Skin - Chapter 30

　　Chapter 30 – Zhao Tong’s Encouragement Notes

【There are still two months left. Come on, Zhao Tong. If you can get into college, you can completely get rid of these people.】

　　【My mother said that in her hometown, the phoenix tree symbolises good luck and fortune. It is tall and beautiful in autumn. I think the name Zhao Tong is very good. It doesn’t matter if they don’t understand.】

　　【Why did even my deskmate step on my textbook? He is usually very nice to me. Is it because he is afraid that they will treat him like me? Sometimes I’m also curious, if I were a bystander like them, what would I do?】

　　【I think Zhou Yan might be a good person. I wonder if there’s a chance for me to be friends with him.】

　　【Yesterday was my birthday, and my mother made me longevity noodles. We both ate them, and we will live long lives.】

　　If the details mentioned in the contents did not correspond one-to-one with what he knew, Meng Zhao would hardly believe that they were the contents left by a victim who committed suicide due to bullying.

　　How could Zhao Tong commit suicide? Meng Zhao’s doubts grew deeper. Judging from the content, Zhao Tong was a boy who was very good at self-relief and finding joy in misery. Between the lines, he seemed to have a tenacity that could not be defeated. Could such a boy really choose to commit suicide by jumping off a building because of a mental breakdown?

　　Meng Zhao continued to flip through the pages, and Zhao Tong began a count down— counting the days until the college entrance examination.

　　Meng Zhao turned to one of the pages and stopped to look at the words on it.

　　【It was the last monthly exam, and they stole all my pens. I asked Xu Yingying in front of me to let me borrow a pen, but she refused. Sometimes I would think maliciously, if I didn’t help her at that time and let her disappear as well, would that have been the right thing to do?】

　　‘These bastards…’, Meng Zhao cursed in his heart. He thought of the report card. No wonder Zhao Tong had handed in a blank paper for the last monthly exam. But who was the Xu Yingying mentioned by him? Judging from Zhao Tong’s tone, the girl seemed to be related to the source of the bullying he suffered back then… But if Xu Yingying was one of the bullies, how could she not be on the list of defendants? Or was she actually the one who led the bullying…’

　　It didn’t seem like it. Meng Zhao’s gaze stayed on the three words ‘Xu Yingying’. If that girl was the mastermind, would Zhao Tong have chosen to borrow a pen from her?

　　Also, what did ‘let her disappear as well’ mean? Who was the ‘she’ that Zhao Tong was referring to? Was there really another reason for Xu Yulin’s disappearance?

　　Meng Zhao collected all the materials and searched other places.

　　When Meng Zhao opened Zhao Yunhua’s wardrobe, a very bright red colour attracted his attention. Zhao Yunhua usually dressed simple, and from the photographs in the house, even when she was young, she rarely wore bright colours.

　　Meng Zhao took out the dress. It was a red dress, which seemed to be the same one Zhao Tong was wearing when he committed suicide. There was still a lot of dried blood on the back, and the colour itself had turned into dark rust colour.

　　Had that dress destroyed Zhao Yunhua’s nerves over the years, allowing her to make the final decision of strangling Zhou Yan to death?

　　What kind of person was the murderer to be so good at controlling people’s hearts and planning well, to be able to kill the innocent Zhou Yan by the hand of such a broken mother, and to make a backup plan in advance, and decisively kill Zhao Yunhua…?

　　Also, Zhao Yunhua strangled Zhou Yan because she mistakenly believed that Zhou Yan was the real murderer who forced Zhao Tong to death. Then why did the real murderer target Zhou Yan? Meng Zhao fell into deep thought.

　　After a moment, Meng Zhao put the dress into the evidence bag and left Zhao Yunhua’s room.

　　He turned his head and looked outside. Night had fallen and the tall buildings in the distance were hidden in the dim sky.

　　He took the evidence bag and walked to Zhao Tong’s bedroom next door. He saw Lu Shichen leaning on the desk and picked up the photo of Zhao Yunhua and Zhao Tong to look at it once again.

