Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 429 Has nothing to do with the school? (Ninth day of daily 10,000 words)

Before Liang Wei and the school leaders agreed on a meeting time.

The investigation has made some progress.

First, it was confirmed by Fang Gexin that Dong Lu was the person living in room 404 of the old graduate student dormitory building at that time.

Yu Yali called soon after, saying that she had asked around and the girl who self-immolated was named Dong Lu, a first-year graduate student in the School of Sociology.

Then Ni Jianrong brought back the records from the Social Security Bureau. The Social Security Bureau's data showed that Dong Lu was hospitalized in the surgical ward of Pinghe Road Hospital from November 16, 1989 to the end of January 1990.

The specific cost breakdown shows that all of it is for the rescue and treatment of burns.

This is also strange. Pinghe Road Hospital is indeed the closest to Hongda, but it is a Class II Grade A hospital and does not have a dedicated burn department, only a general surgery department.

Both the First and Third Municipal Hospitals have specialized burn units, so why not go there?
No wonder the task force couldn't find anything when they investigated the burn departments of these two top-tier hospitals using the normal approach, because Dong Lu wasn't treated there at all.

Seeing that it was almost time and the rain outside had subsided considerably, Liang Wei said they were ready to set off.

Zhou Yi had been eager to try for a while and immediately followed Liang Wei.

Strangely, Ni Jianrong remained seated without moving.

Liang Wei noticed this too and turned around to ask, "Isn't Captain Ni going?"

Ni Jianrong looked slightly pained and clutched his stomach, saying, "I'll have to trouble Captain Liang with this. My stomach is a little upset, I'll have to rest for a bit."

Since that's what they've said, Liang Wei didn't say much more. He thanked Zhou Yi for his hard work and then greeted him.

Zhou Yi also found it a bit strange. Logically speaking, Ni Jianrong should have been the fastest runner in this kind of situation. Could it be that he was really unwell?
On the way to the administration building, Liang Wei suddenly asked, "Zhou Yi, do you know why I brought you along?"

Zhou Yi had indeed thought about this question.

Was it because of his outstanding performance after joining the task force that he caught Liang Wei's attention?
Or did he want me to observe from the sidelines, identify any omissions, and analyze the situation?
No, theoretically, a common soldier like myself doesn't even have the right to listen in on such negotiations and dialogues between leaders.

Moreover, judging from Liang Wei's reaction just now, he didn't know in advance that Ni Jianrong wasn't going, so he wanted to drag him along to make up the numbers.

After much thought, Zhou Yi felt there was only one possibility.

"Captain Liang, I'm just guessing. Please don't blame me if I'm wrong."

"That depends on how many of your guesses are correct."

Zhou Yi said, "I guess you want me to be the bad guy."

After Zhou Yi finished speaking, he wanted to observe Liang Wei's reaction.

This is a common trick used by fortune tellers: they first say something ambiguous and leave room for maneuver, then observe the other person's reaction and adjust their words accordingly.

The problem was that Liang Wei's face remained completely calm, showing no reaction whatsoever. He simply stared straight ahead and continued walking without even blinking.

Zhou Yi thought to himself, "She really is shrewd."

So I could only continue: "Conversations between leaders are usually quite calm and peaceful because each leader represents a department. The communication between the two leaders is not just personal, but rather a collaboration between two systems. Therefore, they are generally quite cautious in their speech. If the other party is a master of evasion, they might end up talking for two or three hours and still going in circles."

Liang Wei remained calm and simply said two words: "Continue."

Upon receiving the reaction, Zhou Yi knew he had guessed correctly.

"Captain Liang, do you read martial arts novels?"

This question surprised Liang Wei. What was this kid up to? Why was he suddenly talking about martial arts novels?

"Occasionally."

“In martial arts novels, the essence of Tai Chi is called ‘using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds.’ But there’s another saying: ‘One force can break all techniques.’ It means that no matter how mysterious your moves are, as long as you have enough strength, you can achieve miracles!” Zhou Yi chuckled. “I’m that strong. I don’t understand any Tai Chi moves. I just throw wild punches. Anyway, as long as you have enough strength, you can beat a master with a bunch of random punches.”

At this point, Liang Wei smiled slightly, but still didn't say anything.

This matter is essentially understood implicitly.

