Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Ominous Joy (28)

Huang Yiya was clearly still immersed in the emotions of her argument with Xue Ninglin. Even now, she couldn’t understand why Xue Ninglin was unwilling to help that girl.

“Huh? She…” Facing Hai Shu’s question, Huang Yiya froze. It took her a long while to snap back. “Her name is Liu Xiang. She’s my junior by one year. Officer Hai, is there something wrong with her?”

Hai Shu said, “Tell me in more detail about the charity performance you were preparing, and about your argument with Xue Ninglin. Also, what kind of person was this Liu Xiang?”

Huang Yiya grew tense again under Hai Shu’s lead. “Let me think…”

When Huang Yiya first entered university, she actually didn’t want to become any kind of campus celebrity. She was naturally low-key and liked to go along with the crowd. Playing an instrument was due to family influence, and joining the guzheng club was simply because everyone else was joining clubs.

It was only after meeting Xue Ninglin that she gradually became more outgoing. During her freshman year, after participating in several campus performances, she was pulled into the college’s student union. From then on, whenever there was any literary or artistic event in the college, she had to take part. She eventually became the minister of the arts department.

She met Liu Xiang through the college student union. During recruitment, she, along with the chair, vice-chair, and several ministers, interviewed the incoming freshmen. She had some impression of Liu Xiang’s self-introduction. Liu Xiang said she came from a rural area, that her older sister had raised her single-handedly. If her sister knew she had joined the student union, she would definitely be very happy.

Liu Xiang wanted to join the publicity department, and she did get in as wished. At first Huang Yiya didn’t have much contact with her. When others mentioned Liu Xiang, Huang Yiya’s first reaction was—that girl from the countryside.

Huang Yiya didn’t look down on people from poor families; she simply wouldn’t take the initiative to become friends with them, because differences in spending habits could create awkwardness during interactions. This was also why she liked being with Xue Ninglin.

Liu Xiang soon became a capable member of the publicity department. She drew very beautiful pictures, was cheerful, and didn’t carry the awkwardness typical of students from poor backgrounds. The publicity department and arts department often needed to collaborate, so Liu Xiang frequently appeared in front of Huang Yiya, sweetly calling her “Sister Yaya.” Huang Yiya grew fonder of her. After every arts department event, Huang Yiya would treat everyone to a meal, and if Liu Xiang was there, she would naturally include her.

But as for deeper contact, there wasn’t any. When Liu Xiang was about to enter her sophomore year, Huang Yiya heard from the publicity minister that she was stepping down and handing the position to Liu Xiang. No one had any objections.

But for some reason, after starting sophomore year, Liu Xiang suddenly announced her withdrawal from the student union. After just one summer break without seeing each other, Huang Yiya felt Liu Xiang had become completely gloomy. Liu Xiang didn’t tell anyone the reason. Later Huang Yiya heard that she had also become withdrawn in her class.

In the second half of her sophomore year—March of last year—Liu Xiang committed suicide. Her older sister came to take her back home and handled the funeral arrangements. The school never explicitly stated the reason for her suicide, but one rumor was that Liu Xiang’s enthusiasm and cheerfulness during her freshman year had been an act. She had desperately wanted to achieve something in university and shed the label of poverty. But in the end she realized she couldn’t, and the pressures from family, society, and academics crushed her.

People gradually forgot about Liu Xiang. Huang Yiya also withdrew from the student union toward the end of her junior year.

After school started last autumn, during student union discussions about activities, someone suggested holding a charity performance to raise funds for Liu Xiang’s family. University students are full of compassion, and preparations began immediately. As the former arts department minister, Huang Yiya naturally received an invitation.

Thinking of the girl who had once followed her around, Huang Yiya felt it was her duty. She immediately told Xue Ninglin, hoping she would join her.

But the moment Xue Ninglin heard Liu Xiang’s name, her expression changed. “What does a charity performance have to do with you?”

Huang Yiya said, “I was the former arts department minister.”

“You’re not anymore.”

“But I can still participate, right? I knew Liu Xiang. Come on, Ninglin, let’s go together.”

“I’m not going. And you shouldn’t either.”

“Why?”

Xue Ninglin couldn’t explain why, yet she irrationally tried to stop Huang Yiya. They had never had such an argument before. Huang Yiya found it incomprehensible and told Xue Ninglin not to bother her anymore.

After her anger cooled, Huang Yiya realized she had spoken too harshly. When she went to find Xue Ninglin again, Xue Ninglin gave her the cold shoulder. Having never been treated like this growing up, Huang Yiya started a cold war with her.

