In that moment when her ear was bitten, a never-before-felt tingling sensation exploded in Gu Qingtong’s heart, leaving her mind blank.
However, the intense nervousness and fear from just a moment ago allowed her to retain a trace of reason. She was acutely aware that Bai Jin was outside, so she clenched her lips tightly to prevent any reflexive sound from escaping.
Yan Chi almost nibbled on her earlobe, alternating between feather-like gentle kisses and punishing bites. The warm breath she exhaled lingered around her ear.
Next time, she must not let her guard down and get close to someone who desires her.
Yan Chi was more aware than anyone else that this “desirous person” included herself.
The tingling sensation did not fade away; instead, the unbearable pain, itching, and burning intensified.
On Gu Qingtong’s body, every sensation was amplified to the extreme, yet she had to endure and suppress everything. Her body dared not move, and every sound in her throat was swallowed back down.
Gu Qingtong raised her head, wanting to widen her eyes and look at Yan Chi’s expression at that moment, but all she could see was pitch blackness.
She couldn’t see anything—the sensitive and scorching closeness between the two inside the narrow wardrobe, the anticipation of the next “punishment,” light or heavy, and the fear of being discovered by the enemy just outside…
All emotions turned into a catalytic poison, causing changes in Gu Qingtong’s body that had never occurred before.
However, these changes felt somewhat familiar… She couldn’t capture the memory of this moment, as her mind seemed to be overwhelmed by sensations.
At this moment, the presence of darkness seemed to become her last lifeline, concealing her shame.
Gu Qingtong’s eyes were filled with mist, her legs weakened. Although it was just her ears being humiliated, her entire body involuntarily trembled and approached the edge of losing control.
She didn’t understand anything, but fear and humiliation made her tightly grasp Yan Chi’s sleeve in the final moment.
Yan Chi seemed to sense something, and after a brief astonishment, her hand around Gu Qingtong’s waist tightened, pulling her closer into her embrace.
Remember this well, the person who is supposed to be with you is me.
❖❖❖❖❖
The few steps Bai Jin took forward had nothing to do with the wardrobe. The wardrobe, with only half a door remaining, didn’t raise the slightest suspicion in her. It was only under the night vision goggles that she mistook the dress hanging on the hanger for a person’s shape. It was only when she got closer that she realized it was just a dress.
After scanning the surroundings once more, she left.
In the instant after Bai Jin left, Gu Qingtong couldn’t support herself anymore. Her legs gave way, and she slid downward.
Yan Chi quickly knelt down, allowing her to lean against her.
Gu Qingtong slightly opened her lips, breathing rapidly in short breaths. She had just recovered from a state of hypoxia, but it caused broken sounds to escape from her throat.
Her skin was drenched in a thin layer of sweat, as if she had been pulled out of water. But Gu Qingtong couldn’t care less about that. The intense sense of shame was almost overwhelming, threatening to engulf her as she discreetly drew her knees close to her.
With the limited knowledge she had acquired from reading, Gu Qingtong gradually understood her loss of control, but she felt even more ashamed to face anyone.
How could she… behave like this in such a public place?
Would Yan Chi notice? She only bit her own ear. She would think she’s a pervert, right?
The bullied Gu Qingtong didn’t have the courage to question Yan Chi now. The only solution she could think of was to escape.
With this thought, Gu Qingtong’s determination to distance herself from Yan Chi became stronger than ever. Despite feeling weak all over, she managed to slowly straighten her body and spoke to Yan Chi, “I want to go out.”
In the moment she spoke, Gu Qingtong realized her voice had become incredibly unfamiliar, sweet and cloying, as if it had just been scooped out from a honey jar. Everything she said sounded coquettish.
Yan Chi, however, let out a soft laugh and caressed Gu Qingtong’s face. “Can you even leave right now?”
Although it was just a simple sentence, it exploded in Gu Qingtong’s ears like thunder.
She must have known…
In that instant, Gu Qingtong’s grievances surged up, mixed with a hint of a crying tone, and she angrily said, “It’s all because of you! You suddenly bit my ear, and I was scared like this…”
While speaking, she waved her bunched-up hand towards Yan Chi.
However, Yan Chi captured her hand as well.
In the darkness, Gu Qingtong seemed to feel Yan Chi’s unusually intense gaze, like a fire burning in her heart.
