With a clatter, the cup in Zhou Chunhua's hand fell to the ground, splashing water everywhere.
"What's wrong?"
She only came to her senses when she heard Gu Yao's voice.
She pointed at her phone screen, her tongue seemingly tied shut, unable to speak.
Gu Yao looked down at his phone, then looked up at her: "Do you recognize this unidentified corpse?"
She nodded quickly.
"Don't rush, take a deep breath."
Following Gu Yao's voice, she took three deep breaths before she calmed down.
“She…Lin, Lin Rui…”
"Lin Rui's mother?" Gu Yao's eyes widened immediately.
Zhou Chunhua nodded repeatedly, pointing to the string of seashells: "These are seashells that her son picked up at the beach during his second-grade summer vacation, and she made them for him."
Ever since her son disappeared from school, this seashell bracelet has become her only memento; she has worn it on her wrist without ever taking it off.
"Are you sure?" Gu Yao asked.
Zhou Chunhua was afraid of making a mistake, so he zoomed in on the picture and looked at it again and again before nodding in confirmation.
"That's right!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Gu Yao's face darken.
"At this time..."
Zhou Chunhua leaned closer to take a look, and her pupils immediately contracted.
The time of death determined by the forensic examination was exactly the date the hotel caught fire!
"Could it be... that Lin Rui's mother..."
She suddenly remembered what happened that day.
The sound that resembled a phone falling to the ground, and the subsequent inability to connect to the phone, made the truth quite clear.
In an instant, Zhou Chunhua's eyes stung, and tears welled up in them.
"It's because of us! She was killed because she saved us..."
Her voice went hoarse, as if something was stuck in her throat, and she couldn't speak.
Gu Yao picked up his coat from the sofa, stood up, and said, "I'm going out for a bit."
"You...are you going to..."
"Yes. Don't worry, I'll figure it out." After saying that, Gu Yao walked towards the door.
Before leaving, he turned back and said, "Since you have two kids with you, don't go out to eat. Just order takeout."
Zhou Chunhua nodded, and Gu Yao then opened the door and went out.
She knew that Gu Yao had gone to find Uncle Hat.
After all, probably no one else in Qing'an knew that the unidentified female corpse was Lin Rui's mother.
The reason Gu Yao didn't invite her was probably because he was thinking of the two children.
For the next three hours, Zhou Chunhua was in a daze.
Because of immense guilt, she had let Lin Rui's mother leave alone that day.
At this moment, she had no regrets.
Just as she was lost in thought, a pair of small hands nudged her.
When she came to her senses, she saw Tongtong tugging at her hand and calling out, "Auntie, my sister says she's hungry."
Zhou Chunhua then noticed that it was already past seven o'clock.
They usually go out to eat around 5 or 6 pm.
She completely forgot the time after what happened today.
She glanced at her two children, picked up her phone, and ordered takeout.
They even left a note saying that when it arrives, just hang it on the door.
Lin Rui's mother got into trouble, and it's obvious that it's aimed at them.
After that, she called Yangyang's father.
After telling everyone about this, he reminded them, "Make sure to tell everyone that whether you're going out to run errands or go out to eat, never go out alone."
"Okay. I understand. I'll inform everyone right away."
She had just hung up the phone with Yangyang's father when the delivery guy called to say that he had hung her order on the doorknob and was reminding her to pick it up.
After Zhou Chunhua politely thanked her, she hung up the phone and got up to get the takeout.
For safety's sake, she even waited behind the door for a while before slowly opening it.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw through the crack in the door that there was nothing unusual outside.
But she still didn't dare to be careless. She braced one foot against the door before reaching out to get the takeout.
Just as she touched the plastic bag on the outside doorknob, something slammed into the door, pinning her against the wardrobe door in the porch.
In an instant, several dark figures rushed in.
As she struggled desperately, a bag was put over her head.
The next second, something hit her head, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.
When she regained some consciousness, she found herself in a dilapidated and empty factory.
The overhead structure is made of rusty iron pipes, and what appears to be corrugated steel sheets covering it.
There are many abandoned wooden frames around.
A thick layer of dust or dirt was spread on the ground, completely covering the cleaned cement surface.
The only incandescent lamp was right above her head.
She suddenly remembered her two children, and instantly became fully alert.
"Nini! Tongtong!" she shouted, but there was no response.
My heart sank to the bottom in an instant.
A chill spread from the soles of my feet throughout my entire body.
She even felt as if the blood in her body had frozen.
Who are you! Give me back my child!
"Come out! What are you doing hiding like a turtle? Come out!"
Just as she finished speaking, a thud came from the corner.
She turned her head to look, but couldn't see anyone. However, she could still hear a thumping sound coming from that direction.
The intervals are even, even... very regular.
Just as she mustered her courage to speak again, a man's laughter rang out from the corner.
"You...you're that reckless Zhou Chunhua?"
It was a voice she had never heard before, a completely unfamiliar voice.
"It's me! Who are you? Where did you take my child?" She didn't know where she got the courage from.
However, the man did not answer her question; instead, he laughed even louder.
“I don’t care who you are! Just tell me, what do you want?” she shouted again.
The man's laughter stopped abruptly.
Then, the sound of leather shoes landing came from the corner.
Zhou Chunhua gritted her teeth and stared in the direction of the sound. She saw a man with a buzz cut slowly emerge from the darkness.
He was wearing a white shirt with three buttons undone at the collar, revealing a glimpse of his chest.
The black trousers he wore were ironed to perfection.
It also features dark blue stripes and subtle patterns resembling gold thread embroidery.
It gives people a sense of understated flamboyance.
With each step he took, his black leather shoes kicked up a thick layer of dust.
Just as he stopped, an iron rod stood at the man's feet.
Under the lamplight, the gleaming iron rod emitted a cold light.
Zhou Chunhua looked up and finally saw the man's face clearly.
Short eyebrows, small eyes, a crease in the nose, thick lips, and... black teeth that only form from chewing too much betel nut.
He grinned, a smug smile on his face.
"If you had just listened to advice and gotten out of Qing'an sooner, you wouldn't be in this situation today!" The man chuckled. "What a pity, you little ants just won't listen."
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