Chapter 25: The Second Confessor

2022-05-20

“He’s not the killer.” Watching Gao Rui being pushed into the police car I muttered under my breath.

Guan Zengbin, standing nearby, heard me and scoffed. “Wu Meng, you sound like you’re about to develop a split personality. Yesterday you told us you suspected Gao Rui. Now that he’s confessed you suddenly say he’s not the killer. Are you running a fever or what?”

“Get lost.” I batted her hand away and replied, “If Gao Rui hadn’t confessed, it would have made more sense. But the fact that he gave himself up just makes things feel off to me. Besides, there are still a lot of questions I haven’t figured out yet.”

Gu Chen glanced between me and Guan Zengbin, then asked, “If Gao Rui isn’t the killer, how could he know all those detailed things? Both the physical evidence and the testimonies point to him. What are you trying to do—overturn the case?”

My head was a chaotic mess, like a swarm of flies buzzing frantic in my mind.

“Wu Meng, we’re taking him now. You should just wrap up this case soon—there’s really nothing left to consider.”

I let out a sigh and walked over to the car.

Through the window I looked into Gao Rui’s eyes, and he looked right back.

“Was it really you?” I asked.

“Yeah, it was really me,” Gao Rui answered.

I shook my head. “I don’t get why you’re doing this. Why go that far? Was it really worth killing someone over?”

Gao Rui shot me a look and smiled, “Principal Zhang is just a principal, but Yucai High School is a key school. Lots of people have connections here. Even if Principal Zhang goes down, he might not get the harshest outcome in the end. You get what I’m saying?”

Of course I understood perfectly what Gao Rui implied. I said, “You’re too pessimistic. There are plenty of people who still do the right thing.”

“Yeah.” He sighed.

“By the way, how’s your girlfriend?” I switched the topic.

Gao Rui shook his head. “We broke up. I couldn’t drag her down any further. I told her I liked someone else—dragged Hu Jiajia into it.”

Little did he know Hu Jiajia actually had feelings for Gao Rui too. I wondered how she’d react when she found out the truth. Riding this topic, I said, “Hu Jiajia asked me to tell you she wants to see you. If you’re willing, that is.”

“No thanks.” Gao Rui stretched and said, “I don’t know why you can’t make a decision. Just because we’ve run into each other a few times doesn’t make us friends. There aren’t many people who are truly fair—I hope you’ll be one of them.”

As the car sped away into the distance, a strange, indescribable feeling rose in my chest.

“Notify Gao Rui’s family and Yucai High School,” I murmured, pressing my fingers to my temples.

But just as the notice reached Hu Jiajia, everything changed.

When Hu Jiajia finally appeared before us, her eyes were swollen and red—she’d obviously been crying. “What? You’re saying Gao Rui is the killer? That’s impossible. You’ve got the wrong person!”

Hu Jiajia was on the verge of collapse. Guan Zengbin gripped her hand firmly. “Jiajia, I know this is a terrible blow, but the evidence—the physical evidence and the accounts—all point to Gao Rui. We don’t want this any more than you do, but…”

“No, Gao Rui can’t be the killer.” Hu Jiajia crumpled to the ground, tears streaming down her face. “Because I’m the one who killed Principal Zhang!”

Everyone turned to look at Hu Jiajia.

Guan Zengbin dropped to her knees and grabbed Hu Jiajia’s hand. “Jiajia, you can’t just confess to something like this.”

“No. I really did it,” Hu Jiajia sobbed.

This was a whole new twist.

This story began ten days ago.

Hu Jiajia had been interning at this school for just over a month, and those weeks had been incredibly rewarding. She learned all kinds of things she hadn’t picked up at university, including how to get along with students. Principal Zhang had always looked out for her, calling her in for chats about life at school.

Until, one day, everything changed.

It happened on a Friday night. After evening classes, it was already ten o’clock. The sky was completely dark and Hu Jiajia was heading home to her apartment. At that point, she was still living alone.

“So you only started sharing with Gao Rui a few days ago?” I realized I’d missed this detail before.

“Yeah, just about a week,” Hu Jiajia replied.

As luck would have it, Hu Jiajia ran into Principal Zhang at the school gates.

He smiled at her and said, “Since we’ve run into each other, how about coming to my place for a bit? I need you to pick up a file. You’ve got two days to go over it, and bring it to me on Monday. Think of it as a little test—part of the transition for you interns.”

She didn’t think much of it. Principal Zhang always seemed strict and serious.

What happened that night changed her life forever.

Hu Jiajia followed him to his house, the one with the small yard. She remembered her first comment: “Wow, Principal Zhang, you’ve got real taste—so many plants in your backyard.”

“It’s just a hobby,” Principal Zhang laughed.

He set a file in front of her and sat down beside her.

Principal Zhang pointed out things in the file one by one. Even though it was already night, the heat had both of them sweating through their clothes.

“Let me get you some water,” he offered with a smile.

Hu Jiajia took the water and drank.

“I… I feel dizzy,” she murmured, her voice weak.

When she finally came to, she understood exactly what had happened. Crying, she screamed, “You—I’m calling the police! You’re a monster!”

Principal Zhang just smiled and pulled out a USB drive. “Go ahead, call the police. But think carefully—if your family finds out, your life will be over. Who’d ever dare marry you?”

Hu Jiajia collapsed, silent tears streaming down her face.

“But Jiajia, I promise I’ll take good care of you from now on.” Principal Zhang smiled, “I’ll get your contract finalized in a few days, all right?”

She nodded.

The next instant, there was blood everywhere.

A mug was clutched in her hand. With one strike, Principal Zhang crumpled to the ground—he didn’t make a sound after that. But Hu Jiajia showed no hesitation, even as the handle snapped off the mug.

She hurriedly dressed and buried his body in the backyard.

“So you’re saying Principal Zhang died ten days ago?” I asked, brows knit.

“But…” Guan Zengbin started to interrupt, but I stopped her.

I knew what she was thinking—the autopsy placed his death at five days ago, yet Hu Jiajia insisted it was ten. A person can’t die twice. It was obvious Hu Jiajia was lying, but how else could she have known the murder weapon was a mug?

There was no way Gao Rui had told her, so how did she know?

Seeing we didn’t believe her, Hu Jiajia gritted out, “I can go to the hospital for examination!”

She really had lied that day.

Suddenly, I remembered something that had bothered me for days and blurted out, “Hu Jiajia, this might be hard to answer, but I need you to be honest. Can you do that?”

Hu Jiajia nodded.

“Did you use protection that night?” I asked.

“Yes,” Hu Jiajia replied decisively.

“Did you take it with you afterward?” I pressed.

Hu Jiajia shook her head. “I was so panicked, I just ran. I didn’t take the USB drive, I didn’t even grab the mug—I was scared to death.”

“When you buried Principal Zhang, was he clothed?” I asked.

Hu Jiajia shook her head again. “When I came to myself, he wasn’t wearing any clothes.”

“What did the mug look like?” I finally asked the most crucial question.

Hu Jiajia thought for a moment before replying, “It was a white mug with a black letter Z on it. At first I thought, wow, Principal Zhang has trendy taste. He said it was the first letter of his name and his daughter gave it to him.”

“Where in the backyard?” I asked.

“Didn’t you already find the body?” Hu Jiajia replied. “You should know the spot. I’m not at the scene—can’t explain it well…”