Ji Chenjiao returned home to the sound of splashing water coming from the bathroom. On the dining table sat braised beef, braised pork tails, and a saucer of dried chili powder.

Ling Lie had his lazy moments, too. When he didn’t feel like cooking, he made braised dishes. The brine was ready-made; he’d just blanch the meat, toss it in, let it bubble away for over an hour, and fish it out to cool before eating.

Ji Chenjiao picked up a section of pork tail with his chopsticks. The taste wasn’t bad.

But he didn’t continue eating. He walked to the bathroom door. The orange light from inside projected onto the frosted glass, revealing a blurry silhouette.

Before he could make a sound, a certain someone inside shouted, “Which pervert is peeking at me bathing?”

Ji Chenjiao held the handle. “I hadn’t planned on peeking, but since you sent an ‘invitation,’ I won’t be polite.”

The locks on the doors at home were all for show. Let alone now that their relationship was something special, even back when they were simply landlord and tenant, neither of them ever locked their doors. With a press of the handle, the door opened. Humid heat carrying the fresh scent of body wash spilled out, along with Ling Lie’s exaggerated cry for help: “Are perverts this bold nowadays? Even peeking at a police officer in the shower?”

Ji Chenjiao had actually only opened a crack. He couldn’t see Ling Lie from this angle, but the steam created quite the atmosphere. “You weren’t at the meeting. Where did you go?”

Ling Lie: “Came home to cook.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” That was true.

Ling Lie: “To get squeaky clean.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” And then?

Ling Lie: “Waiting for my boyfriend to come back and analyze the case.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Oh.”

“Huh?” Ling Lie said teasingly, “Xiao Ji, why do I detect a hint of disappointment in your voice?”

Ji Chenjiao: “You heard wrong.”

Suddenly, a wet hand reached out from behind the door and gripped the doorframe. Water streamed down the hand, dripping onto Ji Chenjiao’s hand resting on the handle.

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

Ling Lie poked half his face out. His face was wet, his hair was wet, and so were his eyes.

Ji Chenjiao’s heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat.

Ling Lie smiled, eyes curving. “Xiao Ji, what did you think I was getting squeaky clean for?”

Heat rushed toward his face; Ji Chenjiao felt his cheeks burn slightly.

The two looked at each other through the doorway. The faucet hadn’t been turned off; the splashing sound was like the enthusiastic applause of an audience.

Ji Chenjiao’s brow twitched. Suddenly releasing the handle, he grabbed Ling Lie’s hand, pushing and pulling in one motion. The door was shoved completely to the other side. Amidst the spreading mist, Ji Chenjiao pressed Ling Lie against the tiles, gripping his chin just as Ling Lie had gripped his at the hotel during the day.

Although a kiss is a kiss, taking the initiative doubles the psychological satisfaction.

Ji Chenjiao’s uniform was soaked through. His thumb brushed against the corner of Ling Lie’s beautiful eyes, catching a glimpse of a birthmark shaped like a cat’s head on the corner of Ling Lie’s back shoulder.

“What is this?”

“A tattoo.”

“…”

It was clearly a birthmark. Ji Chenjiao thought with amusement, how can someone have a personality like a cat and a birthmark shaped like a cat’s head, too?

---

By the time Ling Lie came out, dressed, Ji Chenjiao had changed into clean loungewear and was sitting at the dining table enjoying the pork tails and braised beef.

The next day, the investigation continued. After a night of fermentation, public opinion regarding Luo Manchai’s death had spawned over a dozen versions. Although most were nonsense, there is no smoke without fire; the police’s yet-to-be-discovered motive might be hidden within them.

For instance, the information Ling Lie mentioned seeing online the previous night—that Luo Manchai disrespected others in the crew and was poisoned; that her current status was built on the “corpses” of others and she suffered a backlash… all these rumors seemed to come from “industry insiders who wished to remain anonymous.”

Ji Chenjiao felt the leaker was likely someone within the production crew, so he ordered a verification of everyone involved. Then, he personally received Luo Manchai’s father.

