With the police's authorization, Jian Jing took the key to Shao Meng's room and kept it to protect the crime scene.
She was going to register the information using online templates, but unluckily, the signal was lost and the network was down shortly after she finished the call.
So she had to take notes by hand.
The inn owner was very cooperative and told her all the guests' basic information.
The inn only had two floors. Shao Meng, Shao Meng's assistant, Xu Scriptwriter, Director Huang and Xie Wei stayed on the first floor, while Jian Jing, Zhang Hongchun, Tao Actress, Xue Xiaosheng, and Jiang BaiYan stayed on the second floor.
Shao Meng's assistant went out to buy medicine two hours ago and asked the owner about nearby pharmacies, so he could be excluded for now.
Among the rest, Xie Wei was the only one she hadn't met.
Jian Jing called everyone into the biggest private room, intending to ask about each person's situation.
Then she saw the one called Xie Wei, who made Director Huang sigh.
He was the last to arrive. She heard a few coughs first before the door was pushed open and he came in.
He was tall and thin, wearing a thick gray sweater and loose sports pants. His outfit was very casual and didn't match the refined image at all.
But at first sight, no one would pay attention to his clothes and dressing.
His appearance wasn't perfect. His eyes, nose, and mouth were not the most popular types these days. But when put together, there was an indescribable charm. He was not handsome, cool, or delicate, but his bone structure was just right, coordinating into an extremely attractive face.
It was no exaggeration to say that the gloomy room brightened up because of his face. It was as if he brought stage lights wherever he went.
A face born to be a superstar.
Jian Jing finally understood why Director Huang had sighed.
How could someone like him not succeed?
"Hello, everyone." His voice was light and a little hoarse. But there were specks of light in his eyes.
Even someone like Director Huang unconsciously softened his tone in front of him, speaking with pity. "You're sick? Why don't you take better care of yourself?" He couldn't help but advised, "You're still young."
"It's nothing serious. I've been taking medicine and keeping it under control." Xie Wei sat down cross-legged and looked up at Jian Jing. "You must be Teacher Jian. Nice to meet you."
Jian Jing unconsciously lowered her voice, "Sorry for disturbing your rest."
Jiang BaiYan was stunned for a moment, glancing at her without a word.
"I heard something happened." Xie Wei asked calmly, "Is there anything you want to ask me?"
Mentioning the case, Jian Jing immediately regained her composure. "When did you arrive?"
"A week ago," Xie Wei replied. "I'm in poor health, so I came here to recuperate."
Jian Jing asked, "Do you know Shao Meng?"
"I do. We're in the same circle. Of course I know him." Xie Wei smiled, but his eyes remained indifferent.
Jian Jing thought for a moment before asking again, "Did you see Shao Meng today?"
"No," Xie Wei answered without any hesitation.
"Are you sure?" Jian Jing couldn't help digging deeper like Chi Feng.
Xie Wei was still unwavering. "I didn't go out all day today, so of course I didn't see him."
The owner favored him and quickly corroborated, "I delivered his breakfast and lunch to his room."
Jian Jing nodded and turned to ask the others.
The last people to see Shao Meng were her, Xu Scriptwriter, and Director Huang. After discussing the plot with them, Shao Meng felt unwell and went back to rest. He never came out again.
Xu and Huang could testify for each other. Jiang BaiYan and Xue Xiaosheng had been around them all day, always in plain sight.
Only Tao Actress and Zhang Hongchun didn't seem to have seen much of Shao Meng.
Jian Jing examined the two women.
Zhang Hongchun looked uneasy, constantly checking her phone and glancing at it from time to time. It was understandable considering someone had mysteriously died in the inn.
Besides uneasiness, Tao Actress also appeared more nervous.
Her face was snow white. She bit the soft flesh inside her mouth. Her nails scratched at the webs between her fingers, leaving crescent marks on the back of her hand.
"Miss Tao, did you see Shao Meng today?" She asked.
"I ran into him in the hallway this morning," Tao Actress replied casually. Her tone did not reveal much tension.
That was very strange.
It was normal to be nervous about a case since everyone feared getting involved in a manslaughter. But Tao Actress was not very anxious about Shao Meng's death. What was she nervous about then?
Jian Jing looked at her for a moment before asking Zhang Hongchun, "What about you, Miss Zhang?"
Zhang Hongchun was relatively calm. "I ran into him at breakfast and chatted for a bit."
"What did you talk about?"
"He kept sneezing. He looked uncomfortable, so I asked him about it. He said he might have caught a cold and asked the owner for ginger tea." Zhang Hongchun answered very detailedly.
The owner nodded. "I specially brewed ginger tea for him. He said he felt much better after drinking it. And she drank it too."
She referred to Zhang Hongchun.
Zhang Hongchun nodded. "I'm about to have my period, so I also drank some."
Jian Jing fell into thought.
It looked like Shao Meng died of fright, but was it possible he had hallucinations? Or he was just terribly shocked and actually died of poisoning?
If so, a forensic analysis would be needed to detect the toxin.
She thought, "Anyway, don't wander around before the police come to take over."
*
In the evening, the rain grew heavier. The gloomy clouds pressed down from the sky, and the light darkened. The inn seemed to be shrouded in invisible shadows, with an eerily low air pressure.
Shao Meng's bizarre death and the weird scene made everyone uneasy. No one had much of an appetite for dinner.
