Skin - Chapter 52

Chapter 52 – “Does It Hurt?”

　　Thinking back to what happened twelve years ago, Meng Ruoshu was also upset.

　　After accidentally witnessing Meng Zhao kneeling down, she quietly ran out.

　　From then on, the ten-year-old Meng Ruoshu realized how much pressure and pain her brother had endured for their family because of this incident.

　　She never mentioned this to Meng Zhao, but since then, she began to force herself to follow the arrangements of Meng Zhao and Song Ning, see a psychologist, and try to go out and interact with people of her age.

　　Meng Ruoshu kept talking about the day when Meng Xiangyu was vindicated in the second trial. She stopped and realized that she was already in tears.

　　Lin Lang, who was sitting next to her, also cried, sobbing quietly.

　　The two of them cried silently. After a long while, Lin Lang spoke again: “You are luckier than me. At least you have such a good brother.”

　　Meng Ruoshu dug out a tissue from her bag, took one out and handed it to Lin Lang, then wiped her own tears: “What about you? Did you ever think of calling the police after what happened?”

　　Lin Lang nodded and said, “But they thought it was embarrassing and refused to let us.”

　　Meng Ruoshu knew that the “they” Lin Lang was referring to was her parents.

　　”You are not allowed to make phone calls or go out?”

　　Lin Lang nodded again.

　　”You are worse than an animal.” Meng Ruoshu cursed, paused and asked, “Then… Ten years have passed, do you still want to catch the murderer?”

　　Lin Lang remained silent.

　　After a while, Meng Ruoshu asked again: “Do you think it’s too late? But no matter how late it is, the evildoers should be punished, right?”

　　Lin Lang was silent for a moment and said hesitantly, “But…” After saying these two words, she had no other words.

　　Meng Ruoshu noticed her hesitation and asked, “Are you still worried about your parents?”

　　Lin Lang shook her head.

　　”Are you still afraid of that powerful beast?”

　　Lin Lang didn’t say anything.

　　”You don’t need to worry about anything,” Meng Ruoshu looked at her and said softly, “My brother is downstairs. He is now the deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Municipal Bureau, and that beast was locked up by my brother last night. After listening to my story, you should know what kind of person my brother is, right? If you believe me, then you can believe him too.”

　　Meng Ruoshu leaned forward slightly and looked at Lin Lang: “Lin Lang, do you know? On the way here, my brother told me that Wu Weihan imprisoned all the girls he had sexually assaulted in the basement and continuously injected them with drugs. These people may never wake up in their lifetime. After hearing this, I really want to kill him! Why can such a beast continue to get away with it? Why should such a scum continue to harm other girls?”

　　”I want to help you, and I want to help them, but it’s not enough if it’s me alone trying. Now, can you also help me, my brother, and them?”

　　As soon as Meng Ruoshu finished speaking, Lin Lang suddenly had a mental breakdown. She buried her head between her knees, and burst into tears.

　　This tearing cry was heartbreaking. Meng Ruoshu moved closer, stretched out her arms to hug Lin Lang, and patted her gently with her palms: “It’s okay, it’s okay, no one will force you, you can take your time, everything will be fine.”

　　After a while, Lin Lang’s crying became weaker, and she sobbed for a while before she said hoarsely: “I… don’t dare.”

　　”Don’t dare what?”

　　”I’m afraid of the way I look now… I’m afraid that others will laugh at me, I’m afraid that I’ll become a waste…” Lin Lang cried, “It’s been ten years, and I don’t dare to face the outside world anymore.”

　　It turned out that this was what Lin Lang was afraid of. Meng Ruoshu was stunned. Meng Zhao had mentioned to her that with Lin Lang’s family background at that time, she was able to be admitted to Wenzhao High School, which meant that her grades were very outstanding. A girl like this must have a very strong personality.

　　After the sexual assault, she was insulted by her family. At that time, she was ashamed to see people and lived in this old house. As the years passed, the more Lin Lang hid, the more she dared not go out. This shabby room became her safe zone. She realized that she was seriously out of touch with this society and was afraid that she would become a laughing stock in the eyes of others if she went out.

　　”Wait a minute,” Meng Ruoshu thought for a moment, took her bag, and pulled out a small makeup bag she carried with her. She held Lin Lang’s hand and said, “Come with me.”

　　She took Lin Lang to the dimly lit bedroom, walked to the window, and pulled open the heavy curtains.

　　The sunlight instantly poured all over the floor, and the room was so bright that Lin Lang subconsciously raised her hands to cover her eyes.

　　Lin Lang covered all the mirrors in the room with bed sheets. One could imagine how afraid she was to face herself over the years.

