Live Action Murder Mystery Chapter 52.2

Chapter 52.2

Three days later.
Yang Ye felt like he was living the life of a celestial being during his stay in the hotel room.
Apples that had been cored and skinned before being cut into smaller pieces by Gu Liang were placed on the side table, and there were toothpicks stuck into the fruit as well.
Two armchairs were situated next to the side table, with Yang Ye lounging in one of the armchairs, and his injured leg was stretched across the side table, coming to a rest on the armrest of the other chair.
Gu Liang was sitting on the opposite arm chair with safflower oil smeared on his hands, and he was improving the blood circulation and dispersing the stasis in Yang Ye’s swollen right leg for him.
Sunlight entered through the full length windows, dyeing Gu Liang’s long and lowered lashes gold.
Further below his lowered lashes was his white nose that was bordering in translucence, his thin lips, and his bony lower jaw.
He was serious, cautious and concentrated in appearance, which was similar to when he was earnestly savouring the food.
Although his countenance was still cold and aloof, the feeling of estrangement that he used to give Yang Ye had completely disappeared.
Yang Ye came to realise that apart from possessing a soft heart underneath his aloof and unsociable exterior, Gu Liang was actually very easy to work with.
Who said Gu Liang wasn’t easy to get along with?
Once you got to know him, it was incredibly easy to get along with him.
Even if they were to start from the small matters like making food, Gu Liang had always eaten whatever Yang Ye had prepared, and he would always find it particularly tasty.
Furthermore, when they were just sitting in front of each other, the atmosphere was not awkward in the slightest even if no one spoke for a long period of time.
When the two of them were coexisting, not only was the lack of conversation not awkward, it was even the most comfortable mode of getting along.
Yang Ye looked towards Gu Liang: “You haven’t said what your occupation used to be.”
Gu Liang raised his eyes to meet Yang Ye’s stare. The corners of his mouth curled up faintly but his hands did not stop massaging his leg. “Great Detective Yang, take a guess.”
Yang Ye studied him, saying: “Accustomed to sleeping late and waking up late, which means flexible working hours. The internet industry presents a possibility, but you don’t look like a game designer, so programmer? Doesn’t seem like it either. Whereas for the finance industry, investment banking, private placements… they don’t fit the bill either, you don’t have an air of pretentiousness to your body. Since that’s the case, an auditor? From the Big Four?”
Gu Liang shook his head. “No. But you’re getting close.”
“Getting close? You’re not part of the Big Four accounting firms. Then… Law office?”
Yang Ye smiled as he asked him: “Are you really a lawyer? Like your first character role?”
At this moment, the massage for his leg was more or less done. Gu Liang patted his leg, asking him to retract it back.
Yang Ye pulled his leg back obediently while Gu Liang went to the bathroom to wash the medicinal oil off his hands with the perfumed soap. He wiped his hands before returning to his seat in front of Yang Ye. Then, he finally spoke: “It can only be considered a brushing contact with that profession. I wasn’t a lawyer later on.”
Gu Liang lowered his eyelids and clasped his hands together, ten fingers interwoven tightly. For some unknown reason, recollecting these past matters made him feel slightly anxious.
However, Gu Liang still continued to speak in the end: “Honestly speaking, according to my personality and interests, I should be studying the sciences, and then walking the research route. However, when we were splitting into science and art classes in Senior High, my parents happened to be going through a messy divorce. With the temper of a youth, I decided not to walk my dad’s route, so I ended up choosing the arts and entering the law faculty in an accident that arose from many causes. It was much later when I realised that I wasn’t suited for the lawyer profession in the least.
“After graduating, I was an intern lawyer at a lawyer’s office, the work was simple and mired with minor details, but it was quite poor. Afterwards, I obtained a law licence and slowly became a lawsuit lawyer. My boss was decent, I took a few large cases under his slow guidance, and in the next two years, I accumulated a few clients as well. And even later…”
Gu Liang went silent when he reached this point.
When Yang Ye casted his gaze downwards, he finally discovered that the nails of his woven hands were evidently going white because he was exerting too much strength. Meanwhile, the back of his hands were red from his unconscious squeezing.
Yang Ye frowned as he inclined his body towards Gu Liang, deciding to open his mouth to interrupt him.
If the past matters made Gu Liang this unhappy, he did not want to ask any further.
