Chapter 78: Be Cautious

◎Thinking carefully, Zhao Xiangwan shuddered with fear◎

Jia Shendu was born in 1948. His name was given by an old scholar in the village who was well-versed in poetry.

The word "深圳" comes from "The Book of Rites: The Great Learning": "A gentleman must be cautious when he is alone." It means that even when alone, one should be cautious in doing things and consciously abide by various moral standards.

He was smart since childhood. Although he was born in the countryside and had average educational conditions, he had a very smooth academic journey. At the age of seventeen, he was successfully admitted to the Department of Architecture of Hunan University and studied under the architectural master Zhu Chengling. Because of his excellent grades and outstanding performance, he successfully stayed in the school and became Professor Zhu Chengling's assistant.

Jia Shendu has come step by step to where he is today, becoming a well-known professor at a university in Hunan Province, undertaking millions of research projects every year. He believes that this is due to his "self-discipline". Even when he is alone, he acts cautiously and never lets anyone catch him.

Now that Zhao Xiangwan suddenly revealed the murder, he was completely stunned.

However, after a moment of tension, he realized that he had overreacted, his tense muscles gradually relaxed, and his thoughts began to return to normal.

[This little girl looks like she is only in her teens or twenties. She still looks childish. She should be still studying. She is not a police officer.

Murder? When I was young and ignorant, I did kill three people myself, but as I got older, I became more cautious. The teacher has such great authority, why would he kill people himself? Words can also kill people. From a moral high ground, if he wants to die, what does it have to do with me? 】

In just 0.5 seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Jia Shendu and Zhao Xiangwan's minds as they looked at each other.

After Zhao Xiangwan asked that question, he froze and didn't move.

After Jia Shendu took half a step back, he froze and didn't move.

Zhu Feipeng noticed the two men's unusual movements and walked over to ask, "What's wrong?"

Zhu Feipeng's appearance quickly broke the deadlock. Jia Shendu retracted his defensive hands, put them behind his back, and snorted coldly, "You ignorant boy."

Zhao Xiangwan did not back down and repeated the question: "Have you ever killed anyone?"

When Zhu Feipeng heard the word "murder", he immediately became alert, exchanged glances with He Mingyu, and stood on the left and right of Jia Shendu, observing his reaction and preventing him from escaping.

Jia Shendu had already prepared himself mentally and remained calm: "This is a university campus, a temple for learning knowledge and exploring the future. How can you speak nonsense here? I am a teacher. Teaching and educating people is my duty. How could I kill anyone here? It's ridiculous!"

Having said that, he walked past Zhao Xiangwan in his slippers.

"Snap! Snap!"

The sound of slippers stepping on the concrete floor made a harsh sound.

After a brief confrontation, Zhao Xiangwan did not want to stir up trouble, so he raised his voice and said, "Teacher Jia, there is a dragon spring on your tongue that can kill people without shedding blood. Please be more careful with your words and don't cause any more deaths."

Jia Shendu stopped and turned to look at Zhao Xiangwan.

[There is a dragon spring on the tongue, killing without shedding blood? So this is what she meant when she asked me if I had ever killed anyone. Alas! I have been cautious all my life, but I almost capsized over this little girl.]

After making sure that he was not the one who committed the murder and was discovered by the police, Jia Shendu relaxed completely. He glanced at Zhao Xiangwan coldly and observed Shi Qiyan's reaction with the corner of his eyes.

"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The ability to withstand stress is a necessary quality for every successful person. If you give up at the slightest difficulty, how can you succeed? I say this to every graduate student. I have trained so many graduate students, and they have all become top talents in the field of architecture, but only Shi Qiyan cried and shouted that she wanted to jump off a building. This world is cruel, the strong survive, and the weak are eliminated. Who can blame her for her self-degradation?"

Until now, Jia Shendu is still adding to Shi Qiyan's mental pressure. What is he trying to do? Thinking of what he just thought in his mind: The teacher has such great authority, why would he kill someone himself? Words can also kill people. Standing on the moral high ground, if he wants to die, what does it have to do with me? Zhao Xiangwan has a feeling - Jia Shendu just wants Shi Qiyan to die!

