The Brain Science Case 85

Chapter 85: The Lonely Killer – 10

Returning home, Zhou Jinglin actually had a long conversation with the three of them.

“Are you sure you want to go to the night market?”

After all, the more people there were, the harder it would be to carry out the protection mission, and it would also give the culprit many opportunities.

“I want to show Changyun the delicious food of Taiwan, and I’m also super craving for some medicinal herb pork rib soup.” Zhou Jingxun put her hands together. “Please take us. I won’t tell my parents. As long as I’m okay, it’s fine, right?”

“How do you know if you’ll be okay if you haven’t gone yet…”

“But if we don’t go soon… Keys is coming the day after tomorrow. I’ve been very good these past few days. Just grant me this one small wish.”

She couldn’t refuse her. Zhou Jinglin ran her hands through her hair in frustration. “I’ll report it. Also, you have to cover your face the whole time. You absolutely cannot let anyone recognize you, okay?”

“Yes, sir.” Zhou Jingxun gave a salute, which drew a helpless but doting smile from her.

After reluctantly getting Fang Zijun’s permission, and repeatedly promising to be low-key, Zhou Jingxun’s long-awaited night market trip finally came to fruition.

They disguised themselves as tourists and spoke Korean the whole time, which made her, in her sharp suit, look like a professional local guide.

Fortunately, in recent years, the tourism exchange between Taiwan and Korea has been frequent, and the night market vendors now not only have English and Japanese, but even Korean signs are not uncommon. They blended in, and it was indeed not easy to recognize them at a glance.

“Oh, it’s so delicious.” After finally eating what she wanted, Zhou Jingxun was so moved she was almost in tears. She saw it and gave another helpless smile. Oh, she has no idea how much pressure the three of us police officers are under.

Vicky approached with a bowl of crispy stinky tofu. “Jinglin, you’re not eating?” she had specifically told her not to call her “Officer Zhou” beforehand.

“No, thanks. I’m not hungry.” How could she have the appetite to eat? And if she were holding food, how could she be ready to deal with any sudden situation?

“But those two…”

Zhou Jinglin followed Vicky’s short, fat finger and turned. It was better not to look. When she did, she almost threw up. The two big men were not only drinking bubble tea and eating chicken cutlets, but they were also chatting all the way, and they were even more than ten steps behind them. If it weren’t for the sparse crowd in the early evening, she would have almost lost sight of them.

She was wrong. Only she, who was in charge of the mission, was under pressure. These two were having a great time. And they were eating at the same time? Did they really think they were also here to browse the night market?

She was about to turn and scold them when Zhou Jingxun suddenly ran forward with Shi Changyun. “Sigh.” She could only resign herself to chasing after them.

“The styles sold here… are so similar to Dongdaemun.”

“Yes, a lot of the clothes at the night markets in Taiwan are Korean-style, and the quality is not bad.” Zhou Jingxun pushed up her disguise glasses and smiled.

“Really.”

Zhou Jinglin and Vicky followed. “Looking at clothes after eating?” she asked with a helpless expression.

“Yes, isn’t that what girls do when they go shopping?” Zhou Jingxun squinted, and it was easy to imagine that she must be smiling happily under her mask.

“I was thinking of getting out of here before the crowd gets bigger…”

“What retreat? It’s more fun to shop when there aren’t many people.” She picked up a short coat and held it up to Zhou Jinglin.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Fall and winter clothes are usually darker. This one is quite bright. And the white fur on the neck and pockets is very soft.” The owner of the stall emphasized “pure wool” on the side. “I’ve decided. I’m buying this for you, sister.”

That “sister” was so sweet, and Zhou Jingxun really did what she said. “W-Wait, you don’t have to buy me anything…”

“What’s the big deal? You’ve been taking good care of me these past few days. Besides, you always wear such dark clothes. You should change it up once in a while.”

The owner even took the opportunity to promote. “Thank you for your purchase. Would you like to look at scarves and gloves too? The cold front is coming soon.”

“Oh, scarves? Perfect. I can buy some for ‘them’ too.” She was referring to the other four members of Keys.

The owner quickly wrapped the coat and handed it to Zhou Jinglin. “Miss, come and take a look. These scarves are all new. They’re suitable for yourself or as a gift.”

“Look, sister. I think it’s not bad.”

At their urging, Zhou Jinglin couldn’t help but turn to other similar styles. One of them was a very elegant ice blue, with a soft, white tassel at the end.

As she touched the scarf, her mind couldn’t help but conjure up an image of Yingli wearing it. This light blue was very beautiful.

The tassel was reminiscent of a snowflake… and the style was also very similar to the earrings she wore.

She was so cute, yet she always wore all black. If she gave this to her, it would not only add a little color, but she also wouldn’t complain that the style was too young.

“I forgot to ask. Do you have a boyfriend, sister?” This question came out of nowhere and interrupted her imagination.

“A boyfr… no.” Yingli’s baby face flashed through her mind. She held her breath. “Why do you suddenly ask that?”

“I just think the way you’re looking at this scarf right now is like you’re looking at someone you like.” Zhou Jingxun gave a playful smile. “Ha, just kidding. This one is very nice. Are there any more?” she asked, turning to the stall owner.

