Leaving the sanatorium, Meng Jin’s steps quickened unconsciously. On the surface, he was calm, but inside, a storm was brewing. If the hypothesis held, the entire case would be turned upside down.
Zhao Yunzhi and Long De trailed behind him, calling out to him, but he didn’t hear them.
First, it was necessary to confirm the parent-child relationship between Liu Er and Jennie Yang. How could he obtain Liu Er’s samples? And how could he ensure that the samples were indeed from Liu Er?
If Liu Er was dead, how could they guarantee that the samples belonged to him? If Liu Er wasn’t dead and hiding somewhere, how would they find him?
A multitude of challenges lay ahead, but Meng Jin was exhilarated because he had opened a whole new line of thinking. Like facing the last question in a set, as long as he had a solution path, why fear a few complicated steps?
Of course, this train of thought might lead nowhere.
Therefore, he decided to keep it to himself for now; if proven viable, he would then tell Zhao Yunzhi and Long De.
He admitted to having many flaws, but one strength was his honesty with himself. The real reason he chose not to disclose his thoughts yet was his fear of being mocked by Long De. If his theory failed, it would be like losing to Long De again, and even if Long De didn’t mock him, he couldn’t accept it himself.
He treated this as a competition, a one-sided race that Long De didn’t even know he was part of. If his hypothesis was correct, he would win; if not, he would lose.
Suddenly, his shoulder was firmly patted twice, making Meng Jin jump.
“What are you so lost in thought about?” Zhao Yunzhi smiled, his eyes curving.
“What is it?” Meng Jin changed the subject.
“Andy has a few points of view that I think make sense. Let me share them with you.” Zhao Yunzhi rubbed his hands excitedly, like a child showing off a new toy.
Zhao Yunzhi seemed to sense the subtle tension between Meng Jin and Long De. Although officially old classmates, their relationship didn’t seem very close, so he naturally played the role of a go-between.
Long De’s opinions summarized as follows:
First, Liu Er is not Jennie Yang’s biological son—this is just Guo Yingying’s speculation and not credible. Whether true or not, DNA comparison is needed.
Second, if Liu Er isn’t Jennie Yang’s biological son, then who is the person who died in the cliff fall? The police conducted DNA testing, and the cliff fall victim and Jennie Yang are related as mother and son, indicating that Jennie Yang has a biological son.
Third, if Liu Er is Jennie Yang’s biological child, why would Guo Tiandi want to compare their DNA? What is he suspecting?
Fourth, Guo Yingying said she “suspects,” showing she doesn’t know the results of Guo Tiandi’s DNA comparison or even whose DNA was compared.
Fifth, why did Guo Tiandi want Liu Er and Jennie Yang’s samples? Whose DNA was he comparing? Given the second point above, Jennie Yang might have another biological child besides Liu Er. Who is that person? Is Guo Tiandi suspecting something? To put it bluntly, do Guo Tiandi and Jennie Yang have a parent-child relationship?
When Meng Jin heard the second point, his mind buzzed. After hearing the last three points, he was completely convinced.
Not only had Long De thought of what he had considered, but he had also thought of aspects Meng Jin had not, showing comprehensive and deep thinking.
He admitted he had lost again, eternally second, as steadfast as a mountain.
It was easy to obtain samples from Guo Tiandi and Jennie Yang, but the problem lay with Liu Er’s samples.
Meng Jin and Zhao Yunzhi returned to the sanatorium and asked Guo Yingying to contact Guo Tiandi.
Guo Yingying’s expression suddenly tensed, asking why they were looking for Guo Tiandi.
Meng Jin noticed Guo Yingying’s abnormal reaction and simply stated they needed Guo Tiandi’s cooperation in the investigation. He noted how Guo Yingying’s hands clutched her dress, a sign of panic.
What was she nervous about?
It must be related to Guo Tiandi.
“Why are you looking for my brother? You can ask me anything, my brother has nothing to do with Liu Er’s case, he just wants to protect me,” Guo Yingying tried to appear nonchalant, but her tightly clenched fingers betrayed her.
She definitely knew something.
Meng Jin decided to take a gamble, “You are one of the parties involved, so it’s no harm telling you. We suspect that Guo Tiandi is related to the Liu Tianshi murder case, and we need his assistance in the investigation.”
With a clatter, the Braille book Guo Yingying was holding dropped to the floor. She lowered her head to pick it up but couldn’t see or touch it, staring at the ground in frustration. Meng Jin picked up the book and placed it back in her hands.
She softly said thank you, devoid of energy.
Meng Jin crouched in front of her, looking closely at her skin, delicate and flawless, and her features, refined and pleasant.
“Ms. Guo, if you know anything, please tell us. I understand you want to protect your brother. But for someone heading towards a cliff, what truly helps isn’t pretending not to see; it’s making them pull back in time,” Meng Jin said earnestly.
Guo Yingying’s face remained expressionless, seemingly torn and hesitant, then she shook her head slowly, “I’m sorry, I’m blind and deaf, I know nothing. I trust my brother; he would never do anything illegal, he’s the kindest person I’ve ever known.”
