Officer Liang spent nearly two hours to finally complete the record of everyone. The last person was Jian Jing, who handed over the tablet computer and said with emotion: "It seems that the situation is more complicated than I thought."
Jian Jing was very curious and started reading quickly.
Around eight o'clock yesterday evening, Jian Jing and others left one after another, leaving Mr. Tao, Writer Wu, Kang Mucheng and Painter Chang to continue drinking.
After drinking until about nine o'clock, Writer Wu went to the bathroom to vomit for a while, and was helped back to the room by President Tao to rest. A quarter of an hour later, he returned to the living room, but only Kang Mucheng was there, and his face was not looking good.
He asked Kang Mucheng where Painter Chang had gone. Kang Mucheng replied, "She drank too much and went back to rest first."
Mr. Tao didn't care and continued to chat and drink with Kang Mucheng.
The two chatted about work for a while, and around 10 o'clock, they had dumplings together for a midnight snack. During the meal, they both mentioned that there seemed to be a dispute upstairs, and one of the people was Painter Chang.
But they didn't want to mind their own business, so after eating at half past ten, they both left.
Mr. Tao immediately went back to his room to sleep and did not wake up until around nine o'clock the next day.
Kang Mucheng's behavior was more complicated: he received a call after supper and stayed in the restaurant for dozens of minutes. Afterwards, Painter Chang came downstairs to find him, and the two of them sat in the study.
A little after twelve o'clock, he returned to his room, finished some work, and then fell asleep.
Writer Wu claimed that he returned to his room after getting drunk and never saw Painter Chang again until he and everyone else discovered the body the next day.
Xiaolu and Xiaotian left at eight o'clock and went to the studio to paint. Xiaolu painted until ten o'clock and returned to his room, while Xiaotian painted until after eleven o'clock.
Xia Tianxin and Jian Jing were similar. After the meeting, they went straight back to their rooms to sleep and knew nothing.
The overall timeline is as follows:
20:00 Jian Jing and Xia Tianxin return to their room, while Xiaolu and Xiaotian paint
20:00-21:00 Chang, Wu, Tao, and Kang drink
21:20 Writer Wu returns to his room
21:30 Painter Chang returned to his room, leaving Kang Mucheng alone
21:30-22:30 Tao and Kang drink and have a midnight snack, then go back to their room. During this time, they hear Painter Chang arguing with someone.
Around 22:00, Eddie and Painter Chang talked for a while.
22:30-23:20 Kang receives a call in the restaurant, Xiaotian returns to his room
23:20-00:30 Kang and painter Chang talked in the study, then went back to their rooms
07:00-07:30 Kang gets up for breakfast and meets Jian Jing
07:30-12:20 Jian, Xia, and Tian enter the mountain
09:00 Eddie goes out to town
14:00 Eddie comes back and everyone finds the body
Also, at 12:20, Jian Jing returned to the hotel and the system issued a task, which confirmed that Painter Chang had died before that.
"There's something wrong with Kang Mucheng." Officer Liang said, "Something must have happened between him and the painter."
Jian Jing nodded and asked, "Do you want to ask him directly?"
Officer Liang looked sharp: "What's the problem?"
"What? But he will most likely talk to you. But there's a lawyer present, so he can't talk to you more." Jian Jing could fully imagine Kang Mucheng's reaction.
Officer Liang understood. She was not rigid, and after thinking for a moment, she asked, "Why don't you go and ask?"
"There is no guarantee of success." Jian Jing was also unsure.
"Try it first."
"OK."
After exchanging information, the two separated again.
Jian Jing found Kang Mucheng at work in the lounge. He was looking at a report, and when he saw her coming, he asked directly, "Are you here to ask me?"
"Why do you ask?" she was surprised.
"You have a good relationship with the police." Kang Mucheng said calmly, "It's normal for her to ask you to help with the investigation. Ask whatever you want to ask me."
Jian Jing said: "If you don't want to talk to me, I don't have to ask. Because no matter how true it is, I believe it's not you."
The frost on Kang Mucheng's face faded slightly, and he said, "Of course it's not me."
"I'm very curious," Jian Jing didn't ask, but kept talking to herself, "Among the people present today, is there anyone who has ever had a grudge against her?"
Kang Mucheng glanced at her and sneered, "I don't know her, so it wouldn't be surprising if she did."
"What?"
"People who flirt with other women are more likely to get into trouble."
Jian Jing raised her eyebrows. She leaned forward, shortening the distance between them: "Mr. Kang, I want to ask you a question."
Kang Mucheng: "Ask."
"You don't want to tell me what happened last night. Do you think I can't be trusted, or..." She asked hesitantly, "embarrassment?"
Kang Mucheng paused.
He had to admit that she was right.
It's embarrassing.
Actually, there was nothing wrong with what happened last night, and he had done nothing wrong. It was just that he had always treated Jian Jing like a child, and subconsciously avoided some sensitive topics.
But at this moment, looking into her bright eyes, he finally realized that his thoughts were inaccurate.
He was used to listening to her talk, giving her care and advice, but, at some point, she was no longer a child who needed care.
He could talk to her and get her help.
Although... this is not easy to accept, it is true.
Kang Mucheng rubbed his temples, silently calculated the time and energy required to find a lawyer, and finally decided to take a more effective approach.
