Chapter 137

Upon bringing up these memories, Qian Jiang still felt a sense of suffocation and dizziness, as if his brain and body were resisting, not wanting him to recall these events. However, every bit of these memories had long been deeply engraved into his bones.

Especially today, after seeing those classmates he hadn’t seen in many years and seeing Zhang Dongmei again, these memories became extraordinarily vivid.

The interrogation room fell silent.

Song Wen, puzzled, asked, “I’m very sorry to hear this. If what you say is true, I also believe Zhang Dongmei was wrong to do this. But back then, why didn’t anyone stop her?” Nowadays, encountering such situations might seem unimaginable.

Qian Jiang smiled bitterly, “Because our class had good grades, both the principal and the parents stood by her side, and the principal even deliberately protected her. The kids were intimidated and didn’t dare to speak about what was really happening in class. Moreover, children ten years ago were not as precious as they are now. Many parents without much education even thought that corporal punishment was no big deal.”

He sighed, “My dad would even visit the teacher back then, stuffing money into her hands, asking her to discipline me strictly, without knowing that just the sight of her made me want to jump off a building…”

Turning his head, Qian Jiang shrugged as if trying to appear nonchalant, “In junior high school, she was crushing us with adult-world rules. She told us that what happened in the class was normal, survival of the fittest, and that only those who survived the cruel competition were excellent. It was like we entered the adult world prematurely, constantly thinking of ways to survive. So today, what we did to her is nothing compared to what she did to us back then.”

For the students, who were only in their teens then, any resistance was powerless. They looked up at their teacher with eyes full of fear. This person used rules and tactics from the adult world to harm them. She stood at the top, untouchable in her authority. The long three years became a form of torture, turning a should-be-kind teacher into their nightmare.

Now, as adults discussing these matters, it was clear to everyone that Zhang Dongmei’s methods were wrong and that steps should have been taken to stop her. But for them as children back then, a teacher’s words were the ultimate truth, more binding than a law. Just the threat of calling a parent was even more terrifying than calling the police.

Under such a “strict teacher,” the children had no choice but to adapt to her rules, struggling was futile.

Song Wen remained silent for a moment. In the past, the education system had taken a wrong turn. People were used to judging a teacher’s worth based on the class’s performance and evaluating a student based on their grades. This was a crude and arbitrary method.

Decades of examination-oriented education have paved a path using generations of children as experimental subjects.

There are tens of millions of teachers in the country, and perhaps there are not a few like Zhang Dongmei among them.

From elementary to junior high school to high school, a person might encounter dozens of teachers. What are the odds of meeting one like Zhang Dongmei?

People advocate for respecting teachers and the way of teaching, but what kind of teacher and what kind of way should be respected?

Hearing Qian Jiang’s account, Cheng Mo’s face showed shock. His school days were much farther behind him, and now he was also a parent. For someone who had always had a smooth path, it was hard for him to understand how such things could happen.

Lu Siyu, beside him, had long picked up his pen, recording the conversation with a blank expression, seemingly unshocked by anything.

“I know your minds were harmed, but…” Song Wen pondered how to articulate his point, then said, “the crime doesn’t warrant death.”

If what Qian Jiang described was true, then Zhang Dongmei was indeed not a good teacher. Her methods were disgusting and fear-inducing for the students.

However, her actions did not endanger the students’ lives, and everything she did… How should it be evaluated? In the eyes of some parents and bystanders, it might even be seen as “for the students’ good.”

He understood the perverse nature of Zhang Dongmei, but he felt that her crime did not warrant death.

He comprehended the students’ reasons for tormenting the teacher, but he still didn’t think their actions were justified.

A bad teacher had produced a group of bad students.

It was understandable that Zhang Dongmei had made her students despise her, but if such hatred required her life as the price, it seemed too excessive.

Qian Jiang spread his hands and looked at them, saying, “You should ask the others then. The one who suffered the most wasn’t me, and what Zhang Dongmei did was not limited to this…”

“So, what exactly happened tonight?” Song Wen steered the conversation back to tonight. Those were just background and causes; the key issue was still tonight.

Who killed Zhang Dongmei, who had the motive, who had the opportunity, and who had the time to commit the crime.

“We invited the teacher to a dinner party, ostensibly to thank her, but in truth, we had other thoughts. After closing the private room door, what you saw in the video happened. We played a few rounds of Truth or Dare, recorded those humiliating videos of her, and then some girls accompanied the teacher to the restroom to help her freshen up. I stayed in the room, waiting for the waiter to come and settle the bill.”

