Chapter 426 Back to Hongda
No matter what the reason, when Xu Liu stole the envelope, her moral bottom line had already begun to collapse.
This is how a thousand-mile dike is destroyed by ants.
Zhou Yi had seen too many criminals in his previous life, all kinds of people.
The investigation and interrogation of these criminals is equivalent to understanding their life journey.
Except for a very small number of born bad guys, the vast majority of criminals start their criminal journey by stealing petty crimes.
Once a person crosses that bottom line, even if it is just a small step, he will gradually sink.
This is a moral bottom line, a legal bottom line, and a bottom line in life.
What Zhou Yi was sure of was that Lu Xiaoshuang would not cross that bottom line like Xu Liu did.
Similar situations were discovered during the investigation of the task force in the previous life.
It was the barbecue restaurant in the food court. A similar situation had occurred there about a week before Baimao and his friends caused trouble.
After a table of guests finished their meal and paid the bill and left, Lu Xiaoshuang found a women's gold necklace dropped under the food scraps when she was cleaning up the scraps.
In this case, if Lu Xiaoshuang became greedy, she could easily take it for herself.
The gold necklace is so bulky and the envelope containing the 2,000 yuan bill is completely disproportionate, making it easy to hide. Furthermore, since it fell under the food residue, it was most likely accidentally dropped, making it even harder to determine where it fell.
But she immediately handed the gold necklace to the boss. Twenty minutes later, the guests at that table came back and asked if they had seen a gold necklace.
She immediately confirmed the style and appearance of the gold necklace with the other party, and finally told them to hand it over to the boss. The boss then reluctantly took out the necklace and returned it to the customer.
Afterwards, the woman who lost her necklace offered a hundred yuan as a thank you fee, but Lu Xiaoshuang politely declined it.
Moreover, when the task force first started investigating, the owner of the barbecue restaurant had not mentioned this matter. It was only after they found out about Baimao's gang that other employees brought it up during the second investigation, and it was then recorded.
So Xu Liu and Lu Xiaoshuang are not the same kind of people at heart. When they face the same situation, they make completely different choices.
Where a person's life will go is determined by every choice he makes.
But these choices also have roots, and the roots lie in a person's family, parents, and the teachings and examples they have heard and seen since childhood.
Lu Xiaoshuang's parents are both good people who have dedicated most of their lives to the barren northwest. Although they are poor, they are noble, so Lu Xiaoshuang's heart has been bright and beautiful since childhood.
But Xu Liu was not like that. Xu Liu's parents were foolish people with strong bad habits. They could even destroy their own daughter's life and future because of their own selfish desires. In such an environment, Xu Liu would be affected to some extent.
In Zhang Wenhua's confession, there was a major change in Xu Liu.
This was not the first time that Xu Liu lost her virginity to Zhang Wenhua. At that time, she probably felt only great fear in her heart.
But on the last day in the hotel in Huaixing, after more than ten days, Xu Liu may have completely figured it out, or accepted his fate.
Zhou Yi guessed that she might have realized that reality was even more naked than her devastated self, and that her body and appearance could become tools to get what she wanted.
So when Zhang Wenhua saw Xu Liu again a month later, he said he didn't recognize him at all.
This is just like some people growing up overnight, which is a change in consciousness after receiving great stimulation.
The old Xu Liu died at that moment.
From then on, the one living was a different person.
But this also made Zhou Yi have a bigger question, that is, why didn't Xu Liu die in the previous life?
Because it started with her stealing money, then she was threatened by Zhang Wenhua to become his lover, then Zhang Wenhua stopped supporting her, and then she may have found a new financial sponsor.
All this happened before Zhou Yi was reborn.
In other words, theoretically it is impossible for Zhou Yi to interfere with Xu Liu's life trajectory.
Zhou Yi was reborn on the night of March 15th, and only met Lu Xiaoshuang on March 21st during the food street incident.
Until the Hongda case broke out, he had never had any contact with Xu Liu. Even if there was an indirect influence, it could only be through Lu Xiaoshuang.
But this indirect impact could not possibly be that great, otherwise Lu Xiaoshuang herself would have realized it.
