Cheng Ye did not deny his relationship with Yan Dali. He said the two of them were once sworn brothers.
In their poorest days, they would empty both their wallets to buy a suit, and whoever had a client meeting would wear it. Later, when they finally started making money, Yan Dali began to gamble. Cheng Ye tried to persuade him several times but failed.
For the sake of the company’s future, he had to harden his heart and cut ties with him.
“He disappeared after that and hasn’t come back all these years,” Cheng Ye sighed.
“I’ve asked people to look for him a few times. Some say he went to Southeast Asia to hide from his debts, others say he was thrown into the sea by his creditors. In short, there’s no definite news.”
The investigator asked, “What about his family?”
“Dali doesn’t have much family,” Cheng Ye said. “The elders back in his hometown are all old, and a few have passed away in recent years. They lived out their lives, and I was the one who sent them off for him. As for a wife and kids… he never married. He once had a long-term girlfriend named Du Xiaohe.”
The Du Xiaohe described by Cheng Ye was both similar and dissimilar to the Du Xiaohe presented in the existing files. Simple and capable, quiet and reserved—this was the similar part. The dissimilar part was Du Xiaohe and Yan Dali’s way of getting along. She was not submissive, nor did she meekly accept everything. On the contrary, she had been hospitalized twice for fighting with Yan Dali—both sides were equally injured.
Everyone in the conference room was greatly shocked. How could there be such a plot?
“It’s true.” Cheng Ye looked quite regretful. “Actually, Xiaohe wasn’t like this at first. Although she was stubborn, she was very reasonable. Even if she and Dali had conflicts, they wouldn’t have big fights. At most, they’d give each other the cold shoulder for a few days. But after she had two consecutive miscarriages, the cold violence turned into hot violence.”
“Miscarriages?”
“They had two children, but neither of them were born full-term. Dali said that Xiaohe’s body wasn’t suitable for childbirth. From my observation, their relationship started to deteriorate after they lost their first child. Dali tried to fix it for a long time and even looked forward to the second child, but it was an ectopic pregnancy and couldn’t be saved. After that, Xiaohe left.”
The investigator asked, “What kind of leaving?”
Cheng Ye answered, “Smuggling, smuggled abroad. I heard Dali mention it once. Later, the people I sent to look for Dali also heard some news about Xiaohe. It seems she first went to Russia, then to Europe, but the specific details are unclear.”
“Yan Dali disappeared later. Could it be that he went abroad to find Du Xiaohe?”
“Unlikely. Their breakup was ugly, and they pretty much cut off all contact. When they fought, they really fought. One time, the four of us were having a good time at the park, even preparing to go on the bumper cars, but then the two of them started arguing for some reason. Xiaohe was pushed into a ditch, and Dali’s head was smashed by a rock. He was bleeding all over the place on the spot, which scared the park manager so much that she quickly had her husband drive Dali to the hospital for stitches on his small three-wheeler.”
He spoke with such sincerity and detail that the investigation team did indeed find the park manager. She still had an impression of the incident, saying that her husband had taken a group of people to the hospital some years ago. The woman was drenched, and the man’s face was covered in blood. According to the manager’s recollection, “They didn’t argue anymore in the car, but they really didn’t look like a couple. They looked at each other like enemies. Their two friends were nice, constantly trying to mediate.”
The investigator continued to ask, “Did Du Xiaohe and Yan Dali fight often?”
Cheng Ye waved his hands repeatedly. “Not often, not often. If it were often, it would be a disaster. Neither of them are the type to resort to violence. It was only a few times. I know Dali’s character. Although he’s not a good person, but… to put it bluntly, he’s a bit of a bully to the weak and fears the strong. If you’re firm, he’ll back down. As for Xiaohe, she’s even less likely to. She has a very good temper. It’s just that she was mentally unstable after being affected by the child’s matter. It’s a pity, their relationship was originally very good.”
However, Ye Jiaoyue held a different opinion on this sentence. She closed the file at her side. “After the ‘Du Xiaohe’ in the rules became pregnant, Xiao Cong appeared, but Xiao Cong is not Du Xiaohe’s child. This can only mean that back then, Du Xiaohe and Xiao Cong’s mother were pregnant at the same time. It’s just that one gave birth, and one miscarried. So, Cheng Ye’s ‘their relationship was very good’ should be taken with a grain of salt.”
