Chapter 48: Lose Control
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Do your best, I’ll make sure that you’ll be popular! Famous and celebrated! Release your inner demons completely…”
Inexplicably, Xiang Wan recalled the comment that was posted and deleted sometime back.
She felt a chill in her spine and gooseb.u.mps ran all over her body.
She started to break out in cold sweat. She felt as though she was drenched in cold water from head to toe on a very cold day.
Yes! It’s that ID!
This was the ID that left a comment in her reviews and comments page when the police were solving the 720 case.
What did Bai Muchuan tell her when they looked up the ID?
It was a mobile number that was not registered with a name…
Who is it?
Who exactly is this person?
Xiang Wan focused her attention on the laptop screen.
Her nerves got jumpy while her heart twitched. Her vision started to get blurry after staring at the screen for a long period of time.
A pair of eyes seemed to be staring at her from the top of the screen.
A hideous skull-like head slowly emerged from the screen where blood was seeping from the eyes, nostrils, ears, and lips.
Drop by drop, the crimson blood dripped onto the keyboard…
The skull-like head was smiling as blood slowly trickled from its lips. It stared intently at Xiang Wan.
“Ah!”
Xiang Wan shouted in a low voice and hugged her head.
Her heart almost stopped beating. It was broad daylight; the sunlight from the window was still bright and glaring, yet it was as though she had fallen into an ice cave.
…
Her mobile phone was placed on the computer table.
Xiang Wan picked up her phone out of reflex and held it tightly…
However, in no time, she put down the phone with her trembling hands.
…
In actual fact, that person had nothing to do with her sense of security.
When he was the Captain of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Hongjiang District of Jin City, he had the obligation to take care of her.
However, he was leaving soon…
…
In the living room, there were clattering sounds of the ceramic bowls and cutlery as Huang He was clearing up the dining table by stacking them nicely.
Fang Yuanyuan was smiling from ear to ear as she wiped the table like an endearing young married woman.
The two of them were talking softly to each other and wearing blissful expressions.
Xiang Wan appeared at the doorway of her bedroom with a ghastly pale face as if a wandering spirit from another world that had suddenly intruded into the privacy of the sweet couple.
She hesitated, wondering if she should walk over to disturb them…
“Sis?” Fang Yuanyuan turned around, and her smile became stiff the moment she noticed the dull and ashen-faced Xiang Wan. “What happened?”
She was fine earlier, how did she suddenly become like this? thought Fang Yuanyuan.
Fang Yuanyuan was terrified. She threw the rag on the table and hurried over to Xiang Wan.
She grabbed Xiang Wan’s arms and asked, “What’s wrong? What happened? Sis, don’t scare me?”
Under Fang Yuanyuan’s deeply concerned gaze, Xiang Wan’s raging fear in her heart that had spread to all of her blood vessels gradually calmed down.
“I’m… I’m fine,” Xiang Wan let off a sigh and noticed that her tone was off. “Erm… is Detective Huang convenient to talk? There’s something I need to tell him.”
“How can you be fine? I see cold sweat all over your head!” Fang Yuanyuan glared at her and pa.s.sed her a tissue.
“Oh,” Xiang Wan wiped her forehead and smoothed her hair, wearing a somewhat unnatural smile. “I didn’t switch on the air-conditioner, so it was a little stuffy.”
Fang Yuanyuan scrutinized her for two seconds before she turned to call Huang He who had just entered the kitchen.
“Huanghuang, my cousin wanted to talk to you about something. You better talk to her first!”
Huanghuang? What a nick!
Xiang Wan’s mouth twitched, her fear washed away at that instant…
…
Jin City was similar to an enormous burning stove in early August.
In the living room of the Bai residence, there were lots of pieces of luggage of various sizes.
The air conditioner was adjusted to a very low temperature. Nanny Li was busy as a bee, packing up the necessary things as they would be leaving Jin City the next morning.
Nanny Li’s family lived in the capital. Her husband and son were waiting for her to go back.
She couldn’t wait to leave this place to reunite with her family.
However, the atmosphere at the Bai Residence in Jin City was not good. Hence, it was not suitable for her to express her joy.
For the past few days, Young Master Bai came home very late due to the handover of work and responsibilities. And whenever he came back, he would look all grim and somber.
The Bai Family in the capital had made several calls to urge him to go back there soonest possible. Every time when Nanny Li took the call, she would feel an immense amount of pressure.
With regards to the arrangement made by the Bai Family, Young Master Bai did not raise any objections to it.
He remained silent about it.
He stayed quiet.
Not saying a word.
His silence added to the gloomy atmosphere.
Nanny Li dared not even sigh in his presence, and the same goes for Bai Lu as well.
That day, Bai Muchuan had come back very early. He seemed to have settled everything in the office, only waiting to leave Jin City first thing in the morning.
Bai Lu crept up twice to the second floor and listened for a while outside Bai Muchuan’s tightly shut bedroom door. After that, she crept back down carefully again.
His room was very quiet; she was unable to hear anything.
It was just like his att.i.tude toward the Bai Family—he did not put up any resistance and complied with their requests, yet Bai Lu and Nanny Li felt a terrible amount of pressure coming from him.
Bai Lu sat on the sofa, changed a few sitting postures, but was still uncomfortable. She mussed her hair in vexation. “Nanny Li!”
