Qin Chuan told me that Lin Shan shot himself in the head in his home study.

Lin Shan's sister went to see him for something that day and was the first person to discover the scene.

Lin Shan was holding a gun in his right hand, with burn marks on his right temple. He had collapsed in front of the desk, everything seemingly fitting the characteristics of a suicide scene.

But a brief investigation by the police revealed something was off.

The scene was too clean. There were no gunpowder residues, or smoke reactions, found on Lin Shan or the desk.

Based on the traces left at the scene, the study room was indeed the primary crime scene.

Whether it was suicide or homicide, Lin Shan would have had gunpowder residue on his body from a close-range shot.

But there was none, everything was clean. Lin Shan's clothes even emitted a floral fragrance typical of the cheap detergent used at home.

I quickly asked, "Did someone change his clothes for him?"

Qin Chuan nodded.

"The murderer did it? To cover up the evidence?" I answered quickly.

Qin Chuan nodded again, "That's why we have many questions to ask Xia Rong."

I sighed, looking back at Lin Chujing. She was such a smart child; nothing could be hidden from her.

Seeing us turning to her, Lin Chujing immediately pleaded in a hoarse voice, "Can I see my mom, just once? Then I'll go back to school with Mr. Xu!"

I also quickly pleaded for her. Qin Chuan nodded reluctantly and said he would apply for permission, then turned to enter the large iron gate.

Before long, the iron gate opened.

Xia Rong stood inside the gate, looking at Lin Chujing from afar.

Neither mother nor daughter took a step forward; they just looked at each other.

Lin Shan had always attended Lin Chujing’s parent-teacher meetings, so this was my first time seeing Xia Rong.

She leaned weakly against the door frame, her slightly upturned face displaying a pitiful expression, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, and her eyes full of loving motherly affection.

But for some reason, this scene gave me an inexplicable sense of discord.

“Go back with your teacher and study hard,” Xia Rong said.

Lin Chujing nodded.

“Leave this place; it's not a good environment here!” Xia Rong waved her hand.

Lin Chujing burst into tears, “Mom—”

She ran towards Xia Rong, but Xia Rong turned and went inside, with the iron gate closing behind her and keeping Lin Chujing outside.

She cried hysterically.

No matter how smart she was, she was still just a teenage girl who needed her mother.

If her mother really was the one who killed her father... I didn't dare to think further.

On the way back to school, Lin Chujing cried and almost choked on her sobs.

But when we got to the school gate, she seemed to have vented all her emotions and gradually calmed down. After entering the school building, she went to the bathroom.

When she came out, her face and temples were dripping with water, obviously having just washed her face with cold water. She appeared to be fine again.

“Mr. Xu, don't worry, I won't let this affect my exams.”

Lin Chujing pinpointed my concern in one sentence, leaving me momentarily speechless. All I could do was quietly ask her dormitory leader:

“Keep a close eye on Lin Chujing during this period!”

For the next week or so, Lin Chujing really acted as if nothing had happened. She attended classes, did her exercises, and often came to the teacher's office to ask questions during breaks.

After Lin Chujing left the office, all the teachers would pause their work, stretching their necks to watch her leave.

“A good student really stands out; her resilience is amazing!”

“Other students would have stopped attending classes long ago!”

“Mr. Xu, you still need to keep an eye on her. Some kids just don't show their feelings, but...”

I didn’t need their reminders. I was always paying close attention to Lin Chujing and even spoke with her desk mate, ensuring that she stayed by Lin Chujing’s side at all times, even during bathroom breaks.

Lin Chujing’s desk mate was very obedient and truly stayed by her side at all times.

Lin Chujing seemed to know it was my order and cooperated fully, even changing her drinking habits to sync her bathroom visits with her desk mate’s.

She even felt a little guilty towards her desk mate, proactively helping her with her studies during breaks. Several substitute teachers reported to me that Lin Chujing’s desk mate’s grades had improved remarkably.

Lin Chujing was a once-in-a-decade genius and wouldn't be defeated by such setbacks.

However, a week later, while reviewing weekly journals, I saw Lin Chujing’s entry, and the first sentence read:

“I saw mom shoot dad in the head.”