Chapter 481: Do You Suspect That Person from Your Dormitory?
President Mu said loudly, "As one of the top schools in Hua Empire, everyone who successfully enrolled at Beijing University is naturally outstanding. However, it is not enough to just be knowledgeable. We do not expect everyone to be noble, but we do expect everyone to be morally upright and righteous!"
"We do not expect everyone to step forward bravely but to have a sense of right and wrong!" President Mu had a stern expression and said loudly, "Beijing University hopes that everyone becomes pillars of society after leaving the school and doesn't take advantage of the Internet to create rumors just because you are physically unseen."
"The school will investigate this matter. Anyone who is in the wrong will not be able to escape. Do not have the mentality that you will be lucky." President Mu scanned the crowd with a cold gaze. "Those who think they have made an inappropriate comment should take the initiative to tell Mr. Ji. They will face a lighter punishment."
"The punishment will not be light if the school finds out the culprit and must follow the rules of the school," President Mu clarified.
"It's not just for this matter. The school will never let the culprit off easily for breaking the rules," President Mu said. "The school will never help cultivate such culture. It has been many years since such a thing last happened. If we do not investigate thoroughly, there will be more people who will use such methods to hurt others. Beijing University will become a joke!"
"Beijing University cultivates pillars of society, not scheming villains," President Mu said in anger. "Beijing University's forum is for us to exchange knowledge and help each other, not a channel to hurt and frame others!"
President Mu was truly angry. He waved his hand. "Take all of them away!"
President Mu had the 13 students who were caught earlier taken away.
He told Wei Zhiqian and Ying Siyuan, "Even if you caught the culprits, you cannot do it yourself. It is only proper if people from the school do the work."
"I was afraid that you would come late and let them get away," Wei Zhiqian explained.
"Even if we let them get away, we can still find out who they are again. However, it indeed served as a warning gesture," President Mu said. "No matter what, it will not be on you."
"I bluffed them this time, and the students have yet to realize. When they realize it, they will certainly object." President Mu glared at Ying Siyuan and the others. "Wei Zhiqian has already graduated, but you all are still in school."
Ying Siyuan and the others scratched their heads as they lowered them. They did not make a sound.
Since President Mu was lecturing them, they would listen.
After all, they were pillars of the country.
That was especially true for students like them who were on a professor's research team. It was highly likely that they would directly enter the various departments at the national level after graduation.
President Mu appreciated the talent and naturally could not and would not punish them.
If he had no choice, he would just make a show.
However, they should at least look the part when they admitted their mistakes.
President Mu could tell immediately what they were thinking and laughed out of anger. He gave each of them a kick.
He told Tan Mo, "The technical team is organizing the student name list. Although it is more troublesome to find the person who started the thread since they bought a clean account, do not worry. We will eventually find them."
Tan Mo nodded. "I have some findings on my end."
"Oh?" President Mu was intrigued. "So fast? What findings do you have?"
"It is still a secret for now," Tan Mo said loudly. "Although there are some findings, I still lack evidence. It is only my guess. When I can confirm it, I will also not malign the innocent and will tell you what I have."
"Alright, if you need any help or cooperation, feel free to tell me," President Mu said. "You have my mobile number. No matter what time it is, contact me if you need to."
Tan Mo agreed.
The students who had crowded around to watch had mostly left. There were still some who had slowed down their movements to listen to what President Mu was telling them.
All the attention was on President Mu and Tan Mo.
Wei Zhiqian glanced at Lin Fuxi, who was standing on the balcony on the second floor.
Lin Fuxi was paying attention to Tan Mo and President Mu and did not notice that Wei Zhiqian glanced at her.
After President Mu left, Ying Siyuan and the others also told Tan Mo that if she needed any help, she must approach them and not be courteous.
They didn't want a situation like today when something happened but she did not tell them.
They even had to hear about it from other students and rush over.
"I will," Tan Mo quickly guaranteed.
Ying Siyuan and the others left.
Only Tan Mo and Wei Zhiqian remained.
"I also wanted to come down and make a comparison." Tan Mo took out her phone and dug out the second photo of her posted on the forum thread."
This time, Tan Mo put her focus on the background.
"What are you trying to find?" Wei Zhiqian asked.
Tan Mo recalled that the three photos were also in Wei Zhiqian's phone.
She said, "Look at the background. The trees, pathways, and details can be used to judge where the person who took the photos were at. I just took these few photos from the balcony of our dormitory."
After Tan Mo said that, Wei Zhiqian understood. "Do you suspect that the person is from your dormitory?"
Tan Mo hummed in agreement and said softly, "Her name is Lin Fuxi."
Tan Mo knew immediately that Wei Zhiqian would not remember her name.
Wei Zhiqian did not have a bad memory, but he never remembered people who were not important...
Such as Lin Fuxi.
"Hmm." Wei Zhiqian once again nodded without putting the name to heart.
His expression implied that she was not important.
"I wanted to confirm from the angle of the photo and the height, as well as the background of the photo, if it was taken from the balcony of our dormitory," Tan Mo said softly.
Their dormitory was on the second floor.
Even if it was from the same angle, the image captured from the second, third, and fourth floors would be different.
Tan Mo wanted to take photos from different floors of her dormitory building and make a comparison.
Wei Zhiqian nodded. "The perimeters should include this pathway, correct?"
"Yes," Tan Mo nodded.
"Alright, don't bother yourself. I will find people to do it," Wei Zhiqian said. "With more people to split the work, it will be more efficient."
"The female student dormitory..." Wei Zhiqian raised his head to look.
Lin Fuxi was still watching from the balcony.
She could not hear what Wei Zhiqian and Tan Mo were saying.
She saw them both discussing something for quite a long while with their heads close together. Lin Fuxi became anxious.
Wei Zhiqian suddenly raised his head.
Wei Zhiqian only wanted to look at the third and fourth floors, but he happened to see Lin Fuxi.
Lin Fuxi thought that Wei Zhiqian was looking at her. She lowered her head guiltily and hurriedly returned to the dormitory.
From her guilty reaction, Wei Zhiqian curled his lips. Tan Mo had not maligned her.
Chapter 482: Scolded Wei Zhiqian and Zhou Jingan Together
"Are you hungry?" Wei Zhiqian asked Tan Mo.
Tan Mo wondered if he wanted to raise her like a pig.
She had already eaten snacks the whole ride on the way back.
"The people I called over will need some time to come. Don't wait here," Wei Zhiqian said.
"You didn't eat much on the way." Tan Mo thought that Wei Zhiqian was certainly hungry now. "Let's go to the cafeteria and let me treat you."
Wei Zhiqian laughed. "Alright."
It was rare that Tan Mo was the one treating him. This feeling was refreshing.
He also did not mind that Tan Mo only treated him to cafeteria food or that it was too cheap.
Wei Zhiqian knew that Tan Mo was not hungry but still suggested eating.
It was not because he was hungry.
One reason was that there was nowhere else to go while they waited.
Another more important reason was that he had to take Tan Mo along and appear in front of the students at Beijing University.
He needed to let them know that he was the one who brought Tan Mo back.
There were no other strange people involved.
Where was the place with the most people in school?
Other than the classrooms during class time, it was the cafeteria.
It was more effective than going to the school building during class time.
Thus, Wei Zhiqian and Tan Mo went to the cafeteria where there would be the most people from Beijing University.
"I will buy the food. Sit and wait here," Wei Zhiqian said to Tan Mo after they found seats.
"We already agreed that I would treat." Tan Mo misunderstood that Wei Zhiqian had only agreed verbally and wanted to pay again.
Wei Zhiqian ruffled her hair and said, "Of course, you are the one treating. I graduated ages ago and do not have the school cafeteria card anymore.
Tan Mo thought about it and agreed. She had forgotten about that.
Tan Mo took out her phone, found the school's mobile application, pulled out the QR code, and passed it to Wei Zhiqian. "You know the passcode to unlock my phone. If the screen gets locked, just unlock it!"
Although the phone could be opened with facial recognition, when it was unable to unlock the phone via that, it could also be unlocked by a passcode.
