Chapter Forty-Two: Low Emotional Intelligence

The two of them stepped out of the room. Yan Xue still felt somewhat uneasy, lingering hesitantly at the door. Kang Ge gestured for her to trust him and follow. Seeing the confidence in his eyes, Yan Xue nodded and left the guesthouse with him.

“Do you think those two are really alright?” Yan Xue worried that Bai Yue Ni’s mother might have some kind of breakdown in her current state.

Kang Ge smiled faintly. “It’s probably nothing too serious. If she kept bottling it up like last time—silent, no tears—that would be genuinely worrisome. People contemplating suicide usually have a fleeting thought trapped in a mental dead-end. If they can’t escape that mindset, they might spiral into the belief that life is unbearable and do something foolish.

But since she cried and spoke out this time, even facing the issues in Bai Yue Ni’s personality head-on, that itself is a release of emotion. That door in her heart has opened, and the moment of being trapped in that mental cul-de-sac has passed. She’s alright.”

Yan Xue hesitated, “What about that guy they mentioned? Do you think he’s a suspect?”

Kang Ge’s expression darkened slightly but he remained measured. “I think the chance is slim based on what I’ve gathered. But my personal belief doesn’t mean we can dismiss objective suspicion entirely. We need to clarify everything thoroughly.”

He continued, “I feel Bai Yue Ni’s parents see that boy’s situation in a way that’s the exact opposite of how I see it.

If that boy, after dropping out, hadn’t moved past the psychological shadow left from high school, he might still be stuck in it. He could even, as Bai Yue Ni’s parents think, brag in front of them about his so-called ‘glorious achievements’ just to regain some pride.

Conversely, if he’s truly let go of it, indifferent to the blows Bai Yue Ni dealt him back then, whether his life is good or bad, he wouldn’t bother telling or hiding anything from Bai Yue Ni’s family. After all, when you no longer care about someone, they mean nothing to you.”

“Hmm, that makes sense,” Yan Xue said thoughtfully. “Anyway, Bai Yue Ni didn’t have much of a social circle in W City. To understand her past personality and character, we’ll have to find her former classmates and colleagues. We should include that boy she bullied in middle school too.”

Yan Xue pondered for a moment. “Her hometown is quite far from here, and her classmates scattered after graduation, not all staying local. It’s pointless for us to go there right away. We’ll start by asking around—if there are any nearby contacts, we can meet them; if too far, we’ll interview by phone.

From what we know, Bai Yue Ni’s previous workplace city isn’t far from W City. If necessary, we can visit there. It’s possible someone close to her might know about her changing identity and try to take advantage of it.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kang Ge nodded. “You and Luo Wei’s team start gathering info on Bai Yue Ni’s classmates and colleagues. I’ll review the guest list from that party to see how many identities we’ve verified. If it’s no good, we’ll need another approach—this pace is too slow.”

Kang Ge had already formulated the next steps in his mind.

He had arranged decent meals for Bai Yue Ni’s parents, but for himself and Yan Xue, there was no time for such niceties. On the way back to the office, they bought boxed lunches and quickly ate before diving into work.

Yan Xue and Luo Wei divided their tasks and began collecting contact information for Bai Yue Ni’s classmates and colleagues. Tracking down colleagues was easier—just find where she had worked, and many former coworkers might still be there. Given Bai Yue Ni’s frequent job changes, she probably hadn’t formed very close friendships at any workplace, so those former colleagues likely had only a superficial understanding of her.

But finding classmates who knew Bai Yue Ni during her student years was more complicated. A class would have several dozen students who shared three years of classroom life. The depth of their relationships would vary widely.

Furthermore, after graduation, these people dispersed across the country. It would be unwise to waste time searching each one individually. The best method was to contact their old teachers and ask if they remembered which students were particularly close to Bai Yue Ni. That way, they could target their interviews more effectively. Bai Yue Ni was only twenty-five, and the teachers had likely only taught one or two batches since then, so they wouldn’t have forgotten that generation’s dynamics—a useful advantage.

While Yan Xue’s team progressed smoothly, Kang Ge returned empty-handed. Because it was a masquerade party and guests arrived in waves, the first few groups were personally received by Bai Yue Ni, but later arrivals frustrated the security guards. Eventually, they allowed guests to pick one person to register and let the rest in without proper checks.

When Kang Ge tried to verify identities from those registrations later, he found only one person had genuinely registered. The rest scribbled random information. The guards, overwhelmed by the number of visitors to the Lin Zhen household, hadn’t scrutinized the details properly—one phone number didn’t even conform to basic formatting.

Thus, the exact number of people who attended that night remained unknown.

They could only confirm the identities of a small portion of attendees. The party had grown chaotic, with guests inviting friends, friends inviting friends, and some even posting locations in local chat groups to help others sneak past security.

