Chapter Forty-Five

After returning home, Liu Mumu was still thinking about what had happened earlier.

Lü Yao's situation was certainly worthy of sympathy, but that wasn't what bothered her. It was the other woman's attitude.

When ordinary people went through something like this, their first thought was to call the police. Even if they thought the police had no evidence and couldn't solve the case, they would still consider getting a divorce to protect themselves.

But Lü Yao had chosen to seek out a fortune-teller.

A capable fortune-teller could indeed solve a lot of problems, but in the eyes of ordinary people, fortune-telling was usually a last resort. Unless they had no other choice, who would think of using it to solve their problem first?

And why had she come to Liu Mumu?

Jiang Li had introduced her to Zhang Xueqi, but Zhang Xueqi hadn't chosen her. For one thing, she didn't look like a master, so she couldn't fool Old Mrs. Zhang. For another, Zhang Xueqi must have doubted her abilities.

Liu Mumu had never shown off her fortune-telling skills, nor had she displayed her Diviner's License. It was only natural that people didn't trust her.

But Lü Yao seemed ready to stake all her hopes on Liu Mumu. Where did that trust come from?

Liu Mumu didn't mind telling people's fortunes, but something about Lü Yao felt off, so she had chosen to turn her down.

Before bed, Liu Mumu "bothered" Yan Xiu as usual.

Liu Mumu: You there? Sneaky cat.jpg

Liu Mumu: Poking in one little paw.jpg

Liu Mumu: Your little sweetheart is here.jpg

Yan Xiu was at the dinner table. After the headquarters received word that Xu Yongshuang had been caught, they must have discussed the matter before finally sending two Gu Masters: Yan Ling, who had originally been assigned to the case, and Gu Lan, the person in charge.

Gu Lan was a distant relative of Yan Xiu's mother's family, which made her something of an elder to him. They weren't close, but he couldn't pretend he didn't know her, so he invited everyone to dinner and introduced her to Fang Chuan as well, hoping to avoid any friction during the investigation.

Everyone was reasonably pleasant at the table as long as they avoided discussing the case. The moment it came up, though, nobody was willing to give an inch.

With Yan Xiu and Yan Ling mediating, they just barely made it through dinner.

When elders and younger relatives dined together, if they didn't talk business, they could only discuss personal matters. Gu Lan got along well with Yan Xiu's mother, so it was only natural that she'd ask whether he had a girlfriend.

"Not yet," Yan Xiu replied.

"I know a lovely young woman. How about I introduce you? She's my niece, twenty-six this year, and she..." Gu Lan had spoken to Yan Xiu's mother before coming, and she was making the offer at his mother's suggestion.

Yan Xiu's mother had even met the woman she wanted to introduce to him in advance.

Yan Ling shook her head beside them. Her aunt was going to all this trouble to set her cousin up, even though he was already such a catch. Single people really had no rights in this world.

Before Gu Lan could finish, Yan Xiu's phone began chiming with a string of message alerts.

She was about to continue, but Yan Xiu unexpectedly picked up his phone and apologized. "Sorry, I need to make a call."

"Go ahead." Gu Lan shook her head helplessly, knowing he was using this as a way to turn her down.

What a pity. Watching the outstanding young man leave the private room, she sighed to herself in disappointment. If she could arrange a marriage alliance with the eldest son of the Yan family, it would surely bring countless benefits to her own family.

She'd thought she'd get no more than a good-night message tonight, but who would've guessed Yan Xiu would start a video call?

The surprise caught Liu Mumu off guard.

Her hand moved faster than her brain. She accepted the call, and Yan Xiu appeared on her phone screen, standing in what looked like a hotel hallway in a sharp suit. Meanwhile, she was sprawled on her bed in dinosaur pajamas.

They weren't separated by time or space, but by dimensions.

Yan Xiu admired the little dinosaur, the corners of his lips lifting. "Nice pajamas."

Liu Mumu buried her face in the blanket, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. He'd never been willing to video chat with her before, so why was he ambushing her when she wasn't ready? That was totally against the rules!

After three seconds of embarrassment, Liu Mumu's face appeared on the screen again, and she swiftly changed the subject. "You're not home? Where are you?"

"At a hotel, entertaining guests."

Liu Mumu's antennae sprang upright. "Are there any pretty girls?"

"There's a pretty auntie."

"Oh... Then shouldn't you be keeping the pretty auntie company?" she asked, pretending to be concerned.

Yan Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Should I go back now?"

"No need. I don't think the auntie wants you to leave." Liu Mumu quickly stopped him. This topic wasn't safe either. Time to change the subject.

Remembering what had happened a couple of days earlier, Liu Mumu sat up, bristling with indignation. "Don't stick talisman paper to my face next time. And Little Brother Wu, who drove me home—he had to bring the police car right to my door. Was that your idea? People are going to think I've gotten into trouble again."

"Are they wrong?"

"Of course they are! I'm just a concerned member of the public. Sure, I'm a little more concerned than most people, but can you say I didn't help? It's bad enough that you didn't give me a banner of appreciation, and then you went and stuck talisman paper on me. You're awful!"

