Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The first round of the focused discussion session was held in the factory director’s office.

Compared to the previous recordings, where everyone spoke freely, this time everyone seemed much more cautious.

Without sufficient evidence, no one wanted to point out who the culprit was, so as not to wrongfully accuse the innocent early on and inadvertently give the two killers an advantage.

At a loss, Xie Yiqian calmly suggested, “Let’s sort out the current information first. Let’s start by introducing everyone’s identity. I’m the manager of the company’s investment department, Zizi is my assistant. How about you?”

Tong Yang: “I’m the company’s legal officer.”

Fu Xingying: “I’m a business clerk. If the investment proposal goes through, I’ll assist Tong Yang in drafting the contract.”

Ding Yang: “I’m the mechanical engineering expert you temporarily hired.”

“I’m the driver,” Xing Ye paused, then added softly, “I’m a local.”

Pei Chuzhi propped her chin on her hand, her gaze moving between Xing Ye and Ding Yang. “So only you two are not from the same company as us.”

Ding Yang raised an eyebrow. “What, are we supposed to unite against others now?”

“I’m just curious about your backgrounds.”

“I, like you, am visiting X County for the first time. As for a certain someone…”

Ding Yang glanced meaningfully at Xing Ye. “Anyway, it’s the last episode. If we’re going to play, let’s play big. Director, I demand the clues be revealed.”

Everyone was momentarily shocked.

The first episode’s incident, where Ding Yang impulsively revealed a clue and got eliminated, was still fresh in their minds. Was he planning to repeat the same mistake?

Ding Yang laughed at everyone’s astonished looks. “Can you respect that I can improve? Just now I got Tong Yang’s little sister’s clue: she is ‘a witness to the tragedy alongside Old Qiao and Accountant Dong.’ And as for my side, it’s: ‘For years I’ve regretted why I didn’t go pick her up that day.’”

At these words, everyone instinctively turned their eyes to Xing Ye.

Xie Yiqian asked, “‘She’ refers to the victim reported in the newspaper?”

This interpretation seemed reasonable.

The victim was an employee of the Innovative Machine Tool Factory. Accountant Dong’s hesitation was likely because she witnessed the scene before the employee went missing.

As for the line “why didn’t I go pick her up,” it probably meant that the person who received the clue regretted not going to the factory to pick up the victim after work.

Since Xing Ye was the only local, with these two clues, he naturally became the prime candidate.

Tong Yang’s imagination ran wild. “Mr. Xing, was the victim your girlfriend?”

No.

Pei Chuzhi shook her head. Ding Yang this time really hadn’t guessed wrong, but everyone misunderstood the details.

She took out a backpack she had picked up at the abandoned recycling station and placed it on the table, softly asking, “Was it your child at home?”

Xing Ye nodded. “My younger sister went missing five years ago. Every spring in X County it rains continuously; that year was no different. Our parents, both civil servants, were sent to the countryside to inspect villagers’ leaky houses, so they left my sister in my care. I was supposed to pick her up from kindergarten, but that day the school had exams which delayed me. By the time I got there, she had already left on her own.”

Pei Chuzhi: “But she never returned home?”

“Yes. The last people to see her were Old Qiao and Accountant Dong. They indeed had worked at the Innovative Machine Tool Factory and saw my sister walking with someone in a raincoat after work.”

Xing Ye rubbed his brow, professionally showing his melancholy and regret. “My sister disappeared on the same day as that victim, but Old Qiao and the others only saw my sister. If they had asked a few questions at that time, maybe she wouldn’t have…”

Fu Xingying leaned forward slightly. “So you harbor resentment against them?”

“I did blame them,” Xing Ye shrugged. “But I hated myself more, and I hated the person who took my sister even more.”

In other words, his hatred toward Old Qiao and the others wasn’t enough to drive him to murder.

Ding Yang doubted, “But from what I hear now, you’re the only one here with a motive to kill.”

Pei Chuzhi blinked. “Teacher Ding, are you trying to get Xing Ye eliminated? Feeling sympathetic?”

Ding Yang grinned slyly. “I said it at the start of filming. This time, revenge is a must.”

She wanted to reply further but heard Xing Ye chuckle lazily beside her.

He leaned closer to Pei Chuzhi and defiantly lifted his chin toward Ding Yang. “Jealous of me?”

“…”

Ding Yang made a table-flipping gesture. “This show can’t go on!”

Fu Xingying clapped her hands, signaling them to stop fooling around for now.

