Seeing Crime Scenes in My Sleep

With Jiang Li’s comfort, Du Xueqing had calmed down some. Ji Qinghe sat down and began to ask for the whole story.

"Liang Huka targeted me on the very first day of school. He said he wanted to date me, but I turned him down. Ever since I was little, my parents told me I had to get into the best university.

I had to focus on my studies, so I turned him down. I never expected him to hold a grudge over it.

"Jiang Shuran’s family is very wealthy. When school started, everyone fawned over her. But high school students all share one goal: to get into a good university.

My grades were good, so the teachers and my classmates gradually started paying more attention to me. That’s when Jiang Shuran started cornering me with Chen Jiayi and Su Mei.

"At first, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. But one day, when my mom came to school to see me, Jiang Shuran slapped me right in front of her."

At this, Du Xueqing started to laugh, her eyes welling with tears. "I was so thrilled in that moment. I even thought, ’Now my mom will have to believe me, right?’

But then, Jiang Shuran stepped forward and said that I had paid her a hundred yuan to stage the whole thing. She claimed she didn’t want to deceive my mom and thought what I was doing was wrong.

HAHAHAHAHA! She believed her. My mom actually believed her."

Du Xueqing laughed through her tears. How ironic. Time and time again, she had tried to prove to her parents that she wasn’t trying to skip school—that she was being beaten, that she couldn’t take it anymore and just wanted to rest at home—but they never believed her.

And yet, they believed a single, baseless claim from Jiang Shuran.

Just listening to the story was painful for Ji Qinghe. Remembering the shameless attitude of Du Xueqing’s parents downstairs that day, she felt a pang of sympathy and tried to comfort the girl.

"It’s okay. Don’t be afraid. You’re not the one in the wrong. You don’t have to keep trying to prove yourself to them. Don’t punish yourself for other people’s mistakes. They’re the ones who deserve to be punished.

If you want, once this is all over, we can help you apply for a school transfer."

Ji Qinghe smiled at Du Xueqing. ’Even if this case gets resolved,’ she thought, ’she’ll probably need a fresh start in a new environment.’

Hope sparked in Du Xueqing’s eyes. "Really? Can you do that? But my parents..."

’If my parents found out, they would never agree.’

Ji Qinghe looked at her. "Yours is a special case. We can make it happen."

"For now, just focus on resting. Don’t worry about your studies. If this year doesn’t work out, there’s always next year." Ji Qinghe gently wiped the tears from her face.

Du Xueqing nodded and choked out, "Thank you all."

"You get some rest. Our colleagues will ensure your safety." Ji Qinghe stood up and walked out with Jiang Li, turning to the two officers at the door.

"Du Xueqing’s parents are highly agitated. Don’t let them near her. Contact me immediately if anything comes up."

After giving her instructions, Ji Qinghe looked at Jiang Li. "Jiang Shuran and her group have been brought to the station for questioning."

"Let’s go over together." She was curious to see what those few were like in the light of day.

When they arrived at the police station, they found three girls and a boy lounging in their chairs, not a trace of fear on their faces.

Earlier that morning, Zhou Tiancheng had taken a team to the high school and copied the surveillance footage before the administration had time to react.

He’d brought the group back to the station with him, but their utter lack of remorse was enough to make one’s blood boil.

Jiang Shuran and Liang Huka sat there, looking perfectly content.

"When are we getting out of here? It was just a little spat between classmates. Is it really necessary to blow this all out of proportion?"

Jiang Li’s gaze swept over them one by one as she entered. They were the same people she had seen in her dream.

The ringleader, Jiang Shuran, sat there like a perfect angel—gentle and demure. She was a completely different person from the violent monster of the previous night.

Chen Jiayi was examining her fingernails.

A hint of panic flickered in Su Mei’s eyes, but with the others taking the heat, she was just about holding it together.

"Liang Huka, Jiang Shuran, Chen Jiayi, Su Mei! This is a police station. Show some respect."

Zhao Shuo barked.

Liang Huka nonchalantly raised an eyebrow. "Officer, Du Xueqing just has some minor injuries, right? It’s not like she lost an arm or a leg."

As he spoke, Liang Huka stood up and walked over to Zhao Shuo.

"My dad is the principal of the high school, and Jiang Shuran’s family has powerful connections. You wouldn’t want to lose your jobs over a nobody like Du Xueqing, would you?"

’This police station doesn’t look like much,’ he thought. ’All it’ll take is my dad and Jiang Shuran’s dad making a few calls to put on some pressure, and this will all be over.’

"You—!"

Furious, Zhao Shuo lunged forward, but Zhou Tiancheng stopped him in the next instant, his own gaze fixed on the incredibly arrogant teens.

"You’re certainly good at finding loopholes," Zhou Tiancheng said coolly. "But that doesn’t give you the right to bully Du Xueqing."

Jiang Li lifted her gaze to Liang Huka.

Liang Huka turned his head, his eyes met Jiang Li’s, and he froze for a moment. "And who are you?"

’She’s so different,’ he thought. ’There’s something about her that just draws you in. Is this the appeal of an older woman?’

Jiang Li stared at Liang Huka, her expression blank, and didn’t answer.

’It’s not like there are no options,’ she mused. ’You never feel the pain until you’re the one being stabbed.’

"Xiao Nian," she said, turning to Yu Huannian, "if I remember correctly, your ID says you’re not an adult yet, right?"

Yu Huannian paused for a second, his mind working before it clicked. The date of birth on his ID card was several months later than his actual birthday.

The date listed was the day his mother had found him. According to his ID, he was still two weeks away from being a legal adult.

The corner of Ji Qinghe’s mouth twitched as she listened to their exchange. She decided it was best to pretend she hadn’t heard a thing.

’Jiang Li and her group weren’t part of the police force, which, at times, was certainly convenient.’

Seeing that Jiang Li wasn’t answering, Liang Huka opened his mouth to press the issue, but in the next second, Lu Xingye slammed him back down into his chair.

"Stay put!" ’Scumbag!’

"Officer Ji, we have a problem! Du Xueqing’s mother is creating a scene online, claiming you’re using your position to hold her daughter captive."

An officer came rushing over.

Ji Qinghe took his phone. On the screen was a video of Du Yonghua and his wife crying their eyes out at the hospital entrance. In just a few short hours, it had already received over a hundred thousand likes.

"Look, everyone! The police are abusing their authority! During such a critical time in my daughter’s senior year of high school, they’ve locked her up in the hospital and won’t even let me see her!"