Xiaoxi thought back to the day Song of Parting was killed.
According to the Astrologer, only Silver Bell and Qiuli had visited her that day.
Silver Bell had gone to rehearse for an event they were attending together that night.
As for Qiuli, she explained she had dropped by because the Church had scheduled too many activities for Song of Parting, and she was worried about her health.
However, Song of Parting never showed up for the event that night. There were no signs of a struggle or Magic Power in her room; she had simply vanished into thin air, as if she had evaporated.
Based on the results, Xiaoxi was inclined to believe that Jingtong had made a move against Song of Parting.
The fact that the Church clung to such obvious excuses only made them seem more suspicious.
The Association had certainly investigated and interrogated Silver Bell.
Furthermore, she had gone straight home after visiting Song of Parting that day without stopping anywhere else.
Under these circumstances, Xiaoxi knew a simple investigation would suffice.
Right now, she didn’t need to find decisive evidence, but rather the final straw to break the camel’s back.
If she investigated again and confirmed that Silver Bell was beyond suspicion, and the Church still refused to yield, the Astrologer could reasonably convince the other Six Seats to take action against the Church—at least, that was what the Astrologer had said.
“So, our plan is simple. Tomorrow, invite Silver Bell over for dinner. Halfway through, find any excuse to take her out, and I’ll take the opportunity to search her place. Got it?”
Ye Xinglan nodded hesitantly. Xiaoxi’s plan was as simple as “how to put an elephant in a fridge in three steps.” It was all process and no detail.
“Are you sure that’s enough? How do you plan to sneak into her home?”
“Don’t worry about that. That Astrologer lady will provide me with support. Just handle your part!”
Xiaoxi waved her hand and offered a casual excuse. Although Silver Bell had ungratefully only maintained a good relationship with Ye Xinglan recently, Xiaoxi was still very familiar with her old teammate’s habits.
“Fine… but I feel a bit guilty doing this to Ling’er. We’ve been getting along so well lately…”
Meeting Xiaoxi’s piercing gaze, Ye Xinglan quickly giggled and covered Xiaoxi’s eyes while she sent a message to Silver Bell. She could tell whether her little girlfriend was truly jealous or just pretending.
“Hehe, just kidding. It’ll be a good thing if we can clear her name through an investigation.”
‘Let’s see… how about coming over for dinner tomorrow? My Xiaoxi is making a big meal. We can finish the game we didn’t beat today after we eat.’
“Done! Sending it like this should be fine… oh, she replied.”
Ye Xinglan let go of Xiaoxi’s eyes. Xiaoxi saw that Silver Bell had sent a simple “okay,” followed by an [Eternal Star acting cute] emoji.
‘Sigh. Never mind whether an outsider’s perception would be shattered if they knew Silver Bell’s true identity; even now, I can’t accept the fact that my fellow shut-in buddy is secretly shipping me and Xinglan!’
The next day, when Silver Bell arrived as promised, Xiaoxi was busy working up a storm in the kitchen.
Silver Bell was a bit stiff at first, wondering if she should offer to help, but Ye Xinglan pulled her away at just the right moment.
“Come on, come on! Leave the cooking to Xiaoxi. Help me clear the weekly dungeon first!”
The two of them began clearing daily tasks in a mobile game in the living room.
Before long, the Phone Xiaoxi had placed on the stove rang.
She intentionally turned off the range hood and answered the call in a voice loud enough to be heard in the living room.
“Hello… right now? At the bottom of the building? Okay, okay, please wait a moment. I’ll come down and get it now.”
“Xinglan, that package I ordered seems to have arrived. I need to sign for it in person. Can you go down and get it? I’m in the middle of cooking and can’t leave.”
Ye Xinglan had just agreed and hadn’t even had time to say more before Silver Bell stood up nervously.
“Um… I’ll go down with you to get the package. I can… help you carry it or something.”
Xiaoxi was a bit surprised. She and Ye Xinglan had prepared a whole script about the package being too big for one person to carry to trick Silver Bell into going down, but the girl had been so proactive.
However, Xiaoxi quickly guessed the reason… It was probably just because Silver Bell would feel awkward being left alone with her once Ye Xinglan was gone.
Though it hurt her feelings, Silver Bell’s initiative saved a lot of trouble.
All that was left was for Ye Xinglan to stall her downstairs for a while, giving Xiaoxi the chance to raid the house next door.
Once she confirmed they had both left, Xiaoxi quickly took off her apron, turned off the stove, and went next door. Looking at the front door of Silver Bell’s Home, she smiled slightly.
She had noticed before that Silver Bell used a fingerprint and Password lock. In that case…
Xiaoxi skillfully entered the Password. With a click, the lock opened, and Xiaoxi entered Silver Bell’s Home as if it were her own.
It was exactly as she thought! Silver Bell would only ever use this one Password!
As Silver Bell’s old teammate, Xiaoxi knew very well that the girl had a habit of using one fixed Password for everything.
It was a bad habit, of course, especially for someone as familiar with her as Xiaoxi.
They had been fellow shut-in enthusiasts back then, after all.
Xiaoxi had known Silver Bell’s Phone Password because she used to help her clear daily tasks in ACG games.
As she expected, the door to Silver Bell’s Home was set with the same Password.
Of course, even if Silver Bell hadn’t used a code lock, Xiaoxi knew how to get in.
The spare Key would either be hidden under the welcome mat or tucked into the small hole of the peephole.
Pushing the door open, she was met with a pitch-black living room. Silver Bell seemed to have the characteristics of a light-fearing Vampire, keeping thick curtains drawn even during the day.
Xiaoxi turned on her flashlight and stepped into the Room cautiously.
Although she had never been inside, the house clearly bore Silver Bell’s marks.
The living room was plain and monotonous, without a single extra decoration.
There was even a thin layer of dust on the kitchen counters and dining table.
For someone like Silver Bell, it was impossible for her to cook for herself.
Moreover, to a shut-in, no area other than the bedroom counted as a living space, so the living room had no decor.
Xiaoxi felt a brief wave of nostalgia.
Once upon a time, she had also been a shut-in who was too lazy to cook… right up until she entered society and couldn’t find Work.
She could only say that cooking for oneself really did save money.
There wasn’t much to investigate in the living room or other areas since there was nothing there.
After a brief search and taking a few photos, Xiaoxi headed to the bedroom.
But when she pulled open the bedroom door, Xiaoxi suddenly furrowed her brows in disbelief.
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