Chapter 11

Chen Pu and Li Qingyao asked several other teachers, and their opinions on Liu Huaixin were consistent with those of Gao Jichang and Fang Chenyu: Liu Huaixin was an excellent teacher who was highly dedicated and devoted. He devoted all his energy to every student, had no girlfriend, no hobbies, and lived an extremely simple life.

As for any relationship with the female students, the other teachers denied it.

“There has never been any scandal.”

"I never heard."

"Teacher Liu would never do something like that."

It was almost noon when Chen Pu and Li Qingyao left the teaching building. Zhou Cen, who was in charge of receiving them, called and asked them to go to the staff canteen for a working lunch.

The sunlight shone on Chen Pu's iron-gray coat. He had one hand in his trouser pocket and his head slightly lowered. It was unknown what he was thinking about. A part of the back of his neck was exposed. It was not white, but it was not black either.

Li Qingyao stared at the back of his neck for a few seconds, and suddenly poked him in the back with a pen. His body instantly jerked forward, and he frowned and looked back: "What's wrong with you?"

Li Qingyao didn't care about his accusation at all and asked, "What do you think?"

Chen Pu pursed his lips and didn't answer.

Li Qingyao asked gently, "Can't think of it, or don't want to say it?"

Chen Pu almost couldn't catch her breath. She was a newbie, and she doubted his brain and experience?

Solving a case is like collecting puzzle pieces. Some pieces are redundant, some are peripheral, and some are the core. Now that he has only collected a few pieces, he is not in a hurry to analyze and discuss them.

After all, he is not the kind of person who likes to show off!
Looking at her again, she was so disrespectful and boastful, but she still walked leisurely, her short hair following the rhythm of her steps, lightly sweeping her chin, giving her a cold and indifferent look.

As if she was his captain.

Chen Pu silently said in his heart that Li Jincheng is my good brother and my best brother. He decided not to argue with her again. He turned his head and looked straight ahead with more coldness and arrogance than her. In the end, he still said his next idea: "Even if there is something between Liu Huaixin and Zhang Xiyu, the relationship must be kept secret, otherwise it would have been discovered last year. Even if Gao Jichang and other teachers knew, it would be reasonable for them to conceal it and pretend not to know. But there is still one person who will not lie."

Li Qingyao raised the corner of his mouth, walked behind him with his hands behind his back, and said, "What a coincidence, I thought so too."

Don’t be angry, don’t be angry—Chen Pu silently recited the spell to tighten the hoop in his heart and let out a long sigh.

As a result, her ears were particularly sensitive at this moment, and she stretched her head forward: "What's wrong, Chen Pu? Are you tired after just half a day?"

"..."

Chen Pu turned his face away and ignored her.

Following Gao Jichang's instructions, Zhou Cen specifically asked them to arrive at the restaurant ten minutes earlier. A large number of faculty and staff had not arrived yet, so the three of them got their meals and sat down in an empty corner.

Zhou Cen was surprised to learn that they still wanted to ask him questions, but he did not refuse. He readily said that he would tell them everything he knew.

"Female student?" Zhou Cen was stunned for a moment, and then she smiled.

This smile has some special meaning.

Zhou Cen lowered his head, moved the soup bowl with the porcelain spoon in his hand, and bit his lower lip with his teeth.

"Of course he has no relationship with the female student. He is such an upright person, it is impossible."

Chen Pu gave Li Qingyao a look, and Li Qingyao nodded slightly and said, "We believe in Teacher Liu's character. This has been verified by all the teachers we have asked today. However, we also want to know if there are any female students who have taken the initiative to pursue Teacher Liu?"

Zhou Cen lowered his eyes and was silent for a long time before answering: "Yes, but Teacher Liu rejected it. He didn't make any mistakes."

Li Qingyao's eyes were more sincere, like the tone of a friend's conversation: "How did you know?"

Zhou Cen replied: "I saw it by accident."

"Is Zhang Xiyu among those female students?"

Zhou Cen looked up at them in surprise. Li Qingyao reached out and held her cold hand, saying, "Tell me everything you know. This is not your promise to us, but to Liu Huaixin. We don't doubt him, but only by understanding all the ins and outs can we find out why he died more quickly. Teacher Zhou, all this is for Liu Huaixin."

Li Qingyao glanced at Chen Pu again and said, "Chen Pu is our team leader and the person in charge of this case."

Chen Pu did not have her artificial expression. He just said every word with great weight: "I promise you that we will not leak any word you say, and we will verify it clearly. You don't have to bear any responsibility."

Zhou Cen's lips moved, but he didn't know what was touching him and tears fell.

"Zhang Xiyu likes Teacher Liu." Zhou Cen said, "The thoughts of a 16- or 17-year-old girl are very obvious. I saw it a long time ago. She even confessed her love to Teacher Liu, but Teacher Liu rejected her."

