FI Ch11: The Second Client
He paused for a moment in deep thought.
Xue Nima asked cautiously: [When you say years, does that include the 17 years when you were unconscious?]
“…” Lin Su.
The feeling of disgust was interrupted, and upon seeing Qi Zhuang again, he returned to his usual expression.
“Sir.”
The butler called out. Qi Zhuang, who had been talking to someone, turned and saw Lin Su, pausing for a moment. The butler nodded slightly and said slowly, “Didn’t you come to find Mr. Lin?”
Qi Zhuang’s expression shifted slightly, and he quickly smiled in realization, “Oh, right.”
He said to Lin Su, “In a couple of days, Mr. Xue is coming to Li City to hold a discussion… he’s the famous talisman master. It’s a rare opportunity, why don’t you come along?”
Lin Su looked at him, smiled, and said nothing.
Qi Zhuang, inexplicably feeling uneasy from being looked at, swallowed nervously. Just as he was about to speak again, Lin Su smiled and said, “Alright.”
After saying that, Lin Su had no other business and turned to leave.
Once he was gone, Qi Zhuang looked at the butler, “What’s going on?”
The butler whispered, “He probably didn’t notice anything.”
Qi Zhuang relaxed slightly, and Jiang Yajin, who had been watching Lin Su leave, snorted in displeasure, “Inviting him over like he’s someone to be begged, and not even a polite word. Really no upbringing…”
Her sleeve was pulled down.
Qi Jiayuan looked up and said, “Mom, don’t be angry.”
Jiang Yajin, suddenly thinking of something, patted her son’s head with a loving smile, “Right, I won’t be angry. As long as it’s for you…”
“Mom?”
“Nothing.”
Qi Jiayuan smiled sweetly again.
…
After Lin Su left, Xue Nima asked: [Do you think he’ll keep you until late?]
“He’s not King Yama, why should I care how late he keeps me?”
Xue Nima then emitted a series of clear “kekekek…”
The laughter was like a string of reminder bells. Lin Su, immersed in it, vaguely felt, “… I think I forgot something.”
[If you forgot, it means it’s not important.]
“True.”
He comfortably went to grab something to eat.
The dining table was on the other side of the hall, and as Lin Su was eating happily, he turned and saw He Zhenling walking toward him with a serious expression.
Both he and the spirit froze for a moment.
Lin Su: Ah, I forgot about Xiao He.
He Zhenling walked over and stopped in front of him.
Lin Su put down his tray and greeted him as naturally as he could, “You’re here.”
He Zhenling hinted, “I almost couldn’t make it.”
“…”
Lin Su straightened his face and said seriously, “Actually, I just went to investigate and found something.”
The topic was awkwardly introduced.
A few seconds later, He Zhenling, who had figured it out, let it go, “What did you find?”
Eyes around them subtly turned toward them.
Lin Su waved at him.
He Zhenling glanced down for a moment, then bent down. He was a head taller than Lin Su, and when he bent over, his shoulder and back almost blocked the view behind him. “Go ahead.”
Lin Su looked up and realized he was still a finger away from his ear.
He: “…”
Why does he have to be so tall!
Lin Su pursed his lips, raised his chin, and leaned in to whisper, “I haven’t completely figured out the whole thing yet…” He paused, then asked, “Earlier, did Qi Zhuang take the stubborn household back here?”
He Zhenling replied, “He and Qi Zhang… the stubborn household, are cousins.”
Lin Su lowered his eyes and thought for a moment.
“I need to step out for a bit, cover for me.”
He Zhenling looked at him and nodded slightly.
Lin Su looked at him earnestly, “You can act, right? Be natural, not too exaggerated.”
He Zhenling frowned and thought for a moment, “I should be able to.”
Lin Su breathed a sigh of relief, “Good.”
The next moment, he grabbed a valuable plate nearby and threw it down at his feet with a crash! “Crash—” Eyes turned toward them in surprise, and Lin Su pressed his lips together, his emotions all in his eyes:
“Say it again!?”
