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

Chapter 448 Secret Transaction
"I...I..." Chen Gengyun hesitated, seemingly still wanting to struggle.

But Zhou Yi's sharp gaze chilled him to the bone.

“Sigh…yes, I lied to her. I said I’m from a cadre family, my dad…is the head of a certain unit, and I volunteered to go to the countryside for training.”

After he finished speaking, Qiao Jiali, who was in charge of taking notes, couldn't help but glare at him with disdain.

This person is shameless. He just made a humble phone call to Li Aiping's father during the day, and now he's using Li Aiping's love for Chen Lin as an excuse to ask for his help.

At night, he would cuddle with other women, taking advantage of his superiors' power, and present himself as the daughter of a high-ranking official.

"Why do you say that?" Zhou Yi asked. "And what is your purpose?"

"I... am... vain," Chen Gengyun said guiltily.

"I don't think it's just vanity, is it? You want to control Fan Chunyu and then use her to vent your desires. You know she comes from a bad family background, so you pretended to be the child of a cadre, didn't you even say that you wouldn't stay at Changfeng Forest Farm for too long? When you return to Hongcheng, you'll arrange for your family to transfer her there to reunite with you? You might even boast that you can remove some of her labels?"

With each question Zhou Yi asked, Chen Gengyun lowered his head a little further, until finally he curled up like a lobster.

At this moment, Jiang Biao reached out, grabbed his shoulder, and lifted him up, saying coldly, "Sit up straight!"

Chen Gengyun's reaction showed that Zhou Yi had guessed correctly.

But Zhou Yi's heart sank little by little.

An 18-year-old girl, accused of having a bad family background, comes to a forest farm deep in the mountains to reclaim wasteland. She is alone and helpless, with a sensitive and delicate heart.

She secretly harbored feelings for a man older than herself who was a skilled poet.

The man then claimed to be the daughter of a cadre who was there for training, and said he could not only take her away from these mountains in the future, but also help her get rid of her official hat.

It may seem absurd in later years, but in that era, it was indeed what she cared about most.

Chen Gengyun gave her immense hope when she was in despair.

She would naturally trust this man completely, willingly giving him her body and soul.

For Chen Gengyun, she was nothing more than a tool for him to vent his desires, because everyone in those deep mountains and forests was very repressed.

Given his nature, he certainly wouldn't let go of Fan Chunyu, who offered herself to him.

"Chen Gengyun, does nobody in the forest know that you have a woman in Hongcheng who bore you a child?" Zhou Yi asked.

Chen Gengyun shook his head: "No one knows except the forestry farm cadres."

"And what about you and Fan Chunyu?"

“We are very, very careful every time we meet. We deliberately keep our distance in public. I told her that if our relationship is discovered, neither of us will have a good ending, and then everything will be over.”

"Chen Gengyun, when did you find out that Fan Chunyu was pregnant?"

"Around March, she quietly told me that she hadn't had her period for several months and was a little scared. This terrified me, but I still comforted her and told her it was okay. As a result, the following month she was reported and put in solitary confinement."

“She was detained for more than a month. During that time, I was on tenterhooks every day. I dreamed that they were coming to arrest me. The forestry cadres even came to me and asked if I had found anyone who was getting close to Fan Chunyu. I thought Fan Chunyu had already betrayed me and they were testing me. I was terrified, but on the surface, I had to pretend that nothing had happened.”

"Fortunately, a cadre casually remarked that Fan Chunyu was too stubborn, which put my mind at ease. Later, they started criticizing her, pulling her out for criticism every three days. At that time, Aiping wrote back to me, saying that her father was trying to pull strings to get me transferred back, and asked me to wait a little longer."

“I knew this was a critical moment. If Fan Chunyu confessed at this time, my life would be completely ruined. So I took advantage of the brief opportunity of bringing her food to secretly say a few words to her.”

Zhou Yi asked, "What did you say?"

“I… told her that everything was arranged at home and I could leave soon. Once I get back to Hongcheng, I’ll ask my family to find a way to transfer you as well. Then I’ll come to pick her up, and… and our child, so the three of us can be reunited.”

