Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs: Chapter 82: The Hopeless Romantic (Part 12)

The day after the anonymous letter arrived at the police station, there was movement inside the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

The officer on duty checked all the contents of the anonymous letter, his face changing dramatically. He didn’t dare delay, and soon all this evidence appeared on the computer of the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

The deputy captain’s brow was tightly furrowed. He smoked several cigarettes, pulled up all the paper files, incident reports, scene photos, and family signatures from Xu Wei’s fall case, spread everything out on the table, and matched it all against the recordings on the USB drive.

Between the two sets of evidence lay hundreds of days of silence. He remembered how Xu Wei’s mother had again and again, hoarse from screaming, used every ounce of her strength to shout that her daughter had been wronged, but no one believed this crazy woman, because she had just lost her child.

A woman who had lost her child, suffering tremendous shock, unable to accept reality for a while, that was normal. Who would take that seriously?

Soon someone inside the Criminal Investigation Detachment caught wind and made a move. An officer surnamed Liu, responsible for organizing the fall case files, submitted his resignation. He knew this time disaster was imminent, and it would be best to run while he could.

But unfortunately, before his resignation was approved, he was called into an interrogation room.

Before going in he could still barely maintain a normal expression. When he came out he was drenched in sweat, as if fished out of water, as if he had just struggled back from the brink of death. He had originally planned to tough it out and not sell out Zheng Kai, but the old colleague across from him was well versed in some of the dirty interrogation methods used internally. Under threats and bribes, he quickly confessed the truth.

He was suspended pending investigation. Just one week later, his name and position were completely removed from the internal system.

This wasn’t the first time he had tampered with materials, nor the first time he had used this method to let certain cases close smoothly. But this was the first time someone had bypassed him entirely, sending evidence to a place where it couldn’t be intercepted.

When Zheng Kai was arrested, he stubbornly believed the evidence had been leaked by his bed partners, then collected, organized, and sent to the police by someone with an agenda.

Of course, no matter how he argued or pressured, the case handlers didn’t give him a single glance. The procedures went very smoothly.

He waited two days in the detention center, but no one came to bail him out. After asking repeatedly, the answer he got was a completed application form.

Two weeks later, a self media public account suddenly published a long article titled “A Fall Case Ruled Suicide: She Recorded Everything Before She Died.”

The public’s reaction online was inevitably delayed. At first this article didn’t get much traffic, but six hours after publication someone finally recognized among the various aliases that the main characters of this article were Xu Wei and Zheng Kai. This discovery was like a stone thrown into a pond, creating ripples that soon became waves. Major self media accounts and personal blogs began frantically reposting this long article.

The comment section’s numbers rolled wildly, quickly going from zero to four digits.

Some people demanded “Why didn’t anyone investigate back then,” some questioned “Where was the surveillance,” some lamented “This isn’t just Zheng Kai’s fault, it’s an entire system that failed to catch Xu Wei,” and others dug up Zheng Kai’s social media accounts, vowing to nail him to the pillar of shame.

Zheng Kai’s last Weibo post was still hypocritically saying “May there be no depression in heaven,” but the comment section had completely flipped, from “My condolences” to “You killed her with your own hands, and now you’re using her death to shield yourself,” from “Stay strong” to “Do you even remember what you said yourself.”

The online momentum around this post climbed higher and higher, and soon the heat was suppressed. As for which forces were behind it, no one dared speak openly.

Xu Wei’s mother naturally saw this article too. She didn’t even have to search for it actively. Almost every app was pushing it to her.

She sat on the sofa at Wan Shi Zhai, silent as a stone statue. It was as if she had finally gotten what she wanted, but her emotions weren’t as intense as she had expected. Maybe she should have a good cry? Or laugh out loud?

But she couldn’t feel anything at all. Staring at the pixelated photo of Xu Wei in the long article, her heart held only endless longing and emptiness.

Weiwei, did you see? Zheng Kai has been arrested. He’ll be sentenced soon.

Weiwei, Mom met some really wonderful young girls. They helped Mom get justice for you.

Chen Wu stood behind the counter. However long Xu Wei’s mother sat on the sofa, that’s how long she stood there watching, her heart aching terribly. Several times she wanted to go forward and comfort her, but she didn’t dare truly approach.

The pain of losing a daughter, who could truly understand?

What died wasn’t just Xu Wei the person, but also her mother’s heart.

“Her hair has gone so much whiter.” Chen Wu said softly.

Chen Jiu patted her shoulder: “The clouds have parted and the moon is visible now, hasn’t it.”

The day the court opened, the gallery was packed full of people.

Xu Wei’s mother sat in the very center of the front row, holding Xu Wei’s memorial photo in her arms. Her hair was half white, her frame thin and frail, but her eyes were bright, her spirit sharp. She was here to watch her daughter’s wrongs be cleared and the murderer fall into the net of the law.

Zheng Kai sat in the defendant’s seat with his head lowered. He had already heard about the online舆论翻转. His devoted lover persona had completely collapsed. The gallery buzzed with discussion, no one knew how badly they were cursing him.

The verdict was long, but the most crucial sentence was read very clearly.

