Even late at night with howling winds outside, after Ye Xi made several phone calls, one after another of Teacher Jiang's former students—all victims—arrived quickly. To everyone's surprise, without exception, all of them were female.
Their ages varied greatly. The oldest appeared to be in her thirties, seemingly having rushed over from a formal event, still dressed in an unremoved suit. The youngest looked barely in her early twenties, fresh out of university, her face still carrying a youthful innocence, her eyes exceptionally clear. She was also the first among the later arrivals to break into tears.
After briefly sharing the current situation among themselves, Ye Xi wiped her face, struggling to hold back tears, and with reddened eyes, said to Lin Zhuang, "Officer, all the classmates from our group currently in Fuan City have arrived. You can ask whatever you need."
Lin Zhuang strode over without wasting a word and got straight to the point. "Take a look at this person. Have you seen him before?"
Everyone craned their necks to examine the photo carefully, but disappointingly, after a few minutes, they all shook their heads. "No, we haven't."
Lin Zhuang retrieved his phone, swiped the screen, and asked again, "What about these two? Have you seen them?"
Guan Xia and the others didn’t follow him over, so they couldn’t see his phone screen, but after a moment’s thought, they realized the two people Lin Zhuang was referring to must be Wei Jianming’s son and daughter—the suspects.
Guan Xia had assumed that since they all came from the same high school, someone might recognize them. Yet, after another few minutes, the group shook their heads again. "No impression at all."
Lin Zhuang’s expression remained unchanged. "They also graduated from No. 16 High. Take another careful look."
"They’re from No. 16 too?" The girls were surprised and scrutinized the photos more intently, but the result was the same.
"Honestly, no memory of them," the oldest girl said. "Which year did they graduate? Were they also Teacher Jiang’s students?"
She paused briefly, not waiting for Lin Zhuang’s answer, and continued, "They probably weren’t. The man aside, if this woman had been in Teacher Jiang’s class, at least some of us here would’ve remembered her."
"The man was from the class of 2012, the woman from 2010," Lin Zhuang said.
"2010?" A girl with a slightly messy bun and mismatched socks perked up. "That’s my year. Hold on."
She pulled out her phone, scrolled through it for a while, and suddenly exclaimed, "Look at this—our graduation photo taken right before the college entrance exams. She definitely wasn’t in our class."
Seeing that none of the girls recognized the three people in the photos, Lin Zhuang put his phone away and pressed on. "Who among you kept in touch with Teacher Jiang most frequently? When was the last time you saw her? Did she mention anyone suddenly reaching out to her recently?"
The oldest girl answered, "I talked to Teacher Jiang often—almost every three or four days. I visited her last night. Because of the bad weather, I was worried and went to check if she needed anything. I even brought some fruit and snacks. It was late, so we didn’t talk much, but she seemed completely fine. Her phone was lagging, so she asked me to clear some memory. I remember clearly—when she handed it to me, the recent calls screen was open. I didn’t look closely, but I noticed there were no unfamiliar numbers, just calls from classmates I knew and her colleagues at school."
After she finished, Lin Zhuang turned to the girl with the bun. "During your three years in high school, did anything unusual happen at school? Or did Teacher Jiang ever clash with anyone?"
"Unusual?" The girl thought hard before shaking her head. "Right before the college entrance exams, a student from another class almost jumped off a building, but they were talked down. As for our class, everyone was just buried in studying. The biggest incident was someone getting so sick with a fever they had to take IV drips. Nothing else. Teacher Jiang was famously dedicated—she spent almost every waking hour on us. She was strict, but she got along well with other teachers. I never heard of any conflicts."
Then she suddenly stopped, as if remembering something, and looked up sharply. "Wait—there was one time. When I went to the teachers’ office to hand in exams, I saw Teacher Jiang arguing with another teacher. But it wasn’t just her—other teachers argued with him too. That teacher was just insufferable—always speaking sarcastically, especially mocking shy, sensitive girls with poor grades. Honestly, at least half the teachers in school had fought with him."