"Ok, I can tell you what happened last night." He thought for a moment and said as tactfully as possible, "After Mr. Tao sent writer Wu away, the painter and I had some unpleasant disagreements. She wanted to... talk to me again, but I refused. She was very unhappy and went back to her room directly."
Jian Jing nodded silently, thinking: It's so complicated, doesn't it mean he wants to sleep with you
Of course, she must not show her complaints. She asked solemnly, "Does she have any abnormalities?"
"She was just very angry." Kang Mucheng replied, "But you can also see that she was in a bad mood. At around eleven o'clock, she came to me again and wanted to talk to me."
Jian Jing really wanted to ask, "Aren't you afraid that he will make a comeback?", but luckily she held back.
"I wanted to refuse, it's late." Kang Mucheng saw through her doubts and explained, "But she still wants to talk to me about Yangguan's posthumous work, so I will agree."
Workaholics talk about work, and it’s never too late.
Jian Jing thought of this: "Yangguan? Is he the painter's husband?"
"Yangguan's real name is Yang Guan. He died of cancer two years ago." Kang Mucheng said, "But the copyright of all his works is in the hands of the painter. She wants to publish a collection that includes his unpublished posthumous works."
Jian Jing suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Kang Mucheng was willing to stay in the middle of the night. The temptation was too great.
"We have been discussing this matter," he said. "We talked about a lot, and then I went back to my room. You heard me typing on the keyboard later, right? I was writing a plan."
It all makes sense. Jian Jing pondered and asked, "Where did you talk about this?"
"The little study upstairs."
"What is it that the painter suddenly wants to publish?"
Kang Mucheng thought carefully for a moment and said, "She should have been working on Yangguan's posthumous work and just finished it recently. But you insisted..."
He frowned and thought for a long time before saying, "She mentioned that she had hesitated before whether to put some letters in there. She originally didn't plan to do so in order to avoid making enemies with others, but now she has decided to put them in."
This is a huge clue.
Jian Jing became interested: "What letter?"
"It should be a private letter. After many writers pass away, their families will release some letters as appropriate." Kang Mucheng was obviously more interested when talking about his work. "People are very interested in the private lives of writers. This kind of letter collection usually sells well. Yangguan's personal experience is very interesting, and the response should be good."
Jian Jing didn't try to cover it up and stood up immediately: "I'll go look for it. Mr. Kang, if you remember anything else, remember to tell me right away."
As she cried, she made pleading gestures.
Kang Mucheng was helpless and amused: "Why are you so positive?"
"I'm happy to get justice for the deceased and to have the truth revealed. It feels great." Jian Jing summed up her feelings.
Kang Mucheng couldn't help laughing and waved his hand: "Okay, go ahead. It would be best if it can be resolved today, so I can still catch up with the meeting tomorrow afternoon."
Jian Jing: “…”
Fine.
She told Officer Liang about this clue, and they were both very excited and started searching immediately.
Things like letters were most likely stored in the study. They opened all the boxes and drawers in the study, and soon found the manuscript that Painter Chang had prepared.
A thick stack.
Officer Liang backed off: "You are a writer. Just wait and see. I will search to see if there is any other evidence."
She flipped through the catalog, removed the long essays, and only sorted out the excerpts of letters, reading them one by one.
There were about ten letters in total, seven or eight of which were love letters to Painter Chang.
When writers get coquettish, they are terrifying. These love letters were written passionately and Jian Jing read them with great interest.
"Dear Lisa, I have made it clear to Ruth that I will divorce her no matter what, and she can raise our daughter. As long as we don't divorce, my body will not be free, and as long as I am not free, I will not have the face to pursue you. I know in my heart that you are a woman of principle and will never allow yourself to be entangled with a married man. I am also ashamed to be a promiscuous person who plays two women at the same time. My body and mind belong to you alone."
"In the past ten years, I have been in a daze, like a walking corpse. I don't know what the meaning of today is, nor do I know where to go when I wake up tomorrow... Until that day, I met you by the lake. The wind was good and the light was bright. At that moment, it was as if a god had descended and enlightened my dusty heart with the willow branches. Then I knew, oh, my whole life was just to wait for you..."
Yang Guan's writing style has always been known for its simplicity and depth. Who would have thought that his love letters could be written so unrestrainedly and passionately? It's really eye-opening.
However, no matter how cheesy these letters were, they were private matters between the couple and could not be considered as enmity.
Let’s look at the others.
The remaining five or six letters were replies to friends.
"I haven't heard from my brother's family for a long time. I don't know if they are doing well or if their children are having difficulties... Although I am not related by blood, we are like brothers. I have published several articles and the expenses are not bad. If you have any difficulties, I am willing to do my best to help..."
"… I met with Brother XXX and learned that Brother Wu has been quite proud recently… He is proud of his literary talent and has always looked down on Brother XXX. I want to reconcile them, but I dare not contact him rashly. However, I don't care about the old grudges, but I can't let go of Brother Wu… "
"I heard that my sister has a new daughter. I am so happy to have a baby, so I specially asked a silversmith to make a silver lock. We are just ordinary people, and we don’t ask for a long-lasting beauty, but I hope that she will live a safe and happy life..."
Jian Jing was a little confused about who Brother So-and-so and Brother So-and-so were. Fortunately, the messages were not very important, and she was very familiar with the most sinister one.
Writer Wu was mentioned.
She thought Yang Guan and writer Wu were friends, but that didn't seem to be the case, as they had some "old ties".