Chapter 24: Confrontation and Choice
“It’s not a matter of… believing or not believing right now, but rather that you do have… significant… suspicion.” Kade, the foreigner beside Li Xiaoman, stammered out this sentence.
Pang Bo immediately glared. “What do you mean by that, you yellow-haired ghost? On what basis do you think Ye Fan killed someone?”
“No, I’m not… subjectively assuming. I’m stating… objective facts. I didn’t say he was… the murderer. I’m only stating a fact: his suspicion… is very high.” Kade, with his rigid and pedantic demeanor, analyzed seriously, “What Liu Yunzhi said… makes sense. Ye Fan had a conflict with the deceased, giving him a… motive for murder. Moreover, he was… very close by, providing the… opportunity to act.”
Although his speech wasn’t very fluent, everyone understood his meaning. Just like many single-minded Westerners, he was reasoning based on facts.
“Ghost, you really don’t understand human nature. It’s so obvious, yet you have to treat it like proving a mathematical theorem. So single-minded!”
“What is… ‘ghost’?” The foreigner Kade looked confused. “I’ve heard you say it… several times. What does it… mean?”
“You are a ghost, single-minded. I can’t be bothered to talk to you.” Pang Bo was annoyed and ignored him, then turned to look at Li Xiaoman. “Why aren’t you saying anything? You should know Ye Fan pretty well, right?”
Li Xiaoman stood gracefully, her figure outlined by the faint light of the phone. Like a fresh and beautiful lotus blooming in the darkness, she exuded a subtle fragrance. Her face was calm and natural as she spoke softly, “Honestly speaking, I don’t believe Ye Fan is the murderer. But right now, he is indeed under suspicion…”
“Li Xiaoman!” Pang Bo was very angry, emphasizing her name heavily as he interrupted her. “You are truly heartless. I never expected you to say such a thing. Anyone can doubt him, but not you! If others don’t understand Ye Fan, you should! Even though you’ve broken up, you can’t be this ruthless. Are you trying to rub salt in Ye Fan’s wound?”
“I don’t mean anything else. I’m just stating a fact.” Li Xiaoman was very calm. Her beautiful face was as fair as jade. She frowned slightly. “I’m not targeting anyone. I’m just saying that since the murderer dared to kill, there’s nothing they wouldn’t dare to do. We are all in danger right now. I hope to be objective, not subjective. In fact, Ye Fan is highly suspicious, and everyone else present also has some degree of suspicion.”
Pang Bo sneered, “In the end, Ye Fan is the most suspicious. You don’t believe him, so why say so much!” He turned his head heavily. “I really misjudged you. In the past, once you made a decision, it was hard to change. No friend could persuade you. Now I realize your personality isn’t resolute and decisive; it’s heartless.”
Just then, a nervous, almost timid voice spoke softly, “I… I believe Ye Fan. I believe he… is not the murderer.” It was the female classmate who had been having a hard time in life. She was thin and frail, looking very weak. She lowered her head as she stepped forward, appearing nervous and uneasy.
Originally a simple and happy girl, due to the difficulties in her life over the past few years, she had become completely unconfident, no longer radiant. She couldn’t even speak smoothly in front of others, appearing flustered and uneasy.
This was also the main reason Ye Fan felt deep sympathy for her during the class reunion.
Like Ye Fan, Pang Bo felt sympathy for this timid female classmate. In school, she hadn’t been like this. She used to joke often with Ye Fan and him, her words like pearls, and the three of them had a very good relationship. Being with her made people feel happy.
“Liu Yiyi, thank you!” Ye Fan smiled and nodded at her.
“No need to thank me. I believe you wouldn’t kill anyone…” Liu Yiyi’s voice was weak, which was very pitiful. She stood there nervously.
“If not him, then who?” Li Changqing said indignantly. “Besides Ye Fan, who else has a motive for murder? He’s taking revenge.”
The female classmate standing beside Liu Yunzhi also spoke up again, “Ye Fan, how can you be so cruel? They were classmates who knew each other for four years!”
“I’ll say it again: I didn’t kill anyone.” Facing the accusations, Ye Fan was calm and unruffled, very composed. “You can suspect me, but before the matter is investigated clearly, please don’t directly throw mud at me.”
“The facts are right in front of us. You were almost right next to the deceased, the closest. No one else could have bypassed you to kill him without being noticed. Only you had the motive to commit the crime!”