However, Gu Liang continued talking in an unexpected feat. “And later, issues cropped up in my mentality, so I resigned. More than half a year later, I went to a company to do legal affairs. This company used to be a supply chain, but it has been transforming in the recent years. On one hand, we started engaging in internet retailing, and on the other, the offline business started getting involved in other industries, including financial derivatives and whatnot.”
At this moment, Gu Liang had already restored his calm.
Similarly, Yang Ye released a soft exhale before he engaged in the conversation. “Therefore, the majority of your professional experiences actually comes from your time in legal affairs.”
“Yes.” Gu Liang smiled, “When I was interning as a lawyer in the beginning, I had to settle some disputes, so I went to learn some boxing. When I started dealing with legal affairs later, we were expanding our stores to every part of the country, and we would occasionally meet a few snake-headed landlords who were quite difficult to handle. There were too many disputes with regards to the contract, so I continued to learn boxing.”
Yang Ye: “With your company turning towards internet retailing, it’s no wonder that your work hours are flexible. All of you have to follow the times of business.”
Gu Liang: “I frequently work overtime all year round. If there aren’t any pressing matters the next day, I would usually go to work after 10 o’ clock.”
Yang Ye used a toothpick to offer a piece of apple to him. “Legal affairs is a decent place to work at. With your ability, did you become an executive very quickly?”
Gu Liang took the piece of apple and swallowed it in one bite. “I’m just a deputy director. If I don’t jump the manger or change offices, my professional career has reached its limits. Our company has a few directors who manage the operations, finance and IT, but there’s no such thing for legal affairs.
“When you get to the bottom of it, it’s a functional department that doesn’t generate revenue. The aforementioned directors have had their positions for the past five years. Each person has their own position; wanting to be promoted to a higher position is very difficult.”
Yang Ye immediately said: “How important is legal affairs? During the transformation period, the company will be getting involved with businesses that they had never touched before. Without your department running checks, how many wicked ideas would have slip through? Your company’s leadership doesn’t know how to use people.”
Chuckling, Gu Liang turned his head and peered at Yang Ye: “Is that so? What position does the leading director in your company’s legal department hold? Are they considered an executive?”
Yang Ye went silent for a long moment before he stated righteously: “I’ll select him for promotion when I go back!”
“……” Gu Liang could not resist rolling his eyes. Then, his entire body fell backwards to lean against the armchair.
He looked far more relaxed; he was no longer playing with his own fingers, and his hands were resting on his legs naturally.
After a long while, Gu Liang turned his head to look at the trees and sky outside the window. In a soft voice, he uttered: “I’m not young anymore, and with my career reaching its bottleneck, I was honestly considering if I should transfer to a new post or jump the manger. However, I did not expect that… I would suddenly arrive here.”
It was quite good.
Gu Liang Liang was, with all intent and purposes, living in a positive and progressive manner.
Smiling, Yang Ye looked at Gu Liang deeply as he said in a serious tone: “Gu Liang, we’ll definitely get out of here.”
Gu Liang met his gaze, nodding. “Mn.”
A thought suddenly struck him. With some expectation, Yang Ye asked him: “Weren’t you thinking about jumping the manger? Come to my company. We’re involved in numerous industries like property and cinema, and we’re turning towards the internet as well. If you have the experience, it’d be great if you could come over and help me.”
Gu Liang: “Oh? What position are you giving me, what’s the yearly salary?”
Yang Ye: “You can decide the position. But all executive appointments have to go through the board of directors. Mn… Below me is an executive’s office, with a team of 20 people or so, who can be considered my business secretaries. You can become the head of my executive office, with the rank of head director. It’ll be easy to promote you once the results come in. With regards to your salary, feel free to bring up a price. Everything can be negotiated.”
“The head of the executive office?”
“Yes?”
Gu Liang stared at him: “You’re meaning to make me your secretary?”
Yang Ye: “Yes. However, my business secretaries aren’t in the traditional sense—”
“Mn, I know what you mean. I will have access to numerous businesses in the executive office, and growth happens very quickly there. I’ll consider it.”
Gu Liang stood up and stretched lazily.
Damn?
It worked?
Yang Ye smiled.
“But it’s early to talk about these.” Gu Liang glanced at the garden in the distance. “Your leg is mostly recovered, shall we take a stroll?”
* * *
Soon after, the pair went downstairs and made their way towards the garden in the resting area from the hotel.
The garden in the resting hotel was not big.
There was a wide grass slope between two lines of trees, and a miniature man-made river was built in the middle of the slope with a small wooden bridge overarching it.
As they were crossing the bridge, Gu Liang looked down the bridge.
