Chapter 3 — My Alibi

His tone was as absolute as iron, as if he were passing a death sentence in my stead. Watching the way he shielded Qing Qing, a wave of profound, chilling absurdity washed over me. In my past life, it was precisely this man who had step by step shoved me into the abyss. I drew a deep, shuddering breath, swung my arm, and struck him hard across the face.

Xiao, have you lost your mind? I have been sitting right here since six o'clock! I have a watertight alibi!

Xiao froze in shock. Qing Qing's face instantly twisted with panic, and she burst into heart-rending sobs.

Principal Lam, how could you be so cruel? The children were so young, their deaths were so tragic, how are you ever going to face their parents now...

Her single sentence was like pouring oil on a blazing fire. The enraged parents, utterly consumed by grief and fury, broke right through the traffic police's barricade and surged toward me. Director Zhang was at the very front, his eyes bloodshot with rage, and he delivered a vicious kick straight to my stomach. The agony caused me to double over onto the floor, choking as I nearly vomited.

It was you! You ruthless, ambition-driven woman, you are the one who murdered my son, I will have your life in exchange!

Enduring the agonizing pain, I forced myself to speak, trying desperately to explain.

It wasn't me, I was never driving...

But no one was listening. They had completely lost their minds, raining blows and kicks down upon my huddled body. A mother wailed, her voice tearing with raw, unimaginable grief.

My little girl was only four years old, she hadn't even had the chance to properly experience this world. You are a cold-blooded killer, go to hell!

My poor grandson, this disaster has broken my old heart and taken my life. Why should a murderer like you get to keep breathing? Just shoot her dead right here!

The entire accident response team had crowded around the doorway, eager to watch the spectacle.

Is that the driver who caused the crash earlier, leaving three dead and one injured? She was probably terrified that the children who were half-dead would implicate her, such a vicious and wicked heart.

Scum like this needs to be executed immediately! Look at all the families she has completely destroyed!

A triumphant, calculating smirk flickered at the corner of Xiao's mouth as he looked down at me with cold detachment.

Lam Wei, you might as well just confess. Otherwise, even if you are beaten to death right here, not a single soul will lift a finger to save you!

Right at that critical moment, the traffic officer who had escorted me back from the scene pushed his way through the chaotic mob, pulling me out from the throngs of attackers.

What on earth do you all think you are doing?

This driver caused a collision, smashing into a traffic signal at five-forty, and was sitting right here signing her statement by six o'clock. Will someone please explain to me how she managed to crash into a traffic light on Pine Mountain Road and simultaneously smash into a tree on Tung Pha Road?

The entire room fell into an abrupt, deathly silence. The droning hum of the overworked air conditioning unit outside suddenly became deafeningly clear. Qing Qing's crying stopped instantly, her entire body rigid and paralyzed with shock. Xiao's face drained of all color, turning a ghostly white, and the sound that dragged from his throat sounded as though it had been scraped across rough sandpaper.

How is this possible... are you all making some kind of mistake?

He stared fixedly at the bloody handprint I had left on the deposition document, as if trying to burn a hole straight through the paper. Officer Jiang stepped forward, taking the written statement and reading it thoroughly from beginning to end. Dashcam footage, scene photographs, witness accounts, and the precise timestamp of the signature. Every single piece of evidence interlocked seamlessly to point toward one undeniable conclusion. Lam Wei had been sitting in the accident division signing her name at six o'clock in the evening. He slowly turned his gaze toward Xiao, his eyes complicated and heavy.

Principal Xiao, you stated earlier that Lam Wei was on Tung Pha Road at six o'clock?

Xiao's expression tightened rigidly, and he swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. It was his quintessential tell whenever he felt cornered under immense pressure.

The dashcam footage clearly captured her inside the vehicle at six o'clock...

Officer Jiang's voice dropped into a dangerous, chilling register.

You filed a report stating that Lam Wei drove away from the kindergarten at five-thirty, and the accident occurred at six. Are you claiming she remained inside that car the entire time?

Xiao's lips twitched nervously, but no words came out. Officer Jiang pivoted to look directly at me.

Lam Wei, exactly what time did you strike the traffic light?

At five-forty.

My entire body ached as though I had been run over by a heavy freight truck.

It takes a full half-hour to drive from the kindergarten to the intersection where I had my minor collision. I left the building at five-thirty, so it was physically impossible for me to have arrived there by five-forty.

When that minor incident occurred, traffic police were already stationed at the scene, and my dashcam recorded everything.

The traffic officer who had just spoken up for me nodded in agreement.

I received the dispatch report at five-forty-two. Because I was stationed nearby, I reached the location in three minutes flat. Lam Wei was already standing right there at the intersection.

By five-fifty, we finished gathering the initial evidence and headed back to the headquarters. At exactly six o'clock, I instructed her to sign the paperwork, and the body-worn camera captured the entire interaction.

The timelines matched with absolute precision. Officer Jiang laid the deposition papers down on the desk, fixing a piercing, investigative gaze upon Xiao.

Principal Xiao, you insisted that Lam Wei crashed into a tree on Tung Pha Road at six o'clock, yet by six o'clock she was already sitting inside the police station signing her statement. If that is true, exactly who was driving that car?

Xiao's lips trembled violently, unable to formulate a single coherent syllable. Qing Qing buried her face deep against Xiao's shoulder, shivering like a leaf in a gale. Tears streamed down her face once more, but this time, they were not shed out of grief for the departed children, but rather born of pure, unadulterated terror. Finally, Xiao forced his mouth open, offering a weak, desperate excuse.

It must have been someone else... perhaps I simply misread the timestamp on the dashcam recording...

It must have been someone else? In my past life, he had been utterly, ruthlessly certain that it was me, eager to drive the final nail into my coffin with a single, devastating blow.