Jian Jing only drank a cup of coffee and sat in a daze at the scene of the crime.
Since her rebirth, she had handled many big and small cases, but none had been as inexplicable as today's.
First of all, there was no apparent motive.
Among those present today, Director Huang and Xu Scriptwriter had no motive to kill. Shao Meng was the male lead of The Devil Doctor. With him dead, what would happen to the drama?
Jiang BaiYan and Xue Xiaosheng were competing for the second male lead, so they had no conflict with Shao Meng.
There was even less to say about Tao Actress and Zhang Hongchun.
The only one of the same type was Xie Wei, but Xie Wei had arrived even earlier than them. Based on Director Huang's previous reaction, he probably had no contact with the crew at all and had no intention of playing the devil.
No one had a motive to kill.
Secondly, the cause of death was unknown.
Without an autopsy, the exact cause was uncertain. But dying of fright with his head stuck in the toilet, it was either someone deliberately tried to scare him, or it was hallucination.
She leaned towards the latter.
There were many possibilities for hallucinations, such as taking drugs, accidentally eating something, or mental illness.
But she had checked the room, and Shao Meng's luggage contained no drugs. Director Huang also said that due to the frequent scandals of artists recently, he had specifically asked Shao Meng to get tested before signing the contract, and there was no related history.
Mental illness was even more out of the question. The crew was together day and night. A problem like that couldn't be hidden at all.
Then it could only be something he ate.
However, according to Zhang Hongchun and the owner, breakfast was standard Japanese breakfast, and what Shao Meng ate was the same as everyone else.
Jian Jing and Kang Musheng also ate it this morning without any issues.
Other than that, there was only the ginger tea that the owner personally brewed with just old ginger and brown sugar. Zhang Hongchun drank it too and was fine.
After that, Shao Meng discussed the plot with them, felt unwell, and went back to his room without eating lunch. The hallway surveillance showed that after entering his room, he never came out again, and no one brought him anything.
It was a complete dead end.
Boom, another thunder.
The lights on the ceiling flickered and went out.
The room was pitch black.
Jian Jing: "...Could this mission really involve ghosts?"
The atmosphere felt off.
A cold wind blew by and the indoor temperature suddenly dropped. She wasn't wearing a jacket, and goosebumps appeared on the skin under her sweater. She couldn't help shivering.
After some hesitation, she still got up, intending to ask the owner about the power outage.
The hallway was pitch-black. It seemed there was omnipresent cold wind everywhere, blowing in through cracks in the windows and under the doors, moaning and groaning, as if someone was sobbing softly.
"Meow!" The cat was unusually noisy, screaming incessantly for some reason.
Jian Jing used her phone for light and felt her way to the counter. "Owner?"
A candle flame appeared in the darkness. Without waiting for her to ask, the owner said, "I checked the fuse box and there's no problem. It should be an issue with the power cables."
It was probably caused by a landslide.
Jian Jing sighed, "Are there any candles left? Give me one."
The boss's wife gave her an aromatic candle.
The aromatic candle did not provide enough light, but as it burned, wisps of fragrance wafted out, lightening Jian Jing's mood considerably. Holding the candle, Jian Jing was about to go back to her room when she suddenly saw someone standing at the end of the hallway, facing the backyard. His shadow on the floor was mottled and eerie in the flashes of lightning, as if haunted by evil spirits.
Her heart skipped a beat. She changed direction and walked over.
Hearing the sound, the other person turned around, "Miss Jian."
It was Xie Wei.
"What are you doing here?" Jian Jing was filled with suspicion and tentatively asked, "If you're not feeling well, you should be resting in your room."
"I have something on my mind and wanted to get some fresh air," Xie Wei said. Under the warm candlelight, his face took on a cinematic texture, blurred yet full of charm. "Just now, Director Huang mentioned to me ‘Demon Doctor’."
Jian Jing was taken aback, then immediately understood.
With Shao Meng's sudden death, many issues had arisen. The lead role in ‘Demon Doctor’ was far more desirable than the second lead. If word got out, who knew how others might try to snatch it.
Director Huang had always been sympathetic towards Xie Wei and wanted to help advance his career again, which was understandable.
Even Jian Jing had no objections. Objectively speaking, Xie Wei had a stronger aura than Shao Meng, a born shining star.
"Is that so," she said impassively, "What do you think?"
Xie Wei turned his head, his eyes disappearing into the darkness again, "Miss Jian may not know, but ten years ago, I had a similar opportunity."
Xu Scriptwriter had mentioned this. Jian Jing asked, "'The Song Dynasty Mystery'?"
Xie Wei nodded slowly, "I was 21 that year. My professor really liked me and pulled strings to get me that role in the period drama. The script was great, the director was great, but unfortunately I...let everyone down."
He had everything going for him - the right timing, environment, people. According to Xu Scriptwriter, the drama was a hit, and so was the character, even the supporting female detective became popular.
Yet the lead actor did not take off.
How could that be?
But that was reality - absurd and lacking logic, unlike fictional stories.
Without pondering further, Jian Jing asked, "So do you resent Shao Meng?"
"Heh," Xie Wei laughed softly. The cold raindrops hit his face and turned into fine beads of water. One drop fell at the corner of his eye, looking like a teardrop.
"Back then, I was more resentful of myself," he said.