The river waters were extremely clean; the cobblestones at the very bottom could be easily perceived and there was not a single algae in sight.
The ancients were sincere and did not deceive when they conjured the line ‘when the waters are too clear, there will be no fish‘ – the river was completely devoid of fishes and prawns, and it looked utterly deprived of life.
After crossing the wooden bridge, there was a forest in front.
Prior to this, Gu Liang had walked up to this point when he was alone, but he had chosen not to venture any deeper.
Thus, he told Yang Ye: “Let’s continue walking and see what’s in the forest.”
“Hmm, you want to enter a small forest with me?”
“……”
Why did this person have to be so glib?
Gu Liang casted a sidelong glance at Yang Ye, feeling a certain impulse to punch someone. However, when he thought about the fact that he had just recovered from his injuries, he forced himself to suppress the urge.
Shaking his head, Gu Liang took the initiative to walk towards the forest first.
As they were going towards the forest, Yang Ye took a few strides forward, which allowed him to catch up to Gu Liang and enter the forest first.
Although it was unlikely that strange things were residing in the small forest of the resting area, Yang Ye still wanted to prepare for all eventualities.
Just as they stepped into the forest, Yang Ye came to an abrupt stop. He turned around and signalled for Gu Liang to quieten down with a hand gesture, and then he mouthed: “There’s someone inside.”
Gu Liang stopped in his tracks and darted behind a nearby tree. Then, he peeked his head out to have a look, and saw a woman in a streetcleaner uniform bending her waist over as she swept up the leaves.
Gu Liang’s first reaction was that her silhouette looked vaguely familiar.
And when she lifted up her head again after cleaning a small part of the area, Gu Liang identified her— she was the Maid Liu of whom he encountered in his first scenario, Death of Boss Bai.
Evidently, Yang Ye had recognised Maid Liu too, since he turned his head to exchange looks with Gu Liang.
Gu Liang nodded. Yang Ye took a step forward, “Maid Liu? Or perhaps… How should I address you?”
When Maid Liu saw Yang Ye and Gu Liang approaching her as a pair, she stiffened, her eyebrows wrinkling together immediately.
Her hand left the broom as she brought it close to her mouth to point at her lips before she held the broom again to continue sweeping the ground with a lowered head.
“Compared to the script enactment segment in the scenario, you are now no different from the NPCs in this resting area, and you’re not allowed to speak to us?”
Maid Liu nodded her head, which could be considered as a confirmation.
“What is going on here exactly? Why can’t you speak? Is it because there’s someone monitoring us at any given time?” Yang Ye persisted in his questions.
Maid Liu stopped sweeping the leaves for a brief moment. She lifted her head again and opened her mouth wide without any prior warning.
At this moment, Yang Ye witnessed it— she actually had no tongue.
Who cut off her tongue? The system?
Were the NPCs here unspeaking because they had their tongues cut off as well?
Was this some kind of punishment?
“Maid Liu…” Yang Ye became serious, “What kind of world is this exactly?”
Maid Liu let out a sigh, only shaking her head again before she departed with her broom.
As she was leaving, the ends of her broom dragged along the ground, causing several pieces of leaves to swirl up before they fell back down again.
Gu Liang felt a strange sensation emerge in his heart uncontrollably as he watched her amble through the lifeless forest.
It seemed to be some kind of sixth sense; an ice cold, bone piercing chill, which he could not explicate or understand.
* * *
Number XS007 Control Centre.
After completing the evaluations for the players he was responsible for, the man in black did a long and lazy stretch.
While he was stretching, Ming Yue happened to walk in.
The man in black glanced at him. “Why are you here?”
Ming Yue: “I need to go back to the other side. I can’t come over for a long period of time, so I decided to inform you before I leave.”
“Sure, have a smooth-sailing journey.” The man in black suddenly thought of something interesting, and he retrieved a video clip for Ming Yue: “You should be interested in this, I reckon. It concerns the comments that Gu Liang had about his previous script.”
Ming Yue took the tablet that the man in black was offering to him, and opened it with an expressionless visage. “Isn’t supervision and monitoring banned during their downtime?”
The man in black stated: “It’s not wrong to say that. But the system has a crawler bot for keywords; as long as they discuss anything that is associated with the content in the story script, the system will automatically record it. Look, treat it as feedback for your script writing. You should improve more.”
Ming Yue tapped open the video. The video playing on the scene was the conversation between Gu Liang and Professor Wang.
After watching the scene, Ming Yue returned the tablet to the man in black.
