Chapter 133

After questioning the suspects, Song Wen and Lu Siyu exited the private room. Song Wen said, “Someone among them must be lying. The atmosphere doesn’t feel like they’ve just lost a revered teacher.”

Lu Siyu nodded in agreement, “I think we can rule out suicide.”

If this were a regular teacher-student reunion, Zhang Dongmei would have no reason to commit suicide at the restaurant.

The fact that no one took photos and their cautious answers made everything seem suspicious. However, they couldn’t pinpoint exactly who was lying or what had happened that night.

It seemed like each person had their own secrets, hiding something in their words.

Moreover, Lu Siyu felt that the relationships among these people weren’t that good. There was a sense of distance in their interactions. But if their relationships were strained, why did they come together for this dinner?

Lost in thought, Lu Siyu reflected on his own junior high school years. It was three years, over a thousand days, with events happening every single day. Even now, as an adult, some memories still lingered.

Middle school was a special three years. Compared to elementary school students, they had grown up. But compared to high school students, they were still kids. They stood on the edge between childhood and adolescence, away from their parents’ protection. They began to experience puberty, menarche, voice changes, and gradual sexual maturity, all while starting to face the world independently.

Teachers undoubtedly played a crucial role in guiding them during this period.

The experiences of those three years leave an indelible mark on a person’s life.

The open classroom door, the wind blowing through the windows, the regular ringing of the bell, the noisy playground, the endless textbooks, the endless tests, the endless homework, the snacks from the school store, the phones hidden under desks, the notes passed around, the extracurricular books, and the long walks home.

Even now, closing his eyes, Lu Siyu could still hear the sound of reciting texts and the music of the eye exercises.

Three years of sharing the same classroom, spending every day together, the relationship between teacher and student from ten years ago—it couldn’t be summed up in a few words.

A dinner after ten years, filled with memories and emotions, being described so lightly—that in itself was abnormal.

They were suppressing something, hiding something…

Lu Siyu felt that the calm surface was like a placid lake, but beneath it, there were turbulent waves.

After thinking for a moment, Song Wen asked Zhang Ziqi to call over the restaurant manager, “Earlier, during the meal in this private room, was there anything unusual?”

The manager said, “Mr. Qian is a regular here, often bringing friends for meals. He booked this table in advance with a set menu. They brought their own cake. Later, the dishes were served quickly. Mr. Qian instructed us that they hadn’t seen each other in a long time and didn’t want to be disturbed, so they locked the door from the inside. It was locked for about half an hour. Then they opened the door and asked us to serve tea.”

Half an hour was enough time to do many things.

Song Wen had some ideas forming in his mind, “During that half hour, was there any unusual noise?”

The manager shook his head, “Our private rooms are very soundproof. Once the door is locked, you can’t hear anything from outside. In that half hour, no one came out.”

“And when you went in afterwards? Did you notice anything different?”

The manager and the private room’s waiter both shook their heads.

The waiter thought for a moment and said, “It seems they finished eating and cut the cake. After that, the meal was over, and some people went to the restroom. Two girls accompanied the teacher, who seemed quite emotional and had drunk a lot. Mr. Qian also went to the restroom and came out saying his phone was missing. They searched for the phone for a while but couldn’t find it. Then he asked for the bill and had us bring the card reader. Shortly after, we heard someone had fallen. It was chaotic then, and we didn’t notice who might have been on the rooftop. We just saw everyone running downstairs one by one.”

It seemed that Qian Jiang wasn’t lying about losing his phone.

As Song Wen talked with the manager, Lu Siyu looked around the hallway. The restaurant was decorated in a so-called “new ancient style,” with anti-slip marble-like tiles on the floor, and the walls were adorned with glass, wood, and various dried flowers, blending modern and vintage aesthetics.

Just a few steps from the private room was the rooftop, accessible through a small door with a lock that was likely locked after hours but open during the day.

Lu Siyu walked to the corner near the small door leading to the rooftop and noticed something. He pointed to an inconspicuous camera on the wall and asked the manager, “There’s a camera there. Can it capture who went up to the rooftop?”