Zhao Xiangwan leaned forward slightly, approached Jia Shendu, and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "If the weak are eliminated, then why don't people as short and ugly as you die?"

Jia Shendu's expression suddenly turned pale, his eyes emitting undisguised venom, and he shouted in a sharp voice: "Who are you? What do you mean?"

Don't hit people in the face, and don't expose people's weaknesses.

Sure enough, people like Jia Shendu, who are used to being superior, are most afraid of others pointing at his weaknesses.

Zhao Xiangwan was not sure what shortcomings Jia Shendu had in terms of interpersonal relationships and academic ability, but everyone could see the problem with his appearance, so he might as well stimulate him.

[The last person who said that to me was strangled to death by me and buried under the big vat in the toilet of the old house, where she was exposed to the stench of feces and drenched in urine every day. Who is this girl? How dare she! ]

Finally, Zhao Xiangwan got the clue that he had murdered someone and hidden the body. He did not press him any further. He stopped when he saw the opportunity and laughed sarcastically: "Look, if I said that to you, would you also be angry? Verbal violence is also a form of violence. Words can kill people. You are a teacher and you should know that."

Jia Shendu never expected that his ability to control others, which he had always been proud of, would fail in front of Zhao Xiangwan. Not only did he fail to provoke her emotions, but he was led by her instead.

One's heart is up and down.

This feeling of being out of control made him alert.

——No, there is something wrong with this girl. There is a strange light in her eyes, as if she can see through people's hearts.

This warning softened Jia Shendu's cold and arrogant attitude. He stopped provoking Shi Qiyan and just said, "I am a teacher. If I see a student has a problem, I must criticize and educate him. What's the problem?"

Zhao Xiangwan took a half step back, moving a little further away from Jia Shendu, still staring at his ugly face, and raised his voice: "If the strong survive and the weak are eliminated, then I dare to ask, are you all strong? When the day of elimination comes to you, will you still have the nerve to say such words?"

The crowd outside the lobby of the School of Architecture had not yet completely dispersed, but they all heard her clear and loud voice.

Secretary Fang also realized that Jia Shendu's words sounded impeccable on the surface, but in fact they had a very bad impact on Shi Qiyan, who had just been rescued from the brink of death. Zhao Xiangwan's words hit the mark, and he quickly said, "Yes, yes, yes, this young comrade is right. Each of us has a vulnerable side, and it is impossible to be strong forever, right?"

Zhao Xiangwan turned to look at Shi Qiyan: "Shi Qiyan, I just told you that he was deliberately attacking you, using high-sounding words to morally blackmail you in front of so many people. Your mother rushed over from the sewing machine factory, and her cloth shoes were lost; but your teacher was on campus, wearing slippers without any dust on his feet, and came leisurely half an hour later. Comparing the two, who cares about you more? Who should you trust more?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Jia Shendu's feet.

They were a pair of ordinary blue plastic slippers. Most people would wear slippers for walking in the summer, but because they had no straps or heels, they would easily fall off when running.

After Shi Qiyan was found dead, the academy immediately notified her graduate advisor. Jia Shendu was clearly at school, so why didn't he come until half an hour later? Just now, was worried about Shi Qiyan's life and death, and was anxious about why her advisor everyone hadn't come yet. Why didn't Jia Shendu seem to be worried at all?

If you run, your shoes will definitely fall off, and your feet and shoes will be covered with mud and dust.

But there was no dirt on his feet and slippers.

Just by looking at his slippers, you can tell that he walked slowly over here on the cement road.

It is obvious that he does not care about the life and death of his students.

Rubbish!

"I remember that Mr. Jia lived in Block 5, Building 6. He had a telephone at home and it took him at most ten minutes to walk to the School of Architecture. What was he busy with? The leaders of the Police and Fire Academy were all here, but he was not."

"If Shi Qiyan really jumped off the building, he wouldn't even bother collecting the body now. Ugh!"

"Yes, Shi Qiyan's mother worked in a sewing factory and it took her more than 20 minutes to get here. Firefighters, police, and Shi Qiyan's classmates all rushed over and persuaded her for almost 10 minutes on the rooftop before they rescued her. So many people were so worried, why didn't her tutor worry at all?"

