HP - Chapter 13

Typhoon Night Murder Files 08

"I... at most, I'm just kind of a jerk." Lin Huaiping stood at the doorway of the room. Although he was a bit flustered, he instinctively tried to defend himself.

However, no one paid him any attention, all fully engrossed in searching for other clues.

"Wow, you've borrowed money quite a lot, huh? Bet you’ve flipped through your whole contact list by now." Cui Shuying pulled out a stack of notes, varying in shape and material, from a small pocket in the suitcase. "There are IOUs, written promises to pay back... the paper's all yellowed now, but I don’t see any sign you actually repaid anything... Huh..."

Cui Shuying picked up one of the IOUs and said in surprise, "Turns out there was one case where he did pay it back. He borrowed money from Mu Xingchao three years ago, and paid it back not long after."

The IOU had a large red X drawn across it, with the words "Paid in Full" and the repayment date written on it.

Lin Huaiping said unhappily, "I'm not some deadbeat. If I’ve got the money, of course I’ll pay it back, okay?"

After speaking, he shot a dissatisfied glance at Mu Xingchao and gave a light snort. "I only borrowed a few thousand from Mu Xingchao. He's so rich, and he still came after me to get it back. Seriously annoying."

Cui Shuying looked even more disdainful. "And you say you're not a deadbeat."

"I found something!" Xu Hangjia pulled something out from the inner pocket of a pair of pants. Everyone gathered around.

[Discovery — Protective Talisman]:

Having heard that Xuanfeng Temple was especially efficacious, Lin Huaiping had made a special trip there to obtain this talisman, which was said to ward off evil spirits. (To make sure the talisman would protect him more effectively, Lin Huaiping even borrowed 50 yuan to donate into the temple's merit box.)

Everyone turned to look at Lin Huaiping. "What did you do that’s weighing on your conscience?"

"Nothing! I just sometimes have nightmares, so I wanted some peace of mind, that’s all." Lin Huaiping instinctively wanted to flee. He immediately turned around and headed for the first floor. But Xu Hangquan quickly caught up behind him and said coldly:

"From what I know, after Jiang Zhi won her award, you borrowed a large sum of money from her, claiming it was for cash flow, but when the agreed time came, you still hadn’t paid her back."

"No way." Lin Huaiping blurted out, "That never happened. Why would I borrow money from Jiang Zhi? If my dad found out, he’d beat me to death."

Lin Huaiping and Jiang Zhi were cousins. When Jiang Zhi was in her first year of junior high and Lin Huaiping was in his third year, Jiang Zhi and her classmates had gotten into a conflict with a few local punks over some 'trivial matter.' At the time, Lin Huaiping was in the height of his rebellious “second-year middle school syndrome” phase and stepped in out of ‘loyalty’ to help her. After that incident, the two became friends, and their friendship had lasted until now.

Xu Hangquan stared straight into his eyes and said with conviction, "You’re lying. Jiang Zhi told me this herself."

"Jiang Zhi told you herself?" Lin Huaiping turned his head and looked at Ji Zhou. "Sang Long, did you know about this?"

Ji Zhou hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

Lin Huaiping sneered, pointed at Xu Hangquan, and raised his voice: "Sang Long is Jiang Zhi’s boyfriend. Do you really think you'd know more than he does?"

"You’re still not going to admit it?"

"Why should I admit to something I didn’t do?"

"If it turns out you’re lying, doesn’t that mean you’re connected to Jiang Zhi’s accident?"

As they spoke, everyone had moved down to the first floor.

"You—" Faced with Xu Hangquan’s relentless questioning, Lin Huaiping began to sweat.

The reason he didn’t want to admit it was, on one hand, to maintain his in-game character’s persona, and on the other hand, out of fear of drawing suspicion. But at this point, if he kept hiding the truth, he might really be framed as the culprit.

After a long pause, he finally responded reluctantly: "Jiang Zhi promised she’d never tell anyone. She didn’t even tell her boyfriend, yet she told you..."

Oh ho.

