Chapter 31 Part 1

Song Ran didn't sleep all night.

On her open computer desktop was the statement template Liu Yufei had sent her—admitting that yesterday's article was suspected of containing false fabrications, awaiting an official investigation.

At nine in the morning, she wanted to get up for a glass of water, but as soon as she stood, she became uncontrollably dizzy, and her vision went black. She held onto the desk to support herself for a long while before slowly recovering.

Song Ran lay back on the bed. All night, she had tried to regain her composure and think about the problem from Li Zan's perspective. But to no avail.

When she stood on her own ground, she saw her fortress as impregnable—Wang Han's testimony and evidence about the time, place, and complaints; the dean's slip-up; the multiple threats she had received...

But what Li Zan said was not without reason.

She took out her phone, wanting to find a third person to help her out of this confusing situation, even if just for an objective glimpse.

But flipping through the contact list of several thousand people on her phone, there wasn't a single one she could call.

The only one, last night also...

Just as she was about to put her phone down, she unexpectedly saw Luo Zhan's business card.

Song Ran remembered Li Zan saying he had returned to the country and could be contacted now.

She made the call, and Luo Zhan happened to be free.

Song Ran started with a few pleasantries, but while she was hesitating, Luo Zhan had already guessed her purpose. He said, "It can't feel good standing in the eye of the storm, can it?"

"You know about it?"

"Reporter Song is famous nationwide now." He was still in the mood to joke.

Song Ran asked directly, "Do you think I did something wrong?"

Luo Zhan pondered for a moment and said, "I've read your dialogue record. The witness testimony is very clear, and the time, place, and even the number of complaints are all explicit. As long as the police are willing to investigate, they can certainly find out the truth. So I think you were right. However, you only gave one side the opportunity to speak."

Song Ran said, "But the other side has its own channels to voice their opinion."

"Does the public believe that side?" Luo Zhan retorted.

Song Ran was speechless.

"Perhaps what you found was a part of the truth, but you're a reporter. You understand the power of mass communication better than I do. When one angle of the truth is infinitely amplified, other angles are likely to be infinitely compressed, because the public has no reason, only emotion."

Song Ran fell silent.

Yesterday, Li Zan had expressed the same idea, but she had been unwilling to listen.

"But then again, it takes a collective effort to cover all sides. How could one person possibly do it? Personally, I think you've already voiced things objectively. Investigating the truth is the police's job, and distinguishing with reason is the netizens' job. It's just that public trust is low nowadays, and the internet lacks rationality. Since they can't do it, they'll inevitably blame you for not writing the complete answer, which is very unfair."

She said, "At that time, I was afraid that if I didn't speak out, the other side would cover it up, and this child would be finished."

"Right. You were set on your goal, so you risked everything to push through. But, Reporter Song," Luo Zhan suddenly changed the subject, "the shutter that is pressed has no emotion. That photo of CANDY is the most objective and true record. What your purpose was at that time is not important. You don't have to blame yourself or justify yourself for it. Whether it's Wang Han or Zhu Yanan, they are not the child who died back then. You can record, but you have no responsibility to protect. The moment you want to protect, you have a personal motive, and you are no longer an objective person."

Song Ran was stunned.

...

Li Zan didn't sleep well all night.

He drew a diagram to sort through all the clues of the incident and found that his and Song Ran's main points of disagreement concerned the student's evidence, the complaint to the Education Bureau and the dean of academic affairs, Teacher Zhao Yuanli, and the actions of the police.

First was the student's testimony. Li Zan had no objection to Student Wang's own experience with violence; the police could easily verify it.

What he was unsure about were the two pieces of evidence concerning Zhu Yanan, which did not meet the legal standard.

Second was the complaint to the Education Bureau and the dean of academic affairs. Song Ran said she had verified it, but Li Zan had yet to find any proof.

Third was Teacher Zhao Yuanli. Due to the limits of his position, he temporarily couldn't access his written or verbal statements.

Fourth were the police's actions. Song Ran considered them threats, but Li Zan could understand it as a clumsy way of handling things. However, in his view, just notifying the TV station should have been enough. For even her father to be affected was going too far.

...

After his analysis, the points he could try to dig into were the dean of academic affairs and Teacher Zhao Yuanli.

Before work, Li Zan visited the dean of academic affairs again.

But the dean's husband said that the dean's mother was sick, and she had rushed back to her hometown in the neighboring province.

