Fiona Bennett ultimately still did not tell Frederick Bennett about the poisoning incident.

Although the murder attempt was not directed at her, it was still the most serious event Fiona Bennett had ever experienced in her life. From the very first second of the call, she hesitated over how to say it, whether to say it at all, until she realized that, since she hadn’t said it in the first second, the moment had already passed—unless she was willing to admit to lying.

So, she decided to keep it hidden! The moment she made that decision, she felt as if her life was back in her own hands, her heart pounding loudly.

The hourglass that belonged to her seemed to only start letting the sands of time flow from this moment. Realizing this, Fiona Bennett felt a deep sense of absurdity—her friend’s life was under serious threat, and yet this had become a turning point for herself.

A turning point to become her own person. But regardless of whether that meant heaven or hell, Susan Wright absolutely, definitely, must be safe.

She couldn’t help but wonder what Frederick Bennett would do in her place. He would call the police, without any delay, and let trustworthy professionals handle the problem. He liked the police; as someone with a deep attachment to the military, this was only natural.

Maybe she really should call the police, but as Susan Wright had said, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to wait a little.

At the end of the call, Frederick Bennett told her that Gabriel Adams would be coming home from school for the weekend, and they’d have lunch together on Saturday. “You haven’t seen each other for a while, have you?” Frederick Bennett said. “He’s an ambitious kid, just like me.” He couldn’t see his daughter’s expression on the other end of the line.

Maybe she should think of a reason not to go home this week, Fiona Bennett thought. After the call, Susan Wright had already regained her composure. She asked about the details of the plastic food container, and after confirming that it really had been tampered with, the two of them began to recall and investigate who might have had the opportunity to access the container.

They quickly realized it was a futile effort. Susan Wright ate slowly and methodically, chewing every bite thoroughly before swallowing, which meant that she and Fiona Bennett always ate more slowly than everyone else—anyone could have had the chance to commit the crime. What was even trickier was that Selena Adams always liked to gather the other roommates to eat together, as if to build a barrier around Susan Wright. Just the day before yesterday at lunch, the other five in the dorm hadn’t eaten in the same cafeteria as Susan Wright and Fiona Bennett. When they finished eating, who was absent or who left early—there was no way to know.

The key was, Susan Wright couldn’t ask any of them. If the culprit really was someone in the dorm, it meant Susan Wright had a one-in-five chance of asking the murderer about the murder.

“Maybe I have an idea,” Susan Wright said.

She didn’t continue, as both of them were startled to find Frank Bishop not far away.

They didn’t know how long he had been there, and at that distance, he might have overheard them—or maybe not.

The most likely suspect for the poisoning was a girl, since it would be more convenient. But was it impossible for a boy to have done it? Not necessarily. The male and female dorms at the medical school weren’t as strictly separated as at many other universities. In the building where Fiona Bennett lived, the first and second floors were for girls, the third and fourth for boys, and the boys from their class lived in room 302.

When they saw Frank Bishop, he was also looking at them. His gaze was intense, making Fiona Bennett feel as if she was being stared at. Their eyes met, and Frank Bishop’s first reaction was to shrink back—he looked away, though only for a brief moment. Then he smiled, nodded, and greeted them, saying, “What a coincidence.”

Selena Adams popped up from behind Frank Bishop, and when she saw Susan Wright, she made no effort to hide her look of disgust. She grabbed Frank Bishop’s arm in an exaggerated gesture. Everyone knew they were a couple, and that she had pursued him, but such public displays of affection were rare at school.

“Let’s go,” she said to Frank Bishop, then tilted her head at the girls across from her with a blank expression. Frank Bishop gave an apologetic, wry smile, and was then pulled away.

“Did they just come from the park?” Susan Wright asked.

“Maybe,” Fiona Bennett answered uncertainly. She kept feeling that Frank Bishop’s gaze was a little strange.

II. Courage

1

The test report surprised Fiona Bennett: it was completely clean, nothing at all.

She had already prepared an explanation for how the water sent by her paranoid elder could actually contain toxins.

But there was nothing.

Fiona Bennett asked if there could have been a mix-up with the samples, but the senior student assured her, a bit impatiently, that there was absolutely no mistake.

“Did you really believe there was poison in the water?” he asked Fiona Bennett.

“Of course not,” Fiona Bennett hurried to clarify. “My uncle is really difficult, super suspicious. I was just asking on his behalf. Of course there’s no poison, I didn’t believe there was either.”

“You’re really something,” the senior said with a smile, “How are you going to thank me for this favor—treat me to dinner?”

