The Brain Science Case 92

Chapter 92: Mandatory Protection Order – 17

Although the first day of the concert was tomorrow, a portion of the fans had already gathered in the plaza outside the Taipei Arena.

Zhou Jinglin walked quickly past, and as she approached the building, she only saw a few familiar shops. Just as she was about to ask, instructions came through her earpiece—‘You go in the direction of Dunhua South Road, and you’ll see a driveway leading to the parking lot. The backstage entrance is inside.’

She looked in the direction of the parked car. Yingli, in a black coat, was watching her from across the six-lane road. The ice-blue and snow-white scarf was as conspicuous as if it were glowing in the crowd.

“Thanks. I was just worried I couldn’t find the way.” She smiled.

The effect of her not being fully recovered was obvious. She couldn’t run as fast as before, and the wound on her side was getting more and more painful.

And not to mention a gun, she didn’t even have a small knife. She sincerely hoped she wouldn’t run into an opponent with a gun like Yingli had on campus before.

‘Did you find it?’

“I found it… thank you.” After successfully passing the checkpoint, she was drenched in sweat by the time she pushed open the backstage door. She frowned and pressed her wound, her steps clearly slowing.

‘Officer Zhou?’

“I’m fine, I can still…” she leaned against the wall and moved forward, the pain in her wound making her uncomfortable. “I-I’m already in. Where’s the lounge?”

‘You should see two forks now. The left leads to the lounge, and the right is the elevator. It’s not very late yet, so you go up and take a look. If Keys is on stage, then it’s still safe for now.’

An elevator… got it.

Perhaps because she had a work pass, even if others found her strange, they wouldn’t pay too much attention. “I’m worried I’ll run into Shi Changyun.” Walking into the elevator, she let out a breath.

‘The one you should really be afraid of…’ the reception was bad, ‘…contact Officer Cai. If you find Keys…’

“Hello? Hello. I’m out of the elevator.” There was still some distance to the stage, and Zhou Jinglin could already hear the deafening music.

‘The one you should really be afraid of is Shi Changyun. I’m sure she didn’t expect you to be here. I’ll contact Officer Cai in a bit and ask him how Vicky is doing. If you find Keys, let me know anytime.’ Yingli repeated and raised her voice, then added, ‘It seems you’ve already found them.’

Zhou Jinglin came to the rock section closest to the center of the stage. There were only a few security personnel and a few cameras on both sides of the seats. She was a little dizzy from the sound and light effects of the big screen and the stage, so she had to retreat to the corridor near the elevator.

Soon, she saw Zhou Jingxun.

Zhou Jingxun was wearing a tight, white top, a miniskirt, and boots that showed off her beautiful and slender figure. She and the four other members were dancing in sync, and when it was her turn to sing, she walked to the front of the stage. Her expression was calm and confident, and she shrugged and winked at the camera, her playful smile enough to make even a girl’s heart flutter.

In that instant, Zhou Jinglin thought their eyes had met.

“This is really…” although she had long known she was beautiful, to have her eyes meet hers at such a close distance, Zhou Jinglin still found it incredible and was deeply impressed by Keys’ stage presence.

‘You can watch the show slowly. I’ll contact Officer Cai.’ Zhou Jinglin took a short break, immersed in Keys’ informal but shocking live performance.

The excitement and disappointment of her colleagues when they were trying to get tickets… she suddenly understood a little.

**

Fang Zijun had arrested Vicky at her residence, and although she had denied it, she had been immediately taken back to the station for interrogation.

Cai Yuwei also thought Fang Zijun’s judgment was correct, but the argument he had had with Tang Yingli before they had left had inexplicably bothered him.

Yingli was not here, which meant he couldn’t ask her for confirmation. His restless mood was in stark contrast to the relatively cheerful atmosphere among his colleagues. He even ignored the mention of tomorrow’s concert.

He went to the pantry in frustration, and just as he was opening a packet of instant coffee, his phone suddenly rang.

“Hello, Teacher. It’s me.” He gasped. “I was just wondering why you had gone back…”

‘I’m somewhere else now.’ Yingli got straight to the point. ‘The interrogation of Miss Chen should have started, right?’

“Yes, the chief is conducting it personally.” He ran back to the office with his coffee. “Teacher, that… what you said to the chief just now, what was that all about?”

‘Personally… hmph. It’s about the director’s daughter. Chief Fang’s intention to show off is really obvious.’ Her cold laugh came from the receiver. ‘In any case, I stand by my opinion. Shi Changyun is the mole. If I’m not mistaken, the mastermind has other plans, and Shi Changyun is just being used by them to commit the crime together.’

