Chapter 42 Take Good Care of Him
The dawn light was fading, and the sky was already turning pale. Luo Xin's voice grew softer and softer, as if drained of all strength. As the last word faded in the wind, the early-rising sparrows began chirping in the pines and cypresses of the hospital's back garden. Sun Wei sat on a bench, the tea in her cup long gone cold, but Luo Xin's calm yet weighty narration still echoed in her ears. "I thought..." Sun Wei's voice was a little strained, and she cleared her throat before regaining her usual composure. "I thought you at least had a peaceful life." Luo Xin smiled, tears still lingering in the fine lines at the corners of her eyes. "I had a peaceful life," she said, raising her hand to her chest, where she wore the silver necklace Yu Hao had given her, the metal now polished to a shine. "When Xiaoxue first called me Mommy, when Yu Hao was admitted to the police academy, and..." She paused, her voice soft as a sigh, "Every time I saw Yu Hao come back in his police uniform." But those moments of peace were too fragmented, like stars scattered in a dark river, flickering and fading. Sun Wei watched her fingertips unconsciously caress the necklace, and suddenly understood the woman's pain. Some pain can't be expressed, only lingering, slowly sapping her strength. "You clearly..." Sun Wei wanted to say, "You clearly love him so much," but the words came out as, "Why don't you try?" "Try what?" Luo Xin smiled, her voice tinged with self-deprecation. "Try to relive the past? Or try to repeat the same mistakes?" She looked up, the bloodshot eyes visible in the morning light. "Officer Sun, have you ever seen a flower in the mud? It looks radiant, but its roots are already rotten in the mud." Sun Wei stared at her, silent. "Yu Hao is different. He's a police officer, meant to stand in the light." Luo Xin's voice suddenly became firm. "I can't drag him down and into the mud with me." "So, this is why..." Sun Wei's voice was hoarse, and she cleared her throat. "This is why you keep rejecting Yu Hao?" She had seen too many cases where people were forced to do things against their will, but for the first time, she felt that giving up requires more courage than persevering. Luo Xin's lips curled up slightly, but it wasn't a true smile. "I never refused, but I also never let him say that. I can't be so selfish." "It's not selfish." Sun Wei shook her head. "Everyone has the right to strive for happiness." Luo Xin still had a smile on her face, but it was like a mask, covering up her helplessness at the moment. "I... don't have that right." "Don't say that...
The morning light was just beginning to fade, and the sky was already turning pale.
Luo Xin's voice became softer and softer, as if he had exhausted all his strength. When the last word disappeared in the wind, early-rising sparrows began to chirp on the pines and cypresses in the hospital's back garden.
Sun Wei sat on the bench, the tea in the cup had long since cooled down, but Luo Xin's calm yet heavy narration was still echoing in her ears.
"I thought..." Sun Wei's voice was a little tense. She cleared her throat and regained her usual composure. "I thought you at least had a stable life."
Luo Xin smiled, tears still lingering in the fine lines at the corners of her eyes. "I've had a peaceful life," she said, her hand rubbing against her chest, where she wore the silver necklace Yu Hao had given her, the chain now polished to a shine. "When Xiaoxue first called me mom, when Yu Hao got admitted to the police academy, and…" She paused, her voice soft as a sigh, "Every time I saw Yu Hao come back in his police uniform."
But that peace is too fragmented, like stars scattered in a dark river, shining for a moment and then disappearing.
Sun Wei watched her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the necklace, and suddenly understood the woman's pain. But some pain cannot be expressed in words, and can only rot in the stomach, slowly corroding all strength.
"You obviously..." Sun Wei wanted to say "You obviously love him so much", but when the words came to her lips, they turned into, "Why not give it a try?"
"Try what?" Luo Xin lowered her head and laughed, a hint of self-mockery in her voice. "Try to relive the old days? Or try to repeat the same mistakes?" She raised her head, the bloodshot eyes visible in the morning light. "Officer Sun, have you ever seen a flower in a quagmire? It may look bright, but its roots have long been rotten in the mud."
Sun Wei stared at her without saying anything.
"Yu Hao is different. He is a policeman and a man who should stand in the sun." Luo Xin's voice suddenly became very firm, "I can't pull him down and stay in the mud with me."
"So, this is why..." Sun Wei's voice was a little hoarse, and she cleared her throat, "This is why you have always rejected Yu Hao?"
