Chapter 140

Eleven years ago, in a classroom of Class 3 of the second year at Nancheng No.1 Middle School.

It was the end-of-term exams in summer, and the weather in Nancheng was extremely hot. The cicadas outside kept loudly chirping from the trees, as if they would never tire.

The windows of the classroom were open, and the blue curtains were occasionally blown by the wind, letting in the brilliant sunlight that cast a clear line onto the exam papers.

The seating arrangement had been changed to single rows for the exams, with a total of six columns. All the students’ exam numbers and seats were randomly assigned by a computer and placed on the corner of each desk in order of their exam numbers.

This was a city-wide final exam in Nancheng, highly valued by the authorities and teachers. The invigilating teachers were all dispatched from the senior high school department, with not a familiar face among them, making their supervision particularly strict.

Today’s first subject was Mathematics. Zhao Yuliang had already finished the entire exam paper and was checking his answers. His mood was good; he was assigned to take the exam in his own classroom, which made him feel somewhat relaxed.

There were forty minutes left in the exam. He had completed all the questions and was confident of getting a high score.

The invigilating teacher was pacing around the classroom. Suddenly, the boy sitting in front of him took advantage of the teacher’s inattention and turned his head.

It was only then that Zhao Yuliang could see who was sitting in front of him. His expression changed immediately, and he had a bad feeling. That person was his deskmate, and also the person he feared the most…

When they entered the exam hall, Zhao Yuliang had been too preoccupied to notice who was sitting in front of him or even think that the two of them would be in the same exam room for their class and so close to each other.

Zhao Yuliang lowered his head to look at the questions on the paper, unable to focus on checking his answers. Just as he was hesitating whether to hand in his paper early, the boy in front of him turned his head again and, with lightning speed, snatched the exam paper in front of Zhao Yuliang.

In just a second, he heard a faint rustling sound, like a gust of wind passing by. All that remained in front of him were the answer sheet he had filled out with a pencil and a few pieces of draft paper.

And at that moment, the invigilating teacher happened to turn around, completely missing the whole process.

Zhao Yuliang’s body stiffened in place. He pondered how he should handle this situation.

Should he tell the teacher?

But after the exam, it wouldn’t just be about being bullied by that person. He couldn’t afford to do something that would lead to his own downfall.

But if he didn’t speak up… who knew when the exam paper would be copied?

Time passed second by second, and he nervously kept looking at his watch, feeling helpless, fearful, and afraid. It was already hot, and sweat beaded on his forehead, wiping away a layer, only to be replaced by even more.

What made him even more terrified was that the invigilating teacher was slowly approaching. Soon, he would be discovered without his exam paper.

What would happen then?

Would it be considered cheating, or being an accomplice to cheating?

His heart was pounding wildly, as if it would burst out of his chest. He was so nervous that he needed to use the restroom, his body trembling, and cold sweat pouring out layer by layer. Even his hands and feet were trembling, but he forced himself to sit there, legs tightly crossed.

Zhao Yuliang wished time would stop. He lowered his head and covered the table with the draft paper, scribbling on it. He prayed that the teacher wouldn’t notice what had happened, and he pretended to cough, hoping that the person with his exam paper would have a change of heart and return it to him. But that person had no intention of stopping.

And then the moment came. The teacher walked up to him, lowered his head, and asked coldly, “Where is your exam paper?”

For a teenager like him, such a result was like doomsday.

In that instant, it felt like a knife had been plunged into his heart, draining him of all his blood, leaving him lifeless. He looked ashen, his limbs cold. He felt like a murderer who had just been sentenced to death.

That sentence became Zhao Yuliang’s nightmare for the rest of his life. Later, he went through countless exams, but he couldn’t erase this exam from his mind.

Even now, as an adult, he still occasionally dreams about that exam. In his dreams, he tries every means possible, thinking of various methods, until he is startled awake.

Lying in bed, drenched in sweat, staring at the ceiling, he feels like he’s dying all over again. He understands that it’s a shadow that will accompany him for the rest of his life.

Unsolvable.

And all of this, thanks to Zhang Dongmei.

The fourth student called in for questioning was the male student Zhao Yuliang. Among these students, he had the highest level of education, about to graduate with a Ph.D. and hoping to stay at Beicheng University for teaching.

Beicheng University was a famous prestigious university in China. Being able to teach there meant accessing better resources, more rewards, and opportunities to exchange with the international forefront, something many people envied.

When Zhao Yuliang took his seat opposite them, Song Wen went straight to the point: “They’ve all confessed. Now it’s your turn. Why were you being extorted by Teacher Zhang?”

Song Wen mentioned extortion directly, and Zhao Yuliang didn’t raise any suspicions. He calmly adjusted his glasses and spoke: “The matter of Teacher Zhang extorting me is a bit complicated.”