Regarding Luo Manchai’s family, there was plenty of gossip in the industry claiming that after she became famous, she drew a line with her family and refused to pay alimony to her parents.

Luo’s father was emotionally stable and showed no sorrow over his daughter’s murder.

When asked about Luo Manchai’s relationship with the family, Luo’s father’s account differed slightly from the gossip. Drawing a line had happened, but not after she became famous. The Luo family was not the impoverished household rumors suggested; Luo’s father ran three companies in a small city and did not shy away from the scandal of keeping a mistress. It was Luo Manchai who cut off contact with him after she got into university.

“We don’t have any affection. She was raised by her grandparents. I’m very open-minded about it; if she doesn’t want to acknowledge me, fine. We both have our own lives.”

“However, with a personality like hers—snatching whatever she wants, unforgiving when she has the upper hand, thinking too highly of herself—offending people was inevitable. They say the entertainment industry eats people; I’m not surprised she was killed.”

Ji Chenjiao asked a final question: “Does your family have a history of hereditary mental illness?”

Luo’s father was silent for a moment. “Her mother wasn’t quite right in the head, but it shouldn’t have been a hereditary mental illness.”

Luo Manchai’s mother had committed suicide by jumping off a building when Luo was a child. More than a decade ago, the exploration of mental illnesses wasn’t common. The forensic doctor at the time hadn’t given a deduction related to mental instability, concluding only that she committed suicide due to a momentary inability to cope with the family business failing.

The reason Ji Chenjiao asked was that he had obtained video footage of Luo Manchai going to a convenience store alone to buy cheap red wine before her death. One of the unidentified fingerprints on the wine bottle belonged to the night-shift clerk.

Four days before the crime, at 3:00 AM, Luo Manchai suddenly left the Slinka Hotel in disguise, acting furtively all the way, and bought three bottles of red wine at the 24-hour convenience store diagonally across from the hotel.

She moved very quickly, barely making a selection, grabbing them and leaving. She also bought a carton of cigarettes.

For a rising female star, this was very bizarre behavior. She could have easily had A’Xi do it for her, but she preferred to go out at dawn rather than entrust it to someone else. Furthermore, the behavior was sudden; something might have happened to her on the night of September 10th that caused her immense mental stress, requiring alcohol and tobacco for release.

The Serious Crimes Unit checked the schedule of the crew around September 10th, as well as the hotel surveillance for the whole day, but found nothing suspicious. On that day, aside from filming, the only person Luo Manchai interacted with privately was A’Xi.

A’Xi had the potential to interfere with Luo Manchai, but the Unit had no evidence. Also, Luo Manchai must have trusted A’Xi deeply, because even when she needed cigarettes and alcohol to relieve stress, she still didn’t put on the door chain. In her perception, the only person who could open the door was A’Xi.

Shen Xi pulled up Luo Manchai’s communication and browsing records for the past month. She viewed fan-edited videos of herself the most, followed by black propaganda (negative rumors) about herself online. Usually, after reading the negative material, she would watch her highlight reels over and over again, then spend money obsessively on shopping websites. From a psychological perspective, this was problematic.

Just as the Serious Crimes Unit began to suspect Luo Manchai had a severe mental illness, the pharmacological test results from An Xun came back—Luo Manchai was currently taking lithium!

This is a drug used to treat mental disorders. Mou Ying’s eccentric behavior was likely due to an overdose of lithium. But strangely, during the previous search, this drug was not found in the room.

Either someone was dosing Luo Manchai and she didn’t have the medicine herself (which leads to two possibilities: she knew she was taking it, or she didn’t), or someone took the medicine from the hotel room after she was killed.

These questions all pointed to one person: her assistant, A’Xi. A’Xi had the best opportunity to dose Luo Manchai, or Luo Manchai might have let her hold the medicine. The person who took the medicine after death could be the murderer, or it could be A’Xi who discovered the scene.

A’Xi had been discharged from the hospital. Upon seeing Ling Lie again, her first reaction was to dodge.

Ling Lie waved his hand casually. “Yo, we meet again.”

