Insights Chapter 26: The Truth

Chapter 26: The Truth

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

After work in the evening, Gu Yanchen picked up Shen Junci and they went home together. They soon arrived at their residence. Both got out of the car, took the elevator up, and then got off together. As they stepped into the corridor, the motion-sensor lights lit up.

Gu Yanchen remained silent, seemingly lost in thought, his head bowed.

Feeling the strange atmosphere of silence, Shen Junci spoke up, “I still don’t quite understand why Tang Lu had to kill Xu Yapei…”

That night, there were many opportunities for her to prevent the tragedy. Was it merely because of her daughter’s rebellion? Or did she feel her daughter slipping out of her control? So she had to cruelly kill her own flesh and blood? Such motives were somewhat inexplicable.

Gu Yanchen didn’t respond, but instead reached out for Shen Junci’s hand. Shen Junci realized his slight movement was noticed. He attempted to evade, but instead brushed against something, causing pain. He winced.

Gu Yanchen took his hand and unwrapped Shen Junci’s sleeve, revealing bandages underneath. A bloodstain marked the bandage, and seeing this new wound, Gu Yanchen frowned, feeling an inexplicable tightness in his chest.

Supporting Shen Junci’s wrist, he asked, “Doctor Shen, what were you thinking…”

Gu Yanchen had been pondering moments ago. It was late at night, and even the medical examiner’s assistant wasn’t around. Where did Shen Junci get the test results from? He had some vague guesses, and now, witnessing this scene, he finally understood. The location of the wound was exactly like Tang Lu’s previous wound.

With his brows furrowed and his lips pale due to blood loss, Shen Junci’s voice remained calm, “I cleaned, treated and stitched the wound. It’ll heal soon.”

Gu Yanchen pursed his lips, contemplating what to say. Though the situation seemed resolved, he wasn’t sure how to handle it. Should he ask if Shen Junci was still in pain or reproach him for being reckless? He feared Shen Junci might take his comfort as encouragement. If this was let go, what about next time? What unexpected actions might he take? Gu Yanchen was used to being in control, but Shen Junci was An Nanomaly, his thoughts unpredictable. He hadn’t felt like this in a long time. The last time he faced such a situation, it was with Lin Luo.

Sensing Gu Yanchen’s hesitation, Shen Junci’s normally chilly tone softened, “Captain Gu, I’m truly sorry for not informing you beforehand.”

He admitted his mistake voluntarily.

As if reporting it would gain Gu Yanchen’s approval.

“I don’t want to see this kind of thing happen again,” Gu Yanchen said, releasing Shen Junci’s wrist, then turning to open the door and entering the room. The door slammed shut. 

Shen Junci stared at the closed door, then entered the room, clutching the toy train. He turned on the light, assembled the toy train’s track piece by piece, placing it on the table. After fitting the batteries and turning it on, the train started running automatically. It moved swiftly, buzzing as it traversed up and down, through tunnels, across bridges, repeating the cycle endlessly.

Shen Junci watched the train circle several times carefully. Then he went to the desk, opened his laptop. The screen’s glow illuminated his face, revealing a sense of loneliness and exhaustion. There were no anesthetics in the medical examiner’s office. The wound on his arm still throbbed slightly.

Shen Junci thought what he did today might have angered Gu Yanchen. That’s why he hurriedly shut the door moments ago. No leader would appreciate subordinates acting independently. Moreover, such self-harming behavior would be hard for most people to understand. He was too eager to solve the case, and his actions were indeed impulsive.

After a while, there was a knock on the door.

Shen Junci went to open it. He saw Gu Yanchen standing outside, holding something in his hand. Once inside, Gu Yanchen placed the bowl on the dining table and opened it, revealing a reddish liquid inside.

Gu Yanchen explained, “There are still longans, wolfberries, and red dates at home, so I made some longan and red date tea for you.”

