After reading Jian Mengyan’s statement, Zou Shuyang closed his eyes against the sunlight, and more questions began swirling in his mind.
“Captain Zou, according to your girlfriend’s account, Ding Jing seemed to have suicidal tendencies on the day she disappeared. But before that, she was full of enthusiasm, even planning to earn back the money her family lost.” Xiao Tang commented as he finished his call and snatched the statement from Zou Shuyang’s hands, skimming through it quickly. “So, Captain, do you think Ding Jing is still alive, or is she dead?”
Zou Shuyang slumped lazily in his chair. “Who knows?”
Xiao Tang mimicked Zou Shuyang’s posture, complaining, “This case just keeps getting more complicated, doesn’t it?”
What had started as a simple jumping incident had led them to Shen Tinglan, then to the discovery that everyone involved in Shen Tinglan’s death over the past decade had also died. From Shen Tinglan, they had traced a connection to his students, only to find out some had disappeared while others had died.
“Captain Zou, what if we find out in the end that it’s really just bad feng shui in Shen Tinglan’s class and all these deaths are just coincidences?” Xiao Tang suggested, but before he could finish speaking, the office door opened. Captain He had just returned from the bathroom, and his face was as dark as if he had smeared soot on it. He gave Xiao Tang a cold stare that made him shiver.
Zou Shuyang opened his eyes and chuckled. “If you say that, Captain He will definitely be unhappy.”
Then, turning to He, he greeted him, “Yo, Captain He, you’re back?”
Captain He glared at Zou Shuyang before responding, “I contacted Jiangzhou No. 4 High School. They said we can go there tomorrow.”
Zou Shuyang nodded lightly. “Hmm, okay.” Then he asked, “Captain He, do you think going to the school will help with the current situation?”
Captain He remained silent for a moment. “At the very least, we need to talk to the teachers about Shen Tinglan’s final days with his class.”
Finally, Captain He sighed. “I just can’t accept it. There are so many obvious discrepancies in the case, but it feels like there’s this fog in front of me, and I just can’t see through it.”
Zou Shuyang wallowed in frustration for a moment before suddenly springing to action. He first patted Captain He on the shoulder, then quietly retrieved the investigation notes from Shen Tinglan’s murder case, carefully poring over them.
“Captain Zou, what are you doing?” Xiao Tang asked, blinking in confusion.
Zou Shuyang quickly flipped through the notes and said, “Do you remember what Jiang Hongye said during the second interrogation?”
Xiao Tang leaned over the table, “Captain Zou, Jiang Hongye said a lot of things. What specifically are you referring to?”
Zou Shuyang looked up, “Jiang Hongye mentioned that when they went to kill Shen Tinglan, it wasn’t just the six of them.”
Xiao Tang’s memory kicked in, “Oh, right! There was a short guy with glasses!”
Zou Shuyang snapped his fingers, “Exactly. That guy might know something more.”
Xiao Tang rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “Now I’m curious—why did that guy leave halfway through if they were all in it together?”
As soon as Xiao Tang finished speaking, the entire office fell silent. He abruptly straightened up, his neck creaking, and sure enough, both Zou Shuyang and Captain He were staring at him in a daze.
“Wait, Captain Zou, Captain He, what’s going on? Did I say something wrong?”
Zou Shuyang waved his hand but kept his gaze on Captain He. “Xiao Tang hit the nail on the head.”
“Why did that guy leave?” Captain He, who had clearly read Jiang Hongye’s statement, said thoughtfully. “If they all wanted to teach Shen Tinglan a lesson, why did Shen Jun let that guy leave first?”
Xiao Tang blinked, confused. “Uh, maybe that guy was a snitch, and Shen Jun was worried he’d rat them out? Or maybe that guy was close to Shen Jun, so he didn’t want to get him involved?”
The room fell silent again. After a long pause, Zou Shuyang cautiously suggested, “So, is it possible that this guy’s family had some influence, and Shen Jun was afraid of offending someone?”
This idea was quickly dismissed by Xiao Tang. “If that were the case, Shen Jun would’ve insisted on keeping him there instead of letting him go, right?”
Captain He nodded, taking out a cigarette and twirling it between his fingers. “If the guy’s family didn’t want him to get into trouble, they would’ve made sure to protect Shen Jun and the others as well.”
This line of thinking seemed to drift away, but the three men in the office were still frowning, deep in thought. The boy who had been sent away by Shen Jun had left an unsettling ripple in their minds.
At that moment, Xiao Wang, who had barely made his presence known, spoke up. “Uh, Sister Mei sent over the surveillance footage. Want to take a look?”
Zou Shuyang, Captain He, and Xiao Tang immediately abandoned their thoughts and turned their attention to the footage.
The surveillance was divided into three parts: one showing Cheng Hao at Yunshang Residential Complex, one showing his journey from Yunshang to the old residential area, and the last showing footage from nearby shops in the old neighborhood.
The surveillance from Yunshang Residential Complex showed Cheng Hao leaving alone, driving away from the complex. His expression was calm, and there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
The road surveillance was rougher. It only showed Cheng Hao passing various intersections by himself, but the image quality was so poor that zooming in just turned it into a blur of pixels, making it impossible to see Cheng Hao’s expression clearly.
