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  Atlas Studios

  This was absolutely hot news if Xiang Wan were to be a tabloid reporter!

  She couldn’t believe what she was seeing—


  There was no problem with Hu Bandao and Xuan Yue being falling in love with each other. They were both authors and the chances of knowing each other was rather high…… It was simply because of Du Landuo’s death that made Xiang Wan unable to have some unwarranted thoughts about the two’s relationship.

  Du Landuo had confronted her precisely because of Hu Banduo’s infidelity.

  If not for that, she wouldn’t have a conflict with Xiang Wan at all.

  Was it because Du Landuo’s suicide had something to do with them being together?

  After Du Landuo’s death, Xuan Yue had told her twice that she was…… frightened and felt that someone wanted to kill her.

  Was there really someone after her, or was it all because her guilt was killing her?

  Xiang Wan squinted her eyes, and her line of sight gradually became blurred.

  Both of them had already left her sight and somehow, there was a numb feeling in her heart.

  That feeling was really ominous—


  Well, Xuan Yue was more beautiful than Du Landuo. Moreover, she was gentle and easy to get along with. Du Landuo, on the other hand, gave people an overbearing feeling…… If Xiang Wan were a guy, and she could choose between Xuan Yue and Du Landuo, she would also choose Xuan Yue over Du Landuo.

  However, that was not the issue here……

  Just when did Hu Banduo and Xuan Yue become an item?

  Generally, if men cheated on their partners, the woman would be the first to pick up such signs…… There was no smoke without fire; Du Landuo’s suspicions on Hu Baodao might not be groundless after all?

  Maybe, Hu Bandao might really have cheated on her that day.

  Then the one who came in between them was Xuan Yue?……

  The supermarket was very crowded and lively.

  Lunar New Year was around the corner in about another two weeks’ time.

  Every family would prepare festive goods for the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year.

  Both online and offline supermarkets were trying their best to carry out promotional activities. They were trying their best to attract customers and sales. With people coming in and out of the supermarket, it seemed to block out the cold winds outside for the supermarket actually felt warm inside.

  Xiang Wan was a little unused to it, and she let out a sneeze. She removed her thick winter coat and muffler, kept them in a locker, and pushed a trolley toward the vegetables and fruits section.

  She had no interest in cooking but was not averse to it.

  Her mood determined if she should cook something.

  For the past few days, she and Bai Muchuan were enjoying a peaceful time together. Hence, she was still in a state of novelty. Xiang Wan focused on her writing and managing her time, so she had ample time to cook. When she was in a good mood, she was also very willing to prepare a nice little feast.

  Every time she saw Bai Muchuan finishing everything on his plate and praising her culinary skills, he would feel a beautiful sensation in her heart that she found hard to describe.

  Before she went to the supermarket, she could sense that Bai Muchuan looked very troubled. Hence, she wanted to prepare some of his favorite foods to cheer him up. She made a few rounds at the supermarket and carefully picked out some ingredients which amounted to two big plastic bags of food. Then, she went back quickly since she was ready to show her culinary skills.

  When she entered the house, Bai Muchuan was holding his coat and was preparing to leave.

  Both of them looked at each other in the eye with Xiang Wan having a startled look. “You’re going out? Not eating at home?”


  The disappointment in her face was obvious to see.

  Bai Muchuan slowed down the buttoning of his coat and seemed to hesitate for a bit. “You bought so much ingredients……”


  Xiang Wan understood his expression. “It’s okay, just go since you’re busy. I can cook them tomorrow. I’ll whip up something simple later.”


  “Don’t!” By now, Bai Muchuan had adjusted his attire, took the bags of stuff she was holding in her hand, and took her waist while pulling her closer for a kiss. “I have something urgent to attend to, but after attending to it, I’ll come to pick you up for a meal outside. The only problem is I can’t confirm an exact time…… If you’re hungry, you can have something light first.”


  “.…… Oh, alright!”


  Looking down at the bunch of ingredients she bought, Xiang Wan smiled.

  “Just hurry and get going, don’t be late.”


  “Mm, see you later.”