He had been home for a while, but still couldn’t rest assured, so he prepared these and came to see Shen Junci. He followed his inner choice, wanting to comfort him. Shen Junci looked at the red date tea on the table, clearly taken aback.

“And,” Gu Yanchen continued, taking out something else from his pocket and placing it aside, “I noticed your wound wasn’t properly bandaged, so I asked someone to bring gauze and bandages. I also bought some antibiotics too.”

Shen Junci had been operating entirely on his own just now. Due to having only one hand, it was indeed inconvenient, and he had wrapped the bandage a bit hastily. Suddenly, he understood why Gu Yanchen had hurried off earlier. It was Shen Junci’s first time facing such a situation. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke up, “Thank you.”

The two sat on the sofa, and Gu Yanchen noticed the toy train on the table. “You’ve assembled it so quickly?”

“It’s quite easy to assemble,” Shen Junci paused, then added, “This is the best gift I’ve ever received.”

Gu Yanchen reached out his hand towards him. Shen Junci extended his left hand to him. Gu Yanchen lowered his head, holding Shen Junci’s hand. His fingers were slender, but the temperature at the tips felt noticeably cooler. Carefully, he unwrapped the bandage.

The wound was a few centimeters long, breaking through the skin and flesh, looking painful. The medical examiner’s department had no shortage of needles and thread, so Shen Junci had stitched up the wound himself. But when Gu Yanchen thought about him doing it alone, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.

As he wiped the wound, Shen Junci didn’t make a sound, but his brows were slightly furrowed, clearly enduring the pain. Gu Yanchen tried to make his movements gentle. He carefully cleaned the wound and then asked, “Still hurting?”

Feeling the warmth in his palm, Shen Junci shook his head lightly, lips pursed.

“Did you lose a lot of blood?” Gu Yanchen inquired

Shen Junci replied, “About 190 ml, not as much as a blood donation.”

“Your lips look pale. You should eat more to replenish,” Gu Yanchen said as he rewrapped the bandage, “Be careful not to get it wet. If it swells, you’ll have to go to the hospital.”

Shen Junci nodded softly. It turned out someone did care about him. Gu Yanchen wrapped the bandage very carefully.

Once everything was done, Captain Gu tidied up and said, “I’ll go now. Drink the tea while it’s warm. When it’s time to change the dressing, find me again, don’t hesitate to ask for help. If you’re not feeling well tomorrow, take the day off. This case is almost closed, you can take a break.”

Gu Yanchen didn’t stay long and left in a hurry. After he left, Shen Junci looked at the freshly wrapped white bandage on his arm. He sat down at the table and took a sip of the red date tea. It was sweetened with brown sugar.

Shen Junci thought of the time he spent in the medical examiner’s office, and warmth filled the painful memories, dispelling the chill of the night.

—

The following days were all about the aftermath of the case. The two suspects were transferred out. With the case finally solved, the Special Criminal Division breathed a sigh of relief. Then came the various summaries and documentations.

A couple of days later, on Friday when they got to work, Gu Yanchen notified the work group, “Finish the weekly report early. There’s been a police campus outreach activity recently. We’re going to give a safety education lecture at a kindergarten.”

Qi Yi’an was particularly surprised, “Which kindergarten are we going to? Are we from the medical examiner department going too?”

Gu Yanchen replied, “We’re going to Bene Kindergarten. The duty rotations for other medical examiner departments, you and Doctor Shen will be going with me.”

Bene Kindergarten, short for Penang Benevolent Kindergarten, was a private institution well-known throughout Bincheng. Due to this abbreviation, parents believed that sending their children to this kindergarten would lead them to success, hence the kindergarten never lacked students.

Director Ding personally led the team this time, pulling in more than ten elite detectives from the City Bureau, along with a few people from the Special Criminal Division, and they set off together in the afternoon. It was evident that Director Ding attached great importance to this joint effort. He distributed pamphlets, purchased safety education picture books, and even specially bought some balloons and plush toys, filling the trunks of several cars to the brim.

