Chapter 62

Chapter 62 5.curve-08

After dinner, Liu Yi and Qi Shanyu said goodbye to the girls and returned to their room.

Near the hot spring resort was an ancient town, about three kilometers away.

The ancient town had a fairly well-known shopping street selling souvenirs and local specialties, and you could get late-night snacks like barbecue, spicy hotpot, grilled cold noodles, and hot pot. It was a place for leisurely strolling. The resort also offered shuttle buses to the town every hour, convenient for guests who didn’t want to walk.

Liu Yi and Qi Shanyu had planned to visit the ancient town, but before they could change into clothes for going out, they noticed it had started snowing again, with heavier flurries expected. They gave up.

“Forget it, since we’re here anyway, let’s soak in the hot springs more.”

Liu Yi looked at the snowflakes dancing in the air and reluctantly closed the window.

He had wanted to try the outdoor hot springs in the courtyard, but the snowstorm, along with the wind blowing snow through the window, made going outside unappealing. He figured the small hot spring pool in their room would be more comfortable.

“Tomorrow, we definitely have to go skiing.”

Liu Yi said while gathering clothes for changing after the bath, then looked up and winked at Qi Shanyu. “So… want to soak together?”

Qi Shanyu immediately shook his head vigorously. “No, I’ll go later!”

He hadn’t forgotten that last night Liu Yi had pulled him into the hot spring and had been both kissing and touching him.

Although they had already clarified things verbally, with Liu Yi’s impulsive personality, soaking half-naked together in a small pool would almost certainly lead to more intimate behavior. Qi Shanyu knew he wasn’t exactly immune to temptation—any reaction would be awkward and embarrassing.

“Heh…”

Forensic doctor Liu smiled at young officer Qi, moving his lips in a way that clearly spelled out, “little virgin.”

Qi Shanyu was both embarrassed and angry at the merciless teasing from the person he liked. He couldn’t do anything to prove himself, so he turned and fled in frustration.

……

Liu Yi went to the terrace to soak in the hot spring, while Qi Shanyu hid in the living room, turning on the TV and picking a random movie to pass the time.

At that moment, his phone dinged with a text message. Qi Shanyu opened it to see a message from an anonymous email:

[Officer Qi, regarding what happened today, I would like to speak with you privately. Could you come to the hotel’s first-floor café?]

Qi Shanyu read the message three times, frowning.

If there was something worth discussing privately from today, it could only be about Song Feifei’s fall.

Qi Shanyu’s WeChat account was tied to his phone. Since arriving, only a few girls from the C City animation company had added him.

So he guessed the anonymous message came from one of the girls, probably because they had doubts about Song Feifei’s fall or had information they didn’t want others to know, and chose to speak with him as a police officer.

Anonymous emails couldn’t be replied to. After a while, another message arrived: [Please, I don’t want anyone else to know about this.]

As criminal investigators, they were used to anonymous tips and informants, so Qi Shanyu was experienced in handling such situations.

He stood up, told Liu Yi on the terrace that he was going out, put on his coat, took his key card, and went to the first-floor café.

It wasn’t too late. The café had slightly more people than yesterday—three of the eight tables were occupied.

Scanning carefully, Qi Shanyu saw that all patrons were strangers with companions, clearly not waiting for anyone.

He approached the counter. The girl making coffee was the same one as yesterday. She remembered Qi Shanyu’s face and greeted him warmly. “Hello! What would you like today?”

Qi Shanyu ordered a latte and received two small cream-filled rolls as a complimentary gift.

He sat in a corner, patiently waiting.

Even after finishing his coffee and the pastries, no one from the animation company girls showed up.

Then a message from Liu Yi arrived: [Hey, Officer Qi, where did you go? You said you’d be quick!]

Qi Shanyu checked the time. Nearly an hour had passed since the anonymous message. If the person had something to say, they would have come by now.

Since they hadn’t arrived, it was likely they hesitated and stood him up—something criminal investigators were accustomed to.

He replied, “I’ll be back immediately,” then went to the counter to pack some snacks for Liu the forensic doctor before heading to the elevator.

It was nearly 10 PM. The lobby was mostly empty except for the two receptionists, with snow falling outside.

The hotel elevators were in the rear-left corner, somewhat secluded, diagonally opposite the café.

Qi Shanyu crossed the empty lobby, about to enter the elevator corridor, when suddenly he collided with someone.

“Ah!”

The person let out a sharp scream, staggered back, holding the hurt shoulder, and looked up.

Qi Shanyu recognized him—it was Song Feifei’s boyfriend, Ma Mingxi.

Ma Mingxi looked panicked. Seeing Qi Shanyu, he seemed relieved, then grabbed Qi’s sleeve. “I—I remember you’re a police officer, right?”

“Yes.”

Qi Shanyu frowned. “What happened?”

“Th-this… not, uh…”

Ma Mingxi’s speech was clumsy, stammering from anxiety. He grabbed Qi Shanyu’s arm and led him down the service corridor toward the elevators.

“Just now, I saw a man dragging a waitress… she seemed unwilling… it was like…”

His words were jumbled, but Qi Shanyu understood.

They walked down the service corridor, which led to saunas, massage rooms, and barber shops. At this hour, the shops were closed, the lights dim, and no one else was around—eerily quiet.

“Here!”

Ma Mingxi led Qi to the end of the corridor, pointing to a half-open door.

A sign read: “Cleaning Room.”

Qi Shanyu pushed it open. The room was dark, but he could hear sounds from the back—moans and soft crying of a young woman, and a man’s heavy breathing and shouting.

Qi Shanyu kicked the door, sprinted inside.

At that moment, the light behind him dimmed, and there was a “click”—the door had closed.

Something was wrong!

His eyes hadn’t adjusted to the dark, but as a criminal investigator, his instincts told him something was definitely off.

Just then, he felt sharp pain in his hip—something sharp stabbed him from behind.

Ignoring the pain, he grabbed the attacker, lifted, and performed a standard over-the-shoulder throw, slamming the assailant to the floor.

“Ugh!”

The attacker let out a groan and went still.

The woman’s sobs and the man’s heavy breathing continued. Qi Shanyu staggered back and found the light switch on the wall near the door. “Click”—the ceiling light turned on.

Ma Mingxi was unconscious, frothing at the mouth, eyes rolled back, lying sprawled like a frog.

The sounds he had heard came from a corner—there was no one, just a recorder on the floor looping a recording of intimate sounds.

“Damn…”

Qi Shanyu muttered and pulled the small knife out of his left hip.

&&& &&& &&&

“Ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha ha…”

In the emergency room, Liu Yi laughed uncontrollably, nearly gasping for air.

“Liu-ge, can you stop laughing!”

Qi Shanyu saw the suspicious wet marks in Liu Yi’s eyes and felt deeply frustrated.

“Okay, okay, I won’t laugh… pfft!”

Liu Yi tried to hold back, wiping his eyes.

The emergency doctor cleaning and stitching Qi Shanyu’s wound was struggling to suppress laughter as well but professionally finished the job. His skill was excellent—steady hands, precise stitching, wound neatly closed.

“It’s fine. The wound isn’t deep. I’ve treated it. Come back tomorrow for a dressing change. Keep it dry. Stitches out in a few days.”

The doctor gestured that Qi Shanyu could dress and added, trying to suppress a smile: “It shouldn’t leave a noticeable scar.”

Qi Shanyu gloomily pulled up his pants.

He wanted to say that scars didn’t matter, especially in that area—but noticing Liu Yi’s wandering gaze on his butt, he swallowed the words.