The Noble Male Academy Detective 7

07

The custom-made, multi-million dollar luxury car, a standard accessory for the F4 of the Noble Male Academy, was parked casually near the Café by its owner. At this hour, there were few people left on the road, and the rare passerby was left slack-jawed; it was a rare moment of disarray for Li Xihé. Once inside the car, Li Xihé changed his clothes, pulling the zipper of his tracksuit all the way to the top in one smooth motion.

Ji Yue sat in the passenger seat. From the moment he got in, his gaze had not wavered, tracing the line of the other man’s abdomen as it climbed with the zipper, finally coming to rest on his bobbing Adam’s apple.

The traces of self-harm on Li Xihé’s body were obvious; it was hard not to notice them.

'A normal person would say sorry and then turn to look out the window,' Li Xihé said, his tone indifferent.

'Why would I apologize to you?' Ji Yue asked.

'Hmm... etiquette?'

'I was not impolite to you, and you did not ask me to leave just now,' Ji Yue stated the facts calmly.

[OMG, the way you say things—could it be that F3 is showing you these on purpose?! Be careful, or F3 might start to hate you for it; he already has a bit of that Landmine Style personality.]

'Sorry, I was just joking,' Li Xihé said, his eyes crinkling as his tone softened instantly.

Li Xihé turned on the car’s interior lights. The warm, yellow glow diffused through the cabin as if the artificial light itself favored someone; layers of soft radiance enveloped the person in the passenger seat. Looking closely, Ji Yue was not cold-faced all the time. At this moment, his expression while eating a sandwich and drinking matcha coffee was quite pleasant, his cheeks slightly puffed out like a satisfied little animal.

The previous conversation seemed to have left no mark on his heart, and the scars on Li Xihé’s body were not worth him keeping in mind either.

Ji Yue asked out of the blue, 'What do you think of the scholarship student?'

Li Xihé tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and let out a laugh: 'Not much. Why do you ask me?'

'I just wanted to know your opinion.'

'Little sister, is my opinion that important to you?'

'Just answer my question.'

'Then, not much.'

'...'

Ji Yue actually only wanted to know if the relationship between those two had progressed. It sounded at least more familiar than before; he could continue.

'Alright, please take me home.' Brushing the breadcrumbs from his hands, Ji Yue issued the command.

Li Xihé hummed: 'I discovered we live quite close. If you need a ride in the future, you can ask me to drop you off on my way; waiting for the bus is too slow. I’ll bring you that book we talked about later. Shall we exchange contact information?'

Upon arriving at the villa gate, they exchanged numbers, and Ji Yue said goodbye.

'You must be very busy every day,' Li Xihé called out to him, his glasses reflecting light like Conan’s. 'Every day there are so many things to do, going up to the heavens and down into the seas, wearing your shoe soles thin? Doesn’t that tire you out?'

'What do you mean?'

This comment was inexplicable.

'Besides the scholarship student and Yuwen Qing, there are others, right?'

Being brought up about his investigations again, Ji Yue pretended not to hear and looked at the moon in the fountain.

'Never mind, let’s not talk about that.'

Li Xihé returned to his smiling appearance, lowered the car window, and said goodbye as well.

Just as he was about to start the car, the youth’s light footsteps entered the path, then suddenly paused and turned back.

He said: 'Li Xihé, give that book to Si Jing tomorrow. You have the same class tomorrow; have him bring it to me.'

Li Xihé noticed the hands resting on the window frame were wearing bracelets encrusted with sapphires, a style an ancient noble girl might wear, but his deep blue eyes were more brilliant than the jewels; even the angels in frescoes could not compare to one ten-thousandth of him.

'Who is Si Jing?'

'The scholarship student. You don’t know his name?'

'Just a passerby, no need to know.'

Li Xihé said with a smile.

This answer fully displayed the privileged air of the F4; trampling the scholarship student into the mud was something they did every day.

It was effective, as expected.

[Should we arrange for the other F4 members next!] The System rubbed its hands like a fly. [Speaking of which, the Fourth Member of F4 is finally about to appear; he only shows up after a third of the original plot has passed.]

'We’ll talk about it tomorrow.'

Ji Yue took the turn and arrived at his small detached villa. There were very few people in this area to begin with, and now that night had fallen, there wasn’t a soul in sight. He walked along the streetlights, but the sensor light in front of his door was already on, casting a warm, melting glow on the ground as if someone were waiting for him to come home.