He Zhenling, “……………”
Without any buildup, his pupils subtly contracted. What did he say?
The gazes from all around were shocked and curious.
The two of them stared at each other for three seconds, and He Zhenling’s thin lips moved, but no words came out.
Lin Su, “………”
Lin Su nodded, “Good, can’t say anything now, right?”
From the moment he smashed the plate, everyone was greatly shocked: who is this young man to dare throw a plate at He Zhenling!? Looking at President He, he couldn’t even say a word—
Qi Zhuang rushed over upon hearing the news, “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry, what’s going on?”
Lin Su glanced at him, then at He Zhenling. With his pale face and a red streak at the corner of his eye, he said, “Don’t ask me, ask him.”
After saying that, he turned and walked through the crowd, leaving without a second thought.
He Zhenling, who was left to handle the situation alone, “……”
He took a breath quietly, his calm eyes hiding a storm within… What acting? He had basically pushed the entire story onto him.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, He Zhenling swept a cold glance over, forced out one sentence:
“Nothing to say.”
After saying that, he also walked away in large strides.
Once both of them left, the quiet hall immediately erupted into a buzz!
*
Lin Ye rustled past his side, and Lin Su, with a compass in hand, bypassed the crowd and walked in one direction.
He sighed, “Xiao He is no good, I had to say all the lines.”
Xue Nima hesitated: [To be fair, your script is ABC, and the blanks you left for him are a story from UncleBooky’s story time.]
Lin Su shook his head, “In the end, I still had to fill them in.”
[… Fill in what, escape route?]
“…” Lin Su stared ahead seriously, “We’re almost there.”
After crossing a remote bamboo forest, they arrived at a room in the southeast corner of the entire estate.
The door was locked.
Lin Su raised his hand and knocked, and the lock fell off with a click. He pushed the door open, and the light from outside shone in, illuminating the empty room, with dust swirling in the air. Without hesitation, he followed the compass and directly pushed open the wardrobe in the corner of the room.
With a loud bang, an iron door behind it was revealed.
Inside, a person was locked up.
Just over half a month had passed, but Qi Zhang was a completely different person. His hair was disheveled, and his hands and feet were shackled to the wall. He heard the noise, looked up, and his dazed eyes finally sharpened in shock.
“What are you doing here!?”
The room was dark and enclosed, with only a lamp lit at the door.
Lin Su walked over step by step. Qi Zhang was both shocked and fearful, opening his mouth to scream. Lin Su glanced at him and curled his lips.
“Go ahead, scream all you want, no one will come to save you.”
“…”
Qi Zhang choked on his words and closed his mouth reluctantly.
Lin Su stood in front of him and got straight to the point, “What do you know about Qi Zhuang and his son, Qi Jiayuan?”
“I don’t…”
“Don’t pretend.”
Lin Su said indifferently, “You told Qi Zhuang about Qi Yuheng’s ‘resurrection,’ and now you’re locked up here. That shows you know about the Qi family’s affairs. Are you going to cover for Qi Zhuang and stay locked up here for the rest of your life?”
He added, “Oh, by the way, I’m not discussing a partnership with you, I’m just threatening you.”
Qi Zhang trembled all over and froze in place.
After a long pause, his shoulders drooped in defeat. “… Qi Zhuang doesn’t just have one son, Qi Jiayuan. The Qi family actually has a pair of twins.”
Lin Su pressed his lips together, as expected.
He asked, “Why?”
Qi Zhang pulled at the corner of his mouth, “It’s a prophecy. In a family of feng shui, when a child is born, they always invite a master to look at their fortune. The one they invited at the time was Master Qi Yan, and his prophecies have never been wrong.”
“He said—”
“Only one of the twins could survive. One of them shouldn’t have existed and took the other’s luck to survive. One twin is destined for prosperity, while the other for decline. The one who took the luck from the other is the disaster star of the Qi family.”
