Chapter 57 Her Lover Came Before Death July 2016...
"Hey, kid."
"I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"
Xie Shijin turned his head to look over.
The window of a room inside the courier station was pushed open, and someone spat out the window, loudly demanding, "Have you finished picking the goods? Are you starting to slack off?"
Xie Shijin blinked. To his left were neatly stacked sorting pieces, and to his right were packages waiting to be sorted, piled haphazardly on the damp ground soaked by rain.
The next second, the man playing cards in the room will open the door to get water. Hot water overflows from the teacup, scalding his hand. The man curses in pain.
Then, he would take the umbrella and leave, and after taking two or three steps, he would hear a loud bang.
Two or three steps...
He would see Cheng Shiyun killed in a car accident right before his eyes as soon as he stepped outside.
Bright red blood mixed with murky rainwater spread out and flowed into the sewers.
"Ouch! It's burning hot..."
The man shook his hand, which had been scalded by the boiling water, and was about to turn around and go back into the house when he caught a glimpse of the boy standing there, his face ashen, his eyes vacant, as if his soul had been ripped out.
A sharp pain surged in his chest, making it hard to breathe. Xie Shijin murmured, "It's too late...it's still too late..."
The man was baffled by his distraught appearance and stared at him strangely: "What do you mean by 'too late' or 'too late'? Hurry up and pick up the goods. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can go home. Don't stand here and delay things."
A buzzing sound filled his ears, and Xie Shijin couldn't tell if he was dreaming or in reality. He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the man's arm: "What time is it?"
The man's teacup fell to the ground, shattering and spilling hot water everywhere: "What are you doing!"
The boy, his eyes red, roared, "What time is it?!"
The man was startled by his sudden roar and stammered, "N-nine-thirty, I guess..."
"Don't you have a cell phone?"
Xie Shijin lowered his head; his phone was in his hand.
His phone screen was still lit; he had just opened Cheng Shiyun's social media profile but hadn't yet liked her post.
The screen suddenly went dark, and he hurriedly pressed the power button to turn it back on. The time at the top of the screen popped up.
— July 12, 2016, 9:30 PM.
His time was moved forward by seven minutes.
What about Cheng Shiyun?
In the statement, the suspect said:
At 9:20 PM, Cheng Shiyun got into an argument with Guo Renyi and Feng Yue. They grabbed her by the neck and covered her mouth, suffocating her. During the struggle, Cheng Shiyun's phone fell to the ground.
At 9:25 PM, Cheng Jinghua left the office, and Feng Yue almost bumped into him while going downstairs to pick up her phone.
At 9:27 PM, Feng Yue went upstairs and found Guo Renyi carrying Cheng Shiyun, who was already suffocating, downstairs.
At 9:30 p.m., Guo Renyi drove his car, which was parked on the side of Boxue Building, over, and the two of them worked together to put Cheng Shiyun into the trunk.
Cheng Shiyun is in the trunk...
"Cheng Shiyun... Cheng Shiyun..."
Xie Shijin turned around.
This time, he didn't bring an umbrella, didn't wear a raincoat, didn't argue with anyone, and ran into the rain like a madman.
Raindrops pelted him like hail, instantly soaking through his thin clothes.
Today's torrential rain has caused all the shops to close. There are no streetlights, and the whole street is as dark as if it had been splattered with ink. Only the occasional flash of lightning can briefly illuminate the road ahead.
The floodwaters on the street reached up to the boy's ankles, but he ran forward recklessly, splashing water half a meter high at his feet.
He waded desperately through the floodwaters while making a phone call.
But the rain was too heavy. He wiped and wiped hard, but as soon as he finished, his phone got wet again. He opened the dial pad, and large raindrops dripped onto the keypad. His fingers slipped, and he couldn't seem to press the right number.
He had dreamed of this scene countless times—
He couldn't get through to the police.
Then the silver-white sedan will drive up from the end of the road.
The blinding headlights made it impossible for him to open his eyes.
He raised his hand to block it.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in the hospital corridor, and a body covered with a white sheet was being wheeled out of the operating room.
The wind rushed into the corridor, rolled up the burial cloth, and revealed the girl's pale, lifeless face.
There was crying everywhere...
Cheng Jinghua.