Before the safety education lecture in the afternoon, they conducted a safety survey. Director Ding and the kindergarten principal met and selected a few officers to perform the task.

Director Ding first chose Bai Meng and Lu Ying, and then called Shen Junci over, “Little Shen, you have a friendly face, so give it a try.”

Shen Junci thought he was just there to watch, but unexpectedly, he was also roped into action. Director Ding gave each of them a box of candies. The task was simple: to “abduct” children and test their awareness of safety. In half an hour, they would see who could “abduct” the most children.

Before setting off, the officers had a word with representatives of the parents.

Each parent pledged, “My child is very aware of safety and definitely won’t follow anyone.”

“These candies, my child never eats them.”

“Not talking to strangers is the most basic. I’ve reminded my child repeatedly, “My child isn’t stupid.”

The three went in and targeted the children during their free activity class. In no time, Bai Meng used the excuse of going to see kittens to lead four children over. Lu Ying, being tall and male, faced more wary children, and only managed to bring one out. As the time approached, Shen Junci brought out every other child left.

The parents who had boasted about their children’s safety awareness felt embarrassed now. One parent who had just said their child was very cautious went over to their little one, “Didn’t I tell you not to talk to strangers? Why did you still come out?”

The child looked aggrieved. A little girl justified herself, “But the brother said he’s a policeman, and big brothers like him can’t be bad.”

Another girl added, “The brother looks so handsome, he definitely won’t bully us.”

The parents facepalmed. Damn aesthetics!

With such remarkable results, even Director Ding was taken aback.

Shen Junci explained, “I didn’t hide my identity. I said I’m a medical examiner from the City Bureau, asked them to help me catch bad guys, and even said I could take them to visit the medical examiner’s office…”

Qi Yi’an cried, “Teacher, luckily you’re not a kidnapper.”

The kindergarten principal was sweating, “I never thought about this problem. Bad guys could impersonate police officers to abduct children.”

Director Ding said, “We need to patch up this security loophole quickly!”

After that was the afternoon safety education lecture, covering topics like what to do if a child gets lost and how to deal with strangers on campus. Finally, they conducted a practical combat demonstration, with several officers performing, including Gu Yanchen. He wore a short-sleeved tactical police uniform, his clothes snug around his waist, accentuating his slender figure, especially his long legs.

The officers demonstrated unarmed knife snatching, martial arts, and firearm disassembly. Their movements were swift and clean, exciting the children, who cheered for the handsome police uncles one by one. After the activity ended, it was free playtime, and the officers distributed books and toys to the children. These detectives were accustomed to all kinds of gruesome scenes and never flinched in the face of criminals. But now, seeing each innocent and lively child, they felt a bit at a loss.

The screams were almost piercing, and tears were the most potent weapon. Whenever a child threatened to cry, the police officers immediately backed down. Some children requested the officers to play tag with them, while others put rabbit ears on the officers and drew panda eyes on them. There were even kids who treated the officers as if they were riding horses.

Director Ding chuckled as he watched, “Not bad, not bad. When the police and the people unite, these kids should experience the joy of childcare.”

Qi Yi’an waved his hand, “Director Ding, my back is about to break. I’ve decided to leave this joy to someone else.”

“I don’t want children.” Bai Meng said, “Just thinking about shouldering someone else’s life makes me a bit scared.”

“Keep it down,” Director Ding hastily added, “don’t let your dad hear. He’s eagerly waiting for grandchildren.”

The kindergarten was bustling with activity. Gu Yanchen was still dressed in tactical attire, without removing his protective glasses. He walked over to Shen Junci, who was distributing books, and called him aside, “This kindergarten is where Xu Yapei used to work before.”

Shen Junci didn’t know why Gu Yanchen called him over and brought up the previous case again. “Do the children here know about Xu Yapei’s murder?” he asked. “Which class are they in?”

Gu Yanchen pointed, “Class five, the kindergarten’s senior class, is about to graduate. I visited here before the case was closed.”