Lin Su’s expression remained indifferent, “How did they identify the disaster star?”
Qi Zhang shook his head, “I only heard that the elder brother is the disaster star, having taken the younger brother’s luck since the womb. That’s why the younger son’s health has always been poor, and his development was slow.”
“Now, it’s just about returning what belongs to the youngest, the ‘blessed star’ of the Qi family.”
As the words fell, the dark room grew quiet.
Lin Su lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Because of the need to “return” the luck, they had locked their own flesh and blood in a secluded attic. The entire Qi family estate had been turned into a feng shui array, all to continuously feed the luck and life of the older brother to the twin brother Qi Jiayuan.
Like a living blood bag, providing for 22 years.
Eating its bones, consuming its flesh, drinking its blood.
Nourishing the Qi family’s bloodline, the so-called “blessed star” of the Qi family—
Whether it truly was a “blessed star” was still uncertain.
Lin Su suddenly spoke, “The downfall of the Qi family has nothing to do with the blessed star or disaster star.”
Qi Zhang instinctively asked, “Then why?”
Lin Su pointed at his head, “It’s simply because there’s a problem here.”
“…”
Qi Zhang stared at Lin Su for a few seconds, then suddenly gritted his teeth, “You’re not Qi Yuheng’s resurrection at all!” Qi Yuheng, as the head of the family, was respected, virtuous, and upright.
He wouldn’t be so… shameless! So mouthy!
The iron chains rattled as he shook with fury.
Lin Su gave him a slight smile, no longer paying attention, and turned to leave the dark room.
Qi Zhang stared at his retreating figure, “Who exactly are you?!”
The figure in front paused for a moment. “Edogawa Conan.” Lin Su turned his head, “A detective.”
“?”
*
The wind howled past his ears. Lin Su quickly passed through the bamboo forest on his way back, and the voice of Xue Nima mixed with the wind:
[He definitely thinks you’re crazy now.]
Lin Su replied, “He’s not a doctor, so what does it matter what he thinks?”
[…]
There was a moment of silence beside him. Lin Su spoke again, “I’ll go find He Zhenling first, you go take care of something for me.”
After giving a few instructions, the white light streaked off in the other direction.
Back at the banquet again. Due to the dramatic scene before he left, Lin Su’s appearance immediately attracted the attention of everyone.
He Zhenling had also returned to the banquet hall.
The two locked eyes across half the hall, and the surrounding gazes instantly became even more intense.
Lin Su walked calmly toward He Zhenling, “I’m back.”
He Zhenling seemed to twitch at his temple and, pressing his brow, whispered, “Do you still remember we were ‘arguing’?”
Lin Su was taken aback, then took his hand, shook it, and released it, “We’ve made up. Alright, let’s continue talking.”
“…”
Lin Su asked, “What did you say after I left?”
He Zhenling said coldly, “I said, ‘Nothing to say.'”
Lin Su gave him an appreciative glance, “I said you weren’t up to it… But I didn’t expect you’d leave it open-ended. The more you say, the more mistakes you make. Just a few words, and they’ll have endless room for speculation.”
He Zhenling didn’t want to think too deeply about how they would interpret it.
“How did it go?”
“Fairly smoothly.”
This wasn’t the place for a deep conversation, so He Zhenling just nodded. As expected, before they could say another word, Qi Zhuang came over from the other side with a forced smile, a hint of surprise on his face.
“Xiao Lin is back? Oh, you and President He are…”
Lin Su was calm, “We’ve made up.”
“Ah?” Qi Zhuang’s smile froze, “…Didn’t you just return a minute ago?”
Lin Su replied seriously, “Even though it’s only been a minute, He Zhenling’s attitude was very proper. A minute, isn’t that enough for us to clear things up?”
“…”
Beside them, He Zhenling, hearing his nonsense, remained as calm as still water.
He even felt that as long as he wasn’t required to make up a story, it didn’t matter what others said.
