Chapter 141

“Who was it?” Seeing Zhao Yuliang remain silent, Song Wen repeated the question.

It seemed Zhang Dongmei had been lured to the rooftop, and the person arguing with her was undoubtedly the prime suspect.

“It was Tan Shan,” Zhao Yuliang finally said, revealing a somewhat unexpected name.

“Did you hear what they were arguing about?” Song Wen continued.

“I heard a bit. Zhang Dongmei was questioning Tan Shan about why she had colluded with us to bring her here. She originally thought it was a student needing tutoring and that a parent wanted to meet, so she followed Tan Shan.”

Zhao Yuliang paused before continuing, “Tan Shan said she couldn’t stand Zhang Dongmei’s behavior anymore and asked why Zhang Dongmei didn’t repent after everything she had done. Tan Shan, under the influence of alcohol, admitted to Zhang Dongmei that she had reported her earlier, which led to their argument and possibly a physical altercation…”

“Reported?” Song Wen repeated, noting the new information and clue.

Zhao Yuliang nodded, “Yes, I had heard some things before. During the previous summer, someone reported Zhang Dongmei to the education bureau, accusing her of tutoring students for money and physically punishing them, providing substantial evidence. Zhang Dongmei was nearly expelled from the school, but because she was a long-time teacher, the school reassigned her as a counselor instead of a teacher.”

Currently, the education bureau was strictly cracking down on after-school tutoring and physical punishment. Once discovered, the consequences were severe.

Zhang Dongmei was using outdated methods from a decade ago, which were no longer viable. After her family’s financial troubles and accumulating debt, her first thought was to earn money by tutoring students, but this path was cut off.

Instead of reflecting on her actions after being reported, Zhang Dongmei was enraged and wanted to find the whistleblower. Without an income source and at her wit’s end, she turned to extorting her former students.

But she never expected that the one who reported her was her prized pupil, a good student and colleague, Tan Shan.

What further infuriated Zhang Dongmei was that Tan Shan had secretly colluded with the students she had extorted to humiliate and abuse her, recording the incident.

At that moment, Zhang Dongmei wanted to vent all her hatred.

Song Wen asked, “When they were arguing on the rooftop, you were nearby. Weren’t you curious to see what was happening?”

Zhao Yuliang replied, “To be honest, stumbling upon that scene was an accident. I felt awkward and didn’t want them to see me. I planned to finish my cigarette and leave quietly. Then, Zhang Dongmei fell.”

“So you didn’t actually see whether Tan Shan pushed Zhang Dongmei?”

Zhao Yuliang hesitated again, then nodded.

They had gathered more information, but they still couldn’t confirm that Tan Shan had killed Zhang Dongmei. One more student, Ji Meiyun, needed to be questioned.

Song Wen asked Zhang Ziqi to bring Ji Meiyun in and took Zhao Yuliang’s place.

Ji Meiyun was still wearing her thin red trench coat and a thin red scarf. True to her name, she was undeniably beautiful. Her beauty was different from Meng Tiantian’s internet celebrity look and Tan Shan’s delicate appearance.

Song Wen observed the woman sitting in the interrogation seat. She wasn’t extremely thin, her cheeks were full and had a youthful glow, with a striking, bold beauty reminiscent of Hong Kong stars from the past. Such looks were becoming rare nowadays.

“We found Qian Jiang’s phone, and the other students have confessed about what happened that night and their experiences being extorted by Zhang Dongmei. So, what did she use to blackmail you?”

“Because… I’m about to get married,” Ji Meiyun said, looking at the three policemen in front of her. Earlier questioning had revealed that she was a bride-to-be, with her wedding set for the near future.

Marrying into a wealthy family was something that sounded replete with the allure of money.

Some scoffed at the idea, but whether they admitted it or not, it was still a dream for many women.

“Zhang Dongmei never liked me. She seemed to have a natural hostility towards beautiful girls in our class. This hostility had nothing to do with academic performance or obedience. At that time, she often called me a slut, dragged me to the podium, and publicly humiliated me.”

“She cut my hair in front of the whole class, forbade me from wearing any revealing clothes, and accused me of seducing men. I wanted to transfer classes more than once, but Zhang Dongmei always stopped it. She even came to my house, begging my parents to keep me in her class because I could co-host school events with my sister, making her look good.”

“My parents are helpers at a small restaurant. They only know how to chop vegetables and wash dishes. They haven’t had much expertise in their lives, but they have two beautiful daughters. They have an inexplicable trust in intellectuals, so they believed Zhang Dongmei’s sweet words.”

“Later, one summer Friday, according to school regulations, students were supposed to leave at 4 o’clock, but Zhang Dongmei kept me in the classroom. She asked me to stand at the back of the room and didn’t allow me to go home. Later, a few teachers went out together, and I didn’t know when they would return…”

Ji Meiyun’s big eyes flickered as she spoke. She hesitated for a few seconds before gripping her clothes and saying, “There’s a murderer in our class named Wang Haobin. Do you know about this?”

Song Wen nodded and said, “Zhao Yuliang mentioned this person before.”

Ji Meiyun continued, “While I was in the classroom, Wang Haobin came back from playing football outside. Then… he…”

The empty school building, deserted after school hours, left a teenage murderer meeting a beautiful girl waiting alone. The adults present could guess what happened next.

Ji Meiyun lowered her eyes for a moment, trying to control her voice. She seemed unwilling to recall the past: “Later, my sister discovered I hadn’t come home and returned to school to find me. By the time she arrived, everything had already happened. Zhang Dongmei was panicked when she found out. She first sent my sister and me home, then met with my parents.”