Her voice was elegant and composed:
“Are you feeling shy? But I’ve already seen it before. Back when you were drunk and first approached me, saying how uncomfortable you felt.
When you’re drunk, you’re much more open and will even hug my neck and say it feels good.”
Yan Chi patiently held onto Gu Qingtong’s vulnerability, revealing it only now.
She wasn’t in a hurry. She waited for Gu Qingtong to process the significant amount of information in her words. She took out a piece of tissue and gently wiped away the water droplets from Gu Qingtong’s ear and the thin sweat on her forehead.
Just like that night, she did the same thing.
She knew better than anyone else about Gu Qingtong’s sensitivity and tenderness. Her skin would leave marks no matter what, so she had to be gentle and careful in touching and kissing her.
But even so, there was still a red mark left on her collarbone.
The scratches on Yan Chi’s body that night were indeed caused by Gu Qingtong’s hands, but it was intentional on her part.
Yan Chi had only blown air towards Gu Qingtong’s ear before, and she discovered her sensitive spot. But she didn’t know that when she actually bit her ear, Gu Qingtong would have such a strong reaction.
Gu Qingtong stood frozen in place, suddenly recalling the familiar sensation she felt when she reacted earlier. Clues of the memory began to emerge, and Gu Qingtong slowly peeled away the layers of the past, actually remembering that moment.
The two of them were on the couch, her loose sleepwear with an open neckline, straddling Yan Chi’s lap, with her hands around her neck, allowing her to kiss her collarbone inch by inch.
“Sister, it’s…it’s so itchy. Can you bite, bite Tongtong, ok?…”
At that moment, she knew where the red mark on her body came from.
The shock and shame completely overwhelmed Gu Qingtong’s mind. If she had a bit of resentment towards Yan Chi in the beginning, now she couldn’t even utter half a word.
Yan Chi continued to help her tidy up her disheveled hair and clothing.
“It’s too late to try to distance yourself now, you know. So, the bite I just took, Tongtong likes it too, right?”
As she spoke these words, Yan Chi deliberately hooked Gu Qingtong’s hair, teasing her as if on purpose.
This was the first time Yan Chi called Gu Qingtong by that intimate nickname, “Tongtong,” while she was awake.
Her tongue lightly touched the roof of her mouth and gently protruded forward, inexplicably creating a lingering and sultry atmosphere.
Under the sound of “Tongtong,” Gu Qingtong felt as if the frozen blood in her body started flowing again, with a warm current surging through every part of her.
She truly had no way to resist Yan Chi.
Even someone as clueless as Gu Qingtong understood that their relationship was more than just a contractual marriage between plastic wives. Although she was drunk and confused at the time, since she had willingly provoked it, there was no way around it.
Yan Chi was serious and had no intention of ending this relationship.
Moreover, there was a strong momentum for the two of them to continue entangling with each other.
Suddenly, she recalled what Bai Jin had told her about Yan Chi being “frigid” and not liking women.
Her teeth bit down on her lip again. Who said that…
Yan Chi didn’t want to force Gu Qingtong, but she was truly slow-witted. If she didn’t push forward, they would never progress.
However, she didn’t intend to say it today. It was just that Bai Jin’s coveting of Gu Qingtong was like a raging fire, burning in her heart.
Especially when the two of them were hiding in this wardrobe, with Bai Jin outside, she even thought about exposing herself in front of the other person and asserting her sovereignty.
Yan Chi, for the first time, let her emotions take over and did something irrational.
“Alright, if we don’t come out soon, the production team might have to come and see for themselves what we’re doing in the wardrobe. We can go out now.”
Having already tidied up Gu Qingtong, Yan Chi no longer frightened her and opened the microphones on their chests.
Although Gu Qingtong’s mind was in chaos, she knew that they couldn’t let the production team and the audience find out. She responded softly and was about to get up.
She thought her legs had already recovered, but when she stepped out of the wardrobe, she suddenly stepped on something rolling and almost stumbled. Fortunately, Yan Chi caught her.
Yan Chi was right. Since they turned off the microphone, the production team had been extremely concerned about the situation in the wardrobe.
The external cameras could only capture Bai Jin’s actions and had no idea what the two of them were doing inside.
Even after Bai Jin had left, the cabinet door remained tightly closed, without any movement or sound.
“They…” The production crew didn’t want to gossip, but the situation was just too strange.
Due to the microphone being turned off, the night vision camera didn’t capture the sound of the two sliding down into the wardrobe.
