tkworld #556 - Identity Analysis
#556 - Identity Analysis
Gao Mei's face suddenly darkened. She abruptly raised her head, a hint of defensiveness and anger flashing in her eyes: "What do you want! I think I made it clear, didn't I? Outsiders shouldn't meddle in other people's business."
Tang Yin realized he had touched on a sensitive topic and quickly waved his hand to explain, "Ah, I'm sorry, I misspoke. Let's change the subject then, is that okay?"
Gao Mei's tense shoulders relaxed slightly: "...Whatever."
Tang Yin looked around, watching Qin Ming's figure disappear up the stairs and around the corner. Only the two of them and Granny Rong, still chanting scriptures in the corner, remained in the cafeteria. He lowered his voice and asked cautiously, "What kind of person was Xiao Liang to you?"
Gao Mei's fingers suddenly stopped fiddling with the napkin. She lowered her head, silent for a long time. Sunlight filtered through the mist, casting dappled light on her pale cheeks.
"...Why are you asking that?" Her voice trembled slightly.
"Just consider it a memorial."
"Ah." Gao Mei sighed softly, a complex emotion in her eyes.
Tang Yin continued, "When holding a funeral, everyone gives a eulogy, right? To express their longing for the deceased and comfort their soul."
Gao Mei raised her head, her clear eyes looking directly at Tang Yin: "...Somewhat unexpected."
"Why?"
"I thought you were a cold-blooded person. I didn't expect you to say something like that."
Tang Yin chuckled inwardly: You're too straightforward, aren't you?
Gao Mei's expression gradually softened as if lost in memories: "Even though he was from the Qian family, Xiao Liang never put on airs."
Her voice grew softer, filled with a hint of nostalgia: "Even though he had a strange personality and often caused trouble with Sister Lina, he never hurt anyone."
"Everyone said there was something wrong with Xiao Liang's head, but I don't think so." At this point, her eyes suddenly brightened. "He was a very interesting person. If he went on TV, he'd definitely become a big star, right?"
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting alternating light and shadows on her face. Gao Mei's voice carried the gentleness unique to young girls: "He was a year older than me, but we were like friends of the same age..."
"...I was happy when I was with him." The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile.
"He was also very close to my brother."
"Really?" Tang Yin pressed.
"Yeah, they were together every day. They were like a superhero duo at school." Gao Mei's tone carried a hint of longing, but then dimmed. "Sometimes, their relationship was so good that I felt a little lonely."
By the end, her expression became desolate. In the sunlight, her young face was filled with undisguised disappointment. Tang Yin looked at the innocent girl in front of him, thinking: This kid really wears everything on her face.
Tang Yin gazed at the girl with the complex expression before him, unable to suppress an inward sigh. If Xiao Liang really liked her, his road to love must have been very difficult. Not only was she not seen as a romantic interest, but she was also envied because of her close relationship with Qin Ming. Fate is always so cruel.
"He's gone now. Qin Ming must be very upset too, right?" Tang Yin said softly, his gaze passing through the hazy glass window, looking towards the distant, gloomy sky.
Gao Mei lowered her head, her fine bangs obscuring her eyes: "Yeah..."
"Want to go help?" Tang Yin gently raised his chin, pointing to the busy figure on the second-floor corridor. Qin Ming was carrying a stack of documents, walking back and forth along the corridor.
"Huh?" Gao Mei abruptly raised her head, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
"He seems very busy, and Wang Lina isn't here either." Tang Yin observed the situation on the second floor, his tone calm.
Gao Mei was silent, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the tabletop. Sunlight streamed through the window, shining on the back of her fair hand, casting long shadows on the table.
Tang Yin continued, "Even if you think you can't replace Xiao Liang, even if you think the person who should be by his side is Wang Lina." He paused, his voice softening. "But these things should be decided by him, right? To do what he wants to do, there's no need to force yourself."
"You want to stand by his side, to become his strength, right?"
Gao Mei's eyelashes fluttered slightly. She was silent for a long time before gently nodding: "...Yeah."
"What about you?" She suddenly looked up at Tang Yin, her eyes filled with inquiry.
"How should I put it? After all, she's done me a favor." Tang Yin's gaze deepened. "Although I'm not without ulterior motives, I do want to become her emotional support."
