Chapter 349: Gu Chen’s Fury

2022-05-20

When a dog leaves its home, sometimes it turns into a wolf.

We look around at those beside us—people sitting next to you, smiling right now. Maybe they’re the boss of a company, maybe a teacher at a school, maybe a helpful classmate, or a polite, well-mannered child. But when they turn their backs, you’ll never really know what they’re capable of.

The side you see is always the one they want you to see. Behind that gentle and courteous front, there are always claws and teeth you can’t see.

This truth hit home when we visited Li Jun’s house. It was around eight in the morning as Gu Chen led the three of us to Li Jun’s home. Li Jun’s parents were both there. We hadn’t even told them about Li Jun’s death yet, when his mother started going on about how obedient and kind her son was.

But every word from her sounded more and more ironic to our ears. The same child who kicked a pregnant woman off a bus was, in Mrs. Li’s eyes, nothing but a sweet boy. She explained away his actions, saying he was upset that he’d done poorly on his midterms, so his anger built up on the bus and led to that mess.

Seeing Gu Chen frown, Mrs. Li snapped, “No matter how wrong Li Jun was, he’s still a child! How can you compare yourselves to children? Wait till you have your own kids, then you’ll understand! Instead of just standing here, why aren’t you out looking for my son?”

Mrs. Li was only in her thirties, but she spoke with such aggression, barely giving us a chance to get a word in.

Gu Chen couldn’t stand people like this. He cut in, “Li Jun is dead.”

Mrs. Li was still rambling, but the second Gu Chen said that, she froze. Stunned, she stammered, “Say that again?”

Uncle Chen stepped forward just then, blocking Gu Chen and turning to Mrs. Li. “Our investigation found Li Jun likely died around midnight the night before last. Later, we found his body at the bottom of an abandoned well in the woods behind Taishan Elementary.”

Mrs. Li stood there in shock. Mr. Li’s mouth dropped open, lost for words.

Uncle Chen shook his head and continued, “There were fifty-two visible wounds on Li Jun’s body…”

At that number, Mrs. Li finally collapsed, falling straight back. If Mr. Li hadn’t caught her, she’d have hit the floor. It took her a long while to regain her breath, still gasping and out of sorts.

Mr. Li stood trembling, then asked, “Have you found who killed my son?”

“Not yet.” I shook my head. “We’re still investigating. From the wounds, it looks like the killer held a deep grudge against Li Jun. Either Li Jun provoked someone, or someone had it out for your family. Do you have any known enemies?”

Mr. Li thought for a bit. “No, I’m just an honest businessman. Nothing too big, nothing too small, more than enough to live comfortably here in town. At my level, I don’t have real enemies. Li Jun’s just a kid, what enemies could he have?”

I added, “Whoever did this was cruel and ruthless. Child or not, if anyone comes to mind, tell us.”

Gu Chen left them his phone number as he spoke.

Just then, Mrs. Li, still on the floor, suddenly blurted out, “I know, I know who it was! It was that pregnant woman and her husband! It had to be them!”

“No, it wasn’t.” I frowned. My refusal was absolute.

“Impossible!” Mrs. Li leaped up, insisting, “I’m sure it was them. From the start, that pregnant woman looked like trouble. What kind of woman walks around heavily pregnant if she’s not out looking for trouble or trying to scam someone? They even asked us for compensation! What kind of person does that? It was just a kid’s mistake—why make a big deal? She should’ve watched her step!”

Hearing that, anger surged inside me.

But Mrs. Li pressed on, “That man of hers, too, I saw right through him. He was out to scam money—three grand was more than enough. They’re probably laughing about it back home. And now they’ve done this… Scum like that shouldn’t even be allowed to exist.”

“Shut up.” The words came out in a low, thunderous rumble. It was Gu Chen.

“You have to stand up for justice,” Mrs. Li kept shouting.

Gu Chen jabbed a finger at her. “I told you to shut up. Did you hear me?”

