Chapter 16.1: Murder Mystery Game
In front of the coastline, the wind had picked up.
Waves crashed against the beach, churning up white foam.
The tides rose and fell in endless cycles, surging and receding like the breath of the Earth itself. The ocean was so mysterious—it was the cradle that carried the origin of all species, nurturing the most primal rhythms of life.
The turquoise waves stretched to the horizon, where they met and blended with the sky’s deep blue.
Fang Sizhe and the others had already arrived. Some were wading at the shore, while others were feeding seagulls with pieces of bread.
As soon as Jiang Chi and Qin Yan got out of the car, they drew everyone’s attention.
“So handsome,” said a girl in a red formal dress. “Brother Chi really stands out. Every time I see him, my heart races. It’s been two years, and people say he’s turned into a scumbag, but I just regret that he’s not straight.”
Fang Sizhe glanced at his cousin. “Fang Siyue, I’m going to report that to Auntie word for word.”
Fang Siyue was completely unfazed. She smoothed her dress and asked with a gossipy tone, “Hey, brother, when exactly did Jiang Chi ‘bend’? Back when you two were in high school, did he ever try to go after you?”
The moment those words were out, everyone nearby pricked up their ears.
Fang Sizhe snapped, “Of course not! We’re just good brothers!”
Fang Siyue pouted. “Brother Chi’s real bro is Hong Zixiao, you might have to move back a few places in the ranking.”
Fang Sizhe: “!!!”
Seeing Fang Sizhe fuming with frustration, Fang Siyue’s best friend quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
“Siyue,” Li Youyou said, linking arms with her, “Brother Chi’s new partner is really good-looking too.”
Fang Siyue took off her sunglasses and squinted toward them. They were a bit too far away to see facial features clearly, but she could get a general impression. “His partners are never ugly… hmm, this one does seem elegant.”
Li Youyou added, “And very fair-skinned.”
The sunshine by the sea was especially strong. Fang Siyue raised a hand to block the light and looked at Qin Yan from a distance, her tone mixed with envy and jealousy: “Damn, he’s so fair-skinned he’s literally glowing in the sun.”
Li Youyou laughed and said, “It’s fine, after a day out at sea, they’ll come back with a tan anyway.”
Fang Sizhe tore the bread in his hands into a few pieces and fed them to the seagulls, muttering, “What’s taking them so long? They’ve been dawdling forever.”
Jiang Chi was rummaging through his bag for some perilla herbal balm.
Qin Yan had been bitten by a mosquito in Hong Zixiao’s car.
As soon as the three of them got out of the car, Jiang Chi noticed Hong Zixiao suddenly give a suggestive smile.
Following Hong Zixiao’s gaze, Jiang Chi saw a red mark on Qin Yan’s neck—its position was definitely a bit ambiguous.
Qin Yan reached up to touch it and felt a small raised bump on the side of his neck. “It’s a mosquito bite.”
Jiang Chi leaned in to take a look and felt the back of his head heat up. “Yep, definitely a mosquito bite.”
He had a mosquito-control system installed at home and patrolled regularly to make sure there were no mosquito attacks. He never expected that after just two hours out, a mosquito would get the better of them.
Hong Zixiao still hadn’t realized the seriousness of the situation. “I thought you gave him a love bite.”
Jiang Chi pulled out the perilla balm from his bag. “Shut up. He’s allergic to mosquito bites—he’ll swell up in no time.”
Qin Yan didn’t want anything green smeared all over his neck and protested, “It’s fine.”
Hong Zixiao joined in the commotion. “Whoa, yeah, it’s already swollen. Don’t scratch it—it’ll just get worse… That spot’s tricky. If you can squeeze the stuff out, it’ll feel a lot better.”
Jiang Chi asked, “How do you squeeze it?”
“There’s usually a tiny dot on a mosquito bite… you just press hard. If it were on my hand, I’d just use my teeth.”
Hong Zixiao bit down lightly on his finger to demonstrate. “Or use a small fire cupping jar—just like bloodletting. You can suck out that clear yellow fluid.”
