Chapter 43: So close

Late at night, at the DS Racing Club.

“You asked me to look into Lin Yiwei, I found some information, not sure if it’s useful to you,” said Li Du, pulling out a wooden-colored file bag from the cabinet and handing it to Xie Bo.

Xie Bo opened the file bag and found an adoption report with Lin Yiwei’s information. Under the adoption report were several photos of artworks, as well as a group photo of a boy and a girl.

The girl shyly hid behind the boy, looking timidly at the camera. The mole on the girl’s forehead was quite distinctive.

Xie Bo flipped through the contents expressionlessly, “Get to the point.”

“She grew up in an orphanage and was later adopted, you should know all of this,” Li Du said.

He spread out several photos of artworks in front of Xie Bo, “The owner of these paintings is Lin Xie, the boy in the photo. He and Lin Yiwei met at the welfare institution, reportedly had a good relationship like siblings. Even after being adopted, they maintained contact, but Lin Xie moved away and hasn’t been seen since. Rumors say she’s been searching for him.”

Xie Bo looked at the paintings in the photos, feeling a sense of familiarity with the style.

“Lin Xie used to sell his paintings on Wenchuang Road, and I went through a lot of trouble to retrieve these paintings from the buyers’ homes. For some reason, his works are hardly found online anymore.”

“If the paintings are missing, does that mean the person is missing too?”

“No news at all, they say he went out to work, but nobody knows where he went.”

Xie Bo lifted the paintings and picked up the group photo that was underneath the documents. The children in the photo were just over ten years old, the girl holding the boy’s hand, hiding behind him, shyly staring at the camera. The boy had a refined and gentle appearance, wearing glasses that made him look a bit silly, but his features were handsome and well-defined.

Xie Bo set aside the photo and continued to examine the paintings.

The more he looked, the more he felt… something was off.

Although he didn’t understand art and hadn’t paid attention to Chi Xiyu’s paintings, but considering Lin Yiwei’s eagerness to please and get close to Chi Xiyu, and then looking at her “missing” friend’s paintings, there seemed to be some resemblance to Chi Xiyu’s award-winning works.

Things… were getting complicated.

“Master Bo…”

Seeing Xie Bo’s face darken, Li Du curiously asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xie Bo threw away the paintings in his hand, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples with his slender fingers.

“Getting annoyed,” he muttered.

…

Chi Xiyu wanted to organize a creative makeup party, and the girls in the group, the sisterhood, offered her various ideas, but Chi Xiyu found them all uninteresting and vetoed them one by one.

Seeing that Lin Yiwei hadn’t spoken, Chi Xiyu cued her.

Xixi: “@Breeze, do you have any ideas?”

Breeze: “Sorry, Xixi, I was busy at the store just now. I recently saw a park community event on an app that seems quite popular, called ‘Cat and Mouse.'”

Lin Yiwei sent a voice message and briefly explained the rules of the game to Chi Xiyu: “If we want to combine fun and excitement, maybe we can integrate the costume party with the game of hide-and-seek.”

“Everyone dresses up in costumes, and no one recognizes each other. It feels like it would be very exciting and fun.”

“Who knows, you might bump into a handsome guy’s arms, hahaha, looking forward to it.”

“What if it’s an ugly guy?”

“Come on! Xixi wouldn’t invite ugly creatures to her house.”

The girls discussed eagerly, and Chi Xiyu felt that this idea was okay and decided to adopt it, playing hide-and-seek in the villa.

Lin Yiwei stood on the bustling street, holding her phone, the noise of horns and people talking around her fading away, her mind buzzing… She had to find Lin Xie when she visited the Chi’s house again!

…

Winter came without snow, replaced by a drizzle of silver rain. Even at night, the sky couldn’t darken, remaining a faint dark blue.

The traditional Chinese courtyard villa of Chi Xiyu’s family was exceptionally lively, with various dazzling cosplay costumes weaving through it.

There were cute anime characters, Disney princesses, and even girls opting for more provocative costumes, along with some whimsical ones like pumpkins or trees…

Lin Yiwei was quite recognizable, wearing a typical Little Red Riding Hood costume, with a fierce and strong Big Bad Wolf by her side at all times.

The height and size difference between the two, coupled with the constant presence of the big bad wolf by Little Red Riding Hood’s side… the couple vibe was undeniable.

Chi Xiyu, dressed as the super cute pink Lingna Belle human version, approached Lin Yiwei and asked her with a smile, “Can you guess who is Xie Bo?”

Lin Yiwei scanned the surroundings, looking at different characters and costumes.

Many people wore headgear masks, making it hard to recognize them, but she was sure Xie Bo wasn’t among them.

He had a unique charm; when he entered a room, he would change the atmosphere. If he was there, she would definitely sense it.

