Overly Intense [Criminal Investigation] 166

Chapter 166: The Red Silk · La Soie Rouge

Qin Luo was dead drunk at the celebration banquet.

No one at the scene had forced her to drink. It was all Qin Luo’s own volition, because she was happy that the movie had successfully wrapped up.

Although Her Kill was not a box office hit, it had been recognized at several Asian film festivals for its narrative structure and unique female perspective. The producer had opened a bottle of champagne at the celebration banquet and had informed them that the results of the competition unit of the Korean Film Festival, which they had been shortlisted for before the release, had finally been announced. Not only that, but they had also been shortlisted for nominations at various film festivals in Asia.

The director was also very grateful for Qin Luo’s choice back then, not to release it during the Spring Festival, but to choose a small-scale release during the cold winter season after the film festival, which had finally given her, a literary film director, an award to show for.

It wasn’t just the production that was happy.
The two female leads had also been nominated for domestic awards for the movie, and because of the CP sense of the female leads in the movie, their status had risen.

Even Liu Jia had gotten on the fast track of Her Kill.
Logos, as one of the main investment companies of the film, although not the main controlling investor, the project’s positioning had helped Logos successfully complete its transformation attempt.

Liu Jia was currently trying to create a new platform. They were preparing to abandon the traffic content and turn to the entertainment industry, determined to get rid of the label of a “pure content factory.” At present, Liu Jia was using Her Kill as a case in her B-end cooperation to strive for more independent director and literary adaptation project submissions.

Of course, Liu Jia had also nagged Qin Luo about the poor box office performance, and that the return on investment had not met her expectations.

Qin Luo had comforted her that at least it had broken even, and that it was fortunate that the money had not been wasted. Although the domestic market performance was average, the overseas art was more friendly to the theme, and Logos could use the overseas copyright sales of Her Kill to generate a second round of revenue.

Liu Jia had been comforted by Qin Luo, so she had drunk with Qin Luo until she was unconscious.

When Wang Xi was helping Qin Luo into the car, Shen Yiyi was sitting in the back seat.

Shen Yiyi had seen the slurring, twisting, and chattering Qin Luo from a distance through the car window, as if she were participating in some kind of rap competition.

“My god.”

Wang Xi had also not dealt with this kind of situation before. Director Qin was so big and was leaning on her, her strength like that of a bodybuilder who had been on a ketogenic diet for several years. “Director Qin, can you also use your own feet? I really can’t hold on.”

Shen Yiyi opened the car door to help. As soon as her hands were on her, she was hugged by Qin Luo.

“Oh, who is this?”
“This is my little cat who doesn’t like to talk, always frowns, likes to snort coldly, and prefers small wontons.” Qin Luo didn’t even pause for a moment and almost suffocated herself. “Hehe.”

…
Awkward.

Besides Wang Xi being awkward, the Shen Yiyi who was being held was also very awkward.

“Cute, cute, cute, cute, cute, cute.” Qin Luo held Shen Yiyi’s face in both hands and squeezed it. “How can you be so cute? I wish I could eat you in one bite.”

…
The Wang Xi who was still supporting Director Qin really wanted to die.

But… the Shen Yiyi who was being held by Qin Luo and was forced to make eye contact with Wang Xi wanted to die even more.

Shen Yiyi said, “Let’s get her in the car first.”

Wang Xi avoided her gaze and nodded vigorously. “Right, right, right. Let’s get in the car first.”

But Qin Luo didn’t want to. Qin Luo rested her head on her girlfriend’s chest, hooked her leg around her, and bear-hugged Shen Yiyi’s waist. “Is it real that we’re together… we’ve been in a relationship for two years… two years.”

Shen Yiyi’s hands were tied, and she could only shake her head to get the stray hair out of her eyes.

The hotel parking lot was full of nanny vans, and they were all important people. She wanted to save some face for Qin Luo, so she took a deep breath and suppressed her voice. “You get in the car first. We’ll talk when we get home.”

Qin Luo refused. Her hands were getting tighter and tighter, and her voice was muffled. “I’ve missed you so much on my business trip these past few days. You don’t know that it’s snowing again in Beijing…”

There was no sign of her getting into the car obediently.

