Chapter 96 Wang Juan is dead
The weather was unusually sunny on the first day of school for the children.
Wang Juan is dead.
He died in the afternoon, in that rented room in the west of the city.
The landlord came to collect the rent, but after knocking on the door for a long time without getting an answer, he smelled a strange odor and then called the local police to pry open the door.
The person no longer resembled anyone.
Later, the police who handled the scene said that the house was simply not a place for a human to live.
There was trash, needles, and dirty clothes everywhere, and the air smelled of something rotten and sweet.
Wang Juan was curled up on the tattered bed in the corner, covered only by a thin blanket whose color was indistinguishable.
The exposed skin was covered in rotten flesh, pus, and in some places even microorganisms.
The forensic doctor examined the patient but found no fatal external injuries. The conclusion was vague: organ failure, coupled with a severe sexually transmitted infection, completely ruined the body.
No one knows exactly when he died; it could have been two days ago, or it could have been three days ago.
The police located Wang Juan's parents based on their ID card address and notified Wang Qinghe and his wife.
When the two elderly people came to identify the body, Wang Juan's mother fainted after only one glance.
Wang Qinghe managed to stay upright, but his face aged ten years in an instant.
He shakily pressed his fingerprint on the confirmation form, and carrying the funeral clothes, asked the police if he could change his daughter into clean clothes.
The policeman shook his head: "They can't put her in a shroud anymore, the skin will break if you touch her... just take her to be cremated."
Finally, they wrapped the person in a white cloth and sent them into the crematorium.
When Wang Qinghe carried the light urn of ashes out the door, his back was bent so low he could barely straighten up.
There was no funeral, no relatives or friends.
A once vibrant life has quietly turned to ashes.
The news reached Wenbin's ears two days later.
His policeman friend, Dai Jun, came to visit Han Manjuan and her child. During their casual conversation, he mentioned, "Brother, that Wang Juan from the anti-prostitution squad..."
Wenbin was gently rocking his daughter when he heard this and was taken aback: "What's wrong?"
"Dead," Dai Jun said in a low voice. "Dead in a rented room. It was a terrible death. When his parents came to collect the body, he wasn't even dressed in his burial clothes."
Wenbin's hand trembled, and Han Manjuan came out from the inner room and took the child: "What's wrong? You look so pale."
"It's nothing." Wenbin waved his hand, saw Dai Jun to the door, and then sat back down on the sofa without saying a word for a long time.
The next day, he went to Zhao Fei to discuss the equipment payment.
After finishing their business, the two men smoked in the office. Wenbin said, "Zhao Fei, Wang Juan is dead."
Zhao Fei's hand, holding the cigarette, froze in mid-air. After two seconds, he brought it to his lips, took a deep drag, and asked, "How did you die?"
Wenbin sighed and shook his head. "I don't know... It seems she has a serious sexually transmitted disease... They say she had affairs with several men... Anyway, she deserved it."
"Hmm," Zhao Fei responded, without asking any further questions.
Wenbin looked at Zhao Fei's calm profile, wanting to say something, but then felt that nothing he said would be appropriate. In the end, he simply patted his shoulder and said, "Then I'll head back first. I'm worried about Manjuan taking care of the child alone."
"Go ahead." Zhao Fei stood up to see him off.
Zhao Fei got home earlier than usual that evening.
Wen Xiaoxiao was cooking in the kitchen when she heard the door open and poked her head out: "So early today?"
"Yeah, nothing's going on at the factory." Zhao Fei took off his coat and went to the bathroom to wash his hands.
During the meal, the family chatted and laughed. Yizhen and Yibao eagerly talked about their first day of school, while Zhao Yidi listened quietly, occasionally chiming in.
Zhou Lanying served food to the children, while Ma Chunying helped serve soup.
Everything was the same as usual.
The children were asleep by nightfall.
After Wen Xiaoxiao finished washing up and got into bed, Zhao Fei was already leaning against the headboard, holding a device instruction manual in his hand, but he hadn't turned a single page for a long time.
"What's wrong? Something on your mind?" Wen Xiaoxiao leaned closer.
Zhao Fei put down the instruction manual and turned off the desk lamp. Darkness instantly engulfed the room.
“Xiaoxiao,” he said in a deep voice, “Wang Juan is dead.”
Wen Xiaoxiao didn't react for a moment, and paused, "Who?"
"Wang Juan."
"Her?" Wen Xiaoxiao opened her eyes wide in the darkness. "How did she die?"
"I don't know the specifics, he died in his rented room." Zhao Fei paused.
