63. Drawing shadows (Thanks to Xiaofeifei for the diamond gift)

  When I went back to turn the page again, a dialog box popped up on the screen: The website you logged in has been temporarily closed.

  The water army presses the border, both fame and profit are obtained, and all traces are erased.

  Completely calculated by Gao Cheng, it's simply... too amazing. Unable to suppress the surging emotions, I went to knock on the door of the adjacent room, and the few seconds of waiting were a bit unsettling, fearing that if he had fallen asleep, then tonight I would really be unpeaceful, and would be suffocated by those many thoughts and feelings.

  A low and husky voice finally came from inside the door: "Come in."

  Pushing open the door, I saw that the room was dimly lit, with only a bedside lamp on. Gao Cheng was leaning against it, his fingers holding a lighter that he had placed on the bedside table, and his laptop was casually placed beside him. This scene made me wonder if he hadn't slept all night while keeping watch? It's really hard to see this. Just as I was feeling a sense of sadness, I heard him say: "The results are out."

  I immediately took over the conversation excitedly: "Yes, you saw it too, right? The water army really appeared, and in just a few minutes, nearly 10,000 people replied to that post, instantly crashing the website. Gao Cheng, the true purpose of Yan's return is actually......" I swallowed hard, my heart racing wildly, my face slightly red with excitement, "For this weekend's stage play!"

  The original post was calm and peaceful, with only occasional netizens popping up to brush off their existence, saying a few boring words. Suddenly, a voice emerged: Do you know? The stage play on the weekend is performing this case. When this reply appeared, almost simultaneously, several people asked what stage play, and then it swept like a tornado, until the website closed.

  "Just thinking about those tens of minutes still makes me feel shocked and emotional: 'Gao Cheng, how did you know all this in advance? It's amazing that what you said completely matches the facts. You must have observed the details from the posts and guessed that it was Xing Guang She who was behind the scenes, right?' It's really hard not to admire him, even if he has a bad temper, his talent and charm in this regard are undeniable."

  Just as I was looking at him with almost reverent eyes, he extinguished the cigarette and said indifferently: "I don't have the ability to predict, the inferences I make are all based on phenomena that have a higher probability of occurring. As for your last point, it's purely absurd speculation."

  "Are you also just finding out from the forum?"

  "No, the answer is after you enter."

  He fell silent for a moment, then realized what he meant, "Didn't you keep refreshing the forum on your computer before?"

  "Are you crazy or am I? Staying up all night staring at the computer browsing this crappy forum? You're doing it just because you have nothing better to do, and that's enough with just you."

  I was so flustered by him that my face turned red and white, and I didn't even realize that he had set me up earlier to jump into the trap voluntarily. In his words, I became someone who was just looking for trouble because they were bored. I argued back in discontent: "But you're always awake, don't try to tell me that you woke up when I knocked on the door, I won't believe it." If he had really been sleeping and woken up by my knocking, there's no way he would have this attitude.

  Gao Cheng suddenly let out a low laugh, "I was awake and didn't sleep, thinking about something, originally couldn't figure it out, now I've figured it out."

  I couldn't help but be drawn in by his words, "What are you thinking about? About 'Swallows Return'? Do you have a new perspective again?"

  Gao Cheng fell silent, his clear eyes fixed on me under the dim yellow light, I don't know what he was looking at. Feeling awkward being stared at, I changed the subject and asked: "What should we do? Should we tell the police that 'Yan Gui Lai' is being manipulated by Xing Guang She?"

  "Who told you it was operated by Xingguang She?"

  This time I was really stunned, "Not that post on the forum..."

  "The topic leads to the play, is that what they're operating? The proposition doesn't hold up at all. Think about how I... foresaw it?" He seemed quite pleased with this word and used it without any discord. After he reminded me, thinking back on those twelve words, suddenly a message flashed through my mind, and I took two steps forward in surprise, "Is the order wrong?"

  "Oh? Tell me."

  "What you said is that the water army rushed in, and both fame and profit were gained. It refers to the fact that the water army first flooded into the forum, and after reaching a certain level, they released their true purpose. However, someone unexpectedly took the lead, and as soon as the water army entered, they were directed towards the stage play on the weekend, and then overwhelmed with a swarm of people. At this time, Yan Gui Lai lost his initiative, and even if he revealed his purpose again, the effect would not only be discounted but also might be ignored by netizens. How could Yan Gui Lai's proud personality tolerate this? So in a fit of anger, he let the water army rush in completely, causing the website to crash and shut down."

  Gao Cheng patted the seat beside him and said, "Sit down and continue! Tell me why this Yan Gui's personality is so arrogant?"

  I didn't think much, and sat on the edge of the bed, staring straight at his bright black eyes, as if there was a wise lamp in them that was guiding me. "Yan returned to post separately with two numbers on the forum, using rigorous words, clear goals, and step-by-step reasoning. Such a person must be very proud of their own academic achievements, and indeed they are. They can't bear the thought of their hard work being stolen by others, so they might as well make a clean break."

