When A Snail Falls in Love - Chapter 57

It was already midnight and the sky outside the window was dark and gloomy. Nevertheless, the criminal police unit’s office was as bright as daytime.

Ji Bai, Xu Xu and rest were looking at Lin Qingyan who was sitting quietly in the interrogation room through the tinted glass window. He wore a suit today but no tie. Instead, he had loosened a button on his shirt which made him look a little more casual than usual. The look on his face was displayed his emotions clearly as he was frowning a little with a cold look in his eyes.

Zhao Han walked into the other side of the room with the stack of documents in his hand. “Captain, we have finally gotten verification on Lin Qingyan’s company from Hong Kong. His company had agreed several contracts with Feng Ye’s company which they both personally signed, so they definitely knew each other.”

Everyone was energized since the two knew each other – it was possible that Lin Qingyan was imitating Feng Ye.

Ji Bai took the stack of paper and carefully read them. He hinted at Old Wu with his eyes and they both entered the interrogation room.

Lin Qingyan heard movement and thus raised his head. Since he had initially thought of Ji Bai as a friend, only to be put in such a situation, he merely stared at Ji Bai without saying anything.

Ji Bai greeted him. “Hello, Mr. Lin. I’m so sorry to disturb you today but I have brought you to the police station to assist in our investigations.”

Lin Qingyan sighed. “Since you all are Yao Meng’s colleague, I will contain my anger. However, I don’t understand why you would drag Yao Meng and I into this investigation? I hope that you can give me a reasonable explanation.”

Zhao Han who was on the other side of the room could not help but mutter, “You know, he really does look like he’s innocent.”

Xu Xu also nodded, his reactions were very normal.

Ji Bai’s handsome face looked extremely calm under the fluorescent light of the interrogation room. “There is indeed a reason why we have done this. We suspect that the ‘Angel Killer’ Feng Ye had recently returned to Lin City. He’s Yao Meng’s high school classmate, so I’ve arranged for some of my colleagues to follow and protect Yao Meng. They heard her scream in the villa today and they thought that Feng Ye had hurt the two of you. That’s the reason why they broke into the villa. This happened suddenly and unexpectedly so I hope you understand.”

Lin Qingyan was stunned and he remained silent.

……

Xu Xu smiled a little when she heard this. Ji Bai was very good with his words and he had cleared up Lin Qingyan’s doubts in just three to four sentences. Moreover, what he said sounded very plausible and if Lin Qingyan really was the murderer, he probably would not even be able to figure out how much Ji Bai knew.

Even so, Lin Qingyan’s reactions needed to be scrutinized.

After this, Ji Bai suddenly changed the topic and asked, “Nevertheless, since I’ve invited you here today, we also have some questions that we would like to clarify.”

The look on Lin Qingyan’s face did not change and he nodded. “Go ahead and ask.”

Old Wu began, “Mr. Lin, in the past three months, your private car has entered and exited the forest area very frequently. What is the reason for this?”

Lin Qingyan answered briefly, “I renovated the villa, the one that you all barged into today.”

Old Wu said, “You’re one of the higher-ups in your company, so you would be very busy at work. Why would you need to personally monitor the progress of your villa’s renovation?”

Lin Qingyan answered, “It’s my personal interest. I don’t mind spending time doing something that I enjoy.”

Zhao Han who was on the other side of the room started frowning. “When we went into the villa, it did indeed smell like it had been freshly painted and all the furniture was brand new.”

Xu Xu nodded as there was not any direct evidence to suggest otherwise, his answers were foolproof. It seemed like Ji Bai had no choice but to work on another aspect.

At this moment, Ji Bai placed a medical record in front of him and asked, “Does Yao Meng know that you only have one year left to live?”

The look on Lin Qingyan’s face showed that he was stunned. He looked at the medical record and quietly averted his gaze.

Ji Bai and Old Wu exchanged glances before Old Wu continued by pressing him harder. “She doesn’t know? Why would you want to get married if you’re sick? What is your purpose?”

Lin Qingyan smiled very lightly and replied, “This is my personal matter, I choose not to answer.”