Her approach to games was always serious, and her tone now was unusually cautious. “I think the current situation is very strange. Except for Xing Ye, everyone else seems completely unrelated to X County. But don’t forget, there are two killers this time. If Xing Ye is one of them, then who is his accomplice?”

With this key question raised, Ding Yang stopped joking around.

He scratched his head, thinking seriously for a moment. “I’m still very concerned about the time of Accountant Dong’s death.”

“Speaking of which…”

Pei Chuzhi reached toward Xing Ye, and he instinctively placed the paper cup in her hand. “We found this cup behind the water dispenser in the finance office. I also noticed some strange powder in the dispenser.”

While she showed the cup to everyone, Xing Ye added, “The killer probably used this to poison her. After Accountant Dong lost consciousness, they moved her from the fifth floor to the second floor.”

Pei Chuzhi nodded, showing agreement with Xing Ye’s assessment.

Their judgment was based on two points.

First, the meeting room key was found in the finance office.

It remained a mystery where Old Qiao had dropped the key, but the criminal likely picked it up, used it to kill Accountant Dong, and in the process of returning to the finance office to hide the cup, accidentally or deliberately left the key there.

Second, there were very few people in the factory.

Moving a body from the fifth floor to the second floor could easily be done unnoticed.

“But the body is so heavy, only a man could move it, right?”

Tong Yang’s big eyes looked at the three men across from her. She mumbled a bit, then self-corrected, “No, the killer is two people! So actually, anyone could be the killer?”

After a long silence, Xie Yiqian joined the discussion.

He cleared his throat, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. “Have you noticed? This script doesn’t provide a clear timeline—at least mine doesn’t. So the time before and after the incident might not be the key to solving the case.”

If that’s true…

Xing Ye, rare for him, took over the thought. “There’s a possibility. Perhaps the killer came before we arrived. He killed Accountant Dong, arranged the scene, then blended in with us, pretending it’s his first time here.”

Pei Chuzhi silently nodded, but her mind was still in chaos.

They seemed to have solved some puzzles but immediately fell into even greater mysteries.

Seeing the voting time approaching, Fu Xingying suggested, “Although I believe Xing Ye does have a motive, the situation is too unclear. I recommend that no one votes in the first round.”

Pei Chuzhi quickly agreed. “I agree too.”

At this stage, no one else’s suspicious traits had emerged, so some would likely abstain. But without a prior agreement, even one or two votes could randomly eliminate Xing Ye.

When voting started, everyone’s faces showed some hesitation, but they ultimately chose a safe strategy.

No one was eliminated in the first round.

The second round of evidence search began immediately.

Pei Chuzhi did not rush to act but took out the script to review it carefully.

The situation was too strange. The production team couldn’t have arranged for only Xing Ye to be connected to X County; someone was definitely hiding information. She hoped to find more clues from the script.

She flipped to a middle page, reading her story with a mysterious benefactor.

【During the years you were studying, the benefactor would call the school office once a month, taking the opportunity to check on your situation. Although you knew nothing about his name, age, or address, you still respected him greatly.

He described the vastness and splendor of the world to you with witty conversation.

You vowed to study hard, striving to see the endless seas, the skyscraper-filled cities, and occasionally the humid air and continuous spring rain of his hometown that he mentioned.

For you, who grew up in a dry area, it was immensely attractive.】

Humid air, endless spring rain…

Xing Ye’s low voice lingered in her ears again: “Every spring, it rains continuously in X County.”

Pei Chuzhi was startled and looked up, realizing everyone else had already left the factory director’s office.

Only Xing Ye remained, leaning against the door, quietly waiting for her.

The afternoon sunlight was just right, casting faint shadows around him, gilding the corners of his eyes and eyebrows with a layer of gold.

“Were you waiting for me?” she asked, standing and walking over.

Xing Ye nodded. “Isn’t it a boyfriend’s duty to wait for his girlfriend?”

“…”

Pei Chuzhi embarrassedly tucked her hair behind her ear, cleared her throat, and got down to business. “I now suspect my benefactor is also from X County. Because he once mentioned on the phone that his hometown has continuous spring rain.”

Xing Ye: “That matches my script’s description of X County. So who do you think it could be?”

“In the script, he’s written as a successful person, and he should be much older than me,” Pei Chuzhi said, walking outside with him. “So it definitely isn’t you.”

Her intention was to imply that regardless of profession or age, the benefactor had to be someone other than Xing Ye.

Unexpectedly, Xing Ye, for some idle reason, gave her a half-smile and asked in a drawn-out tone, “Looking down on me just because I’m a driver?”

“Not at all.”

Pei Chuzhi lifted her face to him, her tone sincere. “You’re the most handsome driver in X County. Who would look down on you?”

