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墨書 Inktalez
Five students and their parents sat in the conference room, while Jiang He stood outside, reviewing the families' information.
Ge Dongyun's Stepmother sat in a chair, crossing her legs. On her wrist was an LV Bag, and she drove a BMW, making her one of the wealthier individuals present. She did not work; her money came from Ge Dongyun's Father.
Ge Dongyun's Father was the owner of a private enterprise, not very large but with seven or eight factories across various cities and assets worth several million. Ge Dongyun's biological mother had passed away ten years ago, and Ge Dongyun's Stepmother married a few years later, subsequently giving birth to a boy who had just started kindergarten.
At that moment, Ge Dongyun sat beside her stepmother, who was busy on the phone.
Zhuang Qinyun's parents both held respectable jobs—one in a foreign enterprise and the other in a decent private factory. They were dressed in suits and appeared stern. Zhuang Qinyun stood before them, wiping away tears incessantly.
Liu Huairou's father was a large man adorned with a gold chain around his neck and tattoos on his arms. Information indicated that Liu Huairou's parents owned a supermarket. Only Liu Huairou's father attended this meeting; Liu Huairou's mother was absent. Liu Huairou sat next to her father, both laughing and seemingly indifferent to the situation.
Wang Liguo's family did not show up. Xu Yiman had contacted them multiple times, but Wang Liguo's family merely dismissed her with vague remarks about being apprehended if they were caught. Xu Yiman had already arranged for police to forcibly bring them in; since Wang Liguo was under eighteen and still dependent, his parents were required to assume responsibility.
Jiang He guessed correctly: Li Liangcai's Father worked as a mechanic at a repair shop, while his Mother was a cleaner in an office building. Unlike the other parents, Li Father and Li Mother stood awkwardly instead of sitting, their heads bowed as they occasionally glanced around as if searching for something.
Li Liangcai knelt motionless before them.
The conference room exhibited several distinctly different situations.
Xu Yiman said to Jiang He, "Old Shao asked us to wait for him; he will be here soon."
Jiang He closed the file and looked through the glass at the people inside. He told Xu Yiman, "I've reviewed the information. Deng Xiangyu's Parents are farmers, and there's a significant class disparity among these people in the conference room. They lack substantial common ground, so if there is indeed a serial killer involved, it should be targeting these children themselves."
Xu Yiman replied, "I suspect it's those online users behind it; it doesn't make sense that just a week after the incident, Deng Xiangyu would die like that—his death was too strange."
At this point, Jiang He asked, "What did Captain Liu find out about the initial investigation into Deng Xiangyu's death?"
Xu Yiman shook her head and said, "There’s still no news. There are too many residents in that area, and with both apartment buildings and single-story houses, it looks like it will take some time."
Jiang He nodded.
More than half an hour passed, and Old Shao still hadn’t returned. The people in the conference room were starting to feel restless. First, Stepmother spoke up, "We've been waiting here for so long. What are we even doing? It’s just about beating someone up; if it’s about money, just say how much. Why beat around the bush?"
Zhuang Mother replied, "It's not just about the money. The main concern is what demands the child who was bullied has and how we can resolve this. Regardless of how we approach the solution, we need to stand united to achieve the best outcome."
At this point, Zhuang Mother scolded Zhuang Qinyun beside her, "Stop crying! What’s there to cry about? This is all because of you kids."
Liu Huairou's father laughed heartily and said, "What’s the big deal? It’s just a fight. So what? If my daughter is scared, she shouldn’t be. I’ve bullied others plenty of times when I was young. If that were illegal, I would have been in prison long ago."
Li Father, who had been silent until now, hurriedly interjected, "Are you saying this matter is easy to resolve? It won’t have any impact on our son in the future, right?"
Liu's Father responded, "What’s so serious about it? He’s just a boy; if he fights, he fights. If he doesn’t fight, is he still a boy? Look at you making your son kneel; what kind of parenting is that? I don’t have a son myself, but if I did, even if he killed someone, I’d still support him."
"Vulgar," Zhuang Qinyun's Father remarked.
"What do you mean by that?" Liu's Father exclaimed as he slammed his hand on the table. "Are you looking to throw down with me?"
Zhuang Father shot Liu's Father a disdainful glance and ignored him.
Stepmother said, "You all really have the time to keep sitting here? I don’t have that luxury; I have an appointment with someone. Ge Dongyun, let’s go. There’s no need to stay for this nonsense; your father knows plenty of people."
