The Arrangement

The reason was quite simple: Jiang Qiu was a trustworthy doctor.

He had previously observed Wen Yi Ting's injuries, though he lacked the necessary tools at the time. This occurred before their meeting, but he had already performed basic treatment, cleaning the wounds. Before the other six arrived on the island, all exploratory work had been completed by the three of them, making injuries unavoidable.

Wang Chu Yue, though no longer young, was experienced, and Zheng Chun Sheng was accustomed to heavy labor. Only Wen Yi Ting—despite having his own career—was, after all, an adult who had grown up in modern society. He had no habit of exercise or strenuous work, and thus naturally suffered from the "delicate skin" ailment common among modern people. Although this Mr. Wen was indeed cunning and insightful, his most basic physical qualities still needed improvement—at least on this small island. In short, Wen Yi Ting, though surprised, still expressed his thanks and continued the conversation.

On this small island, there seemed to be nothing to do but investigate, and the cuisine was even simpler. In a place called the warehouse, countless dried compressed biscuits were neatly arranged, along with various sizes of clothes and toiletries, providing all basic living necessities. Aside from its undesirable appearance, everything required for daily life was available. This was perhaps one reason why the three original inhabitants of the island did not show too much surprise or fear. For the others, however, such a life truly required a period of adaptation.

Overall, this small island resembled a prison utterly devoid of meaning. Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were all provided, yet the initiator's purpose remained unclear. But beyond these, there seemed to be few other trivial matters to consider—which was perhaps a good thing.

The existing rooms were quite sufficient, but with six additional people, it became a bit cramped. Fortunately, there was still room for maneuver. Li Feng Nian naturally wanted to care for his daughter, and Wang Chu Yue was an elderly woman incapable of resistance and unsuitable for living alone. The remaining people seemed to lack trust in each other—after all, they were not family, and there were no clues about danger on the island yet. Thus, only eight rooms were needed, which happened to be just enough. Whether this was a deliberate arrangement, however, remained unknown.

So, after completing their basic reconnaissance, the group returned to draw lots for rooms. The lottery wasn't for any profound reason; it was merely because Zhao Yi had read a few detective stories and noisily insisted there might be a conspiracy, prompting this elaborate effort. In short, apart from the awkwardness, a day of unknown calamity on the island passed peacefully.

What surprised Liang An somewhat was that Jiang Qiu, who seemed to have nothing to do after monitoring Li Qiao Qiao's condition, came to him himself in the middle of the night.

"Regarding Li Qiao Qiao's illness, I still have a few questions," Jiang Qiu said, his words few but profound.

Liang An nodded, signaling him to continue. If it had been before, this taciturn young master's peculiar reaction would certainly have drawn attention. But now, on this deserted island, there were no supervisors or strange investigations. The only witness was Liang An, a newly appointed criminal detective, which still gave a very subtle feeling.

—It was as if this young master had been released from his cage for the first time, and Liang An was the one who had opened the prison door, naturally having to bear the responsibility once more. But to be trapped in another kind of "prison" from one cage was indeed a somewhat subtle metaphor. Normally, Jiang Qiu, from any perspective, did not appear to be "bound." One could only say that it was his nature, and even without external interference, it made people feel helpless.

"So what do you think the problem is?" Liang An asked in return.

Jiang Qiu was very serious: "I still feel that a parent who diligently cares for their child would not typically display such a lack of basic knowledge—parents of children hospitalized in pediatrics are usually not like that. His account seems to indicate that, between the two parents, the father was the one responsible for caring for the child at the amusement park."

Liang An sighed.

"The situation you described is a skewed result from survivors. Normally, hospitalized children are often sickly, and it's normal for their parents to have some knowledge of care. But Li Qiao Qiao is a child who has been pampered since birth, usually in excellent health. Moreover, her father... may not have been a 'stay-at-home parent' as he is now."

Jiang Qiu was always good at learning and drawing conclusions from what he saw and heard. It was common for him to reach incorrect conclusions due to misleading information. If every incident were to be treated as a joke, Liang An's abs would probably have been sculpted from too much laughter. He was even somewhat accustomed to this.

But Jiang Qiu was still puzzled and urgently wanted an answer.

"Why?" Jiang Qiu frowned.

Liang An looked towards the wall, one room away, where the father and daughter were staying.

—He hoped the soundproofing was good, not so bad that others would overhear their discussion and cause further trouble.

He had nothing to hide.

"Li Feng Nian is a lawyer, but you'll notice a very strange phenomenon. Before he went missing, he was at an amusement park, fully responsible for managing and caring for his daughter. During such a leisure period, his attire was rather formal. You would associate that with..." Liang An stopped mid-sentence. "Never mind. This indicates that his current work situation is very unusual."

When explaining to Jiang Qiu, it was only necessary to state the entire cause and effect, without needing to lead him in the usual way, because he would listen intently. Trying to educate him through guessing his thoughts was futile and would only backfire. Therefore, seeing Jiang Qiu blink, Liang An knew he could continue his explanation.

"He is very dedicated to his work, so much so that he can't bear to change even his everyday clothes. But as a young lawyer who needs to deal with all kinds of clients and busy work, during this period, he not only didn't particularly care about those things, he didn't even pay much attention to the time. What does this signify?"

He habitually asked again, realized it was inappropriate to continue, but then saw Jiang Qiu's eyes flicker, as if he wanted to speak. The others were either unemployed wanderers, or shop owners who had closed their businesses, or young bosses about to study abroad, their careers essentially a joke. As for Liang An... his job was right here.

However, Jiang Qiu ultimately remained silent.

"Li Feng Nian is a young lawyer, but his career isn't going well. Or rather, he hasn't had work for a long time, and is currently without clients, which is why he started taking care of his daughter. In other words, he was originally just a novice."

"Judging status through attire, correct?" Jiang Qiu noted.

Liang An nodded, then posed a question.

"Then why, after saying so much, didn't you come to ask me these things during the day? Is there a difference?"

"The difference is, before, I was a doctor." Jiang Qiu considered for a moment, his tone as calm as ever. "But now, I wish to personally entrust you to tell me the final conclusion."

These words made it sound as if Liang An wasn't a criminal detective, but a private investigator.

"It might still take some time." Liang An's mouth twitched slightly.

Although a police officer should not, in principle, accept such an appointment, the situation was special, and the cooperating party was also quite unique.

"Acceptable." Jiang Qiu nodded, like a leader on an inspection tour.