All they could see was Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong slowly coming out of the wardrobe about ten minutes later.
But their clothes were neatly arranged, and there was no difference from before they went in, as if nothing had happened.
At this moment, Gu Qingtong’s stumbling caught the attention of the production crew.
Upon closer inspection, they noticed that her walking posture was somewhat stiff. It was unclear whether it was because their legs had gone numb from crouching in the wardrobe or due to some other reason.
“Something… something tripped me!”
Without waiting for Yan Chi to ask anything, Gu Qingtong hurriedly explained for herself.
To prove that she wasn’t making excuses, she reached down and felt something on the ground. She picked up a small bottle and made a strange sound of “Huh?”
She didn’t know what the small bottle was, so she shook it, but there was nothing inside.
“What’s wrong?”
“I found a small bottle, it looks like a plastic medicine bottle, but I can’t see anything without light.”
“Give it to me. I take medicine more often, maybe I’ll recognize it.”
Gu Qingtong agreed and handed the item to Yan Chi.
“Why didn’t we find it before?” Even so, Gu Qingtong still had some doubts.
Yan Chi held the medicine bottle and chuckled lightly. “Maybe we didn’t mess with this wardrobe last time.”
The term “mess with” once again made Gu Qingtong embarrassed, unable to lift her head. Who knows how they messed with this wardrobe?
Just then, a broadcast was heard by the production crew and the people in the castle: “Yu Xi has been captured. The mole in this round no longer has the authority to capture anyone.”
Bai Jin originally wanted to capture Gu Qingtong, but she and Yan Chi seemed to have vanished into thin air. As the mole, how many people she caught and the kind of room she could stay in were closely linked.
She couldn’t really refrain from catching Gu Qingtong, but when she encountered the four individuals investigating together, she acted directly.
Yu Xi, at the very least, was a tall and handsome campus heartthrob, standing at 1.8 meters. He shouldn’t have had trouble outrunning Bai Jin.
However, his manager had instructed him that this was his turning point, and he should perform well according to the script. Playing the role of an infatuated loyal follower wasn’t difficult; he just needed to be completely obedient to Bai Jin.
After all, variety shows required drama to garner attention and drive the storyline. Besides, he had long been annoyed by Chu Yu and Wen Ziyao monopolizing the clues due to their seniority and higher status.
So, he pretended not to notice Bai Jin approaching and willingly let himself be captured, fulfilling his wish to act alongside Bai Jin.
Deng Dongjun initially mocked Yu Xi, calling him useless and saying that being tall for all these years was of no use at all.
But when he discovered Yu Xi’s true intentions, he was almost infuriated.
“Now that Yu Xi has been captured, doesn’t that mean Deng Dongjun can’t leave the castle with his partner? Doesn’t that mean they’ve lost?” Chu Yu suddenly asked.
“After an hour, I can rescue the person from here, but if two people are captured consecutively, they are directly eliminated.”
Upon hearing this explanation, Deng Dongjun was furious. He had to go and rescue his “love rival” in the variety show.
Meanwhile, Yu Xi was enjoying himself, starting a storyline with Bai Jin. This was just too unfair!
But there was no choice. If he didn’t go to rescue them, they could directly occupy the room with only two sleeping bags. So he had to grit his teeth and endure.
Yu Xi, on the other hand, was being attentive to Bai Jin according to the script. However, he didn’t find it particularly difficult because Bai Jin had the appearance of a mixed-blood sweetheart, which was indeed his type.
However, Bai Jin seemed indifferent to these reactions. She only responded casually while raising her head to see if there were any movements from Gu Qingtong downstairs.
At first, she took on this variety show and script just for fun. Bai Jin enjoyed being the center of attention and playing with others’ feelings.
But having a double-dealing persona on a variety show would typically attract criticism. So, Bai Jin shifted her focus to Gu Qingtong, who was originally a single female guest. She pretended to be close to her, using this as a way to maintain the interest of both male guests without inviting backlash.
Her initial intention was indeed to take advantage, but the unexpected development between Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi excited her greatly. It piqued Bai Jin’s interest, and she followed through on her whims. Whatever she felt like doing, she would do. As a result, she became completely entangled with Gu Qingtong.
On the other hand, Gu Qingtong was obviously unaware that she had been completely noticed, but she breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the announcement.
At least until the next bell rang, she was safe.
