Chapter 88

Song Wen and Lu Siyu brought back the materials copied by Captain Wang from the Traffic Bureau to the City Bureau. It was already past six o’clock by the time they returned.

While Lu Siyu was preparing dinner, Song Wen received a call from Fu Linjiang.

“Captain Song, following our previous investigation, we found the small guesthouse where Chen Yanqiu stayed last. I just went to confirm it, and the owner of the guesthouse saw Chen Yanqiu’s photo and confirmed seeing him.”

On that day, colleagues in the City Bureau were also busy searching for traces of Chen Yanqiu before his death. Fu Linjiang’s discovery undoubtedly marked significant progress in the investigation. Finding this guesthouse might reveal what happened to Chen Yanqiu afterward and could help deduce his specific time of death, narrowing down the investigation scope.

As Lu Siyu brought out the food, placing a plate of eggplants on the table, he overheard Song Wen’s conversation and quietly asked, “Any progress?”

Song Wen gestured for him to keep quiet, signaling not to let Fu Linjiang hear his voice, then put the call on speakerphone. “Where exactly is the location of the guesthouse?”

“It’s on Maochang Street, a small guesthouse called Ruyi Inn. Because the registration information here is not connected to the internet and is still done manually, it took us some time to find it,” Fu Linjiang paused before continuing, “Chen Yanqiu registered here using Zhang Rui’s identity information. The photos on their IDs are somewhat similar, so the owner didn’t suspect anything.”

Upon hearing this, Song Wen truly felt that the final moments of Chen Yanqiu’s life were real. He wasn’t a ghost but a living person. He knew Maochang Street; it was a shantytown in the west of the city, where demolition work had only been half completed, leaving many self-built houses vacant. The homeowners had converted these houses into small inns, somewhat similar to guesthouses. These establishments usually had only a few rooms and offered very affordable prices. While wealthy people looked down on these places, they were another home for migrant workers or the impoverished.

“Did the owner of the guesthouse provide any leads?”

“The location of this small guesthouse is a bit remote, and the business is average. There aren’t many regular guests like him, so the owner still remembers. The owner said Chen Yanqiu checked in at the beginning of January this year and paid in cash. He stayed there for over a month and often went out. By the way, he found out that Chen Yanqiu was sick. When cleaning the room, there were many medicine bottles with foreign writing. Once, Chen Yanqiu had a fever and couldn’t get up. The owner even made porridge for him and asked if he needed to contact any relatives, but Chen Yanqiu declined. On the morning of February 3rd, before the Lunar New Year, Chen Yanqiu suddenly said he needed to go out and mentioned returning after the festival. He left a box with the owner for safekeeping and never came back.”

“The owner said he often went out. Do you know where he went?”

“That’s not clear.”

“Has his luggage been checked?”

“I rough-checked the items wearing gloves. There were no prohibited or dangerous items, just some daily necessities. I’ll have the forensic department take another look when I return to the City Bureau.”

Song Wen continued to inquire, “Did Chen Yanqiu mention what he was going to do last?”

“He just told the owner he had some errands to run. The owner thought he was going to visit relatives.” Fu Linjiang recalled something else and added, “Oh, the owner mentioned that Chen Yanqiu seemed to be in a good mood that day. He even casually gave some peanuts to the owner’s son. Chen Yanqiu also said, ‘Once everything is done, I’ll be relaxed.'”

Upon hearing this, Song Wen frowned slightly. “Once everything is done, I’ll be relaxed.” What could he have been going to do?

“The owner said he remembers it quite well because it was close to the New Year, and most guests had gone home for the holidays. He wanted to ask Chen Yanqiu how long he planned to stay, thinking about closing for a few days during the New Year and resting. Coincidentally, Chen Yanqiu checked out that day, which happened to be when the temperature dropped, and there was a bit of snow in the morning… Oh, by the way, when I was looking through Chen Yanqiu’s luggage just now, I noticed that his clothes were neatly folded.”

Neatly folded clothes. It’s possible that Chen Yanqiu himself understood that he might not come back.

On the morning before that New Year, Chen Yanqiu disappeared into the light snow at the end of the street, and no one knew where he went afterward.

Was there any special significance to the eve of the Spring Festival? It should have been a day for family reunions, but at that time, Chen Yanqiu was seriously ill, and his sister had boarded a northbound train in search of hope. Meanwhile, he died, his body discarded at that chemical plant. Was this the outcome he had hoped for, or was it unexpected?

“Well done, and thank you for your hard work. I also have some progress on my end. Let’s discuss it in detail tomorrow when we meet at the bureau.” After finishing the call, Song Wen saw Lu Siyu pondering over the dishes on the table. They came back late today, so dinner was relatively simple, with only two dishes and a soup, the soup being tomato and egg soup.

Song Wen took a bite with his chopsticks. Although the meal was simple, the taste was excellent. He said to Lu Siyu, “Don’t just think about the case. It’s been a long day. Let’s eat.”

Lu Siyu had only managed to cook a few dishes in a hurry today and was feeling a bit dissatisfied now. While Song Wen devoured his food, he had no appetite. It seemed like all his energy was drained by the case. He forced himself to cook dinner but had no energy left for anything else.