Nanny Li popped her head out of the storeroom, “Yes, Miss Bai Lu, you’re calling me?”
A few hours had pa.s.sed since Nanny Li began packing and storing things up. All these packing sounds irritated Bai Lu as if a cat was inside her.
“Shouldn’t you rest for a while? You’ve been packing the whole day. Not tired at all?”
Nanny Li knew that Bai Lu was just using that as an excuse to kick up a fuss. “We’re leaving tomorrow,” she lowered her head, “if I don’t pack now, it will be too late.”
Bai Lu gave her an angry glare. She felt like saying something, but nothing came out of her mouth and she appeared even more agitated.
“Forget it! I can’t tell you about it!”
Nanny Li: “…”
So your purpose to call me out is purely to vent your anger? thought Nanny Li.
She pursed her lips and looked at Bai Lu without saying a word.
“Why are you still here and looking at me like this?” Bai Lu was peeved again. “Aren’t you rushing to pack up? Go get busy then!”
“… Yes!” Nanny Li turned to leave.
“Can’t you adjust the temperature a bit higher?” Bai Lu yelled impatiently. “You’re feeling warm from the packing, but shouldn’t you consider me as well? I feel so cold…”
“…Yes,” answered Nanny Li.
Tch! Bai Lu snorted, “This is so annoying!”
…
The temperature of the air conditioner was adjusted up.
Bai Lu felt warm and got even more irritated.
She looked up at the stairs to the second floor. She couldn’t hold back her young and impetuous heart anymore.
She strode upstairs and opened the door to Bai Muchuan’s room.
“Little Uncle, I need to talk to you!”
She sounded very serious, and her tone was just like an adult, which was not her usual way of speaking.
Bai Muchuan was wearing a set of casual wear, lounging idly on the balcony of his bedroom. He was holding a lighted cigarette between his fingers. The ashtray in front of him contained a lot of burned cigarette b.u.t.ts.
When he heard Bai Lu’s voice, he squinted his eyes and turned around with nonchalance.
“Didn’t I tell you before not to come and bother me unnecessarily?”
“No!” Bai Lu was very stubborn as she took a big step forward instead. “Little Uncle, I really can’t take it anymore. Why are you doing this to yourself? She’s just a random woman that showed up from nowhere, why are you so concerned about her?”
Bai Muchuan’s gaze seemed slightly darker.
“Get out! Go pack up all the necessary things.”
“I don’t want to!” Bai Lu was now behaving like a wayward child. She pouted and looked at him for a moment before she snorted coldly. “I’m really curious. Which stage of relationship have you reached with her? You’ve only come in contact with her for a few days. Are you really that hung up on her?”
Bai Muchuan said angrily, “Get out!”
Bai Lu lifted her chin and got even closer. “Don’t deny it! You’re like this because of her.”
Bai Muchuan gave a sneer without saying a word and just looked at Bai Lu in a chilly manner.
His eyes were half-opened as if surrounded with a layer of cold mist. His gaze was deep and cold like a huge frozen pool of ice, freezing the bones of anyone he saw.
Bai Lu felt her knees starting to go soft as she suddenly felt a little terrified.
It was her first time seeing Bai Muchuan looking at her like that.
In her impression, although her little uncle was not particularly warm toward her, but compared to the others, he did dote on her.
He allowed her to do things that she wanted as long as she didn’t go too far. At times, he would lecture her, but ultimately, he would forgive her and never hold a grudge against her.
However, this gaze of his made her realize that—he did not love her anymore and had excluded her from his world.
“Little uncle—” Bai Lu gulped out of reflex, “I didn’t mean that…”
Bai Muchuan did not move as his thin lips formed a cold, chilly smile. “What do you mean then? Do you think that even you, being a member of the family, can meddle with my personal affairs?”
“No, I did not.”
Bai Lu shuddered for an instant before she desperately shook her head.
“I’m not meddling in your affairs, Little Uncle. I’m just, just concerned about you, I don’t want to see you upset…”
She was unable to continue saying what she wanted to say.
She was still young after all, so how would she be able to fully understand what she was feeling?
In addition, Bai Muchuan did not allow her to have the chance as well.
He got up emotionlessly, his tall stature exuding an indifferent aura. His cold, dark eyes seemed to emit a lethal gaze that was sharp as a knife…
“Get out! You’re not allowed to enter my room without my permission!”
“Little Uncle…” murmured Bai Lu as tears started to dwell in her eyes. She got stimulated by her burning emotions; she suddenly dashed forward and put her hands around his waist.
“Why are you always so fierce toward me? Please don’t be like this, I won’t ever…”
Bai Muchuan felt stiff at that instant and pushed her away strongly.
Due to the force, Bai Lu reeled two steps back and knocked onto the coffee table.
“Little Uncle…” She looked at Bai Muchuan’s cold, handsome, and stern face in shock, seemingly unable to make sense of the reason why she had lost control.
Her zeal got drenched.
She recovered her senses as well.
“I… I was only…”
At that moment, a sharp ringing tone was heard.
It interrupted her sobbing narration and relieved the heavy atmosphere of the room.
Bai Muchuan swept a glance at Bai Lu and pointed toward the door, indicating her to hurry up and leave the room before he picked up the phone.
“h.e.l.lo, Huang He? What’s up?”
…