Pristine Darkness

Chapter 29

The Scooby Gang starts to delve into the recent murders, and Bo Jinyan's spidey sense is definitely tingling. A little more is deduced about Fu Ziyu's mysterious lady, and I confess I don't like the sound of it. In the midst of all the investigation, Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao find time for a 'romantic' interlude in their usual style. Read on to find out more . . .

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Translator: shl

Editor/ Proofreader: Artemis

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It was a warmly decorated studio.

Although it was a small space, the walls were painted light yellow, and the white ceiling had stars and fish hand-painted on it. There was not much furniture. The bookshelf was composed of irregularly arranged wooden square boxes mounted on the wall, which had a charming effect. A square table of unvarnished wood, a few brightly coloured chairs. No carpeting, but light wood-coloured mats had been laid on the floor, giving everything a soft and relaxed atmosphere.

However, at that moment, the studio was in some disarray. Miscellaneous items and props were piled haphazardly in a corner. Books, papers and fast food takeaway boxes were scattered over the table. The mats were no longer bright and had obviously not been cleaned for some time.

Bo Jinyan ran his fingers along a window sill, and came away with dust.

A team of forensic investigators was already busy working on the room, while Fang Qing stood at the doorway, carefully inspecting the door lock and door frame. Jian Yao, like Bo Jinyan, was also methodically looking into every corner of the room.

Xu Sheng, Jiang Xueran and Wen Xiaohua stood outside the studio, accompanied by a criminal investigator. It was difficult to make out their faces in the twilight, but they were silent and exuded a melancholic air.

"What's this?" Jian Yao asked as she indicated some faint traces on the wall. In some areas, the colour of the paint was significantly fresher and cleaner than its surroundings.

"A photo wall," Bo Jinyan answered. "Go and ask them where the photographs have gone."

"The last time we cleaned up, we threw them away," Jiang Xueran said. Beside him, Xu Sheng and Wen Xiaohua were silent.

Jian Yao observed his oddly calm expression and asked, "What were they photographs of?"

Jiang Xueran grimaced faintly and said, somewhat reluctantly, "Our activities, scenery . . . nothing useful."

"Then . . . can you give us the digital copies of these photographs?"

Jiang Xueran paused before saying, "Should be ok." Glancing at Xu Sheng and Wen Xiaohua, he said, "We'll go look for them later."

"Thanks," Jian Yao said.

Then, she suddenly addressed the other two, "How about you guys? Do you also think the photos were useless?" Xu Sheng looked down, then nodded. Wen Xiaohua's face was a little red as he replied, "Yes, that's right."

Jian Yao walked back into the studio, passing Fang Qing, who was leaning against the door frame in serious thought.

"Did you discover anything?" Jian Yao asked.

Fang Qing smiled. "Nothing much." He then lowered his voice and said, "According to what those three have said, only the five of them have keys to this place. I've examined the door and the windows, and I've found no traces of adhesive tape, scratches, tools etc. That is to say, unless I've gone blind, there's no way a sixth person could have forcibly entered the studio, or constructed some kind of hidden chamber from which to spring forth and poison the water."