Chapter 36: Resignation to Fate

"The neighbors saw it all. So, when she eventually returned and tried to act as if nothing had happened, going about her business as usual, it was impossible for the people living around her not to gossip behind her back.

It seemed that the women of her age, or those even older, didn't want to have anything to do with her; they wouldn't even speak to her. I suppose living there became unbearable for her, feeling like she was being pointed at and judged every single day, so she packed up, took Chang Junchao with her, and moved away. She never came back," Wang Hongzhen recalled.

"When the three of them lived in your building, did they have many visitors? Besides the girlfriends Chang Junchao brought home?" Ning Shuyi asked.

"Not really. I didn't see much of anyone," Wang Hongzhen shook her head. "The soundproofing in our building isn't great, and it’s not like those modern apartment buildings with elevators where people just come and go. If anyone ever visited, you could basically hear it in the hallway, whether you were upstairs or downstairs. It seemed like nobody ever really stopped by their place."

Ning Shuyi’s brow furrowed even deeper.

Wang Hongzhen, likely accustomed to constantly reading her own husband's mood to avoid his temper and physical abuse, was particularly sensitive to changes in others' expressions. Seeing Ning Shuyi frown, she hurriedly tried to recall more. "Oh, right, there is one thing I didn't think of earlier. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with what you're looking for, but since I remembered it, I might as well tell you! About a month after Deng Qingrong and her son moved out, a man came looking for them. He probably didn't know where they had moved, so he was asking around downstairs. When he heard they had moved away, he even asked where they had gone, as if he were quite eager to track them down.

"But none of us neighbors in that area really knew where the mother and son had gone. We just told him that Deng Qingrong had returned after her husband passed away and moved again not long after. The man seemed surprised by that news and got quite angry, cursing under his breath as he left. The neighbor who told him that actually felt a bit regretful afterward, worried that by saying too much, she might have invited some kind of trouble."

"What kind of person was he?" Huo Yan asked.

"Just a man, looked to be in his sixties. I can't quite remember what he looked like; it’s been a long time, and I only saw him that once," Wang Hongzhen admitted, unable to recall his features. "He didn't seem to come back looking for Deng Qingrong after that. Or perhaps he did, but he wasn't as loud about it, so I might not have noticed. If you really need to know, you could try asking other neighbors.

"Before, I’d heard the neighbors gossiping downstairs, speculating about what really happened. They suspected that Deng Qingrong hadn't been very virtuous—that once her husband got injured and couldn't work or make money, and required someone to wait on him hand and foot, she just ran off to find a new man. But why she came back later—whether it was out of guilt or a sudden change of heart—nobody knew. It’s also possible she didn't move away just because of the neighbors' gossip, but because she felt guilty about something else and was hiding. None of this is certain; it was all just idle chatter among neighbors. I only caught bits and pieces while moving between floors. My husband never let me hang out with the neighbors to chat, fearing I’d tell them about how he beats me at home..."

At the mention of the domestic abuse she had endured for years, Wang Hongzhen’s mood darkened. Ning Shuyi decided not to press further about Deng Qingrong and her son. She comforted Wang Hongzhen, left her business card, and told her to get some rest. Then, she and Huo Yan left the guesthouse.

It was already late when they stepped out. Since the guesthouse was on the way to Ning Shuyi's home, and she hadn't been back in days and felt a bit uneasy about it, she decided to head home for the night.

Huo Yan drove her back. Ning Shuyi remained silent the entire ride, brow tightly knitted, staring out the window, clearly lost in thought. After glancing at her a few times, Huo Yan couldn't help but ask, "Work or personal?"

Ning Shuyi snapped back to reality, turned to look at him, and smiled. "Work. I’m mulling over this case. Let's go to Chang Junchao’s workplace tomorrow to see what we can find out. From what the neighbors say—both at the old address and the crime scene—the contact range of this mother and son with the outside world was pitifully narrow. And there doesn't seem to be any conflict severe enough to escalate into a massacre. I still find the idea that a simple motive of greed would escalate into murder and concealment to be a bit far-fetched."

"This mother and son are both strange," Huo Yan said as he turned the car onto the side road leading to her home. Having been there once, he had already memorized the route. "One constantly brags about having a son as if it were some great achievement, yet shows no real love or concern for him. The other, regardless of the circumstances, shows absolutely no emotional reaction from beginning to end. That's not right."

"What's 'not right' about that?" Huo Yan's observation was perfectly valid, but hearing it from him made Ning Shuyi want to chuckle. She couldn't resist a playful jab. "You don't show much of an emotional reaction either!"

Huo Yan paused slightly. He didn't respond to her teasing, only saying, "Everyone has emotions. It's just that once you lower your expectations to the minimum, the emotions fade."

"In other words, you've accepted your fate, right?"

"Yes."

Ning Shuyi looked at him, then turned back to the window, lost in her own thoughts. Neither of them spoke again. Soon, they arrived at Ning Shuyi's place. Even though she was a frontline criminal investigator, considering the late hour, Huo Yan got out of the car and walked her to her building before leaving.

Ning Shuyi took the elevator up. When she reached her front door, she didn't rush to unlock it, but instead stood still, pricking up her ears to listen. The floor was quiet; there wasn't a sound. Had the person finally realized she hadn't been home for days and given up? Ning Shuyi wondered to herself, pulling out her keys.

—

The next morning, after finishing his morning workout, Huo Yan arrived at the office. As soon as he walked in, he saw Ning Shuyi slumped over her desk, fast asleep. He paused for a moment, checked the time, then walked over and tapped her back gently.

Ning Shuyi sat up with a start, her eyes still closed, looking utterly exhausted.