Miss Forensics – Chapter 14

Interrogation

Since the last autopsy, Lin Yan has taken 20g of samples left behind and carried out organic degradation to separate the residue. She proceeded with cleaning, centrifugation, and drop preparation for microscopic examination in an orderly manner.

This was the first time Song Yuhang had seen her wearing a white coat, her curly hair pinned up, revealing the white and jade-like back of her neck.

She thought that someone like Lin Yan wouldn’t be able to settle down and conduct research seriously. Unexpectedly, she was very dedicated, changing magnifications on the microscope several times, observing and recording simultaneously.

“She’s locked herself in the lab since she came back,” Fang Xin shielded her face with a folder and lowered her voice.

“If Team Leader Song is looking for her, I’ll go and call her.”

“From now on, you investigate your matters, and I’ll investigate mine.”

Upon thinking of this, Song Yuhang opened her mouth and then amended, “Never mind, let her be busy. Just inform me of the results as soon as they’re available.”

Lin Yan spent the whole afternoon in the pathology laboratory. By the time she emerged, the sun had set behind the western mountains.

She hung her white coat on a hanger and ran her fingers through her tousled hair. Walking over, she neatly tied it up with a black hairband.

“Dr. Lin, once you’re done, come have something to eat,” a few technicians were sitting together, eating instant noodles.

“No need, I’m not eating,” she picked up her wristwatch from the table and put it on, hesitating to speak further, “Song—”

Fang Xin quickly continued, “Oh, Captain Song came by in the afternoon, saw you were still conducting experiments, and then left.”

Forensic Doctor Lin hmphed from her nose, showing her understanding of the situation.

“I haven’t, I don’t know anything about it, really, I have a normal superior-subordinate relationship with her…” The person sitting across from them was still stubbornly resisting the police’s questioning.

“If you don’t have any evidence, I might just accuse you of slander.”

Song Yuhang stood up from her chair, motioning for Zheng Chengrui to turn the computer screen around for her to see.

“Starting from March of last year, you subjected Ding Xue to over a year of sexual harassment, including but not limited to verbal harassment. Principal Ge, you have a family and reputation to uphold. If your wife were to find out, she would be deeply disappointed.”

The obscene and vulgar language in the chat logs was appalling, and they included explicit photos he had sent to Ding Xue to provoke her.

Throughout the prolonged period of harassment, Ding Xue had been enduring due to his superior position. She had politely declined, firmly refused, but all of this seemed to have infuriated Principal Ge. It led to him losing his temper and sending Ding Xue a message on the evening of May 14th.

“Refusing a toast only leads to being forced to drink a forfeit. You will regret this!”

The chat records were shocking to the eye, and Ge Jun was drenched in a cold sweat, yet he still persevered, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. “This can’t be true, you must have fabricated this evidence to frame me.”

His words had just fallen when the door to the interrogation room was pushed open by someone, followed by several obstructing police officers who couldn’t stop it in time.

Lin Yan slapped the photo onto the table, “Then how do you explain this?”

In the photo, a man and a woman were intimately lying together. The woman seemed to be intoxicated, while the man was leaning in a lecherous manner to kiss her face.

Cold sweat streamed down Ge Jun’s forehead in an instant, his face alternating between pale and green. He clenched his teeth, determined to deny it to the death.

“I want you to understand clearly, you’ve been identified as the prime suspect by the police. No matter how crafty your arguments may be, we will ultimately find evidence to bring you to justice. As the esteemed head of a school, you cannot be unaware that even if you remain tight-lipped, solid evidence can secure a conviction.”

“Think about your family, your parents, your wife, your children… Do you really want them to bear the shame of having a murderer as their son/husband/father? They won’t be able to hold their heads up high again.”

“Cooperate and you might receive leniency, resist and the consequences will be severe. If you tell the truth, we’ll make sure to note it in the case report. Perhaps when it comes to trial, there will still be a chance to plead for a reduced sentence.”

“A son’s duty to his parents is waiting, but if you spend your life in prison, when your parents pass away, you might not even have the privilege to be by their bedside.”

“You’re still a teacher, a principal, an educational pioneer. Is this the example you want to set for your children, for your students?”

Listen, with this eloquence, this kind of psychological manipulation, Lin Yan’s heart was moved.

When it came to parents and children, there was finally a flicker of emotion in Ge Jun’s expression. Song Yuhang noticed him nervously fidgeting with his hands under the table and added the final push.

“Rest assured, our police force will never wrong a good person, but we will also never let any wrongdoer go.”

Ge Jun struggled repeatedly, his expression changing, and he finally said, “I didn’t kill her, I really didn’t kill her. Although I said some harsh things about wanting to harm her, I never thought she would die!”

For some reason, Lin Yan instinctively looked at Song Yuhang, and her gaze gently drifted over.

As they locked eyes, both of them looked away simultaneously.

Song Yuhang continued with the questioning, “What were you doing on the evening of May 14th?”

“I… I really went…” under the scrutiny of the detectives in the room, his voice grew quieter, “using a business trip as an excuse… I went… to meet my lover…”

“I really didn’t kill her, if you don’t believe me, go investigate!”

