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0.43% Muchuan and Xiang Wan / Chapter 3: Sense of Familiarity

Chapter 3: Sense of Familiarity

Editor: Chrissy

The interrogation room was dimly lit, with only one lamp shining toward Xiang Wan's eyes.

The novel's content about the criminal case completely muddled Xiang Wan's brain. She was deeply perplexed, her mouth and lips were dry, and she had no idea what was going on.

"The police suspects that… I murdered Mr. Zhao?"

Bai Muchuan did not reply. The two detectives looked at each other with complicated expressions.

"Where were you between ten to eleven o'clock yesterday night?"

"I was… at my rented apartment."

"Is there anyone who can prove that?"

"I live alone."

"You are from Jin City?"

"Yes!"

"Why did you rent an apartment outside when you can live with your mother?"

"I'm an author. I write novels… I need, need peace and quiet."

"Why?"

"…"

The questions by the detectives were tricky and repetitive. Some questions were totally similar to asking Xiang Wan to prove that her mom was really her mom; she was unable to answer such questions. Moreover, at the time of Zhao Jiahang's death, she was indeed alone in her rented apartment. She couldn't provide an alibi. Furthermore, the old and shabby neighborhood she lived in had no surveillance cameras at all. There was nothing that could prove she was indeed inside her apartment during that period.

The atmosphere was tense and oppressive.

The air conditioning seemed to have gotten colder.

Xiang Wan's brain seemed to be buzzing, and her consciousness started to get chaotic. She felt as if she was being dragged into a deep mire for no reason. She could see dark clouds looming over her head as well as the surrounding silt that she could not get out of. She couldn't escape, and there was nothing for her to hold onto.

"Detective comrade…"

When she found her voice again, she noticed that her voice was dry and hoarse, and she felt extremely thirsty.

"I really don't know Mr. Zhao. The police can't convict me just because I wrote a similar story, right? I don't even have a motive to kill…"

"You do," said Bai Muchuan as he looked at her coldly.

"?" Xiang Wan's eyes turned red as she looked at the man who was approaching her slowly.

Bai Muchuan stood in front of her and stared into her eyes. "You want to be famous!"

"?!" His words were like a sharp blade that tore up her wounds. Xiang Wan got so agitated that she almost couldn't breathe. "Are you implying that I want to be famous so I will kill someone for that? In other words, if we have a grudge, you'll be accusing me of something I didn't do, so as to grab the opportunity to have me killed?"

When she said that, she suddenly thought of something.

Did she have a "grudge" with this Detective Bai?

There really might be something that could be counted as a "grudge".

The still visible bruise on the back of Detective Bai's hand and her miserable, tragic scream of "rape"—if those weren't grudges, what would they be?

Now that she was unable to prove that she was unrelated to the case, and had seemingly offended someone of authority, he might just really use his position to get even with her.

Xiang Wan was unable to open her eyes due to the blinding light. She lowered her head in silence.

When she stayed quiet, she looked rather lovely and obedient. The long years of living like a female otaku have brought about her fair, delicate complexion, which was now a shade of faint pink due to holding back her anger.

The interrogation room was cold, but the hair which clung to the sides of her forehead was wet.

It was evident that she was nervous and was trying to keep herself composed.

The tall detective who brought her back was called Huang He. He was the most easy-going person in the entire Criminal Investigation Unit.

He could not bear seeing a girl like Xiang Wan, who was full of elegance and grace, looking all pitiful as if she had been wronged. According to his detective instinct honed for many years, Xiang Wan was nothing like the meticulous murderers who would go to great lengths to commit their crimes.

He gave a light cough. "Ahem, boss, do you think…"

Bai Muchuan swept a glance at him. "She's not the murderer!"

The sudden reversal made Xiang Wan raise her head abruptly and stare at Detective Bai as if she had not heard clearly what he had just said.

"A murderer will not have the habit of dialing 110 with enthusiasm," said Bai Muchuan slowly.

Xiang Wan then realized that when she trapped his hand and called the police, it was not that he lacked the ability to retaliate, but he used that as an opportunity to observe her instead.

Which murderer out there would take the initiative to put their head in the noose?

Never had she felt so rejoiced over calling the police. She finally eased up and realized that even her underwear were drenched in perspiration.

"Of course." Bai Muchuan's eyes had a gloomy glint. "She can't be cleared of suspicion!"

"…"

Xiang Wan leaned back on the chair weakly, famished and dazed. She had an illusion that she had sunk into some unknown abyss.

"I, why can't I be cleared of suspicion?"

Bai Muchuan beckoned Huang He to get up so he could sit opposite Xiang Wan. He took a look at the statement then threw it back on the table. A glittering light from Bai Muchuan's wrist flickered across Xiang Wan's eyes.

"Say it!"

