Chapter 9 Death The day Cheng Shiyun died.
[According to the latest weather forecast, affected by warm and humid air currents, heavy rain will continue in various parts of the city over the next week, with some areas also experiencing thunderstorms, gusty winds, and other severe convective weather. Citizens are advised to take precautions...]
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Yichuan experiences frequent rain in the summer, with torrential rain lasting for three days, flooding the entire street.
July 12, 2016, 9:02 PM.
The night was deep, with lightning and thunder.
After delivering the last package, Xie Shijin returned to the delivery point.
Smoking is prohibited at the delivery point, yet it is filled with smoke at this moment.
The stench of smoke and sweat hit the air. Some people leaned against the wall, puffing away, cigarette butts littering the ground. Others gathered around a table to play cards, the sounds of shuffling and shouting drowning out the rain.
Xie Shijin pursed his thin lips, his eyes dark and gloomy.
Looking at the doorway again, the goods awaiting delivery were piled up next to the roller shutter door, and rainwater was seeping in through the cracks in the door. According to regulations, the courier is responsible for compensating for any packages that get wet or damp.
"What are you spacing out for?" A cigarette butt was tossed at his feet.
The man inside stubbed out his cigarette, his brow furrowed, and said impatiently, "Didn't you see the rain coming in? Hurry up and move the goods inside. You'll have to pay for them if they get wet."
Xie Shijin took off his raincoat, hung it in the corner, then bent down and picked up the cardboard box by the door, carrying it into the house one trip after another.
His short black hair was wet, and water droplets dripped down the ends of his hair, landing inside his collar, where they felt icy cold.
The deliverymen at the distribution point range in age from their early twenties to their thirties and forties, but he is the only teenager, a student from the middle school across the street, who is working during his summer vacation.
In the eyes of these veterans, summer workers are easy targets; they are looked down upon and ostracized both openly and covertly.
Soon, someone handed over a stack of delivery slips: "These are the packages to be delivered tomorrow. Once you've sorted them, you can go home."
Xie Shijin took the form and saw that the addresses on it were a jumbled mess, not only for the goods he was to deliver tomorrow, but also for other people.
His eyes were calm and expressionless. He said nothing and quietly got to work.
Upon seeing this, the deliveryman exchanging a smile with the person next to him said, "Students are so obedient; they'll do whatever you ask."
Someone nearby whispered, "It's not right to make him do the work of two people..."
“What’s wrong with that? Young people need to gain more experience. I’m giving him a chance.”
It would be a waste not to let him do more work than to let him work only for two months during the summer vacation.
"Alright, alright, now someone can pick up the goods. It's quite cold outside, let's go inside and continue playing cards."
Once the students have finished picking up their goods, the door is closed, and that's considered the end of the day.
Xie Shijin hunched over, silently checking the list in his hand. Suddenly, a vibrant blue appeared in his gloomy vision, piercing through the heavy rain.
A faint ringing sound could be heard in my ears, neither too close nor too far.
Xie Shijin raised his head and looked at the street across the street.
Under the eaves, the girl held up a blue umbrella.
The wind was strong, and the girl's ponytail was blown to her shoulders as she pressed down hard on the umbrella.
As she walked, she made a phone call: "What's going on? He's not replying to my texts or answering my calls."
Cheng Jinghua was on duty at the school, but today was her birthday. There weren't many people at the school during the summer vacation, so skipping two hours of work shouldn't be a problem, right?
Cheng Shiyun was about to call again when Ran Hongyin's call came in.
"Hello, Mom," Cheng Shiyun answered, "I'm at school looking for Dad. I brought an umbrella, don't worry..."
On the dark street, she walked forward through the puddles by the roadside. The water quickly rose above the edges of her shoes, soaking them completely.
...
July 12, 2016, 9:30 PM.
After picking up the goods, Xie Shijin stared blankly at his phone.
Cheng Shiyun is celebrating her birthday today and posted a lot of photos.
He opened the photos one by one, lowered his eyes, and looked at them carefully.
One of them was a very pretty short skirt, which I've never seen her wear before.
Looking at the comments below, it's a birthday gift from a friend.
Cheng Shiyun was very popular, and the gifts she received piled up like a small mountain. Scrolling further back, she highlighted an unsigned gift.
