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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Yinyan had only made one mistake in his life, the one mistake that made his heart bleed every time he thought of it. Ten years ago, when the Gold Shop Owner passed away and no one in the world knew about it anymore, Liu Yinyan established the Caring Foundation for Uremic Patients, becoming its president and donating a hundred million to save those tormented by Uremia.
Did he truly care for those Uremia patients, or was it merely to find some peace within himself? I didn’t know; only Liu Yinyan himself knew the answer. But looking at his hypocritical face, I couldn’t help but feel an urge to punch him.
For his own selfish interests, he had manipulated others' desperate desire to save their loved ones, colluding with the Gold Shop Owner to defraud the insurance company. He drove a father to despair, leading Ren to jump into the sea with immense disappointment. For thirty-five years, he had kept this secret until now.
Isn’t it ironic? Thirty-five years ago, Ren was willing to do anything to save his daughter; thirty-five years later, Liu Yinyan was also willing to do anything to save his daughter.
To be honest, if Liu Yinyan weren’t already a seventy-year-old man, my fist would have already met his face.
Liu Yinyan leaned back against the sand, quietly watching me. After a moment, he spoke: “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve only done this one bad thing in my life! Do you know how many people in Dongxing City rely on me? Do you know how many Uremic children my foundation has saved? Without me, those people would end up just like Ren’s daughter!”
Can life be measured? Is a hundred lives worth more than one? I didn’t deny that Liu Yinyan had indeed helped many people; his foundation had saved countless lives. But thirty-five years ago, one life was lost because of him.
“This matter will end with you receiving your due punishment,” I said calmly as I looked at Liu Yinyan.
He stared at me, first with confusion, then a grin spread across his face as he burst into laughter as if he had heard a great joke: “Officer Wu, do you think I let everyone leave except for us two because of what? After decades in venture capital, do you think I don’t understand the law?”
He slowly stroked his cane: “It’s because I know that your testimony alone isn’t evidence at all. Everyone who knew about this back then is dead; now it’s just you and me. What evidence do you think you can find?”
“Evidence can be uncovered,” I replied seriously.
Liu Yinyan looked at me and fell silent for a moment: “Can a police officer earn ten million in a lifetime? You know what I know; I feel this is the only guilty thing I've done in my life! The kidnappers will call again. If you’re willing to help me, stay. If not, I won’t seek help from the police anymore.”
“You’ve brought so many people; what have you found?” Liu Yinyan waved his hand dismissively: “You haven’t found anything. I no longer trust you. Let the kidnappers take what they want.”
Seeing Liu Yinyan’s defiant demeanor, I realized that he was already cornered by the kidnappers and would do anything. He not only revealed a secret he had buried for thirty-five years but also laid everything bare between us. Just one finger and merely five seconds were enough to completely break down a man known for his seriousness and coldness.
The hall was empty, and only I and Liu Yinyan knew of this conversation. Outside the villa, the night was eerily quiet, shrouded in darkness. But what was darker—the night or the human heart? I increasingly felt that there were no truly good people in this world; who had not done something shameful?
Perhaps it could be forgiven, or perhaps it would remain sealed forever.
"Although you have no evidence, I still want to remind you that if I fall, many will suffer alongside me. When that time comes, they will surely blame you, not me. This is a warning from me as a venture capitalist," Liu Yinyan said as he stood up from the sand and slowly walked toward the stairs.
Standing on the first step, Liu Yinyan turned back and said, "I have lived for seventy years. Confucius understood his fate at fifty, but I have known mine for twenty years. If I cannot see through human hearts, how can I understand fate? Even if you are determined to create a big news story, I hope you can find my daughter first."
He turned away and took a few steps up but then looked back again. "This is a statement from me as a father."
The night passed in silence.
Liu Yinyan made a lot of sense, yet I couldn't shake off my feelings. Only I could decide my own life or death; others could not. Even if that person saved more lives in the future, it wouldn't matter. But I also understood how difficult it would be to bring down Liu Yinyan and seek justice for someone who had died thirty-five years ago.
Often, it is not because one sees hope that they persist; rather, it is because they persist that hope arises.
I decided that after this case was closed, I would thoroughly investigate Liu Yinyan's affairs.
I chose not to stay and turned to leave.
Early the next morning, Liu Yinyan called, claiming that the police were merely a group of parasites funded by taxpayers. He demanded that all police forces be withdrawn; he did not need their help with this matter. Everyone was caught off guard by Liu Yinyan's sudden outburst and had no idea what was going on in his mind.
