Chapter 19
"Captain Lu, you know that we high school teachers have been sleep deprived for many years, so it is normal for us to be weak and have night sweats." Luo Hua remained calm.
Although Luo Hua looks older than his actual age, he is still decent and well-mannered. In addition, he has the demeanor of an intellectual, and is definitely not the type that people dislike.
But his expression at this moment made Lu Chengtian think of what Luo Xiaohei had shown in his PPT report - the "toilet girl" version of Liu Yaoyao's online complaints: "Why don't disgusting middle-aged men just die?"
Just by putting himself in the girl's perspective, Lu Chengtian already frowned in disgust.
His expression turned cold: "Do you know that there is a dead fetus in Liu Yaoyao's belly, and it hasn't even formed yet."
Lin Xian's pen tip paused slightly.
Lu Chengtian observed Luo Hua's suddenly changed face and said, "Do you want to know whose child that is?"
Luo Hua's calm and composed mask instantly collapsed. His eyes darted around, as if wondering when he had accidentally left such a clue.
Lin Xian's fingertips gently slid across the paper, but his eyes were fixed on Luo Hua, not missing the slightest micro-expression on his face.
Unexpectedly, Luo Hua said with deep sorrow, "I heard from students in my class that she has been going to KTVs for the past few months, doing some shady things. As the class teacher, I also asked her privately, but she was very rebellious and refused to cooperate. Her family situation, I'm sure the police officers are aware of it. It's no different from that of a left-behind child. They can only ensure that she has food to eat. I didn't expect something like this to happen..."
As he spoke, Luo Hua took off his glasses and covered his eyes with his hands.
"As long as I take a strand of your hair, I can know whether the child is related to you or not." Lu Chengtian raised the corner of his mouth in a cold arc, which was even more frightening than when he had no expression on his face.
Hearing this, Luo Hua put his glasses back on, covering his red eyes. He looked at Lu Chengtian in shock: "Captain Lu, what are you talking about? Are you saying you suspect the child is mine?"
"I didn't say that. I just wanted to use scientific testing methods to eliminate anyone who had suspicious circumstances."
As Lu Chengtian finished speaking, Shen Yi, dressed in a white lab coat, walked in. A silver hairpin held her flowing hair in a bun at the back of her head, making her look even more radiant. With a frosty expression, she picked up a pair of scissors, cut a strand of hair from Luo Hua's head, and placed it in a sealed bag before leaving like a gust of wind.
Luo Hua was stunned for a moment, and when he reacted, Chen Yi had already slammed the door shut.
Zhao Yiqing looked into the interrogation room through the one-way glass and said with a smile into the headset, "You're welcome. Please call me Ji Shi Yu."
Lu Chengtian: ...
Lin Xian opened the interview record that Chen Fei sent to him on his mobile phone. As he was swiping through the detailed notes, he suddenly discovered a detail in Luo Xiaohei's report.
A person with a nickname consisting of a bunch of meaningless letters and numbers called Liu Yaoyao before she fell, but she didn't answer. This person had just added her as a friend the day before she fell. The entire chat interface contained only one sentence: "Yaoyao, God will save us."
He scribbled a few words on his notebook and handed it to Lu Chengtian. Lu Chengtian immediately understood and said to Zhao Yiqing, "Captain Zhao, please help me get the phone from the evidence room. Thank you."
Luo Xiaohei quickly brought in a sealed bag with a serial number on it. The screen, which was already turned on, displayed a lined puppy pattern, and a crack was cut on the brown puppy's face by the cracked tempered film.
Lu Chengtian opened WeChat, found the WeChat ID with a bunch of garbled characters, and dialed it.
Luo Hua didn't understand what he was doing, but when his phone vibrated in his pocket, he reacted instantly.
Lu Chengtian stepped forward and took out a black folding phone from his pocket. The WeChat call interface showed that the caller was "YY" - that was Liu Yaoyao's WeChat nickname.
"This is your smurf account. About a week ago, the day before Liu Yaoyao fell from the building, you added her as a friend using this account and made a voice call to her, but she didn't answer. You also sent her a message: 'Yaoyao, God will save us.'" Lu Chengtian read as he flipped through the WeChat chat history on his phone.
He looked at the deep wrinkles on Luo Hua's forehead and suddenly smiled. "There was a professor at a prestigious university who was having an extramarital affair with his doctoral student. He would delete the girl's WeChat account after every chat and then add her back. The reason was simple: to avoid leaving any evidence." Lu Chengtian's smile flashed, and he said coldly, "Why do you do this, Teacher Luo?"
Luo Hua took a deep breath and did not answer.
"What do you mean by 'God will save us'? Can I infer that as a teacher, you dragged your students into a cult?" Lu Chengtian slammed the table, and Luo Hua shuddered.
Luo Hua's shoulders slumped, and he said, "Yes, I admit, I had an affair with my student. She came from a wealthy family and was the Chinese class representative. Every time we were alone, she showed an unusual attachment to me. I felt that this child was too pitiful, so I didn't have the heart to reject her."
"Then what are the marks on the back of your and her necks?" Lu Chengtian asked.
"In her words, this is a testimony of our love. She saw it from somewhere and said that if we have this mark, God will bless us and we will be together forever. I am also particularly reluctant to have this mark, but it is difficult for me to refuse her request - we are all men, you know." Luo Hua looked at Lu Chengtian and Lin Xian with a look that said, "Brothers, you understand, you understand."
Lu Chengtian said indifferently: "I don't know."
Although knowing he was full of lies and nonsense, even Lin Xian had to admire Luo Hua's adaptability and acting skills. After questioning for over forty minutes, they only concluded that he and Liu Yaoyao were having an affair, with no direct evidence linking him to Galanxiang or the cult.