"Even if Shi Qiyan's suicide was wrong, as a graduate student advisor, you still have to show some concern, right? Even if you want to teach students to bravely face setbacks and difficulties, you shouldn't do it at this time, right? Isn't this stabbing a knife into people's hearts?"

This time, under Zhao Xiangwan's guidance, the public finally saw clearly.

Jia Shendu had not expected that Zhao Xiangwan's eyes were so sharp. He took advantage of the fact that he arrived late and had time to make trouble. He thought quickly about countermeasures in his mind, but he refused to admit defeat.

"As soon as I get into work mode, I can't hear any sound. By the time I get notified, it's already too late. Besides, even gods can't save dying ghosts. If Shi Qiyan really wants to die, will my presence be of any use?"

Damn! The first sentence of this guy can be considered an explanation, but the second sentence translates to - she wants to die, what does it have to do with me?

Too cold!

Zhao Xiangwan sneered, "So, all of us standing here, comforting her, caring for her, accompanying her, and worrying about her sincerely, is it all in vain?"

One sentence aroused public anger.

Yes, everyone stood under the scorching sun, watching Shi Qiyan's staggering figure trembling with fear, some pulled their blankets, some made phone calls, and several security guards ran upstairs to guard. If it was like what Jia Shendu said, "even gods cannot save a dying ghost", then wouldn't everyone be doing nothing after having a full meal? !

The three school security guards who had been standing on the rooftop waiting for rescue looked at each other. One of them, a rough-looking man, stood up, wiped the sweat from his face, strode over, stood in front of Jia Shendu, spat on the concrete floor in front of him, and cursed at him in a hoarse voice.

"Damn it, I think you learned a lot from your asshole. What's the use of being well-educated? You are a teacher, but you don't have any compassion at all. You even said that if she really wants to die, it will be useless for you to come. Why is it useless? If you have a little conscience, say a few warm words, and help her solve practical difficulties, maybe she won't want to die anymore.

What university professor? I don't think he is a human being at all! I climbed from the first floor to the sixth floor, standing on the rooftop under the scorching sun in the dog days of summer, hoping to persuade this girl to come down. Is it easy for a little girl to study and become a graduate student? With a little more warmth and a little more care, won't everyone be better? What about the survival of the strong and the elimination of the weak? It's bullshit! We are all born by our parents, so who is more noble than who? ! "

A roar of applause broke out from the crowd: "Good——"

The security guard was encouraged and became even more motivated. He waved his fist at Jia Shendu and said, "What do you mean by strong? What do you mean by weak? Although you have read more books, have deeper knowledge, and have a higher social status than me, so what? I am stronger than you, taller than you, and younger than you. If we fight, I am stronger and you are weaker! Shouldn't you be eliminated and I survive?"

It was so satisfying! Everyone applauded.

"Well said!"

"Strong and weak are relative. How can the strong always be strong?"

"Teacher Jia's remarks were extremely inappropriate and may have the effect of driving students to death."

"I remember that three years ago, one of Professor Jia's graduate students also attempted suicide at home. However, because it was Chinese New Year at the time and he was treated in time, his parents did not come to make a fuss. Later, I heard that he gave up his degree."

Shi Qiyan, who had originally hidden her head in her mother's arms like an ostrich seeking refuge, heard people's discussions, gradually raised her head, and revealed one eye to observe the outside world.

Lu Zhiying had heard the cold words of the bystanders and the sharp words of Professor Jia, which hurt her heart. She had no eloquence and didn't know how to refute them. She only knew that she had to protect her daughter and leave here as soon as possible.

But now Zhao Xiangwan stood up and made everyone see the facts with just a few words. He successfully stirred up public anger and made everyone blame Jia Shendu, which made her feel unprecedentedly happy.

——Great! Great! Finally someone spoke up for my daughter, and finally someone helped her scold that Professor Jia.

As she spoke eloquently, Lu Zhiying gradually loosened her hands that had been protecting her daughter and straightened her back.

Shi Qiyan also left her mother's arms and looked intently at the security guard in front of her who was talking so eloquently.