Ran Hongyin.
Ni Jiaqi.
It seemed like he was crying too.
A misty spray, carrying the scent of rain, hit him in the face, blurring his eyebrows and eyes, and then trickling down his jawline. Xie Shijin couldn't tell if it was rain or tears.
He ran wildly toward the school.
Is it too late?
Is it too late?
How can he save her?
Time ticked by, and he ran forward as if his life depended on it.
"--Hello?"
A clear female voice pierced through the downpour and reached his ears.
Xie Shijin was suddenly stunned.
In his dream, he made countless phone calls that he couldn't make.
Finally, the call was connected this time.
"Who is it?" Yang Shengnan asked.
Xie Shijin said, "Officer Yang, at 9:37 tonight, Cheng Shiyun will be involved in a car accident on Xuezi Road behind Yichuan No. 7 Middle School. It's not an accident; Guo Renyi is trying to kill her. Send someone here immediately."
"Who is Cheng Shiyun?" Yang Shengnan was stunned, a barrage of information catching her off guard. "And who are you? How do you have my phone number?"
"Come to Xuezilu!"
The boy on the other end of the phone broke down and roared in anger.
...
"Buzz—Buzz—"
The sound of a cell phone vibrating came from inside the carriage.
In the passenger seat, Feng Yue nervously bit her fingernails. Her bangs were sticking messily to her cheeks, and water was dripping from her trouser legs, wetting the carpet that the man had just replaced when he went to get the car repaired that morning.
"Buzz—Buzz—"
The vibration sounded again, like a steel needle piercing her temple. Feng Yue shuddered and snapped back to reality, reaching for her phone in her pocket.
The screen lit up; it was 9:30 PM on July 12, 2016.
...It wasn't her phone.
"Buzz—Buzz—"
Feng Yue opened the glove compartment on the passenger side and the center console, searching for the source of the sound.
Whose phone is ringing?
Turn it off! Turn it off now!
She turned her head, her gaze fixed stiffly on the trunk.
A cheerful song and vibrations emanated continuously from the trunk.
...Cheng Shiyun was in the trunk.
Just five minutes ago, Guo Renyi smothered Cheng Shiyun to death and stuffed her and her phone into the trunk of his car.
It was Cheng Shiyun's phone ringing.
Her phone fell from the fifth floor and miraculously didn't break.
The torrential rain pounded on the car roof, crackling and popping like hot oil splashing in a pan, deafening and noisy, yet it seemed unable to drown out the ringing of a cell phone in the trunk.
Feng Yue huddled in the passenger seat, covering her ears in terror with her hands: "I can't hear you, I can't hear you... I'm sorry, please don't call me anymore..."
She felt Cheng Shiyun calling her.
Tell her to come with you, tell her to go to the police station together.
The girl spoke righteously and firmly, saying she would protect her.
Protect her?
Who needs it?
Is it related to her?
She's doing just fine now. Guo Renyi buys her pretty clothes and bracelets, gives her pocket money, and protects her at school so she doesn't have to be bullied or have to put up with other people's attitudes anymore. Why does Cheng Shiyun think she was forced into this situation?
Girls like Cheng Shiyun, who have been pampered and spoiled since childhood, would not understand her. The abnormality in Cheng Shiyun's words is a rare care and love that she cannot get from her parents.
Why meddle in other people's business?
If Cheng Shiyun had pretended not to see it, nothing would have happened.
Feng Yue slowly raised her head, looked at the trunk in the rearview mirror, and said with tears streaming down her face, "I don't need you to call the police for me... You're the one who's meddling... I didn't mean to hurt you..."
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Cheng Shiyun..."
...
July 12, 2016, 9:32 AM.
Guo Renyi came out of the administration building.
The school's monitoring room is located on the first floor of the administration building. During the summer vacation, students do not attend classes, and no teachers are assigned to be on duty.
He checked the surveillance footage. Fortunately, after the final exams, the school began installing air conditioners in the teaching buildings, and a lot of wiring was modified during the construction. After the wiring was reconnected, the surveillance equipment was not restarted in time, so there was no footage from the entire month of July.
God is on his side.
A silver-white sedan was parked downstairs, its headlights off, and its outline was barely visible in the misty rain.
