Jiang Xuanqing knew Meng Xuecheng was proud and arrogant. Director He asking him to seek help from an outsider amounted, in Meng Xuecheng's eyes, to an expression of distrust. Jiang Xuanqing removed his glasses, pulled out a tissue, and wiped the lenses. Calmly, he said, "There's no harm in trying. You have nothing to lose."
Meng Xuecheng gave a cold laugh and ignored him. He pushed open the conference-room door and walked out.
The moment he did, he saw Qin Gui standing dumbly outside, his face pale.
Meng Xuecheng asked, "Are you feeling sick?"
"No… I didn't sleep well last night. My head hurts a little." Qin Gui casually made up an excuse, not even noticing that it did not quite make sense. He handed Meng Xuecheng a folder. "If there's nothing else, I'll head downstairs."
Meng Xuecheng nodded. All his attention was on the case, and he could no longer be bothered to pick apart what Qin Gui had said.
He took a couple of steps and spotted Fu Wenye standing around the corner with a phone, rattling off a long string of words.
"All right, no problem. Goodbye." Fu Wenye ended the call and turned around, only to find Meng Xuecheng standing behind him with a sinister expression. His heart clenched and he nearly dropped his phone. Life at the bureau was really difficult. He had been frightened twice in less than half a day; at this rate, it would not be long before he developed heart disease.
That probably really would count as a workplace injury.
He looked at Meng Xuecheng resentfully. "I made an appointment for noon today…"
Meng Xuecheng did not respond to that. He only said, "Let's go downstairs and meet Wang Minxi's family."
The police station's reception room was on the first floor. Before Fu Wenye even reached the door, he heard a woman's heart-rending cries. A gray-haired middle-aged woman clutched at the uniform of the female officer receiving them. The young officer clearly had no experience handling a situation like this and was flustered. When she saw Meng Xuecheng and the others enter, it was as though she had spotted her saviors, and tears of gratitude welled in her eyes.
Meng Xuecheng gestured, and the female officer immediately introduced him to the family. "This is Captain Meng. He's in charge of Miss Wang's case."
The middle-aged woman turned and hurried over to Meng Xuecheng. "Where is my Minxi? What happened to my Minxi?"
The woman looked haggard and her face was already covered in tears. Faced with Meng Xuecheng's silence, overwhelming despair flooded her eyes. She lost her balance and collapsed weakly onto the floor.
Meng Xuecheng hurriedly helped her up. "Mrs. Wang, please get up. Take care of yourself."
The woman flung his hand away and covered her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably.
Mr. Wang rose and helped her into a chair.
Wang Minxi's father was neatly dressed and thin-faced. Everything about his appearance suggested an exceptionally strong-willed man. Yet at that moment, tears shone faintly in his eyes.
The woman clutched Meng Xuecheng's sleeve and cried, "My Minxi! What did my Minxi ever do wrong? She was carrying a child! She told us she'd bring the baby back to visit us in the future!"
"Minxi, why did you leave your mother behind?"
Fu Wenye pinched his stinging nose and tilted his head slightly, fighting back the tears circling in his eyes.
Meng Xuecheng looked sincerely at the two grieving parents and bent into a bow. "I'm sorry. We will catch the killer."
The woman stared at Meng Xuecheng with sorrowful eyes. That gaze made him feel as though his whole body had been submerged in ice water, but he could not hide from the victim's family. If even he avoided their eyes, then who would give them the truth? Who would give them justice?
The woman braced herself on the chair and rose shakily. Her trembling right hand seized Meng Xuecheng with such force that her sharp nails nearly dug into his flesh, leaving red marks behind.
Meng Xuecheng said to her once more, "I'm sorry."
The woman forced each word from her dry throat with difficulty, as though sharp little knives were mercilessly slicing open her throat, every syllable bleeding grief.
She said, "Did my Minxi do something wrong?"
"What did she do wrong? Why did she have to suffer this kind of punishment? Why?"
Meng Xuecheng clenched his teeth. "We will give you an answer."
At that moment, Mr. Wang finally spoke. "Ask whatever you need to ask quickly. My wife's health isn't very good."
Fu Wenye steadied his emotions and forced himself to appear calm. "May I ask when Miss Wang last contacted you?"
Mr. Wang thought for a moment. "About a week ago, I think. At the time, Minxi said next month… next month she'd come back home to stay."
Fu Wenye asked, "Did she say why she was coming back?"
Mr. Wang nodded. "Because we missed her. We'd told her before that we hoped she'd come home for a while so we could take good care of her. Hanjie often works overtime and travels for work. We were worried she wouldn't be able to look after herself properly alone."
The hand holding Fu Wenye's ballpoint pen was trembling. She should have been able to go home happily to see her parents and peacefully care for the baby in her belly. But everything had ended so suddenly. She had left so suddenly. The road home had been torn apart, never to be joined again.
"Has Miss Wang said anything strange to you lately, or mentioned anything about her recent situation?"
"No." Mr. Wang shook his head. He took off his glasses and wiped away a tear. "Recently, she only said that Hanjie had been working very late. Nothing unusual was happening with her."
