Ch9 - Little Sister Carries A Doll (7)

Sheng Canyang was rendered speechless for a brief moment.

Hai Ri’s profile picture on Weibo was a silhouette cloaked in darkness. Thinking that it felt very familiar, Sheng Canyang clicked on it and confirmed that it was himself. 

This was probably taken last year during summer when he returned to the country to take part in a variety show. It was already the wee hours in the morning by the time he got off work. At that time, there seemed to have been a few fans waiting for him at the door; he couldn’t be sure whether Hai Ri was among them. He had recognized the photo from the red hair he’d dyed the previous year. Underneath the lights in the photo, his hair bore a striking resemblance to flaming filaments piercing through the darkness.

Sheng Canyang had returned to the country alone at that time, unaccompanied by his group mates. His manager was following behind him while he walked ahead. The him at that time was already so skinny he was mere bones. He gave off a slightly emaciated air, yet the fans adored this so-called air of frailty.

Sheng Canyang remembered how he had already made preparations for his suicide that night, going over again and again how he would die. Before his death, he wanted to show his face a few more times as a form of remembrance for his fans after his death.

He rarely accepted variety shows. Competition abroad was fierce and there weren’t many variety show invitations, yet he had exploded in popularity during the summer of the previous year. The implication from his boss was that this popularity was his last bit of radiance before it would die out. With drama and scandals linked to him, coupled with the market’s intolerance for homosexuals, his career was destined to end. 

On that night, as Sheng Canyang was walking along the road, he was well aware of the few girls following behind him with their cameras aimed at him. The streetlamps had elongated their shadows. Sheng Canyang deliberately slowed down so that they could take a few more pictures. As for the urgings of his exceedingly tired manager, he simply turned a deaf ear to them.

Hai Ri’s profile picture was the back view of his silhouette on that night.

Sheng Canyang glanced at Hai Ri. He had his head lying motionlessly on the table, but was clearly not asleep.

Indeed, the first time they met, Sheng Canyang remembered that there had not just been astonishment in Hai Ri’s eyes, but also a flash of what seemed like tears.

He had never thought about the emotion someone could have for a complete stranger.

Sheng Canyang had always known that he had a few fans who loved him very much. They would even come to fansigns in wedding dresses and when seeing him, appear to be on the verge of tears. Were they all similar to Hai Ri, or was Hai Ri even more extreme than them?

Sheng Canyang scrolled down the comments. Every single one of Hai Ri’s comments could be traced back to a video three years ago. He’d only been sixteen years old then, not more than half a year since he went to Korea.

Shan Yu had taken this video of him playing the erhu. In fact, he’d already played it once before Shan Yu felt that it was very interesting and had a high chance of going viral, which was why he took out his phone and got him to play another time. And that was how this video came about. 

During the recording of the video, he hadn’t yet debuted and was a trainee at the company. His dance class had just ended; the teacher had told him he exerted too much power when dancing and that he was worse than the others. He and Shan Yu had sat at the company’s staircase, where Shan Yu consoled him, “Your grades in vocals are better than all of us, you can definitely be the main vocalist. Dancing isn’t important.”

Sheng Canyang thought about it and felt the same, so his mood lifted a little.

Shan Yu: “Sing a song, it’s been a while since I last heard you sing. What are you gonna sing?”

Standing up, Sheng Canyang patted the dust off his buttocks. “Wait, I’ll show you something fun.” 

He ran all the way back to his dormitory, picked up his erhu, and ran back again. He glanced at the time; the whole journey hadn’t taken more than five minutes. When he returned, Shan Yu was still waiting for him. Upon seeing the erhu in his hands, Shan Yu stared blankly.

Sheng Canyang sat on the steps with a cough and then indicated for him to go down. “This is my best piece – it’s a harmonious melding of the east and west, a multi-dimensional, genuine piece of art. Open your ears wide and listen closely.”

Shan Yu broke out into endless roars of laughter. Feeling the heat from running, Sheng Canyang pulled unzipped his down-filled garment. Sucking in a breath, he raised his arms and played <Troublemaker>.

Sheng Canyang remembered playing very well the first time. On the contrary, it was after Shan Yu started filming him that he grew embarrassed. The video of the piece he played subsequently, <Hope Betrayed>, was also the earliest to appear in Hai Ri’s Weibo. Hai Ri had commented below: “Really, really like it [heart][tears]” 

Sheng Canyang inevitably also recalled the matters that followed after that. This video had sent his popularity skyrocketing and had also allowed Hai Ri to discover him, but everything after that was a nightmare. This winter day at the age of sixteen, the lyrics of <Hope Betrayed> – they twined around him like a nightmare, the lyrics seemingly reflecting his life.

“One was a lonely bloom from Eden, and the other was a flawless jade from Heaven. If there was no fate, why did they meet once more? If there was fate, why was their true love all in vain?”

