Murder Call

At one in the morning, the quiet bedroom was suddenly filled with the noisy ringtone of a phone. The orange cat, which had been curled up and dozing, stretched lazily, extending its fluffy paws and chubby back. Seeing that its owner hadn’t woken up, it leaped onto the bed and meowed by the owner’s ear.

The white blanket wriggled a bit, and a slender, fair arm reached out from underneath. The arm instinctively stretched towards the bedside table, accurately grabbing the vibrating phone, and groggily answered the call.

As a forensic doctor, Gu Yuan’s phone had to be on standby 24/7. Even though he wasn’t fully awake, his body’s muscle memory allowed him to answer the call.

“Who is it?” A lazy and drawn-out voice echoed in the room. 

Even through the phone, Mo Lin could imagine the other person lying in his arms, looking half-asleep. Gu Yuan’s voice was pleasant to hear, especially when he had just woken up. It was soft and lazy, like a cat that had just woken up, warm and fluffy.

But Mo Lin had to interrupt his sweet dream: “Your husband.”

Mo Lin’s voice echoed in Gu Yuan’s mind, and he slowly came to his senses: “You still remember to come back?”

“My heart has always been with you, never left.”

“Get to the point.” Gu Yuan knew that a call at this hour was never good news.

“There was a murder in Xiaoxi Town. Let’s go together.”

Upon hearing the word “murder,” Gu Yuan became noticeably more alert, his tone turning cold as usual: “Why are you the one picking me up?”

“What, you don’t like your husband picking you up?”

“Weren’t you supposed to come back next week?”

“I couldn’t wait until next week. I want to see you now.”

Gu Yuan hung up the phone directly.

“Everyone can talk sweet.”

Mo Lin called again: “By the way, it’s chilly at night, wear more clothes.”

“Okay.”

Gu Yuan hung up the phone, got up to get dressed, and just as he opened the wardrobe, the phone rang again.

“Gu Yuan! A shocking murder case! Get up quickly! The address has been sent to your phone…”

Li Meng’s voice was practically bursting out of the receiver. Even though the phone was held away, his excited voice still overflowed from the speaker.

Gu Yuan wasn’t quite used to it and directly pressed the hang-up button. He was somewhat grateful that it was Mo Lin who woke him up and not Li Meng, otherwise, he might have really had a heart arrhythmia.

Li Meng, whose call was hung up, was stunned for a moment, wondering: Did he hear me?

He dialed again, this time with a noticeably calmer tone: “Gu Yuan, why did you hang up on me?”

Gu Yuan: “Too noisy.”

“Oh.” Li Meng then remembered that Gu Yuan had a bad temper when waking up. He scratched the back of his head: “Sorry, I got a bit excited earlier. I’ll be more careful next time. By the way, we’re in Xiaoxi Town. There’s a body here…”

“Send the location.”

Gu Yuan hung up the phone once more.

Li Meng, not having finished his sentence, felt a bit stifled, so he sent a long voice message instead.

Gu Yuan looked at the 60-second-long voice message and fell into a brief contemplation. His slender fingers reluctantly tapped to play the message.

“Today’s situation is quite complicated. Didn’t Teacher Mo go to participate in that ‘Heart-to-Heart Night Talk’? He ended up receiving a call from the killer. That killer is really bold, claiming he killed someone and specifically naming Teacher Mo to catch him! What’s most infuriating is that he even sent us photos of the victim… Isn’t this a blatant challenge to law enforcement?! Now it’s all over the country, and it’s trending on Weibo. I bet the police station will be swarmed by journalists tomorrow…”

Li Meng rambled on about the whole story, and Gu Yuan understood the gist after listening to a couple of sentences.

He picked a comfortable white T-shirt to wear underneath and layered it with a loose, dark gray hooded sweatshirt. He selectively listened to the remaining seconds of the voice message.

By the time he finished dressing, the voice message had ended. Unexpectedly, another message automatically started playing.