Lin Zhuang pressed, "What was that teacher’s name? Which class did he teach?"
This time, the girl hesitated for a long time before answering uncertainly, "His name was Gao Yongde or Gao Yongcai… I’m not sure. He taught Class 4 or 5, I think."
"It was Gao Yongde," the oldest girl confirmed. "I remember—it was Gao Yongde. The boys in his class even gave him a nickname: Gao the Virtueless. After his divorce, he became really bitter. He’d talk down to students, especially quiet girls struggling academically. When I was at No. 16, I saw him reduce a girl to tears, and Teacher Jiang stepped in and argued with him."
After noting the name, Lin Zhuang asked a few more questions, then left two officers to wait for Teacher Jiang to come out of surgery while the rest returned to the Dingyang District police station.
Almost as soon as they stepped into the office building, Lin Zhuang’s phone rang. After a brief conversation, he hung up and turned to the group. "That was Captain Xia. She and her team finished examining the scene. Based on blood spatter patterns, the victim’s home was the primary crime scene. They conducted a thorough investigation and found some stolen valuables—the exact amount won’t be clear until the victim wakes up. The suspect tried to clean up but did a sloppy job. Captain Xia found several fingerprints likely belonging to the suspect, along with other evidence. They’re on their way back now."
So they already had both motive and irrefutable evidence? Guan Xia was stunned for a second before relief washed over her. Though some questions remained unanswered, with fingerprints as hard proof, tracking down and arresting the suspect was practically guaranteed.
Xia Chenghui returned fifteen minutes later, looking travel-worn. She only stayed in the office briefly, exchanging a few quick words with Lin Zhuang before rushing off again with her team in under ten minutes.
"Captain Xia went to set up surveillance," Lin Zhuang explained before handing them some new external hard drives and disappearing.
Once again, the office was left with just the few of them. The moment Lin Zhuang vanished, Pang Le clicked her tongue and remarked, "This Captain Xia seems even more decisive than Sister Ji. She didn’t even have time for a sip of water before leaving again. It’s almost 1 a.m., and it’s about to rain—heavy rain with strong winds. Can they really catch him under these conditions?"
"That’s exactly why they’re in such a hurry," Ji An said, placing two filled water cups in front of Guan Xia and Pang Le. "I just checked the map. There are several routes from Fuan City to Dongyi City, but whether it’s the highway or provincial roads, once you leave Fuan, there’s a long stretch with little cover. Based on the case details we have so far, the suspect doesn’t seem very composed. If he panics, who knows what might happen."
Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged glances, understanding the implication.
While they were worried about whether the suspect could be caught, the others seemed equally concerned about the safety of both the unlicensed taxi driver and the suspect himself.
Taking a sip from her cup, Pang Le muttered under her breath, "Why worry about such scum? As long as the driver’s fine, who cares if the suspect dies in an accident?"
Guan Xia hesitated before saying, "Maybe they’re worried about not getting his confession. From what we know so far, there’s still something missing to piece together the full truth."
"Missing what? A motive?" Pang Le took a slow sip. "Didn’t Lin Zhuang already say some valuables were stolen? That seems motive enough—the suspect was after money, probably targeting Teacher Jiang because she’s divorced, childless, and an easy mark."
"But why target Teacher Jiang specifically?" Guan Xia countered. "The suspect’s son and daughter were never in her class, and it’s been ten years since they graduated. Even a casual acquaintance would’ve faded from memory by now. Why suddenly break into her home for money and turn violent?"
"Good point. His youngest child graduated a decade ago," Pang Le frowned. "Honestly, this feels more like a crime of passion than premeditated robbery. Who robs someone in broad daylight? Think about it—when we ran into him tonight around 8 p.m., traffic and bad weather delayed things. Working backward, he must’ve boarded the bus at 16th High School Station around 6 p.m. Factoring in the time to enter, assault, and ransack the place, he’d have had to arrive at Teacher Jiang’s by 5 p.m. at the latest."