Song Wen frowned. “How complicated?”

Zhao Yuliang said, “This matter has some background. It started from when we started junior high school. Back then, I was one of the best students in our class. Almost every exam, I could maintain a position in the top three. But someone like me didn’t receive the recognition and treatment I deserved from Zhang Dongmei.”

“Because when I first entered junior high, eager to have the teacher recognize my excellence… so I did something very stupid.”

“Once, Zhang Dongmei gave an extracurricular question. Her approach was wrong, and I quickly noticed it and pointed it out in class. During the class, Zhang Dongmei praised me, but afterward, she tactfully told me that I could inform her of such things after class. However, afterwards, I found that she started to dislike me.”

Now Zhao Yuliang understands where he went wrong. But back then, he was just a naive, innocent, straightforward teenager who believed that right was right and wrong was wrong.

If he could relive his life or go back in time, he would definitely warn himself not to do such things. It was just a small matter, a few words, but it changed his three years of junior high school and his life.

Lu Siyu stopped writing and organized the relationships. It seemed that in Zhang Dongmei’s eyes, Zhao Yuliang’s behavior had made her lose face in front of all the students. So despite Zhao Yuliang’s excellent grades, he didn’t receive the treatment a good student deserved.

“How did she start disliking me… let me give you an example. One year, nearing the mid-term exam, my grandmother suddenly passed away. When I received the news, I applied for leave to return to my hometown. Zhang Dongmei frowned and told me, ‘Your grandmother has already passed away. You won’t be able to see her anyway. If you don’t take the exam, it will affect the class average. If you’re reluctant to ask, I’ll talk to your parents.’ So, Zhang Dongmei called my mom. My mom went back alone first, and I cried through the exam, then followed my dad back to my hometown. From then on, Zhang Dongmei and I were even more at odds.”

His grandmother raised him. She was the closest elder in his family, and she was the best person to him. But he didn’t even see his grandmother’s remains. When he returned home, all he had was a black and white photo of his grandmother and an urn waiting for him.

At this point, Zhao Yuliang’s gaze behind his glasses flickered with some moisture, as if there were tears in his eyes. But his expression was cold, and the tears didn’t fall. These things, when mentioned now, were just some sad memories.

“In the second half of our first year of junior high, a fourteen-year-old boy named Wang Haobin transferred to our class. This student was a problematic student, and all the head teachers pushed him away, not wanting him in their own classes. The old principal was at a loss. But Zhang Dongmei, for the sake of her own career, took him in, solved the problem for the old principal, and did him a favor, because she was awarded the title of School Labor Model that year.”

At this point, Zhao Yuliang adjusted his glasses and smiled somewhat oddly. “But Zhang Dongmei didn’t expect that the old principal would be promoted after that semester, to the senior high school department. And a new leader came to the junior high department. That new principal didn’t care about the old principal’s feelings, and that student dragged down our class. Zhang Dongmei did evil and ended up smashing her own foot.”

“Zhang Xue Mei probably assigned that problem student to sit next to me, either out of dislike for me or because she thought a good student like me could reform him and keep an eye on him. Regarding this student, he was involved in a murder case. It was the infamous Xiaoxiang Mountain incident in Nancheng. Have you heard of it?” Zhao Yuliang looked up and asked the police officers in front of him.

Song Wen wasn’t familiar with the case. Ten years ago, he was probably studying at his grandmother’s house and didn’t attend the same school, so he wasn’t aware of many social news events.

Cheng Mo, however, remained silent. He knew about the case and remembered it vividly.

Sensing a deeper backstory, both of them looked sympathetically at Lu Siyu. Lu Siyu took a deep breath and picked up his pen again.

“Wang Haobin used to hang out outside the school with a group of delinquents, robbing people. These kids were notorious troublemakers in the city, a group of over ten. They rented a place outside the school with the money they stole, turning it into their hideout. They kept their loot in a box under the bed. Later, a new kid named Li joined them. A few days after Li joined, they noticed some money missing from the box.

“Since only a portion of the money was gone, it was clear there was a thief among them. They questioned everyone, and suspicion fell on the new kid, Li. These boys, unafraid of anything, tied Li up and interrogated him. When he didn’t confess, they beat him with sticks. He still didn’t admit to stealing, so they beat him for an entire day and night. Eventually, when Li fell unconscious, they pulled out knives and each took turns stabbing him, killing him.”

At this point, Zhao Yuliang adjusted his glasses, his expression indifferent, as if he were recounting a common tale: “After killing him, they dismembered his body, put the parts into several white plastic sacks, and drove to the base of Xiaoxiang Mountain. Each took a sack and climbed up the mountain. When they reached near the top, they emptied the sacks into a shallow cave, agreeing to never speak of it to anyone.”

