Chapter 379: Something’s Happened

2022-05-20

Guo Limin glanced at me and gave an address.

She spoke up. “Hu Ningning is at that place. I promise she’s safe, she’s alive. You were right—Hu Ningning never bullied my son or anyone else. During the time she was held, I actually treated her well. I told her all of this was just a game.”

There was a gentle, almost motherly tenderness on Guo Limin’s face—a kind of kindness only a mother can show.

She spoke softly, “All I ever wanted was to get rid of those hopeless children. But Hu Ningning is such a thoughtful kid. Whenever she saw me upset, she’d actually come over to comfort me. I guess if I hadn’t been working all the time, my own son might’ve been like her… I’ve already missed out on just about everything good in life. What’s the point of going on anymore?”

Guo Limin looked at me, her expression twisting. “Haven’t you ever felt this way? The world is so dark and fake, everyone’s the same; rotten hearts hiding behind skin, all that evil. The world’s just too beautiful, so beautiful it’s the perfect hell for demons.”

“Only death can set you free, remember that. Only death is true release.”

Guo Limin murmured this under her breath.

As I listened, my mind felt like it was buzzing with chaos. I’d thought about these things ages ago—I had no friends, no one to trust, and I’d seen so much betrayal and lies, too much darkness and twistedness. People are born evil, and the kind ones just haven’t met the right trigger yet.

This disgusting, fake world.

But somewhere along the way I found a handful of people who’d never betray me, who’d always be there. Team Leader Shao, Gu Chen, Mary, Guan Zengbin, and even Zhao Mingkun and Sister Mao—when everyone thought I was a killer, they never once doubted me.

That made me realize I’m not as alone in this world as I thought.

At the very least, when I die, maybe I’ll become a star. Not bright—really just a dim speck—but always there in the sky. Even if only a handful of people ever remember me, that’s enough. That’s what I’ve wanted and tried so hard to make true my whole life.

I gave Guo Limin one last look and then told the others, “Let’s head over there. Let’s bring Hu Ningning back.”

In the car, Uncle Chen finally let out a relieved sigh. “A week’s worth of digging and it’s finally over. All this commotion—really makes you crave a good night’s sleep. And the weather’s nice too—this drizzling rain is cool and refreshing. As they say, fortune brings joy. Even the heavens are on our side today.”

But seeing the worry on my face, Uncle Chen patted my shoulder. “What’s wrong? It’s all finished. You heard in the interrogation—Hu Ningning should be fine. Guo Limin, after what she’s done, probably won’t live much longer. No point lying now if she’s as good as dead.”

I shook my head and looked to Gu Chen and Mary. Their faces were just as serious.

I said to Uncle Chen, “That saying—how people speak kindly on their deathbed—maybe it’s true when there’s nothing left to lose. But honestly, not every dying person tells the truth. It always depends on the situation. And this case? This one is anything but simple. And I’m not even talking about Guo Limin—I mean the ones behind her.”

“Wu Zui?” Uncle Chen scratched his head. “I’ve heard about Wu Zui too. Remember when that mess with Liu Yinyan blew up in Dongxing City? Wasn’t that Wu Zui’s doing? When Liu Yinyan died, the company’s stock crashed hard. You all saw it, right? That venture capital company only survived because Liu Yinyan was propping it up.”

Uncle Chen slapped his leg. “But I’m rambling. Back to Wu Zui—what is he, anyway? I’ve heard he’s a young guy who always wears a mask, and supposedly he’s just like you, real sharp at profiling and psychology, right? Why does someone that smart go down this path?”

“You know about Liu Yinyan’s case?” I asked.

“Of course,” Uncle Chen said. “But don’t lose hope. One day, we will catch him.”

I looked at Uncle Chen. He had this innocent look, just like a harmless little bunny.

But one thing bugged me—Uncle Chen seemed to know me so well, even recognized my name. That meant he definitely knew who I was.

But if he knew my identity, why never bring it up? Did he want to let me solve the case first and then arrest me to kill two birds with one stone? Or, being related to Gu Chen, did he want to cover for me a bit? At this point, everyone probably had their own unspoken ideas, but nobody said it out loud.

