Insights Chapter 23: Resentment

Chapter 23: Resentment

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

It was past five in the afternoon, near the seating area next to the auto repair shop. Gao Xuan finally decided to talk about his relationship with Xu Yapei, “To be precise, I can’t be considered Xu Yapei’s boyfriend. She rarely agreed to go out with me, just occasionally chatting. Once, when we entered a restaurant together, I tried to hold her hand, but she quickly pulled away with a disgusted expression on her face. When she went out with me, she would also handle messages from other men simultaneously. That’s when I understood. I should be what? A spare tire? A puppet on a string? Or a fish in her pond? I was a bit confused at that time, believing everything she said and even going to great lengths to treat her to meals and give her expensive gifts. But seriously, how could someone like her elope with someone like me?”

Gu Yanchen asked, “So why did she date you and tell her mom about you?”

Gao Xuan explained, “She was using me, treating me as a tool to rebel against her family, especially her mom, because our upbringing was quite opposite. She pretended to be with me to infuriate her mom. When she said she wanted to elope with me, it was probably just to anger her mom.”

“Has she told you anything else?” Lu Ying inquired.

Gao Xuan hesitated a bit, “I don’t know much, just what Xu Yapei told me.”

Gu Yanchen said, “It’s okay, no matter how small, just tell us the truth. You mentioned her family being sick, what does that mean?”

Gao Xuan explained, “Although my academic performance was poor since childhood, my family was still fine. I had never seen a family like theirs, where relationships seemed more like enemies than relatives. Everything they did was to hurt each other. Xu Yapei was doing well in her graduate studies, but she insisted on dropping out and becoming a kindergarten teacher just to oppose her mom. It seemed she was using me as a tool in her rebellion because my upbringing clashed with her mom’s.” He thought for a moment and provided examples, “Xu Yapei complained to me that when she was a child, her mom enrolled her in many classes to learn things she didn’t like—singing, dancing, playing instruments—occupying all her free time. It wasn’t for developing talents; her mom didn’t care if she liked it or not, never allowed her to take exams, and forbade her from studying the arts. It was all for performances in front of relatives.

“Every Chinese New Year, she felt like a puppet brought to the forefront, awkwardly performing with her younger sister. Her mom would tell relatives how difficult it was to raise two children, how she invested so much effort in their education, and how she endured hardships for them. Xu Yapei felt her mom was showing off her so-called great maternal love. This went on every year until Xu Yapei turned fifteen and refused to participate, making her mom furious.”

Gu Yanchen thought about the autopsy findings by Shen Junci, realizing why Xu Yapei’s bones showed signs of change but stopped abruptly. Pretending not to notice, he used a provocative method to encourage Gao Xuan to continue, “But that doesn’t seem too extreme. Maybe it’s just a different parenting style.”

Gao Xuan continued, “Her mom would occasionally provoke her, not with vulgar language but with degrading words. Like ‘I shouldn’t have given birth to you’ or ‘Look at other people’s children’ or ‘I’m doing this for your own good’ or ‘Can you repay me for the money I spent on you?’ Sometimes, her mom would use emotional violence, not talking to her for a long time, disposing of her belongings, giving them to other relatives or neighbors’ children…”

Many things sounded excessive when described, but they seemed quite ordinary, something many parents might have said or done to their children. Gu Yanchen thought of Tang Lu, whom he met earlier in the afternoon. Strict, serious, rational, with a strong desire for control and aggression—these were traits Shen Junci might exhibit. He continued, “What about Xu Yapei’s temperament?”

“She kept many things to herself and didn’t share with others. Maybe she told me because she thought it was unlikely for us. Xu Yapei was a bit stubborn, but compared to her younger sister, she was better. Have you met her sister?” Gao Xuan asked Gu Yanchen.

Gu Yanchen shook his head, “Not yet.”

Gao Xuan continued, “I saw her once when we were having dinner with friends. Her younger sister seemed more quiet and fragile, usually silent, but on that occasion, a friend unintentionally said, ‘Your sister looks gentler than you.’ Xu Yapei’s sister suddenly smashed her glass on the ground and left with her bag. Later, Xu Yapei told me that her mom would criticize her in front of her sister and praise her sister, but in front of her sister, she would praise Xu Yapei and criticize her. So, the relationship between the two sisters wasn’t harmonious.”

