At seven o'clock, the butler brought bad news.
Because the typhoon was passing through, the police could not go out to sea and had no way to go to the island for the time being. Moreover, Mermaid Island was also within the expected typhoon range. In other words, the local police could not be counted on for at least 24 hours.
"Damn it!" Si Yingjie suppressed his emotions but they surged up again. He said irritably, "What about Xiaoxiao? Who will investigate the case?"
"Brother Yingjie, calm down." Jian Jing pushed him back into the chair and said calmly, "The police can't come for the time being, we will investigate it ourselves."
Kang Mucheng said in a deep voice: "Yingjie, cheer up, you are the master, you have to take charge of the situation."
Si Yingjie held his head in his hands and asked after a while: "What do you want to do?"
Jian Jing said slowly: "We need to find out what everyone did last night to see if there is an alibi." Knowing that Si Yingjie was in a bad condition, she described it in great detail, "From seven o'clock last night to six o'clock this morning, where were they and what did they do? Can anyone prove it?"
Then, "I have already asked the workers, they live in the staff dormitory and can verify each other's identity."
Therefore, if there was a murderer, he must be among the guests.
--
Go back in time to yesterday.
Since they said goodbye in the restaurant at noon, everyone has gone their separate ways.
Si Yingjie said he wanted to teach Jian Jing how to play billiards, so he asked Kang Mucheng to come along for the day, and the three of them spent the day in the billiard room until four o'clock. When the sunlight was not so strong, they went to the infinity pool.
There, we met A Xu and Coach Yin.
When asked about the whereabouts of the others, Ah Xu said, "Yaoyao and Xiaoxiao said they wanted to make snacks. Elena and Mr. Zong haven't been seen."
The five of us played by the swimming pool until around six o'clock and then went to the restaurant for dinner.
Because everyone knew the embarrassment, they did not eat together.
Si Yingjie had just arrived at the restaurant, and not long after they started eating, Yang Xiaoxiao said she was not feeling well and wanted to go back to rest. Yaoyao then offered to take her back to her room.
This was the last time everyone saw her, and it was seven o'clock.
After lunch, Yaoyao returned to the restaurant and joined her friends at the table, allowing her friends to taste the snacks she and Yang Xiao had made in the afternoon.
At half past seven, Elena showed up.
She changed her clothes and said that she went for a walk in the mountains in the afternoon, went back to her room for a nap at around 2 o'clock, woke up at 5 o'clock, took a bath, had a spa, and then came to eat.
After chatting for a while, Si Yingjie and Kang Mucheng left and went back to their room to drink alone.
Jian Jing wanted to give the couple some time to chat privately, so she didn't go with them - she also didn't want to stay with the two parents anymore - and chose to stay and play cards.
This is Elena's suggestion.
Ah Xu and Coach Yin were not a couple and wanted to watch a movie together and do some naughty things, so he declined.
This was nothing, the three of them could play Landlord, but then Zong Xun appeared and asked with a smile: "If you play poker, how about including me?"
Everyone turned around and saw him standing under the crystal chandelier, his eyebrows slightly opened, his eyes dimly lit, as if he was looking at you, but upon closer inspection, it seemed that no one actually cared about him.
"Welcome." Elena raised her red lips and asked Jian Jing and Yao Yao, "What are the four of you playing?"
Yaoyao said: "I know a little bit, but I am not very proficient in it."
Jian Jing: "... I only know how to play blackjack."
Elena changed the topic: "Then let's play mahjong."
"You can also play mahjong?" Yaoyao was surprised.
"Games know no borders." Elena asked the housekeeper to bring a set of mahjong and played it very well. "Miss Jane, do you know how to play? It doesn't matter if you don't know how to play. I'll teach you."
Jian Jing couldn't help laughing.
"Why, you don't believe it?" Elena glanced at him.
Jian Jing said: "No, I just think your tone is very similar to Brother Yingjie."
"Oh? After all, they are husband and wife, so it's normal to look like that." She said casually.
Jian Jing smiled and said nothing more.
The mahjong game didn’t go very smoothly. No, to be precise, it was a mess.
The rules were complicated and varied. The other three players played their cards very quickly, but it was her turn and she couldn't play a card for a long time. She just played a card based on her feeling, and twice out of three times she gave away a card.
