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墨書 Inktalez
As Jiang He finally returned to normal, everyone else left. After such a commotion, Jiang He finally fell into a deep sleep on the bed. However, in the stormy early morning, two people remained wide awake—Xu Yiman and Old Shao. They lay on the bed, staring at the floral-patterned ceiling.
Each had their own thoughts. Xu Yiman reflected on her years as a surgeon; if it weren't for that incident, she would not have transitioned from an excellent surgeon to a Forensic Doctor. She wouldn't be in her current position—facing only the deceased instead of treating suffering patients.
Old Shao's thoughts were broader. In his sixty years of life, he had many regrets that could never be remedied. But Old Shao understood that since he chose to fight against darkness, he would inevitably encounter much darkness and evil along the way, along with sadness and death—these were all choices he made.
Xu Yiman somewhat understood why memories could sometimes be painful. It was as if the more she wanted to forget something, the clearer it became in her mind. She also didn't understand why, on the long journey of life, people often forgot happy moments but always remembered painful memories.
Suddenly, she envied Jiang He; he seemed devoid of emotions, free from sadness and pain.
The two stayed awake until dawn. The morning rain began to fall, and the fresh air that rushed in through the open window invigorated them. After a quick wash-up, the project team and the criminal police department resumed their busy work. Also awake early were the principal of Anxiang District Fourth Middle School and Class 8's homeroom teacher, Teacher Gu, who were now standing before the project team members.
All the information about Class 8 students was laid out before the project team members.
The deceased Qin Qingxue had performed well academically in class, consistently ranking in the top ten. She was considered pretty and charming but had a rather introverted personality, rarely participating in class activities and having only one or two close friends; she generally went unnoticed.
However, neither the principal nor Teacher Gu was aware of Qin Qingxue's death. This was partly because she had graduated by the time of her suicide and partly because her family was quite reserved and hadn't informed anyone. In Teacher Gu's words, Qin Qingxue inherited her parents' traits and was somewhat passive in nature.
Old Shao only partially believed Teacher Gu's words because most people are multifaceted; they might show one side to family, another to teachers, and yet another to friends.
Qin Qingxue, Song You, Zhuang Ziming, and Shih Wenshan were fundamentally different types of people. Qin Qingxue was a good student; Song You was average; while Shih Wenshan and Zhuang Ziming were at the bottom of their class—one timid and the other troublemaking. These four individuals seemed unrelated. Teacher Gu couldn't understand how Qin Qingxue's suicide could possibly be connected to these three others.
Old Shao looked at the bewildering array of information before him and spoke after a moment: "Principal, you were supposed to contact all students from Class 8. What is their situation?"
The principal took out a notebook and replied: "This is a matter of life and death; we couldn't afford to be careless. As of this morning, we have contacted all of them. There are sixty students in Class 8; aside from those who have passed away, we have reached out to all others or their parents."
"This morning?" Old Shao asked. "What time this morning?"
The principal pondered for a moment before speaking, "It was probably around three o'clock in the morning."
"Three o'clock?" Old Shao sighed. "By that time, the murderer must have already returned."
The principal caught the implication in Old Shao's words and asked, "Are you suggesting that the murderer is a student from Class 8?"
Old Shao sat down in a chair and replied, "It's very possible. Can we get in touch with Qin Qingxue's friends? I want to hear what they think of her; only through the voices of her peers can we hope to uncover the truth."
The principal looked at Teacher Gu, who nodded and began to make contact.
Half an hour later, Teacher Gu had managed to reach out to a few of Qin Qingxue's close friends. They arranged to meet at Qin Qingxue's home and also planned to bring some money to offer condolences to her parents.
The project team members accompanied the principal and Teacher Gu as they headed out.
Before long, they arrived at the building where Qin Qingxue lived.
This was an old-style building; standing here, one could see the very building where Qin Qingxue had taken her life not far away. The area was cluttered with debris, and the streets were filled with sewage. Stray cats and dogs roamed the narrow streets, making it clear that while this place might be filthy, it was a paradise for these animals.
Xu Yiman was thrilled by this; she wanted to pet every cat and dog she saw. After some delay, they finally made their way into the hallway. An elderly woman sat at the entrance of the hallway, and upon seeing Xu Yiman's excitement, she spoke in a thick dialect, "You girls just love these cats and dogs."
