Both Ji Xun and Huo Ranyin felt surprised when they received the news.
They hadn’t forgotten the story about the Buddha statue that Old Hu had told them. The reason they had decided to return to Ning City first was simply because they were severely injured and couldn’t hold on; they intended to take a step back and recuperate in Ning City before dealing with anything else.
With today’s advanced transportation, actually going to Qin City was just a matter of a few hours.
But completely catching them off guard, the person who told them the story had died.
“What do you think?” Ji Xun asked Huo Ranyin.
“Let’s go take a look first,” Huo Ranyin answered after a moment of pondering.
And so, the two of them, who had already walked into the high-speed rail station and were about to board their train, took a taxi right under the extremely worried gazes of the Qin City police, heading straight for the destination provided by the lawyer over the phone.
In the taxi, Ji Xun looked around and complained to Huo Ranyin: “I’m genuinely a bit scared of taking taxis now.”
Before Huo Ranyin could speak, the chatty taxi driver chimed in: “Don’t be scared, bosses. Ten years of driving experience—I’ve touched the steering wheel more than I’ve touched my wife. I guarantee I’ll get you to your destination safely!”
The two of them couldn’t help but chuckle.
The location the lawyer arranged was a three-story garden villa in the wealthy district of Qin City. There was a mailbox at the entrance of the villa engraved with the name “Hu Kun.” Without a doubt, this was Old Hu’s residence.
The villa’s door was closed, but a buzzing sound could still be heard from inside.
Even while standing at the door, Ji Xun had a bad feeling: “…Why does it sound so noisy? Don’t tell me there are a lot of people inside.”
“14 people,” Huo Ranyin replied. “And they’re arguing.”
Between the question and answer, they had already rung the doorbell.
The doorbell rang twice before the door opened from the inside. The moment both sides met, they all froze.
“Forensic Doctor Hu?”
“Captain Huo, Expert Ji?”
The person who came to open the door was none other than Hu Yuan. Today, Hu Yuan was dressed entirely in black. Her hair was tied back with a simple white hair tie. Her figure, which already resembled a runway model’s, appeared even thinner and more fragile now.
“Why are you here?” Huo Ranyin asked in confusion.
“I am the deceased’s daughter. And you…” Understanding dawned on her face, “Are you the two young men who saved Old Hu and brought him to the police booth earlier? Are you here for that sapphire diamond brooch?”
“Yes,” Ji Xun picked up the conversation. His gaze passed by Hu Yuan and looked into the villa’s living room.
When Huo Ranyin said there were 14 people inside, he hadn’t felt much.
It wasn’t until he saw with his own eyes that this group of people had completely crammed into the living room, not only filling up the numerous sofas and chairs but also forming a dense, surging crowd of black heads. These surging heads were eagerly opening their mouths, arguing and shouting without yielding an inch, occasionally mixed with the sharp crying of a child and the impatient scolding of a mother. Seeing all this, Ji Xun felt his head swell a size larger.
“Your dad… has this many relatives? Well, makes sense. An 80-year-old man should be able to have four generations under one roof.”
A trace of a mocking smile flickered across Hu Yuan’s lips.
She didn’t go back inside. Instead, she left the door ajar and stepped out.
The people inside were arguing so passionately that surprisingly, not a single one glanced outside.
“Mind if I smoke a cigarette and get some fresh air?” Hu Yuan pulled a cigarette from her pocket and asked the two of them.
“Don’t mind.”
So Hu Yuan lit the cigarette, placed it between her lips, took a deep drag, and exhaled.
The swirling white smoke acted like an ever-changing mask, extending wispy tentacles that probed across her face.
She spoke casually: “There are a lot of people inside, so it’s hard to tell them apart at a glance. Let me introduce them to you.”
“Sure, sure,” Ji Xun also spoke casually. “With this many people, you could stage a ‘country villa inheritance murder mystery’. An awesome detective could memorize everyone at a glance… but I can’t. I’ll need you to introduce and analyze them for me.”
“Old Hu has a son and a daughter,” Hu Yuan ignored Ji Xun’s banter and took the initiative to speak. “I’m the daughter. I usually work in Ning City and rarely come back. The son’s name is Hu Zheng. He’s 36 years old—the man with the beer belly up front.”
Ji Xun located this man.
He had plain features and a flushed face. Whether from drinking too much or something else, he was raising his voice loudly in broad daylight, exhibiting an arrogant, bossy demeanor as if he owned the place.
He casually added to his mental notes: Hu Yuan, 28 years old.
“He’s married. His child is 7 years old this year, a boy.”
Ji Xun matched them up. Standing to the left of Hu Zheng was a woman with a pointed chin, large eyes, and a high nose bridge—a typical ‘internet celebrity’ face. She was holding a constantly crying little boy in her arms. These were exactly Hu Zheng’s wife and son.
“His wife’s brother is also here.”
No need to ask. Standing next to the ‘internet celebrity’ face was a man whose hair was slicked back with so much pomade that a fly would slip if it landed on it. That was definitely the wife’s brother.
“Hu Zheng’s mother didn’t come.”
“Mother didn’t come…” Ji Xun sharply caught the two layers of meaning hidden in those words. “Hu Zheng’s mother divorced Old Hu? You two don’t share the same mother?”
“They divorced a very long time ago. We aren’t close,” Hu Yuan said faintly, quickly changing the subject. “The one who has been taking care of Old Hu’s daily life recently is the old lady sitting on the white single sofa.”
Ji Xun spotted the old lady. It was the same person who had come to the police station to pick up Old Hu earlier.
“A de facto marriage without a marriage certificate?” Ji Xun pondered over the words “taking care of.”