Wei Zhiqian nodded and took Tan Mo's mobile. "What do you want to eat?"
"I am not hungry. Buy more for yourself and I will have a bite," Tan Mo said. "You can buy what you like to eat. Anyway, we have the same taste. I will certainly like what you like to eat."
Wei Zhiqian liked to hear that she said she would like all that he liked.
It was just as how he would like all that she liked.
"Alright," Wei Zhiqian said and went to queue with Tan Mo's mobile phone.
The dishes displayed in every window were different. Thus, there wasn't a queue in front of every window. Instead, it was like a buffet. Everyone was in a single queue and walked along every window.
The auntie would scoop for them what they liked. There was a scanning machine on the outside of every window. It was very convenient to place the QR code on the phone on the scanning machine.
Wei Zhiqian only took half a portion of every dish, but he ordered a large variety.
He asked for a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, and an empty bowl for Tan Mo at the end.
Then, Wei Zhiqian carried the full tray and returned to his seat.
There were many people in the cafeteria. Many people saw him while he was in the queue.
From the windows where the dishes were to the path he took back to his seat, he had passed by half of the cafeteria.
In a short while, every student in the cafeteria knew that Wei Zhiqian and Tan Mo were there.
Many people there were not part of the crowd just now.
Moreover, the scene had just ended moments ago, so the news had yet to spread.
Thus, most people's latest news was still up to the content on the forum thread.
"Have you heard?" At this moment, the students who had just crowded around came to the cafeteria to eat.
They told their classmates what had happened.
While everyone ate, they received the latest news from WeChat.
They then knew that it was Wei Zhiqian all along.
"This matter quickly caught Wei Zhiqian's attention. Once the person who posted the thread is found out, they won't get lucky."
"It's not just the person who posted the thread. People who posted ugly comments in that thread were also brought away to be investigated. They probably will get disciplined."
"President Mu was very angry."
"He should be angry. This matter became too ugly."
"Yes, it soured our atmosphere. If outsiders saw it, what would become of Beijing University?"
Tan Mo was not hungry, but she could not just look while Wei Zhiqian ate.
She also ate with him.
She did not eat rice. She only drank some soup.
As Wei Zhiqian finished eating, he received a call.
After he hung up the call, Wei Zhiqian told Tan Mo, "They are all here. Let's go."
"Okay."
Tan Mo and Wei Zhiqian returned to below the dormitory. The people Wei Zhiqian called over were already waiting there.
It included Zhou Jingan.
There was also a girl among them.
She was dressed smartly.
She was in short sleeves, overalls, and a pair of boots.
Her hair was styled in braids like Lara of the Tomb Raider movie series, and she had no expression. She looked cool.
When she saw Tan Mo look over, she nodded to Tan Mo and still did not smile.
Zhou Jingan explained, "Young Master Wei asked me to call a girl over to facilitate the work you want to do in the female dormitory. To be safe, I asked Yu Hanxia over."
Yu Hanxia stepped forward. Without any expression and with a slightly cold voice, she said, "Hello, I am Yu Hanxia. Feel free to tell me if you want me to do anything."
Although her voice was slightly cold, she sounded straightforward.
The meaning behind her eyes was also the same.
Tan Mo felt more comfortable with her compared to many other people who smiled at her.
Zhou Jingan lowered his head and told Tan Mo softly, "Young Master Wei finds women troublesome. Some people do not have innocent intentions, thus workers at his side are always of the male gender."
"Yu Hanxia is usually not by Young Master Wei's side, but there are some matters that Yu Hanxia is better at and must be the one to do. Thus, Yu Hanxia usually takes on outside missions in our team. Moreover, she certainly would not have any intentions toward Young Master Wei."
"Tch!" Yu Hanxia snorted. "What are you saying softly? Just say it loudly! Do you think that you are a sweet pastry that everyone wants?"
After she said that, Yu Hanxia rolled her eyes.
She had scolded Wei Zhiqian and Zhou Jingan together.
Zhou Jingan was speechless.
Wei Zhiqian also didn't respond to her.
"Momo, say what you want to do exactly," Wei Zhiqian said.
Tan Mo nodded and said, "Everyone please distribute the work amongst yourselves. On this pathway, take a photo of the dormitory's background on this side, then compare the details. Try to be as meticulous and detailed as you can."
Tan Mo raised her head to say to Yu Hanxia, "Sister Yu, come with me to the third and fourth floors to the dormitories above my dormitory unit,"
Yu Hanxia was very tall.
After they were done, Tan Mo wanted to ask Yu Hanxia what she ate to grow so tall.
Chapter 483: I Only Smile at People I Like
"All right." Yu Hanxia nodded and noticed that Tan Mo had raised her face to look at her without trying to hide the admiration in her eyes.
Yu Hanxia was curious. What was this little lady admiring about her?
Everyone knew that Tan Mo was a genius.
Not just in history and Chinese literature, but rumor had it that she was also a genius in aerospace engineering and mathematics.
What could a little lady like that admire about her?
However, no matter what it was, it had caused Yu Hanxia's gaze at Tan Mo to gradually become gentler.
"Is it enough to just take photos from the third and fourth floors?" Yu Hanxia raised her head to observe the dormitory building again.
"That will be enough," Tan Mo said. "I have already taken photos from the balcony of my dormitory from several angles, to confirm the position where the person who posted the thread had taken the photos from. I've compared my photos to the photos posted on the forum.
"So we only need photos taken from our dormitory. If taken from the first floor, the photos would have the same angle as mine and are obviously different from the photos in the thread, so that can be directly eliminated. The third and fourth floor photos could be zoomed in, and there wouldn't be much noise.
"It would be too high if we went any further up. After zooming in, looking at the quality of the photos on the forum, the phone is unable to maintain its high-clarity function. I would guess that the limit is probably not even up to the fourth floor. But, to be safe, I still included the fourth floor."
Yu Hanxia nodded to show that she understood. "Then let's go."
Tan Mo brought Yu Hanxia into the dormitory and registered her with the dormitory officer.
Yu Hanxia asked the dormitory officer, "Can you come with us to dormitory units 305 and 405?"
The dormitory officer was shocked. "I can, but I have to ask, what for?"
"I want to investigate who took the photos and put up the thread and I want to borrow the balconies of dormitory units 305 and 405 to take a few photos and make a comparison," Tan Mo explained.
Yu Hanxia said, "If we just knock on their doors with no notice and request to go in, the students of dormitory units 305 and 405 may be worried and may not be willing to believe us. You are the dormitory officer. With you accompanying us, they would be more at ease."
It had to be pointed out that Yu Hanxia was meticulous.
Tan Mo had not considered this and had only thought of knocking on the doors of dormitory units 305 and 405.
With Yu Hanxia around and her imposing manner, the students of the two dormitory units would probably let them in.
"All right," the dormitory officer agreed.
President Mu had said that everyone should cooperate with Tan Mo's investigation, and he had relayed this information to the entire school.
So the dormitory officer knew about it.
And President Mu had told this to Tan Mo at the entrance to the dormitory.
So the dormitory officer had already heard President Mu say it himself.
The officer walked out of her office, locked the door, and accompanied Tan Mo and Yu Hanxia to the third floor.
After she knocked on the door, the dormitory officer explained what they were there for.
As expected, with the dormitory officer around, everyone was quite cooperative.
Moreover, the photos had not been taken by them.
They were not guilty and they had not done anything bad, so it was a good thing to help Tan Mo out.
Tan Mo quickly finished the task of taking her photos, thanked her schoolmates living in dormitory rooms 305 and 405, and also thanked the dormitory officer.
When they were descending the stairs, Tan Mo asked Yu Hanxia, "Sister Yu, what do you eat usually to grow so tall?"
Yu Hanxia: "..."
"Nothing special, it is probably only because both my parents are tall." Yu Hanxia did not have any special diet.
"But my parents are also tall, and I have three older brothers and they are all very tall." Tan Mo gestured at the heights of her three brothers.
"In my family, I am the only one who is short." Tan Mo was depressed about that. "Although I am in the third year of university, I am only 18 years old. I feel that I still have a chance to grow a little taller."