After hearing this part, Hai Shu felt the same incredulity as Huang Yiya. “Is Xue Ninglin a very emotional person?”

“Not at all!” Huang Yiya said. “That’s exactly why I find it so strange. We’ve been friends for more than three years. Even when we had disagreements, we could discuss them reasonably. She’s broad-minded—because she can get whatever she wants. Even if someone really offended her, she wouldn’t care too much. Only in this matter I can’t understand.”

Hai Shu said, “Could there have been some conflict between Xue Ninglin and Liu Xiang?”

Huang Yiya shook her head. “But they didn’t even know each other. Maybe when Ninglin came to find me, she crossed paths with Liu Xiang once, but there was no opportunity for any conflict. Besides…”

Hai Shu: “Besides?”

Huang Yiya gathered her words for a moment. “This might cause misunderstanding, but honestly, for someone like Liu Xiang, Ninglin would only feel pity. She couldn’t possibly have any other thoughts about her.”

After sending Huang Yiya home, Hai Shu’s mind kept returning to the names Xue Ninglin and Liu Xiang. Xue Ninglin had behaved abnormally because of Liu Xiang. Liu Xiang committed suicide in March last year. The student union planned a charity performance for Liu Xiang’s family in October last year, and soon after, Xue Ninglin went missing.

Was this disappearance related to Liu Xiang’s suicide?

The sub-bureau’s early investigation materials hadn’t mentioned Liu Xiang. Xue Ninglin’s interpersonal relationships didn’t seem to connect to Liu Xiang at all. Hai Shu stepped on the accelerator and headed to the police station near Gray Surge University of Science and Technology. She found the station chief. “I want to check on the student who committed suicide last year. Who responded to the scene at the time?”

The chief called over a young officer and said both the initial response and the later statements from Liu Xiang’s family, teachers, and classmates had been handled by him.

“It was like this: On March 14 at noon, we received a report from a classmate saying someone had jumped from a building. We arrived at almost the same time as the ambulance, but the person was already gone.”

The young officer flipped through the response record while recalling. The place where Liu Xiang jumped was actually quite hidden—in a six-story teaching building no longer used for classes. The university campus was vast and had a long history; some older buildings in the south had aged and been vacated, awaiting unified repairs during summer break. Because the facilities inside were outdated, only a small number of students who liked quiet would go there to study.

No one saw when Liu Xiang arrived on the sixth floor. The entire sixth floor’s classrooms were empty. Students studying were concentrated on the first and second floors, and since it was noon, most students were at lunch.

Liu Xiang jumped from a sixth-floor window and hit the concrete with a muffled thud. Students still in the classrooms thought something had fallen and looked out, then panicked and called the police.

Her cervical spine was broken, her head caved in—she had no chance of resuscitation. The officers immediately sealed off the building, questioned every student studying there one by one, and collected footprints on the sixth floor and fingerprints on the window, confirming that no one else was around when Liu Xiang jumped.

Afterward, the officers found her suicide note in her dorm. It was addressed to her older sister Liu Xin and consisted of just two short lines: This world is too hard for me to live in. I’m sorry, sister.

The handwriting was authenticated as Liu Xiang’s.

Liu Xiang’s hometown was rural. Her sister Liu Xin rushed over upon hearing the news, crying until she was a wreck. She said Liu Xiang had been raised single-handedly by her and asked why this had happened—Liu Xiang must have been bullied at school.

Classmates exchanged looks and all said they had never bullied Liu Xiang. Their statements corroborated one another. The police found no evidence of campus bullying. Teachers also said the class and dorm environment had always been harmonious. Before withdrawing from the journalism college student union, Liu Xiang had been very popular there too.

Some students said there had indeed been changes in Liu Xiang. During her freshman year she was extremely cheerful—not only busy with student union work but often accompanying classmates to various clubs just for fun. She gave the impression of thoroughly enjoying campus life. But after entering sophomore year, Liu Xiang left the student union. She often studied alone in the library and was no longer as enthusiastic. Still, everyone thought this was normal—some people go wild transitioning from senior year of high school to freshman year of college, then gradually settle down and figure out what they really want.

Over that half year, Liu Xiang had become more introverted, but her relationships with classmates hadn’t soured. She never complained about anything, so no one had expected her to commit suicide.

The investigation cleared classmates and teachers of suspicion. After Liu Xin signed, the forensic pathologist performed an autopsy on Liu Xiang. The police had initially suspected whether Liu Xiang had been assaulted, leading to psychological issues, but the autopsy ruled that out.

