Following the Military Police Bureau’s investigation, Luo Baomei, the teacher of Leng Yu, once again came under scrutiny.

Luo Baomei sat in the interrogation room, her expression carrying a trace of grievance. “Officer, I truly know nothing. Although I was Leng Yu’s teacher, that child was extremely reclusive and rarely interacted with others. I’ve already told you everything I can.”

Zheng Yun tapped his steel pen against his palm, his deep, penetrating eyes fixed directly on Luo Baomei. “What does your husband Qiao Guang do for a living?”

“He’s a clerk at a foreign trading company.”

“What does that company sell?”

“I’m not sure, probably imported foreign goods.” Luo Baomei’s gaze shifted evasively.

Zheng Yun gave a cold laugh. “The foreign trading company where Qiao Guang works specializes in pharmaceutical imports, including a stomach medicine called WAKAWOTO. This medicine is sold exclusively to major hospitals, and every sale is recorded in detail.”

He tossed a ledger onto the table in front of Luo Baomei. “Since Qiao Guang began working at the company, a total of one hundred and fifteen bottles of WAKAWOTO passed through his hands. However, the corresponding hospital records show only seventy bottles. Where did the remaining forty-five go?”

“How would I know?” Luo Baomei replied sharply. “Why are you asking me instead of him? I’m his wife, not his medicine saleswoman.”

“You may not have sold the medicine yourself, but you knew very well where it was going.” Zheng Yun’s voice sharpened and rose several degrees. “Luo Baomei, you introduced Leng Yu and Fan Dongping to your husband for his amusement, and in exchange, you provided them with medicine. Isn’t that right?”

“Nonsense.” Luo Baomei flared with anger. “Just because you’re an officer, does that give you the right to make such slanderous accusations? I’ll report you for this. Shun Cheng is not a place where your Military Police Bureau can do as it pleases. I, Luo Baomei, am clean and have done nothing wrong. Everyone at the school can vouch for me.”

“Even if you weren’t directly involved, it’s still connected to your husband Qiao Guang.”

“Ha, then go find him. That wretch is addicted to alcohol. Perhaps his financial difficulties gave him the idea to make a quick fortune, but what does that have to do with me? I’m telling you, if you don’t release me soon, I won’t hold back.”

The seemingly refined schoolteacher grew louder and louder with each word, eventually banging the table and kicking the chair, as if determined to fight back like a shrieking shrew.

The Military Police Bureau lacked sufficient evidence and had no choice but to release her. The frenzied Luo Baomei seemed ready to tear the entire bureau apart on her way out.

Luo Baomei’s husband, Qiao Guang, was away on a business trip and had no known return date to Shun Cheng. Logically, he should have had no opportunity to commit the crime.

The only breakthrough now lay with Luo Baomei, but she was psychologically resilient, insisting she knew nothing. With both Leng Yu and Fan Dongping dead, there was simply no one left to testify against her.

With no progress on Luo Baomei’s front, the Military Police Bureau shifted its investigative focus. Zheng Yun had already dispatched agents to surveil the area around Luo Baomei’s home, ready to apprehend Qiao Guang the moment he returned to Shun Cheng.

Yan Qing and E’Yuan had still been unable to determine the cause of death for Leng Yu and Fan Dongping, leaving Yan Qing feeling deeply frustrated.

Throughout her long career, she had encountered many difficult and perplexing cases — some of which remained unsolved to this day. But back then, she had always had her second uncle and several mentors to consult, along with advanced scientific technology to assist her.

In this era, however, she had no one to turn to. On the contrary — and without false modesty — she suspected she would gradually become the one others came to consult.

Her cold had not yet recovered, and on top of continuous days of performing autopsies, Yan Qing had not attended school for two days. She had taken medicine at home, but her condition had not improved; if anything, her cough had grown worse and worse. Just as she lay there with little energy, a phone call from the Military Police Bureau forced her to rouse her listless spirits.

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