　　Meng Ruoshu asked Lin Lang to sit on the chair and took out a few small brushes from her makeup bag.

　　Her movements were skillful, as if she was performing magic. Before the accident, Lin Lang had been a girl who loved beauty, and at this moment she guessed what she was going to do.

　　The soft makeup brush fell on her face and Lin Lang closed her eyes.

　　Meng Ruoshu was fully focused and began to put makeup on Lin Lang bit by bit.

　　Ten minutes later, she stood up, looked at Lin Lang’s face and said, “It’s done!” Then she turned around with Lin Lang, walked forward, and tore off the bed sheet covering the mirror.

　　A girl with slightly hunched shoulders appeared in the mirror.

　　Lin Lang looked at herself in the mirror. Over the years, she never dared to take a good look at herself. At first, she felt that she was dirty. Later, she was afraid that she would get old and ugly. Later, she didn’t know when, she began to feel fear and disgust for the person in the mirror.

　　But now Meng Ruoshu put on a light, delicate makeup. The person in the mirror still had the familiar face, but was not as ugly and hateful as she remembered.

　　She stared at the person in the mirror, as if she was looking at an old friend she hadn’t seen for a long time.

　　”Look at yourself, you are so beautiful,” Meng Ruoshu stood beside her and looked at Lin Lang in the mirror and said, “Lin Lang, I am a beauty blogger. From my point of view, you are also very suitable for this job. If you are willing, I can teach you how to put on makeup and teach you how to be a beauty blogger. Ask yourself, do you want to continue staying in this room, or do you want to stay so beautiful and have many people like you?”

　　”You are only 27 years old. You have enough time to recover everything you have lost in the past ten years. I will help you, my brother will help you, and my friends will help you. You don’t need to worry about anything. You just need to ask yourself, do you want to walk out of here?”

　　Lin Lang was still staring at herself in the mirror. After a long while, she bit her lip, as if she had made up her mind, looked at Meng Ruoshu and nodded.

　　Meng Ruoshu smiled and held Lin Lang’s hand: “Let’s go, don’t be afraid.”

　　She pulled Lin Lang towards the door. Lin Lang’s steps were very slow, and every step was hesitant, but he did not stop.

　　Walking to the door, Meng Ruoshu grasped the door handle and turned to look at Lin Lang.

　　Lin Lang nodded again.

　　Meng Ruoshu exerted force with her wrist, pressed down the door handle, and with a slight “click”, the door opened.

　　•=|=•

　　Meng Zhao anxiously knocked on the car door with his fingers. There was no news from Lu Shichen, and there was no news from Meng Ruoshu either.

　　Just when Meng Zhao was getting restless and wanted to push the door and get out of the car to get some fresh air, Meng Ruoshu came out from the corridor, holding the hand of a girl, and Cheng Yun followed behind her.

　　Meng Zhao recognized Lin Lang at a glance. Although he was prepared, he was still a little shocked by Lin Lang’s condition.

　　Lin Lang, who walked out of the house, was like a snail that had lost the protection of its shell. Being exposed to the outside air made her feel panicky and uneasy.

　　Cheng Yun trotted to Meng Zhao’s car, opened the door, got in, and reported to Meng Zhao what had just happened.

　　The car door closed, and Meng Zhao asked, “Is Lin Lang willing to come out and testify against Wu Weihan?”

　　”Yes, Xiao Shu is amazing,” Cheng Yun handed the evidence bag to Meng Zhao, “Lin Lang kept the skirt she was wearing when she was sexually assaulted ten years ago. Brother Zhao, as long as the DNA on it can be tested by the forensic department, there should be no problem in detaining Wu Weihan, right?”

　　Meng Zhao took the lake blue skirt out of the evidence bag and took a look at it. The skirt was not only torn, but also had large patches of dark red bloodstains.

　　In the sexual assault case ten years ago, such a skirt alone could not directly prove that Wu Weihan and others sexually assaulted Lin Lang, not to mention that Lin Lang also suffered from mental illness, which would weaken the effectiveness of his confession. It was still difficult to apply for an arrest warrant, but at least, Lin Lang’s confession and the skirt could prove that Wu Weihan was a major suspect, so he could be detained temporarily to buy more time to search for other evidence of Wu Weihan’s crimes.

　　Meng Zhao put the skirt back into the evidence bag and handed it to Cheng Yun: “Take the skirt back to the forensic department and let them see if they can detect DNA on it. Then you drive my car back and go back to the Municipal Bureau with Lin Lang and Xiao Shu.”

　　”What about you?”

