Regardless of how the artist on the other side will react to this old photograph, the police officers on this side, as they ask more and more detailed questions, have already uncovered the evil deeds that Chi Bo committed against Han Feifei.
Actually, the classmates didn't know much about it. They only knew that Han Feifei was very afraid of Chi Bo, and that someone saw Chi Bo burn Han Feifei's arm with a cigarette butt.
"Perhaps Chi Bo has some kind of leverage over her," the student said.
The young policeman stopped writing halfway through and asked with a puzzled expression, "You saw him bullying his classmates, and you didn't do anything about it?"
"This..." The person being asked lowered their head, "At the time, everyone..."
What? They're all bullying that girl?
"Bullying the same person, is this your class's ritual to enhance 'friendship'?"
"Ahem." The veteran officer coughed, signaling to the junior officer to control his emotions. As investigators, they couldn't be easily swayed by their emotions and had to remain calm at all times.
After the classmate left, they turned on Chi Bo's phone and saw those obscene videos.
Even veteran officers, let alone junior officers, couldn't help but shake their heads. In normal circumstances, this kind of thing would be considered a crime of malicious assault, restriction of personal freedom, or psychological abuse, which could lead to imprisonment in serious cases.
However, simply because they were classmates, the matter was dismissed with a lighthearted "student conflict," and the school didn't even issue a warning or a public reprimand.
"This is too much! The teacher doesn't care, and the school doesn't care either?" The young police officer was furious at the thought of a young and vibrant life being lost because of malice.
The veteran police officer shook his head: "In the past, schools have always tried to downplay such incidents and let them pass quietly."
To learn more about Chi Bo and Han Feifei, they called Teacher Wang.
Teacher Wang walked in and placed her hands on the table. She had delicate features and looked shy and quiet, making it easy to think that she was a very responsible and good teacher.
In the past, parents had trusted her just as much.
The young police officer showed her the image of the deceased's body on his phone. The deceased lay in filth, his face ashen and his expression contorted, his eyes wide open in death. But Teacher Wang still glanced at it carefully: "What are you two trying to say?"
"He suffered from acute mercury poisoning, so illness and suicide can be ruled out."
"Mercury poisoning?" Teacher Wang clutched her hair, looking extremely surprised. "How could he have mercury poisoning?"
"We can't tell you about this right now." The senior officer gestured for the junior officer to pull out the video, then smiled at Teacher Wang, "You recognize the student in this video, right?"
That was the video of Chi Bo bullying Han Feifei. Teacher Wang saw the footage. When she saw the girl curled up in the corner, covered in bruises, she was completely stunned.
She knew that the students in the class were ostracizing Han Feifei, and she also knew that Chi Bo was playing pranks, but she didn't know that the nature of the pranks was this bad.
Teacher Wang subconsciously pushed the video forward, shaking his head as he said, "Sun Qi (Hei Pi) and Chi Bo are always together, but I'm afraid even Sun Qi and the others don't know that Chi Bo has done such things in private."
The young police officer tapped the table: "Please don't evade my question. I'm not asking if Sun Qi knows, but if you know."
Teacher Wang's fingers were twisted together, her head bowed: "She's Han Feifei, my former student. I didn't know he would actually..."
"As far as I know, Miss Wang is both the subject teacher and the homeroom teacher. You see her every day, are you really completely unaware of these things happening in the class?"
Her fingers tightened, her nails almost digging into her palms: "I knew there were some conflicts between students, but I didn't know it had gotten this serious."
"So, you didn't do anything?"
"because..."
"Miss Wang, please don't avoid my question. So, you didn't do anything?"
The room suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
Ms. Wang couldn't answer the question. She even felt that she needed courage to look up because... she hadn't done anything.
"If something's wrong, shouldn't we find out what's going on? Isn't that one of the teacher's responsibilities?" the young police officer couldn't help but retort.
Teachers understanding students' situation at school is like doctors understanding patients' situation in the hospital; it's one of their responsibilities and their job duties.
However, judging from Ms. Wang's behavior, she didn't seem to have thought deeply about her own problem.
This situation is as ridiculous as going to the battlefield and asking who the enemy is.
Under the gaze of the two police officers, Teacher Wang's face flushed red with shame.
"I'm sorry, I'm the one who wronged her," she said.
As she uttered those two "I'm sorry"s, her expression calmed down, as if her guilt had gone with her apology.
Half a minute later, after calming down, Teacher Wang calmly recounted what had happened.
"That was a year ago..."
Outside the room, as students came out one by one, the corridor seemed to become lively.
They have an innate sense of awe towards the police, and many things they wouldn't normally say, they'd spill out like water from a bamboo tube after just one glare. Later, if classmates asked again, they didn't seem to have that same reservation, always feeling they'd find out sooner or later, so they just told them directly.
As a result, the students learned more private information about Chi Bo.
"If I die one day," Ren Yifei thought, "I want to find a suitable person to delete everything about me, leaving nothing behind."
He didn't even take his phone; he sat on the stool in the corner with his hands empty.
That day, Chi Bo returned and walked into the trap he had set, where he also sat.
Teacher Wang is inside; perhaps she has already told Xia Chuan about it. The outbreak of hatred seems to have added complexity to the story.
However, he didn't seem to have any regrets. He performed that scene with great enthusiasm and satisfaction.
"It's a real pleasure." He had to admit that although he hated acting, he could get a sense of accomplishment from it that nothing else could give him.
Ren Yifei clasped his hands together, looking at the waterlogged ground. Water droplets fell from the eaves, overlapping and interfering in circles, creating a unique and hazy effect in the dim light.
