novelraw Chapter 344 - 300: Suspicion
Chapter 344 - 300: Suspicion
After Yun Qi and Ye Lingran left, the corridor became cold and silent. A slightly cool wind swept through. An Yuyao slowly came back to her senses, her eyes gradually turned red, and the prickly sensation of pain radiating from her face made her smirk coldly.Her parents had never hit her since she was a child, yet Nie Cenjin dared to slap her.
An Yuyao’s gaze was tinged with malice. Her hand hung down and clenched into a fist, she muttered through gritted teeth: "Nie Cenjin, you are the one who should lose everything. I will make you pay for this slap, absolutely."
After Cen Jin left the venue, she took a cab back to the studio. Ling Quan, Liu Zhiyan, and Fan Yunru were all startled when they saw her return. "Sister Cen Jin, why are you back at this time? How was the competition? We’ve been checking the news here, but results haven’t been released yet!"
Cen Jin glanced at the three of them without replying and went straight back to her own workspace. She already had some thoughts on the way back. She wasn’t familiar with An Yuyao; they had met only a few times in total. It’s absolutely impossible for An Yuyao to know her daily habits, and she likely doesn’t even know where her studio is.
Perhaps she could search online, since their studio does have a website, and many customers make appointments online. But she had only finished her draft yesterday afternoon, and An Yuyao was able to create an identical version by this morning—it was utterly baffling.
She had a bad feeling in her heart. Looking at Ling Quan and the other two busy in their own work, Cen Jin squinted. She really didn’t want to suspect the three of them, and logically they shouldn’t know An Yuyao, but in such a short time, she couldn’t find other clues to prove it had nothing to do with them.
Moreover, she remembered that before leaving yesterday, she had backed up her work on her computer. She turned on the computer—her password and file passwords are known to all three of them.
As she pondered, she suddenly remembered that she had cameras installed in her studio. She accessed the footage from both inside and outside, focusing on the period from eight to ten o’clock. Her brow furrowed as she asked, "Who touched the surveillance video today?"
Liu Zhiyan shook her head: "None of us touched it! When we came this morning, none of us went to your or Sister Ling Ran’s desks."
"Then why is last night’s surveillance video blacked out? Why wasn’t it recorded?"
"I heard there was a blackout in our building last night due to a short circuit. An electrician even came to check this morning!"
Listening to Fan Yunru’s words, Cen Jin pressed her lips together tightly. What a coincidence: the power didn’t go out earlier or later, only last night, and only in their building. She couldn’t believe it was just a coincidence.
"What’s wrong, Sister Cen Jin? Did something happen?" Seeing Cen Jin’s unsightly expression, Ling Quan walked over and asked with concern.
Cen Jin looked up at Ling Quan, smiled lightly, and shook her head: "Nothing, you guys get back to work!"
"Sister Cen Jin, why did you come back at this time? How was the competition?" Liu Zhiyan noticed something off about Cen Jin’s demeanor since she walked in and cautiously asked out of curiosity.
"I withdrew from the competition," Cen Jin said calmly, closing the computer and changing the topic: "There hasn’t been much going on at the studio these past couple of days because of the competition. So, why don’t I give each of you a two-day break? Come back the day after tomorrow. Ling Quan, you’re in charge of the website, so even during the break, pay attention to customer inquiries, okay?"
"Withdrew?" Her words shocked all three of them terribly, but it was clear Cen Jin didn’t want to elaborate, so they didn’t press further and simply replied, "Okay, understood."
"Alright, pack up and leave. I’ll lock up later. Also, don’t stay out too late when you’re out, come back early and stay safe. Nancheng hasn’t been peaceful lately. There have been those serial murders, and I heard the perpetrator has resurfaced. Please be more cautious, okay?"
"Okay, understood!"
The three of them exchanged glances, responded in unison, and each went to pack their things. Before leaving, Ling Quan and Fan Yunru arranged to go shopping and have lunch together. When Fan Yunru invited Liu Zhiyan, Liu Zhiyan politely declined, saying she had some personal matters, and would join them next time. Fan Yunru didn’t insist and left the studio arm in arm with Ling Quan.