Yu Hanxia could not bear to dash Tan Mo's hopes.
You did not grow much between the ages of 12 and 16, when puberty was the fastest, so one shouldn't hope to grow much taller when you are 18.
Of course she could still grow when she was 16 and 17, but the speed would not be as fast as before.
Thus, a lot of girls will be taller than many boys in their classes during their primary five and six years, and even secondary one and secondary two years.
However, when they are secondary three, the speed of growth for boys will suddenly accelerate and they grow tall quickly.
While the speed of growth for girls would gradually slow down when they are in high school.
When they are 17 and 18, they might still grow taller, but not by much.
Tan Mo was 18 and still wanted to grow taller.
Probably...maybe...should be...there was not much hope.
Yu Hanxia didn't want to be the one to destroy Tan Mo's hopes, so she thought a while and then said, "Exercise probably is helpful."
"I learned martial arts when I was young and learned Judo later. I also eat balanced meals and eat a lot of vegetables every day. I eat beef, chicken, prawns, and other high-protein low-fat meat options, complex grains, and I use different cooking methods to make these complex grains. Plus all kinds of nuts," Yu Hanxia thought for a while and felt that probably these also helped.
"Of course, I eat junk food sometimes too. About once or twice a month, I will eat what I want to eat, such as pizza or hot pot. But I only eat one kind at a time and don't mix them together. Even if I eat them, I will control my intake and do not binge."
"..." Tan Mo immediately decided this was not for her.
It was too terrible to not be able to eat good food.
As for exercise...she also did not like to exercise.
"Then...then, sister Yu, do you think my height is all right?" Tan Mo looked at Yu Hanxia with wide eyes.
Yu Hanxia laughed, and her smile made her cold face look as if 100 flowers had bloomed suddenly.
It was as if all sorts of brightly colored flowers had suddenly bloomed on a mountain covered with snow.
Tan Mo was stunned.
Yu Hanxia raised her hand and rubbed Tan Mo's head.
Tan Mo's hair was soft and silky and was good to touch.
"Your height is very suitable," Yu Hanxia said. "It is just nice."
"Really?" Tan Mo asked in surprise.
Yu Hanxia seemed worried that Tan Mo did not believe her, and she nodded violently and even said with certainty, "Really!"
"Then...then I will not eat that diet you were talking about," Tan Mo said.
Yu Hanxia smiled. HMMM! "That's all right not to eat them."
The little snow fairy looked at Yu Hanxia's smile and told her, "Sister Yu, you look really good when you smile."
Although Yu Hanxia's smile had gotten slightly smaller, she was still smiling.
Even the corner of her eyes held a warm smile. "I only smile at people I like."
Tan Mo's little face immediately brightened, and she said, "Sister Yu, I also like you."
As Tan Mo said that, she happened to be exiting the dormitory building with Yu Hanxia.
Chapter 484: What You Say Makes Sense
Wei Zhiqian happened to hear what Tan Mo had said.
His expression immediately darkened, and he glared at Yu Hanxia guardedly.
At the same time, he strode over to walk beside Tan Mo and squeezed Yu Hanxia out of the picture.
Yu Hanxia was considered tall among girls.
However, she had now been completely blocked by Wei Zhiqian and Tan Mo could not see her at all.
"Is it all settled?" Wei Zhiqian asked Tan Mo, as if he did not realize he was blocking Yu Hanxia.
Yu Hanxia snorted. She was surprised that Wei Zhiqian either did not realize his feelings or he was like a lunatic and even guarded Tan Mo against females.
She guessed that there must be a hole in his brain.
Yu Hanxia rolled her eyes at him behind his back and turned and walked away.
Tan Mo blinked, raised her head, and said to Wei Zhiqian, "Uncle, you are blocking sister Yu."
"She already left." Without turning his head, Wei Zhiqian had heard Yu Hanxia's departing footsteps.
Of course, he had also heard Yu Hanxia's snort.
That snort had a deep resentment in it.
He even suspected that if Yu Hanxia could have beat him in a fight, she would have beat him up directly.
"Sister Yu was angry," Tan Mo said.
"She wasn't," Wei Zhiqian answered with conviction.
"She obviously was." Tan Mo had heard it too. "She even snorted."
"She was clearing her throat," Wei Zhiqian said.
Walking away, Yu Hanxia turned her head abruptly.
PFFT!
Only your family clear their throats with a snort.
Zhou Jingan saw what had happened and quickly walked over to apologize to Yu Hanxia.
Of course, he didn't dare to say anything much about Wei Zhiqian.
He knew what Wei Zhiqian was capable of.
If Wei Zhiqian heard him say anything negative about him, it would not be good.
Both these individuals didn't have a good temper.
Zhou Jingan could only act out a mime for Yu Hanxia. He pointed at Wei Zhiqian, curled his lips, shook his head, then gestured to his brain, then shook his head, and held his palms out.
There was no help for it.
Yu Hanxia: "..."
The people who had been responsible for taking those photos were also finished with their task.
"I will have them organize the photos and send copies to you tonight. I will also find people to compare them," Wei Zhiqian said.
"All right, thank you." Tan Mo nodded.
Wei Zhiqian then left.
Tan Mo returned to her dormitory.
Once she was back, her three roommates crowded around her.
"How is it? How did your investigation go?" Meng Yuxi asked.
"We have only done the preliminary work, and we have yet to officially start investigating," Tan Mo said. "We have already started to find all the clues we can think of."
"Don't talk about it anymore," Jin Yuelin reminded Meng Yuxi. "Don't let other people hear what you're talking about. Even if there are clues, Tan Mo, you have to hide them. Don't let other people find out. What if you alert the person who posted the thread?
"What if..." Jin Yuelin paused, then said, "...she has a way to destroy the clues?
"This matter was completely blown up today, and President Mu has personally involved himself. Even the students who wrote negative comments in reply to the thread have been punished. So can you imagine the person who posted the thred?" Jin Yuelin said. "That person who posted the thread must be afraid now. Once caught, they might even get expelled."
"You're right." Meng Yuxi nodded. "I discussed this with Yuelin. The university is strict toward rule-breaking. Behavior such as cheating during exams, causing negative influences on society, can result in students being expelled.
"To be practical, let's take cheating during exams as an example. Before university, from primary school to high school, isn't it common? We had never seen someone being expelled for that. But, once in university, that is not acceptable."
"This is good; it should be severely punished. Regardless if it was cheating or some other thing, a severe punishment would deter others from doing it," Jin Yuelin said. "The matter this time got too ugly in our school. I asked around and the previous years had never had such a thing as someone trying to frame their classmate. This is why President Mu was especially angry. This is an issue about character."
"If this matter had been blown up and spread outside our school, there would be a big impact on our school's reputation," Meng Yuxi said. "Moreover, this matter involved you.
"Everyone knows now that you are an icon of Beijing University and have won many honors for our school. The person who posted the thread framed you and should not be let off easy."
Lin Fuxi listened to Jin Yuelin and Meng Yuxi discuss this matter as she hid behind them.
She then squeezed into the conversation and asked, "Tan Mo, how is your investigation going about the person who posted the thread?"
"It is not bad, the progress is smooth," Tan Mo said to Lin Fuxi. "I'm so intelligent. Shouldn't this investigation be an easy matter for me? Don't worry, I will find out the answer in a few days."
Lin Fuxi: "..."
As if you had found out something...you only know how to boast!
Lin Fuxi felt sure that Tan Mo certainly did not find out anything.
Otherwise, with Tan Mo's high profile and boastful personality, wouldn't she show off that she had found something?
It seemed that Tan Mo and a large group of people were making a big fuss.
It was not known what they were investigating.
"Then what are you investigating now?" Lin Fuxi asked. She wanted to get some useful information from Tan Mo.
"Isn't it just investigating the identity of the person who posted the thread?" Tan Mo looked at Lin Fuxi as if she was a fool.
Was this a question that needed to be asked?
Lin Fuxi: "..."
Was that the meaning behind her question?
Was Tan Mo stupid?