With that, Stepmother took Ge Dongyun and left.
Ge Dongyun shook off the Stepmother's hand and said, "There are some things you don't know. Just wait for the police to arrive."
At that moment, someone patted Jiang He's shoulder from behind.
It was Old Shao returning.
Old Shao glanced at the people in the conference room and said to Jiang He, "On the way here, Guan Deng already briefed me on the basic information."
With that, Old Shao pushed open the door and walked straight in.
He didn't engage in small talk but stood by the conference table and began, "I'll keep it short..."
Before Old Shao could finish his sentence, the Stepmother interrupted him, saying, "I just want to know how much money the other party wants. That's all. We're very busy. Besides, my husband knows quite a few influential people. The Ge Corporation has some reputation in Dragon City; you might want to look into that."
Old Shao slammed his hand on the table and shouted sternly, "I don't care who your husband is or what he does. Even if your husband is the richest man in the world, here you will listen to me alone. Understand?"
The Stepmother had never encountered such an attitude before; everyone she usually interacted with flattered her. She had never met anyone who spoke to her like this.
Even when facing a homicide case, Old Shao rarely appeared as serious as he did now. It seemed he must have encountered something significant on his way back.
Old Shao continued, "I'm here to discuss something with you. Earlier this morning, around seven o'clock, Deng Xiangyu, who participated in bullying Xiao Xuanmiao, was found dead in a dry well by the police. They have reason to suspect this may be a serial murder case, which means all of you involved in the bullying could be the next targets."
"The two girls who were not visible in the video have already been relocated to another city. Among the remaining six of you, with Deng Xiangyu dead, it's best for you five to be cautious. If necessary, you can apply for police protection. Understand?"
Old Shao surveyed everyone present.
“What?” The Stepmother didn’t even react at first. “What do you mean? Our Ge Dongyun might have been killed! How could this happen?”
“It’s very possible,” Old Shao said, pulling out a piece of white paper.
On the paper was printed a message: “The bullies from the campus are waiting. I will kill them one by one.”
The note was passed around among several parents.
Old Shao continued, “This paper was found in front of a police station. The surveillance footage doesn’t show who threw the note at the police station entrance. But importantly, a reporter has gotten wind of this, and Ming Pao’s headline along with news app notifications will cover this incident.”
“One wave hasn’t settled before another rises. This is a direct provocation to the police, and since the previous hot topic hasn’t cooled down yet, this matter will undoubtedly attract everyone’s attention. At that time, countless media outlets will likely come to interview you all. I hope you can keep quiet and say nothing.”
“Do you understand?” Elder Shao asked.
At that moment, Jiang He’s phone suddenly rang. He took it out to check and saw it was a news alert sent by Guan Deng.
The headline read: “Campus Bullying Case: Police Only Take Away Five Suspects.”
Jiang He looked at the comments below the news:
“No need to ask; the other three must come from wealthy and powerful families…”
“Can the police answer directly why there were clearly eight people involved, yet only five were arrested?”
“These cops are just lapdogs for the rich…”
"Useless police! Shameless police!"
Jiang He handed these comments to Old Shao. After reading them, Old Shao fell silent for a moment before speaking up. "The case is currently very unclear. We haven't figured out Deng Xiangyu's situation yet, and now the murderer has left a note indicating they will continue killing. This matter must be kept confidential until we have clarity; otherwise, it will cause a lot of unnecessary trouble, especially letting the murderer know our progress."
"I hope you all realize the seriousness of this situation," said Shao the Elder.
The people below remained silent.
Old Shao addressed the young men and women, saying, "According to relevant regulations and considering the overall case, you will not bear criminal responsibility. However, if Xiao Xuanmiao's family files for civil compensation, whether you pay or go to court, that is not something we police are responsible for."
A few of them avoided looking at Old Shao, as if he hadn't spoken to them at all.
Sighing, Old Shao continued, "I have also seen the video. Your actions were very strange. What was the reason for bullying her? Can anyone answer?"
No one responded.
Just as Old Shao was about to say something more, Ge Dongyun spoke up. "I just found her unpleasant. I was the one who hit her; the others didn't lay a hand on her. I was also the one who led in stripping her clothes. There was no particular reason for it; I will take on the responsibility I should bear. That's it."
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