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The galley inside the cabin is exceptionally tidy. Ingredients such as vegetables and fresh fruits are neatly arranged in their respective containers. A casual swipe of anyone’s finger across the utensils reveals almost no dust.

The first impression it gives is one of cleanliness and professionalism. Even the most meticulous person would struggle to find fault with this kitchen.

Especially the head chef, although not wearing a hat, with long flowing hair, possesses a remarkably handsome face with blue eyes. When he looks into the camera with a melancholic expression, almost everyone is reluctant to criticize him.

Seemingly aware of the seriousness of the matter, the head chef briefly introduced the kitchen and then pointed to some handwritten notes stuck to the kitchen utensils.

The camera smoothly panned over, revealing that those colorful notes were densely filled with menus and notes on the preferences and taboos of each representative. For example, “which representative cannot eat seafood,” “which representative is allergic to dragon fruit,” and “the young master from Japan loves sukiyaki,” among others. Even details about Yin Minglu himself and his dislikes were specially noted. Despite the fact that he might not even qualify as a first-class passenger, the kitchen paid special attention to his preferences. This level of dedication truly brings a sense of comfort to the heart.

Every person who saw the labels instantly felt a sense of being valued. Combined with the chef’s good looks, he reassured everyone, saying, “Facing every guest on board, we are committed to providing the best cuisine and excellent service. Harming any of you is out of the question.”

The words sounded quite appealing, and people subconsciously started smiling.

However, the woman in the suit went against the flow and found fault. Everyone immediately regarded her as being unreasonable, and expressions of dissatisfaction appeared on their faces.

Unexpectedly, Yin Minglu, who usually sparred with the woman in the suit, actually agreed with her this time. He even praised her keen insight for discovering the suspicions about the chef.

After the confusion settled in, a complete uproar ensued.

People wondered, why would there be any suspicion about the chef? Was Yin Minglu trying to flatter Ms. Shiquan? If so, why was he so ruthless in mocking people earlier? Or did Yin Minglu really have solid evidence?

The crowd was already bewildered, and even the woman in the suit, originally just venting, couldn’t believe it. She looked at Yin Minglu with a solemn expression, feeling a bit dazed. Could she have accidentally stumbled upon the suspect?

The high school students in front of the camera were also confused. Holding their plates, they thought in a jumble, “Could this be a ‘high-altitude cabin kitchen murder case’!?”

Everyone silently watched Yin Minglu’s performance. The young man carried several resumes of the chef, detailing things like studying advanced cuisine overseas, working in this profession for over twenty years, earning medals awarded by Michelin, and being a renowned one-star chef in the industry.

As everyone looked at the head chef, they first appeared stunned, but then noticed the increasingly pleasant expression on his face. It became clear that the young man was correct. However, with the young man saying so much, everyone was puzzled about his intention. Was he trying to flatter the chef? Did he realize he made a wrong judgment and was now attempting to seek forgiveness by praising the chef?

Everyone was deeply perplexed. Unexpectedly, after the young man finished speaking, there was a sudden twist in his words: “Chef, your genuine passion for cooking is truly admirable and moving. The soup on the stove, you’ve been simmering it for several hours, haven’t you?”

Not catching up with Yin Minglu’s change of topic, the chef hesitated for a moment, then looked at what the young man mentioned – the soup he was carefully preparing over low heat. His gaze softened as he admitted, “Yes, every dish on this aircraft is meticulously cooked by me over several hours. After all, providing our guests with a high-quality culinary feast is an unquestionable duty for us chefs who love cooking.”

The words were truly well-spoken! The people in the cabin were moved, and they couldn’t help but applaud. The more they considered it, the less likely it seemed that such an excellent chef could be a suspect in poisoning. Even the woman in the suit, who was unwilling to lose face, began to doubt Yin Minglu’s judgment after hearing those words.

The young man leisurely continued, “Indeed, you are someone who genuinely loves cooking. If someone doesn’t appreciate or even mistreats the food you prepare, regardless of their status, you must feel quite angry, right?”

Although everyone didn’t understand why Yin Minglu asked such a question, they witnessed a subtle stiffness on the chef’s face after these words were spoken. There was an inexplicable speculation crossing their minds, causing them to widen their eyes in disbelief. Could it be?

The young man then showed everyone a video captured by surveillance equipment. The handsome chef presented his carefully crafted dishes to a guest, inviting them to taste. Unexpectedly, the guest, after taking a few shallow bites, suddenly knocked over all the plates on the table. Their expression was full of disdain, and it seemed they were saying, “Why did you serve something so tasteless?” During this time, there were insults and curses lasting for two to three minutes.

Caught off guard, the chef beside them was splashed all over, with their hair and hat completely soaked.

Seemingly unaware that the camera was recording, the insulted chef took off the hat from their head, crumpling it into a ball with their fists. Veins popped on the back of their hand, and the frame froze at the moment when the chef, although handsome, had a dark and menacing expression.

