After dealing with Mr. B, there was still Mr. C to handle.
Mr. C was introduced by a relative, the son of a wealthy businessman. He had no particular hobbies except for playing video games and was quite extravagant, always willing to buy things for girls.
Jian Jing was forced to add him on WeChat, initially planning to delete him after a day. However, they ended up playing the same mobile game and occasionally teamed up to climb the ranks.
The man himself was indifferent about marriage and still wanted to play the field. Jian Jing thought of him as a way to appease her relatives, and they were currently half-friends at best.
Mr. D was a WeChat contact added during a school training session to share materials. He then started forwarding various random articles from public accounts to her.
In the past, she might have been more lenient, but now, Jian Jing immediately blocked him.
She spent an entire class period filtering through her social connections, yet still couldn't figure out which acquaintance might want to kill her.
Murder isn't something that happens overnight.
Unless the killer is mentally ill, they should be well aware that the price of murder is extremely high. Unless absolutely necessary, one shouldn't take this step.
If the killer was acting out of rage due to unrequited love, they should have done something prior to the murder. For instance, stalking her, following her, or even breaking into her home.
Jian Jing repeatedly tried to recall if there were any such signs in her life, but the answer was: none.
Given the number of cases she had encountered, this intuition was at least 80% reliable.
So, was it possible that the murderous intent wasn't in the past, but in something she would do in the next few days?
That didn't seem right either.
Today was Friday, tomorrow Saturday, and the day after Sunday.
Although she couldn't remember exactly what she did, given her mundane daily routine, how could she possibly provoke someone to murder?
Could it be that she was simply unlucky and stumbled upon a random killing?
As the class ended, Jian Jing packed up her things and left.
The students were buzzing with gossip.
"Teacher Jian seems to be in a bad mood today."
"Did she break up with someone?"
"It must be because of Teacher Jin."
"I heard she's the other woman."
"Bullshit, I just went to the bathroom and overheard Teacher Jian scolding Teacher Jin," the well-informed girl immediately came to her defense, imitating Jian Jing's tone perfectly, "She said, 'I don't even have the interest to toy with the feelings of a man like that.'"
The girls exclaimed, "Teacher Jian is so cool!"
A boy objected, "Isn't that wrong? How can she talk about toying with someone's feelings?"
The girls emphasized, "She said she doesn't even have the interest to do so."
They began to criticize Teacher Jin, completely derailing the conversation.
Meanwhile, Jian Jing opened the school computer, ignoring the numerous chat windows on QQ, and searched for news online.
Random killings fall into two categories: one where the killer is mentally disturbed and goes on a stabbing spree in public, and another that she was more familiar with – serial killings.
The latter was easy to distinguish by the method of killing.
However, Jian Jing had died once, yet she had no idea how she had died.
She only knew that she had been knocked unconscious, and in a hazy state, felt the blade piercing her flesh. The next moment, she completely lost consciousness.
Was she stabbed to disguise it as a robbery, or was the killer planning to dismember her, or perhaps trying to make it look like suicide?
Sigh, the downside of having too much experience was that she could easily come up with countless possibilities.
After searching for a while, she found two police announcements worth considering.
Five days ago, police discovered a drowned female body by the river, identity unknown, and were seeking information from the public.
Such unidentified bodies were also troublesome for killers to investigate, as it was impossible to rule out the victim's social connections.
Three days ago, a woman was found stabbed in her home, fortunately discovered by neighbors in time and sent to the hospital for treatment. The police considered her boyfriend a prime suspect and were currently in hot pursuit.
Jian Jing searched further.
Nothing more.
Yes, nothing more.
This peaceful city was truly peaceful. Most police announcements were about subway upskirt photography, molestation on buses, or lost dogs finding their way to the police station by themselves.
Homicides? One per month would be considered serious.
Jian Jing closed the page, feeling strangely unaccustomed.
"Teacher Jian, want to have lunch together?" a female teacher called out.
Jian Jing replied, "Sure."
She filled her tray with her usual portion of food.
The female teacher was shocked: "Teacher Jian, you're eating this much? Not dieting anymore?"
Jian Jing retorted, "To hell with dieting."
In fact, her previous dieting attempts were mostly just talk, a sort of social activity among women – discussing which snacks had lower calories, which meals were less fattening. She never really restricted her diet intentionally.
But now, she had completely abandoned the idea of healthy eating and dieting. She ate what she wanted, at most controlling her sugar intake.
A male teacher at the next table chimed in, "Men don't like women who are too fat, you know."
Jian Jing scoffed, "Please, men just like pretty women." She paused, then admitted, "Women like good-looking men too."
"Men shouldn't just look at appearance. They should consider responsibility and commitment to family," the male teacher expressed his different opinion.
Jian Jing retorted, "Is that your principle for choosing men?"
The male teacher clarified, "I mean for you women."
"Oh, so you're teaching me how to choose a man?" Jian Jing questioned, "You have experience in that?"
The male teacher immediately backpedaled, "I was just saying. Why are you being so aggressive?"
The female teacher, annoyed, countered, "You butted into our conversation and started lecturing..."
She wanted to argue further, but Jian Jing pulled her back.
This topic would never be resolved. If they couldn't win the argument, they would just say, "No man will like you if you're this fierce," and claim a moral victory.
So Jian Jing just raised an eyebrow and gave him a look, saying, "Is it any of your business?"
It was strange. Earlier, she was having a pleasant conversation, and the male teacher couldn't resist giving his unsolicited advice, acting somewhat superior. But now, as she glanced at him with more white showing in her eyes than black, making her gaze appear even more bright and beautiful, he suddenly became timid.
