Genius Club-Chapter 213 - 47 Co-habitation Life

"Then here’s what we’ll do, Lin Xian, today you go back and pack some personal items, as our special investigation unit will adopt an intensive centralized office mode... There’s no set start or end to our workday, we don’t leave until the case is cracked, so... we’ll all be living here, there are dormitories arranged specifically for us at the back."

"Live here?" Lin Xian was somewhat surprised:

"The secondment letter didn’t mention any of this."

"Is it a problem for you?"

"Not exactly." Lin Xian shook his head:

"I just didn’t expect the work arrangements of the investigation team to be so intense, not even allowing us to go home."

Ji Lin smiled faintly, walked over, and patted Lin Xian on the shoulder:

"Lin Xian... now that we’re colleagues, I can speak frankly with you. Actually, having you stay here, under our surveillance 24 hours a day... is also for your protection."

"Protection?" Lin Xian chuckled without understanding:

"What, is someone trying to kill me?"

"Not that kind of protection." Ji Lin shook his head:

"[It’s to help clear you of suspicion as the murderer.]"

"As I said before, Lin Xian, with the death cases of Xu Yun and Tang Xin, there are nearly no leads to push the investigation forward, and you, as the most direct participant in both cases, the last one to intervene at the scene, had frequent contact with both individuals before the incidents, and ultimately gained huge benefits..."

"While there’s no evidence at present to suggest this was all orchestrated by you, put yourself in the police’s shoes for a moment, in a case with no breakthroughs, where many coincidental clues overlap on you... it’s natural for them to be suspicious of you."

"So, stay within the department, live here, with me, for this period. If we can solve the cases, that’s great. If not, and similar cases occur outside, that would indirectly prove these events have nothing to do with you, and by then your suspicion would naturally be cleared."

...

Lin Xian remained silent.

This kind of plot twist was something he hadn’t expected before coming.

He had thought that if Ji Lin were the true mastermind behind everything, calling him here was just to catch him slipping up.

Yet unexpectedly, this guy had used a seemingly legitimate reason to forcibly bind him to his side, claiming protection while surveilling him round the clock.

It was more than just a trap; it was practically house arrest.

"What, are we also going to be chained together? The type where we do everything including going to the bathroom and showering together?" Lin Xian joked with a smile.

Then he picked up the black notebook in his hand and tossed it onto the table:

"Or are you also suspecting that my notebook is a Death Note? That writing someone’s name in it could kill them?"

"You’ve been watching too much anime, Lin Xian."

Ji Lin said with a smile:

"Understand a little of my intentions, please, and try to understand the difficulties facing the Donghai police force. With society chastising them for inaction, they must do something, right?"

"Of course, we won’t restrict you so severely; you can go out if you need to, but I’d prefer you take me with you. If a similar death of a scientist occurs outside, I can immediately vouch for you."

"Of course, I still hope you’ll choose not to go out and instead focus your energy on solving the case... Catching the murderer of Xu Yun and Tang Xin sooner is good for both of us."

"Fine."

Lin Xian replied nonchalantly.

Without entering the tiger’s den, one cannot catch its cubs; then he would meet Ji Lin here.

Both men were pretending to be confused despite knowing the situation.

Lin Xian wanted to catch Ji Lin, and Ji Lin wanted to catch Lin Xian, but since neither side had concrete evidence, being forcibly stuck together 24 hours a day wasn’t entirely bad for Lin Xian.

Because...

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

As Ji Lin was learning about Lin Xian, Lin Xian was also learning about Ji Lin.

It was a matter of who was more cautious, who was more careful, and who could quicker piece together a complete puzzle from the casual words exchanged in idle chatter.

"I’ll go home now to get my toiletries." Lin Xian turned and headed for the door:

"The weather is hot anyway, I won’t need much. I’ll be back this evening."

...

Back at home.

Instead of packing clothes, Lin Xian immediately started inspecting all the papers on his desk and in his drawers.

Although he normally disposed of them in a timely fashion, now that he was under the suspicion of the Donghai police, it was hard to ensure they wouldn’t search his room while he was under "house arrest."

Nearly burning everything possibly relevant to the case, Lin Xian examined the fake Genius Club invitation and the sealing wax piece stamped with the Genius Club’s emblem.

Should he burn it all?

Lin Xian hesitated...

Although the invitation was fake, it was the only clue he had related to the Genius Club.

Moreover, the seal on the wax was genuine, identical to the pattern on the moon in his dreams.

"I’ll keep them, but I can’t leave them at home."

Lin Xian stuffed the two items into his backpack and then took a taxi to MX Company.

He had to check his office as well...

Scrap paper, drafts, any paper with written deductions—burned them all.

Then, he sat in his office, waiting for Zhao Yingjun to finish work.

Watching Zhao Yingjun’s Alfa Romeo depart the company, he promptly picked up the fake Genius Club invitation and the sealing stamp, headed to the elevator, pressed the button for the 22nd floor, and made his way to Zhao Yingjun’s office.