It’s Him – Ch06

Clever

Zhao Jingzheng’s impression of Li Xun was that this girl was very lively and sociable. She wasn’t the type with a cute, harmless appearance, but what made her comfortable to be around was her gaze. When she looked at people, her eyes burned with the joy of seeing an old friend. Her gaze constantly conveyed her friendly warmth toward others. She was the kind of sunny and open person that people liked the most.

So, when she stood there, it made people feel close to her. No matter what she said, they couldn’t help but want to believe her and do something for her.

Earlier, the two of them went out together to check the surveillance cameras and ask people around if they had any clues. When he asked on his own, people simply dismissed him with a couple of sentences.

“I didn’t see anything.”

“This place is so busy, who can remember?”

However, when Li Xun asked, it felt like they had met an old friend. They started chatting right away. Though there were no clues, the shop owner spoke to her with a tone of guilt for not being able to help. He promised to ask the employees, and if they had any information, they would surely tell her.

It was the same for him. They had only known each other for a little over a day, and when he went back, he originally planned to talk to his mother and share the victim’s information with her. But after just 10 minutes of conversation, he couldn’t continue. Somehow, he ended up sending the information to this high school student.

But today was a bit strange. Li Xun kept looking at her notebook without actively doing anything or talking to him.

The atmosphere between the two became awkward. After all, they had only known each other for two days.

Zhao Jingzheng was a bit puzzled. Why did he keep placing his hopes on a high school student?

Although he had already graduated from university, he had never experienced much in the way of hardship, so he didn’t understand. It was because Li Xun was willing to interact with him this way.

Some people just have this ability. As long as she wanted, no matter who met her for the first time, they would feel that she was a reliable person, and she could perfectly adapt to their personality.

Zhao Jingzheng was an introverted person. He wasn’t good at handling interpersonal relationships. When Li Xun went out with him, she took care of all those things. Naturally, he felt very comfortable and reliable around her.

But today, she was keeping something to herself, so she no longer emitted those friendly signals, which made Zhao Jingzheng feel awkward.

Zhao Jingzheng: “Is that your practice notebook?”

Li Xun couldn’t focus on the Questions in the notebook. Seeing his awkwardness, she still released her friendliness, so she put the notebook away and smiled. “I promised my mom before I left that I would go over it once. Now that I’ve looked through the Pratice notebook, I’ve completed the task.”

She had already decided what to do next.

“I see.” Zhao Jingzheng nodded.

Li Xun then started chatting with him, asking about his childhood.

She roughly estimated that when the first case occurred, he must have been an infant.

“When I was a child, I was a high-needs baby. I cried all the time. You know how loud a baby’s cry is. My mom was a very short-tempered person, and she didn’t want to take care of me. My dad was always running between school and home. People said he lost more than twenty pounds during that time. How could he have found time to commit a crime…”

Infancy?

Could he really remember the details? These things were probably what the people around him said. In modern society, the expectations for fathers are low. It’s possible that just because someone saw the father take care of the child a few times, they would say that the father was the one taking care of the child.

If more people repeat it, this person might start to believe his mother was neglectful, and his father was always with the child.

Li Xun guessed that this was likely another “grandfather, strawberry bread is delicious” kind of story.

Zhao Jingzheng didn’t realize that Li Xun was fishing for information. He kept talking about his childhood because he was in desperate need of an outlet for his emotions.

“You don’t know how great my dad is. I’ve never been hit growing up because my dad was beaten when he was a child. My grandfather was a violent man…”

Li Xun gave him a sympathetic look, but no one knew what she was actually thinking.

Soon, the two arrived at their destination: the neighborhood where the entrepreneur lived. The security was strict at the entrance.

“I have a way to get in.” Zhao Jingzheng said.

Li Xun shook her head and took control: “Don’t sneak in. We need the security guard to act as an intermediary.” After all, they only knew the person lived in this neighborhood but had no idea about the exact building or unit number.

She walked over to the security booth: “Hello, uncle, we have some business with Mr. Qian Yi.”

Li Xun whispered a few words to the security guard, and Zhao Jingzheng didn’t hear, but the guard immediately looked at him and made a call.

