Chapter 23: The Killer Turns Himself In

2022-05-20

As the principal of a key high school in the city, Principal Zhang’s death was no small matter. Naturally, we had to notify Yucai High School’s vice principal and all the teachers right away. Each person took the news differently when we told them all at once.

A flicker of happiness flashed across the vice principal’s face before it was quickly replaced by deep sadness. After all, with Principal Zhang gone, he was set to become the new leader at Yucai High. Most of the male teachers seemed indifferent—whoever the principal was made no difference to them. The younger female teachers looked relieved.

Hu Jiajia’s reaction stood out. She seemed genuinely scared at first, then looked worried, as if anxious about something being discovered. Her whole demeanor just felt off.

Actually, when I questioned Hu Jiajia yesterday, her eyes kept darting away. I figured she was lying—not out of guilt, but out of the shyness you’d expect from a young woman. But now, things seemed more complicated.

At that moment, Gao Rui was in class. I peeked through the glass and saw that he was a biology teacher.

After class, when we told Gao Rui about Principal Zhang, his face filled with all sorts of emotions.

Principal Zhang always favored Gao Rui most. Honestly, Gao Rui was very capable, and Principal Zhang treated him well. That complicated feeling showed all over Gao Rui’s face.

Gao Rui looked like he wanted to say something but shook his head, swallowing his words.

“Gao Rui is looking quite suspicious,” I said to the others.

“Why do you think Gao Rui’s a suspect?” Guan Zengbin shot me a look and put her hands on her hips. “Are you just jealous he’s better looking than you?”

I touched my own face. “Just because I lack a beard doesn’t mean I’m not handsome! Principal Zhang favored Gao Rui most, so if anyone knew his schedule, it’d be him. And think about it: Principal Zhang vanished for three days, yet Gao Rui didn’t act the least bit concerned.”

“As far as I know, Gao Rui wasn’t even the first person to call the police—it was a female teacher,” I said.

“So you have proof?” Guan Zengbin asked.

I spread my hands. “No evidence.”

“Then what are you even talking about!” Guan Zengbin snapped.

“Just check Gao Rui’s recent movements!” I told her. “If he was ever in the principal’s office that night, or out at the construction site, a lot of things would become clear. By the way, do you think that person Old Zhang saw could’ve been Gao Rui?”

Gu Chen spoke up, “Simple. Just have Old Zhang take a look at Gao Rui. Even if he didn’t get a good look at the guy’s face, he should remember the general build, right?”

“Someone just turned themselves in,” Xiao Liu announced, pushing open the office door.

“What?” I blinked in surprise.

“Someone turned themselves in,” Xiao Liu repeated.

I frowned. We’d barely finished telling the teachers about Principal Zhang’s body, and someone already came forward. This meant the killer must be one of the school staff.

“What’s this person’s name?” I asked.

“He said his name is Gao Rui,” Xiao Liu told us.

“What?” I was stunned again.

“He said he’s Gao Rui!” Xiao Liu called out.

The three of us stared at each other, stunned that Gao Rui would confess. I was suspicious of him, sure, but I had zero evidence. Besides, Gao Rui always seemed mature and composed—how could he crack in just an hour?

I pulled out a cigarette and lit up. “I need a few minutes to sort out my thoughts.”

Guan Zengbin reached for one, too. “I need one to calm my nerves.”

“Girls shouldn’t smoke,” I said, knocking her hand away.

“So what if I smoke, drink, have tattoos, or cuss? Deep down, I still know I’m a good girl…” Guan Zengbin replied lightly.

One cigarette later.

We met Gao Rui in the interrogation room.

“You’re turning yourself in?” I asked carefully.

Gao Rui let out a long sigh and began telling us a story.

One night, Principal Zhang asked Gao Rui to prepare some documents.

When Gao Rui returned to the apartment he shared with Hu Jiajia, he realized he’d left the materials in the principal’s office, so he went back to retrieve them. On the way, he noticed from afar that the principal’s office lights were still on. It was odd—the principal was usually gone by then.

After a while, the lights in the office went out.

As Gao Rui reached the school gate, Principal Zhang was just coming out.

That day, the principal was dressed very casually, wearing a cap—so much so that he looked young and full of energy.

