Chapter 19

Chapter 19 2. Eden Lake-10

Qi Shanyu seriously considered Liu Yi’s questions, reconstructing in his mind the scene before and after Su Ruirui’s supposed suicide based on the clues at hand.

According to the statement from the deceased’s roommate Shen Junting, that day after attending the birthday party hosted by class monitor Lin Yuan in her dorm room, Su Ruirui didn’t return to her room. Instead, she wandered from the girls’ dorm to the library, over ten minutes away on foot, then climbed over the railing by the artificial lake and jumped in to commit suicide.

However, Liu Yi pointed out that at this time, Su Ruirui’s nasal bone should already have been fractured. While enduring immense pain, she neither sought medical help nor showed any distress, yet calmly wandered so far to the library before choosing to jump into the lake…

Thinking about it this way, the surveillance footage of her suicide indeed seemed incredible, and strange in every aspect.

Seeing Officer Qi obviously lost in thought, Liu Yi didn’t rush him. He picked up his bowl, served himself more congee and dishes, savored a few bites, and then leisurely brought up another question.

“By the way, what’s your view on the injuries on Su Ruirui’s body?”

Qi Shanyu looked at him. “What do you mean?”

He thought for a moment and replied, “If you mean the two finger marks on the back of her neck, they at least prove she was pressed on the neck. Though not fatal, the force was clearly beyond playful.”

Liu Yi nodded and continued, “I’ve read before that there are four types of people most likely to suffer school bullying. First, those who are unconventional and considered odd by peers; second, introverted, timid, quiet, and socially awkward; third, physically weak, small, or excessively overweight; and lastly, those lacking care and protection from parents or teachers.”

Qi Shanyu silently applied Su Ruirui’s profile to these personality types.

He realized Su Ruirui was petite, about 1.55 meters tall, slightly over 40 kilograms, quiet and well-behaved, and had lost her mother early, with her father and stepmother indifferent—matching the last three categories perfectly.

Seeing Qi Shanyu absorbed in listening, Liu Yi picked up a clean pair of chopsticks and served him some food, lightly patting his shoulder to signal him to continue with his barely touched lunch.

“As for students who often become bullies, there are two types.”

Smiling, Liu Yi watched Qi Shanyu pick up his bowl before continuing: “First, the typical troublemakers—poor grades, rebellious, unmanageable, prone to fighting, eager to show dominance.”

Qi Shanyu’s ears turned slightly red under Liu Yi’s piercing gaze.

Though he forced himself to focus on listening, he didn’t notice his eating pace had slowed, chewing each bite carefully, his half-bowl of rice taking much longer than usual.

“The second type is the opposite. They are model students in the eyes of parents and teachers—excellent grades, presentable appearance, flamboyant personalities, highly favored—but in reality, cynical, contemptuous of adults, lacking empathy and guilt. Bullying classmates is just a way to vent emotions.”

Liu Yi continued, “This type only accounts for about ten percent in statistics, but because their bullying is more covert, it’s harder to detect, meaning victims often suffer for much longer.”

Qi Shanyu finished the last bites of his meal, only about 30–40% full, but didn’t ask for more, setting down his utensils attentively.

Liu Yi found Qi Shanyu’s studious demeanor endearing. His hand twitched to reach out and rub the back of his head, but he remembered that this same person had once tied him up, left him under a bed overnight, causing him to catch a cold, thought him perverted, and—most egregiously—had inserted two antipyretic suppositories into a place no one else had touched. Liu Yi gritted his teeth, silently tallying the offenses.

“In school bullying cases, aside from the main perpetrators, a few classmates participate due to conformity, but most remain silent to protect themselves.”

Although thinking about Qi Shanyu’s past deeds, Liu Yi’s explanation remained clear.

“When investigated by outsiders, if the main perpetrator wields significant influence and is trusted by teachers, others may deny or feign ignorance to avoid retaliation.”

“Shen Junting’s reaction that day was clearly evasive.”

Qi Shanyu understood.

“So you mean when I question students, I should try to ease their concerns, right?”

Liu Yi nodded. “To get more truthful information, interview students separately, preferably without third parties present.”

“That’s difficult,” Qi Shanyu shook his head. “Regulations require teachers or parents to accompany minors during questioning.”

“Just try your best.”

Liu Yi shrugged, “Even in less formal situations, use your charm, Officer Qi!”

He lightly patted Qi Shanyu’s cheek. “With such a handsome face, why not use it to your advantage?”

Seeing Qi Shanyu’s face flush visibly, Liu Yi laughed, signaling the server for another bowl of rice, placing it in front of the young officer he had teased, smiling brightly.

“All right, eat quickly. After this, you still have to go to Binhai Middle School.”

&&& &&& &&&

Su Ruirui’s autopsy was scheduled for 9 a.m. the next day.

His student Jiang Xiaoyuan had changed into his outfit early and instructed intern Shidi Li Jin to continue as a photography and note-taking assistant, all ready to begin.

“All right, let’s start.”

After saying this to Jiang Xiaoyuan and Li Jin, Liu Yi quickly put on gloves, uncovered the non-woven plastic sheet, bowed to the pale, small, scarred body on the autopsy table, and officially began Su Ruirui’s autopsy.

The scalpel cut through her chest with the classic “Y” incision, exposing the lifeless internal organs.

“Look, her lungs show typical features of hydrostatic pulmonary edema.”

Observing her lungs, Liu Yi noted their moist, glossy surface, lighter color than normal lungs—between pale gray and light red—with scattered light-red hemorrhagic spots at the lower ends of both lobes.

The lungs were visibly swollen, edges rounded, and the front edge completely covering the heart beneath.

After removing the lungs, Liu Yi found rib impressions on both lobes. Placing them on a scale, they weighed 2,125 grams—twice the weight of normal lungs.

“Wow, it really is like water lungs!”

Assistant Jiang Xiaoyuan pressed a finger into the lung surface, leaving a half-centimeter indentation that didn’t immediately rebound—indicative of pulmonary edema and fluid-filled alveoli.

“However, the trachea is quite clean.”

Liu Yi cut both main bronchi, finding them completely clean; typical debris like sand or algae in drowning cases was absent.

“…Was the artificial lake water really this clean?”

He muttered while taking tissue samples from the lungs for later histology and diatom tests.

He then carefully examined the other organs.

In Su Ruirui’s stomach and duodenum, he found significant amounts of water, ingested during drowning. Liu Yi carefully drew some into a syringe and stored it in test tubes.

…… …

“Boss, it looks like Su Ruirui really did drown.”

Jiang Xiaoyuan waved two test reports, speaking to his mentor.

“Mm, let me see.”

Liu Yi took the reports, reviewing the blood gas analysis from the left and right ventricles of Su Ruirui’s heart.

“Hemoglobin in the left ventricle is lower than the right, consistent with freshwater drowning…”

Jiang Xiaoyuan nodded seriously: “See, I told you!”

Liu Yi glanced at his student, said nothing, then shifted his chair closer to the lab table. He picked up a test tube, holding it at eye level, studying the liquid carefully while tilting it slightly toward the light.

The test tube contained the water drawn from Su Ruirui’s stomach.

“I still feel something isn’t quite right…”

He set the tube back, muttering while spreading out all the photos taken at the scene when the body was discovered, studying them carefully. Raising his head with a frown, he said:

“To be safe, we should also perform diatom analysis on each organ sample.”