How could an impact so insignificant that Lu Xiaoshuang and the people around her didn't notice it lead to Xu Liu's death in this life?
So there is only one possibility, that is, in both the previous life and this life, Xu Liu was the target of the murderer.
But for some unknown reason, Lu Xiaoshuang became the victim in the previous life.
Could it be that the murderer had mistaken Lu Xiaoshuang for Xu Liu?
Afterwards, because the body was dismembered and disposed of, the task force conducted a thorough investigation, leading to the murderer finally giving up on killing Xu Liu?
This is a more reasonable explanation. After all, it is such a big case. If Xu Liu is killed again, the murderer will be easily exposed.
If that were the case, wouldn't Lu Xiaoshuang be Xu Liu's scapegoat in the previous life?
It was just because of my intervention in this life that Lu Xiaoshuang didn't have to be the scapegoat?
But Zhou Yi immediately denied his idea, because he had analyzed before that Lu Xiaoshuang and Xu Liu were both the targets of the murderer in this life.
Therefore, there is no possibility that you were a scapegoat in your previous life.
Big case, big case, why are there more and more mysteries?
Zhou Yi felt like a black cat with a messy ball of yarn in front of him. There were countless threads on the ball, but none of them could untie the ball of yarn.
Apart from the two developments involving the construction team and Zhang Wenhua, there has been no substantial progress in other work.
Xiao Bing and Dong Lu are still missing, which is really abnormal. Including the night Xiao Bing escaped, they have been on the run for three and a half days.
The only suspected sighting was near the long-distance bus station on the evening of the 10th.
Moreover, the police officer who was chasing at the time said that there was only one person who escaped, but the distance was too far to tell whether it was a man or a woman.
Is this person Xiao Bing, Dong Lu, or someone completely unrelated?
Then the clues about Dong Lu were also cut off. After the rape case in June 1988, the only time she appeared was in October of that year when she went back to the welfare home with Xiao Bing to celebrate her birthday.
When she reappeared, it was already 1991 when she went to the Third Municipal Hospital to see Director Sun for psychiatric treatment, and she was already in a state of burns.
It is unbelievable that there is a gap of more than two years in the life of a living person.
During the discussion at the meeting, Chen Yan put forward a suggestion, which was to go to the labor insurance department to check Dong Lu's information. If Dong Lu had a job after graduation, there should be a labor insurance record.
However, this is only a possibility, because in the 1980s and 1990s, many companies were not formal in paying labor insurance, and some even did not pay at all. Anyway, there was no place to complain.
But at least it was a clearer direction. Ni Jianrong took out his mobile phone on the spot and said that he could handle the matter with just one phone call. Then he called the deputy director of the Labor Bureau and asked him to cooperate in checking a person's information.
Ni Jianrong waved to Chen Yan, who immediately ran around the crowd. Then Ni Jianrong asked him to report Dong Lu's name and ID number into the phone.
Then he hung up the phone triumphantly.
Although it was just a short call of less than two minutes, everyone in the room watched him make the call, chatting and laughing with the other party's leader like a brother, and also instructed Chen Yan to come over and report the information.
Zhou Yi was a bit nervous, knowing he was just trying to show off his connections. But there was no need to be. The call only took two minutes. He could have gone out and made the call, then come back and said, "Done," and the effect would have been better.
But maybe they just enjoy the feeling of being noticed.
Liang Wei was very calm throughout the whole process and didn't say a word. It was not until Ni Jianrong hung up the phone and said "Done" that he smiled and said "Thank you for your hard work, Captain Ni."
Liang Wei looked out the window at the pouring rain and said solemnly, "Comrades, today marks the tenth day since the establishment of our special task force for the 430 Massive Murder and Dismemberment Case. I know everyone has worked very hard and has achieved some results, but this is far from enough. The case remains unsolved, and there is no glimmer of hope. Therefore, we must grit our teeth and persevere. We must give an explanation to the deceased, to the people, and to society."
Zhou Yi didn't know whether Liang Wei did it on purpose, but these words did make the two deputy team leaders immediately judge their superiority in terms of vision.
