Bai Lixin silently followed a woman.
This was an old neighborhood, just as rundown as the school district next to R University.
Although the sun outside hadn’t set yet, the alley in the neighborhood was pitch black.
The woman parked her electric bike in the narrow space under the stairs, locked it, then took out a cake box from the delivery basket and went upstairs.
The corridor was dimly lit. The residential building had five floors, and she climbed up the dark stairs step by step until she reached the top floor, already slightly out of breath.
After arriving at the door of Room 502, she unlocked it with her key. Upon pushing the door open, a narrow and dilapidated living room appeared in front of Bai Lixin.
There was the sound of running water coming from a corner room. The woman placed the cake on the coffee table, peeked inside. There were scattered clothes outside the door.
tur
Without saying much, she turned back to her own room.
The hallway was empty once again. Bai Lixin stood at the entrance, observing the house.
In such an old, rundown house without an elevator, the top floor was the cheapest.
The hallway was messy, with dust and dirt accumulated in the corners, indicating that the owner hadn’t spent much time or effort cleaning.
The furniture was bought online at a cheap price, revealing financial constraints and desolation.
The bathroom door opened, and a man in a tank top and shorts walked out.
Bai Lixin had only seen photos of Cao Ji’an from ten years ago. Back then, Cao Ji’an was a handsome and charming young man. It seemed that his ten years in prison had not been easy. He looked very skinny, with sunken cheeks and a pale withered face. He appeared much older than his age.
It was unknown what happened to him in prison, he walked with a limp and there were burn wounds on his back where the vest didn’t cover.
The wounds were old, indicating that they had been there for many years.
He limped into the living room, paused for a moment when he saw the cake on the coffee table, then returned to his room.
In no time, the siblings changed into new clothes and came out of their respective rooms.
As soon as she saw Cao Ji’an, the sister spoke up, “You lost your job again.”
Cao Ji’an looked embarrassed. “It’s not my fault. I was doing well. It’s just that they wear colored glasses and are afraid to kepo me once they know about my past. They’re a bunch of bastards.”
“They look down on me, but I don’t care about that job anyway. I’ll just find something on my own!”
Cao Ji’an’s sister was named Cao Jiyun.
Cao Jiyun frowned slightly. “Isn’t it because you acted like an asshole first that others treated you like one?”
“You’ve only been out of prison for a few months. Don’t complain so soon, there’s still more to come.”
“I’ve been through all this in the ten years of your imprisonment. Whenever I try to find a job, as soon as they hear about our family’s debts, they get scared off. When it comes to dating, as soon as they hear about our family’s debts, they get scared off too. Later, as I got older, I could only make a living by delivering parcels.”
Cao Ji’an pursed his lips. “Why should my mistakes affect you? What kind of world is this? Are those people all idiots?”
Cao Jiyun sneered. “You’re thirty now. Isn’t it time to stop acting like an idiot?”
“What kind of world is this? This is the world.”
“You think that just because you spent ten years in prison, your past mistakes can be wiped away?”
“Well…,” she paused, her eyes drifting to the cake on the coffee table, wanting to end the conversation. “Never mind, let’s not talk about it. Today is your birthday. Although I can’t buy you the custom-made cake you used to love, this cake tastes pretty good. I’ll go to the kitchen and make something delicious for you right away.”
But Cao Ji’an didn’t want to end the conversation so quickly. He stopped Cao Jiyun, somewhat annoyed. “I’ve already served my sentence. Why can’t my punishment be over?”
“Sister, don’t worry. I’ll make money properly in the future and let you live a good life, without having to suffer like this again. We’ll move out of this rundown house, and I’ll make sure you live in a big villa again.”
“The past is in the past. Don’t be so pessimistic. Our days will surely get better.”
His sister had always been his idol. She was five years older than him and when their parents weren’t around, it was always his sister who accompanied him.
Unlike his foolish self, his sister was outstanding.
She earned a master’s degree in law, ranked first in her class, was smart and good-looking, and was the center of attention wherever she went. He felt that no one was worthy of his sister.
But now, his sister seemed to have been crushed by life. She gave up her favorite career, and at the age of forty, she was doing a hopeless delivery job.
He felt both heartache and distress.
Cao Jiyun sighed, feeling exhausted.
“During the time you were in prison, I went to see Su Xiaohua’s parents for you.”
“Their home is in the countryside. When I went there, I looked around several times and finally found a mud house that was even more simple and dilapidated than this one.”
“They only had Su Xiaohua as their child. After Su Xiaohua went missing, her parents fell apart. Her mother was so traumatized that she’s nervous all day, and her father’s health isn’t good either. He has to take care of his wife and doesn’t have time to earn a living. The village applied for them to receive basic living allowance but it’s only 200 yuan a month, barely enough to cover their basic needs.”
“When I went to see them, I overheard the villagers chatting. Guess what I heard?”
“I heard them discussing Su Xiaohua’s family. They said Su Xiaohua’s family violated taboos, saying there is no point for a girl to have good grades. Going to the big city without connections, she would still be insulted and hurt, so it’s better to stay obediently in the village. They said Su Xiaohua’s parents indirectly caused Su Xiaohua’s death.”
