After he ended the call, a moment of silence permeated around them.
Xiang Wan asked, “Is he talking about Xuan Yue?”
“Yup,” answered Bai Muchuan, “you’re the one who wanted me to find out more about her situation, right?”
Xuan Yue had been messaging Xiang Wan all these creepy messages which also affected her to become nervous while worrying that something might happen to Xuan Yue, so she asked Bai Muchuan to help her out. However, it turned out that Xuan Yue was fine, whereas the one who also felt the same threat as her—Hu Bandao, had died.
“I don’t feel right!” Xiang Wan looked at Bai Muchuan when she thought of this. “You see, she’s living by herself. Will she be safe? Do you think we should…”
“Little Xiang Wan.” Bai Muchuan turned to her. “There are billions of people out there. If every such person requires police protection, how would the police cope?”
“…”
She knew that his words made sense.
However, Xuan Yue was kind of involved in a case right now.
She was now the deceased Hu Bandao’s girlfriend…
“Captain Zeng knows how to deal with this.” Bai Muchuan added another sentence while he looked at her seriously, “This case belonged to them. We can only see how things turn out.”
Since they did not classify the case as a major case, Bai Muchuan shouldn’t be interfering with their work.
Xiang Wan nodded. “Alright.”
…
Although she said that, she was still feeling uneasy.
When they arrived at the shopping mall where the incident occurred to pick up Fang Yuanyuan, Qing Dai and the rest had also left. However, there was still a huge crowd at the shopping mall. They formed smaller groups while talking about the “zombie” case.
Fang Yuanyuan could recognize Bai Muchuan’s car and wave at them.
“My cousin-in-law is soooo nice—”
When she hopped into the car, she winked at Xiang Wan and flattered Bai Muchuan.
“My dear cousin is so lucky to have found someone like you…”
“Don’t worry about it, we’re on the way anyway!” Bai Muchuan’s tone was indifferent as usual.
Eh? Did he mean that if they were not on the way, they wouldn’t come and pick her up?
To think that she was flattering him earlier.
“Aye, I treated my cousin really well though.” Fang Yuan puffed a sigh while looking glum. “Back in Jin City, no matter the location or how late it was, I will definitely go pick her up.”
“…”
What else could she say?
She had stated the truth.
“So, my cousin-in-law, how will you repay me for taking care of your wife for so many years?”
Xiang Wan shot a half-disapproving, half-bantering glare at Fang Yuanyuan, while the latter started to giggle.
She was always a cheerful one.
Bai Muchuan did not show any reaction. “Haven’t I repaid you already?”
“When was that?” Fang Yuanyuan looked stunned.
“Huang He ah! I gave him to you for free.”
“… Does that count?” Fang Yuanyuan howled in protest.
For a good while, Bai Muchuan did not say a word.
After they passed through another junction, he suddenly asked a question. “Have you got everything ready?”
“Huh?” Fang Yuanyuan used a couple of seconds before she understood what he was asking. “Oh, oh, I’ve got everything ready, my cousin-in-law. When will I be able to see my Huanghuang?”
Although she seemed unbothered about it all, she was really anxious and eager to meet Huang He.
“Next Monday.” Finally, Bai Muchuan could give her a definite reply. “Get everything ready in these two days.”
Eh? What else must she do before then?
Fang Yuanyuan looked confused. Xiang Wan couldn’t understand what he meant too.
Bai Muchuan squinted his eyes a little while seemingly finding it a little difficult to put his point across.
However, after some consideration, he told her the truth.
“The meeting this time is to get legally married. I don’t know when will be the next time you two can meet each other. If there’s anything you want to give him or things that you wanted to say, get all of it done.”
“…”
“…”
There was a long period of silence inside the car.
Nobody spoke.
There was only a melancholic ballad song playing in the background…
“Fleeting lives are like drama
“A lifetime pass by like the wind
“Who is the one in white waiting for
“Who has heard the number of times she pass by this place…
“Why meet when there is only yearning left
“How many times did the moon rise in the sky? Her tears akin to falling petals
“When sadness brought her happiness away, who could complement her smiling face?”
