Spotting the Clues

"He's in there. Shout for us right away if anything happens," the officer outside the interrogation room reminded him.

Lin Xingye nodded and thanked him.

He sat down opposite the man. "Duan Peng?"

That twisted face from last night was still vivid in his memory. He looked composed, but inside, he was still nervous.

Yet when the man called Duan Peng saw him, he seemed to suddenly come to his senses. "How... how could I have done something like that?"

Lin Xingye had an inkling now. "Do you know Qin Ke?"

He seemed confused about why Lin Xingye would ask that, but answered honestly anyway. "...Yes."

Lin Xingye asked, "What's your relationship?"

At that, Duan Peng fell silent for a long time before hesitantly speaking. "I... I don't know how to put it. We're... lovers, I guess?"

Lin Xingye's gaze darkened. Without explaining anything further, he left the interrogation room.

In his previous life, he had never heard of Qin Ke having a lover. Flirtations, on the other hand, had come one after another.

The man's condition didn't look right, either.

Putting that together with what had happened in his previous life, if his guess was right-

Qin Ke was probably a reincarnated fox spirit!

At that thought, Lin Xingye bristled indignantly. Wasn't the rule that nothing was allowed to become a spirit after the founding of the People's Republic?

After returning to the Lin Residence and reassuring Father Lin and Mother Lin, he drove to the company to find Xu Chen.

"Xu Chen, his information." Once he reached the office building, he immediately began poring over the relevant files.

According to the information Xu Chen had provided, Qin Ke had previously been an ordinary office worker who had graduated just two years ago.

He had abruptly resigned last month. Not only that, he had deleted all his coworkers' contact information. In isolation, that wasn't a big deal.

But afterward, Qin Ke's family had come looking for him, saying they hadn't been able to reach him for a long time.

The people at the company had helped file a police report, and only then had the police found Qin Ke.

They had learned this from one of his former coworkers. According to that person, Qin Ke had looked much prettier when they saw him again.

He was like a young girl who had suddenly started caring about her appearance, dressing himself up to the nines.

But he was different. His styling had a clear purpose, and that wasn't something that could change overnight.

Even the way he spoke was completely different. If he had once been a gentle, honest young man, he now spoke in an affected, cutesy voice.

That coworker was pretty blunt, too.

As for what happened afterward between him and his family, few people knew much. The police had merely offered a few reminders without asking further questions, and there was no way to know what he had done while staying home during that time.

Then he had suddenly applied for a job as a waiter at the hotel hosting the Symposium. Apparently, he still worked there now.

From that day onward, he had frequently become involved with different guests, and there was no shortage of people around him who envied him.

Those people had probably been nursing grudges against him for a long time, because they didn't mince words.

"There's something seriously creepy about him. He keeps hooking up with guests, and somehow none of them ever find out about the others?"

"It's not just the guests he hooks up with, is it? Heh."

"I think he's really strange. A supervisor got into an argument with him once, and despite having worked there for years, they were fired just like that! And that wasn't the only time something like that happened!"

"He never shows up on time. He comes in whenever he wants, as though he has someone to meet at that particular hour, and the general manager actually lets him get away with it. It's insane."

Lin Xingye had suspected that Qin Ke wasn't ordinary. After all, he himself had been reborn. What else was impossible?

But how was he supposed to fight a spirit?

Lin Xingye decided to ask his mother which nearby temple was particularly effective.

"Mom, which temple has a master who can catch spirits?"

Mother Lin: ...

Catch who? You?

Clearly, that approach was a dead end.

Just then, Xu Chen knocked and came in. "Xingye, Mr. An Shi invited you to dinner. Should I turn him down for you?"

Xu Chen knew the two weren't close and figured he probably wouldn't accept.

An idea flashed through Lin Xingye's mind. He hurriedly stood and straightened his clothes. "Yes, yes, yes! Where? What time? Are we leaving now?"

He looked ready to go, positively itching to leave that instant.

Xu Chen glanced down at his watch. "It's only three."

