Chapter 99: Lu Sheng’s Side Story (Part II)

It was almost laughable, really. Chen Shuo was a policeman, a representative of justice, yet because of his constant anxiety, he had spent all these years alone—no friends, no lover, and he refused to have a partner.

His colleagues said he was a proud lone wolf who didn’t need a partner to drag him down. He never joined the team for dinners or participated in other group activities. Because he didn’t fit in, he gradually became an outcast among his peers.

Chen Shuo knew that Chen Yan’s disappearance did not signify an end. As long as she was not found, he would always live in fear.

If he wanted a normal life, he had to find Chen Yan. If she was alive, he had to see her in person; if she was dead, he needed to see her body.

Otherwise, nothing would ever end.

Chen Shuo was silent for a long time before he spoke. “I found an old case file about a doctor named Song who was murdered twenty years ago. He deceived women into bearing his children, hoping to use the organs of his own bloodline to replace his failing organs.”

He paused, then continued, “At the time, he lived in Yuhua Community and was her neighbor. The officers working the case then unearthed four children's remains from her yard. I never imagined that by leaving, I would drive her to such madness.”

Lu Sheng pulled a strawberry-flavored soft candy from his pocket, tore open the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth. He looked on as if watching a play, completely detached. If Chen Shuo said something particularly entertaining, he might even applaud.

Chen Shuo raised his eyes, studying Lu Sheng’s face for a long time, perhaps searching for any resemblance to Chen Yan. Fortunately, Lu Sheng looked nothing like her.

Yet the guilt gnawing at him did not lessen in the slightest. He said, “I’m sorry.”

If he hadn’t run away like a coward all those years ago, perhaps none of this would have happened. Those four children might not have been buried like trash in the dirt.

Chen Shuo sat slumped on the bench, unable to straighten his back, unable to find any reason to summon the will to live. He raised a hand to his forehead, let out a long sigh, and said slowly, “If you really want to, you can do it any time.”

Lu Sheng asked, “What did you do with the gift I gave you?”

Chen Shuo didn’t answer.

In the distance, the sound of a bus arriving could be heard.

Death did not come for Chen Shuo; instead, he heard the rapid footsteps of a young man running away.

Lu Sheng shouted, “Yao Yao!”

Bai Yao had just gotten off the bus when Lu Sheng wrapped her in a tight hug. She raised her hand and shoved his face away, annoyed. “You’re going to strangle me!”

Lu Sheng was like a big golden retriever—no matter how his owner pushed him away, he insisted on snuggling up, exclaiming theatrically, “Yao Yao, I missed you so much!”

Every day when Bai Yao came home from school, he would say something like that. She couldn’t believe he never tired of it.

She immediately noticed Chen Shuo sitting on the bench. “Why is he here?”

Lu Sheng replied, “No idea.”

Whenever Bai Yao saw Chen Shuo, she thought of Chen Yan. She grabbed Lu Sheng’s hand and tugged him away. “Let’s go home. I brought you your favorite Kentucky Duck.”

Lu Sheng’s eyes lit up. “Yao Yao, you’re the best!”

By now, the last rays of the setting sun had faded, and night had fallen.

Chen Shuo watched the young couple disappear into the distance. He sat for a long while before realizing, belatedly, that Lu Sheng apparently had no intention of killing him. An even deeper sense of failure washed over him.

How pathetic was he, if even monsters and ghosts thought his life wasn’t worth taking?

Chen Shuo ran his hands through his hair and slowly made his way to the roadside, getting into his car.

There weren’t many cars on the road, and the streetlights were dim, as if reflecting his own life.

Lu Sheng had just asked what he’d done with the gift. Chen Shuo hadn’t answered because he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

In his terror and panic, he had buried the box in the earth.

For twenty years, he hadn’t had a single good night’s sleep. He’d thought that by strangling his nightmares with his own hands, he might finally be able to sleep without the help of sleeping pills. But he still couldn’t sleep.

The nightmares lingered.

He was a coward, destined never to defeat them. Maybe fate itself was telling him that someone as wretched as he was didn’t deserve to live in this world.

Chen Shuo’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, his foot pressing harder and harder on the gas. He stared unblinkingly at the winding road ahead, the urge for self-destruction in his eyes reaching its peak.

It wasn’t until his phone rang incessantly that a trace of awareness returned to him.

He pulled over. Gradually, a spark of focus returned to his hollow gaze. After a while, he answered, his voice hoarse. “Who is this?”

An excited voice came from the other end. “Officer Chen!”

Chen Shuo glanced at the contact on his phone screen. “Ah, it’s Miss He.”

He Cai said, “I’m in trouble and need your help!”

He chuckled. “Is that so?”

He Cai was a little annoyed. “I said I’m in trouble—why are you laughing?”

Chen Shuo replied, “I just didn’t expect that anyone in this world still remembered me.”

He Cai couldn’t be bothered to argue. “I remember your license plate number. Were you just speeding down the road? Come back and help me, I’m waiting right here!”

Truth be told, He Cai didn’t have the best temperament—she had the airs of a young lady, and even when asking for help, she wasn’t exactly polite.

But He Cai never looked for faults in herself. Rather than wear herself down with self-doubt, she’d rather blame others for their lack of discernment.

Dongfang Xuan had tried to fix his luxury car after it broke down, but to no avail. He walked over to the impatient He Cai. “I’ve already called for roadside assistance. They’ll be here soon.”

He Cai glared at Dongfang Xuan. “If you hadn’t insisted on dragging me out to that villa for fun, I wouldn’t have come! And now the car’s broken down, there’s not a soul or a shop in sight. Being with you is nothing but bad luck!”

She stomped her foot in frustration. “Dongfang Xuan, I want to break off our engagement!”

It used to always be Dongfang Xuan threatening to end things, but now that He Cai said it, he felt particularly unsettled. “Don’t say things you don’t mean. An engagement is a big deal—you can’t just break it off on a whim.”

He Cai sneered, “It’s only because she’s gone. If she were still here, you’d have jumped at the chance to end things with me.”

Dongfang Xuan muttered, “I told you long ago I don’t have feelings for Su Youyou. Why do you have to bring her up?”

He Cai retorted, “Did I bring her up? Wasn’t it you who mentioned her name?”

Dongfang Xuan couldn’t win the argument. For once, he tried to soften his tone and coax her, but just then a black car pulled up beside them.

The window rolled down, revealing a young man with a world-weary face. He looked at He Cai with lazy amusement and said, “So the trouble you mentioned is just a fight with your boyfriend?”