Chapter 19: You Shameless Younger Brother!
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Tang Yu stood firmly by the table, arms crossed over a stack of documents, her eyes revealing a hint of surprise as she looked at Qin Luo.
Unlike Yao Yanyan’s sultry, alluring face that exuded charm from every angle, Tang Yu possessed a very refined oval face, with delicate and gentle features. Her eyes were bright and spirited, her lips thin and rosy, her overall appearance as if nature itself had carved her perfectly without flaw. Every detail carried a subtle classical elegance.
Her smooth black hair flowed down her back. Beneath her fair neck, a V-neck blouse hugged her graceful figure, topped with a gray sleeveless vest. The waistband of her straight gray pants cinched her slender waist and the blouse’s hem together. The long, straight pant legs beautifully emphasized her tall, slender legs.
At first glance, she didn’t look like a student. She carried a maturity and steadiness uncommon among girls her age. If she wore glasses, she might more closely resemble a young female teacher.
But without glasses, she seemed more like a well-educated professional woman stepping into the office world.
Dignified, elegant, and intellectual—she was like the polar opposite of Yao Yanyan. Yao’s beauty was unabashed, wild and passionate, seductive and enchanting.
Tang Yu’s beauty was restrained and subtle. At first glance, one might be more struck by her aura, but a closer look revealed every detail on her face held an endlessly captivating charm.
Qin Luo was also studying her with unusual seriousness for the first time, his gaze filled with appreciation as he naturally responded, “It’s alright. The feeling of unfolding the story step by step from different perspectives, piecing together the clues, and clearing the fog is actually quite interesting.”
Tang Yu glanced at the book, and after confirming Qin Luo had only read halfway through, blinked and asked, “So, have you deduced who the murderer is?”
Qin Luo thought for a moment and slowly said, “The story begins with the death of a lawyer. The author starts by unfolding the tale through the perspectives of two policemen, who investigate step by step, zeroing in on a reclusive elderly man who had contact with the victim before his death.”
“The odd behavior of the old man seemed to scream ‘I’m the murderer’ from his face, but Keigo Higashino is a seasoned writer—he wouldn’t reveal the culprit so early. So the old man is just a smokescreen, or rather, a deliberate misdirection by the author.”
Tang Yu nodded, her expression showing keen interest as she naturally took a seat opposite Qin Luo.
Qin Luo continued, “The two policemen suspect the old man and begin their investigation, which leads them to the victim’s daughter, the old man’s son, and a mother and daughter who run a restaurant.”
“Their successive appearances made the story’s threads more tangled, the case more perplexing. Even though the old man confessed, many details still suggested he might not be the murderer...”
Qin Luo spoke animatedly to Tang Yu, never once glancing at the book, yet recalling details, character names, and their movements clearly from memory.
He even analyzed the characters’ psychological states, his words coherent and his reasoning meticulous.
For a moment, Tang Yu half-expected that the person discussing the book with her was the author himself.
Unable to resist, she asked, “So, who is the real murderer in the end?”
Qin Luo smiled and replied, “It’s the child of the mother and daughter duo. He killed the lawyer not out of vengeance for his family but simply due to a personality disorder... In other words, he just enjoyed killing.”
Tang Yu’s eyes widened in surprise. After a few seconds, she admired, “Amazing. You’ve only read halfway but can infer all this. Not only can you name the culprit, but you can also guess their psychological state. I never knew you were this sharp.”
Pausing briefly, she joked, “If I didn’t know you’d only read halfway, I’d think you’d read the whole book before.”
Qin Luo blinked. “I hadn’t read it before, but right before reading, I flipped to the end to find the murderer... Yeah, I’m a truth seeker—I love spoilers the most.”
Hearing this, Tang Yu was stunned on the spot.
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After a moment, her expression shifted repeatedly, a mixture of speechlessness and amusement as she said, “Why don’t you play by the rules? How come I never noticed this side of you before?”
Qin Luo shrugged. “That’s normal. Although we’ve known each other a long time, we haven’t really interacted much. Honestly, I probably know more about you than you do about me. For example... I know you like jasmine milk tea.”
Hearing this, Tang Yu’s expression of amused exasperation gradually softened, and her gaze toward Qin Luo grew more complex.
After a few seconds of silence, she softly said, “You only got to know us better to please Xu Ke, right?”
Qin Luo smiled without replying, tacitly agreeing.
