The mediation between Qian Darong and Liang Jiushan was finally completed, and Li Zhenliang let out a huge sigh of relief.
As he walked out of the interrogation room, he ran into Wei Changfeng and his team, who had just finished filing a robbery case.
Li Zhenliang’s eyes curved with a smile as he patted the copies of the signed mediation agreement and the guarantee letter signed by Qian Darong: “See! As soon as Comrade Xiao Jiang got involved, the Qian family was stunned. Not only did they pay 1,700 yuan in compensation, but Qian Darong also obediently signed a guarantee letter. Qian Jianshe and Zhao Yanhong’s attitude has changed too—they promised to properly educate their son and warned that if he bullies him again, he’ll be transferred to another school.”
Wei Changfeng carefully read through the mediation record and looked at Jiang Ling with a hint of admiration: “Not bad, not bad at all. After all, you’re police school-trained; your mediation work is impressive.”
The two other case officers standing beside Wei Changfeng, Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei, both gave Jiang Ling a thumbs-up: “Comrade Xiao Jiang, well done.”
A warm breeze blew in, carrying a faint scent of jasmine.
Jiang Ling glanced at the two pots of jasmine at the end of the hallway and calmly replied, “Mediation is just the beginning.”
Liu Haoran, a slightly chubby young man with a round face who had been at the station for three years, full of energy, asked curiously, “Isn’t it already over?”
Jiang Ling handed Wei Changfeng a notebook and explained seriously, “I specialized in criminal psychology at university. This is my criminal psychology assessment of Qian Darong. The conclusion is…”
She paused briefly, lowering her voice: “Qian Darong has a high potential for sexual offenses. Liang Qiqiao is at risk.”
Wei Changfeng flipped through the notebook. On the first page was written:
Jinwu Road Police Station Criminal Psychology Assessment File
Case: 1993 – Textile Factory Children’s Middle School Bullying Incident
File No.: JW-1993-09
Assessment Subject: Qian Darong (Male, 15, 9th-grade student)
Assessor: Jiang Ling
Special Note: Weekly follow-ups
The handwriting was neat and elegant, with subtle strokes at the turns of each character. Wei Changfeng, along with Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei who leaned in to read, couldn’t help but comment:
“So neat and beautiful—Xiao Jiang must be a good student at school.”
“An assessment with a cover and even a file number, very formal.”
“Just hearing ‘criminal psychology assessment’ sounds high-level. Truly professional.”
As they flipped further, sections were neatly divided into “Basic Information Collection,” “Analysis of Criminal Motivation,” “Behavioral Pattern Observation,” and so on.
Wei Changfeng recognized each category, but the detailed tables, nine-grid charts, and association diagrams made his head spin. Being a former military officer turned policeman, he usually relied on experience, so he asked directly: “Alright, what’s your conclusion?”
Jiang Ling knew that in the 1990s, criminal psychology assessments weren’t heavily emphasized in investigative work. Her notes, based on professional theories from the future, would be difficult for most people to understand.
She pointed to a few lines in the notebook: “Here, the trauma marks refer to Liang Qiqiao. She dresses conservatively, ashamed to expose her skin. Her arms are injured—I checked. They’re all scratch scars, discolored, varying in depth and age, crisscrossing old and new—this is a stress response after experiencing sexual trauma.”
Wei Changfeng gasped, “Qian Darong did this?”
Jiang Ling nodded: “Yes. I quietly asked her. She said Qian Darong not only harassed her verbally but repeatedly sexually harassed her on the way home. Liang Qiqiao is young and has no maternal guidance, constantly blaming herself, which led to self-harm.”
Jiang Ling still hadn’t said everything.
In fact, Liang Qiqiao’s injuries weren’t limited to her arms—she had many scars on her chest as well. At eighteen, in the midst of puberty, she resented her developing breasts. Facing Qian Darong’s harassment, she was too shy to tell anyone, instead venting by harming herself. At night, she scratched her arms and chest that Qian Darong had touched, until the blood and pain forced her to stop.
Li Zhenliang scratched his head: “How did you notice Liang Qiqiao had injuries?”
