You need to calm down, thought Fang Mu, as he forcefully massaged his temples.
He lit a cigarette and then forced himself to focus on the materials in front of him.
But instead his eyes fell on the Zippo lighter in his hands.
He repeatedly clicked it open and closed, the sound echoing in his room.
It was the first gift Deng Linyue had ever given him, and it would also be the last.
So whether because of its price or its emotional significance, it should have been precious to him.
And yet Fang Mu had always seen it as just a tool to light his cigarettes or perhaps to shine his way in the dark.
Many things only seemed important in life because of the special significance and sentiments people attached to them. Disconnected from all of this, a limited edition Eternal Star Zippo was no more useful than a one-renminbi plastic lighter.
It was true of people, too.
Liu Jianjun, Meng Fanzhe, Zhang Yao, and now perhaps Qiao Yunping. They were all just victims.
As for me, I'm a psychological profiler.
Fang Mu opened one of the case folders and was met with a picture of Zhang Yao's lifeless face.
Cigarette between his fingers, Fang Mu began to read, one page after another.
The murderer was male, aged 30 to 40 and between 5'6" and 5'8". He was strong, agile and right-handed, highly intelligent, a skillful planner and knowledgeable about a wide array of things. He was well-educated and his parents had been strict but not overly so. The early stages of his life had been smooth and successful, and he had developed an arrogant, very competitive personality. He was cautious and self-disciplined. He was financially well-off, took care of his appearance and was a neat dresser. His social skills were excellent, and he most likely lived with other people. He was skilled at driving a car and probably had one of his own, most likely a top model. He was employed in teaching or a related field, was familiar with the JiangbinCityUniversity campus, and may have worked there as a teacher. He was a master of criminology and criminal psychology, but his medical knowledge — such as his grasp of human anatomy — was less extensive.
After the crimes began, the killer's mental state began to change. At first, his motivation had perhaps been merely to demonstrate his skill in certain areas. But then, as the cops were unable to catch him, and in fact even arrested the wrong person, the arrogant side of his personality grew even stronger. At the same time, however, he probably noticed these psychological changes, and may have even tried to resist them. This would most likely have affected his home life. For instance, the disgust he must have felt at what he was doing probably made him unable to do various things, such as have normal sexual relations (a point which was suggested by the fact that he did not rape Zhang Yao).
In addition, the killer was acquainted with Qiao Yunping, and was both familiar with Fang Mu and understood him very well.
"Criminology Makeup Class."
Fang Mu just happened to see the notice posted in the hall of the EducationBuilding. At first he thought he must have misread, but when he walked closer, he saw that there was indeed going to be a criminology makeup class, and in fact it was scheduled for 8 a.m. that morning.
His heart began beating fast. Could Professor Qiao have returned?
Fang Mu looked at his watch. It was five minutes to eight. With no time to think, he hurried toward the classroom.
But when he reached the entrance, his footsteps slowed. He was filled with hope that as soon as he opened the door, he would see Professor Qiao standing on the dais, about to begin class. After waiting there for several seconds, Fang Mu summoned his courage and pushed open the door.
The dais was empty. The straight-backed, stern-eyed old man was nowhere to be seen.
Moments before the classroom had been filled with noise. Now it went completely silent as all the students turned to look at Fang Mu standing in the doorway. As soon as they realized who it was — not a teacher, just that grad student who often sat in on their classes — they all started talking again. Within moments, the room was once more as noisy as a marketplace.
Head down, Fang Mu walked to the back row of the classroom. Although he was overwhelmed with disappointment, he still hoped that Professor Qiao was merely late.
Time began to move unbearably slowly. All around Fang Mu, the students were yawning, eating breakfast food they had brought from the cafeteria, and continuously chatting and laughing, all while he stared closely at his watch, watching the minute hand move closer and closer to the 12.
Suddenly footsteps sounded from the hall.
Perhaps no one else was paying attention, but despite the noise in the classroom, Fang Mu heard them clearly.
The sound was steady and full of confidence, the pace nimble yet forceful.
The steps grew closer and closer. Fang Mu held his breath.
The door opened.
A man walked inside. It was Librarian Sun.
After entering the classroom, Librarian Sun quietly closed the door, scanning the room quickly at the same time. A moment later, he stepped gracefully onto the dais and placed the folder he was carrying onto the lectern.
"All right, let's begin," he said, smiling faintly at the students sitting silently before him. "Because of some personal reasons, Professor Qiao will be unable to finish the semester with you. Therefore, for the three classes you have left, I will be teaching you the science of criminology in his stead."
He grabbed a piece of chalk. "First I should introduce myself. My name is Sun Pu." He turned around and wrote his name on the blackboard. His handwriting was stylish and yet confident. "You can call me Sun Pu, or Old Sun if you'd like."
A burst of soft laughter rippled through the classroom.
After clapping the chalk from his hands, Sun Pu looked up, just in time to lock eyes with Fang Mu who sat dumbstruck in the back row.
Sun Pu smiled and gave him a slight nod.
Class then began. It was obvious that the moment Sun Pu entered the classroom he had won the approval of almost everyone present. Unlike Professor Qiao's old-fashioned, strict and unavoidably stiff teaching style, Sun Pu had a unique method that was humorous and relaxed and still very incisive. He easily drew everyone's attention to himself.
But as for what he was actually teaching, Fang Mu didn't listen to a word. There was only one thought on his mind.
Why is he the one teaching?
When class was over, the students seemed to have developed a newfound interest in criminology and they crowded around Sun Pu and asked him all kinds of questions. Smiling, he patiently answered each one. When he finally returned to the lectern to organize his materials, he discovered that Fang Mu was standing in the doorway waiting for him.
Looking at him, Sun Pu smiled and said, "Shidi, you still have a question?"
There were numerous things that Fang Mu had wanted to ask, but at that instant he froze. He could only manage, "Shidi?"
"That's right. Professor Qiao never told you?"
"No. This whole time I didn't know that you were also…"
Sun Pu laughed. "There are a lot of things you don't know." He warmly grasped Fang Mu's shoulder, gave it a firm, friendly squeeze, and then pushed him along. "You should get going. If memory serves, you still have two more criminal procedure classes today. You don't want to be late."
Then he turned and walked away, leaving Fang Mu standing there dazed.
For the duration of his two criminal procedure classes, Fang Mu was too distracted to pay attention.