Chapter 27

"Did you have to use such foul language?" The middle-aged police officer had not expected such a refined lady to curse at him.

"I believe my son would never do such a thing!" Qin Lang's mother, Xue Yinglian, glared coldly at the middle-aged police officer. "Moreover, my son is just a suspect, not a criminal. You can't smear him! If I find out you've mistreated my child, I will definitely sue you! I'll do whatever it takes!"

At that moment, Xue Yinglian was like a lioness protecting her cub!

"No wonder... With a parent like you, the child will naturally be the same. Fifteen minutes!" The middle-aged police officer left with a dark face.

"Mom, thank you for believing in me." Qin Lang smiled.

"Foolish son, you can still smile at a time like this." Xue Yinglian had a bitter smile. "Do you know you're in trouble?"

"Son, your father and I both believe you didn't do anything bad. But, what exactly happened?" Qin Lang's father, Qin Nan, asked.

Qin Nan was a lab technician at the biology lab of Xichuan University, and Xue Yinglian was a researcher at a scientific institute. Both were usually very busy, but they never neglected their son's education. They didn't put too much pressure on Qin Lang, unlike other parents who had high expectations for their children. They only hoped Qin Lang would be healthy and have a positive, optimistic attitude.

When they learned their son had been taken by the police, Qin Nan and Xue Yinglian were naturally very anxious. They borrowed a car and rushed back from Anyong City, which was over a hundred kilometers away.

"Dad, Mom, to be honest, I don't know what exactly happened."

Qin Lang recounted the events to them and then tried to reassure them, "Don't worry, I didn't do anything wrong. I have nothing to hide, so there's nothing to fear!"

"Of course!" Qin Nan nodded. "Son, don't worry. If you didn't do anything wrong, no one can frame you! Even if it means we go bankrupt, your father and mother will fight this to the end!"

"Don't worry, it might not be that serious." Qin Lang forced a smile, knowing the situation was far from simple, especially with Zhou Lingling and Chunmei Bay Club involved.

"Time's up!" Just as Qin Lang was talking with his parents, the middle-aged police officer opened the door with a dark face and asked Qin Nan and Xue Yinglian to leave.

"Son! Don't be afraid!" Xue Yinglian said reluctantly to Qin Lang. As she turned to leave, tears rolled down her cheeks. To avoid Qin Lang seeing, she quickly walked out of the interrogation room.

"Parents' love for their children is truly touching!" The middle-aged police officer sighed and closed the door again.

As soon as the door closed, the middle-aged police officer saw a woman in a suit and skirt, with a curvaceous figure and a charming demeanor, walking over. She smiled and showed her credentials, "I am Qin Lang's biology teacher and the school's psychological counselor. I need to assess his mental state."

***

Qin Lang never thought his second time alone with Teacher Tao Ruoxiang would be in a police station's interrogation room.

"Teacher Tao, thank you for coming to see me." Qin Lang still smiled. "When did you become a psychological counselor?"

In front of Teacher Tao, he felt very relaxed, even in the current situation.

"You don't need to thank me. I already have a psychological counselor's certification." Tao Ruoxiang smiled faintly and showed her credentials to Qin Lang. "I met your parents at the police station entrance. They are very concerned about you."

"Parents always care about their children." Qin Lang looked at Tao Ruoxiang across the table. "Teacher Tao, I have a question for you—do you think I'm a bad person?"

"Qin Lang, I am here to gather information on behalf of the school."

Tao Ruoxiang did not directly answer Qin Lang's question. She took out a voice recorder from her handbag and pressed the record button. "Qin Lang, let's get to the point. As a representative of the school, I promise to treat you objectively and fairly."

"Thank you, Teacher Tao." Qin Lang thought for a moment before starting to recount the events. "In the afternoon, after the physics teacher asked me to leave the classroom, about fifteen minutes later, I saw someone fall from the building. When I ran over, I found out it was Zhou Lingling..."

"How did you know the person who jumped was Zhou Lingling?" Tao Ruoxiang suddenly asked.

"Uh... The police officer mentioned it when he was questioning me." Qin Lang couldn't say he and Zhao Kan had gone to Chunmei Bay Club. If he did, it would be like "mud in the pants, not dirt but dirt anyway," and it would be impossible to explain.

After Qin Lang finished recounting the events, Tao Ruoxiang asked, "Someone saw you put something into Zhou Lingling's mouth. Is this true?"

Qin Lang nodded. "It was a traditional Chinese medicine pill given to me by my old TCM master. It's very effective for treating physical injuries."

Qin Lang called the old poisoner "old TCM master," which was quite flattering.

"What's the name of the traditional Chinese medicine pill?" Tao Ruoxiang continued to press, showing she wasn't easily fooled.

"Baicao Dahan Dan." Qin Lang quickly changed the name from "Baidu Dahan Dan" to "Baicao Dahan Dan." Although it was just a one-character difference, it sounded different.

"Are you sure?" Tao Ruoxiang said calmly. "Qin Lang, I must remind you again that this recording may be used as evidence. Since you are a minor, the school is sending me to gather information out of concern for you. Of course, as your teacher, I am also very concerned about your current situation."

"Thank you for the reminder, Teacher." Qin Lang said sincerely. "I am telling the truth! If you don't believe me, you can ask Zhou Lingling when she wakes up. Won't everything be clear then?"

"The problem is, Zhou Lingling is still in critical condition, and it's uncertain whether she will wake up."

"That's impossible!" Qin Lang said, somewhat agitated. "When she was put in the ambulance, her condition had stabilized!"

"Because of that, we need to understand why you gave her the so-called traditional Chinese medicine pill."

"Teacher Tao, don't you believe me?" Qin Lang felt hurt. He didn't mind others misunderstanding or misinterpreting him, but he really didn't want Tao Ruoxiang to think he was a criminal.

Tao Ruoxiang turned off the recorder and sighed softly. "From a personal standpoint, I believe you are not a criminal."

"That's enough!" Qin Lang breathed a sigh of relief.

"But the fact that the teacher believes you is not enough." Tao Ruoxiang continued. "All the evidence suggests that you are involved in Zhou Lingling's incident. First, you were the first to arrive at the scene. Second, only you know what you gave her. However, the hospital has already analyzed her saliva and blood samples. Once the results are out, we will know if you are lying."

"Teacher Tao, I really didn't do anything wrong!"

Qin Lang continued to explain, "Think about it. If I really wanted her to die, I could have just stood by and done nothing. Why would I risk getting close to her? And if I hadn't been kicked out of the classroom by the physics teacher, I wouldn't have seen the incident at all."

"Your analysis is reasonable."

Tao Ruoxiang nodded slightly, but then her tone changed. "However, from a criminal psychology perspective, smart criminals are often very calm after the fact and are very good at exonerating themselves, especially when it's not their first time doing such things!"

Qin Lang felt something was off with Tao Ruoxiang's tone and looked at her in confusion. "Teacher Tao, what do you mean by that?"

"Don't misunderstand, I'm just speculating about the case." Tao Ruoxiang said. "Do you know about Zhao Liang and Chang Xuemin?"

Zhao Liang, Chang Xuemin?

Qin Lang shook his head in confusion. "Who are they?"

"They have dropped out of school. They were both good students at No. 7 High School and very pretty." Tao Ruoxiang sighed. "But they were lured and led astray."

"What's going on?" Qin Lang looked at Tao Ruoxiang in confusion. "Teacher Tao, do you think these two are also related to me? Teacher Tao, Aunt Tao, I swear I have nothing to do with them. I can prove it—"

"How will you prove it?" Tao Ruoxiang looked at Qin Lang in surprise.