Neue Brücke der Hilflosigkeit

Kapitel 8

"Damn it! What do I have to be afraid of? Do you even know who my backer is?" With a crooked mouth, the man was extremely arrogant: "Ran Qilei, you know him, right? A celebrity in this city, hehe, a celebrity indeed. I'm not afraid of anyone killing me! I'll just go and hang around Ran Qilei's place, and those who mess with me will be in for a world of hurt."

Ran Qilei? Feng Qi stood calmly to the side. Ran Qilei came to the hospital to see this person? What was their relationship?

"Excuse me, are you Chen Taifeng?"

Chen Taifeng raised an eyebrow and asked with a wicked smile, "And who the hell are you?"

Seeing Chen Taifeng's face, unrecognizable from the beating, grinning wickedly, Feng Qi didn't show his impatience. He flashed his press pass and said to Chen Taifeng, "Hello, I'm Feng Qi, a reporter from the Zhicheng Daily. I'd like to conduct an interview about this incident."

"Ha! You reporters are reporting on fights? Have you got nothing better to do than this?"

Before leaving, his master, Wang Qingyun, had instructed Feng Qi to downplay such news. If they couldn't get an interview, so be it. It wasn't worth getting involved with these people for a little pay. However, he suddenly became interested in the name Ran Qilei mentioned by the thugs. Subconsciously, he had a desire to know anything related to the Ran family.

"You say you know Ran Qilei, are you just bragging?" Feng Qi looked Chen Taifeng up and down with disbelief.

Chen Taifeng grunted twice and spat on the ground: "If I'm lying, may I fucking walk out of the hospital sideways."

"How could someone like him know you?"

"Hey, you still don't believe me! I—" Chen Taifeng was about to say something when he was suddenly stopped.

What are you doing?

Feng Qi turned his head and saw a middle-aged male doctor standing at the door, exuding an air of sternness. The doctor's face was grim as he surveyed the people in the ward. After a moment, he said darkly, "This is a ward; it's best not to be too noisy. Also, this patient, it's time for your examination; please come with me." He then fixed his gaze on Chen Taifeng.

Chen Taifeng seemed to recognize the doctor. He opened his mouth, then his face darkened, and he spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground. He shakily got out of bed and followed the doctor away.

Before Feng Qi could react, the two had already walked far away.

Just then, a passing nurse noticed the two people walking away and muttered something strange to herself. Feng Qi quickly went over to listen carefully to what the nurse was saying. The nurse was saying, "Why did Dr. Qin from the neurology department take the surgical patient away?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Qi immediately ran in the direction the two men had left.

Chapter Eight: Speculation

Chapter Eight

What Chen Taifeng couldn't stand most was someone standing in front of him without saying a word. It was more unbearable than being punched twice; he felt a burning anxiety inside. He impatiently yelled at Qin Shan, who had his back to him and was smoking, "What the hell do you want?"

Qin Shan turned around, exhaled a puff of smoke expressionlessly, and remained silent, only looking at Chen Taifeng.

"Damn! So you rich people just love to make things difficult for the poor!"

Qin Shan threw the still-long cigarette butt over the railing and said coldly, "Watch your mouth. Otherwise, you'll face the consequences."

"What, trying to threaten me? Let me tell you, I'm not buying it!" Chen Taifeng was furious upon hearing Qin Shan's words. He was worthless and didn't care about his life. But so-called successful people like Qin Shan and Ran Qilei valued their reputation more than their lives. If it came down to a fight, they were no match for him. Thinking of this, Chen Taifeng chuckled: "Dr. Qin, don't forget, your secret is still in my hands."

Ignoring Chen Taifeng's threats, Qin Shan's tone remained unchanged: "That secret will only cost you your life. If you think you're all worthless anyway and that we'll be afraid of you if you confront us head-on, I'm sorry, we can't grant your wish. We can get you into the hospital once, and we can get you in twice, three times. If you don't want to become my regular customer, staying longer each time, then watch your mouth. Don't let something like yesterday happen again."

"That girl is dead, why are you all so nervous?" Chen Taifeng complained.

Qin Shan stared coldly at the lewd man in front of him: "She's dead, but your crimes remain. Don't think that just because the Ran family is letting you off the hook for the sake of their reputation, you can continue to be so unrestrained."

“That brat herself said she wouldn’t blame me, so what right do you, an outsider, have to interfere! She might even be enjoying the ‘rape’ herself!” Chen Taifeng snorted twice, deliberately emphasizing the word “rape.” Seeing Qin Shan’s increasingly gloomy face, he chuckled and said, “I know, I won’t say anything to that reporter.” Then, Chen Taifeng suddenly leaned closer to Qin Shan: “Dr. Qin, I’m having an erection. Could you do me a favor? Anyway, you fucking beat me up, you should give me some compensation!”

