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墨書 Inktalez
I imagined many possibilities, such as Deng Xuemei being a beautiful girl, or Deng Xuemei having a stubborn personality and not being talkative, or even that Deng Xuemei came from a poor family. However, I never expected that the first impression of Deng Xuemei from this woman would be that she was wealthy, especially considering that her father was bedridden. This certainly did not align with the impression Deng Xuemei gave to others.
But looking at her expression, it seemed that Song Ying was unaware of Deng Xuemei's family situation. I decided not to reveal anything and asked, "Is Deng Xuemei really rich?"
Song Ying nodded and replied, "Well, during college, Deng Xuemei was definitely wealthier than any of us. But I'm not sure what her family does; I guess they must be involved in some big business. I remember when Nokia released the new N97 phone, which cost several thousand yuan at the time. Everyone was envious of it."
Zhao Mingkun and I exchanged glances, both seeing confusion and disbelief in each other's eyes.
"Does she really have that much money?" I asked. "I remember that phone wasn't cheap. Does she really act so wealthy in daily life?"
Song Ying seemed puzzled by my question and said, "Her clothes and shoes are quite expensive."
"What kind of personality does she have?" I continued to inquire.
Song Ying shrugged and said, "Aren't rich people usually like that? They tend to have a lot of quirks. Sometimes she complains that the dorm beds aren't as comfortable as her home, or she talks about what she ate recently. She never eats in the cafeteria with us; it feels like we're living in two different worlds."
I couldn't shake the feeling that the person Song Ying described was not the same as the Deng Xuemei I had in mind.
Scratching my head, I asked seriously, "Are we really talking about the same person?"
With that thought in mind, I took out my phone to show Song Ying a picture of Deng Xuemei. She took my phone and looked at it before confidently saying, "Yes, that's definitely Deng Xuemei. We spent four years in college together and even worked at the same company, though not in the same department. I know what she looks like; that's her in the photo."
If that's the case, things were getting interesting. The same family appeared completely different depending on who you asked. To Old Zhang and others, Old Deng's family seemed barely able to make ends meet, living in a rundown shack. Yet to Song Ying, Deng Xuemei's family was affluent enough to buy an expensive phone.
How could there be such a huge disparity between father and daughter? It was strange—too strange indeed.
"Are you saying that Deng Xuemei is not approachable?" I asked.
"Yes, she generally looks down on us. She often hangs out with wealthy partners, and after starting her job, she immediately got involved with her boss. A few months ago, she broke up with him, and shortly after that, she resigned. No one knows what she's been up to since then."
I nodded and asked, "Do you have her phone number?"
"I do know that," Song Ying replied, pulling out her phone to find Deng Xuemei's number.
"Should we try calling her?" I suggested.
Song Ying shrugged and dialed the number. However, as soon as she called, it turned out that Deng Xuemei's number was no longer in service. Song Ying scratched her head and said, "It's been a while since we last contacted her; she might have changed her number."
"You mentioned she was involved with her boss? Is it allowed to date within your company?" I recalled something and asked.
"Not really," Song Ying chuckled. "Even though it's against the rules, there's an unspoken understanding among the new male employees regarding relationships between bosses and female employees. Everyone knows about it, and we just turn a blind eye since it's not our business."
I nodded. If it was Deng Xuemei's ex-boyfriend, he should know where she is.
Thinking of this, I asked, "Her ex-boyfriend must be older than you since he’s your senior. Is he married?"
"Yes," Song Ying replied. "Deng Xuemei is three; that's an open secret. I heard from others that her boss's wife also turns a blind eye to his affairs, so they can be quite open about it. However, the boss definitely won't divorce his wife, and I guess Deng Xuemei saw no hope in that situation, which is why she left."
I looked out the window and asked, "What’s the boss's name? He might know more about Deng Xuemei."
Song Ying glanced outside as well and said, "You better not be asking for my sake since I still need to work here. Didn't the manager from the Human Resources Department have a good relationship with you? You could ask him. But that guy has always been quite arrogant; I don't know why he seems to be trying to curry favor with you."
