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Half an hour later, the Property Manager returned to the house and informed us that the property had been purchased by Liu Ruijie. Seven years ago, this seventy-square-meter apartment sold for around five hundred thousand yuan, but now, seven years later, its price had at least doubled.
However, if Liu Ruijie bought this house outright, where did a gambling addict with countless debts get such a large sum of money? If Liu Ruijie used five hundred thousand to buy the property, how did he manage to pay off his gambling debts?
"Has anyone ever caused trouble at Liu Ruijie's home over the past seven years?" I asked again.
The property staff pondered for a moment and replied, "No, if there had been any disturbances, we would definitely know. This resident has lived here for such a long time, yet we've hardly seen him. So those issues don't exist; our district's security is actually quite good."
"The hallway doesn't even have surveillance cameras," I retorted. "How can you say it's safe when people can die?"
The property staff awkwardly replied, "These buildings were constructed decades ago; old buildings don't have surveillance systems."
But therein lies the problem. If Liu Ruijie owed a significant amount of money, it was impossible for him to live here peacefully for seven years. If the casino people were so gentle as to never come knocking on a debtor's door for seven years, then society would truly have become harmonious.
Casinos or loan sharks would never allow Liu Ruijie to live comfortably in this big house. This clearly indicated that Liu Ruijie must have paid off all his debts before buying the house. The debts combined with the full payment for the house would amount to nearly one million.
If that's the case, did Liu Ruijie receive the one million from the insurance policy all by himself?
Hu Pei might have already been involved with Jiang Xiaochun at that time, but Lu Zhiqiu was adamant about not breaking up with Hu Pei. Hu Pei was somewhat irritated by this situation, and during this time, Liu Ruijie approached Hu Pei with an offer: he could make Lu Zhiqiu disappear in exchange for the insurance payout of one million.
In order to quickly rid herself of Lu Zhiqiu, Hu Pei agreed to Liu Ruijie's proposal. At that time, Hu Pei likely didn't realize the gravity of the situation; it was only after Lu Zhiqiu's death that she panicked. To cover up her fear, she hastily married Jiang Xiaochun and had children.
Yet no matter how many years passed, Hu Pei could never forget what happened. She always believed that Lu Zhiqiu's death was somehow connected to her. So when the Murderer returned seeking revenge, Hu Pei thought it truly was Lu Zhiqiu coming back for vengeance. The Murderer used various methods to frighten Hu Pei to death.
If this were the case, it wouldn't be impossible to connect the dots. I shook my head and decided not to dwell on it any longer. Without any evidence, it seemed that no matter how one speculated about Lu Zhiqiu's case from seven years ago, it could lead to plausible conclusions.
However, we had only identified a few suspects so far. In reality, anyone who participated in the internship or worked at that construction site back then could be implicated. To understand what truly happened back then, we needed more information.
For now, we could only wait for news about the grandmother's class reunion. In fact, there should still be some information we could gather from Jiang Xiaochun. But given Zhao Mingkun's and my identities, if we went back now, we might just end up falling into Liu Suohe's trap.
Zhao Mingkun had previously advised me never to think of myself as the smartest person in the room. Reflecting on Liu made me realize how prophetic Zhao Mingkun's words were.
Zhao Mingkun would frequently call different locations to ask about how things were going with Hu Pei and other classmates from our graduating class. Today, Zhao Mingkun finally received concrete news: the reunion would take place in two days. Since it was organized by our former instructor personally, many people were sure to attend.
With three professional classes totaling around one hundred twenty people, it was estimated that half of them would participate.
Grandma told Zhao Mingkun over the phone that five people who had interned at the construction site back then could not attend. After graduating, they left Dongxing City, and seven years had passed without any trace of them. Their mobile numbers and home phones were no longer valid, making it nearly impossible to contact them.
However, this was quite normal given how much time had elapsed. Besides Hu Pei and Jiang Xiaochun, there were thirteen others who had also interned at the site. All thirteen confirmed they would definitely be present, consisting of seven girls and four boys.
Grandma informed Zhao Mingkun that among these thirteen, many had gotten married over the past seven years, with several having children. Only three remained single, one of whom was Wang Yikai, who had fervently pursued Lu Zhiqiu back in the day. The reason for Wang Yikai's continued singleness was still unclear.
