“Three years are enough to change a lot of things, including work, interpersonal relationships, love relationships and living environment.” Bai Rong replied flatly and distanced herself from him.
Gu Mingchen grabbed her hand and pulled her roughly towards him.
Bai Rong did not expect his move and crashed straight into his muscular chest. The familiar scent of the chief rushed to her nostrils.
Bai Rong’s embarrassment turned into rage and she pulled out her hand before giving Gu Mingchen a hard slap. The slap was so loud that it resonated in the empty room.
Three red fingerprints appeared on his face. The man narrowed his eyes as he stared at the flustered girl coldly.
Bai Rong knew she had overreacted and lowered her eyes.
“Are you afraid of me?” Gu Mingchen locked his eyes on the girl before him, trying to study her expression.
Bai Rong turned to him and explained calmly, “A person’s overreaction is usually related to unpleasant experiences. I was raped before, so I really, really detest people touching me. My apologies if my reaction offended you.”
Gu Mingchen’s deep eyes darkened at her answer. Being raped before was usually a past that all women were desperate to hide, yet she could simply mention it nonchalantly like she was not the one who experienced it.
Either she was totally over it, or she was purposely tainting herself in front of him.
Bai Rong nodded and turned to the door where Aunt Bao was waiting. “Please bring me to Mr. Song’s room.”
“Alright. This way please.” Aunt Bao brought her upstairs.
The girl turned towards Mu Xiaosheng in frustration and lowered her voice. “Follow me closely, please. You’re here to solve a case, not to be a decoration.”
Mu Xiaosheng touched his nose guiltily. He had seen Gu Mingchen enter the room and he knew better than to intrude on their personal space. How would he have the guts to enter at all!
Aunt Bao opened the door to Mr. Song’s room. The room was exceptionally clean and a whiff of perfume lingered within. His study was very neat with three perfectly stacked books and a nicely arranged calligraphy set. A scroll holder full of calligraphy drawings sat in the middle of the desk.
Bai Rong took out the drawings and went through them briefly. The drawings ranged from calligraphy writings to ink wash painting. Some of them were in fact poems written by Song Jianren himself. Each of these paintings was properly stamped by the artist at the lower right end. The name on the stamp was Master Niki.
Hanging at the head of the bed was Song Jianren and An Qi’s wedding portrait.
Bai Rong opened the nightstand drawer, which only contained a cologne and nothing else.
The girl proceeded to check the cabinet.
Like what she predicted, Mr. Song was a man with great attention to detail. His clothes were nicely arranged and differentiated according to its style and function. One compartment was for suits, while the other was for blouses. All the clothes were also arranged according to the season; be it clothes for winter or for summer, all of them were perfectly categorized neatly like that at a boutique.
“Aunt Bao, can I ask you a few questions?” Bai Rong requested politely.
Aunt Bao was afraid of saying the wrong things. However, she was faced with the cops so she couldn’t reject Bai Rong. With a trembling voice, she asked, “What do you need to know?”
“Let’s find somewhere quiet to talk. Don’t be nervous and just say anything you can remember.”
Aunt Bao nodded. “Let’s go to the reception room on the second floor.”
Aunt Bao led the way ahead while Bai Rong turned to one of the cops. “Get Young Master Song as well. I’m going to ask both of them together.”
“Alright.”
Aunt Bao opened the door to the reception room. A fruit bowl containing fresh fruits and an ashtray were placed in the middle of the coffee table. Beside the fruit bowl was a wine glass containing new cigarettes to entertain the guests.
Bai Rong sat on the sofa and took out her pen and notebook.
At the same time, both Song Yi and Gu Mingchen entered the room. The atmosphere in the room turned heavy with the presence of the chief.
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