  Bai Muchuan gave her a quick embrace; he then ruffled her hair and left hurriedly.

  In no time, she heard the sound of the door closing.

  Huff!

  It was no easy feat to become the girlfriend of a detective.

  Xiang Wan kept the ingredients she bought into the fridge before she cleaned up the kitchen. After that, she laid lazily on the canopy porch swing with a book in her hand while relaxing in the evening like a panda.

  Being alone actually felt good at times.

  No one would disturb her and she could do whatever she wanted.

  She would usually do this as well—writing her story, reading a book, and attending to the plants…… However, that evening, she felt distracted.

  She had been glancing at her mobile phone on and off. Looking at the darkening sky outside the window, she sent Hu Bandao a message.

  “Are you busy?”


  “Nope.” Hu Bandao replied fast.

  After that, he sent another message. “What’s up, brother……”


  Xiang Wan replied, “Nothing. It’s just that today…… After I gave it some thought, I really shouldn’t have blamed the whole thing on you and even blocked you……”


  Hu Bandao laughed. “Just add me again. It’s so simple!”


  In no time, he sent a friend request via WeChat.

  Xiang Wan added him and checked out his WeChat Moments……

  She found nothing that suggested he had a newfound love. As usual, there was nothing that suggested that he found someone new.

  Hu Bandao texted her again, “For that incident, I should have informed you immediately when I got the sachet…… I never expected that things would turn out like this. I didn’t dare to contact you because of all the bad influences that the matter caused since I’m worried that you might still be peeved at me.”


  Xiang Wan replied, “.…… I’m not.”


  Hu Bandao responded shortly, “I’m glad that you’re not angry anymore.”


  Xiang Wan remained quiet for a moment.

  “Actually, it’s not important if I’m angry or not, but Du Landuo…… why did she end her life just because of a small misunderstanding? She’s too silly. I actually feel bad for her death. For the past few days, I’ve been having nightmares…… How about you?”


  Hu Bandao did not reply right away.

  This was in fact, not a very good topic to be talking about.

  A good while later, Hu Bandao sent a sighing emoji over.

  “Don’t blame yourself. No one would know such a thing would happen. Moreover, in this matter, you’re actually the innocent party. You’re unrelated to this incident at all…… If there’s anyone to blame, it would be me and Du Landuo herself. She’s too irresponsible for her life. By adopting such an extreme method to deal with the problem, it’s frightening—”


  Men indeed had a heart of stone.

  Her life was no more and whether what she did was right or wrong didn’t matter anymore.

  He could provide an analysis of Du Landuo’s death calmly……

  That could prove that he did not love her at all.

  If he were in love with Du Landuo, he wouldn’t have given an analysis so easily and calmly……

  Xiang Wan saw that the lightings far away outside the window were lit up. This lonely space seemed to become rather desolate.

  A while later, she tried asking Hu Bandao another question. “So what are your plans?”


  Hu Bandao replied, “What are you referring to?”


  Xiang Wan asked in a half-joking tone, “Du Landuo’s gone now. Will you have another girlfriend?”


  Hu Bandao responded in his usual speed, “Of course! I need time to get over it though. Recently, I have little spirit and motivation.”


  Well……

  That was a serious and politically correct answer.

  Xiang Wan’s brain kept replaying the image of the man and woman, who were holding hands and behaving rather intimately with each other, that she saw outside the supermarket. Looking at Hu Bandao’s message where he claimed that he didn’t have much spirit and motivation, her lips quirked up at the corners to form a disdainful smile. She didn’t know if she should mock or agree with the cruelness of human nature.

  Xiang Wan finally texted back, “Are you still at Jin City or have you gone back home?”


  Hu Bandao responded thereafter, “I’m at the Capital.”


  Xiang Wan replied, “Oh? You went to the Capital?”


  Hu Bandao sent a smiling emoji. “Yup. I’m looking at some houses here…… Moreover, I formed a studio with several friends and saw how things would go in the future. You know there are a lot of opportunities in the Capital……”


  Indeed, those famous authors from the Men’s genre were really wealthy.

