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墨書 Inktalez
Two people walked into the room, and Teacher Zhao took a seat. It was clear that she had brought them in to discuss something she didn't want the two of them to hear. She glanced around the room and said calmly, "There are some things I need to talk to you about."
I nodded and replied, "What is it? Go ahead."
Teacher Zhao nodded and lowered her voice, "I always feel that Wang An has an unsettling vibe. Back when he was in school, he was always getting into fights. Recently, he's been particularly gloomy. A few local youths came looking for him at school, but they were stopped by the security guards."
I pulled out the photographs and showed them to Teacher Zhao.
She took a look at the photos and said, "It's these three youths. I checked the surveillance footage before. They were indeed the ones looking for Wang An; one of them even had bandages wrapped around him. But after that, we went on break, and they never came back."
From Teacher Zhao's words, we could tell that those three youths had indeed come looking for Wang An but had not succeeded. Afterward, Wang An went on break and was sent to Teacher Zhao's home. So even if those three wanted to cause trouble for him, they wouldn't be able to find him.
I looked at Teacher Zhao and continued, "Haven't you talked to Wang An about this?"
Teacher Zhao shook her head and said, "I haven't discussed it with him. For a child, knowing too much isn't beneficial. I don't know where his father Hao Ren has gone, but I have a nagging feeling that this matter is definitely related to those three."
I frowned and asked, "What makes you think so?"
Teacher Zhao glanced at the large shrimp on the plate and replied, "When those three left, this matter surely wasn't over. They will seek revenge one by one. These words are what the security guard relayed, but I believe there's a high chance it's true. Otherwise, why would Hao Ren send Wang An to my house?"
I said, "To be honest with you, Fang Qi has committed suicide. Currently, we suspect it is related to those three, but we have no leads."
At this point, Teacher Zhao suddenly stood up and then sat back down again. With a look of panic on her face, she asked, "Fang Qi really committed suicide?"
It seemed that she had known about Fang Qi's intentions long before.
Guan Zengbin asked, "What? Did you notice any signs?"
Teacher Zhao's expression turned serious as she replied, "That security guard once told me that since they couldn't find Wang An, those three were planning to locate Fang Qi first and start from there. They won't rest until they bring destruction upon Hao Ren's family."
Gu Chen slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "Those scoundrels are infuriating!"
Teacher Zhao shook her head helplessly and added, "If they've managed to find this place, they must also know the whereabouts of the other children Hao Ren has taken in. I don't know how they got that information. But judging by their demeanor, they're likely contemplating this matter."
We nodded in agreement.
Teacher Zhao glanced at the room again and said calmly, "I don't know what to do. I feel like Wang An has been acting a bit strange lately. There's a sense of restraint and fierceness about him. He seems obedient, but it feels like for a child his age, this level of maturity is a bit excessive."
I nodded and then shook my head, saying, "Wang An has always been an adopted child. He may have gone through things that we can't even imagine. He does exhibit a maturity that doesn't match his age, but his thinking is still that of a child. You could tell that from our earlier conversation."
Teacher Zhao tapped her head with her finger and said, "I just hope he can have a wonderful childhood."
As she spoke, the two of us stepped out of the room.
The worry and exhaustion on Teacher Zhao's face transformed into a bright smile, as if she didn't want to show her concerns. No matter how turbulent the storms may be, children would never see them in their mother's eyes. Teacher Zhao hurriedly served us some food, and we ate quickly without saying much.
While eating, I observed Wang An. He kept his head down, pushing his rice around without looking at us or saying anything. Teacher Zhao served him some dishes with just a smile before continuing to eat. Wang An's calm demeanor was somewhat unexpected; aside from crying when he heard about his sister Fang Qi's suicide, he showed no other signs of distress.
As we were eating, my phone suddenly rang.
I pulled out my phone to check and realized it was Mary calling. If Mary was calling, it likely meant there was new progress in the case.
I answered the call and heard Mary on the other end say, "Someone named Zhao Li came to the police station to report that she almost got raped. And this Zhao Li is the eldest daughter adopted by Hao Ren."
