Silence.Silence.
A minute pa.s.sed by in the interrogation room and no one spoke.
Bai Muchuan looked quietly at Abdul before turning to a detective. "Make the light brighter!"
"Yes Sir!"
A bright light shone on Abdul"s face.
That made him looked paler.
He looked hideous!
He squinted his eyes due to the discomfort. His eyes felt as if it was tearing and stinging.
Bai Muchuan did not bother with him as he looked at the doc.u.ment again. He then lifted his head and saw how uncomfortable he was with that bright light.
He asked, "You claimed that you only met Cui Ming once?"
"Yes." Abdul tried to avoid the bright light. His eyes were red, almost tearing up. "We met at my hotpot restaurant; that was the only time I saw him!"
"You"re lying!" Bai Muchuan slammed the doc.u.ment down on the table heavily. That made Abdul jump in shock.
He glanced at Bai Muchuan, fl.u.s.tered. He opened his mouth, and he sounded meek. "No… Detective Bai, I really didn"t…"
"Yesterday, when I showed you Cui Ming"s picture, you recognized him with just one look," explained Bai Muchuan nonchalantly, "moreover, that"s a picture we took after his death."
A living person would somehow look differently when died.
If it was not someone close enough, it would be impossible to identify a corpse with just a glance…
Abdul could find no words to refute him.
After remaining silent for over 10 seconds, he let out a resigned sigh.
"I"ve actually seen his pictures in Lima"s mobile phone… After Lima returned, she would look at her phone in a daze. I"ve checked her phone without her knowledge frequently… To think that she had secretly taken pictures of that man… she even had naked pictures of him… Don"t you think that she"s stupid?"
Lima actually took Cui Ming"s pictures secretly?
So that was why Abdul knew the existence of his tattoo.
As well as Ye Lun…
However, why did the police find nothing on Lima"s mobile phone when they brought Lima back to the station?
Everything about Cui Ming had disappeared as if she had erased all traces of it.
She also seemed to have suffered a psychological blow—
Bai Muchuan furrowed his eyebrows. "Why didn"t you say so earlier?"
Abdul suddenly revealed a disconsolate expression as he pleaded. "Detective Bai, I know that the Dark Clan has gotten into serious trouble this time. This… daughter of mine, I don"t know how close she was to Cui Ming. I"m just scared. I"m scared to link myself with the Dark Clan, scared of going to jail, scared to be shot to death… That was why I kept my mouth shut…"
Bai Muchuan did not show much response.
Abdul could not read his thoughts and seemed even more fl.u.s.tered.
"Detective Bai, I really don"t have any relations.h.i.+p with the Dark Clan. My restaurant is a legitimate business…
"For Lima, I"ve really treated her as my real daughter at the beginning. I"m the one who raised her…
"But, all of you already know how beautiful she is, like a flower. I"m a man, and I haven"t had a woman for many years. Isn"t it normal for our relations.h.i.+p to turn out this way? Moreover, it"s consensual… she has never raised her objection… So how could you count this as a crime?"
He actually asked what he had done as a criminal act? He was trying to find loopholes in the law!
"At that time, was she not 14 yet?"
"She was! She definitely was!" Abdul looked very agitated and seemed like he could swear an oath any moment if they wanted him to. "If she was not yet 14 back then, how could I have done that to her? I guarantee that our first time was when she was almost 16…"
This man was very smart.
He knew the law very well and had chosen to say things that tread along the boundary of the law.
What was more infuriating was that this was something private and had taken place many years ago. How would it be possible to find any evidence of his crime?
Especially now that Lima didn"t seem to be behaving normally…
Bai Muchuan"s eyes were piercing cold as he stared at Abdul who was trying to argue his way out.
"Whether or not you are guilty," he got up slowly from his seat, "it"s not up to me, but you better not lie, or else—"
Hmph! He left the interrogation room thereafter.
The interrogation room"s atmosphere was too stifling!
No matter who was listening to such a story, it just seemed too awkward and uncomfortable.
Yet these detectives could only suppress their uneasiness and could not vent the emotions they were feeling…
The police are human after all. They also have emotions, feelings, as well as values and ethics they uphold. However, everything they do must be within the scope of their duties. They could not even behave like the public onlookers who could roll up their sleeves and give that *sshole a good thras.h.i.+ng.
Bai Muchuan walked out of the room in big strides; his expression was brooding and grim.
Xiang Wan did not go in with him to see Abdul.
She was waiting outside. When she saw him, she quickly put away her mobile phone and went up to him.
"What"s up? Who angered you?"
"It"s nothing." Bai Muchuan quickly adjusted to his normal state as he patted her head. "Are you bored waiting here by yourself?"
"Heh, not really! I have my phone with me, so time pa.s.ses by quickly." Xiang Wan looked at him with a pleasant smile.
She was such a sensitive person; how could she not see the changes in Bai Muchuan"s expression?
However, since he did not want to pa.s.s on the negative feelings he had to her, she would comply with his wishes and be an adorable and sweet girlfriend instead.
"Do you need me to help you with anything?" She winked and asked him softly.
Bai Muchuan shrugged. "I want to go to the toilet. Can you help me with that?"
