Netherworld Investigator

NEW NOVEL: First and foremost, I'm delighted to announce that our long-time veteran translator littleshanks has finally launched his new novel, Rise!  Rise is a novel about the esports scene in Shanghai, the competitive gaming capital of China. It follows the story of Lin Feng, a boy who has just moved to the city for his last year of high school. He's a passionate gamer and dreams of being the best professional League of Legends player in the world. The twist? He almost achieved his dream, but failed at the...

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We went to the shop to pick up our clothes and changed into them there. I wore a tuxedo and leather shoes and to be honest, being in formal attire for the first time was rather uncomfortable. Xiaotao put on a backless, mermaid gown that clung to her every curve. She twirled around before me and asked what I thought.

"You’re beautiful,” I said. “But I have a technical question. How do you wear a bra under a backless dress?"

"Aren’t you quite eager to learn!” she teased. “Do you know what a nipple sticker is?"

"That means..." My cheeks turned crimson. It turned out Xiaotao wasn’t wearing anything under her evening gown. Was that the case when celebrities accidentally bared their breasts?

Our outfits weren’t but rented, because this boutique specialized in couture and only accepted custom made-to-measure wear. We were actually borrowing garments tailored for other customers who had yet to receive their orders.

We soon arrived at the dinner party and were stopped at the entrance where waiters checked each guest’s invitation card. I asked Xiaotao what the plan was, to which she whispered, "Hold your head high and take my arm."

When it was our turn, the waiter politely stopped us but earned a cold and haughty glare from Xiaotao who scoffed, "Excuse me, I left the invitation at my hotel. If you want to see it, I can have it sent over. But if my appointment with Mr. Yi is delayed, you’ll have to bear the responsibility!"

However, the waiter insisted on seeing our invitation, claiming it was for safety reasons. Xiaotao sneered, "My father Huang Yunhong has cooperated with your company several times. If you don't believe me, you can ask Manager Wang to come out and greet us."

Upon hearing this name, the waiter immediately bowed respectfully and allowed us to enter. I seldom ever witnessed this side of Xiaotao and found her aloof appearance rather fascinating. I couldn’t help but utter a word of praise.

"In fact, I like using my father's name to deal with others," she smiled bitterly.

The dinner was held in a modern decorated, East-Meets-West villa. The attendees were all well-known celebrities. On the stage where a pop singer was currently performing, there was a donation box in front of him. We checked the program list but Yi Xi's name wasn’t on it. It seemed that a big star like him was a guest.

After a turn about the room, we discovered Yi Xi. Because it was a formal occasion, the way he was dressed was a sharp contrast to how he looked at the station. He was wearing a well-ironed suit with a glass of wine in his hand while he chatted and laughed with several famous directors.

Xingyu Agency ranked in China’s top 20, but Yi Xi was their number one money-making golden goose. So whenever there was such an occasion, the company would parade him to befriend the dignitaries.

In fact, the life of a big celebrity wasn’t easy, but compared to the B-listers or C-listers, Yi Xi could be considered lucky.

It was common knowledge that certain agencies and companies in the film and television industry specifically cultivated female stars meant for public relations. In South Korea, a popular female singer ended up committing suicide after she was forced to sleep with five rich, old bastards on the day of her mother's death.

Perhaps the root of all this was due to the profiteering nature of the entertainment industry. It was a cesspit that attracted power, money and sexual transactions. The entertainment news known to ordinary folk such as who was getting back together with whom and who’d been betrayed by their agent was merely the tip of the iceberg.

While Yi Xi seemed to be putting off dinner, I was happily devouring several plates of foie gras and caviar. Xiaotao wrapped her arm around me and teased, "Hey, did you come all this way just to eat?"

"It’s not like I usually get to enjoy such delicacies,” I said. “Would you like some?"

Xiaotao waved her hands and smiled. "No, thank you. My dress is so tight even a bite of food would show."

