A Sweet Soft Alpha and a Psycho-Beauty Go Viral Online - Chapter 28

Yu Wanyin was startled by Qiao Sanghe’s little gesture. A flush crept up her cheeks, and she became increasingly uneasy. But now wasn’t the time to make any noise, so she wrapped her arms around Qiao Sanghe, trying to keep her from moving too much.

Qiao Sanghe curved her lips into a playful smile. She loved teasing Yu Wanyin, but now wasn’t the moment for jokes. She knew when to stop—and she’d wait until they got back before teasing her again.

Seeing Qiao Sanghe finally settle down, Yu Wanyin breathed a quiet sigh of relief. If that had gone on any longer, she really wouldn’t have been able to hold herself together. After the lights outside went out, they waited quietly for about twenty minutes. Just as they were starting to think the “killer” wouldn’t come, the sound of hurried, chaotic footsteps echoed down the hallway.

It wasn’t just one person.

Qiao Sanghe and Yu Wanyin exchanged a glance, both their eyes flashing with alertness.

Something was wrong outside—the footsteps were getting closer and louder, clearly heading in their direction.

Soon, two slender, elegant figures burst into the office, flinging the door open in panic.

Hiding under the desk, Qiao Sanghe and Yu Wanyin saw that it was fellow contestants Zhao Xuejie and Luo Sisi. Judging from the looks on their anxious faces, they’d been chased here by the “killer.” They were breathing heavily from running up the stairs, clearly out of breath, and someone terrifying seemed to be following right behind them.

Even though they managed to hide in the office, their danger hadn’t passed. Before they could find a proper hiding spot, the “killer” arrived—and the next second, a grim scene unfolded.

The killer eliminated both Zhao Xuejie and Luo Sisi.

Qiao Sanghe’s face went pale. The two girls had been eliminated right in front of their hiding spot, the space under the office desk. If the killer had taken just a few more steps forward, he would have found them too.

If that happened, both she and Yu Wanyin would be eliminated, and all the clues they’d spent the past two days gathering would be wasted. They would lose 2000 points and have to return to the previous level to start decoding again before continuing this mission.

Qiao Sanghe held Yu Wanyin tightly in her arms, burying herself in the warmth of the woman beside her. The faint citrus scent on Yu Wanyin’s body helped soothe her frazzled nerves.

If she had been hiding here alone, the pressure would have been overwhelming. Having Yu Wanyin by her side made all the difference. Unlike Liu Chu, who had been helpless on her own, she had someone to ground her. It was easy to get emotionally involved when investigating a case, and getting eliminated by the killer would’ve felt like a crushing failure.

Yu Wanyin’s body was so warm. Holding her like this brought an unusual sense of calm, even though the killer was only a few steps away. She could hear his breathing in the darkness.

Noticing Qiao Sanghe’s anxiety, Yu Wanyin gently nuzzled her cheek against hers, trying to comfort her. Although the killer had eliminated two guests, he likely didn’t know there were still people hiding in the room.

They hadn’t made a sound, and their hiding spot remained well-concealed. As long as the killer didn’t do a thorough sweep of the office, they were safe.

Sure enough, after eliminating Luo Sisi and Zhao Xuejie, the killer didn’t continue searching the room. The office was spacious and open, and from his perspective, it looked empty after the two girls were taken out.

He turned and left, presumably to pursue other contestants.

Qiao Sanghe exhaled in deep relief once the killer was gone. Thankfully, they hadn’t been discovered. If they could just make it through this blackout period, they will be able to identify the killer tomorrow and clear the level.

Once they heard the killer walk away, Yu Wanyin pulled Qiao Sanghe out from under the desk and waited for the production crew to reset the scene. She had actually glimpsed the killer’s face earlier, but even after a contestant was eliminated, evidence remained at the scene that could still be useful.

Once she calmed down, Qiao Sanghe suddenly asked, “Yin Yin, did you see who the killer was just now? Was it the gym owner or a customer?”

Yu Wanyin leaned in and whispered something into her ear.

“The killer is him?”

Qiao Sanghe wasn’t particularly surprised by the answer. Their earlier deductions had already pointed in that direction. The only tense part was how close they came to being eliminated themselves.

Yu Wanyin nodded. “It’s him. But we need to find a critical piece of evidence to make our case airtight. Earlier, the gym’s purchase receipts didn’t line up. The victim likely embezzled a lot of money, and when the owner found out and threatened to fire him, the victim retaliated by threatening to expose the owner’s shady dealings. Their confrontation spiraled out of control—and ended in murder.”

