The deceased was named Shu Yong.

Born in 1959, he was a tenured professor in Yongchuan University’s Psychology Department.

In 1977, Shu Yong entered Yongchuan University to study psychology.

In 1981, Shu Yong graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education. In September of the same year, he joined Yongchuan University’s Psychology Department, serving successively as a teaching assistant and lecturer.

In 1995, Shu Yong went to CHU University in the United States as a visiting scholar. After returning to China, he devoted himself to research in children’s moral psychology.

Compared to scholars with glamorous resumes nowadays, Professor Shu Yong’s life was relatively simple and modest. He rarely participated in social activities, focusing on academics, and led numerous important research projects.

At the same time, Shu Yong loved teaching and guided his students with care. Even after being elected as the deputy director of Yongchuan University’s Psychology Department, he still insisted on carrying a heavy teaching load every week.

Professor Shu Yong and his wife He Youting lived frugally and were generous in helping others. They sponsored over 1,000 impoverished students, donating all their salary beyond basic living needs.

It was this professor, beloved by students and content with a simple, virtuous life, who ended his life in his office one winter afternoon.

And Lin Wanxing was the last person to see Shu Yong alive.

Before opening the email, Wang Fa hadn’t hesitated.

He had prepared himself mentally, imagining many “evil deeds” that Lin Wanxing might have been accused of, but Shu Yong’s death completely overturned his understanding.

This wasn’t some extreme violent incident, but a dark, damp rain.

After Shu Yong’s suicide, Lin Wanxing, the last person to have contact with him, was investigated by the police.

The content of the investigation was unknown, but Lin Wanxing returned quickly.

In the email, the writer used the term “released without charge.”

The police confirmed that Shu Yong had kicked over the pile of psychology books more than a meter high beneath his feet and hanged himself.

The death scene was littered with books, with no signs of homicide.

Lin Wanxing was legally exonerated, but the letter writer believed that Lin Wanxing must face severe moral judgment.

Because she was suspected of psychologically controlling Shu Yong, Professor Shu suffered greatly, felt guilty toward his family, and ultimately chose to end his life.

The email included a handwritten apology letter from Professor Shu Yong to his wife, Ms. He Youting.

Professor Shu Yong finally wrote: “Youting, everything is my fault. I’ve failed this family, failed you.”

The entire email was straightforward, filled with commemoration for Professor Shu Yong and hatred toward Lin Wanxing.

Lin Wanxing and the Shu couple had a close personal relationship. The letter listed numerous pieces of evidence, including Shu Yong’s love for Lin Wanxing, evidence of him helping Lin Wanxing complete her thesis, and testimonies from some relevant classmates.

Thick clouds, dense shadows of vines.

Absurd, bizarre, horrifying…

In this letter sent to numerous Yongchuan University alumni, Lin Wanxing was a devil who, for her selfish interests, didn’t hesitate to seduce a teacher, destroy a family, and commit all kinds of evil acts.

Shu Yong, tormented by his conscience yet unable to let go of his feelings for Lin Wanxing, finally chose suicide.

Wang Fa found it difficult to describe the chill he felt after reading the email.

The person was already dead.

The deceased had confessed, classmates testified, and there was abundant physical evidence.

For Lin Wanxing, she could not defend herself and had no opportunity to prove her innocence.

Even her biological parents didn’t believe her; how could she explain that she wasn’t that kind of person?

She couldn’t say anything.

The attitude of her parents toward their daughter, Lin Wanxing’s unspeakable story, her sealing away the past and fleeing Yongchuan.

And Lin Wanxing needed him yet refused further contact—everything seemed to have an explanation.

At this moment, Wang Fa wanted to go back to every night Lin Wanxing spent on the terrace and tell her, “I believe you.”

But now, he understood more clearly than anyone that all comfort and love were useless to Lin Wanxing.

She couldn’t move past it; she just couldn’t.

“I’ve finished reading. I believe her,” Wang Fa could only say this to the person on the other end of the phone.

Yan Ming was surprised by Wang Fa’s calmness: “But please understand, we can’t completely believe Lin Wanxing.”

“Shu Yong had been dead for some time before that person mass-emailed this letter to you all. Why do you think that is?”

