Writing criminal investigation articles resulted in a life sentence, so I had no choice but to actua

Chapter 29: Shen Ye's Identity

despair.

Su Wan gently placed her phone on the table, the screen facing upwards and lit. The list of video files was displayed silently, each filename like countless cold eyes, staring intently at the three people present.

Jiang Chen didn't look at his phone. He stood in front of the whiteboard, his gaze fixed on the two words "Shen Ye," and remained silent for a long time.

Lin Xiaoyu stood quietly to the side, her hand gripping the pen so tightly it was burning hot, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"What's wrong?" Su Wan asked softly.

"Don't you guys think there's something off about this name?" Jiang Chen slowly turned around.

"Something's not right?"

"Shen Ye, 'Ye' is the radical for fire plus 'Hua,' meaning brilliant and splendid." Jiang Chen walked back to the table, his fingertips tracing the list of names on it. "Would parents give a science and engineering student who deals with data all day such a name?"

Lin Xiaoyu blinked, looking puzzled. "That's normal, isn't it? Parents all want the best for their children."

"It's not the name itself that's the problem." Jiang Chen flipped to Shen Ye's personal information page, his tone becoming a bit more serious. "It's this person; from beginning to end, there's an inexplicable sense of incongruity about him."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He joined the company on April 30th the year before last. Do you know what that date is?"

Su Wan and Lin Xiaoyu exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

"The last day before the May Day holiday," Jiang Chen said in a deep voice. "Technical job recruitment always follows a set procedure, but to rush into hiring the day before the holiday clearly shows that HR is in a hurry to cramm people in. Moreover, starting on this day means receiving a full month's salary for May. Why should a recent graduate, an ordinary technician, receive such special treatment?"

The office fell silent instantly, with only the faint sound of the wind outside the window.

Su Wan tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, the two soft sounds standing out clearly in the silence: "You mean, someone deliberately arranged for him to come in?"

"It wasn't arranged, it was forced upon us." Jiang Chen put down the list, his tone certain. "Those who can go this far must be of very high status."

Lin Xiaoyu quickly flipped through the employment documents and said softly, "The signature on the employment approval form is that of Vice Principal Ma Weiguo."

"Ma Weiguo?" Su Wan frowned instantly. "His surname is Ma?"

"Yes, his surname is Ma."

The two exchanged a glance, their hearts skipping a beat simultaneously.

Brother Ma also has the surname Ma; he is the vice principal of Chengxi Vocational College, and he also has the surname Ma.

"Could it be the same person?" Su Wan asked in a low voice.

"It's not certain yet," Jiang Chen shook his head. "But there aren't many prominent people with the surname Ma in this area of ​​western Chengdu. Besides, Ma Ge Barbecue's main branch is on Jianshe Road, and the Western Chengdu Vocational College is on the same road."

"One is on the east side of the road, and the other is on the west side. It's only a ten-minute walk," Lin Xiaoyu added.

"So he and Brother Ma are most likely connected," Su Wan said in a deep voice.

"It's more than just a connection." Jiang Chen picked up a marker and quickly wrote a few lines on the whiteboard: Ma Weiguo, Brother Ma, Brother Ma's BBQ, Chengxi Vocational College. "You see, all these people and things are within a two-kilometer radius."

Lin Xiaoyu leaned closer to the whiteboard and looked at it, then suddenly realized: "So Shen Ye was deliberately placed in the school by Ma Weiguo?"

"It's too early to draw conclusions now." Jiang Chen waved his hand. "But one thing is clear: Shen Ye's employment was definitely not a normal recruitment. Someone must have pulled strings behind the scenes, and that person is most likely surnamed Ma, and has intricate connections with the secrets hidden in the West City Vocational College."

Su Wan nodded, signaling him to continue.

Jiang Chen picked up the personnel list again, his gaze landing on Shen Ye's work station: "Let's talk about his job. He's an academic affairs system technician. It sounds like he's just fixing computers and maintaining systems, but do you know what's stored in the school's academic affairs system?"

Lin Xiaoyu instinctively raised her hand: "The students' exam scores?"

"It's much more than that." Jiang Chen shook his head. "There are also students' home addresses, parents' contact information, ID numbers, student ID numbers, bank card information, and even each person's medical examination report."

"A medical examination report? Isn't that a student's personal privacy?" Lin Xiaoyu's eyes widened instantly, her face full of shock.

"That's right, it's about privacy." Jiang Chen put the list down. "So it's extremely unreasonable for an ordinary technician to have such extensive system privileges."

Su Wan instantly understood his unspoken meaning: "You mean, he didn't really want to be a technician?"

"His real goal was to control the school's core data."

