Chapter 570: Disappearance

After the National Day holiday, Tao Yueyue noticed changes at the school. Police cars were parked by the playground, and several officers were coming in and out of the office, accompanied by the smiling Director of Education.

“What happened?”

The students asked one another. Someone said that Teacher Liu, who taught geography, had lost a pack of cigarettes. Would the police really be called for that? Everyone found it hard to believe. After the morning reading class, Teacher Liu indeed came to the classroom, blocking everyone inside with a stern face. “I know which one of you did it! You’ve got some nerve, taking something from a teacher’s drawer. If you’re a real man, admit it now and spare your classmates from being implicated. Otherwise, if this gets out of hand, there will be consequences!”

As he spoke, he walked among the desks, his gaze lingering on a few particularly unruly boys, as if each of them were a suspect.

“Who is it? Stand up… You all saw the police cars outside. Don’t think you can get away with this…”

Just then, a police officer poked his head into the classroom. “Mr. Liu, we need to talk to you.”

“Ah? Oh, right away!” Mr. Liu’s demeanor changed instantly. As soon as he left, the entire class burst into laughter, chattering away. Although no one knew exactly what had happened, it was clearly not about the missing cigarettes.

“Could it be that someone died?” one student speculated fearfully.

“Haha, I wish it were our homeroom teacher,” another chimed in jokingly.

Tao Yueyue sat silently at her desk and started composing a text to Chen Shi: “There are a lot of police at school today!” She thought for a moment, then deleted it and rewrote: “Uncle Chen, why are there police at school today?”

Still unsatisfied, she deleted that too and instead wrote: “Are you working on a case today?”

The first class was English, taught by a kindly old lady. After greeting the class with “Good morning everyone,” several boys immediately asked, “Ms. Song, is there a case at school?” “What are the police investigating?”

Ms. Song smiled kindly and shook her head. “I can say nothing about it! No matter what the secret is, it will come to light eventually. Your homeroom teacher might tell you this afternoon. Alright, boys and girls, let’s turn to page 36 of our textbooks…”

The class sighed in disappointment and began flipping through their books.

Chen Shi replied to Tao Yueyue’s text: “I’m at the station, picking up a bonus for solving a case. What do you want for dinner tonight?”

Tao Yueyue hesitated for a long time before typing, “It seems there’s a case at our school.”

As Ms. Song walked around reading from the textbook, she saw Tao Yueyue on her phone but pretended not to notice. As the top student, Tao Yueyue had many unspoken privileges, like being able to nap during class without being disturbed.

“Police are there?” Chen Shi replied.

“Yes, officers from both the sub-bureau and the local police station. I’m curious, so I’m asking you.”

“I’ll find out…” A moment later, Chen Shi replied, “A female teacher named Lin is missing from your school.”

Tao Yueyue suddenly understood why she hadn’t seen her today.

She didn’t share this information with anyone. After class, the students continued to speculate wildly. A boy who had eavesdropped on the police conversation in the office returned, feeling like a hero, but he hadn’t heard anything substantial either.

Around noon, several unmarked cars drove into the playground. The boys by the window whispered, “Are they police too?” “They’re not in uniform!” “You don’t get it. They’re plainclothes officers, the highest-ranking ones!” “Wow, that female officer is so pretty, like a star.”

Tao Yueyue turned to see familiar faces: Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Xu Xiaodong. Chen Shi looked a bit disheveled today, his hair unkempt and wearing a dull gray jacket, as he had been up all night working on a case.

Chen Shi smiled in her direction, guessing she was watching from the classroom.

Chen Shi had persuaded Lin Qiupu to dispatch officers today. He had told Lin Qiupu about Zhou Tianan’s connection to the school. Lin Qiupu was shocked and scolded him for not saying something earlier. Chen Shi said, “If it’s a homicide, the sooner we investigate, the better. Request the case from the sub-bureau!”

“Do you think Zhou Tianan would be so stupid as to commit murder near his own hideout?”

“Of course not. He’s been very low-key these years. But if this case is related to him, we have a chance to investigate him.”

“You’re right. I’ll coordinate with the sub-bureau.”

Chen Shi and his team went straight to the dean of the missing teacher’s grade level. Officers from the sub-bureau and local station were already in the office. Seeing the central bureau officers arrive, the lead officer said, “I didn’t expect Team Leader Lin to take this case so seriously, even requesting it personally. It saves us some effort. Please thank Team Leader Lin and the director for us.”

“What’s the current situation?” Chen Shi asked.

“Teacher Lin…,” “The situation is…”

The officer and the dean started speaking at the same time, then stopped. The dean nodded and said, “You go ahead… Would you like some tea, officers?”

“No, thank you.”

“The missing teacher is Lin Xiaoxiao, the only daughter of Deputy Director Lin of the Education Bureau. She teaches music and also manages a class. She was last seen on October 1st. She came to school to pick up some things. The security guard saw her around 9 AM. Another teacher, Mr. Liu, also saw her briefly. They had a short conversation. She left her phone in the office with an unsent message saying she was feeling troubled and wanted to go for a walk, asking not to be searched for and promising to return soon. It’s been four days now, and her family can’t reach her, so they reported her missing.”

Xu Xiaodong whispered, “Doesn’t sound like a major case.”

Lin Dongxue whispered back, “Do you believe ‘I’m going for a walk, don’t look for me’?”

“Have you checked the surveillance footage?” Chen Shi asked.

“The school’s surveillance was off during the holiday.”

“So only eyewitness testimonies? Who are the witnesses?”

A bald, chubby male teacher said, “That would be me.”

“Why were you at school during the holiday?”

“I divorced my wife last year, gave her the house, and have been living in a rented apartment nearby. With exams coming up, I couldn’t sit still and spent the holiday preparing test papers in the office.”

“What did Teacher Lin say to you the last time you saw her?”

“Just small talk.”

“Be specific.”

Mr. Liu repeated their brief conversation, which was indeed just casual greetings. Chen Shi asked, “She left her phone on her desk?”

“Yes, I noticed it and thought she had forgotten it. I put it in her drawer.”

“Did she seem unusual that day?”

Mr. Liu thought for a while, “She seemed normal.”