Chapter 401: Blind Spot
Chapter 401: Chapter 401: Blind Spot
"Young Master Cheng, does this hotel have any security cameras?" Su Qing pushed her thoughts aside for the moment. The most important thing now was to figure out whether Li Huan had fallen by accident or if someone had done it on purpose.
"You actually know what security cameras are?" Cheng Beize was surprised when he heard her.
Though Li Huan was in pain and feeling aggrieved, she managed to ask out of curiosity, "Qingqing, what’s a security camera?"
At this time, security cameras weren’t yet a thing in the mainland, so the term was completely foreign to Li Huan.
"It’s a kind of camera equipment that can record visual evidence," Su Qing explained simply to Li Huan, then turned to Cheng Beize. "I only know about them because I heard someone in Xiangcheng mention them. If the hotel has security cameras, I hope you can ask the manager to let us see the footage from when my cousin fell."
It dawned on Cheng Beize. "Are you saying there might be more to Li Huan’s fall?"
Cheng Beize’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t seen Li Huan fall, only noticing when he heard her cry of alarm. By the time he looked over, she was already on the ground. At that moment, his only thought was worry, and he hadn’t considered it further. But now that Su Qing had brought it up, he had to give it more thought.
’That’s right. This is the largest hotel in Xiangcheng, and this banquet hall in particular specifically caters to the city’s elite families. The young ladies from these families come to banquets here wearing high heels. To prevent them from accidentally falling, the banquet hall floor even has an anti-slip treatment. What’s more, the shoes Li Huan was wearing today didn’t even have high heels. Logically, it should have been very unlikely for her to fall, and yet...’
"I’ll go find the hotel manager and check the security footage," Cheng Beize said with a nod.
"Okay. Thank you, Young Master Cheng," Su Qing said, nodding at him.
Once Cheng Beize had left the room, Li Huan looked at Su Qing in confusion. "Qingqing, are you saying someone made me fall on purpose?"
"It’s just a suspicion," Su Qing said. "Cousin, when you fell, did you notice anything unusual?"
"Unusual?" Li Huan frowned, momentarily forgetting the pain in her arm. She carefully recalled the moment she fell and said, a little uncertainly, "I was getting some pastries, and I saw a hotel server carrying juice, so I went to grab a glass. Then, on my way back, my foot slipped, and I fell. It must have just been me being clumsy, right?"
Li Huan hadn’t suspected a thing. She just assumed she had slipped and fallen due to her own carelessness. She was quite embarrassed about falling in public, especially at such a high-class banquet. "It was all my fault for being so clumsy. This won’t cause any trouble for Beilin and her new husband, will it?"
"That’s nothing to worry about," said Mr. Gong as he treated Li Huan’s wounds. "What you do need to worry about are these cuts. You have quite a few. It’s best to keep this arm out of water for the next few days to prevent infection. If you’re not careful, it might leave a scar."
"Oh!" Li Huan said quickly. "Okay, okay, I promise I won’t let it touch water."
After she spoke, Li Huan remembered that Su Qing had a powder that removed scars, and she instantly calmed down. ’I don’t need to be afraid of a scar. I have Qingqing!’
Li Huan thought she had just been careless, but Su Qing still felt it wasn’t that simple. The floor was a mess, however, especially with all the spilled juice. Even if there was something to find, it was likely hidden by now. All they could do was wait and see if Cheng Beize discovered anything.
’But this is the 1970s. Even though Xiangcheng has security cameras, they’re surely not as common as they are in the future. This hotel probably doesn’t have full, blind-spot-free coverage. If Cheng Beize can’t find anything...’
Su Qing lowered her gaze slightly. ’Wait... wasn’t there a potted areca palm next to where I was sitting?’
Sure enough, Cheng Beize returned ten-odd minutes later. He said to Su Qing, "The hotel does have security cameras, but not many. They’re all pointed toward the center of the banquet hall. The spot where Li Huan fell is a bit off to the side, directly in a camera’s blind spot."
"What a coincidence," Mr. Gong remarked, looking up at Cheng Beize.
Cheng Beize frowned. He also had a feeling Li Huan hadn’t fallen by accident, but there was no evidence to be found. The spot where she had fallen had already been cleaned. ’And even if it hadn’t been,’ he thought, ’with all the broken glass and spilled juice, it would have been impossible to see anything anyway.’
’Who would target Li Huan?’
’Or... were they targeting the Cheng Family?’
’Li Huan was most likely an innocent victim caught in the crossfire,’ Cheng Beize concluded.
Because of this, Cheng Beize felt a pang of guilt, and his heart ached for Li Huan even more.
And just as Su Qing suspected, Cheng Beize had fallen for Li Huan. Initially, when he first met Su Qing, he had been somewhat taken by her beauty. However, he was a disciplined and cautious person by nature. He wasn’t sure if that flutter of attraction for Su Qing was true affection, so he never let it show. He wasn’t planning on making any moves until he was certain of his own feelings.
Later, Li Huan came to Xiangcheng with Su Qing and stayed with the Cheng Family for a month. Even though Cheng Beize was busy with matters concerning Cheng Beilin, he still had some interaction with Li Huan. Over that month, Cheng Beize realized he might be developing feelings for her. When she left Xiangcheng, he felt a reluctance to see her go—a feeling he had never once experienced with Su Qing.
Then, when the time came to invite Li Huan to Xiangcheng for Cheng Beilin’s wedding, Cheng Beize found himself faintly anticipating her arrival. And later, when Li Huan finally came to Xiangcheng with Su Qing, the moment he saw her, Cheng Beize knew for certain what his heart wanted.
He liked Li Huan. In fact, it was much, much more than just "like."
When Li Huan had trouble adjusting to the new environment, he was incredibly worried. Even though he knew she had taken medicine, he still asked the family doctor to check on her. Only after confirming that she was fine did he feel some peace of mind.
And today, Li Huan’s accident only served to solidify his feelings.
The only thing was, Cheng Beize felt a little apprehensive. He had no idea how Li Huan felt about him.
"It is a bit of a coincidence," Su Qing said, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I’m going to take a walk around. Maybe someone saw something."
"It was probably just me being clumsy," Li Huan said. She wasn’t used to such machinations. Although she grew up in a large family compound, her own family had always been harmonious, free from such plotting and scheming. Furthermore, as the only girl among her generation of cousins, she had been doted on since childhood.
"I’ll just take a look around. If someone did set us up, we can’t just let them get away with it, can we?" Su Qing said with a smile.
"Okay, I’ll listen to you." Hearing Su Qing say that, Li Huan nodded quickly. She knew Su Qing had her best interests at heart, so she certainly wasn’t going to be a burden.