For whom doesn't want to leave

A pitch-black room. The door was locked, the windows sealed shut. Whether outside was thunder and lightning or sunny and windy, it had nothing to do with her. Later… she became so violent that her hands and feet were bound. Even with the daily torture, her lover, who was watching over her from heaven, would not send her away. Why did it fail this time?

Cang Yue knew that she was trying too hard not to leave. She wanted to stay.

When did that happen? Who had trapped her in the room? She was being fed and clothed in fine clothes, yet they had her hands and feet tied. Cang Yue couldn't recall. Whenever she encountered similar situations, memories would sometimes pop up in her mind, just fragments. She couldn't recall much more.

The room was dim and damp, with only a few rays of light, and a strong stench. She sat on a throne chair, her arms bound to the armrests with hemp rope, her waist tied to the back, and her feet tied up as well. The pair of shoes Shuixi had given her were placed against the wall.

The door opened and a man walked in.

"Is it Song Qi?" Zang Yue found that his voice became hoarse.

The man didn't say anything, but walked gently towards Zang Yue, kicked over a small stool and sat down.

"I know it's you, Songqi." Zang Yue persisted, "I smell the perfume on you. Only you would wear perfume, right? In that family, you're the only one who keeps your little world so clean and tidy, and you don't want anyone to touch it, not even your family, right? Why did you tie me up? Did I do something wrong? You should at least tell me a reason."

The cold knife pressed against the back of her hand, then slowly sliced ​​through the flesh. Zang Yue endured the pain, not crying out. She didn't realize that even if she screamed in this place, no one outside would hear her. She didn't want to attract anyone, as that would lead to victims and criminals. After the first cut, the man wiped the blood from the knife and moved on to the other hand. With the same slow pace, he cut the flesh, letting some blood flow. Then he fished medicine from his pocket and sprinkled it on the wound, finally wrapping it with gauze.

After doing all this, he planned to leave. Zang Yue felt that if she loosened her teeth, the pain would be infinitely magnified, and her heart would be unable to bear it. But if she let him go, she didn't know how long she would have to endure it before she could have another chance to communicate with him. She gritted her teeth and struggled to break free, her body paralyzed as if drugged. Despite this, as the man looked on with disdain, one hand tore through the rope.

He stopped at the door. Zang Yue looked at the man in the darkness.

The lights flickered on. The glare blinded Cang Yue. She quickly closed her eyes, suppressing the pain in her head, then slowly opened them again. Tan Songqi squatted down and bound her hands tightly with two new ropes. Blood suddenly gushed out from the wound, soaking the entire gauze red. He loosened the ropes again and repeated the bandaging process.

"I should have noticed it earlier." Zang Yue recalled, "When you saw the news about cat abuse on TV, it said 'It's been discovered again.' If it was someone unrelated, they would probably say something like 'A new case has been discovered. How pitiful or how abominable.' Tell me, did I do anything wrong?"

Some bad guys don't need a reason to do things, they just do it to satisfy their natural urges.

Tan Songqi lowered his eyebrows, and even when he stood up after everything happened last night, he was deliberately avoiding her gaze.

"I thought people who could do something like that would be smarter."

"Really? Then what did I do wrong?" Tan Songqi pulled a fruit knife from his sleeve and sat down again, ready to do what he had just done. He watched the blade slice through delicate flesh, blood gushing out, and the person sitting in the chair in agony, wishing they could die immediately, but bound and powerless, he could only endure. He became excited.

"I've tested your blood, and you look strange. If you send it to a more professional institution, the only news that will be spread is that an unidentified animal has been spotted in the city. You have no family, no friends, not even a single acquaintance. No one will remember you if you disappear, so you're the perfect person to practice on, right? What did I do wrong? I'm tired of playing with those cats. Do you know who I really want to make disappear the most? It's my dad. When I was a kid, he was a pig butcher. He had a big stall and couldn't afford to hire anyone. When my mom was around, he thought he was so great that he looked down on her all day and beat people up, and she ran away. That night, my mom woke me up and said she was leaving. I knew I would be beaten up if I went out, but I refused to go with her. I'm naturally timid, and encountering someone like him was even more terrifying. He asked me to help him butcher a pig, and when the pig struggled, I was thrown flying. The pain was so intense that I felt like I was dying. He laughed heartily, calling me worse than a pig. I was about nine years old at the time. He tied me up and put me in the pig's stomach. I stayed there all night... Only two years later, I realized that while I was living that kind of life, my peers were taking interest classes, learning painting, calligraphy, and playing the piano. What was I doing? Guess what? Why do you look at me with sympathy? Why do you think I'm a good person? It's really disgusting. I became like this because of the psychological trauma of my childhood. They made me this way. What does it have to do with me?