Lu Ying sighed when he heard this, expressing difficulty in understanding, “A mother, why would she sow discord between her own daughter like this? What is she aiming for?”

“I find it strange too.” At this point, Gao Xuan suddenly remembered something, “Also, can you imagine? Xu Yapei is already in her twenties, and her mother suddenly enters her room, casually rummaging through her phone, clothes, computer. Initially, she found out about my chat with her and angrily confronted her. Now I think it was probably at that time when Xu Yapei felt she could use me to anger her mom.”

Gu Yanchen, upon hearing this, added, “Speaking of which, before Xu Yapei disappeared, when was the last time you saw her?”

Gao Xuan checked the chat records, “It was probably at the end of May last year. She said she was about to save enough money and wanted to move out. She later quit her job and wanted to switch to another kindergarten, which delayed her plans.”

Gu Yanchen looked through Gao Xuan’s communication records. Indeed, after July, there was no contact from Xu Yapei. 

Continuing the conversation, Gao Xuan asked, “How… how did she die? Was it painful?”

Gu Yanchen remained silent.

Lu Ying found it difficult to answer this question. After considering for a moment, he told Gao Xuan, “It’s like being locked in a long confinement. She couldn’t get out of that room.”

Gao Xuan stared for a moment, lowered his head, and his eyes reddened even more, “Can I say goodbye to her?”

Lu Ying said, “The body will be handed over to the family later.”

He felt that Tang Lu probably wouldn’t welcome Gao Xuan’s visit. The whole questioning process went relatively smoothly. Before leaving, Lu Ying asked for more details and advised Gao Xuan not to travel to other cities recently.

Lu Ying reminded him, “Don’t run from the police again next time.”

“I wouldn’t dare even if you lent me the courage,” Gao Xuan waved his hand, “I used to think that avoiding talking about it would make it less painful. Now that I’ve said it, I actually feel a bit better.”

The two returned to the car. Gu Yanchen felt that the image of Xu Yapei had finally become more vivid in his mind. She was no longer just a corpse in an empty room. She was no longer a puppet as described by friends but had her own personality and temperament.

Lu Ying drove the car out of the repair shop, “Captain Gu, what’s the next step?”

Gu Yanchen said, “We still need to investigate Tang Lu and Xu Ziyue.” Then he checked the time, “It’s late, let’s grab something to eat first. My treat.”

Just as Lu Ying’s car left the street, Bai Meng called Gu Yanchen.

“Captain Gu, didn’t you ask me to keep an eye on Xu Ziyue? Something’s not right. She posted a farewell message on Weibo. Through phone tracking, I found that she left the school and came to the riverside alone. I called her, but her phone might be on silent, no one answered.”

Bai Meng shared some screenshots in the group. The mobile monitoring showed Xu Ziyue’s signal moving forward. It was already night, and today she just learned about her sister’s death. At this moment, she was not at school nor heading home. After posting a strange Weibo, she appeared unusually by the river. There was a possibility that she was contemplating suicide.

Lu Ying frowned, “Could it be that this sister killed her own sister, and now that the truth is out, she wants to…”

Qi Yi’an asked, “Should we save her? She might be the murderer…”

Bai Meng said, “Regardless of whether she’s the murderer or not, we have to save her. Don’t forget your identity; we’re in police uniforms!”

Shen Junci added, “If she didn’t commit murder, she shouldn’t die because of it. If she did, avoiding legal punishment would be letting her off too easily. We shouldn’t let her die like this.”

“Binlu Bridge!” Gu Yanchen glanced at the map, “Let’s hurry there. Bai Meng, contact the detective team and nearby stations quickly. There are three bridges by the river, not connected to each other. We must deploy enough manpower to find Xu Ziyue as soon as possible.”

Gu Yanchen called Deputy Director Dong, who was also shocked. He cleared the way for them and emphasized that they must find the girl. Bai Meng shared a photo of Xu Ziyue’s ID in the work group.

Shen Junci suggested, “Find two more casual pictures on her social media accounts. The ID photo may differ significantly from her current appearance. We won’t find her that way.”

