C28 Dark Clouds Would Always Dissipate

Despite his reluctance, the teaching director knew he couldn't refuse Lu Wangshu and Qiao Liang's request to accompany them to the police station, especially in front of so many onlookers. He realized that an overly strange or abnormal reaction might raise suspicions unnecessarily. After all, the police hadn't found anything incriminating yet, so there was no need for him to overreact.

With this in mind, the teaching director nodded and offered a smile. "Alright. I'll come with you."

He stood up and followed Qiao Liang and the others out of the office.

Upon arriving at the police station, they entered the interrogation room, where two officers from the Identification Department approached the teaching director, holding some tools.

Caught off guard, the teaching director pointed at the officers and asked, "What's all this about?"

Qiao Liang gestured for him to stay calm and explained, "They're from the Identification Department. They need to collect some cells from inside your mouth."

The teaching director was perplexed. "Cells from my mouth? What does that mean? What exactly are you trying to collect?"

"It's quite straightforward. They're going to scrape inside your mouth a few times. It's quick and won't cause much discomfort," Qiao Liang clarified, his voice cool.

Reassured by Qiao Liang's explanation, the teaching director nodded in understanding and opened his mouth.

The Identification Department officers did as Qiao Liang had described, gently scraping the inside of the teaching director's mouth, under his tongue, and along his gums to collect the cells.

Once the officers had collected the samples, they left the interrogation room.

Watching them leave, the teaching director asked with a hint of curiosity, "Why did they need to take cells from my mouth?"

"They collected the cells to extract your DNA for comparison," Qiao Liang replied, his gaze indifferent, his expression a mix of seriousness and amusement.

Still puzzled, the teaching director couldn't grasp why his DNA was needed for comparison and asked outright, "What are you comparing it to?"

Qiao Liang exchanged a knowing look with Lu Wangshu before teasing the teaching director, "You'll find out soon enough."

Qiao Liang led the interrogation, with Lu Wangshu tasked with taking notes.

Though Lu Wangshu had never worked at a police station, his police academy training had prepared him well for recording statements.

Qiao Liang cut to the chase and asked the Dean, "We've been informed that you molested a student, which allegedly led to the death of Du Le. Is there any truth to this?"

"What?" The Dean was taken aback, then quickly became agitated, slamming his hand on the table, "Slander, pure and simple slander! Officer, you must believe me. As an educator, I would never commit such an act. Who is spreading these lies behind my back?"

Hearing the Dean invoke his role as an educator, Lu Wangshu and Qiao Liang could barely suppress a scoff.

Qiao Liang arched an eyebrow and replied, "Really? Don't worry about who made the allegations. We'll thoroughly investigate whether it's slander or truth. Stay calm. If it's slander, the person responsible will face consequences. But if the allegations are true, rest assured, we will not let it slide."

The Dean, visibly unnerved by Qiao Liang's words, began to look away and stuttered, "Of, of course."

Noticing the Dean's guilty demeanor, Qiao Liang didn't let up. He pressed on, "Where were you last night?"

Fidgeting with his glasses, the Dean answered uneasily, "Last night? After work, I was obviously at home sleeping. Where else would I be?"

"Is that so?" Qiao Liang was clearly unsatisfied with the response. "If, as you claim, you went home early last night, then why does the surveillance footage from the school entrance show you returning home late?"

In reality, Qiao Liang hadn't checked the footage, but he surmised that since the Dean had scheduled a meeting with Wangshuu after evening study hours, it was unlikely he had returned home early.

This gave Qiao Liang the confidence to bluff, feigning certainty about his investigation to rattle the Dean and gauge his reaction.

Sure enough, the director, with a guilty conscience, was easily rattled. Believing that Qiao Liang had actually done his homework, his demeanor quickly turned to panic. "I—I must have remembered incorrectly. I got last night mixed up with the night before. I was working late at the school yesterday evening."

Qiao Liang shook his head, a slight smile on his face. "I'm not so sure about that. The janitor mentioned that after the evening study session, she passed by the office, but at that time, the lights were off and the room was in total darkness. If you were indeed working in the office last night, how did you manage to work in complete darkness?"

The director had been counting on the fact that the surveillance cameras in the office and corridor had recently malfunctioned, thinking he could lie without being caught, especially in the absence of evidence. That's why he had brazenly fabricated his story.

But he hadn't anticipated the janitor passing by last night, which promptly exposed his lie. It was a real headache.

Truth be told, Qiao Liang hadn't actually spoken to the janitor. His claim was a bluff to catch the director in his own web of deceit. Clearly, the director had taken the bait.

Upon hearing Qiao Liang's words, the director became even more agitated. Lying to the police twice in a row, who would believe he was innocent?

Noticing the director's forehead now glistening with sweat, Qiao Liang sensed the moment was ripe. "The truth is, you didn't stay late at work yesterday, and you returned home quite late. You had arranged to meet Wangshuu, didn't you?"

Instinctively, the director objected, "No, that's not right. You're making things up. I—I didn't!"

"You didn't? Wangshuu has already confessed. What defense could you possibly have left? The victim has explicitly identified you by name as having sexually harassed a student. With things as they are, are you still unwilling to confess?" Qiao Liang's voice involuntarily rose, his expression turning decidedly stern.

Enraged, the director pounded the table several times, exclaiming, "This is defamation, pure and simple! Wangshuu accuses me of molestation, but where's her proof? We live under the rule of law, where actions and words must be supported by evidence. Without it, I am fully entitled to sue her for defamation."