Liu Xin was devastated and unwilling to let Liu Xiang suffer further. After the autopsy, she requested to take Liu Xiang back to her hometown for burial.

“We closed it as suicide. I accompanied Liu Xiang’s sister for the cremation.” The young officer was somewhat nervous. “Captain Hai, is there some problem with this case?”

Hai Shu shook her head. “The suicide itself isn’t in question, but the reason behind it may not be simple.”

The young officer scratched his head. “We speculated it was overwhelming pressure from all sides, combined with Liu Xiang’s own psychological gap, causing her to break down momentarily.”

Hai Shu said, “By the way, when you were taking statements, did you come into contact with Xue Ninglin?”

Young officer: “That name sounds really familiar… You mean the girl who went missing recently?!”

“Yes, her.”

“How is this connected to Xue Ninglin?” The young officer was very surprised, sweat breaking out. “Xue Ninglin and Liu Xiang weren’t in the same college. Xue Ninglin was in the communications college. They had no overlap. Before her disappearance, we never contacted her.”

Hai Shu asked again, “Do you remember Huang Yiya? She was in the same college as Liu Xiang and was the former arts department minister in the journalism college student union.”

The young officer immediately said, “Yes, yes. Students provided a lead saying Liu Xiang had been thriving in the student union during her freshman year but suddenly withdrew in sophomore year and her personality changed slightly. We thought maybe the problem was in the student union. But after talking to everyone there, we found they didn’t know why Liu Xiang withdrew either. Several ministers—including Huang Yiya—had good relationships with her.”

After Xue Ninglin went missing, the initial investigation was done by the police station before it was transferred to the sub-bureau. The young officer met Huang Yiya a second time, and this left a deeper impression.

Hai Shu said, “What was her reaction?”

“Panicked, in disbelief, anxious. Basically the reaction of someone whose close friend has met with misfortune.” The young officer stood up and imitated Huang Yiya’s expression. “When we went to her because of Liu Xiang, she was much calmer. Though also regretful and sad, it was the reaction to hearing that someone she knew had died.”

Hai Shu returned to the municipal bureau and pinned Liu Xiang’s photo on the whiteboard. She vaguely felt she had grasped a thread related to the university student disappearance case. Although Liu Xiang’s suicide was ironclad, the doubt lay in this: Xue Ninglin had almost no connection to Liu Xiang, yet when Huang Yiya mentioned Liu Xiang, Xue Ninglin displayed displeasure and rejection that didn’t match her usual personality.

What exactly was Xue Ninglin targeting about Liu Xiang? And at that time Liu Xiang was already dead.

Moreover, the reason for Liu Xiang’s suicide remained unclear. Suppose it was related to Xue Ninglin?

The disappearance case had been ongoing for months with no breakthrough. Perhaps the breakthrough lay in this suicide that occurred on March 14 last year.

Hai Shu tossed her pen into the slot below the whiteboard and stared at Liu Xiang’s photo. This girl—she needed to keep investigating.

“Where are you going?” Sui Xing returned to the bureau just in time to see Hai Shu getting into the car. “Why are you still driving the off-roader?”

Hai Shu said, “Liu Xiang’s hometown is Hezhou Village. Keep an eye on things in the team.” With that, the off-roader sped away in a cloud of dust. Sui Xing stood stunned for a long time. “…I still wanted to tell you about Zhang Gu.”

Zhang Gu was the 20-year-old man killed by Gong Zhao at the club last June. Hai Shu had previously asked Sui Xing to investigate him, but Zhang Gu himself didn’t have much to dig into—because the police had already launched an investigation into the entire Fengman Real Estate, and Zhang Gu’s identity and background were already documented in the files.

He was from Heji City, high school education, poor family. He completed his studies through charity programs but didn’t want to burden his family further. Two years ago he came to Gray Surge City to work, mostly in nightlife venues, until three months before the incident when Gong Zhao took a liking to him.

As a victim, he was unfortunate—but he had also walked into Gong Zhao’s net of his own accord.

What Sui Xing found most regrettable was that Zhang Gu had good high school grades and the charity program could have covered his university expenses. But he chose to give up his studies.

The road to Hezhou Village was rough. Hai Shu drove more than six hours to reach the village. This was no longer under Gray Surge City’s jurisdiction. The sun had set, and the village was filled with the smell of cooking smoke.

Hai Shu found the Liu family home—a tiled house. Chickens roamed freely in the yard. The indoor light was dim and yellowish. Just as Hai Shu was about to push open the courtyard gate, a woman in a padded jacket came out, apparently to dump something from a dustpan. She spotted Hai Shu at a glance. “Who are you?”

