INSIDER Chapter 38

The group anxiously arrived on the thirteenth floor and rang the doorbell of apartment 1302.

The doorbell rang for a while with no response, just as they were about to assume no one was home, the door clicked open. A plump middle-aged woman, looking irritated, opened the door and snapped, “Who is it? Ringing and ringing—what’s your problem?!”

Lu Chu took a step back to avoid the woman’s spittle and scrutinized her features. Despite her weight gain, Lu Chu recognized her immediately. He firmly stated, “You’re Liu Cuihe.”

Liu Cuihe looked suspicious, staring at Lu Chu and asked, “Who are you?”

Lu Chu smiled, “I’m your old acquaintance’s grandson. Do you know Lu Guoming? I’m his grandson.”

Liu Cuihe thought for a moment, still skeptical, “Lu Guoming’s grandson?”

“Yes,” Lu Chu maintained a friendly and polite smile, “We have something we need to confirm with you.”

“Something to confirm?” Liu Cuihe was puzzled, then suddenly became agitated and tried to close the door, “I’m busy! Get lost! Go back to where you came from!”

Song Gui anticipated this and blocked the door with a smirk, “Auntie, you must cooperate with us today.”

Liu Cuihe pointed at Lu Chu, thinking he was the easiest target, and cursed, “Who the hell do you think you are, acting tough with me?!”

Qi Li frowned and forcefully pushed the door open. Liu Cuihe, having placed all her weight on the door, almost fell over but managed to regain her balance. Just as she was about to curse again, Qi Li’s fierce gaze stopped her in her tracks.

Qi Li spoke slowly and deliberately, “Watch your language.”

Liu Cuihe stood there, stunned. The others took the opportunity to survey the apartment.

Li Jiapeng rubbed his arms and remarked, “Wow, this is something else.”

He Mingde nodded in agreement, understanding that Li Jiapeng referred to the incredible mess of the place. The floor was greasy, indicating a severe lack of cleanliness.

As they took in the scene, Liu Cuihe snapped back to reality, ready to hurl insults again. But Lu Chu interrupted her, asking directly, “Do you know Guo Jianping?”

Liu Cuihe hesitated, clearly nervous, and stammered, “What do you mean? What are you here for? I’ll call the police!”

Lu Chu said, “Just answer yes or no.”

“What if I do?” Liu Cuihe shouted.

“Twenty years ago,” Lu Chu’s expression turned serious, “How much do you know about Lin Lin’s death?”

Liu Cuihe’s eyes widened in shock, “What Lin Lin? I don’t know her! I don’t know her at all!”

Then, something unexpected happened—

In a daze, the group felt dizzy. The paint on the walls began to peel and fade from top to bottom. The scene before them transformed into Guo Jianping’s house. This time, the courtyard and rooms were neat and clean, without the chaos and filth left by Wei Rong’s madness. It was clearly Guo’s house from more than twenty years ago.

They stood there, bewildered for a moment, before stepping into the house. Liu Cuihe, also dazed, followed them inside. Once inside, they saw a beautiful young woman writing in her diary at the table. She looked just like Lin Lin from the photos.

Young Lin Lin seemed unaware of their presence, so they leaned in to read what she was writing—

“Is Jianping really not lying to me? I’m getting more suspicious that he has someone else outside. Otherwise, why is he getting colder and even hitting me? It must be because of that woman.

No, I have to go and see.”

She then put down her pen, stared into the distance, and thought for a long time.

Lu Chu, reading those lines, confirmed that this was the last entry in the notebook they had found, and they had concluded that Lin Lin died shortly after writing this.

The group exchanged knowing glances.

Liu Cuihe stood there, looking terrified and muttering, “Amitabha… Amitabha…”

As they considered taking her along, Liu Cuihe suddenly became rigid, her eyes vacant and wide. She started walking out of the house, following young Lin Lin’s steps mechanically.

Li Jiapeng, already scared, became even more frightened. He clasped his hands together and murmured, “Sister, we’re here to help you… please don’t get angry…”

He then followed Lu Chu and the others out.

