"Aren't you and Mike colleagues? Why didn't you attend the dinner party? "
Ma Jiajia explained, "It's different. I'm just an ordinary English teacher. I can't compare to Mike. Mike is a foreign teacher and they have their own circle. Last night, it was a dinner party for the foreign teachers from their schools. "
"How many foreign teachers are there in your school?"
"Five."
Han Bin wrote it down in his notebook, "How many people were at the dinner party that night?"
"I don't know the exact number. I only know that there were Zella and Sharman. They are also foreign teachers. I have a good relationship with Zella. She's a beauty from India."
"Who should I look for if I want to know about Mike's situation in school?" Han Bin asked.
"You can look for Chen Haijing. She's the deputy director of the foreign language department and the person in charge of foreign teachers. Mike would look for her whenever he has something to do."
"Did she attend the dinner party last night?"
"I think she should have attended. She's usually the one who organizes this kind of thing."
"What do you think about Mike's death?"
"What can I think? Of course I'm sad. Mike is such a good person. He shouldn't have to suffer like this."
"Was there anything unusual about Mike before he died?"
"I … I don't know how to say it. He was very sad when his brother died. But it was a special time and he couldn't go back to America immediately. He missed his brother's funeral. His family blamed him and his friends didn't understand. Mike was under a lot of pressure."
"Where did his brother die? What's his name?"
"His brother's name is Tony. He just graduated from a famous American university. He was a young man with a bright future. Tony went out with his friends at night and was shot by mistake. The brothers are good people. They shouldn't have to suffer like this. "
"What do you mean by shot by mistake?" Han Bin asked.
"I'm not sure. Mike was very sad. He cried whenever his brother was mentioned, so I didn't ask in detail."
"What did Mike do in America before?"
"He used to work in finance. Although his income was high, he didn't think it was meaningful. He only dealt with money and numbers all day long. He didn't like those Wall Street tycoons. He wanted to do something meaningful, so he came to Qingdao and became a foreign teacher at our school. He wanted to teach his students everything he knew and learned. He thought that was the only way to realize the value of life."
"Which financial company does he work for?" Han Bin asked.
"This … I'm not sure which company he's from. He doesn't want to talk about the past. In his words, Wall Street has too much darkness, and it's not suitable for him."
"He has a knife wound and a handcuff. You should know that, right?"
"Yes, I know." Ma Jiajia nodded and revealed a look of admiration.
"That was when he was in America. He was eating in a Korean restaurant and met two robbers. Mike was very brave. He didn't just stand by and watch. He went to fight with those robbers. The knife and gun wounds on his body were left from fighting with the robbers. He was a hero, and the scars on his body were his medals."
Han Bin noted it down in his notebook. "Did Mike tell you all this?"
"Oh my God." Ma Jiajia spoke Chinese in an American accent.
"Are you suspecting Mike? I know he's a black man. You might be prejudiced against him, but he's different from other black men. Just like in our country, there are good and bad people. Otherwise, you can't tell who the people in prison are by their skin."
"Are you overreacting?"
"You can doubt me, but you can't doubt Mike. His friend said the same thing. He's a good man, and he's a responsible person."
"What friend?"
"After his brother died, a friend came from America to look for him. When I talked to him, he also admired Mike. I could feel that he even saw Mike as his idol."
"What's the name of the friend you mentioned?"
"Hal."
"Why did Hal come from America to look for Mike?"
"He wanted Mike to come back to seek justice for Tony's death."
"What justice?"
Ma Jiajia shook her head. "I'm not sure about the specifics. Mike didn't want me to worry. He said it was a small matter and he would take care of it."
"Did Mike ever think about coming back?"
"When Hal first came and told Tony what happened to him, Mike was very angry. At the time, he thought about coming back and discussed it with me. I asked him to take me to America, but he said he couldn't take me away for the time being. Once he returned to America, he didn't know if he would come back. "
"I didn't want to be separated from him, so I persuaded him not to go back for the time being. In the end, Mike agreed. He couldn't bear to leave me, so he decided not to go back for the time being. The two of us discussed that we would go to America to pay our respects to Tony during the summer holidays. "
"Has Hal returned to America?"
"Not yet."
"Where is he?"
"He's staying at our house, but he didn't go back last night. I don't know where he is."
"He only didn't go back last night, or does he often stay out at night?"
Ma Jiajia said, "Oh, he's an alcoholic. He often goes out to drink. He's different from Mike. He often stays out at night."
"Why didn't Hal return to America?"
"I don't know. I asked Mike, and he said he would take care of it."
"Does Hal have a phone?"
"Yes, I lent him one of my mom's phone numbers that she doesn't use."
"What's the phone number?"
“147487XXXXX”
"Other than this, has Mike been acting strangely recently?"
"No."
"Do you have any suspects for his murder?"
Ma Jiajia hesitated. "I … I don't know how to say this …"
"Tell me the truth."
"Some time ago, Mike fought with a man because of me."
"What man? What does he have to do with you?"
"His name is David, and he's my ex-boyfriend."
"He's also a foreigner."
"Yes, he's also a foreign teacher at school."
"What was the reason for the conflict?"
"Last November, Mike was still living in the foreign teacher's dormitory. I went to the dormitory to look for Mike. He was still teaching his classmates at the time, and I was resting in his dormitory. David was also living in the foreign teacher's dormitory. He saw me and wanted to get back together with me, but I rejected him. David started to grope me, and Mike happened to see it. Mike was very angry, like a raging bull, so he taught him a lesson. "
"Mike was very strong, and he injured David. The matter even went to the school, and it was the deputy director, Chen Haijing, who came to solve it. We compensated David for his medical fees and moved out of the foreign teacher's dormitory."
"Which country is David from?"
"He's also from America, but he's a white man. He always looked down on Mike as if he was born noble, but he's nothing compared to Mike. He's a scumbag."
Han Bin jotted it down in his notebook. "So, David and Mike have always had a conflict."
"Yes, because of the epidemic, they haven't seen each other for more than two months. Yesterday was the first day they met. David should have attended the gathering last night. Yes, he definitely attended it." Ma Jiajia started to cry.
"Oh my god, if … if David really did it, he must have done it because of me. Oh my god, I hurt Mike … No …"
Bao Xing slapped his forehead. The sudden addition of a few English words in Chinese made him feel a pain in the ass when he heard it.
"Why did you and David break up?"
"I don't want to talk about that scumbag anymore," Ma Jiajia choked.
Han Bin frowned. "We're not asking about your relationship history. We just want to know if David has a motive."
"He definitely has a motive. He's always been jealous of Mike, and I can see that he regrets it."
Han Bin pinched his forehead. "What I want to ask is, did you break up with David because of Mike?"
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