But I alone understood why Liu Yinyan acted this way; he could never reveal the despicable things he had done thirty-five years ago in front of two or more people.
Captain Shao sat at his desk, repeatedly tapping his fingers on the surface—a sign of agitation and anxiety in psychology. Then Captain Shao said, "I don't know what’s going on with Liu Yinyan; suddenly pulling this stunt on me!"
I wanted to speak up, but ultimately decided to remain silent. At this point, no matter what, Liu Yinyan could not possibly accept the police's arrangements again. If this matter were to come out, it would only complicate things further. With that thought in mind, I figured it was better to stay quiet.
Captain Shao rubbed his teacup and after a long pause finally spoke, "Mary, pull all the officers back for now. In the afternoon, have them dress undercover and hide around the villa area."
Mary nodded and asked, "What about the surveillance system?"
Captain Shao sighed and replied, "It’s easy for him to switch to a completely new setup. Even if we continue monitoring, if he doesn’t want us to hear anything, we won’t know. We'll take it step by step. If he has any contact with the kidnappers, we’ll follow up."
Then Captain Shao turned to me and asked, "So what did you all find out yesterday?"
I waved my hand dismissively and said, "They just scolded me."
Captain Shao sighed again and said, "Let’s leave it at that."
At ten o'clock, Gu Chen pushed the door open and walked in.
To be precise, a Mediterranean man entered first, sporting a large beard. Then Gu Chen followed behind. I felt a surge of joy; wasn’t this Lin Da from the Tobacco Shop? I couldn’t believe that after just one encounter, Lin Da had been caught!
"Captain Shao! Captain Shao!" I hurriedly called out, "Look who’s back!"
Only then did Captain Shao put down his teacup and look up. "Who is this?"
Gu Chen jumped out from behind and said, "Lin Da! He went to the Tobacco Shop early this morning to buy some tobacco leaves and I caught him red-handed. So I brought him back right away. We can be sure that this guy didn’t contact anyone on the way."
Captain Shao's eyes lit up with excitement; it seemed he could hardly contain his eagerness to praise Gu Chen as he exclaimed, "Well done! Interrogate him! I refuse to believe we can't find out where the others are."
In the interrogation room, I, Gu Chen, and Captain Shao were conducting the questioning, with Mary taking notes.
"Lin Da, you escaped from prison three years ago and killed two people," Captain Shao said slowly. "What do you think your fate will be?"
Lin Da glanced at the four of us, revealing his yellowed teeth, stained from cigarette smoke. He laughed, "I remember the last two times; the police didn't make such a big deal out of it. Now there are four officers here? As for my fate, I know it well—life is nothing but death."
Lin Da had previously been a migrant worker, quiet and reserved, but now he seemed quite talkative with his Mediterranean beard. I wondered if he had been forced into a pyramid scheme during those three years.
"Everyone has to die," Lin Da continued. "Some people are walking just fine and suddenly get hit by a car. Others are eating well and suddenly choke to death." He looked at us with a grin. "You see, it's all fate. When I was ten, a fortune teller told me that when I turn forty-two, there would be a major hurdle. If I get past it, everything will go smoothly; if not, I'll either die or be severely injured. Execution? I know about that; they wanted to execute me three years ago."
It was clear to us that Lin Da was deliberately rambling to disrupt our line of inquiry.
Captain Shao slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Lin Da, if you can provide information about your accomplices, we will certainly consider your situation! You might even avoid death!"
"Avoid death?" Lin Da laughed heartily. "You think you can scare me with death? What's so terrifying about it? Death is the least frightening thing in this world; everyone will die. I will die, and one day you will too. No one can escape the fate of death—what's so scary about that?"
I felt a tightness in my chest, realizing that Lin Da wasn't going to reveal anything about the other kidnappers. Threatening him with death was utterly useless; perhaps we would only have a chance to pry information from him once Lin Rong arrived at the police station.
"Have you thought about your daughter?" Captain Shao began to play the emotional card. "We all know why you ended up in prison. After being a fugitive for so many years, have you seen your daughter? Is she doing any better? It doesn't matter if you die; don't you care about how your daughter will live after you're gone?"
"Now," Captain Shao's tone softened. "Your daughter must be an adult by now?"
Lin Da's lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something.
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