Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 242 Rhetoric
Ai Liang did not intend to use class time to read novels.

He was new to the area, and the teachers were no longer the familiar faces from junior high.

Reading extracurricular books in class is seen as blatant provocation by the new teacher.

Some students may think that they have the ability to not listen in class, that the teacher can't do anything about them, and that they are very awesome.

But Ai Liang had been in the workforce before; he wasn't one of those hotheads who tried to show off by slapping others in the face.

Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't do anything that would embarrass the other person in front of everyone.

After the two exams, everyone got to know each other well.

The teachers were also aware of Ai Liang's skill level.

Back then, even if Ai Liang read books during class, the teacher wouldn't say much, so there's no need for her to be different now.

After all, reading novels during class is against the rules.

Managing students is a teacher's responsibility. If you play games or read novels in class and don't pay attention, of course they have to manage you.

Put yourself in their shoes: when you're speaking on stage and no one pays any attention to you, everyone treats you like you're invisible, wouldn't you feel uncomfortable and embarrassed?
Face is something that is given to each other, not something that is built by stepping on others.

Even though Ai Liang had completely mastered all the high school courses.

He didn't plan to do anything else during class time on the first day of school.

We should give the new teachers some face.

So Ai Liang planned to listen to music on her phone all morning.

As for saving face, you only need to maintain appearances; you can't really make yourself too bored, can you?

…………

Unlike regular schools, Qianhua Experimental Middle School does not have a curriculum where different subjects are taught in rotation.

Instead, the entire morning consisted of the same course.

For example, today was a whole morning of math class.

The teacher lectured at an extremely fast pace, covering the main content of the first chapter in just one morning.

It's worth noting that the math textbook for the first year of high school at Asia Union High School only has eight major chapters in total.

Today we covered one-eighth of the material, which means we're aiming to finish all the first-year high school curriculum within a month.

Basically, I'll explain the key points and give everyone two typical questions to do in five minutes.

That concludes this lesson.

Then, without stopping, we began the next lesson.

I also left over a dozen pages of homework.

Students with slightly weaker foundations simply cannot keep up with the teacher's pace and will probably be completely bewildered after listening.

Like Jin Ping'an, he always looked like he was asking, "Who am I?" "Where am I?" "What did I just hear?"

Starting from the second lesson, he couldn't even figure out which page to turn to in the book.

If Cheng Lejia hadn't reminded him, he probably would have been searching for the twenty-fourth page on the first eight pages until the end of get out of class.

After confirming that the teacher was indeed starting from the first lesson and not skipping lessons, Jin Ping'an became even more skeptical of life.

The top classes at Qianhua Experimental Middle School are only suitable for gifted students who can grasp concepts quickly.

This is not a place for ordinary top students.

Not to mention someone like Jin Ping'an.

For humanities subjects like Chinese, foreign languages, politics, and history, even if you can't keep up, you can memorize them by yourself.

For science...

Apart from geography and social studies (economics and law), which are similar to humanities subjects.

Jin Ping'an failed all subjects, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and computer programming.

His academic record is so bad that even a ceramic urn might not be able to support him, let alone a coffin lid.

Art, the only subject in which she had some talent, was only an elective, and like music and physical education, it was not included in the curriculum of the honors class.

There's nothing we can do about it. Art students and sports students have special classes for their talents, which are not areas that the top classes should be involved in.

At lunchtime, Ye Qing went outside to eat, just like before.

Yi Wenna, like a little tagalong, followed closely behind her.

Ai Liang was about to get up and go to the cafeteria when Jin Ping'an, with a sullen face, walked up to him.

"Is something wrong?"

Ai Liang asked.

Jin Ping'an's eyes darted around: "Nothing... I was just asking if you're going to eat at the cafeteria..."

Ai Liang could tell from his expression that this guy had definitely run into trouble again.

So you're saying you need something from me?
So Ai Liang asked in return, "Where are you planning to eat?"

Jin Ping'an was a little unsure what Ai Liang meant: "Uh, if possible, let's go to the cafeteria..."

"Okay, you go ahead, I'm going out to eat."

Ai Liang took off her Bluetooth earphones, put them in the charging case, and walked straight out of the classroom.

When he was almost at the classroom door, Jin Ping'an realized what was happening and quickly chased after him.

"Hey! Wait for me! I actually forgot my student ID in the dorm. Let's go out to eat together!"