Bai Meng searched Xu Ziyue’s social media and found two more pictures. She shared them in the group, joking, “Even with these account pictures, her fake mother might not recognize her, right?”

She quickly found two more life photos from Xu Ziyue’s classmates and shared them. The group became chaotic. Shen Junci, sitting at the desk, stood up. After hesitating, he opened a drawer, took out a spare phone, and dialed a number, “Hello, I want to find someone’s exact location…”

The other party seemed to say something.

Shen Junci added, “I’ll immediately send you her phone number, detailed information, and photos. Whether it’s a drone or surveillance, I need the fastest speed.”

.

At night, the pedestrian and vehicular traffic on Binlu Bridge continued. Bin River was a major river in Penang, traversing the entire city and dividing it into two. The city center of Penang was built along both sides of the Bin River.

Binlu Bridge, spanning the Bin River, was constructed thirty years ago. The entire bridge was a unit but was divided into three sections— a wide main bridge and two narrower side bridges on either side. The total length of the bridge was over six hundred meters. The main bridge was forty meters wide, while the side bridges were over twenty meters wide.

At this moment, on the right side’s side bridge, Xu Ziyue walked, crying. The girl walked aimlessly for a long time, reaching the central part of the bridge. The scenes of her twenty-plus years of life kept churning in her mind, and her thoughts grew increasingly intense. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and the tears streaming down her face turned passing vehicles into blurry silhouettes in her tear-filled eyes. Xu Ziyue finally stopped, lifting her leg over the first railing, which was over a meter high.

She easily climbed over that railing. Now, only a one-and-a-half-meter high second railing remained in front of her. Xu Ziyue lowered her head, looked at the flowing river beneath her feet, reached out, grabbed the iron railing, and took a step up. Her body stood at a high point, and then she slowly leaned forward…

Suddenly, a voice sounded behind her, “Xu Ziyue?”

The girl stopped and turned around, seeing a tall, slender man behind her. He wore all black, standing in the darkness. The man had a handsome face, and his chest gently rose and fell.

Under normal circumstances, Xu Ziyue might have taken a few more glances at a handsome guy. Now, she was in no mood. She felt like she had seen him in her peripheral vision just now, but she was crying at that time and didn’t pay attention to those around her. This man might have been following her for some time.

“What happened? Can you tell me?” the man asked.

Xu Ziyue glanced at him and then turned her head again. She had no expression on her face. Right now, she just wanted to jump down, and nothing could shake her resolve. The man took a step forward, seemingly trying to stop her. “Is it because of your sister?”

This was a normal question. But as soon as Xu Ziyue heard the word “sister,” she suddenly became impatient, she cried out loud, “I hate her. It’s all because of her that my life has become like this!” 

Shen Junci arrived after receiving the information and took a taxi to the vicinity. Then he recognized Xu Ziyue in the crowd, following her all the way here. He had sent specific location and situation information to the group just now, but the police forces were scattered, and others couldn’t catch up in time.

Shen Junci tried hard to stabilize Xu Ziyue’s emotions, buying time. “Okay, let’s not talk about those things. Can you tell me something else? Where do you go to school? Any good friends?”

“You… you don’t know what kind of life I’m living. I hate her! I hate them all. I also hate my mom…” Xu Ziyue spoke incoherently, and then she suddenly widened her eyes and collapsed. The girl muttered, “It’s me, I killed my sister. My sister is dead, and they found her. And now, I’m completely finished…”

As she said this, without warning, she let go of her hand, and her whole body slid off the bridge.

Everything happened too suddenly. Shen Junci rushed forward, reached over the first railing, and spanned it. Then he reached out and, in the nick of time, caught the falling girl. The weight of one person instantly fell onto his arms. Shen Junci exerted force with both arms, trying to pull the girl up. At that moment, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the old wound on his chest. As if a sharp blade cut through his chest, blood burst from his heart, followed by a violent palpitation.

Thud, thud…

With each heartbeat, shadows appeared in front of his eyes. Cold sweat broke out on Shen Junci’s forehead. His body completely lost strength, and a blackness enveloped his vision. While holding onto Xu Ziyue, who was slipping away, his body also lost balance…