The air after the rain carried a moist scent. The small puddles that had formed reflected the full moon on the horizon, its cold silver glow incredibly charming.
The chirping of cicadas added an extra touch of tranquility and peace to the summer night.
Jiang Cong strolled leisurely, in no hurry to go home.
Beixian County wasn't large, and the place where he currently lived was quite close to the police station, just a twenty - minute walk away.
Jiang Cong took a detour and returned to the alley he had been to before.
The lone streetlight that had stood at the entrance of the alley was now charred due to the recent lightning strike.
Jiang Cong stuffed his hands into his pockets. The moonlight bathed his tall and straight figure, making him seem even more unreachable.
In Jiang Cong's eyes, Sheng Qingqiu's case was just one of the countless strange cases he had handled, an ordinary one at that.
No evildoer could escape punishment, and no criminal could be at large forever.
The net of heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through. There might be some lucky escapees, but justice would never be late.
The only thing that set this case apart from others might be the existence of a girl named Chen Er.
Reason constantly reminded Jiang Cong that he couldn't fully believe Chen Er's one - sided story.
Seeing was believing. Apart from the results he had witnessed with his own eyes, everything else could only serve as supplementary reference.
Jiang Cong recalled the scene when he went to Sheng Qingqiu's school and met her class teacher, Xia Qing.
Xia Qing was afraid that Sheng Qingqiu's death might implicate her. So while choosing to protect herself, she also downplayed some things.
Self - interest was the eternal pursuit of humanity.
Moreover, Xia Qing had only taken over the Class 2 of Senior High School later, so she probably only had a vague understanding of what had happened before.
So, the lead through Xia Qing was a dead end.
Jiang Cong's slender fingers rubbed his chin. The light blue stubble was a bit prickly.
Perhaps he should change his thinking and start from the past instead of focusing on the present.
Except for natural deaths, all non - natural deaths were the result of long - term build - up.
Every single thing that had happened to the deceased might be the fuse that led to the tragedy.
The fight incident he had casually asked Chen Er about during the day might be a breakthrough point.
Chen Er's performance had been flawless, but just to be safe, Jiang Cong decided to visit Sheng Qingqiu's former class teacher, Feng Bin, to learn the specific details.
Feng Bin was currently teaching the senior year graduating class, and his schedule was very tight.
When Jiang Cong arrived at the school, Feng Bin had just returned from a make - up class.
Seeing the stranger suddenly appear in the office, Feng Bin adjusted his glasses and politely reached out his hand. "Hello. May I ask what you need from me?"
Jiang Cong noticed that there were still tiny white powder particles on Feng Bin's collar and shoulders, the chalk dust left from the class.
When Feng Bin first saw him, apart from the initial surprise, he quickly regained his composure and was very polite, indicating that Feng Bin had a set of established rules for dealing with people.
Such people might seem a bit rigid, but they were the most sincere.
Jiang Cong bent slightly, taking into account Feng Bin's already hunched back. "Hello. I'm one of the leaders of the special police task force. I'm here to learn some basic information."
Recognition flashed across Feng Bin's face. "Is it about that student named Sheng Qingqiu?"
Jiang Cong nodded. It was obvious that Feng Bin was willing to cooperate with the investigation.
This would save him the trouble of further interrogation.
Thinking of Sheng Qingqiu, Feng Bin let out a soft sigh, his tone full of regret. "It's a pity. When I taught her before, although she was arrogant, looked down on her classmates, and always acted so high - and - mighty, she was still a good kid at heart."
Jiang Cong caught the words "high - and - mighty" from Feng Bin's statement and asked, "What about later? Did she do anything out of line?"
Feng Bin went to the water dispenser and filled two cups of water, one for himself and one for Jiang Cong.
"Thank you." Jiang Cong took the disposable cup Feng Bin handed him.
Feng Bin took a big gulp of water to moisten his throat and then continued answering Jiang Cong's question.
"Sheng Qingqiu was known as the campus belle of Class 2. There were always a bunch of boys around her. You know how it is with young girls. Driven by vanity, used to being the center of attention, when they suddenly meet someone who ignores them, they're bound to feel unbalanced."
Jiang Cong understood and followed Feng Bin's train of thought. "So there were conflicts, right?"
Feng Bin still remembered the fight incident clearly. He couldn't understand how a group of fifteen - or sixteen - year - old kids could have such terrifying and twisted thoughts.
"Yes. A boy showed contempt for Sheng Qingqiu, and she insulted him verbally. Then she told a boy who had been pursuing her about the boy's disrespectful behavior." Feng Bin's words confirmed Jiang Cong's suspicion.
Driven by impulse, those teenagers wanted to be heroes in front of their crushes, to show off and win the hearts of the girls. So that boy became the weapon.
Most of what Feng Bin said was consistent with what Chen Er had said. Just as Jiang Cong was about to put aside this fight incident, Feng Bin's next words made him suspicious.
"Zhang Lu was one of Sheng Qingqiu's pursuers at that time. He led a group to carry out school bullying on that boy, forcing him to pose in all kinds of humiliating positions, and even took photos and videos to spread them widely."
School bullying?
Jiang Cong raised his eyebrows. At the mention of "school bullying" by Feng Bin, he immediately realized that Chen Er had still been hiding something.
How could a simple conflict escalate into such a serious case of school bullying?
But why would Chen Er hide it?
She had never had any contact with Sheng Qingqiu; they had nothing to do with each other.
Or was there a name she didn't want to reveal in the whole fight incident?
"The impact must have been quite big at that time, right? Didn't the school punish the students who carried out the school bullying?" Jiang Cong's fingers tapped rhythmically on his knee. This was his usual pose when thinking.
Feng Bin nodded, then shook his head. "It was big, but also not that big. As soon as the photos and videos were posted online, they were deleted cleanly. And the bullied boy didn't stand up either. So in the end, the whole thing just fizzled out."
The boy, as the victim, chose to escape, which exactly suited Zhang Lu and the others.
But the school still got wind of it. The school leaders didn't want the matter to escalate and cause a more widespread negative impact.
So the boy's action was actually tacitly approved by the school.
Just like that, the school bullying was dealt with lightly. However, in order to prevent such malicious incidents from happening again, the school also introduced more stringent punishment regulations.