Chapter 33: Confirming the Suspect’s Identity, the Mystery Begins to Unfold!

In a major case, it is nearly impossible to deduce the entire process and find the killer based solely on evidence from the crime scene.

It requires further efforts—interviews with the public, surveillance, and advanced criminal investigation systems—working together to unearth the hidden perpetrator.

At this moment, upon hearing the final exclamation from Zhang Heng, Su Ming narrowed his eyes slightly and tapped the table lightly, asking seriously.

“Vice Principal Zhang, what you mean is… the girl from Zhang Wan’s class, who became disabled due to a car accident last year, was persuaded to withdraw from school before entering the third year in September?”

“That’s right,” Zhang Heng quickly replied, then asked in surprise, “Officer Su, how did you know… that a girl with a limp was persuaded to leave? Even I had almost forgotten about it. If I hadn’t suddenly remembered, we might have missed an important clue. But it’s such a coincidence that this girl happened to be in the same class as Zhang Wan. Could there be some crucial lead here?”

Clearly, Zhang Heng, as the vice principal, was sharp enough to notice the issue from Su Ming’s inquiry. However, Su Ming didn’t answer immediately. He continued with his questioning.

“Vice Principal Zhang, I’m sure you don’t have the information about this girl who was persuaded to leave. At the time, Teacher Wang hadn’t taken over the class yet. So…”

“Please find the previous homeroom teacher of Zhang Wan’s class. I need to ask a few questions.”

Su Ming didn’t ask if Zhang Heng could find this person but firmly instructed him to bring the teacher who had been the homeroom teacher for Zhang Wan in her first and second years. This case couldn’t afford to wait any longer, and the suspect might be on the verge of committing suicide, so the truth needed to be uncovered as soon as possible.

Zhang Heng was fully cooperative and not at all annoyed. He quickly stood up and said, “Okay, Officer Su. I’ll find Teacher Liu Yan right away. She should be in her first-year class now. I’ll be back in a moment.”

With that, Zhang Heng hurriedly ran toward the teaching building, eager to assist with solving the case. After all, this case had significant repercussions, and many media outlets were already waiting at the school gate. If the truth wasn’t uncovered soon, the rumors could spiral out of control, and it might even affect the next year’s enrollment plans.

As Zhang Heng left, Su Ming looked at Wang Limei, who was still nervously looking down and not daring to meet his eyes. He shook his head regretfully.

“Teacher Wang, although this case doesn’t directly involve you legally, and you’re definitely not the killer… morally, you still have your share of wrongdoings, and the school has made many mistakes.”

“As a teacher, abandoning a student is quite easy, but you never considered the negative impact and the psychological shadow it could cause the student. I believe… if you hadn’t moved Zhang Wan to the last row and made her go from the most visible spot in the class to the darkest corner, perhaps even after her grandmother passed away, she wouldn’t have chosen this path.”

“Because children like her are more likely to be content. Maybe sitting in the front row, feeling the teacher’s gaze every lesson, would have been enough care for her.”

At this moment, Wang Limei suddenly lifted her head to glance at Su Ming, then lowered her head again, tightly clenching her fists. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and a few tears fell onto the stone table, her voice thick with emotion.

“I… I never expected this.”

“I regret it so much, really regret it.”

“If… if I could have another chance, I would definitely give her the best care, help her integrate into the class, and I wouldn’t have arranged for her to sit at the back…”

Seeing that Wang Limei’s sorrow didn’t seem fake, Su Ming chose not to say anything more or to accuse her further. He only sighed lightly.

Regret? But what’s the use of regret?

In this world, the two most useless words are regret, because no matter how much sorrow and regret one feels, it cannot change what has already happened.

In fact, it wasn’t entirely fair to bdisabled Wang Limei. Private schools focused heavily on grades, and the victim wasn’t the only one who had been abandoned.

After two seconds of silence, Su Ming looked towards the abandoned teaching building in the distance. He could almost imagine the scene of the victim jumping from the rooftop of the sixth floor, perhaps feeling a sense of unprecedented lightness at that moment.

…

Su Ming didn’t have to wait long this time.

In less than five minutes, Zhang Heng returned, leading a young female teacher toward the stone table. Their steps were quick.

Looking up, Su Ming could see that the teacher, Liu Yan, had slightly red eyes and nose, clearly showing signs of having been crying.

As the two approached the stone table, Su Ming pointed to a chair and gestured.

“Please sit.”

“You’re Teacher Liu Yan, right?”

“You were Zhang Wan’s homeroom teacher in the first and second years, so I have a few questions for you about this falling incident.”

“First…”

“Did Zhang Wan have any close friends during her first and second years?”

Liu Yan sniffed, her nose still slightly red, and nodded gently.

“Yes, she had one friend. Although Zhang Wan was quiet and didn’t speak much due to her family situation, she was very close to a girl. They always went to and from class together, and even ate in the cafeteria together.”

This answer immediately made Su Ming’s eyes narrow slightly. He then pressed further with another question.

“Was this friend involved in a car accident in the second year, causing her to become disabled and ultimately being persuaded to leave school?”

“So… Zhang Wan’s only friend attended Shude School for only two years, and then left for another school in her third year?”

Liu Yan gently shook her head before pointing out a small detail that Su Ming hadn’t anticipated.

“Yes, she was persuaded to leave because of a car accident. The leg fracture was just too severe. But… Huang Yan didn’t go to another school afterward. If I remember correctly…”

“She was unable to accept her disabledness for a short time and didn’t want to be laughed at at school, so she decided to take a break and stay at home.”

“A month ago, I even chatted with her on QQ, advising her not to overthink and not to worry about being ridiculed. Continuing to study is the most important thing.”

Unable to accept being disabled!

Not wanting to be ridiculed!

As Liu Yan mentioned these two key details, Su Ming’s suspicions were further confirmed.

Then, instead of immediately asking about the suspect’s information, Su Ming narrowed his eyes, intending to confirm something crucial. He spoke up.

“Teacher Liu, you mentioned that you were in contact with Huang Yan, Zhang Wan’s friend, a month ago. I’d like to ask…”

“Did she mention anything about blue whales during your conversation?”