The Novelist Forced to Become Famous

Chapter 153

The male assistant said, "He was in a bad mood, and none of us dared to ask."

"Then what?"

"The next time was around 8:35. He was drunk and went to the bathroom to throw up. It took about half an hour before he came back. I got a little worried and knocked on the bathroom door," the male assistant said awkwardly, "But he ignored me."

"When did that happen?"

"Around 9 o'clock."

"Who discovered the body?"

"I did," the female agent said. "At 8:50, I went to the bathroom and came back to hear Quan Lei say he still hadn't come out. I called him again but got no response, so I had to ask the waiter to open the door. Who would've thought that when the door opened... he was already like that!"

Jian Jing took notes without asking further.

Usually the first round of questioning doesn't yield too many details. She would sort out everyone's suspicions before asking more. Her last question was a strange one: "What's your name?"

"Quan Lei."

Quan, homophone for circle.

Why does this guy fit too?

Jian Jing carried her doubts and knocked on the door of the second private room.

When the door opened, they looked at each other, extremely awkward.

The guest in private room #2 was someone Jian Jing had just seen not long ago — Jiang San.

Jian Jing: "..." The letters c and o both match. What a coincidence!

"Why are you here?" Jiang San didn't change his arrogance and spoke coldly, "I don't want to see you again."

"Someone died. The surveillance at the door didn't capture anyone else coming in or out. Everyone in the restaurant today is a suspect," Jian Jing said. "I'm here to collect statements on behalf of the police."

"Someone died?" she asked in surprise. "Who was it?"

Jian Jing looked into her eyes and said slowly, "Didn't you hear the screams earlier?"

"I heard them." Jiang San's reason was sufficient, "But I don't know who the other customers are. What if there are reporters?"

Jian Jing had liked her quite a bit, but unfortunately, she was dating an annoying man, so she suffered some transferred resentment. "What a pity," she said. "You could've seen him one last time."

Jiang San was stunned, looking surprised. "What do you mean? See who?"

"If you want to keep pretending, I can play along," Jian Jing said. "But I want to conserve my energy. Let's stop the act. You know Hou Rui is here too."

"Hou Rui?" Jiang San asked, baffled. "I didn't know. Is he here too?"

Jian Jing glanced at their dining table: "You're drinking sake, but I smell red wine on you, and a little cigarette smoke too. The ashtray here is very clean. Jiang San doesn't smoke, right? So where did you get that scent?"

Before Jiang San could make up an excuse, Jian Jing continued, "Admitting it now and being found out later are two very different things. Hiding it intentionally will make you more suspicious. What's the benefit in that?"

Jiang San saw a chance and said coldly, "It's not your place to interrogate me."

"If you think I would deliberately make things difficult for you because of our previous conflict..." Jian Jing stepped aside and gestured for Assistant Officer A to come forward. "If the suspect is uncooperative, I shouldn't ask further. Please take over."

"It is our job anyway, you are too kind," Assistant Officer A said with a straight back in his uniform. "We have some questions related to the murder to ask you. Please cooperate with our work."

Jiang San grabbed Jiang BaiYan's sleeve, hesitated, and said, "Alright, go ahead and ask."

Jian Jing closed the door and went with Assistant Officer B to private room #3.

There was only one guest in this room, surname Yuan, a reporter, around 30-40 years old, tall and sturdy, with a bandage on his left palm.

He was very enthusiastic, even overly enthusiastic: "Hou Rui is dead? How did he die? Murder or suicide?"

"How did you know it was Hou Rui?" Jian Jing asked back.

"I'm a reporter. I have that much sensibility," Yuan Reporter hugged his arms. "You guys are here to check the customers' identities, which means the murderer is among today's guests, right?"

Assistant Officer B: "Routine questioning."

"My news sense tells me this is the case," Yuan Reporter's eyes shone sharply. "Next door is Jiang BaiYan. She had dating rumors with Hou Rui before. Across is Jiang White Flame. He competes with Hou Rui for fashion resources."

