Genius Club-Chapter 185 - 28: Entering the Game

"Is this an official interrogation?" Lin Xian asked.

To be honest...

This was also the move Lin Xian had always felt was a mistake.

If he hadn’t accepted the authorization from Professor Xu Yun at that time, his situation might be much better now.

Although it wasn’t anything illegal or a matter that must be explained, if Professor Xu Yun were alive, everything could be easily discussed; unfortunately, he had died, which made it really hard to explain the chemical authorization.

The truth was, he had exchanged a manuscript on Hibernation Fill Liquid from the future for this authorization.

And if this truth ever leaked, it would almost 100% lead to the loss of his life.

This was the only reason Lin Xian could think of for getting involved in "Catch Me If You Can".

He had thought over this countless times...

If only he had not accepted the authorization back then.

However, hindsight is 20/20, and is of no significance. Moreover, he had been in frequent contact with Xu Yun before his death, so even without this authorization, it would be hard to clear himself of suspicion.

Fortunately, Xu Yun had already cleanly disposed of his manuscript, which kept Lin Xian from being exposed.

"Of course not," Ji Lin smiled slightly with his head lowered:

"If you have things that are difficult to disclose, of course, you can choose not to answer. It’s both your privacy and your right."

"I must admit, this matter cannot count as criminal suspicion or evidence. Hence, even the Donghai City police can’t trouble you over this or force you to answer, and you have the right to refuse."

"My question... just consider it casual chit-chat between friends, if you will. It’s not by the book, but it’s reasonable, just like how I made an exception to let you see some evidence related to Tang Xin... Tang Xin is important to you, Xu Yun is important to me, so to find his killer... I don’t want to miss any significant information."

...

Ji Lin’s words were euphemistic, but his meaning was clear.

He was essentially telling Lin Xian that he could look at those unreleased materials about Tang Xin if he wished, but he had to give an answer to this question.

This wasn’t any formal interrogation but an irregular private transaction.

Lin Xian understood this very well, too.

He wasn’t guilty of any crime, nor was he a suspect, so naturally, he didn’t need to explain about Professor Xu Yun’s authorization, and no one could demand him to do so.

But he wasn’t afraid to explain either.

He had long foreseen this "loophole," and naturally... he had also thought of a strategy in advance.

"Actually, I’d rather not talk about it," Lin Xian turned his head, feigning difficulty:

"To be honest, the reason isn’t very glorious. I haven’t told anyone about it till now, and it’s also a secret between Professor Xu Yun and me."

Ji Lin narrowed his eyes at Lin Xian, waiting for his answer...

"Since Xu Yun is your brother-in-law, you must be aware of Xu Yiyi’s situation, right?" Lin Xian asked.

Ji Lin nodded.

Of course, he knew.

It was because of Xu Yiyi’s fall into a vegetative state that Arrogance and Xu Yun went their separate ways. As a result, he never saw Xu Yun again, nor did he see his first friend in life ever again.

"Professor Xu Yun never intended to hibernate with Xu Yiyi from the start," Lin Xian began his half-true, half-false lie, which was the safest and hardest to debunk way of lying:

"First, he didn’t want to lose his memories about Xu Yiyi, and second, he wanted to devote the rest of his life to the research on the Hibernation Pod. So, this presents a problem—"

"By the time Xu Yiyi wakes up from hibernation in the future, Professor Xu Yun will definitely have left this world. At that time, Xu Yiyi, regardless of her actual age, will have the mind of a four- or five-year-old girl... Alone in the world, Xu Yun was very worried. Therefore, he entrusted me with a task."

"Professor Xu Yun hoped that after Xu Yiyi awakens from hibernation, I would take care of her, at least to assist her in life. Even if future medical advancements could cure her vegetative state, her naive mindset would still need guidance."

"I did not agree at first. Nobody knows how far into the future Xu Yiyi has to hibernate before waking up and being cured. If it was only a few decades, I could wait, but if she had to hibernate for hundreds of years, wouldn’t that mean I would also need to hibernate alongside Xu Yiyi? So initially, I was unwilling and refused outright."

"But later on... well, I won’t hide it from you, Professor Xu Yun genuinely entrusted me and also gave me the authorization free of charge. Out of sentiment and rationale, I agreed to it. So, you could say I was tempted by money, and indeed, I thought the reward Professor Xu Yun offered was high enough for me to take the risk and hibernate with Xu Yiyi."

