When Lin Qingle returned home, it was already half past eleven.
Lin Yufen opened the door for her and said as soon as she saw her: "Why are you so late today? I called you but you didn't answer. I almost called your teacher!"
Lin Qingle lowered his head and pulled his schoolbag: "I didn't bring my phone to school. Today, I asked the teacher a question and forgot the time..."
"Then you have to find a way to inform me. I might be worried."
"Got it, I won't do it next time."
When Lin Yufen heard that she was studying, her expression had eased a little, and she asked, "Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you a midnight snack?"
Lin Qingle shook his head, put on his slippers and went to his room. "I'm a little sleepy. I'll take a shower and go to bed. Mom, you go to bed too."
…
Seeing her daughter returned safely, Lin Yufen felt relieved and went to sleep.
Lin Qingle closed the door of the room, and after hearing Lin Yufen enter the room, he sat down behind the door exhausted.
After a long while, she stood up, walked to the bed and took out the cell phone from under the pillow.
She looked at Xu Tingbai's name...
She didn't know what he would do after he left, nor did she know if he could recover from his injury. She was very worried about him, but she promised him that she would not contact him on her own initiative.
Lin Qingle closed his eyes, trying to erase the confusion in his mind, but the more he tried to erase it, the more he remembered it.
I thought of the way Xu Tingbai was beaten, the drunken man, and the way the man fell down without making a sound, leaving only the sound of a gust of wind.
She couldn't sleep well. No matter how hard she forced herself, she still stayed awake until dawn.
But a new day came and nothing seemed to have changed.
Lin Qingle came out of the house and bought breakfast as usual. As usual, he met Jiang Shuyi on the road.
Lin Qingle was worried about something and was silent all the way, and Jiang Shuyi didn't seem to have any mood to talk today. The two walked side by side and arrived at the school in silence.
There was nothing unusual throughout the whole day, until the end of the evening self-study get out of class, when I heard classmates across the aisle gossiping, "Hey, did you know that someone died on Yueqian Road yesterday?"
Lin Qingle's hand holding the pen suddenly froze.
"Is it true? Who is it?"
"I don't know him. He seems to be a middle-aged man. He fell from a building and died."
"Ah...jump off the building? Commit suicide?"
"Who knows? I heard there are family members at home, and I don't know the reason."
"Oh my god! It couldn't be murder!"
"It's poisonous. You've watched too many suspense dramas."
"No, it's possible!"
…
The students next to them started chatting excitedly, and more and more people gathered until the bell rang, then they sat back in their seats laughing and making noises.
Lin Qingle came back to his senses and continued to write the questions in silence.
In a small town, gossip always spreads very quickly.
It was just trivial gossip that night, but by the next day, it was conveyed more clearly.
"Qingle! Is that true or not? Some people say that the man who died in Yue Qianlu was Xu Tingbai's father." Yu Tingting received the gossip and asked her during lunch.
Lin Qingle: "I don't know..."
"You and Xu Tingbai are so close, don't you know?"
Lin Qingle: "He didn't tell me."
"Ah... That's right. This happened just the day before yesterday. It's normal that you didn't know about it." Yu Tingting said, "Hey, let me tell you, there are rumors that Xu Tingbai pushed his father down while he was drunk."
Lin Qingle was stunned and said angrily: "He can't see, what can he use to push?!"
"Ah? This, this is not what I said, but everyone is talking about it. I also think it's impossible! Those people are just looking for trouble and making conspiracy theories, saying that Xu Tingbai was often beaten by his father, so he must resist." Yu Tingting said, "But, is he really often abused at home... This is too pitiful. If it were me, I would have to kill him directly."
Lin Qingle listened and his face turned pale.
She understood why he didn't want her to contact her, and why he didn't want anyone to know that she was at his house that night.
Because gossip is scary, even a blind man could be spread like this. If he had any friends at home at the time, who knows what kind of rumors would have spread.
Once a life is involved, there will be various versions of the story in the end.
She had already been criticized for "human life" in the past, and he didn't want her to be involved again, and didn't want her to be part of this version.
Lin Qingle: "I'm full, I'll go back to the classroom first."
"Hey, you eat so fast—"
Lin Qingle left.
Jiang Shuyi took a few bites and put down his chopsticks: "I'm full too, let's go."
"Hey you guys? Wait for me, wait for me!"
—
On the other side, the hospital.
"Is the person inside awake?" a policeman asked outside the ward.
Nurse: "He's awake and just had a meal."