A tabby cat keychain.
She's already logged into it on her phone.
"Hey kid."
The window of the inner room was opened.
"High school student."
"I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"
Xie Shijin turned his head to look over.
When those people saw the unsorted packages on the ground, they started cursing again.
"Have you finished picking the goods? Are you starting to slack off?"
Xie Shijin calmly retorted, "If it's not my job, why should I do it?"
Instead of engaging in pointless arguments, he picked up an umbrella from the corner and stepped into the rain.
It was so dark that he could barely see the road beneath his feet. He was walking toward the school when he heard a loud bang after taking only two or three steps.
A car sped through the downpour, its blinding high beams shining directly at him, making it impossible for him to open his eyes. He instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes from the intense light.
As he lowered his arm, before his vision was fully focused, he vaguely saw a person lying in the middle of the road.
The rain was pouring down, but he remained motionless.
As if he had a premonition, his heart suddenly raced, and he dropped his umbrella and ran over.
He had only taken a few steps closer when he stopped, unable to move an inch.
The girl in the photo is lying on the ground, with blood gushing out from the back of her head, mouth and nose, flowing down her hair and the hem of her clothes, mixing with the rainwater and spreading on the road.
Her eyelashes were still moving, like a dying dragonfly.
The onlookers shouted, "Someone's been hit and killed!"
"Quick! Call the police! Call 120!"
Xie Shijin knelt beside her, using all his strength to lift her up. Trembling, he touched her face, calling her name with difficulty and intermittently: "Cheng Shiyun... Cheng Shiyun, wake up... don't sleep... please don't sleep..."
...
July 12, 2016, 10:21 PM.
Cheng Shiyun died despite all efforts to save her.
...
July 12, 2016, 10:25 PM.
The police came to take their statements.
Due to today's torrential rain, most shops on the pedestrian street were closed, and with road construction underway, the street's surveillance cameras were also out of service.
The police want to retrieve the surveillance footage from the courier delivery point to see if the vehicle was captured on camera.
However, those people hesitated and stammered. Upon further questioning, it was discovered that they had turned off the surveillance cameras in advance for fear that the boss would discover their slacking off.
"We didn't know there would be an accident, so it shouldn't be our problem..."
Reason crumbled suddenly at this moment, as if he could no longer bear it, and Xie Shijin raised his clenched fist.
The movements were brutal and bloody. Crushing, reckless. One blow after another. There was no intention of stopping; the blows were relentlessly smashed into the faces of those people.
"Stop hitting! Stop hitting!"
"It won't matter if you beat him to death!"
The situation got out of control for a moment, and it took three police officers to pull the people apart.
The crazed boy was pinned to the side, his whole body still trembling uncontrollably.
His protruding knuckles were covered with blood, whether his or someone else's, it was unclear.
Once he calmed down a bit, the police officer taking his statement asked him, "What color was that car? Did you see it clearly?"
“White, no…” He shook his head, his throat dry and his voice hoarse, “It’s silver.”
The police officer paused, then pressed, "Is it white or silver?"
White or silver?
White or silver?
White or silver?
...
The rain was too heavy, and he couldn't see clearly.
...
He tried countless times to recall, and countless times just as he was about to see things clearly, he was awakened by nightmares.
This time, Cheng Shiyun woke up first.
July 21, 2018, 11:09 PM.
Cheng Shiyun lay in her newly bought cat bed, her pointed little ears perked up, and heard the painful murmurs coming from the bedroom.
The little tabby cat left its soft, comfortable cat bed almost without hesitation, wagging its tail as it went to the bedroom.
The air conditioner was on in the bedroom, and the temperature was set extremely low.
The little tabby cat, dressed in its clothes, circled the bedside, then gathered its strength, leaped up, and swooshed onto the bedside table.
The person on the bed was covered with a thin blanket, with stray hairs falling behind their head, revealing their handsome features.
A thin layer of sweat beaded on his forehead and the bridge of his nose. His chest heaved violently, and he was breathing rapidly, feeling as if he were about to suffocate.
It meowed twice, but the person on the bed didn't react at all.
He was trapped in a chaotic dream, unable to wake up.
Cheng Shiyun got anxious, jumped onto the bed, and started scratching the blanket and stepping on his chest, trying to wake him up.