Since they came out late, they couldn’t see Guo Jianping anymore. Lin Lin could only walk towards the school.

Meanwhile, Lu Chu and the others saw not the walls and houses but Lin Lin’s memories.

From these memories, Lu Chu learned that Lin Lin hadn’t been to the school since marrying Guo Jianping. She focused entirely on managing household chores and farm work, even though it was tough. But she seemed happy to finally have her own home.

Lin Lin quickened her pace to the school and found the door ajar. The classrooms and offices inside were dark. She hesitated briefly before pushing the door open. As she neared a few rooms, Lin Lin and the others heard gasping sounds. Lin Lin quickened her steps and reached the door of a rest room. At that time, houses were not soundproof, and the sounds of sexual activity inside were clear, mixed with joyful banter.

Lin Lin was already furious and tried to push the door open, but it was locked from the inside. She began banging on the door, shouting, “Guo Jianping! Guo Jianping, open the door! Open the door!”

After a while, footsteps approached from inside, and someone opened the door. Guo Jianping stepped out.

He came out hastily, his clothes disheveled. In the dim light, Lin Lin tried to peek inside to see who the woman was but was yanked back by Guo Jianping.

“How dare you!” Lin Lin cried, “I cook and clean for you, take care of everything at home, and you’re here cheating on me?! Who’s the woman inside?!”

Guo Jianping looked annoyed and said, “Keep your voice down!”

“No! I’ll shout and let everyone know what kind of person you are! Tell me, who’s the woman inside? If you don’t, I’ll call everyone!”

Fearful that she might actually call people and ruin his reputation, Guo Jianping covered her mouth and dragged her out of the school.

Lin Lin struggled, trying to break free. As they passed the house of the future village chief (who wasn’t a chief yet), he came out, hearing the commotion, and asked, “What’s going on?”

Guo Jianping forced a smile, “She’s just throwing a tantrum.”

The future village chief admonished, “A woman should know her place.”

He then helped Guo Jianping bring Lin Lin home.

Once home, Guo Jianping let go of her mouth. Lin Lin saw the future village chief and immediately complained, “Brother, it’s not me causing trouble. Guo Jianping is cheating on me!”

The future village chief looked surprised and glanced at Guo Jianping. Guo Jianping handed him a pack of cigarettes and fifty yuan, saying, “Just a family matter.”

The future village chief hesitated briefly before accepting it and scolded Lin Lin, “Why air your dirty laundry outside?! Besides, what man doesn’t cheat? You should think about what you did to upset him!”

With that, the future village chief left.

Lin Lin, seeing this, stopped crying. She wiped her tears and said she would go to others for help, letting everyone judge. She said Guo Jianping might bribe one person, but not everyone.

She then ran outside, preparing to shout, but saw the drunken men who had previously harassed her. They approached, trying to talk to her, and she, frightened, ran back home. The men followed, chatting with Guo Jianping while leering at Lin Lin.

After they left, Guo Jianping slapped Lin Lin to the ground, accusing her, “You unfaithful woman, accusing me of cheating. I bet you’re the one who’s dirty, making those men look at you like that!”

Lin Lin cried, “You’re lying!”

Guo Jianping grabbed her hair and dragged her to the storeroom, beating her as he went, “I dare you to say another word!”

Lin Lin slapped Guo Jianping, enraging him. He punched and kicked her before locking her in the storeroom, saying, “Stay here and think about what you’ve done.”

He then went to bed, leaving Lin Lin in the pitch-dark storeroom. She lay on the ground, clutching her stomach, and weakly cursed, “You heartless man, Guo Jianping…”

Guo Jianping’s beating had been severe, and Lin Lin’s voice grew weaker.

The next day, Guo Jianping ate the leftover food and went to work, forgetting about her entirely. When he returned at night and found no dinner, he left again. It wasn’t until the third day that he opened the storeroom, only to find Lin Lin dead.

The memory ended abruptly.

Lu Chu frowned, and Li Jiapeng was already itching to teach the scumbag a lesson.