Each time he slashed his blade, it felt like revenge for his mother back then, and for himself since then. The accumulated hatred was endless. After all, those events had completely changed the trajectory of his life, and there was no way to settle the score. He knew clearly that he might not be able to stop today. It was a relief, because there was one less person in the world who had to endure the pain.

"You should be very grateful to me, right?"

Song Shiwen jolted awake and glanced out the window. The sun hadn't yet set, probably around four o'clock. He was in the middle of a beautiful dream when he suddenly remembered he'd missed something incredibly important. He jolted awake, feeling lost. He couldn't recall what it was. He only knew he couldn't stay here any longer. He immediately got up, not even taking the time to change, threw on his coat, and, calling friends for help, rushed out of the hospital.

Where should he go? What was going on? He stood in the parking lot outside the hospital, facing a large lawn. Above him was the bright 4 p.m. sky, yet his heart was dark. His damn brain couldn't form any thoughts. What was most important? Who was going to die? He thought about the cat abuser he hadn't found, and wondered why the police hadn't gotten a single clue. He called the uncle at the police station and was told there was still no news.

"Lu Cangyue's information has been completed. Mr. Zhao Yuwei is indeed her guardian."

"Who is Lu Cangyue?" He didn't know him and didn't want to ask. He hung up the phone. Then he remembered that Master Wenjie said Hui Zifeng had the same symptoms as him, so he called him in desperation.

"Hello, who is this?"

Damn, they don't have my number saved.

"Hui Zifeng, save me." Song Shiwen wanted to curse, but at this moment, as if all his strength had been drained, he could only utter these five lifeless words. Nothing else could come. There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds, and then the call was disconnected. He wondered if Hui Zifeng would come. Based on his understanding of Hui Zifeng, he should come.

Soon, his friends gathered, assuming Song Shiwen was frightened by the diagnosis of an incurable disease. Some urged him to return to the hospital for treatment, while others offered to take him out for a walk. Song Shiwen waved his hands absentmindedly, like an old man without the ability to move, rubbing his feet on the ground, turning in circles, his eyes glazed over.

"An Jing, I have something important to do, but I haven't figured out what it is yet. I need you to help me find it." Find it? What?

Hui Zifeng's car abruptly stopped in front of the crowd, gathering everyone's attention. Hui Zifeng saw so many people gathered around Song Shiwen and didn't understand why he still wanted to call him. He sat in the car, looking at Song Shiwen from a distance of four or five people, ready to leave at any time.

Song Shiwen rushed forward with unsteady steps, leaned on Hui Zifeng's car window, and said in a trembling voice, "Shuixi knows who the murderer of the cat abuse is. Ask him quickly. We have to catch him. Otherwise, someone will die."

This is a hunch. The latter part is completely alarmist. Only by saying this will these people take action.

"Isn't this bad?" one of Song Shiwen's friends said.

"Yeah, they should notify the police to come look for us. Who are we? We could be breaking the law if we're not careful."

Hui Zifeng made a phone call. Shuixi was walking on the road with his dog. When he heard Hui Zifeng's question, he was a little surprised for a moment. After a minute of silence, he provided an address.

Song Shiwen and Hui Zifeng arrived at the dilapidated neighborhood before Shuixi. Everyone automatically divided up the work: some went to Tan Songqi's house, others searched the area for evidence, and some notified the police. There were only a few households left in the neighborhood, and most of the residents were elderly or disabled, rarely interacting with the outside world. Seeing the young men searching so loudly, they assumed they were police investigating a case and eagerly offered information.

