The next day, the weather was sunny and the temperature dropped to 20 degrees Celsius.
Jian Jing got out of bed at 7 o'clock and did a few sets of sit-ups and push-ups indoors. After completing her morning exercise, she went downstairs to have breakfast.
Kang Mucheng was the only one in the restaurant. He sat at a long wooden table, drinking coffee and replying to emails.
Jian Jing asked curiously: "Aren't you sleepy so early?"
"There's toast in the refrigerator, make it yourself." Kang Mucheng tapped on the keyboard, "It's late, it's already seven and a half."
She unwrapped the toast and stuffed it into the toaster: "You didn't go to bed until after two o'clock last night, how many hours has it been?"
"Did it bother you?"
Jian Jing was busy making coffee and said casually, "No, I just thought you wouldn't come back."
Kang Mucheng paused, turned around and asked her, "What are you thinking about?"
Jian Jing imitated the mouth shape of "Chang Painter".
He was silent, then turned his head and said calmly: "Stop talking nonsense."
Jian Jing shrugged, put the toast on the plate, and spread blueberry jam on it: "You are questioning my observation ability."
She raised her finger and listed the evidence one by one: "Last night at dinner, she handed you the condiments and touched your hand; she poured you wine and exposed her breasts; when we were chatting, she touched my hair very frequently... Do I need to count more?"
Kang Mucheng's expression was very subtle, with both embarrassment of being exposed and helplessness: "Why didn't you think about this?"
"I remembered it by accident." She snorted, "Who told you to talk nonsense to me? Otherwise, I would have forgotten it completely."
"Forget about it now." Kang Mucheng continued to concentrate on his work. "It's not a good thing."
Jian Jing took a sip of hot coffee and said slowly, "It seems that you don't like this unexpected good fortune."
Kang Mucheng hit enter, closed his notebook, and crossed his fingers: "Are you interested in this topic?"
"Just chatting." She said.
Kang Mucheng said: "This is my personal problem."
Jian Jing was slightly stunned, and a little embarrassed. This expression fell into Kang Mucheng's eyes, and he immediately realized that he had said something wrong, and he said to make amends: "I don't mean to blame you."
She nodded: "I know."
However, the atmosphere was still weird.
Kang Mucheng was thinking about his words, wanting to say something else, when he heard brisk footsteps outside the door. Xia Tianxin appeared in the morning light and greeted them happily: "You all are here? So early."
"You're here early too." Jian Jing said with a smile.
"I want to go for a walk in the mountains early this morning." Xia Tianxin invited, "Would you like to go? Let's go together."
Jian Jing agreed very quickly: "Okay, I wanted to go yesterday."
"Me too." Xia Tianxin looked happy to meet a bosom friend and took some food casually. "How about we set off after breakfast?"
Jian Jing didn't even look at Kang Mucheng and smiled, "It couldn't be better."
The two girls quickly formed an alliance. After a quick breakfast, they returned to their room, changed into light clothes, and went into the mountains to play together with their guide Xiaotian.
The autumn sky is high and the air is clear. The trees in the mountains are full of colorful colors. Before they even reach the reservoir, the girls’ phones already have many photos.
Xiaotian is not only good at painting, but also good at taking photos. Under her guidance, the photos are no longer just portraits, but silhouettes, light spots, and water puddles are all good helpers for borrowing scenery, making each photo look like a blockbuster.
The girls were immersed in the joy of taking photos and did not realize it was already twelve noon until they were starving.
Xiaotian cried out: "Master Ken has arrived, I have to go back quickly."
Jian Jing and Xia Tianxin felt a little embarrassed and quickly said hello. The three of them hurried back in about twelve to twenty minutes.
They encountered the path head on.
He asked, "Did the master go out with Eddie today?"
"No." Xiaotian was surprised. "Master drank so much yesterday, he must have come late."
"I just knocked on the teacher's door and asked what we wanted for lunch, but she didn't answer me." Xiaolu asked awkwardly, "Why don't you go and take a look?"
