"Whoa, whoa! Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, Miss Ai Li. I'm just following procedure, and questioning people is part of my duties. My transfer orders are all in order, too."
Xie Wenjie raised both hands. As he spoke, he drew his neck back in, abandoning that strange posture...
Ai Li felt that there was something very strange about the man before her, but she could find no fault with his words or the credentials he now produced. At least, she had no reason to attack him outright.
"Go back and knock. And please call me Ms. Ai Li."
"Of course, Ms. Ai Li."
Xie Wenjie smiled and backed out, then went to the doorway and knocked.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Will that do?"
Wang Man was at a loss. She didn't know what to do at a time like this, so she could only look toward the more experienced Ai Li.
"Ai Li, this man..."
"It's all right. I'm here." Ai Li looked at Wang Man and rested a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.
Ding Ke poked a head out and glared fiercely at Xie Wenjie, letting out a constant stream of meows.
"There's no need to be so nervous, Miss Wang Man. As I said, I'm just following procedure. I only want to ask about what happened with Song Xiaojia."
"They've already asked me so many times," Wang Man said quietly.
"I know many people have asked you the same questions, but there's nothing we can do. We still need to look for useful information in these scattered clues."
As Xie Wenjie spoke, he took his notebook out of his briefcase and sat in the chair beside Wang Man's bed.
Although they were close, they still maintained some distance.
That distance happened to be exactly what Ai