He chose Zhou Yi because he wanted to see if Zhou Yi could understand his thoughts.

Just as he said, communication between leaders is too roundabout, like too many Tai Chi moves. After pushing and shoving for a long time, if both of them are very stable and don't move an inch, then it's difficult to handle.

He originally wanted Xie Guoqiang to go directly to the top leader of Hongda, the principal.

But Xie Guoqiang asked him a question: what exactly is the connection between Dong Lu's matter and the Hongda case?

He couldn't answer that question. Dong Lu is definitely related to the case, but not directly, because she doesn't fit any of the characteristics of the murderer.

Since there's no direct connection, digging into the details of a school's scandal would definitely make them unhappy.

If after a long investigation it turns out that it has nothing to do with the Hongda case, then the school will definitely complain to higher authorities.

Therefore, Xie Guoqiang and the principal of Hongda have not come forward. Both sides are abiding by the rules of the game, leaving room for maneuver in their relationship.

He certainly understood, so he didn't rush to answer Xie Guoqiang's question.

But the case still had to be pushed forward. Like Zhou Yi, he felt there was something going on and they had to figure it out.

Then someone has to break the deadlock. This person has to "suddenly have a brain fart," say all the nasty things, tear off the other party's tacit agreement, smash the bowls and kick the pots, forcing everyone to put the problem on the table.

Of course, as the leader, he naturally had to make a statement and severely criticize this "crazy person".

As for what to do after leaving this door, that's the task force's business, not the school's!

It's actually just the same good cop/bad cop tactic commonly used in interrogations.

This is something that can't be taught; if you do, it won't look natural, and the performance will be too obvious. So you can only learn it through experience.

Fortunately, Zhou Yi has excellent comprehension skills.

Although Liang Wei remained outwardly calm, he secretly admired the talent. No wonder Old Qin was protecting him; this young man was indeed a promising talent, possessing the shrewdness of someone in their forties or fifties despite being only in his early twenties.

If this piece of jade is polished properly, it will surely shine brightly in time.

Soon ahead lies the magnificent comprehensive administration building, which has a lovely name: Licheng Building.

It is taken from the Doctrine of the Mean in the Book of Rites, which says, "Sincerity is the way of Heaven; to strive for sincerity is the way of man." It means to take sincerity as the core in one's conduct, learning, and practice.

Ironically, they came here to expose a lie.

Zhou Yi followed Liang Wei to the vice principal's office. It wasn't as luxurious as he had imagined. It was only about twenty square meters in size, with a simple and rustic decor. He didn't know if the tables and chairs were made of mahogany, but they looked quite high-end.

A potted clivia sits opposite the desk, the only bright spot in the room.

On the left wall hang four large characters in ink, which read "Great virtue carries all things," and on the right wall directly opposite hangs a print of a landscape painting.

The vice principal of Hongda University is at the deputy provincial level, equivalent to the vice mayor of Hongcheng. In terms of administrative rank, this is higher than Xie Guoqiang's.

However, in terms of functional authority, Xie Guoqiang's actual power is much greater than that of the vice principal of Hongda, after all, he is the top leader of the public security system. In Hongcheng, the only person with more power than him is the vice mayor in charge of public security.

Hongda has a total of five vice principals. The one who came forward to liaise with the special task force is surnamed Liu. When we went upstairs just now, Liang Wei introduced him as Liu Baoguo, who is also the one Zhou Yi met at the Municipal Bureau a couple of days ago.

Upon seeing their arrival, Principal Liu immediately stood up to greet them.

"Oh dear, Captain Liang, I'm so sorry for not greeting you sooner. I was tied up with a meeting earlier and that's why I'm late. I'm so sorry."

The two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Principal Liu said, "Wait a moment, I'll call Dean Chen over."

After saying that, he returned to his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed: "Old Chen, it's me. Captain Liang is here. Why don't you come over and listen in? This is our joint work, so we need to keep an eye on each other. Okay, okay, he's in my office. Come on over."

After hanging up the phone, Principal Liu smiled at Liang Wei and said, "Dean Chen will be here soon. Please have a seat, and I'll have someone make some tea."

Then Principal Liu started making polite remarks, without asking a single question about who Zhou Yi was, as if this living person didn't exist in his eyes.

