Mu Dai returned to the villa dejected, close to midnight. Too tired to go back to her room, she flopped down on the lobby sofa like a corpse and stared blankly at the chandelier on the ceiling.
The villa’s retro style was no joke—the chandelier featured a suspended copper monkey with its lifelike bronze body hanging upside down, its curved tail ending in a hook that held the light.
Unfortunately, it was fitted with modern lighting. If it had been truly ancient style, with a candle on the tail, the flame gently flickering at night, that would have created a better atmosphere.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when someone came and sat down on the sofa opposite her, laughing: “Girl, why so dispirited?”
It was Wan Fenghuo. Mu Dai lay there limply without moving and said, “I’ve been infuriated.”
Wan Fenghuo roared with laughter: “Like a deflated ball.”
How apt. Nothing should be excessive—she had been so furious that she’d completely lost her energy.
She mustered some spirit to speak with Wan Fenghuo: “Why haven’t you rested yet?”
“Just saw Li Tan off.”
Mu Dai was surprised: “He left?”
“Yes, he left.”
It made sense. He wasn’t there for tourism. Since there was no progress, of course, everyone would go their separate ways. Although she still felt resentful about Luo Ren, who had the energy to linger in an unfamiliar place for someone whose background they didn’t even know?
Mu Dai sat up dejectedly: “I’ll head back tomorrow too.”
Early the next morning, Mu Dai packed her luggage and called a taxi to the airport. They hadn’t gone far before getting stuck in traffic on People’s Road. Mu Dai rolled down the window to casually view the scenery when suddenly someone waved enthusiastically from across the street: “Hey, Sister Mu Dai!”
It was Cao Yanhua. This was his territory; he probably roamed around here every day. Mu Dai waved back, intending for him to stay put, but he darted across the road, dodging cars and enduring curses to reach her. When he got to the window, he smiled broadly, resting his elbow on the car window: “Hey, Sister Mu Dai, where are you going? Three Gorges or Ciqikou?”
“I’m going back.”
It took Cao Yanhua a full five seconds to process what “going back” meant, and he immediately turned pale: “How can you be leaving, sister? You’ve only been here a few days! Looking down on my great Chongqing, huh? You’re leaving without even saying goodbye—that hurts! I should at least treat you to a meal…”
The light ahead changed, and the driver impatiently shooed Cao Yanhua: “Move aside, move aside! We’re moving.”
Mu Dai smiled apologetically at Cao Yanhua, but she had underestimated his enthusiasm. After reluctantly jogging alongside the car for a couple of steps, he suddenly opened the door and darted inside.
Such dangerous rule-breaking made the driver’s face extremely unpleasant, but Cao Yanhua pretended not to notice: “Perfect timing! I’m not busy. I’ll see you off.”
Mu Dai sensed the real matter was still to come. Sure enough, after adding her on WeChat and repeatedly expressing his desire to visit Yunnan, Cao Yanhua suddenly lowered his voice mysteriously: “Sister Mu Dai, who taught you your kung fu?”
Mu Dai looked at him sideways: “Why do you ask?”
“I want to learn too! Your skills are so important for our profession. I’ve checked online—nowadays, they only teach things like Tai Chi, for old people to stay healthy. Not practical at all. Sister Mu Dai, you must have a dedicated master, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Cao Yanhua’s heart leaped with joy: “Sister Mu Dai—no, big sister—what do you think about accepting a junior martial brother or something?”
What a roundabout request. Mu Dai crushed his hopes with one sentence: “Not possible. Don’t even think about it.”
Cao Yanhua persisted: “Does your master only accept one disciple?”
“No, there was one before me.”
Mu Dai smiled at him mischievously: “That previous disciple had corrupt intentions. After learning kung fu, he strayed from the right path and stole from others. When my master found out, he broke one of his legs…”
As she spoke, she slowly placed her hand on Cao Yanhua’s knee. He was listening so tensely that he didn’t pay attention. But when she reached the last sentence, she suddenly gripped his knee and twisted it to the side. Cao Yanhua must have thought his leg was about to be broken, because he screamed as if his life depended on it. His scream startled the driver, causing the car to swerve sharply on the road.
Mu Dai calmly withdrew her hand and said earnestly, “Fat brother, I don’t mean to look down on your professional career, but my master hates thieves the most. If he knew you had waded into these waters, hmm hmm…”
Cao Yanhua felt chills down his spine at her cold humming and finally abandoned any thought of learning her skills. However, he was still honest by nature and didn’t turn cold toward her because of this. When they reached the airport, he accompanied Mu Dai to the security checkpoint.
With some time before her flight, Mu Dai browsed idly in the airport shops, wondering whether to bring back some Chongqing specialties for Hong Yi, when someone called her from behind.
Turning around, she saw it was Li Tan.
Having become acquainted during this trip, Mu Dai was quite pleased: “Didn’t you leave last night?”
Li Tan smiled: “There was either an air exercise or traffic control yesterday, so it was changed to today.”
Li Tan’s flight was also still some time away, so the two found seats to chat. Their conversation inevitably circled back to Luoma Lake. Li Tan wasn’t in high spirits, presumably disappointed by his Chongqing trip.
Mu Dai didn’t think Cen Chunjiao’s information was false, but Li Tan’s account also seemed coherent. With both sides sticking to their versions, it was difficult for an outsider to judge. She suggested to Li Tan, “If you did encounter the murderer, you should tell Uncle Wan. He has more people and channels, and could help you search together.”
