Sometimes, people find it easier to open up to strangers.
Tong Molli didn't dare tell her troubles to her teacher or parents. But facing an older sister who was only a little older yet so pretty and gentle, she inevitably felt some admiration and trust.
A famous author like her definitely wouldn't casually betray me. Telling her should be fine, and...maybe she could even help me!
Tong Molli struggled internally before finally buckling under the tremendous pressure and blurting out, "They're saying I drove Miao Tong to her death..."
Her voice already carried a sob on that short sentence.
Her nose turned red swiftly as tears welled up in her eyes. Tong Molli said, "But I didn't want her to die...even though I really disliked her, but...how could I want her to die? I didn't...I didn't..."
Jian Jing gently patted her back, echoing, "That's right, you were classmates. Having some petty conflicts is very normal. What student hasn't fought with their classmate before?"
Having received validation, the taut string in Tong Molli finally loosened as she sobbed, "I didn't think she would commit suicide over this...I...what's there to die over..."
She broke down bawling.
Jian Jing pulled her to a more secluded area and handed over a tissue, patiently waiting for her to regain composure.
After crying for a spell, Tong Molli gradually calmed down. She wiped away her tears with a stuffy nose, "I'm sorry, I said a lot of nonsense."
"It's alright. Saying it out makes you feel better." Jian Jing said, "Was Miao Tong that girl who committed suicide? Many people have mentioned her to me."
Tong Molli uncomfortably asked, "Oh...is that so?"
"Yeah. The students in your class seem to have doubts about her death. They feel she wouldn't have committed suicide." Jian Jing remarked. Her tone struck a precise balance between casual chat and not seeming flippant about the deceased. "What do you think?"
Tong Molli mumbled, "I...I don't know..."
"Don't be nervous. Just chatting, that's all. A lot of your troubles stem from her, right? Saying it out might not be as bad as you think." Jian Jing patiently counselled.
The girl bit her lip without answering. Instead, she shot back, "If it wasn't suicide, then what?"
"Accident or murder." Jian Jing said. "What do you reckon?"
Tong Molli avoided her gaze. "I don't know."
Jian Jing didn't speak, just kept looking at her.
The soundless stare was its own kind of pressure. Tong Molli crumbled step by step until she couldn't help but defend, "I feel she probably didn't commit suicide. I...I just wanted to scare her a bit. How could anyone commit suicide over this?"
Jian Jing asked, "What did you do?"
"I just threatened to tell the teacher she was dating. What's the big deal about that? With grades like hers, the teacher wouldn't even scold her." Tong Molli argued for herself. "And it's not like I told anyone else. If you've got the guts to date, then date. Just break up if you don't want me to tell."
Jian Jing laughed. A tinge of gossip colored her tone, "Who was she dating?"
Tong Molli mysteriously shook her head and whispered, "Miao Tong looked like a good girl with her ballet and piano. But her boyfriend...was older, from society."
"A small-time gangster?"
"No, just a very mature adult." Tong Molli said. "During winter break, I went to visit my cousin and happened to see Miao Tong leaving a man's home. So...I took a photo."
She fell silent for a spell before suddenly bursting out as if venting her self-loathing, "I hated her. No matter how hard I try or how many questions I do, I just can't test better than her. People always take her side when we fight. I hated her pretending to be all gracious and forgiving, even saying she didn't blame me and forgave me. Like I want her forgiveness!"
Jian Jing listened quietly.
"I just wanted to scare her a bit. Hoping she'd stop acting all hoity-toity in front of me. It was truly nauseating."
At this moment, Tong Molli's jealousy and resentment was undisguised. Yet she also realized her actions weren't justified, desperately grasping for excuses, "It was her own business. Why would she care if others found out? Then don't do it!"
But such reasoning was fragile at best, unable to even convince herself. Hence, panic again took over as she mumbled, "And it's not like I would really tell anyone. I only wanted to scare her a little. I truly didn't think she would commit suicide over this. Really."
In truth, her darkest thoughts were only to make Miao Tong crack under pressure, allowing herself to overtake by one rank.
This was the college entrance exam, a solitary plank bridge with hundreds of thousands of horses and soldiers. A single point difference meant placement differences of hundreds of ranks. Having one less powerful competitor was surely advantageous.
Death was too distant, too terrifying. Such a tragic outcome frightened her directly.
"I didn't mean it..." The girl pursed her lips as tears fell. "I know I was wrong."
The smug thrill of learning the secret had long faded. She belatedly realized that while evil deeds might bring temporary gain, the price was a lifetime of gnawing conscience.
She was afraid.
"I'm sorry." Tong Molli murmured. "I didn't want this."
Jian Jing handed her another tissue and patted her back.
The more one interacts with cases, the more one realizes humanity's complexity. As a detective, making fewer moral judgements and focusing more on the cases themselves is undoubtedly a simpler approach.
"Where were you when Miao Tong jumped off the building?" She asked.
To Tong Molli's surprise, she actually felt relieved. She answered, "I was in the infirmary."
