Chapter Four: The Mischief Maker

Although people often say that children speak without malice, the words of the little boy instantly changed Fang Da’s expression, and the previously listless Qian Yuling behind him suddenly perked up. Her eyes sparkled as she shot a fierce glance at Fang Da, her gaze like a cat stalking a mouse, then fixed her eager attention on the boy who had spoken. If not for Qin Ruonan and An Changpu standing nearby, she might have seized the moment to interrogate him herself.

Being stared at so intently by several adults, the little boy became nervous, his expression timid, and he dared not speak again.

“You two wait outside the classroom for a moment,” Qin Ruonan said, sensing that the presence of four adults and the homeroom teacher had created a tense atmosphere that made the boy hesitant to speak. She realized it was necessary for Fang Da and Qian Yuling to step out, both to ease the child’s emotions and because of what might soon be discussed.

Fang Da, clearly perceptive, saw Qin Ruonan’s suggestion. Though his face showed obvious reluctance, he silently nodded and turned to leave the classroom, heading for the corridor.

Qian Yuling was even more unwilling than Fang Da. She seemed to have gleaned something from the boy’s words; after the divorce, Fang Wan had always lived with his father, so if there were “bad people” in his home, it would implicate Fang Da and his new wife.

Qin Ruonan gently nudged her, signaling that she should wait outside as well. Only then did Qian Yuling begrudgingly turn and slowly inch out the door, as if moving slowly might allow her to catch a snippet of conversation.

Just before leaving, Qin Ruonan quietly reminded her, “We’re at school, and even if it’s after class, it’s still a public place. Please, you and Fang Da, try to restrain yourselves. Don’t cause a scene.”

“I know. I’ll just ignore him,” Qian Yuling replied, a bit embarrassed, nodding. Qin Ruonan closed the classroom door.

An Changpu had already moved to stand before the little boy, gesturing for him to sit and then straddling a chair at the front row. Elementary school chairs are small, and with An Changpu’s tall frame, his knees bent awkwardly as he sat, resembling an adult riding a child’s wooden horse.

The boy, evidently mischievous by nature, relaxed when he saw the two adults with the most intimidating faces leave. With An Changpu smiling in front of him, he felt at ease, mimicking the detective’s posture by turning his chair around and draping his arms over the back, resting his chin on them, and blinking curiously at An Changpu.

“Do you have a gun?” he suddenly asked.

“A gun?” An Changpu was taken aback.

“Yeah! I saw on TV that police officers catching bad guys always have guns on their belts. When they chase and can’t run anymore, they pull out their guns and shout, ‘Stop! Don’t move, or I’ll shoot!’” The boy imitated the scene, making gun gestures with his hands and mimicking the sound of gunfire, finally blowing on his imaginary pistol.

Both An Changpu and Qin Ruonan, and even Teacher Chen standing aside, nearly burst out laughing. Teacher Chen reached over and tapped the boy’s head. “If only you were this clever when you studied! Enough nonsense, tell us what you meant about bad people in Fang Wan’s home who want to hurt him.”

“It was Fang Wan who told me. He said there are bad people in his home, and they want to hurt him, but his dad doesn’t believe him, so he told me. We’re best buddies!” The boy, young as he was, felt no anxiety over Fang Wan’s disappearance, instead proud to be “in the know.”

His words gave the three adults a clear hint: the so-called bad person in Fang Wan’s home was likely his stepmother.

“Is Fang Wan’s stepmother unkind to him?” Qin Ruonan leaned over to sit beside the boy. Though tall for a woman, she was still petite compared to An Changpu, and her sitting posture was far more comfortable.

The boy’s eyes widened in surprise at her question. “How did you know I meant Fang Wan’s stepmother? You’re amazing! I didn’t even say, and you guessed it!”

The innocent child didn’t realize that Qin Ruonan had simply deduced this from his own words.

“Children often distrust stepmothers; their words may not be reliable. I’ve met Fang Wan’s stepmother once—she’s young, well-spoken, and seems very gentle. It would be unfair to let a child’s words tarnish her reputation,” Teacher Chen said, speaking with clear admiration for Fang Da’s wife. Whether it was his own bias or concern that his student might cause trouble for others, his stance was clearly different from the boy’s.

