Chapter 389: The Agonizing Pain
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Say it!” Cheng Xin’s face was black like thunder. She could not maintain the composure she initially wanted to show.
“It’s very simple. Bai Muchuan is the one who told me that.”
“He said that?” Cheng Xin was baffled.
“Mm, is there a problem?” Xiang Wan pursed her lips into a smile. “He’d tell me anything.”
“...” Doubt filled all over Cheng Xin’s face.
Although she was never Bai Muchuan’s girlfriend, she had worked in the Capital with him for at least a month. More or less, she knew how Bai Muchuan was like. In her opinion, he was not someone who would share his own thoughts and feelings, much less share everything with another person! With such a personality, how could it be possible for him to gossip about other people?
“You’re lying!” Cheng Xin gritted her teeth.
“You’re the one whom his family chose as his prospective partner in marriage. Both your families tried ways and means to pair you two up. They sent you to work beside him so that both of you could nurture and develop a relationship... I’m not lying, right?”
Bai Muchuan even told her about this?
Cheng Xin was quite taken aback and remained silent.
“In Serious Crime Division One,” Xiang Wan gave a half-smile. “You used all kinds of methods you could think of, to get closer to him. But he never nudged... Right?”
Cheng Xin started to look even gloomier.
Xiang Wan’s smile grew deeper. “Did you know what he told me when you tried to get close to him by flirting and seducing him? Oh, you don’t remember? Hmm... you know, that time when you’re reporting your work progress and the buttons on your shirt suddenly snapped open, exposing your cleavage in front of him...”
If Xiang Wan’s earlier words only dealt a blow to Cheng Xin’s pride.
Then her words now were totally like a murder weapon.
Cheng Xin’s beautiful, fair face instantly turned red like the color of blood. “Don’t shoot your mouth off!”
Xiang Wan glanced at her with a half-smile, totally cool as a cucumber.
“He said that women who choose to degrade themselves are off-putting!”
Cheng Xin was so embarrassed that her hands clasped tightly together.
It was said that it was easier for women to pursue men. That was because men are visual creatures, and it was hard for them to resist advances from beautiful women. Cheng Xin believed this saying, especially as she felt that she was a beauty with a curvaceous figure, it should be easier for her to get what she wanted.
Back at the Capital, Bai Muchuan once had dinner and drank with several members of the team before returning to work overtime.
Cheng Xin thought that this was a chance she couldn’t miss as there was the aid of alcohol.
Thus, she decided to give it a shot...
She put on make-up and perfume. She also loosened her buttons on her uniform deliberately. Everything went according to plan. When she leaned against the table before him, the buttons on her popped off by themselves, revealing a “feast” for the eye. After that, she gazed at him shyly...
Back then, her heart was beating so fast.
She thought that by ignoring her pride to take this step, she could achieve what she wanted.
However, she was proven wrong.
Bai Muchuan was indifferent to her. He only took a faint glance at her and called up Tu Liang. “Hurry up and come to the office now! Look carefully for yourself, what kind of uniform have you ordered? The buttons on Cheng Xin’s shirt suddenly gave way! How did such quality pass the inspection?”
For a woman, there was nothing more embarrassing than being rejected by a man after failing to seduce him.
Moreover, he had done it so openly!
Of course, Cheng Xin would not wait till Tu Liang come to have a “good look” at her uniform...
She was so ashamed that she ran out of the office.
After that, many people learned of this incident.
This was because the next day, Tu Liang issued an announcement to everyone in the Division to be more mindful of their own uniform: if the threads had given way, or if there were a missing button and et cetera. If short, if there was anything wrong with the uniform, everyone must take action to remedy it immediately to uphold the image of the police...
That tactic was truly a vicious one.
Cheng Xin could only swallow all the bitterness she was feeling inside!
... Now, Cheng Xin felt humiliated that even Xiang Wan knew about this shameful incident.
... Moreover, Xiang Wan had said it right at her face!
... Did Bai Muchuan tell her about this in a joking manner?
... Or had he told Xiang Wan while they were making out under the quilt by treating her as a laughing stock?
Regardless of how he had told Xiang Wan, it was not something that Cheng Xin could bear.
She bounced up from her seat and pushed the chair away heavily. With a grim look on her face, she ran out of the office.
Xiang Wan watched that diminishing view with a half-smile and continued to play with her mobile phone.
In actual fact, Bai Muchuan had never told her anything about Cheng Xin.
He was a gentleman with refined manners. He was never someone who would talk behind another’s back.
With regards to this incident, she had actually heard it from the conversations among Quan Shaoteng, Tu Liang, Salimu, and Ding Yifan. Moreover, this group of men did not make it sound like a big deal. They only joked about it very subtly and never even mentioned any name...
Xiang Wan was the one who “collected” all these little clues. She was the one who drew her own deductions and came up with such a story.
She didn’t expect that she was spot on either.
To think that Cheng Xin could go all the way to the point where she would shame herself in such a way. Xiang Wan started to see her in a different light.
Moreover... Bai Muchuan actually did not tell her about it!
Hmph! I will interrogate him later! She thought to herself.
Xiang Wan would not bother Bai Muchuan about such trivial matters when he was busy with his work.
However, there was one person who didn’t seem to be busy at all.
She did not know when he had appeared behind her. His tepid tone sounded as if it was commanding and a little powerless regarding what she had said to Cheng Xin.
“Did you make her mad on purpose?”
Xiang Wan turned around and saw Cheng Zheng’s pair of long legs behind a work desk not too far away. His eyes seemed cold and frosty. Xiang Wan was not sure about his attitude toward her little catfight with Cheng Xin.
