by Zijin Chen
“Never mind, you’re closing.” He looked down—he was still too shy to look Huiru directly in the eyes.
“It’s fine. It’s just before ten anyway,” Huiru said, sounding enthusiastic.
“Um, OK. I’d like a bowl of wonton noodle soup, please.”
Fulai went into the kitchen and Huiru sat down at a table across from him.
“You often get noodles later in the evening, but this is late even for you.” She looked at him curiously.
Guo Yu could feel his face reddening and looked down shyly. “The company I work at makes me work overtime a lot.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a developer, I mean, a programmer. I write code for computer programs. You know?”
Huiru took out her phone and fiddled with it. “So you write the code for things like the games in my phone?”
“Yeah. But I don’t work with mobile phones. I write programs for websites.”
“Wow, you must be really smart. I can’t read—it’s really hard. You must have learned a lot at school to be able to do something like that.”
At the word “smart,” Guo Yu smiled and looked down bashfully. No one ever complimented him.
Before he knew it, the noodles were ready. Huiru stayed at his table and he tried not to freak out. He was afraid to take big bites like normal. What if she thought his table manners were disgusting? Still, there was a warm feeling in his chest. Maybe, just maybe, she was starting to like him. He didn’t want to reveal his feelings about her, because he wasn’t ready for a girlfriend. He was just barely managing to take care of himself and didn’t yet have any big plans for the future.
Yellow Head entered the restaurant. “Hey, gorgeous, make me some fried rice. And I want you to deliver it to the park by the river.”
Huiru’s eyes narrowed at the sight of him. “Sorry, we’re closed.” Her voice was filled with contempt.
Yellow Head glared as he pointed at Guo Yu. “He’s got food freshly made. What, are you playing favorites?”
“We’re out of rice.”
“Fine. Make me fried noodles with eggs. Hurry up.”
“We don’t have any noodles either.” Huiru clearly didn’t want his business, not after all the times he ate without paying.
“No noodles! What do you mean, no noodles?” Yellow Head made no effort to hide his anger.
At the sound of their raised voices, Fulai hurried over as quickly as his lame leg would let him to try to defuse the situation. “We have rice. We have everything. I’ll make fried rice right now, OK?”
“Fulai!” Huiru complained.
Yellow Head leaned over her and said. “Well, gorgeous, I gotta go, but I’ll see you real soon. You have to be the one to deliver the rice, got it? Relax, I’ll pay for the rice and pay you back for those other meals too.” He pulled a hundred-yuan note—enough for ten meals—out of his pocket and laid it on the table as he spoke. “Keep the rest for the next time I come around.”
Huiru stood up grumpily, took the hundred yuan, and put it in a drawer with the rest of their cash. “Fulai, that guy is bad news!”
Fulai did his best to console her. “There’s nothing we can do about it, you know that. We just run a little business; we have to take the good customers with the bad ones. If you don’t want to deliver it, I’ll do it.”
“No, I’ll do it. With your leg—” Huiru stopped. “It’s probably better if you just stay here and clean up.”
Guo Yu stared fixedly at her and asked quietly, “Why does he want you to deliver his food to the park by the river?”
“I don’t know what he’s up to,” she said in a hushed voice. Every time she brought him a delivery, he groped her. Now he wanted her to deliver rice to a secluded spot in a park. What if he was planning on . . . ? She banished the thought, telling herself that even a thug like him wouldn’t force himself on her. Or would he? As a precaution, she slipped a paring knife into her fanny pack when her brother wasn’t looking.
The fried rice was ready in less than ten minutes. Huiru deftly placed it in a container and a plastic bag. She took the bag and started walking towards the park.
Guo Yu had a bad feeling about it all, but would he be able to protect her if something happened? He finally summoned his courage to follow her, but not before leaving correct change on the table.