He tutted in amazement, boastfully saying, "In my opinion, neither has small suspicions."

Jian Jing asked, "What about you? The boss said this private room was originally booked by someone else. You pestered them insistently to get in, making three phone calls, and they only agreed after the original customer canceled the booking."

"No harm telling you since the dash cam will show it anyway. I was following Hou Rui all day today, trying to take some exclusive photos," Yuan Reporter stroked his stubble and looked very proud. "Who knew there'd really be news. Hahaha."

Assistant Officer B warned him, "Please do not disclose any information about the case before obtaining consent from the police."

"I know, I didn't say anything yet," Yuan Reporter dismissed it casually and asked instead, "So do you have any clues now? How exactly did he die?"

Jian Jing smiled and said, "What does Reporter Yuan think? Does Hou Rui seem like someone who would commit suicide?"

"No way," Yuan Reporter rejected decisively. "The brat got famous young and was arrogant early on. He thought his skills were unmatched and everyone had to pamper him. Even in trouble, he wouldn't think of suicide, only revenge on others, not messing with himself."

Jian Jing probed, "That sounds easy to make enemies with others?"

Yuan Reporter laughed loudly, his eyes revealing some resentment: "The higher he was hyped, the more tragic his fall. And now, just like that, he lost his life in one go. With his personality, it's not surprising at all to end up like this."

"I heard that entertainment reporters get sentimental with celebrities after long exposure," she smiled slightly. "But you sound rather wishing he were dead."

"Do I?" Yuan Reporter played innocent very well. "I feel regretful too, but thinking of the exclusive news, ah, what a sin, what a sin. It can't be helped since I'm a reporter."

Jian Jing didn't pursue it further and instead asked, "Tell me about your actions tonight."

Yuan Reporter said, "I arrived at the private room around the same time as Hou Rui's group. I thought he was meeting someone, so I took the chance to loiter outside their room a few times. Around 7:40, I saw him talking with Jiang BaiYan, but unfortunately I was going to the bathroom then and didn't have my phone on me. By the time I came back, the two had parted ways already."

So he did know the victim was here.

"After an hour, I saw Hou Rui go to the bathroom again and he didn't come back for a long time, so I went over to check it out." Yuan Reporter revealed a lewd expression. "Who would've thought I listened at the door for half a day and didn't hear anything."

Jian Jing was puzzled and asked, "What were you trying to eavesdrop?"

It was a single bathroom. Jiang BaiYan couldn't possibly be inside, nor could she talk to him from the men's room. Was he listening in on a phone call?

Yuan Reporter winked suggestively: "Of course the juicy stuff."

Jian Jing: "???"

"Looks like you guys don't know," Yuan Reporter's eyes flashed as he revealed, "Hou Rui was bisexual. It wasn't the first or second time he fooled around in the bathroom."

Jian Jing & Assistant Officer:

0_0

Such an extraordinary circle indeed.

No, that's not the point. Jian Jing reined in her runaway thoughts and asked, "You didn't hear any sounds?"

"That toilet plays music. I didn't hear any voices," Yuan Reporter corrected, unable to hide the regret in his tone.

Jian Jing said, "So after you arrived at the private room at 6:55, you left a total of three times. Once at 7:10, pretending to go to the bathroom but actually walking by room #2's door; once at 7:40 to the bathroom, running into Hou Rui and Jiang BaiYan; and an hour later, going to the bathroom again to eavesdrop. Is that right?"

Yuan Reporter nodded.

"Did you come straight back after that?"

"I went to smoke a cigarette," Yuan Reporter pointed to the no smoking sign indoors. "On the balcony."

Jian Jing nodded and asked again, "Did you run into Hou Rui today?"

"No, I only took photos," Yuan Reporter denied decisively.

Jian Jing: "May I see?"

Yuan Reporter was reluctant but still took out his camera: "Be careful, don't delete anything."

Jian Jing flipped through them one by one and found this guy was quite diligent. He had staked out in front of Hou Rui's house since early morning. In the photos, Hou Rui wore a hat and mask, fully geared up, expression unseen.