"Okay, I'll go in and ask a few questions."
"Okay, Officer Yang."
Yang Teng pushed the door open and walked in.
There was only one patient in the ward, a boy who was beaten all over.
"Xu Tingbai."
Xu Tingbai, who was lying on the hospital bed, recognized the person by the sound. Yesterday, he recorded a statement from this person.
"Officer Yang."
"How are you feeling today? Are you okay?"
"Um."
"That's fine." Yang Teng said, "By the way, you said yesterday that your father got drunk and beat you up that night, and finally jumped off the balcony. You were the only two people in your family during the whole process, right?"
Xu Tingbai lowered his eyes and said in a light voice: "Yeah."
"Are you sure there are only two of you at the scene?"
Xu Tingbai paused and said, "Officer Yang, I can't see him, but I feel that it is my father. Do you mean that there was another person at the scene?"
Yang Teng was silent for a moment, then said, "When we went to investigate today, a neighbor nearby said that he saw a little girl coming out of your building that night."
Xu Tingbai was slightly stunned.
"You should know that girl because she often comes to see you. She is your friend, right?"
Xu Tingbai frowned and looked at him: "I don't know who you are talking about."
Seeing that he refused to admit it, Yang Teng said directly: "Lin Qingle, that girl's name, according to your neighbors, you are usually alone at home, but this girl comes to your house every week, and she was also at your house on the night your father had an accident, right? So why was the girl there? Did she also have a conflict with your father at that time? So, why did you hide the fact that she was at your house?"
Xu Tingbai's eyes were slightly cold: "Officer Yang, I said there was no one else that night."
Yang Teng said seriously: "You don't have to lie, we have witnesses."
"Oh, Officer Yang, why are you here? If I had known, I would have bought you a meal." Just then, Grandma Jiang walked in from outside the ward.
Because Xu Tingbai currently has no relatives, she feels sorry for the child and has been taking care of him here for the past two days.
Yang Teng: "No need, Mrs. Jiang, I'll just ask a few questions and leave."
"Didn't I ask you yesterday? Why are you asking again? Xiaobai is still very weak and needs to rest."
Yang Teng: "That's right, because someone said that a friend of Xiaobai went in and out that night..."
"Xiaobai's friend, are you talking about Qingle?"
Yang Teng: “You know him too?”
"Of course, she often comes to accompany Xiaobai. You know he can't see and is lonely. Qingle is a good girl. She is not only good to Xiaobai, but also to me. A few days ago, I told her that my waist was hurting and she came over in the middle of the night to help me apply ointment and massage."
Yang Teng: "Late at night?"
"Yes, she has to study in the evening, so she doesn't have time during normal times."
"What about the night when Xu Hongcheng had the accident?"
"That day? Qingle came to my room that day. I was in a lot of pain at the time, and she stayed with me until very late." Grandma Jiang asked with some doubt, "Is there something wrong with this?"
—
The last two classes in the afternoon are weekly subject quizzes. Today’s test is mathematics. Before class, the class representative needs to go to the office to pick up the test paper.
"Lin Qingle." Just then, someone outside the corridor called her.
Lin Qingle looked up and saw a girl from the next class.
"Your class teacher is looking for you and asked you to go to the office."
"Oh... OK."
Lin Qingle got up and left the teaching building, heading towards the teacher's office building opposite. When the bell rang, she just walked outside the office and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Lin Qingle pushed the door open and said, "Teacher..."
Before she could say anything, she suddenly saw someone she was very familiar with, her mother, Lin Yufen.
Lin Yufen looked at her quietly, but Lin Qingle could feel that it was the calm before the storm.
The head teacher looked a little serious: "Qingle, your mother is here, and there are two police officers here. This is what they want to ask you a few questions, don't be afraid, they just want to ask you something."
Lin Qingle glanced at the two plainclothes policemen beside him and nodded.
"Don't be nervous, just answer the questions." Yang Teng took out a photo, "Do you know this boy?"
Lin Qingle saw Xu Tingbai in the photo and nodded: "Friend."
Lin Yufen glared slightly, but because there were so many people here, she didn't get angry.
"You guys have a good relationship, don't you?"
"good."
"Did you know that his father fell from the upstairs and died the night before last?"
Lin Qingle lowered his eyes: "I heard about it."
"I heard about it?" Yang Teng said, "But you weren't there."
Lin Qingle glanced at him: "Me?"
Yang Teng: "Xu Tingbai has already admitted it, and a neighbor across the building saw you that night."