“I thought I smelled blood, and when I looked, there was a pool of blood on the road! But we didn’t see the body. The captain, with his experience, said that on such a long road, it’s hard for the killer to move the body. It must have been transported by a vehicle or hidden somewhere, so we conducted a radar-like search of the abandoned fields and eventually found the body…”

Accompanied by Li Meng’s vivid storytelling, Gu Yuan picked up the silver forensic investigation box, which contained all the basic items needed for a preliminary forensic examination. Weighing about ten pounds, it wasn’t too heavy.

While taking the elevator, he browsed through the radio reports Li Meng sent, as well as a conversation recording that had been transcribed into text.

Gu Yuan’s eyes quickly scanned through the lines of text, his eyebrows slightly furrowing.

The killer’s thought process was indeed a bit strange. Could it be a perverted personality?

As he pondered, he walked through the deserted and eerie underground parking lot, most of his face hidden under the hood of his sweatshirt. His overly pale face was expressionless, resembling a moving block of ice, as if a layer of frost enveloped wherever he passed.

He looked like a dangerous individual disguising himself after committing a crime, carrying a toolbox as he walked step by step towards hell.

A woman returning late after parking her car shivered upon seeing Gu Yuan. Just as their eyes met, the overhead fluorescent light inconveniently flickered.

The woman was so frightened that she clutched her handbag tightly and took a long detour to another elevator entrance.

After all, no one wants to encounter a man who looks very dangerous at night.

The “dangerous” Gu Yuan turned a corner and headed towards a high-end black Maybach. The headlights of the Maybach were on, illuminating a corner of the underground parking lot brightly.

Gu Yuan walked towards the car lights, his features finally revealed under the headlights. His skin, with its delicate milky sheen, looked flawless, and his lips reflected a strikingly vibrant hue.

His thick, curled eyelashes covered his tired eyes, making him appear cold yet beautiful, with a hint of melancholy.

But when he lifted his gaze, all the beauty became a backdrop, and his eyes, like a deep abyss, instantly became the most striking feature.

The owner of the Maybach opened the car door and got out. With the sound of the door closing, a pair of long, straight legs entered Gu Yuan’s line of sight. The rhythmic sound of leather shoes on the ground was strangely captivating.

Before Gu Yuan could react, the person had already pulled him out of the bright light, embracing him tightly.

Gu Yuan could feel the other’s breathing, and his previously calm heartbeat began to change rhythm.

Mo Lin sighed softly by Gu Yuan’s ear: “Hmm, my wife smells so good!”

His head buried in Gu Yuan’s shoulder, Gu Yuan could even clearly feel the other’s chest vibrating as he spoke.

The scent of leather mixed with iris filled his nostrils, and Gu Yuan’s mind went blank for a moment.

After the blankness, a sense of excitement spread from his chest to every corner of his body. He once again felt the adrenaline rush brought by Mo Lin, causing his eyes to widen instantly.

Mo Lin didn’t hold him for long. He looked much more energized than before, a smile curling at the corners of his lips: “Alright, I’m fully charged!”

Gu Yuan: “How long did you drive?”

Mo Lin: “Not long, but I’ve missed you for a long time.”

Gu Yuan: …

When he looked up again, Mo Lin was standing right in front of him, different from the vague figure in his dreams.

Mo Lin’s black suit seemed to have a soul of its own, extending different shades of black under the dark theme, just like Mo Lin himself, mysteriously elusive.

His gaze moved along a gradually darkening shade of black, finally stopping at the other’s silver-gray tie clip. The tie clip was like a shining star, separating the ink and black from his imagination.

A silver halo surrounded him, making him look more like a dream.

Was he really dreaming?

Dreaming of going to the crime scene.

“Did you miss me?” Mo Lin suddenly asked.

“No.”

Mo Lin smirked: “Liar.”

Mo Lin’s long, narrow eyes drooped slightly, looking deep and enchanting. His fair fingers gently caressed Gu Yuan’s lips. If the other said another word, he would immediately lean in for a good snuggle.

