Chapter 1
After Zhang Liangwei got up, he saw the portrait in the middle of the living room. The girl in the black and white photo was smiling. Zhang Liangwei had been looking at it for so many days and always felt that there was sadness hidden between her brows. But why didn't he notice it before?
Zhang Liangwei went out holding the portrait, and his wife stopped him: "Why are you still making trouble? Is there any point?"
Zhang Liangwei's eyes were red as he pulled his arm out of his wife's hand. "Why is it meaningless? The other children are alive and well, only our child is dead! Why did they forget about her? Why do they treat her as if she never existed?"
The wife's tears flowed, but her words were poisonous: "Do you know how to seek justice for your daughter now? How did you treat her when she was still alive? You only knew how to go on business trips all year round, and left your daughter to me alone! I had to work and take care of the family, how could I take care of it! When you came home, you only knew how to beat and scold her. If you had cared about her a little more at the time, maybe she wouldn't have died! You don't deserve to be a father at all!"
Zhang Liangwei's face turned red, he felt a piercing pain in his chest, and turned away.
From the outside, Zhang Liangwei looks no different from any other parent of a high school student. He was in his early forties, of medium build, wearing a pair of glasses and a black jacket that was pilling from washing. He exuded the dullness and mediocrity of a middle-aged man. He has been working in finance at construction sites and often travels on projects. He has some of the caution and shrewdness of a finance person, but more of the roughness and honesty of a construction worker.
But at this moment, he was standing at the gate of No. 29 Middle School holding the portrait, and he became a person that everyone avoided. It was noon and school was over. Teachers and students were coming in and out, but there was no one around him.
No one came near, no one comforted me, only faint and fragmented discussions drifted in the wind. After all, it had been a year since his daughter died.
A light rain started to fall from the sky, and pedestrians walked faster. Raindrops fell on Zhang Liangwei's hair and glasses. He lowered his head and hugged the portrait tightly to prevent it from getting wet. He felt the heart-wrenching pain running through his whole body.
An umbrella was held over Zhang Liangwei's head. He looked up in a daze and saw a young and compassionate face.
"Zhang Xiyu's father." the other party shouted.
Zhang Liangwei's tears rolled down as he stared at the other person.
The other party sighed, and without saying anything, pulled him to the eaves of the security booth next to him to shelter from the rain. The two talked for a long time. Finally, the young man called a taxi and took him home.
Zhang Liangwei didn't know that after he entered the house, the young man stood in the rain with an umbrella, looking at his door for a long time.
Zhang Liangwei finally drank too much, after all, today is the anniversary of Zhang Xiyu's death. As the sky darkened, he looked at his empty home. His wife had gone nowhere long ago and the only thing left to do in their divorce was the final formalities. It's very strange that when the child was there, the family was not happy. The couple quarreled every day, and the child was disobedient and fooled around all day, and was often beaten and scolded. But no one thought about breaking up. Now that the child is gone, life can no longer go on and no one wants to live in this family anymore.
Zhang Liangwei was drunk, and only at this moment did he feel relaxed and his mind was empty. He took out his phone and randomly scrolled through it, and suddenly saw a message sent at 4pm:
[If you want to know who killed Zhang Xiyu, come to my house at 8 o'clock tonight. 】
Zhang Liangwei sat up suddenly, but because he moved too hastily, he fell to the ground. He stumbled to his feet, rubbed his eyes vigorously, read each word carefully, and looked up to see that the clock showed a quarter to eight. He rushed to the bathroom, rubbed his face hard with cold water, and rushed out of the house.
——
Chen Pu lives in an old neighborhood behind the Xicheng Branch of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. He walks to work every day. Within 5 minutes, he abandons his Volvo downstairs in the neighborhood and only drives it when he has something to do. It was a nice day, with blue sky, white clouds and clear sunshine. Chen Pu walked to the bottom of the office building as usual, put his hands in his trouser pockets, took two steps at a time, and quickly went upstairs.
As soon as I arrived at the office door, I met the team leader Ding Guoqiang.
Chen Pu: "Master."
Ding Guoqiang nodded and took out a cigarette from his pocket. It seemed that he had something to say. Chen Pu took out a lighter and lit it for him. Ding Guoqiang took a deep breath, his wrinkled face showing deep thought. He shook the cigarette in his hand and said, "There's a newcomer in the team. He's in your squadron and is now going through the formalities at the personnel department."
Chen Pu nodded. Last month, one of his brothers had just been transferred away, so it was time to recruit more staff.
Ding Guoqiang narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Female, 24 years old, transferred from the provincial department."
Chen Pu frowned: "What do I need a woman for? Just give her to someone else. Give me another one."
Ding Guoqiang pointed at him and said, "Your ideological awareness is too low. You are what people on the Internet call... a straight male cancer!" Ding Guoqiang smoothly applied the words his daughter used to insult him to his apprentice. But what Chen Pu said was not wrong. He said he was the squadron leader, but in fact he was equivalent to Ding Guoqiang's deputy. He led the Second Squadron, which handled the worst criminal cases. It was all dirty and tiring work, and they were on the front line of danger. One of them even died two years ago. Girls are rare treasures in their bureau, and Ding Guoqiang is usually reluctant to send them to the second squadron.
Ding Guoqiang added: "She is Li Jincheng's sister."
Chen Pu remained silent.
He is already 29 years old this year. After years of wind and sun, his fair skin, which he had when he just graduated, has become darker and rougher. He was no longer like he was in his early twenties, wearing fancy pink, light yellow and sky blue clothes to the police station all day, attracting the attention of the bureau leaders and female police officers. His hair was cut even shorter, close to his scalp, and he was wearing a black sports suit, which made him look taller and more defined. He raised his hand and touched his nose, and said, "Didn't she want to study mathematics? Why did she become a police officer?"
Ding Guoqiang looked at him strangely. "You even know this? According to her files, she was admitted to the Department of Mathematics at Xiangcheng University. She dropped out after less than a year and took the college entrance examination again. She went to the police academy. She performed very well in the police academy and was admitted to the Provincial Public Security Department after graduation. This time, she strongly requested to come to the front line."
Chen Pu snorted: "Excellent? Is he as excellent as me?"
Ding Guoqiang was puzzled: "Chen Pu, are you sick? The little girl hasn't come yet, why are you being so weird? Besides, she is Li Jincheng's sister, shouldn't you treat her like your own sister? Take good care of her!"
Chen Pu put his hands in his pockets, lowered his head, and looked indifferent. Ding Guoqiang was used to seeing him look dead, and he wasn't angry. As a master, he witnessed how Chen Pu, who had never given up looking for Li Jincheng for seven years after his disappearance, changed from a high-spirited and promising child to this gloomy and weird look. Ding Guoqiang felt relieved that the person was left with Chen Pu.
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