His voice lowered: "She's being tormented by something I can't see."
Gao Mei gazed at Tang Yin's profile, the defensiveness in her eyes gradually dissipating: "...It seems I misunderstood you."
"It can't be helped... Going upstairs?" Tang Yin stood up and straightened his clothes.
"Yeah, I still need to apologize for yesterday."
"Then I'll go take a look outside."
They left their seats at the same time, heading in different directions. Tang Yin watched Gao Mei's back, thinking: Xiao Mei is a very innocent child. Even her bluffs seem so cute. But with such an innocent personality, won't she be taken advantage of by bad people like me in the future?
Suddenly, Gao Mei stopped in her tracks: "Ah!" she exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Tang Yin turned around and asked.
Gao Mei's body visibly trembled, her face instantly paling: "..."
"After all, it's better to leave this place..." Her voice trailed off, and she seemed to realize she had said the wrong thing, quickly correcting herself: "...N-nothing."
Before she finished speaking, she hurried out of the cafeteria. Tang Yin watched her hasty departure, and the cafeteria suddenly became oppressively quiet. The fog outside the window seemed to have thickened, shrouding the whole world in a haze.
...
Tang Yin watched Gao Mei's hurried departure, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. It seemed she was beginning to trust him a little, and the sentence she had hesitated to say - "leave this place" - was indeed intriguing. Unlike the other villagers, she did not deny the possibility of escaping this place. This might explain why she had chosen to run away yesterday. Thinking of this, Tang Yin frowned unconsciously.
The autumn sun shone on the village's dirt paths, and the air was filled with the faint fragrance of grass and trees. Tang Yin followed the winding path and soon found Wang Lina taking care of Little Mian. She was squatting in the yard, her gentle profile gilded by the sunlight, looking particularly tender.
Tang Yin walked up to her and lowered his voice, saying, "We need to talk."
Wang Lina straightened up, patted the dust off her skirt, and her expression became serious: "Who do you think is more suspicious?"
"Xiao Mei and Qin Ming," Tang Yin said without hesitation.
Wang Lina was slightly stunned, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting together: "Xiao Mei aside... Qin Ming too?"
Tang Yin leaned against the mottled wall, his gaze deep: "There are four suspects: Granny Rong, Madam Chen Xiang, and those two." He paused, then continued, "Of these four, he was the only one who left the assembly hall when Xiao Liang died yesterday. And the wolf is very cunning. No one else but him should be able to do it."
"Cunning?" Wang Lina's brow furrowed slightly.
"Yeah."
"...Why do you say that?" Her voice carried a hint of confusion.
Tang Yin didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "How did Zhao Gang die?"
"Ah, how did he die? He was killed by the wolf..." Wang Lina answered subconsciously.
"That's not the answer I'm looking for," Tang Yin's tone became serious.
"Ah, what exactly..." Wang Lina suddenly widened her eyes, "Ah, could it be like this?" She seemed to have figured something out, "Because the spider didn't protect him."
"You're right. The spider should already be dead," Tang Yin's gaze sharpened.
Wang Lina's face paled slightly: "That..."
Tang Yin didn't give her time to continue thinking: "On the first day, the spider should have protected the snake, which is Zhao Gang. On the second day, which is yesterday, no one suggested that the spider protect anyone else, right?"
"Yeah."
"That means the spider should have continued to protect the most important Zhao Gang - if the spider was really still alive," Tang Yin's voice carried a hint of coldness.
Wang Lina's expression gradually became solemn: "...I understand..."
A few long barks came from the distance, breaking the heavy atmosphere in the yard.
Tang Yin took a deep breath and continued to analyze: "After the banquet started, besides Zhao Gang, the dead also included Old Man Gao Zhijie, Qin Yi, Xiao Liang, and Grandpa Wolf.
The spider is among these four, and the wolf recognized the spider's identity, killed the spider first, and then killed Zhao Gang."
Speaking of this, Tang Yin's tone softened slightly: "...That's what I think."
The autumn wind blew, carrying a fallen leaf, swirling between the two of them. Wang Lina looked at the sky in the distance, her eyes filled with complex emotions. Little Mian rubbed against her legs, making a soft bleating sound, as if comforting the girl lost in thought.