He paused his steps. A figure stood in front of the door and turned toward him. The person pulled down the hood of his hoodie, revealing a mess of silver hair that radiated light under the streetlamp’s halo.

His calm gaze fell upon him, as silent as the person himself.

The scholarship student.

'Because I was worried about you.' Si Jing looked at him, lowering his head slightly, as if restraining some kind of emotion.

'You know, their reputations... you came over with him tonight, and because of the coffee I accidentally spilled, I was worried he would take his anger out on you.' His voice was very soft. 'After all, he doesn’t have a very good temper, unlike me—quiet, easygoing, and not one to fight for things.'

[This sounds so strange, like a hint of matcha flavor?]

'...'

Ji Yue didn’t speak. He hadn’t known Li Xihé long; would this person do something to a detective character, like an act of violence? In the original work, Li Xihé’s personality was fairly normal toward outsiders; perhaps it was because the Landmine Style man only went crazy for the person he liked.

Si Jing lowered his eyes: 'You don’t need to worry about me; I will handle it myself.'

'Will Yan Min and the others help you?'

Ji Yue asked him.

'Impossible. It’s very late, get some sleep early. You seem to have been very busy lately?'

'A little.'

Si Jing looked up at the villa behind him: 'I’m leaving.'

Even though he said that, after Ji Yue said goodbye, Si Jing remained in place, kicking at a small stone.

'See you tomorrow.'

Ji Yue reached the upper floor and peered down from the second-story window. Si Jing hadn’t left yet; he was looking up at the window at the same time.

The night was thick, and the dark clouds also saw the beautiful youth leaning by the window. The person rested his face on his arms, blocking half of it, while the exposed half was as soft and white as the moon. Si Jing gazed at him. Ji Yue had said something to him, but he was only preoccupied with staring at the pitch-black long hair being swept about by the night breeze, like romantic mist.

What had Ji Yue said to him just now? Sweet nothings of a secret crush?

Today, Ji Yue hadn’t followed him, but had found someone else to come to the Café with—was it to make him jealous?

At the thought of this, Si Jing’s heart hammered like a drum.

[You told the scholarship student to remember to bring you the book in class tomorrow; he didn’t seem to hear you, he’s just standing there blushing, not knowing what he’s doing.] The System flipped through the original work. [Tomorrow is the plot where Yuwen Qing 'bullies' the scholarship student. The detective isn’t present, but he has consulted an eyewitness.]

Ji Yue had just finished his shower and sat on the edge of the bed, thinking about tomorrow’s schedule.

The communicator screen flashed a message:

[Goodnight, little sister, see you tomorrow ^^]

[Eh, is Li Xihé going to go too? Isn’t this a Shuraba, watching the scholarship student and Yuwen Qing do this and that?]

The next morning, Ji Yue recalled last night’s events. Li Xihé was definitely being passive-aggressive toward him, right? Mocking the detective for being so busy following and investigating so many people.

That was indeed the case. Early in the morning, Ji Yue arrived at the Library and waited at the entrance. After a few nimble dodges, he successfully stalked Yan Min as he headed toward the Library.

Yan Min’s daily routine was very regular. Recently, he had been going back and forth between the Flower House and the Library, with no intersection with the scholarship student.

[The scholarship student has been to the Flower House; maybe they knew each other that day or even before?]

'I haven’t seen them meet in private.'

Besides staying in the Library, attending the Philosophy Salon, and writing manuscripts and critiques, did Yan Min have any unknown secrets?

Ji Yue recalled the plot of the original work.

Today’s tracking needed to be more discreet. After all, it was the Library, a place with high foot traffic; he couldn’t stay in one spot for too long, and his attire had to be more common and ordinary.

And so, that morning, the male students studying in the Library until they were dizzy noticed a girl—oh, no, a boy, since the Imperial Male Academy had no opposite sex—in the reading room. He had a low ponytail, a white T-shirt and light-colored wide-leg pants, canvas shoes, and was carrying a single-shoulder cloth bag. He wore no jewelry and walked with light steps between the bookshelves. Although his lower face was hidden, at a glance, he gave the impression of being clean and delicate.

For some reason, this person’s posture was strange; he didn’t look like he was looking for books on the shelves, but rather like he was playing hide-and-seek, crouching here for a while, flipping through books there, and occasionally taking out a card camera to take pictures deep into the shelves.

