111: Chapter 111 Sudden Confession

It was hard to believe that Rainbow Group was located in such a remote and dilapidated building; one had to wonder where all the money they earned had gone.

The windows, however, were wiped quite clean, the glass reflecting blinding rays of light under the sun.

As the three of them stepped out of the car, they saw a familiar figure storming out of the building in a rage.

"It's County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu!" Team Leader Zhang Yining exclaimed in a low voice.

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu was wearing a well-tailored dark blue suit, her high heels clicking crisply against the marble floor.

Her face was livid, and she clutched a document bag tightly in her hand. She snapped something sharply at the assistant chasing after her, then strode toward the black sedan parked by the roadside without looking back.

"Don't make a sound." Xiao Bei quickly pulled Su Yun and Team Leader Zhang Yining behind a pillar, with Bureau Chief Lin Liqiang following close behind. "Don't let her spot us."

The four of them held their breath as they watched County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's car drive away, only then walking toward the building entrance.

"She looks absolutely furious," Su Yun whispered. "I wonder what she discussed with Principal Liu Jianjun."

Bureau Chief Lin Liqiang showed his credentials. Faced with this municipal-level official, the receptionist hesitated in panic for a moment before dialing the internal line.

A few minutes later, a young woman who introduced herself as the general manager's assistant led them upstairs.

"Principal Liu Jianjun is waiting for you in the conference room," the female assistant said politely, though she frowned imperceptibly as she turned away.

Pushing open the conference room door, they found Principal Liu Jianjun sitting alone at the end of the long table, with several documents spread out before him.

Seeing Xiao Bei and the others, he stood up, forcing a reluctant smile onto his face.

"County Magistrate Xiao, I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

His voice was somewhat hoarse, and heavy dark circles hung under his eyes.

Xiao Bei cut straight to the point: "Principal Liu Jianjun, you came straight to Rainbow Group after the trial ended. Is there some urgent matter? Why are none of the Rainbow Group executives here?"

Principal Liu Jianjun gave a bitter laugh and slowly sat back down in his chair: "I knew you would come looking for me."

He took a deep breath. "I confess, I was the one who deleted the surveillance video from the school server."

This sudden confession stunned the three of them. Xiao Bei narrowed his eyes: "Why did you do it?"

"Because I was afraid." Principal Liu Jianjun's voice dropped. "I was afraid that if this matter blew up, it would affect my career, our school, and our enrollment..."

Principal Liu Jianjun took a kraft paper envelope out of his briefcase and pushed it to the center of the table: "This is the record of the bribes I have received from Rainbow Group over the years; every single transaction is recorded clearly. A total of... 3.8 million. I was the one who coerced Rainbow Group into this."

Xiao Bei opened the envelope to find a black notebook and several bank statements. He scanned a few pages quickly, his brows furrowing tighter: "Was this money all deposited into the school's account under the guise of 'donations' and then transferred to your personal account?"

"Yes."

Principal Liu Jianjun took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes wearily. "At first, it was just small kickbacks, but later my appetite grew larger and larger... I had intended to stop after retiring this year..."

Bureau Chief Lin Liqiang couldn't help but interject: "Then what about the inflated prices of the school uniforms?"

"Rainbow Group sold uniforms to students at three times the market price, with two-thirds of the profit allocated to the school as management funds, used for procurement and rewarding excellent teachers."

Principal Liu Jianjun's voice grew lower and lower. "I took the lion's share; the other teachers didn't know the source of these funds."

Xiao Bei closed the notebook: "Why confess now? You vehemently denied everything at the trial."

Principal Liu Jianjun was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice trembled: "Because of my daughter... she just received her acceptance letter from MIT."

His eyes turned red. "I cannot let my mistakes ruin her life. I have already finalized divorce proceedings with my wife... no, my ex-wife, and all assets have been transferred to her name."

The conference room fell into a brief silence. Xiao Bei stared at Principal Liu Jianjun for a few seconds, then suddenly asked: "Why did County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu come to see you just now?"

Principal Liu Jianjun was visibly startled, then shook his head: "She... she came to discuss the school uniform supply contract. There is pressure from public opinion now, and the supply needs to be renegotiated."

Xiao Bei keenly noticed that Principal Liu Jianjun's fingers were unconsciously twisting together as he said this. He was lying.

Just then, Team Leader Zhang Yining pushed the door open, holding an evidence bag: "County Magistrate Xiao, Su Yun and I just found this in the office next door."

The evidence bag contained several charred fragments of photo paper, from which a woman's bust portrait could vaguely be made out.

"What is this?" Xiao Bei took the evidence bag.

Principal Liu Jianjun's face turned deathly pale: "Th-that's just some old photos..."

Team Leader Zhang Yining added: "We found them in a brazier in the corner; the fire had just gone out. The technical department has already gone to collect evidence."

Su Yun leaned in to observe the photo fragments: "This looks like that woman from earlier, County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu?"

She pointed to the clearly visible pearl necklace on the fragment. "She was wearing this exact necklace today."

Xiao Bei flipped the fragment over and discovered that on another piece, County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's arm was wrapped around someone, but that person's features had been burned beyond recognition.

"Who is this person?" Xiao Bei's sharp gaze shot toward Principal Liu Jianjun.

Principal Liu Jianjun suddenly became agitated: "I don't know! These photos have nothing to do with me!"

He stood up abruptly, his chair screeching against the floor. "I have already confessed to my own issues; I know nothing about the rest!"

Xiao Bei signaled for Bureau Chief Lin Liqiang to restrain the agitated Principal Liu Jianjun, while he carefully examined each fragment.

On one slightly larger fragment, the person County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu was embracing seemed to be wearing some kind of uniform, with the shoulder insignia still vaguely visible... Even more shockingly, judging by the figures, every photo seemed to feature a different man.

"Looks like... a police uniform? An administrative jacket?" Su Yun guessed in a low voice.

Xiao Bei felt a jolt in his heart. If it really was a police uniform, then the identity that had been deliberately burned was worth investigating deeply.

He recalled County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's angry expression when she left, as well as the document bag she had clutched tightly in her hand.

"Principal Liu Jianjun," Xiao Bei's voice turned cold, "Concealment will only make your situation worse. Who is the person burned out of this photo?"

Principal Liu Jianjun slumped into his chair, clutching his head with both hands: "I don't know... I don't know anything..."

Just then, the conference room door was pushed open again, and several staff members from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection walked in: "County Magistrate Xiao, we have received notice that we need to place Comrade Liu Jianjun under isolated investigation."

Xiao Bei nodded and handed the evidence bag and the notebook to the disciplinary inspection staff: "These are important pieces of evidence; please keep them safe."

As Principal Liu Jianjun was being led away, he looked back at Xiao Bei. His eyes held a mix of fear, despair, and... a hint of relief?

As only Xiao Bei and the others remained in the conference room, "Who exactly is the person in the burned-out part, and who else did County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu meet before coming to Rainbow Group today..."