…
Unknowingly, Fang Yuanyuan’s cheerfulness had flushed away.
She was in tears.
The tear-inducing song accompanied her sobbing.
“I will. I will wait for him… no matter how long it takes, but do you think Huanghuang, will change? That one day, he might not love me… Or when we meet again, he might have become the type of person I hate the most?”
No one answered her question.
Xiang Wan could only hold her hand tightly.
…
The “zombie” homicide case became a hot topic.
The netizens seemed to be very busy staying online every day.
Jumping from one topic to another, they were worried about other people’s business.
They described the perpetrator as the “doomsday female zombie”. Her case immediately took the limelight from the case “female author who jumped to her death”. Since the case was one that could attract eyeballs, it certainly was more appealing to some people. The netizens lost interest to discuss human nature. Now, “attack of the female zombie” took the top trending spot.
Xiang Wan checked out various social platforms for a moment.
All kinds of group chats, forums, and media, were talking about it.
The panic that the “female zombie” brought was far greater than the death of the female author.
Hence, the police issued a statement that night to reassure everyone that the claims of a “female zombie” and the arrival of doomsday were nonsense. They also shared their preliminary investigations that the female perpetrator had taken some kind of drug, and she was not in her conscious state of mind. The police called on the public not to believe and spread the said rumors. At the same time, they also expressed that the case was still under investigations and beseeched the public to wait for further news.
The announcement drew many different opinions.
Of course, there would always be the usual group of people out there on the internet. Regardless of how absolute or strong the evidence was, they would still diss for the sake of dissing.
If the police kept quiet, they would diss the police.
If the police presented all the information, they would still diss the police.
No matter what the police did, they would diss them without fail.
Public pressure might sometimes help a case. This was because when there was a lot of attention from the public, the police would pay more attention to this case amongst many major and minor cases they had on hand. However, the pressure of public opinion might also bring about more stress and a negative impact on the investigation of the case. There would be some media or private detective agencies who also wanted to have their own coverage of the case. When that happens, they would hinder the work of the police…
The next day, Bai Muchuan received more news.
They had verified the personal details of the female “zombie.”
Name: Du Si
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Place of birth: Xi City
Relationship with Hu Bandao: His Fan
Hu Bandao was a famous author. People considered him good-looking amongst the male authors. He had a strong fan base with many female fans too. Whether this girl was infatuated with Hu Bandao’s appearance or money, she was well-known in Hu Bandao’s fan base before the incident happened…
The reason she stayed behind in the Capital during her winter break was to meet Hu Bandao.
The preliminary conclusion from the autopsy was consistent with the police’s take that Du Si had consumed a new drug by the name of “zombie drug” before the killing took place.
This drug had methcathinone in it; there were also similar variations known as “flakka”, “bath salts”, “meow meow” and more. After consuming the drug, one would feel extremely stimulated, invulnerable, and… lose all inhibitions.
However, it was the first known case where one consumed such drug and actually killed someone by “cheek-biting and blood-sucking”. Therefore, they required further tests in that aspect.
“It’s too horrifying!”
Xiang Wan couldn’t believe that there would be such an appalling thing existing in this world.
“What did this girl experience that she had to take this drug…” She remarked.
Bai Muchuan’s eyebrows wrinkled together. “Her record’s clean.”
A clean record.
That meant she had no prior record of taking drugs.
If so…
Xiang Wan thought for a moment. “What about Hu Bandao?”
“He didn’t take drugs too.” Bai Muchuan looked at her, but his expression seemed a little weird. “But he…”
He paused and didn’t seem to have the desire to continue.
Xiang Wan’s sense of curiosity elevated. “What about him?”
Bai Muchuan shrugged his shoulders and pinched her face with a laugh. “This brother of yours had a lot of energy!”