"But the school hadn't encountered any problems yet, so why was he monitoring this data beforehand?"

Jiang Chen glanced at her, but didn't answer directly. He turned around and walked back to the whiteboard, picked up the eraser, erased the three characters "Ma Weiguo", and wrote down a new name—Principal Li.

"Think about it, what's the thing that those in power fear most when a school is on the verge of closing?"

Su Wan pondered for a moment: "Is it a broken cash flow?"

"No, the broken funding chain is the final result, not the root cause." Jiang Chen slowly shook his head. "Before the school can't hold on, the worst thing is that someone will get there first and run off with all the valuables."

"What things are considered valuable?"

"Land, teaching equipment, student enrollment, school qualifications, and data." Jiang Chen held up five fingers and listed them one by one. "These five things are all sources of profit, but data is the least noticeable and the easiest to overlook."

Why is data valuable?

"Because the data contains real, living students, and students represent tangible profits." Jiang Chen's tone was grave. "When schools close, students have to be reassigned or transferred. Whoever gets the student data can seize the student pool. A student's tuition is a few thousand yuan a year, so a thousand students translate to millions in revenue."

Su Wan couldn't help but gasp.

"So Shen Ye came here to secretly steal data?"

"It wasn't theft, it was interception in advance," Jiang Chen corrected.

"Intercept?"

"Yes. If Principal Li had known the school was going to collapse, he would have definitely thought of selling the student data to other institutions to profit from it." Jiang Chen spoke a few seconds faster. "But Shen Ye acted first, backing up all the data, which was equivalent to cutting off Principal Li's source of income."

Lin Xiaoyu opened her mouth, her face full of astonishment: "So that's why Principal Li holds a grudge against him?"

"Not necessarily," Jiang Chen said calmly. "Perhaps Principal Li is completely unaware, or perhaps he knows but is powerless to do anything about Shen Ye."

"Why can't we do anything about him?"

"Because Shen Ye has something on Principal Li."

The office fell into complete silence.

Su Wan's fingertips suddenly stopped moving, and Lin Xiaoyu lost her grip on the pen, which fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Jiang Chen turned around, his gaze falling once again on the words "Shen Ye" on the whiteboard.

"Think about it, a young man who has only been out of school for a short time, and has been working here for less than a year, dares to back up the entire school's confidential data without permission. Where does he get such audacity?"

"Unless..." Su Wan murmured.

"Unless he has a protective charm, no one dares to touch him easily."

"What kind of amulet?"

"It's Principal Li's weakness," Jiang Chen said in a deep voice. "Maybe he obtained key evidence when he first joined the company. It could be proof that Principal Li illegally accepted money, non-compliant documents he signed, or even... some photos that can't be made public."

Su Wan's fingers clenched tightly, and cold sweat beaded on her palms.

"You mean, Shen Ye wasn't an ordinary technician from the beginning; he was a pawn planted by someone?"

"That's right." Jiang Chen nodded. "The person who planted this pawn may be surnamed Ma, or it may be someone else, but Shen Ye is very well hidden. He has Principal Li's weakness, the school's core data, and those video evidences, so he is naturally fearless."

"Then why did he suddenly resign three months before the school closed down?"

"Because his mission was complete. He had the data and all the evidence. Staying at the school would only drag him into the storm and get him burned," Jiang Chen said calmly. "So he withdrew early, before the storm fully erupted."

Lin Xiaoyu couldn't help but ask, "Then why doesn't he leave the west side of the city and start a new life in another city?"

Jiang Chen looked at her, a very faint smile curving his lips.

"He can't leave."

Why?

"The data and evidence he possesses are both his bargaining chips to protect himself and the shackles that bind him."

Su Wan instantly understood: "These things are both his shield and evidence of his crimes."

"Yes. Once he leaves the west of the city, these bargaining chips lose their value, but as long as he stays in the west, he will never be able to break free from this web of interests." Jiang Chen's voice softened a bit. "He is a pawn to be manipulated, but he also secretly controls some initiative; he is the prey being hunted, but also the hunter waiting for his chance."

After a long silence, Su Wan finally asked softly, "Do you think he's a good person or a bad person?"

Jiang Chen did not answer immediately. He walked to the window, opened it, and a cool night breeze rushed in, carrying the dampness of the earth after the rain, as well as the faint stench of the distant garbage heap.

"Defining people as good or bad is too simplistic." He gazed at the night outside the window and spoke slowly, "This world has never been black and white; more often, it's a gray area that's hard to define."

"So, which category does he belong to?"

