Chapter 603: Chapter 573: Carefully Selected Photos_1
Mr. Peng laughed, but that smile was indeed somewhat frightening.
"You’re a smart person, controlling your husband, holding the reins of the family’s finances. That’s where you excel. You’re so clever, how could you not understand? Your brother’s accident, Li Li’s death, and even Liu Meiling’s murder.
All these seem like car accidents and incidents but, fundamentally, do you not know why they happened? I can tell you, we have found records from your internship at the newspaper in 1997 until you left at the end of 1998.
Even the paper you wrapped around some negatives you gave to a parent has been thoroughly studied by us. At that time, you were not as careful as you are now. The casually torn piece of paper from that notebook, with the sketches of a garden landscape and part of your signature, was very easy to distinguish.
We’ve just taken your blood, and your DNA is still on that piece of paper and on those negatives. Maybe ten years ago we really had no way to check, but now it’s different, we can compare and see if you really are the person who took the photos and sent them to several parents.
Now I’m giving you a chance. Think back carefully. What did you see on October 1, 1998? How did you find those children’s parents afterward?
Why did you give them the photos? What was your aim? Of course, you can start with graduation. Why didn’t you choose to continue in the major of landscaping? Why did you let your father pull strings to get you an internship at the newspaper?"
Xu Qingshu pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze. One could say this statement made it clear, our investigation into you is exhaustive, even the details of your father pulling strings for your newspaper internship and not leaving any clues are in our control. Faced with such a situation, Xu Qingshu, on the contrary, became less nervous than before.
She raised her hand to neaten her hair, as if pondering or weighing the pros and cons. After a while, she looked up at Mr. Peng and sighed before speaking:
"After graduating, I didn’t follow the assigned job. I didn’t like the major. Kong Wanshan went with his father to work on construction sites, so I had my father pull some strings, and I interned at the newspaper because I like photography, I like capturing beautiful scenery.
My father had someone bring the most advanced camera from Sapporo for me. Especially the sunrises and sunsets at the seaside, I was particularly persistent in capturing them. After all, in that era, owning a high-quality camera was a matter of pride. Even the veteran journalists I was with didn’t have equipment as good as mine.
As for the evening of October 1, 1998, I was at the First Seaside Bathing Beach taking pictures of the sunset. Far away, I saw a little girl standing next to a bicycle, waving her hands and jumping, and crying out for something. Following the direction she was facing, I adjusted my lens and saw a scene of rescuing someone.
However, I was quite far away at that time, and I couldn’t hear what they were saying. So I quickly adjusted the focus, moving closer while taking pictures. When I got closer, I could hear the conversation of the people.
The rescuer was a male teacher from Gulou District Experimental Middle School. The three soaking wet girls who had been rescued were sitting on the ground, crying non-stop. They were students from Gulou District Experimental Middle School, and it seemed this teacher also taught them.
That male teacher was wringing out his clothes while scolding the three students. Anyway, he said some nasty stuff, like how one could dress like that on a rest day to come out, swimming at the seashore must be accompanied by a parent, how could they come together in private, and even demanded the three to call their parents to come to the school after the holiday.
After that, the teacher left, and the children squatted there crying. One of the girls was crying the hardest. She said her mother could kill her because she was usually not allowed to go to the seaside. Now, because of this incident, they had to call their parents. I listened and felt somewhat indignant. Although the teacher saved someone, he was too self-righteous.
I asked for that girl’s home address and told her not to worry. I had just taken some photos, and I would give them a copy later to help prove there was nothing serious. The girls walked away thanking me profusely and repeatedly reminded me to make sure to come.
On October 3, I found a darkroom and developed the photos, only then did I realize that in several photos, that male teacher’s hand was actually on the girls’ buttocks, his fingers almost digging into the flesh. I quickly selected those photos and negatives.
I thought that such photos given to their parents would at least let them scold less. That evening, I went to that girl’s house and explained the situation to her parents.
That parent said she knew the mothers of the other two kids and told me to give her all the photos, and she would talk to the other parents later. I didn’t mind and left. Later, on the evening news on TV, I saw the report about the rescue.
That teacher left a much better impression on me. He said he hoped parents could watch over their children, as not every time would they be so lucky. I could feel that despite being strict with the kids, he had no bad intentions. At that time, I somewhat regretted giving away that photo.
About ten days later, a teacher at the newspaper said that a teacher from Gulou District Experimental Middle School had his family ruined and himself destroyed. I was shocked, they said his wife was cornered by parents, the glass broke and she was not saved in time, resulting in accidental death, he, in a fit of rage to prove his innocence, chose to jump off a building to commit suicide.
I did not realize a few photos would lead to such a consequence. I was young and impulsive back then, wanting only for those three girls not to be scolded. After all, when I was in school, I was most afraid of being scolded by a teacher, and I had some psychological shadows.
The subsequent developments and consequences are things I never considered. Could it be that everything now, including Li Li’s death and my brother’s car accident, were all because of this incident?"
Mr. Peng raised an eyebrow, and with a snap, he slammed the pen in his hand onto the table. The carbon pen fell apart, its components scattering everywhere, clearly showing how angry Mr. Peng was at the moment. Mr. Bai was so startled that he opened his eyes wide and dared not speak.