As he spoke, he motioned for Shen Junci to follow him. Sure enough, the children in that class already knew Gu Yanchen. As soon as they saw him, they looked up and greeted, “Hello, police uncle!”

Gu Yanchen handed them some balloons, and Shen Junci took out the remaining candies from his pocket and gave them to the children. Gu Yanchen stood beside them and asked the children, “Do you like Teacher Xu?”

The joyful atmosphere suddenly changed, and the air seemed to freeze. After a while, a little girl holding a teddy bear whispered, “I don’t like Teacher Xu.”

Following her lead, the other children also summoned up their courage and spoke up.

“I don’t like Teacher Xu either.”

“Will Teacher Xu come back?”

“She’d better not come back…”

Shen Junci was taken aback; he hadn’t expected this response. He squatted down and asked the children, “Why?” Then he added, “Did Teacher Xu treat you badly?”

The first girl to speak shook her head and said softly, “Yes, she did. Teacher Xu would lock us in the car.”

Shen Junci furrowed his brow, “What do you mean by locking you in the car?”

The girl explained, “During nap time, some children would be taken by Teacher Xu and locked in the car.”

Shen Junci’s heart skipped a beat. He glanced to the side; the kindergarten’s premises were limited, and the children’s activity area was next to the teachers’ parking area, with only a flimsy fence separating the two. It was very easy to cross over.

Another little boy nearby added, “Some children would also be locked in the bathroom by her.”

Shen Junci asked, “Why were you punished by the teacher?”

The children spoke all at once, “Because we didn’t eat properly… and there was leftover food.”

“Once, teacher made us line up, and when I didn’t hear her, she pushed me and I fell.”

“When I spoke during nap time, she pulled me out.”

“I accidentally made Yunyun cry, and she wanted to punish me. She made me eat toothpaste and mustard.”

“I forgot to wear white shoes for the flag-raising ceremony, and she pricked me with a needle.”

“I said I didn’t like Teacher Xu to my classmate, and she locked me in the car. It was so hot and stuffy in the car, my clothes and hair were all wet, and I cried until my throat was hoarse…”

These were all trivial matters, but the punishments were severe. Locking young children in the car, especially in the summer, posed a life-threatening danger, something Xu Yapei couldn’t have been unaware of. The whole class, from kindergarten to preschool, was two years of memories the children didn’t want to recall.

Shen Junci frowned and asked, “Didn’t you tell your mom and dad?”

The little girl said, “Teacher Xu wouldn’t allow us to speak. She also said she could tell if we were lying.”

In kindergarten, parents often had the misconception that their children would tell them everything. Just like their confidence that children wouldn’t leave with strangers. But in reality, the authority of teachers made children too scared to speak out, and facing these young children, they were like absolute rulers.

The other children finished condemning Xu Yapei, and one of them said, “Miss Huang, the teacher now, is very nice.”

“Yeah, Miss Huang is very nice to us. I hope Teacher Xu never comes back.”

After receiving their books and toys, the children quickly ran off to play. Shen Junci stood in the yard, stunned for a long time. Gu Yanchen had been silent all this time, arms crossed, listening to him and the children talk. Then he walked over.

“At the end of the case, I felt there were still some doubts. So I visited the kindergarten where Xu Yapei used to work. That’s when I uncovered the truth. On the surface, Xu Yapei appeared gentle and knowledgeable, but when she was alone with the children without supervision, she would change. When she started teaching this class, the children were still young, and communication between them and adults wasn’t smooth. The children were constantly punished by the teacher and threatened not to speak up, so no one noticed this until later.”

In the previous case, before it was closed, Gu Yanchen always felt something was off. Xu Yapei lived in such a family and received such an education, why did she choose to become a kindergarten teacher? Also, he couldn’t forget what Gao Xuan had said, “Their family all have issues.”

Tang Lu and Xu Ziyue had their own problems, so where did Xu Yapei’s problem lie? It wasn’t until he stepped into the kindergarten classroom that the innocent children finally revealed the answer to him.