Zhuang Ningyu asked, “What about the talisman on the rooftop then?”
Huo Ting explained, “Cheng Ye confessed that after the second child was miscarried, Yan Dali had a streak of bad luck, which also affected the company. He sought a master, who said that the ghost of the child was causing trouble because it couldn’t find its way home. Building a tower near the house and placing some of the child’s clothes and money in it would resolve the resentment. This kind of thing couldn’t be done openly, for fear of the other residents in the building disagreeing, so it was indeed done a bit sneakily back then.”
As for Yan Dali’s past relationships, Cheng Ye insisted that there was only Du Xiaohe. He said he didn’t know who the woman who appeared in Yan’s village in the snow over a decade ago was, nor had he ever heard Yan Dali mention any son.
Based on the information provided by Cheng Ye, the investigation team finally found Du Xiaohe in the vast database. A native of Jiangcheng, her parents died early, she dropped out of high school, and opened a hardware store in her early years. She then followed Yan Dali to settle in Jincheng, becoming a full-time housewife, and later her whereabouts became unknown.
Her hospital records showed two miscarriages, one due to an accidental fall during exercise, and one due to an ectopic pregnancy, which indeed had nothing to do with domestic violence.
A team member questioned, “An accidental fall? A real fall or a fake one? Maybe she was beaten.”
Zhuang Ningyu zoomed in on a picture on the screen. It was a membership card for a fitness club in Jincheng, a diamond VIP, so she must have paid a lot of money.
Qian Yue let out a “whoa,” so she had this talent as well.
The club owner also had an impression of this member from back then, describing her as “small, quiet, introverted, no foundation, but willing to work hard and very strong. The coaches here all liked her. Later, for some reason, she suddenly stopped coming.”
The investigator asked, “Do you remember the first time she came?”
The club owner nodded. “I remember, the impression was quite deep. She was distracted, as if she had a lot on her mind. At that time, I saw she was plainly dressed and was already prepared to bargain, but she directly pulled out a stack of large bills, and on her wrist was a newly bought large gold dragon bracelet, the tag hadn’t even been torn off completely. In short, it was… very special, hard not to remember.”
When the investigators continued to ask, the club owner couldn’t say much more. Du Xiaohe rarely mentioned her family’s private affairs and always left after class. But one thing he could guarantee was that this student was probably not a victim of domestic violence.
Qian Yue looked at his boss. “What does this mean?”
“It means we were right before. Du Xiaohe is not the protagonist of this rule game. Xiao Cong’s biological mother is,” Zhuang Ningyu said. “Yan Dali has always had two homes.”
Truck drivers are on the road all year round, so their partners are used to long periods of separation. Under these conditions, it’s not difficult to have several lovers.
Zhuang Ningyu said, “If Xiao Cong’s mother really drowned at Gaolin Mountain, and yet for so many years no lawsuit has been brought against Yan Dali, there are only two possibilities. First, Xiao Cong’s mother, like Du Xiaohe, was also an orphan with no parents and no social connections. Yan Dali specifically targeted such women, cheating them of their money, bodies, and feelings. Second, when Yan Dali first started dating Xiao Cong’s mother, he had an irresponsible attitude of just playing around and then running away, so he had been using a fake name and identity.”
Yan Dali didn’t have a fixed route back then, traveling east, west, south, and north. It wasn’t an easy task to sort out his relationship history. As for Cheng Ye, he was very tight-lipped, and they couldn’t get any more information from him for the time being.
In the break room, Yi Ke and Zhong Mu had been watching over Xiao Cong. The monster hadn’t gone out this morning but had been wandering back and forth in the community. Influenced by him, Xiao Cong’s body had clearly become weaker. He was lying motionless in bed, wrapped in a blanket. For a few moments, Zhong Mu thought he had even stopped breathing.
“Thump, thump!” The footsteps approached again.
Yi Ke checked Xiao Cong’s breathing with the back of his finger. Zhong Mu said worriedly, “This won’t do. We have to find a way to drive the monster away, at least keep him in 1601 and not let him out.”