  A house in the Capital was not something one could afford easily.

  “Wow, impressive!”


  “Can’t be compared to you. Second Young Master Mu’s the most impressive of all……”


  “We are two different individuals. What’s his is not mine. I can only look on enviously……”


  “Hahaha, after you both married each other, what’s his will be yours. You better hold on to him tight.”


  “Sure! When we get married, you need to give me a big red packet.”


  “That goes without saying…… we’re brothers, alright?”


  After an exchange of a few more sentences, Xiang Wan used the excuse of preparing dinner to end the conversation.

  Throughout the conversation, she did not mention Xuan Yue; Hu Bandao did not mention her either. She could read between the lines that he portrayed himself as a happy bachelor. If Xiang Wan didn’t have a boyfriend like Second Young Master Mu and that Hu Bandao knew that he couldn’t compare himself to her boyfriend, Xiang Wan would believe that he would already flirt with her on and off.

  This was approximately what men were like nowadays.

  Even though they might already have a girlfriend or a wife…… they would still behave in this manner.

  To them, it was just a casual flirting. Feelings come and go too fast in this modern era. If the other party flirts back, in this instance, the men would try to ask the girl out; every successful hookup from the girls felt like trophies to them…… If the girls didn’t respond the way they wanted, they lost nothing either. They could simply turn their heads away, delete such girls from their friend list, and become strangers…… Either way, all these girls would become a topic of these guys, saying that they were materialistic, money chasers, and so forth……

  Hu Bandao was no exception.

  Perhaps what made Xiang Wan feel bad was that he had done that when Du Landuo had just died.

  Barely a month had passed……

  The sky started to get darker.

  Xiang Wan’s stomach growled twice before Bai Muchuan called her.

  “You may come down now. I’ll wait for you.”


  He finished his work sooner than what Xiang Wan expected.

  He had kept his promise to pick her up for dinner.

  Xiang Wan then compared Hu Bandao with Bai Muchuan and felt really moved.

  However, it was not a romantic dinner for two. It was a group dinner with detectives she was familiar with and some police officers whom she had not met before.

  There was Quan Shaoteng, Ding Yifan, Salimu, Tang Yuanchu, and three other police officers which Xiang Wan believed were also from Serious Crime Division One.

  When Bai Muchuan and Xiang Wan arrived at the destination, a group of them were already waiting for them to arrive. From the looks of it, they had come directly from the office as they seemed to be in work mode.

  The smell of the detectives……

  These words popped up in Xiang Wan’s head when she saw them.

  It was a rather special feeling, or rather, it was all because of their demeanor.

  It was a smell different from any other profession. She was used to them. With just one look, she could feel that vibe from them……

  “Teacher Xiang, you’ve become younger and prettier.” Salimu was just like Tang Yuanchu in the past, trying to curry favor from them. Nonetheless, his usage of words was sometimes inappropriate, and instead of trying to gain favor, he was asking for a beating instead. “When you stand beside our Captain Bai, it’s totally a perfect May-December romance!”


  Xiang Wan remained quiet. “.……”


  Bai Muchuan ignored Salimu.

  He pulled the chair for Xiang Wan like a gentleman and sat beside her before asking Ding Yifan.

  “Have you submitted Salimu’s name to the Special Police Force for training?”


  Ding Yifan nodded in cooperation. “Submitted.”


  Salimu immediately started to howl away in a grievance. “Don’t, I’m wrong…… Can anyone tell me though, if we do not consider this a May-December romance, then what should we call it? Could it be…… Cradle Snatcher?”


  Xiang Wan looked at him with a frown. “.……”


  He had offended both of them now.

  He’s too young!

  Tang Yuanchu cleared his throat. “Boss, I feel that the training might be good for him physically, but that couldn’t fix his mouth for spouting nonsense. I have a better suggestion……”


  Bai Muchuan raised an eyebrow and gestured for the waiter to add the cutlery for them. “Say it!”


  Tang Yuanchu glanced at Salimu. “Don’t allow him to touch any computer or electronic equipment in the future and transfer him to the Archives team……”