When Cheng Hao’s car turned into the old residential area, it was captured by a small convenience store’s security camera.
“From the surveillance, it looks like Cheng Hao was alone the entire time, from Yunshang to the crime scene. Nothing unusual.” Xiao Tang remarked, his eyes almost falling out from staring too long.
Zou Shuyang nudged Xiao Wang aside and took control of the mouse, replaying the footage from when Cheng Hao entered the old neighborhood over and over.
“Captain Zou, what’s up?”
Zou Shuyang didn’t answer. He paused the footage at the moment when Cheng Hao’s car entered the old neighborhood, focusing on a frame from the convenience store’s camera across the street.
Captain He pointed at Cheng Hao’s barely visible expression on the screen. “His expression doesn’t seem right.”
Xiao Tang squinted at the screen for a long time. “What’s wrong with it?”
But neither Zou Shuyang nor Captain He responded to him.
“Cheng Hao seems to be answering a phone call.” Zou Shuyang hit the play button.
The footage showed Cheng Hao lowering his gaze and lifting his right hand off the steering wheel.
Captain He squeezed his cigarette between his fingers. “So, Cheng Hao’s expression changed after he received a call.”
Fortunately, the quality of this footage was quite good. After staring at it for a while, Xiao Tang finally noticed that Cheng Hao’s eyebrows seemed to furrow slightly.
Just as Xiao Tang was feeling a sense of pride, thinking, “At last, I can finally keep up with these pros.” Zou Shuyang and Captain He had already replayed the footage.
“Look here.” Captain He pointed to the video where Cheng Hao was about to enter the building. “He hesitated.”
“There must have been someone inside.” Zou Shuyang said as he brightened the screen. Unfortunately, the lighting in the hallway was terrible, and only a pair of legs could be seen.
“Maybe we should have the tech department take a look?” Xiao Tang suggested.
Zou Shuyang shook his head. “It won’t help. All we can see is a pair of legs. It’s not a lighting issue.”
Captain He agreed. “It’s deliberate. Whoever was inside positioned themselves in a way that prevented anyone from seeing their face.”
After watching the footage, Zou Shuyang paced around and then faced Captain He. “So, Cheng Hao was indeed lured to the crime scene.”
Captain He nodded. “And the killer was definitely someone he knew.”
Complicated. It was all too complicated.
Xiao Tang scratched his head, only to see a few black hairs left on his hand. He sighed, “Do you guys think this case is going to make me age prematurely?”
Zou Shuyang clicked his tongue. Seeing that it was getting late, he said, “I’m heading out. Whoever’s on duty, make sure to file away Shen Tinglan’s case files. The key to the file cabinet is in my drawer. Don’t lose it.”
——
Sitting in Zou Shuyang’s car, Jian Mengyan applied some powder to cover her scar while saying, “It feels like you’re not in a good mood today. Did something happen?”
Zou Shuyang sighed. “Nothing much.”
“It’s about the case, right?” Jian Mengyan fixed her hair in a small mirror. “Still can’t talk about it?”
Zou Shuyang hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, with a certainty in his voice, “You know Cheng Hao, don’t you?”
Jian Mengyan’s hands froze as she slowly turned to look at Zou Shuyang. “Cheng Hao? Who’s that?”
Zou Shuyang frowned. “The man who died the other day.”
Jian Mengyan thought for a moment before replying, “Oh, him. I remember. He was one of the people who killed my high school teacher. I saw him once during the court trial. But I don’t know him personally.”
Zou Shuyang suddenly slammed on the brakes, turning to stare at Jian Mengyan. But seeing her scramble to fix her hair after the abrupt stop, the doubts that had filled his mind began to fade.
As she untangled her hair, Jian Mengyan complained, “Zou Shuyang! What are you doing? You messed up my hair!”
Her tone was normal, and her behavior matched her usual self.
Zou Shuyang started the car again, apologizing, “Sorry, I just suddenly thought of something. My bad.”
But the uncertainty in his heart wouldn’t go away. Looking at Jian Mengyan’s reflection in the glass, Zou Shuyang’s heart slowly sank.
Could it be?
A person could change a lot over ten years.
Not to mention, Cheng Hao had undergone years of labor reform.
But could someone like Cheng Hao really be recognized by Jian Mengyan at a glance, especially when she had only seen him once during the trial, and when Cheng Hao was standing on the seventh floor?
Could that really be possible?
“Zou Shuyang.” Jian Mengyan suddenly spoke, and Zou Shuyang instinctively tensed, gripping the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles whitening as the veins on the back of his hand began to bulge.
“Zou Shuyang, you’re acting really strange today.” Jian Mengyan finally managed to fix her hair. She turned toward him, resting her chin on her hand. “We’re about to meet each other’s families, so what’s going on with you? Come on, spill it!”
Her playful tone was the same as always, and while Zou Shuyang relaxed, he also began to scold himself inwardly. What the hell was he doing?
How could he suspect his own girlfriend?
But… if she wasn’t involved, how could she have recognized him?
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