Sheng Canyang lost all desire to continue scrolling. The familiar feeling of disgust rose up once more – the first time since his suicide.

The deceased was seated in front of the low table, her hair slithering about on the floor with rustling sounds. Hai Ri was still splayed out on the table when her hair reached their feet. The hair was quietly crawling up their legs when a word rumbled from Hai Ri’s throat. “Scram.” 

The hair instantly fell back down, returning to the deceased’s side. Sheng Canyang laughed, the feeling of gloominess dimming significantly.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Hai Ri turned his face over to look at him. “Whatcha laughing at?”

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Ljl El rja eq, ragfamtlcu tlr kjlra ijhlis. “Jibrfv ws fsfr j yla, yea P kjr ralii jkjgf. Qts jgfc’a atfs tfgf sfa?” 

Sheng Canyang logged out of the app and returned Hai Ri’s phone to him. “Take note of those who arrive late, they could be the murderer who wants to stall for time.”

Hai Ri silently endorsed these words. He casually asked, “What hot searches are there?”

Sheng Canyang: …

Hai Ri: ? 

Sheng Canyang hadn’t even looked at them from the very beginning, so he could only reply based on his impressions of them. “Seems like a whale died in Northwestern Hua, District 1?”

Still oblivious to the fact that he had been exposed, Hai Ri was genuinely taken aback by this news. “Those whales in the sky? They can die?”

Sheng Canyang: “Seems like they’re not on the same plane as us, but they can also die – they’re called Fallen Whales, many people went to gawk at it.”

Hai Ri: “Nice.” 

Sheng Canyang couldn’t tell what was nice about it, nor did he dare to ask out of fear that Hai Ri would discover something abnormal the moment he opened Weibo.

Hai Ri usually didn’t seem like a fan of him, which was why he’d assumed from the start that Hai Ri’s declaration of being his fan was just a casual statement. This was because Hai Ri was a little too calm and collected, though on closer inspection, that description didn’t fit him that well either. Hai Ri didn’t verbalize anything, but only someone familiar with him would do all that he did.

At this juncture, the remaining people finally started trailing in one after another. The first to return was Xue Chuan. Seeing them, she smiled. “Why is it always you two who are so quick to return?”

Hai Ri: “We don’t search as thoroughly as you guys.” 

“That won’t do,” Xue Chuan replied very earnestly. “If even one clue is overlooked, there is a possibility of losing.”

Hai Ri’s response was quite lacking in sincerity. “That makes sense.”

Xue Chuan said smilingly, “Any discoveries after searching my room?”

“Some,” Hai Ri stated. “Whose did you search? Mine?” 

Xue Chuan: “That’s right.”

Although she was already in her thirties, she still seemed to have the innocence of a young girl and her smile was also very good-natured.

But the air of despair she gave off was truly too thick, even thicker than Sheng Canyang. Just looking at her made Hai Ri feel very stifled; it was very difficult to view her in a favorable light.

Shortly after, Ping Jie and Chang Ze also came in. The five people had finally gathered. 

It was 11.10am at the moment. There was still 9 hours and 20 minutes till nighttime.

Ping Jie: “Let’s start from the evidence found.”

Ping Jie asked, “Or should we start from the smallest to the largest?” His gaze was on Sheng Canyang when he posed this question. Clearly, this question was directed at him. But Sheng Canyang merely said, “Anything’s fine.”

It made sense on second thought. Sheng Canyang was adept at this game, and was well aware they would have to go according to room numbers the moment any discussion commenced. At the beginning of the game, fabricating lies on the spot would be a matter of significant difficulty. Given the current situation, there was no longer any need to do that. 

Hai Ri thought about it. Feeling that he’d better not be the first one to speak, he told Xue Chuan, “You go first then.”

Xue Chuan didn’t voice any objections, directly proceeding. “Okay. I searched Jin Tian’s room. Can I search you?”

Hai Ri stood up, opening both arms wide. “Please.”

Xue Chuan was a woman after all and was a bit embarrassed. Hai Ri added, “No worries, you can let someone else do it on behalf of you.” 

He turned back, giving Sheng Canyang a meaningful glance. Sheng Canyang, who was still watching the show, was momentarily stunned after suddenly being cued. Standing up, he said, “Watch. I’ll go ahead.”

Xue Chuan laughed. “Sure. You’re too handsome, the rest will think I’m taking advantage of you.”

Hai Ri laughed.

Sheng Canyang took hold of the corner of Hai Ri’s front lapel, shifting his nose forward to sniff Hai Ri. As a result, his head ended up near Hai Ri’s neck. They were too close in proximity; Hai Ri subconsciously tipped backwards. Sheng Canyang grabbed a hold of him, raising his head and glancing at him. 

Hai Ri: “…You continue.”

Sheng Canyang felt Hai Ri’s front lapel. There was nothing inside and his cuffs were also very clean. Apart from the wound on his body that had already been explained yesterday as an injury caused by Ping Jie, there was nothing else.