After the meeting, Zhou Yi decided to take care of the previously delayed conversation with Zheng Jianxin.
But before that, there was one more thing he wanted to try.
He found Qiao Jiali and pulled her aside.
Qiao Jiali asked doubtfully, "What's so mysterious?"
"Sister Qiao, I have a clue and I'd like to ask your Director Zhang for help."
When Qiao Jiali heard her husband mentioned, she immediately understood. She asked, "Is it about the anonymous letter of complaint from the Municipal Party Committee Office?"
Zhou Yi nodded quickly.
Although he suspected from the beginning that the letter of complaint was the work of the murderer, he did not directly propose an investigation.
There are three reasons.
First, he had no evidence or logical support to prove to the task force that this incident was related to the case.
Second, trying to conduct a cross-system investigation without evidence is a very sensitive act, and the related procedures and audits are very complicated.
Third, even if Director Xie was willing to investigate, escalating the situation and initiating internal procedures would waste significant time, public resources, and police resources at this critical juncture, regardless of the outcome. It could even undermine morale. Therefore, the Municipal Party Committee and Xie Guoqiang's cold approach was a tacit agreement for the greater good. As for removing Zhou Yi from the task force, it was also intended to avoid further complications.
But if the matter is to be escalated, then we can only follow the procedures. Zhou Yi is not afraid, but Director Xie is watching Wu Yongcheng report himself. There must be a clear result by then, and this matter will inevitably fall on Captain Wu.
Zhou Yi can't let Captain Wu down again.
So he never formally mentioned this matter to Liang Wei.
Of course, it was also a difficulty for Zhou Yi to decide who to ask.
Xie Guoqiang had tried it once when he first joined the task force, but not only did he not find anything, he almost got himself involved.
Liang Wei is a nice person, but he is from the province after all, so he will definitely be cautious when it comes to work issues involving local areas.
Ni Jianrong? Forget it then.
"Sister Qiao, after thinking about it, I think the only person who can help with this matter is your Director Zhang," Zhou Yi said.
Qiao Jiali said with some embarrassment: "Zhou Yi, it's not that I don't want to help you, but investigating and reporting is too sensitive. From what I know about our old Zhang, he will definitely not agree."
Zhou Yi nodded. Director Zhang really had no reason to help him.
He thought for a moment and said, "Sister Qiao, let's put it this way. I don't need Director Zhang to help me investigate the specific situation. I just want to ask Director Zhang about one thing, which is the date when the Municipal Party Committee received this anonymous letter of complaint."
"Just a date?"
"Yes, just one date is enough."
Qiao Jiali thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll go home tonight and talk to him."
"Thank you, Sister Qiao."
Qiao Jiali patted his arm and smiled.
Turning around, Zhou Yi picked up Zheng Jianxin's information, and left the task force's office building with Chen Yan to talk to Zheng Jianxin.
The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier, dark clouds covered the sky, and the raindrops hit the umbrella, making the whole umbrella shake.
Zhou Yi looked at the rain and thought of An Yuan. This rain might be no less severe than An Yuan's.
Moreover, with such heavy rain, Brother Biao and the others will suffer. When the rain is heavy enough to affect normal activities, it is the time when we need to be most on guard, because those who are trying to escape know that this is an opportunity.
Chen Yan said casually, "This rain is probably even heavier than the day Du Xiaolin was murdered."
Zhou Yi's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Chen Yan's casual remark made his heart tighten.
Because the key to the Du Xiaolin case was a heavy rain in the middle of the night when he was reborn.
In the recent Anyuan case, two bodies were found in Xiaoqiushan Park, also due to a heavy rain.
It seems that fate always accompanies murders with heavy rain.
He rubbed his forehead, hoping that he was just overthinking it.
After all, he didn't say his thoughts out loud this time, so it shouldn't trigger his unlucky trait of being a "crow's mouth."
Holding umbrellas, they walked through the rain and found Wu Na, the counselor of the 1996 Finance Class.
A girl of the same age as Chen Yan, but her face still has the immaturity of a student.
Wu Na has short hair, is thin, and has an expression of fatigue that is hard to conceal.