After a few rounds, Elena couldn't help but tease: "Miss Jian, someone fed you cards and you still played like this, your level is really bad."
After one year of rebirth, Jian Jing's acting skills have improved by leaps and bounds, just like her reasoning skills. She was surprised when she heard this: "Did I fight so badly? I thought I played well."
Elena held her chin with one hand, rubbing the mahjong tiles with her fingertips, half seriously and half jokingly: "Look at how flustered Mr. Zong is. It's more tiring to let others take the cards than to win yourself."
"I can't say I'm tired." Zong Xun leaned back in his chair, looked up at Jian Jing opposite him, with a smile on his lips and bright eyes, "Anyway, what I want to win is not money."
Jian Jing pretended to be confused and said hesitantly: "I don't understand what you are talking about."
Yaoyao covered her mouth and smiled: "Hurry up and play your cards, it's your turn."
She lowered her head, her slender fingertips sliding across the mahjong tiles, and finally made up her mind and played one.
"Oh, that's wrong." Elena smiled like a flower, "Thank you very much."
Jian Jing: "... Come again."
She washed her hands and changed to a glass of low-alcohol sparkling wine before continuing.
Around nine or ten o'clock, her luck improved and she had some experience. With Zong Xun feeding her cards like crazy, Jian Jing finally won a hand.
"No more fighting." Elena stretched, her curves were exquisite, "One is a rookie, and the other is a let-down. It's boring. I'd better go drink."
She stood up, looked out the window for a while, pointed to a terrace on a higher ground and asked, "Isn't it nice to watch the stars over there?"
Yaoyao smiled and said, "Yes, the view is very good."
"Then I'll go enjoy the night sky." Elena turned around and said to Yaoyao, "Do you want to go with me? Leave the place to someone - after all, what they want to win is money."
It's not about money, it's about heart. Yaoyao is very tactful and said with a smile: "Okay, it's a good time to go out and take a breath."
The two of them took the wine and ice bucket and slipped away blatantly.
"Would you like a drink?" Zong Xun looked at Jian Jing, his smile deepening, "You care about me a lot, don't you?"
Jane pursed her lips.
Yes, she was indeed curious about him, but it was not in the emotional state of a man and a woman, but a certain weird intuition that the way Zong Xun showed it was not in line with him.
Of course, this feeling is very subtle, between existence and non-existence, like a street lamp in the fog, looming and only able to catch a glimpse of it through the reflection of water droplets.
Jian Jing believed in her instincts and didn't want to reveal too much. She turned her face away from his gaze and didn't admit, "No."
Zong Xun said leisurely: "Don't worry, I'm not a bad person."
She was startled by these words, and after hesitating for a while, she finally went into the bar.
Zong Xun said a few words to the bartender, who then left with a smile, leaving the huge space to the two of them.
Jian Jing said calmly: "What did you say to me?"
"Tell me it's time to go home." Zong Xun walked to the bar and looked through the drinks on offer. "What do you want to drink, Margaret? Pretty in Pink?"
"What is this? I've never heard of it." Jian Jing said casually, "I want to drink butter beer."
Zong Xun chuckled: "It really suits the taste of little girls."
She said: "No?"
"This is not a big deal." He found a small pot of hot milk, turned on the induction cooker, took out the butter from the refrigerator to melt it, added a little brown sugar and cream, stirred it, then poured in the beer, stirred it evenly, poured it into the cup, whipped the cream, slowly poured a layer on it, and sprinkled with cinnamon powder.
"Here." Zong Xun pushed the cup in front of her, "Be careful, it's hot."
Jian Jing took a sip and took a while to swallow it.
It tastes weird.
You have to order the food yourself, and you can't let it go in any way.
She acted calmly, thinking that her facial muscles were well controlled and she should not show any abnormality. However, Zong Xun handed her a newly mixed cocktail, the famous Bloody Mary.
"Second drink half price?" she asked.
"You'll like this ." asked meaningfully, "It looks a lot like you, not me."
Jian Jing raised her eyebrows.
Zong Xun smiled, "She looks gorgeous, as beautiful as a peach or plum, very cute, but her back is entangled with blood, full of murderous intent." He said slowly, "Am I right? The mystery novelist who helped the police solve many murders, Miss Jian Jing?"
She instantly narrowed her eyes.
