Chapter 70: Who's the Bastard? |
He calmed his emotions, left with only a faint trace of regret.
What a shame that during today's morning break, she'd worn a scarf downstairs. Li Yipeng could only target the building blocks. If that scarf had been torn instead... he smiled inwardly. Now that would've been truly interesting. The girl's reaction would surely have been different. But things could never be perfect—it was just a bit short of the mark.
Zhou Ziheng considerately closed the office door.
"What's wrong, teacher?" he asked in the perfectly honest tone of a good student.
"Ziheng." The homeroom teacher seemed to have been lost in thought and beckoned him over. "Don't be nervous, I just have something to ask you."
Song Nanshan's face was somber:
"You should all know about this in class by now, so I'll make it quick. About the building blocks being smashed this morning—Qiumian now suspects Zhang Shutong did it. Did you see anything at the time?"
"No."
Zhou Ziheng shook his head with a puzzled expression, though inwardly he was nearly dying of laughter. He looked toward Zhang Shutong, eager to see what expression the other boy wore now—wondering if he still had the same composure as when he'd questioned Zhou this morning. But the other boy kept facing the bookshelf, so he abandoned the thought.
"I see." Song Nanshan sounded somewhat disappointed at this answer and didn't pursue it further, instead waving his hand wearily. "Alright then, you can go back."
But Zhou Ziheng knew he couldn't leave.
Though he really did want to watch the two of them erupt into an even bigger conflict—like last time, ideally alarming the leadership and parents, becoming completely irreconcilable... But disappointingly, for his father's plan, he had to help clear up this "misunderstanding" between them instead. Otherwise, how could Li Yipeng's mother play her proper role?
Once again, just one step short.
This made him clench his fist in displeasure, feeling rather stifled. Helping those two reconcile—what kind of shit was that?
But he knew he had to be patient, to serve the bigger picture, and for the sake of the "profound lesson" that would come soon. So Zhou Ziheng took a deep breath and said with feigned realization:
"Wait, teacher, isn't this a mistake? I remember Zhang Shutong went to give a speech at the flag platform during break—how could he have done it?"
"You caught on quick, but that's exactly the problem," Song Nanshan sighed. "Actually, I don't think it was him either, but you see Qiumian's side... never mind."
The homeroom teacher called out, "Qiumian, you tell him yourself."
The girl spoke coldly, her voice icy enough to freeze someone to death:
"Who knows when he got back to class."
"You see." Song Nanshan spread his hands. "He really might have been first back. I didn't lead the assembly that day—those few finished speaking and just ran off."
"Then why would you suspect Zhang Shutong in the first place?" Zhou Ziheng couldn't help but question this. It seemed abnormal to him.
"Well, he was overheard talking badly about someone behind their back," Song Nanshan seemed reluctant to elaborate, only hinting with a headache, "During first period break, getting water—should've spread through the whole class by now."
So that was the trigger.
Everything made sense now.
Zhou Ziheng understood completely.
No wonder they suddenly suspected Zhang Shutong.
He sneered inwardly, but his face remained innocent:
"Actually, I don't think Zhang Shutong is that kind of person..."
"Then who do you think it was?" Song Nanshan gripped his shoulder urgently.
"I don't know."
Zhou Ziheng shook his head, patiently guiding the suspicion in his desired direction.
This actually deviated somewhat from his plan. He'd originally intended to report Li Yipeng tomorrow, but today's sudden snowfall, while the snow on the roads wasn't too deep yet, was the perfect opportunity to adapt:
"But I think... maybe we should investigate outside the class. After all, they'd have more opportunity to do it. For instance, someone who previously had a conflict with Gu Qiumian?"
"That's right!" Song Nanshan slapped his thigh. "Quick, help me analyze this—I've asked so many people and still have no clue!"
Zhou Ziheng knew that Zhang Shutong was the homeroom teacher's favorite student. When it came to clearing his suspicion, aside from Zhang Shutong himself, the most eager person would be the homeroom teacher. He exploited this psychology and continued analyzing:
"Teacher, do you remember Li Yipeng? I'm just speculating here, but he used to be in our class—could it possibly be him?"
"That makes sense!" Song Nanshan nodded emphatically, but then smacked his lips. "But here's the problem, Ziheng. Zhang Shutong, he..."
"What about him?"
"He's already confessed."
"What?" Zhou Ziheng froze, finally unable to maintain his composure. "That's impossible!"
"What did you say?"
"I mean... he, he couldn't have just confessed directly, right?"
Song Nanshan explained:
"I didn't expect it either at first. I just said I'd call Gu Qiumian's father, and he panicked and admitted it himself. Said it was because of the scarf incident last time—he'd been holding a grudge against Qiumian ever since. You should remember that incident, right?"
Of course Zhou Ziheng remembered—he'd orchestrated that whole thing himself.
Song Nanshan slammed his hand on the desk so hard the entire office shook, his face dark as dripping water:
"Just because of that trivial matter, this bastard could actually threaten a classmate with death. I won't hide it from you—I really did have different expectations for him before, but I never imagined he'd turn out to be such a..."
"Bastard."
Before he could finish, Gu Qiumian coldly interrupted him.
Song Nanshan paused, then softened his tone:
"Qiumian, don't worry. I'll definitely give you a proper resolution to this."
"I want him suspended."
"About that..." Song Nanshan sighed. "Didn't I just try calling his mother without getting through? Let me try again."