Shen Junci asked, “So what happened next?”

“It was during nap time. Xu Yapei locked a little boy who wouldn’t sleep inside a car. It was only when another teacher noticed something was wrong that they found the child. By then, the boy was dehydrated and was in shock.”

“Why wasn’t this incident dealt with at the time?”

“These scandals would affect the kindergarten’s enrollment, so the leaders and the teachers who knew about it covered up the truth. The kindergarten paid a hundred thousand yuan in compensation, and the parents chose to settle privately. They didn’t punish Xu Yapei; they just let her resign. But Xu Yapei quickly found another job as a teacher elsewhere…”

Shen Junci connected the information, “But Tang Lu knew about this, so that’s why she and Xu Yapei argued that night?”

Gu Yanchen nodded, “Tang Lu knew she didn’t really like this profession. She only took it out on the children to vent her emotions, to shift her own childhood traumas onto them, to satisfy her desires.”

“But Xu Yapei wouldn’t listen to Tang Lu…” Shen Junci said, “I remember a statistic that says children who have been abused at home are more likely to become abusers themselves when they grow up.”

“I understand this phenomenon to some extent. When those abused children grow up and face situations where they feel powerless, they recall their childhoods and follow in their parents’ footsteps, condemning themselves while inflicting harm, even finding pleasure in revenge.”

Shen Junci understood why Tang Lu hesitated for so long, yet ultimately decided to kill Xu Yapei… Why she said, “Sometimes children commit unimaginable mistakes.” Her daughter had grown up to become a terrifying person. They had heated arguments, with Xu Yapei constantly defending herself. She realized she couldn’t control her daughter at all.

Tang Lu knew that if her daughter lived, it could lead to even more serious consequences. What was even more helpless was that this devil was nurtured by her own hands. It was like a cycle; when children grew up, they used the same methods their mothers had taught them to treat other innocent children. And that was Tang Lu’s real motive.

Her hesitation at the door was real; she could have let Xu Yapei out, but what would happen next? The new semester would begin, and she would enter a new kindergarten, facing new children. It was all like an unremitting nightmare. After sitting at the door for two hours, Tang Lu finally got up and walked away from that room…

This incident wouldn’t change the outcome of the case, nor would it change the fact that Tang Lu killed her daughter. But it let Shen Junci know the whole truth of the case. He asked softly, “But I still have a question, why didn’t Tang Lu confess to this that night?”

If she had, she might have received a reduced sentence.

“That would mean admitting that Tang Lu was not just a failed mother, but also that she created a monster with her own hands. So she would rather be seen as a murderer who killed her daughter than reveal this fact.” Gu Yanchen paused for a moment before adding, “And also, she was the one who started it all. If she hadn’t done those things, she wouldn’t have ruined the lives of her two daughters like this. She chose to admit guilt, perhaps feeling guilty inside.”

Seeing Shen Junci remain silent for a moment, Gu Yanchen asked him, “Are you satisfied with this truth?”

Doctor Shen looked at the children playing in the distance, a gentle smile on his lips. “Satisfied. I’ve always felt that the truth is an especially tantalizing thing. Many people spend their whole lives chasing after it.”

Gu Yanchen said, “That sounds familiar.” It seemed that Lin Xianglan had expressed similar sentiments to him before.

Shen Junci looked down. “There must have been many people who said similar things.” Then he continued, “I’ve had experiences with cases in Lincheng in the past. There was a mother who sacrificed herself in a car accident to protect her child, children who had the chance to escape from a criminal but chose to stand in front of their parents, and a sister who spent ten years searching for her sister’s killer. Eventually, I came to terms with it. This world has beauty, but also evil. Of course, when it comes to mother-child relationships, sibling relationships, there are many good things, but it’s only when someone is killed that it comes to us. No matter what, I think the truth is more important than right or wrong.”

Gu Yanchen nodded, “It seems elusive, but it’s a clear conscience.”