Ye Qingyan kept trying to find topics to talk about to ease the tension in Yuan Yuan's room, though she didn't know what was going on. But that didn't mean she wasn't worried about her good friend.
Zhen Tian squeezed Yuan Yuan's hand: "Are you feeling better?"
Her soft, sweet voice was filled with worry; this was the first time she had ever seen Yuan Yuan so out of control.
"Mm." Yuan Yuan forced herself to calm down and nodded.
"We'll be home soon, don't rush."
Fortunately, the van that came to pick up Ye Qingyan today was a minivan, otherwise there wouldn't have been enough room for five people.
Yuan Yuan's home is not far from the school; it's not a new building, but it was only built a few years ago.
Judging from the appearance and landscaping of the community, you can tell that this is a high-end residential complex.
Yuan Yuan silently led everyone towards her home.
Before they even reached the bottom of the building, the cacophony of noise from afar, mixed with the sirens of police cars, reached their ears.
Yuan Yuan's heart skipped a beat; she felt her heart sink.
She quickened her pace to get home. A large crowd had gathered in front of her apartment building, several layers deep.
"What a terrible thing."
"Why am I so unlucky to live in this building? It's so unlucky."
"It's all over, it's all over now. Houses will be hard to sell in the future. Who would buy a building where someone has died?"
"The couple's deaths were said to be particularly gruesome."
Both men and women love to gossip, and the crowd is noisy.
Yuan Yuan felt increasingly chilled as she listened, and she pushed through the crowd and ran upstairs.
"Hey, kid, don't go in yet, someone's dead inside."
"Stop shouting." Someone nearby pulled the speaker aside: "This is that family's daughter."
"Oh...poor child. And she's a girl..."
Zhen Tian looked at her friends, and their eyes all seemed to say the same thing.
"Something's happened!" Ye Qingyan exclaimed. "Quickly, Yuan Yuan is going up there."
Several people hurriedly ran into the building.
This building has only seven floors, unlike the towering skyscrapers around it.
The higher they ran, the stronger the nauseating smell of blood became.
"Dad! Mom!" Heart-wrenching cries rang in the ears of the four people.
Zhen Tian was completely stunned.
"This is..." Ye Qingyan's voice trembled.
The two boys remained silent, their expressions deep yet solemn.
The four of them stepped onto the last step. There they saw Yuan Yuan being restrained by two policemen, one on each side, as she desperately tried to get into the room.
"Dad! Mom!" Yuan Yuan broke down, staring into the living room as her vision blurred.
"Yuanyuan!" Zhen Tian took a step closer, but just one step away, all she could see was crimson. She trembled and took a step back.
Ye Qingyan stepped forward to catch her, and she too saw the scene inside. Even the usually bold Ye Qingyan trembled. She covered her mouth in disbelief.
Shao Junli, Yang Feiguang, and Ye Qingyan all had the same expression.
What should have been a cozy living room was now a mess, with two figures lying intertwined on the floor, which was covered in blood.
Shao Junli was the first to react; he helped Yuan Yuan up. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
"Dad, Mom," Yuan Yuan called out hoarsely, a sight that made the two policemen holding her feel sorry for her.
"They're collecting evidence inside," the police officer said softly. "I'm sorry, child, your parents were already gone when we arrived..."
He didn't need to say anything more; it was already very clear. But as a policeman, he still finished speaking: "There's no breath."
After hearing the news of her parents' deaths, Yuan Yuan froze, unable to move.
"Yuanyuan." Zhen Tian's eyes reddened, tears welling up in them. She choked out, "Yuanyuan, please don't be like this. Say something."
Ye Qingyan also shed tears. She walked over and said, "Yuanyuan, you..."
She couldn't say anything, so she turned her head away, covered her mouth, and cried.
The forensic investigators came out and were taken aback when they saw the children: "Please accept our condolences."
After a while, a person who appeared to be a leader came out of the house.
"Captain." The policeman who was stopping Yuan Yuan sighed silently.
"We will definitely give you justice." The captain patted Yuan Yuan's head, his eyes full of pity: "Take the child in to see his parents one last time."
Yuan Yuan seemed to be in a daze, unable to speak or cry. She stared blankly as the police led her inside, stared blankly as her parents, covered in blood, were carried away on stretchers by the police.
"My poor niece."
"You must be the deceased's sister."
"Yes." The person who came wiped away tears and hugged Yuan Yuan tightly: "Auntie is late."
Yuan Yuan's eyes were vacant, and she seemed to have lost all feeling as she was being pulled around.
No one expected to see this scene when they got home.
Yuan Yuan was led into a police car by her aunt. Zhen Tian and the other three were patted on the shoulder by the police, and only then did they seem to wake up from a dream.
Yang Feiguang covered his mouth and hid in a corner to vomit.
Zhen Tian and Ye Qingyan also turned pale.
Shao Junli, who was slightly better off, was able to exchange a few words with the police. Upon returning, he told them, "The police want us to go to the police station to provide testimony."
"Oh." The group nodded.
Once in the car, the four of them had no desire to talk. They stood there blankly, seemingly lost in thought, and didn't even dare to close their eyes. The sight of the person lying in a pool of blood was too horrifying; every time they closed their eyes, that image was all they could see.
I was just worried that Yuanyuan hadn't thought that much about it, but now...
Zhen Tian shuddered again and unconsciously grabbed Ye Qingyan's arm.
Just before getting off the bus, Zhen Tian suddenly asked, "What are we going to do about Yuan Yuan?"
No one could answer her.
The police sent officers to question them, and before the questioning, they specially found a kind-looking policewoman to come and give them some psychological counseling.
Then they asked some standard questions, such as my name, where I live, and what my parents do. Finally, they asked why I went there, what I did that day, and what my relationship was with Yuanyuan.
Everyone spoke frankly, eager to tell the police everything they could remember, hoping it would be helpful.
"You don't suspect my friend, do you?" Yang Feiguang suddenly asked.
"This has nothing to do with Yuanyuan. We're at school all day," Zhen Tian quickly explained after hearing this.
"Don't worry, we know your friends are innocent. There's nothing more for you here. Should we send someone to take you home, or should you ask your parents to pick you up?" the policeman said.
Finally, Zhen Tian and Shao Junli rode in Ye Qingyan's car home, since it was on their way. Zhen Tian and Shao Junli were taken away in a police car.
Even returning to his own neighborhood caused a stir among thousands of people.
"Why are you back so late?" asked Mr. and Mrs. Zhen.
"Dad, Mom." Upon seeing her parents, Zhen Tian finally let down her facade of strength and rushed into their arms, crying.
"What's wrong? Did you get bullied, baby?" Lu Ti stroked her head, while Zhen Lei patted his daughter's back.
"Mom and Dad, my classmate's parents have been murdered."
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