A’Xi lowered her head. “I… I already confessed everything I needed to confess last time.”

Ling Lie smiled. “My boss gave me another task, didn’t he? Your Sister Chai, was she taking a certain medicine recently?”

A’Xi’s eyes suddenly widened. “She…”

Ling Lie: “She didn’t know? You made her take it?”

“No, no, no!” A’Xi quickly stood up. “How would I dare give her medicine randomly! It was prescribed by a doctor!”

“Hmm?” Luo Manchai had no recent medical records.

“Sister Chai didn’t want anyone to know she was seeking medical help for psychological issues. Sh-she always had a private doctor. If she needed a prescription, she used my identity.” A’Xi stammered, “Last time… last time we went to Rongmei, that medicine was prescribed by Dr. Zhuo, but I didn’t have the medicine. Sister Chai kept it herself.”

Ling Lie frowned instantly. “Rongmei Rehabilitation Hospital in Zhaoxia County?”

“Y-yes!”

A’Xi explained that the pressure of competition in the entertainment industry was too great, and female stars were particularly prone to collapse. Luo Manchai was a rational person; as early as last year, when she realized she couldn’t handle it, she found a psychologist abroad to find a solution.

That doctor’s surname was Zhuo. After receiving his treatment, Luo Manchai had improved significantly. However, this year, Dr. Zhuo accepted a job offer in China and came to Rongmei.

The reason Luo Manchai had gone abroad to find a doctor was that she didn’t want to seek treatment domestically, fearing leaks of her privacy. However, after more than a year of interaction, she trusted Dr. Zhuo deeply, so she decided to continue treatment with him. Since Luo Manchai was filming in Xiarong City this time, which was very close to Zhaoxia County, she simply disguised herself and made a trip to Rongmei.

It was only afterward that Luo Manchai learned something had happened at Rongmei. She felt it was very unlucky and became worried. A’Xi said timidly, “Sister Chai might have been distracted because of the incident at Rongmei. Our circle is very superstitious about Feng Shui.”

Wrong! It’s more than that! Ling Lie thought. Luo Manchai surely felt more than just “bad luck.”

Ji Chenjiao was genuinely surprised to learn Luo Manchai had sought treatment at Rongmei. With two patients dying consecutively at Rongmei, the County Bureau hadn’t relaxed its investigation, and the Serious Crimes Unit had always suspected Mou Ying was merely a tool for someone else. But until the Luo Manchai case occurred, forcing the Unit to divert energy back to the city, the police hadn’t found concrete evidence to prove their deductions.

And now, Luo Manchai, Jiang Yunduo, and Mou Ying shared a common identity—they were all patients of Rongmei!

A’Xi repeatedly emphasized that she hadn’t hidden Luo Manchai’s medicine. If she wasn’t lying about this, then the murderer took the medicine after the crime.

Why? Because the murderer knew the medicine came from Rongmei? To prevent the police from investigating Rongmei?

But this seemed like a futile effort. Since A’Xi was in the know, as long as the police asked her, she would reveal Luo Manchai’s visits to Rongmei.

Maybe the murderer knew they couldn’t hide it for long? But stalling for a moment was still a moment? Was preventing the police from immediately discovering the link between Luo Manchai and Rongmei a victory?

Or did the murderer think A’Xi wouldn’t speak out?

Since Ling Lie was the one primarily contacting A’Xi, Ji Chenjiao asked, “This assistant, what kind of person do you think she is?”

“She’s hiding things. And although she says she’ll do anything for money, her tone and micro-expressions reveal a fact—she hates Luo Manchai,” Ling Lie said. “But this hate isn’t necessarily because Luo Manchai treated her like a servant; it’s more likely jealousy.”

“Jealousy? An assistant jealous of the star they serve?”

“A star is only a star to those watching from afar. To an assistant, they’re just a boss who pays wages. Character, human radiance—that’s all hype from the company and fans. A’Xi follows Luo Manchai, living a life of servitude while Luo Manchai acts like a feudal princess. Psychological imbalance is normal.”