We followed Yi Xi around for half an hour but he still hadn’t eaten anything which frustrated me a little. Apparently, celebrities were only allowed to graze on boiled chicken and vegetables every day. My legs were almost numb from standing for so long and my eyes started to wander. There were so many beautiful women at this dinner party.

Suddenly, Xiaotao shook my arm excitedly and exclaimed, "He’s eating!"

We watched as one of the big shots brought Yi Xi a plate of cantaloupe. Yi Xi picked up a piece and took a bite, his movements graceful. We prayed silently in our hearts that he wouldn’t finish. To our delight, Yi Xi lived up to our expectations and threw the rest of the cantaloupe into the trash can.

Xiaotao and I exchanged an eager glance. As soon as Yi Xi walked away, we slowly slipped towards the trash can. In an event like this, it was rather difficult to pick out of the trash can unnoticed. Fortunately, a famous magician came out on stage and started his act, attracting everyone else’s attention. I took advantage of this opportunity to grab the cantaloupe and turned to Xiaotao, "The mission is complete! Let’s withdraw!"

We quickly strode past the crowd but I felt as if we were being followed. I turned around, only to discover several bodyguards quietly moving in our direction as they spoke into their radios. They approached from all different directions, placing us in great danger of being outflanked.

“Oh no, these people are Yi Xi's bodyguards,” cried Xiaotao in a panic. “We’ve been exposed!"

"Calm down. Just pretend nothing’s happened,” I said.

I deftly slipped my hands beneath, making an imperceptible move.

By the time we walked to the door, Yi Xi’s bodyguards had already surrounded us. A voice sounded from behind, "Distinguished guests, please leave behind what you have in your pockets. Don't make me have to use my men."

When we turned around, we were greeted by an unfamiliar face–a middle-aged man of about forty years old, probably Yi Xi's agent.

Xiaotao arched an eyebrow and coolly warned, "Do you know what serious crime assaulting a police officer is?"

The man sneered, "Assaulting a police officer? Is there one here? I only see two uninvited guests."

"So you’re the one who smeared our reputation online," I said.

The agent spread out his arms and shrugged, "I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Although he acted as if nothing had happened, I could tell from his microexpressions that he was the mastermind behind the scenes.

Right then, Yi Xi sauntered up to us. His agent whispered a few words in his ears, prompting Yi Xi to twist his eyebrows in a frown. "You’re completely shameless!” he condemned. “You’ve obviously been suspended yet here you are, looking for trouble. You better watch yourselves or you might lose your uniforms."

Xiaotao gritted her teeth in anger, "A mere actor like you dares to threaten me?!"

Fuming, Yi Xi pointed at Xiaotao and cursed, "You fucking bitch! Repeat those words again and see what I do!"

The agent quickly calmed Yi Xi. "If you don’t hand over what you have, you’re not taking a step out of this place!"

Yi Xi’s agent reached over eagerly as soon as I removed the cantaloupe from my pocket. However, I threw the cantaloupe on the ground and crushed it with my foot, all the while staring coldly into his eyes.

"Good boy!" mocked Yi Xi’s agent. Then, he took out a business card while he ran his eyes all over Xiaotao's chest. "Honey, if you ever decide to stop working with the police, give me a call,” he winked.

Xiaotao grabbed the card, ready to tear it up, but I motioned for her not to. And with that, their entire team walked away, leaving only both of us at the door.

On our way from the dinner party, Xiaotao turned to me with dismay, "What a pity our plan has fallen through! After tonight’s incident, they will definitely be on guard which will make it even more difficult for us to collect evidence."

"I have my ways," I smiled cryptically.

"Was the cantaloupe you crushed a fake?" asked Xiaotao, her voice filled with hope.

"No, it’s the real one,” I said. “But when they were chasing after us, I secretly snapped a few pictures of it."

I took out my cell phone and showed Xiaotao the photos of the cantaloupe which I had taken from several different angles. Afraid of any unpredictable circumstances, I immediately sent them to Xiao Zhou and asked him if he could obtain Yi Xi’s dental model from the photos. About ten minutes later, Xiao Zhou replied, "It might be a bit difficult but I can try!"

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