Chapter 712 Lazy Bones, Get to Work!

Driving with Chen Shi, he suddenly said, “Wait, before we go home, let’s stop by somewhere. Do you know Henghui Community?”

Chen Shi searched on the GPS and the route was automatically marked. He asked, “Are we going to meet a friend?”

Xin Bai remained silent.

Arriving at the community, Xin Bai wandered around aimlessly, annoying Chen Shi who said impatiently, “If you want to find something out, just ask directly. What’s so hard about that?”

Xin Bai replied, “Xu Guolong might have rented a house here. I overheard him talking about rent on the phone once.”

“Let’s ask the property management!”

They found a landlord through the property management who had signed a rental contract with Xu Guolong in January this year.

It was a basement, stuffy and relatively cheap. The landlord walked along, saying, “Oh, are you guys police officers? He said he was running a small business, renting the basement to store a small cart. I really didn’t know he was a criminal.”

“It’s okay. We just found out about this. You won’t be held responsible,” Chen Shi said.

Approaching the basement, the landlord opened the door. Lin Dongxue cautiously unfastened the holster’s leather buckle while Chen Shi used his phone for light. The basement was only ten square meters, empty except for a dog collar tied to a heating pipe, a food bowl, and a chamber pot on the floor. Although the chamber pot was empty, the air still carried a stench, the lingering smell of someone long confined.

Xin Bai covered his nose and mouth. “I’m not sure if this will help you.”

“It seems this place was used to hold hostages. Perhaps Lan Xiao was imprisoned here,” Chen Shi said.

“Lan Xiao!” Xin Bai gasped in shock. “That Lan Xiao?”

“Yes, that Lan Xiao. He intended to give Lan Xiao as a ‘gift’ to you. Let me ask you something. Did you personally negotiate the studio rental?”

“It wasn’t me. After he imprisoned me, he handled everything. He spent my money.”

After leaving, Lin Dongxue called Lin Qiupu, informing him of this lead.

The three returned to Xin Bai’s original home. As they prepared to open the door, a female neighbor from across the hall came out, smiling and greeting them, “Mr. Bai, guests at home? That’s rare.”

Xin Bai blushed, shyly saying, “They’re distant relatives.”

“Hello,” the neighbor greeted Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue cheerfully, then went downstairs with a basket of vegetables. Xin Bai watched her walk away, struggling to insert his key into the lock.

“What are you daydreaming about?” Chen Shi said.

Only then did Xin Bai snap out of it, laughing, “It’s good to be home.”

“Your neighbor is quite pretty,” Chen Shi remarked.

Xin Bai blushed again. Chen Shi thought to himself, this guy probably has a crush on her.

Back in familiar surroundings, Xin Bai took a shower first, ordered takeout for Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue, a luxurious meal from Hai Di Lao, costing over four hundred yuan. It was the most extravagant takeout Chen Shi had ever had.

Eating hotpot and drinking beer, tears welled up in Xin Bai’s eyes. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt this relaxed. I didn’t appreciate it in the past. Now I only have one wish, to live like this every day.”

“Stop dreaming. Finish writing after dinner!” Chen Shi said.

“I… I want to take a day off today.”

“No nonsense. Even if you produce garbage tonight, you must update. Otherwise, you won’t have dinner tonight.”

Xin Bai looked resentful, his mouth pouting like a child’s.

After dinner, Chen Shi helped clean up the table. Just as he came out of the kitchen, he saw Xin Bai sitting cross-legged in front of the TV, playing Fortnite. He begged, “Just one game, I need to adjust my state.”

Lin Dongxue sighed, “I’ll get a glass of water,” while Xin Bai had already turned on the game console, unstoppable.

“You’re not allowed to shut down the console like this. It will damage the motherboard, you illiterate!”

“If it’s damaged, I’ll pay you.”

“Then I’ll open it and check if it’s broken.”

“Get lost, go work!”

Next, Chen Shi witnessed firsthand how this guy procrastinated, making tea, snacking, listening to music, standing by the window enjoying the view, or lying in bed playing with his phone. He called it adjusting his state, but three hours later, the document remained blank.

“I really don’t want to write!” when Chen Shi urged him for the tenth time to write the article, the writer rolled on the bed and lamented, “Murder, investigation, case closed, the same routine. Why can’t readers get tired of it? During Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, I didn’t rest a day. Can’t you let me take a break and clear my mind? If you keep pushing like this, you’ll only force out poorly written trash!”

“Mr. Bai, you have to know your fortune. Think about when you were unknown. If you went to a convenience store to work, and told a clerk that this was your job, typing on a computer every day, you wouldn’t worry about food and clothing. Would he agree to do it?”

Xin Bai looked unhappy. “I’d rather do manual labor. At least I wouldn’t have to use my brain. I’ve squeezed out all my brain juice trying to think of plots!”

“One person’s hard work is another’s ease. Think about your readers. After a day’s work, riding the bus home, opening a novel and reading a few chapters, temporarily forgetting life’s trivialities—that’s relaxation for them. Writing may not be pleasant, but after writing, getting paid and going to a restaurant to enjoy the fruits of others’ labor—you benefit from everyone’s efforts. Everyone contributes their work, and that’s how society operates smoothly, improving continuously. Regardless of the reasons criminals have, they’re only destroying others’ efforts. Even if Moriarty were reincarnated, he wouldn’t match the greatness of a janitor, because labor is the most valuable…” Wasn’t that something you said!?”

“I understand, but…”

Hearing this, Chen Shi sighed. This guy was lazy to the core, less conscientious than a prostitute meeting clients.

“Don’t write if you don’t want to. Don’t push him anymore; even I’m tired of hearing it,” Lin Dongxue advised.

“Officer Lin is too kind!” Xin Bai cheered.

“No, it must be updated today. Today’s update is crucial. We’re not sure how Xu Guolong found out you were released, perhaps through the novel updates. To prevent another victim, we must consider every possibility,” Chen Shi said.

Hearing this, Xin Bai felt dejected again. “Okay, okay, you guys go out. I don’t want to be disturbed while working.”

The two stayed outside for a while, so as not to disturb him with TV noise, sitting there scrolling through their phones. Chen Shi closed the windows and carefully checked every corner to ensure there were no surveillance devices.

While using the bathroom halfway through, he returned to find Xin Bai standing with his hands behind his back at the living room window. Chen Shi said, “What are you slacking off again?”

“I’m done writing!”

“What? You finished writing?”

Chen Shi took out his phone to check, and indeed, it was updated, and the quality wasn’t bad either. He thought to himself, this lazy guy actually has talent. Otherwise, he wouldn’t live so lazily.

He looked up and noticed Xin Bai staring at a woman outside…