His words boomed like thunder, making Mrs. Li finally go silent. Gu Chen said, “A life is only worth three thousand to you? You haven’t seen how that couple is living now. Everything ruined because of your spoiled son. And you still have the nerve to say that? Let me tell you—if I wasn’t here in an official capacity today, you’d be in the hospital already.”

Gu Chen’s face was red with rage. For him to say that to a woman showed just how furious he was.

But that was Gu Chen. He always stood at the front when it came to the darkness in this world. He couldn’t stand even a bit of it—if he saw something wrong, he’d drive out the shadows. But the world is made of both light and darkness. Even the kindest hearts have hidden darkness, and as long as people exist, so does that shadow side. That’s just human nature. How could it ever change?

I tugged Gu Chen’s arm. “Let’s go.”

We walked out the door just as Mrs. Li quietly muttered behind us, “What a bunch of uncivilized people.”

Gu Chen muttered angrily, “It’s true—like mother, like son. People like that make me want to tear them apart.”

I shook my head. Gu Chen’s thoughts were dangerous.

I sighed. “Yeah. Not everyone who does wrong gets what they deserve. If not for the killer, nothing would’ve happened to Li Jun. The further he grew, the more likely he’d just forget this and maybe even become some model citizen. Maybe he’d even go out of his way to help others.”

“I think,” Gu Chen said seriously, “good people never seem to reap any rewards, while bad people always get what they want.”

“That’s not something we can change,” I said, patting his shoulder.

Gu Chen stood there with a strange look in his eyes. “But shouldn’t we at least try?”

I looked at Gu Chen but didn’t answer.

Uncle Chen spoke up, “Li Jun’s dad is barely home. Looks like his mom does all the raising. Judging from her, how good could Li Jun possibly be? The way you’re raised really does shape a child’s whole life. And I’m not talking about money.”

If the parents’ outlook’s all wrong, how can you expect the kid’s to be right?

Just then, Gu Chen’s phone rang. It was the principal. He put the call on speaker, and we heard, “That killer called again, wanted to know if I’ve solved the first task yet.”

The killer’s “task” was to find the reason. From what we had, I figured what he meant was finding the reason Li Jun died.

I spoke into the phone. “We found it.”

“Good,” the principal said, “that killer said he’ll call again soon.”

I frowned. “Was it the same number both times?”

“No, this time it was another strange number—not the same as before.”

This killer knew what he was doing, switching numbers to avoid being tracked. If there was a second number, there was surely a third. Now with Li Jun dead, I thought the reason must be what happened with the pregnant woman on the bus.

But right now Hu Ningning is still in the killer’s hands. Who knows what the killer is planning next.

I said to the principal, “Alright. We’ll head to the school soon and come see you.”

“Thank goodness,” the principal breathed. “I’m in way over my head here.”

I turned to Uncle Chen. “Does this town have anyone who can trace phone calls?”

Uncle Chen shook his head. “No such talent around here. Should I try to put in a request?”

I waved him off. “No need. Let’s just find the right people.”

I wouldn’t dare let Uncle Chen contact anyone himself. I turned to Gu Chen. “Let’s call Mary for help.”

Gu Chen tapped his lips thoughtfully. “You mean, have her come here?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I can’t shake the feeling Wu Zui’s crew is behind all this. The way they operate fits the pattern. I can’t say for sure Wu Zui’s the killer, but at the very least they’ve helped or gotten involved. It’s about time we regrouped the Special Investigation Team.”

Gu Chen glanced at Uncle Chen, then at me. “Even though you and Mary bicker every day, I think she’ll help us if we ask…”

With Uncle Chen there, Gu Chen couldn’t say any more.

Uncle Chen looked at us. “What are you guys talking about? I feel a little lost here.”

Gu Chen replied, “It’s nothing, just some stuff from the old days. Anyway, let’s get back to the school.”