Growing Fond of You, Mr Nian

Director Xu had met all sorts of people in his lifetime. He was observing Nian Junting quietly, and his gaze rested on Nian Junting’s wrist. The watch he was wearing was not a visibly luxury brand, but he could tell that it would set him back at least a million dollars. “Alright, stop squabbling. Didn’t the gentleman say that he sent the dollar bills to the forensics, and if Luosang did it, her fingerprints will be all over them?”

“The results are out,” Nian Xi returned after the call. Without missing a beat she said, “The report states that there were many fingerprint on the notes, but none were from Luosang. Isn’t that strange?”

“What… what’s so strange about that? Maybe she was wearing gloves?” Ni Miao stuttered guiltily. She didn’t expect Luosang’s boyfriend to show up, and she didn’t expect for him to be so relentless in the investigation that he would actually spend money to send the bills for forensic analysis.

“Another thing,” Nian Xi smirked at He Ruyi, “Du officer said that you were the witness last night. According to the records, you said that you saw Luosang entering the room suspiciously when you were returning to the hostel. The time was roughly 6.30pm, but I saw you walking into the building at 6pm through the CCTV tapes. You two stay on the third floor, don’t you? Did you take half an hour to get from the first floor to the third?”

“I… I was playing with my phone while heading up, and that’s why I was walking slowly. Oh right! I also stopped on level two to talk to a classmate.” He Ruyi hurriedly added, “I told the police that I saw her around 6.30pm. I can’t be sure of the exact time, so it was an estimate.”

Nian Xi raised her brow, “Are you sure? How long did that conversation last for?”

He Ruyi nodded her head, “About twenty minutes or so. I’m sure.”

Nian Xi’s lips curled into a smile and she opened her notebook and looked at her notes, “Look at my poor memory. I remembered incorrectly. You did walk into the hostel at 6.30pm, according to the video tapes, but now you’re saying that you took a leisurely stroll and stopped to talk to a friend. This means you got back to your room at about 6.50pm, and there’s no way you could have seen Luosang entering Ni Miao’s room. According to my conjectures, you made a false statement.”

He Ruyi and Ni Miao looked sick, and He Ruyi was stunned for a while before shaking her head vehemently, “No, I didn’t. I… I… I just remembered wrong.”

Nian Xi’s face was serious, “But you said you were sure when I asked you just now. Are you going to go back on your word again?”

“It’s not like that…” He Ruyi’s head was spinning from Nian Xi’s interrogation. She felt anxious as Nian Xi locked her gaze onto hers with intensity. She didn’t have the wits to formulate a reasonable explanation quickly now. Ni Miao on the other hand, was looking on with anxiety, and she didn’t dare to say anything since she wasn’t the witness after all. “Maybe I saw her at around 6:50pm. I didn’t pay attention to the exact time, but I’m sure it was between 6 to 7pm.”

“You said 6:30pm yesterday, and then today you change your statement to 6:50pm. Do you know you can be charged with obstruction of justice for changing your statement so frivolously?” Nian Xi’s tone was getting more and more high-strung.

Ni Miao quickly chipped in, “Even if she keeps changing the time, it doesn’t change the fact that Luosang stole my money.”

“I’m just getting to that. We’re going to have to talk about your conflict of interest in this incident. According to Du officer, Luosang is going to be the emcee of the Christmas event at your school. I also heard that there was only one available spot, and you got into a fight with Luosang during the nomination process. If Luosang really does get charged for theft, then she won’t be allowed to host the event anymore. Naturally, you would become one of the top candidates to take on the gig. All in all, we have reason to believe that you set her up to frame her,” Nian Xi concluded.