Case Files Chapter 11: Debut (9)

Translated by Vivian of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

Wen JingHan leaned against the soft backrest of the couch and was munching on an apple. Suddenly, in the show playing on the television a woman bumped her head and forgot where her own house was, and was now wandering around in confusion. Wen JingHan frowned and thought for a while before reaching his foot out and poking the leg of the man, who was sitting on the other end of the couch.

“Say, is it really possible for someone with amnesia to have a drastic change in personality?”

The man put down the finance magazine he was reading and pinched his foot. “You don’t need to get amnesia and you already change several times a day, so it’s not anything unusual.” He tickled Wen JingHan’s sole.

“I’m being serious! That kid in our team used to be timid and self-doubting, but now, he’s bold and has nerves of steel, and he’s decisive, calm, and indifferent when he does things, not to mention how self-aware he is. People’s nature can’t change, right? But how come he’s changed so much?” Wen JingHan mulled over it.

The man’s heart fluttered at his serious expression. “If you really want to know, then you should go ask a professional.”

“That makes sense!” Wen JingHan jumped up and quickly rushed into a room to make a phone call.

The man, who had been trying in vain to initiate something, was left hanging, and he looked somber.

*****

“Look at this person, do you recognize him?” In the hearing room, Chen QiaoYu placed a printed portrait in front of Li MeiXin.

Li MeiXin glanced at it and quickly shifted her gaze. “No.”

“Your employees all say that they’ve seen him more than once at the film set, yet you say that you don’t recognize him?”

“So many people come and go everyday, and my background actors also change very often, so it’s not possible for me to remember every single one of them,” Li MeiXin said straightforwardly as she rubbed her nose.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Chen QiaoYu asked suddenly.

Li MeiXin was a little stunned and repeated, “Boyfriend?”

“Right.”

“No…” Li MeiXin said uneasily as she scratched her ear.

“I heard that you’re dating someone.” Chen QiaoYu said casually as she made a mental note of Li MeiXin’s every movement.

“That’s my personal business, what does it have to do with the case?!” Li MeiXin was a little irritated.

“It doesn’t, I was just chatting casually. Since you don’t like this random questioning,” Chen QiaoYu straightened up in her seat, leaned forward a little, and her tone suddenly became solemn and cold as she continued, “then let’s get a little more formal.”

“Name.”

“…Li MeiXin.”

“Hometown.”

“Province X, City Y.”

“Age.”

“27.”

“How long have you been working at JingTian Film Studio.”

“A little over two years.”

“Do you know Tan Qu?”

“…No.”

“Where do you live?”

“Zhongshan West Street, number 25.”

“Do you live by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Is it your own house?”

“It’s rented… Officer——”

“When did you start dating Wang BingKang?”

“Date—— I’ve never dated him!”

Chen QiaoYu suddenly smiled. “Never dated. But during our investigation, a lot of insiders told us that you two are very close.”

“People like to gossip in this industry! They’re just speaking nonsense!” argued Li MeiXin as she widened her eyes.

“Oh?” Chen QiaoYu coldly hooked up the corner of her mouth. “Since you don’t recognize him, then shouldn’t you first ask me who Wang BingKang is?”

Li MeiXin was stunned speechless.

“Since you didn’t ask and you denied that you two are in a relationship, then that means that you know him! Li MeiXin, look again, do you recognize this person or not!” Chen QiaoYu slapped the portrait onto the table in front of her and said sternly, “Don’t think that you can fool me by being a little clever. Doing this with the police is like digging your own grave. When we place our evidence in front of you and sue you for perjury and holding back evidence, you won’t have the opportunity to speak even if you wanted to. This is the last time I’ll ask you, think carefully before you answer!”

Li MeiXin opened her mouth a few times but couldn’t say anything. Then, she slumped in her chair and covered her face with her hands.