"I mean, did you find out any clues about the person who posted the thread?" Lin Fuxi asked again.
She had asked clearly and did not believe that Tan Mo did not understand.
Otherwise, Tan Mo must be pretending to be stupid.
She did not expect that Tan Mo would look at her quietly.
She looked at her for quite a while, and Lin Fuxi felt a bit guilty under Tan Mo's gaze.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Fuxi grumbled. "And why aren't you saying anything?"
"Lin Fuxi, I actually am impressed with you," Tan Mo suddenly said.
Lin Fuxi did not understand, where was this coming from?
Tan Mo did not answer her question and suddenly said that she was impressed with her.
What was she impressed about?
"Previously, you were stomping your feet and saying a lot of things and saying that I bullied you. Our relationship was falling apart, and now you can act like nothing happened. This is why I said that I am quite impressed by you."
Lin Fuxi: "..."
"Tan Mo, I am trying to talk nicely with you. Can't you talk nicely with me too?" Lin Fuxi said in a wronged tone. "You are like this, unwilling to talk nicely with me, and you always speak to me in a sarcastic manner."
Tan Mo thought for a minute and then she said, "What you say makes sense."
The more Tan Mo said, the more guarded Lin Fuxi became.
Tan Mo had never recognized her as a human being and had never spoken a nice word to her.
There was surely a problem if she suddenly agreed with her now.
Chapter 485: Good at Triggering Others
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Following that, Tan Mo could be heard saying, "Well, let me get this straight."
Lin Fuxi immediately stretched her neck forward in anticipation of Tan Mo's words.
Tan Mo asked, "Lin Fuxi, are you trying to sabotage my plan by poking your nose where it doesn't belong?"
"What are you talking about?" Tan Mo's question caused Lin Fuxi to blanch.
"Why did you probe into my investigation?" Tan Mo remarked with an innocent look. "Sister Yuxi and Sister Yuelin said it before that I should tell no one my findings or a single piece of information about my investigation. Otherwise, the author would disrupt my plan should they catch wind of it."
"You were relentless with your volleys of questions, especially when they were sensitive ones, even though Sister Yuxi and Sister Yuelin could keep their promises of not asking me anything. You have been asking me about my progress, my findings and so on. After hearing all the questions you asked, I couldn't help but feel suspicious about your intention." Tan Mo tilted her head and continued, "Even though they both care about me very much, they could refrain from asking me anything."
"Now, I'm thinking that you were the author of that article all along, and that's why you had been persistent with your questions. Are you trying to sabotage my plan or divulge the insider information?" Tan Mo asked.
Lin Fuxi's face flushed. "I was just being caring!"
"Hmm..." Pressing her forefinger against her lower lips, Tan Mo thought for a minute before replying, "In that case, you should care about me like both of them did."
At that time, Jin Yuelin and Meng Yuxi were staring at Lin Fuxi, whose face was red all the way to her ears. She looked like she would explode anytime.
It never crossed their minds that Tan Mo could be that good at making people's blood boil.
Tan Mo played dumb and stretched her arms open. "Look, you're the one who insisted that I speak the truth, yet you're upset when I did."
"And I've been telling you that I'm not the author! Whoever that person is has nothing to do with me!" Lin Fuxi bellowed with a stern look. "Any evidence is worth a thousand words. If you don't have proof, stop pointing the finger at me!"
"Who told you that I didn't have a proof?" Tan Mo instantly responded.
"Tan Mo!" Jin Yuelin and Meng Yuxi exclaimed in unison.
The two shook their heads frantically in silence, beckoning Tan Mo to stop saying unnecessary things.
Since Tan Mo had her suspicion on Lin Fuxi, she should not disclose any further information to the latter.
Noticing her carelessness, Tan Mo hurriedly stopped speaking and lowered her head as she covered her mouth with her right hand. Putting her guard up, she shot Lin Fuxi a panicky look and averted her gaze immediately.
Lin Fuxi snorted silently at the sight of it.
Tan Mo was but a fledgling who could not retain her composure.
She was highly alert at first, but her competitive nature and unwillingness to yield would lead her to spill the beans after some bickering.
She had proof all along.
Still, Lin Fuxi surmised that it was not solid evidence.
Otherwise, an impatient person like Tan Mo would've revealed everything and let her receive the punishment she deserved instead of remaining taciturn.
With that, Lin Fuxi stopped asking questions but began to spy on Tan Mo's movements.
Since they were staying in the same dormitory, she just needed to pay attention to whatever Tan Mo was investigating.
Everyone in the living quarters each owned a laptop.
Lin Fuxi's family got her one as well.
Although it was an inexpensive model with only basic functionalities, it was sufficient for studies.
Jin Yuelin and Meng Yuxi each owned a tablet. They didn't need to bring books to the lecture hall since they could write and scribble on their tablets.
On the other hand, Lin Fuxi only had a laptop but not a tablet.
It went without saying that Tan Mo owned both.
At that moment, Tan Mo was using her laptop to make comparisons of all the photos.
She had a high-end laptop that was capable of running heavy software that required high processing power and had high memory usage.
Tan Mo opened the original photos with the software and imported all the images she took into it.
The software selected photos with the closest angles through data analysis and its internal algorithm.
Once the software selected the images, Tan Mo removed the ones that were rejected.
After configuring the settings, she let it analyze and compare the trees and plants in the background.
Tan Mo looked at the progress indicator since the software needed time to finish the analysis.
The result finally came out around 10 minutes later.
There were two pictures she took that were similar to the original photos in terms of the annual growth rings of the trees, the number of leaves and the position of the weeds.
The software even drew circles on similar parts and enlarged them.
Afterward, Tan Mo keyed in several data, including the photography positions, and then reran the analysis process.
In the end, there was only one image that was similar to the original photos.
Tan Mo renamed all the photos with unique tags.
Hence, she could recall where she took those photos with just a glance.
The remaining picture was the first one she took on the balcony.
In other words, the author of the article was someone from her dormitory.
It was unnecessary to state the obvious regarding the identity of the culprit.
Still, the evidence in her hands was insufficient to plead Lin Fuxi guilty.
Tan Mo anticipated that Lin Fuxi would push the blame on Jin Yuelin and Meng Yuxi, saying they were potential suspects.
Lin Fuxi would point out that Tan Mo could not prove her guilty with such weak evidence.
While it was true that Tan Mo didn't have conclusive evidence, she had narrowed the potential suspects down to just her fellow dorm mates.
It was indeed a range tiny enough according to her expectation.
Tan Mo recorded the whole photo comparison process and exported the finished video.
She saved it for the next phase of her plan and would later broadcast it for everyone on the campus to see.
She then uploaded the video file to her cloud storage and sent another backup copy to her alternate email address.
Next, she sent a copy of it to Wei Zhiqian on WeChat.
Finally, she added that video to her favorites as a final backup copy.
It was indeed adequate preparation.
Upon receiving the video, Wei Zhiqian immediately replied, "I was about to send you the comparison result too."
Immediately after, Tan Mo received a zipped file Wei Zhiqian sent her.
The videos and images inside had the same result as Tan Mo's earlier.
A while later, Wei Zhiqian finished watching the video she sent him.
Wei Zhiqian asked, "So, is it the girl with the surname Lin?"
Wei Zhiqian had his suspicion about Lin Fuxi as well.
Tan Mo replied, "I suspect her too. Although I've narrowed down potential suspects to my living quarters, I still can't prove that it was her doing. Besides, there's a risk of accusing an innocent person without solid proof."
She continued, "Actually, I've got an idea now."
Wei Zhiqian replied, "Go on."
After lights out, Tan Mo closed her laptop and left it on her desk.
With her smartphone in her hand, she got into her bed.
Upon seeing that, Jin Yuelin reminded her, "Tan Mo, don't you think it's better to keep your laptop in a safer place?"
Lin Fuxi shot Jin Yuelin a glance.
Tan Mo answered with a smile on her face. "No worries. It'll auto-lock once I close the laptop lid. One can only access my laptop through fingerprint or password."
Having heard that, Jin Yuelin nodded and felt relieved.