Zhou Yi gritted his teeth and asked, "Did you tell her not to betray you?"

Chen Gengyun shook his head and quickly said, "No, I swear, absolutely not."

Zhou Yi sighed inwardly. If Chen Gengyun hadn't intervened at the last minute, Fan Chunyu might have confessed. After all, she was only nineteen years old at the time and couldn't have withstood such a storm.

If Fan Chunyu had confessed back then, this massive case wouldn't exist.

There was no Dean Chen Gengyun, only a laborer named Chen Yimin doing hard labor in Changfengling.

But it was Chen Gengyun's words, and the fact that he was actually transferred back to Hongcheng, that made Fan Chunyu believe everything Chen Gengyun said. Because he "didn't lie" to her, she believed that what he said must be true.

Taking Fan Tianyou away from Changfeng Ridge to find Chen Gengyun was her only hope for survival.

It's too cruel. The false hope that Chen Gengyun implanted in her to protect himself became a mental shackle that tormented her day and night.

Moreover, it is clear that Fan Tianyou was also burdened with this shackle from birth, a shackle that Fan Chunyu personally placed on her son.

"And then?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Later, with the help of Aiping's father, I was successfully transferred back to Hongcheng. And then... I never heard from Changfengling again."

"What's the deal with the name? You said last time that your father-in-law asked you to change it, is that true?"

Chen Gengyun shook his head and said, "No...no, I changed it myself after I returned to Hongcheng."

Chen Gengyun said that after returning to Hongcheng, he was very afraid that Fan Chunyu would find him one day, so he made up an excuse to change his name and then got a marriage certificate with Li Aiping.

Later, at his father-in-law's suggestion, he took the college entrance examination again as a previous graduate and was admitted to Hongda University. From then on, he transformed into a highly educated intellectual.

He had long forgotten about the past of Changfeng Forest Farm and the life and death of Fan Chunyu and her son.

"All these years, haven't you inquired about Fan Chunyu and the child she had?" Zhou Yi asked.

Chen Gengyun said, "I... dare not..."

Then she added, "Besides, so many years have passed, what if she's already married? Why bother her with those foolish things from our youth?"

What makes a hypocrite more terrifying than a genuine villain is this:

When did you find out that Fan Tianyou was your son?

"Actually... he approached me on his own initiative."

Chen Gengyun's words made Zhou Yi frown. Fan Tianyou took the initiative to find Chen Gengyun? That possibility seems a bit low.

Fan Chunyu certainly knew that Chen Gengyun was from Hongcheng, that much was certain, but Hongcheng was such a big city, how easy was it to find someone who had changed his name to Chen Yimin?

Given Chen Gengyun's cautious nature, it's impossible that he would leave any concrete information for Fan Chunyu. Even if he did, it would most likely be false, since he fabricated his own persona.

Therefore, Fan Chunyu should have possessed very little information, and left it with Fan Tianyou.

Moreover, Chen Gengyun changed his name after returning from Changfeng Forest Farm before being admitted to Hongda University, so Fan Tianyou couldn't possibly know that Chen Gengyun was at Hongda.

Zhou Yi asked him to be more specific.

Chen Gengyun said that it was a day in the autumn of 1985.

When he returned to school from outside, he found a thin young man squatting at the door of his office, dressed in tattered clothes.

He didn't realize at the time that this person was his son, and asked him in a stern tone what major he was in and what he was doing squatting there.

Fan Tianyou stood up, took out his student ID, and handed it to him.

He was shocked when he saw the name on the student ID.

It's not just because of the surname Fan, but because he chose the name Tianyou.

Back when we were still at Changfeng Forest Farm, during a time when I was being affectionate with Fan Chunyu, she asked me what a nice name to give our child if we had one in the future.

At that time, he followed Fan Chunyu's words and said the name Tianyou, meaning that God would bless their child.

That was just something he said casually when he was being lewd, but Fan Chunyu remembered it. Perhaps at that time Fan Chunyu had already realized that she might be pregnant, which is why she asked that question.