Zhou Yi wasn't surprised. After all, leaders come in all shapes and sizes; some are arrogant, while others are kind and approachable.

It's better if you ignore me; it saves me the trouble of being polite.

Four or five minutes later, hurried footsteps approached, and then a figure appeared at the door.

Zhou Yi turned his head and saw a man in his fifties with a slightly bald and shiny forehead, wearing glasses, standing at the door. He was another school leader whom Zhou Yi had met at the Municipal Bureau that day. Zhou Yi remembered calling him Dean Chen, so he guessed he was the dean of some college.

"Oh dear, Captain Liang, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

Like Principal Liu, Dean Chen immediately shook Liang Wei's hand and exchanged pleasantries.

He may have walked too fast, because his thick glasses were fogged up.

After sitting down, Dean Chen took out a lens cloth, removed his glasses, and wiped them clean.

After putting it back on, he turned his gaze to Zhou Yi, a hint of doubt in his eyes. He asked Liang Wei, "Why didn't Captain Ni come?"

“Captain Ni has worked too hard, running around for the case and is not feeling well. He asked me to apologize to the two of you.”

Zhou Yi suppressed a laugh, unsure whether Liang Wei was merely exchanging pleasantries or deliberately making sarcastic remarks about Ni Jianrong.

"Oh, not at all. You've all been working so hard on the case," Dean Chen said, glancing at Liu Baoguo beside him. "We're the ones who should be apologizing. We haven't been able to help much. We're ashamed."

Liu Baoguo interlaced his fingers and nodded.

Zhou Yi thought to himself, "This conversation is definitely full of fluff."

Unlike the arrogant Principal Liu, Dean Chen shifted his gaze back to Zhou Yi. "You must be Zhou Yi?"

Zhou Yi was slightly surprised: "Dean Chen, you still recognize me?"

Dean Chen laughed and said, "Didn't you appear on a TV program with Captain Ni? Captain Ni even praised you to me."

Zhou Yi wasn't surprised by the first sentence. The fact that he had been on television would indeed be remembered by many politically astute people, but not by ordinary people who were not involved. After all, there were so many television programs and so many guests all day long, and unlike the internet later on, television stations were passive viewing platforms where viewers couldn't browse at their own discretion.

He was surprised by the last sentence, because he knew that Ni Jianrong would never praise himself, given his personality.

Based on his earlier statement that he was "one of Wu Yongcheng's men," he wouldn't do something like praising himself to others.

These words were clearly a polite compliment from Dean Chen, indicating that he was quite shrewd and diplomatic, showing respect even to someone of little importance, unlike Principal Liu.

But to Zhou Yi's surprise, this statement revealed that Ni Jianrong had a relationship with Dean Chen and even Principal Liu standing next to him.

Then, recalling Brother Biao's complaints about Ni Jianrong's numerous dinner parties and his fondness for drinking culture, and the fact that Ni Jianrong personally escorted these two school leaders to the Municipal Bureau that day.

Zhou Yi understood. It seemed that Ni Jianrong wasn't actually having an upset stomach; he was just looking for an excuse to avoid the matter.

He didn't want to do anything that might offend people, so he simply didn't come.

Faced with the other party's polite words, Zhou Yi felt helpless and was just about to say a few polite words in return.

The other person's next words startled him.

Dean Chen said, "You know, this program should have been hosted by you and me."

"Huh?" Not only Zhou Yi found this strange, but Liu Baoguo and Liang Wei, who were standing next to him, were also puzzled by what it meant.

Zhou Yi suddenly remembered the day he first went to the city TV station, which was also the day Qian Lailai was first kidnapped.

He was supposed to record the program "Asking the Heart" that day, but it all started because he was filmed by Ding Chunmei rescuing Lu Xiaoshuang in the food street, which made the news, and he later received the title of "City Hero".

That day at the TV station, Zhong Lin, the head of the publicity department, told him that there was a dialogue segment on the program, and he would be talking to two guests. One of them was a local writer from Hongcheng surnamed Liang, who was quite famous in the literary world, but he had something come up at the last minute and couldn't come. Later, the TV station found Qian Hongxing to come in order to sponsor the program.

This is what led to the Qian Lailai case and related events.