According to the investigations by the police, they found out that Hu Bandao had more than 100 records of getting a hotel room in different hotels just last year alone.
Moreover, the girls whom he took to the hotel kept changing.
That meant that the Hu Bandao that Xiang Wan knew differed greatly from the actual Hu Bandao.
Man’s multifaceted nature was once again reflected in the case.
The image before people and the image behind were different.
There were too many secrets in Hu Bandao’s private life that she wouldn’t be able to know.
In fact, Xiang Wan was a little disillusioned when she learned the news.
She was not a man and could not understand that a man could also have an intimate relationship with a woman he did not love at all. Facts have proven that men could do just that.
Back when she was attending the training program, Bai Muchuan had already warned her not to get close with Hu Bandao. The Hu Bandao then was a good man in Xiang Wan’s eyes, and that didn’t change even after Du Landuo’s incident. Right till the moment before he died, she still had a rather good impression of him.
He seemed to be a loyal friend and was a frank person.
Nonetheless…
“It’s just his personal life, you don’t have to bother too much about it.” Bai Muchuan saw that her face went pale and tried to console her. “Actually, this has nothing to do with his character. You can’t say that you’re wrong about him… At the very least, he committed no crime nor did anything outrageous.”
Xiang Wan turned her head and stared at him. “Wasn’t his behavior outrageous enough?”
Bai Muchuan hesitated for a moment. “I… don’t think so?”
Xiang Wan snorted unhappily.
In some ways, men and women think differently.
They had their own views on this matter. There was no point arguing.
Bai Muchuan squeezed her shoulders, gave her a hug and patted her back. “Firstly, he didn’t lie to the girls. When he was single, he told them he was. When he had a girlfriend, he also told them upfront. Secondly, he didn’t spend the girls’ money. Thirdly, he was actually the one who gave money to the girls…”
Xiang Wan frowned at his words. “So he’s now the good guy? Do you want to reward him with a good citizen pennant?”
Bai Muchuan felt that her reaction was funny to see although he had not finished his sentence because of her interruption.
“Relatively speaking, he’s not a bad person. All those girls slept with him in their own accord, and perhaps they were actually happy and really wanted him for all you know.”
Hmph! Xiang Wan found herself at a loss of words.
Even though she knew very well that Bai Muchuan had meant it.
“Do men think that it would be a loss not to sleep with these girls who deliver themselves right to their doorstep?”
Bai Muchuan did not answer. “…”
“Come on, tell me!”
“What should I say? This question is a killer!”
But this is not a killer question! thought Xiang Wan.
She couldn’t resist laughing again. “I’m serious, tell me how you feel!”
“Not all men are like this,” replied Bai Muchuan, “although a majority of men behave like that… Well, there are exceptions too. For instance, myself. I don’t think it’s a loss. Instead, I feel that I’m at a loss instead! Why do I have to sleep with them? Hurhur, am I a guy who would jump into bed with just anyone?”
… Pffft!
She couldn’t hold her laughter.
Bai Muchuan took the opportunity to pinch her face and gave her a kiss.
“Be good, don’t let these unrelated people affect our mood. Not everyone’s the same.”
“I know… I’m actually not angry at you. I’m just angry at myself that I’m friends with this kind of person…”
That girl was Hu Bandao’s reader as well as a fan of his. She was studying in the Capital, but she didn’t return to her home city during the winter break since she was waiting for Hu Bandao to come to the Capital for a date with him… What troubled Xiang Wan was the fact that during this period, Hu Bandao was also getting along with Xuan Yue very well. According to what she had told Xiang Wan, they had the same “horrified feeling” and were “soulmates”… That would mean that he had been two-timing the girls. Was he serious with any of them?
“It’s too infuriating.”
“He’s already dead.” Bai Muchuan stroked her face. “You see, people who did bad things would get their retribution…”
Xiang Wan furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Bai Muchuan with some hesitation. “Do you think this has anything to do with the previous cases?”
