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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Min's eyes were red-rimmed, and silence spread between us. Outside the window, dusk deepened, and the shadows in the room seemed to writhe silently. Finally, she let out a long sigh and nodded slowly.
"We're about to move away," Liu Min said softly, her eyes flickering with complex emotions. "For so many years, I haven't had a single night of peaceful sleep; I often have nightmares..."
Her voice trembled as she continued, "Chen Guoping, he was our physics teacher." Liu Min clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. "He always found various excuses to call girls to see him alone—tutoring, helping with homework, or organizing papers and tests..."
"Once... once, I was helping him organize the exam papers when he suddenly..." Her voice choked, humiliation spilling from her eyes. "Fortunately, a teacher came to call him for a meeting; that's how I... I managed to escape..."
Liu Min paused, rubbing her temples repeatedly. I remained silent, waiting patiently for her emotions to settle. After a long while, she lifted her head; though her voice still trembled, it carried a hint of determination. "Later on, I started paying attention and noticed several girls in our class who were called away by him returned acting very strangely. Some transferred schools; one girl even developed depression and took a leave of absence..."
I gripped the armrests of my chair tightly, deep anger and helplessness clamoring in my mind.
"On the day of the incident, I did see Chen Guoping hurriedly leaving the school's sports equipment room. But..." Liu Min's voice dropped again, "But Chen Guoping's father is a powerful official. They came to my house and threatened my parents and me; we are just ordinary people... we really can't afford to provoke them..."
Her gaze dimmed as if she was transported back to that helpless moment twenty years ago. "We had no choice but to withdraw our testimony."
In the interrogation room of the city bureau, Li Mingcheng's questioning had just concluded. I slowly took out a recording pen from my pocket and gently placed it on the table; the weight of twenty years was nothing more than a dull thud.
"The evidence is right here; this contains Liu Min's testimony. Please listen."
I pressed the play button, and Liu Min's trembling voice echoed in the small space. Li Mingcheng's expression grew increasingly serious as he furrowed his brow.
"These testimonies are guaranteed to be true by Liu Min, who has expressed her willingness to testify in court," I added at last.
Li Mingcheng looked at me deeply; without waiting for me to speak, he grabbed the recording pen and quickly exited the interrogation room. I knew he was going to verify the authenticity of the testimony.
About ten minutes later, Li Mingcheng re-entered the room.
"Teacher Zhang," he began slowly in a low voice, "even if Chen Guoping did indeed molest Liu Min and was present at the crime scene on the day Lin Xiaoyu was victimized, based on the physical evidence at that time, we still cannot prove that he is the murderer. You know this very well."
His gaze was sharp as he sat down at the table. "What other evidence do you have? Let's see it all."
I smiled faintly. "No need to rush, Mingcheng. We'll take our time; there are still many things we need to investigate."
In the dimly lit, dilapidated garage, a beam of bright light shone directly on Chen Guoping's face. Liu Min's testimony echoed in the empty space, each word landing like a heavy slap, striking him hard.
Chen Guoping's expression shifted rapidly, from shock to panic, and then to a forced calm. His voice was hoarse, his gaze flickering uncertainly. "Judge Zhang, please listen to me. I admit that I lied at that time. I was… looking for experimental equipment in the nearby warehouse; I might have passed by the sports equipment room, but I didn’t pay attention to who was there. When the police asked me, I said I was in my office grading papers to avoid trouble. I swear!"
"But what Liu Min said… that my father and I went to her house to threaten her? That's pure slander! We only went to comfort and persuade her; we absolutely did not threaten her!" Chen Guoping's tone grew increasingly defiant. "As for the accusation of molesting female students, that is even more absurd! I don’t know what grievances Liu Min has against me or why she would slander me, but I swear I will get to the bottom of this!"
I watched coldly as this well-dressed scoundrel put on a pathetic performance. He was so angry, so aggrieved, as if he had truly been wronged. His acting skills were far superior to those of many young actors on television today.
"Chen Guoping," I said coldly, "how have you managed to sleep peacefully all these years? After harming so many underage girls, do you not feel even a shred of remorse?"
I stared directly into his eyes. "If that's the case, then you are nothing but a complete beast!"
Chen Guoping exploded in rage, shouting hoarsely, "You… you are conspiring to frame me! Zhang Yaqin! What exactly is your intention?!"
I remained silent, my gaze fixed firmly on him. Under my stare, he gradually fell silent. Slowly, I took out a second recording pen and pointed it directly at his face before pressing the play button.
As the recording played, Chen Guoping's expressions changed so dramatically that words could hardly capture it. His eyes widened in terror, his lips turned pale, cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and then he completely broke down.
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