Bold Try

As darkness fell and the stars began to appear, the library was bathed in a gentle glow, illuminated by the soft light filtering in through the windows. Moonlight danced on the glass panes, casting ethereal patterns on the floor and walls, while outside, tree branches swayed, creating intricate shadows that painted the cozy corner seats with shimmering ribbons of brightness.

Joe and Sienna sat at a table strewn with papers, their faces illuminated by the glow of their laptops. Each had a list of attendees for different classrooms, and they exchanged them for a double check. After a quiet yet bustling half-hour of shuffling through papers and murmuring to themselves, they both simultaneously set down their lists and exchanged bewildered glances.

"I didn't find my name on that list. Did you see me?" Sienna asked, breaking the silence.

"No, I didn't. Did you see mine?" Joe replied, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Sienna shook her head, her chin resting in her hand as she fell into contemplation. Joe mirrored her gesture, lost in thought.

"What made you think that Allan was lingering there to find the note receiver?" Joe pondered after a moment, raising a doubt.

"He appeared skeptical, that's one thing," Sienna responded, her tone now tinged with uncertainty. "And another thing, at that moment, he had just dispatched the note. However, since the note ended up in your hands first, it deviated from his plan for it to be seen at breakfast. So it was quite plausible that he was merely observing how the note's recipient would react, especially considering the lack of response long after the scheduled time."

Shortly after, Sienna turned introspective. "Perhaps that was my speculation relying on intuition, naturally assuming he was there for the recipient, considering our ongoing investigation," she mused.

With a self-mocking chuckle, Sienna added, "You know, I even had the thought that the note was intended for Amanda Smith, simply because she shared a photo of the same type of Happy Canteen buns on her social media. Haha, but then I realized Allan's buns actually ended up in your stomach. So, it was all illusion!"

"It's fine," Joe reassured. "Until we find another suspect, you can still be the one."

Sienna smirked mischievously, extending her hand toward Joe. "What about both of us being suspects? We could form a Suspect Union together."

Joe's expression darkened, sensing that Sienna's smirk hinted at trouble. "What... what do you mean?" he asked cautiously.

"Nothing sinister," Sienna replied, her tone fierce yet playful. "I'm just wondering... where's all that talk about facing challenges together, experiencing both the bitter and the sweet? The unwavering bond of friendship, remember?"

A sudden realization dawned on Joe, and he reached out to grasp Sienna's hand firmly. "You're absolutely right. We're in this together! You're suspect A, and I'm B. Sounds fair."

"Great," Sienna grinned, satisfied with the arrangement. Then, a thought seemed to strike her, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized Joe. "I think... why not ask Allan directly? It might save us all this trouble."

"What?" Joe's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Listen, there's an exam tomorrow, and you can't possibly go back to your real home for the night, right? And your new villa doesn't have electricity yet, no meters or anything. So where can you stay? The dormitory! Then you can simply corner Allan and interrogate him," Sienna explained, her fingers fidgeting as she laid out her plan thoughtfully.

Sienna expected Joe to come up with a retort, but instead, he clenched his teeth and nodded with determination. "That's a perfect idea! For the sake of our unbreakable friendship, I'm all in, without hesitation."

"You make it sound like you're on a mission to assassinate a king," Sienna remarked, amused.

"It's almost as serious as that," Joe replied, gathering his belongings and rising from his seat. "If you don't see me in the classroom tomorrow afternoon..."

Sienna arched an eyebrow, prompting him to continue with whatever consequences he had in mind.

"...then I won't be the same," Joe added, his tone bravely heroic.

"I'll keep that in mind," Sienna said, relaxed. "Good night."

-

As Joe reached the door of the dormitory, he took a deep breath, punched in the access code, and stepped inside, only to be greeted by darkness.

Flicking on the light switch, Joe scanned the room, but Allan was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello?" Joe called out cautiously. "Allan? Are you there?"

Allan's bed was neatly made, and his desk appeared undisturbed, except for the absence of his symbolic lucky amulet and his laptop.

Joe proceeded to check the bathroom, only to find Allan's razor, toothbrush, and his lone bottle of facewash missing. Even the towel with the cartoon-figure, which Allan always used, was nowhere to be found, neither on the balcony nor hung up.