Now everyone understood why, when the chef first appeared, he didn’t have a hat on his head, and his hair was disheveled—it was evidently the aftermath of the incident that happened just three hours ago.

At this point, everyone didn’t know how to regard the chef.

The woman in the suit felt the same way. After watching the surveillance video, she pointed at the silent chef in disbelief and said, “Could it really be you? Is the anger of having your culinary skills denied under that pure and innocent chef’s hat? Is it the resentment of your meticulously prepared food being mistreated that drove you to harm our esteemed guest?”

With this conclusion,

The students in the cafeteria witnessing this scene were dumbfounded. They looked at the remaining rice in their plates, then at the seemingly fearsome ladle-wielding aunt, and suddenly shivered. Hastily, they scooped up a few more bites, not daring to leave anything behind.

In reality, the woman in the suit was just speaking casually.

But unexpectedly, the young man chimed in, “That’s right, that’s right. For a chef, cooking is his life, his soul. Seeing someone not appreciate their hard work and even belittle it can lead to resentment, which is quite normal. Ms. Shiquan, this person has a motive and is highly likely to be a suspect in the poisoning case.”

After the retort from the young man, the woman in the suit took a deep breath and said, “But this is absurd. How could someone resort to murder just because their ingredients and culinary skills were criticized? They had no previous grievances…” She still wanted to pin the blame on the flight attendant.

Unexpectedly, the young man replied, “Exactly, just like us Easterners. How could we possibly consider poisoning our hosts when visiting someone’s home, knowing that we are guests? Accusing them based on such reasoning, wouldn’t that be even more absurd?”

“Let’s look at the next one.”

“Are you getting married? Soon to be adorned in a beautiful wedding gown, participating in a grand aerial wedding, only to be molested by that fat pig while serving the guests. You repeatedly told him to behave, but he pretended not to hear, touching you inappropriately, threatening you not to report, even demanding you accompany him at night. Wouldn’t you hate him to the point of wanting to kill him?”

Yin Minglu’s brief words brought another flight attendant to tears. Although he handed her a tissue afterward and spoke comforting words, the list of suspects grew longer.

The woman in the suit expressed her displeasure, “How is that possible? A woman wouldn’t want to kill someone just because she was taken advantage of a few times.” She was still unaware that she had almost been bombarded to death by an overwhelming barrage of comments from people around the world.

Pretending not to hear, Yin Minglu said, “Next one.”

“You’re Lord Sefa’s bodyguard and butler. It seems there was a heated argument about employment and salary issues, and you both parted ways angrily, right? Can you tell us where you were in the past four hours? You claim to have stayed in your room the whole time. Can anyone vouch for that?”

The woman in the suit said, “This person is from our Floating City. How could we possibly kill someone over a trivial financial dispute?” The young man was going too far. Clearly investigating others, he managed to expand the pool of suspects!

Facing the question, Yin Minglu shrugged professionally, “Who knows? Beneath that rigid and formal exterior, how much suppressed professional resentment might be hiding? Employers often hope to spend as little money as possible to have a competent subordinate, while the subordinate desires a salary that matches their skills. Isn’t this a common contradiction in the world? Ms. Shiquan, this person is also a suspect. You shouldn’t favor him just because you’re colleagues.”

“You’re twisting the logic!” The woman in the suit was furious. She felt that the young man was here to stir up trouble. From the kitchen to the bathroom, from the captain and flight attendants to the chef and bodyguard, and even herself—more than a dozen people had fallen one after another. What was even more infuriating was that, after coming out of the young man’s mouth, almost everyone had become a suspect in poisoning, and no one remembered the original Eastern-looking flight attendant who started it all.

Everyone was dumbfounded, from shock to a dazed state, thinking that this so-called Lord Sefa might as well be dead. Everyone in the entire cabin had a reason to want to kill him. What a detestable person he must be.

This was the purpose of Yin Minglu’s involvement. He didn’t come to catch the murderer; how could he catch one in a collaborative investigation? He was just here to involve more people, to stir the waters a bit more.

Watching the irritated woman in the suit, Yin Minglu seemed to have a sudden realization and said, “Oh, why didn’t I think of this earlier? Since there’s poison, there might be an antidote. Perhaps the murderer hasn’t had the chance to dispose of the packaging for the poison and antidote and still has them on their person. Since Ms. Shiquan is so determined to find the culprit, why don’t we just conduct a body search?”

Finally, it arrived—the segment she had been waiting for. The woman in the suit wiped her face, trying to conceal her delighted expression. However, to her surprise, the young man didn’t follow the usual script at all. He bypassed her entirely and walked towards a gracefully smiling man in a kimono in the crowd.

“Since we’re all Easterners, let’s start the search with the heir of the Mikata family.”

“No!!” Seeing the “playful” hands of Yin Minglu, the woman in the suit almost lost her breath. A heart-pounding scream erupted from her throat, exposing the truth.

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T/N: 2

 

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