In a flash, he spilled all the details about his lover, and an investigator took the paper out to verify.

After a short while, the person came back with a somewhat unpleasant expression, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “Captain Song, what he said is true. We verified the records of entry and exit at the hotel he stayed in the provincial capital, along with surveillance videos. We also questioned the front desk. He and his lover checked in at 7 p.m. and didn’t leave until the next morning. They even had dinner delivered to the hotel.”

Ge Jun wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, “See, I told you, I’m not lying. Officers, I’ve said it all. Shouldn’t you release me now?”

Song Yuhang suddenly clenched her lips tightly, the lead, broken again.

Meanwhile, Lin Yan leaned back in her chair, a hint of an enigmatic smile forming on her lips.

“Captain Song, what do we do now? We worked hard to get him back, are we really going to—” Fang Xin’s voice also lowered. As a woman, she found these hypocritical gentlemen particularly repulsive, sharing a sense of resentment and indignation.

Song Yuhang stood up, “Let him go. After all, the guys outside have been waiting for a while.”

“Thank you, thank you. Everyone has worked hard. Another day, I will definitely invite you all for tea,” Ge Jun nodded and bowed, a non-stop smile on his face.

Duan Cheng nudged Zheng Chengrui, “Hey, do you think he’s thinking that he found the right lover? If he didn’t have that lover, he wouldn’t be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.”

The chubby guy pushed his glasses and patted his round belly, “When will this case finally end? I want to eat roasted pigeon, grilled pig trotters, crayfish, braised chicken feet…”

Duan Cheng’s stomach also timely made a sound, “Alright, shut up now.”

Ge Jun walked out of the interrogation room, his smile frozen on his face.

Several well-dressed young men stood in front of him, dressed in matching black uniforms, their chests adorned with prosecutor badges. One of them extended his identification towards him.

“Jiangcheng City People’s Procuratorate. We suspect you’ve engaged in significant violations of rules and regulations during your tenure at Jiangcheng No. 1 High School. Please come with us.”

He looked back, only to see Song Yuhang and a few others silently blocking his way.

“I told you, I won’t let any wrongdoer escape.”

As expected.

Seeing that no significant results were emerging from Ge Jun’s side of the interrogation, a faint smirk curled at the corner of Lin Yan’s lips.

She reached out to take the photo back from the table, only to have someone’s hand firmly hold it down.

Looking up, she met Song Yuhang’s slightly cold gaze.

“Where did you get this from?”

“You mind your business. Didn’t I say you investigate yours, and I’ll investigate mine?”

Lin Yan attempted to pull the photo away, exerting a bit of force. The two of them were locked in a standoff.

“Evidence that doesn’t follow the proper procedure can’t be presented as court evidence.”

“I don’t care whether it’s a white cat or a black cat. A cat that catches mice is a good cat. If I hadn’t shown him the evidence, could you have extracted the confession?”

Lin Yan stood her ground, facing her with a confrontational stance.

“The police emphasize the process in handling cases, but even more so, they emphasize the results.”

“Stop trying to fool me with your tricks. Just because I’m wearing this uniform doesn’t mean I approve of your methods. I’ve said it before, in my eyes, all of you…” She took a step forward and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“…are just useless.”

Satisfied by the rising and falling of the person’s chest, she calmed herself in an instant.

“Since you dislike us so much, why do you still associate with us, Forensic Doctor Lin? Aren’t you disgusted?”

She really knows how to hit others’ sore spots.

Lin Yan clenched her teeth in frustration, “What’s disgusting is your inaction, your inefficiency, your incompetence, not me!”

Song Yuhang’s clear gaze shifted over, calm and composed, “Actually, I’ve always been curious, why do you dislike our police force so much?”

Lin Yan released her grip on the photo, “No comment.”

Enough, she had said too much to Song Yuhang.

She turned to leave, but a slightly subdued voice reached her from behind, “Forensic Doctor Lin, I have a piece of advice.”

Lin Yan’s steps paused.

“Don’t take extreme measures in everything you do, or you’ll only reap what you sow.”

It was a little after 5 in the afternoon, during the evening rush hour. The line of cars for picking up and dropping off children extended along the school gate.

Lin Yan found a coffee shop by the street and sat down. Her view was clear, and through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows, separated by a zebra crossing, was the Qiming Star Kindergarten.

She ordered a latte, sipping it slowly, lost in thought as she absentmindedly flipped through the magazines and books in the cafe.

The sky gradually darkened, the last traces of sunlight fading away. One by one, the children finished leaving for the day.

The teachers were also preparing to close the school gate. A few young children still leaned on the iron railing, eagerly looking outside.

“Little Ya, be good. The teacher has already called your dad, he’ll be here to pick you up soon.”

The teacher patted her head and then went off to attend to her tasks.

A black silhouette blocked the sunlight as a man held out a lollipop to her, saying, “Are you Little Ya? I’m a friend of your dad’s. He asked me to pick you up.”

The young child looked at him with innocent eyes, then glanced at the candy in his hand, swallowing nervously.

As the man opened the iron gate and moved to pick the child up, someone grabbed him.