“This is the last one. You have great taste, miss.” He didn’t forget to praise Zhou Jinglin.

“Are you going to buy it? If not, I will.”

Zhou Jinglin was flustered and held the scarf tighter. “Um… I’m going to buy it.”

After quickly paying, Zhou Jinglin carefully placed the scarf and the coat together, as if she were afraid someone would snatch them away.

“Tell me, you’re definitely going to give it to someone, right? Who are you giving it to?” Zhou Jingxun asked, holding her arm.

She pouted and casually said, “Just… a friend…”

“Are you sure there’s no other word in front of that?”

“No. Why do you keep asking?”

“Because your face really looks like you’re picking something out for your boyfriend. And this one is also very suitable for a man.”

“You’re overthinking it.” Zhou Jinglin pretended to be fierce. “Oh, just hurry up and buy your things. Honestly…”

Zhou Jingxun finally gave up. Taking advantage of the break, she looked up to find Cai Yuwei and Xiangrong’s location, but she was suddenly pushed hard from behind.

A man in a black hoodie was right behind her. This person’s movements were not right… she instinctively wanted to urge Zhou Jingxun to leave, but a scream suddenly came from the other side.

Shi Changyun had fallen, and had even knocked over a part of the shelf. She didn’t have time to figure out what was going on, but she quickly realized—their real target was Zhou Jingxun.

The moment the man bypassed her to find his target, the stall light clearly reflected the short knife in his hand.

In her haste, her only choice was to hold Zhou Jingxun tightly behind her.

The man rushed up again, and in the next second, she felt a sharp, tearing pain in her palm and waist.

“Sister.”

“Jinglin.”

A cacophony of screams instantly drowned her out.

**

“You… why did you come?”

“I came to take Andrew home. Someone told me you were here, so I came to see you.” During the conversation, Elena’s tone was calm and steady.

Miller looked at the glass, knowing that Yingli was definitely monitoring all of this. “Did my student ask you to come?” After the initial surprise, he quickly regained his composure. “Is she asking you to interrogate me on her behalf?”

“That’s not important. What’s important is what you did, George.” She slowly walked to her seat, her eyes fixed on him the whole time. “You forced Andrew to kill his assistant and then commit suicide, and you said it was all for me, right?”

Miller was shaken again. “Elena…”

Meanwhile, Fang Zijun, Chen Huomu, Yingli, and the others were all watching this interrogation.

“Amazing.” Although he only understood a part of it, the aura Elena was exuding was enough to make him cheer.

Yingli also agreed. “She is indeed amazing.” And her microphone was still not on.

As Chomsky’s widow, she believed that Elena definitely had something to say.

“Did the teacher teach her that?”

“I didn’t teach her that kind of pressure technique. It’s the madam’s own skill.” Pushing up her glasses, she couldn’t help but smile. “Miller is already under a lot of psychological pressure just by facing her. This time… he definitely can’t escape.”

Back in the interrogation room, Miller was defending himself. They had already heard all the fabricated stories before.

“…I couldn’t watch them be together behind your back.” He stated passionately. “Andrew hurt you too much. I couldn’t stand it.”

“Although it’s absurd… I already knew they were together.”

Elena’s right hand covered her wedding ring, and she said in a tone that was hard to read, “You judged Andrew with your own self-righteous morality.”

“No… no.”

Yingli stared at Miller’s expression and pressed the microphone. ‘Madam, now. You stare at him and say to him…’

Elena tapped the table with her finger. “Stop with the boring rhetoric. Tell me why you did it.”

“I’ve already said it. That’s the truth.”

“The truth?” After a moment’s pause, as if she were building up her emotions, she smiled. “You went to such lengths to get rid of Chomsky and Müller, not for yourself, but you’re blaming it on me?”

“If you say it’s for myself… it’s also because my heart has always been with you.”

For a moment, Elena was almost moved by his affectionate tone and gaze.

But the instructions continued to come through her earpiece. She took a deep breath and said, “I really want to say ‘thank you,’ that even in my old age, there is still such a man who is moved by me. But at this moment, I just want to say…”

Like a prisoner awaiting his sentence, his expression was stiff.

“I pity you, and that’s all.”

The right corner of his mouth and the corner of his eye instantly twitched.

Got him.

‘Madam, repeat that word… try to say it a few more times in the conversation.’

“What a despicable act. Even if you say it so beautifully, at this moment, besides pity, I can’t think of a second word to express my feelings for you. You used me to cover up your inner weakness, and you still want to deceive yourself. I pity you.”

This time, the twitch was even stronger. He covered his face and lowered his head as if he were enduring something.

“Even if Andrew cheated, you still love him deeply? Don’t forget how he has ignored you for so many years.”

She choked, her expression sad. “No, I have indeed changed toward him, and so has he. Everyone longs for an unchanging love, but that did not happen to us.”

This answer made Miller confused. “If that’s the case, then why…”

“Compared to this,” she interrupted, “I’m more interested in knowing, since when did you get a bitter, sour taste in your mouth like a lemon when you hear the word ‘pity’?”