Case Files Chapter 102: Horror at the Studio (11)

Translated by Vivian of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

“Min Yan can easily find justification and cover up this matter, so don’t think too much of it. The media just likes to grasp at straws, and if they can’t find any proof, they’ll move on quickly.” Lu YunShen kissed Yan Qing’s forehead.

Yan Qing nodded dully. “I’m tired, I’m going to go rest for a bit.” He stood up and was about to walk upstairs when his phone rang. Yan Qing looked at his phone and saw that it was Mo Wei calling. His heart sank a little as he picked up.

“Who did you offend, how come they’re so persistent in trying to frame you?!” Mo Wei’s tone was a little irritable.

“What happened?”

“Look online, there’s a follow-up story. Think hard as to exactly who you’ve offended. If we don’t catch this person, it’ll only get worse!”

Yan Qing stood there blankly. Lu YunShen had already opened his laptop; the news about Yan Qing had already made it to the top of every news website. He pulled Yan Qing towards himself. “No matter what happens, it’s no big deal. I’ll take care of everything.”

There was already a series of photos and analyses on the website: On a specific day, Yan Qing attended a cocktail party hosted by a rich man. Later, Yan Qing went on a vacation on an island, and the same rich man also went to the island to attend a meeting. Then, after Yan Qing’s birthday party, he left the inn and went to a certain mountain villa, which was owned by that same rich man… The seven or eight photos along with descriptions practically covered the entire period from Yan Qing’s debut to the present, and everything made sense.

Things were just like this; originally, no one would think to connect certain events, but once something was exposed, one would find more and more connections. Thus, more related speculations and so-called facts were pointed out by countless gossip reporters. In merely a few hours, evidence of a relationship between Yan Qing and this rich man kept accumulating like a snowball rolling down a hill.

“You said that everyone around Yan Qing could be trusted!” Lu YunShen called a number.

“Don’t you know best whether they are or not? If someone wanted to harm him, why would they wait until now? Moreover, if it was someone close to Yan Qing, the evidence would only be more clear, I’m sure you understand.” Min Yan said calmly, “Who did he provoke? I reckon it probably isn’t anyone too relevant, or else we would’ve detected them by now. Also, they’re very smart, exposing all of this yet never mentioning your name. Clearly, they don’t dare to drag you into this.”

Lu YunShen hung up and, for the first time, felt irritated that he didn’t know where to start.

Yan Qing closed the laptop silently and trudged up the stairs. Lu YunShen really wanted to rush over and comfort him, yet he felt that his feet were very heavy, and in the end, he didn’t take that step.

---

“They used public networks to publish all of the information, and the locations were distributed throughout the city.” Lin Bai marked the map on his screen with red circles. They’re basically all shopping malls with heavy network traffic, communities with public networks, or some unmonitored coffee shops or fast-food restaurants.”

Wen JingHan looked at the map closely. “It’s very spread out.”

“The technology department is looking through all related videos, but this person is so careful that I’m afraid even if we spot them on a surveillance video, they’ll be disguised,” analyzed Gu Xiang.

As for why the Special Cases Unit was investigating this scandal so carefully, on one hand, it was because it might be related to the case. On the other hand, according to Wen JingHan, he had received a lot of pressure from the higher-ups to resolve this as quickly as possible.

As for where the pressure came from, everyone knew very well. After the various news stories came out, the others on the perceptive team quickly realized who the “mysterious rich man” was. That person’s influence reached everywhere, so it wasn’t a surprise that he could pressure the higher-ups of the bureau so easily. However, for Wen JingHan, no matter how straightforward the case was, he would ignore it unless he actually wanted to accept it. The so-called pressure he received was merely beneficial for him, since he could answer his own questions as well as receive a favor from the higher-ups in the future.

“Gu Xiang, how are your background investigations with Ding Ding going?”

Gu Xiang picked up a stack of papers. “The basic situation is this: Qin Tao, a senior director, creates films that are deep and thought-provoking, and his debut was relatively smooth sailing. He’s talented, unique, and praised by his peers. He especially likes talented actors, and he rarely selects actors who are only good-looking on the surface yet lack skill. He’s married and is a model father and husband.

Yu ManTing debuted at fifteen years old, and the first movie she acted in became very popular in Asia, and she only got more popular after that. Everyone praises her superb acting skills. She’s modest and polite, though she rarely reveals her own emotions, and a lot of people feel that she is very shrewd.

Yan Qing debuted at eighteen years old, and at first, he only played unnoticeable roles as extras. Later, he auditioned for a movie by a famous director and stood out. He won the Best New Actor Award for that year and continued to take on popular roles. Within three years, he won countless awards. He has a calm personality, but he maintains a distance from others, so he doesn’t have any close connections within the industry.

