CH 74

Edited by: Dust Bunny

When Gu Xizhou went to renew the fee, he felt it was even stranger. 

According to Gu Ji Ji, Tong Jia was his classmate. Tong Jia died when she was thirteen. That is, when she had graduated elementary school and just entered junior high. Even if the two were in puppy love, her parents would normally be responsible for the management fee. However, the name written on the previous renewal fee bill was shockingly still Gu Ji Ji. Clearly this wasn’t the first time Gu Ji Ji had helped Tong Jia pay her grave’s management fees.

After visiting Tong Jia, his curiosity wasn’t satisfied, but rather grew further. He returned home after paying the fee. Gu Xizhou opened the door and immediately asked Gu Ji Ji curiously, “Ji Ji, what’s the deal with that Tong Jia?”

“Why are you paying for her fees? I still think she’s your college classmate…” Gu Xizhou was incredibly curious, and he felt as if a cat had scratched at his heart.

Gu Ji Ji looked at his anxious and fidgety appearance and thought for a moment before starting to write: Anyway, I also want you to help me visit her in the future, so I’ll tell you. 

Gu Xizhou let out an “En”.

Gu Ji Ji: You saw her gravestone, ba. She was my junior high classmate. We were deskmates. I was very naughty in junior high, and she happened to be the best student in the class and was arranged to sit near me by the teacher. She had a very good disposition and seldom got angry. She even reminded me to do my homework every day and to bring my things with me…

You know what young schoolboys are like. They like to tease people. That day was a Friday, and several of us threw a caterpillar in her pencil case. After she opened it, she was frightened to tears… After that, on Monday, she didn’t come to school. We asked the teacher, and they told us she transferred.

Gu Xizhou looked at Gu Ji Ji’s words, but combined with the present circumstances, obviously this girl hadn’t transferred, but died.

He watched the pen continue to write: Because of this, we thought that we really went too far, and that we might be the reason that Tong Jia transferred… In fact, that wasn’t it at all. She didn’t transfer schools. When she was at home, she jumped off a building and killed herself…

Gu Xizhou saw those words and his heart sank without reason. He asked, “How do you know that? Why did she kill herself?”

Gu Ji Ji’s pen stopped in midair and didn’t move for a very long time. Much later, Gu Ji Ji continued to write: At the time, the case was under the jurisdiction of Jinluo Police Station. Uncle Wang was a low leveled police officer there. When he and my dad got drunk, he mentioned it, and I found out that Tong Jia didn’t transfer schools, but died. The reason her mother gave was…

was because she was bullied at school. Tong Jia took it too hard and killed herself. 

Gu Xizhou said in a low voice, “You blame yourself for this? So you go to see her every year?

Gu Ji Ji wrote: I was still young back then. For a time I believed that we teased Tong Jia, and she became depressed and jumped from a building to kill herself, so I started to blame myself. Afterwards…

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And then, did her parents ever come to the school to look for the students who teased their child, Tong Jia? If she really did kill herself because of us, do you think that, as her parents, they wouldn’t come to find the “criminals”?

“Tong Jia fell off a building by accident, but in order to avoid speaking of their own neglect, her parents claimed… that she was bullied in school and killed herself. Damn! Then you must have been under a lot of pressure then, right?” Gu Xizhou came to a realization, and he suddenly felt a little sympathy for Gu Ji Ji. At that time he was just a little brat, and he definitely wasn’t cool-headed or reasonable like now, able to analyze all sorts of possibilities.

Gu Ji Ji: There was definitely psychological pressure, but now I wasn’t certain whether or not Tong Jia’s death was an accident.

“Why?” asked Gu Xizhou. 

Gu Ji Ji: After she died, I got the location of her grave from Uncle Wang. I began to visit her grave every year since junior high. Three years after her death, no one paid the maintenance fee, and every year since I’ve paid the cost. Every year, when I visit her, I’ve never seen her relatives. The telephone number they registered at the cemetery had long been changed.

“Her parents never went to see her?” Gu Xizhou raised an eyebrow, and he couldn’t help but feel somber. His thoughts began to go in a bad direction. Tong Jia accidentally fell off a building, and her parents shirked responsibility and told the police that it was because she was bullied at school and jumped to kill herself. He could understand that, but their child died, and they didn’t visit and didn’t pay the fees. This was really odd.

Gu Xizhou asked, “Do you want me to help investigate?”

Gu Ji Ji: There’s no use investigating… It’s been ten years already. Do you think this is a TV drama? That you can still find the truth? … What if she really did kill herself because of us? I don’t really want to know anymore, but I can’t leave this place. In the future, I can only ask you to take my place and go see her and give her a bouquet. 

Gu Xizhou agreed, “Okay.”

Gu Xizhou didn’t ask anything else, but he was very sure of one thing: Gu Ji Ji’s mouth said he didn’t blame himself, but his heart disagreed.

Gu Xizhou abruptly changed the subject. He walked over to the dog kennel and scooped out the stupefied dog son from inside and energetically fastened the leash on.

Dog son: “Woof woof woof?” 

Gu Xizhou kneaded the dog son’s head and immediately tugged on the leash, leading the dog son to the empty living room. He said, “Our dog son wants to go out. I’ll go walk the dog.”

En… very good, no answer.

Gu Xizhou silently dragged his dog son into his kennel.

“Woof!” 