What about the survival of the fittest and elimination of the weak? That's bullshit! We are all born by our fathers and raised by our mothers, so who is more noble than who?

Hearing these words, it was as if a light shone into the darkness. Both mother and daughter were saved at the same time, and their eyes were filled with light.

Yes, all beings are equal.

No one is nobler than anyone else.

No one has the right to attack, oppress, or bully others!

Jia Shendu's face turned pale as he stared blankly at the security guard who was shaking his fist at him.

He dares to suppress students because teachers are naturally authoritative in front of students. If students do not obey, teachers will always find a way to deal with them.

However, this security guard was a school employee, belonging to the logistics department, and received the same salary from the school. Jia Shendu had no way to deal with him.

For the first time in his life, a deep feeling of powerlessness surged into Jia Shendu's heart. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out "I don't know what you mean!" and left in a hurry.

Looking at his panic-stricken back with slumped shoulders, Zhao Xiangwan's lips curled up slightly.

He Mingyu walked up to her and followed her gaze to look at Jia Shendu's back: "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

Zhao Xiangwan smiled and said, "Maybe our serious crime team will have something to do again."

Zhu Feipeng, He Mingyu and Zhao Xiangwan had been together for a long time and had formed a tacit understanding. They said in unison: "You want to investigate him?"

Zhao Xiangwan said that he couldn't stand Xu Juncai's messy behavior and said he wanted to investigate him, and then he found a campus poisoning case;

Zhao Xiangwan said that he couldn't stand Fan Hongwei's arrogance and said he would investigate him, so he uncovered three major cases: the murder of the police station chief, the robbery and massacre of three families in the hospital, and the body sinking in the reservoir.

Now Zhao Xiangwan said he wants to investigate Jia Shendu, I'm afraid... there may be a big case!

Zhu Feipeng suddenly became interested and raised his eyebrows: "How to check? What's wrong with him?"

Zhao Xiangwan looked at Gu Zhiguang, who was standing in the crowd, applauding and cheering for the security guard who spoke out for justice, and lowered his voice: "Let's let Gu Zhiguang check Jia Shendu's situation first. I suspect... this man has committed a murder."

Zhu Feipeng's eyes widened suddenly: "How could it be?"

Isn't he just a sharp-tongued intellectual? Isn't he just a professor who is harsh on students? Isn't he just a cold, selfish teacher who worships the strong? How did he become the one who had a murder on his hands?

Zhao Xiangwan smiled: "Just now I wanted to remind him that verbal violence and verbal stimulation can also drive a person to death, so I deliberately asked him, have you ever killed anyone? Originally I thought he would despise or be angry, and I would get to the point after provoking his emotions. But... I didn't expect him to react like that. Do you still remember his reaction?"

He Mingyu nodded: "I remember, it was very abnormal. Normal people would immediately deny or ask back when hearing this, but his first reaction was to take a half step back and become alert."

Zhao Xiangwan said, "Yes, you also noticed his abnormality. I stood face to face with him and saw clearly that his pupils suddenly shrank, which means fear. Then he took a half step back, with his left foot in front and his right foot behind, and raised his arms slightly, with his left arm horizontal and his right fist clenched. This is a subconscious defensive reaction when humans encounter an enemy."

The scene of Jia Shendu retreating just now is still fresh in their memory. He Mingyu and Zhu Feipeng nodded at the same time: "Yes!" It is true. His left arm is placed horizontally for blocking, and his right fist is clenched ready to attack. He is attacking while defending, and he is ready for both offense and defense.

Zhu Feipeng became excited: "Good guy, it looks like a big fish." If a university professor like Jia Shendu were to kill someone, it would be a high-IQ crime and would be very challenging.

He Mingyu also became interested: "This bastard mentally abused Shi Qiyan, he is not a good person. I just heard people talking about it, it seems that he also had a graduate student who tried to commit suicide. Let Gu Zhiguang find out."

After the three of them discussed it, Zhu Feipeng strode over and dragged Gu Zhiguang over.

Gu Zhiguang was a little confused: "What's the matter?"

