In fact, she understood herself that it might not all be the wine’s fault, but also because she recalled the past earlier, which made her somewhat sad.
She dazedly turned her head to Tang Yanqing and said, "Mr. Tang, can you tell me now how you knew I brought evidence back from Zhou Guanghan’s dormitory, but hid it without giving it to you? And how did you know I put it in the first drawer on the right-hand side?"
He turned his head to look at her.
Slightly tipsy, her cheeks were flushed. Because of this redness, even the tiny fine hairs at her temples were visible. Soft, gentle, and pale gold.
Furthermore, her long eyelashes were curling, trembling like the strings of a harp. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel⸺fire.net
He then took another deep sip of wine, suppressing the surge in his heart.
"Such a simple question, I thought you had already figured it out on your own. So you’ve been holding it in your heart, waiting until now to ask?"
"Uh," the wine gave her courage, allowing her to relax in his presence, and she waved her hand playfully with a slur: "I did think about it myself, just didn’t expect it, felt so, hic, embarrassed."
"Meh," he couldn’t help but laugh: "In the world of deduction, there will always be someone beyond, failing to deduce doesn’t necessarily mean one is not smart enough, it’s just about lacking sufficient context. After all, everyone has different perspectives and resources."
"It’s just so embarrassing!" She stubbornly persisted.
"Originally, when you bluffed Xiao Mai that day, I had already laid out your reasoning." She glanced over, but quickly looked away: "...I originally thought I had beat you just a little, but didn’t expect you to stun me right after."
She lowered her head, speaking softly: "But you were kind, you didn’t reveal it in front of everyone, but only when it was just the two of us... you didn’t let everyone know you had beaten me again, you let me save face."
Such a genuine and lovely her.
He then laughed: "I knew you had evidence hidden from me, actually from the moment you stepped out of Zhou Guanghan’s dormitory building, I had already noticed."
"Ah?" Shi Nian was shocked: "Noticed that early?"
He nodded with a smile: "When you came out from the building, the first time our eyes met, you subconsciously pressed your skirt pocket."
"Then when crossing the corridor and large lawn, you turned to check if I was following, and pressed each pocket once more during the process."
"Next was getting back to the car. After you sat down, I helped with your seatbelt. That bent-leg posture, along with the narrowing distance between us, made you unconsciously nervous and press that pocket again."
"Finally... you needed to change back into your professional attire in the car. Before I got out, I glanced at you, and you again subconsciously pressed that pocket."
His smile gradually widened, his face and eyes dyed with a soft red intoxication: "Hmm, you see, you were already so obvious, how could I pretend not to notice?"
Shi Nian’s face then ignited in a blaze.
So her little actions were that obvious? Yet she prided herself on being a policeman’s daughter, having so many lapses unbeknownst to her.
"Next, when I stood next to your desk that day, your face unconsciously turned away at a 45° angle, avoiding my gaze. Moreover, your gaze subconsciously fell towards the bottom right, right where the first drawer on the right side of your desk was."
He laughed, spreading his hands: "Look, so I knew you had taken that thing to the office, and it was right in the first drawer to the right. Simple, isn’t it?"
At that moment, Shi Nian shared the same thought as Xiao Mai.
It seemed so simple, so straightforward to hear, yet - beforehand, with her eyes, she completely hadn’t seen through it.
This is the difference between a genius in deduction, and someone clumsy only trying to fit reality into theoretical reasoning.
Deduction is formal logic, it’s theory, but for some people, it’s a daily thought process, readily at hand; while for others, it’s just a rigid, cumbersome formula, making use difficult every time.
Undoubtedly, he belonged to the former, while she was likely the latter.
Her mouth turned down, her shoulders leaned forward slightly, her eye corners drooping...
Tang Yanqing then laughed. Such micro-expressions clearly told him she was very disappointed and self-negating right now.
He then gently reached out to ruffle her hair: "I’ve told you, you’re a genius too. It’s just that you don’t have the same opportunities as I do, but in your daily work, it sharpens. You’ve been ’asleep’ for too long. Don’t worry, my Sleeping Beauty, you will wake up."