Chapter 39: Premeditation or Coincidence

The assassin is dead? Sui Yi wasn’t the least bit surprised. She raised her eyes to look at Lin Quan, silently asking, “And then?”

“There were quite a few witnesses at the time, and some even took photos. The incident caused a huge stir. Now, many people are saying you killed the assassin with a bamboo pole, which is making things very tricky with the media…”

Lin Quan looked troubled. He had promised Sui Yi he would handle the matter, but now it seemed too difficult. The real problem was that too many people had witnessed the scene, and the media had far too much freedom.

Sui Yi frowned, leaned against the wall in silence for a while, then said, “That bamboo pole only pierced the chest cavity slightly. Your officers had already fired at him. The two injuries together caused the assassin’s death from exhaustion. As for the person who fought with the assassin earlier, he was actually an undercover officer, set up as bait to lure the target into the police’s trap, where he was finally shot and killed…”

She paused, glancing at Lin Quan. “What do you think of this explanation?”

Lin Quan listened from start to finish, his expression shifting rapidly, and finally let out a helpless sigh. “Your explanation is exactly the same as the one our police team settled on after a whole night of discussion.”

Sui Yi lowered her head, playing with her phone.

“But too many people saw you, so not everyone will believe it. Also, your school uniform… I’m afraid…”

As he spoke, Lin Quan saw Sui Yi opening a news page on her phone, showing an official report from Nanxun, complete with pictures and text.

However…

“Did you see the photo? The school uniform is clear, but do you really think that’s me?”

The person in the photo had a blurred face; they’d been moving and fighting too quickly for any clear image to be captured.

“I’ve reviewed many images taken by witnesses. Most are unclear, but I didn’t expect the media to use only such blurred pictures as well,” Lin Quan said, a touch of surprise in his voice, but also relief. “With this, our official version has some credibility. There will still be small troubles, though, which you’ll have to handle yourself.”

After all, there were many witnesses, and some persistent ones might come to the school…

“No matter,” Sui Yi put away her phone with a faint smile, “At worst, you can give me a bravery award from the police department… with a cash prize, of course.”

Her gaze drifted down to the balcony below, where she seemed to spot a boy standing outside the infirmary, watching as the police escorted Han Tianshou across the campus avenue. That once high-spirited young man now had a swollen face and vacant eyes. He might cry. After all, his toy castle had collapsed.

—

When Sui Yi returned to the classroom, she had to admit—the way everyone looked at her now was completely different from before. Even if it wasn’t the gaze reserved for a hero, there was no trace of the mockery or hostility she used to receive.

“May I come in?” Sui Yi called from the doorway.

The chemistry teacher was giving the lesson. Seeing Sui Yi, he instinctively adjusted his glasses and greeted her warmly with a smile, “Come in.”

As soon as Sui Yi sat down, a notebook was pushed toward her, the handwriting upon it delicate and elegant.

“These are the notes from the last lesson, though only a small part—the rest are missing,” Yan Qingwu said softly, her slender, fair fingers gliding lightly over the page.

“Hm?” Sui Yi was puzzled.

She hadn’t taken notes?

Yan Qingwu’s lips curled, her eyes smiling, “Because the literature teacher ran out to see the commotion too…”

Ha, Sui Yi sensed a hint of playfulness in her tone.

It seemed that, to her, even such a major incident was nothing to fuss about.

Sui Yi glanced at her, then turned to look out the window.

Storms rise and rain falls, but a calm heart is naturally cool; in Jiangnan, peace is wherever you find it.

Yet to others, Sui Yi, once the person anyone could trample, had in a single day clashed irreversibly with Han Yuanzhong, and then, in the dust-settling tragedy, staged a dramatic reversal!

Was she truly ignorant and innocent?

No—what about the broadcast room?

She and Yu Hang had staged a grand drama together, a performance full of wind and fire!

The tranquility of Nanxun Town was shattered by her with two mobile phones!

The Han family’s fall had arrived!

And she herself remained at ease.

Of course, few knew that in this world, every effect has its cause; nothing happens by mere chance.

—

As expected, the Nanxun Town mayor’s corruption case made headlines, pushing the so-called assassin’s death case off the front page and becoming the new hot topic for the town’s hundreds of thousands of residents. Discussions echoed through every street and alley.

There was no shortage of people eager to kick a man when he’s down.

At the same time, the vice principal’s molestation and rape case at Nanxun Second High School became ironclad after numerous teachers and students witnessed events and victims came forward.

These two cases, seemingly unrelated, were connected by Chief Lin Quan’s fearless investigation. Evidence piled up on the Justice Bureau’s desk. Yet, the very next day, Lin Quan—the police chief—was dismissed.

The reason given: abuse of power.

By the following afternoon, every news outlet in town reported in unison the police chief’s familial ties to Han Tianshou, along with photos of the mayor socializing with the two of them.

Layer by layer, the darkness was uncovered, exposing systemic corruption.

Public opinion turned completely against them.

—

Complaints even reached the city of Nanxun.

The city government issued an official statement, announcing a formal investigation.

At this point, as she ate, Sui Yi closed the news page on her phone, took a sip of corn soup, set her bowl and chopsticks aside, and said to Old Tang, “It seems Mr. Yu’s Nanxun Chamber of Commerce is quite influential—able to shift the entire media narrative, even stirring up the city’s news outlets.”

For a town’s affairs to attract citywide attention, and for the mayor himself to be rendered powerless—it seemed the connections behind the scenes were not simple.

Perhaps it was a higher-level political maneuver.

But what role did the Chamber of Commerce play in it?

“Hey? I’m a member of the Nanxun Chamber of Commerce myself—why not say it’s my doing?” The old man seemed particularly stubborn on this point.

Sui Yi cast him a lazy glance, her voice mild. “Sorry, I keep forgetting that…”

After all, he looked nothing like the typical image of a successful businessman.

Old Tang rolled his eyes, saying, “Money can make the devil work for you. Of course, if the King of Hell forbids it, no amount of money will move those little devils.”

So, if the King of Hell wants someone dead, that person won’t live to see midnight?

Sui Yi smiled faintly.

Taking advantage of the empty room, Old Tang’s gaze flickered as he asked, “Sui Yi, in all this, it’s obvious you’re not just an innocent bystander. If you say you knew nothing, that you’re just a victim, this old man wouldn’t believe it for a second… But tell me, how did you know all those things, and—”

“The accounts—Old Tang, you showed them to me. The rift between Lin Quan and the police chief is well known. The Chamber of Commerce has faced years of targeted policies that cost a lot of money—one can see that from your annual expenditures. Isn’t it all quite obvious? Are you really surprised?”

Old Tang pursed his lips. The issue was—could a high school student really see through all this, connect the dots, and set off the fuse…?

“As for how things unfolded, all I can say is everything was both too coincidental and not coincidental at all.” Sui Yi gathered her dishes, preparing to leave.

“It just so happened that when those girls were hurt, I was still a student at this school…”

So, she had long planned to bring Han Tianshou down?

(A quick note: This book will be officially on sale as a VIP title on September 1st. Each chapter isn’t expensive, and if you have VIP, it’s only nine Qidian coins per chapter. I hope everyone will support the book with a first subscription so the stats don’t look too bad! I’m not aiming too high for the new book’s monthly ranking, but I still hope it can make the list for a bit more exposure. If you have a pink ticket at the start of the month, please spare one for Yu Bao! New books need this more than old ones—nowadays, recommendations for new books aren’t great, but the monthly ranking still helps a lot.)