Chapter 12
Due west from the noodle shop, a road led directly to the river, which was technically a canal with trees and landscaping on either side. The walk was not far, only about eight hundred yards. The park was not particularly beautiful; it was just a collection of fitness equipment that the city bought to form an outdoor gym. The outdoor gym was popular in winter. Fewer people came in summer because the mosquitoes drove everyone away. That night, the park was totally deserted.
Huiru carried the plastic bag into the park. She saw Yellow Head standing on a rotating metal disc, stretching his oblique muscles. Without a trace of friendliness, she placed the bag on the ground and turned to leave.
“Don’t leave now, gorgeous!” He had a beer in one hand and stepped off the fitness equipment to pick up his meal. “It’s a nice night; let’s drink some beer and get to know each other better.”
Huiru shook her head. “I’m busy. I’m going home and going straight to bed.”
“Don’t brush me off like that! Just sit with me for a while—maybe half an hour? I’m sure you can tell how much I like you.” His sweet talk sounded unconvincing.
“I’m leaving now,” Huiru announced.
“Oh come on, just stay a little while.” He grabbed her arm. “Let’s drink. Look, I bought two six-packs! I just want to talk. Really,” he wheedled.
“Let go of me!” Huiru shouted and struggled against his grip. Yellow Head laughed and pulled her to the grass with one hand, carrying the six-packs in the other.
Against her will, Huiru was pulled closer to the river. With her free hand she slapped him as hard as she could. “Stop it! Let me go! I’m going to report you to the police!”
Yellow Head’s hand stung from the slap, and the beer was having an effect on him. “I already told you, all I want to do is drink and talk; what’s your problem? Stop squirming! Here! Now sit down!”
Huiru twisted her arm free and stepped back to run home. Yellow Head dropped the beers and grabbed her again, this time with both hands. “Give me a kiss! I won’t take no for an answer!” He leaned towards her.
“Stop it! Let go!” She struggled with her whole body now. She pulled out the knife and pointed the tip at his chest. “One more move and I stab you!”
He stepped back in surprise and let out a cruel laugh. His breath reeked of beer. “You are just making this sexier.” He swung at the knife in her hand.
She stepped back slowly, keeping a safe distance between them. She was terrified, but he didn’t seem to notice or care. “If you come closer, I, I’ll do it. I mean it.”
Yellow Head’s lips curled upward. “Don’t get any ideas, missy. Now be a good girl and give me the knife. Let’s sit down and have a drink. Daddy loves you.”
“Don’t come near me.”
He suddenly lunged forward. Without thinking, Huiru closed her eyes and thrust the knife forward, stabbing wildly. When she opened her eyes, she saw that he had one wound in his chest and two in his stomach. Blood covered the front of her shirt.
Huiru screamed and pushed him away with her free hand. She stepped back a few steps, her arms and legs shaking uncontrollably. Yellow Head fell on his back and let out a low groan. Huiru suddenly noticed Guo Yu behind him, his eyes wide. He was gripping a rock in his hand. His face was ghostly white, and he couldn’t take his eyes off Yellow Head.
“How . . . how could this happen?” Guo Yu shook as he watched Yellow Head, who stirred but couldn’t get up.
As Guo Yu had watched Huiru being attacked, he had pushed any fear out of his mind and had sprung forward, bringing the rock down on the back of Yellow Head’s head.
The blow
had caused Yellow Head to stumble forward. Huiru had thought that Yellow Head was trying to take the knife from her. Panicking, she had stabbed blindly. Now all three wounds were gushing blood.
It was so quiet that they could hear the mosquitoes buzzing in the air. Huiru and Guo Yu stood motionless, not knowing what to do next.
Would Yellow Head die? If he didn’t die, they would certainly have the threat of revenge hanging over their heads. How would he make them pay?
As the two young people stood silently, without a single useful thought forming in their heads, Huiru noticed a person standing on the edge of the grass. For a moment, she was struck dumb.
The man started walking straight towards them.