He stood at the office door, looking at his student ID in his hand, then at the boy in front of him who looked very much like him when he was young, and felt extremely nervous.

He knew that the karmic debts had come knocking on his door.

But he pretended to be calm and pulled the person into his office before asking what the other person wanted to see him about.

Fan Tianyou took two pieces of paper out of his pocket and handed them to him.

He took it and was dumbfounded.

One of the sheets of paper was a collection of handwritten blessings from school leaders published in the school newspaper two years ago during the school's anniversary celebration. The part written by Chen Gengyun was cut out.

The other piece of paper was just an ordinary piece of paper, worn and tattered, but it contained a passionate modern poem, signed at the end by Changfeng Forest Farm and Chen Yimin.

He suddenly remembered that the poem was not written for Fan Chunyu, but was written at the request of the leaders and was posted in the forest farm to showcase the spirit of educated youth.

Fan Tianyou said that his mother later stole the poem from the forestry station office and treasured it ever since.

Based on this piece of paper and the handwriting, he finally identified Chen Gengyun.

This way of recognizing each other was beyond Zhou Yi's expectations, because the probability was too small. Was it really preordained?

But looking at it from another perspective, there is actually some inevitability in this process.

Chen Gengyun presented himself as the child of a cadre, possessing excellent calligraphy and poetry skills, and was a man of great literary talent.

Fan Chunyu would definitely portray his father in this way to his son, so in Fan Tianyou's mind, his father should be a learned and cultured man, which is why he thought of comparing handwriting.

If he hadn't stumbled upon Chen Gengyun during his sophomore year, he would most likely have stayed in Hongcheng after graduation to work, and then tried every possible way to continue searching for his biological father through handwriting analysis until he found him. After all, back then, most things were handwritten, leaving traces to follow.

In the office, Fan Tianyou asked him, "Are you Chen Yimin? Why did you leave my son and me there? My mother always told me that my father would come to pick us up soon, but all these years, we've never heard from him."

Chen Gengyun was terrified and at a loss, but he knew he had to keep Fan Tianyou calm. So he hugged him and staged a scene of father and son recognizing each other. He also said that he was also helpless and had encountered many things. He was persecuted to the point of almost losing his life, so he was unable to find Fan Tianyou and his mother.

Of course, all of this is nonsense. After all, he is a hypocrite who lies as easily as drinking water. He deceives everyone, even himself.

When he learned that Fan Chunyu had committed suicide, he outwardly wept bitterly, but inwardly he felt relieved.

Because Fan Tianyou was just a poor kid who had never seen the world, he was easy for him to manipulate.

So, in order to keep him calm, he first gave him all the money he had on him, telling him to buy some new clothes and eat something good.

I'm going on a business trip soon, and I'll have a good chat with him when he gets back.

"You went to Changfeng Ridge?" Zhou Yi asked upon hearing this.

Chen Gengyun was taken aback, then nodded: "Yes, I told my family I was going on a business trip, and to the school I asked for leave because of family matters, and then I rushed to Changfengling overnight."

"Go and confirm whether Fan Chunyu is dead or not?"

"Yes……"

Zhou Yi's heart tightened; this old man was too cautious.

However, Fan Tianyou is indeed his biological son, and he is no pushover either.

"After confirming that Fan Chunyu was really dead, did you decide to acknowledge Fan Tianyou?"

Chen Gengyun sighed, "He's studying at Hongda University, how can I not acknowledge him?"

Zhou Yi sneered, "That's because Fan Chunyu is dead. If Fan Chunyu hadn't died, who knows what would have happened."

"So, you were lying when you said Chen Lin and Fan Tianyou were dating, right?"

"Yes... that was a plausible excuse to create an alibi for him. If we hadn't said that, there would have been no suitable reason for the two of us to meet at Xishan Cemetery that night."

As I guessed, but there's no rush to solve this problem.

Zhou Yi continued, "So what is Li Aiping and Chen Lin's attitude towards you, this illegitimate child who suddenly appeared? Did you intend to accept him, which is why you brought him home?"

