Beneath the Dome, Sin within Sins - Chapter 94 - Running into an Acquaintance

It was truly strange. While being a bystander is a deeply ingrained habit for many, avoiding danger is also human instinct. In situations like this, most people would fear being implicated. The best course of action would be to quickly leave the scene and stay out of trouble. Loitering around a crime scene was nothing short of suspicious!

I furrowed my brows, took a step forward, and said, “Excuse me, sir, is there something you’d like to talk to me about?”

The man stepped back as soon as I addressed him, forcing an awkward smile. “N-no, nothing. I’m just wandering around with nothing else to do. But I’m leaving now.”

After saying that, the man turned to leave. Seeing this, I quickly grabbed his arm and sternly asked, “What exactly are you trying to do?!”

“I told you, I’m just walking around aimlessly. Let go of me, or I’ll get mad!”

With that, he started struggling violently. I was only holding him with one hand, so it became harder to maintain my grip as he resisted.

“Stop struggling, or I won’t go easy on you!”

“I want to leave! You have no right to hold me!”

His struggling became even more intense. Realizing I couldn’t hold on much longer, I turned to shout at Su Mo, who was nearby investigating the situation: “What are you standing there for?! Get over here and help me!”

When Su Mo noticed the commotion on my side, he quickly strode over. But upon seeing the man I was holding, he stopped in his tracks and looked visibly surprised.

“Hey! What are you waiting for?! Help me out!” I yelled, growing anxious at his hesitation.

What happened next, however, left me even more stunned. The man, who had been struggling wildly just moments ago, suddenly stopped moving as soon as he saw Su Mo.

“Excuse me, sir., have we met before?” Su Mo stepped closer, carefully studying the man.

The man, upon seeing Su Mo, first looked confused, then shocked, and finally lit up with realization. He suddenly lunged forward and hugged Su Mo tightly, exclaiming, “Boss! It really is you! I recognized you from outside but wasn’t sure. I can’t believe it’s actually you!”

Watching this entire scene unfold, I quickly put two and two together. So this was just a reunion between old acquaintances?

Still, I couldn’t help but observe how different these two were as individuals. It was hard to imagine someone like Su Mo being friends with a man who seemed so timid.

From their conversation, I learned that the man’s name was Tian Chuan. He had been Su Mo’s college roommate, but after graduation, their busy work lives had kept them from meeting until now.

The more I listened to the conversation between the two of them, the more uneasy I felt. I had an ominous sense that something I really didn’t want to see was about to happen.

“By the way, let me introduce you. This here is a senior from the Medical Department who now works as a professional detective. I’m telling you, my senior here is incredibly skilled. Have you heard about that water pipe poisoning case?”

Hearing this, Tian Chuan’s eyes lit up with a greenish glow as he turned to look at me. “Could it be… Are you the mysterious figure who saved the entire city?!”

He had been so timid just a moment ago, and now seeing the excitement in his face caught me completely off guard.

“Not really,” I replied hastily, trying to deflect the praise. “It was a team effort, everyone contributed.” I wanted to steer the conversation away, so I quickly changed the subject. “By the way, Su Mo, you mentioned he’s your classmate. Does that mean…”

“That’s right! Tian Chuan is a police officer, here on vacation no less.” Su Mo couldn’t hide his excitement. “Who would’ve thought we’d get the chance to work together again after graduating college? Senior, you don’t know this, but back in school, the two of us were the ultimate dream team!” Su Mo said this while patting Tian Chuan’s shoulder and beaming widely.

As for me, watching this scene play out, I really didn’t know what to say. The so-called “ultimate dream team” looked more like a comedy duo to me.

“Well then, let’s go meet some of the suspects,” I said, cutting into their cheerful reunion.

With that, the few of us headed to the lounge backstage. There, I saw the woman who had been pointing fingers at Bai Yue from the very beginning.

The moment I laid eyes on her, my mood turned sour. I had little patience, let alone respect, for people who made rash accusations without concrete evidence.

At this point, Su Mo leaned in close and whispered to me, “That woman is the victim’s daughter. The victim lost her husband two years ago. This woman is their only daughter, her name is Song Cangyun.”

“Her last name is also Song?”

“Yes,” Su Mo replied. “Funny enough, both her parents had the same surname.”

So that’s how it was. Just as I was about to speak, Song Cangyun suddenly rushed toward me, raising her hand as if to strike me. Fortunately, my reflexes were quick. I grabbed her wrist and firmly stopped her.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” I demanded.

“You’re protecting the murderer!” Song Cangyun cried angrily, her eyes red and filled with fury.

At that moment, a middle-aged man standing nearby suddenly spoke, his tone laced with sarcasm. “Ha! I’d say you’re the one who killed your mother. After all, she made it clear before that she wouldn’t leave you a single penny of her inheritance.”

Before I could even process what was happening, Song Cangyun spun around, clearly enraged. “Uncle! How can you say that?! She was my mother! No matter what decisions she made, I would respect her! But you… if I remember correctly, didn’t she refuse to help you because you racked up debts with your high-interest loans? If you ask me, you’re the one most likely to have done it!”

“Alright, alright, stop arguing, both of you.”

At that moment, a petite girl who looked no older than sixteen stepped forward, trying to mediate.

But before she could say much, Song Cangyun slapped her across the face without hesitation and snapped, “Just because you’re the child my mother adopted doesn’t mean she was blind to all the dirty things you’ve been doing behind her back!”

I frowned deeply at the escalating chaos and took a step back. “What’s going on here?” I asked, still trying to piece everything together.

Su Mo shook his head, signaling that the family drama was not something he had any solutions for. However, Tian Chuan decided to offer some context at that moment.

“You have no idea,” Tian Chuan began quietly. “This seemingly perfect family-it’s way more complicated than it looks. Everyone in this town knows how messy it is. The owner of this hotel, the victim, was known for doting on children from her relatives’ families but had little affection for her own biological daughter. The story gets even more complicated because she also adopted an orphaned girl, a supposed angel with a tragic past. But don’t let her innocent demeanor fool you. People say this adopted daughter is a demon at heart. Behind her sweet and gentle appearance is someone extremely scheming and ruthless. Honestly, one of the reasons I’m here-besides taking a vacation-is to investigate her. That girl’s name is Song Caiyin.”

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh. What a mess! This family seemed far more turbulent than I could ever have imagined.