Chapter 357

Chapter 357

Next, we questioned several more male students about whom they had voted for.

Every last one chose Liang Yi.

They also shared two traits: all were shy, and all came from average or poor families.

“Now that’s strange. Liang Yi really did earn those votes one by one.” Song Xiaotian looked puzzled. “This is a campus beauty contest. Why are they all voting for her?”

“It’s the principle that like attracts like,” I said. “Didn’t you notice? The guys who voted for Liang Yi all come from ordinary families, while the ones who chose An Yutong are well-off.”

People at the bottom of society had one defining trait: solidarity. Faced with unfairness, they became especially united.

It came from biological instinct. Humans were social animals who knew how to huddle together for warmth, but they did not seek warmth from people in a higher social class.

The young men voting for Liang Yi knew An Yutong was beautiful and poised. But to them, she was more like a goddess, as distant and unreachable as a celebrity.

Liang Yi was different. Like them, she came from a poor family and dressed simply. In fact, her family was even worse off than theirs.

Compared with An Yutong, Liang Yi felt real. She was closer to them. She was one of them.

That was the principle of like attracting like.

It was also why Anning had voted for Liang Yi.

“So most people voting for Liang Yi are letting their personal feelings influence them,” Song Xiaotian said thoughtfully. “But objectively, she still has more votes than An Yutong. If I were her, I’d be pretty pleased with myself. Could Liang Yi have gone to An Yutong’s home to gloat…? No, who would go all the way to someone’s apartment just for that?”

I said there had to be a connection between them. It was simply one nobody else knew about.

To discover that connection, we needed to understand what kind of people Liang Yi and An Yutong were.

We had already asked about Liang Yi while questioning the male students, some of whom were her classmates.

They all described her as introverted, frugal, and plainly dressed. She studied hard and loved helping others.

No matter who asked her for help, she never refused. Both teachers and students thought very highly of her.

Now that we understood Liang Yi, we needed to understand An Yutong. Rather than asking other people, meeting her ourselves would give us a much clearer impression.

Night had fallen.

The three of us headed to the university library.

Brother Liu had said An Yutong also loved studying and often read there.

We spotted her soon after entering.

She sat quietly by herself, absorbed in a book and taking notes as she read. She really was a diligent student.

Only one of us should approach her. A whole group might scare her.

I originally wanted Song Xiaotian to do it. He used to be a police officer and was a decent judge of character. But the man acted as if there were something wrong with his brain, insisting that he already had a girlfriend and therefore had to keep his distance from every other woman.

So I walked over alone and silently sat across from An Yutong.

She didn’t even look up. She remained engrossed in her notes.

I had no choice but to greet her first.

“Hello, An Yutong. Could you look up for a moment…?”
She quickly raised her head. After a brief moment of surprise, she gave me a sweet smile.

“Hello. Did you need something?”

My first impression formed immediately.

She was polite, well-mannered, and not at all aloof.

“I do. I’m Liang Yi’s cousin.”

“I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

An Yutong froze again, then looked both confused and troubled.

Her reaction didn’t seem feigned.

“Is this about Liang Yi’s disappearance?” she asked.

She earnestly explained, “The police already spoke to me and searched my home. I explained everything to them. I truly never saw Liang Yi. I don’t know why she appeared on my floor, and I have no idea where she went…”

Seeing her sincere expression, I quickly reassured her. “Don’t be nervous. I don’t mean anything by it. I only want to ask about a few details. After all, Liang Yi was last seen on your floor.”

“Did you ever interact with her in private?”

“Even if you only exchanged a sentence or two, think carefully.”

An Yutong barely needed to consider it. “We really never interacted. I’m a sophomore and Liang Yi is a junior. Our classrooms are far apart. I commute, while she lives on campus. We had almost no chance to cross paths.”

I nodded. “Then why do you think she went to your neighborhood, entered your building, and came to your exact floor?”

An Yutong shook her head again, looking awkward. “I honestly don’t know. I’ve been wondering the same thing. I… even wondered whether Liang Yi had come to confront me.”

“Confront you? Why would you think that?”

“Someone scratched my car a while ago. I don’t know who did it, but some people told me it was Liang Yi. They said…”

“What did they say?” I pressed.

Her embarrassment deepened. “They said Liang Yi was jealous of me because we’re both candidates in the campus beauty contest. And… my family may be somewhat better off than hers, so they thought she envied me.”

“What do you think? Do you believe Liang Yi scratched your car? Did you report it to the university?”

An Yutong shook her head. “I didn’t report it, and I don’t think she did it. We never interacted, but I’ve heard about her. She’s a good person. Her teachers and classmates all speak very highly of her. I don’t believe she’d do something like that.”

“I looked at the poll today,” I continued. “Liang Yi seems to have far more votes than you. Logically, she shouldn’t have any reason to be jealous.”

An Yutong said awkwardly, “A lot of people have been saying… that everyone voting for Liang Yi is a loser just like her…”

What a bunch of foul-mouthed assholes.

“And what do you think of the contest?” I asked.

She considered it. “I don’t think it represents anything. It’s only entertainment, so there’s no need to take it seriously. Even if Liang Yi has more votes than I do, it’s just something people are doing for fun.”

“Besides, Liang Yi is already beautiful. She simply doesn’t like dressing up. I’ve heard her grades are excellent, so I’m sure she’ll accomplish something in the future. Once she graduates, starts working, and learns how to present herself, how could any of those people insulting her compare?”