She had seen too many cases where people had no choice but to give up, but for the first time she felt that giving up requires more courage than persisting.
Luo Xin's lips curled up slightly, but it wasn't a true smile. "I never refused, but I also never let him say that. I can't be so selfish."
"This isn't selfish." Sun Wei shook her head. "Everyone has the right to strive for happiness."
Luo Xin still had a smile on her face, but this smile was like a mask stuck on her face, covering up her helplessness at the moment.
"I... don't have that right."
"Don't say that." Sun Wei raised her head suddenly, her short hair swaying slightly with the movement. "You've been through so much, yet you raised Luo Xue so well, and still..."
"What else?" Luo Xin turned around, his eyes flickering with emotions Sun Wei couldn't read. "Still working at the KTV? Or are you hiding so much of your shameful past?"
Sun Wei was speechless. As a forensic pathologist, she had seen countless corpses, but she had never felt so overwhelmed as she did now.
"You know," Luo Xin stood up and looked towards the sun, "every time Yu Hao looks at me, I feel both happy and painful. Happy because his eyes are so sincere, painful because... I can never respond to him with the same purity."
Sun Wei noticed that Luo Xin's fingers were trembling slightly. She subconsciously reached out and held them, and felt something cold.
"His hands are always warm," Luo Xin looked down at their clasped hands, "just like him. For twelve years, he has given Xiaoxue and me a safe haven, but I can't... I can't repay him with lies and concealment anymore."
"You can tell him the truth." Sun Wei heard herself say, but immediately realized how naive her words were.
Luo Xin shook her head slightly, a strand of black hair falling across her forehead. "And then what? Let him accept the me who was once... me? Let such a stain be left on the resume of a distinguished criminal police captain?" She gave a wry smile. "Besides, some scars can't be healed by love."
Sun Wei looked at her and suddenly felt her eyes sore. She had always thought she understood Yu Hao's pain, but now she realized that Luo Xin's pain might be even deeper than his.
"You and him..." Luo Xin suddenly turned to Sun Wei, his eyes so frank that she was a little unprepared, "You two are the most suitable."
Sun Wei was stunned.
"Same profession, same pride, even the way you walk carries a breeze." Luo Xin smiled, "Last time I saw you standing together at the crime scene, I suddenly felt... This is how it should be."
She recalled the first time she saw Sun Wei at the wonton stall. The woman was wearing a police uniform, with an upright posture and a sharp look in her eyes when she spoke - that was a frankness that she could never learn, a look that only people who had been exposed to the sun could have.
Sun Wei's Adam's apple moved and she wanted to say something, but Luo Xin held her hand.
"But love doesn't work that way." Sun Wei let go of Luo Xin's hand and stood up. "Besides... he loves you."
"He loves the me he imagined." Luo Xin looked at Sun Wei. She was half a head shorter than Sun Wei, but she had an unquestionable determination. "A clean, strong single mother, not..." She suddenly bent down and rolled up her trouser legs, revealing a small butterfly tattoo on her ankle. "This."
Sun Wei gasped. She knew all too well what this tattoo represented in that particular place. The delicate yet cheap blue butterfly seemed to be trying to break free from her skin and fly away, but it was trapped there forever.
"Look, this is the real me." Luo Xin lowered his trouser legs, his voice frighteningly calm. "Every time he looks at me, I can feel this tattoo getting hot, reminding me that I can never truly stand in the sun."
"So, please." Luo Xin's voice was as light as a feather, "Let him give up, and then... love him well. He deserves the best."
"Why do you know it's me?"
"Because the way you look at him," Luo Xin smiled, "is exactly the same as mine. I understand the love in it."
"We..." Sun Wei wanted to say that there weren't so many ups and downs between them, and there weren't those unforgettable pasts, but when the words came to her lips, they turned into, "We are different."
"It's different." Luo Xin nodded, relief in her tone. "Your path is smooth, and you can go a long way together. But Yu Hao and I... our paths have long since parted ways."
"We haven't experienced that much suffering together." Sun Wei reorganized her words.
"Love isn't about who suffers more," Luo Xin said, looking into Sun Wei's eyes, "it's about who can make the other happier."
Sun Wei looked at the determination in Luo Xin's eyes and suddenly felt that this woman was much braver than herself. She dared to love, and even more so to let go.
The morning light filtered through the gaps between the pines and cypresses, casting dappled shadows on Luo Xin's face. A faint smile played on her lips, as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted.
