Chapter 5
Edward Quan ·
The blond man’s face crumpled.
“That’s everything! I’d been working all day. I was exhausted. Why would I stand around watching them carry on? I’d rather go home and watch a movie.”
Smack.
Ruan slapped him.
“Who are you calling a slut?”
The worker almost went out of his mind with fear.
“My mother! I meant my mother!
“Please, I don’t know anything else! Let me go!”
Ruan showed no mercy.
He knocked the young man unconscious with the rolling pin, gagged him, bundled him into the large wardrobe and locked it.
Then he felt someone watching.
A chill ran down his back.
He whipped around.
Wu Ye sucked in a breath and scrambled under the bed.
He had barely settled when the door creaked open.
His heart pounded.
Ruan entered in blue plastic slippers. They slapped against the floor, then stopped beside the bed.
Cold sweat soaked Wu Ye’s back.
He was finished.
His face was sweating too. Ruan mustn’t notice.
Wu Ye hastily turned his head until he was almost face to face with the grandmother. His nose touched her cold skin.
Ruan lifted the sheet, dropped to one knee and peered underneath.
One second.
Two.
Wu Ye knew Ruan was staring at him. His back seemed to burn. He didn’t dare move.
After about a minute, Ruan got up and left. The door closed.
Wu Ye had just begun to relax when he turned his head.
Ruan was there.
His blood seemed to freeze.
Slowly, his eyes moved down.
The man was barefoot.
Moonlight fell through the window. His face was half lost in shadow. Then he grinned, showing pale teeth.
Wu Ye knew it was over.
But Ruan didn’t attack.
“Stay put. I’ve got something to deal with.”
He turned and left.
Wu Ye watched the bare feet disappear. Only when the door shut could he half breathe again.
Soon the lights clicked off outside. A key turned in the lock.
The apartment fell silent.
More silent, more frightening, than a graveyard.
Wu Ye waited about five minutes, then crawled out from under the bed.
He struggled upright against the wall and hopped toward the door.
Fortunately, the little bedroom wasn’t locked.
He nudged it open with his head and made his way to the kitchen. There he found the cleaver and freed himself from the ropes.
Knife in hand, he went to the wardrobe, intending to break the lock and rescue the blond worker.
Then he hesitated.
Ruan had imprisoned him because he’d witnessed the old woman’s murder. That made a terrible sort of sense.
But why abduct the worker?
Wouldn’t a normal parent who had learned something about his daughter’s attacker call the police?
Unless Ruan intended to deal with the attacker himself.
Wu Ye couldn’t think straight.
He washed his face in the kitchen and swallowed several mouthfuls of cold water.
To his delight, the kitchen window had no security bars.
He could get out.
By now Ruan must be at Xingfu Estate, looking for Mr. Guo.
This was his best chance.
He wanted no more of any of it.
The sensible thing was to escape into the night.
And yet...
He still wanted to see the man he believed had made a fool of him.
The old building had only a few floors. Wu Ye climbed down without much difficulty, hailed a taxi and headed for Xingfu Estate.
Before getting out, he gave the driver two hundred yuan and a folded note.
If he hadn’t returned in fifteen minutes, the driver was to call the number on the paper and read out what it said.
Wu Ye soon found Guo’s apartment: Building Five, unit 101.
He hesitated at the door for three seconds.
Then he knocked.
No answer.
“Mr. Ruan! I know you’re in there!”
The door opened.
Ruan’s face was thunderous. He hauled Wu Ye inside.
“What are you doing here?”
He shut the door, grabbed Wu Ye by the throat and pinned him against the wall.
“Where’s the blond one?”
“At your place!”
Wu Ye was beginning to regret this.
He looked around.
The apartment was neat. A posed portrait of a little girl hung on the wall.
A man in his thirties lay on the floor. He was pale, slightly balding, and had clearly been beaten.
“Is that Mr. Guo?” Wu Ye asked.
Ruan grunted.
“Did you find anything out?”
Ruan glared at the man.
“The bastard says he slept all day, only got up this afternoon, and knows nothing.”
Perhaps wounded pride drove Wu Ye.
He shook off Ruan’s hand, rushed at Guo, straddled him and punched him.
“It was you? You slept with Ruan Jing last night? Behind my back?”
Guo curled up under the blows and gritted his teeth.
