Yin Zhuo spoke with genuine emotion, and his deep guilt could be felt in his words.
Xiao Tang, sitting beside him, kept inhaling and exhaling deeply. Based on the investigation over the past few days, he had already sketched an image of a young girl in his mind.
However, thinking about Ding Jing’s experiences made him sigh with regret.
But Zou Shuyang, sitting beside Xiao Tang with his arms crossed, coldly listened to Yin Zhuo’s story.
Yin Zhuo, caught up in his memories, continued to ramble on about various incidents he had shared with Ding Jing.
For example, Ding Jing took care of stray cats and dogs near the school, pulled her friends along to the restroom during breaks, and helped her classmates with their studies.
But Zou Shuyang found it hard to trust these words.
Not that he doubted Yin Zhuo’s sincerity.
It’s just that people tend to be more forgiving toward the deceased. Those mundane, unremarkable daily moments, when viewed through the lens of time and life’s struggles, often take on a nostalgic glow, making them seem more beautiful.
People’s memories tend to beautify the past.
Especially when it comes to people they are unlikely to see again.
After talking for a long time, Yin Zhuo’s mouth went dry. He licked his chapped lips and then suddenly realized how much he had spoken. Embarrassed, he smiled, “Sorry, no one has mentioned Ding Jing to me in years, so I couldn’t help talking a bit more.”
Zou Shuyang leaned over to check Xiao Tang’s computer, making sure that everything Yin Zhuo said had been recorded, then continued, “And after that?”
Yin Zhuo’s lip-licking motion froze. He hesitated before asking, “After what?”
Zou Shuyang hinted, “You know about Ding Jing’s disappearance, right? When was the last time you saw her?”
Yin Zhuo thought for a moment, “The last time… was the day she disappeared. By then, I had already realized that I had been wrong before, and my relationship with Ding Jing had improved a bit. We had planned to study together after school that day. Later, during lunch, Ding Jing came to find me. She didn’t say anything, just stared at me. Then a short guy with glasses came over and pulled her away.”
“A short guy with glasses?”
At this, Zou Shuyang and Xiao Tang exchanged a glance.
This description sounded all too familiar.
Yin Zhuo regretfully added, “I didn’t know him, but from what Ding Jing said, he should have been one of their classmates. When she saw him, she looked…”
“How did she look?” Zou Shuyang pressed.
Yin Zhuo struggled to find the right words, “It was the kind of expression you’d make when you see an especially annoying fly.”
After a moment of thought, Yin Zhuo added, “But despite her annoyance, she tolerated him for some reason, even compromising.”
Zou Shuyang rubbed the desk, motioning for Xiao Tang to pull up the high school graduation photo of Ding Jing’s class that they had found earlier. He turned the computer toward Yin Zhuo and asked, “Which one is the short guy with glasses you mentioned?”
Yin Zhuo leaned in, adjusting his glasses, and examined the photo carefully. “It should be this one, right?”
After a pause, he pointed at another person uncertainly, “This one looks like him too.”
He studied it for a while longer before giving up, “I only saw him once, and it’s been so many years. I really don’t remember.”
With no other option, Zou Shuyang had to give up.
——
Yin Zhuo was personally escorted out of the police station by Zou Shuyang.
Standing at the entrance to the office area, Yin Zhuo said, “You don’t need to see me off any further.”
Zou Shuyang complied. Yin Zhuo said not to, so he stopped, smiled, and waved him off, “Dr. Yin, take care.”
Yin Zhuo responded with a quick “Mm” and got into his second-hand car.
As Yin Zhuo drove off, Zou Shuyang’s smile faded.
Xiao Tang, standing beside him, remarked, “Zou Team Leader, you don’t look too happy.”
After observing Zou Shuyang for a moment, Xiao Tang’s not-so-quick mind began to turn, “Is there something off about Yin Zhuo?”
Zou Shuyang’s expression grew serious, “Not just something off—there’s a big problem.”
With that single statement hanging in the air, leaving Xiao Tang in suspense, Zou Shuyang turned and headed back toward the office.
As they walked, Xiao Tang wore a troubled expression, deep in thought. By the time they reached the office door, he couldn’t hold back anymore and pleaded, “Zou Team Leader, please tell me! What exactly is wrong with Yin Zhuo?”
Once inside, Zou Shuyang took a sip of water and explained, “Today wasn’t the first time I met Yin Zhuo.”
Xiao Tang was taken aback, “You met him before when he came to make a statement?”
Zou Shuyang shook his head, “No, just yesterday morning, I saw him in the emergency room lobby at the hospital.”
Xiao Tang’s face stiffened, as if he vaguely understood something but couldn’t quite piece it all together.
Zou Shuyang got straight to the point, “What I’m saying is, Yin Zhuo was there with the hospital’s vice president to check on Mengmeng. In fact, the vice president even called Mengmeng’s name several times.”
“And you were right beside Miss Meng, so it’s impossible that Yin Zhuo wouldn’t recognize you. But today, he didn’t mention Meng at all.”
Zou Shuyang nodded, “And did you notice how he looked at me today? As if he had never seen me before. Also, when an ordinary person is called to the police station to make a statement, the first thing they would do is try to figure out what happened and whether it has anything to do with them.”
Xiao Tang clapped his hands, “But Yin Zhuo didn’t ask anything the entire time. He remained completely calm, unlike how most people would react when called to the station. Even if they were innocent, they would still show some confusion or nervousness.”