"You never considered it? With a casual ’never considered it’, you think you can just brush it off? You said yourself, seeing someone drowning and being pulled ashore, you were running and taking pictures, taking many photos, purposefully selecting three and even bringing the negatives to that parent. What does this mean? Don’t you have foresight?
How old were you in 1998? Don’t tell me you had only graduated from college for a couple of years and lacked social experience. Don’t make these excuses in front of a police officer. Letting your father pull strings, a two-year internship at the newspaper, forsaking your own major, what was it all for? Do I need to spell it out for you?"
"Isn’t it just that you hoped to stay at the newspaper office or in the newsroom, feeling that such work would make you appear more prestigious and raise your social status? But without that opportunity, holding a camera in your hand, the beautiful scenery you capture is for others to appreciate, and the events you record serve as warnings to others. Yet, you chose such a perspective."
Xu Qingshu was startled by Peng Da’s words, and having heard his tirade, she could no longer maintain her composure. After all, she had been living a life of privilege for many years, controlled a significant proportion of shares, and even as a housewife, no one dared to defy her. Such accusations left her unable to save face.
"Think I’ve committed a crime? Well, then arrest me."
Peng Da laughed.
"Indeed, at the time no one called the police. Your actions, according to the revised law on insult and libel of April 2009, could certainly constitute a criminal offense. However, the statute of limitations for insult and libel is five years. You should be thankful this was fifteen years ago. If it were happening now, you’d be looking at a standard three-year sentence.
But that male teacher’s child is back, which is why Li Li and Liu Meiling are dead, Li Fangfang is under protection without incident, and there’s your brother’s car accident and your husband’s involvement. Do you still think she hasn’t retaliated against you?
Maybe you’re not afraid, but aren’t you worried about your children? Can you watch over them twenty-four hours a day, keep an eye on them every single moment?"
Xu Qingshu shivered and hung her head, saying nothing more. A smart person doesn’t need further explanation—just giving them space to fill in the blanks is enough, and such imaginings are never positive, becoming more terrifying the more one thinks about it. After all, no one knew better than herself whether there were gaps in time.
Xu Dayuan stood up.
"Alright, things are clear now. Xu Qingshu is the photographer. I think Shi Yun must have found this out already, or else Xu Qingquan and Kong Wanshan wouldn’t have been implicated. But it’s quite fateful that these people, after fifteen years, can gather together in this way, keeping such relationships."
Liu Yongxin shook his head and sighed deeply.
"I, on the other hand, don’t think it’s a coincidence. Li Li was previously carrying on with that father and son. After they broke up, she started an affair with Kong Wanshan. Back then, Kong Wanshan’s daughter had been learning to dance from Li Li for several years.
Perhaps the murderer has been near them for a long time, just in a guise they cannot recognize, fostering all these complex relationships. For instance, getting Xu Qingquan involved in this clique of close friends. It’s unfortunate that Li Li and Liu Meiling are both dead; I wonder if Zhang Fangfang would be able to provide some useful information."
Xu Dayuan sighed and glanced at the time on his phone.
"Zhang Fangfang is very resistant to dealing with the police, so she won’t answer any of Liu Yufei’s questions. We’ve made good progress these past few days, clarifying the killer’s relationships with the victims, although we haven’t pinpointed a suspect yet, we now understand the killer’s motives.
Make sure Zhang Fangfang is protected, as well as this lady here, not to mention Xu Qingquan in the hospital, Kong Wanshan, and those two children—someone needs to keep an eye on them. Since the killer is close at hand, they must be aware of our investigation’s general progress, and I fear that if cornered, they might lash out in desperation.
So let’s not rush things. We’ll do our part in staying vigilant. You all rode in the car all night, and Mr. Wang drove the whole way, everyone’s exhausted. It’s already past six, let’s call it a day! Tomorrow, when Liu Yufei and the others return, we’ll all get together and listen in."
Zhou Ning was about to express his agreement when Xia Momo raised her hand, and Xu Dayuan quickly gestured for her to speak.
"Mr. Xia, if you have something in mind, just say it."
Xia Momo leaned towards Xu Dayuan, and said somewhat awkwardly:
"These past few days, I’ve been struggling with the memory of Shi Yun’s appearance. After all, very few people have seen her back then, and it’s been over a decade. Since Xu Qingshu was the photographer,
I want her to look for the photos that weren’t given to Liu Meiling’s mother, to see if any of them include Shi Yun. I’ve also made a few composite sketches; I want her to take a look and see if any resemble Shi Yun from her memory."
Zhou Ning wanted to stop Xia Momo, but Liu Yongxin quickly pulled him aside, his gaze halting Zhou Ning’s action. In truth, Xia Momo was fixating a bit too much.
After such a lengthy investigation, Zhou Ning was certain that Shi Yun could calmly appear before them precisely because she’d changed her appearance, nearly unrecognizable from her childhood—she might even have had plastic surgery to avoid being recognized.
Xu Dayuan glanced at Zhou Ning; he knew exactly what he meant.
"No rush, I’ll speak with Mr. Peng."