But Lu Chengtian didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. He slowly stood up and made himself a cup of instant coffee. Thinking that Lin Xian had a bad stomach, he temporarily switched to a daisy tea bag.
"Thank you." Lin Xian took it and took a sip.
Lu Chengtian sat back at the interrogation table, drinking coffee and occasionally looking at his watch.
Facing the two people who were leisurely and contented behind the interrogation table, Luo Hua was confused for a moment. He held his breath in his chest, but forced himself to hold it back, barely maintaining a decent calm.
As it was getting close to the end of the get off work day, Zhao Yiqing said into the headset, "The results are out, negative."
Lu Chengtian's expression changed, and he replied in a low voice: "Send a backup."
Taking the DNA test report from Ma Qiang, Lu Chengtian took a look at it, then slapped Luo Hua in front of him and said, "The results are out. Take a look for yourself. Whose child is Liu Yaoyao's?"
Luo Hua's breathing quickened as he looked at the test report. The forged backup report showed a consistent DNA match.
Seeing Luo Hua's nervous expression, Lu Chengtian and Lin Xian looked at each other.
Unexpectedly, Luo Hua suddenly revealed a strange smile and said slowly, "Officer, this is a forgery by you, right? As I recall, she was still menstruating. How could she possibly have a child?"
As if confirming his memory, his tone became more relaxed. "Also, she's already 17. Whether according to the Criminal Law or the Teachers Law, if both parties were consensual, I'm afraid it wouldn't constitute a crime, officer? As for dismissal or detention, that will be decided in court."
Facing Luo Hua's invulnerable and scoundrel face, Lu Chengtian said coldly: "Although good people don't live long, and evil deeds last for thousands of years, in our city bureau, the probability of the latter happening is almost negligible. Teacher Luo, you'd better think it over carefully."
After saying that, he opened the door and walked out, his back cold and stiff.
Lin Xian followed behind with a notebook in hand and patted him on the shoulder. "It's been less than a week since the crime occurred, and you've been able to find this much. Your efficiency is already very good. This kind of highly intelligent criminal won't confess unless he produces more evidence."
Lu Chengtian was originally furious with Luo Hua, but after being comforted by Lin Xian's gentle words, he felt like a lion whose fur had been stroked, and most of the depression in his chest was relieved.
At this time, Ma Qiang brought a stack of printed documents. Lu Chengtian took them and found that they were the transcripts of five students including Du Han.
"Captain Lu, it's all here. The evidence chain of bullying is complete. Although Du Han won't confess, the statements of the other people are enough to keep them detained here for more than ten days."
Ma Qiang seemed to want to say something, but when he saw Lin Xian standing aside, he stopped talking.
"Editor-in-Chief Lin, please go to my office and sit for a while." Lu Chengtian looked at Lin Xian.
Lin Xian was also a respectable man, always willing to help others. "The work of a police officer is very demanding. I'm old and can't handle it. I'll go lie down on your sofa for a while."
Ma Qiang: ...
Looking at Lin Xian's departing back, Ma Qiang leaned over to Lu Chengtian and whispered, "Du Han's family came to get her back. Director Guo called me and told me to tell you that school bullying can be a big deal or a small one. A warning will be enough, but we can't just let Du Han go. Otherwise, the other kids will be dissatisfied and spread rumors, which will be even more detrimental to us. Director Guo meant that all these naughty kids should be released."
"Just because her family comes to rescue her, do we have to let her go? What kind of place is the Municipal Bureau? What on earth is Director Guo thinking?" Lu Chengtian's fur, which had just been smoothed over by Lin Xian, exploded again.
Ma Qiang gave Lu Chengtian a look and lowered his voice, "Du Han's father is a provincial leader. If they put pressure on her, even Director Guo won't be able to hold back."
Lu Chengtian was extremely angry.
He thought of Liu Yaoyao, whose body was still in the funeral home's underground freezer. If she had truly committed suicide, none of Du Han and the others would escape responsibility. Why should one person, simply because of their background, be treated as a lowly ant while another could walk free?
Yes, different backgrounds can determine many things. From the moment of birth, people's destinies have already parted ways, interwoven into an invisible web of cause and effect.
If he hadn't been born into a low-income family with both parents addicted to drugs, he wouldn't have chosen to be a police officer; if he hadn't met Lin Xian, he might have died...
Lu Chengtian had been working non-stop for days and nights, his eyes bruised. He sighed silently, "Alright, we can release them, but we must give them a thorough warning. We must make sure these bastards never bully our classmates again."
"I understand, Captain Lu. Don't worry. Even if she gets out, we'll keep an eye on her."
This decision relieved Ma Qiang and Director Guo of their embarrassment, and the provincial leader and his daughter must have been very satisfied. The only ones who felt bad were Liu Yaoyao and her family, lying in the freezer.
Over the past few years of work, although he hated evil, there were always places where he was powerless. Whenever this happened, he would envy Zhao Yiqing. If his family background was strong enough, he could be more tough when punishing those who violated the law.
Lu Chengtian returned to the office with a frosty face and full of anger.
Lin Xian was indeed sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed. Hearing footsteps, he slowly opened his eyes and saw Lu Chengtian's eyes were red and he looked absent-minded. He asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Chengtian briefly explained the whole story to Lin Xian, then raised an eyebrow. "If that's the case, I'm afraid you won't be able to write your feature article. Among the bullies is the child of a high-ranking official. Can President Yun handle it?"
"Don't worry. Even without President Yun's backing, we can still handle these brats. This is where journalists have more freedom than the police. Where the law can't reach, the power of public opinion can."
Lin Xian looked at his sharp jawline, which was covered in a circle of green stubble, and his tired expression, and said, "Come on, please do me the honor of having dinner with me. It's my way of thanking you for the fish soup and the exclusive tidbits."
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