"Later, I gradually lost touch with Wei Fuping. Occasionally, when I heard other teachers talk about his recent situation, it was always about how much gambling debt he had owed and how he was being chased by debt collectors," Miao Beiqi sighed with deep emotion.
Jiang Cong's fingers tapped the edge of the sofa rhythmically. As he heard that the amount of debt Wei Fuping owed was getting larger and larger, the darkness in his eyes deepened.
The debt collectors from the casino only recognize money, not people. Wei Fuping no longer had his school salary, and his cram school was on the verge of collapse, yet he still kept gambling.
So, Wei Fuping must have had some way to pay back the money. Otherwise, he would have had his arms broken by the debt collectors to pay off his debts long ago.
But since the speed of paying back the money couldn't keep up with the speed of spending it, once Wei Fuping, as a gambler, got his hands on some money, unless it was a debt that needed to be paid urgently, he would surely go back to the casino again, trying to turn the tables and get rich overnight.
Gambling is just gambling. How many people can really get rich from it?
It's just a feast set up by the casino owners. They give the gamblers a little taste first to make them addicted. Then, because of their losses, the gamblers become more and more unwilling and increase their bets in an attempt to win back their lost money.
The more they gamble, the more they lose. Eventually, they fall into the trap set by the casino owners without even realizing it, and ruin their whole lives for nothing.
Jiang Cong didn't feel the slightest bit of sympathy for Wei Fuping. He deserved what he got. He had squandered a good hand of cards.
"Okay, I've roughly understood the situation. Thank you for your cooperation. I'll take my leave today," Jiang Cong said as he got up and walked towards the office door. He was speaking to Miao Beiqi, who had also just stood up and looked a bit at a loss.
"Did Wei... Wei Fuping do something really evil?" Miao Beiqi hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question that had been on his mind.
Jiang Cong neither nodded nor shook his head. He couldn't give a definite answer for now. He still needed to conduct further investigations.
"Time will tell right from wrong. People always have to pay the price for their actions," Jiang Cong replied without any bias. He left Miao Beiqi to ponder over the meaning of his words.
After leaving Qingyang Middle School, Jiang Cong drove to the school where Chen Er studied.
But he didn't go in. Instead, he parked his car quietly by the roadside.
He lit a cigarette and rolled down the window. Leaning his arm on the window, he sorted out the information he had obtained today.
It was obvious that Wei Fuping was not a good person. From Miao Beiqi's description, it could be inferred that Wei Fuping was actually a very dark - hearted person.
What kind of things would a teacher who lacked professional ethics do to his students?
Jiang Cong had a vague and bad feeling. Could it be that something really had happened between Wei Fuping and Chen Er's sister, Chen Huan?
When the cigarette burned out, the scorching temperature of the ash brought Jiang Cong back to his senses. At the same time, it clearly reminded him that he should approach the matter from a different angle, starting with Chen Huan.
But...
Chen Huan and Chen Er were biological sisters. If something really had happened, someone must have heard about it. However, once he got involved in the investigation, with Chen Er's intelligence, she was bound to notice something was wrong.
Moreover, it had been three years since the deaths of Wei Fuping and Chen Huan. Even if there were any traces left, they would have been removed.
Jiang Cong knew that he had reached a dead end, and the way out was in Chen Er's hands.
Only she was the real insider who knew everything that had happened back then.
For now, all he could do was wait patiently. Only when Chen Er let down her guard could he possibly uncover the so - called truth.
After much thought, Jiang Cong still called the private detective and asked him to track down every piece of information about Chen Huan.
"By the way, don't start the investigation for now. Wait until after the college entrance examination," Jiang Cong took a deep breath and instructed the private detective.
Jiang Cong knew that once he set this trap, there would be no turning back.
But in this huge chess game, who could really say for sure who was the real pawn being manipulated?
Although the private detective was a bit confused about the timing of the investigation, he managed to suppress his curiosity and didn't ask. He agreed to take on Jiang Cong's business.
Chen Huan died before Wei Fuping. So, was there Chen Er's hand in Wei Fuping's death?
Jiang Cong felt a splitting headache. He frowned, and a deep "Chuan" character formed between his eyebrows.
"Knock, knock, knock." Someone knocked on the car window. Jiang Cong woke up with a start and looked out. It was Chen Er.
It seemed that he had fallen asleep unconsciously while thinking.
"Why are you here?" Chen Er pulled open the car door without any formality and sat in the passenger seat.
Jiang Cong's eyes were a bit hazy. Because he had just woken up, his voice was hoarse and magnetic. "I just came by on the way to check on you."
Chen Er curled her lips indifferently. She knew that the police station and the school were in completely opposite directions. How could it be on the way?
But Chen Er didn't expose Jiang Cong's lie. She just nodded in agreement and casually replied, "What a coincidence!"
The car fell into silence.
Chen Er's hand tightly grasped the school uniform pants, leaving creases. She turned her head. "I..."
Hearing Chen Er speak and seeing her hesitate, Jiang Cong simply said, "Just say it."
Chen Er lowered her head and said dejectedly, "Because of the college entrance examination, the school is sending the top 100 students in the grade to a training camp for closed - door management. And I'm exactly the 100th."
When Chen Er saw her report card, she was quite proud. But the next second, she was deeply hit by the bad news.
"So... you're going to the training camp, right?" Seeing Chen Er's frustrated look, Jiang Cong couldn't help but reach out and pinch the girl's small nose.
Chen Er slumped back hopelessly. "Yes! But I heard that the school's own training camp is really terrifying. I'm afraid I'll go bald if I go there!"
"How could that be?" Jiang Cong suddenly wanted to tease Chen Er. He continued, "You're almost like a prince from the Qing Dynasty. You don't need to worry about going bald."
The corners of Chen Er's mouth, which had just started to turn up, instantly drooped. She glared at Jiang Cong with gritted teeth and said hatefully, "You evil man! I curse you!"
Jiang Cong didn't take it seriously and just smiled it off.
Chen Er was so angry that she was on the verge of getting internal injuries. She turned her head and looked out of the window, pouting her small mouth in dissatisfaction.
Actually, when Jiang Cong heard that Chen Er was going to the training camp, his first thought was that the private detective could start investigating Chen Huan.
But soon, he dismissed this idea.
He should wait a little longer. It could be a buffer for him.
Let the truth wait until after Chen Er's college entrance examination.
Jiang Cong glanced at Chen Er sitting beside him. A faint smile appeared on his handsome face.