Chapter 4

Sheng Yucheng looked into my eyes.

The question seemed strange.

In a situation this frightening, that was what he was thinking about?

I scratched my head.

"I've never thought about marriage. But I like someone tall, reserved, with depth. Ideally, a successful man."

Only after saying it did I realize my requirements fitted the man standing in front of me rather well—my relative, at least in name.

Sure enough, Sheng was staring at me with an amused expression.

I hurriedly waved my hands.

"Please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean anything. I..."

I stopped.

He'd suddenly raised a hand and lightly stroked my head.

My eyes widened. My whole body went rigid.

"There's something in your hair."

He showed me a scrap of paper. It must have landed there when we lifted the bed boards.

"Thank you."

My face flushed. Apparently for the second time today.

"Don't be so nervous," he said. "You seem very afraid of me."

I shook my head, denying my timidity.

"Ningning. May I call you that? You're actually rather lovely."

I was even more overwhelmed.

He was calling me Ningning?

Saying I was lovely?

Thinking about it, my adoptive parents had often praised my looks and innocent air.

They really had loved their daughter. They'd simply been unlucky, dying before I could repay them for raising me.

Remembering that Sheng was a father too, I asked, "Do you only have the one son?"

"Yes."

"Have you thought about having another child?"

"I have. It's not that easy."

There seemed to be something beneath those words. I didn't know what.

But they reminded me of an old secret.

Emotion suddenly welled up.

I bowed my head and buried my face in my hands.

"Actually... I..."

"There's something I've never told you. I'm sorry."

I heard myself sobbing.

"Go on."

"I... I've had a baby."

"What?"

He almost jumped up.

"When? Did someone hurt you?"

"When I took time off in my second year of high school. Here, in this house."

"Your second year? Were you of age?" He clenched his fists. "Who did it? They may well have broken the law!"

"No. I was already an adult."

I wiped my tears and tried to explain calmly.

"My parents desperately needed money. They asked me to be a surrogate for a rich man."

"A surrogate?"

He looked completely astonished.

"Ningning, you're not joking?"

Without speaking, I lifted my top to show my stomach.

I was thin, but the skin on my abdomen was loose, with scattered brownish lines along the sides.

Stretch marks from pregnancy.

"Do you believe me now?"

Surprise showed in his eyes, though he remained fairly calm overall.

"Whose baby?"

"I don't know. I never met the father."

I recalled that time.

"Actually, I'm very grateful to him. My adoptive mother was ill. This was the only way to make a large sum of money."

"At first, my parents blindfolded me and took me to a room somewhere in the house. I had 'contact' with a stranger there many times. Of course, I was blindfolded whenever he came. I had no idea who he was."

"I told him I was willing. I think he recorded it, with video as evidence. Surely he didn't commit a crime?"

"Hard to say. It would depend on the evidence. I can't draw a conclusion right now."

I nodded and continued.

"After a few times, I became pregnant very quickly. Then he stopped coming. Ten months later, the baby was born. I went back to school, and life returned to normal."

"Like a dream. I don't even know whether the baby was a boy or a girl."

I looked at him.

"Can you help me?"

"How?"

He clearly didn't understand.

"I want to find the baby's father."

"My parents are dead. I'm alone, with nobody to turn to. That child is my only remaining tie. I'd like to know what sort of man the father is too."

Sheng checked his watch.

"Two hours left. I'm afraid I can't find him for you."

"It's all right. You've already helped."

I looked around the spare bedroom.

"I suspect that man killed my parents."

"He's rich. He could even have bought off the police. That would explain why he hasn't been caught in three years."

Sheng frowned.

"What's the motive? Why kill your parents? According to you, they're the ones who asked you to have his child."

"Maybe they couldn't agree on the price. I can't think of another reason."

I shrugged.

"But once we find him, we'll have our answers."

I closed the spare-bedroom door.

"I saw him sneak into this room with my own eyes. I'm certain he's here."

"Wait. One more question."