Say what? Xiang Wan's attention was on his cuff. Even though the watch he was wearing was of an understated design, her years of experience dealing with romance fiction told her that the watch had a seven-digit figure of worth. Generally, it was a "feature" that most male leads in romance fictions enjoyed.

What kind of detective is this Bai Muchuan?

Xiang Wan was pressured to the extreme by his menacing eyes as well as the stress brought about by the luxury watch. A man of authority coupled with wealth could get a lot of things done easily. Her brain seemed to short circuit for a moment.

"Detectives, I've said all that I can. I really don't know what else I can say."

Bai Muchuan's cold eyes narrowed into a squint. "Would the plot in your mind just run off by itself without any reason to kill someone?"

He was right! Although the plot could not run away by itself, but Xiang Wan could have told someone about it!

With his reminder, Xiang Wan's intelligence had finally been freed from tension. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?"

Bai Muchuan raised his eyebrows slightly. "This is why you're being labeled as a hopeless author."

Xiang Wan had an animated look of confusion that looked funny.

She felt a chilly puff of wind, unsure which direction it had come from.

Xiang Wan shivered and began to recall the days where she was completely engrossed in writing her novel.

Cough! Huang He waited for her to look up and continued the interrogation, "How many people have you told about the details of the case?"

Xiang Wan slowly raised a finger. "Not a lot."

Huang He asked, "Hm, just one?"

Xiang Wan shook her head. "No, it's a group."

Huang He: "…"

With that, the case seemed much simpler now.

Xiang Wan recalled that she had once sent a screenshot of the detailed outline of the murder case to her group of readers.

Although her works were unpopular, she still had some 200 readers inside her reader chat group, where they chat, clown around, and crack jokes.

How much time would they take if they were to check each and every one of them?

Xiang Wan spent the whole day in the interrogation room.

After she had given her statement, the police told her that she might be "summoned any time for questioning". When she left the Criminal Investigation Unit, the sky was already dark.

She walked down the stairs and looked at the row of street lights outside the building of the Criminal Investigation Unit, feeling slightly lost over losing track of time.

A day spent inside the interrogation room made her feel like she had been cut off from the outside world.

Beep! It was a message from WeChat.

It was from her editor, as well as her cousin—"Madam" Fang Yuanyuan.

Fang Yuanyuan: "Sis, where are you? Why didn't you reply to my messages? The number of new subscriptions of 'Murder The Dream Guy' seems pretty good today. But there are some strange comments, you better settle them quick."

Fang Yuanyuan's style was always to talk about work first, followed by life.

Fang Yuanyuan: "And, don't forget that our youngest aunt has arranged a blind date for you. I heard that the guy's a good catch. He came back after studying abroad. This time, you better treat it seriously. Go get into a relationship and write me a sizzling novel that will rocket through the charts…"

Xiang Wan: "Okay."

It was rare that Xiang Wan did not even attempt to make any retort.

After replying with just one word, she switched her mobile phone to silent mode.

She opted not to take a taxi, and instead walked back to her neighborhood slowly in the warm night winds.

Her rented apartment was not far from the police station. About half an hour later, she was around the vicinity of the neighborhood.

She stopped by the supermarket to get some groceries, exiting with several plastic bags of food. She was about to enter the alley from the bus stop outside her neighborhood when a car suddenly headed directly toward her.

She stayed in an old neighborhood where the alley was dark and the lights were dim.

Screeech! The harsh sound of the brakes startled her, and the bags of groceries she was holding fell to the ground. Meoowww! It also shocked a stray cat that jumped in fright as it almost got killed under the wheels of the car.

She felt the gust of wind that the car brought about—she was just several centimeters away from the car!

Xiang Wan was drenched in cold sweat from fear. That driver sounded nervous as well, "I'm sorry!"

The driver's a woman? When Xiang Wan wanted to take a clearer look at her, the driver had sped off as fast as she could, as if she might get into trouble if she stayed any longer.

Xiang Wan was dubious about the woman as she caught a glimpse of her side profile. She suddenly felt an uncanny sense of familiarity…

Why did she have the feeling that the woman seemed familiar?


Chapter 4: A Night Investigation

Editor: Chrissy

Xiang Wan was often described as a woman without a story by Fang Yuanyuan.

Zero experience in dating, simple life experiences, and lived her life in a haze.

Xiang Wan did not agree with her cousin for she had her own online world.

Turning on the computer, writing stories that she like, and interacting with readers had become an indispensable part of her life.

Everyone had their own definition of happiness.

For Xiang Wan, chatting with readers was much more interesting than having a boyfriend.

The "one day trip to the Criminal Investigation Unit" had dealt a blow to her emotionally. When she sat cross-legged on her bed with her laptop and clicked on the review and comments section of her novel "Murder The Dream Guy", she actually had a notion that her life had been turned topsy-turvy.

