The news of Yang Yinyin's suicide shocked the entire entertainment industry.
"Mr. Lu, as Ms. Yang Yinyin's manager, what's your take on her suicide last night? Were there any warning signs?"
"We heard that during her final scene shoot before her death, filming was urgently halted due to her poor health. Is it true that her physical and mental state had been deteriorating since then?"
As soon as Shao Si turned on the TV, the screen was filled with a sea of reporters. They eagerly stretched out their arms, jostling to surround the man in the middle.
Lu Jiahui, Yang Yinyin's manager, thirty-eight years old.
Crew cut, square face, with an honest and simple appearance. At the moment, he was hanging his head, his face etched with grief, clearly unwilling to discuss the topic with the media.
As he walked, the media followed, encircling him like a moving circle.
Finally, Lu Jiahui had no choice but to stop. He removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of swollen, red eyes.
"Yinyin... her mental state hasn't been good for the past few years... her depression was getting worse," Lu Jiahui said. "She didn't want her fans and family to worry, so she kept bearing it alone."
Countless camera flashes pointed at him as the reporters' arms stretched even further: "So Ms. Yang Yinyin chose to take her own life due to a depressive episode?"
Lu Jiahui put his sunglasses back on, waving his hand, not wanting to continue. He quickened his pace and got into a car with his assistant.
The media reluctantly kept snapping photos at the car's rear, while a few live broadcast hosts faced the fresh exhaust fumes to deliver their final summaries: "It's truly regrettable that a star of her generation has fallen. May she rest in peace. We will continue to bring you updates on this story. You can scan the QR code in the bottom right corner to follow our WeChat official account..."
Shao Si raised his hand and turned off the TV.
The system sighed: [She's dead, alas.]
Shao Si: [...Are you upset?]
[Very upset. But according to TV dramas, you should sneak into Yang Yinyin's house tonight to look for clues.]
[Like an idiot?]
[I can't talk to you,] the system said, [You always trample on my detective dreams.]
[Fine, I'll be less casual about it then.] Shao Si sat up, [Yang Yinyin's house is now a crime scene, guarded and investigated by the police. The whole building is cordoned off. What am I supposed to do there? Go to die?]
[...]
Shao Si added: [Watch fewer stupid dramas in the future, you're not far from becoming an imbecile.]
Shao Si thought that was the end of it. He and the broken system were about to look for a new mission target...
Just like that, casually moving on to the next one if this didn't work out.
But a week later, after he returned from a fashion show abroad, he received a phone call just as he got off the plane.
He stopped, handing his luggage to Li Guangzong, and fished out his phone from his coat pocket. Li Guangzong also stopped, gesturing to the two junior assistants to go ahead and make arrangements, to prevent too many fans and reporters from blocking the way.
"Hello, Mr. Shao. This is the Longyan City Police Department. We'd like to confirm some details with you regarding Yang Yinyin's case," the voice on the other end belonged to a middle-aged man, speaking in clear, standard Mandarin. "Are you available to come to the police station tomorrow at 3 PM? We hope you can actively cooperate with the police investigation."
"..."
Police station?
Li Guangzong urged from the side: "Who's calling? Can't you walk and talk?"
Shao Si hastily responded with a "Alright" and hung up. Although his face remained calm, doubt arose in his mind.
If there was any connection between him and Yang Yinyin that could prompt a police investigation, it could only be the private detective matter.
What should he say?
Should he portray himself as an obsessed stalker secretly in love with Yang Yinyin?
All the way to the car, he smiled and waved at the fans who had come to greet him at the airport. Once inside the car, Shao Si's smile dropped as he tapped Li Guangzong's shoulder: "Little one, what's on my schedule for tomorrow afternoon?"
Without waiting for Li Guangzong's answer, he continued, "Cancel it."
"...You have a sponsorship event to attend. That probably can't be cancelled, it's been scheduled for a long time," Li Guangzong checked his phone's memo. "But we could inform the company if necessary. Do you have something urgent?"
Shao Si: "What if I told you that I previously hired a private detective to follow Yang Yinyin, and now the police want to investigate me?"
Li Guangzong: "You... pervert?"
"Good," Shao Si rested his hand on the car window, his expression grim, "It seems I can only play the role of a pervert then."
The next day at 3 PM, at the police station.
While Shao Si was being questioned inside, Li Guangzong was even more nervous than Shao Si himself.
As an ordinary citizen, he felt as anxious as a schoolchild called to the principal's office, even though he wasn't the one being questioned.
He was just anxious.
But what he didn't know was how calm his Shao Si was sitting inside.
