Captain He arrived at the hospital the next day around noon.
He was holding a red plastic bag filled with various types of fruit.
When Zou Shuyang looked over, Captain He confidently said, “A little gift for the patient.”
Zou Shuyang was silent for a moment before suggesting, “Maybe you could have chosen a fruit basket?”
Captain He placed the fruit on the bedside table next to Jian Mengyan’s bed and replied, “Same fruit, but a basket costs 200 yuan. Buying it loose costs less than 50 yuan. Why pay the ‘intelligence tax’?”
Captain He sounded so self-assured that Zou Shuyang began to question whether all the fruit baskets he’d brought to visit patients in the past were just him paying that very same ‘intelligence tax.’
“Alright.” Captain He said as he sat down on a stool, crossing his legs. He picked out a mandarin from the bag. “How’s your girlfriend? Anything wrong other than being unconscious?”
Zou Shuyang shook his head. “Well, it’s not exactly unconsciousness.”
When Captain He looked over curiously, still peeling his mandarin, Zou Shuyang lowered his voice. “It’s PHR769. She’s been drugged.”
Captain He slowed his movements, peeling the mandarin. “So, the culprit has made another move.”
Zou Shuyang nodded and added, “But why? Look, the people the culprit has killed so far were either involved in Shen Tinglan’s death or had a bad relationship with Ding Jing. But Mengmeng had a good relationship with Shen Tinglan and was Ding Jing’s only close friend. Why would the culprit target her?”
Captain He paused halfway through eating the mandarin, holding the remaining half in his hand as he carefully removed the segments. “Maybe that’s the problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your girlfriend had a good relationship with both Shen Tinglan and Ding Jing.”
When Zou Shuyang nodded, Captain He continued, “So, she didn’t prevent what happened to Shen Tinglan and Ding Jing. Ding Jing disappeared, Shen Tinglan died, but your girlfriend was unharmed.”
“The culprit feels it’s unfair? So, they targeted Mengmeng?”
This possibility sounded ridiculous, but the more Zou Shuyang thought about it, the more he realized it was the most reasonable explanation they had so far.
Zou Shuyang pressed his hands to his head. “I think I might be going crazy.”
Captain He glanced at Zou Shuyang, then pulled a banana out of the bag. “By the way, do you think Ding Jing is still alive?”
“What do you mean?” Zou Shuyang yawned. “Is there some new lead?”
Captain He nodded. “We just found out that a few years ago, Ding Jing registered a phone number in City A. She also opened a bank account with the Construction Bank, and the reason for opening the account was for a salary.”
Zou Shuyang froze mid-yawn. “So, you’ve found Ding Jing?”
“Quite the opposite.” Captain He met Zou Shuyang’s confused gaze, shrugged, and said straightforwardly, “The phone number was registered but never used. And that bank account? No transactions in or out.”
Bathed in light, Captain He said slowly, “It’s almost like someone is trying to prove that Ding Jing is still alive.”
Zou Shuyang sat down on the edge of the bed. “When you put it that way, it is strange. In the past ten years, Ding Jing hasn’t been caught on any security cameras, hasn’t registered for any services, not even taking public transportation that requires scanning an ID. She’s never appeared anywhere.”
“It doesn’t seem realistic.”
Captain He tossed the banana peel into the trash and wiped his hands with a piece of tissue. “So, that’s why I’m asking—do you think Ding Jing is dead, or alive?”
If Ding Jing had already died ten years ago…
Zou Shuyang exhaled deeply. “This case is just getting more and more bizarre.”
The hospital room door opened, and Director Zhong walked in. He seemed a little surprised to see that someone was with Jian Mengyan, and for a brief moment, his movements became stiff.
“Director Zhong?”
Director Zhong smiled kindly. “How’s Jian Mengyan? How’s her memory?”
Zou Shuyang glanced at Jian Mengyan. “She’s still asleep. She should wake up soon.”
On the other hand, Captain He asked, “Her memory? What’s wrong with her memory? Did she get injured?”
Director Zhong chuckled. “No, she wasn’t injured. But she did go through a significant shock ten years ago.”
As he spoke, Director Zhong’s expression softened with a hint of nostalgia. “Ten years ago, Jian Mengyan witnessed her teacher’s death—the teacher she saw as a father figure. She fainted on the spot, and when she woke up, she couldn’t remember a lot of things.”
Captain He and Zou Shuyang exchanged glances before Captain He said with a smile, “Director Zhong seems to know quite a lot?”
Director Zhong took out a small flashlight and walked over to check on Jian Mengyan. “Well, the day after Jian Mengyan was admitted to the hospital was the day I got promoted to department head. So, I remember her case quite clearly.”
No flaws in his story.
Captain He observed Director Zhong for a while before rubbing his chin, wondering if he was overthinking things.
——
June 4, 2012.
Jian Mengyan and Shen Tinglan left the police station. The rain was still falling in a steady drizzle. Shen Tinglan glanced worriedly at Jian Mengyan, who appeared lost in her thoughts.
Jian Mengyan walked ahead with her head down, her mind too occupied to talk to Shen Tinglan.
Shen Tinglan followed her in silence, only stopping when they reached the entrance of her apartment building. After folding his umbrella, he heard Jian Mengyan say, “Teacher, I’m tired. I’ll go in first.”