The manager looked and said, “That camera covers the back door. Our management and finance offices are on the fifth floor, so we installed the camera to prevent unauthorized entry. From this angle, it can’t see who goes in or out of the rooftop.”

Lu Siyu lowered his head thoughtfully. Song Wen asked, “Can we review the footage later?” Although the camera didn’t cover the rooftop, it might have captured something else.

The manager agreed, “We’ll export the footage. If you have any other requests, we’ll cooperate.”

Song Wen pointed to a nearby private room, “Please clear out that room. The traffic is bad, so we’ll question them here.”

Even if they couldn’t solve the case entirely, ruling out some suspects would help.

The manager nodded and went to make arrangements.

Lu Siyu and Song Wen stepped out onto the rooftop. The air was noticeably fresher than inside.

The rooftop was about 200 square meters, with some simple tables and chairs. The cool night breeze gently blew. Not long ago, Zhang Dongmei had fallen from here.

Looking out from the rooftop, the sky was completely dark, with various neon signs illuminating the city. The projections on nearby skyscrapers displayed patriotic slogans.

The streets below were filled with joyous crowds, all waiting for the upcoming fireworks display.

The rooftop railing was Chinese-style carved wood, resembling curved petals. The lower sections were about 1.1 meters high, and the higher parts were around 1.4 meters. The old wood had been treated with protective oil, giving off a woody scent. Lu Siyu shook the railing; it seemed unstable, possibly due to age.

Lu Siyu then compared the height. If Zhang Dongmei was standing at the lowest point of the railing and faced the perpetrator without any guard, it wouldn’t take much effort for the perpetrator to push the drunken woman off. Even the smallest of the suspects, Teacher Tan Shan, could manage it with some force.

Lu Siyu held the railing and looked down at the street, comparing the location of the bloodstains. He then carefully examined the railing near the spot, finding no scratches. Wooden railings were hard to leave fingerprints on, and there were no marks on the tiled floor, no footprints or drag marks.

Song Wen retrieved Zhang Dongmei’s bag, thoroughly checking it. It contained common items like keys, tissues, and powder. Zhang Dongmei’s phone was there but locked with a password they couldn’t decipher.

Song Wen pondered by the railing for a moment and then asked Lu Siyu, “What do you think Qian Jiang’s phone model might be?”

Lu Siyu thought for a moment: “It’s the latest model from Fruit, paired with his earphones. He’s not short of money, so it should be the highest spec.” Qian Jiang had pointed to his earphones earlier, which were a newly released model this month, likely bought as a set. Such limited edition items were typically acquired first by people like him.

Song Wen nodded, “I think so too.”

Lu Siyu glanced at Song Wen and asked, “Are you planning to look for Qian Jiang’s phone?”

Song Wen replied, “Regard the dead horse as a living one and give it medicine ^[1]Try to save a dying horse as if it were a living one[死马当作活马医] –  It means knowing that a situation is hopeless but still holding on to a glimmer of hope and actively trying … Continue reading . It’s a long shot, but maybe there’s some information on the phone.” As he spoke, he took out his phone and called Captain Zhao from the city’s Anti-Theft squad.

After a short conversation, Song Wen hung up and told Lu Siyu, “I’ve reported the situation, but the chances are slim. Captain Zhao said that during the last fireworks show, they received reports of over 300 stolen phones, and that’s with many people not bothering to report. Commissioner Gu ordered them to keep the number of lost phones below last time’s count. So far, this year, over 50 phones have already been stolen.”

Lu Siyu lowered his head, “Still 250 to go…”

Song Wen continued, “Guess how many of those 300 phones were recovered last year?”

Lu Siyu guessed blindly, “Thirty?”

Song Wen shook his head, “Eighteen. So, Captain Zhao suggested we look for other clues and not get our hopes up too high.” Given last year’s recovery rate, the odds were slim. Song Wen sighed and spread his hands toward Lu Siyu, “Looks like this horse is really dead, and I can’t bring it back to life.”

As they were speaking, Zhang Ziqi came up from downstairs, “Captain Song, Captain Cheng has arrived downstairs and is talking with the manager.” Cheng Mo had finally arrived.

