“Sharp is dead?”
Jiang Que blinked, taking a moment to connect the rather awkward name “Sharp” with the unpleasant man from last night and asked incredulously, “How could he be dead?”
He hadn’t even done anything to him yet. It couldn’t be that his tentacles had sleepwalked and killed him in the middle of the night, right?
Shen Tazhi held onto Jiang Que’s waist, appearing to be affectionately embracing the pretty young man, but in reality, his entire body was covered with tentacles.
The tentacles that had just woken up didn’t care about life or death; their top priority was being close to the person they liked.
As Shen Tazhi’s movement paused due to the tentacles, he patted Jiang Que’s back, gesturing for him to calm down before saying, “I don’t know. He was found dead in the room by hotel staff this morning. They reported it to the police, and these officers just arrived to conduct routine questioning.”
Remembering the character he had set up to take Jiang Que away last night, Shen Tazhi softened his tone and, in a comforting manner, suggested, “Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine. Would you like to go back to sleep for a while?”
Jiang Que:…
Since they were already acting, they might as well continue.
Jiang Que tried to cooperate with Shen Tazhi, pretending to be a bit scared as he snuggled into his arms, shaking his head without saying a word.
The detective sitting across from Shen Tazhi tilted his head slightly, feeling uncomfortable seeing the pretty young man in a nightgown sitting on the lap of the imposing man. They had received information before coming, knowing that Shen Tazhi was accompanied by a handsome young man this time, and even last night, there was a conflict between the rumored young man and Sharp. But seeing Shen Tazhi’s evident affection for him made the detective, who was still relatively young in the detective world at thirty, feel awkward.
He cleared his throat, trying to divert the attention of the two affectionate individuals before him.
“The situation is as Mr. Shen described. According to the preliminary forensic examination, Mr. Sharp likely died of poisoning, in other words, he was poisoned.”
“Due to his special status, the Adonis family is extremely outraged by his death. They will arrive in the country in about three hours. If the culprit is not found or relevant clues are not provided before then, this matter is likely to escalate to an international level. So, we hope you can cooperate.”
“Cooperate?” Jiang Que looked puzzled, turning to the detective. His gaze paused for a moment on the pocket on the detective’s chest before he continued, “But we didn’t kill Sharp. Shouldn’t you be able to investigate and find out? Or do you want us to help you with the investigation?”
“No,” the detective frowned.
He always felt like Jiang Que’s words were somewhat mocking their incompetence, but looking up and seeing Jiang Que’s genuinely puzzled expression as he sat in Shen Tazhi’s arms, he thought that perhaps the other party was genuinely unaware of the investigative process. So, he explained:
“You had a conflict with Mr. Sharp last night and had a dispute with him over interests. While it may sound offensive, from the perspective of a motive for murder, you do have a significant suspicion.”
The detective glanced at Shen Tazhi, fearing he might have been too rude and offended this important figure. After receiving a nod of approval from Shen Tazhi, he continued, “Therefore, we need to conduct some routine investigations on you. This is also to help clear your suspicion—of course, you don’t need to worry too much. These investigations are mainly focused on Mr. Shen, and you don’t need to fear; we have no ill intentions.”
Midway through his explanation, the detective remembered Jiang Que shrinking into Shen Tazhi’s embrace earlier and decided not to sound too serious. Instead, he tried to comfort Jiang Que.
According to the statements provided by the hotel staff, this young man was not to be trifled with. If he cried, not only would the investigation of Shen Tazhi be in jeopardy, the detective himself might lose his job.
“But we didn’t do anything, and Shen Tazhi couldn’t have killed Sharp either,” Jiang Que repeated.
He looked at the several detectives who had turned their room upside down and were now preparing to search the bedroom, feeling a bit aggrieved. “Why are you rummaging through our room like this?”
He didn’t care about any international cases; this was Shen Tazhi’s and his room, and now it was all in chaos.
The detective across from him broke out in a few cold sweats. “I’m sorry… We need to ensure you’re not carrying any poisonous substances. We’ll restore the room after the routine inspection.”
Shen Tazhi knew it wasn’t the time to stir up trouble, especially risking the discovery of Jiang Que’s tentacles. He rubbed Jiang Que’s head and also interjected to help the detective:
“We’re just checking the room and luggage. If you don’t like it, I’ll replace everything with new ones later, okay?”
Jiang Que widened his eyes. “Check the luggage too?”
His luggage contained his treasures. How could he allow others to rummage through it so casually??
Shen Tazhi helplessly kissed him and reasoned with him, “Because we are the prime suspects. Only we had conflicts with Sharp in these past few days. These checks are necessary, and we need to be reasonable and follow the rules, right?”