Du Ping graduated from the Department of Directing at the Film and Television Academy and participated in some smaller movies at first. Later, he became assistant director for many movies, and many think that he seems to be content with that role. He’s not very involved in the industry, so I’m not sure if it’s because he’s unmotivated or untalented.”

Ding Ding continued to report, “Lin ShuYao is a fairly well-known actress, and she debuted from the Film and Television Academy. For a while, she wasn’t too relevant, but she became more popular recently. As a person, she’s haughty but frank, so she has solid connections.

Zhang Xin is a newcomer who debuted two years ago, and his agency is the same as Yan Qing’s. Recently, the company has focused on sponsoring him. However, a lot of people say that he’s pretentious and seems to be a little hostile towards Yan Qing.”

“Why are we focusing on these people in particular?” asked Chen QiaoYu.

“Uh, Guan Jin told us that Lu YunYang said to focus on these people’s experiences and reputations.” Ding Ding shrugged. “It’s a pity that we didn’t have much time. People in the entertainment industry tend to hide a lot of stuff, so our investigation wasn’t too thorough.”

“It’s already very good. Guan Jin, if YunYang has time, pass this information to him,” said Wen JingHan.

“Didn’t you tell him to stay off this case because of conflict of interest?” Guan Jin narrowed his eyes.

“He’s only using it for research, so he’s not really participating in the investigation, right?” Wen JingHan raised an eyebrow.

“…Of course you would say that.”

---

“Sir, there are a lot of reporters outside who want to talk to you, so you should leave from the emergency exit,” his private secretary whispered to Lu YunShen, who had just concluded a business negotiation.

Lu YunShen frowned slightly. “Where’s Yan Qing?”

“He told the chauffeur to take him to his private mansion,” the secretary said cautiously.

“Is YunYang’s person following him?”

“Yes. He confirmed that ever since he’s been following Mr. Yan, there definitely hasn’t been any stalkers or suspicious people near him. It looks like whoever it is has been planning this for a while and knows not to expose themself right now.”

Lu YunShen was a little worried.“YunYang actually handed this matter over to the Special Cases Unit to handle… I really don’t know whether he knows what he’s doing or if he’s been bewitched by that policeman.”

---

When Guan Jin opened the door to his apartment, before he could even close it, he felt a presence approach him.

He quickly dodged, but he was still caught in an embrace.

“…Did you lose oxygen in your brain from the plane flight?!” exclaimed Guan Jin.

Lu YunYang kissed his cheek before quickly retreating out of his reach. “I rushed back here, and the first thing I wanted to do was to hug you, yet you’re this heartless.”

Guan Jin looked him up and down. “You’re not missing any limbs, nor are there any holes in you, so that should be enough to keep you content.”

“True, as long as I can pursue you healthily, it really is a blessing.” He smiled in satisfaction.

Guan Jin had been working the entire day, so he was too lazy to keep bantering. He took off his coat and went to wash his hands. When he came back out and passed the kitchen door, he suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.

“…What’s that smell?”

“I specially brought the ingredients from New York and learned how to make it after two days of studying.” Lu YunYang walked into the kitchen and brought out a plate. “Guan Jin’s favorite sandwich! I made it just now, so it’s fresh. Why don’t you give it a taste, isn’t it even better than the original?”

Guan Jin froze where he was. After a while, he looked down at the sandwich and said slowly, “How do you know I like this sandwich?”

“Tony told me. Don’t go scolding him, it was because he was moved by my affection and voluntarily contributed by telling me what you like to eat.” Lu YunYang smiled faintly.

Guan Jin looked up at him again. Although Tony seemed a little unreliable sometimes, he still knew what he should and shouldn’t say. He had probably just made some nonsense up, not that this was a big deal anyway.

Guan Jin calmly walked over and took a bite.

“How is it?”

“…It’s practically the same. Did you just bring back the store-bought version?”

“Of course not. Look, the lettuce is still moist.”

In the end, Guan Jin couldn’t help but scarf down the sandwich.

Lu YunYang sat opposite of him and rested his chin on his hand as he watched. “Tony said that you often ordered him to go buy it for you. You haven’t gone abroad before though, right? Did he ship it to you across the ocean?”

…A piece of the sandwich nearly got lodged in Guan Jin’s throat.

“I smuggled myself there.” Guan Jin was impassive.

“Oh… In order to meet your internet friend, you don’t even hesitate to smuggle yourself abroad. What dedication…”

…He had been wrong; Tony didn’t just seem unreliable, he was simply unreliable! Besides, what exactly had he told Lu YunYang? …He wouldn’t be assassinated by this underworld organization, would he?