Song Wen frowned. Although Commissioner Gu had instructed cross-team cooperation under his command, Cheng Mo, as the captain of Team Three, showing up unannounced made things difficult for Song Wen, the newly appointed sub-team captain.

To make matters worse, Zhang Ziqi continued, “Captain Cheng said… his son’s junior high school homeroom teacher is one of the people we have detained…”

Captain Cheng belonged to the early cohort that responded to the national call for early marriage and childbirth. He had been divorced once and had two children. His eldest daughter was twenty and attending university, and his younger son was thirteen, currently in junior high at the city’s No. 1 Middle School. It seemed likely that his son’s homeroom teacher was Tan Shan.

The case hadn’t even begun to unravel, and now a connection had surfaced. Song Wen understood why Cheng Mo felt the need to come in person, either because Tan Shan had informed him of something or he had heard some news.

Song Wen told Lu Siyu, “Wait here for a bit. I’ll go downstairs to talk to him. I’ll be back soon; no need for you to run up and down with me.”

Lotus Moon Tower had five floors with no elevator, just antique wooden stairs. The staff had already been running up and down several times within this short span, and they probably did the same many times during regular service, making it a physically demanding job.

Lu Siyu nodded, not planning to follow. He quietly asked, “How do you plan to handle Cheng Mo?”

Song Wen replied, “Counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir ^[2]different situations call for different action; adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation. If worse comes to worst, we’ll question them together. But until we figure things out, no one leaves.”

As Song Wen and the junior officer went downstairs, Lu Siyu remained on the rooftop alone. After a moment of thought, he decided that Song Wen’s idea of focusing on the phone was correct, so he took out his phone and called Boss Cao.

Finding the phone through the police might be difficult. Since that route seemed blocked, it was worth trying other methods.

Tonight, there were likely many thieves working on this street, and they should have some communication and pre-arranged territories. Boss Cao, known as the head thief of Nancheng, might have some leads.

When Boss Cao answered the call and heard the situation, he tried to evade, “Ah, I’ve long since washed my hands of this business. Plus, this line of work has been taken over by others… It’s a different generation now… You’re putting me in a tough spot, young man…”

Lu Siyu coldly said, “Boss Cao, just tell me if you can get it or not.”

Boss Cao said, “Alright, alright, I’ll give it a try. Just make sure you don’t go after the kids. Ten thousand yuan, cash on delivery. Let me make it clear, this money isn’t for me; I need to buy it back from them. In fact, a new model like this is worth more than that even in the black market.”

Lu Siyu checked the time. It was past seven in the evening. He added, “It has to be the complete device, fully functional, with all the data intact. By eight o’clock. After eight, I don’t want it.”

Boss Cao, clearly exasperated, still agreed, “Got it, got it. I’ll do my best. If you don’t hear from me by eight, it means I couldn’t get it.”

After ending the call, Lu Siyu walked around the rooftop again. In another corner, he found a small cigarette butt on the ground. Squatting down, he took an evidence bag from his pocket and placed the cigarette butt inside.

When he walked back to the room, Song Wen had already come up with Cheng Mo. Cheng Mo, in his forties, was an experienced captain in the city bureau. As they walked, he said, “Really, don’t be fooled by Tan Shan’s young age. She’s an exemplary and incredibly responsible teacher. Someone like her could never commit murder. Besides, the deceased was her mentor and colleague. Tan Shan is so slight, and the deceased was somewhat overweight. It’s just not plausible…”

Song Wen, listening on the side, almost rolled his eyes. The reasoning might be sound, but trying to manipulate the situation right in front of him? This was blatantly disregarding his authority as the division captain.

Lu Siyu approached, his handsome face expressionless. He didn’t acknowledge Cheng Mo at all, treating him like thin air. Directly addressing Song Wen, he asked, “Captain Song, should we start the individual questioning now?”

Song Wen replied, “Let’s question them one by one. Since Captain Cheng is here, we’ll start with Teacher Tan.”

TN:

And cue another closed-minded ignorant cop. Round of applause for the newest brainless cop Captain Cheng Mo!