“I’ve only been gone for two weeks, not enough time.” Gu Yuan said, then walked silently to the Maybach’s passenger seat: “It’s stuffy in the basement, aren’t you leaving?”

Mo Lin watched the other’s fluid movements, feeling a bit emotional.

He considered himself still charming, always dressing up carefully whenever he returned. But even though he clearly felt the other’s adrenaline rush, why was he avoiding him?

*

The car drove out of the basement, with few vehicles on the road. The Maybach’s headlights illuminated the dark road, almost unobstructed.

Gu Yuan kept his head down, looking at his phone, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled low, so low that it hindered Mo Lin’s view of his wife.

Mo Lin glanced at Gu Yuan’s phone: “What are you looking at?”

Gu Yuan was so engrossed that he almost didn’t hear Mo Lin’s question. It took him a few seconds to respond: “You’re trending.”

Gu Yuan stared at a fangirl’s comment, pondered for a moment, and replied with a small account: [He has a partner.]

“Isn’t trending normal?” Mo Lin said.

“Oh, it’s the comments that are trending.”

“What comments?”

“Teacher Mo, arrest me too. I’m beautiful, sweet-voiced, and easy to push over.”

Gu Yuan read the trending comment mechanically, like an emotionless robot.

Mo Lin’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, his survival instincts kicking in: “I’ll have that comment deleted.”

“No need, I saw a screenshot, and that account has already been hacked.” Gu Yuan said expressionlessly.

“Heh, alright then.”

Mo Lin thought: I can tell his mood isn’t great.

Gu Yuan never mentioned “missing you” or asked how Mo Lin had been these past two weeks. Mo Lin was initially a bit disappointed, but seeing him upset over a comment made him happy again.

This wasn’t indifference; it was clearly caring.

With that thought, Mo Lin’s mood suddenly improved.

“Do you have any leads now?”

Gu Yuan was indeed a workaholic. As soon as he spoke, it was still about the case.

Mo Lin chuckled: “Did you play hide and seek as a child?”

Gu Yuan looked at his phone: “Why?”

“When kids play hide and seek, they’re actually conflicted. They don’t want to be caught but worry no one will find them, so they make a little noise to attract attention…”

Hearing this, Gu Yuan finally put down his phone and looked up: “Is the killer a perverted personality?”

Mo Lin: “Doesn’t seem like it.”

Gu Yuan: “Will he commit another crime?”

“Probably not,” Mo Lin said. “He’s rational, within controllable limits.”

Gu Yuan had no doubts about Mo Lin’s judgment. Anyone who had worked with him knew he had never made a mistake.

Gu Yuan: “How long will you stay this time?”

“A week, it’s the National Day holiday, so I’ll spend a few more days with you,” Mo Lin said.

“No need, finish the case and leave.”

Hearing Gu Yuan say this, Mo Lin’s previously uplifted smile froze in the air.

Mo Lin had been on long business trips for the past two years, spending less and less time with Gu Yuan. He had cases to handle, necessitating long trips.

Originally, he could have returned for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a violent murder case suddenly occurred in the neighboring city, and he was specifically named to assist. He couldn’t refuse, so he bought Gu Yuan a plane ticket, asking him to fly over for the festival.

But when Gu Yuan learned Mo Lin wouldn’t be home, he hung up the phone and immediately applied for overtime.

Not only did he not fly over, but he also went off the grid, leaving Mo Lin to rely on Li Meng for updates on Gu Yuan.

A lonely man spent three days and two nights alone in a couple’s suite, unable to reach his wife by phone. He couldn’t abandon his team and fly back, making those days the most torturous of his life.

Only after the Mid-Autumn Festival did he eagerly rush home, only to find no one there. Li Meng informed him that Gu Yuan had moved to the police station’s duty room, working tirelessly. Once his work was done, he started writing papers, even sending the chubby orange cat to Wen Zihan’s for care.

Mo Lin felt a sense of foreboding, thinking: Is this the start of abandoning husband and child?

[Author’s Note]

Any early birds here, my little cuties?