint of mockery in them too. It was too difficult to understand.
"Captain Bai?" Meng Chi greeted him, smiling.
"CEO Meng." Bai Muchuan said with a raised eyebrow.
"What a coincidence to meet you here as well!" Meng Chi was in his neat business attire as usual. He was also wearing a trench coat, looking really imposing. His eyes met with Bai Muchuan for a while before looking at Xiang Wan.
"Miss Xiang is here too!" He showed a faint smile at her.
Xiang Wan plastered a faint smile over her face.
"Both of you… are you feeling unwell?" Meng Chi did not seem affected by their att.i.tude but continued to talk with a concerned tone.
When one visited a hospital, it was either to see a doctor or to visit someone…
There were only such two possibilities.
However, Bai Muchuan did not intend to answer him directly.
He just glanced at Meng Chi and asked a question with a double meaning.
"CEO Meng, what"s wrong with you?"
"…"
Xiang Wan felt that this was hilarious.
Her mouth twitched, she was trying her best to control herself.
Meng Chi glanced at her faintly, seemingly unaffected by her as he turned to look at Yu Ning with a half-smile.
"My "mainstay" is hurt! He seems to have an infection; I need to bring him here for a checkup as soon as I can…"
Mainstay.
With Yu Ning"s current status and popularity, his choice of a word was certainly suitable.
Subconsciously, Xiang Wan glanced at Yu Ning.
He was also wearing a trench coat and a scarf; how would she be able to find any "wound" on him?
Moreover, from his looks, it did not seem like they needed to go to Xi City for his treatment?
Bai Muchuan raised his eyebrows and asked a question which Xiang Wan also wanted to know. "I see. Where are you hurt? Is it serious?"
Meng Chi glanced at Yu Ning, and he immediately answered.
"There was a fighting scene, and I got hurt due to a distraction. It"s just a small matter and I need not come here at all! It"s because CEO Meng is really concerned… and at the same time, we can also get Xie Wanwan and escort her to go back to Nanmu with us. Therefore, I decided to come along."
"You should do so." Bai Muchuan revealed a half-smile.
Yet it was not clear what he meant by that…
"Hur! It"s common to get hurt during the shoots. It"s not serious!"
Yu Ning always had an approachable personality and had a good reputation in the industry. He replied to Bai Muchuan like a friend and added another sentence as an explanation.
In "The Grey List", Yu Ning was the main lead—a detective.
For a crime and detective drama, there would surely be some fighting scenes involved.
It was just that, with his current status…
"Oh! You actually act out those scenes yourself?"
"…"
Bai Muchuan"s innocent remark almost made Xiang Wan burst out in laughter.
However, this was a remark that any actor or actress would not find hilarious once they heard it.
After all, his words were obviously filled with irony and sarcasm.
Yu Ning gave an awkward laugh. "An actor"s job is to act!"
Bai Muchuan nodded. "And here I thought they use stuntmen for fighting scenes…"
"Well… that really depends on the situation." Yu Ning continued to reply, trying to ease the awkward situation.
Actually, there was no need for him to offer an explanation.
However, whether it was him or Meng Chi, they did not leave at all.
The elevator opened twice.
The elevator also went up twice.
Both parties did not leave, both parties seemed adamant in resolving the issue.
One would consider such a scene comedic.
Hence, Bai Muchuan"s lips curved at the corners, showing a chilled, composed look.
"I"m just asking casually, don"t be so nervous!"
"…"
He did not give a chance for Meng Chi and Yu Ning to say anything more…
And he left with Xiang Wan.
His temper could make others choke to death.
Honestly speaking, Bai Muchuan was not an impolite person. However, in terms of interpersonal relations.h.i.+ps, he tended to follow his heart when getting along with others.
He would show respect to people whom he did not mind getting along with.
As for those that he did not want to get close to… he would directly show them his "unfriendliness".
"Captain Bai, see ya!"
Meng Chi said goodbye with a smile. His expression was very calm and relaxed.
It was the same for Yu Ning.
One was a renowned actor famous for his acting skills; another was the elite in the business world. Xiang Wan believed their acting skills must indeed be good.
Even if they might have felt peeved, they would not create a scene in public.
When Xiang Wan turned back for a glance, she did not see any expression on their faces.
However, the instant her glance brushed away from Meng Chi, a corner of his lips seemed to quirk up…
…
"Do you think Yu Ning is really hurt somewhere?"
"He can"t be faking it."
"But it feels so weird!" Xiang Wan muttered to herself.
While they were on the road, Bai Muchuan focused on driving while she deliberated about the earlier encounter.
"I searched on the internet but did not find any news about Yu Ning getting injured during filming…"
"If the film crew did not publicize such news," said Bai Muchuan solemnly, "no one would know about this."
Hur!
Xiang Wan had a different opinion.
"Gossips of celebrities spread faster than you can imagine… especially for popular List celebrities like Yu Ning. The film set is a place comprising different kinds of people; if something infects his wound that he has to come to Xi City to seek treatment. How can there not be any news about it?"
Bai Muchuan puffed a sigh.
"I think you can become a tabloid reporter."
Xiang Wan smiled as she felt amused by his remark.
"I can"t do that! If I become a tabloid reporter, do you know how many people will lose their job because of me? One cannot be too merciless! I got to let these people keep their livelihood."
"…"
Bai Muchuan grunted a laugh.
This woman was too good at bantering!
…
At the Forensics Department…
The furnis.h.i.+ngs there were very similar to those in Jin City.
It was simple and clean, yet somehow, there was a stifling atmosphere.
It felt as if a chilly feeling was lurking there.
When Bai Muchuan brought Xiang Wan into the office, Cheng Zheng, Mei Xin, Tu Liang, and Ding Yifan were there as well.
There was also a Medical Examiner from the Forensics Team of Xi City. Previously, Captain Zhang had introduced to them that he was the Forensics Captain. However, he majored in Forensic Pathology, which was different from Cheng Zheng.
He also seemed to respect and admire Cheng Zheng a lot. When they arrived there, he was discussing something with Cheng Zheng and had an envious look on his face.
"Captain Bai"s here!" Mei Xin was the first to greet and stood from her seat.
After that, the Forensics Captain of Xi City also greeted them warmly.
It was normal to be polite to guests.
Cheng Zheng, on the other hand, wouldn"t even lift an eyelid even if he knew Bai Muchuan was here.
"We have a new discovery!"
Bai Muchuan walked over to Cheng Zheng then talked to Xiang Wan.
"You can sit there!"
Up till then, Xiang Wan did not know why she should be there.
"Mm." She responded and realized that Cheng Zheng was looking at her.
She halted her steps since his look puzzled her.
Their gazes met.
Xiang Wan smiled at him out of courtesy.
It was just a friendly greeting.
Since Cheng Zheng was gazing at her face for a little too long, that seemed to suggest something unusual between them.
Bai Muchuan"s face immediately sank in just a second.
Xiang Wan obviously looked perplexed and seemed a little uneasy as she sat down.
Goodness! She exclaimed in her head.
She didn"t even do anything!