Everyone turned to look at Ji Zhou and Xu Hangquan with the excited gaze of gossip spectators.

Seeing this, Ji Zhou leaned toward Zhong Xu and whispered, "Should I be acting really angry right now?"

Zhong Xu replied, "Yes. Your expression should be as green as if you swallowed a fly."

"Isn’t that a bit too gross?"

Xu Hangquan kept pushing: "You didn’t want to pay her back, so you hoped Jiang Zhi would just disappear, right?"

"How could that be?!" Lin Huaiping burst out emotionally. "Jiang Zhi is my cousin! However much of a scoundrel I am, I couldn’t possibly be that vicious over a bit of money!"

"Um..." Mu Xingchao came down from the second floor, waving a document in his hand. "I found a new clue. One month before Jiang Zhi’s accident, Lin Huaiping transferred his share of the auto parts shop he co-owned."

Ji Zhou immediately connected the dots: "Could it be that the reason you transferred the auto parts shop was because Jiang Zhi’s motorcycle was tampered with there?"

"What motorcycle?"

Ji Zhou vaguely mentioned that Jiang Zhi’s accident involved a motorcycle. But he didn’t give away more details. Instead, he winked at Zhong Xu.

Zhong Xu, heart harder than stone, ignored him completely.

"Don’t go making things up!" Lin Huaiping panicked. "I transferred the auto parts shop because I wanted to invest in another business... but I got unlucky and ended up getting scammed. That’s why I turned to Jiang Zhi to help cover the loss. But I lost everything—down to my underwear! How could I possibly repay the money? That’s why I kept delaying."

Zhou Zhi suddenly asked, "You didn’t want Jiang Zhi to tell anyone—does that mean something bad would’ve happened if it got out?"

Lin Huaiping shook his head. "Everyone else lives better than me—richer than me! And I like to brag sometimes. Wouldn’t it be humiliating to admit this? Besides, if my dad found out... he really would beat me to death..."

Seeing the suspicion in everyone’s eyes, Lin Huaiping’s blood rushed to his head. He shouted angrily, "You’re all doubting me?! Don’t think I don’t know—you’re not any cleaner than I am!"

He pointed at Zhou Zhi. "Jiang Zhi’s death might not have been caused by a motorcycle malfunction at all—what if someone poisoned her? If that’s the case, then Zhou Zhi is the biggest suspect. He’s a doctor! And he had more motive to kill Jiang Zhi—he and Xu Shuangyuan were having an affair behind Mu Xingchao’s back, and Jiang Zhi found out!"

Oh ho?!

Everyone’s eyes lit up and locked onto Zhou Zhi, Xu Shuangyuan, and Mu Xingchao.

It was such a massive revelation that it had everyone stirred up with excitement.

Xu Shuangyuan covered her face, visibly embarrassed. Zhou Zhi gave a bitter smile and shrugged helplessly.

Mu Xingchao looked stunned, his face unreadable.

Having gone this far, Lin Huaiping threw caution to the wind and continued: "After Jiang Zhi found out about that mess, she came to me first to ask what to do. She didn’t name names, but I guessed it was Zhou Zhi and Xu Shuangyuan. I’ve been fooling around outside for years—I can tell when something’s off. I wasn’t certain at first, but the moment Jiang Zhi brought it up, I knew exactly who it was."

Judging from Zhou Zhi and Xu Shuangyuan's expressions, this was clearly the truth.

“Got a cigarette?” Mu Xingchao was the first to break the silence, stopping Lin Huaiping.

Lin Huaiping instinctively took out a cigarette and handed over the lighter as well.

Mu Xingchao took a drag of the cigarette, tossed the lighter onto the table, and suddenly leaned forward and threw a punch at Zhou Zhi—

Gasps and cries to break up the fight rang out at the same time—the scene was utter chaos.

Lin Huaiping took a few steps back and silently slipped back to his room amidst the chaos.

This matter wasn’t his fault. Jiang Zhi's accident had nothing to do with him. Why were they wrongfully accusing him? To prove his innocence, he had no choice but to reveal the truth everyone was kept in the dark about. This was only human, right?