…
After dealing with Qi Zhuang’s probing, the banquet ended, and it was nearly 10 PM.
The guests dispersed, and Lin Su and He Zhenling headed upstairs to their rooms. Just halfway there, Lin Su’s phone pinged!
Lin Su opened the phone: You have a new order.
At the same time, a streak of light returned to his side.
Xue Nima: [It’s done, the meeting is set for midnight.]
Lin Su tapped the screen, and the simple page displayed:
[Client: Qi Jiacuo
Identity: Eldest son of the Qi family from Li City, 22 years old
Status: Order Accepted]
He Zhenling paused his steps and turned his head, “What’s going on?”
The two had just reached the door to the guest room. He Zhenling hinted, “Isn’t tonight Christmas Eve? Let’s not… waste time.”
Lin Su shook his head, “I…”
Just as he was about to speak, he heard Xue Nima say: [I heard the inspector has a special power. When high-voltage electricity is applied, even gods and ghosts will collapse, unable to resist, and can only be manipulated…]
Lin Su, “…”
He looked up, and He Zhenling’s tall figure was standing right in front of him, looking down at him with his eyes slightly lowered.
A wave of tingling passed through Lin Su’s lower back.
He quickly changed the topic, “I was thinking the same, good night.”
He Zhenling gave him a deep look, “I believe you.”
The two pushed open the doors and went to their separate rooms.
The door closed. Lin Su first asked, “You didn’t reveal anything you shouldn’t have, right?”
[No. I pretended to be a pen fairy and wrote a series of website addresses for him.]
“…Good, don’t let the pen fairy know.”
[So, are you still going?]
“Of course.” Lin Su waved his hand, “Tonight, you’ll cosplay me and stay here. Handle the Qi family’s surveillance… and He Zhenling’s room check.”
*
Late at night, the moonlight was serene.
In the small attic hidden under the tree shadows, the door gave two soft knocks. Then a voice came from inside, gentle like a breeze, yet as if it was about to vanish into the night:
“The door isn’t closed, please come in.”
Lin Su pushed open the door, creaking.
Moonlight streamed in through a small window, illuminating the young man sitting by the bed. He was dressed neatly in a shirt, his eyes gentle and smiling, with a blanket covering his legs, though his sickly aura couldn’t be hidden.
As Lin Su assessed him, a hint of admiration flashed in Qi Jiacuo’s eyes, then he smiled.
“I was prepared to make a deal with an evil spirit, but it seems like someone divine has come instead.”
His voice was pleasant, and Lin Su liked it.
Lin Su walked up to Qi Jiacuo, “Aren’t you afraid I’m a vengeful spirit here to claim your life?”
Qi Jiacuo’s smile was calm, his voice light and clear, “I don’t want to die, but I also don’t want to live for others anymore.”
Lin Su stared at him for two seconds, “I’ve accepted your request.”
He finished speaking and sat down by the bed.
“But before we proceed, there are some things I want to clarify.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“What makes them think you are…”
Before he could finish, there was a sudden loud knock at the door. Qi Jiacuo jumped in surprise, and Lin Su turned to look.
In the bright moonlight, a tall figure leaned against the door.
He Zhenling had his arms crossed, his brows furrowed deeply. Their gazes met, and he raised an eyebrow, seemingly saying: Explain.
Lin Su, “…”
Why was He Zhenling here?
For a moment, Lin Su felt a pang of guilt, slowly shifting his gaze away.
The situation was a bit strange. Qi Jiacuo hadn’t interacted with people for a long time, and now, in the middle of the night, in his attic—
One was sitting on his bed, looking guilty; the other was leaning against the door, waiting for an explanation.
Qi Jiacuo maintained his smile and subtly shifted away…
In the dead of night, just as Lin Su was about to say something, he sighed, “Since you’ve discovered it… let me introduce you. This is Da Lang.”1A character from Water Margin. He was cuckolded by his wife
Qi Jiacuo, “…”
He Zhenling, “…”
Footnotes:
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