“We’ll consider the truthfulness of the child’s words, but a person’s character isn’t judged by appearance or figure,” Qin Ruonan responded, glancing at Teacher Chen.

Teacher Chen’s face reddened; he gave Qin Ruonan an awkward smile and nodded. “You’re right.”

Regardless of his sincerity, he had acknowledged her point. Yet his earlier words had made the boy wary, and the child glanced at his teacher, hesitant to speak.

“Have you ever read fairy tales?” An Changpu looked at Teacher Chen, paused, then smiled and asked the boy.

The boy nodded, quickly disclaiming, “I have, but I don’t like them. Those are for girls!”

“So you read fairy tales before, and since stepmothers in stories are always evil, you think Fang Wan’s stepmother is too?” An Changpu smiled, as if he’d seen through the boy’s thoughts.

“No way!” The boy felt insulted, his brows furrowing. “I told you, those stories are for girls. Who believes them? Fang Wan himself told me. He said his stepmother really hates him and even drugged him! After he ate, he had diarrhea for days and almost couldn’t hold it in. After that, he didn’t dare eat anything his stepmother cooked!”

Some nearby students snickered, unable to grasp the seriousness, finding the idea of a classmate almost soiling his pants amusing.

The three adults didn’t laugh; they actually felt relieved. If the boy’s story was true, the so-called poisoning by Fang Wan’s stepmother was likely just ordinary laxatives. The motive remained unclear and would need to be discussed with Fang Wan directly if necessary.

Qin Ruonan noted Fang Wan’s confiding in her notebook.

“Were you with Fang Wan during PE that afternoon?” An Changpu asked.

The boy nodded, “We were together!”

“Teacher, during PE that day, he and Fang Wan were making weird noises and faces outside the girls’ classroom!” one of the girls took the opportunity to complain to the teacher.

Teacher Chen clearly had no patience for student mischief at the moment and ignored her, focusing on the boy. “What about after class? Did you go home together?”

“No, he said he had to go to tutoring. We walked together for a bit, then split up!”

“All right, get back to your dictation! Finish and hand it in so you can go home,” Teacher Chen said. The students immediately returned to their seats and resumed their work.

“How does Fang Wan usually behave in class?” An Changpu joined Teacher Chen at the front desk, lowering his voice.

“Well,” Teacher Chen hesitated, “Fang Wan transferred to our class in the second semester of second grade. I haven’t taught him long, less than two years. He’s smart and lively—”

“Teacher, you don’t need to give us the usual parent-teacher meeting talk. We’ve been through it ourselves. Please be frank,” An Changpu interrupted.

Teacher Chen quickly agreed. “It’s true he’s clever, but he doesn’t focus that energy on his studies. He’s inattentive, hyperactive, loves pranks and teasing classmates and even other teachers—a typical troublemaker.”

“Fang Wan hasn’t attended class for several days. Why didn’t you contact his parents promptly?” Qin Ruonan asked.

Teacher Chen covered his mouth, coughing dryly. This question made his eyes dart. “Well, I bear some responsibility. Fang Wan often misses class, and whenever he does, his grandparents call to say he’s sick. I know he can’t possibly be sick so often, but since the elders call, I can’t say much. Private schools aren’t like public ones; every student is precious, the children of wealthy parents. As long as there’s a leave request, I usually let it go and don’t pursue it. Later—”

He hesitated, unwilling to continue. Qin Ruonan, having heard enough, understood. “Later, after it happened often, even if the grandparents didn’t call, you stopped paying attention to Fang Wan’s absences, didn’t you?”

Teacher Chen nodded guiltily.

Just as they spoke, a quarrel erupted in the corridor. An Changpu and Qin Ruonan frowned, quickly leaving Teacher Chen behind and hurrying to the door. There was no need to guess—the feuding pair outside had, once again, failed to restrain themselves and launched into a new round of argument.