As she looked through the photos, she asked, "Did Hou Rui have any enemies? Any disputes in relationships?"

"Juan talked so much. " Yuan the reporter spat, enumerating them one by one, "When he was not popular, he relied on many resources. Later when he clung to a sponsor, he just kicked the sponsor away. It's a pity I can't expose it, otherwise this guy wouldn't have such an easy time."

"Why not expose it? Were you bribed?"

A gloom flashed across Yuan the reporter's face: "Why else, his godfather is very capable."

Jian Jing: "You must have been very angry, right?"

"Nonsense, I..." Yuan the reporter reacted quickly and regained his composure, "Are you trapping me?"

"Oh no, not at all." She turned up the corners of her lips innocently, "I just feel a little sorry for you."

But Yuan the reporter was very wary, and changed the subject, "When can I leave? My son is still waiting for me at home."

"You can leave after the investigation is over." Jian Jing paused, and then turned the conversation, "Is your hand injured? Can I take a look?"

Yuan the reporter: "It was cut by broken glass. What's there to see?"

But she insisted: "Please unwrap it and let me take a look."

He had no choice but to unwrap the dressing and shook his palm. There was indeed a newly healed scar.

Jian Jing nodded, ending the questioning, and returned to her private room.

Jiang BaiYan had been waiting in the room. Seeing her return, he quickly offered her hot tea: "I heard the victim was Hou Rui?"

"Yes." Jian Jing cleared the table to make room to organize the timeline, and asked casually, "You didn't leave the private room, so you don't have any suspicion. Do you want to leave first?"

He arrived at the private room at 6:30, went to the bathroom at 6:40, and didn't leave again afterwards. The private room only had windows, and it was ten stories high below, so he didn't have the conditions to commit the crime and was not a suspect.

Jiang BaiYan also poured water for the auxiliary policeman B, and said with a smile, "It's okay, since everyone is staying, I'm also willing to cooperate with the police."

"Thank you so much." Facing the friendly superstar, auxiliary policeman B's goodwill doubled.

At this time, auxiliary policeman A finished inquiring private room 1 and came to exchange information with Jian Jing.

Jiang BaiYan brought over a box of cute custard buns: "I just ordered these snacks. It must be very tiring to work so late. Please have some."

Auxiliary policeman B waved her hands again and again: "No need, no need, we are working."

Auxiliary policeman A: "We've eaten."

However, how could they resist Jiang BaiYan's attentive persuasion? In the end, each person took a bun and worked together to make up for Jiang San's whereabouts.

Jiang San arrived at 6:20.

At 7:30, he left the private room to go to the bathroom. On the way out he bumped into Hou Rui and they had an argument. They parted at 7:40.

At 8:25, Jiang San went to the bathroom again. At the same time he received a phone call and talked on the balcony for half a day before returning to the private room at 8:40.

He said he didn't encounter Hou Rui.

At 8:30, Hou Rui went to the bathroom and touched up his makeup, returning at 8:45.

Their timelines matched the surveillance footage, allowing for an even more precise timeline:

6:20 Jiang San arrived

6:30 Jiang BaiYan arrived

6:45 Jian Jing arrived

6:50 Hou Rui, manager, assistant arrived

6:55 Yuan Reporter arrived

7:30 Hou Rui left private room

7:40 Yuan Reporter saw him encounter Hou Rui

7:45 Hou Rui returned to private room

8:25 Jiang San went to bathroom, received call on balcony

8:30 Went to bathroom

8:35 Hou Rui went to bathroom

8:40 Jiang San returned

8:42 Yuan Reporter eavesdropped, didn't notice anything unusual

8:48 Yuan Reporter returned to private room

8:50 Manager went to bathroom

9:00 Assistant knocked on bathroom door looking for people

9:05 Assistant returned

9:10 Manager returned to private room, realized Hou Rui had not returned, went back to bathroom

9:15 Discovered the corpse