The man in black said: “I’m quite curious, what are your thoughts right now?”
Ming Yue: “I don’t have any opinions. Gu Liang has always been such a person. I’m not surprised that he said that. Is he one of your main monitoring subjects?”
The man in black nodded. “Yes. If you’re interested, I can show the list of important players for this phase.”
Ming Yue accepted the name list that the man in black handed over. He sat down and flipped through the list at an unhurried pace. “Who is this Yang Ye person, why is his evaluation score so high?”
The man in black said: “Yes, according to overall evaluation, he scores the highest. The higher-ups hold a great deal of interest towards him. He seems to get along well with that Gu Liang.”
“Is that so.”
Ming Yue paid him no heed. His white and slender fingers landed on the screen and he gently tapped open Gu Liang’s head portrait to check his individual assessment.
It was unknown if he had seen the score for one of Gu Liang’s abilities, but a faint smile appeared on Ming Yue’s lips. His eyes curved as well, forming a beautiful arc: “Speaking of which, he had a little girlfriend in the past.”
The man in black had some understanding of Gu Liang as well, and that led him to asking in a somewhat baffled tone: “He actually had a girlfriend?”
Ming Yue: “She was called Yu Hui. Guess why she broke up with him and transferred schools?”
The man in black felt a small chill run down his spine: “Did you…”
Ming Yue raised his eyes to gaze at the man in black, smiling. “I didn’t do anything. I merely said a few lines to her.”
City X, Seventh Secondary School, Year One, Class Three. Summer.
The fragrance of the camphor trees was dense and clammy in the broiling hot weather, and it spread to every nook and cranny of the secondary school.
The other students in the classroom had left for the physical education class.
Ming Yue had a fever so he stayed behind, and he laid on his desk as he played Go with himself.
In the middle, someone returned to the classroom to grab something. It was Yu Hui.
Her hair had scattered and she was coming back to grab another hair tie.
When she saw Ming Yue’s appearance, she went up to ask him: “Are you alright?”
Ming Yue raised his head to look at her before he shook his head indolently.
It was only when he glanced outside the window carelessly and saw a certain youth clad in a white T-shirt sprinting through the camphor trees, that a hint of mischief slid past his eyes.
However, when he turned his head to regard Yu Hui again, his gaze had already returned back to normal. “Yu Hui, I actually like you, but it’s a pity that you’re already together with Brother Liang.”
This was the first sentence he ever spoke to Yu Hui.
At that moment, his hands were placed underneath the table and Yu Hui could not see what he was doing.
Yu Hui froze.
She could smell the sweet and unctuous scent of the camphor trees, her vision was filled with a young man’s face which was faintly red from a high fever. And staring at her were those clean and limpid eyes, which made it impossible for her to reject.
She opened her mouth, saying: “Actually… we’re not officially together either. Everyone is just making fun of us. Although you’re two years younger than us, there are a lot of moments where… You’re more mature and elegant. Honestly speaking, most of the female students like… like you a fair bit. If you’re being genuine, I can give it a try with you. I…”
Ming Yue pulled his hand out from under the desk and raised the recorder pen. “My fever was affecting my studies, so I decided to record the teacher’s voice for revision later on… I forgot to shut it off. Say, if Brother Liang and the other students were to hear your words, what would they think?”
This was the second line that Ming Yue spoken to her.
Present moment, inside the control centre.
With some curiosity, the man in black asked Ming Yue: “What were the lines you said?”
“It’s nothing much, honestly. I didn’t think she would transfer schools so quickly either.”
Ming Yue switched off the tablet and gave it back to the man in black, “Back then, she and Gu Liang were only 16, and I was just 14. What could I have said? It’s merely a case of children messing around and pulling practical jokes. I happened to remember the incident all of a sudden, and thought that it was quite interesting because Gu Liang wasn’t heavily affected by the incident either.”
As the man in black took the tablet, he understood something. “So that’s why you said that it was quite normal for Gu Liang to say such things. Do you think that he… lacks emotions by contrast?”
“That’s not the case either. It’s just that he’s more cruel.”
“He’s cruel to others, and far more cruel to himself.”
Rising to his feet, Ming Yue waved at the man in black before he turned around and left.
T/N: Personal opinion but, Ming Yue has always been interesting to me, in how he and Gu Liang are so similar, and yet so different.
Also, did anyone guess Gu Liang’s profession correctly? (I did try to make his dialogue sound and structured more debater/lawyer-like x)