After the District A competition ended, a large portion of participants were eliminated, leaving only eight to advance to the semifinals. Since there were not many people left, the semifinals took place in the morning, and the finals were scheduled for the afternoon.
The content of the semifinals involved two psychology experts, each with a different life scenario script. The contestants drew lots and had to question one of the experts. Their goal was to determine whether the expert was telling the truth or lying while gathering information from the conversation. The psychology experts would attempt to guide and deceive the contestants.
The semifinals became a battle of wits between the contestants and the experts, with two winners from each group advancing to the finals.
The waiting hall was already packed with people eager to watch the competition. The event would be broadcast on large screens mounted on the walls once it began.
Mi Xue’s students came to watch the competition that day, and Yi Wei helped push Mi Xue’s wheelchair as they entered the VIP room through a private passage, with other students following behind.
“Mom,” Yi Wei called out as he approached Mi Xue.
“Go on,” Mi Xue said, looking at him.
Yi Wei nodded, turned, and left the VIP room, heading to the contestants’ waiting area to draw lots.
Yi Wei drew Room 1. When he entered the room, he noticed that Qi Ran was not among the other three contestants, which meant Qi Ran was in Room 2. Although they were in different groups, it wasn’t guaranteed that they would meet in the finals—someone unexpected might rise to the challenge.
The other three contestants were intently reading their “scripts,” and Yi Wei sat down and began reading his as well. Each contestant had a different story based on real-life events, though the exact timing was unknown. Yi Wei’s script was titled *The Death of Susan*, and his task was to find out who killed Susan.
Their scripts were not as detailed as those given to the two psychology experts, containing only simple character introductions and a basic outline of the story. The experts, on the other hand, didn’t know exactly how much the contestants knew, making it a battle of psychological strategy.
Each contestant had thirty minutes to ask questions. Once their time was up, they could leave the room and head to the hall.
After the first three contestants finished, Yi Wei took a deep breath, set down his script, and entered the questioning room, while Qi Ran entered the other room next door.
“Hi, Jack,” Yi Wei greeted the expert as he sat down.
“Hi,” Jack responded casually, raising a hand to wave at Yi Wei, appearing relaxed.
“You and Susan were just friends?” Yi Wei began.
“On the surface, yes,” Jack said. “But she was always trying to seduce me. We had an affair a few times, so I guess you could call us lovers.”
Yi Wei nodded and jotted down Jack’s words, then asked, “Did you ever have an affair at home?”
“Of course. She was our neighbor, living so close by. She often came over, sometimes even helping my wife with dinner.”
“Did your wife ever find out about the affair?”
“She probably found out.”
“Probably?”
“My wife also has a lover. We agreed to do our own thing. Even if she did find out, she wouldn’t say anything.”
“Whose cooking is better, hers or your wife’s?”
Jack hesitated for a moment, then thought about it. “My wife’s cooking suits my taste better.”
“How did your wife and Susan get along?”
“They got along well enough. They would chat sometimes and even go shopping together.”
“Do you know what they talked about?”
“Probably just things about the kids. Her child is around the same age as my son but goes to college out of town, so she lives alone. She must be pretty lonely.”
“What’s your relationship with your son like?”
“It’s good. We still play sports together regularly.”
“Is your son closer to you or your wife?”
“Well, we’re both men, so we connect better.”
“How does your son feel about Susan?”
“He doesn’t have any particular feelings toward her.”
Yi Wei nodded. “Let’s go back to the earlier question. You said Susan is a good cook, so why do you think your wife’s food suits you better?”
“My wife’s a great cook too, and we’ve lived together for so many years. Naturally, she knows my tastes better.”
“But if Susan was always trying to seduce you, wouldn’t she try to understand you better? Susan frequently came over and helped your wife with dinner, but she never made food that matched your taste. Isn’t that odd?”
“I didn’t think Susan’s cooking wasn’t to my liking. I just think my wife’s cooking suits me better,” Jack replied, his script not including the detail that Susan was an excellent cook. His character believed that Susan’s cooking wasn’t great.
“You’re lying,” Yi Wei said firmly, looking into Jack’s eyes. “That last statement was a complete lie.”
“I’m not lying,” Jack replied, meeting Yi Wei’s gaze seriously.
Yi Wei smiled. “Let me explain my reasoning. You said Susan was trying to seduce you, but I could tell you were lying from the start. My later questions confirmed it. Susan was a great cook, but her food didn’t suit your taste. Could she have done that on purpose? Let’s assume she did. If she purposely made food you didn’t like, it might mean she didn’t like you. But if she didn’t like you, why would she visit your house so often and interact with your wife? Could it be that she was interested in your wife instead?”
