HEIFEIGU -Chapter 83

While waiting for the police, Xie Jixing blocked the bedroom door with the bed and sent the unlucky ghost to unlock the chain.

Then he rubbed his eyes wildly and used eyedrops until they were red and watery.

“How do I look? Weak? Helpless? Pitiful? Do I look traumatized?”

Yin Wenshan sneered.

“With acting like that, how did you become an actor? I’ll coach you.”

The veteran ghost began directing.

“First, panic. Shout for them not to come in. Then pretend you’re too weak to open the door…”

He pointed to a corner near the window.

“If you can’t cry, I’ll pinch you.”

“Wow, Teacher Yin is amazing!”

Before rehearsing, the door was forced open.

Police rushed in.

Everyone froze.

Three men were tied back-to-back in the middle of the room like a triangular rice dumpling, smiling stupidly and twisting their heads to spit at each other…

On the left, someone was lying on their back, face-up, with a syringe still stuck into the side of their neck. On the right, another person was lying face-down, dressed in a well-tailored suit that didn’t match the other four people’s attire.

“Wow… this is brutal!” one of the junior cops exclaimed.

The veteran officer calmly walked over, pulled out a phone-like device, and scanned each face.

“No wonder they looked familiar—they’re all on the wanted list.”

He then flipped Zhao Chaoran, who was lying face-down, onto his back. “I haven’t seen this one before. Looks like he’s just temporarily unconscious. Let’s see if we can wake him up first.”

The junior cop was a bit rough. He slapped Zhao Chaoran across the face several times—not hard enough to hurt, but heavy-handed. “Come on, comrade, wake up!”

“Where… am I?” Zhao Chaoran on the floor was really awakened by the slaps. He opened his eyes, looked around in confusion, and, with the imprints of the slaps still on his face, started to laugh foolishly.

“Pretending?!” It was then they noticed someone else had appeared behind them. Her beautiful face was full of mockery directed at Zhao Chaoran. “Are you going to say next that you’re a time traveler?”

“Xingxing, what did you do to him?”

It was Wei Tingquan, who had rushed over from the party.

“Comrade!” The junior cop was about to ask in an official tone, but upon seeing that beautiful face, he blushed violently and even started stammering. “Y-you… what’s your name?”

“W-what… are you here for?”

“To look for someone.” Though the footage in the room was quite obscure, Wei Tingquan still dutifully played his role.

He pointed to Zhao Chaoran on the floor. “He’s an actor from my group. He organized a party today, and the whole crew went—everyone except my friend Xie Jixing. I saw him sneak out from the party, and I worried he might try something against Xingxing, so I followed to check.”

Wei Tingquan’s few sentences explained the cause and effect. Though its accuracy was temporarily in question, the name Xie Jixing immediately caught the veteran officer’s attention—it was the reporting person.

Right, they hadn’t met the person who reported the case yet.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

The veteran officer started knocking on the bedroom door. “Is anyone in there?”

Xie Jixing, nearly drowsy from exhaustion, instantly became alert.

He curled his body as close to the corner as possible, getting into character—he had to stay in character.

“Who are you?”

“I’m telling you, I’ve called the police. They’ll be here soon!”

It seemed the person who reported the case hadn’t been harmed, so the veteran officer felt slightly relieved and continued patiently. “We’re the police. You’re safe now—you can come out.”

“I… I don’t believe you!” The emotional escalation was very realistic. Yin Wenshan next to him nodded repeatedly. “What if you’re lying? How do I know you’re not accomplices?”

It’s normal for a victim to feel like this. The veteran officer sighed—this was the moment when it would be best if there was someone the victim trusted…

Ah, there was someone.

He called Wei Tingquan over.

Hearing Xie Jixing’s words, Wei Tingquan felt heartbroken. How could his playful friend be so scared?

With a trembling voice, Wei Tingquan stepped forward and knocked on the door. “Xingxing, it’s me, Wei Tingquan. The police really are here—you’re safe now.”

Xie Jixing’s eyes widened, and he abruptly turned to look at Yin Wenshan. Another new character? How was he supposed to act this scene?

Yin Wenshan rubbed his forehead. Young actors these days really are bad at improvising.

To maximize character authenticity, Yin Wenshan gave guidance: “Ask him something only you two know.”

Easy. Xie Jixing didn’t even think twice.

“You say you’re Wei Tingquan. Then tell me—what’s your favorite food?”

The junior cop, blushing and heartbeat racing, looked at the stunning man before him. Someone that attractive must have a dreamy favorite food, right?