Taking advantage of the gap between Zhu Feipeng and Gu Zhiguang's conversation, Zhao Xiangwan looked up at Shi Qiyan and listened carefully to her thoughts.

【It's not my fault? It's not my fault! That elder brother is right. I am equal to the teacher in personality and should be respected. Even if it's for my mother, even if it's to prevent the bad guys from succeeding, I have to live. By the way, the police just said that my father didn't commit suicide. Shouldn't they clarify it? Although death is like the extinguishing of a light, we can't let the bad guys go unpunished, right?】

The corners of Zhao Xiangwan's mouth gradually rose, and he was extremely relieved.

Shi Qiyan finally figured it out. At least at this stage, her desire to die has been extinguished, and replaced by a more meaningful desire to "hunt down the murderer."

There is just one thing. When he lied just now, he was very serious and only wanted to increase Shi Qi Yan's inner worries. But was Shi Tong really murdered by him? What evidence was there? All these lies were made up. What should he do?

After listening to Zhu Feipeng's words, Gu Zhiguang nodded repeatedly: "No problem, no problem. As long as you want to check, I guarantee that within three days I can conduct a thorough investigation of Professor Jia Shendu's life, deeds, marriage and family. This is my strong point, don't worry."

After saying this, Gu Zhiguang called Zhao Xiangwan who was in a trance and said, "Hey, just now you asked me on the phone that he killed Mr. Shi Tong. Is that true?"

Zhao Xiangwan exclaimed, "Well, isn't this a temporary solution to make Shi Qiyan give up the idea of ​​jumping off the building?"

When Gu Zhiguang heard this, he blushed with anxiety: "Then how can I explain this to Mother Lu? Did I just make it up?"

Zhao Xiangwan hesitated for a moment and said, "Why not just take the cold approach first and say the police are investigating and we'll get in touch later. I have a bold idea..."

Gu Zhiguang's eyes lit up: "What idea?"

Zhao Xiangwan said: "Is it possible that Shi Tong was really killed by him? Or was there another reason for his suicide? Otherwise, why would he commit suicide? If he had depression, intellectuals like him would have suffered mental trauma to a certain extent during the movement. Why didn't he commit suicide at that time? Instead, he committed suicide after the movement ended, when the chaos was completely rectified and he had more and more architectural design tasks, which was the time when Shi Tong's career was flourishing?"

Gu Zhiguang nodded repeatedly: "I thought so too. But twelve years have passed and there is no evidence to trace. Where did you get that diary and corruption record you compiled?"

Zhao Xiangwan thought to himself, if he wanted evidence, he could actually start the investigation from the old man in the design institute, but...what name should he use to start the investigation?

This reputation came quickly.

Three days later, Gu Zhiguang came to the Serious Case Unit with a stack of investigation records.

The first time he stepped into the Municipal Bureau office building, Gu Zhiguang couldn't suppress his excitement. He looked around and kept praising like a child.

"Oh, the design of the office is very formal and solemn, it looks very impressive!"

“The corridor-style layout ensures that each office is not disturbed, which is good.”

"The office of the Serious Crime Unit is at the east end. It should be the largest one, right? It's so impressive!"

Although he said that he would open a detective company after graduation, Gu Zhiguang, who had studied architecture for four years, talked about his profession every other sentence, which made Zhao Xiangwan and He Mingyu smile.

Zhu Feipeng invited Gu Zhiguang to sit down, and took him to meet the other members of the Serious Case Team 1, introducing them: "Head of the Hunan University Detective Agency, Gu Zhiguang, a senior student majoring in architecture."

Gu Zhiguang's smile was attentive and admiring, and he flattered just the right amount: "I've heard a lot about you. I've loved reading detective novels since I was a child, and I admire police officers the most. You all are my ideal." He immediately brought everyone closer together.

Zhu Feipeng asked him, "How is the investigation going?"

He Mingyu saw that he was sweating all over and knew that he had just come in from outside and was still hot, so she poured him a cup of cold mung bean soup and handed it to him: "Here, this is the city bureau's logistics welfare, let you enjoy it too."

