Chapter 59 - The Corpse on the Hands of the Goddess
Chapter 59: The Corpse on the Hands of the Goddess
The atmosphere in the room was silent and at the same time, it felt stifling.
Fang Yuanyuan looked at the quiet duo. “Still wanna continue singing?”
Bai Muchuan stayed quiet while Xiang Wan shot her a glance. “You’re still in the mood to sing?”
“If we’re not singing, why are we still here?” Fang Yuanyuan felt awkward. “Why not we go back first?”
Stay or not to stay, Xiang Wan was not sure, either.
No choice, she was unsure as a certain Young Master was drunk!
When Bai Muchuan looked grim without a word, he gave off a scary aura.
His icy-cold gaze, unfeeling facial features, so good-looking yet so unapproachable…
“Detective Bai?”
Xiang Wan cleared her throat and called him. But before she could say anything more, a scream was heard from outside.
Thud! Another loud sound followed, as if something heavy had fallen.
The “Heavenly Chamber” had very good sound insulation. If they could hear noises when they were inside the room, that would mean the sound was really loud outside.
Bai Muchuan seemed to suddenly “came alive”—he got up, dashed to the window, and drew back the curtains.
Xiang Wan was confused.
Isn’t he drunk?
Now he doesn’t need help?
She exchanged glances with Fang Yuanyuan and walked toward the window.
What exactly happened out there? Countless people seemed to be swarming over to “The Palace” at the ground floor.
“What happened?” Fang Yuanyuan stretched her neck, trying to look down from the window. “I can’t see clearly! Oh my, I forgot I’m not wearing glasses…”
Bai Muchuan turned around at that moment. “Go!”
He wanted to leave the room, but he paused after making a few big strides and turned to look at Xiang Wan.
“Follow me!”
The two bewildered women followed him and entered the elevator.
The mirror inside the elevator was bright and clean. Their reflection in the mirror was so long that it was out of shape.
Under the strange atmosphere, no one spoke a word.
…
By now, a crowd had formed and encircled the fountain that it was now jam-packed.
Xiang Wan followed Bai Muchuan to get closer to the fountain.
Just one look and cold sweat started to seep out from her skin.
The design of the fountain was unique. It was the most recognized symbol situated at the gates of “The Palace”.
The fountain had a round base with a towering half-naked goddess statue right at the center. Under the lights, Xiang Wan could see that the goddess statue had a smiling face, her hands aloft in a dance movement, and water spraying out from her ten fingers.
The water in the fountain had changed color.
The scarlet red blood trickled down from the fingers of the statue.
A naked woman was hanging on the hands of the statue.
The blood blended with the fountain water, and the sprinkling and sputtering coupled with the lighting of the fountain gave off a macabre sort of beauty.
The goddess statue was very tall; if there were no stairs, nobody could get the woman down from the statue.
The police had not arrived, no one dared to touch her…
Who is she?
Is she dead yet?
The crowd was in a commotion, pointing and discussing amongst themselves.
Someone was speculating that the woman must have resisted arrest from the police and fell from a high floor.
The public was usually well-informed in a mysterious way. They were even saying that this woman must have been a drug offender.
People from across the street also started coming over to check out what was happening.
Numerous spectators were video recording or snapping pictures of the incident with their mobile phones.
Under the countless flashlights, Xiang Wan’s face seemed green as if she was anemic.
Fang Yuanyuan puffed a soft sigh. “Sis, you really have the ‘Conan effect’…”
She continued when Xiang Wan turned to face her, “There will be deaths wherever you go.”
“Why can’t it be you instead?” Xiang Wan took a deep breath and found her own voice. Then she took a glance at the cold-faced Bai Muchuan. “Or… him?”
Bai Muchuan seemed to have heard that.
His brows formed a slight frown, but did not reply to her remark.
At this time, there was a ruckus at the entrance of “The Palace”.
“Move, move! Behave yourself!”
“Line up one by one, hands on head, don’t look around!”
A group of police officers walked out with a group of drug offenders who had just been arrested.
Xiang Wan saw Huang He, Tang Yuanchu, and rest of detectives. As they were walking with the bunch of uniformed police officers, they were particularly conspicuous.
Eeeooo! Eeeooo!