Not the kind of physical fatigue, but the mental one.
Such a big thing happened to the students she taught. Although the responsibility does not lie with her, the impact on her psychology and work will be very great.
Not only does she have to cooperate with the task force's investigations, she will also probably have to face responsibilities from the school, especially regarding Xu Liu's leave of absence. She did not verify it further and will probably be punished later.
Zhou Yi didn't know how his classmates and teachers lived after the task force withdrew from Hongda in his previous life, but from this brief contact with Wu Na, he felt that Wu Na might not stay in Hongda for long.
In an unsolved case, it is not only the relatives of the deceased who are affected.
Anyone involved in an unsolved case will be trapped in it for the rest of their life as long as the case remains unsolved.
Chen Yan had met Wu Na before. After explaining his needs to her, Wu Na found them an empty office and said she would go and call Zheng Jianxin.
Less than ten minutes later, Wu Na appeared at the door with a small and thin boy who was about 1.6 meters tall.
Wu Na knocked on the door and said, "Comrades, I've brought Zheng Jianxin here."
Zheng Jianxin was standing at the door with his neck hunched, looking a little timid. The right side of his clothes and pants were wet by the rain.
Chen Yan said, "Thank you, Teacher Wu, for your hard work."
"Then you guys talk. I'm leaving first. Call me if you need anything. I'm in the office next door." Wu Na whispered to Zheng Jianxin, "Just answer whatever the police ask you. Cooperate well, okay?"
Zheng Jianxin nodded cautiously.
When Wu Na returned to her office, she looked back at Zheng Jianxin at the door.
Because he was the first student, besides Xu Liu and Lu Xiaoshuang's roommates, to be called in for questioning by the police for the second time, she couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
"Student Zheng Jianxin, please come in and close the door. Thank you." Chen Yan said.
"Oh, okay." Zheng Jianxin hurried in and closed the door.
"Please sit down," Chen Yan said. "Don't be nervous. I just have a few questions I want to check with you."
Zhou Yi watched Zheng Jianxin sit down and found that he was the short boy who looked back at them in the crowd when he first went to Hongda to find Lu Xiaoshuang.
When Zheng Jianxin sat down, he glanced at Zhou Yi unconsciously.
Zhou Yi knew that he also recognized him.
Zheng Jianxin had already been questioned during the investigation into Xu Liu's core social relations.
The first thing that can be confirmed is that he has a sufficient alibi.
From April 28th to May 1st, he basically never left the school, and he almost went between the classroom, the cafeteria and the boys' dormitory.
Since he is not a local and has no relatives in Hongcheng, he also spent May Day at school.
There were two other classmates in the dormitory who didn't go out to play. The three of them stayed in the dormitory reading, chatting and eating melon seeds. At noon, they went to the snack street next door to eat clay pot rice together, so their alibi was quite sufficient.
However, the previous routine questioning was all about Xu Liu, and no questions were asked about Lu Xiaoshuang.
After all, Lu Xiaoshuang was not only a suspect at the time, but was also in a completely dangerous situation, and several leaders had not yet figured out how to properly deal with the follow-up.
Therefore, it was reasonable for Zhou Yi to question Zheng Jianxin based on the information provided by Lu Xiaoshuang.
However, what Zhou Yi was more concerned about was that in the investigation in his previous life, Zheng Jianxin did not confess that he had a crush on Lu Xiaoshuang and had written a love letter to her.
It's impossible that she had a secret crush on him in her previous life, and in this life she couldn't help but confess her feelings after she realized Zhou Yi's existence?
But he had only come to Hongda to see Lu Xiaoshuang three times in total, and the first time was before Zheng Jianxin confessed his love to him.
So he concealed this matter in his previous life, but the task force didn't know about it.
The two of them had discussed it when they came. This time, Chen Yan would be responsible for asking questions and Zhou Yi would be responsible for taking notes, because Zhou Yi wanted to observe from the side.
"Student Zheng Jianxin, let's get started," said Chen Yan.
Zheng Jianxin didn't say anything, just nodded.
"There's a classmate in your class named Lu Xiaoshuang. Do you remember her?"