Jin Ping'an hurriedly ran to Ai Liang's side and said with a forced smile.

"Yes, someone with a stomach problem who can only eat liquids, why would they insist on eating with others?"

Ai Liang mercilessly exposed Jin Ping'an's disguise.

Not long ago you were still drinking rice cereal, and today you told me you forgot your student card and are planning to eat off-campus.

Why can't you at least put in a little effort when making excuses?

Jin Ping'an looked a little embarrassed: "Well, I really forgot my student card in the dormitory. Le Jia has an important document to review at noon, so he went back to the company for the time being."

"I can't open the dorm door, and I have nowhere to go..."

Looking at Jin Ping'an's stupid face, Ai Liang really didn't know what to say to this guy.

I thought you would finally find an excuse to get close to others, but it turns out I overestimated you, didn't I?
"Let's go."

Ai Liang sighed softly and gestured for Jin Ping'an to follow.

Perfect timing. Before tonight's operation, let's see if we can get any useful information out of this guy.

The two walked through the crowd and arrived at a fast food restaurant outside the school.

Ai Liang ordered a standard meal with two vegetarian dishes and one meat dish, while Jin Ping'an ordered a pork rib soup.

The kind where you only want the broth, not the meat.

Upon hearing this request, the waiter couldn't help but glance at Jin Ping'an again.

I've heard of people ordering pork rib soup and asking for extra meat, but this is the first time I've seen someone order just the broth.

The two carried their trays to a quiet corner and sat down.

Ai Liang didn't do anything special, and ate her lunch at a leisurely pace, just like always.

Jin Ping'an, however, was getting restless and hesitated several times before speaking.

He held the soup spoon in his hand, but barely drank any soup.

He kept repeating the action of scooping soup and blowing on it to cool it down.

It's obvious that his mind isn't on eating at all.

Ai Liang could roughly guess what Jin Ping'an was thinking.

They simply wanted to probe me for information about the messenger's whereabouts.

Because of the warning given in the cafeteria earlier, he dared not speak up easily.

Jin Ping'an always wears his mind on his sleeve whenever he's about to do something.

Ai Liang didn't need to guess his intentions at all; she could just read his face.

It's almost time to eat.

Ai Liang put down her chopsticks and asked, "Are you going to ask me again about the messenger's whereabouts?"

A hint of panic flashed in Jin Ping'an's eyes, and his left thumb and forefinger knuckles twitched unconsciously.

His body tensed, and his face stiffened as he replied, "No, I just..."

"Yesterday at noon, you received a phone call and left in a hurry. It must have been a call from the criminal investigation team."

Ai Liang said with certainty, "Since the criminal investigation team contacted you, it proves that there is work there. Given your personality, it's impossible for you to ignore it and come to school today as if nothing happened."

Unless it's the police department, and they're just sending you to observe clues but don't intend for you to get involved in the case.

With just a few words, Ai Liang guessed the truth of the matter with remarkable accuracy.

When he became a messenger and made contact with the criminal police of Chika City.

They then began to analyze each and every officer in the police force.

Analyze their personality, thinking habits, and behavior patterns.

Analyze what methods they would use in specific situations.

For example, when faced with a case, Liu Yuan would choose the standard case-handling procedure and use her interpersonal skills to request an extension from her superiors.

Tian Hao likes to take risky moves. He first relies on Jin Ping'an's retrospective analysis to find the crime scene and related personnel, then reverses the reasoning process, and finally leads a raid.

It can be said that Ai Liang has thoroughly understood the personality of everyone.

In case we ever end up fighting each other, these analyses will be of great use.

Just like when Ai Liang came to Qianhua City and teased Shi Feng and others at Yuelai Shopping Mall.

"Yesterday... yesterday Old Tian just wanted to talk to me about some personal matters..."

Although Ai Liang said the same thing as the audience at the scene.

But Jin Ping'an still gritted his teeth and retorted.

"If that's all you want to say, then let's stop here."

Ai Liang picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth.

Not a single grain of food was left on the plate.

Obviously, if nothing else is going on, the next step is to leave the fast food restaurant and go back to school.

Jin Ping'an could hear the impatience in Ai Liang's tone.

However, he still hesitated to speak up because of Ai Liang's previous warning.

"So, you came to me not just to find out where the messenger is, but also to inquire about his whereabouts."

Ai Liang tapped the table with her finger and repeated the question she had just asked.

