Cross-dresser?

"Male?"

"I already gave you my ID. What questions could you possibly have?"

Lan Mu was giving his statement, and he was about to drive the police officer across from him mad.

"Uh... nothing!"

"Uncle Zhang, the janitor, said you were the first person to discover the body. He said you told him to puncture the plastic bag hiding the corpse." The officer stared at him.

"That's right. I smelled blood and felt something was off," Lan Mu said truthfully.

"Why did no one else smell it, but you did?" The officer's question carried suspicion.

"Tch. I smelled it because I smelled it. My sense of smell has always been extremely sharp."

The officer narrowed his eyes at him, then suddenly said, "Why are you all covered up? Take off those sunglasses! Why are you wearing a hat in this heat?"

Lan Mu's heart skipped a beat. He absolutely could not take off his hat, or his elf ears would be exposed.

Yet outwardly, he remained calm. "Since when do the police get to dictate what I wear?"

"Explain yourself! Why are you disguised? I seriously suspect the person in this ID photo isn't you!"

Lan Mu smiled bitterly inside, but could only say firmly, "Can't I wear makeup?"

"What kind of man wears makeup? Why did you alter your appearance?" The officer grew even more suspicious of Lan Mu and pressed him harder.

Lan Mu snapped, "I'm just a passerby, not a suspect. What business is it of yours if I disguise myself?"

The officer became angry as well. "Be honest! I now strongly suspect you're connected to this case. Tell me! Were you the one responsible for hiding the body?"

"Responsible my ass! I only found out about this case today." Lan Mu knew it would be hard to get away now, so he kept raising his voice, intending for Ma Xiang to hear him.

Ma Xiang was right outside. Hearing the argument, he immediately pushed the door open and entered.

"What's going on? He's a witness, not a suspect. Why are you arguing?"

Seeing Ma Xiang enter, the officer said, "Don't let him fool you. This guy is hiding his face. He may very well have hidden the body, then pretended to be the first to discover it!"

"Am I insane? If I hid it and found it myself, I'd have run away already, wouldn't I?"

The officer pointed at Lan Mu. "Then why didn't you run?"

"I... I don't want to waste words on you anymore... Get someone else!" Lan Mu said helplessly to Ma Xiang, "Can someone else take my statement?"

Of course Ma Xiang believed Lan Mu had nothing to do with the case. He immediately pulled the officer aside with a smile. "He can't possibly be a suspect, Zhao Long. Stop suspecting him."

"Stop suspecting him? Ma Xiang, did you just say that? This case still has no leads. We need to suspect everything! This man disguised himself and was the first to find the body. His appearance doesn't match his ID photo. How can I not suspect someone like that? Who else are we supposed to suspect?" Officer Zhao Long had no intention of giving Ma Xiang any face as he pointed at Ma Xiang's nose.

Ma Xiang froze. Lan Mu's appearance had indeed changed drastically. This issue had been mentioned before, but Lan Mu had said he would explain afterward. As brothers, he believed Lan Mu had nothing to do with this case.

"Zhao Long, when the first two bodies were discovered, Lan Mu was on a business trip in Fuzhou. During the last incident, he was even hospitalized in Fuzhou. Go check it out. There'll definitely be hospital records. He has alibis for both incidents. His disguise is his privacy, so stop making wild accusations."

After Ma Xiang said that, Zhao Long was stunned. After thinking for a long while, he said, "Maybe they're a gang. He could be an accomplice?"

"Zhao Long! Don't spout nonsense without evidence! Go ahead and investigate him all you want! But we police have no right to convict anyone. You don't get to decide whether he's a criminal."

With Ma Xiang defending him so fiercely, Zhao Long could no longer continue questioning him. He could only say angrily, "Fine! You question him!"

"I'll report this situation truthfully to the chief!"

With that, Zhao Long slammed the door and stormed off.

Lan Mu rubbed his nose and said to Ma Xiang, "Thanks. This won't affect you, will it? He probably went to complain."

Ma Xiang said indifferently, "Let him complain! The chief is my dad!"

"Uh..." Lan Mu froze, then laughed. "Well, damn. I never knew your dad was a station chief. I always thought it was a miracle someone like you became a cop. When I asked before, you said it was all on your own merit. Now you've let it slip, huh? Tell me! Did you pull strings?"