We had been searching for Zhao Li, and now she had come to report to the police. Perhaps we could learn something from her. Thinking of this, I quickly turned to Wang An and said, "Wang An, your sister Zhao Li has been found. Do you want to come with us to the police station?"
Upon hearing this, Wang An replied eagerly, "Yes, I'll go."
With that, Wang An quickly finished his rice in just a few bites.
Seeing Wang An's anxious expression made it clear that he really wanted to see his sister. After eating a few more bites, we hurriedly bid farewell to Teacher Zhao. She tried to keep us there several times, but seeing Wang An's determination, we decided it was best to find Zhao Li first.
Guo Feng seemed reluctant to see Wang An leave and called out, "Wang An! Wang An! Aren't you going to play with me? Where are you going?"
There was already a hint of tears in Guo Feng's voice.
Wang An walked to the door and then turned back. He stood on a chair, wiped Guo Feng's tears, and said earnestly, "Guo Feng, you need to be good at home. You must listen to your mother, understand? Don't play with those bad kids outside; they will bully you. Just play with your toys at home and wait for me to come back, okay?"
"Okay." Guo Feng looked at Wang An, feeling a bit reluctant. "When will you come back?"
Wang An thought for a moment and replied, "As long as you behave and listen to your mother at home without causing trouble, I will be back soon."
"Promise." Guo Feng said.
Wang An extended his finger and hooked it with Guo Feng's thumb. "Promise and hang it up, a hundred years without changing; those who lie are dogs."
After that, Wang An jumped down from the chair and turned to Teacher Zhao. "Teacher Zhao, thank you for taking care of me so much."
Teacher Zhao smiled and nodded.
When we arrived at the police station, we saw a girl with tear-streaked cheeks taking notes.
"Wang Jie!" Wang An called out.
Zhao Li turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see Wang An. "Wang An, what are you doing here?"
Wang An replied, "I’ve been staying at Teacher Zhao's house. These police officers told me you were here."
Seeing her brother seemed to calm Zhao Li's heart quite a bit.
So we asked Zhao Li why she reported to the police, and she shared her story with us.
Since her family wasn't very well-off, Zhao Li had been working away from home for a month before the Spring Festival to earn some money. She knew that in this day and age, her younger brother and sister needed a mobile phone to stay in touch. However, their family was poor, and Hao Ren was just an ordinary person with limited means. Therefore, Zhao Li hoped to buy each of her siblings a decent phone through her hard work.
As she worked, the Spring Festival approached.
Zhao Li called home but no one answered. She then tried calling her brother Du Ziguo, but again there was no response. Not knowing what was happening, she thought about rushing home to check. However, when she returned home, she found her house had become a pile of ruins.
This area was designated for demolition, and when the developers ran out of money, work came to a halt. The only household left here was that of Zhao Li, which belonged to Hao Ren's family. Zhao Li wanted to find out what had happened, but she couldn't locate a single neighbor. She couldn't reach her father, Hao Ren, and when she contacted her older brother, she learned that Du Ziguo was also missing.
Zhao Li thought of her younger siblings but had no idea where to look for them.
Just ten days ago, Zhao Li received a phone call from someone who claimed to know where her siblings were.
By that time, Zhao Li had already been back in Yumu City for several days, desperately searching for her family. When she received the call, she barely hesitated and followed the directions given by the caller to a location. However, upon arriving at this place, Zhao Li sensed something was off.
She realized that the location was quite remote and there were hardly any people around.
Fear gripped Zhao Li, and her first instinct was to leave immediately. But just then, someone emerged from behind and knocked her unconscious.
When Zhao Li woke up, she found herself in a pitch-black room. She spent ten days in that room until finally, one day, taking advantage of the person's momentary lapse in attention, she managed to escape. Afterward, she reported the incident to the police.
Looking at Wang An, Zhao Li found it hard to speak.
I turned to Guan Zengbin and said, "You all go out first; I need to take a statement."
Guan Zengbin understood and led everyone out.
At that moment, Zhao Li finally spoke up: "That person... he raped me..."
I looked at her and asked, "Do you know who this person is?"
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