Chapter 4: The First Signs of Doubt

Because the boy’s circumstances were pitiable, or perhaps because Su Tianmu himself harbored a hint of private concern, he paid special attention to the boy’s situation. He bought some fruit and, accompanied by Xiao Wang, set out to visit the child’s grandmother in the hospital.

As they approached the ward, even before opening the door, they heard the old woman’s cries from within. It seemed the grandmother had no other family; after suffering such a tragedy, only a nurse from the hospital stayed by her side.

“My dear girl, I can’t go on living! He was my only grandson—now that he’s gone, what am I supposed to do alone?” The elderly woman clung desperately to the nurse’s hand, sobbing her heart out. The nurse, moved to tears herself, could not bring herself to pull away, despite the demands of her busy hospital duties.

Seeing Su Tianmu and Xiao Wang enter, the nurse hurried to comfort the grandmother, urging her not to cry anymore. After revealing their identities, Su Tianmu sat by the bedside, took the old woman’s hand, and promised, “Ma’am, please rest assured—we will investigate the case as quickly as possible.”

“Officer, Xiao Dong was such a good child. You must find the culprit for us!” The grandmother had already been informed by staff about the initial cause of the fire. “Xiao Dong was an excellent student—every year he was awarded honors. He was about to take the high school entrance exam, and who could have predicted such a disaster?”

She wiped her tears as she recalled her grandson’s virtues. “Our family isn’t well-off—we’re poor. I’ve always felt guilty toward him. If not for our poverty, Xiao Dong would have been recommended for admission to a prestigious high school long ago…” The grandmother continued to reminisce about her grandson’s excellence and his filial nature.

“You said he wasn’t recommended because of your family’s circumstances?” Su Tianmu was struck by the logic of her words, finding it somewhat incredible.

“It’s because we’re poor! Otherwise his place wouldn’t have been taken by someone else. We hoped he’d earn admission through his own efforts in the entrance exam, but now all those chances are gone!” The old woman finished speaking and wept again in sorrow.

Su Tianmu fell silent, deep in thought. After offering comfort for a moment, he hurried back to the police station.

“Xiao Wang, go to the school and find out more about Liu Dong’s situation. Investigate what his grandmother said about the recommendation—what’s really going on?”

“Actually, I’ll go with you,” he decided.

Su Tianmu considered it and resolved to conduct the visit himself.

The school was quite well-equipped; it was clear that, despite Liu Dong’s family’s hardship, his grandmother had done all she could to secure a good education for her grandson. After entering the campus and making inquiries, they learned that Liu Dong was in Class Two of the third year. Even before reaching the classroom, they noticed Liu Dong’s photo on the honor board mounted on the wall.

He was a bright, enthusiastic boy, his youthful face made even more vivid by the bright red scarf around his neck. Such a vibrant life, stolen by a tragic explosion—how heartbreaking it was.

Su Tianmu’s mood grew heavier. He dared not linger over the photo and quickly made his way into the teachers’ office.

“Hello, we’re the detectives assigned to Liu Dong’s case. We’d like to ask you about a few matters,” Su Tianmu introduced himself and began questioning Liu Dong’s homeroom teacher about his usual behavior and whether anything unusual had happened recently.

From the conversation, it was clear that Liu Dong was indeed an outstanding student, both in conduct and academics. He was outgoing and got along well with his classmates. Everyone regretted his fate deeply.

But when asked about the recommendation, the teacher’s response grew vague. She simply said the school had allocated the spot to another, more suitable student, without specifying the reasons.

Seeing that the teacher was reluctant, Su Tianmu did not press further. “Thank you, teacher. We’ll let you get back to work and take a look around on our own.”

After leaving the teachers’ office, they headed toward the school playground. There, they encountered several students wearing uniforms labeled “Class Two, Grade Three.” Su Tianmu approached and struck up a conversation.

“Children, we’re police officers. We’d like to learn more about Liu Dong—do you know him well?”

Seeing it was the police, the children relaxed their initial caution. “We all knew him well—we were his closest friends!” a chubby boy exclaimed.

“But, officer, is Liu Dong really gone? Will he never come back to class?” The innocent face suddenly turned somber.

Though he wished not to hurt them, Su Tianmu could not lie. “Yes, he suffered a tragedy. That’s why we’re asking if you know anything that might help him.”

He gently patted the chubby boy’s head.

“If the case is solved quickly, Liu Dong can rest in peace,” the children replied, then began sharing what they considered important.

“Actually, he’s had something on his mind lately,” said a small, quiet boy who had been silent until now.

Though his voice was soft, it caught Su Tianmu’s attention.

“What did you just say? Can you tell me more?” Su Tianmu, towering above, crouched to meet the boy at eye level.

“After his recommendation spot was taken by Liu Qiang, he was very upset,” the boy said quietly.

“Liu Qiang’s family is wealthy and powerful—how could Liu Dong compete? We all tried to comfort him, but it seemed he couldn’t get over it.”

He glanced at the other children, as if hesitating whether to continue.

“It’s alright, just tell us whatever you know,” Su Tianmu encouraged.

“A few days ago, he even said he wanted to take revenge on society—he wanted to blow up the school,” the boy finally confessed, as if it took all his courage.

Su Tianmu was stunned. Though the child clearly didn’t grasp the gravity of his words, they startled Su Tianmu nonetheless.

“Captain Su, your technical colleague is calling,” Xiao Wang handed him his phone, and the information from the other end left him in a daze for a long time.