As he pressed the call button, he waved at Zhou Ziheng:
"You go back first. Tell the classmates to study quietly on their own, no need for anyone else to come..."
But how could Zhou Ziheng leave like this?
He was completely stunned, not understanding how things had deviated so far from his plan. What kind of joke was this? If they solved the so-called case right now, would Li Yipeng's mother still come? What would happen to his father's plan?
Stay calm, stay calm...
He'd inherited his father's temperament—plan before acting. Even though he knew Zhang Shutong was hiding something, even though he knew Li Yipeng was the real culprit, he absolutely couldn't bring up the true perpetrator of the "castle incident" now. The more he said, the more likely he'd expose himself.
His brain raced as his feet moved accordingly. He walked a few steps, then suddenly turned back:
"Teacher, I just remembered something. Do you know about the name on the bathroom stall partition? I even reminded Gu Qiumian about it this morning..."
"Oh that? I know about it," Song Nanshan did indeed stop dialing and said, "Go on, Ziheng."
Zhou Ziheng felt somewhat grateful he'd kept that card hidden. He couldn't bring up the castle incident, but there were other clues he could use to redirect suspicion:
"I suddenly know who did it. During morning reading, I arrived early, and it was just Li Yipeng and me in the bathroom..."
At this point, he actually hesitated, because the more details he gave, the more mistakes he might make. But then he glanced at the snow falling outside and knew he couldn't wait any longer. If he didn't detonate the bomb that was Li Yipeng's mother today, by tomorrow when the roads were iced over and movement was impossible, his father's entire setup would be meaningless. So he gritted his teeth:
"It was him. I saw him come out of the bathroom with a very short stick in his pocket. I didn't realize what it was at the time, but it should've been a marker..."
The more he spoke, the calmer he became, analyzing:
"Originally I didn't suspect him, but after this incident with Zhang Shutong today, teacher, think about it—what if there's someone else who wants revenge on Gu Qiumian? That name represents some kind of mark."
He put on a somewhat aggrieved tone:
"I know you all probably didn't take it seriously, but I clearly went to warn her this morning. Gu Qiumian wouldn't listen to me, but even so, I still have to say this for her safety—even if the suspicion is small, we should call Li Yipeng in to confirm..."
He knew Li Yipeng's psychological fortitude. As long as he could successfully raise the homeroom teacher's suspicion and get him called to the office, Zhou could fan the flames from the sidelines and the plan could still proceed.
At this point he looked toward Gu Qiumian, hoping she'd show some response. He really had been warning her since this morning, even if it was to clear his own suspicion and to see her panic while having to thank him gratefully.
But what he hadn't anticipated this morning was that the girl had found him annoying even then.
Now it was even worse. Even if she just nodded at him, the homeroom teacher's attention would increase. But what infuriated him was that Gu Qiumian showed no reaction at all, didn't even blink. Suppressing his anger, he continued maintaining his secret admirer persona:
"So I suggest we call Li Yipeng here right now and confront him face-to-face about what's really going on. Even if I end up wrongly accusing him, for Gu Qiumian's sake..."
"Ziheng, you're such a good kid." Song Nanshan interrupted with gratification. "But you know, he's not in our class anymore. We can't just go grab someone from another class without any evidence. So... you're certain you saw Li Yipeng write that name?"
"Certain!"
"I understand." Song Nanshan suddenly stood up.
His earlier gratification vanished, replaced instead by suppressed fury:
"Then listen to this first."
The homeroom teacher pulled out a phone—not his own, but an iPhone. Song Nanshan pressed play:
"Just recorded it."
Everything caught Zhou Ziheng off guard. Before he could speak, a somewhat familiar, halting voice drifted from the speaker:
"I really wasn't the only one... I had a stomachache and went to the bathroom at the time. There was no one else there. Then suddenly a note was passed under from below, asking if I wanted revenge on Gu Qiumian... He said his family also runs a shop on Commercial Street. I still have that note—you can match the handwriting if you don't believe me..."
There was no need to hear the rest.
Because Zhou Ziheng could no longer hear what was being said. His ears buzzed like a fly was circling around, though this was clearly winter.
The heating was on indoors, but his heart plunged into an icy abyss.
So it was a trap!
They'd been setting him up all along!
There was no misunderstanding at all—Li Yipeng had been caught long ago. But why did they suspect him...
Every step had been just one move away from success, so why did everything suddenly veer completely off course?!
His movements had frozen. He turned his head woodenly to look at that figure who'd been facing the cabinet in contemplation the whole time. But the other boy now turned around—he hadn't been standing in punishment at all. He'd been holding a lollipop the entire time.
He was eating candy!
The other boy simply removed the lollipop he'd been hiding in his cheek and, expression unchanged, twirled it in his hand like a conductor with a baton, the candy pointing directly at him:
"We already know about your dad's plan. Commercial Street, the escape—explain the rest to the police."
"You..."
This string of words made him feel almost dizzy, about to collapse on the floor.
But the other boy didn't even look at him after speaking, as if he were completely insignificant, nowhere near as important as his next question. Zhang Shutong looked toward the girl who'd been coldly silent the whole time, asking with bewilderment:
"Did you just ad-lib that line? Who's the bastard?"
And there, in Zhou Ziheng's line of sight, that girl who'd never looked at him properly suddenly broke into a smile, like ice finally melting. Then she glared defiantly at the boy:
"Who do you think?"