After he ended the call, a moment of silence permeated around them.
Xiang Wan asked, “Is he talking about Xuan Yue?”
“Yup,” answered Bai Muchuan, “you’re the one who wanted me to find out more about her situation, right?”
Xuan Yue had been messaging Xiang Wan all these creepy messages which also affected her to become nervous while worrying that something might happen to Xuan Yue, so she asked Bai Muchuan to help her out. However, it turned out that Xuan Yue was fine, whereas the one who also felt the same threat as her—Hu Bandao, had died.
“I don’t feel right!” Xiang Wan looked at Bai Muchuan when she thought of this. “You see, she’s living by herself. Will she be safe? Do you think we should…”
“Little Xiang Wan.” Bai Muchuan turned to her. “There are billions of people out there. If every such person requires police protection, how would the police cope?”
“…”
She knew that his words made sense.
However, Xuan Yue was kind of involved in a case right now.
She was now the deceased Hu Bandao’s girlfriend…
“Captain Zeng knows how to deal with this.” Bai Muchuan added another sentence while he looked at her seriously, “This case belonged to them. We can only see how things turn out.”
Since they did not classify the case as a major case, Bai Muchuan shouldn’t be interfering with their work.
Xiang Wan nodded. “Alright.”
…
Although she said that, she was still feeling uneasy.
When they arrived at the shopping mall where the incident occurred to pick up Fang Yuanyuan, Qing Dai and the rest had also left. However, there was still a huge crowd at the shopping mall. They formed smaller groups while talking about the “zombie” case.
Fang Yuanyuan could recognize Bai Muchuan’s car and wave at them.
“My cousin-in-law is soooo nice—”
When she hopped into the car, she winked at Xiang Wan and flattered Bai Muchuan.
“My dear cousin is so lucky to have found someone like you…”
“Don’t worry about it, we’re on the way anyway!” Bai Muchuan’s tone was indifferent as usual.
Eh? Did he mean that if they were not on the way, they wouldn’t come and pick her up?
To think that she was flattering him earlier.
“Aye, I treated my cousin really well though.” Fang Yuan puffed a sigh while looking glum. “Back in Jin City, no matter the location or how late it was, I will definitely go pick her up.”
“…”
What else could she say?
She had stated the truth.
“So, my cousin-in-law, how will you repay me for taking care of your wife for so many years?”
Xiang Wan shot a half-disapproving, half-bantering glare at Fang Yuanyuan, while the latter started to giggle.
She was always a cheerful one.
Bai Muchuan did not show any reaction. “Haven’t I repaid you already?”
“When was that?” Fang Yuanyuan looked stunned.
“Huang He ah! I gave him to you for free.”
“… Does that count?” Fang Yuanyuan howled in protest.
For a good while, Bai Muchuan did not say a word.
After they passed through another junction, he suddenly asked a question. “Have you got everything ready?”
“Huh?” Fang Yuanyuan used a couple of seconds before she understood what he was asking. “Oh, oh, I’ve got everything ready, my cousin-in-law. When will I be able to see my Huanghuang?”
Although she seemed unbothered about it all, she was really anxious and eager to meet Huang He.
“Next Monday.” Finally, Bai Muchuan could give her a definite reply. “Get everything ready in these two days.”
Eh? What else must she do before then?
Fang Yuanyuan looked confused. Xiang Wan couldn’t understand what he meant too.
Bai Muchuan squinted his eyes a little while seemingly finding it a little difficult to put his point across.
However, after some consideration, he told her the truth.
“The meeting this time is to get legally married. I don’t know when will be the next time you two can meet each other. If there’s anything you want to give him or things that you wanted to say, get all of it done.”
“…”
“…”
There was a long period of silence inside the car.
Nobody spoke.
There was only a melancholic ballad song playing in the background…
“Fleeting lives are like drama
“A lifetime pass by like the wind
“Who is the one in white waiting for
“Who has heard the number of times she pass by this place…
“Why meet when there is only yearning left
“How many times did the moon rise in the sky? Her tears akin to falling petals
“When sadness brought her happiness away, who could complement her smiling face?”
