Chapter 12

Chapter 12: 2. eden lake-03

Hearing Liu Yi’s question, An Pingdong showed an expression that was hard to describe.

Qi Shanyu glanced at his partner, cleared his throat softly: “We called Su Ruirui’s family. Her parents are in T City and said the earliest they could arrive is tonight. At home, there’s only a young nanny not much older than her. Hearing the news of Su Ruirui’s death, she was so scared she could only cry—couldn’t get any useful information.”

“Her parents are in another city?”

Liu Yi raised an eyebrow, seeming surprised: “And they just left the girl alone at a boarding school? Truly negligent parents!”

Qi Shanyu nodded, explaining the information they had gathered: “Su Ruirui’s biological mother passed away years ago. Her father remarried a few years back and had a son with his new wife. The couple now live in T City running a business, leaving the girl alone in Xinhai City attending high school.”

Liu Yi’s brow furrowed at this explanation.

With an uncaring father and a stepmother who had a son, Liu Yi worried whether they could convince Su Ruirui’s legal guardians to consent to a judicial autopsy.

At that moment, the conversation room door opened. Homeroom teacher Chen Yu led in two female students in uniform.

“She is Lin Yuan, our class monitor,” Chen Yu said, pointing to a tall, short-haired, bright girl on the left. Then she pointed to a smaller, slender girl with two braided pigtails on the right: “This girl is Shen Junting, Su Ruirui’s roommate.”

Compared to Shen Junting’s nervousness, the class monitor appeared confident. She straightened her posture, scanned the people in the room, and finally smiled at the two police officers: “My name is Lin Yuan.”

“Sit down. We have some questions we want to ask you.”

An Pingdong’s tone toward the two schoolgirls was much gentler, his intimidating presence restrained: “Don’t be nervous, just answer truthfully.”

Lin Yuan nodded with a smile and sat on the sofa opposite An Pingdong with Shen Junting. Chen Yu sat beside them, clearly in a protective stance.

“How was Su Ruirui’s relationship with classmates?”

An Pingdong took out his notebook, asking while recording.

“Ruirui was usually very quiet, spoke little, obedient, and got along well with classmates.” Lin Yuan answered, glancing at Shen Junting for confirmation: “Right?”

Shen Junting trembled but did not look up at the beautiful girl, only nodded vigorously, making her braids sway.

An Pingdong and Qi Shanyu exchanged a glance. If they hadn’t seen the varying bruises on the girl, they might have been convinced by Lin Yuan’s confident affirmation.

“Did she ever have conflicts with anyone?”

An Pingdong asked again.

Lin Yuan smiled sweetly, her fair and delicate face carrying a haughty air of a pampered child: “No, she had a good personality, never quarreled, let alone had conflicts.”

She nudged Shen Junting with her elbow: “Right?”

Shen Junting kept her head down, squeezing out a soft “Mm” from her throat.

Seeing their differing attitudes, An Pingdong and Qi Shanyu formed a plan.

“When was the last time you saw Su Ruirui?” An Pingdong asked again.

“Yesterday…” Lin Yuan smiled.

“Wait, I’m asking the deceased’s roommate. Let her answer first.”

An Pingdong stopped Lin Yuan from answering first, pointing to Shen Junting.

Startled by the officer’s designation, Shen Junting straightened, eyes wide, staring at Qi Shanyu and An Pingdong. Reflexively, she glanced at Lin Yuan and Chen Yu, then immediately lowered her head, clutching her uniform skirt, her voice soft with a tremor:

“Last night was the class monitor’s birthday. We celebrated in her dorm, Ruirui came too…”

“Class monitor?”

Qi Shanyu looked at Lin Yuan: “You mean Lin Yuan?”

“Yes, it was my birthday yesterday,” Lin Yuan smiled and nodded. “We cut a cake in the dorm. Most classmates came, and Ruirui was there too.”

“Then what happened?”

An Pingdong asked further.

“We played until late. Later Ruirui seemed to have gone back first; I didn’t notice…”

Shen Junting replied softly, “But when I returned to our dorm, she wasn’t there…”

Being an expensive private school, Binhai High School had good accommodations; dorms were doubles with private bathrooms, comparable to standard hotel suites.

“What time did you return to your dorm?”

An Pingdong continued, recording.

Shen Junting gripped her skirt: “Around 2 a.m… We stayed up quite late…”

“Specifically, after 2?”

An Pingdong checked carefully again.

“Around… 2:30 a.m…”

Shen Junting glanced at Lin Yuan, lowering her voice further.

Seeing this, An Pingdong coughed and gave Qi Shanyu a look.

He meant they must separate Lin Yuan and Shen Junting for questioning; otherwise, it would be hard to get useful clues.

Qi Shanyu nodded. Just as he was about to send Lin Yuan back, Chen Yu’s phone rang.

She picked it up quickly, spoke for a few seconds, then her previously tense, anxious face relaxed. She exhaled and told An Pingdong and Qi Shanyu: “It’s a call from security. They said…”

She paused, speaking slowly and clearly: “They said a camera captured the moment Su Ruirui jumped into the lake.”

&&& &&& &&&

Binhai High School claimed to align with international standards and encouraged student self-management. Apart from leaving campus freely, dorms had relaxed access, and cameras were only at main building entrances.

This time, the camera near the library entrance by the artificial lake captured Su Ruirui.

“The angle is a bit off.”

An Pingdong, Qi Shanyu, Liu Yi, and the two students crowded in the security office, reviewing the surveillance video.

On the left fifth of the frame, the lake railing appeared. The security captain dragged the progress bar. At 1:20 a.m., a girl in uniform appeared, walking slowly to the lake, climbing the railing, and shakily standing on a flat section.

After she climbed, only her feet in white socks and canvas shoes were visible.

Then, her feet leapt forward and disappeared from view.

The clip was only two minutes. Due to the angle, only a long-haired girl in uniform skirt was visible. Her face was unclear, but her pointed chin and slender body matched Su Ruirui very closely.

This key evidence clearly indicated Su Ruirui’s death was a suicide.

“We need to take this surveillance video back for closer examination.”

An Pingdong glanced at Chen Yu: “If we need further cooperation from the school, we’ll return.”

Hearing this, Chen Yu smoothed her skirt, exhaling slightly. Her expression became calmer: “Okay, thank you, officers.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

Liu Yi picked up the forensic toolbox, smiled slightly at Chen Yu, and said lightly: “Rest assured, we’ll find out the truth behind Su Ruirui’s death.”

Saying this, he strode out of the security office with the large white box, ignoring the almost immediately pale-faced Chen Yu.