“Teacher Chen saw that the brothers had completely different personalities. Dong Ruiyang was Dong Ruiyang—no matter what he said about her, she never took it to heart.”

“As time passed, I’m not exactly young anymore. I’ve lived long enough to tell what kind of feelings Teacher Chen had toward Dong Yunzhou. Anyone who spent time around her could see it.”

“Because of that incident, I spoke with the principal for a long time. And it was precisely because of that conversation that Teacher Chen, in order to clear my name, revealed who the child’s real father was.”

“But Dong Yunzhou refused to admit it. Right in front of Teacher Chen, he claimed that the man who’d actually slept with her was Dong Ruiyang—not him.”

“The whole thing was far too complicated. I never fully understood it myself. Not long after resigning, Teacher Chen fell into despair and took her own life.”

Teacher Yu’s voice caught slightly as he spoke.

“She terminated the pregnancy… then jumped from the rooftop of the hospital. If you investigate, you’ll be able to find the hospital records from back then.”

“Teacher Chen really was a wonderful person. Without her, how could I possibly have kept this job until today?”

The shop assistant gently patted Teacher Yu’s shoulder in comfort.

“Alright now, Teacher Yu. You’re not exactly young anymore. Why are you crying like a child?”

That only made him cry harder.

Maybe people who worked as kindergarten teachers simply had stronger empathy. Spending every day around children inevitably made them more emotional.

“After Chen Yuzhu died, did anything else happen at the kindergarten?” Gu Yezhou gradually steered the conversation forward.

The moment Teacher Yu thought about how Chen Yuzhu died—her child gone, her life gone—

his heart ached for her.

“Yes. Her death shocked many of the teachers. It just so happened to be summer vacation at the time. We had two months off, so the principal organized a hiking trip for everyone. The Dong brothers went too.”

“One was a security guard, supposedly there to ‘protect’ us teachers with poor athletic ability.”

“But the entire trip, he kept making inappropriate comments about the female teachers. The new principal was one of the people he teased.”

“Back then, though, she wasn’t like she is now. She dressed very plainly. Dong Ruiyang never paid her any attention. I honestly don’t know why the old principal insisted on keeping him around.”

As he continued talking, Teacher Yu slowly slipped into complaining mode.

It turned out the hiking trip had originally been the old principal’s idea—a trip out of province to relax and strengthen bonds between coworkers.

Only, the old principal herself never went.

“Then the accident happened. Dong Ruiyang disappeared. When our group finally found Dong Yunzhou, he was standing right at the edge of the cliff. We were so terrified none of us could move.”

Even now, Teacher Yu still looked shaken remembering it.

“Dong Yunzhou seemed unconscious at the time. Small rocks were constantly tumbling down the cliffside. Out of everyone there, I was the oldest, so I forced myself to pull him back from the edge.”

“After he woke up, he just kept shouting things like, ‘Find my brother! Find my brother!’”

“At the time, none of us knew what had happened. I also don’t know when the two brothers went up to the summit.”

“Dong Ruiyang was nowhere to be found. Dong Yunzhou said his brother had fallen off the mountain, so we immediately contacted the local authorities and rescue teams. They searched for days, but never found the body.”

“By the time school resumed in September, more than a month had passed. But honestly, many of us still remembered it vividly. The whole thing always felt strange.”

“At the summit, the only people there were the Dong brothers. No matter which one disappeared, the other naturally became suspicious. Don’t you think so, officers?”

Teacher Yu carefully watched Gu Yezhou and Sang Ning’s expressions as he spoke.

Neither reacted.

Their faces remained perfectly calm.

“After all, it was a matter between brothers. I was just an outsider. Back then, I pulled Dong Yunzhou back from the cliff, and he’s remembered that favor ever since.”

“Even now—three years ago, when the new principal officially took over—she originally wanted me gone. Dong Yunzhou was the one who spoke up for me, which is why I was allowed to stay.”

“As for whether Dong Ruiyang’s disappearance had anything to do with Dong Yunzhou… I truly don’t know.”

“I understand gratitude. But I can’t accept owing Dong Yunzhou anything. I saved him once, so we’re even.”

The shop assistant nodded repeatedly.

“There’s nothing wrong with thinking that way. If Teacher Chen’s child really was Teacher Dong’s, then he’s a complete scumbag. Refusing responsibility and pushing it onto his own brother? How can someone be that awful?”

Teacher Yu forced a bitter smile.

“To be honest, I’ve always suspected that Dong Yunzhou personally pushed his brother off the mountain. But they were blood brothers. And at the time, we were all taking photos near the cliffside—we didn’t hear any screams or anything.”

“The weather was hot that day, and there weren’t many hikers around. I suspect…”

He looked nervously at Gu Yezhou.

From the moment the man sat down until now, he had barely spoken. His cold expression alone carried overwhelming pressure.

“I’m only guessing. I didn’t witness anything myself…”

Seeing him hesitate, Sang Ning impatiently cut in.

“If you have something to say, then say it. Even if it’s just a guess.”

“I suspect he killed his brother. Later, I asked some of the mountain staff about the area. Certain sections were very remote and cheap to access, and wild animals frequently appeared there.”

“They hadn’t even completed proper safety measures yet. That came from internal staff. But since no serious incidents had happened before, everyone just turned a blind eye.”

Gu Yezhou asked in a low voice, “You suspect Dong Yunzhou murdered Dong Ruiyang? What made you think that?”

There was no reason for such a serious suspicion to arise out of nowhere.

No matter how much coworkers disliked someone, people didn’t casually jump straight to murder.

“He brought a knife with him on the hike.”

As Teacher Yu spoke, he unlocked his phone and spent several minutes digging through his photo gallery.

“It’s this knife right here. He claimed it was for cutting fruit, but who uses a fruit knife like this?”

Gu Yezhou took the phone and looked at the picture.

Compared to ordinary small fruit knives, it definitely looked much sharper.

“You’re right. Who brings a knife hiking? And just carries it openly like that? That’s terrifying,” the shop assistant muttered, shrinking her neck back.

Gu Yezhou handed the phone to Sang Ning.

“Take a look.”

Sang Ning only glanced at it once.

“When hiking, people bring walking sticks. Bringing a knife really is strange.”

Without revealing anything, she returned the phone to Teacher Yu.

Gu Yezhou stood.

“We’ve learned everything we needed for now. If we require further cooperation later, we’ll contact you again.”

Seeing them leave, Teacher Yu seemed as though he had finally unloaded ten years’ worth of buried suspicions in one breath.

He nodded firmly.

“If you need anything, I’ll cooperate fully.”

“Um… may I ask something?”

After saying so much, he had finally realized the police hadn’t come to Xiangyun for some routine visit.

The two in front of him clearly weren’t ordinary community officers.

“Are you investigating Teacher Chen… or Dong Ruiyang?”

“You shouldn’t ask questions you’re not supposed to ask, Teacher Yu. Just go back and teach your classes properly.”

Sang Ning winked at him playfully.

Meanwhile, seeing that they were leaving, the shop assistant hurriedly finished preparing the milk teas and packed them into bags.

Just as Sang Ning reached out to take them, Gu Yezhou grabbed all the bags first.