In the interrogation room.
One table, three chairs.
Shao Si sat at one end, with two police officers on the other side.
As expected, the questions were about the incompetent private detective he had hired.
"Here are the details of your financial transactions with Huang Kangkang, dated March 18th and April 20th this year. You paid him approximately 40,000 yuan to follow Yang Yinyin. Is this correct?"
Shao Si only paused slightly before admitting: "Yes."
The two police officers, one taking notes and the older one asking questions, seemed surprised by Shao Si's straightforward answer. They were momentarily taken aback before continuing with the next question: "Why? Why did you have someone follow her?"
Shao Si didn't answer this question immediately. He lowered his gaze, seemingly trying hard to conceal his emotions, and after a long while said: "...Because I was secretly in love with her."
The two police officers exchanged silent glances.
"We met through the drama 'The Widow Who Returned to the Village'..." Shao Si smoothly delivered his prepared story, his voice tinged with a hint of pain, "But she didn't like me, and I'm usually very busy. I wanted to be able to see her and know what she was doing all the time..."
"Stop." The police officer rubbed his temples. "Alright, we understand your situation now."
Shao Si obliged and stopped talking, knowing when to quit.
In fact, his hiring of a private detective was a sensitive matter, as it didn't involve illegal methods like 'phone tapping' or 'computer hacking', but merely following her around like a paparazzi.
China's laws regarding invasion of privacy are not particularly comprehensive. For instance, is it illegal for paparazzi to stake out and obstruct celebrities' normal lives? No, it's not.
"We can understand your feelings for someone, but this method is really not advisable..." the officer in charge of questioning said, "We appreciate your cooperation with our work. Rest assured, we won't disclose this matter."
Shao Si closed his eyes briefly, then opened them: "Thank you."
Two minutes later, Shao Si came out of the interrogation room.
Li Guangzong, who had been nervously wringing his hands and tapping his foot anxiously, immediately stood up when he saw Shao Si: "How did it go? Did you explain everything clearly? The police didn't do anything to you, did they... You're not a criminal suspect, are you?"
Shao Si took his coat from Li Guangzong and put it on, adjusting the collar while reassuring him: "It's nothing, don't overthink it."
Li Guangzong handed him his scarf after he put on his coat: "How can I not overthink it? Huh?! What private detective did you hire? What game are you playing at..."
After tying his scarf, Shao Si habitually checked his reflection in the corridor's glass door, casually reinforcing his obsessed stalker persona with a poetic line: "Love, after all, is irrational."
Li Guangzong: "..."
As they were about to leave through the emergency exit, they ran into two familiar faces.
Chen Yang and Gu Yanzhou.
The four acquaintances faced each other, at a loss for words.
Li Guangzong felt a bit awkward, rubbing his nose: "Uh... are you here to assist with the investigation too?"
Chen Yang also looked uncomfortable: "...Yeah, fulfilling our civic duty."
Another moment of silence ensued.
It wasn't until Li Guangzong secretly nudged Shao Si's back that Shao Si finally spoke up, saying, "Hello, Senior Gu."
Gu Yanzhou, wearing a long coat, looked neat and tidy. He raised his eyes with an inscrutable expression and nodded slightly, saying, "Hello."
At this moment, a female police officer carrying a large stack of files walked over. "Mr. Gu, is it? This way, please."
Gu Yanzhou gestured for Chen Yang to wait for him there, then followed the female police officer towards the interrogation room.
Unexpectedly, the female police officer seemed to suddenly remember something. She abruptly stopped in her tracks, turned around, and called out, "Oh, right, Mr. Shao, could you please come along as well?"
She said this just as Shao Si was about to reach the door, with his sunglasses and mask already on. Upon hearing her words, he froze in his tracks.
Li Guangzong's heart started racing again: "Weren't all the questions already asked?"
Shao Si replied, "...Who knows?"
It was the same interrogation room, with the same two police officers.
The difference this time was that Gu Yanzhou was sitting next to Shao Si.
The older police officer removed his badge from his chest, placed it on the edge of the table, and slowly pushed it towards them with his fingertips.
As he pushed the badge, he said in a deep voice, "I apologize for not identifying myself earlier. Now, I want to be open and honest with you. Let me introduce myself: I'm the leader of the Serious Crime Unit 6 of the Criminal Investigation Department. My surname is Wang. Actually, we have a favor to ask. We'd like your help in assisting the police to solve a case."
Officer Wang continued, "This matter is extremely complex, and equally dangerous. Of course, we absolutely won't force you. After hearing what I'm about to tell you, you have the right to refuse for any reason you may have."