Chapter 486: You Seem to Have a Wrong Idea About Tan Mo's Personality
In the dark, Lin Fuxi set her eyes on Tan Mo's desk that was under her bed, which was near the door.
Although Tan Mo's eyesight was not as good as Qin Mufeng's, it was still better than that of a common person.
Even in the darkness, Tan Mo could see Lin Fuxi's slightest movements and the direction of the latter's gaze.
***
The next day, someone could be heard knocking on their room door while Tan Mo was packing her stuff to prepare for her lessons.
Instinctively, the remaining three turned their eyes to the door.
Tan Mo opened the door since she was the closest to it.
After opening it, Qin Muye could be seen standing outside.
"Muye! When did you come back?" Tan Mo hugged Qin Muye in surprise and elation.
After that, the latter was pulled into the room.
"Around 1 a.m. last night. Supposedly, our group was to come back today, but Ah-Qing and I rushed back the first thing after learning what happened to you," Qin Muye explained while following Tan Mo into the room.
The other three heard Qin Muye's words as well.
"Everything is under control now. Uncle drove his car into the dormitory area and showed everyone that he was the owner of the car in the picture. President Mu ordered an investigation on the matter too," Tan Mo clarified.
"That's a different story. Even though everything is under control, we still have to come back earlier to help you deal with this," Qin Muye said. "The fact that we didn't make it back when it happened yesterday is already unforgivable."
"Was 1 a.m. the time the airplane touched down or the time you reached the campus?" Tan Mo asked, "Wait a minute. It was way past the dormitory curfew."
"We reached home around that time. We were picked up by our chauffeur," Qin Muye stated.
"In that case, wouldn't you need to depart from home early in the morning?" Qin Muye was a late riser.
If she were to wake up naturally, she would only be awake at noon.
Regardless of when she went to bed the night before, she would always wake up at noon without fail.
It didn't matter if she went to bed at midnight or 3 a.m. She would still wake up at the same time.
"Don't sweat it." Qin Muye was not bothered at all. "Okay, let's stop talking about me. What do you know about the author?
"Listen to me! You should not let the author off the hook!" Qin Muye exclaimed. "I was worried that you would be too soft and not hold the perpetrator accountable as long as they came clean to you."
Upon hearing that, Jin Yuelin, Meng Yuxi, and Lin Fuxi were rendered speechless.
She seemed to have the wrong idea about Tan Mo's personality.
Would Tan Mo be too soft? Seriously?
What made Qin Muye think that Tan Mo would be tender-hearted?
They had lived in the same dormitory as Tan Mo for three years consecutively.
Jin Yuelin and Meng Yuxi were especially close with Tan Mo. Therefore, the two of them were eyewitnesses to the way she had been bashing Lin Fuxi throughout the span of three years.
Tan Mo would always speak softly in a ladylike manner.
Yet, she could use the most tender words to retort to Lin Fuxi's ill-intentioned remarks so much so that the latter never once had things her way.
It was after spending three years together with Tan Mo that they understood her so much.
However, the fact that Qin Muye, who was Tan Mo's childhood friend, had such a big misunderstanding about the latter's personality truly blew their minds away.
At that point, Lin Fuxi had a powerful urge to tell Qin Muye to open her eyes wide and see how Tan Mo had been bullying her.
"Of course, I'll investigate this matter. Even if I didn't, Uncle and President Mu would make sure to uncover the truth." Tan Mo added, "This issue is no longer just about me. It's affecting many parties, including Uncle, the university, and so on. Plus, it's bringing negative impacts to all of us."
"Great to hear that." Qin Muye nodded and asked, "So, what's your current progress?"
"I did a comparison of all the photos last night. Uncle sent me the result of his findings too," Tan Mo stated. "I can now confirm where the author took the pictures."
Upon hearing that, Lin Fuxi turned to Tan Mo and asked, "You found it?"
"Indeed." Tan Mo nodded confidently. "As I've mentioned before, I'll close this case in no time with the level of my intellect.
"Yesterday, the forum administrator sent me a copy of all the information related to the author. I'd say she was pretty prudent to have gotten herself an alternate account," Tan Mo remarked. "Even so, there'll be clues left behind regardless of the accounts she used. Seeing that she's physically here, she'll either be on the campus or somewhere nearby when she was on the Internet. In any case, there'll be things that are waiting for me to find out."
"What did you find?" Qin Muye asked the exact question Lin Fuxi had been dying to know.
"I haven't gone through the data yet. The photo comparison already took all my time yesterday. I'll proceed with the investigation after I finish my lessons and all the ad hoc tasks in the lab today," Tan Mo said.
"Okay. Shall we grab breakfast then?" Qin Muye questioned.
"What? You haven't eaten? Didn't you come from your home?" Tan Mo was surprised.
"Well, yeah. How could I eat with all the worry in my mind? I rushed over here first thing and skipped breakfast at home. I thought that perhaps we could have it together," Qin Muye explained.
"Aww! That's so sweet of you. Alright, breakfast is on me today." Tan Mo held Qin Muye's arm and walked outside.
Lin Fuxi sneered silently at the sight of Tan Mo, who showed partiality.
The latter was never so intimate with anyone except Qin Muye.
Tan Mo fawned on Qin Muye since she was the daughter of the Qin family. Her father was the existing patriarch, and her brother was the next patriarch in line.
Tan Mo would put on a smiling face and be concerned about Qin Muye if she had enough rest and ate well.
At that, Lin Fuxi's lips twitched in jealousy.
If her memory served her right, Tan Mo had known Qin Muye since she was young.
Still, she was unsure whether they befriended each other during their elementary school years or even before that.
Regardless, they had known each other a long time ago.
Lin Fuxi snorted secretly.
As expected of a rich kid who studied at Jixia Academy her entire grade school years, she sure knew that she needed to win the favor of Qin Muye, whose family was more prominent than hers.
It was no wonder President Mu and all those professors favored her so much.
After all, she had experience in that area since young.
Not only did they not feel that she was pretentious while ingratiating herself with them, but they also thought that she was cute.
It was an impressive feat that not an ordinary person could pull off.
Just as Lin Fuxi was contemplating, Qin Muye could be heard asking, "Huh? Are you not bringing your laptop?"
"Nah. It's pretty heavy." Although her laptop was one of the lightest in the market, it was still a burden while carrying it in the bag.
"None of my lessons today requires a laptop, so having the iPad with me is enough." Tan Mo tapped on her backpack and added, "I can just come back to get it in the evening before I head to the lab."
Chapter 487: Using the Birthday as Password
Qin Muye asked, "Isn't it risky to leave your laptop here?"
After speaking, Qin Muye realized that her words were somewhat misleading. She turned to the three of them and explained, "I'm not talking about you. I was just worried that the author might come here and delete the data on Tan Mo's laptop stealthily."
Jin Yuelin and Meng Yuxi were at a loss for words and felt that Qin Muye had a subtle meaning with her words.
Lin Fuxi grumbled silently and thought.
'What is Qin Muye trying to imply here?'
"Let's go," Tan Mo said while holding Qin Muye's arm.
Right when Tan Mo was about the close the door, Lin Fuxi held on to it and uttered, "I'll close it."
Tan Mo immediately let go of her grip and continued to stroll down the corridor with Qin Muye.
While closing the door, Lin Fuxi eavesdropped on their conversation.
She heard Qin Muye saying, "Don't tell me that you're still using the birthday as your password. You should change it. That kind of password is too weak."
"Alright. I'll change it tonight when I'm back," Tan Mo agreed.
Following that, Lin Fuxi closed the door of their room.
Tan Mo's birthday?
After shifting her gaze at Tan Mo's laptop, Lin Fuxi began to ponder when her birthday was.
Tan Mo's birthday was relatively exciting that year.
Later on, she learned that Wei Zhiqian specially prepared fireworks at midnight for Tan Mo's birthday.
She could still recall that it was Friday.
On Monday after the weekend, a young man stood before the campus' main entrance and confessed to Tan Mo.
Lin Fuxi immediately opened the calendar app on her smartphone. With so many clues left, finding out Tan Mo's birthday would not be an arduous task.