“No wonder you’re so amazing—you’ve already pieced the entire case together. All we need now is that final clue to seal it.”

Qiao Sanghe reviewed the key points: an alibi, the black shirt, and other physical evidence. But none of them would be easy to obtain. The case wasn’t closed yet.

Two hours passed, and the lights in the corridor came back on.

Yu Wanyin went to recheck the scene where Zhao Xuejie and Luo Sisi were eliminated and found additional purchase receipts, further confirming their suspicions.

Since the prime suspect was the gym owner, they focused their investigation on him. According to the rules, each suspect NPC could be investigated up to five times—via interrogation or data review—to uncover new clues.

They had already conducted three checks: the suspect’s conflict with the victim, his alibi, and the gym’s financial records. This time, Yu Wanyin and Qiao Sanghe decided to look into his car dashcam footage and phone records.

These two items turned out to be crucial.

The chat logs revealed that the victim spoke to the gym owner at 8:30 p.m. on the night of the murder. The call lasted half an hour—and was the last call ever made from the victim’s phone. Over the two days before the murder, there had been 13 calls exchanged between them, which was excessive even for work.

The dashcam footage showed that, on the night of the murder, the gym owner didn’t drive home. His car was parked in the swimming facility’s lot—the only night that deviated from his usual pattern of going home. This meant he had stayed there the entire night—exactly when the crime occurred.

Liu Chu hadn’t expected Yu Wanyin and Qiao Sanghe to identify the killer and clear the level so quickly. What surprised her more was that Zhao Xuejie’s entire group had been eliminated. A real shame.

Once the killer was confirmed, the production team announced that Yu Wanyin and Qiao Sanghe had cleared the level successfully. Each of them received 2000 points. Liu Chu’s team, which had one member eliminated and one who passed, ended with a net zero score—no points gained, but none lost. Zhao Xuejie and Luo Sisi weren’t as lucky. They have to go back to the previous level and solve another set of puzzles to rejoin the recording.

[This episode was insanely intense—my heart almost stopped.]

[Qiao Sanghe and Yu Wanyin were so close to being caught. I was holding my breath for them.]

[They were lucky, but the killer probably never imagined there were two more people hiding.]

[Luck is part of the game, sure, but their deduction was spot-on too. They had already narrowed it down and just needed that last bit of evidence. Not surprising they solved it.]

Qiao Sanghe and Yu Wanyin were both relieved and thrilled by the narrow escape. This case had been different from the others—they’d almost been eliminated for the first time. The tension had been real.

It was thanks to Yu Wanyin’s calm reasoning that they got through it so smoothly.

Qiao Sanghe made a mental note to reward her. After all this time together, she was finally starting to realize how many good qualities Yu Wanyin had—and to truly cherish her. Their relationship had shifted into something new.

Yu Wanyin, of course, was curious about what the reward would be. After the recording ended, her fatigue started to catch up with her, but the moment she heard about a reward, her exhaustion vanished. She eagerly asked:
“Qiao Qiao, what kind of reward?”

“I decided you can open your shopping cart—and I’ll clear it out for you. How’s that for a reward?” Qiao Sanghe said with a smile.

Yu Wanyin’s eyes lit up. “Yes, please!”

As long as it wasn’t some weird prize, she was thrilled.

“Hand me your phone,” Qiao Sanghe said, reaching out.

Yu Wanyin’s shopping cart was filled with fitness gear she hadn’t been willing to splurge on before—training equipment, running shoes, workout clothes. It wasn’t cheap. Altogether, it added up to tens of thousands.

Qiao Sanghe didn’t blink. She bought it all in one go. Looking at the items, she realized many had been sitting in the cart for over two years—some even outdated. It was a little heartbreaking.

But those hard times were behind them now. Truth be told, she’d never seen Yu Wanyin in action as a taekwondo coach. The more she thought about it, the more curious she became. She wanted to know this side of her better.

“I’ve bought everything. You used to coach taekwondo, right? Teaching a beginner like me shouldn’t be too hard. Why don’t you teach me? I want to see what it’s like.”

Yu Wanyin agreed immediately. “Sure.”

Teaching someone she liked taekwondo sounded like a pretty happy experience.

The next morning…

In the private gym at Qiao Sanghe’s villa.

Yu Wanyin began teaching Qiao Sanghe some basic movements. But partway through, the lesson took a turn. What started as a technique to restrain an opponent ended with Yu Wanyin pinning Qiao Sanghe beneath her. Her soft, graceful body pressed close, and the atmosphere instantly turned intimate.

Qiao Sanghe, breath unsteady, frowned slightly, her voice soft and flustered.

“You’re pressing down on me.”