“Huh?” Is this case that complicated?

‘Let’s solve the immediate crisis first. Can you find out about the backstage of the Taipei Arena? We need to know the location of Keys’ lounge. This is very important, and it’s an emergency.’

“Backstage… although you say that, I can’t just interfere with the chief’s interrogation without a reason.”

Yingli pondered for a moment. ‘Okay, then you tell him…’

Cai Yuwei’s eyes suddenly widened, and he gripped his phone and rushed to the interrogation room.

“Miss Chen.”

The sudden intrusion interrupted the interrogation. He held his phone up to her. “You’ve been to the Taipei Arena for rehearsals, right? Then you must know the location of Keys’ lounge backstage. You tell the teacher, quick.”

“Ah Wei, you’re…”

“I’m sorry, Chief. There’s no time to explain. You tell her, quick.”

Vicky took the phone. “Teacher Tang? The lounge is right under the stage. There’s another dressing room underneath, which is used for changing sets and clothes during the concert. General staff can only go there. The lounge is for company executives, or for personal assistants like Sister Shi…”

Fang Zijun gritted his teeth and grabbed Cai Yuwei. “What the hell is going on now? Cai Yuwei, have you forgotten who’s the boss of the Criminal Investigation Division?”

“I’m sorry, Chief, you’re the boss.” He looked back at Fang Zijun, not showing any weakness. “But the teacher does have a deeper understanding of the case. She and Jinglin are acting alone, and Jinglin has already gone over. If what they say is right… the real killer is at the scene, and we’re wasting time here.”

“Are you saying I’m wrong? I’m wasting time?” Fang Zijun shouted in anger.

“The point now is not who’s right and who’s wrong, but—we have to protect Xiao Xun’s safety.” He puffed out his chest, and his aura actually suppressed Fang Zijun’s. “If something really happens to Xiao Xun… then it will be too late to regret it.”

“You…”

‘Chief.’ Chen Huomu said through his earpiece, ‘Ah Wei is actually right. If something really happens, then the responsibility…’

He froze, understanding what Chen Huomu meant. He let go of Cai Yuwei’s collar, and Vicky, who had finished her sentence, also put down the phone.

“You… have you contacted Teacher Tang?” Seeing her nod, he asked, “What did she say?”

“Uh, I just told her about the backstage situation. That lounge is for Keys only. Although I’ve never been in there, it must be filled with small gifts, cards, or dolls from fans.” She scratched her head with a smile. “Although they’re all thrown away in the end, it’s always a shame to see. But it can’t be helped…”

Ignoring the meaningless information in the second half, he questioned, “Did she say the killer is most likely to strike there?”

“Um, she didn’t mention it, but I think that’s what she meant.”

He turned to Cai Yuwei. “Did the teacher say Jinglin is already at the backstage?”

“Yes, it seems Xiao Xun specially got her a work pass before…”

“I-I gave it to her.” Vicky pointed at herself.

“That Jinglin, isn’t her injury healed yet?” Fang Zijun frowned, picked up the radio, and after a deep breath, he said, “I’m sorry, the situation seems to have changed. We have to go to the Taipei Arena now. The teacher and Jinglin are both there. They seem to think that the injured assistant from before is the killer. We’ll go and confirm immediately.”

He frowned, preparing to talk to Yingli directly, but before he left the interrogation room, he found that Cai Yuwei was still standing there. “What are you still standing there for? Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.” Cai Yuwei was the first to run out.

Fang Zijun shook his head with a wry smile and bowed to Vicky. “I’m sorry, it seems I made a mistake in my judgment. When we get to the scene, we’ll need your help, Miss Chen.”

“I understand… I’ll show you the way.”

“Thank you.”

**

After the first half of the rehearsal, Zhou Jingxun let out a heavy breath. Although this was not their first concert since their debut, it was her first large-scale performance in her hometown. And with her relatives and friends coming to see her perform, perhaps it was the psychological pressure that made her feel a little awkward during the rehearsal.

“Hey, why do you look so down?” Her shoulder was lightly pushed. It had to be Choi Eun-hee.

“Eun-hee, don’t you think my movements were a little stiff just now?”

“Were they? Ji-hyo, what do you think?”

“No, it was very natural. Here.” Han Ji-hyo threw them a towel.

On the other side, Kim Hyun-joo approached with a thermos. “Let’s go down and rest, and then we’ll get something to eat. I heard there are a lot of fans in the plaza outside. It’s so cold…”

“Here we go again. You Taiwanese are so passionate.” Choi Eun-hee excitedly shook her a few times.

“Yes, we are.”

