Chapter 7: The Calm Suspect

“Disabled?”
Su Tianmu had not expected that the perpetrator might be someone with a physical disability!
Because in the photograph, this child’s left leg was obviously deformed—both misshapen and shorter than the other. All the children in the group photo were beaming with joy, except for this boy named Ding Chaoyue, whose expression showed little sign of happiness. Even though he had taken first place, his face seemed shrouded in melancholy.
It was a kind of melancholy that children of their age should not possess.
Su Tianmu examined the other children in the photo more closely. Although they were only in middle school, boys’ features are often already distinct at that age; it was not hard to recognize that the three deceased were among them as well.
His first instinct was that Ding Chaoyue was the child who had once been bullied!
Setting the photograph aside, Su Tianmu felt a tangle of emotions.
“Hey, Xiao Wang, I found it. Let’s head back.”
He picked up his phone and called Xiao Wang.
Leaving the records room, he gazed at the children playing, laughing, and chasing each other on the campus. Their faces were bright with innocent youth, and he could not help but sigh.
Not everyone’s youth is beautiful. Beneath the innocent smiles on those faces, there could be secrets too dark to tell.
Noticing Su Tianmu walking absentmindedly along the campus path, Xiao Wang hurried to catch up.
“What’s wrong, Captain Su? Did you find something?”
Xiao Wang was puzzled by his team leader’s expression, unsure what had happened.
Su Tianmu turned to look at him, studying the young man’s face. Suddenly, he asked,
“Xiao Wang, were you ever bullied as a child? Do you hate those who bullied you?”
The question caught Xiao Wang off guard. He didn’t know why the captain was asking this.
“Of course not! If anyone dared bully me, I would’ve beaten them up. I was always strong as a kid!”
He joked as he flexed his arm, showing off his biceps.
Su Tianmu smiled at this.
Yes, he had a strong body to protect himself. But what about Ding Chaoyue, who was living with a disability?
Su Tianmu’s mind replayed the face of the boy from the photo.
“Organize an immediate summons for Ding Chaoyue!”

After saying this, he quickened his pace.
...
Ding Chaoyue, the suspect. Male, thirty-eight years old. Although he had a disability in his leg, it did not affect his ability to walk.
In the interrogation room, Su Tianmu studied the man before him. While his appearance had changed somewhat, it was still easy to connect him to the child in the photograph. The most striking difference was his physique. Though not tall, it was clear he maintained strict control over his body.
There was none of the sloppiness typical of men his age; his figure was robust. Even though it was the season for thick clothing, one could tell from the way his sleeves stretched that he was a powerful man.
Su Tianmu was taken aback, even shocked, by the transformation.
Perhaps this was an outward sign of an inner change as well.
“Do you recognize these people?”
Su Tianmu handed him the photos of the three deceased.
Without the slightest ripple of emotion, Ding Chaoyue replied calmly,
“Yes. Why? Are they all dead?”
Now it was Su Tianmu’s turn to be at a loss for words.
“Aren’t you surprised? Did you kill them?”
He went straight to the point, wasting no time.
“Are you joking? Why would I kill them?”
Ding Chaoyue returned the photos to Su Tianmu, his tone icy.
That demeanor sent a chill down one’s spine.
Su Tianmu said nothing, watching him carefully. If it weren’t for the resemblance to the boy in the photo, it would be difficult to associate this man with a victim of school bullying.
Clearly, not only had he undergone a drastic physical change, but his mind had also grown cold and composed.
“Very well, then. We’ll take our time. We have plenty of it...”
Xiao Wang glanced at the suspect and began a detailed interrogation.
After several rounds, Ding Chaoyue answered every question about himself flawlessly, leaving no openings that could connect him to the murders.
Moreover, he had solid alibis for each case.

Because time was limited, the first round of questioning ended. As Ding Chaoyue left the interrogation room, he glanced back with a meaningful look, leaving Su Tianmu with a sense of being challenged. Or perhaps it was a victor’s satisfaction.
It was him. It had to be him!
Su Tianmu was utterly convinced that Ding Chaoyue was the perpetrator behind the three murders. But how could he break through his defenses? Where was the irrefutable evidence?
“Captain Su, is it possible we’ve got the wrong person? He has clear alibis for all three cases, and his timeline is airtight—there’s not a single flaw,” Xiao Wang said, puzzled.
“His answers were too perfect—so perfect it’s as if he rehearsed them in advance. That’s exactly what’s suspicious,” Su Tianmu replied, getting up and leaving the interrogation room. He turned back and told Xiao Wang, “We’ll start investigating from the first case. We’re bound to find a clue!”
With a clear suspect, the investigation was now much more targeted.
The village murder case: Li Ming, elementary school teacher.
Returning to the school where Li Ming had worked, Su Tianmu showed Ding Chaoyue’s photo to the teachers, asking if anyone had seen him before.
“Let me think... I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before. Maybe... he’s a parent of one of our students?”
The same bespectacled, plump female teacher from their previous visit pointed at the photo.
“Really? Do you remember whose parent he is?”
Su Tianmu sensed this could be a valuable lead and pressed forward.
“I remember now! He’s the father of that girl I mentioned last time—Ding Beibei! I even identified her for you, remember? The little girl who was bullied?”
The teacher blinked her large eyes behind her glasses, trying hard to help Su Tianmu recall.
As she spoke, he remembered—the little girl he’d glanced at a few times.
“Could you help us find her again? Of course, we’ll be discreet and won’t frighten her,” Su Tianmu said, noticing the teacher’s hesitation.
“All right, but I’ll have to get the principal’s permission first. You know how it is with parents these days... every child is precious, and any problem is a big deal,” she replied, hurrying away.
Watching her leave, Su Tianmu frowned once more.
Could this be another case of school bullying?