“Sorry,” Mu Xingchao said, as if suddenly sobering up, and withdrew his hand. “I was affected by the mechanism, so I got too into character.”

“...” Everyone was left dazed by the whirlwind of twists and turns.

Zhou Zhi had several bruises on his face, and his neat clothes were rumpled—he hadn’t fought back at all.

“Shall we talk?” Xu Shuangyuan looked at Mu Xingchao.

The commotion ended, and everyone once again went their separate ways.

Cui Shuying looked around and then approached Zhong Xu, who was sitting on the sofa. “I want to take a shower. Is there any bottled water or backup water in the guesthouse? I can’t sleep without showering.”

“There are large bottles of mineral water. The kitchen has gas to heat water.” Zhong Xu was very adept at ordering people around. She waved to Ji Zhou nearby and noticed his eyes were shining like a stray dog by the roadside. So her form of address instantly changed: “Puppy, you’re strong. Lend a hand.”

Ji Zhou had been lingering on the first floor, wanting a chance to talk to Zhong Xu again. Hearing this, he was more than willing and agreed very readily.

Just as he finished helping heat the water, he saw Zhong Xu pacing near the dining area, her footsteps very light.

He approached: “What are you doing...”

Zhong Xu directly swatted a hand towards him: “Don’t make a sound.”

Ji Zhou blinked.

Zhong Xu said matter-of-factly, “Eavesdropping.”

It was Xu Shuangyuan and Mu Xingchao having a private chat.

There was only one scented candle in the dining room. Their shadows were cast on the wall, half of their bodies hidden in the dim light.

The shadows were close, but the people were far apart.

“We are in a ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’ relationship, but we never got to talk alone,” Xu Shuangyuan said with a smile. “I didn’t expect our first private conversation would be when a shocking secret was exposed.”

“It’s my neglect of duty,” Mu Xingchao said, puzzled. “But I want to know why you did it?”

“This is the fourth year of our relationship. I am genuinely grateful for your support; without you, my career wouldn’t be this successful,” Xu Shuangyuan said. “Because of your family background, because I wanted to enter the Mu Group and gain more opportunities, I agreed to your pursuit... But after gaining these benefits, I became dissatisfied with the status quo, always feeling you weren’t my ideal type, and that my moral sense didn’t need to be so high.”

“I see,” Mu Xingchao sighed. “But you don’t need to feel too much pressure. I pursued you initially because I thought you would be an excellent girlfriend. You’ve been very competent these years. When I had a car accident two years ago, it was your careful care that helped me through the difficult time.”

“After the accident, your personality really changed a lot, making me understand many things...” Xu Shuangyuan continued using this information. “So before Jiang Zhi found out, I had already ended things with Zhou Zhi. I happened to be returning a gift Zhou Zhi gave me when Jiang Zhi discovered it... Mu Xingchao, I also have a question: were you also unfaithful?”

Mu Xingchao shook his head: “No. But because you focus more on your career and have a somewhat emotionally distant personality, I indeed lost feelings for you over time.”

“So that’s how it is,” Xu Shuangyuan’s brow relaxed. “Then my questions are answered too. By the way, I found a cat very similar to ‘Beth’, also a Bengal cat. I’ve already paid the deposit and plan to pick it up and give it to you after we return.”

“...”

“Not going to keep listening?” Ji Zhou was listening with great interest when he suddenly noticed the person beside him had quietly turned and left.

“They’re almost done talking. If you want to get caught, keep enjoying the gossip (‘eating melon’).”

“Then how about we have a private chat too?” Ji Zhou leaned against the doorframe, his puppy-dog eyes sparkling. “Aren’t we also—”

Bang—

The door slammed shut mercilessly, leaving Ji Zhou to rub his nose and finish his sentence: “…exes.”

“...”

In his room, Lin Huaiping had a cigarette dangling from his mouth but found his pockets empty.