Usually, there were hardly any reviews, but there were many new reviews that day as well as new faces.

Those that came to read her book because of the case brought about a surge in popularity. Compared to a not-so significant growth in the subscription index, the comments section was where all the hype was.

Some people were amazed by the bizarre similarity between the death of Zhao Jiahang and the novel, and they were speculating about who the murderer was!

Someone ridiculed that the author was a genius writer who had the ability to foresee criminal cases, and the police should employ her as a professional consultant.

Those who enjoyed mystery fiction were making inferences.

Those who loved gossip were discussing the extramarital affair she made up in her novel.

Those who preferred supernatural fiction were making up ghost stories for fun.

Science fiction fanatics were wondering if Xiang Wan had been abducted and brainwashed by aliens…

There were even readers who were sinister enough to suggest that the author might jolly well be the murderer and that she was the real lover of the dead tycoon, Zhao Jiahang!

Xiang Wan could not continue reading the comments.

She closed the review and comments section, and logged on to QQ. Immediately, the penguin mascot of QQ beeped to indicate there were new notifications.

So many people messaged her today!

They were basically fellow authors whom she knew quite well, as well as readers who were rather close to her; they looked for her to find out what happened.

Xiang Wan was warned by the police not to reveal anything related to the case. She replied to them casually before proceeding to enter her reader chat group.

The moment she entered, she was instantly "besieged" by her readers, who were bombarding her with a full "360 degrees" interrogation…

"How would I know? I'm totally confused as well!"

She did not want to come under public opinion lest it sparked off a controversy. The case itself seemed complicated and mysterious. More importantly, the murderer was still at large, and she did not want to cause trouble for herself.

However, the young ladies in her chat group were so fired-up over the similarity between the police case and her novel that they kept inquiring about the subsequent plot development.

Xiang Wan did not have a lot of really loyal and devoted readers. Most of them were females, and there were a few who supported her fervently as if they were her sisters.

But there was a possibility that one of them might be the murderer…

Xiang Wan tensed up as she tried to find anyone who might seem suspicious in her chat group. Nonetheless, her readers were no different from usual. They were laughing, teasing, scolding, and arguing with each other, seemingly unaffected by anything. Nothing felt off.

Is this really just a coincidence?

When Bai Muchuan called, Xiang Wan was leaning on her computer desk sorting out her digital manuscript.

Upon hearing his low-pitched voice, she felt all her hair stand on end out of reflex as she tightened her grip on the phone.

"Detective Bai, is anything the matter?"

"Send your subsequent plot development to me."

This request was reasonable but Xiang Wan felt helpless about it. "Didn't the police take everything on my mobile phone today? That's all I have…"

She paused abruptly. Looking back at the computer screen, where her readers were still engaged in a heated conversation, she suddenly recalled something.

"No! I've sent out two different versions of detailed plot outlines!"

There was a short pause before Bai Muchuan replied, "What do you mean?"

Xiang Wan sat upright. Like a master of deductive reasoning who was suddenly baptized by the light of wisdom, she clenched her fists tightly till her palms felt moist.

"The chapter I posted online at midnight is actually my second version, modified from my first. In my first version, I designed the murderer as a woman with a penchant for abusing cats. On the second day of the murder, she threw three cats which were tortured to death by the trash bin outside the home of the tycoon and burned them. Some readers found it too disturbing and felt nauseous, so I… ahem!"

She stopped talking as she feared that she might be regarded as a psychopath for writing such an appalling plot.

"Detective Bai, are you still listening?"

"Continue!" Bai Muchuan's voice sounded normal as usual.

Xiang Wan was unable to ascertain his emotions. The urge to want to quickly solve the crime made her language ability degenerate rapidly. Hence, she could not put forth her thoughts clearly.

She looked at the time on her laptop screen nervously. "The burning of the dead cats in my plot took place the night after the crime, which happens to be tonight…" Xiang Wan furrowed her eyebrows. "If the murderer is really replicating my story to commit crimes, we can go check it out now, and we might be able to…"

"Come downstairs in five minutes time," interrupted Bai Muchuan.

Xiang Wan had written many cases before, but it was the first time she came into contact with a criminal case in reality.

In five minutes time, she washed her face, changed her clothes, checked herself in the mirror, and applied a light colored lipstick.

Her last action was considered "out of the norm". She told herself she did that to preserve the dignity of a novelist. She did not want to go out with an ashen face and colorless lips that suggested she was frightened by what happened.

Bai Muchuan's police car was parked just below the building of her tiny apartment.

An air of gravity and solemnity pervaded the surrounding area from where he stood——same as his expression where one would feel fear and wonder at the same time.

A few meddlesome neighbors popped out their heads for a look then drew back.

Xiang Wan walked over. She was puzzled that he could arrive here within such a short period of time. "You're in the vicinity?"

