Heavy.
That was Gao Wen’s most direct feeling at this mont… An inexplicable pressure weighed on him, disrupting his usual composure—he even opened the wrong lecture file.
For students accustod to Professor Gao’s lectures, it was almost unthinkable for him to make such a mistake in class—especially since he arrived just as the bell rang today, leading many to speculate that sothing must have happened to him.
But Gao Wen quickly recovered his rhythm, gradually returning to his usual teaching standard, and the classroom atmosphere beca lively once more.
Only occasionally, whether intentionally or not, his eyes drifted to the window seat in the very back—finally, the class ended.
It was one of the few tis since becoming a teacher that Gao Wen felt a class to be so long.
As the bell rang, Gao Wen made up his mind to approach the student who had now attended his class three tis as a guest listener—after Luo Qiu first appeared and abruptly left after asking a single question, Gao Wen had checked for his records in the admin office.
He found nothing. There was no such student as Luo Qiu at the university.
Yet Luo Qiu had appeared again, and now a third ti.
Each ti, he ca silently, asked no questions, just stared with unwavering eyes.
Gao Wen took a deep breath, stepped down from the podium, and walked up the steps toward the back corner by the window.
He’s still here, Gao Wen thought to himself.
“Professor Gao, I still don’t quite understand the example you ntioned just now,” a sweet voice interrupted him.
A girl stood up with a friendly smile, casually blocking Gao Wen’s path. His line of sight was cut off.
Thanks to his well-practiced self-restraint, he didn’t push past her. “Let answer your question in a bit.”
But in just those few seconds, when he looked back at that seat—Luo Qiu had vanished again.
Gao Wen quickly looked toward the back exit but saw no trace of the boy. It was impossible for soone to disappear that quickly and quietly.
“Professor, what are you looking at?” the girl asked curiously, following his gaze.
“There was a boy sitting there just now…”
“Professor, maybe you imagined it. There’s no one there.”
Again?
The sa response as before?
As if he were the only one who could see him… Gao Wen took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. “Maybe… I didn’t sleep well last night. My eyes are playing tricks on .”
Could it have been a hallucination?
He fell silent but couldn’t shake the feeling… that next class, he’d see those eyes again. Eyes that never left him.
“I just rembered sothing I need to do,” Gao Wen said suddenly. “If you have any questions, email , and I’ll get back to you.”
“Professor Gao?”
Without another word, he quickly left the classroom—his strange behavior fueling more quiet student chatter.
…
Gao Wen entered the faculty office building’s restroom. During class hours, most teachers were busy, so the room was empty.
He splashed his face with cold water at the sink. Water dripped from his chin, and his wet bangs clung to his forehead. Gao Wen abruptly turned around.
That strange gaze… he felt it again.
But behind him—nothing. Even the mirror monts before had shown nothing. And yet, the feeling was beyond explanation.
Leaning on the sink, Gao Wen murmured, “Luo Qi… I saw your child.”
Silence.
Then, soone walked in and greeted him.
“Prof… Professor Gao?”
Gao Wen turned and saw a man in his late fifties wearing a suit, looking worn out and haggard. “Professor Ouyang?”
This Professor Ouyang was linked to a scandal months ago—he had been accused of inappropriate relationships with female students, including coercing them through control of thesis approvals and career opportunities.
The university had suspended him imdiately. The matter couldn’t be covered up.
Gao Wen greeted him politely, “How have you been?”
Professor Ouyang gave a bitter smile and sighed, “Only you still call ‘professor.’ Everyone else avoids like the plague. I really regret it…”
Clearly, the man was deeply remorseful—his reputation in ruins. Gao Wen, offering what little comfort he could, said, “Are you here today to…?”
“They want to resign voluntarily,” said Professor Ouyang. “Give a little dignity, I guess.”
“And your future plans?”
“Nothing much. Maybe go back to my hotown for a while.” He looked at Gao Wen, eyes full of regret. “If you don’t mind staying in touch with an old fool like , let’s talk again soday.”
“Of course,” Gao Wen smiled. “No matter what, your past contributions as a forensic expert are undeniable. You helped solve many cases—I won’t forget that.”
Professor Ouyang gave a bitter smile. “I may not be as good as you think. I made plenty of mistakes back then too. Looking back, I’ve really failed myself.”
“Professor?” Gao Wen raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing more to say,” Ouyang shook his head. “Don’t make mistakes, little Gao. So mistakes… there’s no way back.”
“Yes, Professor,” Gao Wen replied quietly.
They didn’t talk long. After washing his hands, the older man left, looking even more dejected than before.
When Gao Wen stepped out of the restroom, he had already restored the composed, scholarly deanor of the well-known Professor Gao Wen of the Political Law University.
…
Zhao Le lived in an old apartnt complex.
The buildings were over 20 years old, 6–7 stories tall, no elevators. Zhao Le’s family lived on the sixth floor.
By the ti he reached the door, he was drenched in sweat.
He quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside—only to be startled by the sight of two n sitting in the living room.
“Little Le, you're back,” a woman in her forties quickly ca over to greet him. “These are Officer Lin and Officer Wang. They're here to ask so questions… but your sister’s not in a good mood.”
Zhao Le’s expression changed. After glancing at the two police officers sitting on the worn sofa, he rushed into the bedroom.
