"It’s from Yanjing University," Ye Shikai exclaimed in amazement. As everyone knows, Yanjing University is the most prestigious educational institution in Huaxia, ranking among the top ten universities in the world. Graduates from this university have become backbones in all sectors of society. Not to mention far-off cases, Su Qingyu and An Lan both hail from Yanjing University, as well as Su Ziqing and Han Ruoyao, who are currently enrolled there.
Ye Shikai glanced around the room, and sure enough, on the bookshelf at the back, there was a large iron cross placed—this also serves as a specific symbol left behind by the killer, representing judgment and redemption.
It seems to be the work of a serial killer. However, according to the killer’s patterns, could it be that this university professor also did something disgraceful, another hidden "scum of humanity"?
"The victim is named Yu Xuebin, a full professor of economics at Yanjing University," said Zhang Ting, bringing over the identity information of the deceased.
"Even a full professor?" Ye Shikai was even more astonished. A full professor at Yanjing University signifies a renowned economist within the country; the sheer fact of the murder alone is enough to cause an uproar. If the serial killer is indeed responsible, Ye Shikai can scarcely imagine how explosive public opinion would become.
"Yu Xuebin has received multiple awards in the field of economics and many of his papers have achieved distinguished accomplishments, but this... What on earth happened?" Zhang Ting also expressed her puzzlement.
"If it’s truly the killer’s doing, then Yu Xuebin was indeed a scumbag," Ye Shikai declared with conviction. Looking at his determined eyes, Zhang Ting was somewhat doubtful, "Really? Could the killer be deceiving you? How can you be so sure?"
"Just a hunch. A killer who could be called a genius is a perfectionist. They are very selective when choosing their prey. If the victim does not meet the killer’s own standards, then the crime would be tarnished," Ye Shikai’s analysis was only half-understood by Zhang Ting; perhaps the killer is like the Joker in ’Batman’, possessing an exceedingly high criminal talent and intelligence that is elusive to comprehend.
"To learn the truth about Yu Xuebin, we’ll need to look into it in person," Ye Shikai stated indifferently before leaving the crime scene. As a university professor, he naturally interacts with students from Yanjing University, and coincidentally, Su Ziqing is a student of economics.
.....................
"Cough cough, brother-in-law, this is the first time you’ve come to see me specifically," complained Su Ziqing in the university cafeteria, eating her curry pork chop rice and mumbling, seeming a bit dissatisfied.
"Qingqing, I am here today because there’s something I need to ask you." Ye Shikai was in no mood for small talk, as online public opinion was rapidly fermenting and solving the case was urgent.
"You’re asking about Professor Yu, aren’t you?"
"How do you know?" Ye Shikai was surprised, not expecting Su Ziqing to realize the purpose of his visit.
"How could I not guess, given the magnitude of the incident at the school?" grumbled Su Ziqing. "Aren’t you a military man, though? Why are you involved in this case?"
"Eh, that’s a secret. You just need to answer my questions," Ye Shikai put on a solemn face, fixing his gaze on Su Ziqing.
"Alright, go ahead and ask."
"What was this Professor Yu like?" Ye Shikai looked around at the other students and whispered.
"About that, brother-in-law, let me tell you," Su Ziqing said, her face adopting a mysterious expression as she leaned in and whispered to Ye Shikai, "On the surface, Professor Yu appears to be a respectable professor, but behind the scenes, he’s nothing but scum."
"What do you mean by that?" Ye Shikai’s heart skipped a beat; as expected, Yu Xuebin wasn’t the upright gentleman he seemed to be.
"It’s been the talk of the department for a while now; Yu Xuebin often behaves indecently towards female students and is also involved in academic fraud."
"What, that’s outrageous," Ye Shikai couldn’t help but curse. The last thing he could tolerate was such a rogue, especially one who commits academic fraud—a serious matter indeed.
"Isn’t it? Actually, this sort of thing is hardly a secret in the department," Su Ziqing continued. "Brother-in-law, that professor tried something with me too..."
"What did he try?" Ye Shikai interrupted before Su Ziqing could finish, almost slamming his hand on the table in agitation. That Beast in Human Clothing, he wouldn’t have tried something with her, would he?
"What are you thinking? He just entertained the idea. Did you forget what Yaoyao’s dad does? Does Yu Xuebin have the guts to harass me?" Su Ziqing said with a laugh. Ye Shikai then calmed down; indeed, Han Ruoyao’s father is the head of the Yanjing Police Department, and with the two girls being best friends, Yu Xuebin wouldn’t dare. Besides, if he really attempted such a thing, there would be no need for Han Ruoyao to file a complaint—Ye Shikai himself would want the Netherworld Palace to take him down.
"Brother-in-law, the way you just cared about me, don’t tell me you..."
"Cough cough, nonsense. You’re my sister-in-law; if anything happened to you, what would your sister do?"
"By the way, since all of you knew, why didn’t anyone report him?"
"Alas, even though Yu Xuebin has bad character, he is still a full professor. Snitching on him could backfire; if he found out, it could jeopardize graduation. So most female students just endure and let it go."
Ye Shikai had no response to that. He sympathized with those female students’ experiences; society is just like that. If they all had backgrounds like Han Ruoyao, would Yu Xuebin dare to act? That would be digging his own grave indeed.
"What about the academic fraud?" Ye Shikai asked further.
"That’s the crux of the matter. Originally, there was a student team in our department that worked hard on a research project and produced a report that caused a huge stir in the field. Achieving such recognition is no easy feat. But Yu Xuebin had the audacity to claim the paper as his own work and even brazenly stated he spent two years completing it by himself. It’s appalling. I spit on that," said Su Ziqing, her disgust toward Yu Xuebin plainly evident. Truly, Ye Shikai was infuriated.
"So what happened then? The majority of the team members only harbored quiet anger, but there was one..."
"Just one what?" urged Ye Shikai.
"Just one female student. She posted the entire incident online, and then..."
"And then it caused quite the stir."
"Yes, there was a lot of online discussion and the school’s reputation suffered damage, but while Yu Xuebin remained unaffected, that student who made the post..."
"What happened to her?" Ye Shikai had a bad feeling.
"Though the school didn’t warn her, afterward, she kept receiving harassing phone calls and messages, and so did her family. One day, she couldn’t take it anymore... and then... she committed suicide."