Qin Shan pulled a packet of white powder and a syringe from his pocket and tossed them disdainfully to Chen Taifeng. Overjoyed that Qin Shan had so readily given him the medicine, Chen Taifeng grabbed it and prepared to leave.

"Stop right there!" Qin Shan shouted at Chen Taifeng. "Do you now know what you should and shouldn't say?"

Chen Taifeng waved the powder bag in his hand and made a kissing gesture: "I'm not such an unreasonable person!" After saying that, he hurriedly went to find a secluded place.

Watching Chen Taifeng walk away, Qin Shan gave a cold smile.

An ignorant man.

He will never know that the syringe in his hand carries the HIV virus. Drug addicts die of AIDS, and no one will investigate.

But then, Qin Shan's face turned dejected as he looked into the distance.

He remembered the innocent and pure-looking girl with a smile, he remembered Ran Qilei's fragile figure as he left, and he remembered that day a month ago.

That night, Qin Shan received a call from Yi Lan, who instructed him to bring some basic tools to Ran Qilei's house. Upon arriving, he found An Hui unconscious on the bed. Yi Lan told him that An Hui had been alone on the old street that night. She encountered Chen Taifeng, who had been drinking. Chen Taifeng then raped her. While unconscious, she was discovered by Yi Lan's men, who arrested Chen Taifeng as he attempted to escape. The reason she wasn't taken to the hospital was that Ran Qilei didn't want anyone to know about the incident.

Initially, Qin Shan strongly opposed Ran Qilei's actions. He believed An Hui should be taken to the hospital for a proper check-up and rest. However, seeing Ran Qilei's pained expression, he couldn't utter a single word. He and Ran Qilei were close friends and knew his family's situation. Their eldest daughter had been abducted as a child and had only recently returned; her condition was dire. Their second daughter was innocent and adorable, their precious darling, but now she had suffered such a fate. Their family couldn't withstand further hardship.

"Let Huihui decide for herself—whether to sue or remain silent. It's her life." That was all he could say to Ran Qilei. Simply condoning criminals is not a wise decision.

Yi Lan patted Ran Qilei on the shoulder and said heartily, "Brother Ran, don't worry. That bastard won't get out of my territory without suffering a lot." Ran Qilei shook his head, sighed, and said to Yi Lan and Qin Shan, "Don't let your sister-in-law know about this."

To his surprise, when he opened the door, he saw An Ying standing there, her face pale.

"sister in law"

"Wife"

The three of them looked at An Ying with worry, afraid that she might do something. They all knew that An Ying had a fiery temper, and once she lost her temper, no one could calm her down.

An Ying bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with anger: "Are you conspiring to let my daughter be bullied by others and have to swallow her anger? Ran Qilei, is this how you act as a father? Captain Yi, Dr. Qin, is this how you act as elders!"

Ran Qilei quickly grabbed An Ying's arm and said anxiously in a low voice, "Wife, keep your voice down, Huihui is still sleeping!"

An Ying abruptly shook off Ran Qilei's hand and snapped, "Sleep?! Who told her to go to the old street so late! The lower town isn't safe. I've told her so many times, but has she ever listened? Ever since Mo Ran came back, Huihui has become increasingly disobedient. She's even started talking back lately! I never liked that person coming back, and look, she's corrupted Huihui!"

"An Ying!" Ran Qilei was furious when he heard An Ying blame the accident on her innocent eldest daughter: "That person? Isn't Mo Ran our daughter? Didn't you carry her for ten months and give birth to her? Why do you say that!"

An Ying snorted coldly: "I don't have such a filthy daughter!"

"You!" Ran Qilei wanted to get angry, but he couldn't do so because Yi Lan and Qin Shan were present.

"Mom, Dad!" An Hui woke up at some point, sat up, and said weakly, "Please stop arguing."

When An Ying saw her daughter wake up, she immediately went to her side and said anxiously, "Huihui, are you feeling unwell? Huihui, Mom is so sorry, Mom didn't protect you well." As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

"Mom, don't do this. This is my fate, I accept it." An Hui's voice grew softer and softer, her head lower and lower, so that no one could see her eyes. The room fell into a deathly silence.

“Dad, I want to see Siyan.” An Hui suddenly raised her head, a hint of determination in her eyes.

Ran Qilei paused for a moment, then hesitated and said, "Now? It's only four in the morning."

“Yes.” An Hui nodded, repeating once more, “I want to see Si Yan.”