Meng Jin nodded helplessly and said goodbye, turning to see the mooncake gift box on the table, bought by Zhao Yunzhi and Long De for Guo Yingying.
He reminded Guo Yingying to remember to eat the mooncakes, to which she gratefully thanked him, wanting to say more but ultimately remaining silent.
The sign language teacher escorted Meng Jin and Zhao Yunzhi out, the atmosphere somewhat oppressive, the three of them silent.
The sign language teacher broke the awkward silence, “Yingying has been in a bad mood these past few days. Please forgive any shortcomings. Maybe in a while, she’ll want to talk.”
Meng Jin smiled, “It’s okay. You mentioned she and Guo Tiandi had an argument. What was it about?”
Guo Yingying didn’t seem like someone with a quick temper, and he was curious what could have upset her.
The sign language teacher hesitated, “Actually, it’s nothing secret,” she smiled, then continued, “It’s just that her brother wanted to find her biological parents, and Yingying got angry. She felt her brother was tired of her being a burden and wanted to get rid of her. I don’t understand, isn’t finding parents a good thing? She seemed very opposed to it.”
Meng Jin was surprised; he had always thought that finding relatives was with Guo Yingying’s consent. He hadn’t expected not only did she not agree, but she also seemed very opposed to it.
“When did they argue?”
“Just these past few days.”
“And Guo Tiandi hasn’t come since the argument, right?”
“That’s right.” The sign language teacher clicked her tongue, “They argued fiercely, and Yingying cried so sadly. I saw online that everyone was helping her find her parents. I mentioned it casually, and she got very angry, saying it was a waste of effort and that she was abandoned anyway, unlikely for anyone to come forward to recognize her.”
“Guo Yingying was abandoned?” Meng Jin frowned, saddened that such a beautiful girl was abandoned, “Does Guo Tiandi know?”
“They grew up together, how could he not?” The sign language teacher pursed her lips, “After all, they’re not biological siblings, and Yingying is like this, it’s understandable.” She sighed deeply.
Meng Jin echoed her sentiment without pressing further. Often, adopting the stance of a listener was more effective than probing too much, as no one wants to talk too much to the police.
This approach worked well; the sign language teacher opened up about the relationship between Guo Yingying and her brother. The sister was very dependent on her brother, but since Guo Yingying had been admitted to the sanatorium, Guo Tiandi’s visits had become less frequent.
Guo Yingying was unaware of her brother’s whereabouts. But her earlier reaction clearly indicated she knew something.
Inside the sanatorium.
Guo Yingying sat by the window, the breeze teasing her hair, lightly brushing against her fair skin, tickling it.
Outside, the scenery was lush and vibrant, the green grass and blue sky forming a picturesque scene, with sparrows chirping and hopping joyfully among the branches, each leaf striving to reach the sky, breathing the freshest air, embracing the warm sunshine.
Such simple, everyday sights, yet Guo Yingying could never see them again.
She could only imagine, no, more accurately, remember.
What blue skies and white clouds looked like, she could only remember.
What the green grass and leaves looked like, she could only remember.
How sparrows jumped, she could only remember.
But who pays attention to these commonplace things? Who deliberately memorizes them? Her memories were also unclear, like a TV filled with static, broadcasting indistinct images.
She suddenly envied art students and painters; to create the most realistic works, they must observe their subjects closely. The shape of clouds, the exact shade of blue in the sky, every vein in a leaf, the length of the grass, and the color variations in a sparrow’s feathers, noticed only by art students.
She recalled a day when she said she wanted cake, looking forward to her birthday. Her brother said, “Why wait for your birthday? You can have cake any day, not just on birthdays.”
So, her brother took her on his bicycle to the street, passing a cake shop where she spotted a beautiful cake. The siblings stood outside the window, their smiling faces reflected in the bright glass, with the blue sky and white clouds also reflected, and she laughed, saying her brother’s teeth were even whiter than the clouds.
Her life was filled with her brother’s presence; she trusted and relied on him. Apart from death, she never considered separating from her brother, nor did she ever imagine he might abandon her.
That day, the sign language teacher picked up a black bag from a crack in the table, finding a syringe and a box of medication with English on it, which she couldn’t understand.
Thinking it was either Guo Yingying’s or left by a nurse, the sign language teacher thought the bag belonged to Guo Tiandi, since it was placed where his backpack had been.
Hearing it contained medication in English, she worried Guo Tiandi had a disease he didn’t want her to know about.
She asked the sign language teacher to read the English on the medicine box. The teacher, not knowing English, could only spell out the letters one by one.
The sign language teacher, endearingly cautious, asked if Guo Tiandi was using drugs. She had seen in TV dramas that drug use involved injections.
Guo Yingying laughed heartily, saying those were just medications for rheumatoid arthritis, called adalimumab.
After the sign language teacher left, Guo Yingying’s smile faded. She had lied; the medications had nothing to do with arthritis. They were oxytocin, a drug used for inducing abortions.