Meng Xuecheng asked, "Did Miss Wang ever have any enemies?"
The woman spoke through sobs. "Impossible. She was so kindhearted. She wouldn't offend anyone."
Meng Xuecheng and Fu Wenye asked a few more basic questions, then instructed the female officer to look after the two family members and help them complete the necessary procedures. Before leaving, they bowed to the family once more.
After they left the reception room, both men were quiet. Neither spoke.
They had gained no useful clue or information from the family. It was not a good beginning.
Meng Xuecheng checked his watch. "Let's eat something. After that, we'll go to the hospital."
…
12:00 P.M. Seventh Floor, Linqi City Central Hospital
It was still exceptionally quiet here. Unlike the lobby downstairs, with its feeling of racing against the Grim Reaper for every second, the seventh floor was strangely deserted, almost detached from the mortal world.
Fu Wenye looked around at the decor. Green potted plants hung along the walls, alongside cute pictures in fresh colors. He sighed. "This place is really nice."
Meng Xuecheng glanced at him and scoffed. "Why don't you just move in, then?" He pointed behind them. "It's perfect for someone like you."
Fu Wenye turned and saw four large characters hanging at the end of the corridor: PSYCHIATRY DEPARTMENT.
Fu Wenye snapped, "I think the morgue on basement level two suits you pretty well too."
His voice was so loud that a nurse passing by shot him a vaguely disgusted look, then put one finger to her lips to signal for silence. Fu Wenye immediately shut his mouth and lowered his head. The ostrich-like gesture made Meng Xuecheng chuckle twice. "Embarrassing."
They stopped outside Room 720 at the far end. A nameplate hung in the center of the pale-blue door, bearing two words—Su Yang.
Meng Xuecheng stared blankly at the name. It was as though lightning had split his brain in half, releasing memories buried deep inside in an unstoppable flood.
His nails dug into his palms. He hated himself for not looking at that business card.
If he had known the person Director He recommended was Su Yang…
Fu Wenye cleared his throat and knocked. "Hello. My surname is Fu."
"Come in."
Fu Wenye pushed the door open and was immediately stunned speechless by the room inside. It was enormous, with all kinds of small toys placed along one side. He had to admit that such bright, open decor really did have a relaxing effect.
Su Yang sat in a chair wearing a pale-yellow shirt. His short black hair gleamed in the sunlight, soft strands falling over his forehead. His features were exquisitely refined without being feminine: a straight, even nose, eyes slightly curved and rippling with warmth as he looked at Fu Wenye with a hint of a smile. The skin visible at his neck was very pale, yet did not look sickly at all.
"Please sit," Su Yang said.
Fu Wenye did not stand on ceremony. He pulled out a chair and dropped into it, then placed his credentials on the desk. "Hello, Dr. Su. I'm Fu Wenye, a member of SST." He glanced at his captain, who was standing behind the chair in a daze, and discreetly pinched Meng Xuecheng's thigh. He had no idea why Meng Xuecheng had suddenly gone offline and was standing there motionless. How embarrassing!
Fu Wenye secretly watched Su Yang's expression, but the man seemed completely unconcerned. Su Yang lifted his cup and took a sip of freshly brewed green tea without even looking at the credentials Fu Wenye had placed in front of him.
"You need me to cooperate with an investigation?" Su Yang raised an eyebrow. The sentence was a question, yet there was no confusion whatsoever on his face. Fu Wenye choked on his reply. Before he could even get the word no out, Meng Xuecheng's voice came from behind him. "Nothing like that. We only want to consult Dr. Su for your professional opinion. Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm the captain of SST. My name is Meng Xuecheng."
Meng Xuecheng sat beside Fu Wenye. He looked at Su Yang, and their gazes happened to meet.
Su Yang looked at him blandly, feigning surprise. "Oh? I'm an ordinary psychologist. I can only provide psychological counseling." His gaze wandered over Meng Xuecheng as he continued, "If I can help police personnel regulate their emotions, it would be my honor."
The room fell silent.
Meng Xuecheng clenched his teeth, fists tight.
Judging by Su Yang's expression and behavior, he did not remember him.
In truth, Su Yang was no less surprised than Meng Xuecheng. It was simply that over the years, he had long since learned not to show joy or anger on his face. No one could read his true emotions from his expression.
It had been many years since he last saw Meng Xuecheng.
Meng Xuecheng's father had been Su Yang's university mentor. Meng Xun had considered Su Yang extremely talented and hardworking; the papers he wrote were often far better than those of the other students. Back then, Meng Xun had practically glowed with pride at having accepted a student like Su Yang. He knew Su Yang's parents were both gone, so after discussing it with his wife, he often invited Su Yang to bring his younger sister over for meals, and while he was there, Su Yang would tutor Meng Xuecheng with his homework. Meng Xuecheng had been right in the middle of adolescence then and impossible to deal with. Tell him east and he insisted on dragging you west, giving Meng Xun endless headaches.
Meng Xun had thought Su Yang might be able to straighten the boy out. Instead, the arrangement only made Meng Xuecheng even more rebellious.