Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Dark Joy (13)

Wan Ze Yu's class teacher had never taught Xu Qiao, and most of the information she provided was second-hand. With so many years having passed, the teacher could only give subjective judgments. In the end, she couldn't clearly explain what had happened with Xu Qiao's suicide.

After bidding farewell to the teacher, Hai Shu's mind was occupied with two lines of thought: First, at what point did Wan Ze Yu and Guang Jun become brothers? Second, the sudden appearance of Xu Qiao in this investigation.

Hai Shu was more inclined to believe the teacher's memory. Wan Ze Yu and Guang Jun weren't as close in their early years, and after the Wan family’s incident, Guang Jun's care for Wan Ze Yu was more due to the older generation’s influence. After Wan Ze Yu turned over a new leaf, his interactions with the Guang family deepened, which could explain why he and Guang Jun grew closer.

Xu Qiao appeared in the class teacher's records as someone who had a major conflict with Wan Ze Yu. But she committed suicide? Why? The most intriguing part was that Xu Qiao seemed to be the only person who dared to stand up to Wan Ze Yu.

Hai Shu immediately decided to fully understand Xu Qiao as a person.

The teachers of Zhou Ping Junior High School spoke with sighs about Xu Qiao—

Xu Qiao’s parents had moved to Zhou Ping Town along with the glass factory but didn’t work on the production line. Instead, they worked at the vocational school teaching students. Xu Qiao grew up in Zhou Ping Town. Although she was very delicate in appearance, her personality was bold and domineering. She was passionate about defending the weak even when she was in elementary school.

Over twenty years ago, Zhou Ping Town still had a strong preference for boys over girls. From birth, girls were at a disadvantage compared to boys. Xu Qiao’s family was one of the few that believed boys and girls should be treated equally. Growing up in such an environment, Xu Qiao couldn’t stand it when boys bullied girls.

She liked exercising, and since girls matured earlier than boys, by the time she reached junior high, she was taller than most of the boys in her class. Bullying of girls by boys became more severe than it had been in elementary school. The boys would say they didn’t know better, but at that age, they knew enough. They would use what they knew to tease the girls, making them cry, yet claim they only thought the girls were pretty and cute and wanted to play with them.

Some teachers understood what was happening but were too embarrassed to address it with the students, choosing to ignore it instead. Some of the older teachers even thought boys were precious, while girls were born to suffer.

At this time, Xu Qiao became the protector of the girls. She was tall, good at her studies, and beautiful. The shorter, dirtier boys fantasized about her but didn’t dare approach her. The girls who were bullied would go to Xu Qiao, and she would always stand up for them. Being beaten by Xu Qiao became the boys’ new amusement.

However, Wan Ze Yu seemed to have never shown any interest in Xu Qiao. When Xu Qiao was in the third year of junior high and Wan Ze Yu was in the second, they originally had little to do with each other. But one day, a girl from the same grade somehow angered Wan Ze Yu, and he slapped her twice.

When Hai Shu heard this, she asked if Wan Ze Yu had been pursuing that girl and got violent after being rejected. The teachers were sure it wasn’t the case. Wan Ze Yu had been a bully in his teens but had never had a romantic relationship with any girl. He seemed to lack that instinct, and in his eyes, there was no difference between hitting a girl or a boy.

Hai Shu pondered for a moment before continuing to listen to the teachers.

When Xu Qiao found out that a girl from the same grade had been slapped by Wan Ze Yu, it wasn’t long before the fight described in the class teacher’s records occurred. They fought outside the school, and Wan Ze Yu, for the first time, got hurt, while Xu Qiao also injured her arm. The incident even escalated to the police station.

Sui Xing found the police report from that time. Under the persuasion of the officers, they apologized to each other, and since they both had injuries, their families each paid for the hospital expenses.

This incident had no further repercussions. Wan Ze Yu continued to dominate at school, but according to the teachers, he didn't approach any girls for a long time after that. He only fought with boys. Xu Qiao, probably preparing for her high school entrance exam, was restricted by her parents and didn't get into any more fights before graduation.

When Xu Qiao was accepted into the county’s high school and then the city’s university, her family threw a feast in Zhou Ping Town. No one could have predicted that the confident, bright girl would later be involved in such a tragic incident.

When Xu Qiao had her incident, she wasn’t in Zhou Ping Town, so the news was second-hand and unclear. There were two versions of the story that circulated the most. One was that Xu Qiao had fallen into the seductive world of the rich after entering university and was ultimately played by a wealthy man, leading to her suicide. The other was that Xu Qiao’s mother had fallen seriously ill, and the family went to the city for treatment. In order to save her mother, Xu Qiao worked while studying, but she was deceived and lost her virginity, leading to her despair and eventual suicide.

The teachers didn’t believe the first version.

What the truth was seemed impossible to determine in Zhou Ping Town. When Hai Shu returned to the police station, the officers also knew about Xu Qiao. Hai Shu spoke with them for a while and casually mentioned Wan Ze Yu. They all said that after Xu Qiao graduated, they hadn’t heard of any further contact between her and Wan Ze Yu.

Xu Qiao’s suicide and the murder of Wan Ze Yu seemed to be unrelated events. Hai Shu leaned against the desk, holding a cup of coffee, as the notebook on the table rustled in the breeze from the air conditioner. The page stopped at the one with Yin Can Xi’s name.

At this moment, Sui Xing hurried over, "I found some photos of Xu Qiao. Want to take a look?"

Hai Shu immediately closed the notebook and went to Sui Xing’s side.

Zhou Ping Junior High had photos of Xu Qiao, but they were just registration and graduation photos. While it was clear Xu Qiao was beautiful, they lacked a sense of life. The photos Sui Xing had found were from the county high school website and some from the Hui Yong University club website, where Xu Qiao had participated in campus activities.