Hearing Lu Xiaoshuang's name, Zheng Jianxin moved his body awkwardly, then nodded.
"Are you familiar with her?"
"Just... just an ordinary classmate." Zheng Jianxin didn't continue.
"When was the last time you spoke to Lu Xiaoshuang?"
When Zheng Jianxin heard this question, he suddenly panicked.
Zhou Yi had already guessed the answer. The last time Zheng Jianxin and Lu Xiaoshuang spoke was probably on April 9th, the night when the "Questioning the Heart" program was broadcast.
Lu Xiaoshuang told Zhou Yi that the school organized everyone to go to the lecture hall to watch TV programs that day.
Afterwards, Zheng Jianxin stopped her outside the classroom in the name of returning a book, and handed her a love letter hidden in the book.
But she did not open it to read the contents. Instead, she immediately returned it to the other party and rejected him.
Although Zhou Yi did not ask Lu Xiaoshuang whether she had any contact with Zheng Jianxin afterwards, under normal circumstances, a young and shy boy like this would feel a huge blow in his heart after his confession was rejected. He would probably not dare to contact the person he secretly loves again, and might even actively avoid the other person.
This is also the reason why introverts find it difficult to fall in love. On the contrary, boys who continue to cling and pester others after being rejected are more likely to impress the other person.
"I don't remember the exact date...but it was the day the school organized everyone to watch a TV program."
Chen Yan pressed on: "At what time and place did you talk to Lu Xiaoshuang?"
"In the evening... around eight o'clock... downstairs in the lecture hall building, I returned a book I had borrowed from Lu Xiaoshuang."
"What book?"
"'Economic Thinking' was given to Lu Xiaoshuang by Professor Fan as a reward after she took first place in a Principles of Economics exam. I borrowed it to read later. Before the exam, Professor Fan mentioned that this book was his second textbook, and it had lots of his annotations and handwriting. I really wanted it, but unfortunately, I didn't get first place. So, I borrowed it from Lu Xiaoshuang afterwards."
"Did you talk about anything when you returned the book?"
Zheng Jianxin hesitated, shook his head and said, "No."
Chen Yan glanced at Zhou Yi out of the corner of his eye and found that he had no intention of speaking, so he continued to ask, "Are you sure?"
Zheng Jianxin didn't answer directly. Instead, he glanced at Chen Yan guiltily, then tremblingly asked, "You...you know...what?"
"When did you start to like Lu Xiaoshuang?" Zhou Yi finally spoke, speaking slowly but in a serious tone.
Zheng Jianxin suddenly looked up and looked at Zhou Yi in surprise.
Zhou Yi smiled faintly and said, "We've met before, you wouldn't forget it so quickly, right?"
Zheng Jianxin hesitated and nodded.
"Zheng Jianxin, don't be so nervous. We don't want to harm you. I won't hide it from you. You all probably know it anyway. Your classmate Xu Liu was murdered, and we are now trying to find the murderer. A gentleman is open and honest. As long as you have nothing to do with this matter, there is no need to be afraid."
While Zhou Yi was speaking, Chen Yan naturally took the pen and paper and began to take notes.
Zhou Yi had been observing, trying to figure out what kind of person Zheng Jianxin was and whether he was pretending to be weak.
It turned out that the other party was not pretending to be weak at all, but was really weak.
From his body to his character, he showed weakness everywhere.
With his height and physique, Zhou Yi could knock him down with one punch without Jiang Biao's help.
In terms of personality, he shows characteristics of lack of confidence, introversion and inferiority everywhere.
A nineteen-year-old young man is at the age of full vigor and vitality, and it is difficult to disguise himself so well, unless he is born to be an actor.
So Zhou Yi spoke, and he was straightforward and didn't waste any words.
"So you can be frank and answer whatever we ask. Anyway, what you said is limited to the three of us in this room. Your classmates and teachers will not know."
After hearing Zhou Yi's last sentence, Zheng Jianxin couldn't help but ask, "You really won't tell the teacher and classmates?"
"We have our own rules. If the content of today's conversation is leaked, you can report us." Zhou Yi pointed at himself, then at Chen Yan and said, "My name is Zhou Yi, and this is Officer Chen Yan."
