Chapter 15
But He Jueyun always felt that the state of Qiong Cang was not very good. In other words, she was not as strategizing as she was at the beginning. She seems to be melancholy about something that he doesn't know about.
He Jueyun held the medical record, kicked off his feet, slid over from the chair, and sat side by side with her. He smiled and asked, "Do you know what was written on the character introduction when I loaded the game?"
"Huh?" Qiong Cang asked politely, "What?"
He Jueyun crossed his arms and said, "The prototype of this NPC was one of the police officers responsible for investigating the suicide case that year. After Wang Dongyan committed suicide, they conducted a detailed investigation on all the students in No. 1 Middle School, using the most basic investigation method, which was to find the relationship between the three suicides. Unfortunately, because the evidence was too scattered, the students kept it secret, and the school muddied the waters and gave many misleading tips, which made their investigation process very tortuous. Even for a time, I thought it was just a coincidence. Because of this, the other party took advantage of public opinion. During the investigation of the case, many bad voices appeared, which contributed to the death of the latter two students."
Qiong Cang said thoughtfully: "Well..."
He Jueyun wiped his face vigorously: "Every time they think of these students hiding things and not telling others, feeling uneasy alone, and finally choosing to commit suicide, they feel very sad. Not just powerlessness, but also the disappointment of not being trusted."
His expression was deep and his tone was very solemn: "People like them work so hard, improve themselves, and want to maintain social stability just to protect more people like Tian Yun who are not yet able to resist. They don't feel how lofty their ideals are, and they don't understand this society. There are many unsatisfactory things. But they really want to tell everyone to just call the police. No matter how incompetent they are, they will try to help them. This society has not yet reached the point where they (young people) need to bear everything. Even if this is just a game, they also hope that these young people can have a chance to live in this world.”
He Jueyun put his big hand on Qiong Cang's head, rubbed it carefully while avoiding her wounds, and said with a smile: "So, if you are alive, it is my victory."
Qiong Cang looked at him seriously, raised his hand and took his hand off, and said with certainty after thinking: "Thank you, your way of comforting is very clumsy, but it is quite heartfelt."
He Jueyun: "..."
"However, victory is victory. Living is not called victory, it is called game state. Your method of spiritual victory is very Ah Q*." Qiong Cang shouted, "Q ge."
*Ah Q is a character from a novel which was written to reflect spiritual arrogance. The word "Ah Q" is used to describe a self-righteous state of mind when in fact one is no better than others, or when facing suffering or humiliation. In short, it is to use the spiritual victory method to comfort yourself, or to forget immediately. While as you may know, ge is a way to refer an older male who are close/respected, whether related or not.
He Jueyun: "..."
Nothing else, he just wanted to hit someone after hearing that.
He took a deep breath and accepted his fate and said, "Okay. Q ge is just Q ge. Much better than (being called) the middle-aged weird uncle. At least I have moved down a generation."
"It's much better." Qiong Cang dug around, took out a candy from her pocket, and said in a hollow voice, "How handsome he is."
He Jueyun couldn't laugh or cry: "I just thought you were complimenting me. Thank you, little fairy."
Qiong Cang wanted to unwrap the candy wrapper. Her fingers, which were scratched by the tool after digging all night, were not very flexible, so she tried several times without tearing open the sturdy plastic opening.
He Jueyun looked at it for a while, but couldn't bear it any longer. He took the hard candy from her hand, tore open the package and fed it to her mouth.
Qiong Cang stared at him for a long time, which made He Jueyun feel goosebumps before she swallowed the candy.
A sweet smell with the aroma of orange ripples on the tip of the tongue and then spreads throughout the mouth.
Qiong Cang was also very restless when eating hard candies and liked to bite them back and forth.
He Jueyun looked away, glanced at the sky outside and sighed: "It's already dawn. It's been a tough night."
Qiong Cang raised her head: "I'm going to pull out the intravenous drip. You go get the clothes. I'll wait for you at the door."
He Jueyun: "Alright."
When He Jueyun took the things and walked out of the hospital, he saw Qiong Cang holding a piece of bread in her hand and squatting on the roadside to feed the wild cats.
Because there was a mountain behind the hospital, there was a lot of traffic here. In spring and summer, many wild cats will pass by here, seeking to be fed.
They are not afraid of strangers and eat the food in front of them obediently. The mouth was chewing loudly, the fur was shiny, full of tonnage, and they looked like a big orange.
He Jueyun held up the clothes and squatted down next to Qiong Cang. He stretched out his hand to stroke the cat, but the fat cat nimbly dodged it. He retracted his hand and said with a smile: "You are quite relaxed."