In no time, Lin Fuxi found the date that was aligned with her memories of Tan Mo's birthday, which was April 25.
It was even easier to get the year of Tan Mo's birth since everyone knew she was 18 that year.
"Shall we go?" Jin Yuelin and Meng Yuxi asked after coming up to her.
Upon hearing Jin Yuelin's voice, Lin Fuxi turned around and saw them standing before her.
"What are you thinking about? You were staring at your phone in deep thoughts." Meng Yuxi shot Lin Fuxi a bewildered look.
"Nothing much." Lin Fuxi hurriedly locked her screen right after noticing Meng Yuxi and Jin Yuelin's gazes on her smartphone.
Lin Fuxi hid her phone behind her in reflex and added, "I was checking my schedule today."
At that, Meng Yuxi thought, 'How busy can she be? Does she have a schedule so hectic that she needs to browse through it to confirm her task list?'
"Fuxi, let's leave together," Jin Yuelin stated.
"Sure." Lin Fuxi displayed a light smile on her face.
Did they think that she could not tell they were keeping an eye on her?
They were afraid that she would damage Tan Mo's laptop if she were left alone.
The three of them left the dormitory together but remained silent along the journey.
After they arrived at the lecture hall, they went separate ways and found themselves a seat.
At that moment, Meng Yuxi whispered, "Did you notice Lin Fuxi's phone just now?"
Meng Yuxi was more astute than Jin Yuelin this time. The latter was in a dazed state before replying, "She locked the screen before I could see it clearly. But the interface looked like the calendar app."
"I'm not talking about that." Meng Yuxi looked around to ensure no one was staring at them.
"I was trying to say if Lin Fuxi's smartphone matched Tan Mo's description," Meng Yuxi murmured in a softer voice.
"Huh?" After pondering, an epiphany moment occurred to Jin Yuelin. She reaffirmed, "Are you talking about Tan Mo's speculation of the culprit's smartphone price, which was around 2,000?"
"Bingo!" Meng Yuxi nodded vigorously. "I didn't pay attention to her phone screen, but her smartphone itself. We've seen her phone before but kinda overlooked it. Upon seeing it again, it dawned on me that her smartphone totally matched Tan Mo's description."
Jin Yuelin bowed her head and remarked, "She had been prying into Tan Mo's investigation too much just as she had pointed out. But look at us, although we cared about the progress, we wouldn't ask if Tan Mo said it was confidential."
"On the other hand, Lin Fuxi, who was rebuked by Tan Mo, snooped around in her investigation like nothing happened a while later," Meng Yuxi ranted.
"Tan Mo must be suspecting her as well. Otherwise, I don't see why she would tell her those things earlier," Jin Yuelin commented.
Meng Yuxi nodded. "Say, should we keep an eye on her?"
"We probably should," Jin Yuelin answered. "But we should keep a low profile. We would've wronged her if she weren't the culprit. Then, things would become awkward between us. Before this, we would usually bicker with each other since our personalities were really incompatible. However, accusing an innocent person would be a whole new ballgame."
Meng Yuxi bowed her head. "Got it."
At noon, Jin Yuelin and Meng Yuxi were resting in their room.
Lin Fuxi was acting like normal. She did not even take an extra glance at Tan Mo's laptop.
At that, they couldn't help but wonder if they misunderstood her.
Did Lin Fuxi really not have any malicious intention?
The three of them had different elective courses in the afternoon.
Therefore, Jin Yuelin and Meng Yuxi could not continue to spy on Lin Fuxi.
She seized the opportunity to return to the dormitory with no one's notice.
Many students took up the elective course, and the lecturer did not have the habit of marking attendance. So, Lin Fuxi would not let this chance slip past her.
No one would notice even if she were absent for one lesson.
Upon her arrival before the door, Lin Fuxi held the key in her hand while having mixed emotions of excitement and anxiety.
Her trembling fingers failed to push the key into the keyhole.
She finally inserted it after some struggle. She turned the key to unlock the door and pushed it open. After getting in, she immediately closed the door.
There was no one but her alone in the room. She drew in a deep breath and let it out several times.
The fact that she was all by herself in the room helped calm her mind.
Wasting no time, Lin Fuxi walked to the window and closed the curtain.
She was being extra watchful, so did not want to risk being seen by other students staying opposite her room, even though the chances were slim.
After making sure no one could see her, Lin Fuxi strode toward Tan Mo's desk and opened the laptop lid.
Tan Mo did not switch off her laptop at that time, nor did she have the habit of doing so.
Unless the system update notification popped up where she would need to restart it later, she would not switch it off during regular days.
She was used to leaving all the document windows open even after saving them. After logging on to her user account, she could continue to work on the part of the document she left off the day before.
Tan Mo's name could be seen situated in the middle of the screen after Lin Fuxi opened the laptop lid.
There was a long text box below the name with several sign-in options, including fingerprint and password.
Naturally, Lin Fuxi could not log on using fingerprint, so she typed the eight digits of Tan Mo's birthday.
Following that, the password box quivered a little along with the eight dots.
Chapter 488: Tan Mo Is Luring the Culprit
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Password error.
Lin Fuxi's mood immediately tensed up upon seeing that.
Frowning, she drew in a deep breath and removed the first two digits of Tan Mo's birth year. With only six numbers remaining, she pressed the enter key again.
However, the text box along with the six dots indicated that the password was incorrect.
At that moment, Lin Fuxi began to feel agitated.
"Why would this be incorrect? What am I gonna do now?" Lin Fuxi was a little panicked.
If Tan Mo were to come back later that night, she would look up the data she received from the university forum administrator.
Lin Fuxi had to destroy that data or fiddle with it before her return.
Even if Tan Mo had seen it before, it would just be a glance at most. Not even she could remember every single digit and content precisely.
Should Lin Fuxi make minor edits, Tan Mo would notice nothing wrong either.
In the end, she would surmise that her information was authentic, though the investigation led her to a dead end.
As a result, Lin Fuxi would be in the clear.
No matter what, Tan Mo would not verify the authenticity of the data she received from the administrator.
After all, there was no way she could tell the data had been tampered with.
She would be convinced that the information on her laptop was correct.
Thus, this crisis had to be dealt with before nightfall, seeing that it was her only chance to get herself off the hook.
If she allowed this golden opportunity to slip past her, she would not have such good luck again.
"Birthday... Birthday..." Lin Fuxi murmured to herself as there was no one in the room.
Suddenly, a light-bulb moment hit her as she hammered her palm with her fist. "Speaking of which, Qin Muye only said a birthday was used as the password but didn't even mention whose.
"Tan Mo may not use her birthday." Lin Fuxi rubbed her temples while feeling proud of her quick-wittedness.
The next moment, she made a list of the closest people in Tan Mo's life, including her parents, her three brothers, Wei Zhiqian, Qin Muye, and Ming Yeqing.
"The password should not be Qin Muye or Ming Yeqing's birthday." Lin Fuxi walked back and forth in the room to break down her thoughts as it was her habit to contemplate.
"As close as they are, not even Tan Mo would set one of their birthdays as her password." It was purely unthinkable.
"Family... It could be the combination of their birthdays or Wei Zhiqian's birthday," Lin Fuxi blurted out. She took out her smartphone to search for Wei Zhiqian's information on Baidu Baike.
Wei Zhiqian's birthday could be seen after the page successfully loaded.
Wasting no time, Lin Fuxi keyed in his birthday into the password text box.
An error message was shown instead.
Still, everything was within Lin Fuxi's expectations.
Next, she planned to look up the birthday of Tan Mo's parents and her three brothers.
Tan Mo's father was the president of Tanyue Homeware, so he had a page on the Baidu Baike to himself, including his birthday.
As the president's spouse, Tan Mo's mother had a page dedicated for herself as well.
Her eldest brother, Tan Jinqi, was the co-director of Legend of Wei and Jin. He had walked on the red carpet before. Also, his identity as the eldest son of the Tan family and the disciple of Director Ho Yuehai had made him a well-known individual. So, it wasn't hard to look for his information online.
