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墨書 Inktalez
From the large bag of evidence left in the room, a simple analysis reveals that these items are closely related to the case.
Xu Yiman packed up the evidence one by one and said to Shao the Elder, "To be thorough, we should take all these items to the City Public Security Bureau for testing. By the way, give me the fingerprints we've collected. I’ll compare them with the one found in the storage room to see if it belongs to Kong Anping. That would complete our evidence collection."
Jiang He looked around the room, listening thoughtfully to Xu Yiman's words.
Old Shao leaned slightly and sat on the bedside, putting on gloves as he took the phone. "We found all the fingerprints that needed to be collected from the phone, right?"
"Yes," nodded the detective from Hujin District.
Only then did Old Shao turn on the phone screen and notice that it had only ten percent battery left.
"Where's the charger?" Old Shao asked.
The detective from Hujin District shook his head and explained, "We didn’t find a charger in this room."
Old Shao nodded seriously. "It seems Kong Anping knew there was no power here before he arrived."
With that, Old Shao began to browse through the phone while Jiang He sat beside him watching. From the phone's settings, it was in power-saving mode, which seemed like it could last for a while. Old Shao noticed many notifications in the message section—over a dozen unread messages.
Jiang He opened the messages, which were all sent by Kong Anping's parents. The contents were replies confirming their safety. Jiang He counted a total of nine messages, all checking in on Kong Anping. These messages had started coming in six days ago, with a few scheduled messages yet to be sent.
The general content of these messages indicated where he was, accompanied by maps at the end. From these images, it appeared that Kong Anping had constructed a journey heading westward. Based on the timing, it perfectly ensured he could be at one location.
It seemed this was part of Kong Anping's meticulous planning; he intended to use these photos as an alibi. However, using these photos to cover up the truth was impossible since they could be easily found online and would not be accepted as proof of absence without him being present in them.
However, Old Shao analyzed that this likely wasn’t a scheme by Kong Anping to evade guilt; rather, he probably sent these images because he didn’t want his parents to report him missing and disrupt his plans.
Moreover, this phone had no data connection enabled, indicating that during this time, Kong Anping didn’t want anyone to find him.
At this moment, Old Shao finally began to look through the notes app on the phone.
When he opened it, there was only one entry on the homepage. Upon clicking it open, a dense page of text appeared. Just looking at those words made Old Shao's eyes blur; he handed the phone to Jiang He. Jiang He took it and began reading through the entry, with the very first sentence standing out:
When you find this place, I will no longer be in this world.
Jiang He read through this article filled with anger and sorrow without any fluctuations in his expression, yet it did not ease anyone's heart.
Kong Anping had always been an introverted person, but being introverted did not mean that he was weak; these were two entirely different matters. To outsiders, Kong Anping seemed cold, and when he encountered acquaintances, he would not greet them warmly, often appearing somewhat shy. A boy like this could easily be perceived as effeminate or even a target for bullying.
This personality trait resulted in Kong Anping having very few friends, but he did not mind.
Kong Anping had a goal in his heart: to attend the same university as his girlfriend. He cared little for anything else. For this goal, the deeply affectionate couple was striving together. However, the problem was that the world loved to play tricks on those with aspirations; unexpected events always lurked around the corner.
Zhuang Ziming was not someone who belonged to this world, yet he forced his way in.
This stemmed from a boring bet made during evening study hours when Zhuang Ziming and his friends were chatting at the back of the classroom. Zhuang Ziming boasted that in the entire Fourth Middle School, there was no girl he couldn't pursue if he set his sights on her. One particularly dull person threw out the name Qin Qingxue.
He said, "I don't believe you can win over Qin Qingxue."
Because of this remark, Zhuang Ziming began an endless harassment of Qin Qingxue.
Many who had never experienced love often thought they were seasoned players in romance. Zhuang Ziming was not particularly handsome but was wealthy; although he was just a high school student, he was never short of female company. He believed that everyone would fall for his charm, but that was not the case.
Zhuang Ziming had never truly experienced love. Without money, he wouldn't even have women around him because no one could tolerate his personality.
He mistook harassment for infatuation and manipulation for sincerity.
Naturally, Zhuang Ziming would not win Qin Qingxue's favor.
Previously, Zhuang Ziming thought that academically successful girls were merely pure-looking bitches whom he didn't want to date. But now he understood. He had never pursued a girl for more than two months; he felt his patience had run out.