Suspicion arose in Li Zan's heart. He asked, "Did she ever tell you that Student Wang had reported Teacher Zhao to her?"

The husband waved his hand. "We never talk about work matters. I don't know." He then hurriedly closed the door.

Arriving at the police station for work, Officer Jia saw the heavy dark circles under Li Zan's eyes and felt bad for him. He came over, patted his shoulder, and said, "This isn't your fault. It's all that reporter's fault. Don't take it to heart. Even if you had deleted her photos that day, she still would have written whatever she wanted."

Li Zan forced a smile but didn't reply.

During a break, he opened Song Ran's contact and started typing, "Yesterday, I wasn't trying to persuade you, but to remind you. The autopsy showed the deceased did not suffer any corporal punishment or violence before death. I was afraid your good intentions would backfire and you wouldn't be able to bear it later..."

Before he could finish, a news alert popped up on his phone—Zhao Yuanli's students had written an open letter, strongly attesting to their teacher's innocence.

Li Zan clicked on it. It was a joint letter signed by over a hundred students, using many examples to describe how Teacher Zhao Yuanli had high moral standards and cared for his students. At the same time, it attacked Song Ran by quoting international netizens' comments. It questioned the motive behind her award-winning photo, CANDY, and by extension, questioned her motive for writing "Another Voice." The final conclusion: Song Ran was a reporter who exploited suffering to gain attention.

From then on, public opinion began to reverse wildly again.

Li Zan put away his phone, got up, and went out.

...

The third-year high school students had supplementary classes on Sunday. The sound of teachers lecturing could be heard intermittently from Building Three of Shiyan Middle School.

Zhao Yuanli was teaching as usual, not having taken leave because of the recent events.

Li Zan stood waiting in the office with his hands in his pockets. His gaze shifted from the wall full of outstanding teacher certificates and trophies on the shelf, then swept over the desks in the room.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Zhao Yuanli came back from class.

"Officer Li, sorry to keep you waiting." Zhao Yuanli looked apologetic.

"It's fine, I just got here." Li Zan smiled and made small talk. "The college entrance exams are in a few months, right?"

"Yes, the third-year classes are too important to be delayed. I teach several third-year classes." Zhao Yuanli had just sat down when he stood up again. "Let me get you a glass of water."

Li Zan stopped him, "No need."

Zhao Yuanli poured him a cup of hot water anyway, saying, "It's really cold this year. Spring has already started, but the temperature is still so low."

Li Zan smiled, and after a bit more small talk, stated his purpose, "I came this time to conduct a follow-up investigation. Sorry to take up your time."

"Not at all, please go ahead."

"You must have seen that article online. What are your thoughts on it?"

Zhao Yuanli sighed, "I've been teaching for so many years, only thinking about nurturing my students and giving it my all. I never thought that this time, it would be up to these kids to stand up for me, writing a joint letter to clear my name. I'm both ashamed and gratified."

Li Zan looked at him, his gaze flickering. "I was talking about the article written by Reporter Song, 'Another Voice,' the one that accuses you of verbally abusing and corporally punishing students." He glanced at his phone. "The students' joint letter was posted half an hour ago. Weren't you in class then? How did you know?"

Zhao Yuanli kept a smile on his face. "...The students told me beforehand that they were going to do this. I had selfish reasons, so I didn't stop them. My whole family has been harassed so terribly. As for the article that reporter wrote, it's complete nonsense. I made it very clear during the investigation yesterday that I have a clear conscience regarding my students. Whether it's that Student Wang or Zhu Yanan, I've never done any of the things the reporter wrote about."

Li Zan asked, "Do you know which student that Student Wang is?"

Zhao Yuanli: "Wang is a common surname. How could I possibly guess?"

"Are there any students who usually hold a grudge against you?"

"No, I have a good relationship with every student. I didn't do what he claimed, so it's impossible for me to know who Student Wang is. That student must have lied."

Li Zan, who was taking notes, lifted his eyes from his notebook, his gaze scrutinizing.

"What's wrong?"

Li Zan said, "Reporter Song has been under a lot of pressure from various parties, but until now, she hasn't revealed any information about the student to the police."

"So?" Zhao Yuanli was confused.

"So my colleagues all think the reporter is just making things up and can't provide any information. That so-called Student Wang is fabricated. But you, as the person involved, have mentally defaulted to the belief that there is a lying student who was interviewed?"

Zhao Yuanli was taken aback.