Jiang Ling glanced at him. “When Liang Jiushan grabbed her arm, her body stiffened and showed clear psychological avoidance.”
Li Zhenliang tried to recall but couldn’t remember any details, sighing in admiration. “Indeed, women are more observant. Xiao Jiang, your observation skills are extraordinary!”
Jiang Ling didn’t react to the praise, keeping her attention on the notebook. “As for Qian Darong’s sexual offense motives, look here. Tracing from compensatory mechanisms: maternal role absence index is three stars, patriarchal cognition distortion is three stars. His criminal motivation may involve fantasies of power. Cultural contamination: daily exposure to illegal recordings exceeds three hours. His father has an affair, suggesting a potential for imitation.”
The professional jargon left the four police officers wide-eyed—though they didn’t fully understand, it sounded impressive.
Jiang Ling realized she hadn’t expressed it clearly, so she pressed her lips together and gave the conclusion directly: “Based on the 1989 Juvenile Detention Cases in the metropolis, it can be predicted that within six months, this will escalate to actual sexual assault.”
Li Zhenliang, Liu Haoran, and Zhou Wei exchanged a glance, each seeing admiration in the others’ eyes.
Wei Changfeng looked at Jiang Ling seriously, feeling as if he had to “see her in a new light after three days apart.”
Usually introverted, Jiang Ling spoke only when necessary. Even when eating in the cafeteria, she preferred corners and tried to keep a low profile.
But today, she took initiative, acted methodically and maturely, and was willing to communicate and share her analysis and conclusions, which genuinely impressed him.
Whatever the reason Jiang Ling stepped out of the file room, Wei Changfeng was pleased: “Early intervention is crucial. We can’t let your prediction come true. Jiang Ling, the follow-up on Qian Darong’s case is yours—are you willing?”
Jiang Ling stood tall, head up, chest out: “Yes!”
Wei Changfeng smiled slightly: “Xiao Jiang, come join our case team.”
After a moment’s thought, he added: “You will still be responsible for the work in the archives.”
Jiang Ling remained upright: “Yes!”
The more Wei Changfeng watched her, the more he admired her decisiveness. He raised a hand to pat her shoulder but was pulled back by Li Zhenliang: “Old Wei, be gentle—Xiao Jiang doesn’t like close contact.” Li Zhenliang felt responsible to protect her a little.
Wei Changfeng looked at his own prosthetic hand, then at Jiang Ling’s slender frame, and told Li Zhenliang: “From now on, you and Xiao Jiang will be paired on field duties.”
Li Zhenliang, usually handling community work as the mobile member of the case team, gladly agreed: “Alright, I’ll pair with Xiao Jiang from now on.”
Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang, as a two-person team, quickly embarked on their first field assignment.
The next day, Saturday, September 11.
At this time, there was no two-day weekend yet, so the Textile Factory Children’s Middle School still held classes on Saturdays.
Ivy vines grew thickly along the gables of the teaching buildings.
“Ding-ling-ling…” The bell for class dismissal rang, and students poured out of the classrooms, crowding the hallways.
Jiang Ling instinctively reached for her phone to check the time but quickly realized it was 1993—mobile phones weren’t common. Better get a watch, she thought, then turned to Li Zhenliang: “What time is it?”
Li Zhenliang looked at his Shanghai-made watch: “11:40, just finished the fourth period. Let’s head up later; right now it’s lunchtime dismissal.”
With the time agreed upon with the head teacher approaching, Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang waited ten minutes until the campus gradually emptied, then stepped forward and entered the school.
Yan City Textile Factory is a long-established state-owned enterprise with over a thousand employees. From kindergarten to elementary and middle school, all facilities are fully equipped. The factory’s children’s middle school has only one three-story teaching building, with junior and senior high combined. Each grade occupies one floor, and the six classes of third-year junior and senior high students are all on the third floor.
Since they were visiting the school, Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang wore casual clothes. When they reached the third floor, the bulletin board at the end of the corridor caught their eyes: in large letters, it read, “301 days until the college entrance exam.” Seeing the numbers written in red chalk, Li Zhenliang muttered, “Mobilizing them already? Isn’t that a bit early?”
