HH Chapter 80

Pei Qinghuai chuckled, “How come I never noticed before how good you are at comforting people?”

The remark left Cheng Ye speechless, his face turning slightly red as he stammered, “People can change.”

Leaning back in his chair and enjoying the breeze, Cheng Ye asked, “Do you have anything to do tomorrow?”

Pei Qinghuai glanced at his phone, “There’s an open class at school tomorrow, so I have to go. Do you have any plans?”

Cheng Ye’s eyes flickered, “No, just asking.”

Pei Qinghuai acknowledged with a simple “Oh” and said nothing more.

Elsewhere, a group of people sat together, watching outside with serious expressions. Fang Yuan, looking puzzled, craned his neck and asked, “What do you think Captain Cheng and Teacher Pei talk about all day?”

Jiang Fei shrugged and pursed his lips, indicating he had no idea.

With the case closed, the team could relax for a few days. In the afternoon, Cheng Ye gathered the remaining team members while Pei Qinghuai was away.

Looking somewhat youthful and innocent, Cheng Ye smiled, “Do you guys have any plans for tomorrow?”

They exchanged glances and shook their heads. Cheng Ye clapped his hands and lowered his voice, “Tomorrow is Pei Qinghuai’s birthday, and he has an open class in the morning…”

Before he could finish, Fang Yuan interrupted, “Got it, Captain Cheng. We’ll make sure to support Teacher Pei tomorrow!”

Cheng Ye lightly tapped the table to stop him, “It’s an open class, don’t cause any trouble!”

Fang Yuan pouted, “Okay.” Cheng Ye grinned, “Since he joined us, we haven’t celebrated properly. Let’s take this chance to relax and have fun tomorrow.”

Yan Ya, smiling softly, said, “Captain Cheng, I’ve never seen you so enthusiastic before.”

Seeing his team with teasing expressions, Cheng Ye stood up, “Enough! Let’s focus on the future. What’s in the past is in the past.”

“What future?” Suddenly, a voice came from behind. They all froze for a second before quickly explaining, “Nothing, Captain Cheng was just discussing the case with us.”

“Yes, exactly.” Fang Yuan nodded, “Teacher Pei, what brings you here?”

Pei Qinghuai glanced at them quizzically, “I forgot something and came back to get it.”

Jiang Fei smiled, “Hurry back, Teacher Pei.”

After Pei Qinghuai left, Cheng Ye lowered his voice again, “Tomorrow at ten in the morning, see you all at South City Public Security University.”

“Got it, mission accepted!” they whispered in response.

When Pei Qinghuai returned, only a few on-duty officers were still there. He rubbed his temples, feeling a bit strained, and headed downstairs with his books.

Back home, he washed up quickly and began preparing for his class. Around eight in the evening, he finally glanced at the time. By now, their group chat would usually be buzzing, but today it was oddly quiet. He looked at his phone, then dismissed it.

Perhaps due to recent stress, he had a nightmare that night. A woman lay in the middle of an unfinished building, her red dress glaringly bright. The scene was ritualistic, and gray-black butterflies swarmed from under her skirt, creating chaos.

In a blink, only the woman lay alone on the ground. Her pale skin was bloodless, and her shrunken abdomen clung to the floor. As footsteps grew louder, her face came into sharp focus. Suddenly, her empty eyes snapped open, and the next moment, a dull knife pressed against Pei Qinghuai’s throat.

“You killed her…”

“You killed her…”

…

The pain from his neck being cut jolted Pei Qinghuai awake, sitting up in bed, gasping in the darkness, cold sweat soaking his forehead, his limbs icy.

He grabbed his phone, finding only a few news notifications. After reading them briefly, he set the phone aside and fell back into a deep sleep.

The next day, Cheng Ye was jolted awake by a barrage of phone calls. Groggily answering, he heard a confused voice, “Captain Cheng, it’s already ten. Where are you?”

Cheng Ye’s eyes snapped open. He glanced at the time and the alarm clock on the floor, then sprang out of bed, “Give me a few minutes, I’ll be there right away.”

The team stood by the roadside, watching the traffic with confused expressions, waiting for Cheng Ye. By the time he arrived, the class had already been in session for half an hour. They slipped into the hall, crouching low to avoid drawing attention. Pei Qinghuai glanced their way, momentarily stunned, before continuing his lecture.

“Psychoanalysis is considered a deep psychological study, focusing on exploring the motivations behind extreme deviant behavior and criminal acts from a subconscious and irrational perspective, such as crimes of passion and perverse crimes.”

“In 2005, there was a serial shooting case in Phoenix, Arizona. There were two perpetrators, and one of them had five brothers.” Pei Qinghuai paused and smiled lightly, “Does anyone know about this case?”

The large lecture hall fell silent. Pei Qinghuai’s gaze drifted to the far corner, “How about the student sitting in the fifth row on the far end?”

All eyes turned to Cheng Ye, who had just sat down. He looked incredulously at Pei Qinghuai on stage.

“Do you know about it?” Pei Qinghuai asked, suppressing a smile.

Cheng Ye, feeling the amused stares of his team, stood up awkwardly, “Yes.” He continued, “This case involved twenty-nine victims, all randomly targeted, using rifles and shotguns.”

“Correct.” Pei Qinghuai gestured for Cheng Ye to sit. “Random crimes are challenging to tackle. This case lasted a long time, and when the perpetrators were caught, they showed no remorse, even boasting about it.”

He paused, “According to the police at the time, the perpetrator had a miserable life, disliked his job, his upbringing, and his path in life. Killing was his way of expressing himself.”

“Criminals often seek excuses for their crimes, claiming mental illness, but the truth is often different. We can only approximate understanding their psychological behavior to gain insight into their criminal mindsets.”

Listening to Pei Qinghuai’s lecture, Fang Yuan excitedly leaned towards Cheng Ye, “Captain, you knew all that?”

Cheng Ye lifted his chin slightly, “Your captain is still your captain.”