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"Cough, cough, cough."

The neighbors exchanged glances, and an elder lady asked, "You said a thief broke in, but all that was stolen were socks?"

"Exactly, the thief didn't take anything else, only socks," Tan Bei replied, equally distraught. "I wash my socks once a week and usually have seven pairs stored in a basket, waiting to be washed. When I went to get them..."

Recalling the empty basket, his eyes revealed a hint of terror.

"They're all gone... not a single pair left."

"The thief sneaked in when I wasn't in the room and stole them!"

The neighbors burst into laughter, with the initial questioner even laughing to tears.

"Fella, are you sure? Which thief would risk being caught just to steal socks?"

"Someone had a case of paranoia before, as the master mentioned," another neighbor chimed in. "Could it be that the stress of studying has made you think your socks were stolen?"

"Yeah, nowadays, young people tend to misplace things easily. Maybe you accidentally put the socks somewhere."

Tan Bei shook his head even more. "Maybe I didn't explain myself clearly enough. Losing socks isn't something new for me; it's happened more than once or twice."

"At first, I thought it was just a memory lapse, that I had left them in some corner. But it's been happening constantly for the past six months. I practically wear new socks every month."

Losing a few pairs occasionally could be considered normal.

But losing them every month for half a year was truly bizarre.

The neighbors began to speculate another possibility.

"Could it be that your window isn't properly closed, allowing stray cats or dogs to snatch your socks?"

"Or perhaps, while cleaning, you accidentally threw them into the trash?"

Tan Bei denied this again. "That's even less likely. The window is close to the bustling market, so it's incredibly noisy. To block out the sound better, I've even installed wooden boards outside the window. Unless absolutely necessary, the window remains shut all year round."

"As for throwing them in the trash, that's impossible too. After once accidentally throwing money away with the trash, I now check the bin before discarding anything."

The more Tan Bei thought about it, the more dejected he became. He stood up and held Chu Yuening's wrist tightly. "Master, the police already think I'm crazy since I've reported this so many times."

"Could you lend a hand and help catch the thief? I really don't want to lose any more socks."

He added, struggling with the thought, "To prevent losing socks, I've been washing them daily instead of saving them for a week, then using a hairdryer to dry them before stuffing them under my pillow."

Tan Bei was on edge, not only being treated as mentally unstable by the police but also by his classmates.

Chu Yuening calculated the situation and lifted her gaze. "The socks are actually still in your house."

The neighbors became even more convinced.

"You're just under too much academic pressure. The master said the socks are still in your place."

"Long periods of tension can make you paranoid. I've been there before."

"Instead of seeking advice from fortune-tellers, you could use a psychologist's help."

"Exactly, go see a psychologist."

"That can't be." Tan Bei was astounded, his head bowed as he repeatedly patted his red scarf. "It shouldn't be, I searched every corner of my room and didn't find any socks."

The more he thought about it, the more terrified he felt.

Could it be...

Had he really overlearned and gone mad?

Just as Tan Bei was lost in endless self-doubt, a calm voice drifted down to him.

"Not in your room, but in your house."

Tan Bei looked up in confusion. "In my house? Not in my room?"

Chu Yuening calculated with her fingers. "Actually, your intuition isn't wrong. Someone did steal your socks, and that someone is your roommate."

Tan Bei was startled. "Master, you even know that I have a roommate?"

Then he shook his head vigorously. "No, why would my roommate steal my socks?"

Tan Bei found it unbelievable. His roommate appeared well-mannered and refined, not at all like someone who would engage in theft.

Most importantly.

"My girlfriend is my roommate's cousin. We owe our relationship to his match-making. So... why on earth would he steal my socks?"

Tan Bei was perplexed after the initial shock.

Chu Yuening said, "Actually, if you think back, you should be able to find some clues about him stealing your socks."

Tan Bei swiftly recalled past events and indeed found a couple of instances. "Once, he came down from the rooftop with a pile of socks and was about to enter his room. I noticed that a few of them were mine, so I asked him. He claimed he had collected the wrong socks and returned them to me."

"Another time, I happened to be home when I saw him taking dirty socks from my basket. I asked him about it, and he said he was going to help me wash them. How could I let him do that? I immediately snatched the socks back."

Recalling this scene, Tan Bei couldn't help feeling disgusted.

How could socks be that appealing? Especially men's socks – he played sports every day, and each time he took them off, the smell was sour and foul.

Tan Bei trusted Master Chu's divination since she was the only one not swayed by his appearance and still managed to predict his scholarship.

He just couldn't understand... why would his roommate steal such stinky socks?

"In truth, he didn't only steal your socks; he also pilfered from other residents," Chu Yuening said, putting aside her calculations to take a sip of tea. "If you inquire around, you'll likely find quite a few others who've had the same experience as you. Among them are children in their teens, working adults in their thirties, and even elders in their sixties or seventies."

The neighbors started discussing animatedly.

"Wow, your roommate is really twisted. Others might be obsessed with stealing ladies' underwear, but yours is fixated on stealing stinky socks?"

"Could there be some obscure, unknown fetish at play here?"