Chapter 13
Luo paused at the edge of the grass before walking towards them as quickly as possible. He saw Yellow Head on the ground, covered in blood, his hands and feet still twitching. For a moment he was too shocked to say anything. He looked at the boy and girl, who had lost the power to speak. “What did you do?” he demanded.
Huiru didn’t say a word. Her face was white and her eyes were wide and fearful.
Guo Yu had trouble working his lips. “We should hurry and take him to the hospital,” he said, his voice unsteady.
Luo squatted and looked carefully at Yellow Head and exhaled. “He was stabbed in the heart; there’s nothing the hospital could do.”
“There’s nothing the hospital could do . . .” Guo Yu repeated, as he watched the body gradually stop twitching. Without warning, he burst into tears.
Luo watched them both hang their heads and weep. He considered the situation. “You should go to the police and turn yourselves in.”
“Turn ourselves in—” Guo Yu reeled backward and stumbled. “But, but, he was going to have his way with her. Doesn’t that mean it was self-defense? Do people go to jail for that? Do they pay money for damages?” His mind spun.
“Do you want to hear the truth?” Luo asked, looking directly at him.
He nodded dumbly.
“I see stab wounds in three places, including one that pierced the ribs and punctured the heart, an extremely difficult injury to inflict. The victim was bashed in the head and has three fatal stab wounds. Does that sound like self-defense? I think it would be hard to prove involuntary manslaughter.”
“But that’s exactly what happened!” Guo Yu said desperately. “He was pulling her and trying to have his way with her! How could that not be self-defense?”
Luo shook his head dispassionately. “The police look at evidence. Do you think they are going to take you for your word?”
“But!” Guo Yu felt nauseous and shut his mouth quickly. He thought about his pathetic savings. What about his parents living in the countryside? What about his disabled sister, who needed constant care? His world was coming to an end.
Luo looked at the two of them, sighed inwardly, and shook his head.
Suddenly Guo Yu looked up fiercely. He turned to Luo and said, “I did it. I saw him taking advantage of her, and I bashed his head, then I stabbed him three times. She didn’t do anything!”
Luo was surprised to hear this. The knife was still in Huiru’s hands, and her hands and clothes were covered in blood. Guo Yu did not have a single drop of blood on him. He was trying to take the blame, but why?
Huiru was just as surprised as Luo. “What? Why would you say that?” she asked Guo Yu.
“That’s not important. I did it. You have a life to live.” He looked down at his pockets and hastily pulled out his phone. “I’m gonna call the police right now. I’m going to tell them I did it.”
“No. No! Stop! That’s not what happened at all. I clearly killed him. It wasn’t you.” Huiru couldn’t control her tears.
“Hang on, tiger,” Luo said calmly. Guo Yu put his phone down. “You say that you killed this man. But why is the knife in her hands? Why is there blood all over her body and not yours?”
“Because . . .” Guo Yu couldn’t finish his sentence. He realized that the police wouldn’t believe him.
Suddenly Huiru stopped crying. She spoke calmly to Luo. “I did it. You saw me do it; you can be a witness. The knife is in my hands and I have blood all over my clothes.”
Luo was surprised a second time. He had not witnessed the crime, but his keen instincts told him that both of them were involved.
“Are you trying to protect each other?” he asked them.
Neither of them spoke.
“Are you dating?”
Guo Yu blushed. “No, sir.” Huiru shook her head.
Luo looked closely at Guo Yu. “Do you like her?”
Guo Yu looked up, startled. He nodded shyly.
Huiru’s reaction indicated that this was completely new information. “You like me? But you never said anything.”
“I . . .” He didn’t know what to say.
“I see what’s going on.” Luo heaved a big sigh. “You both killed him, but it was an accident. Is that right? Based on the evidence here, I don’t think the police would come to the conclusion that it was self-defense. Maybe if you turn yourselves in immediately, and you tell them what happened as clearly as possible, they’ll decide that it was involuntary manslaughter. Hopefully that will reduce your sentence. Now I want to give you one piece of advice. Never ever take the blame for the other person. It doesn’t help anyone. Even if you get the chance to set the story straight in the end, the police will doubt you.” He turned and walked away. He was reluctant to leave them, but he did not want to get involved if he could help it.