“It was just before the New Year, and the mountain was cold with few visitors. A month later, someone accidentally discovered the body in the cave. By then, it had already decomposed. The police took some time to identify the body, and the result was announced on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Li’s mother distributed photos of her son’s mangled body at the city hall, crying for justice.”

“Eventually, the boys were found, but since none of them were over fourteen at the time and it was a group crime, it was impossible to pinpoint the main culprits. They underwent interrogation, spent some time in a juvenile detention center, and a year later were sent back to regular schools. Wang Haobin ended up being assigned to our class at Nancheng No. 1 High School and became my deskmate.”

Song Wen shook his head helplessly. Dealing with juvenile offenders under fourteen has always been a legal challenge. This case might sound simple, but determining the responsibilities among the perpetrators was extremely difficult, leading to relatively light sentences. In recent years, there have been instances where there was no place to detain them, so they were sent back to school, let alone ten years ago.

Lu Siyu quickly recorded this part, frowning as he bit the pen cap.

Cheng Mo’s eyes grew deep. He had experienced that case firsthand. Back then, he hadn’t yet been promoted to team leader and had accompanied the forensic pathologist to the crime scene. Before entering the narrow cave, the battle-hardened pathologist started vomiting. The body’s condition changed with the temperature, freezing in the cold and thawing in warmer weather, repeatedly decomposing and being eaten by insects. The smell inside the cave was unforgettable.

The pathologist crawled into the low cave and pulled out the dismembered body piece by piece. Not long after, he resigned from his job.

What was shocking about this case was that it was committed entirely by a group of teenagers.

This case might not be as widely known as the iron barrel murder case^[1]Not too sure about this because I’m assuming R Country is Russia but I couldn’t find a barrel corpse case of a woman from there, only some to do with rebellions. The most famous case I could find … Continue reading in Country R or the Hello Kitty murder case ^[2]One of the most disturbing murder cases which took place in Hong Kong City. A Triad member, Chan Man Lok(34 yrs) and his accomplices kidnapped a 23 year old hostess Fan Man Yee from her home with the … Continue reading in H City, but it was quite famous in Nancheng.

They continued listening to Zhao Yuliang.

“The reason I know the details of this case is that Wang Haobin told me himself. He laughed and said he stabbed the chest, not expecting to get the same sentence as those who only dared to stab the stomach.”

Zhao Yuliang continued with a bitter smile, “Teacher Zhang was a typical bully. She didn’t dare to collect Wang Haobin’s homework, didn’t require his attendance, and exempted him from group activities and punishments. Wang Haobin received special treatment that no one else in the class did.”

“And I, as the best student, was like a sheep thrown to a wolf. Wang Haobin extorted money from me, took my books and stationery. And Teacher Zhang just turned a blind eye. Sometimes Wang Haobin bullied me, beat me, forced me to smoke, or made me do things I didn’t want to do, like keeping watch for them. I suppose I should be grateful he didn’t have access to drugs. Otherwise, my life might have taken a completely different path.”

He fell silent, then shook his head, “No, my life probably had already changed because of him.”

Undoubtedly, those days sitting next to a murderer left an indelible mark on him.

A teenager not only had to face a perverse teacher every day but also lived beside a murderer.

He had to be extremely cautious. Any slight mistake could anger the beast beside him. Every day was filled with fear, and he was forced to do things he never wanted to do, losing his way.

Song Wen frowned and asked, “Didn’t you tell your parents about this? Didn’t you think about transferring to another school?”

Zhao Yuliang clenched his teeth and shook his head, “Both of my parents were very busy with work. My father traveled frequently. I didn’t want to burden them with these issues. Whenever they saw me with a test paper, they didn’t care about how I was living at school.” He lowered his head and smiled bitterly, “They only cared about my grades, never asking if I was happy or who my deskmate was, or what had happened. When my father attended parent-teacher meetings, he would warmly greet Wang Haobin’s mother and shake Zhang Dongmei’s hand, urging her to teach me well. Even when my father found out I had started smoking, he thought it was understandable because my grades were good.”

Back then, he felt lonely and helpless. Even if they had asked once, “How are you doing at school?” he would have confided everything to his parents.

But no one ever asked him.

He was scared, terrified, and oppressed, wanting to cry out. But all he received were praises and rewards he didn’t need.

“Later, during a school-wide exam, Wang Haobin, sitting in front of me, took my test paper while the proctor wasn’t looking. The proctor caught us and took us to the principal. The new principal didn’t know about Wang Haobin’s history and was eager to make a strong impression. According to the rules, both Wang Haobin and I were to be expelled, or at least have a record in our files. Zhang Dongmei brought us back and told me she would explain everything to the principal.”