Ling Lie continued, “Luo Manchai seeing a psychologist is a big deal, but the first time I met A’Xi, she talked about many trivial details yet didn’t mention the medicine. It wasn’t until I went back with the lab report that she panic and mentioned Rongmei, and that Dr. Zhuo.”

Ji Chenjiao: “The murderer interfered with the surveillance on the 47th floor, likely to hide the method of entry. Meanwhile, A’Xi tried to hide Luo Manchai’s treatment at Rongmei, and the medicine from Rongmei vanished. The murderer might have assumed A’Xi wouldn’t mention Rongmei…”

Ling Lie: “So Luo Manchai’s death might be related to Rongmei, and A’Xi might also have ties to Rongmei.”

The sudden appearance of clues disrupted the Serious Crimes Unit’s investigation rhythm, but strictly speaking, it was the Luo Manchai case that had forced them to withdraw from Zhaoxia County in the first place.

“You stay in the city. I’ll go to Rongmei,” Ling Lie said, turning to leave, but found Ji Chenjiao looking at him. “Hm?”

Ji Chenjiao: “You’re even assigning tasks to me now.”

Ling Lie’s eyes curved into a smile. Seeing no one around, he quickly leaned in and pecked Ji Chenjiao on the lips. “You’re welcome.”

Ji Chenjiao: “?”

Ling Lie: “This is what the Serious Crimes Unit Captain’s boyfriend should do.”

Ling Lie slipped away. Ji Chenjiao touched his lower lip, which seemed to still hold the sensation, and tutted.

Always talking about being a “boyfriend.” No shame at all.

---

The crew members were temporarily restricted in their movements and were all staying at the Jiangnan Water Pavilion Hotel, where they had checked in at the time of the crime. Just after separating from Ling Lie, Ji Chenjiao was called over by a phone call from Liang Wenxian.

“Xiao Shen sent me the surveillance video from the Japanese restaurant.” Liang Wenxian closed the guest room door. To cooperate with the police, the hotel had specially arranged a suite. It was currently filled with laptops, investigation kits, and various cables running across the floor; the inner room served as an interrogation room, effectively turning the suite into a temporary office.

Liang Wenxian clicked on the video, skipping to several key points. “Besides A’Xi, Director Wei Sheng, supporting actress Jiang Hui, supporting actress Li Xiaohuang, and supporting actor Cao Xining all interacted frequently with Luo Manchai after the script murder game. They had opportunities to plant the card. I focused on these people during the initial screening; their changing reactions basically prove they have guilty consciences.”

As the person overseeing the big picture, Ji Chenjiao knew all the reports and details by heart.

Initially, when facing the detectives, all four displayed sorrow and grief, exaggerated to the point of performance. Their original words were:

Wei Sheng: “Luo Manchai was the most ambitious and talented star I’ve ever seen. Our circle is fickle, but an actor like her is rare. It’s such a pity! I’m heartbroken!”

Jiang Hui cried throughout: “Manchai and I agreed we’d act in the next drama together. How could this happen? I can’t take it!”

Li Xiaohuang spoke haltingly: “S-Sister Chai was very good to me, always giving me pointers. I… I’m very grateful to her.”

Cao Xining: “She was very professional. It was an honor to work with her.”

But others revealed their conflicts with Luo Manchai—

As the director, Wei Sheng was overshadowed by Luo Manchai at every turn and had no authority. Jiang Hui was rumored to be the originally designated female lead. Li Xiaohuang had been lectured by Luo Manchai several times for poor acting. Cao Xining had once arrived late for a scene with Luo Manchai; when she questioned his lack of responsibility, they argued. He said, “Don’t you show up late all the time too?” Luo Manchai sneered. Afterward, Cao Xining apologized to her in front of the whole crew.

Ji Chenjiao finished watching the video. The surveillance didn’t capture anyone approaching Luo Manchai’s bag, but considering blind spots, any of the four was a possibility.

“Fingerprints don’t prove anything,” Liang Wenxian said. “They all touched that card during the game; the surveillance caught it. The key is we don’t know who took the card last while wearing gloves.”

