Shi Nian jumped in shock and quickly retreated behind the sofa, watching him warily from behind the sofa.
"Mr. Tang! I’m having a serious discussion with you about the recent murder!"
Her serious look made him sigh lightly. He raised his chin slightly, squinting at her: "Alright, then let’s seriously discuss the murder. But if it turns out that I’m right and you’re wrong... you must agree to let me punish you then."
"Why?!" Shi Nian, unwilling to concede, replied, "Even if Mr. Tang is a genuine guest professor, I’m not really your student! At most, I’m your partner. What gives you the right to punish me?"
He laughed, approached the sofa, and leaned over, placing his hand on the backrest she used for defense: "Alright, then let’s not talk about punishment... Sleeping Beauty, tell me, do you want this case solved?"
"Of course!" Shi Nian replied without hesitation.
She felt guilty about S’s death. If she hadn’t heard anything last night, it would be fine, but knowing she heard yet didn’t get up, she couldn’t reconcile it with her conscience.
"Alright, then let’s talk about rewards." He squinted and gazed at her: "If I can help quickly solve the case, then reward me—hmm," he paused slightly, his eyes skimming over her as if assessing whether she could bear it, "let me kiss you, alright?"
Her heart skipped a beat, and Shi Nian quickly turned her head, pretending to be focused on the view of the large lawn and artificial lake outside the glass curtain wall.
"Kangchuan University has an intriguing story: there’s a family of ill-tempered swans living on that artificial lake."
While Shi Nian was momentarily distracted, she didn’t realize his gentle whisper was already close to her ear!
Shi Nian glanced back, shocked, discovering he had silently moved around the sofa while she was briefly inattentive and was now standing beside her!
It was all thanks to the long-pile carpet with light gray and white arc stripes, matching the wall’s color, perfectly absorbing his footsteps so she heard nothing.
She gasped in shock and hurriedly stepped back two steps, involuntarily asking, "Wh-what story?"
Her flustered state amused him greatly.
She was no longer the determined female reporter who used to pursue him relentlessly for an interview; now, she had become a timid little rabbit, scared away by the slightest breeze.
Her longing always seemed to vanish like a clay ox in the sea. He felt a slight twinge of despondency, but in truth, he was more delighted inwardly. The rightful source is NoveI(F)ire.net
The reason she was so "afraid" of him, needing to maintain a safety distance when alone with him to feel at ease, proved she was aware of his strong presence and influence over her.
And this "fear" of hers was not genuine terror but a form of emotional shyness.
She was too concerned about her married status, too bound by the Eastern concepts restricting women. She was also confused by the so-called gratitude of the Xiang Family towards her and her mother, afraid she might not resist him, fearing she might cross the line and commit a grave mistake.
This inability to face him calmly showed she already cared about him.
With this thought, he felt much better.
He smiled, relaxing his brows, and looked out through the glass curtain wall as well, "There are swans living on the artificial lake. Both faculty and students cherish them, often feeding them while boating on the lake. This peaceful coexistence lasted many years, until the peace was broken a few years ago."
"Oh?" Shi Nian, intrigued by the topic, relaxed her gaze, becoming less guarded: "The swans, what happened to them?"
Such beautiful creatures—what unpleasant events could possibly occur?
Tang Yanqing shrugged: "There was a bad-tempered swan named Bsbo that started dominating the lake. Even faculty and students boating weren’t spared; it would snatch bread from alongside the boat, bite passengers, and even try to steal passengers’ backpacks."
"Wow!" Shi Nian, surprised, couldn’t help but laugh. Who would’ve thought that such mild and lovely creatures would have an occasional rogue among them?
"Later, the board ordered campus security to drive Bsbo out of the campus. Everyone thought they could finally relax, but the following year, a swan with the same bad temper appeared on the lake, attacking in exactly the same way as Bsbo."
"Haha?" Shi Nian widened her eyes, her smile broadening: "Could it be..."
Tang Yanqing laughed more joyfully too: "Exactly, after DNA testing, the latter swan turned out to be Bsbo’s son, so the administration named it—Bsboy."