Gao Rui smiled, but inside his heart bled.

“Do you know why the principal relied on me so much?” Gao Rui smiled faintly.

“Don’t tell me you know Principal Zhang’s secret?” I blurted out.

Gao Rui glanced at me. “You’re quick.”

The truth was, Gao Rui had discovered the principal’s secret long ago. He’d once caught Principal Zhang committing a crime. At first, he’d wanted to expose him, but both Principal Zhang and that teacher came to beg him not to say a word.

It struck Gao Rui as pathetic—no one else would expose the principal’s true nature. If none of the actual victims cared, why should he get involved?

So Gao Rui became Principal Zhang’s confidant, though really, it was just a way to keep him quiet. Gao Rui had learned to live with it, until one day a new colleague arrived: the intern Hu Jiajia.

He and Hu Jiajia had gone to the same high school, and he always saw her as a little sister.

Gao Rui knew exactly why Principal Zhang wanted to keep Hu Jiajia around.

He warned the principal: if he so much as tried anything with Hu Jiajia, he’d spill everything.

Principal Zhang agreed.

But then, someone else showed up.

At first, Gao Rui didn’t think this other person was Principal Zhang—why would he risk everything for a woman?

“Actually, that night, I went out to get some files,” Gao Rui explained calmly. “But there was something else: a slip of paper. I saw it, but I left it right where it was. I wanted to see who’d come for it.”

I nodded. “Do you know Zhang Mingliang?”

“Never heard of him.” Gao Rui shook his head.

“That note was left by Zhang Mingliang,” I replied.

I almost told Gao Rui about Zhang Mingliang’s feelings for him, but then decided against it.

Gao Rui held nothing but contempt for the principal, but still relied on his influence. With each day, the struggle inside him grew. That night, seeing Principal Zhang lurking about, Gao Rui sensed something was off.

The principal was carrying a shiny knife.

Gao Rui often fetched things from Principal Zhang’s home—he even had a spare key—so he knew the principal wasn’t heading home that night.

He decided to follow.

Soon, he saw the principal heading toward the construction site, which had been abandoned.

Seeing that, Gao Rui was furious. It was obvious Principal Zhang had lied to him.

The principal had already scouted the construction site and stashed the knife in a paint bucket.

“That was fake blood, not paint,” I corrected Gao Rui.

Suddenly, Gao Rui spotted someone and was shocked—it was Hu Jiajia. But she was supposed to be home; what was she doing there before him? There was only one answer: she looked identical to Hu Jiajia but wasn’t actually her.

That ‘Hu Jiajia’ curled a finger, motioning for the principal to follow.

In the pitch-black night, the pair slowly made their way up the stairs.

Gao Rui realized it wasn’t really Hu Jiajia and figured out who it was. He didn’t know what they were up to, but in that kind of situation, fear took hold. The principal had a knife—what else could it be for?

Gao Rui left the site but soon felt uneasy and doubled back.

It was around ten o’clock. Gao Rui knew the pair were still inside, so he decided to take a look.

That’s when he stepped right into a trap.

Not wanting to alert Principal Zhang, he tried to get away. Right then, Old Zhang arrived.

Gao Rui didn’t really leave—he was hiding on the other side of the building. He never saw anyone come out, which meant the principal was still inside, and he still had that knife.

Around eleven, something suddenly plummeted from high up, hitting the pile of sand below almost without a sound.

It was a body—a headless body.

Gao Rui held his breath.

About eleven-thirty, the old man walked off carrying that bucket.

At midnight, Principal Zhang came out of the building.

He was still clutching the knife, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

The principal walked over to the body and hoisted it up.

Gao Rui was hiding just on the other side of the sand pile.

He watched as the principal opened a manhole cover in the construction site, tossed the body in, and slipped inside himself.

“So when did you do the killing?” Even with the confession, Guan Zengbin couldn’t wrap her head around Gao Rui being the killer.

Suddenly, Gao Rui let out a crazed laugh, tears streaming down his face the next moment. “After watching all that, I realized what happened. It was Principal Zhang who left the note at Hu Jiajia’s place. He must have mistaken that person for Hu Jiajia and killed them. The body was headless, and the victim had threatened to cut off Hu Jiajia’s head.”

“That’s when I came up with a plan.”