“I’ll go try,” Yi Ke’s gaze swept past the window. The light and shadow flickered as the monster was crossing the green belt, its heavy footsteps creating one pit after another in the soft soil. Occasionally, a branch would brush against its uneven face, and the next moment, the branch would be furiously broken.
Zhuang Ningyu said, “Brake!”
Qian Yue, pushing the wheelchair, stopped abruptly, almost sending his leader flying.
Zhuang Ningyu: “…”
Qian Yue: “My mistake.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “Shut up!”
Not far away was the monster’s huge figure, and Yi Ke standing in front of it.
Qian Yue didn’t shut up. He asked in a low voice, “Is Xiao Yi going to go head-to-head with him?”
“No,” Zhuang Ningyu was calm and composed. “I trust him. He has a brain.”
Qian Yue questioned, “If you really trusted him, then why did you just make me push the wheelchair here at the speed of a mad dog?”
Zhuang Ningyu was slightly at a loss for words and turned to give him a cold glare.
Qian Yue’s burly body trembled slightly, and he immediately went silent.
The monster looked at the person blocking his way with an unfriendly expression. “You lost my child.”
Yi Ke frowned, his tone even more impatient than the monster’s. “What child? Isn’t there only two people in your family?”
He was holding a thick stack of printed paper in his hand. As he spoke, he casually flipped through it a couple of times and pulled out one sheet. “Since you have a child, why didn’t you fill it out clearly on the census form before? The community volunteers have to visit hundreds of households every day. Please be more serious when you fill out the form next time. I’ve already helped you change it this time. Tell me, what’s the child’s name, how old is he, and where is his permanent residence?”
The monster’s Adam’s apple bobbed a few times. He didn’t speak and turned to walk towards the apartment building.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Yi Ke raised his voice behind him. “You’re a resident of Building 1, right? Pay attention to the doorbell in the next few days. Our volunteers will be coming to your home for another check.”
The monster hurried away and soon disappeared into the shadows of the trees.
Zhuang Ningyu ordered in a low voice, “Go!” His intention was to retreat quietly to the conference room, but unexpectedly, Qian Yue agreed and immediately pushed the wheelchair out of the bushes, stopping steadily in front of Yi Ke.
Zhuang Ningyu was caught off guard and didn’t expect that Qian Yue could execute such a simple task with a directional error. His trusted general had instantly become a major liability. He might as well not have this subordinate.
Yi Ke chuckled and naturally took the wheelchair from Qian Yue’s hands. “Looking for me for something?”
Zhuang Ningyu reminded him in a business-like tone, “You seem to have forgotten that I did not give you permission to face the monster alone in a non-emergency situation.”
“First, it was an emergency just now. Xiao Cong’s breathing stopped several times. The monster had to be driven away immediately.” Yi Ke tapped his earpiece. “Second, I was not acting alone. Sister Zhong has been on the line with me the whole time. Xiao Cong needs her company very much and keeps calling for his mother in his sleep, so she can’t leave the room for now.”
Zhuang Ningyu nodded and gave a brief praise, “Not bad.” After praising him, he asked, “You and Zhong Mu listened to the entire meeting remotely. What are your thoughts?”
Yi Ke parked the wheelchair in the shade, letting the sun only shine on his legs. “I also had someone investigate Cheng Ye. He’s not a simple character and has always been unscrupulous to achieve his goals. In recent years, he has planned to expand his company, so like Shengsheng Group, he has been trying to establish a relationship with the Yi family, spending a lot of manpower and resources, but with little progress.”
“Then according to normal logic, now that Yan Dali’s matter has come up, it’s a great opportunity for him to extend an olive branch to the Yi family. After all, Xiao Yi is with us.”
Qian Yue patted Yi Ke’s shoulder. “But he chose to lie, insisting that Yan Dali only had Du Xiaohe as a partner, and always hid the existence of the other woman.”
Yan Dali’s current life and death were unknown. Such a person was useless to Yanye Construction. But even so, Cheng Ye was still unwilling to reveal the past and was even willing to give up this rare opportunity to show goodwill to the Yi family. This could only mean one thing—once the truth behind it was revealed, the blow to Cheng Ye himself and Yanye Construction would be devastating.
