"I found something. I need to tell you."
The next morning, just as Edward was about to announce the start of filming, Crane suddenly pulled him aside. Edward was a little puzzled—what had this guy discovered to get him so worked up?
"You still remember what happened yesterday afternoon, right?" Crane looked at Edward seriously.
Edward thought back for a moment. He had indeed spent yesterday afternoon with Crane…
Then it clicked. Crane must be referring to when they vaguely heard a couple arguing next door. Worried that something serious was happening, they'd gone over to intervene, only to find it was just a quarrel between a couple.
But hadn't that been resolved already?
Edward had even checked in on the couple during last night's banquet. While they still seemed a little awkward, they were at least sitting together and chatting.
"Of course I remember. So what exactly are you trying to say?" Edward asked, confused.
Crane pulled him even further aside and lowered his voice.
"I think that situation yesterday wasn't actually resolved. I suspect that the man might have…" Crane didn't finish his sentence, but made a throat-slitting gesture.
Edward couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. Has this guy written too many crime thrillers? Is he getting paranoid now?
"Shizuka, go call Shin over here—and Xue too," Edward waved to Shizuka, who nodded and quickly ran off.
While waiting, Edward chatted with Crane, trying to convince him to take a break and relax if he was feeling too tense. After all, the luxury train had plenty of entertainment facilities.
But when Shizuka returned a few minutes later, only Shin was with her—no sign of Xue.
"Where's Xue?" Edward asked, his tone turning serious.
Don't tell me something really happened?
Crane was now staring intently at Shin, carefully observing his expression.
"Sorry, boss," Shin said apologetically. "Xue and I had another fight yesterday, and she stormed off. I don't know where she went."
"But that doesn't make sense. Didn't you two just have a big argument last night?" Crane pressed, clearly suspicious.
Edward sighed as he glanced at Crane. Is he really about to launch into one of his detective dramas again?
Still, the fact that Xue was currently unaccounted for was troublesome. Edward turned to Shizuka, who seemed somewhat distracted.
"Shizuka, notify the train staff and ask them to help search for Xue. Also, activate the train's broadcast system—have it call for her to come forward as soon as possible," Edward instructed seriously.
They needed to act quickly before things escalated into a bigger problem. If Xue showed up, Crane's suspicions would be baseless, and that would be the end of it.
"Understood." Shizuka left, though her heavy expression didn't go unnoticed by Edward.
Was she hiding something too?
"I went back to my compartment after the banquet last night and continued working on my novel," Crane began. "I have this habit—I like to think in the dark, so I turned off the lights early. That's when I heard arguing from your neighboring room again."
"At first, I didn't think much of it. But then I heard you—furious—yelling something. And then... total silence."
"After a while, I heard the sound of the door opening. I peeked through the peephole and saw you sitting in the corridor, lost in thought. But there was no sign of Xue."
Edward furrowed his brow.
No way… Could Crane actually be onto something this time?
"You stayed out there for a full four minutes, completely still," Crane continued. "Then you went back inside. About ten minutes later, you came out again carrying a huge suitcase. It was big enough to fit a person."
Edward's expression grew more complicated.
This guy didn't just eavesdrop—he was timing everything and spying through peepholes too? This is getting ridiculous…
Meanwhile, the train's broadcast had already started calling for Xue.
"So—what did you do last night?" Crane asked Shin with an intense gaze.
"We had a fight yesterday afternoon, and it got worse later that night. I felt fed up and told her I wanted to break up. After that, she just sat there without saying a word. I went outside for a while to cool down," Shin explained.
"When I came back, she still wasn't talking to me. I sat there thinking for a long time. Eventually, I realized I was done with the relationship and started packing my things. I moved to an empty room."
Shin then added, "Oh right—I texted our department head about it at the time. It was my department manager who arranged the new room for me."
Edward checked his phone. The broadcast had been playing for a while, but Shizuka hadn't come back yet.
Which meant Xue still hadn't been found.
His concern deepened. If something had happened, the crew would have to halt filming and turn back immediately.
"My supervisor even went to talk to Xue afterward to check on her. You can ask them to confirm everything," Shin said, his tone earnest and sincere.
His statement, if true, completely cleared him of suspicion—leaving Crane slightly thrown off.
Could I really have been wrong? he thought.
Well, whether he was right or wrong would become clear soon enough. If Xue showed up, then it was all just a misunderstanding. If not, then they'd need to question Shin's supervisor.
Just then, Shizuka came rushing back.
"Boss—Xue's nowhere to be found," she said gravely.
Edward buried his face in his hands.
What kind of absurd curse is this? Did something really happen after all? This is getting way too ridiculous.
(End of Chapter)