Chapter 60: The Pain of Losing a Child

The two hurried down the emergency stairwell, with Wang Jinsong running ahead at full speed. No matter how much they called out, he wouldn’t stop.

Lin Dongxue was wearing dress shoes today, which weren’t helping at all. Her feet ached from running, and when she glanced at Xu Xiaodong, he was already panting heavily. He asked, “Should we fire a warning shot?”

“A warning shot for a kid we can’t even catch?”

At that moment, a Volkswagen suddenly stopped by the roadside. A man and a woman got out, and Wang Jinsong stopped running. The man said something harsh, then suddenly slapped Wang Jinsong across the face.

The woman pushed the man aside and crouched down, hugging Wang Jinsong and comforting him. Only then did Wang Jinsong start to cry loudly.

Lin Dongxue approached and heard the man scolding, “You idiot! After school, you don’t come home and instead run off to play on the computer. Don’t you know there are things to do at home?”

The woman retorted, “Enough! Aren’t you the one who plays cards all night? If he’s an idiot, what does that make you?”

It seemed these two were Wang Jinsong’s parents. Lin Dongxue stepped forward, showing her badge, and asked, “Hello, are you Wang Jinsong’s parents?”

Wang Jinsong’s father looked surprised but quickly smiled, “Officer? Is there something we can help you with?” He started to pull out a cigarette, offering one to Xu Xiaodong behind Lin Dongxue. Xu Xiaodong declined with a gesture, so the man lit one for himself.

Lin Dongxue asked Wang Jinsong, “Why were you running just now?”

“I… I…” Wang Jinsong, hiding in his mother’s arms, glanced warily at Lin Dongxue.

“Oh, we called him and asked where he was. That’s why he ran down in a hurry,” his mother said with a smile.

“Really? We’d like to know where Du Lei’s house is.”

“Tell the officer, quickly!” his mother urged.

“Building 10, Unit 4, Fengyuan Community.”

“How do you know that so well?”

“We live together!”

As soon as Wang Jinsong said this, his father abruptly exclaimed, looking particularly stern. Wang Jinsong clung to his mother in fear.

Facing Lin Dongxue’s puzzled look, the father smiled awkwardly and explained, “Well, Du Lei’s parents and we used to work at the same printing factory. Later, we moved to the same community, but we don’t live together. Our home is in another unit.”

“So you don’t play together often?” Lin Dongxue directed this question to Wang Jinsong.

The father answered on his behalf, “Not often. Eighth grade is a critical year, and the schoolwork is intense. They don’t interact much.”

“Can you stop interrupting?” Lin Dongxue was getting annoyed with the man.

“Kids, you know,” the father still smiled, “Hey, what are you investigating? I heard Du Lei died, and a teacher was arrested. Teachers these days are getting worse!”

“How did you know that?”

His mother replied, “It’s all over the parents’ group. They say that guy even molested kids before. He’s a scumbag. How could the school hire such a person?”

Their answers seemed watertight, but Lin Dongxue felt something was off. Was it their reactions?

As she pondered what to ask next, Xu Xiaodong suggested, “If it’s convenient, could we get a ride to that community?”

“Well…” The father hesitated.

“Sorry, this car is for transporting goods. We just delivered seafood this afternoon, and it smells awful,” the mother said.

“Right, right. How about we call you a cab instead?”

“No need. Just give us the address. We’ll drive there. Our car is parked at the school.”

After getting the address from the father, the family of three drove off. Lin Dongxue, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, heard Xu Xiaodong say, “It’s obvious there’s something wrong with this family!”

“You think so too?” Lin Dongxue said excitedly.

“Why are you so worked up? I mean, look at their parenting. Kids raised in such families can’t be mentally healthy.”

“Let’s get the car. It’s getting dark.” Lin Dongxue’s tone suddenly turned cold again.

Xu Xiaodong caught up to her, “What’s wrong? Didn’t I say it right?”

They drove to the community and found Du Lei’s home. Inside, they heard someone talking—”Don’t worry, we’re looking. As soon as we find something, we’ll let you know. The kid probably just wandered off.”

The door was ajar. Lin Dongxue pushed it open and saw an old lady crying while two officers comforted her.

Seeing outsiders enter, the officers’ expressions changed. Lin Dongxue showed her badge, and they nodded in understanding, one coming over to explain, “The kid is missing. The report just came in. The grandmother is very distressed.”

“Didn’t the police notify you?”

“What? Could it be…”

“The kid was murdered.”

The officer covered his mouth in shock. Lin Dongxue glanced at the old lady. The officer assured, “It’s okay, she’s hard of hearing.”

Another officer asked, “Did you find the body?”

After a brief exchange, Lin Dongxue, taking advantage of the officers’ presence, entered the house. The officer loudly explained to the old lady, “These two are from the police department. They’re here to see if there are any clues.”

The old lady nodded, seeming to grasp a glimmer of hope, muttering, “Lei Lei, you must come back. How can I live without you?”

Hearing this, Lin Dongxue felt a pang of sorrow. Xu Xiaodong was already rubbing his eyes, saying, “It’s so sad for an old woman to lose her grandson.”

Lin Dongxue entered Du Lei’s bedroom. This well-behaved child, as described by his teachers, had a room with typical items for his age—comic books, posters of idols, and several awards nearly covering an entire wall.

The room was small, and a quick glance was enough to see everything. On the desk were some study materials and a small TV. One end of the desk was empty, with dust suggesting something had recently been removed—a square object.

“What’s this?”

“Could it be a game console?” Xu Xiaodong pulled open a drawer to find a few game discs, “It’s a PS4! Damn, I’ve always wanted one.”

“Can you stop blabbering? Ask your mom to buy you one.” Lin Dongxue focused on the desk, “It looks like this game console was just taken away. Who took it?”

“Let’s ask the old lady!”

Returning to the living room, they saw the old lady still crying. Lin Dongxue hesitated, and the officer came over to inquire. After explaining, the officer asked, “Ma’am, there was a game console in the room that’s now missing.”

“Huh?”

The old lady went to check and shook her head, “His dad bought it for him after he ranked in the top 100 in the midterms. I don’t know where it went. Maybe a classmate borrowed it.”

“Who does he usually play with?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“Huh? He’s closest to me. I’ve been taking care of him since he was little.”

“I mean, who does he usually play with?”

“Huh? Oh! I don’t know. You’d have to ask his classmates. Lei Lei is the class monitor!” The old lady’s pride shone through her grief.

The officer signaled Lin Dongxue to step outside, saying, “You should stop asking. I’m afraid you might slip up. The old lady has high blood pressure and heart problems. If she finds out her grandson was murdered, it could be fatal.”

Lin Dongxue replied, “Even if we don’t say anything, the department will send someone to take her to identify the body.”

“No, no, no! That will kill her!”

“Do we just keep this from her forever?”

Xu Xiaodong suggested, “Maybe we can lie to her?”