"He's just someone struggling to survive in the cracks." Jiang Chen turned around, his gaze deep. "He knows too many secrets, so no one dares to let him die easily; but precisely because he knows too much, he can never live a peaceful life."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that he lived, but he never lived for himself."

Su Wan suddenly remembered that photo: a young man in a food delivery uniform in a deep alley at dawn, the faint light from his phone screen reflecting on his face, his expression calm and undisturbed.

That wasn't a composed calm; it was numbness.

It's the look in the eyes of someone who has been repeatedly worn down by life and has long since become numb to pain.

"Where is he now?" Su Wan asked softly.

"I'm not sure, but I'm certain he's still in the west of the city."

Why?

"Because his ties are here, the secrets he holds are here, and his last remaining value is here."

Lin Xiaoyu was filled with confusion and asked the simplest question: "Will he regret it?"

Jiang Chen looked at her, his tone indifferent: "Regret what?"

"I regret touching this data in the first place, and I regret getting myself into so much trouble that I can't get rid of it."

Jiang Chen was silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, "He doesn't regret it; he has no choice."

Su Wan closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Outside the window, the night gradually faded, and a gray-white light appeared on the distant horizon, slowly dispelling the darkness.

"Jiang Chen".

"Um."

"Will we be able to find him?"

Jiang Chen remained silent for a long time before finally giving his answer: "Yes."

"But he won't let us find him easily."

Why?

"Because he's afraid." Jiang Chen's voice was very soft. "He's afraid we'll bring him to justice, afraid the evidence in his hands will become worthless, afraid of losing his only bargaining chip to save his life."

"So how do you plan to find him?"

Jiang Chen walked back to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote four characters in the blank space.

He doesn't look for it; he waits for someone to come to him.

"What does this mean?"

"The meaning is simple: Shen Ye will come to me sooner or later."

"Why? He's clearly been avoiding us. You're a police consultant, and he's our suspect. Why would he willingly walk into our trap?"

Jiang Chen turned around, looking at the sky outside the window that had completely brightened, his tone resolute.

"Because he needs my help with something."

"What kind of help do you need?"

"Help him write an ending that belongs to him."

The air in the office seemed to freeze instantly. Su Wan stared at Jiang Chen's profile, watching the complex emotions surging in his eyes, and her heart trembled.

"Are you really going to help him?"

Jiang Chen remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "I don't know either, but I know that if I don't help him, he will end it all in his own way."

"What will he do?"

"He will release all the evidence he has to the public and take all the blame upon himself." Jiang Chen's voice was low. "He will become the scapegoat who takes the blame for everyone else."

"Whose sins will you take the blame for?"

"For the person behind him, the one who truly controls everything."

Su Wan's pupils contracted sharply, her face filled with shock: "You mean, there's an even bigger figure behind Shen Ye?"

Jiang Chen turned around to look at her, a faint smile playing on his lips, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

"Officer Su, you've finally gotten to the point."

He walked to the whiteboard again and solemnly wrote a new title next to the two characters "Shen Ye".

--director.

"Shen Ye is just an actor in front of the camera."

"So, who exactly is the director?"

"He's the mastermind behind the whole thing," Jiang Chen said gravely. "He's the one who wrote all the scripts, arranged every character, and controlled the entire game."

Su Wan took a deep breath, suppressing her shock: "Who exactly is this director?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I have a clue."

"What clue?"

Jiang Chen pointed to the word "Director" on the whiteboard and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Director, in English, has another title."

He paused, then slowly uttered the word.

"Mastermind".

A sudden thought flashed through Su Wan's mind; she was all too familiar with this word.

This word appears repeatedly in the files of Interpol and in the case files of various high-IQ crimes.

Mastermind, the mastermind behind the scenes, the ultimate planner, the architect of crime.

The first person of Chinese descent to top the list of the world's most intelligent criminals was nicknamed "The Architect".

Ranked number one globally.

"You mean, the person behind Shen Ye might be that world's most intelligent criminal?"

Jiang Chen neither nodded nor shook his head.

"I'm just saying that a director isn't necessarily one person; it could be a team, or even a hidden list."

Su Wan's fingers clenched tightly, her heart churning with turmoil: "Jiang Chen, just how much more do you know?"

Jiang Chen fell silent again, so long that Su Wan thought he wouldn't answer anymore.

Finally, he turned around, watched the last trace of night fade away outside the window, and whispered a sentence.

"Everything I can say is written on this whiteboard."

"But there's a secret that even this whiteboard doesn't know."

"What secret?"

Jiang Chen turned around, looked at Su Wan, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"That is, I myself don't know where I am ranked on that list."

The office was deathly silent; there wasn't a sound.

Outside the window, the sky was completely bright.