Genius Club-Chapter 244 - 63 Seven Sins

In an instant.

Ji Lin’s brows slightly furrowed.

But in a nearly imperceptible moment, his eyebrows relaxed again, as if the frown had never happened.

However...

This purely instinctive reaction had not escaped Lin Xian’s observation.

It was deliberate.

In fact, for so long, he had not found any substantial clues linking Ji Lin and Zhou Duanyun.

The two of them were complete strangers to each other, both openly and secretly, not acknowledging any acquaintance.

Even though Lin Xian had always suspected them of being in cahoots... but a suspicion is just a suspicion; without evidence, these guesses had no foundation.

But now.

Even though Ji Lin’s reaction was quick, almost immediate.

He had finally revealed a slip.

His instant frown of dislike and impatience undeniably confirmed a fact—

[He knew Zhou Duanyun, and it seemed there had been some entanglement between them.]

This was indeed an unexpected gain...

Lin Xian’s original intent was just to bluff Ji Lin a bit, to see his eye reaction.

He didn’t hold much hope, it was just a simple test.

Heh.

Now, many things have become clearer.

In front of Ji Lin, Lin Xian pressed the call button—

After a long silence.

An automated voice came from the phone:

"The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable, please try again later."

Lin Xian hung up the phone:

"My classmate here is a big businessman, usually very busy. Since the call didn’t go through, perhaps he’s in an underground garage or in an elevator?"

"It’s also possible that he’s gone abroad,"

Ji Lin replied indifferently:

"If he’s abroad and hasn’t activated the respective service, you’d get this prompt when dialing his mobile."

"I see."

This was indeed outside of Lin Xian’s knowledge, but it didn’t matter; he had already obtained what he wanted.

"Ji Lin, are you familiar with the name Zhou Duanyun?" Lin Xian began his second probe.

"Familiar, indeed."

Ji Lin said casually:

"I remember from the chat records extracted from Tang Xin’s phone; there were conversations between Tang Xin and Zhou Duanyun. They prepared a gift for you together; of course, I remember."

...

Lin Xian let out a breath through his nose.

As expected, Ji Lin remained Ji Lin.

He only showed that tiny slip-up, but he quickly reverted to his natural quick-witted intelligence.

His answer was impeccable and reasonable. To react so quickly... truly, worthy of being a genius detective novelist.

"If he’s abroad, then my classmate probably won’t be able to attend your birthday party,"

Lin Xian chuckled:

"That would be a shame."

"It’s not a shame."

Ji Lin spread his hands:

"Do you have other friends? In Donghai City, I have only one friend who works at a 4S shop. He’s my childhood friend. Are you sure you want to invite him? He might eat up your cake in two bites."

"That’s impossible."

Ji Lin shook his head:

"I ordered a big three-tiered cake; even a hippopotamus couldn’t finish it in two bites."

Lin Xian recalled Gao Yang stuffing himself with lobster shells at the MX Company celebration...

In a certain sense,

Gao Yang might be more impressive than a hippopotamus.

"All right then."

Lin Xian responded:

"I’ll ask him later. My friend is really easy to call, as long as there’s good food, he’s usually ready to show up."

Having said that,

Lin Xian went to the restroom to wash his hands, took his jacket, and left.

Before closing the door, he took one last glance at the festively decorated living room.

Bright.

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Beautiful.

Colorful.

It looked like a hymn of victory, only... it was uncertain who it was meant for.

"Goodbye, Ji Lin."

Lin Xian waved and closed the door behind him.

Bang.

...

At night, ten o’clock, the double doors made of mahogany were opened and then pushed shut by the dry palms of an elderly man.

He hung his black woolen hat on the coat rack by the door.

Looking up,

He was shocked to see the brightly lit, colorful, and tidy living room with twinkling fairy lights everywhere:

"When I got out of the car just now, I wondered if the sun had risen from the west because you were willing to turn on the lights at night. But now, it seems like... it’s not as simple as the sun rising from the west..."

He turned his head, looking at Ji Lin who was still sitting in his usual spot on the floor, half-reclining and enjoying the light pollution filling the room:

"Are you throwing a party?"

Ji Xinshui could not come to grips with the scene before him; he had watched this child grow up from a young age, but now he felt more and more that he no longer recognized him.

"Happy birthday."

Ji Lin raised his hand, pointing to the banner hanging above the TV, where the two English words were written in colorful fonts—

happy birthday

"It’s not any party." Ji Lin closed his eyes:

"It’s a birthday banquet."

Only then did Ji Xinshui understand, nodding slowly as if he had an epiphany...

"I see, May 3rd, it’s your birthday."

Immediately,

He smiled broadly, admiring Ji Lin with eyes full of praise:

"Well done! Before I came, I was wondering, with Lin Xian being so cautious and careful now, if we still had any opportunity to expose him outdoors... But I didn’t expect you had this move up your sleeve! A birthday banquet is perfect; we can accurately control the time he leaves here."

"However, Ji Lin... you’re still not clever enough."

Ji Xinshui walked around with his hands behind his back, looking at the streamers and ribbons that filled the room as if already reveling in victory:

"If you were clever enough, you should have held your birthday party on the evening of May 2nd. That way, you could have kept Lin Xian here past midnight, celebrating your birthday with a more reasonable and unnoticed excuse."