Afterlife Department

176: Su Heng

In the darker side of the street leading to the apartment building where the staff of the Tianxing Entertainment are staying, a black, inconspicuous and cheap car was parked on the sidewalk. From their position, they could see the people coming in and going out of the apartment building without raising their suspicion.

A tall figure walked towards the car and leaned down before knocking on the window of the passenger seat. The silhouette of the person inside moved before the window lowered a second later.

Xiao Xie's face was revealed as the person inside the car, who's sitting on the passenger seat. "Have you bought an extra gravy?" he asked Song Mingfan, the person outside.

"Yes." Song Mingfan answered as he nodded before he gave the paper bag containing their dinner to Xiao Xie.

"… they didn't charge you?" Xiao Xie asked when he saw Song Mingfan's calm expression.

"No." Song Mingfan answered as he leaned on the car and took his share of food given to him by Xiao Xie.

"It's because they find you handsome." Xiao Xie said as he started to eat.

"… you're handsome, too." Song Mingfan told him.

"No. I belong to the category of cute people." Xiao Xie grumbled before he chewed his food.

Song Mingfan didn't speak and just took a bite of his burger.

"Hey." Xiao Xie called as he looked outside and saw the closed door of Su Heng's unit on the sixth floor. "Su Heng hasn't come out of his room since he came back this morning." He said. "No one came to knock on his door during the whole time, so he hasn't ordered a takeout for his lunch and dinner." He added before he squinted his eyes. "Could it be, he died?" he asked.

Song Mingfan almost choked on his food. Fortunately, his expression has always been calm so you wouldn't notice his discomfort from what Xiao Xie has said. How did he come up to that conclusion?! His brain hole is very big! He thought in his heart. "Maybe he has always filled his refrigerator so he cooked his own food?" he said. This is what the men living independently normally do.

"Oh." Xiao Xie just said and resumed eating.

Song Mingfan. "…" tell me honestly, you said it to disgust me, right?! He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Does Xiao Xie hate him? His words always have hidden knives every time he speaks to him. He doesn't frown at his face, but he never smiled, either.

Well, he did. But, those were sarcastic smiles. Does he have a bone to pick on him? Ironically, they were always partnered by Gu Xingfeng, their chief, when there's a mission. Every time, Song Mingfan felt like he's walking on a thin ice. He's afraid that, one day, he might unintentionally provoke the other, then he'd be beaten up.

Of course, he wouldn't lose if a fight would break out between them. But, if can be avoided, then he wouldn't want to fight with a colleague.

He tilted his head, enough for him to see Xiao Xie inside the car from the corner of his eye. He saw him chewing on his food while closely watching any activities that might occur outside of Su Heng's door.

Xiao Xie has a slender body, and is a head shorter than him. His skin is sun-kissed, and his dark eyes were narrowed into slits, giving him a villainous aura which is unfitting for a policeman. However, for Song Mingfan, Xiao Xie is just mischievous. He may look unapproachable, but he has a soft heart behind that cold exterior he shows.

While the two police officers Xiao Xie and Song Mingfan ate their dinner, Su Heng, as Song Mingfan has guessed, was cooking his own dinner.

Su Heng was born and was raised in an ordinary family. Unlike the wealthy families full of evil schemes, you'd fall in a pit in each step you take, Su Heng was surrounded by warmth from his family. He has a good relationship with his relatives. Since he is an only child, he got an undivided from his parents.

He was frying the vegetables when his phone on the kitchen counter vibrated. It was an incoming call. He turned lower the stove and wiped his hands clean before he picked up his phone and answered the call. "Auntie?" he said.

"Xiao Heng." The middle-aged woman from the other line called. "How are you?" she asked.

"That…" Su Heng said and turned to the living room where the news was filled with Huo Ling's death. "You must have already heard it." he muttered.

Aunt Su sighed. She is married to Su Heng's uncle, who is the brother of Su Heng's father. "Yes." she said. "Such a misfortune… that poor child." She said, her voice is filled with sympathy and regret. "Don't worry. Stay low for now. Auntie will help you in case trouble finds you." She told him.

Su Heng felt warm in his heart. "Thank you, auntie." He told her. It was his aunt, who runs a brokerage company, that introduced him to the Tianxing Entertainment.

Since young, he was obedient. However, even to his parents, he has secrets he has been keeping. And one of them is him chasing stars. As to how his aunt found out, it was an accident. Thus, when he graduated, his aunt remembered him and helped him become an agent in Tianxing Entertainment – the entertainment company where the star he is chasing belong to.

The call ended after an exchange of few words. Su Heng then resumed cooking, with the sounds coming from the TV as the background.

…

After dinner, Hao Baiyun sent Madam Lei home first.

"Thank you for the dinner, and the lunch earlier." Madam Lei said when they reached the gate of the Lei household. As she has said earlier, her husband has not yet home, and neither Lei Shan who rarely goes home ever since he moved out and bought an apartment for himself.

"You're welcome." Hao Baiyun said. He glanced back at his car where Huo Meiying, Fei Xuli and Jing Yu, who is driving, are inside.

Seeing his action, Madam Lei smiled. "Do you… have something to ask me?" she asked.

Hao Baiyun nodded as he looked at her with a serious expression. "Madam Lei." He called. "Do you know about aunt Meiying's condition?" he asked.

As she has expected, it is a not-so-ordinary question he'd ask since he had singled her out. "Yes." she answered.

As Huo Meiying's best friend, naturally she would know about her friend, who's almost her sister, her condition. Added to the fact she's perceptive, which made her notice Hao Baiyun's intention to ask her about Huo Meiying tonight, she found out Huo Meiying's strange condition.

"When did you notice?" she asked as she looked at Hao Baiyun with a wary expression.

Hao Baiyun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She's his aunt. Is it needed to be so guarded against him? However, he can understand. Like Madam Lei, he also cared for his aunt. "Madam Lei." He called. "The royal family must know about aunt Meiying's condition." He told her.

Seeing his calm expression, Madam Lei sighed in relief. Along with Lei Shan, she had watched Huo Ling and Hao Baiyun grow up together. Thus, she knew Hao Baiyun is innately kind and wouldn't harm anyone. He cared about Huo Meiying as much as he cared about Huo Ling. Regretfully, Huo Ling died.

"En." She nodded and pursed her lips in annoyance. "Meiying… they're her family." she said.

Hao Baiyun naturally understood. Huo Meiying grew up in the royal family, and it's her roots. The royal family must be the first ones to notice her strangeness, and sent her to the royal family's doctor to have her checked up. "Thank you for always looking after my aunt." He sincerely told her.

Madam Lei warmly smiled. "As I've said, it's no trouble. Meiying, she…" she said and looked at the tinted car.

"I have another question. I hope you can answer it." Hao Baiyun said.

"Okay. What is it?" she asked.

Hao Baiyun stared at Madam Lei for a while before he spoke. "Does Lei Shan know aunt Meiying's condition?" he asked.

Madam Lei's eyes widened and she froze. "You… what do you…" she stuttered as she stared at him in shock. "What do you mean by asking me that?" she asked as her eyes narrowed. "Do you suspect my son has a hand on what happened to xiao Ling?" she gnashed her teeth in anger.

When Hao Baiyun didn't answer, her anger flared up. Even though Lei Shan and Hao Baiyun are close to Huo Ling, but they aren't towards each other. Their only common 'language'/'interest' is Huo Ling. Them being strangers towards each other isn't surprising. What's surprising is that Hao Baiyun suspected Lei Shan of killing Huo Ling.

"You know my son likes… he loves xiao Ling." Madam Lei said.