“Put her down. You’re not a friend of her dad’s.”

Lin Yan’s gaze turned toward them, a slight curve forming at the corner of her lips.

“You really helped out just now. If it weren’t for you, this child could have been in danger today.” Li Shiping held Ding Ya in her arms, giving Lin Yan a grateful smile.

The child behaved well, lying quietly in her embrace, not seeming shy.

Lin Yan smiled, “I was just passing by. I happened to see you struggling, so I lent a hand.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed that Forensic Doctor Lin had such good skills.” This statement wasn’t false. Just a moment ago, the human trafficker had been dragging Ding Ya towards a van on the side of the road, and Li Shiping couldn’t hold her back no matter how hard she tried.

Lin Yan appeared out of nowhere, holding a mechanical rod in her hand. In a swift move, she struck the assailant with the rod, seizing the opportunity to snatch the child away while he was in pain.

Only then did the danger pass. The other person saw the situation turning unfavorable and quickly got up, jumping into the car and driving away.

Li Shiping still had lingering fear in her heart.

However, she was someone who had experienced storms before, so although her complexion was a bit pale, she remained composed.

“Just for self-defense.” With a click, the mechanical rod returned to the size of a pen, easily tucked away into her pocket.

“Why did Principal Li come here? I remember this place is quite a distance from No. 1 High School, right?”

“Oh, I live around here. I was just heading home. It’s quite a coincidence today, and I also have to thank Forensic Doctor Lin for helping me out…”

Before she finished speaking, a man ran over from a distance, looking disheveled. “Ya Ya, Ya Ya, are you okay?”

With that, he directly took the child from Li Shiping’s arms.

The commotion from earlier had attracted attention, and both the kindergarten teachers and security personnel had come out.

“I was wondering about this parent. How can you be so neglectful? Being the last one to pick up your child every day, busy with work, but you can’t overlook your child, right? If it weren’t for these two kind-hearted individuals helping out, a big incident might have happened today.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll pay more attention next time, I promise.” Sun Xiangming nodded and bowed to the teacher, his gaze briefly passing over Li Shiping’s face.

Lin Yan saw his throat move slightly, and then he turned to her and spoke, “Thank you, Forensic Doctor Lin, for your help today.”

“No need, it was just a small effort. The situation is resolved now. I’m heading off.” She waved to them and turned to leave.

Out of the corner of her eye, Li Shiping stood still, watching Sun Xiangming walk away. Ding Ya lay quietly on her father’s shoulder, her eyes still glistening with tears.

So, Sun Xiangming opened the bag he was holding, took out a small fish tank, and tried to comfort her, saying, “Look, Dad bought something for you. It’s your favorite goldfish.”

Not long after Li Shiping returned home, there was a knock at the door. She got up and peered through the peephole.

It was Song Yuhang.

She quickly used a tissue to dab her eyes before opening the door for her.

“Officer Song, is there something you need so late in the evening?”

Song Yuhang stood alone outside the door, dressed casually and carrying a shoulder bag. “I apologize for the disturbance. I’ve come to inquire about the situation.”

“It’s alright, please come in.”

Li Shiping stepped aside in the hallway and retrieved a pair of guest slippers from the entrance shoe cabinet for her.

“Thank you.”

“Officer Song, what would you like to drink?”

As Li Shiping changed her shoes, she walked into the open-plan kitchen, preparing to make coffee for her.

“No need to trouble yourself, plain water is fine.”

“Do you live alone?”

“Yes, I’ve been living alone since my divorce from my ex-husband.”

She noticed that a used glass was placed on the counter, while she held her own cup along with the glass of water for Song Yuhang.

“And what about your child?”

“I don’t have any children.”

She said it calmly and took a sip of her coffee.

Song Yuhang didn’t press further and took out paper and a pen from her bag, sitting down.

As the routine questioning came to an end, Song Yuhang posed another question, “What was your impression of Ding Xue?”

The woman held the glass for a moment, lost in thought, before responding, “Oh, I had a favorable impression of her. Among the young teachers, she was quite skilled in teaching, knowledgeable, and treated her students equally…”

“I heard from Sun’s neighbors that their marital relationship wasn’t very good. Did she mention anything about it at school?”

Li Shiping pondered for a moment, then replied, “No, I haven’t heard her mention her husband.”

“Never mentioned it?”

“Never.”

“Do you know this student from the weekend?”

“I know, he’s one of the problematic students in the third year.”

“I saw his name on the report cards posted at the school gate. How could he be a problematic student?”

Li Shiping fell silent for a moment, and Song Yuhang observed her expression, sensing that there was something difficult to express.

“You don’t know… he… he…” She seemed hesitant to speak.

“Harassing teachers, right?”

Li Shiping’s silence could be taken as an admission.

“What’s your opinion of Principal Ge?”

“I heard he’s under investigation, is that true?” Li Shiping responded with a question instead of answering immediately.

Song Yuhang nodded. “That’s right, you seem to be well-informed.”

“To be honest, there have been rumors circulating in the school about his improper conduct…”

“Do you think he has a significant connection to Ding Xue’s death?”

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