Skin - Chapter 71

Chapter 71 – Visiting the Deceased

　　In the living room, Lu Shichen was sitting on the sofa, opposite him was an old man with white hair.

　　”Do you have a photo of her?” Lu Shichen asked.

　　”As for photos… I don’t have any here,” the old man opposite shook his head. “It wasn’t as easy to take photos back then as it is now.”

　　”Then please help me look at this photo,” Lu Shichen handed over a photo of Zhu Wenxiu, “Is it her?”

　　The old man took the photo, put on his reading glasses and looked at it carefully, then shook his head with certainty: “No. Even if you get older, the outline of your face won’t change. The difference is too big.”

　　”Do you know anyone else who is familiar with her? Or where her photo might be kept?”

　　”This…” The old man fell into deep thought, “I need to recall it carefully.”

　　At this moment, Lu Shichen’s cell phone vibrated, and the call was from an unfamiliar number.

　　”Sorry, I have to take a call.” Lu Shichen stood up, walked to the window, and said to the phone, “Hello.”

　　”Consultant Lu,” a young girl’s voice came from the phone, “I’m Cheng Yun from the Municipal Bureau, and I’m Brother Zhao’s colleague…”

　　”I know,” Lu Shichen said, “What’s wrong?”

　　”Is Brother Zhao with you now?”

　　”No, I’m on a business trip. Shouldn’t he be at the Municipal Bureau at this time?”

　　”You don’t know that he was suspended? Something happened at the press conference yesterday, and Director Xu immediately suspended Captain Meng. After Captain Meng left the Municipal Bureau, we were unable to contact him…”

　　”When did it happen?”

　　”Yesterday afternoon.”

　　‘Yesterday afternoon… that is, a whole night has passed?’ Lu Shichen frowned.

　　”I’ll call Xiaoshu again.” Cheng Yun said, “I’m sorry to bother you, Consultant Lu.”

　　After hanging up the phone, Lu Shichen immediately searched the Internet for news about yesterday’s press conference.

　　The discussion about this matter had been heated up on the Internet, forming a huge vortex of public opinion. Various media articles are overwhelming, commenting on this matter from various angles.

　　”Dark Cages – a place of greed that satisfies the desires of beasts. Who will save those injured girls?”

　　”Is beating criminal suspects executing justice or abusing violence?”

　　”Fighting violence with violence, have the police ever considered the situation of the five-year-old girl?”

　　Netizens had also automatically divided themselves into several groups, each holding their own views.

　　”Good job, why didn’t you kill that beast?!”

　　”If your family members encountered this kind of thing, could you bear it?”

　　”Have you ever thought about this? If the suspect had been beaten to death, how would the case progress without the key witness? You are a bunch of brainless bastards!”

　　”What the reporter said is correct. How can we guarantee a just outcome if the process is unjust? Torture and forced confession have always been a fine tradition of the public security organs. How many unjust, false and wrongful convictions have been caused by this?”

　　”I heard that this police officer has been suspended. We’ll have to wait and see what the investigation shows about what happened.”

　　”I watched the live broadcast of the press conference. This policeman is so handsome and has such a strong sense of justice. I support the policeman.”

　　”After being questioned, his first reaction was to take the little girl away from the scene, which immediately exposed his inferiority compared to those reporters who were only concerned with taking random photos.”

　　•=|=•

　　Lu Shichen took a quick look, then put away his phone and walked back to the old man.

　　The old man had already taken out a palm-sized address book: “I remembered a few people who were familiar with her. How about this, I’ll give you their contact information.”

　　”Well, thank you.” Lu Shichen wrote down the number, thanked him, and then left the old man’s house.

　　•=|=•

　　After getting off work in the evening, Cheng Yun asked Meng Ruoshu to go to Meng Zhao’s house together, but there was still no one in the house.

　　”What should I do…” Cheng Yun was a little anxious, “Do you think Brother Zhao will be okay?”

　　”No way,” Meng Ruoshu comforted her, “My brother has been through a lot, I know him, he won’t be crushed by something like this.”

　　As she spoke, the elevator behind her rang with a ding.

　　Cheng Yun subconsciously looked towards the elevator. After seeing who was coming, she asked in surprise, “Consultant Lu? Weren’t you on a business trip?”

　　Meng Ruoshu also turned around and looked over: “Brother Shichen, why are you here too?”

　　Lu Shichen looked at the closed door behind them and asked, “Is Meng Zhao still not here?”

　　Cheng Yun shook her head: “He has been away for a long time, and his phone is turned off. Where on earth could Brother Zhao have gone…?”

　　”When did he disappear?”

　　”Yesterday afternoon,” Meng Ruoshu said, “He sent Mr. Lu to me and talked to my dad for a few words. Because our whole family was watching the press conference, my dad was very worried about him and talked to him for a while. I think he’s in good condition and doesn’t look like anything will happen to him.” Meng Ruoshu thought for a moment and said, “I think he might have gone to the cemetery.”

　　”Cemetery?” Lu Shichen looked at her.

　　”Yeah,” Meng Ruoshu nodded, “I remember when my dad had the accident, my brother was still in high school, and he would go to the cemetery every weekend. After my aunt passed away, my brother would stay in the cemetery for a while whenever he encountered something.”

　　After that, she looked at Cheng Yun and said, “Don’t worry too much. My brother doesn’t like to talk to people when he encounters problems. He likes to be alone. Nothing will happen.”

