Chapter 156: Ms. Zhao Files a Report

2022-05-20

The two of them stepped into the house and Ms. Zhao took a seat. It was clear she wanted to tell us something private, so she’d sent the others out. She glanced around, then said quietly, “There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

I nodded and replied, “Whatever it is, just say it.”

Ms. Zhao nodded as well and lowered her voice. “I’ve always had a strange feeling about Wang An. Back at school, he got in fights a lot. Lately he’s seemed even more withdrawn and gloomy. A while back, a few young men came looking for him at the school, but the security guard stopped them.”

Once again, I took out the family photo and showed it to Ms. Zhao.

She looked at the picture for a moment, then said, “Those are the three. I’ve seen the surveillance footage myself. Those same three young men came looking for Wang An, and I remember one of them had his arm bandaged up. But just after that we went on break, and they never came again.”

From what she said, we could tell these three guys had tried to find Wang An at school again but failed. Then, with the school break, Wang An ended up at Ms. Zhao’s house. Even if those guys wanted to stir up trouble, they couldn’t find him anymore.

I looked at Ms. Zhao and asked, “Have you told Wang An any of this?”

Ms. Zhao shook her head. “No, I haven’t mentioned it. He’s just a child—he doesn’t need to know too much. It won’t do him any good. Even his father, Hao Ren, is off somewhere and no one knows what he’s up to. But deep down, I have this feeling—all of this is connected to those three.”

I frowned and asked, “What makes you think that?”

Ms. Zhao glanced at the plate of big shrimp. “When those three left, they said this wasn’t over yet. Old or young, they were going to take revenge, one by one. That’s what the security guard overheard and told me, and I believe it. Why else would Hao Ren send Wang An to stay with me?”

I said, “To be honest, Fang Xiaoqi took her own life, and right now we suspect those three are involved. But we don’t have a single lead.”

As soon as we said this, Ms. Zhao shot to her feet before sitting back down, panic flashing across her face. “Fang Xiaoqi… really took her own life?”

From the way Ms. Zhao reacted, it seemed she’d suspected something like this might happen for some time.

Guan Zengbin spoke up. “Did you notice any signs?”

Ms. Zhao grew serious. “The security guard once told me, since those three couldn’t find Wang An, they said they’d start with Fang Xiaoqi. They wanted to tear Hao Ren’s family apart. They said they wouldn’t stop until he’d lost everything.”

Gu Chen slammed his hand on the desk, anger boiling over. “Those bastards! They’re just like a stubborn rash that won’t go away!”

Ms. Zhao could only shake her head helplessly and added, “If they managed to find this place, those three probably already know where Hao Ren’s other adopted kids are too—not sure how they got their information. But if I had to guess, they’re plotting something every day.”

We nodded in agreement.

Ms. Zhao glanced around again and said softly, “I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. I just feel like Wang An’s been acting strange lately. There’s something simmering inside him—a mix of restraint and fierceness. He’s so well-behaved most of the time, but for a kid his age, it almost seems too much.”

I nodded, then shook my head. “Wang An’s been adopted since he was young. He’s probably gone through things we can’t even imagine. Sure, he acts mature for his age, but his thoughts are still a child’s. You can tell just by talking to him earlier.”

Ms. Zhao toyed with her hair and said, “I just hope he can have a happy childhood.”

As we were talking, the two who’d left earlier came back inside.

Right away, Ms. Zhao’s worried, exhausted look melted away and was replaced with a bright smile, as if she didn’t want the kids to see her burden. No matter the storm, mothers always hide their troubles. Ms. Zhao quickly served our food, and we all sat down to eat without saying much more.

During dinner, I watched Wang An closely. He kept his head down, eating in silence, refusing to look at us or say a word. Even when Ms. Zhao offered him food, he just smiled a little and went right back to eating. His composure—aside from when he’d broken down over the news about his sister Fang Xiaoqi—was impressive and unexpected.

We were eating when suddenly my phone rang.

