The first to arrive at the scene were the patrol officers, responsible for handling minor crimes and emergencies.
They retrieved the surveillance footage from the store and, after confirming the suspect’s identity and the nature of the case, handed it over to the Xicheng District Criminal Investigation Unit, where Tian Hong took charge of the investigation, evidence collection, and interrogation.
The case was not particularly complicated.
Apart from the brave girl who suffered a fractured arm, fortunately, no other civilians were harmed.
The main task now was to interrogate the suspect about their motive before submitting the case to the prosecution.
On the way, Tian Hong had already received all surveillance footage from when the suspect entered the mall to when he was subdued by the two girls.
He also reviewed the identities of all three individuals.
In the footage, the suspect, dressed in a black jacket, wandered around the mall before choosing a jewelry store frequented mostly by young women.
He then picked his target.
Whether he knew his chosen target or not was uncertain, but just by observing his actions on the surveillance footage, his behavior was quite typical, with nothing suspicious.
But this Zhou Huaixia seemed… different.
Tian Hong repeatedly reviewed the footage of her entering the store up until she rushed toward the shelf.
From beginning to end, she had no contact with the man in the black jacket.
In fact, they completely missed each other.
Later, she even stood in the farthest corner, turning her back to everyone.
That corner had some obstructions, making it a blind spot.
Only her lower legs were visible on the footage until the moment she suddenly leaned backward, revealing half of her frowning face.
Tian Hong watched as Zhou Huaixia’s face disappeared from the surveillance before she suddenly turned around, stumbling past the shelves.
Her movements were very precise—she navigated through several rows of shelves before turning and stopping, then suddenly crashing into the shelf filled with water bottles.
Of course, from that angle, she could indeed see the suspect pulling out a kitchen knife.
But her expression changed too soon.
Tian Hong rewound the footage seven or eight times and confirmed that before the suspect even drew the knife, Zhou Huaixia’s face had already changed.
He even had the illusion that she… somehow knew what was about to happen in advance.
However, Tian Hong also knew that his intuition was unrealistic.
The two girls had no connection to the suspect, and Zhou Huaixia was from City A, only coming here for school in September.
There was no intersection between them.
Perhaps, as the patrol officers suggested, these top students just had quick reflexes.
“Yes.”
Zhou Huaixia pressed on her right arm, which was in a brace, and spoke slowly.
“My stomach was uncomfortable, and I originally wanted to tell my roommate that I was going to the restroom.
But then I saw someone pull out a knife.
I didn’t think much and just rushed in.”
Her roommate, Lü Jin, was indeed separated from the suspect by just one shelf.
Leaving quickly due to discomfort was reasonable.
“You did well.”
Tian Hong glanced at her right arm and asked with slight concern, “Since you’re already at the hospital, did you get your stomach checked as well?”
Zhou Huaixia shook her head and said slowly, “Probably because I ate too many crabs before coming to school today.”
“Crabs are cold in nature, best not to eat too much.”
Tian Hong asked a few more questions, but the overall story remained the same.
Since this was only an inquiry, and she was someone who acted courageously, Tian Hong remained gentle and didn’t probe too deeply.
When Zhou Huaixia got up and swayed slightly, he even reached out to support her.
“Thank you.”
Zhou Huaixia spoke sluggishly.
“Take a shower when you get back, sleep early, and don’t overthink it.”
Tian Hong noticed that while she had reacted quickly in the moment, now she seemed to be experiencing some delayed fear.
Her face was pale as paper, and she could barely stand.
As they walked out, Lü Jin, who had been waiting outside, immediately came over with a cup of water in her hand.
“Here.”
Lü Jin handed her the paper cup and took out a few packets of medicine from her pocket.
Earlier, when Zhou Huaixia went in for questioning, she mentioned she might have diarrhea and asked Lü Jin to buy some medicine for her.
So, Lü Jin found half a box of free montmorillonite powder from her mother Lü Zhihua’s office.
Tian Hong glanced at the medicine in her hand.
“If your stomachache is severe and comes with headaches, you should get a blood test.”
Lü Jin looked up at Tian Hong, pushed up her glasses, and said admiringly, “Captain, you even know this? No wonder you’re a detective.”
“…I’ve just seen too much of it.”
Tian Hong replied, “You both should rest early.”
He still had to wait until the suspect sobered up for interrogation.
Zhou Huaixia looked down at the water in her cup.
“The water is so hot.
Without a spoon, how am I supposed to stir the medicine evenly?”
?
Here she goes again.
The normally exasperating Zhou Huaixia had only shone briefly in the store tonight.
Lü Jin held back her frustration and picked up a packet of montmorillonite powder.
“Just rip it open, pour it directly into your mouth, then drink the water and shake your head.
That way, you can swallow it.”
Zhou Huaixia: “…The water is too hot.”
Lü Jin expressionlessly replied, “I mixed it with cold water.
It’s warm now.”
Zhou Huaixia: “Still too hot.
Can you buy me a bottle of mineral water?”
Lü Jin took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“…Wait here!”
She turned and walked toward the vending machine in the hallway.
Zhou Huaixia slowly tore open the montmorillonite powder, poured all of it into the cup, stirred it twice with her finger, wiped the white foam off the back of her hand, and then walked to the trash bin to throw away the cup and empty packet.
By the time she returned, she reached out and took the mineral water from Lü Jin.
“You’re so slow.
I already finished drinking it.”
“…”
The person who always walked like a turtle was calling her slow?
Lü Jin took out a pack of tissues and tossed it to her.
“Wipe your mouth.
It’s covered in powder.”
Living ancestor.
If she weren’t feeling unwell, Lü Jin would have left ages ago.
In the end, the two got into Lü Zhihua’s car, with Professor Lü personally driving them back to campus.
Originally, Professor Lü wanted Lü Jin to go home with her, given the seriousness of what had happened.
But Lü Jin didn’t want to.
Home was in the city center, far from S University, and she still hadn’t organized her seminar notes.
“Forget it.”
Lü Jin refused.
“I’ll stay on campus.”
Professor Lü thought for a moment and said, “That works.
Xiao Zhou injured her arm, so you can help her out.”
Lü Jin initially wanted to say she was going back to the faculty dorms.
But after glancing at the pale-faced Zhou Huaixia leaning against the car window, she eventually dragged out her reply.
“Got it.”
Professor Lü dropped them off at the dormitory without staying long—she had a flight for a conference the next morning.
“Xiao Zhou, Lü Jin is a local and knows S University well.
If you need anything, just ask her.”
Zhou Huaixia nodded.
“Okay.”
Once Lü Zhihua left, Lü Jin finally let out a long breath.
Tonight had been quite an eventful night.
She turned to Zhou Huaixia and asked, “Do you need help with your shower later?”
“No.”
Zhou Huaixia finished replying to her family’s group chat, looked up, and said, “I’ll just wipe down.”
By the time Zhou Huaixia finished washing up and got into bed, it was nearly midnight.
She put on her sleep mask and lay quietly.
She could hear Lü Jin occasionally flipping through pages below.
Unusually, she didn’t fall asleep immediately.
Something was strange.
Zhou Huaixia replayed everything she had seen and separated it into two parts—illusion and reality.