Jiang Chi reached out and pinched the skin on Qin Yan’s neck. The area felt noticeably hot—much warmer than the surrounding skin.
But the skin on the neck was so thin, and Jiang Chi struggled to find the right angle to squeeze the bite.
Qin Yan brushed Jiang Chi’s hand away. “Forget it.”
Jiang Chi handed him the ointment. “Your skin is burning hot—take a loratadine.”
Hong Zixiao couldn’t resist touching too, and reached out to feel Qin Yan’s neck after hearing that. “Whoa, it really is hot!”
Qin Yan held the pill and shot Hong Zixiao a cold glare.
Unfortunately, Hong Zixiao was too thick-skinned to register Qin Yan’s death stare.
He even helpfully pulled out an alcohol wipe and asked innocently, “Want to use some alcohol to bring the heat down?”
Qin Yan took a deep breath, swallowed the pill first, then accepted the alcohol wipe and angrily wiped at his neck.
Jiang Chi noticed that Qin Yan wasn’t happy. He slung an arm around Hong Zixiao’s shoulder and whispered, “Don’t just go around touching people. Show some manners.”
Hong Zixiao glanced at Qin Yan and replied with aggrieved innocence, “So only you can touch him?”
A vein visibly twitched on Jiang Chi’s temple. “I wasn’t just randomly touching him! I was trying to see how to squeeze the bite!”
Hong Zixiao gave him a pitying look. “Wow… you really don’t hold much sway then.”
Jiang Chi: “?????”
What does that have to do with status? This is about manners!
Hong Zixiao grabbed the luggage from the trunk and sighed dramatically. “The Sea King’s come ashore. The skies over Wuchuan are about to change.”
Jiang Chi: “…”
Qin Yan was clearly annoyed with Hong Zixiao. He tilted his chin at Jiang Chi and asked, “What’s he muttering about now?”
Jiang Chi didn’t dare repeat the insubordinate nonsense.
Instead, he clipped a mosquito-repelling bracelet to Qin Yan’s collar. “There are lots of mosquitoes by the sea. You should really wear long sleeves and pants.”
Qin Yan looked down at himself: white dress shirt, black slacks. “I am wearing long sleeves and pants.”
Jiang Chi looked him over. “Socks? Are they long?”
Qin Yan pulled up his pant leg to show him.
Not only was he wearing long black socks, but he had sock garters on too.
Jiang Chi gave a thumbs-up. “You really pay attention to the details. Wearing sock garters for a day out at sea—elegant, truly elegant.”
Qin Yan glanced at him sideways. “I’m also wearing a shirt garter. Want to see?”
Jiang Chi had meant to tease him, but ended up getting the short end of the stick instead.
With his polished leather shoes stepping firmly on the sand, Qin Yan moved with swift precision and a commanding aura—it looked less like a seaside outing and more like he was heading to a business negotiation.
Jiang Chi didn’t think anything was off. He simply assumed “Ji Yu” had fully committed to playing the role of a “Qin family illegitimate son.”
Once they met up with Fang Sizhe and the others, Jiang Chi greeted everyone one by one.
When introducing Qin Yan, Hong Zixiao simply said, “Brother Chi’s friend, from the Qin family.” As expected, no one asked further and followed Jiang Chi in calling him “Young Master Qin.”
Everyone knew the Qin family had a surplus of illegitimate children, and most of them were obsessed with fighting for power. It was an open secret.
Qin Corporation’s overseas ventures were stable and solid, firmly in Qin Yan’s control, while the others scrambled like madmen over the domestic holdings.
Since the internal power struggle was still unresolved, these rich second-gens had been instructed by their families not to pick sides too early.
Which is why Jiang Chi was seen as especially bold—he had the guts to get involved with anyone.
Still, this particular Qin family scion was strikingly handsome—features like carved jade, eyes sharp as cold stars, with a noble, aloof demeanor. And yet, his eyes carried an inexplicable tenderness.
