Chapter 385 A Follow-up Visit! Around the fish tank, several soft, lively "voices," audible only to Xia Zhining, chattered into her ears: [Look, look! That girl is still watching us!]
[They're probably looking for inspiration~ Young people often come to our zookeeper's house and they always stare at us, it must be because we're so good-looking!]
[Was she also here to help the zookeeper with his drawings?]
[I wonder... I'll see if the zookeeper gives her a thick envelope too~]
[Oh dear, you can still laugh on your first visit, but you might be secretly crying later.]
[Exactly! When the zookeeper asks the students to draw, his expression is so fierce!]
Xia Zhining's back stiffened.
Are these fish... chatting?
Did he consider himself Zhou Chongshan's student?
Moreover, it sounds like Zhou Chongshan often hires students to "draw pictures" and even pays them...
This is clearly—making students act as his ghostwriters!
While Zhou Chongshan was pouring tea with his back turned, Xia Zhining quickly approached the fish tank and pressed her phone screen against the glass. The screen showed a photo of Zhong Manqing's student ID.
She lowered her voice, speaking quickly and clearly: "Fellow fish enthusiasts, I need your help. Have you seen this girl? Has she been here before?"
In the fish tank, the oldest arowana slowly swam towards the glass, wagging its tail.
Its eyes appear exceptionally calm and wise among fish.
[Her? I remember her.]
The dragon-eye goldfish exhales a string of slow bubbles, like a long sigh.
[She was the last person who dared to speak loudly or argue with the professor here. She was the bravest bipedal cub I'd ever seen. So, I remember her very clearly.]
Xia Zhining's heart tightened: "Why are they arguing?"
The goldfish turned around, its scales shimmering with a dark red light under the lamp, like ripples spreading through memories:
[The girl said she had painted many pictures for the professor, and this time he had to give her 300,000 yuan. She also said... if he didn't give it to her, she would expose all the secrets of the paintings to the public.]
It recalled that, "[The professor was very angry at first, but after a while he agreed to her request.]"
Three hundred thousand!
Xia Zhining's pupils suddenly contracted.
This number matches perfectly with the 300,000 yuan in medical expenses that Grandma Zhong Manqing urgently needed, as stated in Su Jianxue's confession!
The outline of the truth suddenly became clear in Xia Zhining's mind.
Zhou Chongshan not only had a motive to kill, but his seemingly "supportive" relationship with the victim's boyfriend, Zhai Chen, was now shrouded in an extremely unnatural shadow.
But you need to provide evidence to prove it.
Just as Zhou Chongshan thought the police questioning was about to end, Xia Zhining suddenly spoke, her tone as casual as if she were chatting about everyday things:
"Professor Zhou, are you still in close contact with Zhai Chen?"
Zhou Chongshan paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.
Almost simultaneously, Xia Zhining's phone screen lit up with the real-time query results sent by her colleague at the back.
The funding sources for several small-scale art exhibitions and projects that Zhai Chen has participated in in recent years all point to cultural companies related to Zhou Chongshan.
“Zhong Manqing was once my most promising student.”
Zhou Chongshan put down his teacup, his smile carrying a gentle, teacherly warmth and regret. "Zhai Chen is deeply in love with her and hasn't been able to get over it all these years. His devotion... is truly touching."
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