Shen Yiyi let out a breath, leaned into Qin Luo’s ear, and threatened through gritted teeth, “Get in the car, now, or I’ll throw you out.”

***

Qin Luo had woken up in the guest room as she had wished. When she had woken up, her whole body felt like it was glued together, her eyelids were heavy, and her consciousness was intermittent.

“Last night…”

She quickly lifted the blanket. She was wearing loungewear. She touched her face again. Her makeup had also been removed. It was clear that Shen Yiyi had tidied her up… then why was she sleeping in the guest room?

Her throat was tight, and her mouth was dry. Her whole person was like a rag that had been soaked in water and then dried. Her limbs were heavy, and her legs were so weak when she got out of bed that she almost knelt down.

Qin Luo rubbed the back of her head and walked out of the guest room, trying hard to recall the fragments of last night.

But her memory had stopped at the director coming over to toast, and a group of three or two people singing the movie’s theme song with her. Then Wang Xi had helped her… she had been holding Shen Yiyi and talking.

Qin Luo put on her watch and pushed open the door. Shen Yiyi was working in the study.

Qin Luo walked up, rested her head on the back of the chair, and said in a very aggrieved tone, “Why am I sleeping in the guest room by myself?”

“Because you’re too noisy.”

Shen Yiyi naturally closed her computer and, as she turned, handed over the honey water by her hand. “If I hadn’t been able to find any tape, your mouth would have had a seal on it this morning.”

…

Qin Luo was drinking the honey water, her tone even more aggrieved. “Am I very noisy? I’m usually the type to fall asleep as soon as I get drunk.”

Shen Yiyi did not speak and took out her phone to open the voice memo.

[Do you know that our movie has won twelve awards this year, twelve, twelve, ten… ugh… best screenwriter… bang bang bang…wuwuwuwwu, it’s me.]

Qin Luo could hear that the person who was slurring her words was herself. The recording had an echo, so it should have been in the restroom. The “ugh” was her vomiting, and she couldn’t remember what had happened with the “bang bang bang” for the time being.

Shen Yiyi pointed to Qin Luo’s chest. “Check yourself for any bruises.”

“Did you hit me?” Qin Luo hurriedly pulled open the collar of her pajamas. She was not wearing a bra underneath, and half of her was immediately exposed.

Shen Yiyi did not answer, and the recording was still playing.

[It’s been so hard in the editing room in Beijing these past six months. I’ve been staying up late and wanting to eat instant noodles, but there’s no hot water. Wuwuwuwuwuwu, I’m wondering when I can go home quickly. Now I finally have time to be with you. And a few days ago, your dad called me again and told me about that sculpture. I’m so scared. I’m really so wronged…]

Hearing the word “sculpture,” Qin Luo was so scared she was stunned. Her face was pale. “…Did… did I say so much nonsense?”

Then she immediately glanced at the table.

The log table was covered in copies of the identification report, from the first page to the fortieth page. Shen Yiyi should have finished reading it.

…

Qin Luo frowned, full of regret, and wished she could give herself a few slaps for last night.

She put down the water glass and slowly squatted on the floor, looking up and explaining in a low voice, “Let me tell you, this identification result—”

“This identification result came out a long time ago, right?” Shen Yiyi turned off the recording, which was still playing, and reached out to touch Qin Luo’s head. “You and your dad didn’t know how to tell me, so you’ve been keeping it from me, right?”

Hoo—

She wasn’t as angry as she had imagined. Qin Luo confessed, “We were originally planning to… tell you the result when we went back to Fengjiang during the Spring Festival.”

“How long have you been hiding this document?”
“A month and a half.” Qin Luo said with difficulty, “I’ve been in agony for this month and a half.”
Shen Yiyi added, “You don’t blame me for going through your bag, do you?”
“It’s fine to go through my bag.”
“That’s good.”

Shen Yiyi smiled and handed over the honey water that Qin Luo had put aside. “Finish drinking and go and eat your breakfast. You vomited for a long time last night.”

