Chapter 106: A Young Couple

Liu Chunyan was so startled that she stood frozen on one leg, not daring to move an inch. Chen Xin walked over and pointed in the same direction as Liu Chunyan, signaling for the others to come and see if there was someone at the base of the cliff opposite them.

One look was enough to terrify everyone.

The small town’s police had barely finished processing their previous case when they received another report. It was the same caller from the hot spring resort, claiming they had discovered what appeared to be a corpse beneath the waterfall.

A homicide case was a serious matter. After receiving the report, the local police immediately escalated it and contacted the fire department for assistance. Although the waterfall pool was not large, it was frighteningly deep—rumored to be several dozen meters—and aside from the side facing the waterfall, the inner perimeter was a nearly ninety-degree cliff face, with only a patch of shrubs growing at the bottom.

The human-shaped object, suspected to be a corpse, was curled up within those shrubs. If it hadn’t been for the specific angle, the dense foliage would have completely concealed the figure.

The resort owner didn’t complain; instead, she proactively had the young men at the resort grab their gear to accompany the police into the mountains.

"I suspect this person was with that young woman," the owner said. Being familiar with the area, she explained that this mountain bordered the one where the military sanatorium was located. Many people, trying to avoid the entry fee, would take the small mountain trails. But these mountains were steep and largely undeveloped; if one lost their way, heaven only knew where they might end up in the forest.

However, Chen Xin had noticed the shoes on the young woman’s feet. Unlike ordinary footwear, they were professional hiking boots. In the future, they would be quite expensive, and at this time, without specific connections, one wouldn't even know where to buy them. She certainly wasn't from an average family and wouldn't have risked her life just to save ten yuan on an entrance fee.

They were not allowed to follow the rescue party and could only watch from the gazebo behind the resort. Zhou Hao and Yi Bai used their credentials to go and help, while Song Yi clung to a pillar of the gazebo like a monkey, peering toward the scene.

"They seem to have reached the person," Song Yi remarked. His eyesight was extraordinary; he could see the rescue workers' movements from such a distance.

"They're bringing them up. They're coming up."

Ten minutes later, the firefighters carried a stretcher up, covered by a white sheet. Looking at the curled-up shape on the stretcher, it was clear the person had been dead for a long time.

It wasn't until the personnel had cleared the area that Yi Bai and the others revealed the identity of the deceased.

As Chen Xin had guessed, they were a young couple staying at a hotel at the foot of the front mountain. For reasons unknown, they had gone up the mountain the previous afternoon and never returned. The hotel staff couldn't monitor them constantly, and it wasn't until they asked about housekeeping the next morning that they realized the couple wasn't answering their phone. Checking the lock records, there was no sign of them returning to the room since the day before, so the hotel notified the police.

"Just now, while they were recovering the body from the pool, the hospital called to say the woman had woken up and was asking them to rescue her companion. ID checks confirmed she is the person associated with the documents found on the deceased. The families have already been notified."

Because of the death, the mood was somber, and after some discussion, they decided to head back a day early.

Song Yi, however, had developed an interest in the area and decided to stay behind for a few more days. Honestly, Chen Xin was worried about him being alone—especially since someone had just died there, which felt like bad luck. What if he got a sudden urge to go exploring in the mountains and ran into trouble? After much persuasion, he finally agreed to spend his time in the developed scenic area at the back of the mountain before heading home.

To get from the hot spring town to the back mountain, they had to transfer at the front town to catch a passing coach. The town happened to have some unique local food, so they could keep Song Yi company while waiting for the bus and grab dinner in the process.

On the way back, they passed another tourist spot, a small, old street featuring a manor that was roughly a hundred years old. Bathed in the sunset, it held a quiet, archaic beauty.

Old Mr. Song and Teacher Song wanted to take a look, and the others didn't mind; they were just there to enjoy themselves regardless.

Chen Xin went to inquire and found that the manor actually had guest rooms available. They weren't part of the main building, but rather an imitation-antique wing built against the outer wall. From the east side door of this wing, one could enter the manor to explore.

"You are welcome to go in, but you won't see much today. The exhibits open to the public at nine tomorrow morning," the receptionist said. Seeing that they were more interested in the atmosphere than the artifacts, she suggested they follow the path to the east. She mentioned that the garden there was modeled after the traditional styles of the Jiangnan region and was quite beautiful. With the clear weather, in about twenty minutes, the sunset would paint the sky red, and the water features would reflect it, making for stunning photos.

Perhaps because the New Year had just passed, the manor was still adorned with red lanterns. Though lightbulbs had replaced the candles, the atmosphere remained largely unchanged, retaining a deep, tranquil silence characteristic of a grand old estate.

The day had been too intense, and the evening atmosphere was perfect for resting. The elderly Liu couple and the Song family nanny took the children back to their rooms to sleep. Mrs. Song, meanwhile, intended to use this time to talk to Bai Mengqing about Yi Bai.

Seeing Mrs. Song approach Bai Mengqing, Chen Xin knew exactly what they were up to. Feeling helpless, she made an excuse to join Teacher Song for a walk around the manor, leaving the room to the two of them.

An hour later, when she returned, Bai Mengqing was sitting alone in the room watching television.

"Where’s the auntie?"

"She went back, obviously. Did you think she was going to sleep here?" Bai Mengqing rolled her eyes at Chen Xin. She didn't blame her for not being a "loyal friend," but the feeling of being watched and set up was stifling; she truly disliked it.

"What did she say? Did she give up?"

"Likely not." Bai Mengqing curled her lips. "The old lady is quite persistent. She told me to think it over, saying Yi Bai is a police officer and can provide a sense of security. I just asked her one question: 'Is a criminal investigator's job dangerous?' The old lady went silent, then after a while, said she was heading back and told me to consider it."

"You, really." Chen Xin smiled and ruffled her hair. "Yi Bai is probably going to have a headache now. Once you say that, his mother is bound to give him a hard time."

"I wasn't wrong, though. I just asked if the job was dangerous; I didn't say I minded. If they read too much into it, is that my fault?"

Neither of them was the type to be pushed around by their parents, and restraining themselves from exploding was already showing the elders a great deal of respect. Bai Mengqing felt particularly aggrieved—there were so many single girls in the world, and she hadn't even finished university yet; being pressured into marriage was simply absurd.