Free Web NovelChapter 336: Chapter 336: The Suspect
Su Li had always steered clear of grimy, disheveled vagrants.
It was all because of a terrifying experience from her past life.
She had spent two lifetimes trying to slowly forget those dark memories, never imagining the nightmare would strike again.
Only when the nightmare struck again did Su Li realize that some things can’t be forgotten just by willing them away.
No matter how many years had passed, no matter if two lifetimes had gone by...
Many people know how horrific rape and gang rape are. But those who have never gone through it can never truly know that kind of terror, can never understand the depths of that pain and what it feels like.
They could never understand the profound and lasting impact—the shadow—it leaves on a person.
That despair, that terror, that revulsion...
From the moment she regained consciousness, Su Li had been desperately trying to hold it back, but she couldn’t stop it.
"RETCH!" Su Li had barely woken up, unable to even utter a word, before she vomited violently.
With her hands restrained, she only had time to prop up the top half of her body, vomiting all over Wu Sheng.
Su Li’s head throbbed, her mind was a dizzy fog, and she was drenched in sweat, unable to suppress the overwhelming nausea.
"BLEGH..." Su Li’s stomach churned relentlessly as she vomited until the world went black.
She threw up until there was nothing left, then continued to dry-heave for a long time before she finally recovered a little.
When the vomiting finally stopped, Su Li was drenched in a cold sweat, as if she’d been pulled out of the water. It felt like half her life had been drained away.
The doctor came to check on her, shooing away Wu Sheng and Tang Yuanxiao, whose murderous, bloodshot eyes made them look ready to kill. She ordered both of them out of the room.
Soon, only the female doctor and two nurses remained in the room.
"There now, it’s all right. You’re all right..."
The doctor’s hands moved deftly, and after a moment, Su Li’s dry heaving finally subsided.
The heaving had stopped, but the headache, dizziness, and nausea remained.
Su Li lay on the hospital bed, so exhausted that even opening her eyes felt like a chore.
"These are the after-effects of a concussion. You’ll have to endure it for a couple of days while you recover."
The doctor said a few more words to Su Li, but seeing how utterly exhausted she was, she stepped out of the room.
"Didn’t you say you were going to find a woman close to her to take care of her? Hasn’t anyone arrived yet?"
"She’ll be here any minute," Wu Sheng immediately replied.
In the middle of the night, he had called Wu Qihua, briefly explained the situation, and asked her to take good care of Little Tang Mo.
Then, just before dawn, he had contacted Li Hongqin, asking her to come and look after Su Li.
Among the people Su Li was closest to and trusted most, Li Hongqin and Yin Cuihua were at the top of the list. They were also older, mature, and capable of handling a serious situation.
Wu Sheng had long since memorized the phone numbers of those close to Su Li—Li Hongqin, Yin Cuihua, Ling Zhen, and others—thinking he might need them someday.
In addition to their numbers, Wu Sheng had also memorized the numbers for Little Tang Mo’s school, his homeroom teacher, and the bookstore.
He had memorized them all, hoping he’d never have a reason to use them. But in the end, he’d needed them far too soon.
Just as Wu Sheng had said, Li Hongqin arrived quickly, with Yin Cuihua right behind her.
When they heard what had happened to Su Li, both women’s hands trembled, but they held themselves together.
Working in perfect, unspoken sync, the two of them quickly cleaned up both the hospital room and Su Li, changing her into fresh clothes.
Hearing that Su Li had woken up, Mr. Zhang came as well, hoping to ask her about the case.
Su Li rested for a while. After pleading with Li Hongqin to help her wash up and getting accustomed to the pain coursing through her body, she began to gather her strength.
At nine o’clock on the morning of the second day after the attack, with the doctor’s supervision, Su Li met with Mr. Zhang.
Wu Sheng and Tang Yuanxiao entered along with Mr. Zhang.
A complicated look flashed in Su Li’s eyes. She never expected that Tang Yuanxiao would be the one to save her.
Looking at Wu Sheng, Su Li, despite the cuts on her face and the corner of her mouth, forced a smile.
’Wu Sheng must be the one who feels the most guilt, the most pain.’
When Wu Sheng saw the smile Su Li struggled to produce, his heart twisted in agony.
He took a step forward and grasped her restrained hand. "Does it hurt terribly?"
Looking into Wu Sheng’s eyes, Su Li hummed in assent.
Wu Sheng stroked her hair. "I failed to protect you."
Su Li closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "It’s not your fault."
Mr. Zhang glanced at Tang Yuanxiao’s repressed expression, then cleared his throat and spoke.
"Su Li, can you tell me about what happened at the time?"
Su Li’s hand tightened unconsciously, but she said, "Yes, I can."
Under Wu Sheng’s worried gaze, Su Li began her account from the start. "I thought it was Wu Sheng, so I opened the door without thinking. I was careless."
"By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late..."
Su Li recounted the general course of events, omitting the details of the beating she endured, but as Wu Sheng listened, veins bulged on his temples.
"Did you hear his voice or see his face?"
Mr. Zhang pressed on, trying to make the most of their time.
Su Li thought of the only thing the man had said—"How dare you kiss him?"—and couldn’t stop a cold shiver from running down her spine.
Everything had been too chaotic at the time, but Su Li knew with certainty that her attacker had lashed out because he had seen her kiss Wu Sheng.
"I couldn’t see his face, but I heard his voice."
Su Li didn’t mention what he had said.
"Then do you know him? Was it a voice you recognized?"
Mr. Zhang immediately followed up.
Su Li fell silent for a long moment.
Everyone assumed she either couldn’t remember or didn’t recognize the voice. Mr. Zhang, looking disappointed, was forcing a smile and about to speak when Su Li suddenly broke the silence.
"Yang Jiu."
Mr. Zhang, Wu Sheng, and Tang Yuanxiao were all stunned.
"Yang Jiu? Are you saying the man’s name is Yang Jiu? Do you know him?"
Mr. Zhang pressed instantly, leaning forward in his surprise and intensity.
Su Li’s expression flickered and her hand clenched involuntarily, but she did her best to answer calmly.
"Yes, I know him. His voice was a little different from how I remember it, and he felt completely different, but I have a feeling it was him."
The name Yang Jiu hadn’t even crossed Su Li’s mind last night, but as she was recalling the events just now, it had suddenly popped into her head for some reason.
The savage man from last night was nothing like the Yang Jiu she knew, and she couldn’t fathom why he would do such a thing or say those words. That was why she had hesitated, why she had fallen silent.
"Which ’Yang’ and which ’Jiu’? What is his relationship to you?" Mr. Zhang asked quickly, already taking notes.
"The ’Yang’ from the word for poplar tree, and the ’Jiu’ from the number nine. We were business partners, more or less. We knew each other from before. He..." She knitted her brows. "He even pursued me. And he proposed."
Mr. Zhang glanced from Wu Sheng to Tang Yuanxiao, and the phrase ’crime of passion’ immediately sprang to mind.
Although Su Li hadn’t been killed, it sounded like an impulsive act driven by romantic feelings.
"Did you reject him? Did that anger him enough to seek revenge?" he pressed.
Su Li shook her head. "I don’t think that was the reason."
Su Li’s gaze fell upon Wu Sheng, her brow furrowed. "Wu Sheng, do you know someone named Yang Jiu?"
’How dare you kiss him...’
’The only person I’ve ever kissed is Wu Sheng.’