“Defendant Zheng Kai, exploiting an intimate relationship, through systematic psychological control, caused the victim to lose autonomous will and fall to her death in a state of mental collapse. The criminal methods were concealed, the social impact severe.”

The verdict was intentional homicide, fifteen years in prison. Zheng Kai’s defense attorney filed an appeal. One month later, the second trial upheld the original verdict.

After the pronouncement ended, the bailiffs escorted Zheng Kai out of the courtroom. Xu Wei’s mother stood up, and for the first time in ages a faint smile appeared on her face.

She still held that memorial photo of Xu Wei with her brilliant smile, and with Chen Jiu and Chen Wu supporting her, she slowly left the courtroom.

When people came to congratulate her, she said thank you to all of them. When a young girl was moved to tears, she actually ended up comforting the girl instead.

“Weiwei would be so happy to know so many people care about her.” She said.

A few days later, the whole Wan Shi Zhai family accompanied Xu Wei’s mother to the cemetery to visit Xu Wei.

Xu Wei’s mother burned paper money for her daughter while murmuring softly: “Weiwei, being human is too hard. Mom doesn’t want you to suffer so much. If in your next life you still want to be Mom’s child, then come back as a little cat, a little dog. Mom will raise you and not let you suffer out in the world…”

Su Xiaoyu was strolling along a walking path below the cemetery, Chen Xiao Xuan coiled on her head, Bing Bing on a leash in her hand. Her task for today was just this much anyway. Whatever the adults had to handle, they wouldn’t tell her.

When she turned her head, she vaguely saw a young woman in a white dress sitting on top of a grave, barefoot, looking down at the few people in front of the tomb, her posture very relaxed and at ease. When she rubbed her eyes again, the woman was gone.

Su Xiaoyu stared with wide eyes in shock. A ghost in broad daylight! And right under her shijie’s nose!

In front of the grave, Chen Jiu and Chen Wu exchanged a glance, both arriving at the same thought.

That night, Xu Wei’s mother dreamed of her daughter, who had long refused to enter her dreams. Xu Wei was smiling brightly, completely different from her depressed appearance in life, which surprised Xu Wei’s mother very much.

Xu Wei rested her head on her mother’s knee, acting spoiled just like when she was little: “Mom, being a mom is too hard. In the next life let me be your mom, okay?”

Xu Wei’s mother stroked her hair again and again, gently, tears in her eyes: “Mom can’t bear to part with you, silly girl.”

That night, Chen Wu also slept restlessly. Ever since she came to Wan Shi Zhai to freeload food and lodging, she rarely dreamed. Tonight that female ghost came to find her again, except this time her hair wasn’t all disheveled.

“Thank you.” Xu Wei said happily: “You might be a bit scatterbrained, but you actually helped me get my revenge!”

“…” Chen Wu got so mad she opened her eyes and woke up, waving her hands around in the air, only to realize it had just been a dream.

She sat there speechless for a while, hmphed at the empty air, and lay back down to sleep.

Chen Jiu’s dream was much more normal.

Xu Wei sat facing her, her long hair combed perfectly neat, her white dress clean and tidy, her whole person radiating a fresh and clean aura.

“You’ve helped me so much. In this life I truly have no way to repay you.” Xu Wei said: “If in the next life we meet again by fate, I want to give you a great gift.”

Chen Jiu slightly raised the corner of her lips: “No need. Wishing you a new life.”

The sun rose in the east. Xu Wei’s spirit body suddenly radiated a soft glow, extending from her hair down to her legs, gradually dissipating, turning into countless points of light flying toward the sky.

With this matter settled, Xu Wei’s mother planned to send all the money she received to Chen Jiu. But no matter how she tried to get Chen Jiu to accept it, Chen Jiu could see right through her, cutting off any possibility of a transfer at the root.

“This child…” Xu Wei’s mother said distressed: “Auntie has hands and feet. How can I take your charity?”

Chen Jiu spoke with righteous conviction: “This isn’t my charity. This is money that beast surnamed Zheng coughed up. It rightfully belongs to you. Whether it’s for Xu Wei’s future cemetery maintenance costs or your retirement fund, it can all be used, right?”

Chen Wu also urged: “Yeah, people living in this world, every day you need food, clothes, daily necessities. Which of those doesn’t cost money.”

“No, I can’t take it. If you don’t accept it for one day, I’ll come find you every day.” Xu Wei’s mother said stubbornly.

Su Xiaoyu listened for a while, then suddenly ran over holding a flyer, spread it out on the table, and blinked her big eyes at the three adults.

Chen Jiu looked down. Printed on it was XX Welfare Home.

Xu Wei’s mother understood, and was the first to express her stance: “This money isn’t mine. Do with it whatever you want.” Then she smiled and patted Su Xiaoyu’s head: “This girl, she’s truly adorable.”

Chen Wu looked at the welfare home introduction for a while, then suddenly remembered something, picked up the flyer, and leaned over next to Chen Jiu to examine it together.

The two exchanged a glance, complex expressions appearing on their faces.

“I agree too.” Chen Wu said softly.

Chen Jiu thought to herself, like you have a say in this, then remained silent for a while, rolled up the flyer, and said: “Then that’s how we’ll do it. Donate it all.”