The man walked down the steps, opened the car door, and the girl in the passenger seat trembled and looked up in alarm.
He got into the driver's seat, took off his glasses, and wiped them.
"Buzz—Buzz—"
The phone in the trunk started vibrating again.
Guo Renyi asked with a grim expression, "What was that sound?"
Feng Yue's voice was heavy with sobs: "...Cheng Shiyun's cell phone."
"This is the third time! Someone is calling Cheng Shiyun, someone is looking for her..."
"If they can't find her, they'll definitely call the police..."
But Cheng Shiyun is already dead; she was an accomplice, a murderer!
Feng Yue was both panicked and scared: "What will we do if the police find us?"
"Shut up!" Guo Renyi growled. "There are no security cameras, and nobody saw us enter the school!"
As long as they dispose of the body, the police won't be able to trace it back to them.
The man ripped the dashcam out of the car and roughly threw it into the center console.
Feng Yue slowly raised her head to look at him.
The man's shirt was soaked through during the process of moving the body, emitting a salty, damp, and cold smell. The fierce look in his eyes had not dissipated, and his eyebrows were deeply furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.
A moment later, Guo Renyi put on his glasses, turned the key, and started the car.
There was a security guard at the main gate. The man turned the steering wheel and made a U-turn.
Feng Yue's lips trembled uncontrollably: "Where are you taking her?"
"Find a place to bury him," Guo Renyi said.
...
"Buzz—Buzz—"
The muffled vibrations broke free from her dazed consciousness, gradually pulling Cheng Shiyun out of her dark coma.
Her nostrils were filled with the smells of leather, gasoline, rotten earth, and damp rain.
It's so cold.
She felt like she was curled up in a shell, a feeling that seemed familiar, but warmer and brighter inside that shell.
She opened her eyes to a dark landscape, illuminated only by a faint ray of light emanating from a corner.
A cold, hard, wall-like metal lid pressed down on her head, heavy as if it would collapse at any moment.
A chill ran down my spine and instantly spread throughout my body.
The trunk.
The trunk of a car.
She was in the trunk.
The air in the trunk was so thin it was suffocating, and the space was so cramped that even turning over was a luxury; the slightest movement would cause her elbow to hit the hard metal plate.
"Buzz—Buzz—"
The source of the light was her cell phone.
Her phone was still ringing.
She struggled to turn her head and, in the dim light, saw two words flashing on the shattered screen: "Mom."
Ran Hongyin called her.
"Mother……"
She was so anxious she wanted to cry: "Mommy, save me, save me..."
The phone rolled into the corner of the trunk, and Cheng Shiyun reached for it with her foot.
It was her birthday today, and she was wearing a white dress that reached her calves. After being soaked by the rain, it clung to her body like a cold film, making her body stiff. Her feet seemed to have no will of their own; the more anxious she was, the stiffer her ankles became, and she almost slipped past her phone several times.
Why can't I reach it?
She struggled to turn her body to look, and then she realized that her phone was stuck!
It's stuck!
The tabby cat's keychain is stuck in the gap of the trunk...
The keychain that Xie Shijin gave her.
As if struck by lightning, Cheng Shiyun snapped back to reality.
Even if you can reach the phone, so what?
Her phone screen was broken, so she couldn't answer the call.
She shouldn't be so fixated on her phone; it won't save her.
Where is her umbrella?
Guo Renyi threw her umbrella in as well.
She groped around in the dark, and when she touched a long-handled umbrella, Cheng Shiyun's heart almost jumped out of her throat.
Last time, she used this blue umbrella to pry open the trunk; this time, she'll definitely be able to too.
Turning the trunk over was extremely difficult, so she could only grit her teeth, brace herself with her elbows against the bottom of the trunk, and slowly lift her upper body to bring the umbrella over from behind her.
After getting the umbrella, her hands trembled violently. She haphazardly tore off the umbrella fabric, then forcefully broke the umbrella ribs. Grasping the sharp umbrella frame, she began to pry open the trunk lock.
The night before, Guo Renyi was rear-ended while driving this car, and the trunk was damaged and couldn't be closed. It had just been repaired that morning, so it should be easy to pry open.
She was trembling and crying.
Don't give up, you can't give up.
She can do it.
She can do it.