“So… you think I discovered something between them and killed Susan in a fit of rage?” Jack followed Yi Wei’s line of reasoning.
“That’s one possibility, but it’s also possible that your wife found out about your affair and killed Susan in anger,” Yi Wei said. “Or the three of you had a confrontation, and one of you accidentally killed her.”
“So, do you think I was the one who accidentally killed her, or was it my wife?” Jack asked.
“What are your wife’s hobbies?” Yi Wei asked.
“She’s a housewife. She doesn’t work, so in her free time, she shops, gets beauty treatments, and occasionally does yoga or meets with her lover.”
“Did she ever bring her lover home?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never caught them.”
“Does your son know that you and your wife both have lovers?”
“He probably knows. We haven’t tried to hide it from him.”
“Does your son know about the situation between you, your wife, and Susan?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying,” Yi Wei said. “Why would you lie about this? Whether he knows or doesn’t know, is there a deeper truth you’re hiding?”
“Fine, I lied,” Jack admitted. “I’m certain my son doesn’t know about our affairs.”
“Your son is in college, but he still lives at home. Why doesn’t he live on campus?”
“Because the school is nearby. My wife wanted him to live at home so she could take care of him. She agreed to let him move out after he graduates.”
“How’s his academic performance?”
“He’s doing well.”
“You said earlier that he plays sports with you, so he’s athletic too?”
“Pretty good.”
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
“No.”
“A boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure my son is straight,” Jack said, frowning. “What does this have to do with Susan’s death?”
Yi Wei glanced at the clock. “I’ve got five minutes left, so I’ll summarize my thoughts. You’ve lied multiple times, and I’ve noticed. You said you and your wife both have lovers and that you each go your own way. But if your wife has a lover, why insist that your college-aged son stay at home to be ‘taken care of’? If your son lived at school or moved out, wouldn’t she have more time for her lover while you’re at work?”
After observing Jack’s reaction, Yi Wei continued, “You’ve had many affairs, and your wife knows. But she’s probably become numb to it, focusing all her attention on your son. If she hasn’t divorced you after all these years, it’s likely because she still loves you. If she loves you enough not to leave, how could she have a lover? Earlier, you tried to mislead me into thinking Susan was interested in your wife, but the truth is Susan was interested in your son. You said Susan was seducing you, but in reality, you were the one bothering her, and she hated you for it. Despite that, she frequently visited your house to be near your son. Your son is good at both academics and sports but has neither a girlfriend nor a boyfriend. Susan regularly visited to seduce him, and he didn’t ask to move out, so it’s likely that he and Susan were involved.”
Yi Wei paused briefly before concluding, “A woman who has placed all her attention on her child after years of infidelity from her husband, only to discover that her best friend is romantically involved with her son, would be filled with rage. A crime of passion is highly probable. Am I right?”
According to the competition rules, Jack couldn’t remain silent; he had to answer every question.
Jack closed his eyes and sighed. “You win. You were right about everything.”
The audience watching in the hall began murmuring among themselves.
“Amazing! No wonder he’s Madam Mi Xue’s student.”
“He can tell when someone’s lying with just a glance. He’s like a human lie detector.”
“Back in the day, Madam Miller was called the human lie detector too. Now her student has inherited that title. Impressive.”
“Looks like Yi Wei is definitely advancing to the finals.”
“Of course. Didn’t you hear the expert say Yi Wei got everything right?”
In daily life, most people unconsciously reveal their true emotions and thoughts through subtle expressions, movements, eye contact, and changes in breathing. This unconscious behavior occurs without them even realizing it. However, experts in psychology are skilled at concealing their thoughts and emotions, making it difficult to see through them. In fact, the more closely one observes, the easier it is to be deceived by minute details. Yi Wei relied on more than just careful observation—he trusted his instincts, and his instincts were spot-on, showing his extraordinary talent.
While the audience marveled at Yi Wei’s abilities in the hall, over in the judges’ room, Jefferson, one of the judges, sneered. “So that’s Mi Xue Miller’s student? Not so impressive after all. I’ve said before that Mi Xue Miller’s abilities must have declined after being absent for so many years. Judging by her student’s performance, I wasn’t wrong.”
The other judges exchanged glances, sensing that Mi Xue Miller’s reputation might be in decline. They thought she might have been too hasty in recommending a student who had only studied psychology for a short time.
Jefferson, eager to seize this opportunity, could hardly wait to mock Mi Xue in person. After so many years, he finally had his chance to strike back.
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