Bai Muchuan did not say anything but opened the door for her like a gentleman.

The narrow alley was still the same as when she came back earlier, with several dim lights lined up in fixed intervals amidst the darkness. As Detective Bai was with her, she did not experience the tingling feelings of anxiety which felt as though a feather was tickling her heart and clawing up her throat.

"Detective Bai, are there any new developments? Any new clues?"

Her greetings in the form of questions were in fact inappropriate.

But as the case was linked to her in a way, her brain cells were so active that those words just spewed out unconsciously.

Bai Muchuan was looking straight ahead. "No."

His cold, curt reply snubbed out Xiang Wan's curiosity.

The car sprinted smoothly on the road to Jin City.

She kept her mouth shut in embarrassment, occasionally sneaking a few glances from the corner of her eye at Bai Muchuan's chiseled side profile. Her occupational habit got activated on this short journey——her unique "Character Study by Xiang".

She had been assisting the police all day at the Criminal Investigation Unit. She even had a box of rice and a bottle of water there. Naturally, it was not uncommon to have overheard some gossip.

Detective Bai was just transferred from the National Central Bureau of the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) to serve as the Captain of the Criminal Investigation Unit in the Hongjiang District of Jin City, which could be considered a demotion.

That meant he was there to temporary serve in a lower level unit for a period of time and would get a promotion when he went back to the Central Bureau.

For such a person, although she would not know if he was competent in his job, she did know that his background was not something she could be up against.

"You don't like cats?"

His question out of the blue made Xiang Wan jumped. "Eh?"

"Why did you think of cat abuse?"

He explained his question with a serious face, yet somehow, there was a cold feeling of craftiness. Xiang Wan had the feeling that she was back at the cramped interrogation room.

She clasped her hands nervously, turned her head, and looked at her own reflection on the glass window. "When I wrote the first version of my plot outline, cat abuse happened to be on breaking news…"

"Ha!" Bai Muchuan sneered, "What a coincidence!"

Xiang Wan could hear the obvious doubt in his tone, and her cheeks started to burn a little.

Writing a character whose background was similar to that of the deceased Zhao Jiahang, followed by the plot of cat abuse which she explained as something she saw on breaking news, it was no wonder she was treated as a suspect.

"You don't understand how authors work. Continuous, daily updates of chapters are very draining to the mind. Sometimes, I feel like my brain is totally fried…"

"We're reaching soon!" Bai Muchuan was obviously not interested in her profession. "Which trash bin?"

"Ah?" She could not react in time.

"Which trash bin did you throw the cats in?"

"…" Is this guy laying a trap for her?

"I didn't throw the cats," gasped Xiang Wan. "I only wrote a plot outline which I've abandoned. It was just something casual I wrote that could not be published. In short, I did not specify the exact trash bin where the cats got disposed of."

Bai Muchuan turned to take a look at her. The car stopped, parked not too far away from the trash bins outside Zhao's villa.

Xiang Wan watched as Bai Muchuan alighted from the car. His back view seemed to merge with the night. A sudden chill seemed to spread from her toes while she was still inside the car.

"Wait for me!" She opened the door in a haste to follow him.

The late night sky was pitch dark.

It was now late at night, and the whole sky was pitching black.

The area around the villa was very quiet. There was a strange foul odor in the air, seemingly coming from the trash bins.

Meowww!

Before Xiang Wan was able to walk up to Bai Muchuan, she was taken aback when a cat bolted out from behind the trash bins.

Lurking behind the trash bin in the night, the stray cat was like the devil's advocate——totally frightening.

Xiang Wan felt her heart shrunk. She held her breath as she stared at the black trash bin.

One second!

Two seconds!

Three seconds!

A while later, Bai Muchuan calmly straightened himself and removed his gloves. Xiang Wan felt her spine frozen by the sharp glint in his eyes as he turned around.

"The trash bin has burnt marks. Cat carcass, two."

Although there was a slight deviation of two dead cats instead of three, but what happened totally matched the initial version of the plot outline she wrote.

With the overlapping of multiple plots, this couldn't be a simple coincidence anymore!

Bai Muchuan called up the forensics team to send men down to gather evidence.

Xiang Wan stood in a daze for a long time.

"That plot outline, who did you send it to?" Bai Muchuan quietly walked two steps toward her, his tall shadow blocking her now pallid face.

As though shrouded in a layer of impermeable shadow, Xiang Wan's mind went blank and she sounded out of breath as she spoke.

"I remember… I remember now!"

With his feet stepping on her shadow under the moonlight, Bai Muchuan fixed his gaze on her eyes.

The scene was cold in an unusual way. Xiang Wan's eyes looked terrified. Fear sprouted from her and gripped her heart tightly.

"That woman, the woman at the alley…"


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