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墨書 Inktalez
I gently ran my fingers over the slightly yellowed documents, murmuring to myself, "Liu Min..."
The file contained a witness testimony from Liu Min, a classmate of Lin Xiaoyu at the time. She claimed that on the day of the incident, she had seen Chen Guoping, who was then a physics teacher, hurriedly leaving the scene. When the police questioned Chen Guoping, he stated that he had been in his office grading papers, and since he was alone there, no one could corroborate his alibi.
Strangely, when the case was handed over to the prosecutor's office, Liu Min suddenly retracted her testimony, claiming she had misseen things. Consequently, her statement did not appear during the trial.
It seemed I needed to find Liu Min; she was likely the key to unraveling this case. Through Zhao Jian's access privileges, I obtained Liu Min's current address, which was in a regular residential building on the outskirts of the city.
After knocking on the door, a weary middle-aged woman appeared before me.
"Liu Min?" I asked softly.
She scrutinized me warily. "Yes, I'm Liu Min. Who are you?"
I spoke in as gentle a tone as possible. "My name is Zhang Yaqin. I was the presiding judge for the Lin Xiaoyu case twenty years ago. I would like to talk to you about what happened back then."
Liu Min's face instantly turned pale. "Presiding judge? I have nothing to discuss about this! It was twenty years ago; I can hardly remember! Please leave!"
The door slammed shut in front of me; I had anticipated this outcome.
In the following days, I returned time and again, knocking on that door only to be turned away each time. Finally, after persisting for more than half a month, when I knocked once more, Liu Min looked at me helplessly and shook her head before inviting me inside.
She asked why I was so fixated on this old case from twenty years ago.
I gazed at this woman who was no longer young; sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting mottled shadows on her weary face.
I slowly began to share my story with her.
---
I am now 65 years old. Six months ago, I was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer. The doctors told me that my time was limited—only six months to a year left.
I had thought my life was sufficient; there were no regrets, and I could face the end with peace. In fact, I hadn’t even shared this news with my family or friends.
However, just two months after my diagnosis, I received a call from an old classmate’s family—Wang Delin’s relatives informed me that he was nearing death in the hospital and wished to see me one last time.
By the time I arrived at the hospital, Wang Delin was already on his deathbed.
Before his passing, Wang Delin told me that the Lin Xiaoyu Case from twenty years ago was likely a wrongful arrest and conviction. As the prosecuting attorney responsible for the case, Wang Delin had discovered another suspect—Chen Guoping. However, when the case was handed over to the prosecution, the eyewitness suddenly retracted her testimony. Wang Delin had considered investigating this detail further, but Chen Guoping's father called him personally, claiming he had spoken to the witness and that the young girl had indeed made a mistake.
Under immense pressure, Wang Delin chose not to pursue the matter any further. It wasn't until later, when Wu Zheng was imprisoned and subsequently took his own life, that he felt deep down that Wu Zheng might have been wrongfully accused. For all these years, he had been tormented by this issue.
My old classmate Wang Delin left this world with regret and remorse.
"And I," I said with a bitter smile, "my time is also limited. I don’t want to leave this world with such deep regrets like he did."
I leaned back wearily in my chair, exhaling softly to ease the intense pain in my body.
"Do you understand now?" I asked quietly. "Why I can't give up."
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