　　The dim light outlined Lu Shichen’s side profile into a delicate and smooth silhouette. Meng Zhao could not see Lu Shichen’s expression clearly, but he always felt that there was a strange, somewhat sad atmosphere in the air.

　　Although Lu Shichen told him last time that he had no memories or feelings for his mother, Meng Zhao noticed that whenever Lu Shichen saw the scene of a mother and son cuddling together, he would look at them a few more times, intentionally or unintentionally.

　　Lu Shichen was like a mystery. Meng Zhao had no way of knowing the real reason why he got involved in the case, nor could he judge whether his words were true or false. But at least at the moment, Meng Zhao felt that Lu Shichen had temporarily taken off his mask, and was a somewhat fragile and still warm-hearted Lu Shichen.

　　At that moment, there was a “bang” sound on the wall, as if something had hit the wall next door.

　　The sound made Lu Shichen look up from the photograph. He first looked at the opposite wall, then he put the frame back on the table, returned to his normal state, and looked at Meng Zhao: “Is the search over?”

　　”It’s over,” Meng Zhao raised the materials in his hand, “Let’s go.”

　　The noise just now reminded Meng Zhao of Lin Lang, who was mentally ill and mentioned by Lu Yang on the phone. However, didn’t Lu Yang also mention that Lin Lang had moved? So where did the noise come from?

　　After leaving Zhao Yunhua’s house with Lu Shichen, Meng Zhao closed the door gently. He put his index finger in front of his lips, signalling Lu Shichen to not make any sound, then walked to the next room and listened to the noise inside.

　　It was so quiet inside that it was impossible to tell whether or not there was anyone inside. Meng Zhao bent his fingers and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

　　He asked, “Excuse me, is anyone home?” Still no one answered.

　　Meng Zhao turned his head to look at Lu Shichen, who was also looking at him. He made a gesture to Lu Shichen to go down the stairs, and Lu Shichen quickly understood.

　　Meng Zhao squatted down to avoid the line of sight of the peephole on the door, while Lu Shichen left here and went down the stairs. The footsteps gradually faded away, and Lu Shichen stopped on the next floor.

　　At that time, Meng Zhao heard very light, almost inaudible footsteps coming from inside the door. The footsteps approached the door, then stopped, as if observing outside.

　　There was someone inside, an extremely cautious person, just like the caveman reported in the media.

　　The three people present did not say anything. After a long while, perhaps after confirming that there was indeed no one outside the door, the footsteps inside the door walked away.

　　After a while, Meng Zhao stood up and left with light steps.

　　Lu Shichen was waiting for him downstairs. When Meng Zhao approached, he raised his hand and pointed upstairs. Meng Zhao understood what he meant to ask, so he nodded.

　　Seeing Lu Shichen nod back in response, Meng Zhao suddenly found it interesting. He and Lu Shichen really had a tacit understanding and could communicate almost without words.

　　The two of them went down the stairs, both walking lightly.

　　If it was really Lin Lang in the house, could her caution be related to Zhao Tong’s suicide ten years ago? Meng Zhao recalled the cautious behaviour.

　　It was lunchtime, and also traffic jam time. The vehicles on the road were crowded and moving slowly.

　　Meng Zhao was familiar with all the narrow roads in Huai’an District, but if he encountered a traffic jam in Wenzhao District, he was bound to be unable to escape.

　　Meng Zhao was thinking about the case while driving. According to Lu Chengze, Zhao Yunhua not only insisted that Zhao Tong suffered from bullying, but also insisted that Zhao Tong did not die of suicide but was murdered.

　　Zhao Yunhua was not at the scene of Zhao Tong’s suicide, so her inference was probably without any reason, and was just an irrational speculation based on the inability to accept reality. However, after reading the records left by Zhao Tong, Meng Zhao also had his doubts.

　　Zhao Tong’s way of fighting against bullying was to ‘endure’ until the college entrance examination, when his purgatory-like and tortured senior high school life would come to an end. Zhao Tong had no suicidal thoughts in the month before his death. Did he really commit suicide? However, if he chose to commit suicide by jumping off a building at the moment of extreme mental breakdown, it was hard to say…

　　After all, whether to commit suicide or not was just a matter of Zhao Tong’s thoughts. Even the most rational person was prone to do irrational things in the moment of complete mental collapse. What’s more, at that time, Zhao Tong was just a 17-year-old boy pretending to be strong.