Finally, Zhuang Ziming identified the root of the problem: Qin Qingxue already had a boyfriend. Her boyfriend was one of the more introverted boys in class. A boy like Kong Anping could easily take on five of him without breaking a sweat.
Thus, Zhuang Ziming decided to change his strategy and began targeting Qin Qingxue's boyfriend.
Every time school ended, Zhuang Ziming would gather his friends to block Kong Anping, orchestrating petty schemes like stealing Kong Anping's pencil case before class and insulting him in front of Qin Qingxue, calling him a coward.
As long as Kong Anping withdrew, Zhuang Ziming would have his chance.
Yet everyone overlooked Kong Anping's love for Qin Qingxue, a love that couldn't be dismantled by underhanded tactics.
Zhuang Ziming was known for his fleeting enthusiasm, but for some reason this time he was determined not to rest until he had torn the two apart. He had lost interest in pursuing Qin Qingxue; all he wanted now was to ensure that others could not find happiness. There is a destructive urge in life; people do not rush to match a handsome man with a beautiful woman, but they are all too willing to break apart those who are already together.
As the college entrance examination approached, Zhuang Ziming knew he had no chance of success himself, but he didn't care. However, Kong Anping and Qin Qingxue could not afford to fail; this was their only opportunity to change their destinies.
In this story, it seemed to outsiders that Kong Anping ultimately succumbed to Zhuang Ziming's harassment and broke up with Qin Qingxue, thus fulfilling Zhuang Ziming's goal.
But the reality was far more mundane than the story; reality is always stranger than fiction.
Qin Qingxue and Kong Anping were both introverted, yet once they set their minds on something, it was nearly impossible to sway them. They had decided they would be together for life, and unless it was their own choice, no one could separate them. They entered the college entrance examination in this state of mind and had never parted ways.
If the story ended here, it might have been just an interlude.
However, Zhuang Ziming believed that with his wealth, he could solve any problem. The real issue was whether he could win over Qin Qingxue without losing face in front of his friends.
But the college entrance examination was over, and the seniors were about to go their separate ways. Zhuang Ziming had one last chance—at the school’s score estimation session.
Not many students attended; most knew their own abilities and didn’t bother estimating scores they couldn’t achieve. Those who showed up were confident they could make the cut, and Zhuang Ziming was among them.
Qin Qingxue stared at her estimated score in silence. Around her, some were celebrating while others were disheartened, creating a stark contrast in the classroom atmosphere.
Qin Qingxue buried her head in her arms; she just wanted some peace.
Kong Anping's comfort meant a lot to her, but she still preferred solitude for the moment. She asked Kong Anping to wait for her at the school gate; she would be out shortly. Seeing her downcast expression, Kong Anping gently patted her head and agreed.
Students came and went from the classroom, but Kong Anping never saw Qin Qingxue come out.
As she looked at the increasingly gloomy sky, Qin Qingxue finally stepped out of the classroom. She descended into the dark Underground Bicycle Shed, feeling her way in the darkness to find her bicycle. Now that it had become a reality, she might as well think carefully about what to do next. Especially since it wasn't necessary to attend the same school; even being in the same city would suffice.
Qin Qingxue was afraid of the dark, but lost in thought, she unknowingly arrived at the pitch-black shed. Most students had already left, and only one door of the Underground Bicycle Shed was open, allowing a faint glimmer of light to seep in. Not far from the shed, at the school gate, Kong Anping was waiting for her.
She turned on her phone and used its dim light to locate her bicycle.
However, she was startled when she saw someone sitting on her bike.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time. Why did it take you so long to come out?"
The person was Zhuang Ziming, who was currently perched on her bicycle with a broad smile on his face as he looked at Qin Qingxue.
"Don't block me; I want to go home," Qin Qingxue said as she tried to push Zhuang Ziming off her bike.
But Zhuang Ziming suddenly grabbed Qin Qingxue's arm and said, "What’s so good about that coward Kong Anping? Why not stick with me? With me, you can go wherever you want and eat whatever delicious food you like. What do you say?"
Qin Qingxue broke free from Zhuang Ziming's grip. "I warn you, don’t follow me, or I’ll scream."
Zhuang Ziming pushed Qin Qingxue against the wall. "Listen, there’s no woman I can’t have. I’ll give you one last chance: choose me or that weakling!"
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