Pang Bo had a fiery temper and couldn’t stand being wronged. He said angrily, “Can you be reasonable? Before the matter is concluded, don’t put a shit pot on someone else’s head. I really don’t understand. To put it nicely, after graduation, you and Liu Yunzhi went your separate ways. To put it bluntly, Liu Yunzhi dumped you without a second thought, making you hate him immensely. So why are you now practically clinging to him, beating drums and sounding gongs to cheer him on?”
“You… this is vicious personal attack!” The female classmate’s face turned pale with anger, her body trembling as she pointed at Pang Bo.
“Attack? Yes, attack a chicken!” Pang Bo was someone who wouldn’t take a loss, and sometimes his mouth was indeed very venomous. “I call this fighting poison with poison. Speak human words to humans, ghost words to ghosts. When I see a toad, a few spits of saliva will drown it!”
“You…” The female classmate’s body shook, and she was speechless with anger.
Liu Yunzhi’s face darkened. “Enough, Pang Bo. Are you even a man? Is this interesting?” The Vajra Pestle in his hand was wreathed in several faint rays of light, especially conspicuous in the darkness, reminding everyone that it held absolute deterrent power. If a conflict broke out, no one could probably oppose him.
Pang Bo also darkened his face. “Because the murderer isn’t Ye Fan, and you’re being deliberately argumentative. I’m just giving you a taste of your own medicine.”
Ye Fan’s gaze swept over Li Xiaoman, then looked at the others. At this moment, three classmates stepped forward and said, “We believe Ye Fan didn’t kill anyone.”
Including Liu Yiyi, Zhang Ziling, and Pang Bo, six people were now on Ye Fan’s side. Counting himself, that made seven. With a total of sixteen survivors, those who believed in Ye Fan were nearly half.
Lin Jia was very beautiful, with a graceful figure. Her naturally phoenix-shaped eyes gave her an extra touch of charm. Even in this atmosphere, although she spoke calmly, she still appeared somewhat alluring and seductive.
“I also think it’s impossible for it to be Ye Fan. We all know his character. He’s not that ruthless. He never fusses over trivial matters…”
Li Changqing was displeased and interrupted her, “If not him, then who? Among us present, who would kill? Who would have that kind of intention?”
Pang Bo immediately got angry and glared, “Li Changqing, can you be any more despicable? Can you find any more reasons to throw more mud? I really want to press this copper plaque onto your face. How can you say such arbitrary words?”
“I can’t be bothered with you!” Li Changqing turned his head in anger. Even now, his face was still bruised and swollen from the beating Pang Bo had given him on the Five-Colored Altar.
“I also believe in Ye Fan. He’s not that kind of person. He wouldn’t do something so vicious.” At this point, Wang Ziwen walked over and chose to believe in Ye Fan.
Zhou Yi had been like an observer the whole time, but now he also made his choice. He looked at the divine-light-flashing Vajra Pestle in Liu Yunzhi’s hand, then at the calm and composed Ye Fan, and said, “We can’t easily conclude who the murderer is. I believe Ye Fan wouldn’t harm his classmates.”
At this moment, the vast majority of people were on Ye Fan’s side. He knew some were sincere, while others, by observing his demeanor and seeing how calm he was in the face of Liu Yunzhi’s Vajra Pestle, believed he must have some kind of “trump card” — a somewhat opportunistic choice.
“If it’s not Ye Fan, then who? Is the murderer someone else among us?” Liu Yunzhi said coldly, staring at Ye Fan, then looking at Pang Bo.
“Drop your attitude. Don’t think people are afraid of you just because you’re holding a glowing stick.” Pang Bo was completely unconcerned, very fierce. “I can still smash you with this non-glowing copper plaque!”
Liu Yunzhi’s face immediately darkened. He gripped the Vajra Pestle tightly and took three steps forward!
Ye Fan grabbed Pang Bo, who was about to rush forward, and then faced everyone, speaking seriously and solemnly, “I can tell you all: the murderer is not any one of us.”
The next chapter can enter the world everyone has been looking forward to. I don’t have a backlog of drafts. The editor and many authors know this and can testify. This book mainly has a lot of ideas prepared in advance, but no accumulated drafts.
I’m going to eat now. After that, I’ll take a shower to wake up and refresh myself, then write today’s third chapter. It might be updated around midnight. Please, dear readers, give me your support. I need member clicks and recommendation tickets.