　　Ten years had passed since the incident. Zhao Tong’s body has been cremated and a new building has been built on the chemical plant. Unless the video footage from that year could be found, Zhao Tong’s death may become a mystery that could never be solved..

　　The light was red, so Meng Zhao stepped on the brakes and stopped at the intersection.

　　He glanced at Lu Shichen next to him. Perhaps he was still suffering from a headache in the afternoon. At the moment, Lu Shichen was leaning on the back of the chair with his eyes closed.

　　”Does your head still hurt?” Meng Zhao asked.

　　”It’s much better.” Lu Shichen opened his eyes and looked at him, “What were you thinking about just now? Are you still thinking about the case?”

　　”I’m wondering… whether Zhao Tong really committed suicide.” Meng Zhao said, in fact, he wanted to hear Lu Shichen’s thoughts. Since reuniting with Lu Shichen, he had deeply realised that people with high IQs did not have to be limited to a certain field to play their IQ advantages. For example, Lu Shichen’s analysis of clues often made him look at him differently.

　　But Lu Shichen just said “hmm” and said nothing else. Meng Zhao had to add: “Didn’t you also read Zhao Tong’s diary? What do you think?”

　　Unexpectedly, Lu Shichen seemed to have no interest in his question. He closed his eyes again: “Does it matter whether he committed suicide or not? A person who has been dead for ten years, even if his cause of death is strange, the evidence has long disappeared. Why waste energy on something that can’t be solved?”

　　This is not without reason, but rationality becomes indifference when it is too much. Lu Shichen’s words reminded Meng Zhao of the ‘wild dog theory’ ten years ago. He couldn’t help but frown slightly: “After all, this case involves three lives. Only when the truth is revealed can these three people’s deaths be explained.”

　　”How are you going to explain it?” Lu Shichen asked calmly, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, “Burn the case files for them?”

　　His words made Meng Zhao unable to help but get angry. It seemed that it turned out that way every time. Once he began to slowly change his opinion of Lu Shichen, the other party would always find a way to prove that he was a sophisticated egoist without any humanity.

　　Meng Zhao’s voice unconsciously turned cold: “So in your eyes, the death of a person is no different from the death of a stray dog on the roadside, right?”

　　Noticing the difference in Meng Zhao’s tone, Lu Shichen opened his eyes and looked at Meng Zhao. He realised that Meng Zhao was irritated by him once again. It was interesting to irritate Meng Zhao, but, this time, Lu Shichen felt a little strange— he didn’t seem to find it interesting.

　　He turned his head to look out the window and said calmly, “There is no difference.”

　　Meng Zhao was somewhat furious and couldn’t help but say, “Since there is no difference to you, then why do you always get yourself involved in this case?”

　　”Of course I’m doing this for myself. Otherwise, do you think I’m seeking the so-called delayed justice?” Lu Shichen somewhat indifferently, “Officer Meng, I want to remind you that going around in circles is not necessarily a good thing. You think you are pursuing justice, but in fact, for the three people you claim to do this for are dead and dead is dead. No matter how you solve the case or how you pursue justice now, it will be of no use to them. What you do is, at best, show those who are still alive that justice exists. So that they can continue to believe in the so-called justice of heaven.”

　　There was no point in talking any more, so Meng Zhao didn’t plan to continue the topic with Lu Shichen. He simply drove into the Huaian District. Meng Zhao turned the steering wheel and turned from the crowded downtown into a dark alley.

　　He turned on the headlights, lighting up the road ahead.

　　After a disagreement, no one spoke for the rest of the journey.

　　Meng Zhao took a long detour and drove to Yuhu Bay along a small road. Then someone took the initiative to speak. It was Lu Shichen: “Didn’t we say we were going to have dinner together?”

　　”I’m not in the mood today. Let’s do it another day.” Meng Zhao unlocked the car door. With a slight ‘click’, both parties knew that the order to leave was given.