“If you think I killed someone, call the police. Let the law punish me.”
Ruan pulled Wu Ye away.
“Move. You’re not in charge here.”
Wu Ye got up furiously.
Then he noticed a smartphone on the coffee table.
He picked it up.
“What’s the passcode?”
Guo pressed his lips together.
Wu Ye glanced at him and entered a code.
The phone unlocked.
Guo’s eyes widened in terror.
“How do you know my passcode?”
“Hard to guess, was it?” Wu Ye sneered. “It’s the same as Xiao Jing’s.”
Guo became hysterical. Bound as he was, he lunged at Wu Ye.
“Hold him!” Wu Ye told Ruan. “There’s something on here!”
Ruan kicked Guo.
He fell against the coffee table, striking his head. Blood appeared. He lay half conscious.
Wu Ye gave him a cold look and opened the photo gallery.
Then he froze.
An album called “My Love Jingjing” contained nearly two thousand abusive sexual images, dated across two years.
18
Seeing his expression, Ruan asked, “What did you find?”
Numbly, Wu Ye went through the images.
The earliest showed Ruan Jing as a frightened high-school student in an empty classroom, being abused by her teacher.
The newest had been taken the previous night. She was crying while Guo assaulted and beat her.
There were recordings of sexual abuse as well.
Tears were streaming down Wu Ye’s face before he knew it.
Ruan flew at Guo and beat him again.
Wu Ye wiped his eyes and continued searching.
Alongside the school teaching materials, he found a private folder containing four audio recordings.
He frowned and played the first.
March 6, 2012.
Guo spoke about targeting a beautiful student named Ruan Jing. She had missed nearly a year of school after her stepmother’s death and was now repeating her second year of high school. He described using her poor grades as an excuse to summon her to his office. His intention to sexually abuse her was unmistakable.
The second recording was dated April 7, 2012.
Guo described visiting Jingjing’s home, deliberately choosing a time when her father would be out playing mahjong.
She had shyly offered him tea. He asked for cigarettes, and she went out to buy them.
While waiting, he wandered through the apartment.
In the small bedroom, her grandmother caught his wrist.
“Someone’s been murdered. Run!”
He asked who.
“A wife,” the old woman told him.
Wu Ye remembered her warning to him the night before. She hadn’t mentioned a wife then.
He looked at Ruan.
The older man narrowed his eyes and smiled, arms folded.
“Keep playing.”
Wu Ye had no choice.
The third recording was dated April 13, 2012.
Guo boasted about frightening Ruan Jing into revealing the family’s secret.
He had told her he knew someone in her household had committed murder. Since she was his most treasured student, he would keep it secret. He would even tutor her and help her reach university.
Terrified and crying, she had told him the truth.
Her stepmother had beaten and tormented her since childhood. That day she had attacked her again and threatened to sell her into the remote mountains.
Her father lost his temper and killed his wife.
Father and daughter disposed of the body together. They told everyone she had pancreatic cancer, had gone to the city for treatment, and had died there.
Wu Ye’s mind went numb.
So that was their secret.
His teeth chattered as he opened the final recording.
April 15, 2012.
Guo sounded drunk.
He boasted that he had now sexually assaulted Ruan Jing. He also said he had learned that her father had raped her before him. Her year away from school had been spent giving birth; the baby had been sent to the countryside to be raised.
He regarded this as another secret he could use to control her.
Wu Ye turned furiously toward Ruan.
The older man sneered.
“So now you know.”
“You’ll take good care of Jingjing, boy. I recorded you committing murder and sent it to a close friend. If you ever abandon her, you’ll go to prison. And your parents will pay too!”
At that moment, the police broke down the door.
They caught Ruan in the act of assault and rescued Wu Ye.
Searching the apartment, they found Ruan Jing’s missing eyes in Guo’s refrigerator.
Later, with Wu Ye’s help, the police recovered Guo’s phone in the residential compound and sealed it as crucial evidence. They also rescued the blond worker from the Ruan apartment.
Their investigation eventually established what had happened to Ruan Jing.
The truth surprised everyone.
On the night of December 8, 2014, Guo had threatened her because she had found someone else.
The worker saw them as he was returning from his night shift.
Guo then went to the Ruan home and sexually assaulted her. He threatened to tell Wu Ye about himself, Ruan Jing and her father, trying to force her to leave Wu Ye and marry him.
