"Cop, you're lying," Joe Jiajin said coldly.
"Hmph, I knew you'd say that, but what proof do you have to show I'm lying? Just because someone attacked me?"
"Of course not," Joe Jiajin smiled faintly. "Although I don't know the reason, the stories everyone has told so far are more or less interconnected. There are many shared characters in these stories. If we ignore the geographical locations, everyone's accounts are reasonable."
"So what?"
"The problem lies here." Joe Jiajin pointed at Lawyer Zhang Chenze. "There's a common character in your story and the lawyer's—that is, 'the scammer who swindled two million.' But your stories contradict each other, meaning one of you is lying."
Officer Li paused for a moment and asked, "Where's the contradiction?"
Joe Jiajin shook his head and looked at Officer Li, saying, "Lawyer Zhang is preparing for trial, which means in her story, the 'suspect has been caught.' But you're still lying in wait, meaning in your version, 'the suspect hasn't been apprehended yet.' Isn't that a contradiction?"
Officer Li thought for a moment and replied, "I have to admit, you make a good point, but I believe you've been affected by this 'game.' First, you need to understand a major premise—that everyone who told a story is from a different city. In other words, even if our experiences sound similar, they can't be the same incident. Since it's different, the results must naturally differ."
Qi Xia quietly watched the ongoing debate between the two, without intervening.
Yes, let them argue, the more heated, the better.
As long as one of them votes against the other, the liar wins.
After all, the rules are absolute—anyone else voting wrongly will lead to everyone's downfall except the liar.
Although Officer Li gave an explanation, Joe Jiajin's words still lingered in everyone's minds.
This was the first time anyone had noticed a contradiction between the two stories.
Qi Xia couldn't help but hold this Joe Jiajin in a higher regard.
Though he looked rebellious, he was smarter than expected.
"Hmm… it's my turn now…" a young woman spoke up.
Everyone shifted their attention toward her.
This girl had screamed loudly when someone died earlier.
At this moment, she seemed to have calmed down but was still reluctant to look at the people around her.
"Hello, everyone, my name is Lin Qin, and I'm a psychological counselor."
Qi Xia paused slightly, as the name "Lin Qin" was quite interesting.
Before the Tang Dynasty, "Lin Qin" meant "apple."
The name held poetic significance and was quite memorable.
Perhaps her parents wanted their daughter to have a unique name, but clearly, in this situation, it would be her downfall.
Among those present, there were writers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, and police officers. They all might recognize the meaning of "Lin Qin."
Just thinking about this name for a moment would make Lin Qin's story unforgettable.
Noticing that no one reacted, Lin Qin continued, covering her mouth and nose. "I'm from Ningxia. Before coming here, I was waiting for a client. She's a kindergarten teacher."
Everyone looked at the kindergarten teacher, Xiao Ran, with mild surprise. Another connection had appeared in the story.
"She said that the current kindergarten profession is difficult. Teachers can't hit or scold children. Parents treat kindergarten teachers as nannies, and children treat them like servants. Every classroom is equipped with surveillance, and parents monitor it in real-time. If your tone is even slightly strict, a parent will call the principal immediately."
"But aren't parents sending their children to kindergarten to help them build values?"
"If teachers can't be strict, how will children learn what's right and wrong?"
"She felt she's been in a state of confusion and oppression for a long time."
"So, I came up with a treatment plan for her, about a month's worth."
"But for some reason, the client never showed up for her appointment, and I just waited in my office."
"The earthquake struck, and I had no chance to escape. After all, my office is on the 26th floor."
"The higher the floor, the stronger the shaking. I felt the whole building sway."
"I never knew that Ningxia could experience earthquakes; this one really made me feel it."
"Later, I vaguely remember the ceiling collapsing, and everything went black. Then I lost consciousness."
After hearing Lin Qin's story, everyone seemed to reflect for a moment.
Joe Jiajin spoke first. "I have two questions."
"Go ahead," Lin Qin replied, covering her mouth and nose.
"You said every classroom has 'surveillance,' what do you mean by that?"
No one expected Joe Jiajin to focus on this point, but Lin Qin, being a psychological counselor, was patient in her response. "I think the reason for the surveillance is so that parents can watch the classroom footage from anywhere."
"Ah, so it's 'closed-circuit TV.' Is this a prestigious kindergarten or something?" Joe Jiajin muttered to himself, then asked, "The kindergarten teacher you met, is it this Xiao Ran sitting next to you?"
"I don't know," Lin Qin shook her head. "I only added her on WeChat, and we hadn't met in person yet."
"WeChat?" Joe Jiajin was taken aback, seemingly not understanding.
Officer Li interrupted the exchange, saying, "You're at it again, Joe. Xiao Ran is from Yunnan, while Lin Qin is from Ningxia. Who would travel such a long distance to see a psychological counselor?"
Joe Jiajin wasn't intimidated. "I just think there's something odd. This is the first time someone's story mentions another participant."
Dr. Zhao, who had been silent, nodded and added, "Xiao Ran, is the reason you went to see a psychological counselor the same as what Lin Qin described?"
"Hmm…" Xiao Ran hesitated for a moment before answering, "It's not exactly the same… I went because I was being criticized by a parent for a long time, which made me a bit depressed…"
"That just proves it's a coincidence," Dr. Zhao nodded. "After all, this is happening in two different regions. We don't need to force a connection."
Everyone fell silent for a moment, but then Lawyer Zhang suddenly spoke up. "Ms. Lin, half of what you told us is the kindergarten teacher's story. Doesn't that violate the rules?"
"Huh?" Lin Qin was momentarily stunned. "I mentioned the teacher's story to help you better understand my work…"
"Don't get me wrong, I don't mean anything by it," Zhang Chenze smiled. "What I'm saying is, if the teacher's experience is fabricated, it would naturally differ from Xiao Ran's story, and that would prove you're lying."
"You…!" Lin Qin didn't expect the woman in front of her to be so assertive and could only defend herself, saying, "Dr. Zhao and Officer Li both said it's a coincidence because we're from different provinces!"
"A coincidence, is it?" Zhang Chenze folded her arms and continued, "Think carefully—why were exactly nine of us chosen to gather here? Don't forget, we're all strangers to each other. To find a flaw in each other's story, we must be given some clues. And the 'clue' is that all our stories are connected. After hearing everyone's story, I feel like we were specifically selected. That way, we can spot discrepancies in each other's stories and find the liar. Otherwise, this game is just too ridiculous, because the liar's chances of winning are too great."