Zheng Jianxin nodded and said, "I know you. I saw you on TV that night. The female classmates all said you were handsome."
Zhou Yi said frankly, "A man's handsomeness doesn't lie in his height or appearance, but in his broad-mindedness and uprightness, his dedication to his country and the world, and his lofty ambitions. 'Carrying a three-foot sword and achieving unprecedented feats'—that's the romance of a man. Do you think I'm right?"
Zheng Jianxin nodded repeatedly and echoed, "The last line is from Taishi Ci's last words in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: 'A true man, born in troubled times, should wield a three-foot sword and accomplish unparalleled feats. Now that my ambition has not been fulfilled, how can I die?'"
Zhou Yi smiled and said, "I can see that you like reading."
Zhou Yi had a complete desperate attitude towards Zheng Jianxin. After all, whether from his alibi or the circumstances of the crime, he did not look like the murderer.
It's the kind of thing where if you ask something, it would be a pleasant surprise.
Therefore, in this situation, you cannot be in opposition, but should build closer relationships, especially when he still regards you as a love rival. The most correct way to deal with it is to remove his psychological defenses.
Zheng Jianxin nodded: "Well, I really like reading."
"Then why did you choose to study finance instead of Chinese?"
Zheng Jianxin lowered his head and said, "My mom is a math teacher. My first choice was the mathematics department of the provincial university, but... I missed by a few points. My second choice was the financial management major at Hongda..."
Zhou Yi understood immediately.
Zheng Jianxin has a very strong mother who is also a teacher.
With a strong mother and a teacher profession, the child will basically have an inferiority complex and be introverted, because he will be suppressed and strictly disciplined since childhood, living under high pressure, which is very consistent with Zheng Jianxin's timidity.
So the so-called first choice was not actually his first choice, but his fucking first choice.
It's not about swearing, it's about fucking volunteering.
It is not uncommon for parents to impose their own unfulfilled dreams on their children.
The fundamental reason why people want their sons to become dragons and their daughters to become phoenixes is that they themselves have not been able to fly, so they give birth to a child hoping that he can fly. If he cannot fly, they feel that he is worthless and they have let themselves down.
This is a pathological mentality, but it is also the normal mentality of most parents.
As for the Hongda Financial Management major, it accepts both arts and science students.
"Zheng Jianxin, what does your father do?"
"He died when I was five..."
Zhou Yi thought, it’s over, another single-parent family has been added.
"Zheng Jianxin, can you answer my question now? When did you start to like Lu Xiaoshuang?" Zhou Yi saw that it was almost time, so he went back.
"I started noticing her not long after school started."
"Why? Because you're pretty?"
Zheng Jianxin shook his head, but immediately added, "I'm not saying she's not pretty, but... that's not the main reason. The main reason is... it's... it's..."
He kept saying "yes" for a long time, which made the two people opposite him very anxious. This person is not only introverted and inferior, but also twisted.
"What is it?" Chen Yan couldn't help but urge.
But Zheng Jianxin's answer surprised them both.
He said, "Because she is poor."
Zheng Jianxin said that he first noticed Lu Xiaoshuang one night two weeks after school started. After the lights were turned off in the boys' dormitory, everyone was chatting about the girls in the class, wondering which one was pretty and which one was worth pursuing.
This is human nature. A group of freshman boys who are full of vigor and love will naturally yearn for beautiful female classmates and love.
As they chatted, someone brought up Lu Xiaoshuang.
Several boys agreed that the girl was pretty, and some thought she would be easy to pursue because they heard that she had to go out to work every week to earn money, so her family must be poor.
The boy who said this was a rich man whose family owned a factory. He felt that he could get Lu Xiaoshuang by just throwing money at her.
No one else believed him and thought he was bragging, so he kept talking and talking. Finally, the boy made a bet with his classmates, saying that he would win Lu Xiaoshuang within a week. If he failed, he would treat the whole dormitory to hot pot. If he did, he would be the boss of the dormitory.
The next night, the boy bought a bouquet of roses and a bunch of heart-shaped candles and set up a romantic confession scene in the school's small garden.