Xing Ye smiled. “Where are you going?”

Pei Chuzhi went down the stairs. “I’m still very concerned about the abandoned recycling station. Since your sister disappeared near the factory, and her backpack was found there, could it be…”

She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

Even knowing it was just a variety show script, the thought of an innocent, small child possibly having been killed there filled her with sorrow.

Xing Ye understood her meaning and didn’t say more.

The abandoned recycling station, where even the security had left, exuded a desolate, ruined atmosphere.

It resembled a human’s final refuge in a sci-fi movie.

Pei Chuzhi looked at the long conveyor belt, curious. “Where do you think it leads?”

“Equipment that crushes garbage?”

Xing Ye wasn’t very familiar with this. He stood at the edge of the conveyor and looked into the distance, his view still covered by countless discarded props.

A cold, eerie wind seemed to blow around them.

Pei Chuzhi followed closely, unconsciously lowering her voice. “I really want to say something that isn’t appropriate in other situations.”

“Hmm?”

“Have you ever seen cases about serial killers? After they’re caught and interrogated, the police often discover more bodies.”

Xing Ye moved a steel bar that was blocking her path. “You mean there are still undiscovered victims?”

“Yes. The problem is where the killer hid them.”

After saying this, Pei Chuzhi shivered involuntarily.

If she were a serial killer, after the Innovative Machine Tool Factory closed, she would definitely not miss this perfect place to dispose of bodies.

In a few thoughts, the vast abandoned recycling station seemed to transform into a graveyard full of the unknown.

Xing Ye noticed her fear and slowed his pace. “Don’t stray too far from me.”

“Okay.” Pei Chuzhi gathered her courage, scanning the props with her eyes while continuing her reasoning. “But the case happened before the machine tool factory closed. If I’m not mistaken, where would the killer hide the bodies?”

Xing Ye paused, feeling amused inside.

Her voice was trembling, yet she didn’t seek comfort from him.

He silently sighed and gently gripped her wrist, squeezing it a few times. “If you’re scared, just say so. I won’t laugh at you.”

“I am a little scared, but aren’t you here?”

Pei Chuzhi felt her wrist grow warm, and her voice involuntarily softened. “Shall we check the end of the conveyor belt?”

A few minutes later, the two of them stood disappointed at the end of the conveyor.

There was only a cemented area the size of a basketball court, surrounded by unused cement and cement mixers. It seemed Old Qiao had started renovations after buying the factory.

Pei Chuzhi pouted in disappointment. “There’s nothing here.”

Xing Ye, taller than her with a broader view, looked around and pointed behind Pei Chuzhi’s right side. “Look, what’s that?”

Pei Chuzhi turned her head and froze.

A chipped freezer emitted a cold, eerie glow.

The freezer door had been opened before, and a familiar red mark caught her eye.

Pei Chuzhi stepped closer, speaking faster from excitement. “A red cross.”

When she was just a step away from the freezer, she was surprised to find the red cross on it had a more intricate pattern than the one in the meeting room.

She was about to turn to tell Xing Ye when suddenly the ground gave way!

“Watch out!”

Xing Ye’s warning rang out, but he only managed to catch her by the waist and was carried down by the momentum.

Seconds later, the two of them fell onto a thick mat.

Pei Chuzhi hissed and blindly touched the mat beneath her, only to find her fingers pressing against a warm, solid chest.

“How long do you plan to lie on me?”

Alarm bells rang in Pei Chuzhi’s mind as she realized she had caused Xing Ye to fall with her.

The man propped himself up on his elbows, his gaze half-smiling as he scanned her face.

Pei Chuzhi blushed, secretly relieved the lighting was dim, and after mumbling a few words, quickly stood up.

It was an extremely narrow room, with protective mats laid around. Aside from the slightly eerie atmosphere, it looked like a playground play structure.

On the left was a locked door, and on the right, a ventilation opening.

The overhead light from the recycling station shone brightest, but the exit was about two or three meters above their position.

A trap meticulously designed.

Just as they finished observing the surroundings, a small box fell from the edge of the overhead hole.

“There’s someone up there!”

Before Pei Chuzhi could finish speaking, she didn’t even see who it was outside and watched helplessly as the hole slowly closed inch by inch.

The light in the trap dimmed even further.

“The killer intends to kill us.”

In sharp contrast to this terrifying statement was Xing Ye’s calm tone.

He bent down and picked up the small box that had fallen, noticing its soft material—clearly the production team was careful not to accidentally hurt the cast.