“Luosifen,” Wei Tingquan grit his teeth and forced out the words, glancing at the eyes watching him.

The junior cop felt like the pink, soft-lit, sparkling version of this man had cracked open, revealing the real world beneath.

Seeing no movement from the bedroom, Wei Tingquan, resigned, added a second answer: “Spicy green peppers with pork intestines.”

‘Crack!’ Something seemed to break right before the junior cop’s eyes.

Xie Jixing, curled up in the corner: pfft… should I laugh?

“B-but… I have no strength,” Xie Chacha continued to deepen his act. “I can’t stand up.”

Gaining the victim’s trust was enough. The veteran officer signaled the staff to unlock the door.

They pushed the door—but it wouldn’t open. Only then did they realize there was still a bed wedged against it.

The police were heartbroken. How terrified must this kid have been to move a bed all by himself with such strength? No wonder he was now exhausted.

When Qian Shuyun dragged his suitcase to the door of Room 714, the police were just pushing the bedroom door open. He hadn’t yet figured out what everyone in the room was doing when he saw a particularly handsome man running to the corner of the bedroom, holding his teacher Xie in his arms.

Qian: ???

Don’t you have a wife? Why are you hugging someone else’s not-yet-wife?

Wei Tingquan looked the pale, red-eyed Xie Jixing over. “Xingxing, are you okay? Luckily, we came in time.”

So many people!

Xie Jixing, afraid of giving himself away, buried his head in Wei Tingquan’s arms. “I’m so scared.”

Qian Shuyun clenched his teeth in the living room. Why is everyone walking so slowly?!

If you had come earlier, you’d be the one holding him!

“You’re the Xie Jixing who reported this?” Even though the scene of the two handsome guys hugging looked nice, the veteran officer still needed to ask routinely.

Before Xie Jixing could speak, Wei Tingquan shot back for him: “He’s already scared like this—why would you still interrogate him? Shouldn’t you question the suspects first?”

The police looked at the heap of people on the floor—some insane, some foolish, some unconscious.

Then at Xie Jixing—aside from slightly red eyes, he seemed fine.

Who was more pitiful, really?

Xie Jixing gave Wei Tingquan a weak smile to reassure him. “It’s okay, officer. I reported it.”

Qian Shuyun quietly moved closer, tugging Xie Jixing slightly toward himself.

Since you’re okay, don’t lean so close to others.

“Can you describe in detail what happened tonight?” The veteran officer locked eyes with Xie Jixing.

Although it seemed like Xie Jixing wasn’t deeply involved, the scene before them was still too strange.

“After filming today, I returned to my room. Since we shot fight scenes during the day, I was exhausted. I showered and was about to rest. At the time, the bedroom door wasn’t closed when I suddenly heard the main door of the room being forced open.”

“Since hotels usually clean rooms in the morning or noon, I realized something might be wrong. I locked the bedroom door. They were making so much noise outside—I didn’t know what they were doing. I could only block the door with the bed and called the police.”

“Then… you came.”

The account sounded reasonable, almost too reasonable. The veteran officer asked, “Aren’t you at all curious?”

“Why be curious?” Xie Jixing was dumbfounded. “In horror movies, the protagonist always dies because of curiosity.”

The police: …

Fair enough—I had no response.

“Your friend said the whole crew went to the party today, except you. Why is that…” the junior cop tried to find a breakthrough.

“Then ask him!” Xie Jixing pointed at the still cluelessly smiling Zhao Chaoran. “Ever since the last wire-flying scene, he’s isolated me. He organized the party today and didn’t even notify me. Why would I go?!”

Wei Tingquan stepped forward as well. “I testify!”

“You can check my chat records with Xingxing, or ask the crew. Everyone knows.”

The veteran officer signaled the junior cop. Soon, they found communication records on Zhao Chaoran and the ringleader of the kidnappers.

The messages from tonight clearly showed that Zhao Chaoran had paid and instructed the kidnappers to abduct Xie Jixing, but an accident occurred during the process.

Huh?

It was in Chinese, but given the current situation, it was hard to comprehend.

What kind of accident could turn five grown men into this state?

The police called in reinforcements, took Zhao Chaoran and the four wanted men to the station, and summoned the forensics team to check.

It wasn’t until the next morning that it was confirmed: what happened in the living room did not involve Xie Jixing. Most likely, the kidnappers had a falling-out.

As the police were leaving, the cleaning lady pushed her cart by and peeked inside. “Oh my, haunted again!”

She casually grabbed the veteran detective’s arm and started chatting. “Officer, I’m telling you, this room is strange—there’s always ghosts…”