Ji Bai sighed indifferently. “You can choose to not answer, but I hope that you can cooperate and tell us everything you know about Feng Ye.” Ji Bai pushed a copy of a document with both Lin Qingyan and Feng Ye’s signature right in front of him. “You knew Feng Ye, and right after finding out that you have a terminal disease, you fell in love with Yao Meng. Moreover, she’s Feng Ye’s first love.”

Old Wu also looked at him and said, “Don’t tell us this is a coincidence. Start explaining.”

At this time, someone pushed open the door of the hearing room. “Xu Xu, Yao Meng says she wants to talk to you.”

Xu Xu looked at Lin Qingyan who was remaining silent in the interrogation room and nodded. Then she turned around and walked out of the room.

Xu Xu walked out and soon went into a separate room where Yao Meng was. She was sitting in an interrogation room in a beautiful long and luxurious dress while her makeup made her seem as exquisite as the first flower of spring. However, her eyes were a little red and watery.

When she saw Xu Xu, she looked her in the eyes without any hesitation. “Why would you guys suspect Qingyan?”

Due to Yao Meng and Lin Qingyan’s relationship, she would be considered someone who is involved in the case. Therefore, Xu Xu could not tell her everything. However, she had to warn her, so she answered, “We’re don’t suspect him in particular. It’s just that we had a screening criteria to narrow down the suspects and Lin Qingyan’s name came out as one of them. Therefore, we brought him back for a routine inquiry.” She paused for a moment before saying, “It would be the best if you can keep your distance with him first, it would be better for the both of you.”

Instead of answering her, Yao Meng stared at her and asked, “What kind of screening conditions did he meet?”

Obviously, Xu Xu could not tell her so she did not say anything.

Yao Meng had thought about the case before because of Feng Ye, so she asked softly, “Is it because he owns a villa? Or because he has a working background in Hong Kong? All of these aren’t valid reasons.” A gentle look appeared on her face as she continued, “Moreover, he went in and out of the forest recently to renovate the villa that he gave me, I even went there with him twice. Xu Xu, this is really just a coincidence.”

Xu Xu was slightly stunned and she nodded.

Yao Meng asked again, “What other evidence do you all have?”

Xu Xu remained silent as she stared back at her friend’s determined expression and sparkling eyes. Yao Meng had accepted Lin Qingyan’s proposal and was ready to spend a lifetime with him.

In case he was not the murderer, Xu Xu decided that should not be the one to abruptly tell her that he had cancer. She changed the topic and asked, “Do you mind if I ask you a few personal questions?”

“Go ahead.”

“Since you’re with Lin Qingyan, you should be able to tell whether his sex drive is normal or not.”

Yao Meng answered very frankly. “It’s very normal.”

Xu Xu continued, “Does he take any drugs? Is he obsessed with scents or does he like to record or take pictures? Will he choose the brand of body wash that you use or make you wear specific clothes?”

Yao Meng expression showed complete disbelief and her face had gotten redder. “What are you talking about? He didn’t do anything that you said. He does not even know what brand of body wash I use. Xu Xu, he is the most gentle, kind and steady man that I’ve ever encountered. Since the day we first met, he loved and treated me like a treasure. You’re also in love, so you should understand my feelings. Believe me, he can never be a murderer.”

In the other interrogation room at the end of the corridor, Lin Qingyan was facing Ji Bai’s and Old Wu’s cold gaze. Then, he smiled mockingly and said,

“Yes, I did initially approach Yao Meng with an ulterior motive.

“I knew Feng Ye and we even became friends. However, I wish that I never met this person.

“At that time, one of the victim in the ‘Angel Killer Case’, Zhang Xiaoge was my fiancée. Up until now, we still haven’t found her body. ”

Zhao Han quickly rummaged through the file and found the woman’s information. He immediately entered the room and handed some documents to Ji Bai.

After Old Wu went through it and asked, “So… you mean to say you approached Yao Meng to take revenge against Feng Ye?”

Lin Qingyan was looking at them, but his deep-set eyes seemed distant and far off. “At the time, Feng Ye had carried Yao Meng’s photo with him everywhere he went. Feng Ye had died so many years ago, and I’m dying as well, so I wanted to see what kind of woman would fall in love with a monster like Feng Ye.