Zhou Yi always felt that it was very unusual for Chen Gengyun to bring Fan Tianyou home and introduce him to his wife and daughters; it didn't fit his personality.

“I didn’t plan to take him home. I just gave him money and bought him some things to try to keep him calm. I told him that I couldn’t publicly acknowledge him because of my current situation, but he promised that he wouldn’t abandon him. I would give him living expenses and arrange a job for him after he graduates from university. He also expressed his understanding, saying that he didn’t come to destroy my family and life. He just felt that he was lonely and helpless in this world, so he wanted to find me.”

"Honestly, I was really touched by how sensible he was." Chen Gengyun, who was about to burst into tears a second ago, suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "I never expected to see him at my house one night when I got home from get off work. I was stunned. Aiping said that he claimed to be my student and came to visit me with a lot of things."

Zhou Yi couldn't help but sneer. Like father, like son. Fan Tianyou was already a wicked person at such a young age.

Chen Gengyun said that Li Aiping invited Fan Tianyou to dinner that night, and he was on tenterhooks the whole time.

By then, Li Aiping was no longer the naive young girl she once was. During meals, she kept subtly inquiring about Fan Tianyou's family situation.

Every time she asked a question, Chen Gengyun felt his heart skip a beat.

Fortunately, Li Aiping did not make a scene on the spot.

After finishing her meal, she cleared the dishes and asked Chen Gengyun to take Xiao Fan home.

Chen Gengyun practically dragged Fan Tianyou out of the Chen family's old house. As soon as they were outside, he angrily questioned Fan Tianyou about what he was trying to do.

Unexpectedly, Fan Tianyou cried and said: Dad, I'm just too lonely. My mom is gone, and I want to feel the warmth of family.

Then Fan Tianyou swore that he would never come to his house again.

This made Chen Gengyun feel somewhat guilty, but at the same time it made him wary of himself as an illegitimate child, because he knew all too well what kind of person he was.

When he got home, his daughter Chen Lin told him that she didn't like Fan Tianyou and felt that he was a strange person.

Chen Gengyun promised on the spot that he would not come again, but unexpectedly, Li Aiping said casually, "This child looks quite pitiful. We can invite him to our house for meals more often in the future."

These words sent a chill down Chen Gengyun's spine.

He wasn't sure if Li Aiping had discovered anything, so he was on tenterhooks all night, but Li Aiping didn't say a word.

When he returned to his room after washing up, he found that Li Aiping had already turned off the light and lay down to sleep, with her back to him.

This finally relieved him, making him think that everything was alright.

But as soon as he tiptoed to lie down, Li Aiping asked in an icy voice, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Chen Gengyun said he was so frightened that he sat up on the spot.

That evening, he confessed to Li Aiping the mistakes he had made at Changfeng Forest Farm.

Although Chen Gengyun said he had confessed everything, Zhou Yi felt that his words were completely unbelievable and that he was probably just trying to pin the blame on Fan Chunyu.

He said that Li Aiping was a soft-hearted person. When she heard that he had gone to Changfengling last time and confirmed that Fan Chunyu had passed away, she sighed and said, "Go to sleep," and then said nothing more.

Chen Gengyun said that although Li Aiping did not say she accepted Fan Tianyou, she did not mention the matter again.

The days passed in this strange atmosphere.

It wasn't until New Year's Eve in 1985 that Li Aiping said to Chen Gengyun, "Invite Tianyou to come over for New Year's Eve dinner."

Chen Gengyun was overjoyed and immediately went to tell Fan Tianyou. He also bought some things to have Fan Tianyou bring over later.

That evening, the "family" had a happy New Year's Eve dinner together. Fan Tianyou called Chen Gengyun "teacher" and Li Aiping "teacher's wife".

Chen Lin, however, kept a long face all night. Although Li Aiping explained to her that Fan Tianyou was related to her father, Chen Lin didn't buy it at all.

After that, every time Fan Tianyou came to the Li family, Chen Lin would have a sour face.