“I can’t tell which one it is, Xixi, you tell me.”

“I don’t know either, that’s what makes it interesting. I hope he chooses to be a cat later and then comes to find me. He definitely will, it’s so thrilling!”

“You’re really good at playing.” Lin Yiwei chuckled along with her.

Finally, as the sky darkened, Chi Xiyu eagerly announced the rules of the hide-and-seek game, which received unanimous approval from her friends, and everyone enthusiastically participated in the game.

Friends who chose to be mice hid in various corners of the courtyard villa wearing green bracelets.

Lin Yiwei also chose a mouse bracelet because the cats needed to stay put for twenty minutes before the mice could start hiding.

During this time, Lin Yiwei found it convenient to explore the basement.Carefully, she moved to the edge of the stairs, wary of the “mice” running around.

As she was about to go downstairs, Lin Yiwei saw a man wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask and a black tailcoat, standing elegantly and mysteriously in the room.

The corner of the mask’s mouth, left unobstructed, curled into a sinister smile.She looked at him, and he looked at her.

Suddenly, “Phantom” elegantly gestured a greeting from afar, then gracefully left.

She circled the corridor, ensuring there was no one else around, then, like a shadow, swiftly descended the spiral staircase.

The familiar password lock was right in front of her.

Behind the door was Chi Xiyu’s “secret” studio, where Chi Xicheng had taken Lin Yiwei before.

She didn’t find Lin Xie, but she saw a painting belonging to Lin Xie.

And she noted down the password Chi Xicheng used to open the door.

Following the previously noted password, Lin Yiwei tried entering the keys, beep beep, the lock emitted the sound of a wrong password, with only two more chances left. If she got it wrong, the alarm would go off.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Lin Yiwei’s forehead as she closed her eyes, pondering, recalling Chi Xicheng’s actions while inputting the password, and readjusting her input.

With a click, accompanied by the pounding of Lin Yiwei’s heart, the door opened.

Her trembling hand pushed open the door and entered the studio.The room was cluttered with easels, many of which held unfinished paintings, some roughly sketched, others halfway done.

But these… none of them bore Lin Xie’s touch. She recognized it; this was Chi Xiyu’s casual practice content.

This was indeed her studio.

The room was the size of a whole classroom, with easels and cabinets filled with paint tools and palettes, resembling a closed space.

No, it shouldn’t be.

Last time Lin Yiwei watched as the servant brought in the meal, and when she left, the tray was empty.

There must be another room, or a hidden door.

“Are you here?” She couldn’t help but shout, pounding on the solid walls around her. “Lin Xie, are you here?!”

Suddenly, Lin Yiwei’s hand hit a hollow wall with an echo.

Just then, the sound of someone entering the password came.

Someone was about to come in!In a hurry, Lin Yiwei hid behind a large canvas, its white cloth as big as a home theater screen, big enough to conceal her.

After hiding, Lin Yiwei covered her mouth with her hand, holding her breath.

“I promised to let you hold a party at home, not to invite a bunch of weirdos to roam around! There’s even someone running into my study! Are you trying to drive me crazy?”

Lin Yiwei remembered this voice— Chi Youhuai.

He had visited Lin Yiwei in the hospital before.He had a very distinctive way of speaking, even when angry, he seemed calm and slow-paced.

So Chi Youhuai was also known as the “Smiling Tiger.”

“What weirdos? It’s a costume party, everyone does this.” Chi Xiyu spoke.

“I asked you to invite Xie Bo over for the party to show everyone and resolve some recent conflicts and misunderstandings between our families. And what did you do? You organized a costume party. Where is Xie Bo?”

“I’m looking for him too, haven’t recognized him yet.” Chi Xiyu seemed impatient with her dad’s nagging. “Dad, no one would come to the studio, it has a password! Who would hide here? You’re not reassured, so you have to come and check yourself.”

“No one?” Chi Youhuai got angry at the mention of it. “How did your brother bring someone in last time?”

“Then you should ask your precious son, who let him be so lecherous, bullying my friend.”

“Enough.” Chi Youhuai scanned the room and confirmed no one was there before saying, “Tell your friends to stop roaming around the house immediately.”

“Dad, don’t spoil the fun.”

“You’re still talking back. Let me tell you, this is related to your own reputation. You don’t want to ruin it, do you?”

“I won’t! With all these password-protected doors, it’s impossible for anyone to get in!”

Chi Youhuai still felt uneasy before leaving, walking to the cabinet and slightly moving the sculpture on top.

With a rumble, a painting on the wall opposite the password door slowly moved aside.

Lin Yiwei peeked through the gap in the canvas and saw another door behind the painting!

He entered the password, the door opened, and Chi Youhuai said, “Isn’t it finished yet?”

