Sun Chang adjusted his posture and looked at Sofia, who was seated across the table.
"Sofia, can you tell me about Zhao Mei? What kind of person was she? Any habits, routines, or something that stood out to you in her behavior?"
Sofia glanced at the butler, clearly stunned by the question.
Why ask me?
Wouldn't it be better to ask the butler these questions?
He's responsible for looking after them on a daily basis. With the amount of time he spent with them, he was more likely to notice any changes in behavior.
Sun Chang saw her confused look and quickly added, "We're just trying to look at this from all angles. You may have picked up on something others hadn't noticed."
Sofia sighed, glancing nervously at the butler before speaking.
"Zhao Mei was... meticulous. Her way of doing things was very precise, almost like clockwork. Every morning, she would have her tea around 7:00 AM, and she always preferred jasmine. She would then follow that up with her morning exercise before having breakfast.
After breakfast, she would go out for 9 to 10 hours a day and would return around dinner time, before locking herself in her study room until she went to sleep at 11:00 PM."
Sun Chang nodded, scribbling notes in his notebook.
"Did she mention what she did during those hours, like the people she met or the particular place she visited?"
Sofia shook her head.
"She was very private about her outings. She rarely shared detail about where she was going, whom she was going, or whom she was meeting."
"Then did she ever deviate from this routine? Any changes in behavior or unusual activities?"
Sofia frowned slightly, thinking back. "Now that you mention it, yes. About a month before her death, she started to act differently. She would spend more time buying and reading books; she would look at herself in her study for hours, sometimes late into the night. In general, she looked unhealthy."
It's a good idea to check her study room next, Sun Chang thought. Perhaps she recorded some information that would be useful. Suddenly, he remembered that Tang Yue had Zhao Mei's journal.
"These books," he asked, "are they still in the study room?"
Sofia shook her head, stating that she didn't know.
The butler, who had been quietly observing the conversation, spoke up.
"The day after the Enforcement Union arrived, I noticed that many of the books from Miss Zhao were missing. I don't know much, but I'm assuming that they were taken as part of the general search."
Sun Chang was left speechless. You guys just let them take all her personal belongings.
"Are you okay, sir?"
Sun Chang shook his head, indicating that it was nothing.
"Did she ever mention what she was working on?"
"No, she was very secretive about it," Sofia replied.
Zhao Ming, who had been silent until now, cleared his throat. "Sister did seem troubled in the last few weeks before her disappearance. She received several letters from an unknown sender, which she promptly burned after reading."
"Oh, did you manage to see any of these letters before they were destroyed?"
Zhao Ming shook his head. "No, she was very careful. But she did mention someone named 'Dorian' once. It seemed to distress her greatly."
"Dorian..." Sun Chang repeated it, the name rolling off his tongue as he scribbled it down. "Did she say anything specific about this person?"
"Only that he was introduced to her by her teammate Mu Qing," Zhao Ming replied.
"Interesting," Sun Chang murmured. Could Sun Wu be Dorian? Also, why send letters? Were they involved in some trouble?
Sun Chang turned back to Sofia.
"You mentioned that Zhao Mei rarely spoke about her business. Could you explain what you mean?"
Sofia nodded. "Yes, her captain was often the topic of conversation. She admired him greatly and often shared stories about their expedition.
"Oh, what was the captain's name?"
Sofia looked down, thinking for a few moments.
"That.. I don't know; she never seemed to have mentioned it."
Sun Chang raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the butler and Zhao Ming behind him. They also shook their heads, indicating they had no idea either.
"Then how do you know Mu Qing?"
"The Mu and Zhao families are both influential in Bo City. Given our extensive network, it is only natural that there would be some level of interaction between them."
Then why was Zhao Mei so secretive, even to the lengths of not mentioning the name of the captain? This level of secrecy seemed excessive. From what he had read in her journal, she seemed outgoing. Could it be that they were really in some danger? But that didn't make sense; she should have at least mentioned his name before those events.
He suddenly recalled the servant who had recognized him as Zhao Mei's teammate. How did she know that?
"Do you know anyone named Alice?"
Alice... right, that's her name. She was one of the servants who came back with Zhao Mei about three months ago. She is a good girl; she was able to settle in quite quickly, and unlike the other servants, she had a close connection to Zhao Mei.
"What about the other servants that came with Zhao Mei."
Sofia shook her head. "After Zhao Mei's passing, most of the staff were either let go or left on their own. But I do remember that there were a few others who had been with her for some time.
She paused, as if trying to retrieve more memories. "One of them, in particular, was a woman; she was beautiful for a servant. She often found reason to leave, whether it was for personal errands or to take care of 'important matters'.
Sun Chang took note of this information.
"Do you remember her name?"
"It should be Tang Yue."
Sun Chang's eyes twitched as he erased the information about Tang Yue from his notes. How unprofessional are you, Tang Yue, using your real name while undercover?
"Thank you for your cooperation, Sofia. Do you know where Alice is now?"
"She's most likely in the servant corridor. That's where she usually spends her time when not attending to tasks elsewhere."
"Thank you," Sun Chang said, getting up to leave.
"Wait," Sofia suddenly remembered something,
They all looked at her with puzzled expressions.
"There's something else."
"Zhao Mei had a particular painting in her study. She would stare at it for hours, almost as if she were possessed. When I asked if she was okay, she snapped her head around and glared at me, as if I were insane, saying something like, 'You've interrupted my inspiration!'"
Sofia paused, then added, "As for where she got the painting, I have no idea."
Sun Chang was curious now.
"Can you tell me more about the painting?"
Sofia's eyes lit up as she began to describe it. "It's of a woman," she said, "Her slender white legs peek out from beneath her gown, the pale skin contrasting with the dark fabric. The combination of her gown and the delicate veil on her face makes her irresistible.
She's mysteriously charming, aloof, and captivating. Her golden hair flows like liquid sunlight, framing her veiled face in a radiant halo. Though I couldn't see her eyes, I imagined they were like jewels, perhaps diamonds."
Sun Chang noticed Sofia continuing to ramble, her face gradually turning red.
"Sofia"
She blinked, her face still flushed. "Yes?"
"Thank you for sharing all this. It's been very helpful."
Sofia nodded, visibly relieved that the questioning was over.
He turned to leave but paused at the doorway, casting a final glance at Sofia. "If you remember anything else, no matter how small, please let me know."
"Of course."