…
Unknowingly, Fang Yuanyuan’s cheerfulness had flushed away.
She was in tears.
The tear-inducing song accompanied her sobbing.
“I will. I will wait for him… no matter how long it takes, but do you think Huanghuang, will change? That one day, he might not love me… Or when we meet again, he might have become the type of person I hate the most?”
No one answered her question.
Xiang Wan could only hold her hand tightly.
…
The “zombie” homicide case became a hot topic.
The netizens seemed to be very busy staying online every day.
Jumping from one topic to another, they were worried about other people’s business.
They described the perpetrator as the “doomsday female zombie”. Her case immediately took the limelight from the case “female author who jumped to her death”. Since the case was one that could attract eyeballs, it certainly was more appealing to some people. The netizens lost interest to discuss human nature. Now, “attack of the female zombie” took the top trending spot.
Xiang Wan checked out various social platforms for a moment.
All kinds of group chats, forums, and media, were talking about it.
The panic that the “female zombie” brought was far greater than the death of the female author.
Hence, the police issued a statement that night to reassure everyone that the claims of a “female zombie” and the arrival of doomsday were nonsense. They also shared their preliminary investigations that the female perpetrator had taken some kind of drug, and she was not in her conscious state of mind. The police called on the public not to believe and spread the said rumors. At the same time, they also expressed that the case was still under investigations and beseeched the public to wait for further news.
The announcement drew many different opinions.
Of course, there would always be the usual group of people out there on the internet. Regardless of how absolute or strong the evidence was, they would still diss for the sake of dissing.
If the police kept quiet, they would diss the police.
If the police presented all the information, they would still diss the police.
No matter what the police did, they would diss them without fail.
Public pressure might sometimes help a case. This was because when there was a lot of attention from the public, the police would pay more attention to this case amongst many major and minor cases they had on hand. However, the pressure of public opinion might also bring about more stress and a negative impact on the investigation of the case. There would be some media or private detective agencies who also wanted to have their own coverage of the case. When that happens, they would hinder the work of the police…
The next day, Bai Muchuan received more news.
They had verified the personal details of the female “zombie.”
Name: Du Si
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Place of birth: Xi City
Relationship with Hu Bandao: His Fan
Hu Bandao was a famous author. People considered him good-looking amongst the male authors. He had a strong fan base with many female fans too. Whether this girl was infatuated with Hu Bandao’s appearance or money, she was well-known in Hu Bandao’s fan base before the incident happened…
The reason she stayed behind in the Capital during her winter break was to meet Hu Bandao.
The preliminary conclusion from the autopsy was consistent with the police’s take that Du Si had consumed a new drug by the name of “zombie drug” before the killing took place.
This drug had methcathinone in it; there were also similar variations known as “flakka”, “bath salts”, “meow meow” and more. After consuming the drug, one would feel extremely stimulated, invulnerable, and… lose all inhibitions.
However, it was the first known case where one consumed such drug and actually killed someone by “cheek-biting and blood-sucking”. Therefore, they required further tests in that aspect.
“It’s too horrifying!”
Xiang Wan couldn’t believe that there would be such an appalling thing existing in this world.
“What did this girl experience that she had to take this drug…” She remarked.
Bai Muchuan’s eyebrows wrinkled together. “Her record’s clean.”
A clean record.
That meant she had no prior record of taking drugs.
If so…
Xiang Wan thought for a moment. “What about Hu Bandao?”
“He didn’t take drugs too.” Bai Muchuan looked at her, but his expression seemed a little weird. “But he…”
He paused and didn’t seem to have the desire to continue.
Xiang Wan’s sense of curiosity elevated. “What about him?”
Bai Muchuan shrugged his shoulders and pinched her face with a laugh. “This brother of yours had a lot of energy!”