But everything would be revealed at the reunion.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the Civil Engineering Major students to gather. The venue was booked at the Royal Garden Hotel, one of the top hotels in Dongxing City. This five-star hotel would likely rack up expenses in the tens or even hundreds of thousands for such a large group.
It was my first time visiting such a hotel, and I couldn't help but feel a mix of nervousness and excitement.
When we met Grandma outside the hotel, she told us that after seven years, some of the students had become millionaires or even billionaires. A few classmates had reserved the top floor of the Royal Garden Hotel, which featured a swimming pool, a gym, a basketball court, and spaces for singing, dancing, dining, and more—essentially everything one could imagine.
I might never get to attend such a lavish event again in my lifetime. Once Grandma led me inside, I began to indulge in the food. Despite being over ten years older than most attendees, no one seemed to mind; they probably thought I was just someone’s younger brother.
Halfway through the meal, on the rooftop terrace, Grandma stood on a central platform with several well-dressed men on her left and elegant women on her right. They appeared to be class leaders from back in the day.
Zhao Mingkun patted my shoulder and pulled away whatever I was about to shove into my mouth.
"The original thirteen are among these fifty people," he handed me a napkin. "You've eaten enough; if you keep going, you'll burst your stomach. Look over there at those thirteen."
Grandma and a few class leaders seemed to be reminiscing about their glorious past while everyone listened intently. Seven years had passed; some had become wealthy, some barely made ends meet, some owned multiple properties in Dongxing City while others couldn’t afford even one house. Some arrived by car; others walked.
Regardless of their status at that moment, they were all Grandma's students and each other's university classmates.
Zhao Mingkun led me up to the second floor of the rooftop—a protruding platform designed for enjoying coffee and night views. At that moment, we watched everyone below from our elevated position.
Zhao Mingkun pointed out each of the thirteen individuals to me, making sure I remembered their positions.
After noting their locations, Zhao Mingkun surprisingly retrieved a professional camera from one of the rooms on the second floor—one that looked like it belonged on a movie set.
I furrowed my brow and asked curiously, "What's going on? How do you have this?"
Zhao Mingkun smiled and replied, "When I called earlier, I thought of a great idea. Just keep an eye out later."
Seeing Zhao Mingkun's mysterious demeanor, I couldn't help but wonder what he had discussed with the old lady.
Zhao Mingkun adjusted the camera's position, ensuring that everyone was captured within the frame. He pressed a button, causing the lens to zoom in and out erratically. After a moment, he said, "It's all set. When the time comes, we'll be able to see everything clearly."
At that moment, listening to the old lady's words made me feel as if I had returned to a classroom, that drowsy sensation creeping in. Just as I was about to doze off, Zhao Mingkun slapped my head and said, "Pay close attention to these people."
Suddenly, the old lady's voice became crisp and clear, the previous chant-like tone vanished.
She spoke earnestly: "Dongxing University is one of the top schools in the country. The students who graduate from Dongxing University are pillars in various industries. Some of you have become wealthy, while others have entered politics. With a degree from Dongxing University, you shouldn't even have to worry about making ends meet."
Everyone listened quietly.
The old lady continued, "People who graduate from Dongxing University will never have trouble finding jobs or making money. I know that many of you came here with such a mindset. But after four years of coming and going, you must have seen those eight characters outside the school gate—'The highest good is like water; virtue carries all things.'"
"Regardless of when," she said, "character is always more important than ability. Some students today understand this while others do not. Seven years ago, one of our female students was brutally murdered in our department. Seven years have passed, and almost everyone has forgotten about it. Perhaps even the murderer, who is still at large, has forgotten—seven years ago—"
She paused before finally uttering the name of that person: "Lu Zhiqiu was killed!"
As Lu Zhiqiu's name echoed in the air, a chill swept through everyone present. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zhao Mingkun slowly shaking the camera, capturing everyone on film.
After a moment, the old lady continued, "In a bit, I will ask some students who might know something about that incident to stay behind. Of course, this does not mean I suspect any of you are the murderer. It's just that seven years have passed; some matters need closure. We cannot allow Lu Zhiqiu to die without clarity."
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