Though dusk was near at that hour, it was still daylight. Logically, a premeditated robbery would’ve targeted an empty house or the dead of night. The timing was puzzling.
"And then there’s that teacher—Gao Yongde, not Gao Wu," Pang Le added. "I can’t shake the feeling he’s involved. Remember what Xu Nian said? The suspect’s daughter was in Gao Yongde’s class back then. Wei Jianming had no connection to Teacher Jiang, but Gao Yongde did. If Gao Yongde was the girl’s homeroom teacher, that indirectly links them. Maybe Gao Yongde told Wei Jianming something, or worse, they conspired together."
Guan Xia turned the theory over in her mind, torn between finding it plausible and far-fetched. Gao Yongde and Teacher Jiang were colleagues at 16th High, likely earning similar salaries. Given Teacher Jiang’s long-standing habit of funding students, Gao Yongde would’ve known—even if vaguely—that most of her income went to charity. Even with savings, she wouldn’t have much. If Gao Yongde was involved, why target someone known to be financially modest?
After organizing her thoughts, Guan Xia shared this with Pang Le.
Pang Le’s mind raced. "Wei Jianming wanted money, but Gao Yongde might’ve had other motives—like revenge."
Guan Xia pondered again but still found it illogical.
"Gao Yongde’s been notoriously difficult for years, and he’s clashed with more people than just Teacher Jiang," she said. "Why single her out for revenge?"
"Maybe he picked the easiest target," Pang Le suggested. "Think about Teacher Jiang’s situation—divorced, no kids, living alone, only visited occasionally by former students, and elderly. If Gao Yongde wanted revenge, she’d be the most vulnerable."
Guan Xia nodded slowly. It sounded extreme, but the logic held. Still, they’d need more evidence to be sure.
Over the next two hours, their surveillance footage yielded discoveries, while Lin Zhuang’s team relayed updates.
With clear victim details and the primary crime scene, they quickly spotted Wei Jianming near Teacher Jiang’s residence.
First, footage from Shengli South Second Road near 16th High’s faculty housing, then a fruit store’s camera at the compound’s entrance. Surprisingly, the suspect had bought fruit—behavior more befitting a guest than a robber.
"This suspect is full of surprises," Pang Le marveled. "Did he buy fruit to pose as a guest and gain entry, or was he genuinely visiting before things turned violent?"
Guan Xia couldn’t imagine what Wei Jianming, with no prior ties to Teacher Jiang, would’ve discussed—her thoughts drifting to Lin Zhuang’s mention of missing valuables.
Could he have traveled all that way to borrow money from a teacher he barely knew?
Guan Xia had been lost in thought, but for some reason, this sudden idea stuck with her. She was about to share it with Pang Le and the others when Lin Zhuang walked into the office and said, "The tech team just pulled the suspect's call records from the past month. Nothing unusual—just normal contact with relatives. We also checked the owners of a few unfamiliar numbers, but none were linked to the victim or Gao Yongde, whom the victim’s students mentioned. We tracked the locations of both the suspect’s and the unlicensed driver’s phones, but the signals stopped moving two and a half hours ago. We suspect the suspect tossed them out of the car right after leaving Fu’an City. Just five minutes ago, Captain Xia called—both phones have been recovered, but the vehicle the suspect is in is still being tracked."
Guan Xia’s expression remained unchanged, but Pang Le looked disappointed. If Wei Jianming and Gao Yongde hadn’t been in contact before the incident, her earlier theory would have to be scrapped.
Lin Zhuang continued, "We contacted the local police station in the suspect’s residential area. According to their records, Wei Jianming has no prior convictions or criminal record. He holds a legitimate job, has no bad habits, and the only notable thing about him is that he has a lot of friends and is known for his loyalty. Over the years, he’s lent out at least half his salary, though he eventually got most of it back. Because of this, he and his wife often argued."
Hearing this, Guan Xia and Pang Le couldn’t help but exchange a glance. From the sound of it, the suspect seemed like a decent person. So why would he target Teacher Jiang? Could it really just be about money?
