CHAPTER 498: 295_3

Ariel pursed his lips, his face revealing an expression of surprise. "Well, actually, many detectives prefer to take on cases related to wealthy clients. Mr. Dean, you truly have a charitable heart."

Having said that, with a look of surprise still on his face, he re-entered the small hidden room with the documents he had brought out.

...

After Ariel had left, Dean turned to Happy, who had been acting as a mascot. "That guy just lied. Do you know which sentence it was?"

"Lied?"

Happy looked utterly confused. Then his mind immediately filled with all sorts of backstabbing, blood-and-gore, melodramatic plots. He said excitedly, "Big Boss Dean, are you saying Ariel doesn’t want you to pick that case? That there’s a conspiracy involved?"

He was somewhat excited.

He hadn’t expected that by following a big shot like Dean, he’d experience thrilling situations he’d never encountered in his otherwise dull life. If this were a movie, Dean would be the protagonist, and he would certainly be the main supporting male character.

He had to admit, he was quite looking forward to it.

Watching Happy’s constantly changing expressions, Dean couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

"Don’t let your imagination run wild.

There’s nothing wrong with the case. It’s just that Ariel lied.

During a detective’s investigation, you can’t avoid encountering various lies, so it’s also very important to determine whether what others say is true or false.

Harry said you really want to be a detective and begged me to teach you something useful. So, when appropriate, I’ll give live instruction, offering a few tips."

Upon hearing there wasn’t the conspiracy he had imagined, Happy was somewhat disappointed. "Thank you, Big Boss Dean, but I don’t know which sentence Ariel lied about just now."

"To discern lies, the most direct method is to observe the speaker’s behavioral characteristics and facial expressions, like... surprise," Dean said, looking at Happy with a mischievous smile. "Do you know what genuine surprise looks like?"

Happy furrowed his brows in thought, then shook his head. "Sorry, I don’t usually observe that kind of thing."

Dean grinned and patted Happy’s shoulder. "If you want to learn, bring soap and come to my place tonight."

HISS.

Happy took a sharp breath, his buttocks tensing. A look of panic appeared in his eyes, followed by an expression of conflict. "That..."

"Your reaction just now was genuine surprise." Dean leaned back again, resting on the sofa. "A genuine, sudden reaction, like shock or astonishment, won’t last on the face for more than a second. However, if a person you’re chatting with hears something and shows a surprised or shocked expression for more than a second, then what they say afterward is definitely a lie."

Hearing this, Happy breathed a sigh of relief, yet he also felt a hint of disappointment.

So the one-on-one tutorial Big Boss Dean spoke of was just him giving an example.

He shook his head, pushing aside his chaotic thoughts. After pondering for a moment, he realized and said, "So Ariel’s last sentence just now was false, right, Big Boss Dean?"

Happy had previously made his living through hacking, so he was naturally not a fool.

Dean nodded. "Right. When he went in to get the documents just now, he must have spent some time researching me."

"But..." Happy said in confusion, "Big Boss Dean, Ariel was just praising you. Are you saying he didn’t actually want to praise you?"

Isn’t that just a polite remark?

Dean shook his head, a creepy smile appearing that made Happy feel a bit unnerved. "I’m saying Ariel knows I’ve never been a charitable person!"

After speaking, he turned to look at Ariel, who had just emerged from the hidden room and was standing there somewhat awkwardly. The creepy smile on Dean’s face morphed into a playful one.

Ariel offered an awkward smile. "Sorry, investigating you is just a professional habit."

Ariel realized Dean had intentionally let him hear those words—a warning not to dig into Dean’s affairs. He recalled the information he had gathered from his investigation.

When Ariel communicated with Dean again, he did so with an unease and fear that even Happy found distinctly noticeable.

In this unsettling atmosphere, Dean left the ’Smith Detective Agency’ Los Angeles office with detailed information on the case about the student who killed his female teacher, along with the client’s contact number.

...

At Dean’s request, Ariel had prepared two copies of the documents.

Dean handed one copy to Happy. "Happy, study these documents well tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the client’s house for some fieldwork."

Happy watched Dean’s car gradually recede into the distance...