As she spoke, her voice began to tremble uncontrollably, fighting back tears: “At that time, she told my parents that it was all because I usually seduced Wang Haobin. My parents were very honest, and when faced with such a situation, they didn’t know whether to believe me or the teacher.”

“At that moment, Zhang Dongmei said, ‘We can report this to the police, but Wang Haobin is a murderer and might do anything. If we report it, he might kill our family.’ My parents were terrified, and then Zhang Dongmei started crying and apologizing to them, saying it was her fault and she would do her best to calm the situation.”

Zhang Dongmei’s statement was undoubtedly meant to scare Ji Meiyun’s parents while avoiding her own responsibility. If Ji Meiyun’s parents reported it or took it to the school, Zhang Dongmei would be held accountable. At that moment, she was both frightening and deceiving them to prevent the matter from escalating.

Ji Meiyun bit her lip and lifted her eyes, saying, “In the end, my inexperienced parents were scared. They chose to settle things peacefully…” From her gaze, it was clear she was deeply disappointed in both her parents and Zhang Dongmei.

“Later, how did Zhang Dongmei use this to blackmail you?” Song Wen asked.

Ji Meiyun’s voice choked up: “A month after that incident, I found out I was pregnant. I had just started developing, and no one expected such a result. Zhang Dongmei stepped in, admitting her fault and taking me to the hospital with my mother. She paid for the procedure to terminate the pregnancy.”

At this point, she looked up at the police officer before her, “This incident was the nightmare of my entire middle school years. I don’t hate Wang Haobin as much as I hate Zhang Dongmei for aiding and abetting. Without her, none of this would have happened. I slowly recovered from those traumas, striving to pursue my happiness, but Zhang Dongmei…”

A teenager enduring such trauma and still managing to stand back up was no small feat. Yet, it was clear her malicious teacher was not prepared to let her go.

Ji Meiyun took a deep breath and continued, “Ten years later, just as I was about to get married, that woman blackmailed me with the abortion payment records from back then…”

“My in-laws are very traditional. They could accept my humble background but not the fact that I had an abortion. My mother-in-law once scolded my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend for having had an abortion, saying she was a ‘house of death’…If my boyfriend and mother-in-law knew about this, my marriage would not be possible. Zhang Dongmei extorted tens of thousands of yuan from me, but she was not satisfied…”

“Then, it was Tan Shan who came to find me… Now, it’s all over.” After speaking, Ji Meiyun lifted her head, her bright eyes filled with an emotion that Song Wen couldn’t express.

This story is even more heavy and painful than the previous ones.

What Zhang Dongmei did was to destroy this woman’s life

Upon hearing this, even Cheng Mo’s eyes turned a little red.

Song Wen also fell silent for a moment.

Zhang Dongmei has hurt this woman more than once, and she still wants to use this matter to extort money. His last sympathy for Zhang Dongmei is gone, and such a teacher should be cut to pieces.

But the current case still needs to be tried.

This is a bride to be married. Would she take the risk of killing Zhang Dongmei for the sake of marriage?

“Ji Meiyun, do you admit your crime?” Song Wen suddenly asked.

Ji Meiyun was clearly taken aback and said, “What crime?”

“Your crime is killing Teacher Zhang.” Song Wen stared at her intently. “It was you who pushed Teacher Zhang down, wasn’t it?”

Lu Siyu knew that Song Wen was trying to deceive the woman before them. She harbored a deep hatred for Teacher Zhang, whether in the past or present. That devil-like teacher had once plunged her into a nightmare, and now she seemed determined to ruin her happiness.

“I didn’t…” Ji Meiyun’s voice trembled.

“You didn’t think we’d have an eyewitness, did you? At that moment, Zhao Yuliang was also on the rooftop, and he saw you!” Song Wen interjected.

Ji Meiyun’s gaze flickered, then she spoke, her voice shaking, “That’s impossible. I didn’t go up to the rooftop, and I didn’t kill her.”

Her beautiful face quickly regained composure, stabilizing her emotions.

“Look up and repeat that statement,” Song Wen’s eyes fixed firmly on her.

Ji Meiyun raised her head, meeting his gaze. Tears glistened in her eyes, her red lips moved slightly, and her chin brushed against the red scarf lightly as she spoke each word, “Zhang Dongmei’s death has nothing to do with me.”

Song Wen fell silent, seemingly pondering whether her words were lies or the truth.

Cheng Mo shook his head nearby. If Ji Meiyun were the culprit, she wouldn’t be able to maintain such composure under Song Wen’s relentless questioning. He felt that, at present, all evidence pointed towards Tan Shan…

Lu Siyu put a period at the end of the sentence and glanced at the five testimonies in front of him.

With that, the questioning of the five witnesses was complete, and the case was gradually coming together. It was necessary to call Tan Shan back to confirm everything.

TN:

You know what? F*ck that teacher. She got off too easy! She needs to have burned and suffered until she wished she was dead! That is if she was actually murdered and didn’t jump off. She’s disgusting. With all those kids who have passed through her hands how many lives has she ruined and how many more victims like this batch are there. First time siding with the “bad guys” but it’s whatever! I wish there were laws for punishing underage kids. Like they take them to trial but hold off on sentencing until they’re of age and then take those psychos to jail! Let them off and 90% of the time they commit another crime coz they know they can get away with it. And I’ll also never understand the laws in some Asian countries of protecting the criminals’ “rights” over the actual victims. Like how I see in Kdramas they even help cover their faces or their hands so the cuffs aren’t seen to protect their dignity or some shit. You can do that for a suspect since some may be innocent but after they are found guilty, plaster their faces and shit on all billboards! Btw guys if you haven’t watched Vigilante you’re missing out! I don’t know if I’ve recommended this one yet. I watched both the show and read the Manhwa. And let me just say it really helped vent my frustration with sh*t justice systems.