NOS Chapter 48
by VolareThe moment the interrogation ended, Yu Chunming quickly walked into the restroom. Guan Yao, noticing something off about his complexion, wanted to follow and check on him, but Han Chen grabbed his arm.
Having just rushed over from the Municipal Bureau, Han Chen urgently asked Guan Yao upon seeing him, “What’s the result?”
Guan Yao was still peering in the direction Yu Chunming had left: “It’s not… he was covered in sweat.”
“Tell me the result first.” Han Chen took the interrogation record, “This Ai Hua, why exactly did he leave Za Mu Er in the first place under an assumed name?”
“Oh, that…” Guan Yao suddenly froze.
Why did Ai Hua leave Za Mu Er under an assumed name? According to him, it was because he had committed an unforgivable mistake.
“I hurt Xiao Min, under the instigation of Qian Guowei, I hurt Xiao Min,” Ai Hua said softly, “That’s why I wanted to see Xiao Min one more time, because I owe her an apology.”
The word “rape” was too heavy, Ai Hua couldn’t bring himself to say it, but Guan Yao understood. He looked at Yu Chunming, who was also sitting still, seemingly as shocked as he was.
“You… tell me in detail,” Guan Yao said, trying to control his tone, his voice steady.
Ai Hua was silent for a long time before continuing from where he left off: “That day Xiao Min should have gotten off work much earlier, but I don’t know why, she… she was walking alone towards the outskirts of the city, pushing a bicycle. At that time, Qian Guowei, Xu Wen, and I had just finished drinking and came out of the supply and marketing cooperative, along the river, that is, along the Ning Nie Li Qi River, skipping stones. It just so happened that we ran into Xiao Min.”
“Which part of the Ning Nie Li Qi River?” Guan Yao asked.
“Probably… just the section behind the No. 2 Timber Factory warehouse,” Ai Hua replied, “We were all muddle-headed from the alcohol, and when we saw Xiao Min, evil thoughts arose in our minds. Qian Guowei urged me, saying that since we were already known as adulterers and adulteresses with her in Songlan, why not take it a step further? If we took it a step further, maybe Xiao Min would follow me.”
Saying he was instigated by Qian Guowei, but if he didn’t have inner demons, how could he have really broken the law? Ai Hua was making excuses for himself, Guan Yao and Yu Chunming could both see that.
But neither of them spoke. They listened quietly, listening to Ai Hua’s description of that dark and hopeless night for Jiang Min.
“We first tricked her into the birch forest behind the warehouse, and then Qian Guowei went first. Xu Wen and I were watching from the side, but… but in the end, we couldn’t resist and joined in…” Ai Hua said, “I can’t remember what happened after that, but when I came to my senses, it was already… beyond redemption, so the next day, I took advantage of the chaos to leave.”
“That’s the reason you’ve been living under an assumed name for over thirty years?” Guan Yao asked coldly, “Because you raped Jiang Min? Ai Hua, you better tell the truth.”
“Police comrades, everything I’ve said is the truth,” Ai Hua said, seemingly sincerely, “Police comrades, you don’t know, in our era, hooliganism was punishable by death. Peeking at women bathing could even result in a death sentence, let alone…”
“You were a total of three people, three strong young men. After gang-raping Jiang Min, what else did you do? Confess truthfully, don’t wait for me to find out.” Guan Yao sternly pressed, “I’ve handled cases for so many years. Although I’ve only encountered one case of murder and dismemberment, I’ve seen many cases like yours involving sexual misconduct after drinking and harming women. What did you do after you sobered up? Quickly give me a clear account!”
Yu Chunming understood what Guan Yao was suspecting, but at this moment, he was unable to make any accurate judgments, because, his mind was constantly swirling with a sentence, a sentence that Jiang Min loved to use to point at his nose and scold him when he was a child:
You son of a rapist.
You… son of a rapist…
Who is the rapist? Perhaps it was Jiang Min’s ex-husband, who no one knew who he was, or perhaps it was someone else. Yu Chunming didn’t know in the past, he only thought it was a vulgar swear word, but now, everything became clear in an instant.
Who is the rapist?
Ai Hua is, Qian Guowei is, Xu Wen is too.
Moreover, they are more than just rapists.
“Confess honestly, after you committed the gang rape, what else did you do? Did you try to kill her to silence her?” Guan Yao shouted, “If you did try to kill her to silence her, what was the reason? Attempted murder?”
Ai Hua tried hard to defend himself: “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me who tried to kill her to silence her, it was Qian Guowei who tried to kill her to silence her, I just…”
“Just an accomplice!” Guan Yao slammed the table, “Are you still trying to say that Qian Guowei forced you to kill her, forced you to keep the secret, just like he forced you to rape her? Ai Hua, take off your pants and take a look, is that thing between your legs growing on your own body? If it’s growing on your own body, how can anyone force you?”
Ai Hua still wanted to explain, but Guan Yao didn’t give him the chance: “If you continue to beat around the bush, we will no longer make an exception to apply for you to meet with Ai Xiuhong, and we will also tell her, in detail, everything you did back then.”