I smiled lightly, knowing full well that I wouldn't reveal to her that the manager had something on me.
Once again, I found the manager and asked him to help us locate Deng Xuemei's superior. This time, the manager was quite efficient; within a few minutes, a man appeared before us. Judging by his age, he seemed to be in his forties. He had a slightly plump figure but looked quite energetic.
He nodded at us and then sat down, saying, "Officers, I hear you're here to find Deng Xuemei? First of all, I am a law-abiding citizen and have never engaged in any illegal activities. If she has done something wrong, that has nothing to do with me. Secondly, my wife has no objections to my lifestyle choices, so you need not worry about that."
He lightly waved his fingers and continued, "Now that I've clarified these two points, do you have any questions for me?"
This superior's name was Pei Dongqiang, and he gave off a strong presence; his speech was also very logical.
I spoke up, "We're not here to investigate you; we're here to investigate Deng Xuemei. We will ask you some questions about her situation shortly. Please share what you know; everything will be kept confidential and won't go outside. We hope you can cooperate with us."
"Mm?" Pei Dongqiang nodded and waved his hand, indicating we could proceed with our inquiries.
I began, "Since we've found you and you can guess our purpose for seeking you out, when did Deng Xuemei start working with you?"
Pei Dongqiang pondered for a moment before replying, "If you're referring to an improper relationship, we've been involved for several years now—basically since she just graduated. We established this relationship back then. This is personal; unless it's particularly important, I hope you'll refrain from asking too much."
I nodded and asked, "Have you ever learned about Deng Xuemei's family background?"
"No," Pei Dongqiang shook his head while gesturing dismissively. "We had an agreement long ago: we don’t inquire about each other's families. We simply fulfill our own needs; I wanted her youth and beauty, while she sought work and financial support. Eventually, most of her expenses came from my money."
"Is she extravagant with her spending?" I inquired further.
"That much is true," Pei Dongqiang replied. "Before we had this kind of relationship, I noticed that Deng Xuemei always wore designer clothes and used luxury cosmetics and phones. It's clear that she is quite materialistic; this was one of the foundations for our connection."
I lightly tapped my knee, deep in thought.
Eventually, Old Deng was practically unable to work, which meant that Deng Xuemei had to cover the monthly medical expenses. Relying solely on her salary would hardly be enough to meet Old Deng's increasing medical needs. Perhaps finding a wealthy man had become the quickest way for Deng Xuemei to secure funds.
To attract a rich man, it made sense that she would invest in her appearance. Was Deng Xuemei's relationship with Pei Dongqiang merely a means to pay for her father's treatment? But if that were the case, it wouldn't explain Song Ying's earlier comments. Since college, Deng Xuemei seemed to have been quite affluent. Had she found a wealthy boyfriend back then?
If she was so well-off, why did she still ask Lu Zhiqiu for money?
I found Deng Xuemei to be quite mysterious.
With these thoughts in mind, I continued to ask, "Do you know why she resigned? It seems like she quit right after breaking up with you."
Pei Dongqiang frowned and replied, "First of all, resignation and breaking up are two different matters; don't confuse them. Secondly, we didn't have any formal ties connecting us. Regardless of who left whom, it was each person's choice. To clarify, she left me. We've been together for some years now; it's normal to get tired of each other and to part ways."
"She mentioned before that she wanted to get married as she got older and that she had found a wealthy and handsome man. It seems she's probably getting married," Pei Dongqiang said, looking into my eyes. "Then she left to start anew. Her phone number has changed, and she's no longer on QQ. I suspect she's left this city."
I stroked my chin thoughtfully. From Pei Dongqiang's words, it seemed he still held some feelings regarding their transactional relationship, but Deng Xuemei appeared to be choosing a new life.
A new life—was it one that erased all ties from the past? Where could Deng Xuemei be at this moment?
"By the way!" Pei Dongqiang suddenly recalled something and said, "She used to live in my place. When she moved out, she rented another apartment. The last time I saw her was in her rental unit—it's been about two months now. You might want to check there."
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