He laughed awkwardly, "Oh, I was just kidding. Don't be angry, Teacher Jian."
The female teacher, witnessing the whole scene, felt both annoyed and amused, and had a moment of realization.
When men encounter a beautiful woman who seems approachable, they tend to adopt a condescending attitude and try to take advantage, regardless of their own worth. But if the beauty proves to be thorny and not easily bullied, they suddenly become self-aware, realizing they're out of their league, and turn into fawning sycophants.
She had learned something new.
Jian Jing ignored him, finished her lunch, and even went to the small shop to buy an ice-cold cola.
She taught another class in the afternoon and then was called to a meeting.
By the time the meeting ended, it was almost time for school to let out.
Mr. B called, saying he was already at the school gate, and asked when she would be off work.
Jian Jing said, "Right now."
There was no evening self-study today, so she quickly packed up and left.
At the school gate, a Lamborghini attracted the attention of many teachers and students.
"Teacher Jian," Mr. B, oh, his name was Zhou Zisheng, waved at Jian Jing, "Over here."
Jian Jing struggled to cross the crowded street. She missed her body with 8 points in agility, feeling indifferent to the people around her. She commented absent-mindedly, "Parking here is a bit congested."
"It's fine, we're not in a hurry," Zhou Zisheng looked at her outfit, "Is this what you're wearing? Let me take you to buy a cocktail dress."
Jian Jing was casually dressed in a shirt and jeans, with no makeup, relying solely on her natural beauty.
"Aren't you guys an internet company?" She detested the idea of wearing waist-cinching, chest-squeezing dresses for every award ceremony and firmly refused, "Isn't wearing cocktail dresses a bit old-fashioned?"
Zhou Zisheng was taken aback.
Today's party was just a casual cocktail reception, not requiring such formal attire. But by suggesting it, he was subtly trying to show off his status and position. He didn't expect her to shut him down with one word: "old-fashioned."
But he recovered quickly: "It's not about being old-fashioned or not. It's about dressing appropriately for the occasion. You might not understand, given the simple environment at school."
Jian Jing inwardly scoffed. If it weren't for her need to investigate the source of the murderous intent, she would have gotten out of the car right then.
Zhou Zisheng glanced at her, feeling a bit unsettled. After a while, he said, "There will be quite a few people at the event today. That small-time celebrity, what's his name... oh, Xue Zhe, he's quite popular recently. There will be a few other friends too. Don't worry, it's not a business meeting, just a casual dinner and chat."
Jian Jing mused, "Xue Zhe..." The name sounded vaguely familiar, but who was he again?
She couldn't recall.
He probably wasn't that famous then.
The reception was held in a restaurant at a five-star hotel, decorated elegantly with flowers, champagne, and hors d'oeuvres.
The waitstaff moving about wore black and white uniforms and spoke politely. Soft background music played as guests dressed casually - some in smart-casual blazers and dresses, others in plaid shirts and khakis.
The May weather was getting warm. As soon as Jian Jing entered, she drank a glass of ice water before observing those around her.
Without her high-level observation card, information gathering was much slower.
She saw: a female executive in a Chanel suit, Zhou Zisheng's partner; a forty-something man with graying hair, reportedly an investor; a trendy young man with slicked-back hair and an expensive watch; a portly middle-aged man, unremarkable in all aspects but treated deferentially by others, who glanced at Jian Jing several times; and a shy young man in a plaid shirt, keeping to himself in a corner while eating.
Some brought companions, others came alone. With their employees, matchmaking friends, and friends of friends, it was quite lively.
Was this where the murderous intent originated?
Jian Jing reflected on her actions last time.
She disliked such gatherings and wanted to leave early, but the celebrity hadn't arrived, so she couldn't get an autograph and had to sit idly.
Who would want to kill her for that? Unable to make sense of it, she decided to mingle and investigate.
The banquet hall wasn't large. Turning left for a drink, she overheard the investor trying to poach the female executive partner, who politely declined.
The investor said meaningfully, "You're so loyal to Zhou Zisheng, but he doesn't want to make you his wife."
"Being a partner means dividends. Being a wife doesn't necessarily guarantee that," the executive smiled slightly.
Turning right, she saw the portly middle-aged man asking Zhou Zisheng, "Young Zhou, won't you introduce us?"
Zhou Zisheng said, "This is Jian Jing, my friend. She's here to enjoy the party."
"Oh, what do you do, Miss Jian?" the man asked eagerly.
Jian Jing replied, "I'm a teacher."
"Ah, teaching is such a stable job for young women," he praised, then probed, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Zhou Zisheng interjected, "I'm still working on it."
The middle-aged man said, "Young Zhou is successful. You'd make a handsome couple." Then, seeing Zhou Zisheng engaged in conversation with others, he handed Jian Jing a business card, "Miss Jian, I'm Zhao from XX Law Firm. Feel free to call me if you need anything."
Jian Jing asked, "What kind of cases do you handle?"
The middle-aged man replied, "I mainly deal with civil cases."
Jian Jing looked disappointed, "I'm only interested in criminal cases."
Surprised, the man asked, "Why would a young woman like you be interested in such things?"
"Personal interest," she said evasively. "I'm going to stand over there for a bit."
Without taking his card, she walked away.
She had just reached the window to rest when someone approached with a champagne glass, saying casually, "Lawyer Zhao is a renowned attorney in China. Most people have to pay just to meet him."
Jian Jing replied, "My time is valuable too. I don't want to waste it on people I'm not interested in - who are you?"