After cycling through this for half an hour, perhaps because he was tired, the youth picked up his water cup. The moment he took off his mask, a slight sound of gasping echoed through the reading room.

...It really is you, the school beauty!

[So far, Yan Min really doesn’t seem to have anything strange, and he is very normal toward others. Do you think he has a secret?]

'Why is the employer so certain they will do something bad to the scholarship student? The employer must be one of the people in the know. When I mentioned F4 to the scholarship student earlier, his tone became cold instantly; they must have dealings in private. But if I ask, not a single person will tell the truth.'

[Oh—] The System let out a long sigh. [Your reasoning has some basis. Good luck, great detective!]

At lunchtime, people in the Library reading room went downstairs one after another to eat, and the room became much emptier.

Yan Min closed his notebook and walked toward the washroom.

Ji Yue guessed he was preparing to wash his hands before eating, so he pretended to be a passerby, wearing headphones, hands in his pockets, and followed him all the way into the restroom.

He had intended to pretend to wash his hands one after the other—but the moment he entered, he was pushed against the wall by a strange force.

The lights in the washroom were blindingly bright, making Yan Min’s backlit face look unusually dark. Although his tone was calm, he tucked the long hair behind his ear and leaned close to Ji Yue’s ear, saying: 'Who are you?'

The heat of his breath brushed against his earlobe; the feeling was bizarre, as if he were about to have his earlobe licked the next second. Ji Yue dodged subconsciously, the back of his neck pressing against the cold tiles behind him.

Yan Min asked him again: 'Why are you following me?'

'...'

No one answered.

Yan Min pressed against his shoulders. Separated by only a layer of fabric, he could feel a futile struggle, like a bird trapped in his hands that couldn’t fly away.

The next second, the obstructive mask was removed.

[Well, now you’ve been caught!]

'Not planning to explain?'

Actually, he really wanted to explain. Ji Yue quickly thought of a wording, such as just wanting to wash his hands and happening to run into him, but the other party’s reaction was so strong that he must have realized he was being followed and photographed.

The single-shoulder bag that had fallen to the floor was picked up by Yan Min with one hand. The smooth sound of the zipper opening mixed with the System’s electronic wailing, making a racket.

[Damn it! Once the mission fails, we’ll only be sent back to be reassigned—]

The items in the bag were placed on the washbasin: headphone case, A6 notebook, tissues, water cup, micro-camera, mini-camera, communicator.

Yan Min opened the notebook and browsed the content.

Monday, X Month 29th F1 did not go to the Flower House; he spent the afternoon writing manuscripts in the classroom alone.

Thursday, X Month 2nd F1 went to the Philosophy Salon, didn’t invite anyone else, and drove home after it ended.

Saturday, X Month 4th F1 went to the gym, spent a long time exercising and showering, no one else was around.

...

Yan Min opened the camera’s storage, and the first thing he saw was a series of photos taken from tricky, dark angles, all taken in the Library today.

'Why?' he asked.

'...'

Even at this moment, the youth still wore a silent face. Only the moment he was asked, his eyelashes trembled as if he had been startled for an instant. He pursed his lips, still not opening his mouth to explain.

Ji Yue had a pair of eyes that were almost too beautiful; the indigo irises looked like they had been soaked in the sea, the corners of his eyes tilted upward, the eye sockets a bit red, and his eyelashes were long, casting a small shadow on his cheeks. Despite this, his expression remained ice-cold.

These eyes glanced toward the door from time to time, seemingly expecting someone to come in and break the deadlock, but unfortunately, no one dared to enter.

Yan Min knew who he was; they had met before.

He was wearing a white T-shirt today, and the sleeves were too long, covering the back of his hands when they hung down. Yan Min only saw a bit of his fingertips exposed, which were unconsciously pinched together due to nervousness.

the distance between them was very close; one tilt of the head and he would almost touch the tips of Ji Yue’s trembling eyelashes. Yan Min smelled the fragrance on the other person—warm and dry.

...A stalker who admired him, silent, reticent, refusing to reveal his true feelings.

Yan Min suddenly laughed.

'Get out, there’s still class in the afternoon,' he said to Ji Yue.

...

[Ah!!! My mission prompt here is still [In Progress], which means the mission didn’t fail?!! This must be a bug!] The System was ecstatic.

'Why? Yan Min didn’t realize he was being followed?'