No sound, a dead silence, like Lin Yiwei’s heartbeat at the moment.

“You better speed up, don’t delay Xixi’s Christmas exhibition. It’s not good to go hungry, you can only eat after you finish painting.” Lin Yiwei covered her mouth, feeling a seismic shift in her insides.

She couldn’t resist the urge to rush over, to take a peek inside the room, to call out his name!

She controlled herself…

Calm down! Lin Yiwei, calm down!

Chi Youhuai closed the door and turned to Chi Xiyu, saying, “You have half an hour left to end this absurd party.”

“Dad… ending it so early, it’s embarrassing!” Chi Xiyu pulled on Chi Youhuai’s sleeve, coquettishly, “No one will come here, he’s still here safely, isn’t he.”

Chi Youhuai snorted coldly and walked out of the studio.

Lin Yiwei’s eyes moistened, tears streaming down her cheeks. She tightly covered her mouth but couldn’t control the trembling of her body…

As Chi Xiyu prepared to leave the underground studio, she saw the white curtain blocking the paintings seemed to be trembling…

She frowned in confusion and walked towards the curtain.

Listening to the approaching footsteps, Lin Yiwei tensed her whole body, blood rushing to her head.

She saw Chi Xiyu grab the curtain, about to lift it, and Lin Yiwei grabbed a nearby tilting sketch model vase…

At the critical moment, someone grabbed Chi Xiyu’s hand.

A familiar voice, gentle tone— “Found you, my princess.”

Chi Xiyu turned in surprise, seeing the man wearing the opera Phantom of the Opera mask, holding her hand to his lips, lightly touching it, with a smile playing on his lips.

She recognized him as Xie Bo, surprised, “Oh my god, you look like this!”

“You recognized me.”

He just called her “my princess” and kissed her hand!

Chi Xiyu’s mind was instantly filled with countless rainbow bubbles, feeling dizzy, almost unable to stand.

“Your Phantom appearance, so handsome!”

“Not handsome usually?” His tone teasing.

“Especially elegant today.” Chi Xiyu’s face turned red, “All looks good!”

“I’ve been looking for you for a long time, saw you and Uncle Youhuai go downstairs.”

“Oh, did you hear us talking?”

“How could I? I was outside, waiting for Uncle Youhuai to leave before coming in to find you.”

As he spoke, he took Chi Xiyu’s hand, slowly removed the fluorescent green bracelet from her wrist, put it on his own slim and fair wrist, and shook it.

“I caught you.”

Chi Xiyu looked at him indulgently and helplessly, “I didn’t expect you to enjoy playing this kind of game too, hmph, childish.”

“Men chasing women is usually seen as harassment, but in this game, certain primitive impulses in some men are not considered inappropriate.”

“Listening to you, I dare not look at this game seriously anymore! It’s not that dirty!” Chi Xiyu pouted coquettishly.

“I think one of your friends who suggested you play this game doesn’t have a good mindset.” He said ambiguously.

“Don’t talk about Weiwei like that.”

Chi Xiyu walked out of the studio with Xie Bo.With a “click,” the door closed, and Lin Yiwei leaned against the wall, her legs weak….

The hide-and-seek game entered its final phase, almost all the mice turned into cats, searching for the last stragglers in various rooms and yards.

Lin Yiwei hid behind the artificial rockery, the silver drizzle wetting her hair.

The cold wind seemed to pierce through her chest, with a heart-piercing pain, tearing her body and mind apart.

Just a door away, she was almost certain that Lin Xie was there.

However, she didn’t know the password and couldn’t open the door, so she had to leave.

Lin Yiwei took a deep breath, trying to calm her frantic emotions, trembling pressing three digits on the screen—

110.

“I want to report, someone is unlawfully imprisoning others, it’s my… my brother… I recorded audio evidence…”

She stammered, almost unable to complete a sentence.

In the next instant, her phone was taken away, hung up.

Lin Yiwei turned suddenly, seeing the “Phantom” standing behind her, expressionless.

Deleting the audio, turning off the phone, removing the battery panel…

All actions completed within five seconds, smoothly and swiftly, almost giving her no time to react.

“Calling the police is useless, Chi Youhuai has already transferred the people, leaving no trace of evidence.”

As he spoke, a black car drove out of the Chi’s garage, rushing towards the end of the mirror-like street, eventually disappearing into the vast night.

Lin Yiwei widened her eyes, incredulously watching the direction the car disappeared.

The black night pressed down like a huge boulder, making her unable to resist the urge to scream.

Xie Bo covered her mouth, pulling her behind the artificial rockery, his hands tightly wrapped around her like vines.

The cold rain poured down, the only warmth coming from the hot breath of the man against her ear—

“Lin Yiwei, get ready to go back, I’ll take you abroad.”