The next day, Bai Cheng got up early. To be more precise, she had barely slept the previous night, tossing and turning for most of it. By the time the first rays of dawn broke through, she mechanically got out of bed. She paced around the room restlessly for a while, eventually curling up in her blanket on the chair by her desk. She sat there, watching as the daylight grew brighter, birds began to sing, and soon she heard the sound of her neighbor’s garage door and the beeping of a car unlocking.
Bai Cheng buried her head deep into the blanket until a soft knock came at the door, followed by her mother’s gentle voice, “Xiao Cheng, it’s time for breakfast. After that, we’ll head to the police station.”
Bai Cheng lifted her head from the blanket, stood up, and opened the door.
A little after 9 AM, Bai Cheng and her mother arrived at the police station. Though it was still early, the station was already bustling in an orderly manner. A female officer near the entrance saw the two of them and called out loudly, “What brings you here today?”
Bai Cheng remained silent. More accurately, the immense grief in her throat made it impossible for her to speak. Her mother stepped forward and said to the officer, “Hello, we received a call from Captain Luo. We’re here to collect Lu Heng’s belongings.”
“Captain Luo, is it? He’s in his office. I’ll take you there,” the officer said, standing up and leading them through the station to an office inside. When they reached the door, the officer knocked lightly and said, “Captain Luo, Lu Heng’s family is here to collect his personal belongings. They’re at the door.”
“Alright, let them in,” came a deep, warm, and authoritative voice from inside—the same voice Bai Cheng had heard on the phone that day. Bai Cheng followed her mother into the office. It was minimalist, neat, and clean. The white walls were bare except for a single painting, Jing Ting Song Feng Tu by Ma Lin. The black office desk was organized with neat stacks of files and other office supplies. The only splash of life came from a green porcelain cup on the desk, adding a touch of vitality to the otherwise serious space.
“You must be Mr. Lu Heng’s family. Miss Bai, please step forward,” called out the voice.
Hearing herself being addressed, Bai Cheng looked toward the source of the voice. It was Captain Luo Tian, seated behind the desk. He appeared quite young but carried an air of experience and competence. His skin was fair, and his forehead broad and square. His hair was slightly tousled with a side part. His eyes were long and round, with bright and large irises. His eyebrows were thick and high, deep-set, giving him a striking appearance, yet his gaze was soft. He had a prominent nose, slightly fleshy, with high cheekbones, and his upper lip sported a neatly trimmed mustache. His cheeks and chin had a short, well-maintained beard. Despite his sharp features, his oval face and large black eyes made him seem approachable, not intimidating. His overall appearance exuded a quiet masculinity.
Bai Cheng stepped forward and said, “I’m Bai Cheng, Lu Heng’s… fiancée. I’m here to collect his belongings.” Her voice trembled with suppressed sobs.
Luo Tian nodded and gave a soft “mm.” He stood up and walked over to a cabinet by the wall. From inside, he took out a transparent evidence bag, turned, and handed it to Bai Cheng, saying, “We haven’t caught the culprit yet, but we’ve recovered the data from the phone. We’ve made copies of the information related to the case, but since the phone is the victim’s private property, we wanted to notify you to collect it. All the messages are still intact. We will continue to follow up on the case, and as soon as there are any developments, we will…”
Before Luo Tian could finish, Bai Cheng’s tears fell, landing on the clear evidence bag with a soft patter.
“Miss Bai, please accept my condolences,” he said gently.
Bai Cheng looked at the phone inside the bag, now scratched and worn, something once so familiar. She sobbed uncontrollably, trembling and unable to take it from him.
Seeing this, Bai Cheng’s mother took the bag from Luo Tian’s hands. “Thank you, Captain Luo. My daughter is still in shock. I hope you understand. Please, if there are any updates, keep us informed. We need this criminal to be caught and brought to justice, or else… neither of our families will be able to sleep peacefully.”
Luo Tian reassured them, “Don’t worry, it’s our duty to catch the perpetrator, and we won’t rest until we do. You have my word.” He glanced at Bai Cheng, who was gripping the edge of her clothes with trembling hands, her face wet with tears. Speaking more softly, he said, “Miss Bai, even though Mr. Lu is in another world now, I’m sure he would want you to live well.”
Bai Cheng clenched the fabric of her clothes tightly, nodding vigorously through her tears.
Bai Cheng returned home with Lu Heng’s phone and sat at her desk. She unlocked the phone. The password was a combination of Lu Heng’s birth year and Bai Cheng’s birth date—his password for everything. He had said it was easy to remember and something he’d never forget. He also joked that when they had a child, he’d add the child’s birthday to the code so the whole family could always be together. Bai Cheng had praised him at the time, saying that only someone as clever as him could come up with something like that.
Wiping her face, Bai Cheng scrolled through Lu Heng’s messages. There were conversations arranging surgeries with hospital nurses, greetings to his parents, chats with friends, and patient updates. She read them one by one, her tears falling silently, the sensation of her damp face becoming almost numb. Eventually, she stopped bothering to wipe them away.
Finally, she opened the chat between herself and Lu Heng. Their last message exchange was from the day he was murdered, the two of them planning to go try on wedding outfits after work.
The phone slipped from Bai Cheng’s hands, falling onto the desk with a loud thud that echoed through the quiet room. Originally just sobbing, Bai Cheng suddenly buried her head deep into her knees, letting out a heart-wrenching scream. The whole house seemed to tremble with the weight of her sorrow.
They were supposed to go try on wedding outfits that day.
If that despicable criminal hadn’t appeared, by now, they would have been married, probably honeymooning abroad.
“Lu Heng… my Lu Heng.”
The house was filled with the sound of Bai Cheng’s increasingly desperate sobs.