　　Hearing Meng Ruoshu say this, Cheng Yun felt slightly relieved.

　　”Where is the address of the cemetery?” Lu Shichen asked.

　　”I’ll search for it on the map for you,” Meng Ruoshu took out her phone, “Brother Shichen, do you want to go over?”

　　”Um.”

　　The three of them walked to the elevator, and Cheng Yun looked up at Lu Shichen: “Consultant Lu, have you read those articles on the Internet?”

　　While Meng Ruoshu was searching for the address of the cemetery, Cheng Yun also took out her phone and searched for a few articles, then handed them to Lu Shichen to read: “Look at these big Vs, they are obviously leading the trend. The media outlet that cursed the most is the media outlet where the reporter who asked the question works. They almost described Brother Zhao as an unforgivable sinner, and all the comments that disagreed with them were deleted. Some of them could not be deleted, so they even turned on the function of filtering comments…”

　　Lu Shichen slid the screen to scan the content: “If someone dares to jump out and direct attention at this time, it’s probably not just a simple matter of working for someone else.”

　　Cheng Yun didn’t understand what he meant for a moment: “Ah?”

　　Lu Shichen didn’t say anything else and returned the phone to Cheng Yun: “What is the reaction of the other members of the task force now?”

　　”Of course, everyone feels sorry for Brother Zhao. Brother Zhao has always been the backbone of the unit. When he left, the members of the task force were disillusioned. Although Deputy Director Yu is also very capable, he is no longer a front-line criminal police officer. His understanding of the case is not as thorough as Brother Zhao’s. Moreover, he has many other things to do and cannot devote himself to this case. As for Brother Bin, although Director Xu asked him to assist Deputy Director Yu in the investigation, everyone knows that his leadership ability is far inferior to that of Captain Meng…”

　　After Cheng Yun finished speaking, she hesitated and asked, “Then Consultant Lu, Brother Zhao has been suspended. Will you still come to help the task force?”

　　”No.” Lu Shichen said directly.

　　The two people temporarily ended their conversation. Meng Ruoshu handed over the phone at this time: “Brother Shichen, the address of the cemetery.”

　　Lu Shichen took it, looked at the location on the map, and then returned the phone to Meng Ruoshu: “Got it.”

　　Walking out of the building, Lu Shichen looked at the two girls and said, “I’m going to the cemetery first. You guys go back.”

　　”Consultant Lu,” Cheng Yun followed and said, “After you meet Captain Meng, please tell him for me that if he needs any help, just let him know. Xiao Zhou, I, and the rest of the task force will do our best to help him.”

　　”Yeah.” Lu Shichen said.

　　•=|=•

　　The cemetery is especially quiet in the evening, and you can hear the rustling of leaves in the wind.

　　After entering the cemetery, Lu Shichen walked past row after row of tombstones. It took him more than ten minutes to see Meng Zhao.

　　Meng Zhao bowed slightly, holding a broom in his hand, and was sweeping the grave.

　　Realizing that someone was staring at him from behind, Meng Zhao stood up and looked back.

　　A few meters away, Lu Shichen was standing there looking at him.

　　The two looked at each other for a moment, and Lu Shichen walked towards him.

　　”Why are you here?” Meng Zhao looked at him, “Weren’t you on a business trip?”

　　Lu Shichen walked closer and stopped in front of Meng Zhao: “Your colleague said something happened to you, so I came back to see you.”

　　”It’s just a small matter,” Meng Zhao smiled. “I’m already a grown-up, can I really commit suicide just because I was suspended from work?”

　　Lu Shichen observed the expression on his face: “Then why did you turn off the phone?”

　　”I was told to turn off your phone… After the press conference, I don’t know how those reporters got my contact information. My phone was bombarded with messages from them. I was so annoyed that I turned it off.”

　　”You have been staying in the cemetery since last night?”

　　”Yes, it’s quiet here. When I feel irritable, I stay here. I came here so many times that I am familiar with the old security guard. I came here to take his shift overnight last night. I repaired my mother’s tomb during the day. I feel a lot calmer.” Meng Zhao put down the tools in his hand and tilted his head towards the tombstone behind him. “Look, among this row, my mother’s tomb is the neatest and most beautiful, right?”

　　Lu Shichen looked at the tombstone and remained silent.

　　Seeing that Lu Shichen didn’t reply, and thinking about what he said about his mother, Meng Zhao looked at him and asked, “What about you? Do you visit your mother often?”

　　”I haven’t been to her tombstone since I lost my memory in the car accident.” Lu Shichen’s eyes were fixed on the tombstone. He paused and said, “What can a deceased person bring to you?”

Meng Zhao thought for a moment and said, “Missing.” Seeing that Lu Shichen was still silent, he added, “Missing the deceased can bring comfort to people.”

　　”Missing? Comfort?” Lu Shichen repeated these two words. He couldn’t understand what that feeling was.

　　Noticing Lu Shichen’s confusion, Meng Zhao continued, “People actually live on longing. Some of the people around us are alive, while others are dead, but the memories of being with them will never disappear. Once you fall into confusion and hesitation, these fragments of memory will condense into a net to hold you and prevent you from falling into a deeper and darker place.”

　　Lu Shichen’s gaze moved from the tombstone to Meng Zhao’s face. His expression seemed to change slightly, and he looked thoughtful.

　　He said, “Next time, please accompany me to see her.”

　　”Okay.” Meng Zhao responded.