Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhao Yu did not bother to answer Li Beini’s question. After ending the call, he rushed into the crowd and hastily searched for the person playing the piano, Shanshan’s mother.
“Hey? It’s you!” Zhao Yu quickly found her. He hurriedly asked her, “Big Sis! Tell me quickly, when you took part in that something something piano competition, did you know Gao Tian, Yuan Lili, and Luo Meina. Any of these three people?”
Shanshan’s mother’s expression froze. She moved back while shaking her head, as if hiding from a plague.
“No? it’s been so many years. How could you say no straightaway?” Zhao Yu urged. “Think carefully again, do you know these three people? Did they take part in the grand piano competition with you?”
“I…I really can’t remember!” Shanshan’s mother was frightened by Zhao Yu’s aggressiveness. She turned around and wanted to hide.
Zhao Yu grabbed her by the arms and yelled, “Big Sis, Big Sis, what are you afraid of? I’m investigating a case!”
“Hey! This parent over here, I’ve been watching you!” the white-haired class teacher could not look on further. He pounded the table, stood up and yelled, “You’d better stop this. If not, I’m gonna call security! You are simply too low class!”
“Exactly!” the fathers started to roll up their sleeves. “Can’t you see where we are? Who do you think you are?”
These words reminded Zhao Yu of what to do. He quickly took out his police badge and yelled, “I’m a police officer! The Key Case Investigation Unit is doing investigations! There is a big case which could be linked to this lady, so…” He looked at Shanshan’s mother and said, “You have to answer my questions truthfully, or else you have go back to the police station with me…hey…”
Upon hearing herself being associated with a big case, Shanshan’s mother’s eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she fainted! The parents on her side pinched her upper lip and patted her chest, and managed to revive her after much effort.
“Officer! How do you do your investigation?” The class teacher ran over and grumbled, “Look…what have you turned our conference into? This is a school!”
“Exactly!” The parents criticized Zhao Yu one after another, “I’ve never heard of nabbing someone from a parent conference? Look at how you have scared people?”
“Hey, are you really a police officer?” another man asked suspiciously. “You are so vulgar! How could a police officer be like this? Mr Wang!” he said to the class teacher, “I think it’s better that you check his badge first!”
“Nonsense!” Not waiting for the parents to gang up on him, Zhao Yu yelled, “Let me tell you the truth. The culprit is likely going to strike again today. If you hinder my investigation and give the culprit another chance to commit a crime, you would be disrupting public service, and all of you will be in serious trouble!”
The parents were inexperienced in this aspect, and were intimidated by Zhao Yu’s words. All of them kept quiet and dared not to make any more noise.
“Officer! It’s been twenty years!” Shanshan’s mother’s face was pale. Shivering, she said, “How could I remember who competed? I was nervous enough to perform on stage, let alone remember the others. The three names you said, I really haven’t heard of them before!”
Zhao Yu gave this a thought and quickly realized why the three victims had not recognized each other. Firstly, a long time has passed. Secondly, a piano competition is about competing one’s own ability with no need for interaction with other competitors.
“Wait,” Zhao Yu suddenly thought of something and asked the woman, “Which year of the Grand Piano Competition was it that you took part? You should at least know this, right?”
“I know…I know…erm…” Shanshan’s mother nodded several times and tried hard to recall. “It was either the second or the third year, fourth at the most! Anyway it hadn’t been held for too long!”
Zhao Yu shook his head continuously. All of the victims had competed in the tenth Grand Piano Competition. There was a difference of several years. Naturally it was impossible for Shanshan’s mother to know them!
If that was the case, he would have to start from the initial records of the competition! Zhao Yu believed that if the list of competitors from that year’s piano competition could be found, he could find the culprit!
“That…Mr…something?” Zhao Yu growled at the white-haired class teacher, “Tell me, if I want to find information on the piano competition held here years ago, who should I look for?”
“Well, you’d have to ask the vice principal who is in charge of music…” the class teacher frowned. “But it’s been so many years, I’m not sure if that information can still be found!”
“Where’s the vice principal’s office? How do I get there?” Zhao Yu commanded.
The class teacher did not dare to disobey. He quickly told Zhao Yu what he needed to know, and Zhao Yu left the hall.
When Zhao Yu was completely gone, the parents heaved a sigh of relief. After a moment of silence, someone asked again, “This person…who exactly is he? A student’s parent?”
“I don’t think so?” the class teacher said in doubt. “I’ve never seen him before. Key Case Investigation Unit Police indeed! Why is he like a gangster? If any of our students have a parent like that, it would be a big misfortune!”
“I know, I know!” At this moment, a female parent raised her hand and answered, “I saw it, he came with Jiang Xiaoqing! He should be Jiang Xiaoqing’s parent!”
Thump!
The class teacher lost his footing and fell to the floor!
…
Coming out from the music building’s hall, Zhao Yu found the vice principal straightaway. After Zhao Yu showed his police identification, the vice-principal cooperatively called for the file administrator.
However, after Zhao Yu and the administrators searched the whole data room, there was no information on the grand piano competition, let alone the participants. Not even an article or anything related to the rules and regulations was found. One of the administrators said that too much time had passed! The information on the type of competition was not as important as other data, and it was meaningless to keep. The school had moved several times, thus the possibility of it remaining was slim!
Hearing this, Zhao Yu could not help but feel greatly disappointed. He requested the administrators right away, saying that lives were involved, and asked them to continue searching by all means.
The administrators knew that this was no child’s play. They promised Zhao Yu right away that they would continue searching to see if any information had been left in the school, and would call him once there was any news.
Zhao Yu could only leave for the time being to think of other solutions. Who would have known that just as he came out from the main entrance of Second Middle School, he received a call from Li Beini.
“Senior, how’s the situation at your end? I’ve good news for you: Qinshan City’s tenth Grand Piano Competition competitors list, I’ve gotten it!!”