Chapter 328

Chapter 328

The chat with Fei Na was very enlightening.

Jian Jing got a preliminary understanding of the people at the observation point, but that was not enough. Next she went to talk to Mrs. Lao.

As a middle-aged widow, Mrs. Lao was naturally not in a good mood. Kang President was accompanying her, chatting about this and that, and discussing life going forward.

"I've invested so much money, I have to think of a way to make it work." Kang Lei's business mind was cool and objective. "It's not easy to find someone to take this place over, you need to think it through."

Mrs. Lao smiled bitterly. "I didn't expect to make money anyway. Lao's work was very difficult, we didn't always get funding, and the government support was a drop in the bucket. I just wanted to support his work a little."

Kang Lei said, "Lao's work was very meaningful, money can't measure that."

"Yes, that's what I thought too. I was moved by his persistence at the time..." Mrs. Lao took a sip of champagne and said, "Although we also had disputes, I... I never thought he would leave me like this."

Kang nodded sympathetically. "This is too unfortunate."

"I really wish this nightmare wouldn't end," Mrs. Lao said, holding her temples. After hesitating for a while, she asked, "Lei, tell me the truth, is Miss Jian telling the truth?"

Kang Lei asked: “The murderer is among us?”

"That’s too scary,” Mrs. Lao murmured. “Who would want to kill him?”

Outside the door, Jian Jing knocked. “Can I come in?”

“Please do.”

She came in with hot milk, cookies and some candy, borrowing flowers to present the Buddha. "You don't seem to have eaten dinner, have some sugar first."

"You came right on time." Kang President’s hand hovered between the cookies and milk for a while, but didn’t dare eat the high calorie stuff in the end. She chose the hot milk. “Jingjing, chat with us. Do you really think the professor's death was murder?”

"I don't rule out that possibility." Jian Jing sat down and joined the conversation. "But to be honest, I can't figure out who would want to kill him either. Mrs. Lao, did the professor have conflicts with anyone?"

Mrs. Lao hesitated. "I don't think so."

Jian Jing pretended to ponder: “In the past two days, I was probably the only one who conflicted with the professor. He didn't care much about others, except that he was rather cold to Zha Doctor—what do you think?"

"Yes, Lao was very concerned about Cha Li,” Mrs. Lao admitted. “Cha Li is my good friend, we have so much in common, watching song and dance performances, visiting exhibitions, talking about international politics, Lao wasn’t interested in those things at all. He always thought Cha Li had ulterior motives.”

Kang lazily said, “A man's guts are much smaller than a woman's.”

“That's a trait of male animals. Only with possessiveness can they ensure their genes are passed on to the next generation,” Mrs. Lao, wife of the zoologist, commented sharply. “When you're with him, he ignores you. When you’re with another man, he gets nervous right away.”

Kang raised her eyes and glanced at Jian Jing, asking casually, "So, yes or no?"

Jian Jing: "???"

"Just once."

"Did the professor know about this?"

"If he knew, with his temper, he would never have allowed Cha Li to come over." Mrs. Lao said.

Jian Jing interjected, “Then what was Zha Doctor's attitude towards Professor Lao?”

Mrs. Lao was stunned, then helpless. “They weren't friends and didn't have much interaction.”

“So?” Jian Jing was even more confused now.

“You have to forgive a young girl's ignorance, vanilla,” Kang laughed. “We’ve all been like this before. Jingjing, vanilla means men don't care.”

Jian Jing looked pensive. “You mean Zha Doctor didn't love you?”

"Oh no,” Mrs. Lao laughed. “He's an anti-marriage advocate. I never thought about being with him either. I’ve always loved Lao."

Zha gave a cold laugh. “Are you threatening me?”

“We just met yesterday. How does threatening you benefit me?” Jian Jing laughed. “I want the truth, and what you want, Doctor, is a job offer from an overseas university. We don't conflict.”

She learned from Mrs. Lao that the reason for Zha’s resignation was that the subject he studied was very unpopular. The university refused to give him more funding and told him to either change his research direction or raise money himself.

Furious, Zha resigned. But he did not want to give up his research. He sent resumes to overseas universities researching the same subject and was currently waiting for a response.

If he became a suspect in a murder case, the offer he had been dreaming of would likely slip away.

Zha was silent.

After a while, he said, "I stayed in my room writing papers all the time, I didn't go out."

"Is there any way to prove it?"

"You can ask the guy living next door to me," Cha Li said. "He can see into my room from his side."

The one living next door was Li Journalist.

His tent was close to the outermost cabin of the wooden houses. If the curtains weren't drawn, he could indeed see part of the doctor's room.

It was now 9:40 at night, very close to the time the incident occurred last night.

Jian Jing worked up her courage and headed straight to Li Journalist's room.

He was startled by the guest's visit. His expression was ambiguous: "Miss Jian? It's so late, do you need something?"

Jian Jing got straight to the point: "Zha Doctor has run into some trouble. He wants to know if you can confirm that he stayed in his room all of last night."

Li Journalist was shocked. It took him a long time to say: "How could I possibly do that?"

"Your room can see into his, right?" Jian Jing peeked inside.

Although the tents had adjustable curtains, the view wasn't very clear. But as long as the inner shade curtains weren't drawn, one could still vaguely see the inside of the wooden houses.

However, Li Journalist regretfully said: "I didn't pay any attention to that side. I was very tired last night and went to bed early."

"You didn't see anything at all?" she asked.

Li Journalist spread his hands helplessly. "I'm afraid not."

Jian Jing said disappointedly: "That's too bad."

"No way. Just because I didn't see anything, Zha Doctor would be considered the murderer?" Li Journalist looked skeptical. "Miss Jian, do you really think the murderer is one of us?"

Jian Jing asked: "Don't you think so?"

Li Journalist said: "Why would any of us have a grudge against the professor? You came here on vacation. Mrs. Kang and the professor are longtime good friends. I came to take photos and hardly knew the professor. Zha Doctor is Mrs. Lao's friend. Chen has worked here for many years. I can't think of a single reason at all."

On the contrary, he advised Jian Jing: "Miss Jian, I heard you're a writer. I know writers have rich imaginations, but novels are novels and reality is reality."

"So you think the murderer was an outside criminal?" Jian Jing asked back.

Li Journalist shrugged. "That seems like a more obvious answer."

Jian Jing nodded without arguing further with him. She glanced around his room and said, "Routine questioning - you were in your room all last night, correct?"

"Yes, I was very tired and went to bed early." Li Journalist sighed helplessly, "If you need my alibi, I'm afraid I don't have one either."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

Jian Jing turned around and left.