"You should ask them," Luo Yi replied.
"What did Director Li say to you?"
Luo Yi frowned. "Who's Director Li?"
"The one who led the group that caught you—the director of academic affairs," Zhou Taifu explained. "Her surname is Li, so she's Director Li."
Luo Yi looked even more bewildered. "There wasn't any director. It was just those three female security guards. You've all seen them."
"Hiss—"
The fat man sucked in a breath. This wasn't how the story was supposed to go.
But since Luo Yi had said as much, there wasn't anything else they could do. Judging by their expressions, though, no one believed him.
They all assumed he was keeping something to himself.
In the end, they parted on bad terms.
After returning to their room, Zhen Jianren pressed himself against the door and listened quietly for several minutes. Once he was sure no one was eavesdropping, he went over to Luo Yi's bed and sat down.
He raised his chin and said slowly, "You can talk now."
Unexpectedly—
"I'm telling the truth," Luo Yi said helplessly, spreading his hands. "There really weren't any clues there. I was just about to leave when several female security guards rushed in and caught me."
"They locked the door and gave me a thorough beating without saying a word."
"Then you all showed up."
"Clack!"
Jiang Cheng tossed the duck bone he'd been gnawing on into a bag, then turned to the fat man. "Fatty, help me open this iced tea. My hands are greasy."
The fat man unscrewed the bottle and handed it over. Jiang Cheng took it and gulped down several big swallows, which eased the numbing spiciness in his mouth.
"Fatty," Jiang Cheng asked, wrestling with a duck head, "aren't you going to eat?"
The fat man