Chapter 116: The Perfect Trio Is Essential, Part 9

“Yeah… it’s quite strange,” Xianyu Shi pondered before asking, “Since you’re close in private, have you ever asked Bai Yuxi about the reason?”

Wan Qianqian shook her head, seeming hesitant. After a moment of silence, she said, “If it were before, I would’ve asked, but now… Yuxi isn’t doing well, as you’ve seen. She’s been crying all the time. None of us dare to upset her.”

Xianyu Shi looked toward Bai Yuxi in the distance.

Bai Yuxi’s emotions had been unstable—her expression either panicked or anguished. Sometimes she wept silently, other times she muttered to herself. Wan Qianqian’s caution was not without reason.

In a low voice, Wan Qianqian added, “It seems that ever since Xiaoling’s accident, Yuxi has been like this.”

Xianyu Shi thought for a moment, then lowered her head to jot down notes. “Alright, I’ve got it. Please call in the next person.”

Wan Qianqian glanced at Xianyu’s notebook. The handwriting was messy and illegible. After a brief pause, she left the cashier’s counter.

Xianyu’s pen stopped. In truth, she hadn’t written anything meaningful—just scribbled some circles aimlessly…

She sighed inwardly: I’m still not cut out for this. My level is too low. I might get tangled up before uncovering anything.

…

More people came in one after another, and Xianyu continued questioning them, asking the same questions but occasionally varying them, probing more about the four-girl sisterhood.

She had initially suspected Wan Qianqian of deliberately misleading her, but after questioning several others, she found their stories didn’t differ much.

They all mentioned that before Du Xiaoling died, she had conflicts with Bai Yuxi; Xia Yu had also argued with Xiaoling.

One student even spoke bluntly, “If it had nothing to do with Bai Yuxi, would she be like this now? It’s obvious she’s guilty and that’s why she’s acting so neurotic.”

Xianyu felt the situation was delicate—just moments ago, everyone had shown at least some degree of flattery and closeness toward Bai Yuxi in her presence. Yet now, they were all hinting that Xiaoling’s death was connected to Bai Yuxi, including one member of the sisterhood, Wan Qianqian.

It seemed Bai’s family background made people reluctant to speak freely.

So, was Bai Yuxi the culprit? Her family was wealthy and powerful; if they wanted someone dead, they wouldn’t need to get their hands dirty. But as in dramas, the most suspicious person often turns out to be innocent.

Xianyu’s head began to ache. Indeed, detective work was a bit beyond her.

She hoped that when she spoke with Bai Yuxi later, she could extract some clues. Otherwise, relying on these guesses alone, she wouldn’t be able to identify the murderer.

Zhou Bushan came over and asked, “So, who do you suspect?”

Xianyu shook her head. “When Du Xiaoling died, all these people were in the auditorium. There was no chance to commit the crime. What I uncovered were just petty quarrels among girls—not something that would lead to murder.”

“I see…” Zhou Bushan scratched his head in frustration. “No clues means we’re stuck here…”

Xianyu said, “Now only Bai Yuxi and her boyfriend, Lu Min, remain unspoken to. After I’ve questioned everyone, I’ll help you integrate the information.”

Zhou frowned. “I just went to ask. Bai Yuxi’s situation… it’s complicated. She can’t be interviewed alone—her boyfriend has to be with her.”

“Oh…” Xianyu hesitated briefly, then nodded. “Alright, have them both come together.”

Zhou went to bring Bai Yuxi and Lu Min over. To be precise, he invited Lu Min, as Bai Yuxi was currently too fragile to speak alone, curled up in her boyfriend’s arms.

“Miss Bai, how would you describe Du Xiaoling?” Xianyu asked.

Clutching her boyfriend’s hand like a lifeline, Bai Yuxi answered hoarsely, “Xiaoling… she was a very good person… beautiful, smart, empathetic, and talented…”

“You two were close?”

“We were deskmates and got along well. Our relationship was always good…”

“I heard you argued once?”

“No!” Bai Yuxi suddenly became agitated. Veins bulged on the hand gripping her boyfriend’s, her whole body tensed. “That was a misunderstanding! There was a boy at school accepting gifts from me but secretly flirting with Xiaoling. I thought Xiaoling was trying to steal him away, so I lost my temper once. But we talked it through! The misunderstanding was cleared, and we made up!”

Xianyu couldn’t help but ask, “How did you clear up the misunderstanding?”

“We broke up! I kicked that guy out! Xiaoling never contacted him again! He’s a scumbag, trying to play both sides!” Bai Yuxi spat venomously. “A jerk! A liar! Deserves no good!”

Lu Min gently patted her hand to soothe her.

Xianyu didn’t want to distress her further but had to ask some questions.

“Miss Bai, among all these people, who do you think is the most suspicious?”

Bai Yuxi’s expression shifted from fury to grief in an instant. “I don’t know… Since Xiaoling died, I have nightmares every night. Every single night, she appears in my dreams. I can’t take it anymore… I really can’t. Who’s the murderer? Who killed Xiaoling? Why won’t she leave me alone? I didn’t hurt her…”

Xianyu felt she was in no state to continue questioning.

“Mr. Lu, I have a few questions for you. Can you answer on behalf of Miss Bai?” she asked Lu Min beside her.

Lu Min was a handsome young man, refined, speaking in a calm, measured tone. “Sure, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Xianyu glanced at her notebook. “Please introduce yourself first.”

Lu Min was slightly taken aback. “I’m not involved in this matter. Do I need to introduce myself?”

Xianyu thought for a moment. “If you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to.”

A peculiar smile appeared on Lu Min’s face. “Then I’ll introduce myself anyway. My name is Lu Min. I interned at a psychological clinic. When Yuxi came for treatment, we fell in love at first sight. As her condition worsened, I left the clinic to be by her side full-time, helping with her recovery.”

Xianyu asked, “Did Miss Bai seek psychological help because of Du Xiaoling’s incident?”

“Yes. Du Xiaoling’s unexpected death caused her great trauma,” Lu Min said calmly. “I assume the others have told you that the four girls were very close. One of them suffered an accident, and the remaining three couldn’t accept it.”

Xianyu thought to herself, that wasn’t exactly the case. Though everyone claimed the four were close, there were subtle hints of deep internal strife.

She wondered whether there was truly something hidden beneath or if people simply refused to believe genuine friendship could exist among girls.