The bone monster woman was quickly caught.
The bone monster woman had been hiding in the hotel for several days, not daring to go out. Due to hunger and lack of strength, she encountered Gai Xiao and Zhou Junyi.
Excitedly, she froze the two of them, only to discover what seemed to be another pair of gay men, and then she fainted from hunger.
When Xia Xianning and Luo Yingbai arrived, the bone monster woman was cursing Gou Songze. She was bound by a spell-enchanted rope and had revealed her true form: a skeleton for her main body, a beautiful woman’s head, and lion or tiger-like claws for hands and feet.
In the interrogation room, the bone monster woman’s claws kept slapping the special investigation team’s table, almost breaking down: “I’ve given up. I was going to return to the demon realm, but you patrol every day, and I have no chance to escape. I was just trying to get something to eat when I was starving, to gain strength to go home. But why do I keep encountering two men?! Not once, not twice, but many times! Every time I’m about to eat, two gay guys show up. How are humans like this? Don’t you have women? We don’t have men on our side. Can’t a woman find me?”
Gou Songze: “…Pfft!”
Gou Songze, also single and perhaps feeling sympathetic, unusually didn’t argue with the bone monster woman and instead reminded her: “One of those two today was actually a woman…”
Yue Ling whispered: “They classify gender based on their inner state. For her, Gai Xiao is a man.”
The bone monster woman spoke with full vigor: “Those who hook up with guys are idiots. Leaving women and finding big men instead. Such idiots are becoming more numerous. Every time I come to the human world, I see idiots everywhere. Ptui! I’d rather starve than eat idiots!”
Luo Yingbai turned silently and asked Wei Shou: “What did you feed her?”
Wei Shou said: “I gave her my lunch takeout today. She didn’t like it but ate it anyway.”
Luo Yingbai said: “This monster has quite the lung capacity. She’d be great at rap.”
Many of those brought in for interrogation were wild types, and table-slapping and street cursing were common at the special investigation team. However, most were crude and loud, so such an articulate and humorous one was rare.
He sighed: “Ah Shou, did you see? This is how being single makes you excellent.”
Wei Shou coughed, kindly reminding Luo Yingbai that Xia Xianning was standing nearby.
Luo Yingbai completed his thought: “…And then when you’re excellent enough, you can find a partner of the same caliber.”
Wei Shou couldn’t help but laugh. Xia Xianning pinched Luo Yingbai’s nose and asked: “How was Gai Xiao handled?”
Wei Shou said: “Director Xia, Zhou Junyi didn’t try to shift blame to Gai Xiao, but Gai Xiao admitted to deliberately drugging Zhou Junyi’s drink. Her statement matches the facts. This time, she’ll not only be fined but also detained. I’m about to write the report.”
Xia Xianning nodded and said nothing more. Wei Shou understood and quickly left with his documents.
Xia Xianning sits down in front of him and takes the initiative to say, “He went to school today and couldn’t find the time. Seeing your text message about still feeling somewhat unwell, I came in his place.”
Zhou Junyi pauses for a moment, then smiles, “I see. I’ve troubled Director Xia, making you go out of your way during such a busy time.”
“
He suppresses the waves in his heart and says nonchalantly, “Actually, I don’t have anything important. On one hand, I wanted to meet a friend, and on the other, I planned to ask Ying Bai to check if the calamity on me has passed. If he doesn’t have time, that’s fine. But Director Xia, you specially came over, I’m truly embarrassed.”
His words clearly suggest that he and Luo Yingbai are close, making Xia Xianning sound like an outsider. However, both of them understand their relationship, and Zhou Junyi’s deliberate emphasis only makes him appear at a disadvantage.
Xia Xianning says calmly, “No need to be so polite. His matters are my matters.”
Xia Xianning takes the purple clay tea set and goes through the brewing process with elegant and natural movements.
After subtly blocking Zhou Junyi with a sentence, Xia Xianning continues unhurriedly, “Actually, I know the person you want to see is him. We have no friendship, and I originally didn’t want to come today. But I have doubts and need to seek confirmation from Mr. Zhou.”
Zhou Junyi says, “How could I not cooperate when Director Xia is so busy with official business? I will certainly tell everything I know.”
Xia Xianning gives a faint smile and places a cup of tea in front of Zhou Junyi, “This time, I’m not here for official business.”
Zhou Junyi raises an eyebrow, feeling a bit wary from Xia Xianning’s rare smile, “What does Director Xia want to ask?”
Xia Xianning gets straight to the point, “I want to ask why you would listen to Gai Xiao’s words? She made such an excessive request of you, and Mr. Zhou clearly was very resistant. Didn’t you ever think of refusing?”
Both of them know exactly what Xia Xianning means by “excessive request”, and Zhou Junyi is momentarily stunned.
Xia Xianning gives him a moment to react, takes a light sip of his tea, and puts it back on the table with a leisurely and proud demeanor.
He slowly says, “Even if Gai Xiao comes from a good family and is a screenwriter, she’s not in a position to determine someone’s career life and death. You’re not someone who can be manipulated, nor do you lack ability, so you don’t need to exchange your body for resources. If it’s not because you love her – and you don’t seem to – there must be another reason, right?
Everything has its pros and cons. Although Gai Xiao fulfilled her wish at the time, Zhou Junyi discovered this matter two years later during a visit to a temple, and he asked a high monk to remove the peach blossom spell and decisively broke up with Gai Xiao.
After their breakup, Zhou Junyi found that he could not normally like women nor could he find a suitable man, so he remained loosely connected with Gai Xiao. When he was abroad, he had developed a good impression of Luo Yingbai, and after their long-awaited reunion, his fondness deepened. Zhou Junyi thought of Gai Xiao’s method from back then.
Xia Xianning’s expression was calm, and the ineffective peach blossom spell between his fingers crumbled into powder and fell into a pile on the table. He said, “You wanted to make him like you using the peach blossom spell like Gai Xiao did, but you failed. You might not know that this spell has a side effect: the person who casts the spell will never have a change of heart towards the spelled person in this lifetime.”
Zhou Junyi cast the spell on Luo Yingbai, but due to previous spell exposure, Luo Yingbai was not affected. Instead, Xia Xianning was unluckily hit by the spell while he was drunk, which led to the entanglement between Xia Xianning and Luo Yingbai before the confession.
Xia Xianning had not initially suspected Zhou Junyi, but during the interrogation of Gai Xiao, he learned about the past events and suddenly understood everything.
Zhou Junyi was silent for a moment, still relatively calm, and said, “Are you saying that Gai Xiao has been so crazy about not letting me go all these years because she used the peach blossom spell on me, which means she can only be unrequitedly in love with me for a lifetime, and now the same applies to my situation with Luo Yingbai?”
Xia Xianning raised an eyebrow and nodded.
Zhou Junyi gave a bitter smile and said, “But no matter what method I used, at least I tried to get what I wanted. If I hadn’t tried, this feeling would never have been mine.”
Xia Xianning said, “But you didn’t succeed.”
Zhou Junyi: “…”
