Chapter 295: The Three Forbidden Songs (2/2)

”Goodbye!” seethed Zhang Jiulin.

As Xiaotao and I opened the door to leave the teahouse, we were enraged to find ourselves back in the private room. The two glared at us, hostility spilling from their eyes. ”Why are you back?” mocked Pockmark Li.

Zhang Jiulin slowly sipped his tea, ”Do you still think we’re charlatans now?”

”It's just another one of your diversion tricks,” I sneered.

I pulled Xiaotao out of the room once more but we ended up back at square one, three times in a row. The men were obviously having their fun playing us like a fiddle. Having long reached the end of my patience, I silently recited the Song family's mantra as I opened the door again. This time, the muffled screams of a girl drifted into our ears as we walked out of the room, successfully making it to the corridor outside.

”How did he do it?” Xiaotao asked in disbelief.

”They’re both a bit unorthodox,” I said. “It’s not surprising that he’s up to his tricks.”

”I suspect these two are loonies,” remarked Xiaotao. “10 million yuan in one go! That’s not a small amount even for me!”

”He might have done it on purpose,” I sighed. “Speaking of which, he’s still going after the Yin object.”

”Let’s not cooperate with these people,” snorted Xiaotao. “The police have their own dignity and integrity.”

Downstairs, an idle Song Xingchen was waiting to ask what the results of our little chat was. ”The murder weapon is a strange xun. The information is important to us. We’ll make sure to block our ears when we’re investigating.”

”As long as you’re not in danger, I have no problem,” nodded Song Xingchen.

And with that, Song Xingchen dashed off into the night. ”Don’t forget to plug your ears with headphones!” I yelled in his direction.

Xiaotao made a few calls to the bureau, informing Director-General Cheng that the murder involved some sort of sound but didn’t elaborate on how we stumbled upon that information. She suggested that the bureau provide each officer with a set of headphones which had to be worn as soon as something was amiss. Additionally, Officers Xun and Luo were currently closely guarded by the bureau. Captain Zhang of the SWAT team was currently out on a mission outside and couldn’t be reached so his superiors were informed about the matter. Fortunately, there was quick progress and the higher ups soon sent their approval.

As we walked through the streets, I asked Xiaotao if she was hungry. ”I didn't eat much for dinner,” said Xiaotao. “Now that you mention it, I’m really hungry.”

I pointed to a wonton stall by the road and suggested, ”Let’s have a bowl of warm wonton soup!”

Xiaotao delightedly agreed. Although she was every bit a wealthy young lady, she wasn’t picky about eating at street stalls and even liked the food. At the wonton stall, I ordered us two bowls of wonton soup.

”Did you notice anything different about me today?” smiled Xiaotao.

I looked left and right, up and down, and asked tentatively, ”Are you wearing makeup?”

Xiaotao playfully threw a pack of paper napkins at me, pouting almost petulantly, ”You idiot, can't you tell I’ve gotten a haircut?”

”A haircut?” I asked somewhat dubiously. “Why don’t I see anything different?”

”Bangs!” she announced. “It’s so obvious! Do your eyes only work when you’re performing an autopsy?”

Her words rendered me speechless. Why did girls’ haircuts look exactly the same as before?