[It is indeed possible that the character’s consciousness caused the System not to judge it as a failure?]

'...'

Strange System.

Ji Yue pondered the situation just now. Questions unfavorable to him would reveal loopholes if answered, so he could only play dead.

Did Yan Min choose to forgive him?

He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but before Yan Min let go, his cheek seemed to have been brushed against. Was he trying to hit him?

[Being a detective has its risks!]

The System cackled.

----------

Several ice cubes fell into the glass, sinking to the bottom of the whiskey.

A movie of coconut trees on a beach played on the screen, full of ease, but in reality, the atmosphere in the room had dropped to freezing point. A young man stood in front of the sofa with lowered head and respectful expression, handing two folders to the person in front of him.

The blond youth sat on the sofa and took one of the files. He had a deep, wheat-colored tan and wore a diamond watch on his wrist.

The first file was opened—first, there were candid photos from various occasions, individual shots cropped from group photos, photography from strange angles... a dazzling array. Then there were membership applications he had written by hand, a collection of school reports related to him; even he himself had forgotten these things existed. The protagonist of all the above materials was Yuwen Qing.

These were found in the backpack picked up in the woods that day, things Ji Yue hadn’t been able to take back.

When the second file was opened, several photos fell out.

Yuwen Qing picked up an ID photo from the table—blue background, one inch, the lighting was dim, the one taken uniformly by middle school students for the education system; it wasn’t the type of 'most beautiful ID photo'. In the center of the frame was a face impossible to forget: white skin, red lips, corners of the eyes tilted up, expressionless, a head of pitch-black long hair draped behind his shoulders, his features possessing a touch of youthful greenness.

On the back of the other photo, the date and location were written. The time was one year ago, and the location was Shangcheng Academy—the young man who handed over the files explained in a timely manner: 'This is the school Ji Yue attended before transferring, a private academy in the capital district.'

In the photo, the youth was walking out of a black vehicle. He was wearing his school uniform—a white shirt with a logo, ironed meticulously, black mid-length trousers, revealing a section of milky-white skin above the knees, and dark gray vertical-striped socks wrapping his calves.

Ji Yue clearly noticed someone was taking pictures and glanced toward the lens. He still had no expression, a cold, beautiful face.

It could be seen that the private vehicle he was riding in was worth a fortune, and the photo also showed the driver opening the door for him, bending over and using his hand to block the top frame of the door.

The young man added: 'Because Ji Yue was picked up and dropped off by luxury cars every day and surrounded by servants, plus some other reasons, he earned nicknames like Elder Princess and Cold-Faced Kitten at his previous school.'

Yuwen Qing sneered: 'What other reasons?'

'Aloof, reticent, lacking empathy, hating people, sickly, having many clothes that never repeated, insisting on the black long straight hairstyle, and the family ranking,' the young man picked up a recording device. 'These were mentioned by his classmates before he transferred.'

There was another photo, the angle of which was a bit strange. The youth was dressed in bizarre clothes, wearing heavy makeup and a lot of jewelry, his hair dyed with streaks of pink and gold. He was looking at the lens from bottom to top, which made his eyes look even bigger, and the heavy makeup gave his beauty more of a visual impact.

The young man continued to add: 'This is the Landmine Style that was popular there.'

Yuwen Qing flipped to the next item, which was about Ji Yue’s family situation. He was indeed a young master of a wealthy family; he was the eldest in his family, with several younger brothers and sisters below him.

The young man added again: 'In terms of interpersonal relationships, he had a few friends there, but it seems they aren’t in contact anymore. People he had slapped in the face all missed him; on the day he transferred, the whole school wailed for three days and three nights, 'Give the Elder Princess back to me'.'

'Are the people at this school sick?' Yuwen Qing raised an eyebrow. 'He was given such nicknames, and he had no reaction?'

'He didn’t care,' the young man said. 'All the classmates’ evaluations of Ji Yue had one thing in common: he was only interested in the things he liked; other things, he didn’t care about, including what others called him or how they viewed him.'

Yuwen Qing let out a laugh: 'Is that so? What do you think is the reason he collected my things?'

'Ji Yue once followed Mr. Yuwen home twice, and even entered the bedroom once, fortunately, Mr. Yuwen wasn’t there at the time,' the young man deliberated. 'I think he has some... overly intense affection for Mr. Yuwen.'

'Stalker.'

Yuwen Qing concluded.