He remembered: he had lent the lighter to Mu Xingchao earlier, and it seemed to have been tossed onto the table.

In less than a day, he really seemed to have become Lin Huaiping. Now that the nicotine craving hit, he felt really uncomfortable without a couple of puffs.

Lin Huaiping left his room. He first went to the staircase and listened carefully. Sensing no one seemed to be downstairs and guessing everyone had returned to their rooms, he quietly went down the stairs.

The entire first floor was silent, with only a few scented candles emitting a faint glow.

Lin Huaiping’s gaze inadvertently fell on the storage room door. He felt a chill run down his spine, picked up the lighter from the table, and strode back up to the second floor.

Drip—Drip

“Huh? Didn’t I turn the tap off tightly just now?” Lin Huaiping lit his cigarette and walked into the bathroom.

Knock—Knock—Knock

There was a knock at the door.

Drip—Drip

The door handle was pressed down gently, and the door was pushed open.

1. 吃瓜 (chī guā) — literally “eating melon”; slang for watching or enjoying gossip or drama as a bystander

2. 小狗眼 (xiǎo gǒu yǎn) — literally “puppy-dog eyes”

3. 失職 (shī zhí) — meaning “neglect of duty” or “dereliction of responsibility,” often used in workplace or official contexts to denote failing to perform one’s responsibilities.

4. 礦泉水 (kuàng quán shuǐ) — in this context refers to bottled water commonly used for drinking or household purposes.

5. 冷淡 (lěng dàn) — “cold” or “aloof”; describes a personality trait of emotional distance or lack of warmth, which can have strong interpersonal implications.

6. 貝絲 (Bèi sī) — a transliteration of “Beth,” the name of a cat

7. 密聊 (mì liáo) — “private chat” or “secret conversation”; implies confidential or discreet communication.

Characters (Players)

• 终栩 (Zhōng Xǔ)

  • Role: Protagonist 

  • Game Role: Later assumes the identity of 宋慕思 (Sòng Mùsī), the idealistic guesthouse owner with a hidden agenda tied to her friend’s death.

• 季舟 (Jì Zhōu)

  • Role: Self-proclaimed "萌新" (newbie)

• 老玩家 (Lǎo Wánjiā, Veteran Player)

  • Role: Experienced survivor

• 瘦弱男人 (Shòuruò Nánrén, Thin Man)

  • Role: Terrified newbie

• 眼镜男 (Yǎnjìng Nán, Glasses Man)

  • Role: Silent observer

~~~~~~

• 宋慕思 (Sòng Mùsī) – The protagonist; a quiet, introspective young woman who organized the friends' gathering and owns the 民宿 (guesthouse). Hides complicated past relationships.

• 江栀 (Jiāng Zhī) – Outgoing and sociable; Song Musi’s close friend (闺蜜) but also entangled in a love triangle involving Sang Long.

• 崔书颖 (Cuī Shūyǐng) – Another extroverted friend in the trio; makes Song Musi feel like a third wheel at times.

• 桑隆 (Sāng Lóng) – Jiang Zhi’s current boyfriend and Song Musi’s ex; their past relationship is a hidden source of tension.

• 骆方 (Luò Fāng) – A timid, cowardly classmate whom Song Musi dislikes. Later revealed to have a peanut allergy. [Dead]

• 徐杭泉 (Xú Hángquán) & 徐杭佳 (Xú Hángjiā) – Self-centered siblings; both are classmates disliked by Song Musi.

• 周至 (Zhōu Zhì) – A smooth-talking, socially adept classmate (possibly a surgeon); Song Musi finds him insincere.

• 梁青 (Liáng Qīng) – An insecure and overly sensitive classmate; another person Song Musi dislikes.

• 牧星朝 (Mù Xīngcháo) – A hypocritical rich kid (富二代) with a photography hobby; Xu Shuangyuan’s boyfriend.

• 许双园 (Xǔ Shuāngyuán) – Proud and arrogant; Mu Xingchao’s girlfriend, whom Song Musi resents.

Sevyn here ~~~

Still no death update