The masters of her second brother and third brother were famous individuals as well.
The news of Liu Shengtai and He Haoyan accepting new disciples caused a stir in their respective industries.
Finding Tan Jinsheng's and Tan Jinyi's birthdays would be an easy task since they were both distinguished in their fields.
Right as Lin Fuxi was about to look up the information on her smartphone, a beep sound could be heard from Tan Mo's laptop. It was immediately followed by a black screen.
Lin Fuxi stared at Tan Mo's laptop screen with a panicky look and thought, 'I only entered the wrong passwords three times. Don't tell me that I just messed up the machine?'
Unbeknownst to her, something happened at the biggest plaza on the campus at that moment.
That vast LED screen at the plaza was turned on, the one that was used for broadcasting during the time Beijing University participated in the Ancient Text Competition as per President Mu's request.
Lin Fuxi's face was displayed on the big screen when Tan Mo's laptop screen turned black.
From the broadcast, one could tell that Lin Fuxi was up to something.
She mumbled, "Why did the screen turn black all of a sudden?"
"Did Tan Mo configure the setting whereby the screen would turn black upon three incorrect password attempts?"
With that, everyone knew that Lin Fuxi was messing around with Tan Mo's laptop.
"What is she doing with Tan Mo's laptop?"
"Entering the wrong password three times. It looks like she did this without Tan Mo's consent. That means she's trying to access Tan Mo's laptop secretly. What does she want to do?" a person remarked.
The crowd started to gather at the plaza.
Meng Yuxi and Jin Yuelin could not see it since they were in class, but someone mentioned it in their classmate chat group.
After opening the chat group, they saw a person recording a live stream of the broadcast at the plaza.
In a flash, they put on the wireless earbuds into their ears.
With earbuds on, it'd be inconvenient to talk since they might accidentally speak too loudly. After all, earbuds canceled out noises to a certain extent.
So, Meng Yuxi sent a text message to Jin Yuelin through WeChat instead.
Meng Yuxi: "It's really Lin Fuxi!"
Meng Yuxi: "Looks like she sneaked back to the dormitory to mess with Tan Mo's laptop when we weren't around."
Jin Yuelin: "Why did she become so dumb all of a sudden? Didn't she already know that Tan Mo set up a password on her laptop?"
Meng Yuxi: "Perhaps she got to know Tan Mo's password from somewhere."
Jin Yuelin: "Hold on. Do you remember when Qin Muye came to look for Tan Mo this morning? She seemed to say something about Tan Mo likes to use a birthday for her password before they left."
Meng Yuxi recalled the moment at the mention of it: "Oh, yeah. That's right. I remember that."
Meng Yuxi: "Say, do you think Tan Mo and Qin Muye planned this in advance and deliberately said it so that Lin Fuxi could hear it?"
Jin Yuelin: "You might be right. Why would Qin Muye be so careless as to tell Tan Mo's password setting habit in the corridor where many people could hear it?"
Meng Yuxi: "But why did Lin Fuxi appear on the big screen at the plaza?"
Jin Yuelin: "Maybe it's Tan Mo's doing?"
Meng Yuxi: "Are you suggesting that Tan Mo set up a trap to make her take the bait?"
Jin Yuelin: "Most probably."
While they were chatting with each other, they wished that the lesson would end early so that they could rush to the plaza to watch the live broadcast.
Nevertheless, Lin Fuxi was unaware that everything she was doing was streaming on the giant LED screen.
She wanted to restart the laptop, but nothing worked, no matter which button she pressed.
The gathering at the plaza kept growing bigger.
Soon after, many people began to connect the dots that Lin Fuxi was the author of that article.
"Is Lin Fuxi the author of that article?"
"Highly likely. Otherwise, why would she tamper with Tan Mo's laptop?"
Lin Fuxi had no idea what to do with Tan Mo's laptop at that time.
According to Tan Mo's schedule in the past, she would only return after dinner.
After completing her finance lessons, she would join the research teams of Professor Gu, Professor Tang, and Professor Yue.
Chapter 489: Live Streaming
After Tan Mo left the laboratory, it would be about time for dinner.
In most cases, she would have her meal in the cafeteria and wander around before coming back to the dormitory around 8 p.m.
Lin Fuxi muttered, "I should get the laptop to the computer service center and get it back before dusk."
While it might be true that Tan Mo would usually return around 8 p.m., that day was a special case.
There was a high chance that Tan Mo would come back earlier to continue her investigation.
It'd be better to get her laptop back before nightfall to be on the safer side.
Lin Fuxi had the habit of speaking her thoughts whenever she was alone.
It was something that she had done since her youth.
She was first discovered doing that when she was still in elementary school.
The classroom was quiet during the exam.
She would start to mumble her calculation whenever she was solving math problems.
After being found out by her teacher, she somehow proved that she was not cheating. But her teacher prohibited her from making any sounds.
It was agonizing for her at first since it was a subconscious habit.
There was only so much that she could suppress. Eventually, she would blurt out her thoughts on random occasions after the urge welled up inside of her.
Her teacher did not make a fuss over her condition since it was just an elementary school exam.
Nevertheless, her teacher summoned her parents and informed them of the seriousness of her condition in front of her.
If nothing else, mumbling thoughts during the senior high school entrance examination and the college entrance examination were forbidden.
Upon hearing that, her parents instantly noticed the severity of her problem.
Although her teacher had helped her quit the habit of murmuring her thoughts during exams, things did not become any better.
Well, at the very least, she stopped doing that during her examinations.
Still, she would start to mutter whatever was on her mind whenever she was alone, especially when she was in a quiet environment.
She would speak aloud everything that came to her mind.
It was something that she couldn't help because doing that helped her have a clearer train of thoughts and organized thought patterns.
With that, she could think things through faster and understand them better.
She did not need to hold back anymore since there was no one but her in the room. She could analyze the cluttered information in her mind after speaking them out. As expected, she had a better understanding of things.
Unaware of it, everything she said was broadcasted on the massive LED screen for all the lecturers and students on the campus to see.
After deciding her next step, she immediately executed her plan accordingly.
Closing the laptop lid, she held the device beneath her arm as one would do with a book and prepared to depart.
After opening the door, many people could be seen standing before her.
It was the lineup of Mr. Ji of the disciplinary committee, Professor Hong, and several unfamiliar lecturers—a total of five.
The silhouettes of those five individuals filled up the sight before her eyes. Not a single ray of light could shine past them.
The color drained from Lin Fuxi's face. She took a few steps backward instinctively while gritting her teeth in jitter.
"Mr. Ji, Professor Hong, why are you..." Lin Fuxi's voice was trembling, unable to hide her overflowing fear.
"Lin Fuxi, could you please return my laptop to me?" Tan Mo's voice could be heard coming from behind the five faculty members.
At that, the five of them opened up a path for her to pass through.
Lin Fuxi was surprised to see Tan Mo among the group.
Tan Mo was relatively short, so she was blocked by the five faculty members who stood in front of her.
Lin Fuxi realized that she had Tan Mo's laptop in her hand upon hearing the latter's question.
Lin Fuxi was in a dazed state for a moment as she could not think of a better way to respond. So, she hid Tan Mo's laptop behind her in reflex.
And that was the worst thing she could ever do.
Looking disappointed, Professor Hong chided, "Lin Fuxi, what are you doing? Why won't you return Tan Mo her laptop?"
After regaining her composure, Lin Fuxi noticed that her reaction screamed of a desperate effort to hide her guilty conscience.
Biting the bullet, she stopped hiding the laptop behind her.
"When... When I came back to the dormitory earlier, I accidentally dropped Tan Mo's laptop from her desk," Lin Fuxi explained with a jittery look. "Immediately after, I opened the lid and tried to switch it on but to no avail.
"Knowing that Tan Mo's laptop is expensive, I... I thought of bringing it to the service center to check if it was damaged."
If they did not hear her mumbling her thoughts earlier, they would've been fobbed off by her.
Neither the faculty members nor those students who saw the broadcast at the plaza were fools.