"We are all good people here, who are you looking for?"

"Him? He's a good kid."

Hui Zifeng felt that something was wrong with Shuixi, so when no one else was around, he asked directly, "How do you know it's Tan Songqi?"

"Not only do I know it was Tan Songqi, I also know he took away a girl named 'Lu Cangyue'."

Hui Zifeng was shocked. "You mean, that girl's life is in danger?"

Shuixi was a little disappointed, remaining silent. The dog he was holding barked at the woods ahead and suddenly lunged inside. Shuixi let go of the leash. A few seconds later, a cat's meow emanated from the distant treetops. Hui Zifeng was watching when suddenly a white mass leaped out of nowhere and headed straight for Hui Zifeng.

Hui Zifeng was startled, still terrified, when he saw that it was a white, cat-like creature being held by Shuixi by the scruff of the neck. The sight of the cat reminded Hui Zifeng of something, and he freed it from Shuixi's grasp and held it in his arms. A dog chased after the cat, barking at it fiercely. Hui Zifeng rebuked Shuixi, saying, "You like dogs, and I like cats. Stay away from us, both of you."

The cat meowed softly twice in Hui Zifeng's arms, then popped its head out to look at Shuixi behind it. Shuixi looked clearly unhappy. The bell around its neck was still there.

Shuixi tied the dog to a tree. Shuixi patted its head, and the dog calmed down, lying on the ground and wagging its tail.

On the other side, the cat broke free from Hui Zifeng's arms and kept looking back. Hui Zifeng noticed its signal and asked, "Are you taking me to find your owner?"

He remembered seeing the cat several times, but had forgotten who its owner was. Hui Zifeng was worried that the cat's owner was in danger, so he followed the cat to see what was happening. The cat led him to the door of a convenience store, where several police officers and Song Shiwen arrived.

"I heard a dog barking. Did you discover anything?" Song Shiwen asked anxiously.

"I found a cat." Hui Zifeng followed the cat into the store. Even during the day, the lights had to be on. His head almost touched the ceiling. He reached out and touched his hand, which was covered with spider webs and something black. The hunchbacked boss came over and stood in front of him. Hui Zifeng said, "Uncle, my cat ran in. Can I catch it?"

The police came over and explained, "This uncle can't hear or speak. You guys go ahead and I'll take care of it."

The light in the house was deliberately blocked by the straw mat. Hui Zifeng walked around the straw mat and came to the backyard, which was bright and overgrown with weeds. The cat ran deep into the grass, and Hui Zifeng didn't want to chase it for fear of dirtying his clothes. Standing there and observing around, he turned his head and found something wrong. Behind the straw mat were neatly stacked a meter high of bottles of disinfectant or bleach. Hui Zifeng took another look at the store. It was dirty everywhere and disgusting. Even the disinfectant on the shelves was covered with thick dust. But the bottles piled here were clean.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Song Shiwen also noticed. Isn't this a common tactic used on TV to destroy evidence? With Hui Zifeng's confirmation, he ignored everything else and ran towards the cat.

"Where does this wire lead to?" a police officer called over his colleagues to investigate. Upon hearing this, Hui Zifeng felt that the situation seemed incredibly serious and so he followed Song Shiwen's path.

Song Shiwen found an underground passage. It was a kind of cellar commonly seen in the countryside, filled with vegetables, some of which had already rotted and smelled bad.

The cat meowed non-stop in the pile of vegetables, looking at Song Shiwen and then at Hui Zifeng.

"Did it give birth to its cub here?" Hui Zifeng said.

The cat's meows grew louder. Hui Zifeng covered his nose, picked up a stick, and rummaged around, discovering that the lime on the ground was freshly spread, and under the plastic wrap where the vegetables were placed, there was a half-print of a footprint that hadn't been wiped away.

"Are the boss's feet so small?" Hui Zifeng said.

Song Shiwen rushed over to see what was happening, and angrily overturned the pile of rotten vegetables, which really allowed him to find a hidden secret door. The two of them walked down, one in front and the other behind. Hui Zifeng stuffed the cat into his clothes, and the cat consciously lay on his collar.

