Chapter 388: Endless Days of Turmoil

Jia Qi’s parents never asked about my age. They just kept speaking earnestly to me about Jia Qi’s flaws, urging me to be understanding.

I kept smiling and agreeing, feeling like I was floating in mid-air.

I had thought it would be an embarrassing gathering for me, but surprisingly, the one who ended up embarrassed was Jia Qi, which made me laugh out loud.

His parents went on about his shortcomings, and his sister teased him about his embarrassing moments. For the first time, I saw an awkward expression on Jia Qi’s face.

I happily took a few photos and posted them to my WeChat Moments, which I hadn’t updated in three years.

Today marks the beginning of my new life.

“Chen Ze, in five days, Zhou Jielun is coming to Chengdu. We couldn’t go to Ren Xianqi’s concert last time—do you want to go together this time?” Jia Qi asked.

“Sure, if I have time, that would be great.”

“Ding ling ling—”

Jia Qi’s phone rang. The caller ID showed Qingyang Qu Gong’an Ju.

“Hello?” Jia Qi sat down next to me with a smile and answered the call. “Yes, this is Sun Lüshi. What can I do for you?”

A muffled voice came from the other end of the line. Even though I was sitting close to Jia Qi, I couldn’t make out the words clearly.

“What…? Okay, I understand. I’ll come see you first thing tomorrow. Let’s try to combine these two cases if possible,” Jia Qi’s smile gradually faded. “Yes, I get it. It’s a shame about that girl, but at least it means the bad guy will be fully punished.”

Jia Qi hung up the phone, looking a bit downcast. A few seconds later, he turned and gave me a signal with his eyes.

We went out to the balcony, and I looked at him, not sure what was going on.

“Chen Ze, I’m not sure if this counts as good news, but since it involves you, I have to tell you,” Jia Qi said with a smile.

“What is it?”

“The police investigation found a female corpse buried in Ma Tuhu’s backyard. It matches the description of a female university student who went missing years ago.”

“Female… university student…?” My voice trembled slightly as I said those words.

Our village rarely had any female university students.

“Yeah.” Jia Qi lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth. “Sigh… Not sure if it’s good news or not, but it’s pretty much guaranteed that Ma Tuhu will get the death penalty now. I’ll go to the Gong’an Ju tomorrow to check the details. Apparently, it’s been buried in his backyard for over a decade…”

I felt my head spinning.

“Jia Qi… what was the name of that female university student?” I asked.

“I think I heard the name earlier, but I didn’t remember it. They said she was there for volunteer teaching.” Jia Qi looked at me curiously. “Why? Do you know her, Chen Ze?”

A female university student who went for volunteer teaching… How could I not know her?

She was the most important light in my life.

Under the glow of that light, I successfully left the village and spent the rest of my life striving for a better existence.

I never imagined that the bright light guiding me forward had been left behind forever.

All these years… she had been buried in Ma Tuhu’s backyard…

How terrified must she have been?

How desperate?

I started trembling all over.

In that small room at Ma Tuhu’s place, I had seen scratches all over the walls.

Those scratches were clearly old.

So that’s what happened?

Teacher Ning Waner, were you as desperate as I was in that space and time?

No… you were even more desperate than I was.

Because you knew no one in the world could save you… and you knew you’d never escape that village.

You had to slowly accept your own death; you had to remain there forever.

My lighthouse, the guiding light of my life—a woman who gave me all my hope—died in despair like a slaughtered pig in that cramped room over a decade ago.

“Jia Qi… I… I feel awful…” My eyes were red and swollen, and it felt like the whole sky was collapsing. “I think I’m going to lose it. I need to go home first…”

“Chen Ze… if there’s something wrong, you can tell me,” Jia Qi said, staring into my eyes. “I can handle anything for you.”

Handle it…?

Sadly, this matter doesn’t need handling anymore.

Teacher Ning Waner is dead, and now Ma Tuhu will pay with his life. From every angle, it’s already resolved, right?

So why am I still so desperate?

“Ding—”

My phone, which hadn’t rung in ages, suddenly received a WeChat message.

It was from Cheng Cai.

“Oh? Got yourself a boyfriend?”

He was probably reacting to my WeChat Moments. Cheng Cai, whom I hadn’t heard from in ages, actually reached out.

But it doesn’t matter; these people can’t affect me anymore. I’ll just block all their contact info.

I sighed and swiped left on the screen to delete the chat, but then another message came in.

I hesitated for a moment, then opened it.

“Does your boyfriend know what you look like?”

What followed was a screenshot of a chat between Cheng Cai and Ma Tuhu.

Ma Tuhu: “A woman who’s been corrupted by city folks is just so promiscuous. Let me show you.”

Then came my photos.

Those photos I thought I’d erased from the world were now appearing one by one before my eyes.

There were even a few videos that trampled all over my dignity.

It seems I really can’t escape this village… this village that devours people.

Can’t you all just let me go?

Can’t you pretend you never saw me?

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Can’t you just act like I’m already dead?!!

“Chen Ze, what’s wrong?” Jia Qi asked, looking puzzled. “Who sent you that message?”

“I…”

As he leaned over to look, I quickly locked my phone and stuffed it into my pocket. In my panic, I even bumped my elbow, but I didn’t feel any pain.

I was so scared; I didn’t want Jia Qi to see me like this. Even if the whole world could see, he absolutely couldn’t.

“Ah…?” Jia Qi saw me hurriedly put away my phone and didn’t get angry; he just looked a bit awkward. “Sorry, Chen Ze, I didn’t mean to pry into your privacy…”

“Ah, no… it’s not that…” I waved my hands in a panic.

Ever since we got together, Sun Lüshi always sat next to me when he took or made calls. Maybe it was to make me feel safe, or perhaps to reassure me—he often did things like that without thinking.

He never hid anything from me, but this time, I hid my phone in a rush, which wasn’t fair to him.

“Jia Qi… it’s not what you think… I…”

I hadn’t figured out how to explain it; I just felt like crying and cursing the world.

But I couldn’t cry.

If I cried, Jia Qi would worry.

It’s my own problem; I shouldn’t drag others into it. So, the best choice right now is to go home quietly, find a place alone, and cry my heart out, just like I have every day for the past ten years.

“I know… I know…” Jia Qi nodded seriously. “Chen Ze, it’s okay. I don’t mind at all. Everyone has things they don’t want others to know. When you’re ready to tell me, I’ll be right here waiting.”

That day, I felt like the whole world was spinning.

What should I do?

I don’t remember how I left Jia Qi’s house. When I came to my senses, I was standing in my living room, staring at my phone in a daze.

Cheng Cai was calling.

If I don’t resolve this, my life will never have peace.

I took out a voice recorder from the drawer, turned on my phone’s recording function, put it on speaker, and answered the call.