“However… she was completely different from Feng Ye. She’s very honest and kind. Moreover, she hates Feng Ye very much for what he did. ”

Ji Bai and Old Wu remained silent. Lin Qingyan tuned his head and looked outside the window. “I’ve made a will and I left all my properties to Yao Meng. You can check with my lawyer. After we get married and I pass on, she will not be blamed for inheriting all my assets. Also, I went to the forest area a few times to renovate my villa and at the time, the people from the renovation company were also there. You can call them to verify this. I hope that you can do so as soon as possible so that Yao Meng and I can go home.”

The night was getting darker and the sky now looked like a pool of dark ink that had spilled over the city while the distant mountains looked like dark beasts running on the horizon. The city lights were like tiny stars as they twinkled quietly.

Ji Bai stood in the corridor and he looked off into the distance while leaning against the railing. After a while, he felt a familiar petite figure approach him before stopping to stand next to him silently, and Ji Bai reached out his hand and held her gently. “Are you cold?”

Xu Xu shook her head and asked, “Do you believe Lin Qingyan?”

“I only believe the evidence. So far, his explanations are reasonable.” Ji Bai replied softly. “Moreover, his car did not enter or leave the forest area when both of the crimes happened. Thus, we don’t have any direct evidence.” He turned sideways to look at her tiny face. “What do you think?”

Xu Xu sighed. “I don’t know. However, based on the second body, it proves that the murderer’s mentality should be somewhat unstable. However, when you both interrogated him just now, he seemed very ordinary.”

Ji Bai nodded. “We’ll keep him in custody for 24 hours and verify what he said before letting him go.”

Xu Xu did not reply. After a while, she turned around and looked at him quietly. Only the bright lights from the hallway were seeping through, causing the hallway to look like it had been covered in a light, silk veil. There was a trace of tiredness in his eyes, but he still kept his composed attitude as Xu Xu reached out to wrap her arms around his waist. Then, she raised her head to kiss his cold cheeks.

Ji Bai smiled and lowered his head to look at her. “What happened?”

It was nothing, she just felt like they were very lucky.

She whispered softly, “I hope that Yao Meng will meet someone who is right for her.”

Ji Bai caressed her head and smiled. “Stop thinking about it. Go to my office and sleep for a while, I’ll come over to accompany you after I finish my work.”

Many people were leaning on their tables in the office to take a nap before dawn, but Xu Xu walked straight into Ji Bai’s office and laid down for a while. However, she still had the case on her mind, so she simply got up and went to the table. She took some paper, but she could not find a pen on the desk.

Ji Bai was here earlier so he did not lock the drawer. She pulled open the drawer and found two pens, then she pushed it back in.

After a few seconds, she suddenly paused and pulled open the drawer once again. She saw the corner of a black velvet box poking out from underneath a stack of documents.

When Xu Xu opened the box, she saw a dazzling ring inside and she was awestruck. She suddenly recalled what Yao Meng had said just now as she gently stroked the ring with her left hand. At this moment, she felt gentler and more feminine than ever before.

Xu Xu raised her head to see if anyone was looking, but it was very quiet outside the room. Then, she picked up the ring and slipped it onto her right ring finger.

Ji Bai chose the ring so the size was naturally just right. The style was very elegant and very much suited Xu Xu taste. She looked down at her hand for a while and pondered. So, he was planning to propose to her…

Xu Xu raised her hand to look at the ring under the light for a moment and she could not help but smile. After a while, she put down her hand and tried to pull the right out of her finger… then she froze.

It was stuck on her finger and she could not get it off.

She continued tugging at it a few more times but it still did not budge. Her eyes widened in a panic. ‘Could it be that she ate too much recently, resulting in her fingers getting thicker? Or did her fingers swell because she was pregnant?’

After trying to get it out for five to six minutes, she realized that it was hopeless. As she was about to take out her mobile phone to search for a solution on Baidu, she heard the sound of familiar footsteps approaching.

When Ji Bai entered the room, he saw Xu Xu standing in the middle of the room with both of her hands in her pockets. She looked up at him in a daze.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” He closed the door, then sat down on the sofa and pulled her into his arms.