Another Zhou Yi remembered that it was a professor from Hongda, who seemed to be a sociologist, and whose surname was Chen.

Zhou Yi suddenly realized and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh—you are Professor Chen Gengyun!"

Chen Gengyun smiled kindly and nodded: "That's right. When the TV station contacted me, I actually refused at first. After all, it was a public security incident, and I felt it was inappropriate for a scholar like me to get involved, especially since I'm getting on in years."

At this moment, Liu Baoguo smiled and said, "You, Old Chen, have been getting involved in all sorts of trouble. You're everywhere."

"As a sociology student, I have to integrate into society, otherwise academia would just be an empty shell."

After joking with Liu Baoguo, Chen Gengyun said to Zhou Yi, "Later, the TV station told me that the person you saved was a student from our Hongda University. When I heard that, I knew it was a different story. I had to go and express my gratitude to you and the police officers of Hongcheng on behalf of Hongda University."

As he spoke, he pointed to Liu Baoguo and said, "I even specifically asked our Principal Liu for instructions, and he waved his hand and said, 'Go, you must go.'"

"In the end," Chen Gengyun said with a helpless shrug, "it was a real pity that we couldn't record it."

Liu Baoguo said, "You must regret not being able to appear on TV."

Everyone burst into laughter, and Zhou Yi joined in with a couple of laughs.

I thought to myself how lucky that the show didn't get recorded. If it had, Qian Lailai would be dead, and Long Zhiqiang and his gang would still be at large.

"If I have the chance, I definitely want to have another good chat with you, my little friend," Chen Gengyun said with a smile.

"Dean Chen, you're too kind. It's my honor."

Zhou Yi had just finished making these polite remarks when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Although there is some connection between them, Dean Chen's behavior was undeniably a bit too enthusiastic.

In contrast, Vice Principal Liu standing next to him had a serious expression that exuded an air of authority.

The two of them seem to have a pretty good relationship, so why is their personality so different?

Suddenly, Zhou Yi understood!

Goodness, are these two on the other side playing the good cop/bad cop game for us?

At this moment, Liang Wei also noticed the problem, so he took the initiative to start a conversation and explain his purpose.

He said he came today because there were some things he wanted to know.

Then he took out Dong Lu's medical insurance record and placed it on the coffee table in front of him, saying, "We found a woman named Dong Lu. According to the medical insurance record, she should be a student of your university, enrolled in 1989. The medical insurance record shows that this Dong Lu was hospitalized at Pinghe Road Hospital for a long time. However, we could not find any relevant information about her in your university's student files."

After listening, Liu Baoguo and Chen Gengyun exchanged a glance, one expressionless and the other slightly surprised.

Chen Gengyun picked up the documents on the coffee table, flipped through them a few times, and muttered, "Hiss... Could they have been lost because of poor storage?"

Zhou Yi sneered and mocked, "If you can lose something as important as student files, what's the point of keeping this student affairs office? Wouldn't it be completely useless from top to bottom? They can't even do their jobs properly, they're just freeloaders?"

Then, smiling, he asked Chen Gengyun, "Dean Chen, which leader in your school is in charge of the Student Affairs Office? I think you can take this opportunity to report this person's dereliction of duty to the school."

Chen Gengyun said awkwardly, "I just said it offhand, maybe not, maybe not."

Liu Baoguo, standing next to him, had a noticeably flushed face.

Zhou Yi knew, of course, who was in charge of the student affairs office; he was just saying that on purpose.

Liang Wei rebuked, "Zhou Yi."

Zhou Yi immediately pretended to be afraid and shut his mouth.

Liang Wei continued, "Although Zhou Yi's words were a bit harsh, his reasoning is correct. The loss of student files is a serious matter, especially since it happens to be related to our investigation. I think we should report this to Director Xie and open a case to investigate whether there is any embezzlement or dereliction of duty by staff members."

Liu Baoguo waved his hand and said, "Captain Liang, I don't think this is necessary. Our school will investigate the issue of the information internally, so let's not waste the special task force's valuable police resources. Once the investigation results are out, we will consult with our superiors and then disclose them to you through the proper procedures."

Zhou Yi thought to himself, "They really know how to play the game of 'Tai Chi' well. By the time you investigate, it'll be too late."

Zhou Yi said, "Captain Liang, I don't think it's necessary, because I've already found some clues."

