After the case was closed, I finally took a couple of days to rest. That afternoon, Wang Dali burst into the dorm waving a newspaper and shouting, "Yangzi! We made the news!"
"Let me see!"
I grabbed the paper and couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. The report had completely twisted the facts—it claimed a college student had killed two classmates in a fit of rage after losing his recommendation for graduate school. Not a single word mentioned the cursed piano. Probably too bizarre for the police to share with the media.
They did mention Huang Xiaotao, and even me—but only as a "helpful student surnamed Song." The rest was just cobbled-together nonsense about the fragile mental state of modern students and how devastating it is for families to lose a child.
"What the hell is this?" I muttered.
"Exactly! They didn't even mention me!" Wang Dali fumed. "By the way, your Weibo followers must be over 100K by now, right?"
"Nope. I shut it down. Who wants to spend all day answering dumb questions?" I replied.
"Come on! This is your big chance to get famous! If you became an influencer, I could bask in your glory too," Wang Dali sighed dramatically.
Famous? Not a chance. Too many people in the Song family lost their heads for being too high-profile. Keeping a low profile—that's my life philosophy.
...
Just then, my phone rang. It was Huang Xiaotao. "Can you come to the station?" she asked.
"Is this about the reward money?"
"Uh… no. We'll talk about that later. The thing is… Forensic Examiner Qin is suing you."
"What?" I almost swore out loud. That shameless old man! I hadn't even confronted him yet, and he was already coming at me?
He couldn't solve the case and now wanted to shift the blame?
"What am I being accused of?" I asked.
"You'll find out when you get here. He's causing a scene in Captain Lin's office. If you don't come, they might send a squad car to campus…"
"Fine, I'm on my way."
"What's going on?" Wang Dali asked.
"Police station. I'll be right back," I said, grabbing my coat.
"Want me to come?"
"No need."
I took a taxi to the station. Huang Xiaotao was waiting at the door, dressed in full uniform, looking sharp and composed. She gave me a wry smile. "Sorry, Song Yang. I didn't mean to drag you into this."
"It's not your fault. Let's go meet the old man."
As we approached the office, we could already hear Qin roaring inside: "Captain Lin, if it weren't for Huang Xiaotao and that punk sabotaging me behind my back, do you think I couldn't crack such a simple case? Ridiculous! You need to discipline her!"
What kind of twisted logic was that? Since when did seniority equal competence?
"Alright, calm down, Qin," came another voice—presumably Captain Lin. "Let's wait until they get here and talk it out."
Huang Xiaotao knocked on the door. "Come in," said Lin.
We entered. Qin was sitting on the couch, a cigarette between his fingers, one leg crossed over the other. He snorted loudly at the sight of me.
Captain Lin was a rugged man in his forties, built like a tank and vaguely resembling a movie star. He looked me over. "You're Song Yang?"
"That's me."
"Pretty young, cracking a case like this in under 24 hours. Your family in law enforcement?"
"No, just ordinary folks. I've had an interest in this stuff since I was a kid. Read a lot of books growing up," I replied modestly.
"Talented and humble. Impressive," Lin said.
Qin suddenly stubbed out his cigarette and jumped up, shouting, "Captain Lin! Why are you praising him? This kid insulted the corpse and obstructed our investigation!"
Captain Lin chuckled. "He was just helping with the autopsy. That's hardly an offense. Besides, who solved the case doesn't matter as long as it's solved."
"How is that the same?" Qin raged. "He's not even a cop! How can you take his side?"
"I'm siding with reason. And honestly, this doesn't feel like something worth suing over," Lin waved him off.
"Wait!" Qin suddenly glared at me. "This kid illegally withheld and destroyed evidence!"
My eyes widened. Where was this coming from?
Lin's expression darkened. "Is that true?"
"Yes!" Qin barked. "There was a flyer hidden in the killer's book. His roommate said Song Yang took it and never handed it in. That caused the task force to waste tons of time!"
"A flyer?" I blinked.
Huang Xiaotao and I exchanged confused glances. That was his so-called 'key evidence'?
We'd already gone to the clinic the flyer advertised. She probably tossed it somewhere. Even without it, we'd have followed the same lead.
"Was the flyer that important?" Lin asked.
"Crucial! The entire case hinged on it! Otherwise, how could this amateur get ahead of us?" Qin shouted, practically spitting.
This guy could really twist facts to suit his narrative.
I said calmly, "That flyer had nothing useful on it. Even without it, you could've just asked the killer's roommate for the same info."
"And how do I know you didn't destroy more evidence?" Qin sneered.
"Relax. We knew less than you, not more."
"That's just your word!" he barked.
I sneered. "So you're saying your entire task force was outdone by two students? No wonder you couldn't solve it."
His face turned purple. "You—you're slandering me!"
I pressed on. "What about our bet, Dr. Qin? You gonna weasel out of that too?"
"What bet?" Lin asked.
I explained the wager. Lin turned to Qin in surprise. "You bet on solving the case? Seriously?"
"He tricked me into it!" Qin sputtered. "It was all his fault!"
What a shameless excuse.
"Dr. Qin," I said, "I've been polite because you're a senior, but if you keep dodging your own words, it really damages your image."
He glared at me. "I've been a coroner longer than you've been alive! You dare challenge me?"
"Oh, I believe it. Pity you've wasted all those years," I said with a cold smile.
"You—you—you…" he stammered, nearly bursting with rage.
Lin stepped in. "Alright, that's enough. The flyer clearly wasn't critical. Qin, you're too old to be losing your temper like this. Let's move on."
"Hmph! This isn't over!" Qin snarled and turned to leave.
Just then, a phone rang. Lin picked up, spoke briefly, then glanced at me. "He's here now. You can talk to him yourself." He handed me the phone.
It was Officer Sun, his voice booming through the receiver. "Nephew! I just read the case report. You really cracked this one? Why didn't you tell me? Afraid I'd recruit you?"
I laughed. "Uncle Sun, I just stumbled into it."
"You've got your grandfather's sharp mind! Come see me sometime—we haven't had a drink in years!"
I glanced at Qin and said loud enough for him to hear, "Congratulations on the promotion, by the way. Heard you're chief now."
"Chief… Chief Sun?" Qin's jaw practically hit the floor.