“Could it be that we’re too close to the truth, and the killer, to avoid being exposed, is forced to try to kill us?”

Pei Chuzhi curiously leaned closer. “What’s inside?”

Xing Ye opened it. “A phone, and two…”

He paused for a few seconds, then laughed quietly. “Are these two candies?”

Pei Chuzhi looked and indeed found two small candies inside the box.

One black, one white, both wrapped with the word “Antidote” on the packaging.

She looked confused. “Are we poisoned?”

As if answering her question, the next second, a puff of white smoke released from the ventilation duct.

It wasn’t choking, nor did it have any strange odor.

It was like the dry ice often used on stage, but according to variety show conventions…

Xing Ye glanced at her. “Now we’re poisoned.”

At the same time, the phone dinged, and the screen lit up.

【Inside the box is one real antidote.】

【You two only have one chance to answer. If correct, you get the antidote. If wrong, you get a candy.】

【If it were you, you would definitely know the answer.】

【I’m looking for you.】

Pei Chuzhi: “Who is the killer looking for? Are they trying to use this method to kill someone who isn’t the target?”

“Possible.”

Xing Ye’s tone was calm, his gaze fixed on the two candies, pondering whether letting Pei Chuzhi eat both now would violate the rules set by the production team.

Another message came.

【Question: Did I do well?】

A seemingly random sentence, leaving the two trapped inside the room in silence.

Pei Chuzhi looked toward the camera near the ventilation duct, guessing the killer must be hiding in some corner, watching them.

She moved her gaze away in confusion and looked again at the two candies in Xing Ye’s hand.

They looked identical on the outside but had different effects.

It seemed like some hint carefully prepared by the production team…

Pei Chuzhi’s heartbeat quickened. She felt she was only a step away from the truth.

Why would Old Qiao rather commit suicide than face the serial killer again?

In a flash, a blurry image passed through her mind.

The image only she saw clearly, and Xing Ye hadn’t noticed—the red cross on the freezer.

“I’ll answer.”

Pei Chuzhi acted uncharacteristically, without consulting Xing Ye, and stepped in front of the camera. “You did very well.”

Xing Ye’s voice was low: “Zizi…”

The message notification interrupted his words.

【Then, eat the black candy.】

The killer didn’t say whether it was the antidote, but Pei Chuzhi didn’t hesitate at all and decisively tore open the wrapper.

Xing Ye’s Adam’s apple moved a few times. “Eat both of them.”

“And then let me watch you die from poison?”

Pei Chuzhi put the black candy in her mouth; a layer of sweetness spread across her tongue. “Let me protect you just this once, isn’t that okay?”

Xing Ye’s eyes darkened.

He recognized the implication in her words.

She knew she had answered wrong.

She was helping him pick the correct antidote.

On the phone screen appeared the killer’s brazen message: 【Congratulations, you answered wrong! In thirty seconds, the poison will take effect!】

Pei Chuzhi raised an eyebrow and smiled casually.

She unwrapped the white candy and, with a firmness that left no room for refusal, pushed it between Xing Ye’s lips.

The faint glow of the screen illuminated the smile in her eyes. “This is a candy for you. You’re not allowed to refuse it.”

The countdown sounded in the trap.

Xing Ye gritted his teeth, his jawline taut with intensity.

Pei Chuzhi stood on tiptoe, her soft voice reaching his ear. “Actually, I know the correct answer is ‘not done well,’ but it’s okay. Listen carefully to what comes next.”

“You speak,” Xing Ye replied in a low, hoarse voice.

“We were all misled. There are indeed two killers, but they don’t know each other.”

“The reason Old Qiao was afraid must be because the serial killer’s methods were cruel—far from just simple poisoning. That’s why he’d rather die than fall into a serial killer’s hands.”

“I just saw the red cross on the freezer, and the red cross on the filing cabinet—they’re obviously different. They weren’t drawn by the same person.”

Xing Ye’s breath caught.

At the moment the countdown hit zero, the trap room’s sealed door was opened from outside. The staff stood at the door, ready to take Pei Chuzhi out.

She stepped back and gave Xing Ye one last glance.

“This time, the killer is an imitator who worships the serial killer.”

Author’s note: Brother Ye’s anger meter has exploded!

Thanks to the little angels who cast overpowering votes or poured in nutrients for me from 2019-12-26 20:31:29 to 2019-12-27 21:52:03~

Thanks to the little angels who poured nutrients: Bai 20 bottles; Feng Shi 3 bottles; Taixis 2 bottles; Qing Xiao 1 bottle;

Thank you all so much for your support. I will continue to work hard!