"Really?" Liang Wei feigned surprise, but the two people opposite him were genuinely surprised.

Zhou Yi said, "The grand Building No. 27 used to be a graduate student dormitory. Through interviews with graduate students who graduated many years ago, I learned that there was a fire in room 404 of the building, and it seems that someone was burned to death. The person who was burned to death was also named Dong Lu."

"Cough cough..." Liu Baoguo coughed twice, just about to speak.

Zhou Yi didn't give him a chance and continued, "I also heard that this might not have been an accidental fire. The person who gave me the information said that back then it was rumored to be an arson case!"

Liang Wei said, "Arson? That's impossible. Didn't they call the police at the time?"

"I don't know, I couldn't find any relevant police report." Zhou Yi then turned to Liu Baoguo and Chen Gengyun and asked, "Do you two leaders know about this? Did you call the police at the time?"

Liang Weixin, who was standing to the side, thought to himself, "This kid's acting is pretty good. He didn't show any fear at all because the other party was a highly respected leader."

Chen Gengyun and Liu Baoguo's expressions were visibly grim. Liu Baoguo didn't answer, but instead asked sternly, "Who told you these things?"

Oh, you're avoiding the question and asking a counter-question to change the subject?
Zhou Yi thought to himself, "That old guy is cunning enough."

However, he had no intention of answering him at all; if you ask me a question, I'll just ignore you.

He turned to Liang Wei and asked, "Captain Liang, if we hadn't called the police at the time, could this case still be investigated now? I don't have much experience with this, so I don't really know."

Liang Wei said, "For arson cases, if no serious injury or death is caused, the maximum statute of limitations is ten years. If serious injury or death is caused, the maximum statute of limitations is twenty years. So there is no problem with initiating an investigation."

Zhou Yi reached out and naturally took the photocopy of Dong Lu's medical insurance record from Chen Gengyun's hand, saying, "This Dong Lu was hospitalized in November 1989 and stayed for almost three months. The arson case also involved someone named Dong Lu, and they say she's dead. Are these two the same person? That would perfectly meet the procedures for filing a case and conducting an investigation."

Zhou Yi smiled and said to Liu Baoguo, "Vice Principal Liu, we'll start the case filing process as soon as we get back. We hope your school will cooperate fully with the investigation; we'd be extremely grateful. Once the investigation results are out, we'll consult with our superiors and then disclose them to you through the proper channels. Is that alright with you?"

Liu Baoguo was clearly furious, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Captain Liang, can you file a case based on hearsay and without any basis?" Vice Principal Liu asked coldly, narrowing his eyes.

Liang Wei said with a smile, "Principal Liu may not be very familiar with the work of our public security system. Filing a case is not the same as prosecuting. If the investigation finds no problems, it can be withdrawn at any time."

This statement effectively shut down the other party's idea of ​​making a big splash.

Liu Baoguo picked up his teacup, stood up, patted Chen Gengyun on the shoulder with his other hand, but didn't say anything, and then went to pour water for himself.

This seems to mean, "You decide for yourself."

Zhou Yi was a little puzzled. What did this mean? Was this related to Chen Gengyun?
Chen Gengyun gave a helpless, bitter smile, then sighed and said, "Captain Liang, Comrade Zhou Yi, the matter concerning Dong Lu is not what you think. There was no arson as rumored outside, nor was anyone unfortunately killed. The person ultimately responsible for this matter is Dong Lu herself."

As he spoke, Chen Gengyun took out two pieces of paper from the pocket of his white shirt, carefully unfolded them, and placed them on the coffee table.

"This is a confirmation letter from Dong Lu admitting that she caused the fire due to improper use of electrical appliances."

"And this is Dong Lu's own application to withdraw from school."

Liang Wei immediately frowned and picked up the two pieces of paper.

Zhou Yi had previously confirmed two things with Fang Gexin: first, the person in room 404 was indeed Dong Lu; second, Dong Lu had applied to withdraw from school herself.

The first point is nothing special, but regarding the second point, Zhou Yi felt it wasn't impossible.

Given Dong Lu's situation, it's impossible for her to continue her studies; she has no choice but to drop out.

Fang Gexin chose to reveal relatively safe information to him, which is in line with his shrewd style.