But Lu Siyu knew he needed to eat a bit more. He had just recovered from a serious illness, and he was currently undergoing drug withdrawal. If his diet became irregular again, he didn’t know what this body of his would rely on to keep going. After all, he still had so much to do.

Lost in thought, Lu Siyu suddenly felt Song Wen’s hand on his forehead. Lu Siyu was so surprised that he forgot to move away, blinking as he looked up at Song Wen. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Song Wen removed his hand. “You’re not running a fever, so why the daze?” In fact, Lu Siyu’s forehead wasn’t warm; it was even a bit cool.

Shaking his head, Lu Siyu wished he could bury his head in the bowl. His fair face showed no expression, but his ears had a hint of redness. He had been lost in thought just now and hadn’t noticed Song Wen approaching. Now, Song Wen’s warmth lingered on his forehead.

They spent half an hour on the meal. Lu Siyu forced himself to eat half a bowl of rice, feeling nauseous if he ate more. He put down his bowl and chopsticks, and Song Wen, noticing he hadn’t eaten much, asked, “Can’t finish your food?”

“Maybe I’m too full, and I had a snack in the kitchen earlier, so it’s normal not to be hungry now,” Lu Siyu replied.

Song Wen seemed to see through his lie, leaning forward and asking, “Are you really okay? You seemed off during the day.” Under the white light, Lu Siyu’s complexion became even paler, looking so pure and innocent that it was heartwarming.

Lu Siyu looked up at him, his expression calm. “It might be a reaction from the medication. I had a bit of a headache this afternoon, but it wasn’t too serious.”

Song Wen looked at him intently. “If you feel something’s wrong, you should say it.” At that moment, Lu Siyu felt a bit guilty and thought of interrogated criminals. He lowered his head, avoiding Song Wen’s gaze, and asked, “What if I lie or hide something? Will Officer Song arrest me?”

Song Wen grabbed his hand and mimicked handcuffing him. “I’ll take you to see a doctor.”

“Don’t worry, there’s nothing serious at the moment, and I haven’t had stomach pains for the past two days.” Lu Siyu licked his lips habitually as he spoke, pausing slightly for a second. “I really don’t like hospitals.”

As usual, they summarized the progress of the case in the evening before going to bed.

At two in the morning, Song Wen was awakened by the sound of rain. It seemed to trigger childhood memories; whenever it rained at night, he couldn’t sleep well. The wind outside, mixed with the sound of rain, pattered against the glass, gradually becoming clearer in his mind. In the darkness, the humid air churned and rolled, and the temperature dropped, making it feel a bit cold.

Song Wen went to the bathroom and habitually glanced at Lu Siyu’s room, only to find that Lu Siyu wasn’t in bed.

Putting on his slippers, Song Wen went out and saw the study on the third floor was lit. He pushed open the partially closed door and saw Lu Siyu sitting at the writing desk, holding a sleepy little wolf in his arms, stroking its fur. Lu Siyu looked up at him, neither surprised nor offering any explanation.

Pointing to his phone, Song Wen asked, “Do you know what time it is?”

Lu Siyu lowered his head, looking like a guilty child. “Sorry, I couldn’t sleep.” When it started raining, Lu Siyu woke up, feeling hungry. Dinner hadn’t been satisfying, and he was afraid of getting stomach pains, so he got up to warm a glass of milk and couldn’t fall asleep afterward.

Lu Siyu’s words left Song Wen stunned. “Well, there’s nothing to apologize for. What I mean is it’s only two in the morning. You should go back to bed for a while. You can’t just sit here until dawn.” Song Wen rubbed his eyes. “And next time, don’t sneak out like that. If you can’t sleep, wake me up and we can chat. Sitting alone like this in the middle of the night is so boring.”

Lu Siyu felt a bit guilty. “I didn’t want to disturb you or make you feel burdened.”

Song Wen replied, “Didn’t I move in here for this reason?”

Lu Siyu nodded, then carefully got up and placed the sleepy little wolf in its nest. This time, they went to Lu Siyu’s room. Song Wen sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ll stay with you for a while. You were sitting alone in the study just now, thinking about the case?”

Lu Siyu nodded. “At a few points, yes. But I haven’t figured it out.”

Song Wen looked at Lu Siyu’s profile and suddenly became serious. “You can investigate the case all you want, but those people—those who have already died or are about to die—are like whirlpools or black holes. They can suck you in. I know you like to immerse yourself in reasoning, but this time, you mustn’t get too deeply involved.”

Death, like illness, spreads its emotions like a virus. It’s contagious.

Lu Siyu had recently stopped taking medication, and with his poor health, he was in an unstable period, easily influenced by these people and events.

“Hmm.” Lu Siyu suddenly felt his eyes welling up. It must be a side effect of the recent lack of medication. At least there were people in the world who cared about him. He turned over, facing away, his fingers trembling slightly.

Song Wen glanced at Lu Siyu lying beside him, his gaze suddenly becoming heavy. In the study just now, he had reached out and touched the power button on Lu Siyu’s laptop. Although the computer appeared to be off, the power button was warm. Lu Siyu was dedicated to the case at the Wushan Nursing Home, to Gu Zhibai, and to many other things.

Song Wen suddenly hesitated. Should he continue to move forward? He was getting closer and closer to Lu Siyu’s secrets.