Afterlife Department

The people sitting in the sofa in the living room all turned when they heard a knock. Fei Xuli got up and opened the door, exposing Hao Baiyun who was standing outside and was contemplating. Jing Yu was standing by the window, silently staring at Madam Lei and Huo Meiying who were sitting on the long sofa.

"Young master, you're back." Fei Xulin greeted and bowed.

"En." Hao Baiyun nodded. When he went inside, he saw Huo Meiying talking to Madam Lei in a low voice. "Aunt Meiying." He called.

Huo Meiying heard her name was called and she turned to see Hao Baiyun. "Xiao Bai.." She called and smiled.

Hao Baiyun smiled back at her before he turned to Madam Lei and nodded at her. "Madam, good evening. Thank you for looking after my aunt." He told her before he sat on the sofa across the two women. Meanwhile, Fei Xuli went to the kitchen to get him a cup.

Madam Lei smiled. "It's no trouble. Meiying and I our sisters." She said as she held Huo Meiying's hands to comfort her.

Hao Baiyun smiled. "It's already late. Won't your family look for you?" he asked.

Madam Lei waved her hand. "My husband is still working at this hour, while my son finds me annoying." She sighed. She's referring to her son, Lei Shan.

Having steered the conversation to his objective topic, his lips curled up. "A parent is just concerned of their child's welfare because they care. There's no such thing as an annoying parent. Instead, one should cherish their parents." He said.

Madam Lei happily smiled from what Hao Baiyun said. "That's right. Even if they have already grown up, they're still a child in our eyes." she said and became downcast when she thought of Lei Shan who was always busy with his work as an actor.

Even before Lei Shan had become a film emperor, he has always been leaving his house before the sun rises and comes back past midnight. Now, Lei Shan is a film emperor, and it is expected that his schedule would be more rigorous. She is really worried of her son's health.

Actually, even if Lei Shan won't work, Lei Shan could continue to live a luxurious life since they are a wealthy family. He has no aunts nor uncles from either of his parents' side, and his grandparents of both sides have died. He is also the only child, and both his parents' wealth will be inherited by him. Thus, there's no need for Lei Shan to work, nor to work harder than a dog.

"Speaking of your son, congratulations for him winning the Best Actor award." Hao Baiyun said. The Best Actor award two months ago nailed Lei Shan as the newly-crowned film emperor.

Madam Lei's eyes brightened. "Thank you." She smiled which is filled with pride.

"You're welcome." He said and glanced at Huo Meiying who was listening to them talking. He can't help but feel sad in his heart. Since Huo Meiying is present, he decided to drop the topic of Lei Shan. He'll find an opportunity to talk to Madam Lei later. "It���s almost dinner time. Shall we eat outside?" he asked.

"Alright. Let's find a restaurant on my way home so it's convenient for me to go home later." Madam Lei said as she helped Huo Meiying up. The Hao and the Huo families are relatives, so Hao Baiyun will be sending Huo Meiying home after dinner.

"Okay." He said and rose from his seat. "Xuli. Book us a restaurant. Jing Yu, bring the car outside." He said.

"Yes, young master." Fei Xuli and Jing Yu answered before they moved to do their assigned tasks.

Meanwhile, Hao Baiyun and Madam Lei resumed talking, with Huo Meiying dazedly listening to them.

On the other side of the city, Gu Xingfeng had just returned home from work. He still hasn't eaten dinner, but the first thing he did when he opened the door wasn't turning on the lights nor taking off his jacket, but to check if Hao Baiyun was still in the bedroom.

As expected, Hao Baiyun had already left. The bed is cold, and even the food on the bedside table had also gone cold. Even the note he left him was untouched.

He sighed as he picked up the plate and threw the note in the trash bin. "What am I expecting for?" he muttered as he emptied the plate before he washed it. Then, he called for a takeout. "I'm the only one who invested my feelings, even when I shouldn't have since it's impossible between us." He lowered his head in distress.