After a lot of fuss, most of the blankets had fallen off the bed before the person on the bed finally stirred.
Xie Shijin woke up with a splitting headache.
The scene before him was as blurry as a dream. His vocal cords seemed to have been severed, and he could not utter a sound for a long time. He could only open his mouth in vain.
It took him about four or five seconds to realize that this wasn't a dream.
Looking down at his chest, he saw that his collar was disheveled, with half of his collarbone exposed. The culprit was clinging to his clothes and almost fell off the bed.
He quickly reached out and picked up the cat, placing it on his lap. His throat was dry and trembling. "What's wrong... are you hungry, Cheng Shiyun?"
"Hungry my ass," Cheng Shiyun rolled up her belly to show him.
The kitten has a light stomach and gets hungry quickly. After returning from the hospital, Xie Shijin fed her again, and her belly was round and full, like a chicken wing wrapped in rice.
Meow~
Xie Shijin stared at her exposed belly, then paused, "You want me to touch it?"
Cheng Shiyun: "..."
Human! Why can't you understand cat language all of a sudden?
She's not a real cat; she'd rather die than beg Xie Shijin to pet her while lying on her back.
But seeing his dazed expression and reddened eyes, she suddenly couldn't say anything.
The little tabby cat lay down and said, "I'm feeling uncomfortable because I ate too much. I'll lie down for a while, but if you want to rub my tummy... I don't mind."
"good."
Xie Shijin's lowered eyelashes trembled slightly as her fingertips landed on the kitten's soft belly, gently stroking it, her eyes gradually becoming calm and clear.
Cheng Shiyun had eaten a lot for dinner and hadn't slept well, but now, as he touched her, she closed her eyes comfortably.
Xie Shijin is surprisingly good at taking care of cats.
His fingers were long and slender, with well-defined bones. They looked dry and warm, but were actually quite cold. He gently rubbed the kitten's belly through its clothes.
His sleeve had been rolled up at some point, revealing a section of his wrist, his porcelain-like skin covered in scars.
Previously, even a distant glimpse of those scars was terrifying; now, seeing them so close and so clearly, Cheng Shiyun felt as if someone had reached into her chest and squeezed her heart.
"...How did it get like this?"
Xie Shijin pulled down his sleeve, seemingly not wanting her to see, to cover the scars: "It's nothing."
No wonder Xie Shijin hasn't changed at all.
Although he didn't say it, Cheng Shiyun probably guessed the reason.
When felines are injured, they instinctively lick their wounds with their tongues. At this moment, Cheng Shiyun also obeyed her instincts.
Would this be better?
The kitten's tongue was wet and warm, and the soft barbs on its surface brushed against the skin, causing a tingling, itchy sensation.
“Cheng Shiyun…” Xie Shijin lowered his eyes and looked at his wrist, which was being licked, with a hint of surprise.
There were scars of varying depths, layered with scabs. They had all grown slowly from her flesh after her death.
The year after her death, Cheng Shiyun finally learned the details of her own death.
They also learned why Xie Shijin gave money to their family and why he attempted suicide.
Because of her.
Because Xie Shijin witnessed her death.
It turns out that all it takes to drive someone to their death is a single sentence.
The pressure from the police, the questioning from her parents, and the public opinion at the school subjected him to daily interrogation and torture.
...She almost did.
That's what killed him.
And she actually had the audacity to ask someone to adopt her; that was a bit too much.
Cheng Shiyun felt a little sorry for Xie Shijin, but she was too embarrassed to apologize to him directly. So she licked the wound on his hand, looked up at him and asked, "Does it hurt, Xie Shijin?"
The scars itch and are very uncomfortable as they heal, making you want to scratch them. A kitten licking them might make them feel a little better. That's all she can do.
"And you?"
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke in a hoarse voice.
The voice was hesitant, but each word was clear.
"Cheng Shiyun".
"Were you in pain at that time?"
Cheng Shiyun was stunned.
...It doesn't hurt.
Why does it hurt?
There wasn't even time to feel it.
With a bang.
She said:
"It's almost like taking a nap."
A note from the author:
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When the pain is too intense, the mind will actively avoid related memories.
When trying to recall painful events, the brain subconsciously reconstructs and weakens the painful parts.
It still hurts.
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