He is a boy, so it is not convenient for him to enter the female teacher's room, so he can only entrust Oda to do it.
Of course Oda agreed and hurried upstairs.
A few minutes later, she lay on the stairs and shouted, "The door is locked. The teacher should not be awake."
Instantly, Jian Jing's certain radar was triggered: "Did you call her?"
"called."
"It's a big deal. If no one answers, just hang up the phone." She made up excuses more and more skillfully. "It's dangerous to be drunk and vomit."
Xiaotian was hesitant. Painter Chang had great authority, so she dared not interfere casually: "Master Chang is always drunk and never goes out. If we wake her up, she will be very angry."
Jian Jing frowned.
She was sure that the painter would not be angry, because it was impossible for her to be angry.
[System: New task has been released]
[Task name: The mysterious death of the painter]
[Task Description: In a scenic mountain resort hotel, a beautiful and wealthy female painter suddenly died. Was it an accidental death after drinking, or was it a murder with hidden secrets? Please find out the truth]
[Task rewards and penalties: 30 courage points for success, no penalty for failure]
Jian Jing pondered, "Has the painter ever skipped lunch before?"
"Very rarely. The master has a bad stomach. After seeing the doctor, he eats on time every day." Xiaolu hesitated, "Otherwise, we should call him."
"Okay." Oda continued knocking on the door.
There was still no sound inside.
Jian Jing asked again: "Do you have a key?"
Oda and Xiaolu both shook their heads.
It seemed a little strange that she had to go into the room, so Jian Jing did not insist: "When everyone comes, ask if anyone has seen the painter. Maybe she has gone out."
This was obviously the more acceptable option. No one else had any objection and they discussed what to eat for lunch.
The resort hotel had a rich inventory, so Oda cooked a pot of noodle soup, which was a decent lunch with some cooked and braised food.
During this time, Mr. Tao and Kang Mucheng came over to have dinner and asked them if they had seen Painter Chang, and the answer was no.
Kang Mucheng added: "Eddie went out this morning. I saw him driving away alone."
Jian Jing had completely switched to reconnaissance mode and asked sensitively, "Is he leaving? Where is he going? Is there any news? When will he be back?"
Kang Mucheng looked at her for two seconds before saying, "I didn't ask."
She frowned suddenly.
However, around 2:00 p.m., Eddie came back.
On the contrary, Writer Wu had packed his luggage and was going to go back today because he had something to do at home. Jian Jing was thinking about how to find an excuse to keep him, but Eddie said, "There was a serious car accident on the national highway, and the road is blocked. We can't leave for a while."
This place is remote, and the only road connecting to the outside world is the highway. If the national highway is blocked, it is impossible to rush to the nearby high-speed rail station or airport.
Writer Wu looked grim, and searched for news on his phone. Indeed, just as Eddie had said, the local WeChat public account had already posted relevant news, asking the town's residents not to go on the national highway for the time being to avoid congestion.
Jian Jing: That’s great.
She asked: "No one has seen the painter. Is she still in the house?"
"I'll go check it out." Eddie went upstairs and knocked on the door, but there was no response. He felt frustrated: "Lisa never sleeps until the afternoon and doesn't come out."
Jian Jing had already observed the terrain: "Let's go over from the next room and take a look?"
The resort hotel only has two and a half floors, and there is a terrace on the second floor, which can be climbed from the adjacent room. Eddie is tall and has long legs, so he easily climbed to the balcony next door and pulled the partition door in.
Jian Jing didn't want to let him enter the scene alone, so she followed him.
There was no one on the bed, and the bathroom door was closed. They entered the bathroom one after the other, and immediately saw Painter Chang slumped in the bathtub.
"Lisa?" Eddie rushed over and tried to hold her shoulders and call her.
But as soon as he stretched out his hand, Jian Jing quickly slapped it away.
He was surprised: "What are you doing?"