Therefore, the two were not surprised if Chen Gengyun only presented his withdrawal application.

But there's also a confirmation letter from Dong Lu admitting that she caused the fire by violating electricity regulations?

This caught both Liang Wei and Zhou Yi off guard.

Zhou Yi leaned closer to take a look, and after Liang Wei finished reading, he handed the two pieces of paper back to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi took it, his brows furrowed as he stared at the paper in his hand, reading it word by word.

The confirmation letter clearly stated, "Due to my violation of school regulations, on the evening of November 16, 1989, I used a high-power heating appliance in room 404 of the graduate student dormitory, which accidentally caused a fire that ignited the bedding, resulting in severe burns to me. I bear all responsibility, and the school bears no responsibility whatsoever."

A high-powered heating appliance? It could set bedding on fire?

Could it really be an unexpected situation?

But why did the school say that the self-immolation was caused by personal problems when they talked to the students on the same floor?
Careless use of electricity and spontaneous combustion are two completely different things.

Moreover, there are several unreasonable aspects to this confirmation.

First, the contents of the confirmation form were printed out, except for the signature of the person making the final confirmation, which was handwritten.

Secondly, the incident occurred on November 16, 1989, but the confirmation letter is dated January 9, 1990, almost two months later. At that time, Dong Lu should still be in the hospital.

Third, the confirmation letter also states that "out of humanitarian concern for the injured student, the school is providing a consolation payment of RMB 50,000 free of charge," and is sealed with a large official financial seal.

Then there was the withdrawal application, which was also printed out. The font and format were exactly the same as the confirmation letter, and the date was February, but you could see that there were slight differences in the ink on the date and the signature.

Therefore, all things considered, this so-called confirmation letter and withdrawal application are...

It's probably just a transaction.

Zhou Yi shook his head inwardly. No, it might not even be considered a transaction, but rather coercion!

The two documents were printed in advance. Back in 1990, it wasn't easy to find a print shop on the street, and it was still the same in 1997.

The printers are all imported and very expensive; they are generally only used by government agencies.

Even if Dong Lu really wanted to write this, she should have Xiao Bing write it by hand, not print it out.

Moreover, the wording in the document is completely biased towards the school, stating that it has nothing to do with the school and that it is a humanitarian gesture of providing condolence money free of charge.

They were so cunning that they didn't even use the word "fire," instead using the word "fire situation."

So it's obvious that this is something the school prepared and then forced Dong Lu to accept.

As for the condition, it was the 50,000 yuan "consolation money".

In 1990, 50,000 yuan was indeed a considerable sum.

But there are two points of doubt here.

First, if Dong Lu committed self-immolation, the school would not pay this amount for no reason; it would probably require the principal's signature.

This indirectly confirms that it was definitely not a self-immolation.

Arson and murder? Cover-up?
Does the school really dare to be so blatant about something this big?

Even if someone wanted to do it, the complex environment of the school leadership would not allow it.

The remaining possibility is that the fire was caused by negligence on the part of the school administration, and that investigating this could be detrimental to the promotion of certain individuals.

That's why we need to suppress things, turn big problems into small ones, and small problems into nothing.

Zhou Yi glanced at Chen Gengyun sitting opposite him and Liu Baoguo standing by the desk, showing no intention of sitting back down. He guessed it was related to the career prospects of one of the two of them.

That makes things complicated. With this liability confirmation letter, unless you have irrefutable evidence, the nature of this matter can only be an accident, since the person involved has already admitted it, and it has legal effect.

Moreover, even if we find Dong Lu herself now and have her deny it, it probably won't work.

Because Dong Lu is currently suffering from mental illness, her words have less legal force than the piece of paper in her hand.

Second, why did Dong Lu sign this document?
If the responsibility doesn't lie with her, wouldn't everyone want justice and an explanation?

Especially since she had just experienced the trauma of being raped a little over a year ago, the psychological need for money can become very strong after such a series of huge blows.

For the vast majority of people, the value of money can only be realized in a normal social environment.

If you give a piece of gold to someone dying of thirst in the desert, he won't be grateful; he'll just use the gold to kill you and then steal your water.

Therefore, Zhou Yi did not believe that Dong Lu would weigh whether the 50,000 yuan was worth letting go of past grievances.