Gu Zhiguang took the mung bean soup and drank it all in one gulp. He sighed with relief and placed the recorded materials in his hand on the large conference table in the middle of the office: "Here are the basic information about Jia Shendu. You can take a look first. Let me take a breath and then summarize and report."

The people in the Serious Crime Unit knew that Zhu Feipeng and the other two had been investigating a university professor in the past two days. They had sorted out his household registration file, marital status, academic achievements, etc. However, there was still some finishing work to be done in Fei Yongbai's case recently, so Gao Guangqiang and the others did not pay too much attention to it.

Now a detective fan came to the door and said he had information to report. Everyone immediately became interested and grabbed Zhu Feipeng to ask about the cause and effect. After listening, they were all filled with righteous indignation: "Investigate! This teacher who has forced students to death several times must be investigated thoroughly!"

Liu Liangju was even more positive: "When my son Liu Lizi grows up and goes to college, he must not meet such a teacher. It's too scary."

Respecting teachers and valuing education is a tradition in China. When parents send their children to school, they have great trust and respect for teachers. When they see teachers criticizing their children, they will humbly say, "Just beat me! My child is disobedient, ignorant, and doesn't study hard. You are the teacher, just criticize and educate me."

If you meet a good teacher, everything will be fine.

But what if you encounter a teacher with ulterior motives? What if the teacher isolates, suppresses, and controls your child?

When they heard that Jia Shendu might be involved in a murder case, everyone in the serious crime team was terrified. They all sat down at the desk with cups in hand and urged Gu Zhiguang to report.

Zhu Feipeng took the data and scanned it. "Good fellow, your investigation is very detailed. You even drew a diagram of his social relationships? Awesome!"

Gu Zhiguang chuckled and said, "Thank you for the compliment. After all, I studied architecture for four years, so it's easy for me to draw a logical relationship diagram. I wonder if you have noticed that Jia Shendu and Shi Tong have something in common."

Zhao Xiangwan stood up suddenly: "What's the connection?" He had been thinking about how to investigate Shi Tong's suicide case legitimately in the past two days. Now, if Jia Shendu had any connection with Shi Tong, he could start the investigation openly.

Gu Zhiguang unfolded his drawing and pointed to one of the lines and said, "Shi Tong was born in 1940. He entered Hunan University in 1957. After graduation, he studied as a graduate student under Zhu Chengling. In 1963, he went to study in Country D under the arrangement of his teacher. He returned to China in 1965 and joined the Architectural Design Institute at its strong invitation. So from this line, Shi Tong is Jia Shendu's direct senior brother."

Senior brother? Treating your senior brother's daughter like this is too vicious and heartless!

Gu Zhiguang gave a detailed analysis: "You see, Jia Shendu and Shi Tong are similar in many ways. They are both children who studied in rural areas. They were both admitted to university at the age of 17. They are both postgraduate students of the architectural master Zhu Chengling. The difference is that Shi Tong went abroad to study at public expense during his postgraduate study, but Jia Shendu did not. Shi Tong went to work in a design institute, while Jia Shendu stayed in school as a teacher. Jia Shendu is eight years younger than Shi Tong. The year Shi Tong jumped off the building, Jia Shendu was 32 years old. The two were in Hunan Province and were both experts in the field of architecture. Logically, they should have had contact. I don't know why Lu Zhiying never mentioned this person."

It is indeed unreasonable.

It is absolutely impossible to say that the two have never met.

China attaches great importance to teacher-student relationship. Graduate students with the same tutor who live in the same city will definitely have a close relationship.

With an eight-year age gap, how could Jia Shendu, whose career was on the rise, let go of Shi Tong, whose career was flourishing? According to Jia Shendu's greedy personality, it would be very convenient to have a fellow student in the design institute to cooperate on horizontal projects in the future! Therefore, Jia Shendu would definitely try his best to make friends with Shi Tong.

He Mingyu said: "I must ask, before Shi Tong committed suicide, did Jia Shendu come to visit him? After Shi Tong committed suicide, did Jia Shendu come to pay his respects?"

Gao Guangqiang nodded: "Yes, I need to ask about this."