The two of them returned to the kitchen and lit the candlestick once again. This allowed Gu Qingtong to see Yan Chi’s face clearly once more.
She still had that cold, restrained demeanor, completely different from how she had fiercely nibbled on her earlobe just moments ago in the wardrobe.
During the moment when Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong locked eyes, they quickly averted their gazes. Gu Qingtong withdrew her gaze, opening her palm and not forgetting to inspect the medicine bottle under the light. As her fingertip made contact with the surface of the bottle, the candle’s flame flickered suddenly, startling the shadows on Yan Chi’s face.
Gu Qingtong sensed that something was off with her expression. Although she was still embarrassed, she expressed concern and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Saying that, she also looked at the medicine bottle, only to find that the label had been torn off, leaving behind an unfamiliar character that was nearly unrecognizable.
“It’s nothing. This should be a crucial piece of evidence.” Yan Chi didn’t say anything else and directly put the medicine bottle away.
After such an incident, Gu Qingtong naturally didn’t dare to meet Yan Chi’s gaze directly. At that moment, she didn’t pursue the matter any further and became increasingly silent.
Earlier, Gu Qingtong was actively analyzing various clues, but now she didn’t know how to speak up.
After Yan Chi finished examining the medicine bottle, she remained tight-lipped and only spoke after a while:
“Let’s go to the basement first, then to the study later.”
“The study? Have you already unraveled the mystery?”
It was about whether Gu Qingtong could escape the locked room before the next bell rang, so she asked subconsciously.
“I have some thoughts, but there’s one last thing that needs verification. The study should be the final puzzle piece.”
Yan Chi’s eyelashes quivered lightly, and her hand touched the medicine bottle once again.
Going to the basement was, of course, because it was one of the important search areas for the three suspects, so it was necessary to take a look.
Although the study was the reporting point, it might have clues just like Yan Chi suspected.
In the basement, no one expected that Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi would encounter the three-person team who were investigating over there.
And it seemed that those three individuals were having a bit of an unpleasant argument.
“I’ve told you many times, the key isn’t with me.” Deng Dongjun covered his pocket, trying to hide, and kept stepping back.
“What were you hiding in your pocket just now?” Wen Ziyao persisted, “We must have a look.”
Upon seeing the arrival of Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong, Deng Dongjun immediately sought their help and said, “Qingtong, Teacher Yan, they are being unreasonable. We agreed to investigate together, but now that the key couldn’t be found, they accuse me of stealing it, even though I didn’t see it at all!”
“Teacher Yan!” Chu Yu and Wen Ziyao couldn’t help but explain. They completely ignored Gu Qingtong and spoke directly to Yan Chi, saying, “We’ve been searching for an hour and found nothing. This locked drawer must contain crucial evidence.”
“But just now, Chu Yu saw Deng Dongjun secretly putting something in his pocket. When we caught him, he refused to show us what was inside. It seems very suspicious!”
Yan Chi was being pestered by the three of them, but her expression remained unchanged.
However, as soon as Gu Qingtong saw her thin lips pressed into a straight line, she knew that she didn’t want to be involved in these matters.
It’s better for me to handle this… Gu Qingtong didn’t hesitate and spoke up to Deng Dongjun, “Is the item in your pocket something personal? If you don’t want it to be exposed to the cameras, can you show it to us discreetly?”
Deng Dongjun’s expression briefly showed embarrassment, and it took him a while to speak up with difficulty, “The fewer people who know about it, the better…”
“Then let me have a look. If there’s no problem, I’ll inform Chu Yu and Wen Ziyao, the two senior members,” Gu Qingtong suggested.
Tensions had already risen between the group, and it was evident that Deng Dongjun didn’t want to show them what he had in his pocket.
Gu Qingtong gave both sides a way out, after all, it would be unsightly if things escalated further.
After hesitating for a moment, Deng Dongjun agreed.
However, Wen Ziyao objected, saying, “No, I want to see it with my own eyes. After all, we’re competitors. Who knows if you’ll protect him.”
Yan Chi, who had remained silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up, “Are you implying that we would deceive you?”
With these words, a strong sense of oppression swept over the room, and everyone fell silent except for Gu Qingtong.
“I… I didn’t mean that. It’s just that finding the key is urgent, and Deng Dongjun does seem suspicious. Forget it… what she said makes sense. You can have a look. I trust you.”
