Chapter 46: Address
Chen Dongyang shot up, urgency etched on his face.
“We have to stop this now! Call the police, alert the media—tell them the song’s dangerous!”
Jiang Yuxin’s eyes flashed with displeasure.
“And then?” she said coldly, staring at the music box.
“Say anyone who hears it dies? You’ll spark panic. Is that your goal?”
She turned to him, her voice cutting.
“Chen Dongyang, when will you grow up?”
His face flushed, embarrassment and hurt replacing his urgency.
He opened his mouth but sank back into his seat, deflated.
Jiang Yuxin’s gaze was emotionless.
His naive impulse irritated her more than malice.
Yin Qingle gently pushed a cup of warm water toward him.
“Classmate Chen,” she said softly, her voice soothing, “you’re worried about others. That’s not wrong.”
She glanced at Jiang Yuxin’s blank face, summoning courage.
“Classmate Jiang isn’t blaming you. She just… thinks differently, right?”
Her pleading eyes met Jiang Yuxin’s, who ignored her, focusing on the music box as if it held more secrets.
Yin Qingle took it as assent, exhaling.
She gave Chen Dongyang an encouraging smile.
He met her kind eyes, his shame easing.
“Thanks, Yin Qingle,” he said, sitting back with a sheepish smile.
“Enough,” Yin Xiran cut in, her voice steady, restoring order.
“Jiang’s right—panic’s the worst move. But Chen’s not wrong either. We can’t sit by as more die.”
She leaned back, eyes on the music box, a faint smirk forming.
“But it’s not over. Knowing ‘Angel’s Melody’ is the medium simplifies things.”
She raised a finger.
“For this song to go viral, covered by ‘Stardust,’ someone’s pushing it. Find the original platform and account, and we trace the mastermind. Nothing’s traceless online.”
“How?” Chen Dongyang asked.
“The internet’s huge, and the song’s everywhere.”
“Hard for most,” Yin Xiran said, her grin sharp as she pulled out her tablet.
“Not for me.”
Her fingers flew across the screen, slicing through music platforms, social media, and video apps, firewalls crumbling.
Chen Dongyang and Yin Qingle watched, awed by the incomprehensible data streams.
Jiang Yuxin sat still, waiting.
After twenty minutes, Yin Xiran exhaled.
“Found it.”
She turned the tablet, showing a retro music forum post from three weeks ago: [Original lullaby, for all those who can’t sleep].
Posted by “Insomniac Astronaut,” it linked to an audio file—the earliest trace of “Angel’s Melody.”
“How do we find them?” Jiang Yuxin asked, eyebrow raised.
“Easy,” Yin Xiran said, her playful smile back.
“This forum’s security is paper-thin.”
A few taps revealed an IP address: Nanjiang City, Chengnan District, a short-term rental apartment, registered three days ago.
“Matches Zhao Haoyu’s last known activity,” she said, frowning.
“But the account’s been dormant since.”
“Another dead end?” Chen Dongyang’s heart sank.
“Patience,” Yin Xiran chided, pulling up a new document.
“The account’s new, but the email tied to it is old—over ten years. And it’s linked to this.”
She zoomed in on bold text:
[Legal representative/registrant of Nanjiang City “Echo” Independent Music Studio: Zhao Haoyu]
Address: Nanjiang City, Xicheng District, No. 74 Liuyin Road, 3rd Floor