Kim Hyun-joo came around. “Jingxun, I think I saw someone standing in the front corridor just now. A new face. Do you know them?”

Zhou Jingxun looked in the direction she was pointing. “What do they look like?” She remembered that Su Huiquan had promised to come and visit her today.

“I couldn’t see clearly. They seemed to be wearing a suit, with long hair, probably a woman. Right?” she asked Yoon Eun-soo, but the latter shook her head and said, “I didn’t see.”

“Wearing a suit?” Zhou Jingxun was confused. “Who is it?”

“Or maybe I was mistaken… never mind.”

They took the stage lift down, at the same time testing the machine. The staff in the dressing room all said, “You’ve worked hard,” and many of them also praised their performance. Shi Changyun came over with a bag, and besides the leader, the other four all got a thermos with their favorite drink.

“…Ji-hyo’s black tea, Eun-hee’s sugar-free coffee, and Xiao Xun’s hot chocolate.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re still drinking chocolate?” Choi Eun-hee was surprised.

Shi Changyun explained with a smile, “It’s skim. It’s not that fattening.”

“Changyun, that only applies to Jingxun. Choi Eun-hee gets fat no matter how much she diets.”

“You brat, Eun-soo, you’re the same.”

“La la la.” Their usual “Yoon Eun-soo vs. Choi Eun-hee” drama was on again.

Zhou Jingxun laughed with the others and then they went into the lounge one by one. While the other members were chatting idly, she immediately took out her phone to check her messages.

It was exactly eight o’clock… from the cosmetic surgery clinic, even if she had bought something, Su Huiquan should have arrived by now. She was drinking her hot chocolate and dialing the phone, but Su Huiquan did not answer.

Is there a problem at the clinic? Or was the person Kim Hyun-joo saw her mother, and she just hadn’t appeared yet because she had gone to the stage to watch the rehearsal?

Yoon Eun-soo came over to her with a small card she had gotten from somewhere. “There’s a small card. It’s written all over… can you read it for me, Xiao Xun?”

“Okay.” She put down her phone and translated the contents of the card into Korean for the others.

Suddenly, her vision became a little blurry.

She touched her forehead and finished reading the rest of the content, but her eyelids suddenly became heavier and heavier.

“Xiao Xun, what’s wrong?”

“I suddenly feel a little sleepy…” she covered her mouth and yawned.

“We’ve been up since eight or nine in the morning. I’m a little tired too.”

“Don’t forget we promised to go out for a good meal. We only have an hour, so let’s go, let’s go.” Kim Hyun-joo said urgently. The others had already put on their coats, hats, and masks, looking like their usual disguise when they went out. “Xiao Xun, let’s go.”

Shi Changyun said with a smile, “She’s probably really tired. Let her sleep. I’ve prepared a salad for her. You guys have fun. Remember to be back at 9:10 to continue.”

“Oh… then alright.” Kim Hyun-joo had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Under the pressure of the others, she had to leave Zhou Jingxun behind and go out to eat with another assistant.

The girls’ laughter instantly faded, and the lounge was quiet. Zhou Jingxun was leaning against the sofa and soon lay down on her side.

“Xiao Xun? Xiao Xun?” she called out to Zhou Jingxun. The sleeping pills seemed to have taken full effect.

Looking at her beautiful and delicate features, Shi Changyun reached out and stroked her face. The gesture was so gentle, as if a mother were treating her daughter.

She slowly stood up. “It’s all over.” Letting Zhou Jingxun burn to death here, instead of in a foreign country, was the last bit of mercy she could give.

Pressing the ignition button, the small bear in the corner immediately emitted puffs of white smoke.

She left the lounge and took out a key to lock it. “Changyun, where’s Keys?” It was their manager.

“Oh, they went out to eat with Soo-yeon.”

“Ah, these girls are really…” he was displeased, “I just told them to be careful, especially with food. What if they get a stomachache?”

“But they wanted to eat. It’s fine. It should be okay to eat at a restaurant.”

“That’s true… huh? Then why didn’t you go with them?”

“I was just about to go. See you later.”

Shaking off the manager, Shi Changyun went to the restroom and took out a hidden bag. She quickly changed into a coat, threw her original handbag into the trash can, and lit it with a lighter.

Lisa had told her that they had already disabled the fire alarm in the lounge. To divert everyone’s attention, she had started another fire in the restroom to ensure the plan went smoothly.

After finishing off Zhou Jingxun and ruining the concert, she would probably be hunted down soon. Before that, she would stall for as long as she could.

Putting on her glasses as a disguise, she avoided the areas with more staff and ran to another, less-traveled exit.

She heard the fire alarm go off backstage.