Yan Xiu thought it over. "Fine. I'll have Fang Chuan send you ten banners later."

Liu Mumu puffed out her cheeks in anger. Was this about the banners? She'd been talking about the talisman paper! He was obviously changing the subject on purpose.

Seeing that she was about to blow her top, Yan Xiu asked, "Has anyone strange been around you lately?"

"Someone strange? Did something else happen?"

"It's related to the case. I can't tell you yet."

The truth was, after Fang Chuan arrested Xu Yongshuang, he found a message on his phone that hadn't been deleted in time.

It had come just a few minutes before the arrest. If it had arrived a little earlier, it might really have helped Xu Yongshuang escape.

They had shown the message to Xu Yonglin, who didn't know whether Xu Yongshuang had any other accomplices in Qingcheng. The brothers had been practicing gu together for years, with no one else involved.

However, Xu Yongshuang often contacted outsiders. When they called those numbers, they found they were all disconnected, and the callers' identities could no longer be traced.

He and Fang Chuan had looked into it together, and at first they suspected there was a mole in the police station.

The Xu brothers' case had never been made public. In fact, before Xu Yongshuang turned himself in, it had belonged to the headquarters. Even the case files related to Zhuo Ran had all been handed over.

Aside from the Special Case Investigation Section's own staff, almost no one could have known about it.

But it didn't make sense. If an insider had leaked information, why had it happened right when they were arresting Xu Yongshuang? The timing was too precise. Had the person not really wanted to help him, or had they only just found out?

If the leak hadn't come from the police station, then it might have come from someone around Liu Mumu.

Maybe someone had heard something from her? Yan Xiu didn't think she would tell other people about the case casually, not even her father.

Another possibility was that someone had seen her meet Xu Yonglin, recognized him, and then seen her being driven home by the police. They might have put the pieces together.

As it happened, Liu Mumu had been driven home right when they began the arrest operation, which lined up with the time of that message.

But that possibility was just as unlikely.

There were too many coincidences involved.

Someone acquainted with Xu Yongshuang just happened to show up near Liu Mumu, and happened to see all of this?

Of course, it was all speculation. They had no evidence, and there was no time to investigate where the message had come from. It had simply come up in conversation, so he'd asked.

Liu Mumu thought about it, and couldn't help remembering Lü Yao. After hesitating, she told him, "I did happen to meet someone strange today, but probably not the kind of person you mean."

"Tell me about it," Yan Xiu said patiently.

Liu Mumu told him what had happened that day, then added, "Do you think I'm being too sensitive? Maybe she really is desperate and wants me to help her?"

"When you're desperate, you should ask the police for help, not you."

"Maybe she's just softhearted. It doesn't seem wrong to want to confirm things first," Liu Mumu said after thinking it over.

"Confirm with a neighbor who looks unreliable? She wouldn't tell anyone else such a secret, but she told you. Are you close?"

Liu Mumu shook her head. "We're not close. That's why I think it's strange."

"Then you made the right choice."

Even Yan Xiu thought she'd done the right thing, and Liu Mumu finally felt at ease.

Once she relaxed, she yawned. She was the perfect example of someone who tossed you aside once she was done with you. She snuggled into her soft, warm blanket and waved a paw at the phone. "I'm going to sleep. Bye-bye."

"Good night," Yan Xiu said softly.

Liu Mumu blew him an exaggerated kiss and ended the call.

Behind Yan Xiu, Yan Ling had come out looking for him. She wore an awkward expression. She hadn't had time to avoid him before he caught her.

Yan Ling shrank back a little and said quietly, "I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose."

Yan Xiu ignored her, put away his phone, and said blandly, "Let's go."

His tone was completely different from the one he'd used to say good night.

By the time Yan Xiu went back, it was late, and everyone had nearly finished eating. They took the guests back to their hotel, leaving only Fang Chuan.

Sitting in Yan Xiu's car, Fang Chuan watched the scenery fly past outside the window and rubbed his temples with a headache. "This leader doesn't look easy to deal with. While you were away, she kept hinting that I should hand the censer over to headquarters for research."

"If they want to study it, let them have it for a few days. Just don't let them take it away. Otherwise, give them whatever they ask for."

"What, you're sure they won't find anything?" Fang Chuan asked with interest.

Yan Xiu didn't answer directly. He only said, "The Xu brothers were both quite talented among Gu Masters."

"Whatever. I only need to cooperate, anyway."

"By the way, help me look into someone when you have time."

"Hmm? Who?" Fang Chuan asked curiously.

"A neighbor of the Dong family. A woman named Lü Yao. Have someone look into her carefully."

"Wait, the Dong family? Liu Mumu's neighbor? Don't tell me she asked you to look into her."

Yan Xiu glanced at him. "Do I look like I have that much free time?"

"You never know," Fang Chuan said with a click of his tongue. "You've only met a few times, and I know everything you've said to each other. I've never heard anything about her neighbor, so you two must be in touch on the side."

"Now and then."

Fang Chuan sounded a little hurt. "...Brother, do you remember what you said on your first day here? No chatting outside work hours."