Ji Feng told her that for security reasons, anyone who helped the police solve a case would have only a number in the file, and only a few people would be able to check their identity.
How did Zong Xun know this
She was somewhat surprised, but her guess was also confirmed, and it became clear to her - it was definitely not that simple.
"Oh, you mean this." Jian Jing kept her composure and admitted calmly, "It's just a hobby. But how did you know that? I don't remember telling anyone."
“When a wild goose passes by, it leaves traces behind. As long as you pay attention, the answer will be clear.” Zong Xun said so.
Jian Jing complained in her heart: It's all in vain.
She took the initiative: "It makes sense, like some people who say they are photographers but don't look like one at all."
"Appreciate further details."
Jian Jing shrugged, but didn't talk as much as before—not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't. The intermediate observation card was enough to deal with most people, but when it came to a disguise master like Zong Xun, it was a bit stretched. She could only detect something strange, but it was hard to tell why.
Zong Xun raised his glass, took a sip of the cold whiskey, and hid the smile on his lips: "It seems to be just a feeling."
At this point, Jian Jing had two choices: either admit it again, show weakness to him, and see if she could use his sex appeal to get more information, or deny it, since he couldn't do anything to her anyway.
She didn't want to show weakness, but she also felt that with her appearance, it was inevitable that she would be like an egg against a rock. While she was hesitating, light footsteps came from the door.
"Hey, isn't the bartender here?" Yaoyao came in and said, "I want some cold beer."
Zong Xun opened the refrigerator and took out a can of ice beer: "What else do you want?"
"Elena is a little drunk, I think she should drink something with a lower alcohol content." Yaoyao smiled, with a shallow dimple on her cheek, "You guys continue."
At that time, it was ten forty at night.
Ten minutes later, the intercom rang. It was Ah Xu, who wanted the bartender to bring ice cream and vodka. After hearing Zong Xun's voice, he took the initiative to say that he would come and get it himself.
After a while, he came over alone, chatted with us, and brought us ice cream and vodka.
That was eleven minutes to five.
Jian Jing finished her Bloody Mary and was already a little drunk.
"You're a little drunk." Zong Xun poured her a cup of Coke, "Drink this."
Jian Jing was about to stop talking, but Zong Xun started talking again: "Let me think, when did you notice me... Oh, lemon."
She smiled again, with a hint of mischief in her eyes, but without any malice, like a lover's whisper, gentle and a little charming, but without any murderous intent.
Besides, leaving after the topic has started seems like deserting the battlefield.
Jian Jing had no choice but to take the Coke, intending to use the caffeine to wake herself up, but she didn't know that the outcome was already clear at that moment.
This was an extraordinary opponent. She was clearly on guard against him, but her vigilance was unknowingly dispelled - this was not her fault at all.
His words are so humorous and his expression is so intimate that even the most dull woman can feel the temptation everywhere in him.
Not just that.
For several hours, he never touched her body parts, including her fingers, hair, shoulders, and of course the more suggestive legs. He always maintained a distance, showing a sense of courtesy and gentlemanliness.
This kind of seduction is decent and relaxing, without any sense of invasion or offense, yet full of hormones and absolutely pure charm of the opposite sex.
He is also really good at chatting, like a great novelist, throwing in just the right amount of conversation starters to stimulate people's desire to express themselves.
To be heard, to be understood, to be attracted, to be affirmed.
But at one point, he passed out drunk on the bar.
It happened very suddenly. I felt that I was still conscious one second ago, but when I woke up the next second, I was in a new environment.
She struggled to sit up and saw that the clock in the room showed twelve forty-five.
"You are drunk." He said, "Go to sleep."
The only remaining consciousness told her that this was not her room and she had to leave.
Zong Xun just held the back of her head and let her rest her head on the soft pillow. Her body thought it had returned to an environment where it could rest, and fell into sleep.
Woke up at 5:20 the next day.
The system release message is hanging in front of you.
[Mission Name: Murder in a Love Polygamy]
[Mission Description: Blue sky, white clouds, blue sea and sandy beach, the tropical island has ushered in an unprecedented Shura field. Under the spell of love, the killing intent is pressing step by step. Whose hands are already stained with blood? Please find out the truth on the island]
[Task rewards and penalties: 30 courage points for success, no penalty for failure]