Chapter 127
Chapter 127
Qin Song told Li Juan that he and Hu Heng were going to visit their high school homeroom teacher, then set off for Songtan by high-speed rail.
On the way, he received another text from that unknown number.
“Mr. Wang Hai, I feel like you’re getting closer and closer to me.”
Qin Song replied, “Go die.”
After they arrived in Songtan, Hu Heng rented an old van locally.
They staked out He Yuchuan’s apartment from the afternoon until midnight, but He Yuchuan never showed up.
Qin Song said, “I haven’t seen this kid in ages. Do you think he might look different now?”
Hu Heng said, “Kid? That bastard’s only one year younger than you!”
Qin Song thought for a moment, then said, “Fine. He used to be my brother-in-law. I always think of younger brothers and sisters as kids.”
Hu Heng snorted.
Qin Song said, “Are you hungry? I want to find a convenience store and buy some instant noodles.”
Hu Heng looked around. “This counts as the suburbs, right? What convenience store? We’d be lucky to find a little shop.”
Qin Song said, “Then I’ll go buy some bread. We can’t just wait here on empty stomachs forever.”
Hu Heng kept his eyes fixed on the apartment entrance. “Be quick.”
Qin Song got out to look for a shop, while Hu Heng hunkered down in the driver’s seat and kept waiting.
About five minutes later, a figure walked out of the apartment entrance. It was He Yuchuan.
Hu Heng narrowed his eyes and saw that the other man was shuffling along in slippers, carrying five or six bags of trash.
He opened the car door and walked toward He Yuchuan.
He Yuchuan glanced at Hu Heng, then tossed the trash bags in his hand into the garbage bin.
Hu Heng smiled and waved at him. “Hey, man. Quick question. How do I get to Cuizhu Residential Complex?”
He Yuchuan looked at him strangely. “What Cuizhu Residen-”
Before he could finish, Hu Heng suddenly pulled a canister of spray from his pocket and sprayed it straight into He Yuchuan’s face.
He Yuchuan clutched his eyes and screamed. Hu Heng clenched his fist, knocked him to the ground with one punch, and dragged him into the van.
Silence returned to the apartment entrance.
When Qin Song came back carrying a bag of snacks and drinks, he saw the van shaking nonstop.
He immediately ran over, opened the door, and jumped inside.
“What’s going on?”
Hu Heng jerked his chin toward the back row.
Qin Song turned to look and got a fright. He Yuchuan had been tied up tight by Hu Heng and dumped on the back seat, with a wad of cloth stuffed in his mouth. At that moment, his eyes were squeezed shut as he kicked and thrashed wildly in the back.
Qin Song said, “Holy shit…”
Hu Heng started the van and drove toward a pitch-black patch of wasteland in the suburbs.
Qin Song asked, “How did you catch him?”
Hu Heng said flatly, “I sprayed him with pepper spray, then punched him. The thing in his mouth is my sock.”
Qin Song burst out laughing. “Badass. Absolute badass!”
In the back seat, He Yuchuan kept making muffled “mmph, mmph” noises like a pig being slaughtered.
Qin Song turned and shouted at him, “Shut up, or I’ll kill you.”
He Yuchuan instantly went quiet.
Hu Heng reached up and rubbed his eye. “First time using pepper spray. I think some got in my eyes too.”
Qin Song asked, “You okay?”
Hu Heng said, “Not a big problem.”
After they stopped the van, Qin Song jumped into the back and yanked the cloth out of He Yuchuan’s mouth.
He Yuchuan’s face was streaked with tears. He coughed dryly a few times, then shouted with his eyes still shut, “What do you want? I don’t have any money!”
Qin Song slapped him and said, “I’m the one who wants to ask what you think you’re doing!”
He Yuchuan froze. “Your voice sounds familiar. Who are you?”
Qin Song said, “I’m your grandfather.”
He Yuchuan lowered his head and thought for two seconds before asking in terror, “Are you Qin Song?”
Qin Song gave a cold laugh. “Isn’t there another name you usually call me by?”
He Yuchuan said, “What are you talking about…”
Qin Song said, “You don’t know what you’ve done to me?”
He Yuchuan stammered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t understand…”
Hu Heng pulled out a knife and pressed it against He Yuchuan’s throat. “Still pretending?”
The tip of the blade pierced the skin of He Yuchuan’s neck. He shouted in despair, “Bro, I’m sorry! I wronged you!”
Qin Song said nothing.
He Yuchuan said, “Bro, but I didn’t get a single cent! Not one cent! My sister didn’t give me any money at all. She blocked me. We’re not in contact anymore. Don’t kill me, I’m begging you!”
Qin Song frowned. “Money?”
