We looked at her weeping and felt a pang of sympathy. Fortunately, she was in her own office at the moment; otherwise, people from other companies might have seen her.
Gao Mingqiang, perhaps moved, offered her a tissue. Luo Yi did not take it, merely lifting her head and fixing him with her sapphire-like eyes.
Then, Lu Yuanjia firmly held her arm. "Luo Yi, if you know anything, tell these police officers. Only they can help you now!"
"I know. Yuanjia, wait for me a moment."
After about five minutes, Luo Yi recovered a little and then said, "Actually, I also went to the graduation ceremony before Gan Qianlu had her accident, but I left early. Did you find traces of me on the surveillance footage?"
She wasn't hiding anything, so I cut straight to the chase. "Yes, you were standing outside the restroom with everyone else. But strangely, you weren't a graduate. Why were you wearing a graduation gown? Can you explain that?"
The question was quite obvious, but Luo Yi replied casually, "I didn't want to wear it, of course. I'm not a student there. But Gan Qianlu insisted, saying she'd seen me in Lolita dresses so much but never in a graduation gown. So, I wore it!"
"Is that so? You said you left early. But the surveillance shows you leaving not long before Gan Qianlu's accident. How do you explain that?"
"It was all a coincidence. I didn't know she would have an accident after I left. I swear I'm not lying to you."
"Can anyone prove you weren't in the restroom? You could have committed the crime at any moment," Liu Yuning said sternly.
Luo Yi shook her head. "I was with a few other girls the whole time. If you need to confirm, you can ask them."
We had already confirmed this before we came. I said, "Those girls said you were gone for about five minutes. According to you, you went to buy food, and you returned with it. The girls didn't pay much attention. After you put the food down, you suddenly got a phone call and said you had something urgent to attend to and left, asking them to inform Gan Qianlu."
"Yes, Xiao Lu called me then, saying I had to return immediately for some work matter. That's why I left at that time. Therefore, I have nothing to do with this case!"
I replied, "But these details still can't be confirmed. We make judgments based on investigation and evidence."
"Are you implying I'm a suspect? What can you find besides the surveillance footage? I really didn't do anything! Someone must have found an opportunity to frame me!"
I could see that Luo Yi's expression seemed normal and wronged, not at all like someone who had done something wrong. But judging solely on micro-expressions would be too hasty; I had made that mistake before. I decided not to press her further for now, planning to have her watched later.
When we came down, Liu Yuning, as if reading my mind, said, "Then let Xiahou keep an eye on her!"
"Yes, Xiahou, please take care of this."
"You can count on me!"
With that, we went to a nearby inn. We planned to stay in Shaihai Town for the time being. Based on the clues we had gathered so far, Miss Luo Yi was the most suspicious, followed by the tailor, Lu Yuanjia.
Given his build, he could easily impersonate Luo Yi. They were involved in Lolita fashion, so their makeup skills wouldn't be bad. With a bit of disguise, the two of them could even switch identities.
Hearing my hypothesis, Liu Yuning, who was lying on my bed, suddenly sat up and looked out the window at the serene night view of the town. "That's right. This city was originally a Lolita cultural exchange district, but for some reason, it always feels somber. Look at the streetlights. They are crystal clear and colorful in rows, but the shadows below are particularly mottled and hazy."
"Yes, these streetlights are said to be kerosene lamps from the Qing Dynasty, when electricity wasn't available yet."
"So they are very old street lamps. This town really has a long history."
"Hahaha, there was no Lolita back then, of course. But they were all designed in old Western styles. In fact, this place used to be home to designers, known as a paradise for artists."
"Such a nice name? Did you read this in the records?"
"Mmm, but whether it's true or not, we'd know if we went to the local library."
We sat on the windowsill, chatting and drinking juice. We didn't dare to drink alcohol at this time, as we were always worried about a case suddenly breaking out. I rested for a while, and soon Liu Yuning went to take a bath.
We had been intimate recently without any contraception, but she showed no signs of pregnancy. I didn't know what was going on with Yu Ning, perhaps the stress of work was too much.
However, while she was bathing, I suddenly saw a string of pills next to her bag. When I picked them up, I realized she had been using contraception all along. No wonder. When she came out, I said, "You're still not mentally prepared?"
I was holding the pills when I spoke. Liu Yuning walked over to me somewhat awkwardly, discarding her towel. "In a little while longer, okay? My dear husband, I still want to have more fun!"
"Alright, we'll talk about it after this case is over!"
"Thank you, my lord husband, for your mercy!"
"Uh, don't act like a Lolita with me! It gives me goosebumps. I'm not used to you like this. I preferred your fierce demeanor from before! Back then, you used to pinch my ears."
"We're married now. How can I treat you like that?" Liu Yuning couldn't help but laugh out loud when reminded of past embarrassments.
Her smile was like a flower, her flushed face like a ripe apple, making me want to take a bite. I quietly admired her exquisite beauty, captivated and lost in the moment.
I don't know how many years have passed, but I can still recall the tender words we exchanged that night, and the slightly shy looks of each other taking deep breaths. What were we still shy about? It wasn't our first time. If it was at the beginning, perhaps there would have been some nervousness.