According to the investigations by the police, they found out that Hu Bandao had more than 100 records of getting a hotel room in different hotels just last year alone.
Moreover, the girls whom he took to the hotel kept changing.
That meant that the Hu Bandao that Xiang Wan knew differed greatly from the actual Hu Bandao.
Man’s multifaceted nature was once again reflected in the case.
The image before people and the image behind were different.
There were too many secrets in Hu Bandao’s private life that she wouldn’t be able to know.
In fact, Xiang Wan was a little disillusioned when she learned the news.
She was not a man and could not understand that a man could also have an intimate relationship with a woman he did not love at all. Facts have proven that men could do just that.
Back when she was attending the training program, Bai Muchuan had already warned her not to get close with Hu Bandao. The Hu Bandao then was a good man in Xiang Wan’s eyes, and that didn’t change even after Du Landuo’s incident. Right till the moment before he died, she still had a rather good impression of him.
He seemed to be a loyal friend and was a frank person.
Nonetheless…
“It’s just his personal life, you don’t have to bother too much about it.” Bai Muchuan saw that her face went pale and tried to console her. “Actually, this has nothing to do with his character. You can’t say that you’re wrong about him… At the very least, he committed no crime nor did anything outrageous.”
Xiang Wan turned her head and stared at him. “Wasn’t his behavior outrageous enough?”
Bai Muchuan hesitated for a moment. “I… don’t think so?”
Xiang Wan snorted unhappily.
In some ways, men and women think differently.
They had their own views on this matter. There was no point arguing.
Bai Muchuan squeezed her shoulders, gave her a hug and patted her back. “Firstly, he didn’t lie to the girls. When he was single, he told them he was. When he had a girlfriend, he also told them upfront. Secondly, he didn’t spend the girls’ money. Thirdly, he was actually the one who gave money to the girls…”
Xiang Wan frowned at his words. “So he’s now the good guy? Do you want to reward him with a good citizen pennant?”
Bai Muchuan felt that her reaction was funny to see although he had not finished his sentence because of her interruption.
“Relatively speaking, he’s not a bad person. All those girls slept with him in their own accord, and perhaps they were actually happy and really wanted him for all you know.”
Hmph! Xiang Wan found herself at a loss of words.
Even though she knew very well that Bai Muchuan had meant it.
“Do men think that it would be a loss not to sleep with these girls who deliver themselves right to their doorstep?”
Bai Muchuan did not answer. “…”
“Come on, tell me!”
“What should I say? This question is a killer!”
But this is not a killer question! thought Xiang Wan.
She couldn’t resist laughing again. “I’m serious, tell me how you feel!”
“Not all men are like this,” replied Bai Muchuan, “although a majority of men behave like that… Well, there are exceptions too. For instance, myself. I don’t think it’s a loss. Instead, I feel that I’m at a loss instead! Why do I have to sleep with them? Hurhur, am I a guy who would jump into bed with just anyone?”
… Pffft!
She couldn’t hold her laughter.
Bai Muchuan took the opportunity to pinch her face and gave her a kiss.
“Be good, don’t let these unrelated people affect our mood. Not everyone’s the same.”
“I know… I’m actually not angry at you. I’m just angry at myself that I’m friends with this kind of person…”
That girl was Hu Bandao’s reader as well as a fan of his. She was studying in the Capital, but she didn’t return to her home city during the winter break since she was waiting for Hu Bandao to come to the Capital for a date with him… What troubled Xiang Wan was the fact that during this period, Hu Bandao was also getting along with Xuan Yue very well. According to what she had told Xiang Wan, they had the same “horrified feeling” and were “soulmates”… That would mean that he had been two-timing the girls. Was he serious with any of them?
“It’s too infuriating.”
“He’s already dead.” Bai Muchuan stroked her face. “You see, people who did bad things would get their retribution…”
Xiang Wan furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Bai Muchuan with some hesitation. “Do you think this has anything to do with the previous cases?”
