Xia Zhining frowned: "But why is Su Jianxue so convinced that the pen fell out of her pocket?"

"There is a concept in psychology called memory pollution."

Ji Shuyun put down the documents and explained in a more straightforward way, "Simply put, when people are under extreme fear or pressure, their real memories become blurred, distorted, or even covered by fictional events."

He walked to the whiteboard and wrote as he spoke: "At the time of the incident, Su Jianxue was in a state of extreme panic. She might have had a fleeting thought: Did I drop my pen?"

"This is just a vague question."

“But during these four years,” Ji Shuyun’s pen struck the whiteboard heavily, “she kept recalling, blaming herself, and repeatedly asking herself what she had done.”

"This vague idea was gradually filled in through repeated self-suggestion and mental conjecture, and finally became a fact that she firmly believed: she dropped the pen and she was the one who harmed the person."

He turned to look at Xia Zhining: "So when the police took out that pen, instead of questioning or arguing, she thought it was true."

"It can be said that she has already subconsciously completed her own interrogation and conviction."

Xia Zhining suddenly realized that this was somewhat like self-brainwashing under the influence of psychological suggestion and external suggestion!

The brother and sister followed the police officers handling the case to Zhou Chongshan's residence.

To avoid arousing excessive suspicion, they followed discreetly behind, wearing masks and acting as ordinary attendants, while the questioning was mainly conducted by experienced veteran detectives.

Zhou Chongshan's home is decorated with a refined taste, and the ecological fish tank in the living room is particularly eye-catching.

The tank is filled with lush aquatic plants, and tropical fish such as arowana and oscars swim slowly within it, as if a small piece of time has been frozen indoors.

Xia Zhining's gaze lit up as it swept over the fish tank.

Arowanas are known as the kings of longevity; these large tropical fish can live for 20 to 40 years or even longer!

After exchanging pleasantries and taking their seats, the police got straight to the point, showing a photocopy of Su Jianxue's painting "Morning in the Woods" from back then: "Professor Zhou, regarding the matter of Su Jianxue's alleged plagiarism of Zhong Manqing's work four years ago, we would like to know the basis of your judgment at that time."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chongshan's face immediately showed just the right amount of regret and seriousness.

He got up and took a well-preserved file folder from the study, his movements calm and unhurried.

"Yes, I remember that incident very well."

Zhou Chongshan pulled out several sketches and printed documents. "These are the drafts and final drafts submitted by the two classmates back then, and the similarity is extremely high."

"This is a record of Zhong Manqing's work 'Forest Mist' being submitted to the competition organizing committee via her personal email. The timestamp is earlier than Su Jianxue's submission date."

He paused, then took out another photo, his tone becoming increasingly somber: "What's even more heartbreaking is that Zhai Chen, who was also a member of the sketching group at the time, can testify that he personally saw Zhong Manqing's first draft of this painting and even took this photo of her creative process."

"The chain of evidence was so clear that I was shocked and angry. I never thought that Su Jianxue would do such a thing."

Zhou Chongshan gently pushed the materials toward the police, leaning back slightly, revealing an expression that was a mixture of regret and forgiveness:

"Of course, considering that Ms. Su was young at the time, and that her parents and I had known each other for many years..."

"In the end, I chose to protect her future and did not deal with the matter publicly; I simply disqualified her from the competition."

Zhou Chongshan shook his head: "As a teacher, I am both heartbroken by the plagiarism and I must give the student who made the mistake a chance to correct it."

"I believe you officers can understand this good intention."

His attitude was sincere and tinged with the helplessness of a teacher, making him almost impeccable.

However, the moment Zhou Chongshan finished speaking, Xia Zhining's gaze unconsciously drifted back to the fish tank.

The corners of his lips, hidden beneath the mask, suddenly tightened.