Guan Xia and Pang Le had booked their return train tickets for noon, so they allowed themselves a small lie-in, had breakfast, and leisurely packed their luggage before returning the rented car and heading to the high-speed rail station.
During the short few hours of the return journey, Pang Le kept checking her phone, her frown deepening the closer they got to their destination.
"Something's really off," Pang Le said as she fastened her seatbelt after getting into the car at the station. "It's way past the usual update time—over ten hours late—and there's no announcement. I think something must have happened to Song Yi."
Remembering Shao Ying's casual mention of a tricky case the night before, Guan Xia asked Pang Le, "Did Song Yi mention which city the mountain she was exploring is located in during her last video?"
Pang Le thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, but I remember fans discussing it in the comments. Let me check."
She pulled out her phone and scrolled for a while before exclaiming, "Found it! It's in Quichun City."
Pang Le leaned over and held the phone between them. Guan Xia's eyes first landed on a photo—no people, just scenery. A tranquil night with a bright moon and scattered stars overhead, and in the distance, a sea of glittering city lights that never slept. The very bottom corner of the photo captured a flat mountaintop road. Based on these elements, it perfectly matched the location Song Yi had mentioned in her last video as her next exploration spot.
Pang Le swiped, revealing another photo below—a navigation screenshot with a location tag confirming that the Cuiping Mountain Range was indeed part of Quichun City.
Guan Xia relayed what Shao Ying had said the previous night, and Pang Le's expression immediately turned grave. "I’ll call my ex-boyfriend and see if he has any information."
A few minutes later, Pang Le hung up and looked at Guan Xia. "All he knows is that around noon yesterday, the police suddenly sent a large number of officers into the mountains and blocked all roads leading to Cuiping Mountain. It’s definitely a major case, but he doesn’t know the specifics."
Guan Xia couldn’t help but reinforce her suspicion that Song Yi was the female lead of this crime novel fusion world, while also feeling a pang of worry for her.
If even someone like her—a bystander accidentally caught in this world—had encountered such terrifying cases, how much worse must it be for the original female lead? She’d probably survive, but what she’d have to endure was anyone’s guess.
Pang Le busied herself with her phone for a while longer, clearly hoping to dig up more information, but her frustrated expression said it all—no luck.
They started the car and left the station, but before they had driven even a few kilometers, something felt off again.
Guan Xia watched as several police cars sped past outside the window and couldn’t help but ask, "Is it just me, or are there way more police cars out today? Did something big happen?"
They usually saw patrol cars occasionally, but never this frequently. In less than half an hour, they’d already passed three.
Traffic also seemed heavier than usual, despite it not being rush hour. Pang Le kept a safe distance while glancing around and soon remarked, "Something’s definitely up. Look at the intersections—there are cops at every one."
Guan Xia turned her head and saw uniformed officers stationed at each crossing, watching the crowds and occasionally stopping pedestrians to check IDs.
Pang Le muttered, "We were only gone for a day, but it feels like months. What kind of major case happened now?"
Quichun City and Yongquan City were hundreds of kilometers apart, separated by two other cities, yet both had suddenly mobilized large police forces. Guan Xia was starting to feel the reality of being trapped in a fusion world of crime novels.
As they inched forward in traffic, they turned onto a narrow two-lane road and were soon stopped by a checkpoint.
Three police cars were parked on the roadside, with at least seven or eight officers working with stern expressions.
They were using breathalyzers on every driver, which seemed routine—except they were also inspecting every car’s trunk, which wasn’t.
And it was broad daylight. Guan Xia squinted at the bright sun outside and hesitantly asked Pang Le, "Do they usually check for drunk driving during the day?"
She didn’t drive often, so she wasn’t sure.
Pang Le shook her head. "No idea. I’ve never seen it before."
They waited patiently in line, staying quiet but scanning their surroundings intently.
When it was almost their turn, the driver ahead of them, after passing the breathalyzer test, couldn’t resist asking, "Officer, what’s going on? Why the daytime DUI checks?"
The question was on everyone’s mind—even Guan Xia leaned out slightly to hear the answer.
The officer looked exasperated for a split second before replying, "Nothing major. Our city’s up for the Civilized City award again, so we’re just maintaining order. Remember to drive safely and follow traffic rules—"
Before he could launch into the usual spiel, the driver quickly cut in, "Got it, got it! Thanks, officer! I’ll be on my way now." As soon as his trunk was cleared, he hit the gas and sped off.
Pang Le pulled forward for their turn. After the routine check, they drove off, and once they were a safe distance away, she asked Guan Xia, "Do you buy that ‘Civilized City’ excuse?"
Guan Xia reclined in her seat, settling into a comfortable position. "Does it matter? Even if we wanted to know more, we wouldn’t get answers. Let’s just stay home for now and see how things play out in a few days."
The atmosphere told Guan Xia that if this was case-related, the perpetrator was likely even more dangerous than before. She was genuinely afraid of running into trouble outside, especially since her "plot armor" had just recharged to 100%. With their planned tests completed, staying home to binge shows sounded perfect.
Pang Le had been eager to discuss theories, but she quickly cooled down. "You’re right. Even though we know a couple of cops, we’re not exactly close. And even if we were, they wouldn’t share details. Guess we’ll just have to wait and ask later."
