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墨書 Inktalez
I laid the letter flat on the table and said slowly, "It seems like this is a suicide note written by Deng Xuemei..."
As I spoke, Zhao Mingkun and I leaned down to look at the letter:
"I have hated one person in my life, and I have loved one person in my life. Both of them are women—one is my mother, and the other is my classmate. My mother abandoned this family when we were going through our hardest times, while my classmate sincerely helped me when I was struggling."
I continued to read down the page, where Deng Xuemei mainly recounted her life story.
Deng Xuemei's family was originally a harmonious one. Her father worked at a large company, and they lived quite well. Her mother was a housewife, taking care of the household. This was how their lives went until it was shattered.
Deng Xuemei would never forget that night when she came home from school, and her father was there to pick her up as usual. She was already getting older, and she felt a bit embarrassed that her dad still picked her up from school. Yet, she also loved having him there.
Caught in this conflicting feeling, Deng Xuemei said nothing and acted as she usually did.
At that moment, which she thought was just an ordinary evening, little did she know that her life stood at a crossroads. From then on, the trajectory of her family would be completely altered. That night, her father suddenly woke up in pain from a nightmare.
Later that night, her father was rushed to the hospital. The doctors' findings were shocking; he had an extremely rare disease. In China, this condition occurs in only one out of a hundred million people—a genetic disorder with no known treatment.
In a corner of the hospital, she hid away and began to cry out of fear.
That night, she cried all her tears dry; from then on, she never cried again.
Thus began her father's long journey of seeking treatment. No matter where they went—whether to reputable hospitals or famous folk healers—nothing could cure him. Expensive Western medicine and traditional remedies alike proved ineffective.
Over the years, Deng Xuemei progressed from being a student to entering middle school. She watched as their home deteriorated and their furniture dwindled.
Eventually, the three of them were crammed into one room.
Deng Xuemei would never forget that night when she saw her mother hurriedly leave the house. When she asked where her mother was going, her mother replied that she was going out to buy medicine for her father. Deng Xuemei thought to herself that her mother must have gone far away to get the medicine; otherwise, why hadn’t she returned after all these years?
With no house left, their family faced mounting medical expenses each month. In Dongxing City, where every inch of land is precious, renting even a basement cost several hundred or even a thousand yuan. Old Deng relied on writing fees for their livelihood; sometimes there were fees coming in, and sometimes there weren’t.
Life became increasingly tight for them, but Deng Xuemei remained resilient.
Some people are born strong; the heavier the burden of life becomes, the more resilient they grow. Deng Xuemei consistently excelled in her studies. When it came time for high school, an ordinary school promised to waive her tuition if she would enroll there. Furthermore, if she could gain admission to Dongxing University, they would cover all her tuition and living expenses.
Deng Xuemei truly lived up to expectations and was accepted into Dongxing University.
Upon reading this, I furrowed my brow, realizing why Song Ying viewed Deng Xuemei's family as well-off. It seemed that Deng Xuemei did not have to pay tuition for college, nor did she need to cover living expenses. But why, under such circumstances, did Deng Xuemei still ask Lu Zhiqiu for money?
I continued reading.
Deng Xuemei entered university, and although she didn't have to pay for tuition, her father's health was deteriorating rapidly. He could hardly earn a living anymore, and the expensive medical bills became a heavy burden on Deng Xuemei's heart. She applied for financial aid and even received scholarships, but it still wasn't enough.
Deng Xuemei tightly managed every penny she earned, giving it all to her father. Yet how could a student cover medical expenses that reached five or six thousand a month? No matter how hard Deng Xuemei worked, there were many times when she simply couldn't earn enough. She even considered becoming a caregiver to help pay for her father's treatment.
At this point, a strong sense of contradiction surged within me. The contents of this letter seemed completely different from what Song Ying had said. According to this letter, Deng Xuemei was even contemplating selling herself to afford her father's medical care, while in Song Ying's account, Deng Xuemei appeared wealthy and had bought an expensive phone.
Clearly, one of them was lying. However, there was no deeper relationship between Song Ying and Deng Xuemei; Song Ying had no reason to tarnish Deng Xuemei's reputation. So could it be that Deng Xuemei was the one lying? Would someone lie in their own suicide note?