“So it’s probably impossible to get anything out of Cheng Ye,” Yi Ke said. “As for his description of Du Xiaohe, I think it should be true. For one, there are old witnesses and evidence. For another, Du Xiaohe lived in Taoli Community back then. With old residents providing clues, we wouldn’t be completely ignorant of her, so Cheng Ye couldn’t control the extent of his lies. To avoid mistakes, his safest choice was to tell the truth.”
“Xiao Cong has been hugging Zhong Mu and calling for his mother, and he likes to play with her hair. It’s likely that his mother is also a woman with long hair,” Zhuang Ningyu leaned back in his wheelchair, frowning slightly. “Where could she be now?”
Based on past experience, each round of rules was solvable, and the answer was hidden in the riddle. The eight rules of Taoli Community were deeply imprinted in everyone’s minds. Among them, the most crucial first rule was that as long as a mother took her child on Bus 155, she could obtain the freedom she dreamed of.
The child, Bus 155, and the bus fare were all ready. Only the mother was still missing. Seeing that Zhuang Ningyu hadn’t spoken for a long time, Qian Yue tentatively asked, “Brother Zhuang, are you still thinking about where Xiao Cong’s biological mother is hiding?”
“No,” Zhuang Ningyu came back to his senses. “I was thinking, why did Xiao Cong’s biological mother have to come to Taoli Community to take Bus 155?”
Qian Yue was stunned. He had never considered this question before.
“Du Xiaohe didn’t know about Xiao Cong’s existence, and Yan Dali didn’t raise Xiao Cong in Taoli Community. So why would the mother in the rules pin her hopes of a new life on a bus that departs from Taoli Community?”
Zhuang Ningyu looked somewhat puzzled. “Although the reason Xiao Cong is trapped in this rule is because he fell from a rooftop, he actually didn’t live in Taoli Community for a long time. The fall was an extremely rare event.”
And Xiao Cong’s biological mother had probably never been to Taoli Community, or to be more precise, she certainly hadn’t lived there for a long time. So under what circumstances would a mother who lived outside of Taoli Community see a bus that departs from Taoli Community as her escape and salvation?
Zhuang Ningyu bent his index finger and rubbed his temple.
Yi Ke released the wheelchair handle, placed his warm palms on both sides of his ears, and pressed lightly. Qian Yue had a keen sense of smell. How could he let him get all the credit? So he immediately rolled up his sleeves to join in, but was sent away by Zhuang Ningyu, “Go patrol with Qing Gang.”
Qian Yue’s eyes showed a hint of heartbreak. Why? Give me one reason why I have to go!
Zhuang Ningyu: “If you don’t go, your bonus will be docked by two hundred.”
Qian Yue: “I’m leaving right away!”
Yi Ke was very satisfied with his status. Just as he was about to speak, Zhuang Ningyu poured a new bucket of cold water on him. “You go too.”
“I’m not going.” Yi Ke pushed his wheelchair, changing position with the movement of the sun. “My salary is yours. Feel free to dock it all.”
Zhuang Ningyu pushed himself up with both hands on the wheelchair handles, trying to stand up, but was pushed back down by Yi Ke on his shoulder. “Sit tight.”
Zhuang Ningyu had a headache. “With you by my side, I can’t work in peace.”
Yi Ke sat on the long bench, facing him. “Why?”
“No why,” Zhuang Ningyu answered. “Habit.”
It was indeed a habit. He was used to thinking alone in an extremely quiet environment, and Yi Ke was obviously not closely related to the word “quiet.” Even though the latter was now very cooperatively making a zipping-the-lips gesture, Zhuang Ningyu still felt that his mental world was being bombarded by a barrage of comments.
Yi Ke spread his hands. “Then you can’t blame me for that, can you?”
Zhuang Ningyu was too lazy to argue with him. “Forget it, push me back to the office.”
“Going back to the office might not necessarily lead to a result,” Yi Ke glanced at his watch. “The next bus is about to depart. Why don’t we go take it again? Maybe we’ll find the answer.”