"But you also said you have a good relationship with every student. Isn't that a contradiction?"

"Also," Li Zan gestured with his chin to the desk beside them, "Teacher Zhao, the corner of this desk is so badly damaged. Did you accidentally bump into it?"

Zhao Yuanli's expression changed. He said, "I've said everything I need to say. Officer Li, if you have any questions for me, I'll personally go to the Public Security Bureau to cooperate with the investigation next time. I have to go to class now."

This matter was outside Li Zan's jurisdiction, and Zhao Yuanli was clearly aware of it.

Li Zan gave a faint smile. "My apologies for the interruption. Please have a good class and don't let this affect your mood."

He stood up, nodded, and took his leave.

Without delay, Li Zan rushed to the Public Security Bureau to find Deputy Captain Wu, handing him his notes and recording:

"Deputy Captain Wu, Zhao Yuanli is definitely hiding something."

After listening to the recording, Deputy Captain Wu's expression remained unchanged. He said, "Li Zan, I told you yesterday, there were no marks of violence on Zhu Yanan's body that were inflicted before his death."

"But verbal and psychological abuse are also..."

"Regarding the two types of abuse you mentioned, Zhu Yanan's parents admitted to them. They said they had yelled at the child at home this month. They regret it very much."

Li Zan frowned slightly and said, "That doesn't mean Zhao Yuanli is innocent. Zhao Yuanli was violent towards the student with the surname Wang, and the deceased, Zhu Yanan, might not have been spared. Although there's no direct link between the two at present, this lead still needs to be investigated..."

"Where's the evidence? Who saw it? Who heard it? That conversation between Zhao Yuanli and Zhu Yanan can only be described as having a harsh tone, which has no legal effect. Li Zan, you didn't go to the police academy, so you don't understand that everything requires evidence; you can't just rely on one side of the story. The consequence of not relying on evidence is enforcement brutality. As long as there's no evidence, even if Zhao Yuanli is really related to Zhu Yanan's death, the law won't punish him."

"I understand." Li Zan was silent for a moment, then asked, "But if there's no evidence, shouldn't we go look for it?"

He said, "After all, evidence won't just fly to you."

Deputy Captain Wu squinted slightly, stared at him for a while, and said, "The situation now is that there is no chain of evidence between Zhao Yuanli and Zhu Yanan. The ones who caused Zhu Yanan's death are his parents. This case is about to be closed and announced. That reporter is your friend, so please tell her that reporters nowadays who fantasize about directing or even controlling the law and law enforcement through public opinion will never succeed."

The look in Li Zan's eyes changed. "So you're just being stubborn and competing with a reporter..."

"Captain Li!" Deputy Captain Wu's sudden address.

He had previously seen this auxiliary officer as nothing more than a gentle, even-tempered person. But at this moment, meeting Li Zan's eyes—it was indeed the kind of gaze only a soldier would have, a gaze as sharp and silent as a blade.

"Seeing you in action in Baixi that day, you were so impressive, I originally wanted to recruit you to the bomb disposal squad. But when I asked around, I found out you're a big shot. You could even be my boss."

Li Zan looked at him calmly.

"You don't need to trouble yourself with the matters of our system. But... Captain Li, you came from a military academy. Don't you understand better than the average police officer how to obey and execute orders from superiors?

"Then let me tell you, this case is closed today."

...

Li Zan came out of the courtyard and stood on the roadside, waiting for the red light.

At the intersection, the traffic was dense.

He looked at the skyscrapers and the bustling crowds, but for a moment, the scene before him felt somewhat illusory, like a mirage floating above the deserts of Dongguo.

The light turned green, but Li Zan didn't move forward with the crowd. He remained on the roadside, like an outcast.

After a while, he took out his phone and dialed Song Ran's number.

...

The Yangtze River flows through Liang City, dividing the city in two.

At the turn of winter and spring, the weather was freezing. The river water was a bluish-green, and the river surface was low.

With her hands in her pockets, Song Ran sat on a rock by the river, letting the wind blow. A few pebbles rolled down from behind her. She turned to look and saw Wang Han carefully walking towards her over the steep, gravelly slope.

The daylight by the river was glaring. Song Ran squinted and asked him, "No supplementary class today?"

"I took leave." Wang Han came over, found a rock to sit on, and asked, "Have you been waiting long?"

"No." Song Ran took out her phone, turned it off in front of him, then took out her recording pen and removed the batteries from inside.