If Jia Shendu had no contact with Shi Tong when he was alive, or if Jia Shendu did not visit Shi Tong to pay his respects after his death, it means that the relationship between the two was not good and it is very likely that they had a private feud.

I heard from Lu Zhiying that Shi Tong was a gentleman who was strict with himself and lenient with others. If the two had any grudges, it must be that Jia Shendu did something that made Shi Tong unhappy.

What was the reason for Jia Shen to be so cruel to Shi Tong's daughter and to suppress Shi Qiyan with all kinds of words and actions, forcing such an excellent girl to the brink of death?

Zhao Xiangwan wrote down the first thing he wanted to investigate in his notebook: the relationship between Shi Tong and Jia Shendu.

Gu Zhiguang said: "Mr. Zhu Chengling has passed away, and his students are scattered all over the world. I have found the list of Zhu Chengling's graduate students in the historical archives of the School of Architecture, and the next step is to investigate these people."

Zhu Feipeng gave him a thumbs up and said, "Not bad, give us a copy of the list."

Gu Zhiguang readily agreed and continued, "Didn't you say that we should focus on investigating those who were missing or died abnormally around Jia Shendu? I actually found a few of them."

Zhu Feipeng and He Mingyu also found some clues about this when they were investigating the case related to Jia Shendu. The two exchanged glances and said, "You tell me. We'll check it out and complement each other when the time comes."

Gu Zhiguang narrowed his eyes and said, "The first person is Jia Shendu's ex-wife, Dai Minli."

No one knows where Gu Zhiguang got this story from. In 1974, 26-year-old Jia Shendu had not found a partner because of his appearance. Later, he was introduced to his fellow villager Dai Minli and married. They were both from Mayuan Township, Changhan County, northwestern Hubei, but from different villages.

Dai Minli was tall and pretty, and she wanted to marry someone in the city. When she heard that Jia Shendu was a university lecturer, she happily married him, regardless of his short stature and ugly appearance.

After the two got married, Jia Shendu found a way to transfer Dai Minli's household registration and arranged for her to work as a gardener in the school garden. One night in December 1975, Jia Shendu was instructing students in their graduation design in the college's drawing classroom. When he returned home at 10 pm, he found Dai Minli was not at home, so he looked for her everywhere. However, it was not until the early morning of the next day that he found her body in the small woods in the northwest corner of the school.

When a murder occurred, the school quickly called the police.

The Criminal Investigation Brigade of Yiyuan Road Police Station responded to the call and finally found out that the woman was raped and murdered. The murderer was Jiang Yuchun, another temporary worker who worked in the flower garden.

Until the final death sentence was handed down by the court, Jiang Yuchun kept crying out for injustice.

People were talking about it, saying that Dai Minli and Jiang Yuchun were originally lovers, and later Jiang Yuchun wanted Dai Minli to divorce and marry him, but was rejected by Dai Minli, so he vented his anger and killed someone.

After this incident, Jia Shendu was devastated and did not remarry and have children until six years later.

Zhu Feipeng nodded and said, "Gu Zhiguang is right. Xiang Province University is under the jurisdiction of Yiyuan Road Police Station. Mingyu and I went there the day before yesterday and heard the old policeman who has been working there mentioned this incident. He said that this incident was quite a big deal back then because Dai Minli's husband was a lecturer at the university and the murderer Jiang Yuchun was a temporary worker at the school. Many people talked about it behind their backs, all mocking Jia Shendu for being cuckolded. His wife must have used him as a stepping stone to enter the city, and then she lost herself to someone good-looking."

He Mingyu added: "This happened more than ten years ago. In 1975, the police station's file management was very chaotic, and the criminal records of that year have been lost. Speaking of which, I was also confused at the time, and asked the policeman, didn't anyone suspect that Jia Shendu killed his wife and then put the blame on Jiang Yuchun?

The police replied that they had investigated at the time, and that Jia Shendu was very good to Dai Minli, and that he was indeed in the drawing classroom that night to instruct students, so he had an alibi. But Dai Minli had a bad reputation, and she had flirted with Jiang Yuchun at work. Jiang Yuchun was an orphan, with no parents, brothers or sisters, and no one cared for him. Dai Minli's family was in the countryside, and they were very feudal. They felt ashamed when they heard that their daughter had committed adultery, but no one raised any objections.