"Not necessarily?" Qiong Cang said, "Everything I do may have a purpose you can't think of."
He Jueyun was amused: "Then what is your purpose now?"
Qiong Cang thought for a moment: "Show my kindness?"
He Jueyun nodded: "Then I think it's pretty good. You can keep it up."
Qiong Cang put down all the food, clapped her hands and stood up, saying, "Let’s go back."
He Jueyun asked: "Send you home?"
"No. Wang Dongyan's mother doesn't agree with her behavior. There will be quarrels when she goes back." Qiong Cang said, "Let's go back to school."
He Jueyun was startled: "Isn't it inappropriate for you to go to school now?"
Qiong Cang asked: "What's inappropriate?"
He Jueyun hesitated and said, "It isn’t safe?"
"Wow..." Qiong Cang opened her mouth and said exaggeratedly, "Can someone who pursue suicide like me can still be safe?"
He Jueyun: "..." Can you speak properly?
Qiong Cang beckoned and urged: "Let's go. Follow the boss and I will take you through."
Listening to the conversation between the two of them, netizens in the live broadcast room were instantly distracted from the point. The atmosphere became more relaxed, but the car also overturned into a ditch.
"Why do they change the style of painting as soon as they change their style? Have they considered the audience's feelings when they automatically tune in?"
"It doesn't affect my happiness. [doge]"
"I don't dare to challenge this CP. The main reason is that the modeling of the two of them is too... too incredible. My imagination doesn't allow it."
"In real life, the ages of the two people may be opposite? I think the big brother should be an old expert with extremely rich experience, while the young policeman's eyes and vitality make him still feel like a young man. Is it possible for an older sister-younger brother relationship to happen?"
"Can the boss still lead me to win? Isn't it more convenient for the public security bodies to take over later? She is already 99% suicidal. Is it better to find a quiet place to lie down and rest?"
"That scene with Xiang Qingxi just now really scared me to death. Damn it, did Sanya make a horror movie? I haven't recovered yet. And why doesn’t anyone want to talk about the plot?"
"The plot has obviously reached a dead end now. My IQ has been rubbed clean, I am self-aware. I decided to follow the boss and win. Why should I be nervous?"
·
He Jueyun also wanted to know what Qiong Cang would do next.
She had been acting calmly since she left the hospital. She didn't look like she was distressed by the loss of evidence, and she didn't mention her next plan. Instead, she kept holding her phone and not putting it down, who knows what she was checking.
He Jueyun saw her busy all the way and finally couldn't help but asked: "What are you looking at?"
Qiong Cang kept turning the phone around, and took the time to reply: "You can tell people by their watch."
He Jueyun: "Huh?"
"It's the watch." Qiong Cang said, "This is a famous watch. It's much more recognizable than those ugly watches. The only thing left is for those to have their names written out."
Qiong Cang was talking when her phone vibrated. She adjusted her position, clicked on the text message, and after reading it clearly, she said: "Xu Manyan asked me to go to her dormitory."
He Jueyun consciously slowed down the car and frowned: "Xu Manyan?"
Qiong Cang pressed her fingers quickly and replied: "I said yes."
"What does she want to do?" He Jueyun said seriously, "I suspect that Tian Yun's death has something to do with the two of them. They are not innocent."
"It doesn't matter what she wants to do." Qiong Cang said, "Aren’t you coming with me?"
He Jueyun felt a little pleased when he heard this, nodded and said: "Of course."
He Jueyun parked his car outside the school and walked there with Qiong Cang.
At this time, the school was already in class, and the road was quiet. Xu Manyan's old dormitory building was even more deserted, and not a single person was seen all the way there.
Qiong Cang stopped outside Xu Manyan's room, raised her hand and knocked.
The person inside seemed to be waiting for her, quickly pulling the handle and opening the door.
The four people inside and outside looked at each other.
Qiong Cang didn't expect Xiang Qingxi to be there. Xu Manyan didn't expect that she would bring a middle-aged man over.
Xu Manyan: "Dongyan, are you okay?"
He Jueyun stood sideways in front of Qiong Cang, forcing Xu Manyan to take half a step back.
Qiong Cang pushed him away and asked, "I'm fine, he's a policeman."
Xu Manyan looked at He Jueyun with hesitation on her face.
He Jueyun asked: "Is it inconvenient?"
Xu Manyan thought for a long time, then seemed to have made up her mind, took a step back and said, "It's not inconvenient, you can come in first."