The woman sighed helplessly. “Officers, please don’t take offense. Little Le is normally very polite, but whenever it involves his sister, he gets very anxious… I’ve already explained most of the situation about little Qin. Please handle it as you see fit.”
“It’s okay, we understand,” said Officer Lin—Lin Feng—sympathetically.
This woman wasn’t a mber of the family—she was just a neighbor who, out of pity for Zhang Xiaoqin, would occasionally drop by to help take care of things.
“Well then… if there’s nothing else, I’ll head ho. My family’s coming back soon—I need to cook dinner.”
Seeing she wanted to leave and didn’t want to get further involved, Lin Feng quickly waved his hand, signaling the kind neighbor to go. He then sighed.
“Sir Lin, I really didn’t expect that this Zhou Xiaoqin once attempted suicide,” his partner said with a frown. “We only briefly ntioned Wang Liang, and Zhang Xiaoqin’s reaction was so intense. I don’t think we’ll get anything useful from her anyti soon.”
“We’ll see. Now that her younger brother Zhao Le is back, maybe we can learn sothing through him,” Lin Feng said thoughtfully.
The other officer—Officer Wang—mused, “Co to think of it, it’s kind of strange that the siblings don’t share the sa surna.”
“Not really,” Lin Feng replied casually. “That auntie just told us their parents divorced when they were young, and each took one kid. They kept their respective surnas. Later, Zhao Le ca to the city for school and has been living with Zhang Xiaoqin ever since.”
As he spoke, Lin Feng got up and walked to the bedroom door—it wasn’t fully closed.
Inside, a pale-faced woman in a wheelchair had her ears covered, looking agitated. Zhao Le was speaking gently to her beside the bed.
Zhao Le noticed and walked over coldly, shutting the door in Lin Feng’s face.
Lin Feng had no choice but to return to the sofa.
More than an hour passed before Zhao Le finally erged from the bedroom with a tense expression. Lin Feng imdiately took out his credentials.
“Zhao Le, sorry to disturb you. But we really are here for an investigation. We an no harm. We also apologize for upsetting your sister.”
Zhao Le frowned. “Why are you here?”
“We’re investigating Wang Liang,” Lin Feng said. “But your sister beca very emotional when we ntioned his na. So…”
Zhao Le sneered, “That scumbag hurt my sister. Of course she got emotional!”
Lin Feng kept his tone steady, “Zhao Le, we’re very sorry about your sister. But we still need to investigate. I hope you can help us. That way, we won’t have to bother her again.”
“I don’t know anything about that scumbag, and neither does my sister! Leave us alone! Don’t co back!” Zhao Le said firmly. “She just started to calm down—I won’t let her get triggered again. I hope you understand!”
“Wang Liang is dead,” Lin Feng suddenly said.
Zhao Le froze. “D-Dead?”
Lin Feng nodded. “You’ve probably heard about the dismbernt case two days ago. We’ve confird the victim is Wang Liang. But we know very little about him, which is why we hoped you could provide so leads.”
“Good riddance! That scum deserved it!” Zhao Le sneered. “People like him don’t need a trial. If you won’t bring justice, Heaven will! Finally, karma caught up!”
Lin Feng frowned. “Zhao Le, you’re a student in the law departnt… That kind of talk is a little inappropriate, don’t you think?”
“The law is already rotten!” Zhao Le snapped. “That piece of trash ruined so many lives, and what did you do? Said there wasn’t enough evidence, and let him roam free! Now that he’s dead, you suddenly want to find his killer?”
“The law is the law,” Lin Feng replied with a frown. “I hope you’re just angry and don’t really believe that… Otherwise, it shows a lack of respect for your studies.”
“The law is the law, but it should also be the minimum standard of morality!” Zhao Le said, clearly agitated. “If it can’t even uphold that, what’s the point of it? Get out. Leave now!”
He threw open the door, glaring at them like an angry lion.
Officer Wang frowned, clearly losing patience. “Zhao Le, I hope you’ll fulfill your civic duty and cooperate.”
“What now, are you going to use force? Go ahead, do it! Let’s see what your so-called law really ans!” Zhao Le growled. “I study law too. Try !”
“You—!” Officer Wang’s eyes widened in disbelief.
But Lin Feng calmly reached out and stopped his partner, putting on a smile. “Looks like we ca at the wrong ti… Here, I’ll leave my contact info. If you rember anything, feel free to reach out.”
He scribbled down his number, pulled his partner outside, and paused at the door.
“The law is the baseline for morality. But that baseline isn’t a wall of stone—it’s a wall of people. We are that wall. As for your sister… I’m sorry. Sorry for the intrusion.”
He shut the door without looking back.
He’d seen enough similar cases to understand the grief and anger families carry when justice fails them.
On the way down, Officer Wang muttered, “Sir Lin, my temper got the best of … But with Zhao Le like that, how are we supposed to do our jobs?”
“What else can we do? Drag him in?” Lin Feng shook his head. “We’re police, not thugs. For now, we just have to hope he cos around.”
Just then, soone rushed out from the stairwell—it was Zhao Le.
“Wait.”
The two turned around.
Zhao Le frowned, gritted his teeth, and said, “I’ll cooperate with you. But sowhere else—not in my ho.”
Lin Feng smiled slightly, relieved.
(End of Chapter)
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