"She's been dead for a while, don't touch her." Jian Jing was mentally prepared and said calmly, "Be careful to protect the scene, call the police."
Eddie was still unable to react. He was stunned for a long time before muttering, "How is it possible? Lisa is dead?" He looked around and saw no blood or other traces. "How did she die?"
Jian Jing said: "We will know after the doctor comes."
He was silent, and went out with a pale face to inform others of the bad news: "Lisa is dead."
Everyone was extremely surprised and crowded to the bathroom door to take a look.
Jian Jing reacted quickly and immediately half-closed the door.
Writer Wu had been holding a grudge against her for a long time, and he would find fault with her at every turn, let alone now: "What are you doing?"
"Men stay away." Jian Jing refused to give in.
Kang Mucheng and Mr. Tao reacted quickly, retreated to the door, and asked her, "What happened? Did you faint or slip? Do you want to call an ambulance?"
Jian Jing's eyes lingered on everyone's face, and she said slowly, "The painter is dead."
"What?"
"real or fake?"
"What's going on?"
Everyone showed varying degrees of surprise, with Xiaotian and Xiaolu reacting even more with disbelief on their faces: "How could the master... Oh my God!"
They were at a loss: “What should we do?”
"Wait for the police to come." Jian Jing repeated.
It's not that she didn't want to start investigating immediately, but the participants in this case were rather special. Half of the people present were her seniors, and they had a distant relationship with her. It was difficult to convince them to hand the case over to her.
Therefore, the most reliable option is to wait for the police to arrive and cooperate with the investigation as an assistant.
Forty minutes later, the police arrived.
Although there is only one person, the speed is already very impressive.
"My last name is Liang, you can call me Officer Liang." The visitor was in her early twenties, with a pretty face and sharp eyes. She was a heroic young woman. "There was a series of car accidents in the town, and there were not enough police officers, so I had to be dispatched alone. The rest of the personnel will arrive in a few hours. Is there any problem?"
Mr. Tao opened his mouth and then closed it. He really wanted to ask why there was only one person, and a woman at that, but the way his question was answered made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Writer Wu was more direct: "I have an important job to do. When can I leave?"
"Until I finish my investigation, you can't leave." Officer Liang said decisively, "Now tell me your name and ID number, and the reason for your presence here."
She looked around at the people sitting in the living room, and said to Writer Wu: "Start with you."
Writer Wu was impatient, but Officer Liang touched the gun on his waist intentionally or unintentionally, so he had to be honest: "Wu Xing, I am a friend of Yang. The painter is going to hold a private exhibition this time, and I came here to support my friend."
Officer Liang pulled up the relevant information on his tablet computer and took notes quickly with his electronic pen.
"Tao Ling, I'm the editor-in-chief of Morning Star Publishing House, and I'm here to see the exhibition as well."
"Xia Xing, I came here with our CEO Tao."
"Tian Yi, I am the student of Master Tian, and I have been here all the time."
"Lu Yuan, I am also your student."
"Eddie, I'm Lisa's friend. I often come to stay here."
…
Everyone reported their identities and reasons. When it was Jian Jing's turn, Officer Liang also didn't say anything, but his gaze stayed on her for a while.
After everyone had registered, she said, "I'm going to check the scene now. Please stay here and don't walk around. Miss Jian, please follow me. I need someone to help take notes."
Jian Jing was a little surprised, but this suggestion hit the mark, so of course she wouldn't refuse: "Okay."
They went upstairs and into the bathroom.
Officer Liang then said, "Ms. Jian, according to regulations, at least two people are needed to respond to the call, but today's situation is special, so I can only temporarily seek assistance from the personnel on the scene. You have a high score in the police's internal system, and you have helped the police arrest suspects several times. You are the most suitable candidate."
Jian Jing blinked: Internal system, they have this thing
"Also," Officer Liang smiled for the first time after meeting them, "I'm Ji Feng's classmate. He mentioned you several times in the group. Can I trust you?"