He Yuchuan said, “I was wrong, Bro! I really was wrong! Spare me this one time, and I promise I’ll never go back to City A and make trouble for you again! I can talk my sister into remarrying you! Bro, I’ll do anything you want. Just don’t kill me!”
Qin Song began to feel that something was off.
He took the knife from Hu Heng and pressed it against He Yuchuan’s face.
He Yuchuan was so frightened he tried desperately to shrink back. “Bro, don’t, don’t cut my face! Don’t cut my face!”
Hu Heng braced a hand against his back, stopping him from dodging.
Qin Song thought it over carefully, then said slowly, “You really like my ashtray, don’t you?”
The moment he heard the word “ashtray,” He Yuchuan actually burst into tears. “I was wrong, okay? I was wrong…”
Qin Song said, “Tell me everything you did right now, or I’ll carve up your face.”
He Yuchuan said, “Bro, my sister was the one who told me to plant that bug. Don’t blame me. That wasn’t what I wanted…”
Qin Song and Hu Heng exchanged a look.
Qin Song asked, “How long did you listen in?”
He Yuchuan sniffled, snot running from his nose. “Bro, I didn’t listen. It wasn’t me listening. It was my sister. Go find her, don’t come after me…”
Qin Song completely lost his patience. He yanked He Yuchuan up and slapped him hard across his tear-and-snot-streaked face several times. “Making me drag it out of you! Making me drag it out of you! You want me to drag every last word out of you, huh? I’ll show you, you motherfucker, what happens when you make me drag it out of you!”
He Yuchuan’s face was slapped swollen like a pig’s head. The moment Qin Song let go, he toppled headfirst onto the seat.
Qin Song flexed his knuckles, making them crack. “My marriage is over, my money’s gone, and there’s no point in living anymore. Now, tell me every single thing you did, from beginning to end. Don’t wait for me to ask one question at a time! For every extra question I have to ask, I’ll stab you one more time! Before I die, I’ll make sure I kill you first! Do you fucking understand me?”
He Yuchuan nodded through his sobs. “I understand, I understand…”
Qin Song roared, “Then what are you waiting for? Talk!”
Blood trickled from He Yuchuan’s nose. Trembling, he said, “My sister found out you were cheating, so she talked it over with me, and we put a listening device in your ashtray… Later, you brought the bug to the hotel, so my sister heard everything you and that woman said every day… After that, my sister divorced you and made you leave with nothing… I admit it, I admit I wanted to use the chance to ask my sister for some money, because I was really broke back then… But I don’t know why, a few days after you two divorced, my sister blocked me and refused to see me ever again… I stayed in City A for a few months, then went back to Songtan…”
Curled up on the seat, he kowtowed to Qin Song. “Bro, I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to get some money at the time… But look, in the end, I didn’t get a single cent. I didn’t take your money!”
Qin Song asked, “That listening device. Were you the one listening, or was He Qian?”
He Yuchuan said, “Her! It was all her! I only helped her get the bug!”
Qin Song gripped his chin. “What else besides the bug?”
He Yuchuan tried hard to think. “Besides the bug… nothing. Nothing else! I only helped her get that one listening device!”
Hu Heng spoke up. “You’re pretty damn good at shifting the blame, aren’t you? Everything was you helping her, you helping her. You dare say you didn’t act as the go-between and come up with ideas in the middle of all this? Now that something’s happened, you dump all the blame on a woman? Are you even a man?”
He Yuchuan said quietly, “I did help her plan things too. She is my sister, after all.”
Qin Song suddenly asked, “Did you ever put a camera in the hotel?”
He Yuchuan shook his head hard. “Absolutely not! Back then, I asked my sister whether she wanted a camera or a listening device. My sister specifically said she wanted a listening device. She said she didn’t want to see images of you with another woman. She refused to plant a camera!”
Qin Song fell silent.
His phone vibrated. He took it out and saw that he had received another message from that Unknown Number.
“Mr. Wang Hai, have you found me yet?”
Qin Song stared at the text, his breathing turning rapid.
Hu Heng took the phone, glanced at the message twice, then looked down and asked He Yuchuan, “Where’s your phone?”
He Yuchuan said, “In my pants pocket.”
Hu Heng took out He Yuchuan’s phone, and He Yuchuan volunteered, “The passcode is 159753!”
Hu Heng opened his messages and found nothing suspicious.
They dumped He Yuchuan on the highway. “Figure out how to get back yourself.”
He Yuchuan nodded and bowed as he replied, “Yes, yes. Thank you, bro. Drive safe. Be careful on the road!”
On the way back, Qin Song’s brows furrowed again.
Could it really be He Qian?