The photos preserved the face of the now deceased girl. She really did match the teachers' descriptions: passionate, beautiful, and confident. After entering university, she permed her hair, but didn’t dye it, tying it in two playful buns—fashionable and cute. When she was in high school, she looked even more pure and beautiful, having kept both short and long hair. She often tied it high in a ponytail, as if preparing for a performance, wearing an elegant traditional red silk costume.

Sui Xing said, “Xu’s family has already moved away from the town, and I can’t find anyone. If we want to investigate this girl, we’ll have to go back to the city.”

Hai Shu stared at the photos, but her mind drifted.

Seeing Hai Shu’s silence, Sui Xing turned his head to look at her and waved his hand, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Hai Shu frowned. After seeing these photos, she suddenly remembered why the name Xu Qiao had felt so familiar when she saw it in Wan Ze Yu’s teacher’s records.

It was indeed a common name, but she felt familiar with it because when she first met Yin Can Xi, there had been a case involving fraud using beauty, and Yin Can Xi had looked at those heavily made-up women and said, “Xu Qiao is far from that.”

She had asked who Xu Qiao was, and Yin Can Xi had dismissed the question as if she had said something wrong.

Hai Shu picked up one of the photos. In it, Xu Qiao had a naturally upturned curve at the ends of her eyes, smiling with bright eyes and white teeth.

Yin Can Xi didn’t resemble Xu Qiao, although they were both beautiful. Yin Can Xi was more seductively beautiful. She was skilled at different kinds of makeup, and though pure girl makeup didn’t quite suit her, Hai Shu had seen her several times wearing such makeup, deliberately lifting the corners of her eyes.

That kind of Yin Can Xi looked somewhat similar to the Xu Qiao in the photo.

If it were just a subtle resemblance, it wouldn't mean much, but Yin Can Xi had mentioned Xu Qiao. Hai Shu’s heart started to race. Just yesterday, she had discussed with Sui Xing why a woman like Yin Can Xi, with such a personality, would leave Bin Cong City and marry a man like Guang Jun, who was so ordinary.

"Hey!" Sui Xing tapped Hai Shu's elbow.

Hai Shu finished her coffee, took a deep breath, and said, "Yesterday, you said I still haven’t considered myself part of the Criminal Investigation Team."

Sui Xing looked speechless, "So now you're angry with me?"

Hai Shu shook her head, "No, I’m starting to fit in. Is it too late?" She then shared her thoughts with Sui Xing. Sui Xing paused for a few seconds before quickly processing the information. "So, you mean, Xu Qiao is someone very important to Yin Can Xi? After Xu Qiao’s suicide, Yin Can Xi has been imitating Xu Qiao’s makeup for years?"

Hai Shu recalled Yin Can Xi's self-description. She left her hometown right after Xu Qiao’s suicide.

"This..." Sui Xing pressed his forehead. "Yin Can Xi is Xu Qiao’s junior, and Xu Qiao had that huge fight with Wan Ze Yu in the third year of junior high. Yin Can Xi should know about it. Now, she’s married to Wan Ze Yu’s good brother, Guang Jun!"

Sui Xing paused, then became more excited, "I said it! It’s really suspicious that Yin Can Xi went back home and married Guang Jun!"

Hai Shu said, "I want to know the truth behind Xu Qiao’s suicide. Do you mind going back and checking?"

"I’ll go right away!" Sui Xing said, but then frowned.

Hai Shu asked, "What’s wrong?"

Sui Xing shook his head, "Nothing."

Hai Shu stopped her and imitated her tone from yesterday, "We're on the same team now. Don't you consider me part of the group yet?"

Sui Xing stared at her, "Are you a parrot?"

"Come on, what's the problem?"

"It’s not a problem. I just thought of a more troublesome case in the city..."

Hai Shu hadn’t reported to the Hui Yong City Bureau yet, so she didn’t know what case Sui Xing was referring to. "You're teasing me with a cat in my heart, scratching it. Come on, just give me the general idea, or I'll keep thinking about it, which will delay the investigation."

Sui Xing realized she needed to explain and said, "Since July, three college students have gone missing in the city."

Missing persons cases usually wouldn't be handled by the Criminal Investigation Team, but by December, the district bureau had made no progress, so the case was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Team. After preliminary investigation, the three missing students weren’t from the same school, had different ages, and very distinct personalities. However, they did share some common traits: they all came from well-off families, with parents in business or government, they were all handsome or beautiful, and they were skilled at dressing themselves.

The district bureau's investigation had stalled because they couldn't find any reason for their disappearances based on their social connections. Their families hadn’t received any ransom demands. It was as if they had just vanished into thin air.

After the Criminal Investigation Team took over, there was still no breakthrough. If not for the sudden incident in Zhou Ping Town, Sui Xing would still be focused on the missing persons case.

Hai Shu saw Sui Xing off downstairs. As Sui Xing drove back to the city, Hai Shu leaned against the car window and said, "Let’s solve one case at a time. After we finish here, we’ll go look into the missing students."

Just as Sui Xing left, Hai Shu saw Wen Xu. Wen Xu waved a document at her. "Let’s go, time to head to the Mass Grave Mountain."

Hai Shu was taken aback.

Wen Xu smiled. "Didn’t you want to go to the Mass Grave Mountain? Well, I’ve got the permit."

It was an official notification from the city bureau, which allowed them to exhume the bodies.

Hai Shu was surprised. "How did you know?"

Wen Xu mysteriously replied, "Guess."

Three hours later, the Criminal Investigation Team, along with some officers from the local police station, stood by the opened coffin of the Luo family. The grave had already been disturbed. Four coffins were empty, with rusted shackles scattered inside.