Qin Shan had only met Si Yan, whom the Ran family had mentioned, once. He still remembered the boy standing there, stunned. His trembling lips and pale face left a deep impression on Qin Shan. He had seen many patients with neurasthenia, many patients trapped in their own delusions, but the boy's fragile yet stubborn appearance remained vivid in Qin Shan's memory.

The boy pushed open the door and met the gaze of An Hui, who was weakly smiling at him from the bed. Qin Shan even saw the boy's tightly clenched fists, a desperate attempt to suppress his emotions. At that moment, he suddenly felt pity for the boy. He was still a child, just like An Hui, an innocent and naive child. His thin shoulders probably couldn't bear too much blow or responsibility.

The door closed, and Qin Shan, standing outside, had no way of knowing what An Hui had said to the boy. He only knew that an hour later, a boy's almost desperate screams and cries suddenly echoed from inside the room. Ran Qilei and the others burst through the door and saw Xie Siyan kneeling by the bed, his head buried in the sheets. An Hui, with her eyes closed, gently stroked the boy, murmuring, "I don't blame you, I don't blame you."

She really didn't blame anyone.

She wouldn't pursue the thug who assaulted her that night, nor would she pursue Xie Siyan's carelessness in leaving her alone in the lower city so late at night, nor would she pursue anyone's fault.

That night became a taboo subject in the Ran family.

For An Hui, that terrifying night seemed as if it had never happened.

Ran Qilei noticed that Xie Siyan, who used to be close to An Hui, was slowly growing closer to his eldest daughter. At a friend's gathering, he confided in Qin Shan, "I really don't know what kids these days are thinking. I'm not a rigid parent who interferes in their love lives or forbids them from dating too early. But they're just too reckless. One minute they're with her younger sister, the next they're with her older sister. After that incident, Huihui acted like nothing happened, which worries me."

Qin Shan recalled that he had comforted Ran Qilei by telling him to have Huihui come for a check-up and get some medication. Looking back now, he realized how rash he had been. If he had paid more attention to An Hui's feelings, perhaps the tragedy of An Hui's suicide could have been avoided.

Thinking this, Qin Shan sighed deeply again, recalling Ran Qilei's dejected figure. Was Ran Qilei still the older brother he admired? Parents are debts owed to their children in a past life, and they come to repay those debts in this one.

That man… Feng Qi frowned and glanced at where Qin Shan was standing. The things he'd overheard behind the door were too shocking; he hadn't had time to process them. If Chen Taifeng's words were true, then An Hui's suicide was due to assault? But then why was the Ran family's reaction so calm, and what was the reason for Mo Ran's seemingly insignificant actions?

Back at the newspaper office, Feng Qi immediately asked his mentor, Wang Qingyun, to help him investigate Chen Taifeng, ostensibly because of the recent brawl. Wang Qingyun glanced at Feng Qi casually and chuckled, "You're a young man after all, much more energetic than us." The information was easy to find; petty thugs like Chen Taifeng were regulars for the police, constantly getting into trouble and locked up. Wang Qingyun simply mentioned it to a familiar young policeman, and the man immediately remembered.

Holding the densely packed records between his fingers, Feng Qi couldn't help but admire Chen Taifeng. His life seemed to consist of either detention centers or a series of crimes. Though numerous, most were minor offenses. Intriguingly, Chen Taifeng, a habitual rapist and drug addict, had recently acquired a large sum of money and was spending lavishly. However, correspondingly, for the past three weeks, he had been beaten almost every two or three days. He couldn't say who beat him. But each time he was hospitalized, he would return to his lavish lifestyle for a few days afterward.

Upon seeing this record, Feng Qi's first thought was of Ran Qilei's worried face, but he immediately dismissed his suspicion. Given the Ran family's status, they wouldn't do such a thing. If Ran Anhui's ordeal was true, why would the Ran family not only not sue Chen Taifeng, but instead allow him to use it to blackmail her?

"Who says you can't?" Cao Xiangui glanced at Feng Qi with an expression as if he were looking at a three-year-old child uttering ridiculous words. Feng Qi shooed away Feixue and Xiaohei who were close to him, clasped his hands together, and looked at Cao Xiangui with a puzzled expression.

The old man rubbed his temples and smiled at Feng Qi: "The human heart is the hardest thing to control. The more a person has, the stronger their fear of losing it becomes."

"I always feel like I can understand these things, yet I can't quite see clearly. I've pieced together the sequence of events, and I've discovered—" Feng Qi, unexpectedly receiving an encouraging look from the old man, continued with his speculation: "I'm assuming everything started when Ran Moran returned to their family. She was abducted 16 years ago and returned to the Ran family a year ago. This eldest daughter, who was lost and found again, didn't win her mother's favor; instead, her younger sister mistook her for her lover from a past life and fell in love with her. An Hui's childhood sweetheart, Xie Siyan, is entangled with both sisters. According to rumors at school, Xie Siyan is fickle. But based on my intuition, Xie Siyan doesn't have deep feelings for Moran. Rather—"

At this point, Feng Qi paused, carefully considering his rare meetings with Xie Siyan. The old man blew on the hot tea in his hand, coughed slightly twice, and asked, "Or perhaps we should talk about something?"