Even those tender eyes were cold—except when they landed on Jiang Chi, when a trace of warmth would flicker through.
Not exactly warm, more like a subtle cool-warm blend that made one’s heart itch just from looking.
To have won over such a stunning beauty—Jiang Chi really lived up to his reputation.
The group subtly exchanged glances, their eyes briefly lingering on Qin Yan’s neck, all thinking the same thing: that mark was clearly Jiang Chi’s claim of ownership.
Fang Siyue and Li Youyou trailed behind the group, whispering conspiratorially.
“Brother Chi’s definitely the top.”
Fang Siyue had never doubted Jiang Chi’s orientation, but after getting up close with Qin Yan, she started to feel a bit confused: “But that illegitimate son of the Qin family… he looks pretty dominant too.”
Li Youyou took a light breath and sighed, “Seriously, he’s got such long legs, and he looks so restrained in a suit—such a powerful aura!”
Fang Siyue twirled a strand of hair around her finger, pointlessly agonizing over which handsome guy she liked more. After a struggle, she made her choice: “Brother Chi is still hotter. He looks good even in a pair of oversized shorts—just look at his legs.”
Jiang Chi was wearing a pair of black-and-red athletic shorts that reached his knees, revealing his long, powerful calves. His muscles were well-proportioned, with smooth lines that exuded masculine strength and beauty.
Just one glance, and Li Youyou’s heart was pounding and her face was flushed.
She nudged Fang Siyue: “What do you mean oversized shorts? Those are basketball shorts! He really looks like a basketball player—he’s bursting with boyfriend energy! So reassuring! He’s definitely the top.”
Fang Siyue gushed, “I absolutely despise my own dirty mind.”
Li Youyou: “???”
Fang Siyue whispered something into Li Youyou’s ear, and Li Youyou instantly turned into a screaming chicken: “I wanna see too! I wanna see too!”
Jiang Chi, oblivious, looked at the two of them with clear, slightly confused eyes.
Qin Yan, however, smiled meaningfully, sending a chill down Fang Siyue and Li Youyou’s spines.
Jiang Chi poked Qin Yan in the lower back and reminded him, “Be nice. You can’t look at girls like that.”
…
After boarding the ship, the crew gave them a brief safety briefing.
Before entering international waters, the casino couldn’t be opened. The pool and gym were all ready, but no one was using them.
All the rich second-gens had basically partied through the night yesterday, and with nothing to do now, they all went back to their rooms to catch up on sleep.
When it came to room assignments, Jiang Chi and Qin Yan were naturally given a room together.
Jiang Chi pushed open the door and paused for half a second when he saw the king-size bed in the center of the room.
Qin Yan followed him in closely behind. “One bed.”
Jiang Chi asked, “Should we switch to a twin room?”
Qin Yan shut the door. “It’s fine. Doesn’t matter. As long as there’s a bed and a blanket, we’re good.”
There was nothing romantic between Jiang Chi and Qin Yan—no feelings in that direction. The cleaner things were between them, the more naturally they acted. Trying to avoid sharing a bed would actually seem more suspicious, like they were trying to hide something, and would only attract more attention.
That night they picked up the weasel, Jiang Chi had been a bit scared and ended up sleeping next to Qin Yan. Nothing happened.
Qin Yan even told him that if he ever got scared again, he could sleep with him anytime.
Once the keycard was inserted, the power came on and the automatic curtains slowly pulled open, revealing a vast expanse of blue ocean through the giant floor-to-ceiling window.
The room was lavishly decorated, with bold colors and a regal opulence—glittering gold and grand splendor.
Qin Yan stood there casually in his suit, yet somehow looked even more refined and noble than the luxurious surroundings.
“Would Your Highness kindly hang up your clothes?” Jiang Chi handed Qin Yan the garments in their protective covers. “Stop posing already.”
Qin Yan hung the clothes into the walnut wardrobe. “I wasn’t posing.”
Jiang Chi replied, “Sure you weren’t. But this room suits you way too well, Your Highness.”