This information is largely consistent with the information obtained from Fan Tianyou and Chen Lin's university classmates, indicating its authenticity.

However, Zhou Yi didn't know how to describe Li Aiping's personality. She was too kind, so she was completely controlled by Chen Gengyun for her entire life.

"What happened to Chen Gengyun, Li Aiping, and Chen Lin?"

"What happened?" Chen Gengyun was stunned. "It was...it was an accident. I was away on a business trip, organized by the school, for more than a week. The day before I was supposed to come back, the police station called me, and that's when I...that's when I found out about the accident..."

Chen Gengyun raised his hand to wipe away the tears streaming from the corners of his eyes; this was the only genuine sadness Zhou Yi had ever seen on his face.

That was probably the only remaining humanity he possessed.

"Are you sure Li Aiping and Chen Lin's deaths were accidents?" Zhou Yi's question made Chen Gengyun shudder.

Zhou Yi knew that it was impossible for him not to have considered a certain possibility.

Chen Gengyun suddenly covered his face and burst into tears, sobbing as he said, "I don't know, I really don't know, I don't dare to think about it, Linlin is gone, I'm scared... I'm scared..."

"Are you afraid that if you find out the truth, you won't even be able to be father and son anymore?" Zhou Yi asked.

Chen Gengyun nodded repeatedly, tears streaming down his face.

This matter is actually an unknown. The task force checked the police dispatch records of the street police station at the time and found no signs of homicide at the scene. Moreover, there are precedents for this kind of thing.

Unless Fan Tianyou admits it himself, if Chen Gengyun had questioned him back then, they might not have been able to remain father and son.

Another crucial point is that with Chen Lin dead, Chen Gengyun only has Fan Tianyou as his child.

Moreover, Fan Tianyou is a son and Chen Lin is a daughter. From the traditional concepts of having no male heir and continuing the family line, Fan Tianyou is Chen Gengyun's only choice.

Although he was not yet fifty years old at that time and was still in his prime, the risks and negative impacts of finding another woman to have children were not small, so it would not be his first choice.

Chen Gengyun confessed that it was precisely because of this incident that he harbored resentment, which is why Fan Tianyou mentioned several times that he wanted to change his surname and return to his ancestral home, but he refused on the grounds that it would have a bad influence.

“After Aiping and Linlin passed away, I dared not live at home anymore, because every time I closed my eyes, I would see the two of them floating in front of me. So I applied for a dormitory room at the school and moved to the school, where I have lived for more than ten years.”

Up to this point, those old stories have been basically explained, but there is still some information that we will probably have to wait until Fan Tianyou wakes up to find out.

Of course, this is all on the premise that he can wake up.

Although Chen Gengyun was shown a photo of Fan Tianyou lying in a hospital bed, not dead, that was all; whether he would wake up or when he would wake up was unknown to the doctors.

"Chen Gengyun, now I'll explain Dong Lu's matter. I'm warning you first, Liu Baoguo has already confessed everything you've done, so you'd better handle it yourself."

Chen Gengyun raised his hand tremblingly and asked, "Could I have some water?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Biao stood up behind him and said, "Wait."

A glass of water was quickly placed in front of Chen Gengyun. He thanked Jiang Biao, picked up the glass, and gulped it down in one go.

It's like a person dying of thirst in the desert.

After finishing his water, Chen Gengyun looked at Zhou Yi and said, "Officer Zhou, you can continue."

Zhou Yi looked at the person in front of him. Not long ago, he had been a nonchalant intellectual, but now he looked like a humble old man.

But Zhou Yi knew that it wasn't just Xie Guoqiang's scheme that had terrified Chen Gengyun.

This was indeed Chen Gengyun's Achilles' heel, but the subsequent effects did not actually manifest so quickly.

There's a deeper meaning behind this matter, which can't be explicitly stated but can only be hinted at.

If Chen Gengyun understands the signal Xie Guoqiang is sending him, he will weigh the pros and cons and ultimately make the right choice.

If you don't understand, then good luck to you.

