When Shen Monong regained consciousness, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. For a fleeting moment, she thought it was a dream. But when she pinched the back of her hand and felt the sting of pain, she realized something was wrong. Hadn't she been having dinner with Guo Changnian and Li Zi? How had she ended up in a hospital?
"You're awake." A cold voice suddenly broke the silence.
Shen Monong looked up to see a striking woman in a police uniform sitting in the corner of the room. The woman, noticing Shen Monong's gaze, stood up and walked over, saying, "I'm Bai Rou, the officer from the Yanjing City Bureau in charge of your case."
Shen Monong couldn't help but silently admire her. How could such a beautiful woman have the courage to become a police officer?
"My case? What case? I don't understand. I remember having dinner at a hotel with some friends—" Shen Monong said, patting her head. Her brain still ached, her mind was foggy, and her memory remained stuck on Guo Changnian and Li Zi's flirtatious banter. She couldn't recall anything else.
"If you're feeling well enough, I'd like to ask you a few questions," Bai Rou said. Her tone was devoid of the gentleness her name might suggest. She pulled up a chair and sat beside Shen Monong, notebook in hand, ready to take notes.
"I'm fine. Go ahead," Shen Monong said, eager to find out what had happened.
"Who were you dining with?"
"Guo Changnian, the manager from Huanyu Company, and Li Zi, the PR manager from our company," Shen Monong replied.
"Li Zi?" Bai Rou's eyes brightened as she marked Li Zi's name with a star in her notebook. "When did she leave?"
"Leave? I remember she was there the whole time," Shen Monong replied, puzzled.
"And Guo Changnian? Was he with you the entire time?"
"Yes."
"Did he receive any phone calls or leave the table to meet anyone?"
"No."
"Did he make any inappropriate advances or remarks towards you? I'm sorry, but I have to ask as part of the investigation. Please forgive me if this is uncomfortable."
"It's fine. Our company is negotiating a deal with Huanyu, and Guo Changnian is in charge of it. That's why I invited him to dinner tonight," Shen Monong answered evenly. "He didn't say or do anything inappropriate."
Bai Rou studied Shen Monong's beautiful face and then suddenly asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Huh?" Shen Monong was taken aback by the sudden personal question. "That's a private matter. Do I have to answer?"
"You don't have to, but answering might help with the case."
After a moment's thought, Shen Monong replied, "No."
Bai Rou frowned slightly, looking intently at Shen Monong. "Based on your statement and the testimonies of the staff at the Kaiyuan Hotel, three people were present in the Lily Room: you, Guo Changnian, and Li Zi. You were drugged, and traces of the drug were found in your system when you were brought to the hospital. Guo Changnian was found dead, his throat snapped. Li Zi left before the incident, and we're currently searching for her."
Shen Monong was shocked. She had merely gone out for a meal, but now she had been drugged, Guo Changnian was dead, and Li Zi had left early? What on earth had happened?
"According to the doctor's report, you passed out around 7:15 PM, and Guo Changnian was killed at around 7:45 PM. This means that he was killed after you lost consciousness. Li Zi left the room at 7:40 PM, so she might be directly involved."
Li Zi wanted to harm me? The news stunned Shen Monong. She had thought she was cautious enough, yet she had still been betrayed.
"Who was the killer?" Shen Monong quickly regained her composure, focusing on the crucial question. She had been drugged, Guo Changnian had been killed—so it wasn't suicide. And since Li Zi had left before the crime, it ruled her out as the perpetrator.
Bai Rou, her face filled with anger, said, "That's exactly what we're trying to figure out. Kaiyuan Hotel had surveillance cameras covering all the key areas. Unfortunately, by the time our team arrived, the staff in the control room had been knocked out, and all the surveillance footage had been wiped clean. There's no chance of recovering it."
"Were there any witnesses?" Shen Monong asked.
"It was the hotel's peak business hours, and the staff couldn't identify any suspicious individuals. Our team is currently screening all the guests. It might take some time. Do you need to call any family or friends?"
Shen Monong shook her head lightly. "No, I don't."
With Tang Guo and Lin Bao'er both absent, she didn't know who else to call.
"Alright, then. Rest up. We'll inform you if anything comes up. Don't feel too pressured. Based on my experience, I don't think you're involved in this," Bai Rou said, her tone still cold, but her words meant to comfort Shen Monong.
"Thank you, Officer Bai. It was a pleasure meeting you."
"The pleasure is mine," Bai Rou replied.
As Bai Rou left Shen Monong's room, a young man in plain clothes rushed over and said, "Captain Bai, I just got word from the tech department. Guo Changnian's phone shows he received a call at 7:42 PM from an unknown number. Our techs checked it out, but the SIM card has already been deactivated."
"They work fast," Bai Rou muttered, her face darkening. The more they investigated, the more cunning the opponent seemed. This was a highly intelligent criminal, meticulous in every detail.
"Have the team speed up the search for Li Zi. I'm reporting this to headquarters and requesting support from other precincts."
Bai Rou was about to make the call to her superior when her phone rang.