“Sleep…” Xu Xu yawned with an indifferent look on her face as she leaned against his shoulder. As Ji Bai was very exhausted, he quickly fell asleep. Meanwhile, Xu Xu did not sleep very well as she constantly squirmed about in his arms. He tightened his arms around her waist with his eyes still closed and murmured, “Stop moving.”

The next day when Xu Xu woke up, she saw that the sun was already shining brightly outside. She lay alone on the sofa with Ji Bai’s covering coat her.

She had been awoken by a phone call, and Ji Bai’s voice came through loud and clear. It seemed like he had been working for some time already as he said to her in a low voice, “Everyone will be having a meeting in ten minutes. Don’t be late.”

Xu Xu immediately got up and rushed to the washroom.

Although Ji Bai had woken her up at the last minute to allow her to sleep a little longer, she was in a mess right now. After she quickly freshened up, she went to the conference room only to see that there were already some people there. Thankfully, she was right on time.

Most of the criminal police officers were still outside, only Old Wu, Zhao Han and a few of them had stayed overnight in the office. Ji Bai began the session by telling them their work schedule for the week. After this, Zhao Han asked, “Are we still proceeding with the screening criteria that Xu Xu suggested?”

Ji Bai remained silent for a moment before looking at Xu Xu. “Write down the full list on the blackboard and we will go through it once more.”

Xu Xu nodded and got up. She walked to the blackboard in front of the conference room and started writing. After writing a few lines, she began shifting uncomfortably as she felt Ji Bai’s gaze fixed on her. Seconds later, she realized that he was, in fact, looking at the ring on her finger; her face instantly warmed up.

It was early in the morning and most of the police officers had yet to come to work, so the entire office building was quiet. The few criminal police officers present still a little drowsy, but their eyes were still as sharp as a knife. They saw Xu Xu pause, then spotted the ring on her finger. With that, they understood what was happening and turned to look at Ji Bai teasingly.

Ji Bai looked at Xu Xu’s bright red face and a deep smile appeared on his face. Even so, he forced himself to avert his gaze so that he could continue discussing the case with the rest of them.

The meeting soon ended, and everyone got up to leave. Xu Xu lowered her head and did not look at anyone, but she could still feel Ji Bai’s gaze fixed on her.

At this time, Old Wu came over with a smile on his face. “Although this case is stressful, our private lives are still very important, so I still want to congratulate to two of you. Congratulations!” Ji Bai smiled and nodded politely. “Thank you.”

Zhao Han and the others saw this and also came over to offer their blessings. Ji Bai had no choice but to accept all their wishes. After this, Zhao Han said, “Captain, you’re amazing. We were so busy last night but you still had time to give her the ring.”

Ji Bai grinned at him cheekily. “It was a little rushed, but I’m glad that Xu Xu chose to accept it anyway.”

Xu Xu face was burning as though it was on fire.

After everyone left, the two of them returned to Ji Bai’s office. Then, Ji Bai turned around and looked at her quietly.

Xu Xu lowered her head and reached out her hand toward him. “I tried putting it on yesterday out of curiosity but I can’t take it off. Please help.”

“Oh, is that so?” Ji Bai took her hand and looked at it carefully for a while before smiling. “I would be crazy to take it off you.”

Xu Xu was left speechless.

She was angry but at the same time, she wanted to laugh. She did not know what to say. Ji Bai did not speak either, and instead stared at her deeply, causing Xu Xu’s heart to start fluttering.

“I’m not trying to rush you, but I’ve made up my mind. It may have only been half a year, but I’m sure you’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.” He whispered softly, “When this case is over, I will make up for this subpar proposal. I’ll give you time to think about it slowly.”

“Ok…”

Ji Bai looked at her bright red face and wanted to continue teasing her, but he soon heard the sound of rushed footsteps approaching. Zhao Han hurriedly pushed open the door to Ji Bai’s office.

“Captain, we just got news that a third body was found in the forest area. Early reports say that the time of death was last night.”

Ji Bai and Xu Xu were both shocked as the two of them slowly turned toward the interrogation room at the end of the corridor.

Lin Qingyan had been inside the interrogation room the entire night, and yet a third victim had appeared.