"Ah... Do you think you're thinking too much?" she said softly. "Four people have already died. Maybe the spider was already killed. The wolf might be thinking that way."
Tang Yin leaned against the mottled wall, his gaze deep. The sunlight cast dappled light on his angular profile, making him look particularly profound.
"Thinking optimistically, it's not like there's no such possibility," he slowly opened his mouth. "However, if the opponent is really smart, carelessness and recklessness will only cost him his life."
Wang Lina's emotions suddenly became agitated, and her voice unconsciously raised: "B-but, how did the wolf recognize the spider's identity!"
"Too loud!" Tang Yin frowned and quickly interrupted her.
Little Mian, who was squatting on the ground, was startled by the sudden sound and looked up at the two of them in confusion: "...?"
Tang Yin immediately changed to a gentle tone: "It's nothing, Little Mian."
"Okay." Little Mian nodded innocently and continued to focus on drawing crooked lines on the ground with a branch, her little face filled with an innocent smile.
Looking at Little Mian's innocent appearance, Tang Yin's expression softened slightly, but the words he spoke were still calm and rational: "...We can't rule out the possibility that the wolf recognized the spider's identity."
Wang Lina pursed her lips and lowered her voice to ask: "So... how did he do it?"
The autumn wind swept through the yard, carrying the rustling sound of fallen leaves. Tang Yin's gaze fell on the distant mountains, as if pondering something:
"On the first day, Old Man Gao handed over the leadership to Qin Ming, and he didn't object to the final decision, right?" He paused, then continued: "I think he's the type to take preemptive action... He shouldn't have agreed with the idea of not killing anyone on the first day."
Wang Lina twisted her hands together, her brows slightly furrowed: "...Yeah, you're probably right. But, so what?"
"If the leadership of the banquet was in his hands, it should have greatly influenced the state of the venue, right?" Tang Yin's tone became more serious. "And his thinking does have a certain degree of correctness."
His fingers gently tapped the wall, "But if that's the case, he's very likely to become the wolf's target... That's what I think."
Wang Lina's eyes lit up, as if she had grasped a key point: "If that's the case, Qin Ming is also very likely to become the wolf's target!"
The corners of Tang Yin's mouth curled into a faint smile: "...Conversely, if he is the wolf, there is no risk of becoming the wolf's target." His voice was even lower, "For the wolf, remaining silent is more dangerous, so he has to make unimportant suggestions..."
A gleam of wisdom flashed in Tang Yin's eyes, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly: "This is the smartest choice, isn't it?"
Wang Lina stroked the red rope on her wrist, her brows furrowed. Her gaze drifted into the distance, as if recalling something: "...However, how do you explain the fact that Old Man Gao Zhijie didn't say much at the time?"
Tang Yin took a deep breath, and his whole temperament suddenly became more serious. "From now on, everything I say is speculation." His voice was low and magnetic, and his right hand gently tapped the wooden armrest.
"The reason why Old Man Gao remained silent was to avoid the wolf targeting himself, who had leadership abilities." Tang Yin's gaze became profound, as if he could see through people's hearts.
A robin flapped its wings and landed on a branch outside the window, making a crisp chirp. Tang Yin continued to analyze: "Why would he do this? Because he knew that in order to protect everyone, he had to survive."
"That is to say..." His words were interrupted by Wang Lina before he could finish.
"! Could he also be a Guardian?" Wang Lina stood up abruptly, her eyes widening in shock, and a blush appeared on her fair face.
Tang Yin nodded gently, his gaze like a torch: "Yes, and he should have the Spider's protection."
Wang Lina sat down again, her hands unconsciously twisting together: "Why do you say that?" Her voice trembled slightly.
The air in the room seemed to freeze. Tang Yin's slender fingers gently traced the tabletop, slowly revealing the truth: "The spider faces the greatest risk after his identity is exposed because the spider can't protect himself."
A cool breeze slipped in through the half-open window, carrying the desolation characteristic of late autumn. Tang Yin's gaze became even more determined: "Conversely, as long as his identity is not exposed, the spider has the possibility of preventing the wolf from killing people."