She dropped Guan Xia off at her apartment building before driving away.
For the next few days, Guan Xia barely left the house, only stepping out for morning runs or grocery runs.
She’d lived there for over two weeks but had never visited the park across the street. The view from her balcony was tempting, but the tense vibe since returning from Quichun City—plus the fact that Xu Nian’s case had been solved, yet he still hadn’t returned home—made her quickly dismiss the idea. She stayed cozily indoors instead.
One weekend afternoon, Guan Xia was dozing off while watching a drama when Pang Le's phone call abruptly woke her.
Pang Le chirped excitedly, "Guan Xia, wanna hang out? Listen, our gym recently got this stunning new guy—like, seriously gorgeous. Super interesting too, and most importantly... he seems to have a special constitution, just like you."
Guan Xia had been yawning sleepily, but those words instantly snapped her awake. Intrigued, she asked, "He’s special too? How so?"
Pang Le replied, "He’s only been here a few days, so we’re not super close yet. But he mentioned something about stumbling upon multiple corpses while traveling and even helping the police solve several cases."
Guan Xia was surprised. "That is pretty unusual."
Even more so than her own experiences. Guan Xia thought of Song Yi, who seemed like a protagonist from a crime novel. So what about this guy? Handsome, intriguing, and attracting corpses wherever he went—could he be the male lead of some detective story?
As Guan Xia hesitated over whether to meet him, Pang Le, sensing her reluctance, pressed on, "Come on, just come and admire the eye candy. No pressure to be friends. Who knows? He might even inspire you."
Using "inspiration" as bait again. Guan Xia eyed her skeptically. "You’re not using me as a shield, are you?"
It wasn’t that she distrusted Pang Le, but over the years, she’d been roped into similar situations more than once.
Sure enough, Pang Le chuckled awkwardly. "Well... I kinda have dinner plans with him tonight, but Shi Guangbo bailed last minute. I don’t want him getting the wrong idea, so I need someone to tag along."
Guan Xia sighed. "Couldn’t you just cancel or reschedule?"
Pang Le defended, "He left me hanging on a case story last night and promised to finish it tonight!"
Resigned, Guan Xia relented. "Fine, fine. You picking me up?"
Pang Le brightened. "Of course!"
After setting a time, Guan Xia headed downstairs and waited barely two minutes before Pang Le pulled up in her car.
Buckling her seatbelt, Guan Xia easily read the excitement on Pang Le’s face—her eyes practically sparkled.
Despite knowing her well, Guan Xia couldn’t resist asking, "You’re not about to ditch Lawyer Shi for this new guy, are you?"
Pang Le scowled and shot her a glare. "Do I seem that fickle? Sure, I adore all things beautiful—including people—but I’m loyal. I commit to every relationship! Yeah, the guy’s interesting, but I’m not into him. I just thought his 'special constitution' mirrors yours, maybe even more extreme. Figured you two could swap stories and gain some insights."
Touched by the gesture, Guan Xia smiled. Still, the mention of "special constitution" reminded her of Song Yi. They hadn’t discussed her since returning from Quichun City. Curious, she asked, "Did Song Yi resume her videos? Any updates from your ex?"
Pang Le turned down the music slightly. "She’s back to posting, but completely glossed over what happened. Just said the mountain was so beautiful they stayed an extra two days, hence the delay. But I checked with my ex and kept tabs on the hiking groups. Their trip did go sideways—big time. Two people from their camping group died."
Though Guan Xia had suspected Song Yi’s ties to a crime plot, the news still shocked her. "What? Two deaths? Murdered? Was the killer caught?"
Pang Le shook her head. "Rumors say no. And get this—the victims were shot."
Guan Xia’s mind blanked. "Shot?"
Despite this being a world blending crime fiction tropes, its societal rules mirrored her original reality—meaning guns were strictly banned here. Yet someone had been shot so close to home. A chill ran down her spine as dark scenarios flooded her mind.
Noticing her distress, Pang Le gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "Relax, I pieced it together. We went to Quichun City on the 14th. Song Yi’s group entered the mountains on the 13th. Police swarmed the area and blocked all routes to Cuiping Mountain by noon on the 14th. Timeline-wise, we never crossed paths with the killer. However deranged, he wouldn’t waltz into the city packing heat."
Somewhat reassured, Guan Xia couldn’t help but pity Song Yi. How had that bright, determined girl escaped the killer? What scars would such an ordeal leave?
Their conversation meandered until they arrived at the dinner spot—a hotpot joint near the mall. Clearly, Pang Le’s interest in the "stunning guy" was purely platonic; had she been serious, she’d never have chosen messy hotpot so soon.
After parking, they entered a private booth where Guan Xia immediately spotted a bored young man scrolling on his phone.
He looked barely twenty, with strikingly androgynous features: delicate bone structure, piercing phoenix eyes, a slender nose, and naturally rosy lips. A faint smirk played on his face as he read his phone, radiating an air of beauty laced with thorns.
When the door opened, he glanced up. Guan Xia froze, momentarily dazzled.
Only when he stood and greeted them warmly did she snap out of it.
"Finally here," he said to Pang Le before turning to Guan Xia, extending a hand. "Hi, I’m Lu Tingfeng—Pang Le’s new acquaintance."