…

Qin Luo just felt that this calm Shen Yiyi was very strange.

There were clearly photos in that identification report…
And there was even a definition of the scratches on the sculpture.

Especially since she had seen Shen’s father’s breakdown, that kind of angry and frantic face, why hadn’t it appeared on Shen Yiyi’s face? Why was she so quiet and calm?

This kind of calmness did not give Qin Luo a sense of security. She peeked at the other’s expression, and every nerve was tense. Her breathing was also pressed under the water, as if she were waiting for the sound of her explosion.

“Hurry up and eat.”

Seeing Qin Luo in a daze, Shen Yiyi gently patted her face. “Remember to drink the honey water first.”

Qin Luo stood up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Shen Yiyi turned her chair back and carefully selected a few from the text. “Isn’t it a good thing for the case that the identification result has come out?”

Qin Luo, who was drinking porridge at the dining table, could directly see the Shen Yiyi in the study.

She held her forehead, her spoon raised and then lowered. The plain porridge that her girlfriend had cooked was difficult for Qin Luo to swallow.

[Uncle, Yiyi has seen the identification report.]
She sent a text message to Shen Qinwen with self-blame.
[Her emotions are quite stable.]

But Qin Luo did not dare to say that Shen Yiyi was so stable that it was alarming.

[Do you think you should have her take leave and go back early?]

Just as the three lines of words were sent, Shen’s father’s call came in. Qin Luo quickly wiped her mouth and secretly slipped to the balcony to answer the phone.

“It was my fault for being careless.” Qin Luo was still blaming herself. “I had a little to drink last night and couldn’t hide it.”

“How can you blame yourself for this?” Shen’s father comforted her. “You’ve been running around for two months for this. If she dares to take her anger out on you for this, then it’s my fault for not educating her well. I will definitely criticize her.”

In Shen’s father’s mouth, Shen Yiyi was always like a child who had not grown up. “This way, I’ll have her take a leave. If you’re not busy recently, you can take her back.”

“It’s better to go home.” Qin Luo rubbed her face, her heart still in a panic. “I’m mainly afraid that she’ll have a mental breakdown.”

After discussing the countermeasures with Shen’s father, Qin Luo walked into the study. She saw Shen Yiyi writing and drawing on a copy paper, and she couldn’t even hear her footsteps.

Qin Luo coughed to remind her. It wasn’t until Shen Yiyi looked up that she said, “Let’s go back early for the New Year this year. Let’s take a leave.”

“I’ve already taken leave.” Shen Yiyi nodded in approval. “This clue is indeed very valuable. I want to go back to Fengjiang to find a few paint factories.”

Paint factories?

Qin Luo approached, so close that she could recognize herself in Shen Yiyi’s eyes.

Qin Luo was sure that she had not had a breakdown. Instead, it was a deeper sense of direction than a breakdown, not breaking down, not exploding, but a little bit of pressure on the tip of her heart, burning her eyes brighter and brighter, like a declaration of war on death before a duel.

“I’m fine, Qin Luo.”

Shen Yiyi smiled, her tone stripped of its sharpness. It was the gentleness she had reserved for Qin Luo. “I’m very happy, but I can’t express that kind of happiness.”

A stiff happiness, a happiness that made one’s chest ache with a dull pain, a happiness that had kept her from being calm all night.

Qin Luo couldn’t stand Shen Yiyi’s calmness at this moment. The expression of saying she was happy but her eyes were red was so piercing. Qin Luo held her in her arms with heartache.

“Alright, alright, let’s not talk about this. Let’s talk about the paint factory. You can tell me what kind of paint factory you’re looking for.”

Shen Yiyi’s attention was successfully diverted. She rested her head in Qin Luo’s arms, but her hand was rummaging through the file paper. “The surface coating of this statue has three layers of overlapping paint, and even a rare proportion of stabilizer has been added.”

“There were very few places to buy paint in Fengjiang at that time.”
“Perhaps the police and I had been thinking in the wrong direction from the beginning.”

Shen Yiyi’s eyes turned cold. “It’s not a crime of acquaintance, nor is it a random crime. It’s a targeted crime.”