The ultimate master in the city

Chapter 63 Performing Opera

There was a murderous aura...

Zhou Fengchen quietly moved to the side, making room for the two women.

To his surprise, both women turned their gazes to him at the same time. "You can choose who you go out to dinner with today."

Zhou Fengchen looked at this person and that person, feeling that going out with anyone was unreliable. He didn't know what the landlady was thinking, always playing ambiguous games with him. As for Wang Min, he never came to the temple without a reason. He could guess with his own eyes that she must have something to ask him for help.

"Why don't you two go out to eat?" Zhou Fengchen shook his head and said, "I have a sick person at home, so I'll go back first."

The two women blocked his way, saying, "No!"

Zhou Fengchen smiled wryly, "How about... the three of us eat together, and you two split the bill? Otherwise, I'll go home."

The two women exchanged a glance, then reluctantly snorted, which was taken as an agreement.

The three of them went out and encountered another disagreement. Wang Min drove one car and the landlady also drove one, forcing Zhou Fengchen to choose which car to ride in, insisting on determining a winner.

Zhou Fengchen thought to himself, "Fine! I'll take a taxi."

Well, that's great. The three of them drove two cars, and Zhou Fengchen still had to take a taxi. He felt extremely awkward.

Finally, they arrived at a hot pot restaurant, where the two women started arguing again. The proprietress wanted a spicy broth, while Wang Min wanted a mild broth. Zhou Fengchen was delighted, as the restaurant did offer yin-yang pots (hot pot with two broths in each broth), making the matter easy to resolve.

Soon the hot pot broth and a bunch of hot pot ingredients arrived. Zhou Fengchen rubbed his hands together, ready to bury himself in the food. Since he didn't have to pay for it himself, this feeling was amazing. Monk Yuanzhi would be green with envy if he knew.

To his surprise, he couldn't eat properly. As soon as he picked up his chopsticks, the two women started competing to put food on his plate, quickly piling it to the brim and making a mess.

Zhou Fengchen put down her chopsticks, having lost all her appetite. "I say, my two sisters, if you're really fighting over me, I'll be very happy."

The proprietress smiled and said, "Of course I'm jealous because I like you."

"Of course..." Wang Min stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, her face flushing red. She glared at the landlady, "How can you be like this? Don't you know what it means to be reserved?"

The proprietress rolled her eyes: "I call this enthusiasm, unlike you, you little cucumber, all white inside."

Wang Min retorted sharply, "You're something else, your flesh is overripe, almost rotten."

The proprietress chuckled: "It smells delicious when it's ripe, unlike you, which is sour inside."

"you……"

"What do you mean, 'you'... "

As they talked, they noticed Zhou Fengchen's eyes were red-rimmed, as if he were about to cry, and they asked in unison, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Fengchen said, "Would you believe me if I said I remembered my father who died many years ago?"

The two women exchanged a glance. "I don't believe it!"

Zhou Fengchen rubbed his eyes, which were red from the smoke at the bottom of the pot. "My dead father would never believe that I would be treated to a meal by the two of you."

The two women murmured and fell silent.

Zhou Fengchen then said, "There's definitely no grudge between you two, right? It's not like you're fighting over me. I'm just wondering, why are you bickering for no reason?"

The two women chuckled and started eating their food.

Zhou Fengchen slapped the table and said, "As long as we don't mention anything dirty today, the three of us can chat however we want. If we do, I'm leaving immediately. I've given up!"

The proprietress's expression tightened, and she slowed down her movements as she picked up food.

Wang Min said with a grin, "If you say that, I'm relieved. I came to see you today not because of anything dirty or magic, but because there's a case that's a bit strange, and I wanted to ask you..."

"Stop!"

Zhou Fengchen glared at her. "You tricked me terribly last time, I haven't settled the score with you yet!"

Wang Min blinked: "Last time? You mean that thing about my friend's dad? I was just helping you get business, wasn't I? As for this matter..."

Zhou Fengchen interrupted again, "What kind of cases could I, a mere kitchen helper, investigate? It's pointless for you to come to me! Don't you have a very capable cousin? Go find her."

Wang Min blinked: "It was my cousin who asked me to find you."

Zhou Fengchen's eyes widened. "Nonsense! Who do you think I am, your cousin?"

Wang Min stared at him blankly, tears welling up in her eyes. "Okay, this is my first time handling a case alone, and I've landed a tricky one. I don't have any friends to help me, so I thought of you. You're so capable, I thought you would help me, but I didn't expect..."

Zhou Fengchen curled his lips. This little girl's acting skills are too bad. Why don't you cry for me?

The proprietress's attitude changed drastically at this moment, and she suddenly spoke up for Wang Min: "Xiao Zhou, what's wrong with you? Can't you see the young girl is about to cry?"

"Sister." Wang Min looked at her gratefully.

Zhou Fengchen thought to himself, "Well, these two have made up again." He sighed and said, "Speak, what is it?"

Wang Min broke into a smile through his tears, and the words that followed sent chills down everyone's spines: "It's like this, I recently took on a strange serial murder case..."

First, a man in Dongcheng District hanged himself under a fan at home. After his family called the police, Wang Min led people to the scene and sealed it off. However, they found no signs of struggle or suspected homicide and ultimately determined it to be suicide.

As is customary, Wang Min took statements from the deceased's family and inquired about the deceased's work environment and interpersonal relationships before death.

The deceased was 31 years old, married, with a virtuous wife and obedient and lovely children. He was a Kunqu opera singer and worked at a theater. He was usually cheerful and had no bad habits.

This is rather strange. Why would the deceased commit suicide?

The deceased's family didn't understand, and Wang Min couldn't figure it out either, so he prepared to go back to the police station to ask the old folks for advice.

Before leaving, the deceased's wife seemed to remember something and gave her a notebook that the deceased had kept. Wang Min flipped through it a few times but didn't think much of it.

Five or six days later, before the previous suicide case had been resolved, another mysterious death occurred. This time it was a 24-year-old woman. Coincidentally, this woman was also an actress, and also sang Kunqu opera.

Wang Min was puzzled. Two opera singers committing suicide? Has our national essence fallen so low that it can drive people to their deaths?

This matter is not over yet. Another person has died by suicide without cause. The deceased was a 29-year-old woman with a harmonious family and a worry-free life. Her occupation was also a Kunqu opera singer.

Wang Min's face turned awkward as he said this, "One or two is one thing, but three opera singers committing suicide one after another, and for no reason at all, is just incomprehensible."

Zhou Fengchen was completely confused, while the proprietress turned pale with fright.

Wang Min blinked and looked at Zhou Fengchen: "Master Zhou, is there anything you'd like to say?"

Zhou Fengchen pondered for a moment and asked, "Do they owe money to someone?"

Wang Min shook his head. "No!"

Zhou Fengchen then asked, "Do they know each other?"

Wang Min shook his head again, "We don't know each other."

"Then...are they sick in the head?" Zhou Fengchen said, "Why would they do something like this?"

Wang Min opened his mouth, then took out a notebook and a cell phone from his bag. "Their causes of death have one thing in common. Take a look."

Zhou Fengchen reached out and took the notebook, opened it, and saw that it was full of reflections on opera singing. He couldn't understand it, so he randomly flipped to the last page, where he saw only one line: "That is the real stage!"

Zhou Fengchen closed his notebook and asked, "What do you mean? Is the play too difficult to perform, and you don't want to live anymore?"

Wang Min chuckled, opened her phone, and pointed to two screenshots from her WeChat Moments. "Look!"

There was another line of text above it: "That's the real stage!"