Chapter Three: Who Is the Villain

Fang Wannian was only ten years old and still in primary school. Generally speaking, primary schools finish much earlier than middle or high schools, so for An Changpu and Qin Ruonan, time was indeed a bit tight. Fang Da and Qian Yuling, the boy’s biological parents, also requested to come along. Naturally, their plea couldn’t be refused. So the four of them went downstairs together, got into the car, and, following Fang Da’s directions, headed toward the primary school Fang Wan attended.

Fang Wan was enrolled in a private primary school, situated rather far from the city center. Even without traffic, it took about thirty minutes to drive there from the police bureau. Throughout the journey, Fang Da kept wringing his hands anxiously, while Qian Yuling was more overtly fuming.

At first, when Fang Da mentioned the general direction of the school as they set off, Qian Yuling didn’t react. Only when they were halfway there did she seem to snap to attention. She nudged her ex-husband sitting beside her. “That’s not right! Didn’t our son’s school used to be in the other direction? Which school did you say he’s at now?”

Fang Da, looking embarrassed, repeated the school’s name. Only then did Qian Yuling confirm she hadn’t made a mistake—her son Fang Wan was indeed no longer attending the school she remembered.

“Why on earth did you transfer him? Back then, to get him into that primary school, we didn’t even live in the district. I talked to all sorts of people and finally managed to get him in with just a small sponsorship fee! It’s only been a few years! Why did you move him? And to one of those flashy, pretentious private schools! Even if you’ve got money to throw around and want to show off, you shouldn’t gamble with our son’s future!” Qian Yuling was furious over the transfer and immediately raised her voice at Fang Da.

Fang Da, confronted with her outburst, lost his previous hint of guilt and argued back, “So going to a private school is just for show? Yet you insisted on putting him in a top school’s top class, cramming a small fish in with the big ones. That’s not pretentious? You weren’t showing off? Do you know what it’s like in that class? Dozens of kids, and the teacher barely cares about him. All you know is to talk about the favors you pulled!”

“How am I just talking about favors? That top primary school is famous for its teaching quality! Don’t twist my words!”

“I’m not like you, biting wildly like a mad dog! I transferred him for his future! That school has its own middle school, with great teachers and environment—”

“Nonsense! You just like that it’s in the suburbs so you can send him to board, leaving you free to have fun at home with that little vixen without anyone getting in your way!”

“Can the two of you stop arguing?” Qin Ruonan, sitting in the back seat, was nearly driven mad by their bickering. “Don’t you think this is something you can discuss after we find your child? At a time like this, you two still have the energy to squabble over such trivialities. Some parents you are!”

Her words left Fang Da and Qian Yuling speechless and sullenly quiet.

“By the way, Mr. Fang, sending Fang Wan to such a far-off school must be exhausting, picking him up every day, isn’t it?” An Changpu, seeing the two silenced by Qin Ruonan’s intervention, took the opportunity to make conversation with Fang Da.

Whether out of concern for his son’s safety or from the quarrel with his ex-wife, Fang Da’s face remained tense. He replied concisely that the school provided a bus service for pick-up and drop-off, then said nothing more.

With a pair of exes who argued at the drop of a hat, silence was actually preferable—at least everyone’s ears could have some peace.

This rare tranquility lasted until they reached their destination. Despite their haste, by the time they arrived at the private school, the primary division had just finished for the day. Several buses were parked in the yard, each marked with its route. Some students, quick on their feet, were already lined up at the bus doors, waiting to board. Many private cars were parked along the street outside, suggesting that the families at this school were generally quite well-off.

After explaining their identity and purpose to the gatekeeper, the electric gate opened, letting An Changpu and the others drive into the campus.

The primary school division wasn’t large; aside from one teaching building and one office building, there were no major facilities. The cafeteria was merely medium-sized. The track, though fully rubberized, was rather small.

Noticing An Changpu and Qin Ruonan surveying the surroundings as they walked, Fang Da, somewhat awkwardly, offered, “Small as it is, the school has everything it needs. Its middle school division is what’s famous. The primary school is a bit less impressive, but it’s much easier for students to move up to their own middle school.”

This unsolicited explanation only made Qian Yuling’s earlier accusations—that Fang Da wanted their son to board, giving him and his new, younger wife a private life—sound more plausible.

Still, there were plenty of middle schools with boarding, so why choose this one, especially given its remote location? There must be other reasons as well.

“Can students board during primary school here? Did Fang Wan apply?” Qin Ruonan asked, guessing.