Wen Ziyao voluntarily knelt down, as he had always been one to flatter and belittle others. His sycophantic nature towards someone like Yan Chi was on full display.
Gu Qingtong blinked her eyes and secretly glanced at Yan Chi’s cold figure. She also knew that Yan Chi didn’t interfere in other people’s affairs unless they were directed at her. She couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of being protected by a big shot.
Seeing the contents of Deng Dongjun’s pocket, Gu Qingtong finally understood why he was unwilling to reveal it, even if it meant being wrongly accused.
Because that thing is indeed private, it turned out to be a height-increasing insole.
Gu Qingtong fell silent for a moment and her gaze drifted towards Deng Dongjun’s height. He didn’t appear short, so why would he need such a thing?
“Please, don’t tell anyone!”
Deng Dongjun pleaded with his hands clasped together. He was indeed not short, but when he looked up Yu Xi on Baidu, he discovered that Yu Xi was actually three centimeters taller than him, reaching an astonishing height of 1.83 meters according to the information.
As an ambitious candidate, Deng Dongjun couldn’t afford to be overshadowed by him in terms of height. So he specially prepared the height-increasing insole. However, it was quite uncomfortable to wear, and since Yu Xi had been taken away, they were no longer standing together for comparison. So he secretly took out the insole in the restroom. Little did he know that he was caught red-handed by the first team when he was putting it into his pocket.
Naturally, he couldn’t let others see these things, so now he had to endure the embarrassment.
“That’s not the key. You misunderstood him,” Gu Qingtong explained clearly to the two.
Although they still had grievances, they had to accept this answer for the sake of Yan Chi’s face.
Now Gu Qingtong finally had the time to look around at the surroundings.
Aside from rows of liquor shelves, the living area belonging to the old man only consisted of a simple bed, a table, and some broken things.
The drawers of the table were indeed locked, so they needed to find the key.
However, something in the corner caught Gu Qingtong’s attention. It was two sets of small machines, one set being fairly complete while the other set consisted of parts, assembled in a somewhat rudimentary form.
Wasn’t the old man supposed to have delusions? How come there are actually some things here?
Gu Qingtong was filled with doubts but couldn’t ask directly, so she secretly looked towards Yan Chi, hoping to glean some information from her expression.
However, to her surprise, as soon as she looked over, Yan Chi immediately caught her. Their gazes met in the air.
Although Yan Chi’s gaze was calm and composed, Gu Qingtong instinctively averted her eyes, feeling quite guilty.
She couldn’t help but suspect in her heart if Yan Chi had been watching her all along. Otherwise, how could such a coincidental incident occur?
Deng Dongjun followed Gu Qingtong’s gaze and said, “We were also surprised just now. We didn’t expect the old man’s nonsense in the letter to actually be true. We misunderstood him. Maybe the old man really had his patent stolen by the head of the family.”
“Let’s focus on finding the key first…”
Gu Qingtong instinctively felt that his words were not right because Yan Chi clearly didn’t seem to care about it. The evidence didn’t turn around.
“No need, this should be the key.” Yan Chi reached out her hand, and a key lay silently in her palm.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was startled.
Even Gu Qingtong didn’t know when Yan Chi had obtained the key and couldn’t help but ask, “Did we see this key just now?”
“I found it when I was searching in the maid’s room, hidden in the wardrobe.”
Yan Chi’s gaze passed over the others and narrowed as she looked at the basement stairs, directly focusing on Bai Jin, who had sneaked over.
Bai Jin clearly heard this statement too. Her hand by her side suddenly clenched into a fist. So, the reason they couldn’t find the two of them earlier was that they were hiding in that cramped wardrobe…
In other words, when she had just walked past, the two of them were probably pressed up against the wardrobe, just a door away from her.
She knew all too well that this was a provocation from Yan Chi. Feeling annoyed, she decided to give up her peeping and walked upstairs.
Gu Qingtong naturally understood what Yan Chi was implying. Once again, she was forced to recall everything that had happened in front of everyone. She felt so embarrassed that her breathing momentarily stopped. How did she lose control and stumble so clumsily, unable to walk properly, while Yan Chi, on the other hand, could both create a scene for herself and find evidence?!
And no wonder she had stepped on the medicine bottle and claimed it fell out of the wardrobe.
Deng Dongjun also felt a bit emotional and said with a hint of self-pity, “Teacher Yan, if you had taken it out earlier, you could have saved my life!”