The passage was barely wide enough for one person, so Song Shiwen and Hui Zifeng could only hunch forward. The walls on either side were made of cement and brick, with several fist-sized ventilation holes above, leading nowhere. After winding around the passage and descending several steps, Song Shiwen said, "This looks like the basement of some old building."

"Wait." Hui Zifeng stopped Song Shiwen who was walking in front of him, "There's a sound."

The two men held their breath and listened. They could hear the faint sound of footsteps ahead, and then suddenly there was a thud, like a chair falling to the ground. Song Shiwen, regardless of the danger, rushed forward, reaching a slightly more spacious area and seeing a door. He stopped and gently opened it.

The room was lit, and many cats, artificial imitations, hung on the walls. They were arranged like bacon. In the corner stood a blue toolbox, a Rubik's Cube and three dice on it. It was dust-free, a place often visited. Against the wall stood an armchair, nylon ropes scattered on the floor, and bloodstains were left nearby. Song Shiwen suddenly felt suffocated.

Hui Zifeng looked out the window. A pile of weeds obscured his view, but he could still make out a river. He shifted slightly, his perspective changing, and saw a pair of leather shoes with mud and pink flowers on the tip.

Could he have escaped through the window? Hui Zifeng looked carefully. The iron bars were fixed directly into the wall, and the windowsill was covered with dust. There was no trace of anything. This was impossible! Perhaps it was just someone passing by! He shouted outside, but the toes disappeared. He shouted again, but there was no response.

"What's wrong with you? It's so noisy! There will be an echo! You've deafened my ears!" Song Shiwen was in a very bad mood.

"Tell your friends to go look for him by the Lixi River." Hui Zifeng pushed Song Shiwen out. They ran into the police rushing over and had to go back the same way, which delayed them for a while.

There was no signal underground, so once outside, Song Shiwen and a few friends headed for the river. The river lay behind the residential complex, just a short climb over a wall. They searched everywhere but couldn't find anyone. Song Shiwen gave up and was about to turn back when, reaching the wall, he saw the white cat slowly walking along the top toward the other side.

"Where are you going?" Song Shiwen shouted.

The cat turned around and meowed at him, then jumped off the wall and disappeared.

"Brother Wen, how do you talk to a cat?"

"Did you understand what it said?"

"Hey, I used the translator, and it said, don't follow me."

"Is this true?" The speaker clearly didn't believe it, mocking the user's intelligence. "Can you believe this?"

Song Shiwen didn't care and went back to the convenience store door to reunite with the others.

Tan Songqi was found by Song Shiwen's friends and brought here. The police told him, "The convenience store owner told us that they rented the basement to you for 500 yuan a month. You're quite wealthy."

"Yes," Tan Songqi admitted, "I need a dark place to concentrate on studying."

"A lot of cat carcasses have been found in other neighborhoods, but not yours. Do you know who did this?"

"It's not me." Tan Songqi is timid and doesn't dare to look people in the eye when talking to them.

"Take us in and take a look," said the policeman.

Tan Songqi refused to move, and after a long pause, he trembled with tears in his eyes and said, "I did it. I've always used cats for experiments, and I didn't hurt anyone. That person asked me to do this himself. We were playing a game."

Song Shiwen asked anxiously, "Who is in the basement?"

A shadow fell over Tan Songqi, who was kneeling on the ground. He looked up, blinking repeatedly, perhaps because the light was too bright, and said, "I don't know. I don't know anything. He told me to do this."

Hui Zifeng noticed mud on the toes of the person next to him. He squatted down and pretended to talk to Tan Songqi. Then, looking away, he saw a small pink flower embedded in the mud. He wondered if it was because he had been to the backyard. Then he looked across at Song Shiwen's feet. There was mud and grass, but no flower. The feet of the other people who had been to the backyard were also covered in mud. Why was Shuixi different? Where had he been?

Shuixi also squatted down and touched Tan Songqi's head with a very regretful expression, "A good child is one who admits his mistakes and corrects them."

So, who was that person in the basement? Song Shiwen felt empty in his heart. He saw the red rope on his hand. There should have been something important there, but he couldn't remember it at this moment.