Netherworld Investigator

Pounding the table angrily, I shouted, "The bastard! He should be shot!"

Xiaotao said, "This is a serious crime of illegal possession if Nie Yalong decides to sue his son."

"He’s not going to sue his own flesh and blood! Oh, how can there be such a wicked bastard? Who’s the other person who was given monetary assistance? There’s an address here so he must be related to the case... But I don’t recall such a man among Ma Sanyou's relatives."

"The victim's family?" Xiaotao interjected.

I nodded in agreement as the suspicions in my heart solidified. Grandpa, whom I had always taken as an example, actually had such a secret. He would rather be in debt to pay for these two people. Did that mean he was guilty?

"I don't want to think about this anymore!” I stood up, “My head’s starting to hurt—I'm going to take a shower!"

When I returned to my room, Wang Yuanchao was still out. With the rush of hot water, I began sorting out my thoughts. The entire case resembled a huge iron block–difficult to break down. At the moment, we had no breakthroughs. Grandpa's stain seemed impossible to wash away. I almost felt like giving up.

When I came out of the shower, I turned on the TV and flipped through channels. There was a gentle knock on the door. As soon as I heard it, I knew it was Bingxin so I quickly got dressed. Smiling, she stood there with some fruits and snacks she had purchased. "Are you hungry?"

"Eating so late at night? Aren’t you afraid of gaining weight?" I teased.

"Hey, doesn’t Xiaotao-jiejie always comment on how thin I am?" She stuck her head into the room. "Uncle Wang isn't here?"

"God knows where he’s off drinking."

"I’ll call Xiaotao-jiejie and Xingchen-gege, so we can all eat together," she said. 

I knew she was trying to avoid suspicion. After all, a man and a woman in the same room might evoke doubts. Ever since I established my relationship with Xiaotao, Bingxin paid great attention to this aspect and tried not to cause any misunderstandings.

I was truly grateful for such a girlfriend and childhood friend. Xiaotao and I might occasionally have a few conflicts, but we never quarreled due to a misunderstanding.

Since Song Xingchen wasn’t interested in joining us, Bingxin pulled Xiaotao over. There we sat, snacking as we watched TV. Unfortunately, there was nothing engaging playing. 

Slapping her hands, Bingxin suggested, "Let's play a game to test our rapport. One person will ask questions, while the other two answer at the same time and see if you think differently."

Xiaotao nodded, "Alright, who’s going first?"

Bingxin and I pointed to each other, "Him!" "Her!"

"You two seem to have a good rapport,” laughed Xiaotao. “Then I shall ask the questions first!" Upon further contemplation, she began, "If the world ends tomorrow, how will you spend it?"

Bingxin waved her hand, "This won't work. You have to ask yes or no questions."

"Alright, I'll switch to something else." Xiaotao pondered for a moment, "If there’s a button that can instantly destroy all the bad guys in the world, would you press it?"

"No!" "Yes!"

Bingxin and I answered at the same time. She looked at me in surprise, "I thought you would say yes!"

"The concept of bad people is very vague. People with bad thoughts, bad behaviors, people who do minor bad things and commit major crimes…” I explained. “Everyone has done bad things. It’s just a question of how much. Does that make everyone a bad person then? When this button is pressed, 99% of the population will disappear instantly. Even if I was given such power, I can't shoulder the responsibility, so I wouldn't press it. I believe that the law can regulate the world. Violence isn’t the way."

Bingxin stared at me with eyes wide open. "Your mind is too complicated to consider so all this at once."

I scratched my head and smiled. In fact, this was a question I often thought about. "What about you?" I turned to Xiaotao.

"I won’t, for the same reason as you,” she replied. “I can't bear the responsibility of so many lives."

Next up, it was my turn to ask the question. Mulling it over, I asked, "Who’s more handsome, Daniel Wu or me?"

The two answered in unison, "Daniel Wu!"

Heartbroken, I held my forehead, "Damn, you both answered without thinking. I’m inconsolable!"

"Do you even have to think about something that obvious?” chuckled Bingxin. “But I do think you’re cuter than him! Anyway, it's my turn."

As I noticed Bingxin's gaze wandering, I immediately knew she was up to no good. Coughing, she asked solemnly, "Have you two slept together?"

"No!" "Yes!"

I glanced at Xiaotao in consternation. How could we have inconsistent answers? Perhaps Xiaotao thought it was difficult to explain ourselves and simply admitted to it. Anyway, with our current relationship, no one would believe we hadn’t done the deed. 

"Yes or no?" Bingxin anxiously demanded.

"Yes." I decided to go along with Xiaotao.

However, she answered, "No!"

Both of us had decided to go along with the other, a clear indication of our extraordinary rapport. 

Bingxin giggled, "Shouldn’t you at least plan to corroborate your answers in advance?"

"What’s going on in that head of yours all day?" Like a hungry tiger pouncing on a sheep, Xiaotao jumped onto Bingxin and started tickling her. Bingxin’s uncontrollable laughter filled the room.

When the two finally stopped, Bingxin persisted, "Song Yang-gege, have you two slept together? Tell the truth!"

How could I answer such a question? "You set this whole thing up just to ask about this, am I right?"

"It’s only because I care about you," insisted Bingxin.

I smiled helplessly, "Even if I said no, you won't believe me. Just think of this as Schrodinger's cat, both yes and no."

"How was it? Was it just as pleasurable as they say in the books? Did you feel like you were floating on a cloud?" gushed Bingxin.

"Get your head out of the gutter! I think you should become a paparazzi instead!" Xiaotao pounced on Bingxin once more, pinning her down. The two girls fought in bed, without their coats on, a picture that was so stimulating I couldn’t help but blush. No wonder so many men were obsessed with women wrestling each other.

A while later, Xiaotao asked, "Why hasn't Wang Yuanchao returned yet? What time is it?"

"What does Uncle Wang do in the bar every night? Just drinking? Could he be picking up hot chicks?" Bingxin speculated.

"Who knows? This single 40-year-old man might have a stern face, but perhaps he’s passionate deep down." Xiaotao's eyes gleamed, "Why don't we sneak a peek at Wang Yuanchao's private life!"

"Yes! I’ve always been very curious!" Bingxin clapped with glee.

I watched helplessly as the two gossiped and put on their coats. There was no way I could let two girls go out this late at night without a man to accompany them.

Twenty minutes later, we set out from the hotel. Wang Yuanchao was most likely in a bar nearby.

The streets were filled with entertainment–restaurants, mahjong parlors, foot reflexology centers, and so on. Just as we were looking for the bar, we suddenly heard a scream from the second floor, "Murder!"

I glanced at Bingxin, then muttered to myself, "Do I really have Conan senses?"