All of them heard every word that came out of Lin Fuxi's mouth earlier.
"Why did the screen suddenly blackout all of a sudden?"
"Could it be that Tan Mo configured the settings whereby the screen would turn black after three incorrect password attempts?"
Those were the words Lin Fuxi had uttered, and everyone heard her clearly.
It was totally different from the excuse she came up with earlier, saying she accidentally dropped the laptop on the floor.
"Duh! Didn't she trigger the black screen after three wrong password attempts?" someone at the plaza commented.
"Why would the laptop's screen turn black after entering wrong passwords? Mine certainly doesn't do that."
"Mine doesn't have that kind of function as well."
"Maybe Tan Mo installed a software that has that kind of feature."
The broadcast did not stop even though Lin Fuxi closed the laptop lid.
Tan Mo had installed a weight sensor on the desk.
The moment Lin Fuxi lifted the laptop from her desk, the hidden camera in her desk immediately popped up when the notebook's weight was gone.
That recording device was given to her by Wei Zhiqian the night before.
He left the installation and configuration to her since he believed she could pull it off with her brilliant mind and repertoire of skills.
She could seek his help later if she faced any issues.
But Wei Zhiqian had faith in Tan Mo's capabilities.
As expected of someone of her intellect, she installed the device creatively and intelligently.
The hidden camera Wei Zhiqian gave her was as tiny and thin as the size of a chip.
One could easily pick it up with just a pinch of the fingertips like a small piece of paper.
Tan Mo had been cautious of Lin Fuxi a long time ago.
She did not make all this preparation just for this incident.
Tan Mo had put her guard up against Lin Fuxi ever since the first time she showed hostility toward her during their freshman year.
As the proverb went, better safe than sorry.
Tan Mo's master had warned her not to underestimate anyone who showed her hostility.
Her enemies would slither across in the dark, waiting to ambush her at any time.
Her adversaries did not make a move because they did not have the opportunity to do so.
Given a chance, they would not hesitate to devour her.
It was said to harbor no ill-intention against others, but never let down one's guard against evildoers.
Even after being reincarnated, Tan Mo had always kept her master's instructions deep inside her heart.
To make matters worse, she had been Lin Fuxi's roommate for nearly four years. Therefore, she could not afford to take things lightly.
Early preparation saved her from further trouble. After all, she only needed to suffer from inconvenience one time.
With that in mind, Tan Mo had altered her desk since the beginning.
She only installed a weight sensor this time to integrate better with the hidden camera from Wei Zhiqian.
Once her laptop was lifted, the sensor would trigger the hidden camera to pop up and begin the recording.
Chapter 490: Catching the Culprit
Tan Mo had connected the camera to her phone so that she could control it from far away.
That was why when Lin Fuxi closed the laptop cover, causing the camera above the screen to not be able to record her, a small camera had popped out from the table.
Lin Fuxi did not notice the camera because it was so small and didn't make any sound when it popped out.
Another reason she didn't notice it was that she was completely anxious. It would be almost impossible for her to notice every little detail that was happening around her when her heart was racing like the wind.
Because of the small camera, the live stream did not stop after Lin Fuxi closed the laptop. The students could still watch it and see what was going on inside the room.
The screen only turned back for a second before coming back up, this time from another angle.
And no one paid any attention to it.
"Lin Fuxi. How dare you lie after doing such a thing?" Mr. Ji scolded. "We know all about it."
Everyone knew what Lin Fuxi had just said.
Lin Fuxi couldn't help but tighten her grip on Tan Mo's laptop. "W-when did I lie?"
Tan Mo walked up to her roommate and grabbed her laptop back.
"Don't you even find this weird? How can the laptop screen go black after you've entered the wrong password three times?" Tan Mo asked. "Even if you keep entering the wrong password, the laptop would never end up as it has died. All laptops are built the same. You can enter the wrong password as many times as you want."
Lin Fuxi's face turned pale immediately, unable to comprehend why Tan Mo knew about it.
"Judging from your reaction, you must be thinking why I know that you have been messing with my laptop, right?" Tan Mo asked.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Lin Fuxi said nervously.
Tan Mo let out a sigh and open her laptop cover. She tapped on the keyboard a few times, and the laptop returned to normal.
The live stream was now switched back to the camera on Tan Mo's laptop again.
Tan Mo's face suddenly appeared on the huge screen at the plaza.
Since the screen was 4K and huge, everyone could clearly see every detail of Tan Mo's face. Plus, there wasn't much distance between her face and the camera.
Under normal circumstances, no one would've looked good when being filmed at such a close distance.
Yet, Tan Mo was different. Even that wasn't able to stop her beauty.
Even if her face was shown on the large screen and filmed at a very close distance and weird angle, her face was still gorgeous.
Even the 4K screen wasn't able to show the pores on her face.
Her pale white face was like a beautiful plum blossom.
The sudden appearance of a goddess-like face stunned the whole crowd.
All they could do was stare at the screen.
They didn't react until Tan Mo smiled at the camera.
Even though she couldn't see the people who were watching the live stream, she still acted as if she could see them.
The people saw Tan Mo waving at them while smiling, showing two rows of her clean and tidy teeth. When she smiled, her cheeks puffed up a little.
"Hello, everyone! Let me introduce myself. I'm Tan Mo. Now, I know everyone is wondering why I'm live streaming this and what I am about to do. Please give me a minute to explain, and everyone will understand why I'm doing this," Tan Mo said. "I am sure that everyone knows about the post on our school's forum yesterday, right? It was a series of photos of me walking out of my uncle's car, and photos of me leaving and coming back to the dorm. People started to gossip about it without even making sure the story behind the photos or even making sure if they are real or not. Some even posted malicious and humiliating comments about me. But I'm pretty sure everyone is curious about the photos, right? Now, I'm here to show to the whole students and teachers the evidence that I've collected to clear my name. Of course, I could've just explained the situation to the professors in private and everything would be solved, but there might be cases where people would still doubt me after seeing the official statement from the university because you might not know the true story behind the photos. I'm pretty sure it would only spark more scandals, and it even might cause me a lot of trouble in the future. That is why, after getting approval from the president and professors, I'm here to show everyone the evidence through this live stream. Now, if I can direct your attention to my laptop screen."
Tan Mo changed the live stream to a screen recording of her laptop where everyone could see what she was doing.
"So, yesterday, I took photos from my room and the two rooms above me, which I have to thank the students staying in there for allowing me to do so. I've compared all three photos that I've taken to the photos that were posted on the forum through professional software. After doing the comparison of the height and distance, I've found that one of the photos has the complete same angle as the photo was taken when I returned to the dorm," Tan Mo said and showed the photos. "These are the ones I'm talking about. I've also located the IP address of the post and found that it was posted from an internet cafe outside the campus. My friend helped me check the CCTV recordings over there but didn't find anyone suspicious. However, our university's forum has a function that allows people to delay their posts. I'll show you the result of what we found later."
Tan Mo changed the scene back to herself. "First, we'll talk about where the photo was taken. It was taken from my room, which is why we are sure that the photos were taken by one of my roommates. Of course, there could be the possibility that someone came into my room and took the photos, but around the time I came back, most people were either still fast asleep or had only woken up. We are 100% certain that no one would have enough time to come to my room to take those photos. If someone managed to do that, I'm sure my roommates would definitely tell me about it. That is why we are certain that the photos were taken by my roommates."
The lady paused before continuing, "Among the three roommates I have, I'm very close with two of them. They pretty much treat me like I am their younger sister. That is why I never suspected them from the beginning. However, I still believe that evidence is more important than just relying on my relationship with them. To get the evidence, I got my best friend, Qin Muye, who, by the way, was still at Xiangnan recruiting students at that time and had to rush back, help me. We put up an act in my room this morning."
Tan Mo turned to Lin Fuxi. "I purposely told Muye that I'd already narrowed the culprit down to make you restless. I also left my laptop in the room on purpose so that you would search through it. But my laptop is password-protected. As my roommate, you knew about it. If I suddenly removed the password, you would've gotten suspicious instead. That is why Muye and I pretended to leak my password through our conversation."