Hu Yuan seemed to implicitly agree and continued: “The group of people standing behind the old lady is her maiden family.”
There were at least five or six people standing behind the old lady. Except for a sharp-featured middle-aged woman, the rest were all men.
Hu Yuan brushed over this part, seemingly feeling there was no need to elaborate, and shifted to another person.
“The one wearing gold-rimmed glasses and holding a briefcase is Lawyer Xiong. Old Hu entrusted his will to Lawyer Xiong to handle. He came to the house today to announce the contents of Old Hu’s will.”
“The young woman next to Lawyer Xiong…”
Ji Xun saw her.
While almost everyone in the hall looked furious, it seemed only this woman carried a conspicuous sadness.
She was also wearing a black dress. She remained silent amidst the reckless arguments charging around the room, staying soundlessly in a corner with her hands stuffed in her dress pockets. Only a section of her slender, pale wrists was exposed, making her look like a ghost in this massive house.
“Green jade…” Ji Xun said.
He noticed the beautiful jade bracelet on this woman’s wrist, and surprisingly realized he had actually seen her before.
“Her name is Luo Sui,” Hu Yuan continued. “She also has a relationship with Old Hu.”
A young woman having a relationship with an old man.
What kind of relationship?
Ji Xun’s gaze briefly met Hu Yuan’s, and he got his answer from the other’s eyes.
“…Let me calculate,” Ji Xun organized his thoughts. “This Old Hu had relationships with at least three women. One, Hu Zheng and your mother. Two, the old lady currently sitting in the hall. And three, that young girl named Luo Sui… Looking at the numbers, this old man was really popular with the ladies. He must have been quite good-looking.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Xun saw Old Hu’s memorial portrait right in the center of the hall.
It was a photo taken when he was young, around forty-something, showing extremely plain and unremarkable features. If he were a bit thinner, he would look exactly like the beer-bellied Hu Zheng standing in the hall.
“Well, looking at this photo, Hu Zheng is undoubtedly Old Hu’s biological child…” Ji Xun said.
Huo Ranyin and Hu Yuan were speechless.
“This old gentleman looked way better in his old age than when he was young. Why not use a more recent photo? Putting this kind of photo up there really makes people space out if they just glance at it,” Ji Xun added.
“They said there were no photos of Old Hu from his old age, so they could only find one from when he was younger,” Hu Yuan explained.
“How did he die?” Having listened to the headache-inducing web of relatives, Huo Ranyin finally spoke.
“Died of cancer,” Hu Yuan said. “That’s what’s written on the certificate.”
“What do you mean?” Huo Ranyin frowned.
“When Old Hu died, I was in Ning City. By the time I rushed over, the body had already been cremated. I didn’t get to see him one last time; I only saw a hodgepodge of cancer treatment bills and the death certificate issued by the hospital. They said Old Hu didn’t want me to worry, so he kept it a secret from me all along… Cremating the body early was also because they were afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle it and would be too heartbroken seeing it.”
It sounded somewhat reasonable.
“What are they arguing about inside right now?”
Honestly, with the old man dead and the remaining children and grandchildren gathered together making a huge racket, what else could they be arguing about? It had to be an inheritance issue.
“Do they think you got too much of the inheritance? Or maybe the old lady got too much?” Ji Xun guessed. He figured that no matter what, it would be one of these scenarios. “Or maybe they think the brooch given to Huo Ranyin is too valuable?”
“I won’t accept the item,” Huo Ranyin said simply. “You don’t need to worry.”
“…You’ll know when you go inside.”
Hu Yuan finished her cigarette. She stubbed out the butt, tossed it into the trash can by the door, pushed open the ajar door, and was the first to step inside. Naturally, Ji Xun and Huo Ranyin followed.
Their entrance shattered the arguments in the room and drew everyone’s gaze.
“Who are you?” The first to speak was undoubtedly Hu Zheng. The red-faced middle-aged man glared aggressively at the two of them. His behavior at this moment was like someone who had already claimed this villa as his nest, viewing everyone who entered as an enemy. “What are you here for?”
“My surname is Huo,” Huo Ranyin said. “Someone called me earlier…”
“It’s Mr. Huo,” Lawyer Xiong, wearing the gold-rimmed glasses, quickly interjected. “We already communicated over the phone earlier. Mr. Hu Kun left you an item in his will…”
“Bullshit!” Before Huo Ranyin could speak, Hu Zheng had already started cursing loudly. “I already said my dad was crazy when he made that will, the will doesn’t count! A brooch worth over a million—it’s not your money, so you act all generous saying you want to give this away and give that away! You’re all ganging up to eat our family alive!”
“The brooch must be given to them.”
Surprisingly, the person who rebuked Hu Zheng wasn’t Lawyer Xiong, but Luo Sui, who had been standing in the corner like a ghost. Luo Sui’s eyes remained fixed on an unknown point in the void, but she spoke in a tone that brokered no refusal:
“Forget a million—even if it’s ten million, this brooch must be given to them. They saved Old Hu’s life.”
“And who do you think you are, daring to sprout such nonsense here!” In the noisy living room, a sharp female voice screeched, producing a sound as teeth-grinding and hair-raising as sharp nails scratching a chalkboard. “A shameless mistress! You could fool the old man, but you can’t fool me! You took the old man’s money and went off to keep a boy-toy named ‘K’, and with all that, you still want to take the entire inheritance? Dream on!”
“…” Ji Xun.
“…” Huo Ranyin.
There was too much information to process; they could only grab onto the main points for the moment:
All of Old Hu’s inheritance wasn’t given to his wife or his children, but entirely to his lover, Luo Sui?
And, who is ‘K’?