Hai Shu showed her credentials. The woman froze for a moment. “You’re here for our Xiangxiang?”

The woman was Liu Xiang’s older sister, Liu Xin. She quickly invited Hai Shu inside, vigorously wiping her hands on her apron, and brought over a stool. “Sit here. My place is messy and I don’t have much to offer. Wait a moment—I’ll go kill a chicken.”

Hai Shu quickly stopped her. “Don’t go to the trouble. Just a cup of hot water is fine. I’ve been driving all day—my throat is dry.”

Liu Xin hurriedly said, “Okay, okay!”

While she went to pour water, Hai Shu surveyed the room. It had three rooms in a row—typical rural layout. Yellowed walls pasted with old calendars and newspapers. Feed, rice, flour, and other essentials piled in the corners. Tables and cabinets decades old, paint chipped, corners missing, but still in use.

On the cabinet were six or seven photo frames—family photos, individual portraits—all featuring Liu Xiang. Awards certificates from Liu Xiang’s childhood to now hung on the wall. In Liu Xin’s heart, Liu Xiang must have been the best little sister in the world.

Liu Xin returned with hot water. Seeing Hai Shu looking at the photos, she came over and sighed softly. “Our Xiangxiang had such bad luck. If our parents were still alive, she definitely wouldn’t have come to that end. Officer Hai, today you’re… have you found something related to Xiangxiang?”

Hai Shu took the hot water. “We’re currently investigating another case, and one lead may be connected to Liu Xiang.”

“What lead?” Liu Xin’s voice trembled with excitement. “They said Xiangxiang committed suicide, but it must have been the school that harmed her! What hardship hadn’t Xiangxiang endured? When she came back for Spring Festival in her freshman year, she told me she had joined the student union and would train herself well there, make a beautiful resume by senior year…”

Hai Shu patted Liu Xin’s back. “Take your time. No rush. I came today to hear you talk about Liu Xiang. The more we understand her, the more likely we are to find… to find the reason she did it.”

Liu Xin calmed down. She picked up a framed family photo and gently stroked it. “This was taken when Xiangxiang was 10—our whole family. Less than half a year later, the village was hit by disaster—floods. Dad died of exhaustion on the dam. Mom was overwhelmed with grief and followed soon after. I was 16 then, still in school. But there was no choice—the family needed a laborer. So I dropped out and went to the county to work…”

One girl raising another was extremely hard. Fortunately, the villagers knew their difficulties and helped when they could. Cadres also found ways to increase their subsidies.

Liu Xiang was very capable. She got into the best high school in the county with the top score in the whole town. That year, they unexpectedly received one-on-one sponsorship from a kind person, plus high school scholarships. The sisters’ life finally improved a bit.

Liu Xiang always wanted to meet the kind person, but according to the sponsorship rules, if the donor didn’t want to meet, they couldn’t. Later Liu Xiang performed excellently in the college entrance exam and was admitted to Gray Surge University of Science and Technology. Liu Xiang proposed again to thank the kind person in person. They agreed and stayed in Hezhou Village for two days.

The sponsorship was originally only through high school graduation, but after Liu Xiang entered university, they extended it. The money was received by Liu Xin—most sent to Liu Xiang along with living expenses, a small portion kept at home for emergencies.

After Liu Xiang’s incident, in her grief, Liu Xin informed the sponsor of the bad news. The four-and-a-half-year sponsorship then ended.

“Xiangxiang and I were both very grateful to them. They were truly good people. Though their own lives weren’t wealthy, they scrimped and saved to help people like us.” Tears welled in Liu Xin’s eyes. “What a pity—Xiangxiang just left like that.”

The fact that the Liu sisters were sponsored wasn’t recorded in the police station materials. Hai Shu asked, “You never told the investigating officers?”

Liu Xin shook her head. “My mind was in complete chaos back then—I couldn’t think straight. And when the police asked me to recall if Xiangxiang had any grudges with anyone, Xiangxiang wouldn’t have grudges with benefactors.”

Hai Shu said, “Who are they?”

Liu Xin wiped her tears. “This… Xiangxiang’s incident couldn’t possibly be related to them.”

Hai Shu nodded. “I know, but since they’re people connected to Liu Xiang, I have to verify the lead.”

Liu Xin stood up, took out the sponsorship documents from a drawer, and reminded her, “They really are good people. If possible, it’s best not to disturb them.”