“Don’t!” Ai Hua shouted, “I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you everything! Back then, it was me, Qian Guowei, and Xu Wen who threw Xiao Min into the Ning Nie Li Qi River. None of us thought that she would actually survive. So… so the next day, after discovering that she wasn’t dead, the three of us knew that we couldn’t escape the death penalty, so we took advantage of the fire to run away!”
Guan Yao’s expression gradually calmed down, he stared closely at Ai Hua: “The three of you, ran away together?”
“Yes, the three of us ran away together,” Ai Hua admitted.
“Meaning, Qian Guowei and Xu Wen, are very likely still alive?” Guan Yao continued to ask.
“Yes, those two… might still be alive,” Ai Hua nodded.
“Do you know where they are?” Guan Yao pressed.
“I don’t know,” Ai Hua answered without hesitation.
“You don’t know?” Guan Yao didn’t believe him.
“I really don’t know,” Ai Hua guaranteed, “The three of us fled south all the way, and separated in Shunyang. After that, where they went and what they did, I don’t know anything. Police comrade, everything I’m saying is the truth. Back then, Qian Guowei and I had originally agreed to go south to work, but that night, the two of us got separated at the Shunyang Railway Station. Later, in order to make a living, I followed a pimp to Bai Mountain to drive a big truck, because along the way, I could always encounter North Korean defectors every now and then, and gradually, I started doing the business of helping North Koreans defect.”
“You don’t know the whereabouts of those two?” Guan Yao sneered, “Who would believe such a lie?”
“Really, really, really, if I say a single false word, may I be struck by lightning!” Ai Hua swore a poisonous oath, “I really only returned to Za Mu Er once. The reason why I came back this time is because that customer who contacted me, he… he threatened me with what happened back then.”
“He threatened you with what happened back then?” Guan Yao frowned, “Have you met this person offline? How would he know about what you did back then?”
“This…” Ai Hua couldn’t explain, “I haven’t met him, we only contacted online, but he knows everything about what Qian Guowei, Xu Wen, and I did back then. Even… even this person also said that he found the stones we tied to Xiao Min’s body back then. He could even say how many we tied.”
This was a bit strange. Who could be so clear about these things? Could it be that “H166,” who was suspected to be He Wang, was one of Qian Guowei and Xu Wen?
“According to the account provided by Ai Hua, we found the communication records between him and this ‘H166’. Inside, it is indeed filled with threats and intimidation. He claimed that if Ai Hua didn’t personally spend money to get him out of the country, he would send the evidence of Ai Hua raping Jiang Min and attempted murder to his wife,” Na Fei said, while flipping through the computer page.
“Why would this person know so much?” Han Chen wondered.
Guan Yao looked at him: “What do you think?”
The answer was obvious, this person’s identity was not ordinary.
“Later, we will take the surveillance footage of He Wang for Ai Hua to identify, to see if he can determine who this person is. According to Ai Hua, he and this ‘H166’ agreed to meet in three days to finalize the various matters of leaving the country. During this period, the two will most likely have online contact. Once ‘H166’s account goes online, the operator will be able to find his current IP address. We will immediately report it and carry out the arrest,” Guan Yao said, then looked around, “Why hasn’t Yu Chunming come over yet?”
“Why hasn’t Yu Chunming come over yet?” Before Guan Yao could find anyone, Wang Zhen, who was originally sitting in the office, suddenly walked out angrily. He was clutching his phone, with a face full of resentment, “Where is he? Did he run away?”
Guan Yao didn’t know what Wang Zhen was angry about. He had a feeling that something was wrong with Yu Chunming, but he couldn’t say exactly what was wrong with him. Seeing that he was late in coming, he immediately got up to find him.
At this time, Yu Chunming was standing next to the sink in the restroom. He was stiffly propped against the marble countertop, the face reflected in the mirror was without a trace of blood.
“Hey, you…” Guan Yao saw him the moment he pushed open the door, immediately stopping in his tracks, “What are you doing standing here? Your master is looking for you.”
Yu Chunming seemed not to have heard him.
“I said, your master…” Guan Yao said halfway, suddenly realizing that there was something wrong with Yu Chunming’s complexion. He took a few steps forward and was about to reach out and touch the man’s forehead.
“It’s okay, I…” Yu Chunming couldn’t dodge in time, and Guan Yao touched him right on.
“He doesn’t have a fever?” Guan Yao felt a hand full of icy cold sweat, he became worried, “Where do you feel unwell?”
Yu Chunming prevaricated: “A little, a little headache.”
“Headache?” Guan Yao’s expression immediately became serious. He pulled Yu Chunming over to look at the scar behind the man’s ear, “Do you have tinnitus? Can you hear what I’m saying clearly now?”
Yu Chunming weakly pulled away Guan Yao’s hand that was tightly gripping his arm: “No tinnitus, I can hear clearly, it’s not serious, maybe it’s just that I didn’t sleep well last night, I’ll be fine after taking some medicine.”