The door was closed, and the four of them each stood in a corner, maintaining a psychologically safe distance.
Qiong Cang's gaze turned around.
As expected of an old-fashioned dormitory, the walls are peeling off and the stone tiles on the floor have also changed color.
Xu Manyan whispered: "I just want Xiaoxi to apologize to you. She hit you because she was confused*. I only found out this morning that she didn't mean it."
*the word 鬼迷心窍, literally “ghosts confuse the mind”. Describing abnormal thinking of people
Xiang Qingxi stood beside her, her hands still trembling. Her eyes were fixed on He Jueyun.
Xu Manyan begged He Jueyun: "Don't arrest her, it has nothing to do with her! I beg you."
He Jueyun looked around on the two faces and put on an expression that looked friendly.
"Don't be so nervous, do I look scary?" He Jueyun took out his work permit, pinned it on his chest, and let the badge on his wallet face them, and said, "Would it feel safer this way? The glory of socialism."
Qiong Cang shivered: "It's so cold..."
Xu Manyan twitched her lips, but she couldn't laugh. In the end, she only showed an expression that was uglier than crying.
He Jueyun got down to business: "Are the photos still there?"
"It's still there, I didn't ask her to delete it." Xu Manyan turned around and took out a camera from the table, holding it in her hand. She was very emotionally unstable, and her fingers were bruised by the edges from too much force.
Qiong Cang asked: "Who are those people?"
Xu Manyan vaguely reported a few names, and then said: "The principal doesn't come often, but he occasionally participates and helps select people. Two of them are investors in the school."
Qiong Cang passed by, held her hand, and asked her to relax. She said: "I don't have to pursue this matter. I want to know more, why are you so afraid? Is it because of the photos, or because... you are afraid that someone will investigate the cause of Tian Yun's death? She must have come to find you before she died. At that time, she went there with Xiang Qingxi."
Xiang Qingxi finally spoke, with a calm voice: "It's me. I accidentally pushed her down on the rooftop."
"No, it's me!" Xu Manyan shouted, and her body collapsed, tears streaming down her face, "It's me... The photo she got contained mine. After Xiaoxi told me, I wanted to find it. Let’s talk to Tian Yun.”
Xiang Qingxi: "Yanzi*!"
*Xu Manyan’s nickname
"Shut up!" Xu Manyan shouted, "I'm tired, I'm really tired! I can't bear your responsibilities, I can't!"
Xiang Qingxi was stunned.
"Tian Yun came to see me. I was very emotional, and so was she. I asked her not to do that, but she refused. She said it would be over if she couldn't go to college. Even if she went to college, she would have no money. I said I could give her money, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Xu Manyan's speech was incoherent, confused, and her speech was short and unclear.
"I ran to the edge and said I would jump down. She told me not to force her, and then she ran over. I went to grab her phone, and when I came to my senses, she had already fallen. It wasn't intentional... I didn't want to kill her, but I was scared, so I went to them and asked them what I should do."
Xu Manyan was almost out of breath. She sobbed twice and continued: "They said they would help me deal with it and told me to be obedient and not to say anything. In the end, Zhou Nansong still knew about it. I didn't think about it. She was forced to death! I thought the matter was over."
Xu Manyan raised her head, her eyes red, and knelt down towards the two of them.
He Jueyun was startled and wanted to help her up, but Xu Manyan pulled out her hand excitedly.
"Why? I don't understand, I just want to study hard. But that beast, he tricked me out, drugged me, took pictures and threatened me!" Xu Manyan cried, "He not only harassed me, but also wanted to harass Xiaoxi. I have no choice, the rules are set by them, and I have no right to choose at all. I can only do this. Now that I have done it, why can't I get some benefits from them? I just want everyone to feel better."
She beat the ground with her hands to vent her anger: "It's not easy, it's not easy. I'm already a senior in high school! I can leave now! He just continued to make life difficult for me! That beast, he will never stop, he went to harm other girls again, which is why so many things happened!"
Xiang Qingxi stepped forward and hugged her. Xu Manyan leaned on her shoulder and cried bitterly: "I want to grow up, graduate, and go to Medical University A. I want to be a respected person… not be... not become a murderer because of a scumbag——! Where did I start wrong? And then it became like this..."
Qiong Cang took a few tissues from the table and placed them in front of Xu Manyan. Xiang Qingxi patted her back and carefully comforted her.
No one in the room made a sound, allowing her to vent to her heart's content.
When Xu Manyan finally calmed down, He Jueyun said, "I want to go to the rooftop and have a look."