Shen Tazhi truly understood Jiang Que enough to explain things clearly, which surprisingly calmed Jiang Que down. He wasn’t an unreasonable person, and now, following the rules of human society was indeed the right thing to do. Refusing to allow others to inspect would only cause trouble for them.
But he still didn’t like it. The loathsome Sharp, causing trouble even in death.
Jiang Que leaned against Shen Tazhi’s chest, sulking in silence.
He remembered his hazy thoughts from the night before, feeling somewhat relieved that he hadn’t acted on them yet.
He hadn’t fully understood Shen Tazhi’s mention of “human investigations primarily focusing on the motive for murder” before, but now he finally grasped it. Essentially, regardless of evidence at the scene, they would first suspect those who had recent conflicts with the deceased.
Humans sure were cunning.
As Jiang Que thought about it, he gradually calmed down. Glancing at the time, it was already eight in the morning, the usual time for breakfast. He turned to Shen Tazhi and asked, “Can we go have breakfast now?”
“Sure,” the detective sitting across from them answered.
He had already stood up from the couch and casually said, “Where do you want to have breakfast? I’ll take you there.”
Jiang Que:?
Although the detective said “take”, wasn’t this actually a form of surveillance?
He turned to look at Shen Tazhi, who gave him a reassuring smile, confirming Jiang Que’s suspicion.
Hesitating, Jiang Que asked, “How long will he be following us?”
Shen Tazhi pondered for a moment. “Probably… a day or two? As long as we find the real culprit, it should be fine.”
A day or two? That long??
Jiang Que stood frozen in place.
Just the level of surveillance from Du Lulu was already annoying enough. This was under the premise that Du Lulu maintained a certain level of discretion and didn’t excessively disturb their lives. Yet now, this detective was going to follow them for a whole two days?
The thought of having another person shadowing them during meals, cooking in the kitchen, or reading novels for the next two days made Jiang Que shudder.
No, it was too disgusting. He couldn’t bear it any longer.
He decided to stop acting. Their world, Shen Tazhi’s and his, would be gone. What was the point of continuing to act like a fragile flower?
Jiang Que’s expression turned cold. Ignoring Shen Tazhi’s surprised gaze, he pulled away from his embrace, leaving only one tentacle still wrapped around Shen Tazhi’s wrist.
“No, you can’t follow us. I hate this.”
“Que Que…”
“But…”
Two voices spoke simultaneously, only to be directly interrupted by Jiang Que.
“Aren’t you currently looking for the culprit? As long as you find the culprit, you won’t bother us anymore, right?”
“That’s right…” The detective inexplicably lacked some confidence.
“Great.”
The beautiful young man narrowed his excessively dark eyes slightly. Though there was no breeze, the hem of his nightgown still swayed subtly.
Distractedly, Jiang Que added another tentacle to restrain Shen Tazhi’s feet. He directly stopped the detective from trying to stand up and intervene, smiling with a hint of lingering anger.
“Weren’t you supposed to have a result within two hours? Take me to the scene now. In ten minutes, I’ll help you find the culprit and evidence.”
“After finding them, you will immediately disappear from my sight. If you dare to disturb us again…”
Initially, Jiang Que had intended to threaten to kill them, but considering the troublesome consequences of murder, he changed tactics and instead threatened with a smile:
“You have a newlywed wife who has just become pregnant, and you want to use your savings to buy a three-bedroom apartment to improve your life. I know you must be tired from working to support your family, and you probably wish to take a long vacation and never work again, right? Officer Wu.”
“How do you… You!”
Officer Wu staggered back two steps in shock, unsure of how Jiang Que knew about his family background or whether he should ask how Jiang Que knew his surname.
Pointing to his own eyes, Jiang Que voluntarily explained, “Your emotions are like a novel to me. If you look closely, you’ll understand.”
“And—”
He stepped forward, using his fingers to extract a partially torn business card from Officer Wu’s pocket, smiling as he waved it in his hand.
“Is this the business card you gave to gege just now? You didn’t put it away properly after taking out the remaining card.”
Glancing at it, he exclaimed, “Oh, so your name is Wu Mingzhe.”
The commotion in the bedroom caught the attention of the other detectives present. They watched in astonishment as the young man in front of them smiled lightly, finished reciting Wu Mingzhe’s name, then calmly tore his business card in half and casually tossed it into the trash pile that had been overturned nearby.
Extremely disrespectful and arrogantly dismissive.
However, whether it was that overly handsome face, Jiang Que’s insightful mind akin to mind-reading, or Shen Tazhi’s ambiguous expression behind Jiang Que, they all dared not act rashly. In the end, they could only stand there, watching the young man in the white nightgown.