　　”I’ll take a taxi back.” Meng Zhao said, threw the car keys to Cheng Yun, pushed the door and got out of the car.

　　The moment he got out of the car, he saw Lin Lang take a step back.

　　For Lin Lang, staying in the cramped space of a carriage with a strange man all the way must be a kind of psychological torture.

　　Meng Zhao sighed, then hailed a taxi on his phone and walked towards the highway.

　　While getting in the taxi, Xu Yan called.

　　Xu Yan was guarding Lu Shichen. When he saw her name, Meng Zhao’s nerves subconsciously tensed up for a moment. He was afraid that something might happen to Lu Shichen again.

　　He picked up the phone and Xu Yan’s voice came over: “Brother Meng Zhao, your friend is awake!”

　　”Okay,” Meng Zhao breathed a sigh of relief as the huge rock in his heart fell to the ground. “I’ll be there right away.”

　　On the way to the hospital, Meng Zhao urged the taxi driver to speed up several times.

　　After getting out of the car, he ran all the way into the hospital lobby and climbed the stairs in two steps.

　　Meng Zhao pushed the door and walked into the ward. There were quite a few people standing there. In addition to the surgeon standing by the bed and performing various examinations on Lu Shichen, there were also a few younger doctors and nurses standing next to him.

　　Xu Yan, who was there, heard the noise behind her. She turned around and saw that it was Meng Zhao coming in. She called out to him.

　　Meng Zhao nodded at her, walked forward, and looked at Lu Shichen lying on the bed. Lu Shichen also looked at him.

　　The two looked at each other, and Meng Zhao saw that Lu Shichen’s face was pale, and there was almost no blood on his lips. In the past, he always felt that Lu Shichen was like the perfect AI created in science fiction movies, with an impeccable face and often no expression. But now, Meng Zhao couldn’t bear to have such an association.

　　”The situation has basically stabilized,” the doctor stood up and said to Lu Chengze beside him, “It’s nothing serious for now. Just keep observing him. He should be able to be transferred to a ward this afternoon. Lawyer Lu, you can rest assured for now.”

　　Lu Chengze nodded and said, “Thank you, Director Liu.”

　　After the doctor left, Meng Zhao said to Lu Chengze, “Uncle Lu, you go back and rest. I’ll take care of this place.”

　　”Have you finished the case?” Lu Chengze asked.

　　”There are some signs of progress. We can take it easy for now.”

　　”You heard it too. Shichen is fine now. I’ll just stay here and you can go back and rest.” Lu Chengze said, “I know the seriousness of this case. The Public Security Bureau can’t do without you now. There are still many things to do in the future. Don’t worry about our affairs anymore.”

　　Meng Zhao was silent for a moment, then said, “Uncle Lu, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, Lu Shichen wouldn’t have gone through this. Let me accompany him, as a way to atone for my actions.”

　　Lu Chengze shook his head and said, “Whether Shichen saved you then or woke up now, it’s not for you to atone for his sins.”

　　Seeing Meng Zhao’s insistence, he sighed, “I see. Then you stay here with him. If you need any help with this case, just let me know. I’m leaving first.”

　　Meng Zhao walked Lu Chengze out of the ward and accompanied him to the elevator.

　　The elevator closed, Meng Zhao turned around and walked quickly back to the ward.

　　He pushed open the door of the ward. Xu Yan was sitting on a chair next to the bed, looking at Lu Shichen. She turned around when she heard the voice.

　　Meng Zhao walked over. Perhaps because he was exhausted after the serious injury, Lu Shichen closed his eyes again and seemed to have fallen asleep again.

　　”Please sit down, Brother Meng Zhao,” Xu Yan stood up to give him a seat, looking at Meng Zhao’s arm, “Are you injured too?”

　　”It’s okay, please sit down.” Meng Zhao stretched out his hand, dragged a chair over from the side, and sat down next to the bed. “It’s just a minor skin injury.”

　　”It looks like you lost a lot of blood. It has even seeped through the gauze,” Xu Yan said with a worried look. “How about I stay here and you go downstairs and rebandage it. And your clothes…”

　　”It’s okay.” Meng Zhao looked at Lu Shichen lying on the hospital bed. “I called you here early in the morning to help. You’ve worked hard. I’ll let Xiao Shu treat you to a meal. By the way, Xiao Shu is at the police station. Do you want to go play with her?”

　　”You make it look like we are children…” Seeing Meng Zhao staring at Lu Shichen on the bed, Xu Yan followed his gaze and said, “Brother Meng Zhao, is this your friend?”

　　”Um.”