After Liu Baoguo was handed over to the Discipline Inspection Commission, he reportedly confessed to many things, although Zhou Yi did not have the authority to know exactly what he confessed.

However, from Liang Wei's few words, it can be inferred that Liu Baoguo came into contact with some people through Chen Gengyun, and the mistakes he made in his position as vice principal were just the tip of the iceberg in the eyes of these people.

This means that Chen Gengyun, this political broker, may possess many more unknown dark secrets.

He could be the key to moving a mountain.

But given his shrewdness, it's absolutely impossible for him to voluntarily confess those things, and he wouldn't dare to either.

Liu Baoguo dropped the case so quickly because he was eager to atone for his crimes and reduce his punishment. After all, he was not involved in the major case and did not know about those dark secrets.

But Chen Gengyun is different; he has been active for so many years and knows too much.

Those behind those secrets won't be so easily put at ease.

So these people have two choices: either protect him or silence him.

Just think about what Huang Chongming and his family of three will experience three years from now, and you'll understand.

But it's almost impossible to kill someone and silence them right under the noses of the police and the discipline inspection commission.

Given the immense influence of the Hongda case, no one dared to speak up for him at this time.

Chen Gengyun himself was well aware of this matter, but his current situation prevented him from assuring those people that he would keep quiet.

However, precisely because he cannot express his opinion, those behind the secrets will not act rashly. After all, if they do something and it fails, it will force him to expose himself to survive.

This state is like a tightrope walker, swaying precariously, but not yet falling.

That's why he kept delaying the investigation of this major case, like squeezing toothpaste, both to evade responsibility and to maintain this balance. The longer he dragged it out, the more he could demonstrate his stance to certain people and protect himself.

But tonight, Xie Guoqiang pulled him right off that steel wire.

Under the guise of "winning hearts and minds," they lured Chen Gengyun to the television studio.

Whether the show is recorded or not, or whether it is broadcast or not, is not important. What is really important is that by doing this, people will naturally know about Chen Gengyun's current situation.

Xie Guoqiang is sending a message to the outside world: "If Chen Gengyun can't hold on, we have plenty of ways to make him talk!"
This was tantamount to driving Chen Gengyun to his death, which is why he was so terrified when the studio lights came on.

Because he knew he was finished. The criminal suspect who was brought in to record a program to give a testimony must have "redeemed himself" because he had done so. Otherwise, who would receive this treatment? After all, the TV station had no idea what Zhou Yi had told Xie Guoqiang back then.

So what is this merit? It goes without saying.

If you say you didn't say a word, then it's no use.

If you continue to resist stubbornly, those people will still see you as a thorn in their side.

So the moment the lights came on, Chen Gengyun had no choice.

There was only one path before him: to become a "tainted witness" and truly atone for his crimes.

But you already have a murder case against you. If you say you're willing to atone for your crime through meritorious service, the organization won't believe you.

You need to show some sincerity.

Therefore, confessing to the crimes of the grand case became Chen Gengyun's "pledge of allegiance" in exchange for the chance to speak and live.

This was a one-sided transaction, completely different from the "deal" Zhou Yi made with Xu Jiaguang back then.

The stakes in this secret deal were Chen Gengyun's life.

Survival is the instinct of all living beings. No matter what your identity or status is, when faced with a life-or-death situation, living is the only purpose of human beings.

Xie Guoqiang's move was both dirty and ruthless, giving the impression that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

Moreover, even though he had already planned everything, he deliberately created a "difficult problem" for himself, forcing him to propose the answer of "public execution" by following the "psychological warfare" approach.

It was as if it were his own idea.

Before that, Zhou Yi hadn't actually thought about this deeper layer; he was really just following the surface-level thinking.

The only thing that struck him as odd was that Chen Gengyun seemed to have broken down his defenses a little too quickly.

He thought that he would have to go through a battle of wits and courage to defeat his opponent.

Unexpectedly, Chen Gengyun revealed everything, answering all questions.

Just now, he suddenly realized this possibility and the real purpose behind this "grand show".