Moreover, at that time, Dong Lu had been burned for less than two months.

Zhou Yi examined the signature carefully; it had some pauses, but overall it flowed smoothly.

Suddenly, he frowned and asked, "Dean Chen, did Dong Lu sign this herself?"

At this point, Liu Baoguo spoke up: "Her family member signed on her behalf; she was unable to sign or put her fingerprint on the document due to her condition at the time."

Zhou Yi sneered inwardly. These two really knew everything. They were pretending to be stupid before, but they only revealed their hand when they realized they couldn't fool them anymore.

“That’s not right, Principal Liu. Our investigation shows that Dong Lu is an orphan. She has no family.” Liang Wei said.

Liu Baoguo pointed at Chen Gengyun and said, "Old Chen, isn't that her family member? I remember she was a teaching assistant in our School of Foreign Languages."

Chen Gengyun nodded and said, "I think it's my fiancé, a teacher at our school."

That must be Xiao Bing.

“That’s not right.” Zhou Yi’s eyebrows shot up. “If the fiancé is not married, then the signature has no legal effect. Besides, shouldn’t a signature on behalf of someone else be in the name of the agent? And there should be proof of agency.”

Zhou Yi shook the paper in his hand and said, "Leaders, this document has no legal effect."

Unexpectedly, Liu Baoguo and Chen Gengyun were not in a hurry at all, and Liu Baoguo even had a hint of sarcasm on his face.

Chen Gengyun said, "It's my fault, I didn't explain clearly. Dong Lu's hands were shaking so badly at the time that her fiancé helped her by holding her hand as she signed the document."

This answer left Zhou Yi speechless, because it was most likely the truth.

The school must have known that Xiao Bing was absent from work, but it probably didn't know that Xiao Bing had fled because of the investigation into the major case. Therefore, it's unlikely that these two leaders would lie about something with witnesses.

So that means Xiao Bing was present when these two papers were signed.

The most likely scenario for signing would be in a hospital ward.

Can Xiao Bing accept this? Can he swallow this insult?

Although he wasn't a strong and powerful man, he wasn't a coward. He was the kind of person who would risk his life to snatch a knife from a criminal in a critical moment.

Would someone like that back down when Dong Lu faces a series of hardships?
Suddenly, Zhou Yi thought of a possibility.

Burn treatment is very expensive. Although medical insurance covers some costs, you still have to pay out of pocket. Moreover, not all treatments are covered by medical insurance; many items require out-of-pocket payment, especially if imported medications are used.

Xiao Bing and Dong Lu were two orphans with no one to rely on. Neither of Xiao Bing's relatives nor her family ever mentioned that Xiao Bing had asked them for money.

So where do they get the money for treatment?

The school probably targeted this point, which is why they offered this condition.

If you give up your right to pursue the matter, you can get the 50,000 yuan to save Dong Lu's life.

If we insist on getting the truth, Dong Lu may not be able to continue receiving treatment.

Choose the truth, or choose Dong Lu's fate!
Zhou Yi couldn't imagine how desperate Xiao Bing must have felt at that moment!
Chen Gengyun reached out and took the two pieces of paper from Zhou Yi's hand without making a sound, just like Zhou Yi had done before.

"So young people should gain more experience and not be too eager to succeed or too impetuous. Of course, you should listen to the voices of the masses, but you should also distinguish which ones to listen to and which ones not to listen to, so as not to ruin your bright future."

Zhou Yi remained silent, because he couldn't really say anything at the moment unless he found Xiao Bing.

Xiao Bing is mentally sound and is also a close associate of the parties involved; only from him can we learn more details.

That's probably the end of it for the school.

The original intention was to bring this matter to the forefront, to accuse the school of arson and murder, and force them to prove their innocence. Even if they didn't prove it, there would be a legitimate reason to forcibly investigate further.

As it turns out, the other party had already resolved the matter perfectly.

If Zhou Yi wants to reopen this case, he will not receive any support unless he can find irrefutable evidence of arson and murder.

But seven or eight years have passed, how could there possibly be any solid evidence left?

Many cases where the truth can still be uncovered after many years are either because the police immediately conducted a scene investigation after the crime, collected and secured clues, and later, technological advancements helped to identify the murderer through those clues; or because the murderer confessed to the crime directly or indirectly because of other cases.

