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墨書 Inktalez
Fei Fei seemed to have cried herself to sleep, exhausted and still shaken from the fright. I asked Ruo Yu to stay at home and then called Solemn, asking her to take me to find the two remaining girls in the dormitory, Shan Shan and Jing Jing.
After all, I was just an ordinary citizen, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to go alone. So, I decided to take advantage of Solemn’s authority, which would make things easier.
The girls' dormitory was a heavily protected area, especially after such a serious incident had occurred. As we approached the entrance, the dormitory supervisor glared at us and shouted, “Can’t you read the sign? No men allowed!”
Her voice boomed like thunder, comparable to a lion's roar!
It wasn’t until Solemn pulled out her Police Badge from her pocket that the supervisor reluctantly returned to her seat. Given the recent events, most of the girls had left the dormitory and were too scared to stay.
The old dormitory building featured a long corridor with doors facing each other on either side. We were fortunate; when we reached room 404, the door was open. Inside, two busy figures were packing their belongings, seemingly preparing to leave.
Solemn knocked on the door with her fingers. The two women turned around simultaneously, their faces showing surprise as they realized we were there. They probably thought, isn’t this a girls' dormitory? Where did these men come from?
Being handsome certainly had its advantages; Solemn flashed a charming smile at the two women, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth, which instantly eased their wariness.
“Who are you? Do you need something?” one of the short-haired girls asked in a soft voice tinged with fatigue.
Solemn confidently took out her identification. “Hello! I’m Solemn from the city police department. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”
The other girl with long hair grumbled in dissatisfaction, “Haven’t we already given our statements? What more do you want?” Her expression was one of extreme impatience.
Solemn replied, “Mi Qiao was one of your dorm mates. Don’t you want to seek justice for her and bring the murderer to justice?”
Solemn’s tone was somewhat stern, but the long-haired girl didn’t seem intimidated. Her voice sharpened slightly as she retorted, “That’s your job as police officers; it has nothing to do with us! We’ve done what we needed to.”
She grabbed her suitcase and attempted to rush out. The short-haired girl offered us an apologetic smile and gently pulled on her friend’s arm. “Shan Shan, I know you’re upset and scared after what happened, but won’t you feel uneasy if we don’t catch the murderer? Let’s cooperate with the police officer for now. I’ll take you home afterward.”
Shan Shan stopped in her tracks, her eyes instantly reddening as she hugged the short-haired girl and cried out, “Jing Jing, I just… I just don’t know what to do…”
Having worked in law enforcement for many years, Solemn understood that questioning at the crime scene wasn’t ideal. So we moved our conversation from the girls' dormitory to the cafeteria where there were more people around. The presence of others seemed to calm both girls slightly. Solemn bought some hot milk tea and handed it to them.
Jing Jing blushed as she quietly thanked him, “Thank you, officer!”
Solemn chuckled, "Well, I'm not much older than you all. You can call me Solemn or Zhuang Officer; the title 'Uncle Police' feels a bit..."
With Solemn's lighthearted joke, both young women giggled. The laughter of the younger girl was filled with a unique vitality, like the sound of tinkling silver bells.
Solemn then began to ask questions, "You live in the same dorm as Mi Qiao. Did she experience any significant setbacks before her death? For example, did a close family member pass away? Did her boyfriend cheat on her? Something along those lines?"
It was Shan Shan who responded, "I haven't heard anything like that. Just yesterday, we were discussing going to dinner with Fei Fei's brother. She didn't seem to have any issues. Our medical school courses are so demanding; who has time for romance?"
Jing Jing, however, smirked and said, "Then who is that certain someone getting cozy with?"
Shan Shan blushed and lowered her head, choosing not to reply. Solemn continued the conversation by asking, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
The question felt intrusive, and Shan Shan immediately bristled. "I'm already an adult! Do I really need to report my dating life to Zhuang Officer?"
Solemn was left speechless by her retort. I interjected, "I actually wanted to invite the sisters from Fei Fei's dorm to dinner today as a thank you for taking care of her."
Jing Jing looked surprised and asked, "You are Fei Fei's brother?"
I nodded and replied, "Yes!" Then I handed them my business card. Both women took it and examined it, but their expressions were completely different—Jing Jing looked somewhat confused while Shan Shan's face flashed with a hint of panic.
"General Manager of Jie Yuan Pu, Ling Feng!" Jing Jing read aloud softly. Shan Shan then asked, "Is your business related to that matter? Can you really help with it?"
Shan Shan's questions alerted me to something unusual. "You've encountered something related to that matter! It has to do with Mi Qiao's death!"
I intentionally used a tone of certainty rather than inquiry. Shan Shan instinctively widened her eyes and asked, "How do you know that?"
Solemn's expression shifted slightly as he said in a serious tone, "Tao Shanshan, why didn't you mention such important information during your statement? Every little detail can affect our investigation."
Shan Shan lowered her head, her long hair obscuring her face so I couldn't see her expression. "I was afraid you'd think I was superstitious. It’s natural to be nervous when someone first enters the scene."
At that moment, a tall and handsome guy walked over, smiling at Jing Jing and nodding at us before putting his arm around Shan Shan's shoulders in a comforting manner. "Shan Shan, have you packed everything? Let's head back!"
Shan Shan looked up at him and replied, "Ji Bai, just wait a moment. Let the Two Officers finish asking their questions first."
Ji Bai nodded and sat down beside Tao Shanshan, holding her hand in his palm. Tao Shanshan then said, “A while ago, there was a trend at school for the Bishan game. We decided to give it a try and joined in. That Ji Bai…”
Suddenly, her words were interrupted as Ji Bai stood up abruptly and exclaimed, “What are you doing?” His voice was loud, a stark contrast to his usual gentle demeanor.
I looked at this tall and handsome man with suspicion; he seemed to fit the mold of a campus heartthrob. Tao Shanshan, with red-rimmed eyes, replied, “Why are you being so fierce with me?”
Only then did Ji Bai realize his tone and softened his voice, saying, “I’m just worried about what the Two Officers might think. After all, we’re university students; we shouldn’t be engaging in superstitions like this.”
Jing Jing, quietly standing by, explained, “It’s fine. It might actually help the officers and allow them to catch the murderer sooner so that Qiao Qiao can rest in peace.”
Tao Shanshan seemed a bit intimidated by her boyfriend. She glanced at Ji Bai and, seeing that he had nothing more to say, continued speaking. Ji Bai’s expression didn’t look good; he sat there sullenly without saying anything further.
It was likely because we outsiders were present that he held back his feelings.
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