Gu Xizhou glared at his insubordinate dog son. From his dog son’s eyes, he could make out a feeling of loss.

He dragged the dog son out of the house for an aimless lap and ordered takeout in passing on the way home.

After dinner, Gu Xizhou returned to his room early and took out his phone to search for relevant information using Gu Ji Ji’s words combined with Tong Jia’s time of death. After searching for half a day, he finally found a related article. According to the description inside and the date it was published, it should be about Tong Jia’s fall off a building.

Looking at the contents of the press release, Gu Xizhou’s heart dropped. 

Headline: *Tong jumped off a building to commit suicide, but the reason was she suffered campus violence.

Just by looking at the headline, Gu Xizhou knew that this news article wasn’t what he wanted. Although the text didn’t use any names besides a surname, Gu Xizhou thought they must be talking about Tong Jia’s story. The article directly blamed Tong Jia’s fall on the schoolboys’ tricks.

Just imagine, as a child the same age as Tong Jia, how would Gu Ji Ji feel after he saw articles like this? Gu Ji Ji went to visit Tong Jia every year. He must feel guilt and remorse inside, but as time passed, that self-blame slowly faded, and Gu Ji Ji could see through the superficial outside to the center of things.

After he got older, Gu Ji Ji could begin to reflect on why Tong Jia’s parents never came to condemn them and why Tong Jia’s family never came to pay their respects. 

Gu Ji Ji originally blamed himself because he thought his tricks killed Tong Jia, and now… Gu Ji Ji still very much blamed himself, blamed himself——because he had teased her back then.

Gu Xizhou couldn’t help but try to imagine it, but he very quickly forced himself to stop that line of thinking. He’ll wait for tomorrow and ask Wang Ao at the station about the situation back then. Gu Ji Ji certainly didn’t want to talk about it with him.

The next day, Gu Xizhou drove straight to the police department and was immediately called into a meeting.

The old leader was going to leave, and Wang Ao got promoted. At this time, Gu Xizhou saw a man around 45 or 46 years old calmly following beside the old bureau chief. There was a long and narrow scar above his left eye, and his skin was a healthy bronze color. It was evident that he was often in the sun, and his skin was very rough. Altogether, he seemed exceptionally serious. 

Sitting beside Gu Xizhou, Xiang Yuan jabbed his waist and whispered, “Mystical Lao Ma and our chief Wang will definitely get along well. They both have perpetually solemn faces, like everyone else owes them money.”

Gu Xizhou threw him a glance. “If you’re talking behind the leaders’ backs, be careful they don’t hear you.”

Xiang Yuan scoffed quietly. “It’s just you and me talking, so what’s the matter? Don’t tell me you want to tattle on me, ah?”

“Ai, I might have accidentally mentioned it when I was chatting with Uncle Wang the other day,” said Gu Xizhou. “Why? Are you scared?” 

Xiang Yuan glared at him. “I won’t believe your lies.”

Gu Xizhou looked at him and shook his head, reminding him, “Okay, our new deputy is going to speak.”

Ma Qi’s brief speech was just like his personality: stiff, uncomplicated, and straightforward. He didn’t say much. After a few words, the meeting adjourned. Gu Xizhou didn’t leave immediately with Xiang Yuan. Instead, he followed behind Ma Qi and Wang Ao.

Wang Ao seemed to have a good impression of Ma Qi. He continuously advised Ma Qi and explained the duties of the deputy chief. Gu Xizhou followed them. 

Ma Qi looked at Gu Xizhou and said somewhat dazedly, “You… seem familiar. Have we met?”

Gu Xizhou shook his head lightly.

“Oh, Xiao Ma, this is Gu Xizhou, the squadron leader of the criminal police. If you need anything, you can also look for him so long as they’re not investigating a case. It’s fine,” Wang Ao introduced him to Ma Qi. “You’re colleagues from now on, so you should get to know each other.”

Hearing Wang Ao’s words, Ma Qi gave Gu Xizhou a meaningful glance and stretched out a hand, saying, “Hello, you can call me Ma Ge.” 

Gu Xizhou reached out his hand under Wang Ao’s gaze and clasped Ma Qi’s hand. He said, “Hello, Ma Ge!”

“Chief Wang, there’s something I want to ask you about in private,” said Gu Xizhou.

Wang Ao nodded. “Alright. Xiao Ma, you head to the office by yourself, ba. Xizhou, follow me.”

Before saying goodbye to Ma Qi, Gu Xizhou and Ma Qi exchanged glances. They had clearly reached a tacit agreement. Gu Xizhou was sure that he was that Ma Ge he met in the first world because when Ma Qi heard his surname, his eyelids obviously jumped. 

Gu Xizhou followed Wang Ao inside the office. Wang Ao sat on the sofa and curled up his lips. He smiled and said, “Usually when you see me, you look like a mouse seeing a cat. Speak, ba. What do you want to ask me, young fellow?”

Gu Xizhou looked at Wang Ao and asked without hesitation, “I want to ask about Tong Jia’s matter.”

“Uncle Wang, how much do you still remember?”

When Wang Ao heard his words, he hesitated for a long time. Finally, he sighed and said, “Xizhou, don’t blame yourself. Haven’t we discussed it? Her parents’ attitudes were very odd, and it’s unlikely that her death had anything to do with you or your classmates.” 

Gu Xizhou: “Even if it’s unlikely, I still want to know the cause of her death.”