Ji Chenjiao asked, “What are their reactions now?”

Liang Wenxian: “The others can’t hide their disgust and irritability anymore, even a bit of schadenfreude, which is reasonable. What’s unreasonable is that they don’t dare express that schadenfreude like the others. If it was a contract killing, we need to apply to check their bank accounts and communications.”

Ji Chenjiao submitted the application, adding Yang Xinyue and Qiu Yubei to the list.

---

Ling Lie parked his car at the entrance of Rongmei and muttered to himself, “My goodness, I’m back again.”

The doctor treating Luo Manchai was named Zhuo Suyi. He was a doctor specially hired by Rongmei for high-end services. He was in his thirties, held A-country citizenship, and had deep facial features suggesting foreign ancestry.

When the head of the VIP department brought Ling Lie to his office, Zhuo thought he was a special patient. He invited Ling Lie to the sofa, brought no recording devices, brewed a cup of fragrant herbal tea, and chatted like a friend.

Ling Lie had undergone psychological counseling in the Special Action Team, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with the process. Since Zhuo Suyi wanted to “examine” him, he decided to play “house” with Zhuo Suyi.

“What work do you do, Mr. Ling?” Zhuo Suyi’s voice was pleasant—gentle, deep, yet with just the right amount of penetration.

Ling Lie said, “Currently unemployed, mooching off the family at home.”

“Living with your parents?”

“Yeah, got a nagging old father.”

Zhuo Suyi smiled. “He’s an old father who loves you very much, isn’t he?”

Ling Lie smiled too. “He’s quite picky. Never has anything nice to say.”

“Parents are all like that.”

The topic shifted to Ling Lie’s reason for coming to Rongmei. Ling Lie asked, “Dr. Zhuo, what do you think is wrong with me?”

Zhuo Suyi: “You have a same-sex lover and you want to show off.”

Ling Lie: “…”

Zhuo Suyi said generously, “You can’t find anyone to show off to in reality. It doesn’t matter; you can show off to me.”

For a rare moment, Ling Lie looked away and scratched his temple.

Him? Wanting to show off?

That guy Xiao Ji… handsome, great body, kisses spicy enough… he is indeed worth showing off.

In the moment he spaced out, Zhuo Suyi had stood up and returned to his workbench. With his back to Ling Lie, he said, “Mr. Ling, actually, you aren’t an ordinary patient. You came specifically to find me, correct?”

Ling Lie chased Xiao Ji out of his mind and drank the herbal tea. “Luo Manchai was your patient.”

Zhuo Suyi turned around, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Ling Lie seriously, as if weighing something. A moment later, he nodded. “Correct.”

Ling Lie tossed his ID onto the coffee table. “What did you talk about the last time she came to see you?”

Zhuo Suyi frowned. “Apologies, Officer Ling. You may not understand our workflow, but we have a duty of confidentiality regarding a patient’s condition.”

His tone was solemn and calm, which surprised Ling Lie slightly.

“You… wouldn’t happen to not know what happened to Luo Manchai, would you?”

Zhuo Suyi asked, “Something happened to her? What happened?”

Ling Lie: “You don’t surf the internet usually?”

Hearing this, Zhuo Suyi immediately picked up his phone, but there were no social or entertainment icons on the interface. While typing Luo Manchai’s name directly into a search engine, he explained, “I’m very busy with work. I returned to the country not long ago, so there are many things I need to adapt to and learn. I didn’t have much interest in entertainment to begin with…”

As he spoke, the search results popped up. Zhuo Suyi froze first, then his voice suddenly rose in pitch. “Luo Manchai is dead?”

Ling Lie watched his reaction with interest. His solemnity and gentleness faded at that moment, a drop of sweat sliding down his cheek.

“You actually didn’t know?”

Zhuo Suyi put down the phone, his eyes blank. “She was just a patient of mine. I have many patients. We didn’t meet often; she usually came to me once every three months. How did she die?”