“Sorry, my partner seemed to be curious about what was in your pocket and didn’t say anything,” Yan Chi apologized while her words once again pierced hearts, displaying clear double standards.
“Ah?” Gu Qingtong was suddenly mentioned and awkwardly laughed, quickly trying to disassociate herself from Yan Chi. “Haha, Teacher Yan, you have a great sense of humor…”
The others were rendered speechless by the blockade, yet Yan Chi held complete control of the situation. She could have chosen not to share the key with everyone, but she had already done more than enough.
As the drawer was unlocked and its contents revealed, a notebook appeared.
Since Yan Chi was the one who found the key, it was only natural for her to be the first to look at it. Everyone gathered around her, waiting for her to finish reading.
Yan Chi closed the notebook and looked at Gu Qingtong. “If you want to solve the case quickly, trust me. There’s no need to waste time on this. Let’s go straight to the study.”
“Teacher Yan, have you already solved the case so quickly?”
There was an exclamation from the group. They were the first ones to search the basement, but they couldn’t find the key to that drawer no matter how hard they looked. Unexpectedly, Yan Chi found it effortlessly.
Even more surprisingly, she had already investigated and discovered the answer to the riddle.
Gu Qingtong knew that Yan Chi was suggesting not to wait until the second bell sounded. Her legs were still weak, so she vigorously nodded and said, “Let’s go directly, I won’t look anymore.”
Without caring that the two had already left, the three remaining individuals were eager to read the crucial diary.
Yan Chi handed the item directly to Deng Dongjun and left with Gu Qingtong.
Chu Wen and the other person could only watch as the item fell into Deng Dongjun’s hands, unable to do anything about it.
Deng Dongjun suddenly felt favored by Teacher Yan, and he became proud in an instant, putting aside the fact that Yan Chi had just tricked him.
However, after he actually read the diary, he appeared somewhat disappointed. There were torn pages, and the crucial “secret” was missing.
Most of what remained were his complaints:
“Ever since I stumbled upon that secret, the family head had no choice but to teach me those techniques. He thought I only knew those things. I’m truly more talented than him. If Mr. Peter’s apprentice position hadn’t been sold by my father, I would be the one sitting in that position now!”
“After drinking, it was a waste of time. I wrote a letter threatening the family head while under the influence of alcohol. We had a big argument, and in a fit of anger, I revealed everything he had done. It seems someone outside overheard a part of it. He refused to teach me anymore, and I couldn’t assemble it myself.”
“The housekeeper came to borrow a considerable sum of money from me, with both small and large amounts. She must have wanted to leave the castle with her daughter. But isn’t the family head supposed to provide her with a pension? It’s really strange, but I still lent her the money.”
“The secret is torn… I hope I won’t be found by someone or something…” The diary stopped at this sentence.
Deng Dongjun read it twice but still couldn’t figure out how Yan Chi saw through the truth at a glance. In the end, he reluctantly handed it over to Chu Yi and Wen Ziyao.
On the other hand, Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong walked directly to the study on the third floor.
The attendant had long been sitting at the table, waiting for everyone. In the dark night, there was a silent presence waiting at the table, which felt eerie.
However, Yan Chi didn’t rush to speak to him. As soon as they entered, her gaze directly fixed on the table, where there were many bottles and jars, seemingly containing pills.
The attendant explained, “The family head is getting old and inevitably has various illnesses, so he prepared many medicines.”
Yan Chi’s gaze lingered on a conspicuous gap among the rows of medicines. “Was there a bottle of medicine here? Is it finished?”
“I have the medication dosage chart of the family head. Whenever a medicine reaches its expiration date, it is replaced. This bottle should be sleeping pills with a minimal daily dosage. It wouldn’t have been finished. It should have been replaced next month. Perhaps the family head took it to his bedroom.”
“Is this it?” Yan Chi suddenly picked up a small bottle with a torn label, which was the medicine bottle they had found earlier.
The attendant naturally recognized the crucial evidence, but there was no change in his facial expression.
“Yes, it seems you found it somewhere else,” he said.
Gu Qingtong looked at Yan Chi and suddenly had a premonition. Yan Chi’s sudden change in expression earlier must have been because she recognized that the pill was a sleeping pill…
How did she know?
“Thank you. Then I’ll start my statement. There may be some speculation, but the key evidence should be there,” Yan Chi returned the medicine bottle to its original position.
