To be a role model as a teacher, one must lead by example, so Gwen got up extra early the next morning.
Of course, part of the reason was that her phone was dead, so she had gone to bed really early.
Breakfast was still bread, bacon, and fried eggs. No matter how good the old butler's skills were, he wasn't a Chinese chef and couldn't come up with any new tricks.
After breakfast, Gwen and the old butler officially signed an employment contract. She received a monthly salary of eight thousand dollars. Dollars in this era were still very strong—roughly equivalent to thirty or forty thousand dollars or two hundred thousand RMB in Gwen's time. For ordinary people, it was like getting rich overnight.
The number was calculated as double the highest salary for professional private tutors hired by Gotham's wealthy nobility. Keep in mind that even a regular factory worker grinding overtime night and day could barely scrape together five hundred bucks a month.
What else was there to say? Damn rich bastards!
The young master had no concept of money at all, and the old butler was just as clueless. Gwen looked at the thick stack of hundred-dollar bills in front of her that still smelled of fresh ink and felt her stomach ache faintly.
I didn't even ask for an advance, did I?
And you want a single underage girl like me to walk around carrying eight thousand dollars in cash?
Could you at least be a little subtle and get me a bank card, Mr. Alfred?
Of course, that was just internal complaining. Who would turn down money?
Overnight, Miss Gwen's personal assets had reached eight thousand five hundred dollars! She could buy herself a car!
But what she needed most right now was actually a charging cable.
This was such a weird era. Everyone was still using flip phones, yet the computer industry hadn't taken off. People were using brick monitors and floppy drives. Even Microsoft's operating system hadn't appeared yet.
If I knew how to program, wouldn't I become the richest person in the world?
Wait… I actually do know how.
The future was bright with money, but everything had to start from the ground up.
Miss Gwen had strong principles and always kept her word. If she said she would be a private tutor, she would fulfill her duties faithfully.
"Master Bruce, I need to understand your current academic level. Please bring me your textbooks and homework so I can review them. Only then can I decide on a teaching plan."
"Um… actually…"
The young master looked embarrassed. He actually studied very well. All his classes were straight A's. He didn't need a tutor at all.
"Bring them here first!"
Gwen insisted. She still didn't know if the history here matched her own world. If she said something wrong, it would ruin her glorious image as a teacher.
While she was flipping through the young master's homework, the police showed up at the door.
James "Suspected Protagonist" Gordon.
He walked in holding his badge and got straight to the point: "Mr. Alfred, I'd like to ask you some questions about Mr. and Mrs. Wayne."
The young master's face immediately turned ugly.
Gwen kindly reminded him, "This is an adult conversation. Let's go to the study."
The young master hesitated but shook his head. "No, this concerns me. I want to know what happened."
"I'm very sorry, Bruce."
Gordon said, "According to the medical examiner's autopsy, the man who killed your parents died of heart failure. We suspect he was forced to ingest an unknown biological toxin."
"You mean…"
"Although we don't have more evidence yet, I have reason to believe this was a silencing kill. Your parents' deaths were not an accident but a carefully planned murder." Gordon's tone was firm.
"I reviewed your statement again. I believe the mysterious person who saved you is highly suspicious. The fiber she used to capture the killer was a very unusual degradable material that looked like spider silk. If she can shoot webs, she might have injected the killer with venom while you weren't paying attention…"
Aha. So Miss Gwen's special talent is 100% catching the blame?
"Sorry, Officer Gordon!"
Gwen raised her hand. "I think I need to remind you of some basic biology. Spider venom isn't nearly as powerful as you imagine. To make a healthy adult man die of a heart attack, you'd need at least a basket of black widows."
There's a saying: if you don't talk dosage, you're just bullshitting.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Gwen Stacy, the private tutor hired by Master Bruce."
Officer Gordon's face clearly read "You rich people really know how to live," but he said, "Thank you for the reminder, Miss Gwen. However, I don't think normal spider silk could restrain a healthy adult man either."
Gwen shrugged. Fair point, very convincing. Whatever, she was used to it.
The young master couldn't help asking, "Are there any other possibilities besides her?"
Officer Gordon nodded. "Of course. That's exactly why I came here. I want to know if your parents have recently offended anyone or made any enemies?"
Oh my God! Officer Gordon actually asked such a professional question!
Gwen silently complained in her heart.
Back home, the police usually just arrest whoever they see at the crime scene—including my dad and Miles' dad. Who actually uses their brain to find the real culprit?
Damn, if this righteous cop can survive more than three episodes, he must be the destined protagonist!
The old butler shook his head. "Sorry, officer. I can't think of anyone who would deliberately harm the master and madam. The master was always kind to others and never spoke harshly."
Officer Gordon said, "As far as I know, Wayne Enterprises is one of Gotham's most famous conglomerates."
"It's also the oldest family." The old butler answered proudly. "The Wayne family's history is as old as Gotham itself."
Which means about two hundred years…
"No… long-standing rivals or family feuds or anything?"
"Not that I know of. At least the master never mentioned any."
......
The trail went cold right there, or rather, everything after was just useless chatter. After circling through a bunch of suspects, it all came back to the white tight-suited spider demoness.
The young master was extremely agitated. After Officer Gordon left, he couldn't hold back and shouted, "I must find the real murderer!"
The old butler nodded. "I haven't had time to sort through the master's belongings yet. Maybe we can help the officer find some clues."
The young master turned and asked, "Gwen, will you help me?"
Gwen nodded reservedly. "Master Bruce, you should call me Miss Gwen now. If you mean playing detective games with your butler, my answer is no."
The young master looked disappointed and turned to leave.
Gwen said softly behind him, "If you mean needing your private tutor to teach you methods to uncover the truth, then the answer can be yes."