Adorable Mascot

Chu Tian turned his head in confusion and stared at Gu Shiyan. "What are you laughing at?"

"Hm?" Gu Shiyan met his gaze with a perfectly serious expression. "You must have heard wrong."

Half believing him, Chu Tian turned back, thinking he might have imagined it.

The time for gathering evidence passed quickly. Chu Tian only had time to visit three crime scenes that interested him before the director announced through a loudspeaker that the first round of evidence gathering was over.

Chu Tian looked back with every step, reluctantly leaving the scene.

When he arrived at the meeting room, he saw Qian Feihe sitting in the seat of honor with the sour expression of an entitled old man. His partner, Tian Qianqian, sat as far away from him as possible, her face dark with anger.

Chu Tian looked around, then sat opposite Tian Qianqian, likewise as far from Qian Feihe as possible. He did not even try to hide it.

The other two guests shared their evidence first, slapping photo after photo onto the wall.

Chu Tian took one look and immediately sat up straight, bracing himself—nearly half the evidence they had posted was related to him.

"Family doctor" Song Qiang spoke first. "We searched the young master's room and found some evidence related to his background. Could the young master explain what 'I know everything' in this diary refers to? Is it related to your own origins? And this photograph..."

Song Qiang was so tall and muscular that he looked somewhat clumsy. With a face full of fierce-looking flesh and a menacing appearance, he had been limited by his looks to playing bit parts and distinctive supporting roles for more than a decade since entering the industry.

His personality, however, was the complete opposite. He was gentle and patient, clear-headed, and considerate toward his partner.

Wen Lan, the girl playing the chef, was an amateur with the air and appearance of a mature, commanding beauty. The two had not drawn much traffic during the evidence-gathering process, and their investigation had been plain and uneventful. However, their seamless coordination while organizing the clues was quite eye-catching and won over many viewers.

After explaining the evidence they had found about Chu Tian, they handed the floor to him and asked him to answer.

"Yes, you guessed right. I was indeed adopted by them," Chu Tian said cautiously, rapidly reviewing the contents of his character card in his mind. "But I only learned this news yesterday at noon, and my family was murdered that night. If it were me, there would not have been enough time to arrange a murder plan in such a short period."

"Besides, you only found evidence that I knew about my origins. You have no other evidence proving that I had a motive. Most importantly, we have not had time to search the study yet, but the three victims in the back garden and bedroom all died from knife wounds, killed in a single strike. I'm merely a pampered, delicate young master. I don't have that kind of ability."

Chu Tian's reasoning was clear, and his rebuttal was logical and well-supported. He successfully convinced the other guests for the time being.

Only Gu Shiyan, upon hearing the words "delicate and weak," could not help sweeping his gaze over Chu Tian's body before calmly looking away as if nothing had happened.

His little movement, which he thought was well concealed, did not escape the camera. The livestream chat was once again flooded with comments of "I ship it."

At the same time, everyone was surprised and delighted by Chu Tian's ability to defend himself.

He looked adorable and completely harmless, more like a mascot than a main force in solving the case. This defense completely overturned everyone's first impression of him.

With Chu Tian temporarily cleared, Song Qiang and Wen Lan turned their attention to Qian Feihe as their next main target for evidence gathering.

Qian Feihe wore the same foul expression of an entitled old man. He lifted his eyelids, glanced at the evidence on the wall, and let out a contemptuous snort.

Only someone as good-tempered as Song Qiang could receive that kind of attitude and merely smile gently before getting to the point.

"The gardener was only hired a week ago. We found a detective license in his room, which suggests that his job as a gardener may have been a cover and that his true identity is a private detective. May I ask who hired the detective, why he came to the manor, and what he was investigating?"

"What does it have to do with you?" Qian Feihe spread his hands, openly displaying an infuriatingly uncooperative attitude. "If you're so capable, go find it yourself. Before you uncover the key evidence, I refuse to provide detailed information."

Song Qiang's expression stiffened. He had not expected Qian Feihe to be such a troublesome thorn in the side, and he instinctively looked toward where the director was standing off-camera.

Wen Lan frowned slightly and naturally took over, helping Song Qiang out. "We cracked the gardener's lockbox and found a bankbook inside. It clearly showed that the latest deposit was a transfer from someone else, totaling one million. We checked the sending account and discovered that the account holder was the deceased Master Huai, enough to prove that some sort of transaction existed between you."

Having seen Qian Feihe's behavior just now, Wen Lan could not be bothered wasting words on him and directly drew a conclusion based on the evidence.

"The gardener concealed his identity to work at the manor, and this unexplained transaction record may very well be his motive for murder. But more evidence is needed through further investigation. Based solely on the current evidence and my personal opinion, he is highly suspicious and will be the key target of my next search."

As soon as Wen Lan finished speaking, Qian Feihe's face turned green.

If his agent had not been frantically gesturing and signaling to remind him that this was a livestream, Qian Feihe would have nearly lost his temper and quit the recording.

Ever since gaining a little popularity, everything had gone smoothly for him. He had grown accustomed to being catered to and praised by others.

Yet after coming onto this miserable show, the scene of being surrounded by admirers that Qian Feihe had imagined never appeared. His spotlight had been stolen, he was being targeted, and every moment he wanted to flip the table and leave.

The second group, Chu Tian and Gu Shiyan, took their turn sharing evidence.

They had mainly searched three places: the back garden, the mistress's bedroom, and the maid's room.

Aside from discussing the methods of death and their guesses regarding the three victims, Chu Tian directed his attention toward Tian Qianqian.

"We found a hospital record. Its main contents stated that the maid suffered a miscarriage and severe hemorrhaging due to an accident, resulting in the removal of her uterus and leaving her unable to have children again. We also opened a locked cabinet in her room and found a diary. It contained some fragmented entries, and after piecing them together, we reached a conclusion—"

Though he knew it was merely part of the script, Chu Tian still could not help giving Tian Qianqian a sympathetic look. Even his voice unconsciously lowered.

"Were you ever coerced by the master? That child... was his? Could you share the reason for the miscarriage?"

Tian Qianqian's eyes immediately reddened, and her gaze went blank as though she had fallen into her memories.

"You guessed right. I was forced. That night, the master drank too much while entertaining guests and broke into my room... Afterward, he used it to threaten me. If I did not obey, he would tell everyone that I had seduced him. My younger brother was seriously ill and was receiving treatment at a hospital under the master's name. I couldn't lose this job... Later, I discovered that I was pregnant."