...

This cover story was one Lin Xian had carefully crafted in advance.

He knew that sooner or later, someone would ask him this question, so he had to devise a foolproof reason.

The task of taking care of Xu Yiyi was indeed proposed by Xu Yun and truly his wish, which was a fact.

As for the authorization of the chemical substance, the real reason was a secret known only to him and Xu Yun, now beyond dispute, and by joining these two matters, he could blur the lines between truth and fabrication convincingly.

"I see," Ji Lin immediately responded:

"No wonder... So it turns out there was such a matter. Actually, I don’t find it anything too shameful to discuss—it’s merely a fair transaction. With the plethora of unresolved side effects that hibernation technology still has, the risks you’re taking are indeed matched by the benefits the authorization brings."

"However... Professor Xu Yun really trusts you, entrusting such an important daughter to you. Were you two in a teacher-student relationship back at the university?"

"That’s not the case," Lin Xian admitted frankly:

"It was only through company business that I had a few interactions with Professor Xu Yun. I think his trust in me has something to do with our boss. While other companies were scrambling to get authorization from him, our company, out of respect for him, gave up. Perhaps that’s why he felt favorably towards me."

In this regard, Lin Xian was completely truthful because these things could be easily investigated with a little effort—lying here was like deceiving oneself and asking for trouble.

Ji Lin nodded without saying a word.

He glanced at his watch:

"At this time... I should also head back to the Donghai City Police Department. Would you like to come along? I promised earlier, I can take you to see the evidence from the Tang Xin case."

Lin Xian nodded and got into Ji Lin’s car.

Everything went much smoother than Lin Xian had expected, whether it was connecting with Ji Lin, the claims of making a deal with Xu Yun, or visiting the police station to view the evidence from the Tang Xin case... Everything unfolded just as he had anticipated.

[Smoothly]

Lin Xian couldn’t help recalling what Tang Xin had said...

"I don’t know why everything went so smoothly, whether it was coming for the orchestra interview or later rehearsals and joining the official team, becoming the lead violinist; even I find it unbelievable."

In the car, the driver drove silently, Lin Xian and Ji Lin chatted intermittently, but Lin Xian’s mind was occupied with the events he experienced that day, as well as what Tang Xin had gone through.

He couldn’t see any mistakes he had made so far.

But...

If everything he had experienced was like what Tang Xin had gone through, all designed in advance?

The incident at 00:42, where a death was artificially staged, showed that the perpetrators were highly skilled at designing, laying plans, hiding their schemes in daily life, and even disguising the accidental as the inevitable...

Their plan was meticulous, and until the last moment, it was difficult to realize that one was trapped.

So...

Lin Xian kept his expression unchanged, looking at Ji Lin seated beside him, within arm’s reach.

Could it be...

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The present me.

Is also part of their plan?

If indeed I am currently caught in their game, what role does Ji Lin play?

Lin Xian now felt a constant sense of being on guard.

He sensed that danger was very close to him... yet he did not know where the enemy was hiding.

He began to close his eyes and contemplate, making connections between the Tang Xin incident and his current situation.

He believed.

If this series of cases were all the work of the same perpetrator, then there must be similarities in their methods.

Suddenly!

Lin Xian spotted a blind spot!

It seemed that whether it was Tang Xin or himself... both believed they were taking proactive actions, but in reality, they had passively fallen into the traps set by the perpetrators.

Tang Xin seemed to have chosen Donghai on her own, but it was actually due to an invitation from Xu Yun’s mentor; she appeared to join the orchestra on her own initiative, but it also stemmed from a colleague’s recommendation; she seemed to be giving gifts to herself proactively, but that too was in collusion with Zhou Duanyun.

Everything... had someone pushing and arranging behind the scenes.

So.

What about myself?

Am I, like Tang Xin, hooked? Trapped?

Ji Lin’s vehicle had already turned into the parking lot of the Donghai City Police Department, the barrier gate rising and falling like a guillotine’s blade.

...

In the temporary office of the Xu Yun special investigation team,

Ji Lin pushed a stack of neatly categorized documents in front of Lin Xian:

"These chat logs are the evidence we extracted from Tang Xin’s mobile phone... No photos allowed, and you can’t take them out. You can look through them here as much as you want."