Just then, Lu Zhiqiu appeared.
The two of them were in the same club, as if fate had arranged for them to meet. As they spent time together, they gradually realized that their backgrounds were not too dissimilar. Although Lu Zhiqiu's parents were still alive, they had always neglected her due to their preference for sons.
Kori Chiu and Deng Xuemei were clearly different. Deng Xuemei hated her mother for abandoning them when she refused to care for Old Deng. She loathed her so much that she wished she could kill her. Kori Chiu was different; she treated everyone kindly, regardless of whether they loved or hated her or spoke ill of her.
She seemed like an angel descended from heaven, always smiling at others and never getting angry with anyone. It felt as though all the beauty in the world concentrated on Lu Zhiqiu alone; she seemed to embody goodness itself.
Two individuals with similar backgrounds but entirely different personalities became good friends.
Understanding the situation, Lu Zhiqiu proactively offered to give Deng Xuemei a thousand yuan each month. Deng Xuemei desperately needed this money and agreed. Throughout their university life, Lu Zhiqiu kept her promise without fail.
However, there was one instance when Lu Zhiqiu faced difficulties and could not provide money to Deng Xuemei.
From that moment on, Deng Xuemei regarded Lu Zhiqiu as family. But no one expected that towards the end of their university life, Lu Zhiqiu would be murdered on a construction site. The police were unable to identify the murderer, and seven years passed in the blink of an eye.
When Deng Xuemei learned about Lu Zhiqiu's brutal murder, she was devastated. Yet life had to go on; her father continued to suffer in his hospital bed. After graduating, Deng Xuemei interned at a pharmaceutical company and naturally joined the company after graduation.
At that time, Old Deng's condition was at its worst, costing nearly ten thousand yuan a month for treatment. Relying solely on Deng Xuemei's salary was futile. Desperate and with no other options left, she prepared to sell herself. However, after several hints from her boss, Deng Xuemei realized that selling herself might not be as beneficial as submitting herself to her boss instead.
Thus began a transaction of money for favors. With the money she received, Deng Xuemei could sustain her father's needs. Yet she found herself unable to be by his side; if she were at his bedside, who would earn the money? Without funds, her father might not last even a week.
In this way, Deng Xuemei survived in such an environment.
However, this illness was one that had no possibility of being cured. Faced with diseases caused by genetic mutations, it posed a significant challenge worldwide. Deng Xuemei's father endured for several years but ultimately died painfully in his hospital bed. At that moment, Deng Xuemei finally found relief.
Yet, she could never forget the matter concerning Lu Zhiqiu. In the following years, Deng Xuemei dedicated herself to investigating the circumstances surrounding Lu Zhiqiu's death seven years ago. She looked into the people who were at the construction site at that time, examining the records of over twenty individuals, but Deng Xuemei found herself at a loss. With so much time having passed and even the police lacking leads, how could she uncover the truth?
Nevertheless, Deng Xuemei never gave up; she continued her investigation.
But a year ago, misfortune struck again.
Like her father, Deng Xuemei also carried the same genetic defect, which meant that she too was doomed to face death. The doctor informed her that her condition was even more severe than her father's; she had only a few years left to live.
Deng Xuemei understood that in those final years, she would likely be bedridden and unable to do anything. She could not bear such a life, especially since there was still one thing she needed to accomplish. She had to find the murderer who killed Lu Zhiqiu and inform the police. Yet, she realized that her time was running out.
During her investigation, Deng Xuemei discovered that these individuals harbored animosity towards Lu Zhiqiu. Although she did not know who exactly had committed the murder, an excellent idea struck her. Since she did not know who the killer was and these people disliked Lu Zhiqiu, why not eliminate them all?
Thus, Deng Xuemei set her plan into motion. After years of investigation, she had gathered all their addresses. After resigning from her job, she began her mission by targeting those living outside Dongxing City before returning to eliminate those residing within it.
In the end, Deng Xuemei achieved what she desired.
"Since they are all so hypocritical and pretentious, they might as well accompany me to hell," Deng Xuemei wrote. "Selfishness is a sin inherent to humanity; I merely enacted the punishment that was due. If anyone reads this letter, then I am surely dead. Although I still do not know who the murderer is, at least I have avenged her."
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