After prying open the trunk, she had to run faster, even faster.
We can't die like last time.
...
"There seems to be a sound coming from the trunk."
Feng Yue heard intermittent creaking sounds coming from the trunk.
Like the sound of metal being scraped by a hard object, "squeak, squeak," scraped against her taut nerves, making the hairs on her body stand on end.
A bold guess popped into my head.
She clutched the soaked hem of her clothes, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "Cheng Shiyun...could she not be dead?"
The man's face instantly darkened, his eyes surging with a terrifying killing intent: "She must die."
Cheng Shiyun knew about his sexual assault of female students and even filmed it; she has evidence on her phone.
If Cheng Shiyun doesn't die, let her take the evidence to the police and put him in jail?
Absolutely not! She must be buried, and her phone must be smashed and burned to ashes—leaving no trace whatsoever!
There were no security guards at the back gate, and the automatic gate was wide open.
The car shook as the tires went over the speed bump.
As the car drove out of the school, the man was about to step on the gas to accelerate when he suddenly slammed on the brakes.
The tires screeched as they rubbed against the ground, and the inertia pulled Feng Yue forward. The seatbelt suddenly tightened, constricting her shoulders and stomach. She was thrown forward and then pulled back, her back slamming hard against the seat.
A dull pain struck, and Feng Yue was stunned by the impact.
July 12, 2016, 9:35 AM.
The car headlights pierced through the torrential rain, illuminating the road ahead. A tall, thin person, like a ghost, stood abruptly in the middle of the road.
He was soaked to the bone, without even an umbrella, just standing there stiffly in the downpour, his thin frame distorted in the rain and mist.
The rain was so heavy that large raindrops pounded against the windshield, only to be wiped away by the wipers and quickly become a blur of water, making it impossible to see his face clearly. In the hazy light, it was eerie, and for a moment, it was impossible to tell whether he was a person or a ghost.
Guo Renyi frowned deeply.
There's a corpse in his trunk; he absolutely cannot let anyone see it, and he absolutely cannot reveal the slightest clue.
The man jerked the steering wheel, trying to swerve around him, the wheels splashing water as they rolled over puddles.
But the next second, the tall, thin figure suddenly rushed towards the car. In fact, he had been running the whole time, but the torrential rain had obscured his movements.
As the distance drew closer and closer, in the blinding light, Guo Renyi could vaguely glimpse that he seemed to be clutching something in his hand.
Just as the car was about to make the U-turn, a loud bang exploded, and a large section of the front of the silver-white sedan was dented.
It's a steel crowbar!
Guo Renyi let out a curse, his eyes bloodshot: "Damn it, where did this madman come from blocking the way!"
Feng Yue, the passenger in the front seat, was already crying from fright and was gripping the seatbelt tightly.
The man slammed on the gas and reversed, but before his cursing could even finish, the driver's side window shattered.
The steel bar swung horizontally, first getting stuck in the shattered car window, then being violently pulled back, and the next second, it was swept up by the torrential rain and howling wind, and slammed hard into the car!
The shards of glass that shattered and flew everywhere almost all pierced the man's face, and warm blood smeared his face. Feng Yue screamed in terror, curled up into a ball, and tightly closed her eyes, afraid to open them.
Rainwater mixed with strong winds poured into the carriage, and Guo Renyi finally saw his face.
That face that often appeared on the honor roll at the bottom of the teaching building.
The handsome young man was now soaked by the torrential rain. His slightly long black hair was messily stuck to his cheeks, his skin was pale with a bluish tinge, and the fierce aura surging in his eyes made his originally calm and reserved expression look ferocious and terrifying.
"Guo Renyi!"
Xie Shijin reached into the car window and grabbed his collar fiercely.
Guo Renyi was pulled so that half of his body was sticking out of the car. His mind was a mess, and he couldn't remember how he had offended the boy.
Xie Shijin dragged him out of the car and slammed him heavily onto the muddy ground.
The muddy slurry poured into the man's mouth, causing him to choke on several mouthfuls of water before he remembered to fight back. He kicked the boy in the knee, knocking him to the ground.
Guo Renyi scrambled toward the car door, trying to get in the car.
He thought that if he got back into the car, locked the doors, and drove away, everything would be fine.
He pulled on the car door.