Li Xun thanked him and returned to Zhao Jingzheng’s side, saying, “Wait a moment, we’ll be able to get in soon.”

Zhao Jingzheng thought meeting the person would be difficult. He hadn’t been exposed to society yet and always felt a distance from successful people.

“Will it work?”

Li Xun, not at all bothered by his awkwardness, patiently explained, “They’ve been looking for clues about the child and the murderer, so someone probably comes to see him often. In the past, it was people bringing clues, but this time, it’s the suspected murderer’s son. Do you think he’ll refuse to meet you?”

Zhao Jingzheng suddenly realized. Indeed, university life had made him dull. It was still the high school student’s sharp mind at work.

In just a few minutes, someone came out from the neighborhood to meet them.

Li Xun was still leading the way, chatting with the nanny who was there to greet them.

Zhao Jingzheng was a little nervous, mentally rehearsing what to say when they met the person.

The other person lived in a villa. Upon entering the front door, they saw a large statue of Guan Gong.

Zhao Jingzheng was startled by the statue, but Li Xun immediately bowed in reflex.

Zhao Jingzheng thought it was some sort of ritual, so he hurriedly followed her lead.

From inside the living room, they heard a violent cough. Li Xun walked inside. A thin middle-aged man was sitting in the living room, and an oxygen machine was puffing loudly beside him.

The man said, “Li Aunt, pour tea for the two children.”

The person who had greeted them immediately went to the kitchen to prepare tea.

Zhao Jingzheng was mentally rehearsing his introduction.

But Li Xun spoke first.

“Sorry to bother you. My name is Li Xun, and this is Zhao Jingzheng. We came because his father, my homeroom teacher, is missing.”

She handed the printed sketch of the murderer to the man and said, “We shouldn’t be bothering you, but we really need your help.”

She explained the situation without much emotional expression, just describing the information that had appeared online and the disappearance of the homeroom teacher.

Zhao Jingzheng, standing on the side, didn’t know where to put his hands and feet. Seeing Li Xun not speak up for his father, he couldn’t help but interrupt—

“But I can swear with my life that my dad isn’t the murderer. During the time the crime happened, he was running back and forth between school and home. He couldn’t possibly have committed the crime.”

“If you ask people around, you’ll know my dad has a great personality.”

“If you’ve kidnapped my dad, please don’t hurt him. He’s never done anything wrong in his life, let alone kill anyone.”

He couldn’t wait to prove it, but he didn’t know how to do so, so he could only say these words.

The other person suddenly started coughing heavily. While handing them some paper, Li Xun quietly said, “I actually suspect that his father is the murderer. Uncle, I’ll explain in detail later.”

After saying that, she raised her voice and said, “Uncle, are you alright? He didn’t mean it like that. Let’s exchange contact information and talk more when you’re feeling better.”

Li Xun quickly obtained the other person’s contact details, while Zhao Jingzheng stood beside her, stunned.

In fact, he had already been thinking that Li Xun was about to take the college entrance examination and wouldn’t need to bring her along.

Now, after looking at the situation, it seemed he had no choice but to take her with him.

He was going to visit the victims’ families, and if some people irrationally thought his father was one of them, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself.

When they stepped out, Li Xun spoke again, “It shouldn’t be him who kidnapped your dad.”

Li Xun analyzed, “The sketch released online appeared just hours after your father went missing. If it were him, there wouldn’t have been enough time.”

She began to consider the possibility that the kidnapper might not be a victim’s relative: “I’ve been thinking about this all day. How could a victim’s family manage to take someone away so quickly and without anyone noticing?”

“Think about it. There must be some time delay before the victim’s family could even see the news, right? Then, they would need more time to come to our school, and still have to be precise in their timing. They’d need to avoid the cameras, and figure out how to take the person away. The fact that there’s not a single clue left behind makes everything feel off.”

As she spoke, Li Xun kept her eyes fixed on Zhao Jingzheng’s, her sincerity and intelligence compelling him to follow her reasoning. It made sense.

Zhao Jingzheng replied, “That’s true. It’s very likely someone familiar with my father. Could it be a family member of a victim we didn’t know about?”