In the cold and dark space, the silence was broken by a sharp ringing tune coming from his cellphone. A small amount of light was made when the screen of his cellphone lit up, showing an incoming call from Jiang Xinduo.

Gu Xingfeng heaved a sigh as he sat on the cold floor of the kitchen and took out his phone from his pants' pocket. "Xiao Jiang." He called when he answered the phone.

"Boss." Jiang Xinduo called when he heard the address of his superior. "It's as we expected. Huo Dakuan's men moved on their own." He reported with a hint of distress in his voice.

Gu Xingfeng wanted to sigh again. Not long after Gerard Jackson and Secretary Lewis left the station earlier in the afternoon, Huo Dakuan arrived with an anguished expression on his face. If not for giving them face, Gu Xingfeng suspected that Huo Dakuan would've lashed his anger and sorrow for losing his favorite grandson at them. However, Huo Dakuan is a civilized person, thus he didn't do so, since he knows they've got nothing to do with Huo Ling's death, aside from helping them investigate the unfortunate incident.

Huo Dakuan, accompanied by his bodyguards, asked them a few questions, likewise they interrogated him. But, unlike Gerard Jackson's false grief he put up in front of them earlier, Huo Dakuan immediately left after asking them a series of questions. He was in a hurry not because he doesn't care about Huo Ling, but it was the opposite.

Huo Dakuan, an influential figure, knows that the small police station in charge of the investigation of his favorite grandson's death has a limited connection. Thus, he can already see the slow pace of the investigation.

And so, also foreseeing what will happen tonight, Gu Xingfeng had Jiang Xinduo secretly monitor Huo Dakuan and his people's movements. It's as they expected. Huo Dakuan really has his people investigate on their own about Huo Ling's death.

"Let them do what they wanted. In fact, this is beneficial for us." Gu Xingfeng said. If Huo Dakuan and his people would find something, then they – the oriole behind the mantis, would know it. "Continue to monitor them, likewise Gerard Jackson and Huo Meiying. Have xiao Zhang and xiao Xue closely keep their eyes on the 'couple'." He told Jiang Xinduo.

"Yes, boss." Jiang Xinduo answered before he ended the call.

Gu Xingfeng pulled at his hair. He doesn't need to tell Jiang Xinduo and the others to be careful, since they are aware what kind of people they will be following.

Huo Dakuan, even though old, but he's a crafty fox for having his businesses stay at the top of the business world. Gerard Jackson, even though looking amiable, but in fact he's cold-blooded to not even care about his own flesh and blood's death. And Huo Meiying... she looked meek, but she's from the royal family. She must know more than what she shows to others.

"Huo Ling, ah, Huo Ling… wherever you are, take a look at these people whom you thought a family when you were alive, now acting like they all aren't a family." he muttered before he laughed.

It's reasonable, actually. After all, Huo Ling's the only one who's tying all of them together like a thread. With this thread now snapped, everything fell apart. But, they didn't collapse. Instead, they stood tall, stronger than before. It was like a heavy burden was lifted off of their shoulders.

The link has now disappeared. Everyone just reverted to what they have been before.

…..

In contrast to the tension these people were going through, Huo Ling was chilling in the water park with Yi Bing. Seeing Yi Bing freezing the water earlier, Huo Ling was fascinated and had him do it again. Since Huo Ling likes the ambiance of the water park, Yi Bing decided to stay with Huo Ling there.

And he didn't regret his decision, since the lights of the water park were switched on when the surroundings became dark. The colorful lights from the surrounding buildings were reflected on the water, making the surroundings prettier than it was during the day. And the atmosphere, for the couples wandering in the water park, became more romantic.

Yi Bing looked around the place, watching the people consisted of families, friends, groups of students, office workers who were returning home, and couples. Then, his gaze fell on Huo Ling whom he didn't notice was actually staring at him since earlier.