However, Xiang Wan did not intend to lie either.
“You’re right! I did that on purpose. Do you want to seek justice for your sister?”
When she said that, she was smiling happily as though the flowers were blossoming around her. She looked beautiful... as a result, Cheng Zheng felt as though his fist had landed on a heap of cotton wool.
His gaze felt bright and sharp. “In terms of relationships, do the ones who emerged victorious as complacent as you? Complacent to the point where you will disregard their pain? You have already gotten everything you wanted. Why do you still want to trample on their wounds ruthlessly?”
Eh?
He seemed to pinpoint at something.
Was he talking about himself or Cheng Xin?
Was he referring to Xiang Wan or Bai Muchuan?
Xiang Wan looked at him, pretending that she did not sense what he was trying to say.
“I have no compassion for those who are asking for trouble!”
Cheng Zheng was expressionless. “There is no way for one person to understand the feelings of another!”
He was not in approval of what Cheng Xin had done. However, when he saw her leaving in a huff with shame and anger, he also felt a pain in his heart. It was the feeling of helplessness, for he and Cheng Xin had a similar fate. It was as if something was tearing his heart and he had to get it out of his chest.
Wasn’t Xiang Wan and Cheng Xin had a similar sort of conflict as Bai Muchuan and him?
“Jealousy is a natural emotion of human beings toward relationships and liking someone is one of the most uncontrollable emotions of us humans.”
As he said this, he paused for a moment.
“Xiang Wan, is liking someone who doesn’t like you back such an atrocity?”
“...”
Xiang Wan did not talk for a moment.
She didn’t want to hold double standards, but humans tend to have double standards.
For Cheng Zheng who liked her, she could not hate him.
For Cheng Xin who liked Bai Muchuan, she disliked her and it was hard to change that.
“Xiang Wan, everyone handles their feelings differently, but not everyone can control their feelings. Maybe they have really tried hard to get out of it and tried hard not to like that person, but they just couldn’t do it...
“It’s already painful enough to like someone and not get a reciprocal response. If one still get disparaged by the love of one’s love interest, that kind of pain... is really agonizing.”
Cheng Zheng would seldom say such lengthy sentences.
He had looked into Xiang Wan’s eyes as he said all those slowly.
His line of sight seemed as if it was intending to look into her heart through her eyes.
However, Xiang Wan was someone not so easily convinced...
“Captain Cheng, your argument is twisted!” She did not avoid his gaze. Her clear, bright eyes looked back at Cheng Zheng. “I respect everyone’s feelings and respect the ways of how people express their feelings, but I disagree with what you’ve just said. I will not respect those who express their feelings that are intended to sabotage another’s relationship!”
Her eyes formed into a squint and her tone was grim and serious.
“In my opinion, that is called shamelessness!”
Cheng Zheng was startled for a moment and he gulped.
He wanted to say something but before he could do it, Mei Xin came into the office.
“Captain Cheng, Cheng Xin is crying at the ladies. Do you want to go check on her...”
Mei Xin paused when she suddenly noticed that the atmosphere didn’t feel quite right.
She glanced at Cheng Zheng, then at Xiang Wan. “My apologies, I’ve interrupted your conversation!”
Xiang Wan showed a friendly smile but Cheng Zheng turned around.
“Okay, let’s go!”
...
He did not continue what he had wanted to say.
Xiang Wan looked at their back view for a moment before shifting her focus back to her mobile phone.
...
Ten minutes later, Bai Muchuan and his team came back.
He brought back Yu Ning and Meng Chi, as well as Meng Chi’s two assistants.
They were being brought to the questioning and interrogation rooms respectively, immediately.
All of them were being separated so as to avoid collusion of confessions.
Bai Muchuan got Tu Liang and Ding Yifan to interrogate Yu Ning while he and Quan Shaoteng question Meng Chi.
As for the two assistants, Captain Zhang and his men would question them.
After assigning the respective tasks, Bai Muchuan wanted to head straight for the questioning room.
After taking a few steps, however, he stopped in his tracks.
He had suddenly noticed someone’s gaze was following him. When he turned around, he saw Xiang Wan.
There were expectations and hope in her eyes.
Bai Muchuan furrowed his eyebrows as he mulled over something.
“You come along too!”
Upon hearing that, Xiang Wan couldn’t help feeling thrilled about it.
She was writing about this case and was also a victim of this case. It was no doubt she would be very interested in the developments of it.
Nevertheless, she was in an awkward position since she was not the advisor of Serious Crime Division One. She had thought that Bai Muchuan would not let her come along to the questioning room. Hence, she didn’t even dare to ask—
But, he actually agreed.
He invited her without her asking.
“Thank you!” she said slowly.
She followed and walked beside him carefully.
Bai Muchuan glanced at her. “When you’re inside, don’t talk!”
Xiang Wan nodded obediently. “I understand! Be rest assured, I’m a mute and an invisible person when I’m inside there! Besides you, no one else can see me!”
As she said so, she gestured her lips as if she was pulling a zipper from one end to another!
Bai Muchuan let out a chuckle and put on a serious face as he entered the questioning room.
It was not her first time to enter this room with Bai Muchuan to question someone.
However, questioning Meng Chi, was a first for her.
Xiang Wan looked at Meng Chi who seemed relaxed and sat at the side quietly.
She had hoped that no one would notice her, yet Meng Chi was the first to detect her presence as he looked at her and smiled.
His smile held so much meaning.
...
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