　　”Birds of a feather flock together. Good-looking people make friends with good-looking people.” Xu Yan whispered. Seeing that Meng Zhao seemed to be thinking about his friend on the hospital bed and was in no mood to talk, she stood up tactfully after a while and said, “Brother Meng Zhao, if there is nothing I can help you with here, I will go to the bureau to find Xiao Shu first.”

　　”I’ll let Xiao Shu drive my car to pick you up.” Seeing her stand up, Meng Zhao also stood up.

　　”No, no, I drove here.” Xu Yan waved her hand quickly, “Then I’m leaving.”

　　After leaving the ward, Xu Yan slung her bag across her shoulder. When she passed the nurses’ station, she heard two nurses talking in a low voice, and the content of their discussion seemed to be related to Meng Zhao.

　　She slowed down her pace and couldn’t help but pay attention to what the two people said:

　　”He used his car to squeeze in between the two cars. If he hadn’t done that, who knows what would have happened to the people in the ambulance…”

　　”It must be for that policeman. Otherwise, why would he even want to sacrifice his own life?”

　　“Is the policeman good looking?”

　　”What do you think?” The person who spoke laughed, “If it’s not that, then why would anyone risk their life to save him…”

　　Xu Yan paused, then grabbed the chain of the backpack in front of her and walked over quickly.

　　After seeing Xu Yan off, Meng Zhao closed the door of the ward, walked back, sat down, and looked at Lu Shichen.

　　Lu Shichen opened his eyes at some point and looked at him.

　　The two looked at each other for a long while, and no one spoke.

　　After a moment, Meng Zhao felt that he should say something.

　　He opened his mouth with a hoarse voice: “You…” Before he could finish his words, his eye sockets suddenly felt sore and swollen. Meng Zhao clenched his fingers into fists and pressed his knuckles against his brow to quickly calm down this sudden emotion.

　　Lu Shichen also spoke, his voice was deep and a little hoarse: “How did you get injured?”

　　Meng Zhao let out a breath, calmed down, and then raised his head.

　　Seeing Lu Shichen looking at his arm, he also lowered his eyes and looked at it: “This… It’s okay. I was bitten by the shark raised by Wu Weihan when I was looking for evidence.”

　　”Does it hurt?” Lu Shichen asked again.

　　Meng Zhao was slightly startled before he said, “It doesn’t hurt.”

　　The man in front of him was severely wounded, like a porcelain figure that would break at the slightest touch. In comparison, his own injury was no different from being bitten by an ant, but Lu Shichen actually asked him if it hurt.

　　Meng Zhao felt mixed emotions for a moment.

　　Lu Shichen raised his uninjured hand and gently covered the place on his arm where the blood seeped through the gauze.

　　At this moment, Meng Zhao felt like he had survived a disaster. After a moment’s hesitation, he raised his hand, tightened his fingers, and held Lu Shichen’s hand: “Fortunately, you woke up.”

　　”What if I don’t wake up?” Lu Shichen looked at him.

　　”I will shoot Wu Weihan dead with one shot,” Meng Zhao said. His tone was firm and he didn’t sound like he was joking.

　　Lu Shichen let out a slight sound from his nose, as if he was laughing lightly: “Aren’t you a righteous people’s policeman?”

　　”You saved my uncle, didn’t you? If it weren’t for you, I would have lost my mind and given up on myself. Justice? Hope?” Meng Zhao laughed at himself. “I can still say these words with confidence today, and it’s all because of you. Without you, I might be a street thug living like a mangy dog now.”

　　Lu Shichen looked at him and was silent for a while. He said, “Go to sleep for a while. You look very tired.”

　　”Can’t I chat with you for a while?”

　　”There’s still a lot of time. It’s not too late to talk after you wake up.”

　　”Okay,” Meng Zhao nodded, “I’ll lie down for a while. Call me anytime if you need anything.”

　　After he finished speaking, he turned his face to his arms and closed his eyes.

　　Perhaps it was because Lu Shichen’s condition had improved that made him feel more at ease. Meng Zhao had not felt sleepy for more than 30 hours. But now, after lying down for only a while, he felt sleepiness coming over him like a tide.

　　Before falling asleep, he felt a gaze on the top of his head, which reminded him of the same gaze that fell on him every morning when he went to work in recent months.

　　Meng Zhao forced himself to stay awake, opened his eyes, and looked up at Lu Shichen.

　　Lu Shichen was also looking at him.

　　After confirming that Lu Shichen had really woken up, Meng Zhao tightened his fingers and held Lu Shichen’s hand even tighter, then he lay down again, closed his eyes and fell asleep again.