Xu Manyan held back her tears and nodded.
She and Xiang Qingxi supported each other and climbed to the rooftop along the side steps.
Pushing open the iron door in front of the rooftop, Xu Manyan stopped at the door, not wanting to go there anymore. So Xiang Qingxi led the way and led the two of them to the edge.
Xiang Qingxi pointed to a place in front and said softly: "Yanzi is fighting with her here. Both of them are very emotional, but she really just wants to get her phone back."
Qiong Cang lowered her head and glanced at the location, her voice floating in the wind: "Are you sure this is the location?"
"Yes." Xiang Qingxi nodded, "The phone flew out and flew to the middle. Yanzi and I ran to get it, but didn't pay attention to look over there. Then we heard a loud noise, and when we turned around, Tian Yun had disappeared.”
Xiang Qingxi covered her face and said hoarsely: "We didn't mean it."
He Jueyun listened to her and stood at the edge of the rooftop for a long time, and then said: "The surface is not smooth. At such a distance, there is a small section of railing at the end to block it. With the strength of a high school student, It is impossible to push someone down by accident."
Xiang Qingxi said emotionally: "It's true! I didn't lie to you! It was just an accident, Yanzi - Yanzi..."
As she spoke, she suddenly understood. Her chest that was rising and falling violently stopped because she was holding her breath. Her eyes looked into the distance and gradually became unfocused.
"Tian Yun..." Xiang Qingxi's lips moved, "So..."
Qiong Cang caught her words and continued: "So, she jumped by herself."
He Jueyun said: "According to the photos taken at the scene, there are no traces of slipping near the rooftop. If it was a fall, the mark inspection experts would not let go of the relevant footprints. And when she died, she was wearing an old pair of old shoes, the soles of those shoes were stained, and the scratches left were very obvious. That’s why the police closed the case as suicide.”
Qiong Cang stepped onto the high platform at the edge, stood at the wind outlet and looked down.
It's so empty underneath, everything in sight becomes small, but standing in this place, I can feel an unprecedented sense of peace.
"She must be feeling very tired. The family she was born in and the school she grew up in are all so unsatisfactory. No matter how hard she tries, she can't get rid of those burdens. People who commit heinous crimes cannot be punished, and on the only way to take revenge, she has to sacrifice other innocent girls, including her own friends. She probably doesn't want to see you suffer as much as you do." Qiong Cang lowered her head, and the words she spoke clearly seemed to be emotionless, but they were able to make people hear the endless sadness.
"Maybe there was only one or two seconds, and she suddenly thought that as long as she jumped from here, she could escape from the heavy pain. It was only one step away. Then her mind went blank and couldn't care about anything, so she just did that.”
Xu Manyan heard it from a distance, shook a little, and fell to the ground. Xiang Qingxi walked to her side, the two of them stared at each other, hugging each other and crying.
A feeling of joy, relief, and a little sadness lingered in their hearts.
Although they felt guilty towards Tian Yun, at this moment, most of the heavy shackles on their bodies were removed, allowing them to take a breather from the constant self-condemnation.
Qiong Cang moved a little further forward, and the feeling of being blown by the wind was addictive, blowing away the heat both physically and mentally.
A pair of hands suddenly grabbed her clothes tightly and pulled her back hard.
Qiong Cang turned around and asked numbly: "What are you doing?"
He Jueyun said: "I'm afraid you'll jump off the building."
"I said, I will not choose to jump off the building. Even if I commit suicide-" Qiong Cang took a big breath, "I will choose a method that makes me unable to die."
He Jueyun: "Can that also be called suicide?"
Qiong Cang was confused: "Why not?"
He Jueyun was speechless for a while, then pulled her towards Xu Manyan.
Xu Manyan kept wiping her tears with her sleeves and murmured: "I'm sorry, if I had been braver, Zhou Nansong would not have died."
Qiong Cang and He Jueyun looked at each other, not knowing how to comfort this girl.
They had no doubt that one of the last two people who committed suicide was Xu Manyan.
Qiong Cang knelt down in front of her, knelt on one knee, held her face, and asked her to look up at her. She said word for word: "You are right. From now on, you can live a clean and upright life. Even if you want to talk about responsibility, there is still a queue of people in front of you, and your turn is far away."
Xu Manyan laughed self-deprecatingly: "Am I clean?"
He Jueyun interrupted loudly: "Why can't you be clean? They are the ones who are dirty, so they think about cleaning their name all day long."
Xu Manyan turned to look at him again.
