Chen Shi said, "Although we stand on opposite sides, I have to say that it was a really high-level trick!"

“Thank you!” Han Le seemed pleased with himself. “I’m pretty sure even the authors of reasoning novels can’t think of this trick. If it wasn’t for the damn eyewitness, I’m sure you guys wouldn’t have been able to solve this case.”

"That may not necessarily be the case. Police and detectives solving a case can be considered as two separate concepts. Police thoroughly solve cases without foregoing the tiniest of details. The rate of detection is very high for cases committed by acquaintances.”

"Haii, stop adding salt to my wounds!" Han Le sighed in frustration.

There was a ‘dong-dong’ noise that sounded from outside. Lin Qiupu was reminding them not to make the atmosphere of the interrogation too relaxed. They needed to be more serious and to the point.

Chen Shi cleared his throat. "So, you left at seven o'clock? And when you left, you pulled the power switch?"

"Yes, then I came over again the next morning and turned the switch back on. The purpose of it all was to interfere with the forensic judgment of the time of death."

"Were you also the stalker that the neighbors talked about?”

"That was me, but I wasn’t stalking her. In fact, I was figuring out my plan over there and scouting out the place. I wanted to figure out what time the complex had the least amount of people and was the noisiest. I needed people not to find out even if she screamed. In the end, I chose that time.” Han Le’s calm explanation sent shivers and goosebumps all over them.

At the end of the interrogation, Lin Dongxue glanced at Chen Shi as it was time to say a closing statement.

Chen Shi said, "There’s nothing left to say. You need to pay for what you’ve done!"

"I don't think I was wrong in this situation. Everything was because of that bitch. If she wasn’t so promiscuous or if she had given me a chance, do you think this would have happened? She deserves it. I deserve this too. I shouldn’t have loved her so blindly like that... I don't understand why she still didn’t choose me and looked down on me. This sister over here, do you know the reason? Is it because I’m poor? Ugly? Not tall and mighty enough?”

"Huh...?" Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, "At this time, shouldn't you say something thought-provoking and wise?"

"Why don’t you just say what you want to say?"

"I think your aura isn’t very good." Lin Dongxue put forth.

Han Le laughed hysterically, "Aura? What the hell do you mean by aura? The seventh time I confessed, she said the same thing to me. I know it’s just an excuse."

"It’s not!" Lin Dongxue challenged with gusto. "I felt that about you from the moment I first saw you. I thought you were a bit gross. Look at your teeth. Let’s not talk about whether they are straight or not, but it seems like you aren’t serious about brushing your teeth at all. There’s lots of noticeable tartar and it’s super yellow. Furthermore, your speech is always slurred. When I listen to you, it’s not very comfortable. And look at your neck. Do you not wash your neck when you wash your face? While we’re at it, look at your nails. It’s full of dirt underneath. It’s really disgusting to look at! The most important thing is that you always slouch when you walk. You can’t stand up straight as if you’ve done something guilty. Girls like handsome guys, just like how boys like beauties. However, when you compare a dirty but handsome guy with a neat and clean but plain guy, the latter is more popular!”

Han Le listened dumbfoundedly. "These... Are these external things important?"

"If you don’t take care of your outside, who cares about your insides? Girls are emotional beings. Of course they won't tell you the reason. They will only tell you that they don’t think you guys are compatible or that you’re not their type. I’ll tell you now, no matter whether you are truly handing a wire or if you’re faking it[1], you can never pursue the girl you want if they see you that way!”

Han Le looked at Lin Dongxue with widened eyes, then suddenly buried his face in his hands and cried. "Tingting, if you told me earlier, I would have changed! Why did it turn out like this? Why..."

"Hey, did I say too much?" Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi.

"No, it was very thought-provoking. It seems that I have to pay attention to myself." Chen Shi smiled.

Leaving the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu looked at them with a strange look. Chen Shi said, "The case is closed."

"You two are not allowed to enter the interrogation room in the future. The atmosphere was made strange by you guys."

Lin Dongxue poked her tongue out and smiled.

Han Le was transferred to the detention center on the same day. The case was over. Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi to accompany her for a walk. Lin Dongxue looked at the clear winter sky and said, "Forced love imposed on others indeed causes trouble."

"Miss Lin, are you about to tell a story?"

"I’m not afraid of you laughing at me. When I was in high school, there were a lot of people who had a crush on me.”

"If I were in the same class as you, I..." Chen Shi suddenly stopped talking.

"You what?"

"Just continue your story."

"At a sports festival, there wasn’t anyone in the classrooms. When I went back to pick some things up, there was a boy in a class that suddenly stopped me angrily. He yelled out, ‘Lin Dongxue, why do you always pretend to ignore me?!’ I was so scared back then. I hadn’t really talked to him before. He said that he often looked and smiled at me, but I would always just ignore him. What was even more dramatic was that he actually pulled up his sleeves on the spot. I thought he was going to hit me. It turned out that he used a knife to engrave my name on his arm... It wasn’t too crazy, just the surface layer of his skin was cut and some scabs had formed. It was really shocking at the time though. He said to me angrily, ‘I’ve done so much for you! Why won’t you even look at me?’ I was really scared and ran away. The boy seemed to hate me ever since that incident. Later on, he would often give me trouble on various occasions… Until one day, my brother beat him up when he was picking me up from school.”

"Men always think that women aren’t direct and love to play tricks and games. In fact, it’s because women are generally biologically weaker than men that they have to implement those strategies and routines to protect themselves.” Chen Shi said.

"Spot on!" Lin Dongxue agreed while snapping her fingers. "If you asked me how I felt about that boy in high-school, I’ve got to be honest with you; I didn’t feel anything towards him at all. In that situation, while I was stuck in the classroom because of him, I was just worried that he’d kill me. That’s why I ran away.”

"If you were to confront that boy now, he would probably say ‘Lin Dongxue was ruthless and cold. I was so in love with her, but she loved ignoring me!’"

"Like the murderer this time. It’s clear that he wanted too much, but he pushed all the responsibility onto the victim.”

"What do you think about me? What are my shortcomings? You should tell me early on so I can change it soon."

Lin Dongxue looked him up and down and said, "You should pay attention to what you wear. It’s a bit old-fashioned.”

Chen Shi was wearing a leather jacket and a pair of jeans. He said, "I thought it was very trendy!"

Lin Dongxue suppressed her laughter. "Uncle, you should understand the current trends before talking about being trendy!"

"What about the other aspects? Talk about my inner beauty!"

"Well... If I say you are perfect, you won't be too egotistical, right?"

"No, I would just praise you for being honest."

Lin Dongxue laughed and hit Chen Shi. "What a narcissistic guy... What about me? Anything wrong with me that I need to change?"

"No. You glisten like a piece of art carved out of diamonds."

When she heard this, Lin Dongxue’s face flushed red from ear to ear.

1. An expression; No matter if you’re truly poor, ugly, and short, or if you’re faking it/seem that way. An internet slang that is used often nowadays.