He couldn't be sure if he was overthinking things or if he had actually guessed correctly.

Because no one can give him the answer to this kind of question.

He felt a chill run down his spine.

Xie Guoqiang's cunning and methods were too terrifying, which made Zhou Yi unsure of his true nature.

Chen Gengyun, this old fox, has such excellent acting skills; he's currently playing a distraught old man.

Zhou Yi couldn't help but sigh that even though his mental age was similar to these two, their political acumen and strategic skills were far inferior.

Today's game is actually being played by Xie Guoqiang and Chen Gengyun; I'm just sitting here as a tool.

"Officer Zhou..." Chen Gengyun called out tentatively.

Zhou Yi suddenly snapped out of his reverie and realized that he had been daydreaming.

"I can continue," Chen Gengyun reminded him.
Zhou Yi nodded. If everything was as he expected, then even if Chen Gengyun was indeed the murderer in the grand case, he could probably be spared the death penalty if the deal fell through.

Zhou Yi didn't know if this outcome was right or if it fully complied with the fairness of the law.

But he knew very well that this was beyond his reach; he was just an ordinary criminal police officer in the Third Brigade of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of Hongcheng City Public Security Bureau.

All he can do is investigate the whole truth of this massive case, regardless of its past or present lives, and give all the victims the truth.

As for how the court will ultimately rule, the judiciary is inherently complex, and the world is even more complex; that's no longer a question he can consider.

After mentally preparing himself, Zhou Yi asked, "Chen Gengyun, was Fan Tianyou the one who set fire to Dong Lu?"

Chen Gengyun nodded.

"Why did he do this?"

Chen Gengyun sighed deeply and said, "I've always suspected that he has some mental problems."

Chen Gengyun said that after his wife and daughter died, he avoided Fan Tianyou for about half a year.

Later, he developed some health problems and needed surgery. During his hospitalization, Fan Tianyou stayed by his side, taking care of him tirelessly, which moved him deeply.

It was that experience that made him truly accept Fan Tianyou as his son.

After being discharged from the hospital, he called Fan Tianyou to his dormitory and had a long talk with him.

He told Fan Tianyou that he would use his resources and connections to pave the way for him to finish his undergraduate degree first, and then switch majors to study for a master's and doctoral degree in the School of Social Sciences, with himself as his mentor.

This way, they don't have to make their relationship public, and they can pave the way for him in a natural way. On the surface, they are master and apprentice, but in reality, they are father and son.

Chen Gengyun told Fan Tianyou that he would leave everything to him.

Zhou Yi asked, "Chen Gengyun, does what you call 'everything' also include your connections and resources?"

The moment Zhou Yi heard the question, he noticed Chen Gengyun's eyes quickly glancing towards the audience seats in the darkness.

As expected, I was right.

Of course, there could be no response in the dark.

He nodded without saying anything.

It seems he wanted Fan Tianyou to "follow in his father's footsteps".

But it's clear that Fan Tianyou doesn't have the same level of cunning as Chen Gengyun. Although he has some scheming, he's nowhere near as shrewd as Chen Gengyun.

Moreover, his emotional instability is a major problem; to navigate between power and money, one must remain calm even in the face of a collapsing mountain.

"Why do you suspect he has mental problems?" Zhou Yi asked.

"During his senior year of college, he broke the leg of a security guard at the school..."

"Broken leg?" That's something I haven't found in my records. "Why?"

"The two had a minor altercation, and the security guard cursed 'Fuck your mother,' and then he suddenly went berserk, grabbed a brick from a nearby flower bed, and smashed the man's leg. Several people couldn't stop him."

Zhou Yi frowned and asked, "Did you settle this matter?"

Chen Gengyun nodded: "Yes, I lost a lot of money to suppress this matter."

“I asked him why he suddenly became so emotional, and his answer was: That security guard insulted my mother.”

Chen Gengyun said with lingering fear, "The look in his eyes when he said that was particularly terrifying, something I had never seen before, and it sent chills down my spine. I realized that he might have some mental problems. Later, similar situations occurred twice more, and I had to ask Liu Baoguo for help to resolve them both times."

