The first to arrive at the hotel room were the hotel security staff but they were stopped by Jin Zhen-Huan, who’d stayed behind. They entered the room but Jin Zhen-Huan did not allow them to touch the ‘corpses’ of Xia Lei and Shentu Tian-Yin.

“I’ve checked. They’re dead,” said Jin Zhen-Huan to the hotel security staff.

“What happened?” asked one of the security staff.

“Some gunmen attacked us and killed them, then escaped. Call the police. The crime scene must not be touched,” said Jin Zhen-Huan.

“There’s no need for a doctor?” asked one of the security staff.

“Have you seen their wounds?” said Jin Zhen-Huan.

The security staff looked at Xia Lei and Shentu Tian-Yin on the ground. They were covered in fresh blood and bullet holes could be seen in their chests, right where their hearts were. Fatal wounds like these were impossible for gods to heal, much less for a doctor even if he came.

“Looks like they really are dead but we should still have a doctor confirm it,” said the leader of the security team. He used his walkie-talkie to call the main station to send a doctor over.

Wang Fang turned up before a doctor did.

“Who are you? You can’t go in.” A member of the security staff stopped her.

Wang Fang spoke haughtily, “I’m... I’m that woman’s Second Aunt. She’s my niece, so why can’t I go in? What’s happened to her?”

“She’s dead,” said the security staff blocking her way.

Wang Fang suddenly dove under the security staff’s armpit and into the room, quickly coming to Shentu Tian-Yin and Xia Lei’s side.

Xia Lei and Shentu Tian-Yin lay unmoving on the floor; blood was everywhere on their bodies and on the floor. There were also several bullet holes in their chests, each fatal. A faint sneer appeared in the corners of Wang Fang’s lips at the sight but she still fake-cried on the surface. “Tian-Yin! My Tian-Yin! Oh, how horribly you died... Whuuuh...” She cried as if she were heartbroken but not a single tear fell.

Seeing how sadly she cried, the security staff couldn’t bear to drag her out.

Jin Zhen-Huan walked over and gripped Wang Fang by the arm, dragging her to the exit. “You, out!”

“Who are you? How dare you treat me like this?” Wang Fang was angry the next instant, “I am Shentu Tian-Yin’s Second Aunt! How dare you treat me like this!”

Jin Zhen-Huan spoke emotionlessly, “This is a crime scene. Nobody should disturb it. Fu Chuan-Fu is on his way and he’s instructed that we have to secure the crime scene and that nobody be allowed to touch the corpses.”

“Fu Chuan-Fu is coming?” Wang Fang grew nervous.

Jin Zhen-Huan snorted. “How could he not when something like this has happened?”

“I... I’ll go see Grandfather. Don’t let him know about this, no matter that. He won’t be able to take it.” Wang Fang left in a hurry.

Once outside the villa, Wang Fang wasted no time in pulling out her mobile phone to make a call. “Bring someone, quick. Fu Chuan-Fu is coming too. The bodies will definitely be well-protected once he comes! The people you hired are so useless... Okay, I won’t talk about it anymore. Come quick - it’s best to take the helicopter!”

At that moment, the manager of Tian-Ci Sanatorium hurried over with some medical staff.

Wang Fang hesitated but did not go over in the end. Instead, she made her way slowly to the wards at the bottom of the mountains. She had her own concerns since she’d said that she would go take care of Shentu Wei-Ye - going back to the crime scene would arouse the suspicions of Shentu Tian-Yin’s bodyguard. Furthermore, she could be sure that she would not reveal something from happiness if she saw Xia Lei and Shentu Tian-Yin’s dead bodies. Considering the trade-offs, she decided to give up on the idea of going back to have a look around the crime scene.

In the room, a doctor reached to feel Xia Lei’s carotid artery and said, “There’s still a pulse. Send him to the hospital for emergency care, quick!”

There was no faking the pulse in the carotid artery. Breathing could be stopped but the heart still continued beating for the blood to circulate within the body. They could make their death seem realistic but the farce could not continue in front of doctors.

Just as two nurses prepared to place an oxygen mask over Xia Lei’s face and that doctor reached to check Shentu Tian-Yin’s carotid artery, Xia Lei suddenly opened his eyes. “Who’s in charge here? I am an agent from the National Security Agency and I am working on a case. You have to assist me in apprehending the criminals.”

Shentu Tian-Yin opened her eyes too. “I am the chairwoman of Vientaine Group, Shentu Tian-Yin. I will compensate the losses your hospital has suffered tenfold.”

All jaws dropped and it was so silent one could hear a pin drop. The room filled with an atmosphere of strangeness.

This was completely outside of their plans. There was no way to keep pretending when the hospital people arrived with medical staff unless they really were dead. Xia Lei was struck by a brainwave and spun some story about being an agent for the National Security Agency. Shentu Tian-Yin revealed herself too, trying to use her influence in Hai-Zhu City to sway the people.

It was enough for Shentu Tian-Yin to make herself known and Xia Lei did not actually need to say anything about being an agent. The manager of Tian-Ci Sanatorium held both hands out in welcome and put a smile on his face once she revealed her identity. “Miss Shentu! I do recognise you. Your father stayed with us for a period of time, but you may not remember me.”

“Of course I do, you are Dean Zhang,” said Shentu Tian-Yin.