He tossed his hair and struck a pose. "Little Chen, book me the earliest time."

Xu Chen was already used to his occasional bouts of madness and merely reminded him, "Xingye, remember to check the news."

Today's headlines.

The true identity of an up-and-coming entrepreneur surnamed Li in City A has been exposed: he was the affair partner of multiple female executives. The men involved have joined forces against him, hanging banners outside his company.

Li Hanwen appeared to respond, only to be beaten by the crowd. Police intervened!

Exposed: the smear campaigns against numerous female entrepreneurs!

In an upscale restaurant, Lin Xingye and An Shi stared at each other.

Knowing that An Shi wasn't usually much of a talker, Lin Xingye broke the silence first. "What would you like to eat?"

This had suddenly turned into a meetup between introverts, though he probably wasn't one himself.

An Shi cleared his throat twice and picked out a few dishes. "I've been here a few times. See if you'd like to add anything."

Lin Xingye shook his head.

[That's plenty, kiddo~]

An Shi raised an eyebrow at him. That look, as though he were staring at an idiot, appeared again.

"What's got you so eager today? Do you need a favor?" Lin Xingye was acting completely out of character, so enthusiastic about having dinner with him. He must want something.

Lin Xingye scratched his head sheepishly. "I... I wanted to ask you for a favor."

[It's about that Tea Bag you love. Wonder if he'll help me.]

An Shi was rather speechless. "Mr. Lin, I think you should see a doctor first. If you're ill, get treatment. Don't put it off."

He had only meant to take a jab at him, but to his surprise, Lin Xingye didn't argue.

Instead, he kept furiously scratching his head and avoiding his gaze.

Looking at the bandages around his hand, An Shi couldn't help wondering whether he really was ill.

He thought of what Qi Sijing had told him yesterday. Since Lin Xingye cared about it, he might as well tell him. Perhaps he knew something, too.

But the moment he opened his mouth to speak, the words stuck in his throat.

What was going on?

Lin Xingye had just taken a sip of water and was about to say he was a little hungry when he saw An Shi opening and closing his mouth without saying a word.

[Makka Pakka?]

An Shi frowned in thought. He knew perfectly well that nothing was wrong with his body. He tried saying a couple of other things, and those came out fine. He simply couldn't talk about anything concerning Qin Ke.

Just then, all the dishes they had ordered arrived.

The mouthwatering spread made Lin Xingye's eyes light up, and he opened his phone.

His social media feed got to eat first.

An Shi didn't notice what he was doing. He was still thinking. Since he couldn't say it outright, he could only drop Lin Xingye a hint. As for whether he would understand...

An Shi curled his lip. That's not my problem.

"Do you mean Qin Ke?" An Shi picked up his chopsticks and brought him up as if in passing, lifting his eyes to look steadily at Lin Xingye.

Lin Xingye: munch, munch, munch.

An Shi: ?

What exactly are you here for?

After wolfing down a few mouthfuls of rice, Lin Xingye looked up and met An Shi's unfriendly gaze. He quickly swallowed. "Yes, yes, yes. Him."

An Shi said, "I think he's... not like ordinary people. The people close to him are also a little... abnormal. Do you think he might be able to..." Control...

[Be a fox spirit?]

An Shi: ?

Huh. It wasn't as though he could rule that possibility out.

Ever since the Symposium, An Shi's materialist worldview had all but collapsed. He felt he could accept even the most outlandish things now.

But this was a little too outlandish, wasn't it?

An Shi sank into thought, even beginning to wonder whether he should go back and consult his esteemed teacher.

Provided his teacher wouldn't call him crazy.

He pondered for a long time without touching his chopsticks. Something suddenly occurred to him, and he was about to discuss it with Lin Xingye when his gaze abruptly changed, as though he had seen something astonishing.

Lin Xingye was engrossed in eating and didn't even look up.

"Lin Xingye! Stop eating! Look behind you!" An Shi called to him in a low voice.

Looking utterly confused, he turned around.

Cheng Yu and Qin Ke?