Sheng Canyang placed a hand on Hai Ri’s thigh and felt around.

Hai Ri wanted to call the police. 

He was better off letting Xue Chuan do the searching.

But Sheng Canyang’s hand didn’t remain there for very long. In one sweep, it was done. He stood up and pronounced, “Clean.”

Xue Chuan smiled. “Seems like you’re really clean.”

Hai Ri flashed a smile. “I really want to be the murderer to earn a bit of money, but there’s no chance this round.” 

“Then why was there poison in your room?” Xue Chuan questioned. “Consuming it is fatal.”

Hai Ri sat back down. “Because I wanted to kill General Ping Jie. He’s my rival in life and injured me with a knife – I am aware I can’t beat him, so I thought of using underhanded means.”

Xue Chuan: “Your medicine has been used before, it’s short of some. You’ve already acted?”

Hai Ri: “I added it to his food. I blocked the maid Shan Xing while she was serving the food and added it to the meal.” 

Xue Chuan turned around and asked Ping Jie. “Did you eat it?”

Ping Jie: “F*ck, I ate it!”

Hai Ri smiled. “The effect will be seen 2 hours later. Your wife died before it could go into effect, so you’re actually also going to die.”

Xue Chuan did not smile, merely continuing to ask tenderly, “What time did you poison the food?” 

“9 o’clock,” Hai Ri had already memorized the timeline.

Xue Chuan: “You poisoned the food, but Ping Jie and the deceased were staying in the same room – how could you be sure that the deceased wouldn’t consume it instead?”

Hai Ri shrugged his shoulders. “Naturally, it’s because we were in collusion.”

Hai Ri: “I came here just to kill the general – this was something the deceased was also aware of. She was informed of my plan to kill her husband on her behalf.” 

Hai Ri glanced at the deceased sitting in front of the table. An unexpected wave of sympathy arose in his heart. To him, she was very pitiful. Hai Ri continued, “Ping Jie treated her very badly. He was only fond of his lover and not his first wife, even his dead daughter was not liked by him. I saw her suffering and loved her very much, so I thought of killing the general. That’s why, all of you are here to kill the deceased, but I was here to kill Ping Jie.”

Ping Jie nodded with a bitter smile. “That’s what’s stated in my script too, he’s not lying.”

Yet, Xue Chuan’s brows furrowed slightly. “You two have been supporting each other since yesterday, aren’t you being too obvious?”

Xue Chuan: “You two have been helping to testify the other’s innocence all this while, what if you’re the murderer and accomplice?” 

Ping Jie’s expression changed after hearing her words and he hurriedly said, “Don’t create drama, I’m just stating the truth according to the script.”

Hai Ri was originally 50% suspicious of Xue Chuan, but it now rose to 70%.

In Hai Ri’s eyes, even if Xue Chuan wasn’t the murderer, she was the accomplice. She’d splashed dirty water on others in the first round of discussion and slandered two people in succession – this was a killer’s style of play.

Hai Ri asked bluntly, “Then what is the doll behind the mirror in your room for?” 

Xue Chuan was visibly taken aback.

Sheng Canyang suddenly said, “Talk after coming up with something.”

Everyone was dumbfounded by his sudden cold joke before bursting into laughter. Xue Chuan was also amused. “There’s nothing much for me to come up with. Like your doll, it also belongs to Yu Shang. I like her very much, so I also have one.”

She was lying. 

Hai Ri discerned on first listen. Her statement was not convincing in the slightest.

Hai Ri asked, “Why put it behind the mirror?”

Xue Chuan: “There’s no other place to put it. The general doesn’t like his eldest daughter and doesn’t want to see dolls, so I can only hide it.”

Hai Ri watched her silently for a long time. 

Xue Chuan said helplessly, “It’s the truth.”

Hai Ri: “That doll coincidentally faces the cherry blossom tree and Yu Shang is buried beneath the tree. There are so many places for you to hide it, yet you hide it behind the mirror?”

Xue Chuan was seemingly rendered speechless from his intense questioning. “That’s how it’s written in the script. Fearing that the general would be dissatisfied, I hid it behind the mirror.”

Sheng Canyang: “Mine was given by the deceased, where did yours come from?” 

“I don’t know either,” Xue Chuan sighed. “It suddenly appeared in my room one day. I always thought it was given by the madam since she knew I was fond of Yu Shang, which was why I never asked about it and simply kept it.”

Xue Chuan had an answer for every clue.

But Hai Ri vaguely felt that there was something wrong. There was something wrong here, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

A thoughtful look on his face, Sheng Canyang continued remaining silent. 

At this juncture, Chang Ze spoke up. “I searched Apricot’s room.”

Hai Ri’s mental state tensed up. His interest in Xue Chuan instantly dissipated and he focused on listening to Chang Ze.

She definitely hadn’t searched Sheng Canyang’s room with good intentions.