"You were sick?"
"It was that time of the month. My stomach hurt terribly so I wanted to ask the teacher for sick leave. I wanted to rest in the dorms."
"What time?"
"Not long after the second class started."
Jian Jing nodded before abruptly switching topics. "I didn't expect Miao Tong to be dating someone outside. I heard people say it was your class president."
"Class president? Impossible." Tong Molli spoke like a jaded elder. "He's really arrogant. I heard his family are officials, definitely someone important. The teachers are all really polite to him. He and Miao Tong weren't on great terms either."
"Why?"
"When they both ran for class president, they tied in votes. In the end, Teacher Chen said it's tougher for the boy and he'd have to do more work in future, so Wu Jincheng became president. Miao Tong was resentful ever since, feeling the teacher was biased. So she competed for the student union chair position later but lost to the president again."
Having no positions herself, Tong Molli viewed such competitions more impartially. Her assessment was far more objective than previously.
Jian Jing asked with great interest, "So amazing?"
Tong Molli scornfully said, "He's useless as president. Sometimes plays favorites. If two people curse, he'd only remember those who usually ignore him instead of the ones buttering him up with endless 'President this, President that.'
"Last month when inspecting hygiene, Ji Yunyun and Wang Ming were supposed to take out the trash but forgot so they lost points. He insisted it was all Ji Yunyun's fault, not Wang Ming's. Just because Wang Ming always brings him snacks and drinks every day. He thinks we're all blind!"
"I see. I thought he was a tall, skinny boy whom the girls adored." Jian Jing probed.
Tong Molli scoffed like a crotchety grandma. "He's too smarmy."
Jian Jing guffawed. "Then who's the most popular among the girls in your class?"
"For girls...Miao Tong, I guess. Ji Yunyun is decent too. She's very...self-righteous." Tong Molli's expression was complicated. "Boys...uh..."
"Who's the popular boy?"
Tong Molli awkwardly said a name.
Jian Jing understood, eliminating a few possibilities involving romantic disputes.
The bell ending class rang.
Tong Molli jolted awake from her reverie and looked around. "The library is..."
"Not far. I can go myself, thanks." Jian Jing said. "Thank you for your help. Hurry back to do your homework."
Tong Molli nodded hesitantly before getting up. She opened her mouth as if to say something but stopped.
"Miao Tong...was it suicide?" She asked with difficulty, biting her lip.
"We still don't know for sure yet. But we'll find out eventually."
After investigation, it was found that the man was 24 years old and worked at an internet company. The school does not allow outsiders to enter and exit, so he had nothing to do with Miao Tong's death.
He took out the copied surveillance footage again and confirmed Tong Molli's testimony.
She went back to the dormitory directly from the infirmary and did not leave before the second class ended.
Jian Jing: [I went to check the dormitory, all the windows have anti-theft measures, it's impossible for [Tong Molli] to leave. Tong Molli did not have time to commit the crime]
Ji Yunyun: [What about that boy?]
Jian Jing: [Asking him]
Her way of finding monitor U was simple and crude. She directly asked Ji Yunyun to pass on a message and brought him to a corner of the library during the last activity period.
Monitor U looked at Jian Jing in confusion: "What can I do for you?"
"I have a few questions that I think you wouldn't mind answering." Jian Jing signaled Ji Yunyun to keep watch and questioned him alone, "You're a smart kid, and you're already 18. So I'll ask directly."
She stared into his eyes: "Where were you when Miao Tong jumped off the building?" Without letting him answer, she immediately said, "I know you weren't in the classroom."
This aggressive attitude made Monitor U panic for a moment.
After a short pause, he said, "Uh, I think I was around the library... What's wrong?"
"Tell me what you were doing that period," she smiled, showing no signs of interrogation on her face, looking more like she was happily chatting with a fan.
Monitor U pursed his lips: "It was P.E. class. Some people were self-studying in the classroom, but the teacher said it's best not to be cooped up in the classroom all the time and go out and move around more often. So some people said they wanted to go out and play basketball, and I went with them to the gym to borrow equipment."
"Did you play basketball too?"
"No. The school has rules that the monitors of each class must register when borrowing and returning equipment to prevent damage and loss."
Jian Jing wondered: "Isn't that the sports committee members' job?"
"It used to be the sports committee members, but equipment often went missing or was not returned, so it was changed to the class monitors."
"What happened next?"
"I helped them borrow basketballs, badminton racquets, and shuttlecocks. I was going to find a place to read for a while and go collect the equipment before class ended." Monitor U said, "The classroom was too far away. So I thought of going to the library. But before I got there, I saw a bunch of people running downstairs. I was worried someone might be hurt, so I decided to go take a look. I didn't expect..."
Jian Jing pondered for a moment before asking, "Were you familiar with Miao Tong?"
"Not very."
"Did she show any abnormal behaviors before her death?"
"I didn't notice. I just knew she didn't do very well on the second or third mock exams," he answered plainly. "I guess the pressure was a bit much."