Zou Shuyang, satisfied with Xiao Tang’s sudden clarity, said, “Yin Zhuo acted as if he already expected us to contact him.”
Zou Shuyang nodded again with certainty, “Yin Zhuo is definitely hiding something.”
Snapping his fingers, Zou Shuyang instructed, “Arrange for two people to monitor Yin Zhuo. Also, investigate his social connections.”
Xiao Tang hesitated for a moment and then looked at Zou Shuyang, “Zou Team Leader, are you suggesting…”
Zou Shuyang lowered his gaze and said quietly, “Didn’t people say Ding Jing had a boyfriend in high school? And Ding Jing never accepted other boys’ advances.”
“And the only person who walked to and from school with Ding Jing was Yin Zhuo,” Xiao Tang’s eyes widened, “So it’s very likely that the so-called boyfriend… was Yin Zhuo?”
——
The effects of PHR769 wore off quickly, and Jian Mengyan hadn’t experienced any adverse reactions since waking up.
Originally, she wanted to be discharged from the hospital, but Zou Shuyang refused to agree, so she had no choice but to stay a little longer.
After hanging up a call from a concerned colleague, Jian Mengyan let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the college entrance exams were right around the corner, and the school had already started organizing breaks. Otherwise, she would’ve felt guilty about neglecting her students.
Feeling a bit thirsty, she slipped on her slippers and grabbed a cup to pour herself some water.
Before she could even pick up the thermos, there was a knock on the door.
Without waiting for her response, the door swung open. When Jian Mengyan turned around, she saw a man standing at the entrance in a neatly pressed white coat. The light behind him obscured his face.
“You…”
Before she could finish speaking, the man stepped inside with a smile, “Mengmeng, how are you feeling?”
Seeing who it was, Jian Mengyan relaxed and continued pouring water, “Oh, it’s you. I thought it was someone else.”
Yin Zhuo casually locked the door behind him and strolled in, “Who else could it be? Your boyfriend?”
Jian Mengyan shot him a sidelong glance, “Just got out of the police station? Did Ayang personally interrogate you?”
Yin Zhuo plopped himself into the chair beside her bed, grabbed an orange from the bag at the bedside, and said, “Interrogation? Come on, it was just questioning. Don’t be so dramatic.”
Jian Mengyan let out a sarcastic “heh heh.”
Yin Zhuo popped a segment of orange into his mouth, but his face scrunched up from the sourness. “Ugh,” he groaned, “Who’s trying to kill you with this? How could it taste so awful?”
Jian Mengyan returned to her bed, “Well, it’s not really the season for oranges. Be thankful you have them at all.”
“Fair enough.”
After saying that, Yin Zhuo ate another segment of orange, grimacing as he chewed. “But I have to say, dealing with your boyfriend today… you’ve got good taste.”
Snatching the remaining orange from Yin Zhuo’s hand, Jian Mengyan asked, “Alright, stop joking around. Why did you come to see me?”
Hearing her question, Yin Zhuo fell silent for a moment. After a long pause, he smiled bitterly and finally spoke, “Your boyfriend asked me about Jingjing today.”
Jian Mengyan froze for a second, then stuffed several orange segments into her mouth at once, mumbling, “And? What happened?”
Yin Zhuo rested his chin on his hand, his thin cheeks shifting as he spoke, “Nothing really… I guess I just got what I deserved.”
Jian Mengyan shot him a sideways glance and clapped her hands to brush off the orange residue, “But I still don’t understand you.”
As Yin Zhuo raised his eyes to meet hers, Jian Mengyan asked, emphasizing each word, “What exactly do you want?”
Yin Zhuo remained silent for a while, then finally stood up and walked over to the window, clasping his hands behind his back. “I don’t even know what I want. You know, when Jingjing died, it felt like my whole world collapsed.”
Jingjing was dead.
Jian Mengyan closed her eyes, and scenes of her time with Ding Jing flashed before her eyes.
“What’s with the act? Trying to play the wise sage, detached from the world?”
She sneered and continued, “The Earth doesn’t stop spinning for anyone. Who can’t survive without someone? Your world collapsed, but aren’t you still standing here? Your heart may be dead, but your mouth is alive—you can still eat, and you’re here chatting away with me.”
Before the mood of grief could fully settle in, Jian Mengyan shattered it with her sharp words. Yin Zhuo helplessly turned around, “Alright, alright, I’ll stop pretending to be all philosophical with you. But if you’re feeling better, you should get discharged soon. That Director Zhong has his eyes on you; who knows what he’ll try.”
Jian Mengyan snorted, “You think I don’t know what’s going on with him?”
Yin Zhuo chuckled as well, “Yeah, if ‘overestimating oneself’ had a definition, it’d be him. Anyway, I’ve seen enough of you. I’ve got a surgery scheduled this afternoon, so I’ve got to get going.”
With that, Yin Zhuo pushed open the door and left the room.
Now, only Jian Mengyan was left in the hospital room. Gradually, she began to feel a chill. Hugging her knees to her chest, she stared straight ahead.
“Mengmeng!”
It was as if a crisp, pleasant voice echoed in her ears, with a faint tone of playful scolding.
“Don’t be sad. Our Mengmeng is so pretty and has such a good personality. How could she ever be sad?”
Jian Mengyan was momentarily lost in thought. “Jingjing…”
That voice continued, “Mengmeng, like you said, we all survive, no matter who’s gone. Why do you keep thinking about me?”
Jian Mengyan sighed. She understood all the logic, but what good was understanding?
People aren’t plants; how can they be without feelings?
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