Everyone understood.

First, as Dai Minli's husband, Jia Shendu transferred her from the countryside to the school, which was a very righteous act. However, Dai Minli betrayed him and had an affair with someone else. Neighbors, colleagues, and fellow villagers all sided with Jia Shendu.

Second, Dai Minli's parents and family had no suspicions, but Jiang Yuchun had no family, so no one came forward to complain.

However, now seeing the dominance, indifference, and selfishness displayed by Jia Shendu, everyone in the serious crime team has reason to suspect one thing: Dai Minli was murdered by Jia Shendu.

Was Jia Shendu really in the drawing classroom that night? Did he go out during that time? Is the evidence conclusive?

Jiang Yuchun once said that he did have sex with Dai Minli that night, but he sent her home around 8 o'clock. Is this true? Are there any witnesses?

The most likely scenario is that Jia Shendu secretly killed Dai Minli after discovering his wife was cheating on him, and then framed Jiang Yuchun. However, because the criminal justice methods were relatively backward at the time and Jiang Yuchun had no family members to come forward to plead his innocence, Jia Shendu has remained at large to this day.

Two lives, Zhao Xiangwan silently took note of it in his heart.

Gu Zhiguang silently repeated: "Officer Zhu, Officer He, you have provided good information, which proves that the point I investigated is indeed true. Who killed Dai Minli? Was Jiang Yuchun wrongly accused? This needs to be investigated."

Since he last asked Zhao Xiangwan for help and was involved in a criminal case, Gu Zhiguang felt very excited and was particularly active this time.

"Except for his missing ex-wife Dai Minli, Jia Shendu seems to have a curse on him. People who have had more contact with him are more or less unfortunate. I know of another person, who is Jia Shendu's first female graduate student, Zhai Xinlian. Here's her information."

Gu Zhiguang took out a page from his file bag, which was filled with densely written notes.

"In 1978, Jia Shendu obtained the qualification to supervise master's students and began to recruit graduate students. In 1979, Zhai Xinlian, who came from Northwest China, was his first female graduate student. I heard from the graduate secretary of the college that this girl had a delicate appearance, was thin and weak, and spoke in a soft voice. Jia Shendu took a liking to her and often tutored her individually."

He Mingyu had a hunch: "Individual counseling? It can't be..."

Gu Zhiguang shrugged: "It's hard to say, no one knows. But Zhai Xinlian behaved very normally in school, she was neither dissatisfied nor depressed, so everyone thought it was just a normal communication between teachers and students."

Zhu Feipeng urged him to continue: "What happened to this girl later?"

Gu Zhiguang sighed: "It's very strange. In 1980, when the school was on winter vacation, Zhai Xinlian bought a train ticket to go home and has not been heard from since. Her parents said that their daughter did not go home, because in her last letter she mentioned that she might be working on a project with her tutor, and they thought she was in school. But Jia Shendu said that he went back to his hometown during the winter vacation and did not work on the project, and he didn't know where Zhai Xinlian went."

He Mingyu raised an objection: "Didn't Zhai Xinlian buy a train ticket to go home? Didn't she tell her family when she would be home?"

Gu Zhiguang shook his head: "No, she didn't write to tell her family. Her parents run a grocery store in a small county town in the northwest. They are very honest. They thought their daughter was working on a project with her tutor and didn't dare to disturb her. Later, until the day before the New Year, there was still no news from their daughter, so they called the school. After learning about the situation, her parents panicked and quickly called the police, but after investigating for a long time, they found no clues and finally closed the case as missing. Because the trafficking of women was rampant in society at that time, everyone believed that Zhai Xinlian was abducted on the train."

Zhao Xiangwan suddenly remembered that Jia Shendu once muttered in his heart: The last person who said this to me was strangled to death by me and buried under the big vat in the toilet in the old house, where she is surrounded by the stench of feces and drenched by urine every day.

Thinking about it carefully, Zhao Xiangwan shuddered with fear. Could it be that... the person buried under the big vat in the toilet is Zhai Xinlian?

How did he do it?