As these observations sank in, it became increasingly evident - Allan wasn't spending the night here.

Prompted by a momentary impulse, Joe dialed Allan's phone number. However, after numerous attempts, he failed to get through.

"What are you up to, Allan? Where are you?" Joe texted him, sending a voice message filled with emotions.

Then, Joe noticed that Allan's textbooks for the next day's examination were also missing. It struck him that his roommate might be staying somewhere off-campus to study in peace, perhaps to avoid any potential distractions caused by Joe's flirty night chats with girls.

"But I'm not chatting with any girls tonight, Allan. You don't need to avoid me!" Joe sent another voice message, followed by, "Where are you staying overnight? Don't tell me it's that cheap, lousy hostel on the northeastern side outside the campus?"

-

Ten years ago, when the university introduced a new enrollment system focusing on specialized students, it also implemented an additional entrance examination, scheduled two months prior to the formal one. This change required ambitious students to be near the campus to avoid missing any crucial updates. Consequently, the university's Board of Directors decided to construct an economical hostel on the northeastern side of the campus to accommodate these students during the examination period. 

After all, not all students could afford a villa on the popular Campus Road.

As he constantly received Joe's barrage of texts, Allan found himself nestled in a bed within one of the hostel rooms. His emotions were a turbulent mix of nervousness, annoyance, anxiety, and a sense of loss.

With the persistent belief that Joe harbored romantic feelings for him, Allan interpreted every text from Joe as a "summoning of affection," which, in his mind, translated to "the summoning of action!"

Despite his initial reluctance, Allan's compassionate nature prevented him from ignoring the messages, especially as he felt increasingly guilty. 

This feeling intensified when a large cockroach unexpectedly flew past his bed, nearly landing on his face, just as he read Joe's latest messages that popped in one after another -

"If you don't want to stay in the dorm, you can come to my hotel, alright?"

"Or you can return to the dorm, and I'll stay at my hotel," Joe's concern-filled words continued. "Just don't waste money on that overpriced hostel. It's not worth it."

"You know what, I've even thought about proposing to the school to have that shithole torn down. It's simply a rip-off hustle."

Moved by Joe's care and concern, Allan couldn't help but respond in text. "I'm safe, don't worry."

He couldn't possibly exploit Joe's feelings just because Joe liked him! That would only entangle him in a give-and-take dynamic, potentially sinking him deeper into an unsolvable quagmire.

Finally, Joe's texts ceased. Allan breathed a sigh of relief, assuming Joe had relented upon realizing his persistence was futile.

In truth, upon receiving Allan's reply, Joe also felt relieved. At least now he knew Allan was safe and had his own plans. In that case, as his closest roommate, he would politely refrain from interfering.

They were meeting in the examination tomorrow, anyway, Joe thought to himself. With this in mind, he set down his phone, rolled into the cozy bed and fell asleep instantly.

-

Meanwhile, at the Myles' villa on Campus Road, Brandon was engrossed in a 323-page book about the Collins family. The narrative was filled with drama, chronicling the development history of the Collins family's business in electrical supplies. Although the book had initially soared to the best-seller rank upon its release, it was later pulled from the shelves and removed from the market as the family's internal crises emerged to the surface.

However, Brandon's system allowed him to access anything that had once been publicized online. As long as there was a trace left behind, even a fleeting one, he could unearth the entire content, regardless of how hard it tried to hide.

The details revealed that the Collins had amassed billions by providing state-of-the-art supplies, yet conspicuously absent were any chapters boasting of their social connections with authorities. In fact, there were no mentions of which authoritative branches the Collins were in touch with. Given the family's penchant for bragging and exaggeration, it seemed unlikely that they would pass up any opportunity to flaunt such connections. 

The only plausible explanation for this omission was that the Collins had none.

It was inconceivable for a large enterprise, especially a family-run one, to remain completely detached from authorities unless they deliberately chose to do so.

In that moment, a stream of light illuminated the darkness before Brandon. He shifted his gaze from the screen to the source of the brightness, which seemed to emanate from the third villa on the other side of the street. 

That was precisely where the Property Management Office was located.