Ai Liang did not try to hide anything about this matter.

Expressing your speculation directly and frankly can actually make things seem more reasonable.

For example, the previous bank robbery case.

When the two were locked in the small dark room, Ai Liang bluntly stated that the kidnappers were after Jin Ping'an.

It also provides a detailed description of the suspicious points revealed by the kidnappers and the basis for their actions.

This is the persona Ai Liang created for herself: a solitary and proud genius who can be considered cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

Afterwards, a messenger was "found" to deliver a fruit basket to the hospital, further reinforcing this impression from another angle.

This way, we can approach Jin Ping'an more reasonably in the future.

Let's observe his future path and see how he will proceed.

As a genius boy who sees through things and speaks out, it would be more in line with his character to take the initiative to express his speculations.

If you try to cover it up, it will only increase suspicion.

Although Jin Ping'an didn't have the inclination to doubt other people's intelligence.

But the people around him aren't stupid.

With Ai Liang's attitude of "If you don't get down to business, I'm leaving," Jin Ping'an finally opened his mouth.

"As you said, the police don't want me to get involved in this case, but I don't want to just be a bystander and do nothing."

Jin Ping'an looked somewhat dejected: "But in this case, apart from finding some clues, I really can't help much."

I can't be of much help.

Clues are the most crucial thing.

Following the criminal investigation team around is utterly useless.

Ai Liang couldn't help but roll her eyes at him: "I'm not interested in your inner thoughts, get to the point."

Jin Ping'an originally wanted to vent his grievances.

Ai Liang's words completely shut him down.

“I know you don’t want to get involved in police matters and you don’t know the messenger’s whereabouts.”

Jin Ping'an was worried that Ai Liang would turn against him, so he gave her a heads-up beforehand.

"I'm looking for you for just one sentence: since you were able to contact the messenger before, if—I mean, if—"

Jin Pingan said to Ai Liang, "If you contact him again, please tell him that the Hermit may have appeared."

Ai Liang looked at him expressionlessly without saying a word.

"The victim in this case was killed by having his carotid artery slit with a dagger. His modus operandi is very similar to that of a killer known as the Hermit. The messenger has been searching for the Hermit's whereabouts."

Jin Ping'an changed the words "throat-slitting maniac" to "assassin" halfway through his sentence.

The main concern is that it might cause Ai Liang psychological discomfort.

The thought of a madman who killed thousands with a dagger is terrifying.

Ai Liang picked up a disposable cup and poured herself a free cup of herbal tea.

A squeaking sound.

He took a sip of tea.

The tea tasted bland and tasteless.

"You're just telling me information that's not publicly available from within the police force like this?"

Ai Liang, holding her teacup, said, "The cause of death and the murder weapon—these crucial pieces of information—you just casually revealed them like that?"

Although he wasn't opposed to using Jin Ping'an, this simple-minded guy, to learn about the progress of the police investigation.

But we still have to put on a show.

After all, they need to maintain their current public image.

After confirming that Ai Liang was not impatient, Jin Ping'an continued, "Although I am young, I am still an advisor to the criminal investigation team, so I have this much power."

And I trust your character; you're not the kind of person who likes to gossip and spread rumors.

Jin Ping'an's tone was slightly hurried: "Please! The only person I can think of who has been in contact with the messenger is you."

Although the hermit was an assassin, he was truly important to the messenger, back then…

“Don’t tell me stories. I’m from Nevada. I know better than you what the messenger did back then.”

Ai Liang interrupted Jin Ping'an's act of reading the Classic of Filial Piety in front of Confucius.

"Although I don't know if the messenger is still in Thousand Flower City, he will definitely get involved in this matter once he hears the news, without needing your notification."

"But the police have blocked information, so he won't get any intelligence for a while."

Jin Pingan kept tapping the corner of the table with his fingernails: "The hermit has always been the messenger's knot, and I want to help him."

It seems that Jin Ping'an has not given up on his previous idea and is single-mindedly trying to change the messenger.

But... how do you change someone who has been dead for seven or eight years?
The messenger we see now is merely a set of personality data that Ai Liang simulated for his own convenience.

Even when Ai Liang transforms into the messenger, she retains the messenger's memories, habits, personality, hobbies, and even the exact same body.

But he was, after all, Ai Liang, not a messenger.

Ai Liang's will controls everything.

Personality data, on the other hand, contains no thoughts.

(End of this chapter)