Tang Yu sighed. “Honestly, everyone in school can see how much you like Xu Ke. No one expected things to develop this far, but... to be honest, I’m actually quite glad you’ve come to realize it.”
Qin Luo blinked and showed little reaction outwardly, but inwardly he was stunned.
What’s going on with you all? Yao Yanyan is one thing—her personality clearly doesn’t suit being with Xu Ke, so it’s understandable she’s cheerful even if Xu Ke and I broke up.
But you’re different—someone who looks gentle, intellectual, polite, and well-mannered, and yet you’re also a plastic roommate with Xu Ke?
Qin Luo found himself unable to read Tang Yu’s true thoughts, so he silently put on a pair of headphones.
The next second, Tang Yu’s voice sounded directly in his mind.
“He probably still likes Xu Ke, though that’s just my guess. But it’s okay—I’ll find a way to confirm it with him.”
“Xu Ke probably likes him too, otherwise she wouldn’t have reacted so strongly before. But Xu Ke’s way of thinking is quite different from ordinary people, which is frustrating.”
“By the way, I just realized he’s quite handsome, and his manner of speaking and behavior is mature and steady, unlike most boys his age... He’s right—I really don’t know much about him, but he knows a lot about me.”
“Sigh, the student council already has so much going on, and now I have to help solve other people’s relationship problems, even though I’ve never been in a relationship myself...”
“Ahhh, little brother and little sister are so annoying! I didn’t sleep a wink last night! Dark circles are already showing...”
Qin Luo: “...”
Seriously, Xu Ke likes me? How on earth did you come up with such an outrageous idea? And considering Xu Ke—how is your logic even remotely normal?
But since you complimented me on being handsome and mature, I’ll let it slide this time. Next time, no more!
Speaking of which... Miss Vice President, so dignified and intellectual in everyone’s eyes, do your family know you secretly call people “little brother” and “little sister”?
“Is something on my face?” Tang Yu suddenly asked, noticing that Qin Luo’s gaze had turned subtly strange.
Qin Luo nodded, pointing at her eyes. “Your dark circles are pretty bad. Didn’t expect a good student like you to stay up late.”
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“Are they really that noticeable?” Tang Yu instinctively touched around her eyes, inwardly regretting not having put on some makeup. She couldn’t help but complain, “It’s not because of staying up late—it's all because of you. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night.”
Whether it was her imagination or not, Qin Luo felt a trace of grievance in her tone.
As soon as she said this, Tang Yu suddenly realized something was off. Seeing Qin Luo’s expression grow even more subtle confirmed it.
A flush appeared on her classically beautiful oval face, and she hurriedly explained, “I meant I was worried about you, Xu Ke, and Yanyan, so I couldn’t sleep well last night.”
Qin Luo seemed to accept this explanation and nodded. “You really are gentle, Miss.”
“Not really, they’re my roommates after all...” Tang Yu’s words faltered as she suddenly froze, eyes wide. “Wait, what did you just call me?”
Qin Luo blinked. “Miss? Is there a problem? I’m twenty, you’re twenty-one, one year older than me, right?”
Why “Miss” all of a sudden? You just praised me for being mature and steady! How did you suddenly become so casual? Two-faced little brother!
“You’re definitely one year older, but... you can’t just start calling me ‘Miss’ all of a sudden. We’re not that close...” Tang Yu’s blush deepened, her tone losing its previous composure and calm.
Qin Luo smiled faintly. “Alright, that was hasty of me. Sorry, we really aren’t that close.”
Seeing his somewhat bland smile, for some reason Tang Yu suddenly felt as if she’d done something wrong, a strange guilt creeping into her heart.
Hesitantly, she said, “No need to apologize. Although we haven’t talked much before, we’ve known each other quite a while. And you often thought of us when you brought food and drinks to Xu Ke, so...”
“So, I can call you Miss now?” Qin Luo concluded decisively.
You shameless little brother! Tang Yu silently scolded him, but outwardly sighed helplessly. “Just call me normally. I have to get back to work now.”
With that, she spread out the documents she had brought earlier and stopped looking at Qin Luo.
Qin Luo didn’t mind and resumed reading his book, though his intuition told him Tang Yu kept sneaking glances at him.
Of course, this wasn’t because he was especially charming, but because Qin Yu came with a purpose—to confirm something from him.
Unfortunately, he never gave her the chance.