Ling Lie stared into Zhuo Suyi’s eyes, as if giving him time to digest the news, speaking very slowly: “Two patients at Rongmei died successively. One of them took an overdose of lithium. You know this, right?”

Zhuo Suyi nodded.

Ling Lie continued, “Luo Manchai was also a patient of Rongmei. Including her, there are three dead. She also took lithium.”

Zhuo Suyi realized the implication and immediately argued loudly, “You suspect I should be responsible for her death? That is complete slander! The medicine I prescribed her was within the proper dosage; I have been trying to save her life! The deaths of the other two patients have nothing to do with me; I never even met them!”

Ling Lie swept his gaze left and right, spotting the glass teapot used to brew the herbal tea. He picked it up, poured a cup, and handed it to Zhuo Suyi. “Calm down, then answer my questions.”

Zhuo Suyi was breathing somewhat rapidly. After drinking the tea, he emphasized that he had absolutely nothing to do with Luo Manchai’s death.

Ling Lie said, “I came to find you today partly because I suspect you, but mostly because I want to find clues about Luo Manchai’s death from you.”

Zhuo Suyi calmed down. “I didn’t have much contact with her.”

“But as her psychiatrist, in a sense, you are the person who understood her best. Why did she come to you for treatment? What was her greatest fear deep down?”

Zhuo Suyi remained silent.

Ling Lie: “Do you still want to say a psychiatrist should maintain silence for their patient? But Luo Manchai is already dead. It’s very likely she was killed by her own secrets.”

Zhuo Suyi struggled for a moment before finally speaking.

Luo Manchai first sought out Zhuo Suyi in February of last year, while he was still working in Country A. He didn’t care for the entertainment industry, so he didn’t recognize the beautiful star. At first, he didn’t quite understand why Luo Manchai wouldn’t see a doctor domestically and insisted on traveling thousands of miles to Country A.

Later, through deep conversation, he learned of Luo Manchai’s fear regarding the media, public opinion, rivals, and fan groups. To better provide treatment for her, he looked up some dramas and variety shows, learning that the circle was fiercely competitive and incidents involving human lives happened from time to time.

Luo Manchai was glamorous in front of fans, but the bitterness behind the scenes was heartbreaking. She climbed up from being an obscure nobody to suddenly gaining massive attention; it was time and luck. Knowing the desolation at the bottom of the mountain, the higher she climbed, the more she feared falling. It was this panic that trapped her in pain day and night.

In short, she feared loss. She even wanted to end her life because of it—to end it all once and for all during her most glorious moment.

Zhuo Suyi approached it with both psychological intervention and medication. Luo Manchai’s condition improved somewhat; she wasn’t as fixated on death and trusted him greatly. So when he came to Rongmei, Luo Manchai risked being discovered by the media to come for treatment.

Ling Lie asked, “Luo Manchai couldn’t leave the medication?”

Zhuo Suyi nodded. “More accurately, she couldn’t leave a person she could freely pour her heart out to. We met once every three months because three months was the limit for her accumulation of negative emotions. I once advised her to leave the entertainment industry and start a new life; after all, the money she earned was enough to feed and clothe her for a lifetime. But humans are contradictory beings. While she loathed the harm the circle brought her, she also coveted the admiration and attention she received. Returning to the life of an ordinary person would probably be more painful to her than death.”

Ling Lie was silent for a while. “That’s all?”

Zhuo Suyi said, “Perhaps she had deeper secrets, but that is all she told me. Officer Ling, I have a guess.”

“Hm?”

“Actually, when I first learned Luo Manchai was dead, my first reaction was that she ended her life voluntarily. She always had that tendency.”

Ling Lie: “Read more online reports; maybe you won’t think that way.”

The media had already broken the news that Luo Manchai was murdered. This was information leaked from the hotel and the crew; the police hadn’t released it.

Zhuo Suyi looked at his phone again. “Was she killed by someone? That doesn’t conflict with my thought.”

Ling Lie: “You mean, Luo Manchai hired someone to kill herself?”

Zhuo Suyi said regretfully, “It was I who failed to save her.”