27 Buddha's Eye

That summer, the four of them gathered in the dormitory. Although they came from different backgrounds, they got along quite well. Jiang Yang said that every time he saw them, they went out together, and even ate together in class and the cafeteria. They were all very close.

Even among the four close friends, there were still differences in their level of affection. At that time, Dong Qingqing and Xia Yi were the closest. Both of them were from out of town and came to Hong Kong Island to study. Their family backgrounds were both middle-class families in third-tier cities, so they were considered to be in the same social class.

As for Jiang Huai, he's a second-generation rich kid. Although he has a good personality, he's still a bit arrogant at heart. His words sometimes carry a sarcastic tone. Chunxia, ​​on the other hand, is a local from Hong Kong Island. Her family isn't as wealthy as Jiang Huai's, but they're not poor either. Both her parents are teachers, and they're a dual-income family.

The incident occurred during their junior year of college. All four were preparing for internships. On the morning of their scheduled reporting day, Xia Yi opened her eyes in bed and discovered she couldn't see. She screamed in alarm. The other three, who were still busy with their own things, heard the scream and rushed over. Xia Yi turned her head; her eyes were completely white, as if...

Jiang Yang sighed, "Back then, Dong Qingqing shook her head in fear, saying that Xia Yi looked like a blind person on the street, her eyes were white, and there was some blood running down her face. The three girls in the dorm screamed in terror. Later, they went to find the counselor and called the police. The police searched the dorm and deduced that Xia Yi's contact lens case had been tampered with, with a blinding drug added inside. They also investigated the whereabouts of the other three girls in the dorm for about three months, but they found nothing. There was no evidence to prove that anyone had murdered Xia Yi, and the matter was dropped. After Xia Yi's eye problems developed, she dropped out of school and returned to her city to receive treatment. After that... she lost contact with us. Dong Qingqing asked the counselor about the situation, and the counselor only said that Xia Yi was in a state of being absent from school, which means that Xia Yi never returned to school to continue her studies. So many years have passed, and this matter is still a topic that no one wants to mention."

After Jiang Yang finished speaking, he let out a long sigh. Perhaps it had been too long and too oppressive, and bringing this up again after so many years. At the time, he was the class monitor and assisted the counselor in contacting the police to handle the case, so he knew much more about the inside story.

Fang Cheng remained silent, resting his chin on his hand as if deep in thought.

After hearing this, Zhou Yun felt there were many suspicious points. She couldn't help but ask, "If it's proven that the liquid was the murder weapon used to kill Xia Yi, then this is a criminal case. There can't be no murderer; it's just that the murderer hasn't been found yet. Otherwise, who put the liquid in the glasses case?"

Jiang Yang replied: "The only people who could have accessed the glasses case were the other three girls in the dormitory, the dormitory supervisor, the counselor, and some students from next door. The police checked all of them, but found no suspicious people. The surveillance cameras could only monitor the dormitory corridor. No one from outside entered their dormitory before or after the incident."

Zhou Yun crossed her arms and shook her head: "It's hard to draw a conclusion. From your description, I can only say that there is definitely a murderer, and this person must be someone Xia Yi knows and is familiar with. As for whether it's the other three in the dormitory, we've already seen the police's statements before we came. The other three haven't been completely ruled out as suspects; on the contrary, they are highly suspicious. According to Xia Yi's statement, she didn't go to bed until midnight that night. It was Friday, and she had classes all day. She returned to the dormitory at 7 PM and stayed there. The only people who could have come into contact with her were the other three in the dormitory. However..."

Jiang Yang's attention was immediately drawn to Zhou Yun's face, his expression serious.

Zhou Yun: "You probably don't know why the police hastily closed the case after investigating for three months."

Jiang Yang frowned. Wasn't it that they hadn't found anything?

Zhou Yun whispered, "It's Xia Yi. She told the police herself that there's no need to look anymore because she's going to get treatment for her eyes and doesn't want to continue the investigation."

Jiang Yang's pupils dilated in disbelief.

"Impossible, she..."

Zhou Yun: "So guess why Xia Yi gave up investigating further? Did she already know who did it, but just didn't want to expose them?"

Jiang Yang's face was deathly pale, and he lowered his head without saying a word.

"Could it be..." Jiang Yang dared not continue guessing. The only person who could make Xia Yi give up the investigation must be someone she knew well.

Zhou Yun: "There's another person we want to ask you about. Zhou Dashuai, Zhou Yiming, what's his relationship with the four girls in the dorm?"

Jiang Yang frowned. "Zhou Yiming? I only remember that he was the school heartthrob back then, and many girls liked him... Oh! Right, there's something I don't know if it's related."

Jiang Yang suddenly realized something and felt somewhat uneasy.

Zhou Yun raised an eyebrow: "Go on."

Jiang Yang sighed: "I only found out recently. Qingqing got drunk that day and had a relapse of her depression. She told me a lot, including about Zhou Yiming. She said that Zhou Yiming was pursuing Xia Yi at the time, and that she also knew that Jiang Huai and Chunxia both liked Zhou Yiming. She herself actually liked him a little, but she knew that Zhou Yiming would never be interested in her, an ugly duckling, so she didn't dare to dream about it..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yun asked the question she most wanted to know: "Why is Dong Qingqing depressed? And why does she keep torturing herself if she didn't harm Xia Yi?"

Jiang Yang was excited and stood up. "Qingqing would never harm Xia Yi. She and Xia Yi were the best of friends. In the years since Xia Yi left, she has always regretted not keeping Xia Yi with her. She is too kind-hearted. After the incident, many people pointed fingers at the three of them, and Qingqing suffered a lot because of it. She is just a simple girl!"

He was so agitated that he almost overturned the table. Fang Chengjin, who had been listening to their conversation, gently reached out to steady him. "Alright, we were just chatting, not trying to convict anyone. Jiang Yang, thank you so much for telling us all this today. That's enough. I believe Dong Qingqing didn't harm Xia Yi. Let's leave it at that for today. Thank you for the clues."

Fang Cheng stood up, revealing a smile that was neither a smile nor a frown.

Jiang Yang quickly calmed down, looked at each other in bewilderment, and realized that he had been too abrupt.

Fang Chengjin turned and left, and Zhou Yun immediately followed.

"Professor Fang? How can you be so sure that Dong Qingqing is really innocent?"

Fang Chengjin's eyes were burning: "Not only is Dong Qingqing innocent, but the other two in the dormitory are also innocent. I have reviewed the police records and clues left at the time, and even looked at the contact lens case. There is indeed no evidence to prove that the three of them did it. Even if Xia Yi had not asked to stop the investigation at the time, it would have been difficult for the police to advance the case, and it would have just become a cold case in the end."

Zhou Yun scratched her head. "Then wouldn't that mean there's no solution? If the dormitory case is unrelated to this case..."

Fang Jin interrupted, "Who said it's irrelevant?"

Zhou Yun stared at him with wide eyes and blinked.

Zhou Yun suddenly understood.

Jiang Huai and Xia Yi's connection is not just that of roommates. According to Jiang Yang, they are also rivals in love. Moreover, the person who was pursuing Xia Yi has now become Jiang Huai's husband, which may be a mystery.

Fang Chengjin continued, "Alright, it's time to see her. Perhaps, once we see her, everything will become clear."

**