Speaking of Elder Liang, Director Gan said, "This old man, I actually got along well with him. Just a few days ago, before he left, I had dinner with him to see him off. Many other professors from the academy were there. I never expected him to be gone like this. He could have enjoyed a happy and peaceful old age. Why is heaven so unfair? Elder Liang's contributions to forensic science during his lifetime were so great!"
If Director Gan hadn't told us, we wouldn't have known that Liang Zhongshu had written many representative papers in the forensic field before, with very unique and constructive insights, which had a profound impact on forensic science for posterity. It seems this Elder Liang was a very successful professor.
We confirmed that the farewell party was three days before Liang Zhongshu's accident. Elder Liang was in good spirits that evening, eating a lot with everyone and driving himself home late at night. It can be said that no one could have foreseen such a situation.
I chatted with the professors who used to work with him, and their reactions were all one of regret and sorrow that the old professor had died like this.
When I found a few of Liang Zhongshu's former close students, one girl, upon hearing the news, immediately burst into tears, "How could Elder Liang be gone just like that? Police officers, you're not mistaken, are you?"
"This student, you're wrong to say that. How could we police officers make such a judgment without being certain? Judging by your reaction, you must have been very close to Liang Zhongshu!"
"Don't call Elder Liang by his name like that. He was a highly respected forensic doctor. Now that he has left us, we must mourn him deeply!"
The girl even scolded me, as if I hadn't shown respect to their professor. I was speechless, but I could see that these students had deep feelings for Liang Zhongshu.
Everyone discussed the matter volubly, feeling angry for Elder Liang and thinking of ways to help find the killer. But these were not things they should be doing; they were forensic doctors. Leave the investigation to us.
I learned from a few of the girls that Liang Zhongshu's demeanor was normal when he left, showing no sign of anything amiss. Now I was beginning to believe that Liang Zhongshu might indeed have died an accidental death. If it were another policeman, the case would probably have been closed long ago. We were still investigating here. For a moment, I even doubted if I was deliberately making trouble.
When I returned to the provincial department, I found that Liang Zhongshu's elder brother had been brought in. This old man appeared younger than Elder Liang, seemingly having lived a leisurely life. He was energetic and wore casual clothes, his head shaved.
"I really don't know what happened to my brother. I was planning to contact him a few days ago. Now that he's retired, he has time. Although I know he loves reading and studying, he's this old now. Shouldn't he be relaxing? I never expected him to be gone like this. I wanted to take him traveling. What a pity!"
"Were you two brothers close?"
"Pretty much. Anyway, our wives passed away early, and we didn't remarry. When we had time, we'd meet for tea, go fishing, or something like that."
"May I be so bold as to ask, Brother Liang, what industry did you work in?"
"Me? I retired long ago. I used to be a prosecutor. Haven't you investigated that?"
His question made me feel a bit embarrassed. I had seen this information before but had forgotten it. Perhaps I hadn't recovered from the busyness of the last case. I asked Liu Yuning to continue questioning him, and I went to the lounge to rub my throbbing temples and applied some cooling oil. But I found my condition worsening. Touching my forehead, I had a fever.
As I sat in the chair, He Xiaoyu suddenly walked in. She had become a regular at the provincial department now. Although she didn't have a formal position, I had told Director Zhang that she could come and go freely whenever I was there.
Seeing that I was ill, she quickly helped me up and jumped directly out the window, intending to carry me back. She hadn't driven, so she simply carried me on her back and ran wildly down the street.
I felt quite awkward at the time. Fortunately, she was fast, and people outside thought they were hallucinating or that someone was running a race by the roadside. When she brought me back to the police dormitory, I was put to bed. She gave me some cold medicine and fed it to me. I felt a little better and drifted into a daze.
In my sleep, I heard her murmuring, "I told you not to push yourself so hard. Now look at you, you've fallen ill. But you've only been sick once or twice these past few years, which is quite good. Get some good rest. Put work aside for now; I'll keep an eye on things for you."
At this moment, I felt another person enter. This person should be He Jinghui. Both of them seemed to be guarding my bedside like left and right protectors. After an unknown period, I slowly recovered, feeling much lighter. My head was no longer burning hot. As soon as I sat up in bed, He Xiaoyu asked me, "Do you want something to eat?"
"Yes, I'm a bit hungry. And I need water!"
He Xiaoyu and He Jinghui prepared it together. As I sat at the dining table and had eaten a little, my phone rang. It was Liu Yuning. She didn't know I was ill, so I explained. Upon hearing this, she told me to rest at home first before returning. I said I was almost recovered and hung up.
After eating and drinking, I asked He Xiaoyu not to carry me back like that; it would be better to drive. You know, I was almost embarrassed to death on the road just now. He Xiaoyu gave a wry smile, "I was just in a hurry, I didn't think about it much."
"Alright, let's go back now. I wonder if they've found any clues over there."
About 20 minutes later, we returned to the provincial department. As soon as Liu Yuning saw me, she touched my forehead and arms, seemingly to check if I had truly recovered. I looked at her with a wry smile and said, "It's okay, don't worry. How's your investigation going? Any progress?"
"While reviewing the surveillance footage, we discovered that before Elder Liang's accident, a woman went to see him. This woman is suspicious because it was exactly one hour before Elder Liang's accident."
"Oh? Can't you determine the woman's identity?"
"If we could, we wouldn't still be here. The person had her head down and found Elder Liang at 8 PM. Elder Liang voluntarily brought her into the house. The woman came out sometime after 9 PM. Elder Liang had his accident around 10 PM."