Chapter 174
Let’s go back to November 27, that snowy morning.
On the narrow road outside the auto repair shop, Song Zhou saw a figure wearing a light purple cotton coat and a dark purple felt hat, walking slowly in the opposite direction of the auto repair shop.
It was the person who picked up the steel pipe next to the broken minibus last night. Judging from her figure, she was an elderly woman.
It's a bit suspicious that the same person appeared twice near the murder scene.
But it could also be a nearby resident.
Song Zhou wanted to take a picture of the man's back and send it to Chang Ting later, but when he felt in his pocket, he remembered that he had left his phone charging in the police tent.
He simply followed, thinking of pretending to pass by her so that he could see her face clearly and remember her appearance.
An older woman, to him, must not be very aggressive. He didn't see any risk.
Song Zhou quickened his pace.
The person in front suddenly stopped and turned around. It was indeed a woman in her fifties or sixties, with an ordinary appearance, like the elders you often see in the alleys.
But his eyes were definitely not ordinary, his gaze was like a sharp iron awl, piercing Song Zhou's face.
Song Zhou instinctively stopped.
"Qiu Song."
He heard the woman call out this name.
He looked at the other person in shock: "How did you know..."
The woman's lips curled slightly as she answered irrelevantly, "I changed my name before. My original name was Wang Nuanshi. After I learned that my daughter Xiaoping... was murdered by Zhu Zangmo and his gang, I changed my name to Wang Hanshuang."
"Because there will never be a trace of warmth in my life again. Qiu Song, you and I have had the same experience. Your sister was also killed by them. You must understand my feelings."
The snowflakes were blown by the strong wind like waves, just like the ups and downs of their lives.
Song Zhou was shocked but still skeptical.
"You should tell the police about this." He pointed back with his thumb. "The police are over there."
Wang Hanshuang seemed startled: "I can't let the police see me."
Song Zhou thought of something and his expression changed: "Could it be that Xing Yao was…"
Wang Hanshuang interrupted him: "I'm just wandering around here, just looking for an opportunity to give you something."
"What?"
"Qiu Yue's phone."
Song Zhou seemed to be frozen in an instant: "How could Xiaoyue's phone be..."
Wang Hanshuang had already turned and walked away: "I got it from Xing Yao and put it in my car. If you want it, come and get it. If you don't want it, I'm leaving."
Song Zhou hesitated for only a second before following.
There was a black Volkswagen parked at the intersection, with a thin layer of snow on the roof.
Wang Hanshuang opened the back door of the car, got in first, lifted a travel bag from the back seat onto her knees, and rummaged through it.
Song Zhou stood outside the open car door, still on guard.
Wang Hanshuang found something, took it out, and handed it to him through the car door: "Here."
A white phone in a pink case.
The mobile phone and the phone case were both bought by Song Zhou for Qiu Yue personally.
He stared at the phone and forgot to answer it.
Wang Hanshuang asked helplessly, "Why, isn't it your sister's?"
"Yes... yes." Song Zhou finally found his lost voice, took it with trembling hands, and held it tightly, for fear of dropping it on the ground.
"Alright." Wang Hanshuang breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had completed a task. She looked at him lovingly, "It's very cold. You should go back. I should leave too."
Song Zhou stood still, a thin layer of snow piled up on his shoulders.
Wang Hanshuang sighed helplessly: "Why, are you going to hand me over to the police?"
Song Zhou pursed his lips into a line and shook his head.
Wang Hanshuang killed Xing Yao. Murder was against the law. But to Song Zhou, Xing Yao was not a human being.
Deep down, he didn't want Wang Hanshuang to fall into the law, and he didn't want her to be punished by law because of his report.
But how could he just leave like that?
How did Wang Hanshuang get Qiu Yue's phone? What else did she know about Qiu Yue? How did she know I was Qiu Song?
There are too many questions, and I need to get to the bottom of them.
He held the phone and asked, "What the hell is going on?"
"It's a long story." Wang Hanshuang looked disappointed. "If you have the patience to listen, I'll tell you."
She moved to the other side of the back seat: "Get in the car, don't stand outside in the snow."
Song Zhou hesitated for a moment, got into the car, sat in the back seat, and closed the door casually, keeping the wind and snow out of the window.
Wang Hanshuang suddenly raised her hand towards him. He instinctively dodged it, but Wang Hanshuang just brushed the snow off his shoulders.
There were crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, and her expression and movements made Song Zhou think of his mother involuntarily.
He and Curly share the same mother.
"My daughter's name is Lu Shuping." Wang Hanshuang's tone was as if she was chatting, "Her father passed away early, and Xiaoping and I depended on each other for survival.
"Xiaoping was an art student in high school. Twelve years ago, I heard about the reputation of the Tibetan Ink Training Base. Although the tuition was expensive, I still scraped together the money and sent her there for training. I always wanted the best for my daughter, but I didn't realize that I was sending her into danger.
"I never knew what she was going through. I only had a vague feeling that she was unhappy when we called. At that time, I thought she was just under a lot of academic pressure."
Wang Hanshuang's voice grew increasingly hoarse, as if it were coming from a crack in her heart. "I regret it so much. If I had been less busy with my own work back then, and cared more about her, and asked her a few more questions, maybe..."
Wang Hanshuang couldn't continue and turned to look out the window. Snowflakes obscured her vision.
The same misfortune resonated with a silent wail. The image of Lu Shuping and the image of Qiu Yue overlapped in Song Zhou's mind.
He couldn't help but think of the past when Qiu Yue was in the same situation.
Yes, if I had cared more about Xiaoyue back then...
The howling north wind seemed to penetrate the thin car body and cover his heart.
Song Zhou's heart and soul were shattered, and he was dazed and confused.
But Wang Hanshuang's cotton-like kindness concealed the hunter's calculations.
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