Chapter Eighteen: The Plot Exposed
Upon hearing this, Xu Haiyu forgot to continue crying.
The three people inside the room all looked at Xin Li, their expressions changing slightly as if they had thought of something.
"Is this a camera?"
Xinli nodded.
Xu Haiyu had no idea what a camera was, but Zhang Jinhua had heard of it: "You actually have a camera?"
This thing is a rare item nowadays.
Moreover, private individuals generally cannot afford to buy them; they are mostly available only in photo studios.
Even if there are photo studios, they aren't available everywhere.
There are no such places on islands.
Zhang Jinhua had only known that Xin Li was a young lady from a wealthy family in Shanghai, but seeing the furniture made him realize that Xin Li was indeed very rich.
But it wasn't until they saw the camera that they truly realized that Xinli was from a completely different world from them.
This is the kind of person who, after arriving on the island, followed the crowd and did his own laundry, tidied his own house, greeted everyone he met, and was always smiling and easy to talk to.
Zhang Jinhua's gaze instantly became complicated.
Xu Haiyu saw that Zhang Jinhua and He Mingzhou both knew what this thing was, but she didn't, and an embarrassment flashed across her face.
But the embarrassment was quickly replaced by anger.
She looked at Xinli jealously, her tone sharp: "Sister-in-law really doesn't like me. Today when I saw you holding this thing, I asked you about it, and you clearly told me it was a demon-revealing mirror."
Xin Li smiled and nodded: "I was right, this thing is indeed a demon-revealing mirror."
"This thing can clearly show who is causing trouble and who is acting strangely."
Xu Haiyu's heart skipped a beat.
What do you mean by that?
Xin Li didn't keep Xu Haiyu in suspense.
She has recently adapted to the environment on the island and her daily routine is very regular. It's really time for her to go to sleep, and she doesn't want to lose too much of her sleep time because of Xu Haiyu.
"Today is my first time visiting an island, and it's also my first time picking He Mingzhou up from his home. Since I remember there was a camera in my dowry, I took it out and started taking pictures along the way, hoping to keep a memento."
"Where is your watch? Perhaps it can tell us the answer."
Zhang Jinhua and He Mingzhou both realized something and their gazes fell on Xu Haiyu, scrutinizing her.
Feeling flustered by the two people's stares, Xu Haiyu asked, her lips trembling, "What answers can a black box tell you?"
Xin Li handed the camera to He Mingzhou: "You take a look."
He Mingzhou nodded, reached out and took the camera, and began to look through the photos that Xin Li had taken that day.
As Xinli said, the photos inside start from her front door and she took pictures along the way.
Moreover, her shooting angles were exceptionally good, and the compositions were beautiful; Zhang Jinhua couldn't help but come closer to admire them.
"Wow, this is a really good shot."
Xin Li humbly replied, "I studied it for a while before."
Although she was in the apocalypse, she was actually very curious about things from before the apocalypse, and every time she went out to find supplies, she would subconsciously pay attention to things from the past.
Others also knew her preferences, so they would occasionally exchange some strange little gadgets for supplies with her.
Xin Li is incredibly capable and possesses spatial abilities, so she accepts all offers of these deals without hesitation.
It was thanks to those research institutes; otherwise, she wouldn't have known how to use this thing if it were in her hands.
Although Zhang Jinhua knew about cameras, she had never seen one before. When she saw those lifelike photos, it was as if the people in the photos were right in front of her. She was overjoyed.
In particular, Xin Li's photos are full of stories. Zhang Jinhua even felt that the photos were both familiar and unfamiliar, and he had many feelings as he looked at them.
He Mingzhou was also somewhat surprised.
But he didn't forget what they were looking for, so he kept looking for photos related to Xu Haiyu.
"The watch was still there at that time."
He Mingzhou reminded Zhang Jinhua.
Zhang Jinhua also remembered this, and his gaze began to follow the movement of the watch.
As the shooting progressed, they were able to see more and more of Xu Haiyu's subtle movements in the photos.
She would touch her watch from time to time, and even take it off to look at it.
Finally, Xin Li captured a photo of Xu Haiyu leaving the house, still holding the watch in her hand.
The next photo shows Xu Haiyu entering the room; she is no longer wearing a watch.
Zhang Jinhua's face turned pale and then ashen.
Xu Haiyu never expected that Xin Li would have a camera, let alone that her every move today had been filmed by Xin Li. A sense of shame and panic instantly surged into her heart, and Xu Haiyu almost fainted.
"This shows that you were gone for about three minutes. The watch was on your wrist when you left, but it was gone when you went out. So, the watch was lost outside, and you lost it yourself."
He Mingzhou didn't say it directly, but Zhang Jinhua guessed that Xu Haiyu must have lost the watch herself.
Perhaps it wasn't lost at all, but was simply hidden by Xu Haiyu to make people suspect that Xin Li was behind it.
Xinli is an outsider, and once she is confirmed to have a habit of theft, the entire island will not tolerate her.
People on islands are inherently xenophobic, and in severe cases, there could even be violent conflicts.
Zhang Jinhua knew that Xin Li had been criticized on the island all this time, and if others found out that she had stolen something... Zhang Jinhua gasped.
"Xiaoyu, why did you do this?"
Zhang Jinhua's gaze was stern.
She is indeed easily swayed by others' emotions, but that doesn't mean she's stupid.
The benefits of Xu Haiyu's actions were obvious, but Zhang Jinhua felt deeply disheartened.
Xin Li is Xu Haiyu's sister-in-law. How could she do such a thing to her own sister-in-law? What is she trying to do?
He Mingzhou didn't speak, but just stared at Xu Haiyu with a very complicated look in his eyes.
He didn't say much tonight, but his presence was undeniable.
Xu Haiyu bit her lip, unsure how to explain the situation.
After all, the photos are here, and they are irrefutable evidence.
With her eyes darting around, Xu Haiyu looked at He Mingzhou with teary eyes.
"I probably took it off and put it back when I went to the bathroom, and then forgot to wear it afterward."
Xu Haiyu didn't mention the slander against Xin Li at all. She lowered her head and said with a nostalgic look, "When my brother gave me the watch, I cherished it very much. I usually didn't want to wear it. I was afraid that it might fall into the toilet, so I kept it."
“Brother Mingzhou, do you remember when I was first brought to your side? I always cried back then, and I would only sleep if you stayed with me. At that time, Brother Mingzhou told me that you would always stay with me and that I could sleep peacefully.”
"Even though Brother Mingzhou was with me, I still needed to hold onto something to fall asleep. Brother Mingzhou knew this habit of mine, so he let me hold his hand. I held Brother Mingzhou's hand with one hand and his watch with the other."
"Although I have lost my brother, I feel really happy to have Mingzhou by my side."
After Xu Haiyu finished speaking, she looked at He Mingzhou with deep affection: "Brother Mingzhou, you can understand me, right?"
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