Xie Shijin stood up from the puddle, grabbed Guo Renyi by the hair and violently pulled him back, then swung the steel crowbar in his hand and hit him on the knee.
The excruciating pain of his shattered kneecap swept through his body, and the man screamed in agony, "Aaaaaah!"
"Help! Help!"
It was as if he wanted to kill him.
Xie Shijin pressed him to the ground, kneeling on his chest, and held the steel bar in his hand upright, raising it high above his head.
If he were to stab it, the steel bar would pierce Guo Renyi's neck.
Boom—
A deafening clap of thunder followed, and a pale bolt of lightning cleaved the night sky, illuminating the boy's狰狞狂狂 (zhengning kui - ferocious and crazed) silhouette in a clear, menacing manner.
Rainwater slid down his forehead and into his eyes, stinging him. Xie Shijin had only one crazy thought in his mind.
I'm going to kill him!
I'm going to kill him!
I'm going to kill him!
But his killing of Guo Renyi is not a legitimate act of self-defense.
He still wants to go to university and be with Cheng Shiyun forever; he can't go to jail.
The steel bar crashed onto the road with a loud thud and sank into the ankle-deep water.
The boy raised his clenched fist and threw punch after punch.
He smashed the object into the man's eye socket, and tears mingled with rain and blood, gushing out.
He smashed the man's nose, the sound of bone cracking was crisp, and blood gushed out from the nostrils.
He smashed the man's cheekbone, jaw, and mouth...
Xie Shijin only stopped when the man was beaten so badly he couldn't even groan anymore. He grabbed Guo Renyi by the collar and roared, "Where's Cheng Shiyun! Is Cheng Shiyun in the trunk?!"
Guo Renyi was on the verge of death, barely clinging to life. He coughed, and blood mixed with broken teeth spurted from his mouth. He asked indistinctly, "...How did you know?"
Xie Shijin stared at him, her chest heaving violently, as if she had to use all her strength to squeeze those words out of her throat.
"I'm here to save her—"
...
The sudden jolt of the car caused Cheng Shiyun's forehead to hit the inner wall of the trunk, resulting in a brief moment of dizziness.
Was it the same last time?
The torrential rain pounded against the trunk lid, creating a ringing sound in her ears.
The man in the driver's seat couldn't hear her, nor would he let her go. So she didn't scream, didn't cry, didn't beg for mercy. She tried desperately to save herself, frantically prying at the lock. She was about to pry open the trunk, but was it still no use? Was she still unable to escape?
My mind was foggy and my chaotic thoughts hadn't been sorted out when suddenly there was a loud "bang".
The entire car shook violently, as if some huge object had crashed onto it, and her body swayed in the confined space.
...It wasn't like this last time.
There seemed to be sounds coming from outside: the sound of glass shattering and a man's shrill screams.
It seems... someone has come to rescue her...
She blinked her sore eyes, and tears welled up in her eyes.
...
July 12, 2016, 9:37 AM.
Xie Shijin opened the trunk.
Cheng Shiyun hugged her legs and curled up in the corner.
The thin, almost transparent white dress clung to her body, like gardenia petals wilted by a rainstorm on a rooftop, wetly outlining the girl's slender figure.
He bent down, his broad back blocking the rain falling from the sky.
Behind him were police officers and medical personnel running quickly toward them.
The rapidly flashing blue and red police lights illuminated the boy's eyes.
A buzzing sound rang in Cheng Shiyun's ears—
The blood started flowing again.
Amidst the piercing sirens, frantic shouts, and ear-piercing screams, she only heard the boy's trembling call.
“Cheng Shiyun…”
Time, which had been frozen in time, began to flow again.
July 12, 2016, 9:38 AM.
Rainwater slid down his cheeks, dripping onto Cheng Shiyun's face and meandering into her lips.
Salty.
It's not rainwater.
These are Xie Shijin's tears.
He picked her up and held her tightly in his arms, as if he were embracing the whole world he had lost and regained.
"I've come to take you home—"
...
Two years ago.
She left on such an ordinary and mundane rainy night.
Two years later.
Time flows backward, on the same stormy night.
Her lover came before death.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Alright, you can be happy now! [Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head]
Ahhhhh! So happy! [Laughing out loud]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com