“Did you eat? You’re going to take medicine without eating.” Guan Yao supported Yu Chunming’s elbow, which was sinking downwards, and put the man in his arms, “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s get something to eat first.”
But Yu Chunming pushed him away, suddenly walking quickly towards the toilet stall. Before Guan Yao could react, his vomiting sound came from inside the stall.
Just then, Wang Zhen walked in, he looked at Guan Yao standing at the stall door in surprise and asked, “What’s going on? Morning sickness?”
Guan Yao wasn’t in the mood to exchange banter with Wang Zhen. He anxiously knocked on the door and asked inside, “Yu Chunming, how are you? Open the door first, okay?”
It gradually quieted down inside, the sound of flushing water rang out, but Guan Yao waited for a long time, and still didn’t see anyone open the door.
“Damn it, he might have low blood sugar.” Wang Zhen suddenly realized something, he pushed Guan Yao aside and stepped forward to knock on the door “Dong Dong,” “Chunming, Chunming!”
No one answered inside.
Guan Yao’s expression suddenly changed, he grabbed the handle and pulled it outwards hard. With a “Bang,” the door opened. Sure enough, Yu Chunming had silently slid down the wall and was sitting on the ground.
“Chunming!” Wang Zhen reached out and wanted to help the person on the ground up.
But Guan Yao always blocked him in front, not giving him a chance to get close, and had already picked Yu Chunming up horizontally.
“I have candy there. Team Leader Wang, go get him a cup of light salt water, and then have the doctor from the neighboring clinic get a bottle of glucose.” Guan Yao ordered urgently.
“Hey, yes, I…” Before Wang Zhen could open his mouth, his own disciple was taken away by someone like this. He looked down at the doorknob that had been pulled off by Guan Yao and sighed with emotion, “This strength… is quite something.”
Guan Yao really had great strength. After all, no matter how thin Yu Chunming was, he was still an adult man about the same height as him, and his whole body was weak, but Guan Yao was able to carry him all the way up to the second floor, and only after putting the person down did he realize that his hands were shaking faintly.
“Officer Yu! Officer Yu, what’s wrong?” Meng Changqing was startled.
Guan Yao frowned, pursed his lips tightly, and quickly searched Yu Chunming’s pockets, finally finding a small white bottle in his top pocket.
“Bring the candy from my drawer,” he said.
Meng Changqing immediately did as he was told. Soon, Wang Zhen brought the light salt water, and the nurse from the neighboring clinic also arrived. The person who had fainted in the toilet stall finally woke up slowly.
Guan Yao sat beside him: “Are you feeling better?”
Yu Chunming was still a bit confused. He raised the hand with the IV drip and wanted to prop himself up, Guan Yao hurriedly pressed him down: “Be careful.”
Hearing this, the person who had been trying to sit up immediately stopped moving.
“We were so busy with the interrogation that we forgot about eating.” Guan Yao pulled the blanket over him, “I asked the old aunt in the cafeteria to make some dumplings. After this bottle of water is finished, eat some.”
Yu Chunming didn’t answer, he closed his eyes again.
“Do you want to drink some hot water?” Guan Yao asked, “Does your head still hurt? If it still hurts badly, take medicine after eating something.”
“Did Ai Hua recognize who He Wang was in the surveillance footage?” After a while, Yu Chunming finally opened his mouth and asked an irrelevant question.
Guan Yao was a little helpless: “Why are you still worrying about him? You should worry about yourself first. Your face looks like wall ash.”
“If he says he can’t recognize him, he’s most likely lying,” Yu Chunming continued.
Guan Yao couldn’t help it, he had to answer: “Your master went to interrogate him. Ai Hua said he didn’t recognize him. Your master didn’t believe him. He analyzed that Ai Hua and this ‘H166’ might have met before, but we don’t have any evidence now.”
Yu Chunming opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the IV drip hanging above his head: “How much longer until it’s finished?”
“How long…” Guan Yao was a little annoyed, “You lie down honestly, it’ll take at least half an hour. Even if it’s finished, you’re going home to rest, don’t join in the fun here.”
Yu Chunming didn’t speak, but Guan Yao knew that his silence didn’t mean he acquiesced, but that he still wanted to do things his way.
Sure enough, after another ten minutes, Yu Chunming seemed to feel that he was much better. Regardless of Guan Yao’s obstruction, he insisted on sitting up: “Where’s my medicine?”
“I’ve put away the medicine, you can take it after you eat.” Guan Yao didn’t budge an inch.
Yu Chunming sighed: “When did you start caring about me so much?”
These words made Guan Yao’s ears burn. He couldn’t help but straighten his back, as if this would give him more confidence: “I’ve always cared about my colleagues, why would I treat you specially?”
Yu Chunming raised his eyebrows slightly. He deliberately asked: “Really? I thought Police Officer Guan, you liked me.”
Guan Yao’s breathing froze, he stared at Yu Chunming without speaking.