第六章

Xiaoman and her mother Lin Wan were shopping at the supermarket.

Mother looked at the shopping list and almost misread the bread packaging. Xiao Man laughed at her, saying she should get glasses. Lin Wan refused to admit she was old and lightly hit Xiao Man with a bag of frozen peas.

Xiao Man was laughing when she suddenly saw Shen Rui standing not far away.

He was holding a large bottle of milk and laughing too. Xiao Man walked over and greeted him.

“What are you doing here?” Xiao Man asked.

Shen Rui said there was no milk at home.

When Lin Wan walked over, Xiao Man introduced them. Lin Wan quickly recognized Shen Rui. She said that when Shen Rui was young, he often wore a strange cartoon shirt. Shen Rui was a bit embarrassed, but he also laughed.

At that moment, the atmosphere was very relaxed.

But when they reached the checkout, the atmosphere changed.

Shen Rui only bought one bottle of milk. When the cashier saw him, her expression immediately turned cold. After scanning the items, she kept looking at him with a very unpleasant look.

Shen Rui lowered his head, as if he hadn't seen it.

But Xiao Man knew he had seen it.

Shen Rui took out money and handed it over. But the cashier abruptly withdrew her hand, as if she didn't want to touch him. The money fell to the ground.

Xiao Man immediately became furious.

She walked over to Shen Rui’s side and asked the cashier if she had a problem.

The cashier said she didn't want Shen Rui to touch her.

Xiao Man became even angrier and started arguing directly with the cashier. Shen Rui lowered his voice and told her to stop, but Xiao Man didn't.

In the end, Shen Rui put the money on the counter, picked up the milk, and walked out of the supermarket.

Xiao Man chased after him.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Shen Rui stopped, his expression very grim.

“Not good,” he said. “I don’t need you to stand up for me. You don’t understand my life, and it’s not your problem. You only make things worse like this.”

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Xiao Man stood there, feeling empty inside.

She had thought she was helping Shen Rui. But now she understood that what Shen Rui faced every day couldn't be solved by her arguing with someone.

A few days later, at Ke Xin's home, Xiao Man thought of Shen Ran again.

Ke Xin's father, Teacher Fang, also knew Shen Ran. He was not only Fang Na's father, but also Shen Ran's former history teacher. Xiao Man decided to ask him about Shen Ran.

Teacher Fang said that Shen Ran was a very intelligent student. He not only had good grades but also planned to apply to Oxford University. Teacher Fang helped him revise his application materials and also prepared him for the interview. Later, Shen Ran actually received the offer.

This information surprised Xiao Man.

Shen Rui had never mentioned this before.

Teacher Fang still remembered that on the Monday after Bai Anning disappeared, he saw Shen Ran at school. The whole school was very tense that day. Shen Ran looked very quiet and was also very worried about Bai Anning.

On Tuesday, Teacher Fang did not go to school. He was sick and took leave, so he did not see Shen Ran.

Xiao Man asked him if he believed Shen Ran killed Bai Anning.

Teacher Fang was silent for a moment. He said that Shen Ran was a very good child, and he didn't want to believe it either. But the evidence was too strong. The phone, bloodstains, fingerprints, and the false alibi all pointed to Shen Ran. So he thought that Shen Ran very likely did it.

After hearing this, Xiao Man had another question in her mind.

If Shen Ran was so smart, why would he leave such obvious evidence?

Why would he keep Bai Anning's phone on himself?

Why was there blood on his hands, yet he didn't clean it off?

Why were there so many traces left in the car?

Xiao Man knew that having no alibi was indeed very bad. Lying was also bad.

But could a person smart enough to get an Oxford offer actually do things so obviously if he really wanted to escape police investigation?

Xiao Man still had no answer.

She also hadn't completely given up her suspicion of Fang Na. However, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that Fang Na didn't seem like a killer.

Now, there were more and more questions before her.

Shen Rui didn't want to talk to her. Fang Na's statements were contradictory. Shen Ran's evidence was obviously unreasonable.

This case didn't become clearer; instead, it became more confusing.