“I’ve already spoken with him privately this time, but…”
Li Tan’s brows furrowed: “How should I put it, the situation is more complex than you think. Wan suggested I find a hypnotist.”
Why would a hypnotist be involved? Mu Dai was a bit confused.
Li Tan explained, though rather vaguely: “At that time… honestly, I happened to encounter him. The person tried to escape, and we grappled. He was wearing a mask, and then suddenly someone struck me from behind…”
Mu Dai was surprised: “There were two of them?”
Li Tan sighed: “I originally thought it was just one person, too.”
He took out a cigarette pack from his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, but probably mindful of being in the airport, hesitated and didn’t light it: “Since it was two years ago, completely inconsistent with Cen Chunjiao’s claim of five years ago, I can be certain that woman’s story is unreliable. But as for the faces of those two men, I don’t have a particularly clear impression. Although I saw them when I fell, I was dazed from being hit, and besides, one of them was wearing a mask.”
Mu Dai now understood the purpose of the hypnotist: “It should be useful. I’ve heard hypnotists are quite amazing. They can make your subconscious return to the scene at that time, equivalent to recreating the scenario. They can even guide you to draw the face you saw. Are you good at drawing?”
Li Tan smiled: “Passable. When I was younger, I quite enjoyed writing and drawing. I was pretty good at pen drawings. I even drew for Yaqing once…”
At this point, he suddenly fell silent, then lowered his head, rolling the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger until the tip was flattened.
Mu Dai felt a lump in her throat. Li Tan wasn’t young anymore, with strands of silver in his hair. Without claiming he had a brilliant future ahead, at least he had a stable career and the prospect of a happy family, until Li Yaqing’s incident…
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and Mu Dai blurted out: “Did Professor Li and his wife only have Li Yaqing as a daughter?”
Li Tan said, “Not exactly. I heard that when Yaqing was born, they were twins.”
He answered casually, while Mu Dai was left speechless, unable to respond for a long time.
The twin thing was just her speculation, but there was indeed a difference between her conjecture and someone else’s verbal confirmation.
“Then… what about the other one…”
“You know that era—Professor Li and his wife were urban youth who had returned from the countryside. When they had two daughters, they gave one away. Later, when their life improved, they tried to find her but never succeeded… Hey, miss, isn’t it time for you to board?”
Mu Dai came back to her senses. Li Tan was pointing at the flight information display not far ahead. Mu Dai checked her boarding pass: “Yes, yes, it’s mine.”
Her mind was a bit chaotic. She stood up and walked a couple of steps, then turned back: “Let’s, let’s exchange contact information.”
Li Tan nodded: “I understand. If there’s any new development, I’ll let you know. Two people searching is always better than one.”
These days, Yi Wansan has been exceptionally diligent and hardworking. Zhang Shu couldn’t stand it and teased him: “As soon as the little boss lady returns, you become like a different person.”
Yi Wansan replied: “How could I not change? Who isn’t afraid of being beaten?”
Moreover, Huo Zihong had mentioned to him a couple of days ago that once Mu Dai returned, she would gradually take over the bar’s daily operations.
If Mu Dai took over, her first task would definitely be either inventory or auditing the accounts. How could he survive then?
That evening, Mu Dai was sitting by the window reading a book. Yi Wansan attentively brought her a cup of coffee, with milk foam and chocolate sauce creating a girl’s portrait latte art on top. With just a few strokes, it conveyed deep meaning, with a lingering fragrance. Yi Wansan brought it over, his tone not without pride, hoping Mu Dai would notice his “hard work” during these days.
“Little boss lady, look at the latte art I’ve learned during this time…”
Mu Dai didn’t even look up. She picked up the cup and took a sip immediately. Half of the girl’s head was already gone, and as if the coffee was too hot, she stirred it repeatedly with a spoon.
Yi Wansan’s heart shattered with a crisp sound. What was this if not pearls before swine, a criminal waste! This poisonous woman!
Tonight, he would update with ten thousand words on his Tianya forum post!
Mu Dai called him softly: “Yi Wansan.”
“Hmm?”
“Someone’s watching me.”
Of course, someone is watching you. I’m watching you right now, Yi Wansan thought. He wished he could stare two holes into the top of her head, but he had to suppress his anger and flatter her: “Little boss lady, you’re good-looking. It’s normal for people to watch you.”
Though insincere, it wasn’t a lie. Besides, this place was filled with tourists, and across the street were bars and storefronts, as well as many photography enthusiasts who would snap pictures at any moment. There was a good poem that said something like, You stand on the bridge watching the scenery, but you’re also part of someone else’s scenery. He couldn’t remember it exactly, but that was the general idea.
“No, Yi Wansan, don’t give yourself away. Look around casually and see who it is.”
After just two sentences from Mu Dai, Yi Wansan suddenly became nervous, his heart pounding nonstop.
Pretending to clean the table, his gaze floated left and right. It shouldn’t be customers in the shop—besides Mu Dai, there was only a couple, so sticky with each other that their gazes seemed to want to take root and sprout on each other.
So it must be across the street?
Across the street was also a coffee shop. It was hard to see clearly through the windows, but in the corner seemed to sit a man in black clothes, who vanished in the blink of an eye.
Mu Dai’s phone vibrated on the table.
It was from Li Tan, saying: “After several attempts, finally made progress today. The portrait is done. I’m sending you a photo.”
He sent the image via MMS, and the picture loaded very slowly, frame by frame. The pen-drawn lines pressed into the paper like knives and halberds. The moment the portrait appeared, Mu Dai’s gaze suddenly narrowed.
It was Luo Ren.