Upon hearing about his 'sister,' the young Xia Chuan was unable to perfectly control his emotions, and he was bound to reveal some signs of it. Perhaps the more mature Xia Chuan would be able to control himself, but at this moment he was still immature.
So, how will this young fox escape the pursuit of the two hunting dogs?
Previously, Teacher Wang had repeatedly tested him, even bringing up his sister's situation in an attempt to force him to compromise. She seemed to be the one in control, but throughout the process, Ren Yifei also saw through her bluster.
She had no evidence at all; it was all just speculation and assumption.
Without evidence, everything is negotiable.
Ren Yifei brought up this character and analyzed him point by point.
The previous test of blowing up the bridge can be interpreted in two ways: first, she suspected Ren Yifei; second, she knew the bridge would be blown up.
If she were an NPC, she wouldn't be able to analyze Ren Yifei's plan to blow up the bridge. Therefore, it's highly likely that Teacher Wang was an eyewitness. She knew the course of events and the outcome of many things.
Therefore, she is a 'ghost'.
Having established the premise that 'she is a ghost,' looking at her previous behavior again brings a pleasant surprise.
On the bus, Ms. Wang had paid special attention to him and stopped Liu Jinjie's egregious behavior. It seemed she was trying to position herself as the antithesis of school bullying. Who was she putting on this show for?
On the first night, they were assigned rooms as usual, but Teacher Wang suggested that the girls stay in one courtyard and lock the doors at night for safety.
In the original storyline, the room assignments were definitely not the way they are now, and some unexpected events occurred that night, involving the girl. However, the incident didn't cause major damage, so her attitude wasn't very firm.
However, the next morning, she took an even stronger stance and demanded that her classmates travel together. Does this mean that she knew something bad was bound to happen that day?
Was it He Xiangxue or Chi Bo who got into trouble? Or was it both?
At that time, He Xiangxue called, saying she had seen the house, but Teacher Wang reflexively told He Xiangxue to stay away from the local house.
Coupled with the artist's vague hints, we can conclude that there is definitely some secret in this village. And Teacher Wang is trying very hard not to touch upon this village's secret.
This, in a negative light, confirms that the secret of this village is an important part of the original storyline.
After He Xiangxue and Jiang Min 'disappeared,' the first thing Teacher Wang did was to call the police, and then she wanted the students to go out and look for them together.
Yes, calling the police was definitely the right thing to do, that's undeniable. But in that situation, the first thing she should have done after calling the police was to explain the situation to the receptionist and, through them, reach an agreement with the villagers to find the missing girl.
This is a tourist area. If someone goes missing in a tourist area, the person in charge is also responsible. Therefore, most tourist areas will have people help with the search.
However, she never considered asking the villagers for help in the search. At that time, it hadn't even rained yet, so the premise of poor search and rescue conditions didn't exist.
Alternatively, she concluded that He Xiangxue and the other person were not involved and believed that there was no need to call the villagers (calling the police was to openly and legitimately call the police to investigate the murderer).
Either she believed the villagers were untrustworthy and would rather risk her own safety than call on the locals.
When Chi Bo had the accident, although Teacher Wang seemed very surprised, in fact, her actions were methodical and she remained unusually calm when facing the corpse. She had made full preparations mentally, and her behavior inevitably revealed some of these things.
In the original storyline, Ikenami must have also encountered an accident, and his symptoms were similar.
Even when faced with the broken bridge, Ms. Wang's shock was exaggerated; however, the unfamiliar looks in the eyes of the two policemen seemed genuine.
This might be the first time she's called the police, or the first time the police have managed to get here smoothly. The original owner might have blown up the bridge much earlier, turning this place into an isolated island.
Therefore, from the police's perspective, they both start from the same point; both are suspects.
"No, the sense of incongruity is even stronger in Teacher Wang."
Ren Yifei had no idea whether she was setting a trap for him or for herself by calling the police.
"Xia Chuan!"
Ren Yifei looked up and saw Teacher Wang coming out of the room, and someone called his name, as if he was next. He stood up and walked over, brushing past Teacher Wang.
"Xia Chuan…" she seemed to want to say something.
Ren Yifei, however, had already walked towards the room.
Inside the room, two police officers were talking in hushed tones.
"Master, do you believe what this teacher said? When I showed her the photos of the deceased just now, she didn't show any avoidance, fear, or disgust. That's a bit strange."
The young police officer also had his own judgment and analysis: "Teacher Wang is not someone who often deals with corpses. How could he be so calm when he suddenly saw a corpse with such a gruesome death? I think there is something wrong with this person."
The veteran officer, wanting to test his apprentice, asked him, "Besides that, what else did you notice?"
"Furthermore, she said she learned by accident that this person was the victim's brother, but because the victim's brother had never shown any aggression, she didn't pay much attention. So, why is she so certain this time that it was this person who did it?"
The veteran officer listened and nodded, "Continue."
"The symptoms of mercury poisoning are deceptive, and even doctors can make wrong diagnoses. Non-professionals cannot completely rule out the possibility of a 'latent disease,' but she was absolutely certain it was homicide. Why was she so sure?"
"I think she withheld a lot of key information, and her words contained a lot of leading and misleading elements. This teacher needs to be closely monitored."
"Bang bang."
The knocking interrupted the two officers' hushed conversation. The older officer called out, "Come in."
The door opened, and a boy who was trying his best to remain calm, but whose hands were unconsciously clenched into fists, appeared in the doo
rway.