"Shh, shh, shh! Keep it down! I passed the police exam fair and square. Don't talk nonsense. No one at the station knew my dad was the chief!"

"But you're the real problem. It's a good thing you aren't suspects. Our station is handling the statements, but if the bureau got involved, I wouldn't be able to help you at all!"

"Spill it! What exactly is going on with your appearance? You can tell me now, right? Don't tell me you really are a cross-dresser?"

Hearing Ma Xiang's question, Lan Mu had troubles he could not voice. In the end, he could only smile bitterly.

"I don't know how to explain it. Really, brother, I have my reasons. Give me some time, and I'll tell you."

Ma Xiang nodded. Seeing the bitterness on Lan Mu's face, he stopped pressing him.

"Alright, the statement is pretty much done. Leave this to me. You should head back first!"

"If you stay here any longer, who knows what trouble might come up again. Get out of here first!"

Lan Mu was lucky to have Ma Xiang helping him today, or things would have been truly troublesome. He was currently in a forced transformation state. If he stayed any longer and alerted the bureau, his identity might be exposed.

This was no place to linger. Lan Mu nodded, picked up his equipment, and walked straight out of the police station.

By the time he got home, it was already eight in the evening. The moment he entered, he saw Su Yue sitting alone in a chair.

The room had become spotless. The windows, floor, tables, chairs, and stools had all been wiped clean, and even his bed had been folded and made neatly.

Dinner had been prepared on the table, but not a single bite had been touched. Clearly, Su Yue had spent the day cleaning the house and preparing food for him, yet she had not eaten at all.

"Something held me up. Why didn't you eat first?"

Lan Mu felt a little embarrassed. He quickly put down his equipment, sat at the table, suppressed his elf's germophobia, and tasted a bite of the food first.

The dishes were obviously cold, but they still tasted quite good. They had Su Yue's distinctive cooking flavor.

"Brother Mu, the food's cold. Let me heat it up again?"

With that, Su Yue began bustling around.

The food really was cold. Lan Mu did not care, since he truly had no appetite for human food anymore. But Su Yue had not eaten either, so he did not stop her from reheating it so she would not have to eat cold food.

Once the food was reheated, the two silently began eating. Su Yue did not eat much. After she was full, she put down her chopsticks and quietly waited.

Lan Mu barely ate anything. He forced himself to swallow two bites, then was hit by a nauseating wave of retching and ultimately vomited it all back up.

"Sorry, I already ate outside. Just throw away these leftovers. We don't have a refrigerator, and with this hot weather, they'll spoil."

Su Yue nodded and silently began clearing the table. Lan Mu helped her finish cleaning up, then told her to return to her room and watch television dramas.

Lan Mu stripped naked and took a hot shower. His body would not get dirty anyway; showering was merely a habit.

He put on a new set of clothes and sat on the bed, fiddling with the newly bought camera.

At ten that night, he suddenly received a call from Ma Xiang.

"What is it? Did something happen?" Lan Mu asked.

"No?" Ma Xiang froze, then said, "I'm secretly letting you know that Zhao Long's situation has been handled. The statement is all normal, and no one will pursue the matter of your disguise anymore. Also... everyone at the station knows my dad is the chief now..."

Ma Xiang had helped him settle the aftermath, and Lan Mu was quite happy. But hearing that last sentence, he froze. "Huh? That won't affect you, will it?"

"How could it not affect me? Even if they don't say it out loud, they definitely all think I got in through connections! Boohoohoo! I clearly passed the exam on my own ability!"

"Cough, cough..." Lan Mu laughed. "Enough already. Stop crying injustice!"

Seeing that Lan Mu was not buying it, Ma Xiang awkwardly continued, "By the way, even though it's settled, I'm afraid Zhao Long might take this to the bureau. The city takes this case very seriously. Even the provincial department will directly inquire about it. Next time, I might not be able to help you."

Lan Mu nodded. He knew the case had to be solved as soon as possible. The longer it dragged on, the more anxious the police would become. When they repeatedly reviewed the case later, they might track him down with a rather punish the innocent than let the guilty go mentality.

"By the way, Brother Mu, tomorrow my team is going to investigate where the victim disappeared. Do you want to come too?" Ma Xiang suddenly said.

"Me? Isn't that confidential? Can I go film it?" Lan Mu asked in surprise.

"Hehe, I have a brilliant plan!"