“I don’t have anything to do with your missing persons case, and I don’t know anything about it! A-Kang ¹Putting “A” in front of someone’s name is a casual way of referring to them.[/efn-note], he’s, he’s an intermediary for a few entertainment companies. He initially said that he wanted to introduce some opportunities to some background actors so they could improve faster…”

“You’ve been in this industry for quite a while now, did you just believe him this easily?” Chen QiaoYu asked slowly.

“I, I believed him at first. But the people he found didn’t look too bad, though they weren’t special, either. I clearly have a lot of better actors here. Moreover, these people never came back again. One time, Yang Guang… that person who was, who was shot, came to ask me if I had had any news of Tan Qu and the other two boys, since he couldn’t contact them. I didn’t say much, but I started to realize that something was off. I asked A-Kang about it privately, but he was impatient and annoyed because I was being so nosy. After that, he stopped contacting me, and by then, I hadn’t heard anything from them for nearly a month.” Li MeiXin suddenly shivered. “And after that, you guys came to investigate the missing persons case, and Yang Guang was—— I was really scared, so I didn’t dare to say anything, because I was scared that I would end up like Yang Guang——”

Chen QiaoYu poured a cup of water and handed it to her. “What else do you know about Wang BingKang?”

DingDing, who was standing outside the hearing room, poked Guan Jin. “What do you think? Sister QiaoYu is very powerful, right? Normal people all crack under her questioning.”

Guan Jin looked at the one-way mirror in interest and exclaimed, “So hot!”

Thud. The apple Lin Bai was eating dropped onto the floor, and it rolled to a stop at the feet of Zheng Fei, who had just walked in.

Zheng Fei picked it up and said in disgust, “Little Bai, now your saliva is all over the floor.”

Guan Jin said, “Yesterday, Min Yan told me that he was the one who opened the Zilan Clubhouse.” His tone was casual, as if he was saying something like how he had eaten buns for dinner last night.

Thud. The apple fell from Zheng Fei’s hand, and it rolled into Wen JingHan’s office.

“DingDing, I’ve been shocked too much lately, and my heart can’t take much more. Should I go see a doctor?” Zheng Fei grabbed DingDing’s shoulder and covered his chest with one hand as his face contorted.

“Actually, the most effective method would be for Guan Jin to go to the doctor,” DingDing advised.

“Sure enough, the awakened nature is the most brutal.” Lin Bai wiped away imaginary bitter tears for his ill-fated apple.

Guan Jin, who hadn’t realized that he had dropped a bomb, followed the apple into Wen JingHan’s office.

“Min Yan told you that?” Wen JingHan frowned. “Does he know that we’re investigating the Zilan Clubhouse, or was it just a coincidence?”

“So many people in City S don’t know that the Zilan Clubhouse is his property, so why would he specifically tell a random police officer?” Guan Jin didn’t believe it was just simple small talk.

“He seems to be interested in you,” said Wen JingHan as he looked at Guan Jin.

Guan Jin raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that a good thing? I’ll go with the flow, approach him, and snoop for some information.”

“You haven’t undergone special training, and you’ve never done field work before, nor do you have any experience in dealing with criminals. In case Min Yan really is guilty, then he’ll definitely come prepared, and he’ll either take advantage of your snooping or put you into danger. In principle, I can’t agree to that,” Wen JingHan said grimly.

Guan Jin crossed his legs and glanced at him indifferently. “That is, if you are principled.”

“Oh? It looks like I’ve failed as a leader. You’ve only worked for me for a few days after you got amnesia, yet your impression of me is so bad already.” Wen JingHan shook his head helplessly.

“Boss, your goal is to solve the case, my goal is to improve myself. We have different routes but the same goal, so there’s no need to fuss over the process, right?” Guan Jin’s eyes brightened as he looked straight at Wen JingHan.

Wen JingHan looked him up and down before beaming, “I really like the current you!”

 

Guan Jin, who had achieved his goal, walked out, and right after he did, Wen JingHan picked up his phone. “Brother, have you made an appointment with the psychologist I wanted to see last time? …It wasn’t urgent before, but now,” he glanced at Guan Jin through his office’s glass wall, “it’s very urgent.”