“It’s not too early. You need to get the third-year students into the right mindset as soon as possible; otherwise, they’ll slack off,” a stern voice said. Huang Qiming, the director of school, stepped out from a classroom. Dressed meticulously, with graying hair, he looked every bit the strict administrator.
Li Zhenliang smiled and stepped forward to shake his hand. “Director Huang, it’s good that the school is taking this seriously.”
Huang Qiming turned to Jiang Ling. “And this is?”
Jiang Ling clasped her hands behind her back and gave a slight nod. “Jiang Ling.”
Seeing her self-introduction was so brief, Li Zhenliang added, “This is Jiang Ling, a recent transfer from the police school. Qian Darong’s case is being handled by the two of us.”
Having worked at the factory’s children’s school for over thirty years, Huang Qiming knew the police officers well. He extended his hand to Jiang Ling. “Officer Jiang, you’re very young.” In his eyes, the twenty-year-old Jiang Ling was still a child.
Jiang Ling’s brow twitched. She forced herself to reach out and shook his hand quickly.
The reason she had originally chosen the role of an archive manager was to avoid contact with people. Now that she had decided to step onto the criminal investigation front line in this new life, she had to change.
Though they called it a handshake, Jiang Ling only touched his fingertips lightly.
Huang Qiming, who had many years of experience in education, did not mind her restraint and got straight to the point: “Officer Wei briefed me yesterday. The school is taking this very seriously. This morning, we called a meeting with the homeroom teachers of Class 3, Grade 3, and Class 1, Grade 3, and selected three outstanding students to form a supervision team to keep an eye on Qian Darong.”
Li Zhenliang glanced at Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling pressed her lips tightly together, her gaze resting on the photos of educators and scientists hung along the corridor walls. Although she wanted to overcome her fear of physical contact, old habits die hard. Her fingertips felt hot, and her pulse throbbed violently under the sun, making her uneasy.
Li Zhenliang spoke. “Qian Darong’s father is the deputy director of the textile factory. They’re relatively well-off. His behavior at school has been poor, repeatedly bullying Liang Jiushan. The police station has handled it twice already, but the problem was never truly solved. We hope the school will take it seriously. After all, the police can enforce punishment, but education still relies on the school.”
Huang Qiming’s expression darkened.
When students caused trouble and the police came to the school, it was an embarrassing situation.
Qian Jianshe, the deputy director, oversaw logistics, and school funds required his approval. School leaders flattered him, repeatedly telling teachers to look after Qian Darong.
Because of this, although Qian Darong’s behavior at school was poor, he was always carefully handled—picked up and put down lightly.
Huang Qiming was actually dissatisfied with the school leadership’s interference in student discipline, but he was close to retirement and didn’t want trouble, so he kept silent.
Now that the police had come, he couldn’t help venting: “Yes, students like Qian Darong should be disciplined strictly. But this is a children’s school, and Deputy Director Qian is highly influential. The school leadership has issued orders—what can I do?”
While Li Zhenliang and Huang Qiming spoke, Jiang Ling slowly adjusted her breathing, trying to divert her attention from her fingertips. After a few minutes, the burning sensation faded, and she finally returned to normal.
Hearing Huang Qiming’s words, Jiang Ling said, “Based on my assessment, Qian Darong shows tendencies toward not only violent crimes but also sexual offenses. We’re here today to further understand his behavior at school and prevent a tragedy.”
Huang Qiming was taken aback. “Sexual offenses? No, that can’t be! He’s only fifteen.”
Jiang Ling shook her head. “It’s not about age. His harassment of Liang Qiqiao has gone beyond words—he’s acted on it. Liang Qiqiao has already suffered serious psychological trauma and has harmed herself multiple times.”
Huang Qiming’s face immediately darkened with anger. “Shameless! Absolutely shameless! Don’t worry—we will handle this seriously. Liang Qiqiao is a good student. If she does well this year, she can definitely get into a top university. She’s the hope of our school; she cannot be harmed by Qian Darong.”
After giving his assurance, Huang Qiming walked ahead, saying, “Let’s go! I’ll take you to Class 3, Grade 3.”
…
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