He knocked on the door a few times, and in response, Jessica Reed appeared, wearing loose pajamas, standing gracefully. She had a beautiful oval face, fair skin, and a tall, attractive figure.

"Why didn't you go to school today?"

Since they were already familiar with each other, William Thompson didn't bother with pleasantries. He walked straight in, found a can of juice in the fridge, stood by the fridge, opened it, and gulped it down.

Jessica Reed frowned, her eyes shifting, and said helplessly, "I'm not feeling well, so I took a day off."

William Thompson snorted, "I doubt that's the real reason."

Jessica Reed's pretty face changed slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Does Sarah Bolton's death have anything to do with you?" William Thompson looked her straight in the eyes. "You were the one meeting him in the library's back garden last night, weren't you?"

Jessica Reed's face turned pale.

As expected!

William Thompson said with deep concern, "You don't seem like that kind of careless girl. What happened? Tell me. If I can help, just say the word."

Jessica Reed bit her lip, still shaking her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. Sarah Bolton's death has nothing to do with me."

William Thompson frowned. "Fine, then I'll tell the police. They're looking for the woman from that night anyway. Whether it was you or not, let the police decide."

With that, he turned to leave.

"Wait!"

After her expression changed several times, Jessica Reed finally couldn't help but call out to William Thompson.

Chapter 10

Offering Herself?

Jessica Reed's rental apartment was about sixty square meters, with one kitchen, one bathroom, a living room, and a bedroom. They sat on the sofa in the living room as William Thompson listened to Jessica Reed tell her story.

"I took out a nude loan. If I don't pay it back, they'll post my nude photos online, and send them to my family, relatives, and the school forum." Jessica Reed's eyes were slightly red, her voice filled with a girl's fragility and helplessness. "But I can't pay back the money. The interest is too high. They call me every day to demand payment, and they've even called my parents. That's a warning—if I still don't pay, next time my nude photos will show up in my parents' text messages."

William Thompson frowned deeply. He was no stranger to nude loans—a kind of online usury targeting women. Countless female college students had suffered from it. If they failed to repay on time, they would be threatened with having their nude photos sent to their parents, relatives, or posted online. Sometimes, they were even forced into illegal sex work to pay off the debt.

He never understood why the government allowed such vile lending platforms to exist. While there might be some rationale for the existence of usury, and the law indeed doesn't support it, the lack of effective regulation by the authorities was an undeniable fact. And posting nude photos and videos online was just too much. Wasn't there supposed to be a campaign to clean up the internet? Turns out, it only targeted some poor souls who couldn't get a girlfriend!

Single guys really are the losers at the bottom of society. Not only do they not have girlfriends, but even their fantasies have to rely on their imagination.

"Why would you take out a nude loan..." William Thompson scratched his head in frustration. "Forget it, let's not talk about that. So what happened with Sarah Bolton?"

If the victim had been some random female college student he didn't know, William Thompson wouldn't have felt any sympathy at all. He might even have sneered: Serves you right!

After all, the relationship between the lender and the borrower was like a whore and a dog.

He had known Jessica Reed for many years, and by all accounts, she wasn't that kind of materialistic girl.

"Sarah Bolton promised me that if I spent a week with him, he'd pay off my debt. That night, we..." Jessica Reed turned pale as she spoke, "It really had nothing to do with me. He suddenly died of a heart attack. I was terrified and ran back home. William Thompson, please don't call the police. Otherwise, my nude loan situation will definitely be exposed. I'm begging you."

William Thompson keenly sensed that something was off. If that was all there was to it, why did Sarah Bolton shout "Run!"? For someone to die and leave behind such an obsession, there had to be a reasonable explanation.

He couldn't voice this doubt, so he kept it to himself.

"How much do you owe?"

"I borrowed 30,000, but with the interest piling up, it's already 70,000."

Seventy thousand yuan was indeed a significant amount for someone from an average family like Jessica Reed. No wonder she was so desperate that she resorted to selling her body to pay off the debt.

"Seventy thousand is a lot, but I still have some money on hand..." William Thompson mused.

Jessica Reed's eyes lit up. She scooted her curvy hips closer to William Thompson, her eyes alluring, and said softly, "Are you really willing to help me? I definitely can't pay back the money, but I can compensate you in another way."

She placed her hand on her chest, her long, fair fingers pulling open the collar of her pajamas, letting William Thompson see the tempting whiteness inside.

"I'll stay with you for a month, okay?" Jessica Reed breathed softly, pressing tightly against William Thompson.

"No protection?"

"No need."

"Anytime, anywhere?"

"Mm." Jessica Reed's voice was seductive.

She had fallen this far.

William Thompson's temple throbbed, his face full of disappointment. "How did you become like this?"

Jessica Reed's eyes immediately reddened. "What else can I do? Other than my body, what else do I have?"

After a long silence, William Thompson sighed. "Let me use the bathroom first. We'll think about how to solve this problem later."