Fang Da blushed but didn’t deny it. “Yes, according to their rules, students can start boarding after fifth grade. My son signed up this term and will begin boarding next academic year.”

Hearing this, Qian Yuling frowned and was about to argue, but when she saw An Changpu watching her, she grudgingly swallowed her words.

Fortunately, Fang Da was at least somewhat familiar with Fang Wan’s situation at school. He quickly led the group to Fang Wan’s classroom. By now, only five or six students remained, and a young man in his twenties sat at the teacher’s desk, quietly watching the few children still bent over their work. He appeared to be the class teacher.

Qin Ruonan peered in through the classroom’s small window. The room wasn’t large, nor were there many desks—no more than thirty students, she estimated. A large LCD television hung in one front corner, while the back wall’s bulletin board was bright with colorful drawings.

Noticing someone at the door, the teacher looked up. Fang Da quickly knocked. When the man inside called out for them to come in, Fang Da opened the door and poked his head through. “Hello, Mr. Chen.”

Mr. Chen pushed up his glasses and, not recognizing Fang Da, assumed he was just another parent. “Here to pick up your child? Please wait a moment, we’re just finishing dictation.”

“Mr. Chen, I’m Fang Wan’s parent. We spoke on the phone this morning,” Fang Da clarified, stepping forward to make room for the others—mainly because Qian Yuling was jabbing him in the back with her finger. He’d wanted to snap at her several times but held back given the audience.

Hearing he was Fang Wan’s family, Mr. Chen quickly stood and greeted them, glancing curiously at the group. “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you right away. Are these all relatives?”

“No, these two are detectives from the city police bureau,” Fang Da replied, stepping aside to give An Changpu and Qin Ruonan space to speak to Mr. Chen. “Our son Fang Wan is missing. We reported it, and the police asked us to come so they could ask you a few questions.”

“So this is Fang Wan’s mother!” Mr. Chen nodded to Qian Yuling, then remarked to Fang Da, “I was just thinking earlier, the woman who came with you before was rather young to be Fang Wan’s mother.”

Fang Da looked even more embarrassed and quickly withdrew. Given the current situation, no matter how he looked at it, he had no desire to discuss his young, newlywed wife.

“Hello, we’re from the city police’s criminal division. You’re Fang Wan’s homeroom teacher, correct? When was the last time you saw him?” An Changpu introduced himself and Qin Ruonan, then got straight to the point.

Perhaps it was the word “detectives” that caught their attention, but the children still working on their dictation all began to sneak glances at them, only to lower their heads again under Mr. Chen’s stern gaze.

“Counting today, this is the fourth day Fang Wan hasn’t come to school. The last time I saw him was at noon on Monday. Our class had PE that afternoon, so I left early and didn’t check in again,” Mr. Chen recalled, answering while glancing at Qin Ruonan.

“You left early for PE?” she asked.

“Yes. We don’t have an indoor gym, so we partner with a fitness center in the city. PE classes are held there, so those classes are scheduled for the afternoon. The school bus takes the students there, and afterward, they go straight home,” Mr. Chen explained.

“But I thought boarding students start in fifth grade? If the bus goes downtown, how do boarding students get back?” Qin Ruonan interjected.

“For fifth and sixth graders, we’ve considered that, so their PE classes are held at the middle school division’s gym,” Mr. Chen answered earnestly. “The last time I saw Fang Wan was in the cafeteria at lunchtime. The teacher for the first afternoon class said he attended, but I wasn’t present for PE, so I can’t say.”

“May we ask the students?” An Changpu glanced at the remaining children. They’d been sneaking peeks, but at his gaze, they quickly looked down and pretended to focus on their work.

Mr. Chen didn’t object. He clapped his hands to get their attention. “Pause for a moment. I want to ask, did any of you see Fang Wan during Monday afternoon’s PE class?”

“Yes!” four of the boys answered in unison. One of the two girls nodded, while the other looked blank.

Before Mr. Chen could continue, a round-faced boy shot his hand up, eyes wide and full of urgency as if volunteering in class.

Mr. Chen nodded for him to speak, and the boy jumped up and asked loudly, “Detective Uncle, Detective Auntie, did something happen to Fang Wan?”

Qin Ruonan was taken aback. “Why do you ask that?”

“Because Fang Wan told me, if anything happened to him, I must tell the police—he said there’s a bad person in his family who wants to hurt him!” the little boy announced proudly.