Fan Jia, Xu Mengshan, and others had been waiting for some time. They exchanged glances with You Mingxu, who nodded, indicating to take the youth straight in.

As the morgue door opened, three beds with white sheets revealed the outlines of adult and child bodies. Everyone watched Li Biran. He stood dazed, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation before him. Fan Jia led him to Xie Huifang’s body and said softly, “Your aunt, cousin, and cousin were killed at home yesterday afternoon. My condolences. Would you… like to see them?”

Li Biran’s face flushed red, tears glistening in his eyes, his lips trembling, unable to speak a word.

Fan Jia gently lifted the white sheet.

Li Biran maintained his blank, stupefied expression, staring fixedly at Xie Huifang for a long while before looking around at the surrounding officers in a daze.

Fan Jia didn’t want him to see the two children and remained still.

Li Biran suddenly turned and rushed out. You Mingxu gestured for everyone to stay while she followed him. Just a few steps into the hallway, she saw the youth ahead, head down, wiping away tears. You Mingxu quickly walked to his side to find his face covered in tears, eyes red, choking with sobs – completely like a grief-stricken young beast.

She followed him to the police station courtyard. The youth stopped under a large tree, not looking at You Mingxu, quietly sobbing.

You Mingxu stood several meters away, turned around, lit a cigarette, and smoked quietly for a while.

In her memory, when You Mingxu was Li Biran’s age, she was already orphaned, living with her grandparents.

Going further back to her childhood, memories of her mother were numerous and vivid. Her mother held her close, affectionately nuzzling her face; taking her out to fly kites and visit amusement parks; when she got into trouble, her mother strictly ordered her to stand at attention and reflect; later, when work kept them apart, her mother would still call whenever possible, come back to see her, bring her small gifts…

All the maternal love and warmth other children had, she had too.

As for her father? What kind of creature was that?

So later, at age ten, at her mother’s memorial service after dying in the line of duty, You Mingxu cried even harder than the youth before her now, struggling to breathe, screaming, and fighting against the world in darkness.

After the memorial service, she rarely cried again.

…

You Mingxu handed the youth a tissue and a bottle of water. He had stopped crying but his eyes were still red, his expression wooden.

“Where were you yesterday?”

The youth kept his head down: “At the internet cafe the whole time.”

“Recently, have you noticed anything unusual about people or events around you? Or did your aunt have any enemies?”

“No, I don’t know.”

“How was your aunt’s relationship with your uncle?”

“Pretty good, I guess…”

Soon after, Li Biran’s parents and Xie Huifang’s husband, Zeng Qiang, arrived.

Zeng Qiang was an ordinary-looking man in his forties. Somewhat dull, dressed simply. When he entered, his eyes were red and swollen. Upon seeing the three bodies, this grown man collapsed to the ground, wailing loudly, even making distorted sounds more animal than human.

The police had heard such wailing several times before, always from victim’s families who had lost loved ones in their deepest grief. The officers stood silently nearby until eventually Zeng Qiang blacked out and fainted. His hands still clutched tightly to his children’s, taking the officers considerable effort to pry them loose.

The victim Xie Huifang’s sister and brother-in-law, Li Biran’s parents, also cried heartbrokenly in the morgue, especially Li’s mother, who wailed inconsolably at the sight of her sister and niece and nephew. Later she held Li Biran, crying, “My son, we thought something had happened to you too… what sin did your aunt commit to deserve this… what beast did this…”

Li Biran had stopped crying by then, letting his mother hold him like a wooden puppet. His father said, “Can’t you see the child is terrified? Take him home first, don’t let him see anymore!”

——

However, over the next two days, the investigation’s path grew increasingly narrow.

First, the previously investigated personal conflicts with Xie Huifang were further confirmed to lack sufficient motive and opportunity for the crime. The possibility of revenge killing was preliminarily ruled out.

Regarding Xie Huifang and her husband Zeng Qiang’s marriage, no signs of discord were found, nor any emotional entanglements. When Xie Huifang was killed, Zeng Qiang was out of town with a solid alibi. Moreover, his reaction upon seeing the bodies convinced the police he wasn’t suspicious.

The police even investigated Li’s parents’ alibis. They were indeed out of town, with many witnesses to verify, and also had no motive.

As for Li Biran, although he struggled at school and was looked down upon by the wealthy students, no one bore him any great grudge. Besides, when the incident occurred at noon, all students were in their dormitories.

Li Biran didn’t have many connections outside school, and no friends in society, so it wasn’t targeted at him either. Neighbors heard him having a big argument with Xie Huifang the night before the incident. From that night until the police found him, he had stayed locked in that internet cafe, only leaving in the morning to buy fast food. The cafe’s surveillance footage showed this clearly.

So none of the family members were suspects.

The investigation had hit a complete deadlock.

On the third day after the incident, Ding Xiongwei called everyone for a meeting. Given the case’s extremely vicious nature and the superiors’ high attention, Ding Xiongwei’s face was clouded with worry. He issued new instructions, adjusting the investigation’s direction: focus on screening habitual burglars and recently released criminals. The revenge killing angle was abandoned.

When announcing this directive, You Mingxu felt Ding Xiongwei glance at her somewhat deeply. You Mingxu thought: It wasn’t me who insisted it was revenge killing, it was Yin Feng. Why glare at me?

Even iron men need to catch their breath. That night, Ding Xiongwei sent everyone home to shower and sleep. Report to the station first thing tomorrow morning.

These past few days, You Mingxu hadn’t been able to look after Yin Feng at all. But Chen Feng was thoughtful, having Yin Feng bring meals, fruits, and such to the police station during lunch and dinner times. If You Mingxu was at the station, she’d come out to receive them. There wasn’t even time for a single extra word, at most patting Yin Feng’s head or saying, “Thanks.” Yin Feng had probably been coached by Chen Feng, not lingering, just standing obediently outside the station, watching her leave for a long while.

Thinking of this, You Mingxu smiled as she stepped off the bus. It was already dark, and as she looked up, she saw a familiar figure at the bus stop.

He was wearing his favorite green Astro Boy shirt again with jeans. Hands in his pockets, he watched her from five or six meters away.

Not having seen him for several days, why did You Mingxu feel he had grown a bit, somehow seeming more mature and sensible?