Wasn’t he supposed to be a narcissistic flower? Wasn’t he supposed to be a high school pretty boy? What was going on now?
In the end, it was Shen Tazhi who broke the silence with a light sigh.
“Que Que…”
Jiang Que turned around, looking at Shen Tazhi plaintively. “Gege, they were the ones who started it.”
He seemed ready to cry in front of Shen Tazhi if Shen Tazhi dared to advise him.
Shen Tazhi raised his hands, not yet bound, in a surrendering gesture. “I didn’t say you couldn’t go. But can we put on our shoes first, okay?”
He had been meaning to say that going barefoot was too risky in terms of health.
“Okay.” Jiang Que obediently agreed, “I’ll go back to the bedroom to put on socks first.”
Officer Wu stared in shock as Jiang Que, whose expressions changed rapidly, walked back towards the room. He cautiously looked at Shen Tazhi.
“Mr. Shen… this…”
Shen Tazhi rubbed his temples and waved his hand. “Sorry, we might delay you for about ten minutes. I’ll personally speak to your chief about this matter.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Officer Wu swallowed hard, still hesitating to speak, “Mr. Jiang Que, he…”
He actually wanted to directly address Jiang Que, but recalling Jiang Que’s fiery gaze during their eye contact earlier, he couldn’t help but add a “Mr.” at the end of his sentence.
“Oh, him…” Shen Tazhi carefully chose his words, “The information wasn’t given to him by me. You could say it’s… a unique talent possessed by a few geniuses?”
“O-Okay.” Officer Wu responded dazedly.
Indeed, his experience was still too limited. Being favored by someone like Shen Tazhi, a person of such caliber, couldn’t possibly be an ordinary individual.
So, perhaps having telepathic abilities was considered normal for someone so highly regarded… right?
Five minutes later.
Having put on his shoes, Jiang Que held Shen Tazhi’s hand and appeared in Sharp’s bedroom, which was cordoned off with caution tape.
Lacking suitable clothing, he was still in his white nightgown. However, Jiang Que seemed unfazed, casually walking around the scene in his dress.
Officer Wu, who had been reassigned to gather all the hotel staff, was now accompanied by another detective. Learning from Officer Wu’s experience, this new detective was cautious around Jiang Que, maintaining a safe distance and refraining from engaging in conversation, afraid of becoming the next victim of Jiang Que’s scrutiny.
Ignoring the detective, Jiang Que could discern Officer Wu’s family situation from his genuine love for his wife, even in his work demeanor. This level of affection wouldn’t be as effective with others.
Kneeling down, Jiang Que examined Sharp’s body on the floor.
The man who had glared at him with disdain the night before now lay lifeless with a grim expression. His Caucasian skin had an abnormal red hue, and upon closer inspection, Jiang Que detected the scent of bitter almonds.
Ah, hydrogen cyanide poisoning—such a boring method of murder.
Despite witnessing numerous ways of killing, Jiang Que had failed to anticipate that in his first encounter with a homicide case in human society, the killer would choose such a mundane method.
Thinking that Sharp was at least sedated before being stabbed multiple times to bleed out, then skinned while still conscious before being poisoned, Jiang Que was surprised by how peaceful Sharp’s death appeared.
Unable to deduce the killer from Sharp’s expression before death, as the victim likely never saw the assailant’s true face before being poisoned, Jiang Que wasn’t bothered.
Hearing the faint chaotic footsteps behind him, Jiang Que stood up again with Shen Tazhi’s help and turned to look at Officer Wu and the gathered hotel staff.
Among the staff, one person’s evasive expression caught Jiang Que’s attention.
Casually glancing at the service staff who had behaved oddly in the restaurant and even ripped off his backpack last night, Jiang Que thought, ‘Isn’t this the perfect suspect?”
Though he only glanced briefly last night, he hadn’t forgotten. Sharp’s emotions clearly indicated that he knew that particular service staff.
Officer Wu stood outside the caution tape with the staff. “Mr. Shen, Mr. Jiang Que, I’ve brought the people you’re looking for.”
Shen Tazhi kept a watchful eye on Jiang Que, concerned that the murder scene might frighten him. Lowering his head, he asked, “Should we go see now? Que Que.”
Jiang Que nodded, and together with Shen Tazhi, they crossed the caution tape and headed outside.
He had originally intended to directly approach the service staff, but as he lifted his gaze, he suddenly locked eyes with a familiar face.
Du Lulu, disguised as a service staff member, smiled awkwardly at Jiang Que, tears flowing in her heart.
She knew she couldn’t fool Jiang Que with her disguise.