Watching her retreating back, Shen Tinglan hesitated for a moment before quickly taking a few steps forward, stopping her just before she closed the door.
“Teacher?”
Shen Tinglan took a couple of breaths and held the door, asking, “Mengmeng, do you know something?”
Jian Mengyan froze, her expression stiffening as her eyes twitched slightly. “I… I don’t know anything. Teacher, what do you mean?”
Looking around cautiously, Shen Tinglan squeezed through the gap in the door and closed it behind him.
Jian Mengyan was left standing there in a daze, stunned by Shen Tinglan’s swift actions. Only after he shut the door did she finally ask, “Teacher?”
Leading her to the couch in the living room, Shen Tinglan whispered, “Mengmeng, you’re hiding something.”
His words were so certain that Jian Mengyan didn’t know how to react.
Seeing that Jian Mengyan didn’t immediately refute him, Shen Tinglan nodded to himself. “Mengmeng, what’s going on? Tell me. What’s the matter with Ding Jing?”
Lifting her head, Jian Mengyan looked into Shen Tinglan’s calm face. She hesitated for a long time before finally asking, “Can I really tell you?”
“Of course.”
After another long pause, Jian Mengyan finally gathered the courage to softly recount what she had witnessed the night before.
Shen Tinglan immediately stood up in disbelief. “What you’re saying… Is it all true?”
Jian Mengyan bit her lip. “Yes. I saw it all with my own eyes.”
Shen Tinglan paced in place for a few moments before saying, “Mengmeng, pretend you don’t know anything. Leave it to me.”
Lowering her head, Jian Mengyan’s tears began to fall. “Teacher, I…”
“Mengmeng.” Shen Tinglan interrupted her. “You don’t know anything. I need to go out for a bit.”
When he reached the door, he turned back as if not fully reassured. “Remember, you don’t know anything… Just focus on preparing for your exams. Let me handle this.”
Jian Mengyan stood frozen in place, and half an hour later, a clap of thunder shook the sky. It was only then that she snapped out of her daze, shivering as she hugged herself.
Cold, so cold.
The chill didn’t come from her body.
It came from deep within her.
Jian Mengyan grabbed a jacket to wrap around herself and stumbled over to the window. She stared blankly at the torrential rain outside, her mind completely empty.
“Why?”
“Why has it come to this?”
Jian Mengyan closed her eyes and turned around, retrieving half a watermelon from the fridge.
Despite the coldness of the watermelon, Jian Mengyan used a spoon to scoop out a piece and stuffed it into her mouth.
As she ate, she couldn’t stop wondering why.
It felt like overnight, her entire world had changed.
After finishing the center of the watermelon, Jian Mengyan decided to carry it to the couch. But halfway there, she lost her grip, and the watermelon slipped from her hands, crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces.
She stared down at the broken watermelon, her heart pounding in her chest.
It pounded faster and faster.
This feeling…
Jian Mengyan clutched her chest. She had felt this way yesterday evening, just before she went out to look for Ding Jing.
And then Ding Jing had gotten into trouble.
Suddenly, Jian Mengyan’s head snapped up, and a flash of lightning illuminated her face.
Is something going to happen to the teacher too?
She pulled a folded umbrella out of the shoe cabinet by the door and hurried outside.
The rain was still pouring down, and the wind had picked up. Even with the umbrella, Jian Mengyan was quickly drenched. Her wet clothes clung to her body, making her look even more fragile and delicate.
She spent hours searching, the rain slowly easing up, but she never found Shen Tinglan. Instead, she ran into the class monitor at the school gate.
The moment she saw the class monitor, it was as if all the blood in Jian Mengyan’s body froze. She stared at him, saying nothing.
The class monitor adjusted his glasses and asked, “Jian Mengyan? Why are you here in this heavy rain instead of going home?”
Jian Mengyan remained silent, staring blankly.
The class monitor waved his hand in front of her eyes, but when she didn’t respond, he added, “Jian Mengyan, you should go home. The college entrance exams are coming up. What will you do if you catch a cold from being out in the rain?”
“Oh.” Jian Mengyan responded vaguely. “Okay, I’ll go home now.”
Watching her, the class monitor asked with concern, “Why don’t I walk you home? I’m worried about you like this.”
Jian Mengyan suddenly pushed the class monitor away. Realizing that her reaction was too extreme, she gave an awkward smile. “I… I’ll go back by myself. You don’t need to walk me.”
The class monitor’s eyes darkened slightly behind his glasses. “Is that so?”
Though he said that, he followed behind her, trying to make conversation. “The police came to question me earlier. They asked me when I last saw Ding Jing.”
Jian Mengyan’s umbrella tilted to the side, and she forced a smile. “Really? They questioned me too. What do you think happened to Jingjing?”
The class monitor stared at Jian Mengyan for a long moment before suddenly smiling. “You don’t know either? Well, alright then. I’m heading home. If Ding Jing contacts you, let me know, okay? After all…”
Jian Mengyan lowered her head and quietly replied, “Okay.” before quickly walking away.
The class monitor watched her retreating figure, frowning slightly as if lost in thought.
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