Chapter 57: Private School

Hearing this, Lin Dongxue’s cheeks flushed. “What are you talking about?” she said.

“Don’t misunderstand,” Chen Shi clarified. “When I say ‘like,’ I mean it literally. You understand ‘like,’ right? Don’t overthink it.”

Lin Dongxue rubbed the table with her fingers. “Tch, you made my heart race…”

“What kind of reaction is that?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea!” Lin Dongxue raised her voice. “I was startled. Of course, I was startled by a confession from an old man.”

“I didn’t misunderstand, don’t worry. I like more mature women.”

“Thank you for sparing me!” Lin Dongxue clasped her hands together in a gesture of gratitude.

After finishing their tea, Chen Shi left. The autopsy and lab work had taken all night. By ten in the evening, Lin Dongxue felt it was pointless to stay any longer and decided to go home and rest.

The next morning, she arrived at the bureau and ran into Lin Qiupu. The dark circles under his eyes indicated he hadn’t rested much either.

Their reunion was a bit awkward. Lin Dongxue looked up and said, “We agreed, this time you can’t boss me around during the investigation.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t. But you have to be careful investigating alone. Don’t go out alone at night…”

“There you go again!”

Lin Qiupu shut his mouth. Both headed to the technical team. On the way, Lin Qiupu suggested, “Sis, let’s have a meal together sometime.”

“Why?” Lin Dongxue asked, annoyed.

“Just to talk.”

“I’ll think about it… And stop calling me ‘sis’ at work.”

Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly. He had reflected all night and realized he had been overbearing. It was time to resolve their conflicts. After all, he didn’t want his only relative in the world to treat him like a stranger.

Peng SiJue hadn’t slept all night either. The room was filled with the smell of coffee. The lab work was progressing well, but the drug analysis was the hardest. They found a large molecule compound in the victim’s stomach contents, likely a drug. Peng SiJue had matched it against hundreds of common anesthetics, but none matched.

Peng SiJue handed the report to Lin Qiupu, who motioned towards Lin Dongxue. “Print a copy for her too.”

Peng SiJue looked at them curiously. “What? Are you two competing again? I can’t understand you mortals’ competitiveness.”

“Since when did you become a deity, Peng?” Lin Qiupu teased.

“Xiao Wang, print another copy… I can’t take it anymore; I need a nap.”

Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue reviewed the report. Lin Qiupu asked, “Can you handle this alone?”

“Whether I can or not, it’s my problem.”

“We need to go to the school this morning. Together… I’m not interfering, but if you want to go somewhere else, I won’t stop you.”

The investigation started at the school, so Lin Dongxue agreed.

To avoid causing a scene, they didn’t take a police car. At the school, the principal greeted them personally, expressing deep sorrow and vowing to strengthen school management. Lin Qiupu cut him off impatiently, “The victim’s identity isn’t confirmed yet. We have a reconstructed image of the victim. Please print a few copies and distribute them to the homeroom teachers.”

“Alright, but they have classes now, so it might take until noon.”

“No problem, we can wait.”

The police set up a temporary base in an office. Around ten in the morning, a balding man rushed in, holding the reconstructed image. “Officers, is this true?”

“Do you recognize the victim?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“Victim? He was fine yesterday. How could he be dead? I wondered why he didn’t come to class today… Sorry, this is too much to process.”

Lin Qiupu offered him a glass of water. He sat down, wiped his glasses, and said, “Honestly, this kid is in my class. His name is Du Lei. He was the Chinese class representative, did well in school, and was well-behaved. How could this happen…” He buried his head in his hands, but Lin Dongxue noticed there were no tears.

“What about his family situation?”

“I visited them recently. Du Lei’s parents work out of town and only come back once a year. He lives with his grandmother, who has poor eyesight and hearing. He often helps with housework, very obedient. He doesn’t hang out with bad kids. How could this happen…” He feigned sorrow again.

“Don’t be sad yet. Who were Du Lei’s close friends?”

“I don’t know much about student relationships. I’ll have to ask the class and get back to you.”

“Who did he see last night? Who did he leave school with? Please ask and bring the relevant people here. It’s just a routine inquiry. Tell the kids not to be scared.”

“Sure, sure. I’ll fully cooperate to catch the killer… By the way, will this affect my job evaluation this year? If this blows up, I’m afraid the principal will blame me. But you know, with so many kids in a class, how can I manage them at school and home?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll talk to the principal.”

“Thank you, thank you!” The teacher left gratefully.

Lin Dongxue scoffed. “A child is dead, and he’s worried about his evaluation?”

“It’s human nature,” Lin Qiupu said, sipping tea. “Everyone fears bad luck. Don’t be too harsh.”

By noon, students from Du Lei’s class started coming in, sharing what they knew. They were nervous around the police and their stories varied. Some accused a classmate who had fought with Du Lei, others said he went to an internet cafe with someone, and some blamed “Pervert Wu,” the class teacher’s nickname.

The conflicting accounts gave everyone a headache. But Lin Dongxue noticed three students mentioned Du Lei often hung out with a boy named Wang Jinsong. She asked, “Who is Wang Jinsong?”

“That’s Snotty Wang! He’s Du Lei’s best friend.”

Lin Dongxue smiled. “Do you know what ‘best friend’ means? Please bring him here.”

Soon, Wang Jinsong arrived, visibly nervous. Lin Dongxue reassured him, “Don’t be scared. We’re just asking questions. People say you and Du Lei were close. Is that true?”

He nodded. Lin Dongxue continued, “When did you last see him?”

“We left school together at 5:30, ate a kebab on the way, and then he realized he forgot his math homework at school. He went back to get it. The bus came, so I didn’t wait for him.”

“You two take the same bus?”

“Yes, we live close by…” He suddenly looked very nervous, rubbing his hands.

“Is that the last time you saw him?”

“Yes… What happened to him? Was he killed?”

“I can’t disclose that. Anything else to report?”

Wang Jinsong scratched his head. “He did say he found the Chinese teacher annoying.”

“Anything else?”

“No.”