Then he asked a female classmate to trick Lu Xiaoshuang out.
As a result, a bunch of people who wanted to watch the show hid nearby and waited for a long time. The girl came back alone and said that she didn’t find anyone. Her roommate said that she might have gone to work.
The group of people left in disappointment, but they fed the mosquitoes near the small garden.
Back in the boys' dormitory, everyone in the room was borrowing toilet water.
The next day, the boy learned his lesson and offered to treat Lu Xiaoshuang to a meal at noon. Lu Xiaoshuang directly refused, saying that she didn't have money to treat him back, so she wouldn't eat.
The boy said, "You don't have to return the treat. I'll treat you. Take whatever you want."
Lu Xiaoshuang shook her head and said: Then I can’t eat it even more. My mother taught me that things that don’t have to be returned are the most valuable.
The boy was speechless for a moment. In the next few days, he tried to show his affection to Lu Xiaoshuang again and again, but was always rejected.
The boy had actually given up, but it was the second to last day and some classmates teased him in the evening, and his unwillingness to admit defeat came back.
The next afternoon after class, he blocked Lu Xiaoshuang in the corridor of the teaching building and told her not to go to work anymore, saying that he had money and could support her in the future.
If the previous behaviors were just childish and mean, then the last behavior was simply insulting.
As expected, the boy was scolded by Lu Xiaoshuang on the spot and lost all face.
This incident happened at the end of September, shortly after the school started, but because it was too melodramatic, it became a laughing stock among many people. It was mentioned in the investigation in the previous life.
But firstly, it had been too long, and secondly, the boy had sufficient alibi, so it was just part of the normal investigation.
However, because of this incident, Zheng Jianxin developed a liking for Lu Xiaoshuang.
He said: Although Lu Xiaoshuang is poor, she is very dignified.
He also said that his mother had said that their family was poor and that they couldn't look for a rich daughter-in-law in the future because they wouldn't be a good match.
But girls from poor families have wild minds. Nine out of ten of them love money and want to find a rich man.
And he felt that Lu Xiaoshuang was the remaining one among the ten his mother mentioned.
After hearing this, Zhou Yi was both angry and amused.
To put it bluntly, Zheng Jianxin may not even know what love is.
He just felt that Lu Xiaoshuang's poverty would not make him feel inferior, and he also felt that Lu Xiaoshuang's understanding met his mother's requirements for choosing a daughter-in-law, so he chose to "like" Lu Xiaoshuang.
It can even be said that he is most likely a person who does not even have his own thoughts, and he is just an appendage of his mother.
People like this will probably have a very bumpy life in the future.
Fortunately, Lu Xiaoshuang did not have the "honor" to marry into his family as a daughter-in-law.
"Since you've been secretly in love with Lu Xiaoshuang for so long, have you discovered that there are others who are also secretly in love with Lu Xiaoshuang like you? Or who are paying special attention to Lu Xiaoshuang?"
When Zheng Jianxin heard this question, he seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"It doesn't matter. It doesn't have to be absolutely accurate. Whatever you think is fine." Zhou Yi encouraged, because if he had been secretly in love with Lu Xiaoshuang for so long, he would naturally pay special attention to the situation around Lu Xiaoshuang.
"No... no, since that time, no one has shown kindness to Lu Xiaoshuang anymore." After saying that, he secretly looked up at Zhou Yi again.
Zhou Yi knew that he still had something to explain.
His expression changed, and he asked in a higher voice: "Zheng Jianxin, let me ask you, have you ever secretly followed Lu Xiaoshuang?"
In an instant, Zheng Jianxin began to tremble visibly.
"I...I just...it was two or three times, and then...after that, the teacher found out and I never followed him again...I really didn't do anything." Zheng Jianxin's voice was shaking like a sieve.
"Two or three times? When exactly?"
"This...after school starts this year, in February..."
"What is your purpose in following Lu Xiaoshuang?" Zhou Yi asked sternly. He didn't expect that Zheng Jianxin would have such courage. He really underestimated him.