The chances of overturning a case that wasn't reported at the time are practically zero.

At this moment, Liu Baoguo walked over and said to Liang Wei in a sarcastic tone, "Captain Liang, it's really your provincial department's comrades who are of high quality. I think the quality of our Hongcheng police force still needs to be improved."

He was referring to Zhou Yi, of course.

Liang Wei knew that Zhou Yi must have suffered a setback, and at this moment he had to stand up for him.

Liang Wei stood up and asked, "Can I interpret Vice Principal Liu's words as a criticism that Hongcheng's public security team building work is inadequate?"

"I..." Liu Baoguo was speechless.

"I remember Dean Chen mentioned earlier that he was going to record a program with Zhou Yi, right?"

Chen Gengyun nodded, wondering what Liang Wei was up to.

"I've heard about this at the provincial department. It seems the people of Hongcheng even gave Zhou Yi a nickname, right? Something like... City Hero?"

Chen Gengyun nodded and said that was right.

Liang Wei rubbed his hands together, glanced at Zhou Yi, and laughed, "To be honest, I've been a police officer for almost thirty years, and my father has been a veteran police officer since the founding of the People's Republic of China. In our two generations and half a century of career, we've never received such an honor."

Liang Wei laughed loudly, "This is not something that can be compared to a first-class merit or a second-class merit, nor can it be compared to any leader's praise! This is recognition and praise from the people, the highest honor for a police officer!"

Liang Wei's words instantly moved Zhou Yi, who couldn't help but stand up. "Captain Liang, I..."

Liang Wei suddenly turned to face Zhou Yi, then stood at attention and saluted.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Yi immediately straightened his back and stood at attention.

"Comrade Zhou Yi, we hope you will remember this and live up to the trust that the people have placed in you!"

Zhou Yi saluted and answered loudly, "Yes, sir!"

Zhou Yi's word was like a thunderclap.

Liu Baoguo and Chen Gengyun looked at each other, completely at a loss for words.

If you, Liu Baoguo, try to pin another big label on me, is it as big as the one Liang Wei is wearing?

In a country where the people are the masters, is there anything greater than the people themselves?

Or is it that you, Liu Baoguo, have fundamentally deviated from national policies in your thinking?
Unfortunately, although they won the argument, the problem remained unresolved.

Dong Lu's graduate school application materials are still missing. Liu Baoguo insists that it was due to poor safekeeping and negligence on the part of his subordinates, and that the school will definitely conduct a thorough investigation.

As for when the investigation will take place, and what will happen afterward, there's no set timeframe.

This meeting ended unhappily.

When Liang Wei and Zhou Yi walked out of the administration building, the rain had stopped, except for the dripping raindrops from the trees.

"Captain Liang, about what happened today..."

Liang Wei waved his hand and said in a friendly tone, "It's not your fault. I didn't expect this to happen."

“Captain Liang, the claim of using electrical appliances in violation of regulations is definitely false.”

"Without evidence, the truth or falsehood is meaningless. Unless we can find Dong Lu, the person involved, as soon as possible, perhaps the only way to find out the truth is from her."

Zhou Yi nodded: "I understand."

Just then, Liang Wei's phone rang. He answered it and listened for only a couple of sentences before a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

"Okay, I'll head back to the station right away!"

"Captain Liang, what happened?" Zhou Yi asked quickly after he hung up the phone.

"We found Dong Lu," Liang Wei said happily. "Old Qiu took his men back to Xiao Bing's house to do another search, but they found that the seal had been washed away by the heavy rain. Then they found new footprints inside the house, so they immediately called for backup. Then they found a woman in black clothes in the basement, which is probably Dong Lu."

"Great! Have you found Xiao Bing?"

Liang Wei shook his head: "So far, we've only found Dong Lu, not Xiao Bing."

He patted Zhou Yi on the shoulder and said, "Come on, come back to the station with me."

From a window on the upper floor of the administration building, a figure was watching Liang Wei and Zhou Yi's every move downstairs.

The figure only retreated after they left.

But at that moment, the figure suddenly froze.

His gaze fell on a flower bed not far away.

There was a person hiding behind the bushes, staring intently at the direction where Zhou Yi and the others had disappeared.

(End of this chapter)