Chapter 759: A Tragic Life

One of the records mentioned how Gao Lei bullied Han Meng. Lin Dongxue could hardly bear to read it—it wasn’t bullying, it was sheer cruelty.

“Han Meng must have had injuries from being bullied at school. Didn’t her family ever ask about them?” Lin Dongxue asked.

The policeman replied, “They never asked. I heard once that Gao Lei bullied her, and when she fought back and bit his hand, Gao Lei’s family went to her house to settle the score. Gao Lei’s uncle ran a private business in the township, and the family was very powerful. Han Meng’s grandparents apologized, slapped Han Meng in front of them, and even gave them a basket of eggs as compensation.”

“What kind of people are they!” Lin Dongxue fumed.

“After Gao Lei’s death, the rumor that Han Meng was a calamity star spread through the school. Everyone avoided her. She went from being bullied by everyone to being shunned, which, in a way, was a good thing—at least no one hit her anymore,” the policeman sighed.

“Were you attending the school at that time?” Chen Shi asked.

“Yes, it’s the only middle school in the town. All the kids went there. I was in a different class… I was always curious about what was happening around me, which is probably why I became a policeman.”

Chen Shi showed him the burnt photo. “Is this Han Meng?”

“Yes, it’s her. I can never forget her eyes, even after all these years. She was like a ghost at school, always alone. I feel ashamed now, but as a heartless little boy, I would join the others in running away screaming whenever someone shouted, ‘Han Meng is coming.’ Now, I realize how much that must have hurt her. I never spoke to her. The closest I got was once after school. I saw her crying by the lake, drowning a puppy. When she saw me, she turned and looked at me, and I ran away terrified. Later, I brought some friends back, but she was gone, and there was a mound of dirt. We dug it up and found a deformed puppy, probably abandoned by someone.”

“Can you help us find students from her class?” Chen Shi asked.

“The ones who came to make statements are no longer here. This small town doesn’t retain many young people; most moved to Long’an after graduation. But there is one person I know. His name is Du Zilin.”

“Are you friends with him?”

“No, we’re not friends. He’s just very well-known. I’ll write down his address for you.” The policeman took out a notebook and copied an address for them.

They continued to the second file, which detailed the suicide of Han Meng’s grandparents. The policeman explained that the grandparents were involved in an illegal investment scheme called Hui Baili, which promised monthly returns but was actually a scam. When the scammer fled with the money, many townspeople were left destitute, including Han Meng’s grandparents.

The file stated that Han Meng’s grandparents hanged themselves. The weight of their bodies broke the beam they hung from, severing an overhead power line and causing a fire that consumed the house.

Due to the technological limitations of the time, the investigation concluded with a single line: “Han Meng’s grandparents likely committed suicide.” The link between their suicide and the scam was only a police hypothesis, without evidence.

On the night of their deaths, Han Meng disappeared and was never seen in the town again.

“This happened in 2002. Han Meng should have graduated by then. What was she doing at the time?” Chen Shi asked.

“She did nothing, just stayed at home and did chores. I often saw her shelling ginkgo nuts in the yard when I patrolled. A local food processing factory bought them for 2 yuan a pound,” the policeman shook his head. “She was almost twenty but still thin and frail, wearing that ragged school uniform. Seeing her always made me feel sad. What kind of life had she lived?”

“So, did she grow up?” Chen Shi asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Did she remain childlike or did she mature physically?”

“Of course she grew up! People do grow. Although she was small and thin, during a judicial examination after Gao Erhu raped her, the medical examiner confirmed she had secondary sexual characteristics and was an adult.”

“What happened with the rape?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“That was the most bizarre case I’ve ever seen. Gao Erhu, Gao Lei’s cousin, raped Han Meng. She came to the station, disheveled and bloody, to report it. We arrested Gao Erhu immediately. His family tried to use their connections to get him released, but it didn’t work. Then Han Meng’s grandparents came, claiming Gao Erhu was Han Meng’s fiancé. Han Meng reluctantly confirmed it, clearly threatened by her grandparents. The police told her she could still press charges even if he was her fiancé, but she retracted her statement. We all knew her grandparents had pressured her. This happened a month before they committed suicide.”

“Where is Gao Erhu now?” Chen Shi asked.

“He’s dead.”

“Dead?”

“A year after the incident, he died in a motorcycle accident, falling into a ravine. The investigation concluded it was a simple accident. Strange, isn’t it? Everyone who harmed Han Meng ended up dead. As a policeman, I shouldn’t say this, but I always felt there was a mysterious force protecting her… By the way, why are you investigating her? Has she appeared in Long’an?”

Chen Shi shook his head. “We’re as puzzled as you are. Four of Han Meng’s classmates in Long’an have died, not by accident or suicide. We’re investigating the killer.”

“Could it be her!?” The policeman looked alarmed. “She’s had a tragic life. If you find her, please treat her kindly.”

“We understand… By the way, can you show us her house?”

“The old house burned down. A new one was built on the site. There’s nothing to see.”

Thanking the policeman, they left the station. Lin Dongxue said, “This case is getting deeper and deeper. Do you think she really has some supernatural power?”

“I don’t believe in that. I think someone is protecting her. This person is very skilled and could easily deceive the police in those days.”

After lunch, they checked on Xin Bai, who had woken up. “It’s over! I can’t dream that dream anymore!” he said, distressed.

As Chen Shi had suspected, he said, “You couldn’t dream because you were hypnotized.”

“What do you mean?”

“You weren’t dreaming last night. You were under hypnosis!”