Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  The interrogation room quietened down.

  Bai Muchuan nodded his head and before he said anything, maybe he felt that the room was a little too suffocated or he needed some time to think about the questions he wanted to ask. He loosened his collar a little by unbuttoning a button. His deep eyes seemed to be floating and he cleared his throat.

  “Xu Siqi passed you a drive,” he said coolly, “right?”


  He was straight to the point, asking the most important thing without qualms.

  Everyone was quiet and looked at Xie Wanwan.

  Xie Wanwan didn’t react for a moment and furrowed her eyebrows slowly.

  “Drive? What drive?”


  Bai Muchuan squinted his eyes. “A drive that contained the murderer’s script.”


  Every word of his seemed to have an echo in the quiet space.

  Xie Wanwan shook her head. “I don’t know.”


  Bai Muchuan: “You didn’t see that script?”


  “Script?” Xie Wanwan thought for a moment. “Do you mean the script that’s currently being circulated online that contained the details of Xu Siqi’s death?”


  “Maybe yes, or maybe not.”


  There was no way to judge the authenticity of the script that was circulating on the Internet.

  “I never saw anything like that,” confirmed Xie Wanwan, “I’ve told Xiang Wan about my last conversation with Xu Siqi……”


  She tilted her head slightly to look at Xiang Wan.

  Xiang Wan was slightly startled when Bai Muchuan continued. “Say it again.”


  Xie Wanwan did not refute, her eyebrows were scrunched up together in thought. “She invited me to Zhang Houfa’s villa to attend the party and I turned down the invitation.”


  She basically repeated what she had told Xiang Wan.

  “That’s all?” Bai Muchuan’s gaze was somewhat cold.

  “That’s all.” Xie Wanwan raised her eyebrows and faced him calmly. “I didn’t find anything unusual except that she was not exactly in a good mood…… well, Xu Siqi is quite an emotional person, I feel that it’s natural for her to react this way.”


  That was what she told Xiang Wan that day.

  Bai Muchuan was obviously not satisfied with the reply.

  “Why?”


  “What why?”


  “Why did you think that it’s natural for her to not be in a good mood?”


  “.……”


  Xie Wanwan took a breath as she faced his cold, piercing gaze. “Does this even need an explanation? Let me ask you this, would you be happy if a disgusting woman wanted you to sleep with her?”


  Quan Shaoteng cleared his throat, held a fist to his nose, and had to take two deep breaths before he finally eased the urge to laugh.

  “Please be serious!”


  Tang Yuanchu took a look at Xie Wanwan and continued to stare at the pen he was holding.

  Bai Muchuan was as calm as usual. “Please answer truthfully.”


  Xie Wanwan: “.……”


  She sat straight on her seat slowly and looked at Bai Muchuan. “This is just a feeling. The instincts of a woman.”


  Bai Muchuan nodded his head, pressed his lips together and continued to question her. “What did you do for the whole day after Xu Siqi died?”


  “.……”


  Was he interrogating a criminal?

  Xie Wanwan’s eyes gradually turned cold as she looked at the stern, indifferent face before her.

  “I was working.”


  “What work? Who did you meet?”


  He kept asking.

  Xie Wanwan revealed a cold sneer. “Must I answer?”


  “You must.”


  When Bai Muchuan started to ask her the first question, Xie Wanwan already knew that he meant business and would behave as if they were never friends to begin with.

  Nevertheless, such a questioning method was no different from an interrogation, she found it intolerable.

  She pulled a long face and ignored him as a sign of silent protest.

  “Answer the question!” Bai Muchuan was expressionless.

  Xie Wanwan asked, “If Xiang Wan is not here, will you still treat me this way?”
……

  Silence took over in the interrogation room.

  The atmosphere turned strange and peculiar……

  A moment later, Bai Muchuan replied, “Of course.”


  His voice was clear and calm.

  His gaze still looked towards Xiang Wan for a moment.

  “Miss Xie, you think too much.” Xiang Wan was aware that Bai Muchuan was displeased from his sharp gaze. “I shouldn’t be the one saying this,” she cleared her throat in this strange atmosphere, “but since you mentioned me, I feel that…… I need to give an explanation.”


  “I mean no harm.” Xie Wanwan looked at her seriously, her face cold like ice. “I’m just stating a fact.”


  “I understand.” Xiang Wan smiled. “You feel that Bai Muchuan is too harsh with you because of me. But from what I see, it’s actually the opposite.”


  Xie Wanwan raised her eyebrows and listened.

  “If he’s really someone who couldn’t handle his work appropriately, I believe that you wouldn’t be friends with him. Everyone here will look down on him as well.”


  “Miss Xie!” Xiang Wan continued, not waiting for anyone else to say anything, “You shouldn’t ignore his question. Since you’ve already felt a sense of danger, you need to cooperate with the police closely. For yourself, this is protection, protection from a life-threatening situation. As for him, it’s simply responsibility.”


  “The harsher he is, the more responsible he is to you. What are you still unsatisfied with?”


  Sentence after sentence, she said with certainty.

  Every sentence conveyed her trust in Bai Muchuan.

  Bai Muchuan took a deep look at her and cleared his throat. His indifferent tone and stern expression pulled everyone’s attention back to him.

  “Continue to talk about the case!”


  Xie Wanwan’s line of sight moved away from Xiang Wan’s face and showed a smile. “I met Ye Lun last night and went to meet a client earlier today……”


  A client.

  Xiang Wan looked towards her but Xie Wanwan didn’t turn to look at her. “Any more questions?” she asked expressionlessly.

  “What did you talk about with Ye Lun?” Bai Muchuan asked, “Where did you meet him? When did both of you arrive and when did you leave? Did you meet anyone else when you’re outside? What’s the name of this client you meet today? What is the name of the company and the position of this client? What did you talk about with him…… Give us an account in detail……”


  “.……”


  Xie Wanwan took in a puff of breath.

  “Detective Bai, this is confidential, it’s a trade secret.”


  “The police will keep it a secret.”


  “You……”


  She was slightly agitated.

  She was not willing to answer. She couldn’t accept all these questions……

  But Bai Muchuan didn’t seem that he would give in.

  “This is very important to us for solving the case.”


  Xie Wanwan frowned in confusion. She was unable to comprehend their intentions. “What is important about this? Am I being suspected of killing someone or did I do something against the law?”


  “I didn’t say that.” Bai Muchuan crossed his arms and placed them on the table lightly. “Just tell us.”


  “.……”


  The room was silent for about 30 seconds.

  Everyone had different expressions, but they didn’t say anything.

  Even Tang Yuanchu, who was more protective of Xie Wanwan, didn’t say anything as well.

  “Fine, I’ll talk.” Xie Wanwan pursed her lips, nodded her head heavily and suddenly looked up. “When Xu Siqi died, I was at your house……”