“You still remember me; what an honour.” Dean Zhang looked delighted. “How is your father?”

Xia Lei had been shunted to the side but he didn’t mind.

Xia Lei and Shentu Tian-Yin were carried out of the villa a few minutes later. They lay on the stretchers covered by the hotel’s white sheets. The hotel’s security staff carrying the stretchers headed for the hospital at the foot of the mountain with Dean Zhang and the medical staff in tow. Right at the back was Jin Zhen-Huan with all four of his pockets full of mobile phones.

These mobile phones belonged to the security staff and medical staff. After Dean Zhang had agreed to help them, they had still used the cover of a National Security Agency agent to get the staff to hand their mobile phones to Jin Zhen-Huan. They did not want either Shentu Tian-Feng or Shentu Yi to catch wind of this before they were caught.

The hospital dean did not ask for proof of identification for Xia Lei’s supposed identity as an agent because Shentu Tian-Yin was present. The hospital was happy to fulfil all their requests. This was all due to Shentu Tian-Yin’s status. If not for her status, the hospital would not have been so accommodating and made him show proof of his identity.

While Xia Lei and Shentu Tian-Yin’s ‘corpses’ were being transported down the mountain, Wang Fang had not stepped into the ward building yet. She had deliberately walked slowly and she stopped by the road when she saw the hotel security staff walk over, carrying stretchers with white hotel sheets.

“Dean Zhang, can my niece be saved?” Wang Fang recognised Dean Zhang.

Dean Zhang shook his head. “No. How can one be saved from death? Please accept your loss. We’ve tried our best.”

Wang Fang spoke again, “Where are you bringing the bodies to?”

“To the morgue, of course, to await the takeover from the police medical coroner,” said Dean Zhang.

A faint sneer appeared on Wang Fang’s lips and she suddenly wrinkled her mouth in a wail. “Oh, my niece! Tian-Yin, whuuuh.... Uuh, whuuh, how could you be dead? Why? You can’t be dead...”

Her wails rang out but there were still no tears.

The hotel security staff put the ‘corpses’ of Xia Lei and Shentu Tian-Yin in the morgue and cleared everyone out, even Wang Fang, who was making a scene demanding to see Shentu Tian-Yin for the last time; all were chased out.

The world was silent once the doors to the morgue were shut.

Shentu Tian-Yin threw off the white sheets on her and reached to move the sheet off Xia Lei on the mortuary bed next to hers. “When do you think Shentu Tian-Feng and Second Uncle will get here?” she asked quietly.

Xia Lei opened his eyes and looked at her. “Madame, you’re dead. Don’t be naughty; lie down and keep pretending to be dead.”

“There isn’t anyone else around and there aren’t any cameras either. What does it matter if we talk for a bit?” Shentu Tian-Yin hugged her arms. “The air-conditioning here’s cold.”

Xia Lei only took notice of the cold when she talked about it. He then got up and said, “I’ll give you my jacket. I’m not afraid of the cold.”

“How can dead people change clothes?” said Shentu Tian-Yin.

Xia Lei was speechless.

Shentu Tian-Yin blinked. “You might as well come over and lie down with me. There’re two bed sheets - we can get warmer.”

Xia Lei was speechless.

“Forget it. Better if I move over; yours looks wider.” Shentu Tian-Yin climbed over as she spoke, pulling the sheet away from Xia Lei’s body and burrowing inside.

What else could Xia Lei say? She’d already come over - should he make her go back?

The two of them squeezed on one mortuary bed and the bed was suddenly fairly crowded. They could only fit by lying on their sides and this put them in a position where they were face-to-face, with barely a fist’s width between their faces.

The temperature in the morgue was very low but a blush slowly appeared on Shentu Tian-Yin’s face.

Xia Lei did not move but how could he not have any reaction when in such intimate contact and him a young, vigorous male? Would Shentu Tian-Yin, in such close proximity, not know when his reaction became more and more obvious?

The reaction made Shentu Tian-Yin’s face redder and she grew nervous. “Wh, what are you thinking about?”

“I... nothing,” said Xia Lei awkwardly.

“Really nothing?”

“Really nothing.”

“You must be thinking something.”

“I really am not. If you’re going to insist that I am, then tell me what it is.” Xia Lei played dumb.

“You...” Shentu Tian-Yin’s face was red and she could not say what she thought. There were just some things which were embarrassing to even think about - how could she say them out loud?

The two of them were silent after that and just looked at each other. The cold air in the morgue blew but the two people lying together did not feel cold. They felt hot - the kind of hot which ice cubes could not cool.

Not long after, Jin Da-Hu’s voice suddenly came from the receiver in Xia Lei’s ear, “Miss Shentu, Mr Xia, Shentu Tian-Feng’s helicopter has arrived.”

Shentu Tian-Yin hurriedly climbed out of Xia Lei’s arms and back to her own mortuary bed. She laid herself under the white sheets with a bright red face.

Xia Lei let out an internal sigh of relief. ‘Good thing I held it in,’ he thought to himself.

Shentu Tian-Yin flipped the sheets off her face at that moment and pointed at Xia Lei’s lower body. “Hey, the person not thinking anything - think of a way to hide that.”

Xia Lei looked down. He had tens of thousands of words to say but could say none.