"How did you know?"

"It was obvious at the beginning. Teacher Liu treated all students equally and was very concerned about Zhang Xiyu. But not long after the start of the second year of high school, he began to avoid Zhang Xiyu, and Zhang Xiyu no longer took the initiative to ask him questions or seek counseling. Teacher Liu and I were in the same office, and I knew at that time that the two of them had probably made it clear. Later, I asked Teacher Liu, and he was forced by me to admit that Zhang Xiyu had confessed to him, but he refused at the time. I believed him. And later I also observed that the two of them did not have any private contact."

"You and Teacher Liu..." Zhou Cen smiled bitterly: "They are just friends. He said he doesn't want to fall in love."

"why?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's been hurt emotionally before, or maybe he has other difficulties."

Chen Pu suddenly interrupted their conversation: "According to our investigation, Zhang Xiyu had a secret relationship with a man. Are you sure Liu Huaixin didn't have any contact with her after he rejected her? Is there a possibility that it is precisely because they had a private relationship that they became more distant on the surface."

Li Qingyao turned his head suddenly. Chen Pu was leaning against the cold metal chair in the restaurant, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes dark and cold.

Zhou Cen said flatly: "Impossible!"

"why?"

"Because Mr. Liu is definitely not that kind of person! There are girls who are prettier and more outstanding than Zhang Xiyu who have confessed to him, but he has never wavered. He has no reason to agree to Zhang Xiyu! He arrives at the office very early every day and works until very late. On weekends, he either has training or works overtime. I see him every day. You really can't doubt him!"

Chen Pu got the most realistic emotional response and answer he wanted, and bowed his head in silence. Then he looked at Li Qingyao with a sidelong glance, and the sharpness in his eyes faded away completely. It was obvious that he had just deliberately given Zhou Cen a surprise stress test. He gave her a look that said, "What are you waiting for? Go up and comfort her."

Li Qingyao: “…”

She felt like she was being used like a tool by her superiors on her first day at work.

Fortunately, Zhou Cen was not an unreasonable person. Li Qingyao comforted her with a few words and expressed his understanding, and she soon calmed down.

"By the way, I also want to ask, do you know which classmates Zhang Xiyu got along well with before he died? We also want to talk to them."

-

After dinner, Zhou Cen sent Chen Pu and Li Qingyao to a meeting room used for afternoon questioning and let them rest for a while.

When closing the office door, Zhou Cen was in a trance for a moment. She seemed to hear that person's voice again, right next to her ear.

"Teacher Zhou, this is the history paper for Class 8. I brought it to you."

Zhou Cen sniffed his sore nose, walked in the corridor, swung his arms back a few times, and took big steps.

She really liked him. She really liked him. During the two years they worked together, he was like a quiet dark blue star, shining not too far from her. She had decided to give up long ago, but she was not prepared. On this day, that position was suddenly hollowed out.

But it was just love. Zhou Cen thought, this love was not important to Liu Huaixin before, nor to anyone else. It would have no meaning in the future.

There is only life, and we must keep moving forward. Zhou Cen wiped his tears and thought to himself that he had not finished preparing for the class yet, so he quickened his pace and went downstairs.

The conference room was quiet.

Chen Pu leaned back in his chair, wearing a pair of white Bluetooth headphones and closing his eyes, listening to the conversations he had with everyone this morning. Li Qingyao picked up her notebook and also reviewed it line by line.

"Are you so sure that Zhang Xiyu's death is related to a man?" she asked.

Chen Pu spat out two words: "Eighty percent."

Chen Pu waited for a while, but she didn't ask him any more questions. He opened his eyes a little and peeked, and found that she was still flipping through her notebook, making a rustling sound. It seemed that she was not the one who started the conversation just now.

Chen Pu said coldly: "Tell me why."

Li Qingyao then put down his pen and raised his head, holding his chin with one hand, and said, "Liu Huaixin wanted to reveal the truth about Zhang Xiyu's death, so he placed three sets of wine utensils in the room."

Chen Pu felt satisfied, and the corners of his lips subconsciously raised, but he turned them down halfway and added, "Yes, the wine is very expensive."

These words made Li Qingyao's heart tremble slightly.

Chen Pu sat up straight, took off his headphones and threw them on the table: "Within three days, this case will be solved."

"Hey, are you so sure?"

"The intuition of a criminal police officer." Chen Pu glanced at her and said, "You don't understand it yet."

Li Qingyao lowered his head to look at his notebook again: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you are right."

Chen Pu: “…” Damn!

At this time, his cell phone rang. It was Fang Kai, who was in charge of interrogating Zhang Liangwei at the police station.

"There is a new discovery - Zhang Liangwei confessed that three months after Zhang Xiyu's death, he received an anonymous letter saying that Zhang Xiyu did not commit suicide due to academic pressure, but her death was related to a man!"

There will be two chapters tomorrow~