Except for Xiang Qingxi's comfort, no one would tell her so solemnly that it was not her fault. Those people will only tell her, "You are finished.", "You will not be easy.", "You are just a person who sells your body.", "Your past is unsightly.".
Xu Manyan twitched, her body trembling, but it was like grabbing a life-saving piece of driftwood.
He Jueyun took off his coat to wrap them and patted their shoulders to encourage them: "It's very windy on the rooftop. Xiang Qingxi, help your friend down. Let's rest for a while, and then take the physical evidence to the bureau to make a detailed record. Go through it carefully and see how to bring the other party to justice. It's okay, trust me, we won't tell anyone about the witness's privacy.”
Xiang Qingxi asked: "Those photos..."
He Jueyun: "Law enforcement agencies will keep the victim's information confidential. Especially for minors and students, the public will not know who you are."
"In sexual assault cases, witnesses do not need to appear in court. Even if they appear in court, there will not be a public trial. The audio can also be altered." Qiong Cang said, "To say the least, even if the public knows about it, the victim is the victim, and it is not the victim who should be ashamed. People are not as harsh as you think."
Xiang Qingxi murmured: "Really?"
"Really." Qiong Cang nodded, "Negative emotions can influence people to make extreme choices and wrong judgments. However, in fact, when you look at it after a while, you will find that it is nothing special at all.The two of you are under the influence of negative emotions now and are not suitable to make judgments. Leave the rest to the police."
Xu Manyan nodded.
The group of people went down the stairs again, this time their steps were much more brisk.
When they reached the corner of the third floor, Xiang Qingxi and Xu Manyan returned to the dormitory, but Qiong Cang did not stop and continued to move forward.
He Jueyun noticed it and called out quickly: "Wang Dongyan."
Qiong Cang stopped.
He Jueyun pressed the armrest, looked down from above, and asked, "Where are you going?"
Qiong Cang made a gesture: "Go find a soft persimmon* and try it out."
*soft persimmon; this has double meaning. It comes from a saying - the old lady eats persimmons and pinches the soft ones. The original meaning is literally a softer persimmon, but the extended meaning is that this person is easier to bully, or is at a disadvantage.
"Ah?" He Jueyun said, "Where are the persimmons in this season?"
Qiong Cang only asked: "Do you have a high-definition pinhole camera?"
He Jueyun said: "High-definition cannot pinhole, and pinhole is not HD. It would definitely be possible in two years, but it would not be available in this instance."
*in this context, pinhole camera refers to the ultra-miniature camera (sort of like spy cam to gain intel)
Qiong Cang: "Then I choose pinhole."
He Jueyun: "Okay, wait until I go back to the bureau to apply for it. What's the reason?"
Qiong Cang said in disgust: "...it's troublesome, forget it. I'd better use my mobile phone."
She continued down, followed closely by He Jueyun.
Qiong Cang stopped again, waved her hand and said: "Friend, don't follow me, really. Go and comfort Xiang Qingxi and Xu Manyan, show them the glory of our country's humanity, cheer up the audience, and do some meaningful popularizing. You will be busy later."
He Jueyun looked suspicious and asked, "How far along are you on your suicide?"
Qiong Cang stretched out a finger: "Maybe Wang Dongyan knew about this before, so it only increased by 1% this time."
"Then it's 96% now?" He Jueyun said, "Be careful, this value is very dangerous."
Qiong Cang said: "Wow, everything I do next will only make me feel very happy."
He Jueyun laughed and thought the same.
Xu Manyan and Xiang Qingxi were willing to come forward to testify, which was already a major breakthrough in terms of solving the case. Now that things have been cleared up, Wang Dongyan should be able to feel at ease.
He Jueyun: "What happy things are you going to do? Share it. The police and the people are like a family."
Qiong Cang stood still, thought for a while and said: "I just think that the media always likes to dig into the victim's past, especially sexual assault cases. It seems to find the victim's fault and evaluate the other party with various dirty labels, to prove that the prisoner is in the right. Aren't those people who claim to be successful and have the most say? It is unlikely that they will accept their own failure so easily."
He Jueyun nodded: "Yes, they are very good at guiding public opinion and taking advantage of legal loopholes."
"I'm just going to add fuel to their fire." Qiong Cang said, "I'm past the age of needing others to worry."
He Jueyun smiled and said: "This has nothing to do with age. People who care about you will worry about you."
Although he said this, he did not insist any more. He only waved and said: "Go early and come back early. Keep in touch."
Qiong Cang: "Yeah."
The author has something to say:
Qiong Cang: Please start my performance
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Thanks for picking that up !
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