The whole living room suddenly became eerily quiet; even the ticking of the clock could be heard clearly.
Lei Shuangcheng quickly squatted down to clean up, but his hands were shaking a little, and he failed to pick up the bandage twice.
Xu Bo's hands were tightly gripping the armrest of the sofa, and the veins on his hands were bulging.
He stood up slowly, his back seemed to be hunched over a lot, and he looked much older.
"Twin Cities..."
His voice suddenly became hoarse, "Help me back to my room... My old bones... can't hold on any longer."
Lei Shuangcheng looked up at Renault and saw him nod slightly. Then he helped Xu Bo and slowly walked towards the guest room.
Renault stared at Xu Bo's hunched back.
He rubbed his red eyes and sighed deeply.
He had tried countless times over the years.
But every time the family massacre case was brought up, Uncle Xu would immediately change the subject as if he was scalded.
The panic in the old man's eyes, his trembling hands, and his abnormal behavior at this moment all indicate one thing.
Not only did he know about it, he was also desperately trying to hide something.
"Boss," Lei Shuangcheng asked quietly after sending Xu Bo back, "Should we continue investigating this case?"
"Investigate, we must investigate. Even if we stop, Shi Heng won't give up. Why not... investigate both sides at the same time?"
Renault's eyes swept across the closed door at the end of the corridor, pausing for a moment before moving away.
Lei Shuangcheng nodded and took out his phone, "I'll send someone to check for the survivors from that year."
"The focus is on those who have worked for a long time in the two companies."
Renault suddenly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were even darker, as if he had made some kind of decision.
"Also... a thorough re-investigation of Uncle Xu's background."
…
On the other side, Shi Heng's villa study.
It was dark outside the window, and the antique clock on the wall showed it was already 1:15 in the morning.
There was only a desk lamp on in the study.
Under the dim light, twelve diaries were neatly arranged on the desk.
Each book is labeled by year, from 1990 to 2002.
Shi Heng's finger was pressing on a page of the latest diary.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the faded pen writing:
August 15, 2002, sunny. Going to Gujia Village for an appointment today.
Turning back, the remaining pages were all blank.
But on the last page, you can vaguely see unnatural jagged edges on the paper, as if someone had torn something off in a hurry.
Shi Heng's fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.
He heard from his father that his grandfather wrote in his diary every day without fail, and would even make a simple note when he had a cold or a fever.
I didn't expect that this habit ended twenty-two years ago.
But that time when he went to Gujia Village, a place so important to the Shi family, he only left a few simple words. Something was wrong.
What is even more disturbing is that three days later, on August 18, the tragedy of the entire family being wiped out occurred in Gujia Village.
Just then, the door of the study was pushed open.
Gu Youran walked in with a cup of hot milk.
"Heng, it's so late. Let's check it tomorrow."
Shi Heng finally came back to his senses from his deep thoughts.
He took the milk and felt a hint of warmth on his cold fingers.
Gu Youran walked around behind him, gently pressed her fingers on his temples, and massaged them skillfully.
Her fingertips were a little cold, but it relaxed Shi Heng's tense nerves a little.
"I promised you that I would find out the truth within seven days." Shi Heng's voice was hoarse due to fatigue.
Gu Youran's gaze fell on the note paper on the right side of the desk, which was densely covered with Shi Heng's notes.
The three words "Gujia Village" were circled in red pen, and surrounded by arrows and question marks.
One of the arrows points to the word "visiting card".
Her massage suddenly paused for half a second.
A clear timeline extends from "1990" to "2002.8.18".
Twenty-two years ago, Gujia Village was hidden in the mountains at the junction of Yuncheng and Linshi.
There are no clear road signs or detailed addresses, and outsiders cannot find the entrance at all.
Only those powerful people with special status and a lot of money can get a black visiting card with a gold-stamped border when their lives are hanging by a thread.
"Grandpa relied on a post like this to get a prescription in Gujia Village 23 years ago."
Shi Heng suddenly spoke, tapping lightly on the blank diary with his fingers.
"But when he went back twenty-two years ago..." His voice trailed off, "he didn't remember anything."
Gu Youran's massaging fingers paused slightly.
She was only three years old when the tragedy happened.
All my memories of that place came from what I heard from Renault last night.
Shi Heng suddenly reached out, pulled Gu Youran into his arms, and let her sit on his lap.
He buried his face tiredly in the crook of her neck, breathing in the faint scent of gentian mixed with herbs on her body.
As if to draw strength from her.
"Youbao..." His voice was muffled, with a rare hint of fragility.
"If Grandpa really knew something back then, but left nothing behind... then the clues are truly broken."
Gu Youran gently stroked the back of his neck, pressing lightly with her fingertips on his tense muscles.
Her eyes fell on the timeline on the table and she suddenly noticed a detail.
"etc."
She straightened up slightly and pointed to the records from 2001. "You said Grandpa went to Gujia Village to ask for medicine? Then who was the person who sent him the invitation?"
Shi Heng was startled and raised his head, "You mean..."
"Anyone who can get a visiting card from Gujia Village must have a special connection with that place."
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