But what choice did she have? Shen Tazhi wanted to clear the scene, and she had been evicted halfway through. To continue her mission, she had to continue infiltrating while disguised as a service staff member.
Field missions were truly detestable!
After a brief moment of contemplation, Jiang Que understood why Du Lulu was involved. He was momentarily speechless, then continued with his original plan and walked directly up to the service staff member who seemed evasive.
“What… what are you doing?” The service staff member was unnerved by his gaze.
Ignoring him, Jiang Que began to scrutinize the man before him.
Previously, he hadn’t paid much attention to this service staff member, barely sparing a glance. But now, he took a closer look.
This was a tall, slender middle-aged man with dark circles under his eyes, bitten fingernails, and a worn watch on his wrist—a bankrupt middle-aged man.
Raising an eyebrow, Jiang Que pondered the rarity of a bankrupt middle-aged man working as a service staff member.
He then observed the man’s expression.
Anxiety, guilt—it seemed fitting. He appeared as though he had done something wrong. There was also worry, directed towards his family, particularly his mother.
And resentment. He resented Sharp, and even… he resented Shen Tazhi.
Suddenly, Jiang Que was startled.
He finally understood why Sharp had died at that moment. It was because only by dying at that time would Shen Tazhi become the prime suspect.
Even if Shen Tazhi was truly innocent, he would still bear the wrath of the Adonis family. After all, Sharp had come to the country at Shen Tazhi’s request.
As the head of a group causing such a societal incident, the Shen family would undoubtedly face turmoil.
Realizing this, a genuine anger rose within Jiang Que. He grabbed Officer Wu, who was standing nearby in a daze, and coldly ordered, “It’s him. Arrest him.”
“Ah… Ah?” Officer Wu was caught off guard, unable to react.
He looked at Jiang Que and the trembling man before him, cautiously saying, “When we arrest someone, we need evidence. We can’t just arrest whoever you point out. Even if you randomly accuse someone, Mr. Shen wouldn’t be able to shake off suspicion so quickly…”
“Bothersome, are you all fools?” Jiang Que was extremely impatient. He wasn’t known for his patience or good temper and was itching to personally restrain the man in front of him.
At that moment, he abruptly halted as he felt a subtle movement behind him.
Shen Tazhi was gently touching the small tentacle wrapped around the man’s wrist, as if calming it, guiding it to climb onto his body.
“Que Que,” Shen Tazhi coaxed gently, “Don’t be so angry. Let’s be a bit patient, explain to them, okay?”
“If you don’t want to speak, just tell me, don’t be angry.”
Jiang Que’s irritation dissipated as he took a few steps back, embracing Shen Tazhi’s waist, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.
Shen Tazhi was good at this. Though these people were foolish, and the service staff member was frustrating, Shen Tazhi’s patient explanation was necessary.
He thought about how he always found it easy to talk to Shen Tazhi, who was unconditionally indulgent. Anyone being treated this way would have a hard time getting angry.
A few seconds later, Jiang Que lifted his head, expressionless, and asked, “What’s your name?”
The service staff member he pointed to trembled and weakly replied, “I… I’m Gao Junyan.”
“Very well, Gao Junyan.” Jiang Que carefully held Shen Tazhi’s hand, not missing the flash of hatred on Gao Junyan’s face. He calmly continued, “Your mother can’t afford to eat out and has to rely on others’ charity to survive. Do you understand?”
“What?” Gao Junyan’s face displayed a mix of shock and disbelief. “But I left her some money before I left…”
He stopped himself mid-sentence, realizing his mistake, and fell silent.
“She used the money you left to hire someone to find you,” Jiang Que observed Gao Junyan’s expression and knew his assumption was correct. Recalling the elderly woman he saw at the breakfast shop yesterday, he added, “She’s done well with the money, and she’s already found someone nearby.”
“What do you mean? How do you know my mother?” Gao Junyan couldn’t help but shout, his bloodshot eyes glaring angrily at Jiang Que, as if he might pounce at any moment.
Shen Tazhi silently raised his guard, and Officer Wu next to him drew out handcuffs.
Although unsure of what Jiang Que was saying, it seemed like an unwarranted attack on a civilian, which warranted an arrest.
Thinking he had said enough, Jiang Que sighed upon seeing Officer Wu’s lack of understanding and continued:
“Gao Junyan, you bought the rundown property from the Shen family, the one Shen Liushi invested in. With multiple failed attempts to protect your rights, and with Shen Liushi jailed recently, you couldn’t see any hope.”