It was a nightmare. A group of mostly strangers, all masked and drunk, would hardly remember who they encountered.

Among those identified, no one stood out as an obvious suspect. Kang Ge sat alone in a chair, eyes closed, arms crossed, motionless—either resting or deep in thought. Yan Xue wasn’t sure if he was tired or troubled and didn’t disturb him.

About ten minutes later, he suddenly opened his eyes, sprang up, and hurried out of the office. She didn’t know where he went.

Startled, Yan Xue finished a phone call before asking Ji Yuan and Xia Qing, who were helping them, “What’s wrong with him? Has he ever done this before?”

Xia Qing shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve known him longer than you but haven’t worked closely with him. Remember, he only returned from secondment a few months ago.”

Yan Xue looked at Ji Yuan, who nodded. “I’ve seen it. Back in college, when he was troubled, he’d sit still with his eyes closed. It looked like he was sleeping but he was thinking. He said it helped him focus better and be more efficient.”

“That’s quite unique,” Yan Xue chuckled. “If it were me, I’d fall asleep within a minute.”

“I can vouch for that!” Xia Qing laughed. “Thanks to your strong nerves—you’d have gone nuts dealing with your aunts otherwise!”

“Oh no! My mind’s been full of case stuff lately; I still owe Song Chen an apology!” Yan Xue slapped her forehead, remembering an unresolved personal matter. “Not the time now, with all this going on! You better remind me later!”

“Did I hear that right? You? Apologize to Song Chen?” Xia Qing stared at her in disbelief.

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. Just remind me, okay?”

When Kang Ge returned, Yan Xue’s group had made some progress. Seeing him dusty and weary, she called him over, “Where did you go? Ji Yuan just bought hot soy milk; here, warm up a bit.”

Kang Ge’s mood had visibly improved—no more furrowed brows, his usual relaxed, casual demeanor restored, a lazy smile on his face.

“Ah, choosing soy milk for drinks? That’s so ‘old man’ style—it’s very Ji Yuan, very much Ji Yuan!” Kang Ge took the soy milk from Yan Xue and took a sip. “I just visited the traffic police squad responsible for Lin Zhen’s neighborhood to ask around. How’s your side? Any luck?”

“Some,” Yan Xue replied. “It’s similar to what Bai Yue Ni’s parents told us. We called a few of her middle school classmates. They said she was quite high-spirited and arrogant back then, spoiled at home, and not very emotionally savvy with teachers or classmates. She spoke bluntly and harshly, teasing boys who liked her and mocking less attractive classmates of both genders.”

“That doesn’t sound very likeable!” Kang Ge remarked.

“Exactly. Bai Yue Ni’s social reputation in middle school wasn’t as good as her parents claimed. But from what these classmates recalled, her parents weren’t unaware of her poor relationships—they just didn’t tell us. She was reprimanded by teachers several times for verbally bullying classmates.

However, those classmates also said that after college graduation, their high school friends organized a reunion during the Spring Festival one year, and Bai Yue Ni attended. She was much more low-key and gentle with old friends that time—maybe she’d faced setbacks outside and had nothing to boast about. She had grown up and become more sensible.”

“How about her work relationships?”

“Her former colleagues actually spoke quite well of her!” Yan Xue reported, still surprised. “She switched jobs frequently, but not because she didn’t get along with coworkers. She lacked tact and understanding of social niceties. Sometimes she openly criticized her bosses in front of others, so supervisors didn’t like her much.

Once she realized she was being ostracized by leadership with no chance to turn things around, she chose to quit rather than be suppressed, moving on to the next job. The pattern repeated.”

“Poor relations with bosses don’t concern us much,” Kang Ge said, not disappointed by the lack of major clues.

“True, but interestingly, her character seemed to improve somewhat after college. Emotional intelligence was still lacking, but a former colleague told me Bai Yue Ni was ‘sharp-tongued but kind-hearted.’

For example, once a girl at their company was trying to lose weight because her boyfriend found her unattractive. Due to low blood sugar, she almost fainted at work. Bai Yue Ni told her bluntly, ‘That’s just how your face looks. Why starve yourself to skin and bones? Do you think your boyfriend will like you then?’

The girl burst into tears, but Bai Yue Ni came back shortly after with food and stomach medicine, saying, ‘It’s not about your figure, it’s about the man. Just dump that kind of guy and everything will be fine. No need to torture yourself.’”

“That’s a classic ‘harsh words, soft heart’ case,” Kang Ge nodded.

“Exactly. So I think if anyone from Bai Yue Ni’s circle held a grudge and wanted revenge, it’s more likely from her student days when she was truly sharp and mean. She improved a lot after starting work,” Yan Xue shared her view before asking, “What did you find out at the traffic squad?”

“I found someone interesting,” Kang Ge winked. “I think it’s worth investigating further.”