It was all so tangled—who was a friend, who was a foe? I kept getting hints about a traitor. What did my parents really do? Seven years ago, what happened between Team Leader Shao and that genius Shi Huacheng?

Why does Wu Zui target me? Why does Zhao Mingkun help me? Those two—siblings both adopted by Shi Huacheng—one wants him to stay away forever, to end that old life, the other’s always looking for a chance to break him out. Are they bound by love or hatred?

I just didn’t have the answers yet. Not now anyway.

Just as Uncle Chen said, it had started to drizzle. The rain was a cool, fine mist, much more refreshing than before. But now, if you stayed out long without an umbrella, you’d get soaked through. We reached the apartment Guo Limin mentioned—it looked pretty nicely done up.

We kicked the door in and saw, right there on the sofa, a little girl tied up. Her mouth was stuffed with something, a blindfold over her eyes. The girl was Hu Ningning. She sat so quietly, barely moving at all.

Looked like she’d suffered plenty over these past days, but at least from the look of her she was holding up. Judging by her complexion, Guo Limin really didn’t mistreat her. Hu Ningning’s calm response made me think maybe she really believed Guo Limin’s story—maybe she thought it was just a game.

For a ten-year-old girl, if she could honestly believe this was only a game, that’d be the best possible outcome. Otherwise, the kind of trauma she’d carry would haunt her for life. Hu Ningning was wearing simple clothes—a T-shirt and shorts. No visible injuries. That alone was a relief.

Right then, as if she’d heard us, Hu Ningning turned her head a little.

I took the gag out of her mouth and heard her say, “Auntie, you’re back? I’ve been playing my role for so long—when do I get to be the bad guy?”

It honestly seemed like she really believed this was all a game.

“We’re here to rescue you,” I told her.

As I spoke, I pulled off her blindfold.

Hu Ningning froze for a second, then suddenly burst into loud sobs. The sudden outpouring really startled us—we had no idea what triggered it. Outside, the rain grew heavier with her crying. Summer rain usually doesn’t last this long, but today was different.

I hugged her tight. “Uncle’s here. Why are you crying?”

Hu Ningning wouldn’t let go. She cried, “Uncle, I’m so glad you came! I was so scared. That mean lady kept telling me it was a game. I was terrified, but I didn’t dare let her see I was only pretending to play along. I know she killed a lot of people. She thinks I don’t know, but I do. Thank goodness you’re finally here.”

With that, she cried even harder.

Turns out, I’d underestimated a ten-year-old’s smarts. In Guo Limin’s mind, her lies worked—she thought she could spare Hu Ningning any trauma. But Hu Ningning saw through her from the start and still played along, acting to keep herself safe.

Hu Ningning was a remarkably clever girl—she knew exactly how to protect herself.

But seeing her like this, I felt something stir inside me.

I told Hu Ningning, “Everything’s alright now. I’ll take you back first, and later we’ll ask you some questions about what happened. Don’t be scared—answer whatever you can, and after that we’ll send you home. Sound good?”

Hu Ningning nodded.

I picked her up and said to the others, “Check the place for anything else. If you find any clues, take them back with you.”

Everyone started searching the apartment.

I looked back at Hu Ningning. “Can I ask you a few things? Don’t be scared.”

She nodded again.

“While you were here, did that bad lady hit you?” I asked.

Hu Ningning was silent for a long while before finally answering, “No, she never hit me.”

In that respect, Guo Limin kept her word.

I continued, “Do you know what she did?”

“I do,” Hu Ningning said—and started crying again.

It took some time to calm her down and find out why she was crying. Turns out it was actually Hu Ningning who had given Guo Limin the names of those people. She and Zhang Zuochen were on good terms. Whenever she heard about someone bullying Zhang Zuochen, she’d tell Guo Limin.

“You were friends with Zhang Zuochen?” I asked.

Hu Ningning hesitated, then said, “We got along okay. Actually, I got along with all the kids.”

“Did he ever give you toys?” I prodded.

“No, never,” Hu Ningning replied.

After a few questions and answers, it was already midnight—over half an hour since we arrived.

At that moment, Uncle Chen walked over, face serious as ever. “Something’s happened.”