Zheng Jianxin was about to burst into tears and shouted, "I... I didn't have any purpose, I just... I just couldn't help it for a moment, I... I..."
Zhou Yi knew he didn't have the guts to do anything, but this behavior was too vulgar and despicable. "When you were following Lu Xiaoshuang, did you notice that there were other people following her?"
"Anyone else?" Zheng Jianxin was stunned by the question. "No...no one."
Zhou Yi frowned and asked, "Are you sure?"
"I...I don't know..."
Zhou Yi took out Xiao Bing's photo and asked, "Do you know this person?"
Zheng Jianxin came over to take a look, then shook his head.
"Think carefully, have you seen this somewhere?"
Zheng Jianxin thought about it again and again, and still shook his head.
This is actually normal. Hongda is so big that it is normal for a freshman not to know a teacher who does not teach him.
What Zhou Yi wanted to confirm was whether he had seen Xiao Bing during the tracking period.
It’s a pity that Zheng Jianxin was unable to provide some truly effective clues.
The questioning of him was almost over.
Before leaving, Zhou Yi stopped Zheng Jianxin and said, "Zheng Jianxin, don't do such despicable things as stalking again. No woman would respect a man who does such a thing. Men should live with integrity."
Zheng Jianxin shrank his neck, not daring to say a word. He just stood stupidly at the door, as if he was under a spell.
Zhou Yi and Chen Yan looked at each other, and finally Chen Yan said, "Zheng Jianxin, you can go now."
He said "oh" and left.
Chen Yan sighed helplessly: "Hey, you were right before. Zheng Jianxin is indeed not worthy of being your love rival."
Zhou Yi jokingly said, "That's right. If you want to be my love rival, you have to be a young talent like you, Brother Yan."
Chen Yan quickly waved his hand and said, "No, I don't have any feelings towards your Lu Xiaoshuang."
Zhou Yi smiled helplessly. Chen Yan was just like that. Sometimes he was too serious and couldn't even make the right jokes.
When the two men returned to the task force, their trouser legs, which had just dried, were soaked again.
Zhou Yi put the latest interrogation record into the file bag with Zheng Jianxin's name on it, and then prepared to go to the internal affairs team to return it to Director Wang. After all, responsibilities must be returned to the person.
As soon as I returned the information, I found Liang Wei in their office.
Zhou Yi quickly greeted: "Captain Liang."
Liang Wei nodded and said, "We've received news from the Labor Bureau a while ago."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi quickly asked, "Have you found Dong Lu's labor insurance record?"
Liang Wei said, "Yes. The Labor Bureau didn't find any records of Dong Lu paying labor insurance."
Zhou Yi's heart sank. Dong Lu was just an intern at Kaiping No. 3 Middle School before, so naturally she didn't have to pay labor insurance.
Could it be that she became depressed from then on, no longer had any contact with society, and relied on Xiao Bing for support?
"But..." Liang Wei continued, "The Labor Bureau found Dong Lu's medical insurance payment records."
"What?" Zhou Yi thought to himself, how come Captain Liang has also learned bad habits and speaks in a gasping and jumpy manner.
But Zhou Yi immediately understood why Liang Wei said the same sentence twice, because the information was too shocking.
Liang Wei said: "Dong Lu's medical insurance is paid by herself, but the school collects and pays it on her behalf."
"School?" Everyone was confused. Did they find her medical insurance records from her undergraduate days?
"Dong Lu's medical insurance was paid for by Hongcheng Normal College from September 1984 to June 1988. It was then discontinued. Then, in September 1989, it was renewed, and Hongcheng University paid for it."
Liang Wei's words left everyone dumbfounded.
After going around in circles, I ended up back at Hongda?
Zhou Yi was also confused. Dong Lu's medical insurance was collected and paid by Hongda, but there was no record of labor insurance payment.
The school will collect and pay the fees on behalf of others. It cannot be the faculty or staff, but only the students.
Besides, isn’t September the time when schools start?
Could it be that... Dong Lu was admitted to Hongda University's graduate program a year after graduation?
When Zhou Yi thought of the word "graduate student", he suddenly thought of something, something he mentioned casually a long time ago.
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