Wen Xiaoxiao remained silent for a while.
She recalled the first time she met Wang Juan many years ago. She was young then, with fashionable perm hair, wearing a bright dress, and sitting on Zhao Qingda's bus.
Wen Xiaoxiao sneered from the darkness: "There's always a reason why someone is pitiful."
"Pitiful?" Zhao Fei's voice was devoid of emotion in the darkness. "When she was harming people, she never thought about whether they were pitiful or not."
He reached out and touched Wen Xiaoxiao's hand in the darkness, then grasped it tightly.
That hand was warm, with calluses on its palm, yet it was the most comforting temperature in the world for him.
"Xiaoxiao," he said slowly, "there's something I've been meaning to tell you."
Wen Xiaoxiao's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Over the years, I've done some things." Zhao Fei's voice was calm, so calm it was unsettling. "The scar on Zhao Qingda's face was burned by someone I had done. Wang Juan's miscarriage back then was also done by someone I had done."
Wen Xiaoxiao abruptly pulled her hand back and sat up straight in the darkness: "What did you say?"
"Let me finish," Zhao Fei said calmly. "Later, when Zhao Qingda lost everything gambling, it was because I arranged for someone to set up the scheme. When Wang Juan was arrested for prostitution, it was also because I arranged for someone to report it to the police."
He spoke clearly, word by word: "When Zhao Qingda went to prison, I bribed the people inside to 'take care' of him. So he was living a life worse than death in there."
Wen Xiaoxiao froze completely.
"You..." Her voice trembled, "Why did you..."
"Because they deserve it." Zhao Fei's voice finally showed a slight fluctuation, a hatred that had been suppressed for a long, long time.
"When Zhao Qingda cheated on you, forced you to divorce him, and left you with no way out, raising your child alone, did he ever think about how pitiful you were? When Wang Juan seduced a married man, forced you away, and even made you leave your hometown, did she ever think about how pitiful you were?"
Zhao Fei looked at Wen Xiaoxiao in the darkness: "Xiaoxiao, I'm not a good person. In my life, I, Zhao Fei, can suffer losses and endure hardships, but no one can touch the people I protect. If they do, they will pay the price."
Wen Xiaoxiao sat blankly in the darkness.
She remembered many years ago, when she had an argument with Zhao Qingda, Zhao Fei left him a meat bun.
The way he beats up Zhao Qingda after Zhao Qingda bullied him.
The image of Zhao Fei handing her the gold bracelet while she was in postpartum confinement.
He wanted Wenbin to stay and work at the pig farm, saying that she needed a family member to rely on.
She remembered the day the graves were moved, and how he stood in front of Li Rui's tomb, his eyes red.
This man was her husband, the support of her children, and a good son-in-law in Zhou Lanying's eyes.
But now, he tells her that his hands are stained with blood and his heart is filled with hatred.
"Why... are you telling me now?" Wen Xiaoxiao's voice was very soft.
Zhao Fei reached out and took her hand again. "I didn't tell you before because I was afraid you'd be scared, afraid you'd think I was cruel. But now I understand, we're going to spend our lives together. You need to know what I'm like. If you can't accept that..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
Wen Xiaoxiao's hand was icy cold in his palm.
After a very long time, she slowly took his hand in return.
“Zhao Qingda and Wang Juan… they brought this upon themselves.” Her voice was soft but clear, “But you… you shouldn’t have dirtied your hands.”
"I don't care." Zhao Fei pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I only care about you and the child. Anyone who dares to touch you, I'll make them wish they were dead."
Wen Xiaoxiao leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.
The embrace was still warm and reassuring, but she knew that starting tonight, something would be different.
The man she married was not the honest, unassuming Zhao Fei she had imagined, who only knew how to raise pigs.
He is cunning, ruthless, and has fangs hidden beneath his gentle exterior.
“From now on…” Wen Xiaoxiao closed her eyes, “Don’t do this kind of thing again. We’re doing very well now, there’s no need to get involved in those dirty things anymore.”
"Okay," Zhao Fei replied quickly.
Outside the window, the night wind rose, rustling the branches. Spring was almost here, but this night was chillingly cold.
He knew that from tonight onwards, he would no longer be the perfect husband in Wen Xiaoxiao's heart.
But he doesn't regret it.
Some things must be done.
Some people have to pay the price.
As for whether Wen Xiaoxiao can fully accept him as he is?
He believed she could. Because this woman, deep down, shared his fierce, indomitable spirit.
Let those things hidden in the shadows remain in the shadows forever.
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