The café was quiet and distant, as if no one else had come.
The aroma of coffee permeated the entire restaurant, bringing a soothing feeling.
Su Qing took a small sip from the coffee cup beside the table, its bitterness tinged with a rich, milky aroma.
"What happened? Don't you like it?"
Jiang Sui observed Su Qing's furrowed brows, assuming she didn't like the cappuccino.
Su Qing shook her head, then pinched his fingers, hushing him. She looked at Pei Dai with a touch of embarrassment.
After all, he was still a teenager, and Pei Dai was actually quite open-minded.
While he didn't approve of or recommend their current situation, he didn't harbor any particular resistance.
"Officer Pei, Ruanruan didn't commit suicide."
That lingering, long-standing memory had accumulated in Su Qing's mind for far too long.
She remembered every moment vividly, from their acquaintance, to Hu Ruanruan's final blinding by Li Xu, to the pregnant of the baby, and finally her death.
That brief life, like a flash in the pan.
Su Qing had reported the case, but it had already been hastily closed. Pei Dai found it strange, for no case was ever so easily closed.
It was simply because the parents didn't pursue the matter.
This case had always been a source of doubt in his mind. Reopening the case was difficult, but wasn't that what people strive for?
When Jiang Sui told him about it, he said he could investigate, and gradually, he did discover some discrepancies.
The call to the police turned out to have been recorded long ago, so who had called the police?
It had been so long since the incident, so Jiang Sui visited every student in the class. It wasn't really a visit, just a get-together for a meal or something.
He learned that there was a girl, a year older than Su Qing and the others, who had also been pursued by Li Xu. She refused, was hurt by Li Xu, and transferred to another school, which happened to be Wuzhen No. 1 Middle School.
This led to Jiang Sui's arrival in Wuzhen and the discovery of Su Qing's abnormality.
In the events unfolding from the beginning to the end, a third person, a third entrance, had now appeared.
Su Qing recounted the events of that year concisely and clearly, finding no loopholes. But the most crucial piece of information was...
Su Qing looked at Pei Dai.
"I don't know if others believe this, but from what I know about Ruanruan, she wouldn't choose such an extreme death, certainly not suicide."
"She told me she wanted to live well."
Su Qing's eyes were firm and clear.
Pei Dai hesitated. "Su Qing, you have to know, understand, and tell me. These things can't serve as substantive evidence; they can only serve as supporting tools."
These things are just icing on the cake. Having them is certainly better, but without them, it won't have much impact.
"I know, but what about these?"
Su Qing pulled her phone from her pocket, opened the album, and placed it in front of Pei Dai.
The photos inside made Pei Dai frown.
Su Qing's fingers gripped the coffee cup in front of her tightly, her fingertips cold, her face pale, and she seemed dazed.
"Qing Qing."
Jiang Sui, sitting beside, didn't see what Su Qing showed Pei Dai, but he had a vague feeling that it was something unusual.
Pei Dai looked at Su Qing seriously, then glanced at Jiang Sui.
"Has anyone else seen this photo?"
Su Qing shook her head.
"No."
Pei Dai looked at Jiang Sui and slowly recounted some of their recent investigations, which were what Jiang Sui was currently working on.
"The call to the police back then was recorded, so there might have been more than one victim at the scene, more than two, perhaps three."
Although the investigation was chaotic because the scene was destroyed, making it impossible to collect evidence, Hu Ruanruan's family and others were present.
Therefore, evidence from the primary scene was impossible to collect, not to mention the discovery of a handwritten letter from Hu Ruanruan.
This was the reason why the death was conclusively determined to be suicide.
Su Qing looked up, her face dazed. "Third person?"
She had always thought there were only two.
There was actually a third person.
Looking at Su Qing's shocked expression, he said, "Of course, this is just a guess, and it's not necessarily true. But based on the photos you just showed me, and my years of experience and sensitivity, I'm 80% sure there's a third person."
Pei Dai looked at Su Qing.
"These photos can be used as evidence, but I need to copy them all, and your phone will also be taken as evidence."
Su Qing pursed her lips, her face pale.
"Okay."
Jiang Sui suddenly looked up at Pei Dai.
"Is there no other way?"
He could probably guess what photos were inside. There had to be more than just Hu Ruanruan's, possibly Qing Qing's as well. Jiang Sui's brow furrowed.
Pei Dai shook his head.
Su Qing pursed her lips and tugged at Jiang Sui's arm.
"It's okay, I'm fine."
The faint smile on her lips made Jiang Sui want to pull her into his arms. Knowing the girl was shy, Jiang Sui didn't do so, but simply squeezed her palm.
"You both no need to worry about the investigation. Aren't exams coming up soon? You both should study hard. With these photos, I have a good chance of overturning the verdict."
But Pei Dai quickly frowned.
"Su Qing, who sent you these photos?"
"It's a classmate, from Wuzhen."
Wuzhen...
Soon, Pei Dai and Jiang Sui's eyes met. They connected. There was a student in the lower grade who had also been pursued by Li Xu, then dropped out.
Clearly, she hadn't dropped out, but had transferred.
The emotion in his expression was self-evident.
"We're not familiar with each other. I don't know how she got these things. She just wanted to threaten me, to keep me from getting too close to Jiang Sui and to prevent me from getting first place in the exam. And she asked me to meet her this weekend."
However, when Su Qing saw the photo, she couldn't help herself and wanted to go find Tian Shasha, but Jiang Sui stopped her.
Pei Dai couldn't believe the threats Su Qing uttered, and he felt both angry and sad.
Pei Dai's eyes burned at Su Qing.
"Agreeing to meet her would be a great opportunity."
Jiang Sui also looked at Su Qing. It seemed as if he had never heard her mention any difficulties.
This was the first time he had heard someone threaten her, and he was completely unaware of it.
Jiang Sui's reaction to Pei Dai's words was somewhat intense.
"No, it's too dangerous!"