Sheng spoke again.

"Why didn't you tell the police about being a surrogate? You could have told them three years ago."

"I..."

I really didn't know how to answer.

Over those three years, Officer Liu had often asked whether I remembered any other details.

Every time, I'd said no.

I knew that telling them the truth about the surrogacy would be a great help to the investigation.

I'd never found the courage to tell them everything.

"Perhaps because... I was afraid he'd be punished by the law."

My voice was tiny.

It was shameful.

I was actually trying to protect a murderer.

Sheng stared into my eyes.

"Go on."

I drew a deep breath and threw caution aside.

"Every time I was with him, I was blindfolded. But I could feel that he was very gentle and responsible. I admire men like that."

"To get to the room my parents prepared, we had to go down two flights of stairs. It was damp and cold, as though sunlight had never reached it. I don't remember how often I lay dazed on the bed, just waiting for him to come."

"At first I was anxious. I resisted. Later, I even started looking forward to it..."

"Do you think there's something wrong with me?"

Even now, I couldn't understand myself back then.

Sheng didn't mock me. He picked up on the crucial detail.

"Your mother took you downstairs? Your parents built a secret room under the house?"

"I suppose so. But I was blindfolded, so even I don't know where the entrance is."

As I spoke, I looked at the wardrobe in the corner.

We'd checked everywhere else in the spare room. Not that wardrobe. The door was so badly warped it was almost impossible to open.

Could the man be hiding inside...?

The thought no longer filled me only with fear.

I went over and pushed.

The wooden door remained jammed in its frame.

I was about to ask Sheng for help when his voice came from behind me.

"Is everything you've just said true?"

Why ask again?

"Yes. That's why I want to find him. Could you help me open this wardrobe?"

"No need."

"Why? He could be in here."

"You don't need to look for that man anymore."

He came closer and repeated, each word distinct.

"Because I'm the one who approached your parents about arranging the surrogacy."

I could barely believe my ears.

"What did you say?"

Instead of answering immediately, he put his arms around me from behind.

"Ningning. I'm that man."

My blood seemed to boil.

The moment our bodies touched, I felt dragged back into that cramped secret room.

The mustiness. Clammy sweat. A man's firm arms...

That scent. There was no mistaking it.

It was him.

It really was him.

It had been him all along.

My hands shook uncontrollably. I tried to speak several times, but the words stuck in my throat.

"My wife and your mother are cousins. Neither can have children. But I very much wanted a child. After we discussed it, my wife agreed I could find a surrogate."

"Your parents were teachers. They must have taught plenty of well-behaved girls. I originally wanted them to introduce me to someone willing to be a surrogate. I offered seven hundred thousand yuan. I didn't expect them to suggest you."

"We aren't related by blood, but we're still family. My first reaction was to refuse. Your mother said she'd handle everything and keep my identity from you."

"In short, Ningning... they persuaded me."

"The child on the phone wasn't ten. He's three. He's our child. I lied because I didn't want you to suspect me. I'm sorry."

He buried his face against my shoulder.

My stomach churned. I nearly vomited.

Somehow, I held it back.

I suddenly remembered my call with Officer Liu.

Sheng had watched me from behind, moving his chopsticks up and down in the air.

I hadn't understood what he was doing.

Now I realized.

From a distance, he'd been tracing my body's outlines and curves.

His expression then...

Pleasure.

Pleasure filled with desire.

It felt utterly wrong.

The older relative I'd respected and admired most was telling me he was the man I'd had a child with.

I stepped back, instinctively escaping his embrace.

"If it was you, then... who killed my parents?"

"Honestly, I don't know who would have wanted to hurt them. But the circumstances fit a burglary that turned to murder. Most cases like that are opportunistic."

I glanced at the wardrobe door.

"Shall we go outside first?"

"All right."

As soon as we left the room, my phone began vibrating repeatedly.

Officer Liu.

He'd sent a string of messages.

[Xiao Ning, did you know your biological father's conviction was overturned?]