Chapter 107: Darkness

Shen Yanming opened the door to find Chen Shunwei standing with three young men. “Mr. Shen,” Chen Shunwei said, “these are the staff here for the survey.”

Shen Yanming welcomed them in with a smile, and Bi Qiao’an quickly poured tea for everyone.

Glancing at his phone, Shen Yanming saw it was already 9 pm. “Why are you doing household visits so late?” he asked.

“We don’t have much choice,” one staff member replied. “Many residents aren’t home during the day, so we have to catch them at noon or in the evening.”

“Yes, we have ten people assigned to Qingyu Community,” another added. “We thought it was just one area and we’d finish quickly. Turns out, this community is as big as two or three others!”

Shen Yanming nodded sympathetically. “Qingyu Community is quite large. You’re all working hard!” He offered sunflower seeds and peanuts while Bi Qiao’an gathered the necessary certificates for the staff to check.

“Turns out we’re colleagues!” a young staff member remarked with a smile. “No wonder you’re so prepared. This is the smoothest registration we’ve done yet.”

“My wife and I also do household visits,” Shen Yanming explained. “Having everything ready saves a lot of time.”

After the staff returned the documents, Shen Yanming asked, “How many more households do you have? If you’re close to finishing, feel free to have some tea and fruit and rest here before leaving.”

“Thank you, but it’s late,” the young man declined politely. “We’ll just register the next-door neighbor and then head home.” He and his colleagues prepared to leave.

Shen Yanming handed each an apple. “You’ve worked hard, take these!”

The staff accepted the apples with thanks and departed.

“Those three work so hard!” Bi Qiao’an said to Shen Yanming.

“Yes, Qingyu Community is massive; they have to work overtime. Xingfu Street Residential Area has a lot of people too, but it’s still not even a quarter the size.”

Bi Qiao’an nodded. “Let’s finish our household visits quickly too. When we’re done, how about a Western meal to celebrate?”

“Sounds good! Hopefully, the water won’t be cut off by then,” Shen Yanming replied.

Shen Yanming didn’t mention work matters to Bi Qiao’an again. The two of them held their phones together, browsing Weibo for a while and watching videos for a while. The long night couldn’t stop their affection for each other.

Over the next few days, the two of them finished their work in the Xingfu Street Residential Area. Wei Qin’s group, however, still had almost fifty households to complete. After discussing it, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an decided to help Wei Qin’s group.

With the addition of Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an, the remaining forty to fifty households were finished in just two days. To celebrate, Shen Yanming took Bi Qiao’an to the famous Sijin Western Restaurant in Hai City.

They chose a window seat and ordered a few signature dishes before chatting. When the food arrived, Bi Qiao’an thanked the waiter and noticed Song Wennuan and a handsome man sitting at a corner table.

“Hubby, look over there. Is that Song Wennuan and her boyfriend?” Bi Qiao’an asked.

“I don’t think so. They seem distant. Would you like to go and say hello?” Shen Yanming replied.

Bi Qiao’an thought for a moment. “Let’s not. It might be awkward for Wennuan. I’ll just message her on WeChat sometime.”

The two focused on their meal and didn’t notice that a few minutes later, an older man sat down between Song Wennuan and the handsome man.

After finishing their meal, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an drove home. On the way, Shen Yanming received a call from Li Zhaozhao. Since he was driving, he put the call on speakerphone.

“Yanming, you know what? That little girl we met in Qingning Mountain is awful. Let me tell you, I just got the news…”

Before Li Zhaozhao could finish, Shen Yanming interrupted with “Something came up,” and hung up the phone.

Bi Qiao’an looked at Shen Yanming suspiciously. “You already knew about that girl’s situation?”

Shen Yanming nodded. “I didn’t want to sully your ears with such things.”

“But I want to know. If you don’t tell me, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

Shen Yanming pursed his lips, his expression conflicted. “Are you sure? You might have nightmares!”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Bi Qiao’an said firmly.

Now that the answer was tantalizingly close, yet withheld, Bi Qiao’an’s curiosity burned brightly. Had Shen Yanming kept her in the dark from the start, it might have been different.

Shen Yanming waited until they were home to continue. “Actually, someone sent me investigation materials a few days ago. It’s just… that girl has a disturbing history, and I didn’t want to upset you.”

Bi Qiao’an frowned. “Disturbing?”

“Yes. You’d never guess—the child has blood on her hands!” Shen Yanming said.

He paused for a moment before continuing, “That woman was the mistress of a small-time businessman in Qiu City. Apparently, the man was tricked into sleeping with her while visiting his hometown. He was furious, but felt compelled to offer compensation and cut ties. Unfortunately, the money only fueled the woman’s obsession with him.

“The woman had a bit of luck. Two months later, she discovered she was pregnant. Since they hailed from the same county, she easily tracked down his parents’ rural home and moved right in.

“When summoned back by his parents, the businessman tried to reason with the woman, but she refused to leave. If you tried to force her, she would stick out her belly and accuse you of murder.

“The man had no choice. He stopped paying attention to the woman and directly returned to the city. When his wife found out, she also divorced him.

“The woman was smug when she learned that the man was divorced and waited for him to marry her and take her home. However, her target was utterly disgusted by her. Other than paying support, he didn’t even go back and refused to acknowledge her.

“She lived a comfortable life on his alimony, but the villagers knew her sordid story. While their disdain was subtle and the woman didn’t care, the daughter grew up surrounded by whispers and endured constant scorn. This twisted her personality.

“Until one day, the girl went out to play with two young boys from the village. Only two returned.”

Bi Qiao’an gasped. “You can’t mean… that little girl…”

Shen Yanming nodded grimly. “The villagers were initially unconcerned, but as the missing boy failed to return in the evening, his family confronted the girl. She feigned ignorance.”

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