“Firstly, the housekeeper discovered that her daughter had an overly intimate relationship with the family head. The family head even had a dress custom-made for her, identical to the one his deceased daughter wore. So, the housekeeper decided to resign and marry off her daughter as soon as possible.
After getting drunk, the cellar old man also wrote a threatening letter to the family head, and they had a big argument.
It was the first time the family head realized that all the things he had done to the housekeeper’s daughter had been exposed. Moreover, someone secretly listened to these things outside the door. Knowing that these revelations would ruin his gentlemanly reputation, unable to catch the eavesdropper, and since he couldn’t control other people’s mouths, he wanted this incident to disappear from its source.
The daughter came to see the family head, and it’s unclear what happened during their encounter, but the result was that the daughter took the sleeping pills and swallowed them all.
Because this medicine bottle was found in the room of the housekeeper and her daughter, and there were no pills left inside, it is highly likely that the daughter died because of it.
After the housekeeper discovered that something happened to her daughter, she started investigating everything. The cellar old man wrote these secrets in his diary, and a duplicate key was found in the housekeeper’s room. It’s evident that the housekeeper also knew about it.”
Yan Chi paused for a moment and finally said, “Seeking revenge for her daughter. That is the motive for the housekeeper to commit murder.”
However, the attendant shook his head.
“If you’re suggesting that the housekeeper is the murderer, although we can’t reconstruct the body, there was a forensic examination written next to the wound, indicating that only a tall, fully grown man could have carried out the murder in that manner.”
Yan Chi, however, remained calm.
“The motive and the perpetrator are indeed not in sync. Because of this, there is another person who is the actual killer.”
It’s the gardener, but not because the family head didn’t give him a pension. It’s because the housekeeper hired him to commit the murder.
The gambling debt owed by the gardener was mysteriously paid off, indicating that he received a large sum of money from someone.
From the cellar old man’s diary, it can be seen that on the same day the debt was paid off, the housekeeper borrowed a sum of money from him, with a specific amount that included both whole numbers and fractions. If she only needed the money for herself, she would have borrowed a whole number. The presence of both whole numbers and fractions suggests that there was a specific amount needed for something.
Coincidentally, the gambling debt had a specific numerical value. Murder and debt repayment became conditions for both parties.”
Although Gu Qingtong hadn’t read the diary, she had come into contact with many clues and understood the sequence of events.
Each of the three suspects had intricate connections to the case. Those with motives lacked the ability to commit murder, while those with the ability did not align with the actual motive.
“The detective’s opinion is indeed valuable. I will search for the evidence you mentioned to verify its authenticity. Here’s the key.”
It seemed that the password was correct, and as promised, the attendant handed them a key.
At the moment Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong left the castle, the sound of a bell rang out.
Outside, it was getting dark, indicating that playing this game would indeed require some time.
There was a makeshift tent at the checkpoint, with equipment inside. The director and the post-production team were clearly sitting in the control room.
Everyone had already seen the two complete the mission through the cameras, and now they came to congratulate them. “Congratulations to Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong for being the first to clear the level. It seems that the luxurious glass house by the swimming pool is yours.”
“We clearly saw in the footage that the two of you were getting along well in the game, like hiding together in the wardrobe. Why do you still seem so unfamiliar after coming out?”
The staff made a playful remark about how far apart the two of them were standing and couldn’t help but mention the wardrobe incident.
Gu Qingtong felt guilty, but she knew she couldn’t show it. She responded with mutual praise, “Miss Yan is a reliable senior. I owe my ability to analyze and reason to her. I almost didn’t contribute anything; it was almost a free win for me.”
“Qingtong also put in a lot of effort. Without her, we wouldn’t have found that medicine bottle.”
Yan Chi also lifted her gaze for a rare moment and replied.
“Putting in a lot of effort” referred to the unfortunate incident of stumbling over the medicine bottle… Gu Qingtong fell silent for a moment.
The air became awkward because of their conversation.
“Now the two guests can take a break. We can only enter the house after the remaining guests come out.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingtong felt as if she had finally been absolved of a great sin and diminished her presence. She whispered, “Um, I’ll go to the restroom.”
The discomfort she had felt since the incident in the wardrobe had persisted until now…
Amidst the noise of the crowd, Yan Chi caught those words and paused. She set down the bottled water she had been holding and stood up, following Gu Qingtong.