Fiona Bennett was momentarily stunned, but the senior immediately laughed and said he was just joking, of course he should be the one to treat her.

“But, right now…” Fiona Bennett’s expression turned awkward and tense, then she said she had something to do and couldn’t leave.

“Then I won’t keep you,” the senior said, his face darkening as he turned to leave. In fact, before he came over to talk to Fiona Bennett, he had already noticed her standing under this tree for a long time.

Fiona Bennett watched his back, feeling sorry. She really was waiting for someone. She didn’t know if this person would show up, didn’t know who this person really was, wasn’t even sure if it was a man or a woman.

She was waiting for that person.

While talking to the senior just now, she kept glancing behind the tree. Not far behind the tree was Fiona Bennett’s dorm building. At this time, the light in her room—Room 217—was already on, the window half open, the curtains not drawn.

Fiona Bennett was very careful, keeping most of her body hidden behind the tree trunk. Even her clothes were brown, blending in with the tree.

Still, no one appeared.

The bait had been set last night. At the time, Fiona Bennett had said to Susan Wright, “You look so pale, I’ll make you some white fungus and red date soup tomorrow, red dates are good for your blood.” When she said this, everyone in the dorm was present.

This afternoon, Fiona Bennett skipped her pharmacology class and stayed in the room alone to make the soup, putting it into a plastic food container. When she handed the soup to Susan Wright, the other roommates were also there. Susan Wright thanked her, put the container on the long table, and focused on reading. Not long after, Fiona Bennett said she was going to the library and asked if Susan Wright wanted her to bring back any books. Susan Wright said no, she’d be going to the library herself soon. Then Fiona Bennett went to wait under the tree.

In the following hour, Susan Wright went to the bathroom once, for a full nine minutes, but until she returned, no one touched the food container. Don’t worry, Fiona Bennett told herself, the poisoner would need to be alone—there were still too many people in the dorm.

Ten minutes ago, Susan Wright left the dorm. Based on her earlier conversation with Fiona Bennett, the others would guess she was going to the library.

No one seemed to care about her leaving. Selena Adams, Lily Carter, Crystal Nelson, and Winnie Hayes were still playing cards, while Queenie Adams was absorbed in a romance novel by Yi Shu. In another half hour, they’d be heading to the cafeteria for dinner. Fiona Bennett believed that would be the most likely time for something to happen. Last time, hadn’t the person made their move during dinner?

I’m like Watson, Fiona Bennett thought. So who’s Holmes? Susan Wright, probably—she’s suited to being in control, while I’m a natural assistant.

Don’t get distracted, Fiona Bennett warned herself. She realized she’d zoned out for the past five or six seconds, but thankfully, no one could have tampered with the food container in such a short time.

But in just those few seconds, the card players had disappeared—Lily Carter and Selena Adams, who had been in her line of sight, were no longer at their seats.

What’s going on? Fiona Bennett wondered. It wasn’t even time for dinner yet.

Suddenly, the lights in the room went out. Room 217 was plunged into darkness, and Fiona Bennett could no longer see the food container on the long table.

This unexpected turn left Fiona Bennett at a loss. She had to keep the food container within her line of sight, or everything she’d done would be meaningless.

Fiona Bennett rushed out from behind the tree. It wasn’t completely dark yet, and she kept her eyes fixed on that window as she ran toward the dorm building, chin raised. The window was pitch black; she stared until her eyes hurt, but it was still a blur.

“What are you doing? Be careful.”

She nearly ran into someone and stopped quickly. Looking straight ahead, she saw the five people who had disappeared from the window, now right in front of her.

“What are you looking at?” Selena Adams complained.

Fiona Bennett couldn’t get a word out, only managed a smile. Being stared at by all those eyes, she felt exposed.

“Let’s go eat together,” Lily Carter said.

Fiona Bennett breathed a sigh of relief, then felt puzzled. “So early?”

“We’re eating out—Selena Adams is treating us.”

Fiona Bennett looked at Selena Adams, who raised her eyebrows at her but didn’t actually invite her.

“Oh, no, that’s okay. I’ll just eat at school,” Fiona Bennett declined a bit awkwardly. Her roommates smiled and walked past her together.

Fiona Bennett ran up to the second floor, opened the door to the dorm, and hid behind the curtain, watching as Selena Adams and the others walked farther and farther away. They didn’t look back, disappearing at the intersection.

Fiona Bennett turned back to look at the food container, but for a moment couldn’t see it clearly—then realized she hadn’t turned on the light.

The room lit up again, and at the other end of the long table, the food container was still there.

Susan Wright came in, having just been at another “observation point.”