"Because they're so cute!" Xu Yiman said, cradling a kitten and affectionately rubbing against it.
The elderly woman continued, "That girl from the Qin family was something else. It's such a shame; she took her own life just because she didn't do well on her exams. So what if you can't go to university? How many people in this building have actually gone to college? Aren't they all living just fine? What a pity."
Everyone listened with a sense of sorrow as Xu Yiman set down the kitten and walked further into the building. They could still hear the elderly woman muttering to herself at the entrance, "Such a good child, and she's gone just like that."
Ascending the narrow staircase, he knocked on the door, which was opened by a middle-aged man.
This man was Qin Father, who welcomed everyone inside. Qin Mother forced a smile and said, "The house is a bit messy, please make yourselves comfortable."
"Teacher Gu, Principal Zhang."
Two people stood up from the sofa; it turned out that Qin Qingxue's friends had already arrived.
Teacher Gu spoke up, "This young lady is Li Wei, and this one is Yang Feiwen."
Li Wei greeted everyone boisterously, while Yang Feiwen exhibited a shy demeanor typical of girls. This contrast was quite amusing given their differing physiques. The boisterous Li Wei was petite, standing around five feet six inches tall and weighing just over a hundred pounds, as if a gust of wind could easily knock her over. In stark contrast, Yang Feiwen appeared to be about five feet seven inches tall and weighed approximately one hundred thirty pounds, belonging to the more voluptuous type.
After some small talk, the principal took out ten thousand yuan.
However, Qin Qingxue's parents refused to accept it. After several attempts to persuade them, Qin Qingxue's father uttered a statement that plunged everyone into silence: "My daughter is gone; who am I supposed to spend this money on?"
A long sigh filled the room.
Yet Jiang He seemed unfazed by the somber atmosphere; he directly inquired, "We found a burning note at the site of Qin Qingxue's suicide. Old Shao suspects that her death is related to three other individuals: Song You, Zhuang Ziming, and Shih Wenshan."
Everyone turned to Jiang He. His timing for such remarks was rather inappropriate, but Qin Qingxue's parents merely sighed without saying anything further.
Old Shao waved his hand, signaling for the principal to take Qin Qingxue's parents to another room while they discussed matters in the outer room.
Old Shao's inquiry took on a more serious tone: "Qin Qingxue was a good girl, but we suspect she did not die because of her grades. She wore red clothing and set up white candles; it seems she intended to curse those three individuals. In other words, these three must have done something wrong to Qin Qingxue. Do you know anything about it?"
Li Wei and Yang Feiwen exchanged glances. Yang Feiwen gently poked Li Wei's arm and whispered something in his ear, then blushed, looking quite shy.
Li Wei nodded and looked at Shao the Elder. "We don't know what happened between Song You and that Shih Wenshan, but if anyone among these three has been in contact with Qin Qingxue, it would be Zhuang Ziming."
He gritted his teeth. "Qin Qingxue is quite attractive and usually keeps to herself. She wouldn't dare tell her parents or teachers if something happened. Zhuang Ziming, relying on his wealth, often harasses Qin Qingxue, trying to make her his girlfriend, but how could Qin Qingxue possibly agree to that?"
"Does Zhuang Ziming often harass Qin Qingxue?" Old Shao asked.
Li Wei thought for a moment. "Since the first half of the senior year, Zhuang Ziming inexplicably took an interest in Qin Qingxue. He frequently bothered her and bought her all sorts of treats, but Qin Qingxue never accepted them. Although her family situation isn't great and she hasn't had many nice things, she wouldn't just be with Zhuang Ziming for those snacks."
Jiang He and Old Shao simultaneously recalled the night Qin Qingxue committed suicide. In that old sofa area, they had seen a large bag of snack wrappers. Before her death, she had consumed many expensive treats. However, this detail was not mentioned in the case files; the police had not found out who bought those items for Qin Qingxue or could not prove whether she purchased them herself.
Old Shao believed that the police had never considered this angle.
This thought saddened Old Shao. Before her death, Qin Qingxue's last wish was simple: to eat some of the things she hadn't had in over a decade. Old Shao wondered how many other things she had never tasted; while alive, there would always be opportunities to try new things, but once dead, everything would be lost.
Old Shao glanced around the house's decor, observing the simple space that clearly showed signs of wear and tear.
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