Jin Xin originally intended to explain things to Hai Mingzhu.
However, upon seeing the girl utter the phrase "catching ghosts" as nonchalantly as if she were remarking on the fact we ate hot pot for dinner, he felt that these superstitious beliefs were indeed deeply ingrained in people's hearts. After some thought, he gave up on his initial plan.
Shen Yue, a man of few words and relatively small appetite, couldn't help but ask her upon seeing her calm demeanor, "Aren't you scared?"
"Scared of what? Ghosts?"
Hai Mingzhu didn't appear afraid at all. In fact, she seemed somewhat excited, "I love horror movies — zombies, the undead, vampires, and even psychos with chainsaws... It's all such fun."
As she avidly chewed on a piece of beef, some spicy sauce traced a line down her cheek, making it look like blood dripping from flesh.
If complemented with the right sound and lighting, she'd make a fine horror movie actress herself.
The waiter, despite being a distance away, had been all ears, his interest piqued by the conversation about ghost-capturing. But now, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine, he decided to keep a safer distance from the trio.
"But I have never seen a real ghost before. I didn't think life would present such an opportunity." Hai Mingzhu continued eating while chatting. Once she finished her bite, she finally addressed the main topic, "You said the Li Family's place is haunted? We're supposed to catch the ghost?"
"You could say that," Jin Xin answered vaguely.
Hai Mingzhu shot Jin Xin a look, "President Jin, I am an employee of your company, you should at least let me know the truth if I'm going to face a ghost, right?"
"Jin Xin is responsible for his employees," Shen Yue suddenly cut in: "Rest assured, if we were dealing with a ghost, we would definitely let you know first."
In her mind, the words of the serious Shen Yue carried more weight than those of Jin Xin.
Hearing Shen Yue's assurance, Hai Mingzhu let her playful demeanor slip away and gave a thoughtful response, "So, we don't know for certain whether there really is a ghost?"
Seeing Shen Yue and Jin Xin both nodding, Hai Mingzhu lowered her voice, "But can you two really catch ghosts?"
They both responded with a knowing silence.
After waiting for their response for a while, Hai Mingzhu finally lost her patience and complained: "I have to do something, right? President Jin, did you hire me just to eat meals?"
"Not many recent college graduates are as proactive about work as you are," Jin Xin praised.
"Of course." Hai Mingzhu brimmed with enthusiasm for work, "Then... why don't I take care of those intimate photos?"
Jin Xin nearly spat out his tea. He began to doubt the upbringing of this girl.
Shen Yue shook his head and said: "There are no photos."
"What?" Hai Mingzhu was startled, "But those are our strongest weapon, how can... how can they not exist?"
"Do you really want to see them?" Jin Xin asked, both annoyed and amused. "If there were such photos, it would only be my duty to take care of them."
"Then why did you make it sound so serious?" Hai Mingzhu asked, her face full of confusion.
"What did I say? I've never mentioned having any intimate photos," Jin Xin shrugged.
Upon careful thought, Hai Mingzhu realized that this was true. Throughout the entire process, Director Wang had assumed that Jin Xin had compromising photos, but Jin Xin had only ever said that their company was good at taking photos.
"Then is there no secret relationship between Director Wang and Secretary Zhou?" Hai Mingzhu realized her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth, "That can't be. Director Wang must be guilty, otherwise he wouldn't behave like that."
"There's definitely something going on between them," Jin Xin confirmed without a doubt.
"Then why didn't you take photos?" Hai Mingzhu asked with a furrowed brow.
Jin Xin couldn't help but laugh: "Young girl, we are a legitimate company, we wouldn't use those methods. If you're interested, you can try... sneaking. Also..."
After glancing at Shen Yue, Jin Xin continued: "Our initial research was not complete. We only found out about Wang Xinghai's affair with his secretary after we met him."
"How so?" Hai Mingzhu wasn't shy about digging for more information.
"You should ask Advisor Shen about that," Jin Xin deflected, feeling relief for the first time at Shen Yue's reticence.
When Shen Yue saw Hai Mingzhu looking at him with expectancy, he finally spoke up: "When we bumped into Secretary Zhou, her breathing was rushed, and her cheeks were slightly red. That's a reaction caused by the secretion of adrenal corticosteroids."
He paused and looked at Hai Mingzhu, "Do you understand what I said?"
"I do!" Hai Mingzhu quickly replied, "Adrenal corticosteroids include glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and small amounts of sex hormones."
After a pause, Hai Mingzhu added, "Was Secretary Zhou secreting the third type of hormone at the time?"
Both Shen Yue and Jin Xin exchanged surprised glances. Jin Xin couldn't help but laugh, "You really don't shy away from saying anything, do you?"
"Why should I?" Hai Mingzhu felt puzzled, "If it can be taught openly, why can't it be discussed openly?"
"Who teaches this stuff?" Jin Xin asked curiously, "Is this what you learned at university?"
"Yes," Hai Mingzhu said seriously.
"What did you study?" Jin Xin asked with surprise. He began to wonder if she had been studying in some exotic foreign land.
"Psychology," Hai Mingzhu looked at Jin Xin with equal surprise.
Realizing that Jin Xin seemed embarrassed, Hai Mingzhu couldn't help but laugh, "President Jin, you really are old-fashioned, were you thinking about something inappropriate? Nowadays, psychology courses do cover this physiological knowledge. Although it's not as comprehensive as in medical studies, there's no reason not to teach about the human endocrine system."
Jin Xin started to cough repeatedly.
Hai Mingzhu turned her gaze to Shen Yue, "Advisor Shen, did you also study psychology?"
"I don't know," Shen Yue shook his head.
Hai Mingzhu was taken aback. She appeared lively, but she was also extremely smart, otherwise she would not have quickly gained the approval of Jin Xin and Shen Yue.
In theory, her question should have only two possible answers: yes or no. But Shen Yue's response was clearly problematic.
What does "I don't know" mean?
However, after some hesitation, she decided not to pursue the matter further, "Advisor Shen seems more professional than me, despite my studying psychology. At least... I didn't notice anything unusual about Secretary Zhou at that time."
"Of course he's more professional than you. That's why I hired him," Jin Xin added.
Shen Yue didn't reveal any hint of pride, instead he continued, "When Secretary Zhou turned around, I noticed that the corner of her blouse on her right side was heavily creased, a sign that it hadn't been tucked in properly. When we got to Wang Xinghai's office and noticed that his chair was slightly askew, I concluded that they had just..."
Pausing to gauge Hai Mingzhu's reaction, Shen Yue carefully chose his words, "They must have just finished... being intimate."
Hai Mingzhu was impressed.
When Shen Yue's detailed observations were put together, it allowed her to quickly understand what had happened.
People rarely approached Wang Xinghai's office unannounced, which allowed him to act however he pleased there.
When the three of them visited, Wang Xinghai and Secretary Zhou must have been warming up. The disarranged position of the office chair was likely made to make room for their intimacy, his wandering hands had left her clothes in disarray. Secretary Zhou hastily leaving without her usual composure, unable to hide her physiological reaction, was what led Shen Yue to see through their pretense.
In hindsight, it seems simple. However, without ample experience and sharp insight, how could one see through all of these clues in the moment and reconstruct the scene, thus penetrating old fox Wang Xinghai's defenses?