Qian Jiang’s account was similar to Tan Shan’s, but connected to the content of the video, the nature of the matter became entirely different. He continued, “We recorded the videos, but we didn’t intend to release them, just wanted to keep them for ourselves. It was just a coincidence that I lost my phone.”

“Why did you record the video?” Song Wen thought that if they hadn’t found those video clips, who knows what these students might have said.

“To get back at her for what she did to us,” Qian Jiang said. “Although the content of the video was a bit extreme, our intention, or at least most people’s intention, was only to humiliate her and serve as a warning, not to kill her.”

“Did you discuss beforehand about recording the video to humiliate Zhang Dongmei?” Song Wen asked again.

Qian Jiang hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Before we set off, we created a small group chat and briefly discussed it. Of course, after drinking some alcohol, everyone got a bit excited, and things might have gone overboard. But the video only shows the most intense parts, and we just wanted to vent our anger.”

“Who organized this gathering?”

“It was Tan Shan. She set the time and invited Teacher Zhang. As for the details of how she talked to Zhang Dongmei, I’m not sure.”

It was clear that if Tan Shan had disclosed some details of the gathering to Zhang Dongmei, she wouldn’t have come.

Lu Siyu noted this and asked Qian Jiang, “Why did you choose Lotus Moon Tower? And why this private room?”

If the video content was premeditated, this seemed too coincidental. Since Qian Jiang often dined here, he must have known about the safety issues with the platform.

Qian Jiang said, “None of us can handle spicy food well, and we wanted to pick a restaurant in the city center. I often eat here and like the food, so naturally, I chose this place. As for the private room, I often book this one. The platform has been open for years, anyone who’s dined here would know.”

He answered quickly and naturally, leaving Lu Siyu unable to judge whether it was intentional or unintentional or if he had mentioned the platform’s condition to others, leading them on.

Song Wen continued, “Who do you think killed Teacher Zhang?”

Qian Jiang said, “I don’t want to suspect my classmates. If I have to say who, it would probably be one of the girls. They were the last ones with the teacher.”

Lu Siyu, recalling something, looked up and asked him, “Why did you choose to take revenge on Zhang Dongmei after ten years?”

Qian Jiang looked at him with some confusion, furrowing his brows.

Lu Siyu licked his lips and explained, “I understand that you carry some pain in your hearts because of her, but shouldn’t that pain have been strongest at the beginning?”

Qian Jiang fell silent for a moment and said, “But back then, we were just kids, not capable of retaliating.”

Lu Siyu further questioned, “As time passes, many strong emotions tend to fade, like old scars that don’t hurt as much. What is it that stirred up your memories, revived your hatred towards her, and brought you here tonight to collectively seek revenge against her?”

For most people, once they no longer have any dealings with their teachers, they wouldn’t continue to hold onto past grudges. Why did these students still harbor such great resentment after ten years?

Although Zhang Dongmei had caused a lot of harm to her students, these students now all had their own lives and could be considered successful individuals.

Whoever among these suspects killed Zhang Dongmei, they would be risking a great deal and paying a heavy price.

What Qian Jiang described, even if it was bitter to recall, wasn’t enough to become a motive for murder ten years later.

Was Zhang Dongmei’s death the result of a long-planned scheme by the students, or was it an impulsive act under the influence of alcohol?

Or… was there still some story they didn’t know about?

Song Wen understood Lu Siyu’s implication and looked into Qian Jiang’s eyes, waiting for his response.

Qian Jiang shook his head, and suddenly, there was a hint of wariness in his gaze. “I don’t know. I’m just someone who was called to settle the bill. As you saw, I was recording the whole time and didn’t lay a hand on her. At the time of the incident, I had just paid the bill with the waiter. You can check the time of my payment; it’s very close to the time of Zhang Dongmei’s fall. It’s impossible for me to have killed someone here right after swiping my card.”

Qian Jiang had calmed down from the emotional accusation against Zhang Dongmei earlier. He presented a relatively favorable piece of evidence for himself.

Then, he looked at the three police officers in front of him and said, “I’ve told you everything I know. You should go ask the others.”

Song Wen understood that Qian Jiang’s evidence was credible. They had already received the payment receipt from downstairs, and the payment time was close to the time of the incident. They had also asked the staff responsible for the payment collection, who confirmed that they had received the credit card from Qian Jiang, printed the receipt, and had him sign it. Everything was normal.

It was approximately a minute after the payment that Zhang Dongmei fell.

During the time spent waiting for the waiter to arrive or processing the payment, it was uncontrollable. Compared to the other suspects, Qian Jiang indeed had a smaller suspicion.

He didn’t have enough time to commit the crime.

They had only questioned two out of the five suspects so far. It seemed they needed to call in a third person for further interrogation.