Chapter 31: The Victim’s Tragic Experience, the Blue Whale Clue Resurfaces!!!

In fact,

Su Ming has already deduced that…

Wang Limei definitely didn’t look for Zhang Wan. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been the small-time delinquent who found the body.

However,

Whether it’s in the third year of middle school or senior year of high school, as long as there’s no leave taken, the class teacher of a graduating class will usually go to the classroom during morning reading sessions to check on the students.

So why, during this period in the classroom, did Wang Limei not notice that Zhang Wan was missing from her seat?

It’s important to note that Shude Middle School is a militarized, boarding school, and students’ attendance is a major issue.

Did she just not notice? Or…

Did Wang Limei simply not care whether Zhang Wan came to class or not?

…

This question left Wang Limei silent for two seconds before she hoarsely spoke with regret in her voice.

“I… I…”

“I didn’t expect something like this to happen. I thought she just overslept.”

Clearly, Wang Limei had realized Zhang Wan had missed class, but didn’t bother to inquire why.

Su Ming narrowed his eyes and continued.

“Teacher Wang, Zhang Wan’s grades probably weren’t very good, right? That’s why you, as her class teacher, didn’t care if she came to class?”

“After all, with your years of experience as a graduating class teacher, the emphasis has always been on grades.”

“Moreover…”

“This is a private school that operates at a profit.”

“I don’t want to dwell on it too long. Please provide some details about Zhang Wan.”

“Although you’ve only been teaching her for less than a year, you should know a bit about her family situation, general personality, and interpersonal relationships, right?”

Wang Limei nodded silently, then began to slowly recount what she knew about the deceased.

“Zhang Wan’s parents divorced five years ago and both remarried, providing only a small amount of child support each month.”

“For the past five years…”

“Zhang Wan has been living with her grandmother. Since her grandmother is quite elderly, she came to our militarized boarding school.”

“Since I took over the class…”

“Her personality has been quiet and reserved, not fond of interacting with others, or rather, somewhat antisocial?”

“She didn’t seem to have any friends in class. Because she registered late, her dormitory was shared with the class next door, so she didn’t even have classmates in her dorm.”

“And because her grades were poor, after the first monthly exam in the third year, I moved her seat from the front row to the last row.”

Upon hearing this, Su Ming slightly raised an eyebrow, keenly picking up on a clue.

She moved from the front row to the last row?

But Su Ming did not interrupt Wang Limei’s speech and continued to listen carefully to the details about the deceased.

“However, two months ago…”

“Zhang Wan’s grandmother passed away from a heart attack. After she returned from the funeral…”

“She became even more withdrawn and silent. She might not have spoken a word all day.”

“I tried talking to her to comfort her, but she didn’t respond, just nodded or shook her head.”

“I thought it was just the grief from losing a loved one, and that she’d recover after some time. But I didn’t expect…”

“Then… then this happened.”

At this point, Vice Principal Zhang, who had been sitting nearby, became agitated and scolded Wang Limei.

“Teacher Wang, what’s going on with you?”

“The school leaders have emphasized repeatedly the need to pay attention to the mental health of graduating students. How could you be so negligent?”

“If you had noticed something was wrong and had sent Zhang Wan to the psychological counseling room…”

“Maybe this could have been avoided…”

Before Zhang Heng could finish, Su Ming tapped his knuckles on the stone table, interrupting his words, and spoke with a deadpan expression.

“Vice Principal Zhang.”

“The person is already gone, and pointing fingers now is pointless.”

“Besides, what’s most important now is to uncover the truth behind this fall.”

“Instead of complaining, it’s better to focus on checking whether there are other students like Zhang Wan in Shude Middle School.”

“Especially whether such situations might arise because of an overemphasis on grades.”

After speaking, Su Ming began to organize his thoughts.

He was now able to roughly understand why the deceased left such a letter…

In which she said the world wouldn’t care if she existed, and that she was just a redundant being.

Regarding her family,

Her parents divorced, neither wanted her, and she was left to live with her grandmother.

At school,

The class teacher in the first two years of middle school was likely the type to be more gentle and caring towards students.

Upon learning of Zhang Wan’s situation, they specially moved her seat to the front row, to express their concern.

Those two years might have been the most open and cheerful period in Zhang Wan’s life.

But then,

In the third year, the class teacher, who was more focused on grades, immediately moved her seat from the front to the last row.

This made the already quiet Zhang Wan feel completely invisible to the class, and no one paid attention to her.

In the end,

Two months ago, her grandmother’s sudden death from a heart attack pushed the 15-year-old Zhang Wan into a downward spiral.

However,

Why did her emotions change so drastically in just two months?

The key thing is…

According to Shen Lin’s autopsy results, all the self-inflicted cuts on the victim’s arms hadn’t yet scarred.

This suggests that,

In just a month, or even just fifteen days, Zhang Wan’s emotions had undergone a significant change.

What happened during this period, and what kind of stimulus could have caused such a drastic shift? This is likely a crucial aspect of the case!

At this thought, Su Ming’s expression became serious as he looked at Wang Limei across from him.

“Teacher Wang.”

“I’ll speak frankly. Zhang Wan’s case is extremely serious.”

“If it’s not handled well…”

“You might even be suspended from your duties for investigation, and the consequences could be more severe.”

At this moment,

Wang Limei froze, her face turning pale with fear.

This was exactly what Su Ming intended, to steer the case into a more serious direction to create pressure and urgency, ensuring her full cooperation with the investigation.

Su Ming pressed his hand down and gently reassured her.

“Teacher Wang, please don’t be too nervous.”

“Take a moment to think back. In the past month, did you notice any unusual behavior from Zhang Wan?”

“Or…”

“Did she show a special interest in anything, or was she indifferent to everything?”

This question made Wang Limei, who was already in a state of panic, deeply think, murmuring to herself.

“Unusual behavior?”

“I feel like, other than being more withdrawn, I didn’t notice anything else… maybe I didn’t pay enough attention?”

“In the past fifteen days…”

“Did Zhang Wan do anything that struck me as strange?”

“I think the only time I interacted with her recently…”

“I told her not to play with her phone during class. She’s usually quiet, but she was playing on her phone, which was unlike her.”

“She was watching something… watching something…”

“Right.”

“She was watching the first broadcast of the Blue Whale video, that’s why she was using her phone in class.”

At this point,

Wang Limei suddenly seemed to remember something, her eyes widened as she looked at Su Ming, exclaiming.

“Blue Whale… Blue Whale!!!”

“Zhang Wan seems to have been especially interested in the Blue Whale recently!!!”