When she saw the two familiar names, Hai Shu suddenly felt an unreal sense of suspension. The kind people who had sponsored the Liu sisters for many years were actually Liang Lanjun and Zhao Yue!

Liu Xin said, “Officer Hai? Officer Hai?”

Hai Shu steadied herself. “Do you know where their home is? What do they usually do?”

Liu Xin nodded. “When they came to see Xiangxiang, we chatted. They live in Zhou Ping Town—ordinary workers. I said Zhou Ping Town is right in Gray Surge City, so Xiangxiang could visit them in the future. But they probably didn’t want us to disturb them—they said no need. We understood. It was already wonderful that they came to see Xiangxiang.”

A massive amount of clues converged in Hai Shu’s mind—this was undoubtedly the most shocking one. She asked again, “After Liu Xiang’s incident, did you have any more contact? What was their reaction when they learned what happened?”

Liu Xin said, “Only once—when I told them Xiangxiang had passed. Sister Zhao was silent for a long time; she must have been crying. She asked the reason. I said I didn’t know. She told me to take care of myself. I said there was no need to send more money. After that, no more contact.”

After the fierce sound of firecrackers, the village night became exceptionally quiet. Hai Shu stayed overnight at the Liu home, sleeping in Liu Xiang’s former room. It was a small but warmly arranged room—with a desk. The desk lamp was old but clearly a high-quality eye-protecting one. On the desk sat a small pink plush bear.

Hai Shu closed her eyes. In her mind appeared the photo frame she had seen at the Liang home. In the center of the photo was a girl—perhaps taken the year Liu Xiang was admitted to university, when Liang Lanjun and Zhao Yue came to visit.

Putting a photo in a frame meant treasuring and commemorating it. Yet the frame had been stored in a rarely seen dark-brown glass cabinet. Did they put it there after learning of Liu Xiang’s suicide?

Liu Xiang committed suicide in March. Xue Ninglin from the same university went missing in October. Interpersonal investigations yielded no results. The only anomaly was Xue Ninglin’s abnormal displeasure and rejection when Huang Yiya mentioned Liu Xiang.

What exactly was Xue Ninglin targeting about Liu Xiang? And Liu Xiang was already deceased at the time.

Furthermore, the reason for Liu Xiang’s suicide remained unclear. Suppose it was related to Xue Ninglin?

If this suicide case was connected to the current disappearance case, were Liang Lanjun and Zhao Yue involved? What made them most suspicious was their appearance at the scene where Wan Zeyu killed Yuan Zhong. The explanation of burning paper made no sense at all. And in the news Liang Lanjun suddenly changed to, it was playing Gong Zhao—who had already been arrested for toying with and causing the deaths of young men and women, along with his accomplices.

Both Liu Xiang and Xue Ninglin, in terms of age and appearance, were the type of people Gong Zhao and his group might target!

The more Hai Shu thought, the harder it was to sleep. Liu Xiang had suddenly withdrawn from the student union after the summer break following her freshman year. This felt more like a turning point than the suicide itself. What had she encountered that made her no longer full of hope for life? She wanted to hide, but a few months later, despair still eroded her!

But if assuming Liu Xiang had been assaulted, the autopsy would have easily detected it. The police had considered similar ideas at the time, yet Liu Xiang had not been violated.

The next day, Hai Shu hurried back to Gray Surge City and headed straight to Zhou Ping Town without pause. Meanwhile, Sui Xing’s investigation into Ju Ning uncovered a suspicious point—Fengman Real Estate, an enterprise completely unrelated to scientific research, actually appeared on the Gray Surge Academy of Sciences’ sponsorship thank-you list! And Fengman sponsored only projects under Ju Ning. The first sponsorship occurred the very year Ju Ning left Gray Surge University and joined the academy!

Liang Lanjun, Ju Ning, Gong Zhao—these three people with vastly different statuses, wealth, and lives seemed strung together by a single thread.

All three had studied at Gray Surge University. Liang Lanjun and Ju Ning were classmates competing for an overseas research spot. Gong Zhao returned to China for touring studies, overlapping with them at Gray Surge University.

Ju Ning got the spot. Liang Lanjun was expelled for injuring someone. Gong Zhao went abroad again and was alumni with Ju Ning in France. Gong Zhao returned first, took over the family business. Ju Ning finished his studies and returned to engage in research. Gong Zhao was Fengman Real Estate’s person in charge in Gray Surge City. Fengman sponsoring Ju Ning’s projects was very likely his decision.

Sui Xing added these leads to Hai Shu’s whiteboard. Checking the time, she decided to go find Ju Ning again.