"Hello, Bai Rou speaking."
"Captain Bai, we've found Li Zi."
"Where? I'm on my way."
**Chapter 95: Beat Him Up**
"Were there any witnesses?" Shen Monong asked.
"It was the hotel's peak business hours, so the staff couldn't pinpoint any suspicious individuals. Our team is currently screening all the guests. It might take some time. Do you need to call any family or friends?" Bai Rou responded.
Shen Monong shook her head lightly and said, "No need."
With Tang Guo and Lin Bao'er both unavailable, she had no idea who to call.
"Alright then, get some rest. We'll notify you if anything comes up. Don't worry too much; from my experience, this incident seems unrelated to you," Bai Rou said coldly. Though her tone was distant, her words carried a hint of reassurance.
"Thank you, Officer Bai. It was an honor to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine."
As Bai Rou stepped out of Shen Monong's hospital room, a young man in plain clothes rushed up to her and said, "Captain Bai, we just got a report from the tech department. Guo Changnian's phone shows that he received a call at 7:42 PM from an unknown number. Our techs traced it, but the SIM card has already been deactivated."
"They're fast," Bai Rou muttered, her face darkening. The deeper they dug, the more cunning the opponent seemed. This was clearly the work of a highly intelligent criminal, meticulous in every detail.
"Have the team speed up the search for Li Zi. I'm going to report this to headquarters and request additional support from other precincts."
Just as Bai Rou was about to make the call to her superior, her phone rang.
"Hello, Bai Rou speaking."
"Captain Bai, we've located Li Zi."
"Where? I'm on my way."
*****************************
The moonlight cast a cool, serene glow across the sky, and the autumn breeze felt refreshing as it brushed against the skin, like a lover's gentle caress.
Since leaving school, they had been living in a closed-off environment, with no internet or television to pass the time. The only option for the evening was to stroll around the training grounds. The girls, having changed out of their green military uniforms, were now dressed up like colorful little flowers, strolling around in groups of three or five. As they passed by the boys, they were met with whistles and playful howls.
Ye Qiu, Yang Le, and Li Dazhuang sat on the grass, watching the boys' antics and the girls' joyful shrieks with amused smiles.
"Sigh, I almost passed out on the first day. If it wasn't for Yang Le sticking by my side, I might have fainted. What's with these drill instructors? Each one's more sadistic than the last. How are we supposed to survive this?" Li Dazhuang groaned, rubbing his sore thighs.
"And you have the nerve to complain? Falling asleep while standing at attention—you're a real champion," Yang Le teased, pointing at Li Dazhuang.
"Yeah, I was just too tired. Thanks for pinching me awake. Otherwise, that stern-faced instructor would've made me run three laps. I'm not like Ye Qiu, who can run twenty laps without breaking a sweat," Li Dazhuang chuckled. "But could you pinch a little lighter next time? I almost screamed from the pain."
"If I pinched lightly, would you have woken up?"
"Of course. I sleep with one eye open, you know."
"You think you're Zhang Fei, sleeping with one eye open? If I hadn't woken you up, you'd be out cold by now," Yang Le said, his smile fading as he noticed a group of people approaching. "Well, speak of the devil."
"Enemies really do cross paths," Li Dazhuang said with a laugh.
The newcomers were from the psychology department, led by Xie Zhiyuan. They had just showered, and their hair was still damp. They wore camouflage t-shirts and the military-issued blue pants and sneakers.
Xie Zhiyuan had been out for a stroll with his classmates when he saw Ye Qiu and his group sitting by the training ground. Seeing their attention shift to him, a wave of anger surged within him. First, his brother had been beaten up so badly that he couldn't face anyone for days. Then, when Xie Zhiyuan tried to get revenge, a spiteful woman threw soup in his face. He hadn't had a chance to punish her before a group of misguided people scolded him. Drill Sergeant Lei Da was clearly biased, letting the whole thing slide without holding anyone accountable.
Xie Zhiyuan noticed some boys practicing the military hand-to-hand combat they had learned earlier and got an idea. He led his classmates over to Ye Qiu's group, smiling as he said, "I see some people practicing today's hand-to-hand combat. Since we've got nothing else to do tonight, why don't we join in and practice a bit?"
"Xie Zhiyuan, aren't you worried about the drill sergeant punishing you?" Yang Le said with a cold smile.
"Yang Le, I think you misunderstand me. I'm not trying to provoke anyone. We got off on the wrong foot, but now we're all friends. We're all martial artists here, so why not have a friendly sparring match to add some excitement to our evening? I'm sure the drill sergeant wouldn't mind," Xie Zhiyuan said, flashing a seemingly friendly smile.
When Xie Zhiyuan mentioned a sparring match, his classmates knew there was going to be some entertainment. They started calling others over to watch the fun. In no time, a crowd had gathered around, including quite a few girls. Lan Kexin ran over from the crowd and asked Ye Qiu what was going on and why someone wanted to fight them.
At this point, refusing would be the same as admitting defeat.
Seeing Yang Le hesitate, Ye Qiu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go beat him up."
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8