” Su Xiaohua’s family are all victims, but as victims, they didn’t receive the care they deserved. They had already experienced the pain of losing their child, and they still have to endure people pointing fingers at them. How difficult do you think their days are?”
“Their suffering won’t lessen because you were in prison, and it won’t disappear after just ten short years.”
Cao Ji’an stood there blankly, his hand hanging in the air, at a loss.
Cao Jiyun looked pained. “So why do you think that as long as you receive the appropriate legal punishment, you can escape your guilt?”
“Su Xiaohua is a victim, but her family also suffered pain.”
“You’re the perpetrator, but we’re also your family. We’ll also suffer punishment because of you.”
“It’s only fair.”
“The law is just the minimum punishment, but the punishment from society is far from over.”
“Throughout our lives, we must live in atonement.”
Cao Jiyun’s words poured down like a bucket of ice water, leaving Cao Ji’an suddenly feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
A lifetime of living in atonement?
He had endured until his release from prison, only to be told that he had to live like this, half alive and struggling?
He didn’t want that, he didn’t want to live like this!
Cao Ji’an suddenly grabbed Cao Jiyun’s arm in panic, like a three-year-old without a backbone. “Sister, I don’t want to live like this for the rest of my life. I’m still young, I’m only thirty. And you, I don’t want you to pay for my mistakes, sister, please be happy and stop this.”
“How can I start over? By apologizing to Su Xiaohua’s parents?”
Cao Jiyun hesitated. “They won’t accept our forgiveness. When I went to see them, Su Xiaohua’s father directly kicked me out.”
“But they have a knot in their hearts. If I could help them resolve it, maybe I could ease my conscience a little.”
Cao Ji’an: “What knot?”
Cao Jiyun: “They’ve been trying to find Su Xiaohua, they want to see her alive or dead. Do you have any clues?”
Cao Ji’an suddenly let go of Cao Jiyun, looking very conflicted.
Cao Jiyun: “I know you didn’t tell the whole truth back then, at least not all of it. Dad hired the best legal team, they know how to get you the lightest sentence. But I’m your sister, now that mom and dad are gone, we only have each other. Can you at least tell me the whole truth about what happened back then?”
Cao Ji’an’s features twisted together. He gritted his teeth, then shook his head in the end. “Sister, there’s nothing else. I said everything back then and didn’t hide anything. I really just loved Su Xiaohua too much, and for a moment, I lost my mind and ended up hurting her.”
Cao Jiyun frowned. “You said you locked Su Xiaohua up, and to keep her with you forever, you cut off one of her legs. But when you went back, you found that Su Xiaohua was gone.”
“She had lost a leg, and just the arterial bleeding could have killed her. The door was still locked, so how did she leave?”
Cao Ji’an shook his head. “I really don’t know, but I didn’t kill her, sister, you have to believe me, I’m your brother.”
Cao Jiyun glanced at Cao Ji’an. “I understand, I believe you. You tidy up the table, I’ll go cook for you.”
With that, she turned and walked into the kitchen, and soon the sound of hot oil sizzling and the roar of the range hood came from inside.
Cao Ji’an limped to the table and skillfully picked up a cloth to wipe the table.
He used to be a pampered young master so it was impossible for him to know how to do housework. These skilled movements were obviously learned in prison.
Bai Lixin stood quietly in the corner, listening to the conversation between the siblings.
S419M said in Bai Lixin’s mind: [Lord Host, they’re both from the same parents, how come Cao Ji’an is so trashy, while his sister Cao Jiyun seems so reasonable?]
Escape System: [It’s a pity. Cao Jiyun is like this, if her brother hadn’t committed a crime, she would have had a bright future.]
S419M: [Humph, Su Xiaohua could have had a bright future too.]
Bai Lixin: […]
After tidying up the table, Cao Ji’an stared blankly at it.
A few minutes later, he thought of something, limped into the room, took out an old cell phone from under the pillow, and dialed a number.
There was no answer on the other end of the phone, just a busy tone.
Cao Ji’an’s expression instantly became ferocious. He raised the phone high, ready to smash it on the ground.
Halfway through raising his hand, he thought of something, flipped his arm, and turned the phone in another direction, throwing it on the bed.
“Damn it, you don’t even pick up my call.”
After cursing a few times, Cao Ji’an picked up the phone again and repeatedly dialed the number.
The phone kept making a busy signal on the other end, and his actions became more anxious and more intense.
It wasn’t until Cao Jiyun’s voice came from outside that Cao Ji’an stopped his actions, quickly hid the old phone, fixed his expression, and walked out.
After Cao Ji’an left, Bai Lixin got the phone and opened the dial pad.
There was a string of unmarked numbers above.
S419M: [Lord Host, I just checked, this is Su Xiaohua’s uncle, Su Hong’s phone number.]
Escape System: [Since Cao Ji’an has Su Hong’s phone number, does that mean they know each other? But Su Hong’s interrogation transcript says he didn’t even know Cao Ji’an existed. Su Hong lied, he really is related to this case.]