He left at about half past three in the morning.
Distraught, Ruan Jing set out for the hotel to find Wu Ye.
On the way, she encountered the blond worker, who had been drinking with his workmates.
He tried to assault her.
She resisted. He kicked her in the abdomen, causing a miscarriage and leaving her unconscious.
Terrified, he tried to stop the bleeding.
But it continued.
Instead of calling 120, he decided to silence her. He struck her head with the F-shaped wrench he was carrying, then fled.
As for the eyes found at Guo’s home, the police considered that evidence alongside the rest of the investigation.
They believed Guo had gone back to look for Ruan Jing and found her dying at the dump.
According to his colleagues, he was deeply superstitious. He believed a ghost without eyes could not take revenge.
That was why he had mutilated her.
The worker was arrested. The law would determine his punishment.
Ruan was arrested for murder, assault and sexual abuse of a minor. His case was awaiting trial.
Ruan Jing survived.
But her injuries left her in a vegetative state, with little hope of recovery.
Fortunately, her boyfriend, Wu Ye, remained by her side with love and compassion.
Wu Ye’s story was over.
I looked down at the pretty young woman in my arms. She yawned drowsily.
“Hmm?” She rubbed her eyes and tried to wake up. “Go on.”
I stroked the bridge of her nose and smiled.
“That’s it. What do you think of the script?”
She nestled against me like a kitten.
“It’s good.”
I kissed her hair.
“Honestly.”
She thought for a moment.
“Actually... it feels like an ordinary murder case. It could use a twist. Still, Ruan was so cold-blooded, and he was willing to take all the blame for his daughter and let Wu Ye live. That’s quite moving.”
I said nothing.
She sat up and leaned closer, cautiously.
“Are you upset with me? It really is a good story. I swear. I mostly read romance, that’s all. Murder mysteries don’t interest me much.”
I laughed and stroked her hair.
“Silly girl. You’re so good to me. How could I be upset? I work with surgical knives, not pens. Of course I’m no great writer.”
She relaxed.
I smiled.
“There are two more twists. Want to hear them?”
Just then, the rice cooker chimed.
My girlfriend made a tearful promise.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you and your child.”
I smiled.
“When will you take me to meet your mother?”
She was so startled she dropped her chopsticks.
“But... you didn’t want me telling my family about us before. Do you really want to make it public now?”
I nodded.
“Yes. It’s time I gave you a proper answer.”
She was so happy she began to cry. Wiping her tears, barely able to speak coherently, she pointed toward the bedroom.
“Wait here. I... I’ll wash my face.”
“Go on.”
I watched her leave.
Then I opened the surveillance-camera feed on my phone and put on my Bluetooth earpiece.
On the screen, my girlfriend jumped with delight as soon as she entered the bedroom. She rolled across the bed, taking deep breaths to calm herself.
Then she noticed the wall clock. Apparently remembering something, she made a call.
“Mom, do you have any money? I need ten million.
“No, it’s not for shopping. I’ve found a connection who can get me a transfer.
“Everyone’s fighting for an opportunity like this. We’re lucky to have a chance.
“You had an affair, and Dad ran off with another woman. We haven’t heard from him in years. I’ve even wondered if you paid someone to kill him! I hate you. You never help me with anything.
“Really? You can actually get the money?”
After hanging up, she beamed.
She retouched her makeup and spoke resolutely to her reflection.
“Don’t worry. I’ll buy you the watch you want.”
I shook my head, smiling to myself.
Pretty and foolish. Completely under my control.
My phone vibrated.
A message.
“Hello, Mr. Zhao. I know you’ve committed murder, and I have evidence. Don’t worry, I won’t go to the police. But I need money.”
I smirked, took a sip of wine and replied.
“Fuck off, scammer.”
Moments later, a photograph arrived.
In it, I was driving a knife into a middle-aged man’s neck.
I suppressed a smile.
“How much?”
“One billion.”
“OK. Looking forward to meeting you.”
My heart raced with excitement.
Everything was going as I’d expected.
It was getting more interesting, wasn’t it?
I opened my photo gallery and went through pictures of my daughter—the child of my former lover, now in a vegetative state.
It’s all right.
Daddy loves you.
Enjoyed this story?
Discover more completed short romance stories at NovelPotato.asia.