Li Xun’s heart skipped two beats. She gave a helpless, bitter smile and said, “Don’t jump to conclusions. How could it be that convenient for someone familiar to also be a victim’s family member? I think we shouldn’t focus solely on the victim’s family. You should also consider your father’s social connections.”

Zhao Jingzheng was about to comment on his father’s character and how his social relations were fine.

Li Xun added, “Here’s what we can do: If you trust me, I’ll help you look into the victim’s family. Meanwhile, you can check your father’s social network. You know him better, so you’ll have an easier time finding relevant information.”

Zhao Jingzheng trusted her, of course. After all, she was a high school student, full of passion and a strong sense of justice. Moreover, what she said made sense—he couldn’t get stuck in a dead-end.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

“It’s no trouble. Let’s exchange information tonight. When you’re at home, go through your father’s things and see if you can find any clues.”

Zhao Jingzheng nodded. Li Xun assigned tasks to both of them, and they parted ways.

As she walked away, she sighed in relief. Her mind had been racing so fast, it felt like it was about to overheat.

When Li Xun got home, the lights in the room were off, so her mother must have already gone to bed.

She didn’t make a sound and tiptoed through the living room.

“Bang—”

A noise came from the basement, causing her to flinch in surprise.

Her gaze went toward the basement entrance. She swallowed hard and walked toward it.

After taking a few steps, she noticed an empty bottle nearby. Feeling insecure without something in her hands, she picked up the bench.

In the dim light, she could hear her own heartbeat.

The basement entrance was getting closer, and her hands began to shake more, causing the bottle to tremble along with her.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind, scaring her half to death.

“What are you doing?”

It was her mother.

Li Xun turned around. Her mother’s face was hidden in the darkness, making it impossible to see her expression.

“I heard a sound from the basement. I’m going to check.”

She was about to go.

Li Yugui’s tone became slightly stern, “What do you need to do? I’ll go check. Go to bed. You still have school tomorrow.”

“I’ll go.”

“Don’t you listen to me anymore? Go wash up and sleep. You came back so late and are still dilly-dallying. Don’t you want to go to college?”

Li Xun sighed and reluctantly put the bottle down, walking back. She could feel her mother’s bad mood.

After walking for a while, she heard her mother’s voice soften, “I’m doing this for your own good. You’re a student. Focus on your studies and don’t worry about these things.”

Li Xun understood that her mother meant well. She turned around and, as usual, shared the events of the day with her.

“Our class advisor’s son found many photos of victims.”

“He said one of the victims had a long scar.”

Li Yugui paused, then turned around. Her gaze was cold and sharp, like a freshly sharpened knife.

Li Xun continued, “I told him I’d look into the victim’s family, and he would handle his father’s social circle.”

“You don’t need to worry about these things. Focus on your studies.”

Li Xun raised her head, stubbornly looking at her mother, who came over and turned on the living room light. Their home had warm yellow lights, and under the glow, Li Xun could see the wrinkles on her mother’s face. Each one seemed to tell a story, and her heart ached.

“I’ll be able to go to college in the second half of this year. Will you be able to come with me?”

Li Xun had always known that the most important thing in relationships was to feel needed.

She was sending a signal, letting her mother know that she needed her, that she needed a mother in her life.

Li Yugui looked at her. Seeing her stubbornly seeking an answer, she could only reply, “I’ll take you.”

After saying that, Li Yugui went to the basement.

Li Xun watched her mother enter the basement and began to feel anxious.

What should she do? What should she do?

This was trouble.

She went back to her room and began searching—

“How many years for beating and abuse?”

No, that’s not right.

She added some more details—

“How many years for imprisonment and abuse by non-family members?”

She looked at the explanation below, then searched again—

“How many years for being an accomplice?”

———

—Guan Gong, also known as Guan Yu, was a general during China’s Three Kingdoms period, renowned for his loyalty, bravery, and righteousness. Over time, he was deified and became a symbol of integrity, protection, and prosperity. Often depicted with a red face, long beard, and his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, he is widely revered in Chinese culture and worshiped in temples as a god of war, wealth, and justice.