"You should..." Sun Wei wanted to say "You should be happy", but she felt that the words were too pale.
"I will." Luo Xin interrupted her, already understanding what she meant, and his smile was more relaxed than ever before. "When Xiaoxue is older, I will take her away from Nan'an Village and find a place where no one knows her and start a new life."
Sun Wei looked at her and suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She had seen too many cases of darkness, but in this woman, she saw a flower blooming in the darkness.
"Take good care of him." Luo Xin stood up and patted the snow on her down jacket. "You spend more time with him and understand him better than I do. He is still just a lonely boy. I thought I could bring him some warmth..." Her eyes were already full of tears. She paused and said in a voice as light as a sigh, "Please."
Sun Wei nodded and watched Luo Xin turn and leave. Her steps were slow but steady, like a ship that had finally found its way.
The morning light grows brighter and brighter, dispelling the darkness of the world...
*
The suburban wind, swirling with snow, whistled against the bare treetops. This abandoned area seemed like a corner forgotten by time.
The surrounding shops were all locked, the rotating lights in the barber shop had rusted to a reddish-brown color, and the glass of the station sign was broken into pieces, leaving only the frame. Twelve years had covered this area like a thick layer of dust.
Yu Hao walked forward on the dry grass that was above his ankles. The sound of his boots rolling over broken glass was particularly clear in the empty street.
Lu Chao followed beside him, his fingertips red from the cold: "Ma Tao said this place used to be called 'Happiness Street'. It was full of lights and wine at night, even more lively than the city."
The reason why the two of them led the team here was because Lu Chao reported to Yu Hao and asked about Ma Tao's situation. As expected, Ma Tao still knew something about Guo Zhong's affairs.
According to Ma Tao, Guo Zhong did open a brothel more than ten years ago, but it was opened under the name of a hotel. Gou Rong's role was similar to that of a supervisor, and the boss behind them was Wang Kun.
Ma Tao also told Lu Chao the location of the brothel, and Yu Hao decided to come and take a look.
Yu Hao's eyes swept over the public telephone booth on the corner. The glass had long since vanished, and the receiver hung in the air, swaying back and forth in the wind like the hand of a dying man.
The two men walked along the street covered with dead grass, while several detectives behind them looked around with frowns on their faces.
"We're here." Lu Chao suddenly stopped.
The two-story building in front is slightly more respectable than the surrounding buildings. Its exterior walls are covered with beige tiles, most of which have peeled off, revealing the red bricks inside.
Only the three words "Moon Hotel" remained on the signboard on the door lintel, and the plastic strokes of the word "Star" fell into the snow and were stepped on to pieces.
There was a layer of snow on the steps at the door, and the surface had frozen into ice. The handrail was covered with dry vines, like a pair of twisted hands.
"It's right here, the Xingyue Hotel." Lu Chao exhaled white air. "Ma Tao said that Guo Zhong made a fortune from this hotel. It looks like a decent hotel during the day, but at night it's full of women of unknown origin."
Yu Hao looked around and opened the door, and a musty smell mixed with dampness hit him in the face.
The counter in the lobby was covered in dust finger-thick, the artificial flowers in the enamel basin had faded to a beige color, and the sofa in the corner was so rotten that the cotton wool was exposed, with a dark red stain on it that looked like dried blood.
"The technical team is already collecting evidence outside." Lu Chao held up his camera, the flash illuminating the mold on the ceiling. "Captain Yu, look at this."
He pointed to the blackboard behind the counter, on which was written in chalk "Hourly room 180, overnight stay 380". The handwriting was soaked by rain, but still clear.
There was a crooked smiley face drawn next to it, with the corners of its mouth stretched wide, revealing an indescribable weirdness.
Yu Hao turned around, his face serious. What secrets were hidden here? How did it connect to the two current cases? "Captain Yu, 380 yuan for an overnight stay over ten years ago was not cheap," Lu Chao sneered.
Yu Hao looked around and his eyes focused on a pattern on the side of the blackboard behind the counter. He took a few steps forward and found it was a blue butterfly.
"Is there any problem?" Lu Chao took a photo casually.
"I seem to have seen it somewhere, but I can't remember where it is..." Yu Hao stared at the blue butterfly in a daze, lost in memories.
Suddenly, his brain suddenly became clear as if lightning struck...
This blue butterfly.
Isn’t it the tattoo on Luo Xin’s ankle?
…
…
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