“At this time, Sharp took over Shen Liushi’s assets, focusing on protecting the property. You, who are concerned about property rights, must have known about this news. What were you doing at that time…”
Glancing at Gao Junyan’s expression, Jiang Que directly reached a conclusion, “Oh, you were working at the hotel near the amusement park to support your family. You’ve been working as a service staff member since then, right?”
“…Hmm, I see. You had harbored thoughts of vengeance back then, so you found a job far from home, left some money for your mother, and disappeared.”
Gao Junyan seemed struck to the core and couldn’t bear it any longer, shouting, “How did you know?! You’ve been investigating me?!!”
Jiang Que covered his ears, furrowing his brow, “Quiet, you’re too loud. Your expression gave it away.”
He glanced at Officer Wu again.
Still clueless—truly hopeless fools.
Jiang Que continued, “Afterward, Sharp approached you, right? He asked you to track me first, confirm if I had a backpack, then in a subsequent meeting, to remove my backpack and told you that Shen Tazhi might get furious over this. But it’s okay, he promised to give you enough money and a new identity to escape.”
“You didn’t understand why he asked you to do that, but being in need of money, you agreed. It was at that moment you started contemplating killing Sharp and causing trouble for Shen Tazhi. Isn’t that right?”
Gao Junyan didn’t respond, but his continuous retreat and previous reactions had already answered the question.
In no time, the surrounding service staff dispersed in fear. Jiang Que, looking at Officer Wu still standing there bewildered, impatiently clicked his tongue:
“What’s this? Can’t you arrest him? Don’t you investigate murder motives? Is this motive not enough? He bought the Shen family’s rundown property, couldn’t protect it, so he resorted to killing everyone related. Isn’t this more believable than your speculated motive for Shen Tazhi?”
As if awakening from a dream, Officer Wu finally arrested Gao Junyan. He then turned to Jiang Que and asked hesitantly, “But the evidence? Where did he hide the murder weapon?”
Even if Jiang Que told him where the murder weapon was, he probably wouldn’t be surprised anymore.
Telepathy… was it really that amazing? Was this the world of geniuses?
Officer Wu mused absentmindedly.
Jiang Que paused.
He truly didn’t know where the murder weapon was.
The reason Jiang Que was so confident was that Gao Junyan had written all these things on his face. He could see it clearly, allowing him to deduce the process directly from the answers. As for the evidence and details…
“You can’t even search for poison, verify whether he bought the rundown property, or if he has a mother?” Jiang Que sneered mockingly.
Officer Wu shuddered, not daring to ask further, immediately arranging for investigations.
Seeing no further questions, Jiang Que breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Tazhi’s usual tone with subordinates was the most effective.
Thinking so, he smiled and held Shen Tazhi’s hand, “Alright, gege, once they figure it out, no one will bother us.”
Shen Tazhi looked at him with a complex expression and softly said, “Thank you.”
Initially, he thought Jiang Que was angry because they couldn’t be alone together. But he hadn’t expected Jiang Que was also worried about him.
Jiang Que was concerned about being implicated in this matter, catching Shen Tazhi off guard.
“No need to thank me. I told you, I’m amazing.”
Jiang Que rubbed against Shen Tazhi like a cat showing off its pretty tail, his transparent tentacles curling up.
“In the future, trust me more.”
Then, as if remembering something, Jiang Que turned his head, maliciously addressing the blankly staring Gao Junyan who had been handcuffed:
“Oh, by the way, gege— I mean Shen Tazhi— he had already cut ties with Shen Liushi. If you had waited a few more months, maybe you could have moved into a new house with your mother. But now you’re about to go to jail, and your mother, wandering all this time in search of you, has found the breakfast shop downstairs. She’ll learn the good news when she finds you.”
His words were the final straw that broke the camel’s back. Gao Junyan, who had previously seemed empty, suddenly fell to his knees, wailing. Chaos ensuing around him.
Jiang Que lowered his gaze, boredly embracing Shen Tazhi.
That’s why he found humans uninteresting.
These fragile creatures, easily seen through at a glance, could be completely crushed with a light sentence. He found it difficult to empathize with such beings.
If it weren’t for his anger towards Gao Junyan targeting Shen Tazhi, Jiang Que wouldn’t even bother with the final blow.
Shen Tazhi sighed lightly, seeming like he wanted to say something, but with too many people around, he held back. Instead, he tugged at Jiang Que, gesturing to speak privately.
Jiang Que also had something to say to Shen Tazhi, so he obediently followed him, pausing when passing Du Lulu. He turned to look at her.
Du Lulu, disguised as a service staff member, was focused on editing a message on her phone.
Well, it seems like his abilities might end up at the Anomaly Investigation Department.
It’s not a big problem… perhaps?