“The timing was during the graduation and college entrance season. The writer claimed that the investigation took a long time, and without legal evidence in the strict sense, they could only resort to moral condemnation. As for the specific reason, perhaps only Lin Wanxing herself knows.”

“I have one last question. Many of you must have taken Shu Yong’s classes, right? Why not believe in the highly respected teacher? Instead, you ‘went to great lengths’ to do all this for Lin Wanxing, giving her a chance to prove her abilities and character?”

Yan Ming was silent for a while, then said, “Without knowing the facts, I won’t comment. We don’t believe either side; we just want to remain objective and rational.”

Wang Fa didn’t completely believe this answer.

After finishing his conversation with Yan Ming, Wang Fa hung up the phone.

At about this time, there was a knock on the terrace door.

Wang Fa heard himself say “Come in” in a hoarse voice, and the students pushed open the door.

The wind on the terrace rose fiercely as the players filed in one after another.

“Coach, why are your eyes red? Have you been crying?” Lin Lu half-squatted down, trying to comfort him.

Looking at the players before him, Wang Fa suddenly could feel some of what Lin Wanxing must have felt every day looking at them.

A cold life becoming lively and rich, no longer lonely.

“Was our teacher’s message too moving?” Qin Ao asked.

“Yes, I’m going to change the password soon. None of you should watch it,” Wang Fa said.

The students grumbled a few phrases like “hmph” and “stingy,” then fell silent again.

In a while, it would be time for their soccer training. But with issues unresolved and Lin Wanxing not back, no one wanted to move.

“So what exactly happened to our teacher?”

“How do we save her?”

These were the thoughts filling their minds.

Hearing this, Wang Fa came back to himself and looked at the email again.

He suddenly felt the difficulty of Lin Wanxing’s educational choices at every moment. No wonder she kept turning to him to discuss what to do.

Now, the question before him was whether to tell the students about the content of the new email.

Lin Wanxing was suspected of psychologically controlling a teacher and driving a highly respected professor to his death.

It concerned Lin Wanxing’s unknown past, full of dirty, sordid affairs. From a traditional educational perspective, adults wouldn’t let children know these things.

But from another angle, making the most basic logical judgment:

Was Lin Wanxing that kind of person?

Obviously not.

If the email content was false, then this was a blatant frame-up against Lin Wanxing.

Wang Fa looked at his players again.

He made a choice he thought Lin Wanxing would make.

Who did it?

After hearing the story in the email, the student’s first reaction was quite unexpected to Wang Fa.

They asked fiercely.

“Which part are you asking about? Who did what?” Wang Fa wondered where he hadn’t explained clearly.

“Of course, we’re asking who sent the email framing our Teacher Lin!”

“If I catch that bastard, I’ll kill him!”

“This is so stupid. Our coach is handsome, rich, and impressive no matter how you look at it. If Teacher Lin doesn’t want him, she doesn’t want him. Why would she go seduce some old geezer?”

The players spoke one after another, each making tough statements.

Wang Fa thought that if Lin Wanxing were present, she would be touched by this unconditional trust.

But unfortunately, Lin Wanxing wasn’t here.

“Coach, what should we do next?” Wen Chengye asked.

Too many questions, and things happening too fast.

Lin Wanxing had an unsolvable knot in her heart, so she ultimately chose to leave.

Would telling her “I believe you” ten thousand times solve the problem?

Rashly showing concern now might, with their self-righteous good intentions, push her into an even more difficult predicament.

“Go do your physical training for today. Let me think,” Wang Fa told the students.

Sitting again in the stands of Wuchuan Road Stadium, before him stretched the vast field.

In spring, all things revived, covered in green, but to Wang Fa, today seemed darker than any other day.

Lin Wanxing’s story was all in an email attempting to frame her.

What was the truth?

And who knew it?

Wang Fa looked down at his phone contacts and finally made a call.

Asking for help itself was a desperate measure, but he had no other options.

The call connected very slowly. Just when he thought it might disconnect naturally, it was picked up.

Wang Fa took a deep breath and began speaking as if having made a decision: “I want to learn about a case.”

“First of all, didn’t adults teach you to address your elders properly when calling them?”

After a silence, Wang Fa slowly spoke: “Uncle.”