The police cars as well as the ambulance had arrived.
The crowd started to get excited.
The streets near “The Palace” got wind of news that something major happened there.
A while later, the naked woman on the goddess statue was carried to the ambulance.
The group of suspected drug offenders, who were escorted by the Narcotics Squad, also walked past the fountain and were shoved into police cars.
Xiang Wan was already standing along the sides. When she turned around, she could see the group of drug offenders.
A young man came into sight.
He had an ear piercing and dressed fashionably. Compared to the tension his associates showed, he was calm and even wore a showy smile as if he was performing.
It was as though he was not arrested for breaking the law. Rather, she felt that he was walking on a stage to show his most charming side to the crowd.
Suddenly, his smile froze when his gaze landed on Xiang Wan’s face; their eyes met.
The next second, he walked past her, leaving Xiang Wan in a shock.
“Is he handsome?” The owner of the voice sounded displeased as he snorted.
Xiang Wan turned and saw Bai Muchuan’s chilly face under the lights from the fountain.
“Handsome!”
“Hm?”
“…” I mean you!
Xiang Wan kept that thought in her heart whereas Bai Muchuan’s attention was pulled away by Huang He.
“Captain Bai.” Huang He rushed over to him. There were beads of perspiration on Huang He’s forehead. “I need to go back to the office immediately. What’s your plans?”
Bai Muchuan shrugged his shoulders. “I’m going back by myself.”
Huang He nodded his head and took a glance at Fang Yuanyuan. “Let Yuanyuan give you a lift since it’s on the way. I’ll feel more rest assured this way.”
Bai Muchuan consented to the arrangement and passed the car keys to Fang Yuanyuan.
The dying naked woman and the drug offenders were brought away.
The water at the fountain slowly shed off its red hues.
However, the spectating crowd had not dispersed.
They were still standing there, discussing and talking amongst themselves in small groups with various tones and volumes.
…
The luxurious dinner gathering had ended.
Xiang Wan felt that her luck this year was especially problematic as she kept encountering such incidents.
In the car, Xiang Wan joked with Fang Yuanyuan, “If I knew I’ve got the ‘Conan effect’, I should have applied to the police academy.”
Tch! Fang Yuanyuan only responded with a snort as she was driving.
Bai Muchuan, who was resting beside her, chuckled disdainfully, “Don’t! You’ll drag down the overall fitness quality of the police force!”
“?”
Xiang Wan glanced at his expression with displeasure.
“Detective Bai, did I offend you or something?!”
“…”
“Why are you always picking on me?”
Bai Muchuan did not say a word.
He was lying lazily against the backseat of the car and just looked at her like that.
Both of them were standing close to each other.
Although there wasn’t any light inside the car, Xiang Wan thought she caught a smile on his lips before it vanished.
“Teacher Xiang, I’ve never fallen in love before.”
Xiang Wan was embarrassed. She felt as if her face was scalded by his warm breathing.
She felt fortunate that the light rays were quite dim so that nobody would notice her reddish cheeks.
Xiang Wan lifted her chin. “So?”
Bai Muchuan suddenly looked up and got closer to her face. “I’m very pure, I’m nervous when you stare at me like this.”
“…”
“Hahahaha!”
The one who guffawed at his remark was Fang Yuanyuan.
She could not hold her laughter as the two of them were discussing an “indecent” topic with such solemn expressions.
“You two are so interesting! Why not be a couple instead?”
Her cousin was sort of providing “assistance” to pair them up.
However, Xiang Wan was still seething with anger; she did not have the mood to flirt with him.
“Hurhur! I can’t take it.”
Bai Muchuan leaned back slowly.
“But I’m not heavy.”
“…”
“Hahahaha!”
Full marks for his flirting techniques!
However, Xiang Wan still held the belief that he would only flirt but not admit his feelings.
Hence, if he did not even want to admit, why would she even bother?
Once a woman understood this, it would be very difficult for her to get hurt again.
Xiang Wan laughed, “Hurhur, men like Detective Bai can only be described using a term.”
“What term?”
“Destined-to-a-lonely-life!”
She jested playfully with Fang Yuanyuan.
And did not notice that Bai Muchuan’s face was slowly turning cold.
…