I pulled it out and saw it was a call from Mary. Whenever Mary called, it meant there was new progress on the case.

I answered, and Mary said on the other end, “Someone named Zhao Xiaoli filed a report. She’s Hao Ren’s eldest adopted daughter.”

We’d been searching everywhere for Zhao Xiaoli, and now she’d come forward herself. Maybe now we could get some answers. As soon as I realized, I turned to Wang An and said, “Wang An, your sister Zhao Xiaoli has been found. Want to come with us?”

Wang An replied right away. “Yes, I want to go.”

He started shoveling food into his mouth, finishing off his bowl in just a few bites.

Seeing how anxious he was made it clear how much he wanted to see his sister. After a few more bites, we quickly said our goodbyes to Ms. Zhao. She tried to persuade us to stay, but when she saw how eager Wang An was, she gave up.

Guo Feng seemed reluctant to see Wang An leave and called out, “Wang An, weren’t you going to stay and play with me? Where are you going?” His voice was already starting to tremble with tears.

Wang An made it to the door, but then turned back. He climbed onto a chair, wiped away Guo Feng’s tears, and said seriously, “Guo Feng, you have to be good while I’m gone. Listen to Ms. Zhao, okay? Don’t hang around the bad kids outside—they bully people. Just stay home and play with your toys, and wait for me to come back, got it?”

“Got it,” Guo Feng replied, barely holding back his tears. “When are you coming back?”

Wang An thought for a moment. “If you behave and don’t cause any trouble, I’ll be back very soon.”

“Pinky promise,” Guo Feng said.

Wang An offered his pinky and hooked it with Guo Feng’s. “Pinky promise—if I break it, I’m a little liar.”

Then Wang An jumped down from the chair and turned to Ms. Zhao. “Thank you so much for taking care of me all this time, Ms. Zhao.”

Ms. Zhao gave him a gentle, smiling nod.

When we arrived, we saw a young girl, tears streaking her face, giving her statement to the police.

Wang An called out, “Xiaoli!”

Zhao Xiaoli turned and, surprised and delighted, said, “Wang An, how did you end up here?”

Wang An replied, “I’ve been staying at Ms. Zhao’s. These guys let me know you were here.”

Seeing her little brother brought visible relief to Zhao Xiaoli.

Then we asked Zhao Xiaoli why she’d come to the police, and she told us her story.

Since the family wasn’t well off, Zhao Xiaoli had taken a job out of town a month before the New Year to help earn money. She knew her younger siblings needed phones to keep in touch, but their dad Hao Ren was just an ordinary man with limited means. So she worked hard to buy them decent phones.

Work kept her away until just a few days before the New Year.

She called home, but no one answered. She called her older brother, Du Zigui, but still got no response. Worried, she hurried home, only to find their house reduced to rubble.

Their block was marked for demolition, but the developer had run out of money, leaving everything half knocked down. Only their family—Hao Ren’s—remained in the area. Zhao Xiaoli tried to ask around, but all the neighbors were gone. She couldn’t reach her dad or her big brother.

She worried about her younger brother and sister, but had no way of finding them.

Ten days ago, she got a call. The person said they knew where her brother and sister were.

By then she’d been back in Yumu City for a few days, desperately searching for her family. She barely hesitated and headed to the address the caller gave her.

But something felt off as soon as she arrived—the place was totally isolated, hardly a soul around.

Alarmed, she tried to leave, but someone came up behind her and knocked her out.

When Zhao Xiaoli regained consciousness, she found herself in a pitch-dark room. She spent the next ten days locked in that place, until finally, one day, she seized a chance while her captor was distracted and escaped. She went straight to the police.

Looking at Wang An, Zhao Xiaoli struggled to speak.

I turned to Guan Zengbin. “You guys go wait outside. I’ll take her full statement.”

Guan Zengbin understood and led the others out.

Once they’d gone, Zhao Xiaoli finally spoke. “That person…”

I looked at her and asked, “So, do you know who that was?”