Chen Gengyun explained in detail the two subsequent incidents, both of which were caused by trivial matters that led Fan Tianyou to suddenly lose control of his emotions and harm others.

Because these incidents all occurred at the school, and the most serious injury was to the security guard whose leg was broken, Chen and Liu managed to cover it up. In addition, due to the passage of time, the special investigation team was unable to find out anything.

It was Chen Gengyun's constant indulgence and protection that led Fan Tianyou down a path of no return.

"Does Fan Tianyou know Dong Lu?" Zhou Yi asked. Such a big thing happened, and it's okay for Liu Baoguo not to know the whole story, so he can still shirk responsibility when the truth can't be hidden anymore. But Chen Gengyun can't. He definitely has to find Fan Tianyou and ask him everything.

Chen Gengyun said that although Fan Tianyou and Dong Lu are both graduate students in the School of Sociology and live in the same building, they do not actually know each other.

After the arson incident, Fan Tianyou confessed to him that he and Dong Lu had only crossed paths once before.

One day, Fan Tianyou went to the rooftop of the graduate student dormitory to air out his bed sheets, but the pillowcase was blown away by the wind and ended up hanging on the edge of the rooftop.

When he went to pick it up, his foot slipped and he almost fell.

Fortunately, he managed to grab the edge of the slope on the outer edge of the rooftop and didn't fall, but he didn't have enough strength to climb back up.

Just then, Dong Lu came up to hang out the bed sheets, spotted him, ran over and pulled him up, saving his life.

Dong Lu thought he was contemplating suicide, so she comforted him for a few words, telling him to cherish life, and then left after hanging up the sheets.

Fan Tianyou told Chen Gengyun that it was from that day that he fell in love with Dong Lu, feeling that she was like a ray of light that suddenly appeared and saved him.

However, instead of boldly approaching and pursuing Dong Lu, he did the same thing he did with Lu Xiaoshuang.

He began to secretly follow Dong Lu, observing her every move. He discovered that Dong Lu was learning French and had a love for poetry and literature, so he secretly found the same books as her to read and learn from.

But he didn't know that Dong Lu was learning French entirely because of Xiao Bing.

Zhou Yi asked, "Has Fan Tianyou ever explained why he chose to engage in such despicable behavior as stalking?"

If the constraints imposed on Lu Xiaoshuang were due to their age difference and the teacher-student relationship, then why didn't they pursue each other openly and honestly when they were the same age and both graduate students?
Chen Gengyun said helplessly, "Yes, I can't understand why he did that either. His answer to me was that he felt he was too dirty and didn't deserve someone as pure as him. I really... I'm speechless, sigh..."

As expected, Fan Tianyou had serious psychological problems.

Moreover, consistent with previous analyses, he developed an extreme form of mental fastidiousness due to his upbringing, and he projected this fastidiousness onto the women he liked, namely Dong Lu and Lu Xiaoshuang.

Unlike previous analyses, his perverse stalking and unrequited love were not because he pursued Platonic spiritual love, but because he believed himself to be dirty and unworthy of the pure "her" in his heart.

But if that purity is broken, his mind will be completely unbalanced.

Zhou Yi realized something and quickly asked, "Chen Gengyun, did you know Dong Lu before this?"

Chen Gengyun shook his head repeatedly: "I don't know her. She's just an ordinary student. How could I know her?"

"Did Fan Tianyou learn anything about Dong Lu through your connections?"

"About Dong Lu..." Chen Gengyun's expression changed, as if he suddenly remembered something.

He raised his hand and said, "I understand now. I finally know why he did that in the first place."

Judging from his tone, it seems that Fan Tianyou did not tell him his motive back then.

"What is it?" Zhou Yi asked.

“Once, I took him to a dinner party. During the meal, someone mentioned that a friend of his was the principal of a middle school, and he ended up in jail for raping a female intern.”

"Okay...it seems that female college student's name is Dong Lu!"

(End of this chapter)