"It's more like hatred." After considering his words, Feng Qi finally uttered those two words. But as soon as he said them, he felt he had gone too far.

The old man raised his eyebrows, signaling Feng Qi to continue.

"Mao Tingting was close to them and had a crush on Xie Siyan. In fact, until yesterday, my attention was focused on Mo Ran, Xie Siyan, and Mao Tingting. After all, emotional entanglements seem to be the most common tool in novels for explaining the motives for murder."

"It turned out not to be?"

"If I hadn't accidentally stumbled upon An Hui being raped, and hadn't seen Qin Shan bribe Chen Taifeng, the rapist, I might still be speculating about those few people. Although writing about homosexuality and incest is more likely to stimulate the public's nerves, the way the Ran family handled this matter suddenly changed my mind and gave me a bold conjecture."

Although the old man's facial expressions didn't change much, his eyes shone with excitement.

“An Hui may have been murdered by her parents.” After saying all this at once, Feng Qi took a few deep breaths, but he was more startled by his own sudden thought. He paused for a moment and added, “Of course, it’s also possible that An Hui couldn’t bear the pressure of that incident and committed suicide.”

Cao Xiangui pondered, reflecting on the young reporter's words, which resonated with some of his own thoughts. However, even at his advanced age, he couldn't bring himself to believe that parents would actually kill their own children for their own reputation and status. Even tigers don't eat their cubs.

The old man frowned deeply, finally setting down his teacup with a flick of his wrist. He picked up his coat from behind the chair, hastily draped it over his shoulders, and said to Feng Qi, "Make bold assumptions, but verify them carefully. Let's go verify them."

Chapter Nine: Childhood

Chapter Nine

Feng Qi still remembers that when he was a child, he once climbed over the walls of the orphanage to begin his own adventure. He was tired of the unchanging food at the orphanage, tired of the sky behind the walls, and even tired of the big tree whose branches were bent over by his friends. At the age of seven, he wanted to go out into the world to find his parents.

It wasn't that foreign couples didn't want to adopt him. But whenever he smeared mud on his face and put on a fierce, unapproachable expression, those blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners would always back down. They preferred an innocent-looking oriental child, not a dirty one.

He was the leader of the children in the yard; at his command, all the children would shout and follow.

That day, he climbed over the wall and shouted to the children who were still on the other side: "Come over here!"

The children, who had initially been clamoring to go outside together, fell silent, and no one responded. So one person waited outside the wall for a while, then suddenly felt a surge of loneliness and a burst of anger. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, turned around, and walked outside.

Just then, he heard gasps from a group of children inside the courtyard. Curious, he turned his head and saw a slender figure sitting on the courtyard wall, neither up nor down.

Xiao Fengqi squinted, scrutinizing the little girl. She had only been sent to the orphanage recently. She was only about four years old, incredibly thin, her arms so thin they seemed to be nothing but skin and bones, fragile enough to break at the slightest touch. He had seen many children like her; in less than a year, she would be pampered by the orphanage's nutritious but monotonous food and regular schedule, becoming plump and healthy, and then taken in as an adopted daughter by some couple.

But this girl was different; she dared to climb the wall and follow him. Thinking of this, Feng Qi grinned, revealing a bright smile, and opened his arms to the girl.

"Jump!"

The girl looked at him with a mixture of wariness and surprise. Finally, she moved her right foot, and when both feet were on this side of the wall, she closed her eyes and jumped down.

Feng Qi failed to catch the little girl properly. Although she was only three years old, he forgot that he was only seven himself. As a result, the girl bumped into Feng Qi, knocking him down, and he became her cushion.

He felt his elbow scrape against the ground, a sharp pain shooting through him, but he still generously helped the girl up, smiling as he asked, "Are you hurt?" The girl looked up at him, shook her head, and then revealed her first smile since entering the orphanage.

He took the little girl's hand and said, "Let's go!"

On that adventure, they walked a long way, from the suburbs all the way to the city center. Along the way, they played as they went. Seeing wild grass by the roadside, Feng Qi would pluck a long stalk and weave it into various little trinkets: crickets, windmills, cages… The girl's favorite was a bracelet. She said, “Brother, this is so pretty! Can you teach your sister to weave one too?”

Seeing the praise, Feng Qi became even more proud and patted his chest, promising, "No problem."