PPS Chapter 19

Chapter 19: A Fictional Utopia

Chapter 19: A Fictional Utopia

When they arrived at the police station, several female police officers were present, all of whom had had contact with Chu Zhaoyi regarding this case.

Gu Yusen, feeling reassured, let Chu Zhaoyi sit there and wait for him for a while. He turned to leave but was stopped by Chu Zhaoyi grabbing his sleeve.

“Where are you going? Don’t you want me anymore?” The young man clutched Gu Yusen’s sleeve cautiously, showing none of the usual arrogance he displayed around Gu Yusen.

In his mind, Gu Yusen had taken him away from this place. So, what now? Was he being sent back?

Why?

Was it because he was too disobedient?

Was it because he always made Gu Yusen angry?

Or was it because he kept asking Gu Yusen for roses, and Gu Yusen was annoyed?

The usually quick-witted boy, only now realizing he might be abandoned, instantly felt terrified. He dared only to grab onto the person’s sleeve, asking cautiously,

“You don’t want me anymore? Brother Sanmu…”

Gu Yusen somehow instantly understood what Chu Zhaoyi was thinking. Seeing the usually arrogant boy, who annoyed him eight hundred times a day, become so cautious, he felt a pang in his heart.

He turned back and crouched down in front of the boy.

Chu Zhaoyi’s gaze had been following Gu Yusen, and now, because of his movement, it slowly shifted downwards.

“I don’t not want you.”

“I will always be your Brother Sanmu.”

“Don’t be afraid, okay? I won’t abandon you.”

Gu Yusen’s tone was unusually gentle. Even if Chu Zhaoyi couldn’t hear, he could see from his expression, see Gu Yusen’s care and indulgence towards him.

“I’m going to talk to Officer Liu in his office for a few words. It’s right over there, the glass is transparent, you can see me from here. I’ll be out soon,” Gu Yusen explained each word carefully, making sure the boy could read his lips.

Chu Zhaoyi slowly released Gu Yusen’s hand. His leg, which had been curled under the chair, gradually relaxed and peeked out, stretching and swinging on the floor.

“Got it, Brother Sanmu, I’ll wait for you.”

Chu Zhaoyi smiled, his eyebrows curving gently.

Gu Yusen was momentarily stunned by the boy’s smile. He muttered “Amitabha” in his heart and fled as if escaping.

So alluring.

“How is he?” Officer Liu asked as Gu Yusen looked up, putting down the things in his hand to take a break.

“He’s okay.”

“I’ll get straight to the point. The results we have so far are that what I took from Chu Zhaoyi last time was… vitamins. The medicine in the bottle had been switched. The normal medicine is used to help Chu Zhaoyi control his emotions.”

“So, during the period when the incident occurred, Chu Zhaoyi’s condition, which had been stable for several years, would be triggered by a few simple words from his adoptive mother.”

“And we can’t rule out the possibility that his adoptive mother did it on purpose. So, finding out who switched the medicine is very difficult. If it was his adoptive mother, switching the medicine and deliberately provoking Chu Zhaoyi to have an episode, gave herself the reason for not buying medicine for his adoptive father the day before. If her purpose was to legitimately kill his adoptive father, then why would she commit suicide for love?”

“If it was his adoptive father, it’s even less likely. It doesn’t seem to benefit him in the slightest. We can’t even think of a motive.”

Officer Liu had a headache. He had initially thought it was just a simple accident, a tragic case caused by the deep love between Chu’s adoptive mother and father. But he didn’t expect that a bottle of switched medicine would lead to something else.

“Impossible. Chu Zhaoyi told me that his adoptive parents had a very good relationship. According to this theory, the adoptive mother’s purpose was to kill the adoptive father. That’s not right,” Gu Yusen subconsciously didn’t want to admit this speculation, even though he understood that Officer Liu had already proven something by saying it.

He thought of how Chu Zhaoyi always spoke of his adoptive parents with love and warmth.

He didn’t want to admit that all of this… might be fake.

Officer Liu sighed heavily and continued,

“Also, we noticed that there isn’t a single painting by Chu Zhaoyi in the Chu family’s house. This is also very strange. Chu Zhaoyi’s autism causes him to stay at home most of the time, and based on the usage of paints and the frequency with which the Chu family bought paints and brushes, Chu Zhaoyi should have painted a lot, but there isn’t a single one at home.”

“We followed this clue and discovered… that Chu’s adoptive mother, in fact, wasn’t at home most of the time. The Chu family has a back door. And… there are very few traces of the adoptive mother’s life in the Chu family’s house. At first, we just thought the adoptive mother herself was a neat freak and would organize her things. But the more we investigated, the more we realized something was wrong.”

“The woman’s toothbrush in the bathroom hasn’t been used for a long time, it’s just for show.”

“According to the information we have, the relationship between the adoptive father and adoptive mother isn’t as good as outsiders say. They seem to just be maintaining a facade of a harmonious family in front of outsiders. The so-called resignation to stay at home to take care of Chu Zhaoyi is likely just an excuse.”

“Moreover, we found multiple hotel records under the adoptive father’s name.”

Gu Yusen tightly gripped a pen in his hand. This was his habit; he would habitually write down important things in a notebook, so he would carry a pen with him.

His fingers clenched tightly due to the anger surging up inside him, his knuckles turning white, as if he wanted to embed every inch of the pen deeply into his palm.

“So? What you’re saying is, the Chu family constantly brainwashed Chu Zhaoyi, constructing a harmonious and happy family, but in reality, Chu Zhaoyi was just a kid who wasn’t loved by his parents?”

“What a joke!” Gu Yusen couldn’t control his voice.

So? So all of this was a utopia constructed by the Chu family? A beautiful dream personally crafted for Chu Zhaoyi?

So… so that’s it. No wonder Chu Zhaoyi’s autism had hardly received any formal treatment, just repeated medication and tranquilizers.

No wonder Chu Zhaoyi’s ears could have been treated and recovered when they were first injured, but it was delayed until now.

Officer Liu was also heavy-hearted, thinking of how Chu Zhaoyi always looked immersed in happiness whenever he mentioned his family.

This young man didn’t seem to resent the unfairness of fate, and all of this came from the endless love his adoptive parents gave him.

If, now, they told him that this love was all fictional…

Those two adults could easily deceive Chu Zhaoyi, a teenager with autism who hadn’t had much contact with society, with a simple performance.

So? What was their purpose?

They could have just gotten divorced, so why put on such a passionate performance?

To be moved by themselves?

“Two lunatics.” Gu Yusen put the pen and notebook in his pocket, his face had calmed down a lot, but the faint pain coming from his heart told him that he was feeling sorry for the boy named Chu Zhaoyi.

“There are still many doubts, but these situations still need to be told to you. Whether or not to tell Chu Zhaoyi these things is up to you to judge, whether or not his condition can accept it.”

Gu Yusen pushed open the door to Officer Liu’s office, his mind only left with the last sentence Officer Liu said.

“Brother Sanmu!” Chu Zhaoyi had been watching the office, and when he saw Gu Yusen come out, he immediately trotted over.

“Yeah…” Gu Yusen forced a smile.

Uglier than crying.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Zhaoyi, who was sensitive to emotions, noticed Gu Yusen’s abnormality.

“Nothing, let’s go get the hearing aids.”