Hearing this, Song Wen felt there was more to the story, and sure enough, Zhao Yuliang sighed, “I thought Zhang Dongmei would at least speak on my behalf because of my good grades. Soon after, Zhang Dongmei found me and said she had explained everything to the principal and that the incident wouldn’t be recorded, but since it was such a big deal, I had to take some responsibility. So, she made me write a confession, admitting that I was wrong to collude with a classmate to cheat. The ridiculous part was that I was the only one who wrote a confession; Wang Haobin didn’t have to write anything.”

Song Wen frowned, “This handling seems unfair.”

If Zhao Yuliang’s account was true, the confession wasn’t factual. Zhang Dongmei made him write it to avoid offending Wang Haobin and facing retaliation while needing to show something to the principal. In the end, Zhao Yuliang was sacrificed.

“Yes,” Zhao Yuliang sighed, “When I was young, I didn’t see through it. I was terrified and obediently wrote the confession, then read it aloud in front of the whole class. Later, in the third year of middle school, Zhang Dongmei left, and Wang Haobin dropped out. My life finally became somewhat normal.”

“Is Zhang Dongmei now blackmailing you with that confession?” Song Wen asked. Considering Zhao Yuliang had already graduated and was pursuing a PhD, it seemed unreasonable for him to be troubled by a middle school confession.

Zhao Yuliang explained, “A few months ago, Zhang Dongmei suddenly contacted me, inquiring about my plans to stay at Beicheng University. At first, I thought her concern and blessings were sincere, but then she sent me a photo of the confession and said she was financially strained.” He sighed, “I didn’t expect that twisted woman to keep that confession for so many years.”

“If it were another school, I wouldn’t be afraid of that document. No one could use a middle school confession to question my character. But I want to stay at Beicheng University. Beicheng University is known for its rigorous academic standards and zero tolerance for cheating. The school has a strict policy that any student caught cheating must be expelled within 24 hours. There was even a case where a student, caught cheating and afraid to tell their family, committed suicide by jumping off a building. The rule wasn’t changed despite that tragedy.”

Under the light, Zhao Yuliang’s glasses reflected a cold glint, “So, Beicheng University would never hire a student who had cheated as a teacher. If that confession reached the school authorities, no matter how I explained, it would be in vain. So, I chose to pay to avoid trouble.”

Zhao Yuliang’s subsequent description matched what Meng Tiantian had said earlier. Zhang Dongmei’s extortion escalated, and she gradually blackmailed him for 30,000 yuan, draining all his scholarship savings.

Three days ago, he returned from Beicheng for the National Day holiday and received Tan Shan’s message. After much consideration, he came here.

“After you guys mistreated the teacher and recorded the video, where did you go?” Song Wen asked.

“I went out to smoke,” Zhao Yuliang paused and said, “I went to the smoking area to smoke.”

“You probably didn’t go to the smoking area, did you?” Lu Siyu, who had been taking notes, suddenly stopped and looked up at Zhao Yuliang. There was still a faint smell of smoke on him. The cigarette butts found in the corner of the rooftop might have been left by Zhao Yuliang.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Yuliang admitted, “Alright, I was on the rooftop when Zhang Dongmei fell.”

Song Wen looked up at him, considering that this person could either be the murderer or the first eyewitness of the incident.

“However, I didn’t push Zhang Dongmei down. The corner where I was standing faced the opposite direction. I didn’t see what happened on that side. When I heard the commotion and rushed to that corner to look down, I saw that Zhang Dongmei was already lying on the ground below.”

Lu Siyu twirled the pen in his hand and glanced at Song Wen. Judging from the position of the cigarette butts, the corner Zhao Yuliang mentioned was indeed on the rooftop, but on the same side where Zhang Dongmei fell. There was a structure between the two ends that blocked the view, making it possible not to see what happened. Based on the physical evidence, it was hard to determine if Zhao Yuliang was telling the truth or lying.

“You didn’t see anything up there, but you must have heard something, right?” Song Wen pressed, “Or are you actually the murderer, lying to us now?”

In the earlier video, it was Zhao Yuliang who had pushed Zhang Dongmei’s head into the cake, and the video lasted several seconds. If it had been any longer, Zhang Dongmei could have suffocated to death.

The young man before them seemed somewhat cold-blooded and very calm. Beneath his refined demeanor, there was a suppressed, bloodthirsty frenzy.

His personality might have been shaped by his past experiences. Despite his academic excellence, something must have changed within him because of Wang Haobin.

He could describe the Xiaoxiang Mountain incident calmly, just as he now viewed Zhang Dongmei’s death with detachment.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Yuliang finally spoke, “I did hear something. Before Zhang Dongmei fell, there was a heated argument on the rooftop.”

Song Wen immediately asked, “Who was it?”