Luo heard Guo Yu muttering, “How could this happen? How could this happen!” He turned back and saw the two of them still standing in the same place, looking utterly hopeless. Luo took a deep breath, determined to walk away. But his heart tightened.
The course of these two young people’s lives would change completely from just one accident. Simply because a thug stirred up trouble. Should their lives be rewritten in this way?
Even if they got a light sentence and were only imprisoned for seven years, their precious youth would be wasted. And what would they do once they were released?
Luo fought it, but eventually, for the first time in his life, impulse triumphed over logic. He turned around and walked resolutely towards the girl and boy. “If there was a way to completely change this situation, would you want to try it?” His heart thumped wildly as he said it.
Luo was brilliant. He had worked on the Criminal Investigation Division of the Zhejiang Public Service Bureau and had been the head of the Criminal Science department of the Ningbo Bureau. He was a city captain by forty, and he had won awards for his forensic analysis. But this time would be different. This time, there would be no evidence. With his skills, he could save the lives of these two young people.
Chapter 14
“How could we do that?” Guo Yu asked earnestly.
“Well,” Luo said hesitantly, “we could alter this crime scene until nothing here would be connected to you. You could keep living your lives as before.”
“Would it work?” Guo Yu was overwhelmed. Fear, hesitation, confusion, and hope mixed together. He thought again of his parents and his sister. If he was imprisoned, they would lose their main source of income. When he left prison he wouldn’t be able to get a job like the one he had now. How would he earn money? Would he go home and work the fields? Then there was the issue of compensation. Whenever a civil court case was broadcast in the news, the sums people were forced to pay were astronomical. It was the kind of money that he could never hope to pay off in a lifetime. He wished desperately that he could turn back time.
Huiru’s eyes grew wide. “Do you mean we should run and hide?”
Luo shook his head. “No, but we should remove everything in this area that has anything to do with you. Right now only three people know that you have killed someone: the two of you and myself. As long as we don’t say anything, the police will never figure it out.”
Guo Yu weighed the advantages and disadvantage
s. “If the police discover that it was us, we would be charged with murder. There’s no way they would charge us with manslaughter because we would have hidden evidence. Right? That would mean we couldn’t explain what really happened.”
“That’s true,” Luo said, nodding. “But the only way that the police would find out that you are the killers is if you confess.” He saw that they were concentrating on his every word. “As long as you keep that secret, the police will never find you.”
Guo Yu swallowed uncomfortably. “But . . . how can you be so sure?”
“I used to be a forensic scientist. I know exactly how the police handle cases. I can remove every single clue in this crime scene,” Luo answered.
Guo Yu and Huiru looked at each other, neither willing to make a decision. But Guo Yu knew that if he turned himself in, he would waste away in prison for seven or eight years and have to make huge compensation payments until he died. His life would be completely ruined. If they pretended they were innocent, what’s the worst that could happen? Still, there was something else bothering him. Why would this middle-aged man, practically a stranger, want to help them? He asked Luo outright, “Why do you want to help us?”
Luo smiled and answered calmly. “I don’t think you two deserve to suffer.” Then he looked at Huiru. “Thank you for giving me that dog.”
Guo Yu was still hesitating when Huiru looked up and said, “Please, tell us what to do next.”
Luo looked sternly at them. “Before you make your decision, I want to ask you a question. Think carefully! In the future, the police might come looking for you. If that happens, are you willing to lie to the police?”
“Lie to the police?” Guo Yu was so out of his depth that all he could do was repeat whatever Luo said. He had never had a single interaction with the police. In his mind, the police had godlike wisdom. They would see right through someone lying to them.
Huiru had already made up her mind. “How do you do it?”