　　Lu Shichen didn’t say anything else. He opened the car door and left.

　　Watching Lu Shichen’s figure enveloped by the dark night, Meng Zhao sat on his seat unsettled. If Lu Shichen hadn’t changed at all in the twelve years he spent with adversaries, then why had he decided to raise a dog after returning to China? Was it just to urge himself to get up and run?

　　This is like raising a tool dog… Meng Zhao complained in his heart and was about to drive away. In a flash, he saw the box of chocolates and a box of painkillers under the centre console.

　　Lu Shichen hadn’t taken anything with him when he got out of the car.

　　Thinking of Lu Shichen squatting on the ground with a splitting headache twelve years ago, looking like he was in agony, Meng Zhao felt sorry for him.

　　Why bother with a person who has lost the memories of the first ten years of his life? For a person who had lost his feelings for his mother, how could anyone blame him for not being able to empathise with a dying stray dog on the roadside or with other strangers?

　　Meng Zhao sat quietly in the car for a few minutes, sighed, then picked up the box of chocolates resignedly, got out of the car and walked to the door of the building.

　　Just then, someone walked out of the building, so Meng Zhao took advantage of it and quickly walked in. Seeing that person looking back at him with some distrust, Meng Zhao raised the box in his hand and said, “I’m here to deliver something. I’ll be leaving in a moment.”

　　He got on the elevator, walked to Lu Shichen’s door, bent his fingers and knocked on the door.

　　Lu Shichen pushed the door open and walked into the house, took off his coat and hung it on the hanger. The dog at home hadn’t seen him for the entire day and wagged its tail at him affectionately, as if asking him to pet it.

　　Lu Shichen was in no mood. He walked to the window in the living room and looked at the night scene outside.

　　Sometimes he would realise that he was a little different from other people. He had always been aware that he was an outlier in the world. Because of that, he distanced himself from other humans and preferred to be alone.

　　But in fact, he never cared about it. The so-called connections, social interactions, and friends were insignificant in his life.

　　But at that moment, he suddenly realised that in Meng Zhao’s eyes, he was an incomprehensible alien.

　　Lu Shichen felt a strange emotion that he had never experienced before, permeating his body. He tried to match it with the various emotional words he had learned, and felt that the word “sadness” might match his feelings at the moment.

　　‘Living like this is so boring…’

　　At that moment, the doorbell behind him rang.

　　Usually very few visit him, and at night, no one would knock on the door except for takeout. The doorbell rang for a long time before Lu Shichen retracted his gaze and turned to open the door. The dog followed him to the entrance.

　　When he walked to the door and saw the face projected on the screen beside the door, Lu Shichen was slightly startled. It was Meng Zhao.

　　Meng Zhao frowned slightly, looking unhappy. The man was even more lively when angry than others.

　　Lu Shichen opened the door and looked at him without saying a word.

　　Meng Zhao handed over the box of chocolates. He sounded angry and said in a rather aggressive tone, “Other people’s lives are not important, but you should always value your own life, right? Take some time off to go to the hospital and find out why you have the headaches. Medical technology is advancing so fast. If it couldn’t be cured back then, maybe it can be cured now.”

　　Lu Shichen took the box of chocolates and then offered: “Would you like to come in and sit for a while?”

　　Before he finished speaking, Meng Zhao had already turned around and left: “No, I’m leaving!”

　　Watching Meng Zhao walk into the elevator, Lu Shichen held the box of chocolates and turned it over and over to look at it. After a while, the expression on his face relaxed. The dog then came over and rubbed its face against his legs.

　　Lu Shichen half-knelt down, his hand fell on the dog’s neck, and he stroked it slowly and thoughtfully.

Chapter 34

　　Meng Zhao returned to the Municipal Bureau and ordered a takeout.

　　While waiting for the takeaway to arrive, he suddenly remembered that Lu Yang had not called him to ‘report’ on the progress of his investigation.

　　Has the lecture given by him worked? Or did Lu Yang start to pretend to obey but actually disobeyed?