That would really be awkward!
Xiang Wan rubbed her hands seriously. "I worry that I"m unable to support you well!" she said carefully.
Bai Muchuan did not speak. "…"
He laughed.
He didn"t feel so bad now.
"You really do bring joy to me!"
Just like earlier, he patted Xiang Wan"s head again. It was a very natural behavior that showed their closeness to each other, just like animals who were close to their mates. Their feelings came from their hearts and not their heads. However, an action like this could appear p.r.i.c.kly to others—
For instance, Cheng Zheng.
He was sitting at the other end of the row of chairs and looked over impatiently.
"Captain Bai, are we going to that film location?"
His purpose for coming to Nanmu was because they told him to check the place where the two celebrities had exchanged blows.
He was not here to see them display their affection for each other publicly… and it was especially torturing for him to see that.
Bai Muchuan"s line of sight went past Xiang Wan toward the cold and quiet Cheng Zheng. "Wait a moment. We"re going over right now!"
After that, his voice became gentle when he looked at Xiang Wan. "I need to brief them about something first and we"ll set off right away!"
Xiang Wan nodded. "Mm, okay."
The interrogation of Lima and Abdul had ended.
For Lima, her current situation stipulated that she needed a doctor to a.s.sess her condition.
While Ye Lun, Yu Bo, Yu Ning, Meng Chi, and the rest of the people were currently in Xi City, Bai Muchuan asked the detectives to send Lima to the hospital in Xi City for a checkup. They needed to know if she had a mental disorder in the first place or if something unexpected had caused her to become like this. He also wanted them to bring Abdul along to Xi City since they could merge these cases into one.
…
Bai Muchuan returned to them in no time.
Xiang Wan and Cheng Zheng were sitting at the main hall, playing with their mobile phones.
Each sat at one end and did not seem to be talking to each other.
In that Gossip group chat, Tang Yuanchu was asking if Bai Muchuan had set off for a trip to the film crew of "The Grey List".
Quan Shaoteng dissed him that he should focus his attention on getting well soon and how that had nothing to do with him until he got discharged.
After that, there were no more new messages.
Xiang Wan thought for a moment and sent a picture of Nanmu"s street to the chat group. "Little Tang, guess what this place is?"
Tang Yuanchu responded, "Ahhhhhh! The sky in Nanmu is so blue…"
Xiang Wan replied, "Miss the people in Nanmu as well!"
Tang Yuanchu had a silly smirk on his face. "… Have you gone to the film set?"
Xiang Wan chatted thereafter, "We"re going there soon! Anything I can help to relay?"
Tang Yuanchu replied, "Relay what? To who? I"m the number one online celebrity in the world… Is there a need to do something so troublesome?!"
Xiang Wan chatted back, "All right then, I wish you and Captain Quan—Happy Bachelorhood for the rest of your lives!"
Quan Shaoteng sent an animated puzzled emoticon. "… Did the entire world know that I have no girlfriend?"
Pffft! Xiang Wan was preparing to reply that when she saw a pair of legs standing before her.
He was in front of her, tall and imposing.
She looked up at Bai Muchuan"s face. "Are you done?"
"Mm!" Bai Muchuan had his hands in his pockets; he smiled and held out a hand to her.
At that moment, he looked bright and suave. His expression was no longer heavy, unlike earlier. That made Xiang Wan felt relieved.
"Let"s go!"
Her hand landed on Bai Muchuan"s palm, like a clap and moved away.
They were outside after all; it was not too appropriate to be intimate.
However, while they were together, their moods could affect the other party as well.
If one of them was happy, the other would also be glad.
If one of them was in a bad mood, the other could not stay in a good mood.
Both of them would adjust themselves tacitly and look on their relaxed expressions in each other"s eyes. After that, the three of them walked out of the police station.
The sky was now bright.
The light-colored beams of suns.h.i.+ne were bright and dazzling.
Ooh! It"s a sunny day!
Xiang Wan looked up at the sky for a while with an arm blocking the sunlight.
"Get on," said Bai Muchuan.
"Okay!" Xiang Wan sat inside the car happily, looking all fresh and spirited.
No matter what time of the day, she would try to be in good condition when she was working—well, even if this was not her job or work at all.
Bai Muchuan"s lips formed a smile when he glanced at her.
Both of them did not talk, but they seemed to share an understanding.
This time round, Bai Muchuan was driving the car. Cheng Zheng sat behind and Xiang Wan took the "wife"s seat".
Once again, the three of them traveled together.
Cheng Zheng kept quiet while Bai Muchuan started the engine. He then turned around, showing a "concerned and considerate" look.
"You didn"t sleep well last night, right? Take a nap. I"ll wake you up when we arrived. Don"t let this affect your work later."
"Don"t make such irresponsible remarks." Cheng Zheng retaliated. It was rare of him to respond sharply and timely.
As he said so, he glanced at Xiang Wan and then looked away. "Do you think I"m like you? I"m in good shape and condition!"
"I see." Bai Muchuan raised his eyebrows before revealing a devilish smile. "You used to be like that, but weren"t you together with a woman last night? I"m worried that your body can"t take it—"