Lin Qingle: “…”
"Lin Qingle, tell us the truth, we will investigate it thoroughly."
Everyone was looking at her, with different expressions on their faces, waiting for her answer.
Lin Qingle frowned: "Xu Tingbai admitted it? I wasn't at his house that night, what would he admit?"
Yang Teng: “You are at the scene.”
"How is it possible... I was indeed in that building that night, but I was at Grandma Jiang's house. I didn't know what happened at his house at the time."
Yang Teng was slightly stunned: "What are you doing at Mrs. Jiang's house?"
"Mrs. Jiang has had back pain for a long time. I occasionally go to help her apply medicine and massage her." Lin Qingle glanced away, "But if I knew what happened at Xu Tingbai's house that night, I would definitely go upstairs to find him. I heard that he was beaten by his father again, right? If I knew, I would definitely go and take him away..."
The little girl's eyes turned red and tears were about to fall.
Another police officer pulled Yang Teng and signaled him to soften his tone.
In fact, he didn't agree to come here, because he knew what was going on at a glance. Xu Hongcheng was unhappy in life and was in a trance. It was normal for him to commit suicide. Moreover, it was a fact that he was a domestic abuser. The injuries on Xu Tingbai's body made his colleagues feel chilled.
But Yang Teng was well-known for being a stickler. He wanted to get to the bottom of any small detail and no one could stop him.
"Officer, I think you really misunderstood something. Qingle is a very good child." The head teacher watched from the side and couldn't help but say, "She has good grades and a good temper. She is very well behaved. She has nothing to do with your case."
There is currently no evidence to prove what the two minors, Lin Qingle and Xu Tingbai, did to Xu Hongcheng.
But there is a lot of evidence to prove what Xu Hongcheng did to Xu Tingbai.
The case is indeed clear at this point.
Lin Qingle: "Uncle, is Xu Tingbai okay now? Where is he?"
Yang Teng closed the folder, and looking at the little girl's anxious and concerned eyes, his heart softened a little: "Hospital, his injury is better now."
—
After the two policemen left, Lin Yufen thanked the head teacher and took Lin Qingle out.
Lin Yufen did not let Lin Qingle go back to the classroom, but walked her out of the school.
"mom… "
"Come out with me! Go home!"
Lin Yufen pulled her out with a sullen face, hailed a taxi, and dragged her in.
Along the way, Lin Yufen said nothing.
It wasn't until they got home and she locked the door that he pointed at her tremblingly: "Tell me, what's wrong with you?!"
Lin Qingle said: "Mom, I have told the police everything I should have said, that's it. I will tell you the rest later, now... can I go to the hospital first?"
"Why did you go to the hospital? Ah!" Lin Yufen suddenly became furious, "You dare to go find that kid named Xu!"
"He is injured and alone in the hospital..."
"Lin Qingle, are you crazy? You ignored my words, didn't you? You lied to me for so long. If you hadn't called me over this time, if I hadn't asked you, I wouldn't have known that you were so close to a boy! You said you were going to the library every week, but you actually went to see him! Do you still study? How old are you to dare to fall in love?"
Lin Qingle was shocked: "I, I'm not in a relationship, I went to his place to study."
"You're going to study in a man's house? You're really good at talking nonsense!" Lin Yufen was so angry that she was shaking, her eyes were red, "What did I say? I told you to study hard and pass the exam, but now you're so disobedient. Do you want to piss me off to death?"
"I really didn't have any romantic relationship with him, I just wanted to help him..."
"What about him, a man? You go to his house every day, but he doesn't care!"
"He won't do anything to me! Mom, you don't know anything, can you please stop imagining it?"
"Okay, okay, I won't think too much! Then don't even think about looking for him again." Lin Yufen said, "Lin Qingle, you haven't suffered enough, have you? Have you forgotten how others pointed fingers at us when your father was involved in a murder? Until now, we are still implicated because of this matter. You have been interviewed by the police this time. What would others think if they knew about this?! And now you actually dare to look for a suspect—"
"He is not a suspect! Didn't you just hear that he was beaten half to death by his father at home, and his father jumped off the building himself!"
"Even if that's the case, don't you know that there are still rumors about that guy outside! You are not allowed to go to him again, lest he start to think of you as well!" Lin Yufen dragged her into the room, "Go in and reflect on yourself, and don't come out without my permission!"
"mom-"
"Lin Qingle, can you please let me worry less?" Lin Yufen's eyes turned red and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm doing this for your own good! Just listen to me and stay in there obediently!"