  "Xia Zhu," Gao Cheng called out my name softly after I finished speaking, his low voice gentle on my ears: "Do you think reasoning is fun and exciting?" I nodded honestly. As a painter, apart from inspiration, one must have a calm mind. I consider myself to be someone with strong self-control, but at this moment, the excitement gene in me was running wild, especially when new analysis came out, I would eagerly want to ask for proof of the answer. So I asked: "Was what I said just now correct?"

  "But Gao Cheng said: 'Reasoning has no right or wrong, because we didn't participate personally. Analysis is just a probability based on various messages and details. Your analysis just now was also a kind of probability.'"

  His words were translated in his mind at an incredible speed: "You mean there's another probability?"

  Gao Cheng's eyes showed a smile, "The brain is like a machine, the more it turns, the more agile it becomes. It's obvious that you've demonstrated this. Your psychological analysis starts from the small details and ignores the larger picture. Yan Gui Lai's personality may indeed be arrogant, but there are many reasons for the website to close, it could be the internet police cutting off the server to control the situation, or a hacker attack, or...". His eyes, which still held a smile, shone with precision, "Yan Gui Lai is setting up an illusion."

  It's the last one! Just by looking at his expression, it's clear that the last one is his answer.

  "This time, he didn't wait for me to ask, and explained himself: 'A psychology researcher, if they simply present psychological characteristics in a superficial way, is only an entry-level person. From the rigor of their posts, and the subtle psychological suggestions between the lines, it can be seen that this person has been engaged in psychology research for at least five years or more. Such a person, even if they reveal their psychological demands to you, will still wear a mask after hiding their sharp edges. Therefore, the portrait I provided is also within a vague range.'"

  It's all just a facade, which means that everything I analyzed earlier was just what Yan Hui wanted everyone to see.

  Gao Cheng seemed to know my state of mind, and reached out to put a hand on my shoulder: "There's no need to belittle yourself, for a newcomer like you to have done this well is already quite good." My gaze moved from his face to his shoulder, his slender hand with distinct joints naturally rested there, the tip of his finger hooked around a stray strand of hair on his shoulder. Suddenly I realized that my distance from him was so close, and I was still sitting beside his bed.

  Suddenly I sat up, my hand slipped down from in front of me! A moment's touch, like an electric shock, made me stiffen all over, staring blankly at him. An extremely rare look of astonishment was on his face, his hand paused in mid-air, his fingertips slightly curled, and when he raised his eyes to look over at me, I blushed and stuttered: "It's... it's too late, I'll go back to sleep."

  He hadn't even taken a step, but the hand hanging by his side was caught, and he changed from leaning lazily to sitting up straight, slightly tilting his head to look at me with eyes that were exceptionally bright and black, reflecting my image as if I was a small person born in his eyes. With a light blink, the reflection didn't disappear, but added a touch of vibrant color, then that world became more colorful, yet the emotions within it remained elusive.

  My only feeling is - a racing heart. It's as if thousands of horses are trampling through my chest, pounding loudly.

  "Xia Zhu," he whispered my name, hesitating to speak, with a faint smile on his lips, his slender fingers seemed to have stroked my wrist before asking in a soft voice: "Want me to teach you how to draw shadows?"

  I was taken aback, "Painting shadows?"

  "By using criminal psychology to create a psychological portrait of the offender, it's usually just an abstraction. You have a talent for on-site refraction imaging and are also a painter. If you combine these three things and use your pen to turn abstractions into specifics, imagine what kind of feeling that would be?"

  My breath caught, as if something was constricting my throat, and I couldn't catch my breath. Yet, there was a hint of longing that flowed in. Undoubtedly, I was drawn to Gao Cheng's proposal. Painting psychological images was an uncharted territory for me, one that I had never attempted or even touched upon. I licked my dry lips and asked, "Can I really do it? Didn't you say those images were just the product of a painter's rich imagination?"

  "Imagination is also a skill, not every painter has your gift, which makes it even more precious."

  Treasured! The first time I heard these two words from his mouth, I felt a sense of joy that made me feel like I had grown wings and was flying up to the sky. I couldn't help but curve my lips upwards. I completely forgot about my previous worries and sat back down in my original seat, looking at him expectantly and asking: "Tell me, how can I... draw shadows?" His mouth seemed to curl up slightly, and when he blinked again, it looked like I had imagined it - his dark eyes remained calm and steady. "Drawing is your specialty, there's no need for me to waste my breath; the shadow is in your mind, even if I could read your behavioral language, I couldn't replace you thinking about it; what you lack is a method to equate the two."

  I unconsciously leaned forward to ask what method, but at close range, the outline of Gaocheng was three-dimensional and hazy under the yellow light shining on his head, with clear and cold eyebrows and eyes. I couldn't help but lose my mind, and forgot the question on my lips, staring blankly.

  "What are you looking at?" asked a low and gentle voice.

  I answered honestly like I was possessed by an evil spirit: "Look at you."

  "Good looking?"

  She nodded slightly and heard him whisper: "Teach you to draw shadows, can look every day."