Unable to breathe

Chapter 30

Go ahead and say it!

He lifted her hand and examined it closely. "You live on the fifth floor, in a one-bedroom apartment, right?"

Liu Li laughed so hard she almost fell over. Yes, yes, but she shook her head, feeling that it didn't seem to prove anything.

He looked at her palm again. "Your balcony has red linoleum flooring, right?"

Liu Li fell silent.

He stared at her palm and continued in one breath, "Your toilet is faulty; it can't flush. Your bed sheets are blue and white checkered cotton, and your comforter is green with small red flowers. There's a pair of mandarin ducks embroidered on your pillow, red bodies and blue wings. Your slippers are red plastic shoes. And on the bedside table is your…"

Liu Li blushed and hurriedly withdrew her hand, saying, "Accurate! Accurate! Absolutely accurate!"

She was saying this, but her heart was pounding with fear, because there was a pile of her sweaty bra, dirty underwear, and smelly socks on the headboard of her bed, which hadn't been washed yet! If he were to say this in public, wouldn't he be incredibly embarrassed?

She really didn't understand how he could tell everything just by looking at someone's palm!

That night, Liu Li tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She felt that even though she was covered by a blanket, it was as if he wasn't covered at all. If he wanted to see her, he could see everything. She felt like she was naked in front of him.

Her heart burned, her body heated up, and she wondered where his eyes were watching her from within the room. From then on, every night when she took off her clothes, she couldn't help but think of him, couldn't help but imagine him hiding in some corner, intently watching her. So when she saw him at the restaurant during the day, she couldn't help but blush and become speechless.

Every morning after getting up, she strips naked and washes her body more thoroughly than usual. She no longer dares to just wash her face briefly before going to work as she used to. Now she doesn't dare, afraid he'll find out she hasn't showered and that she's unclean. She also doesn't dare leave her bra, panties, and socks unwashed; she washes and hangs them up immediately, thinking he'll be able to see them.

If he didn't come for a few days, she would nag, "What's the painter busy with again? Why isn't he coming?" Of course, whenever the painter came, he always ate and drank for free, and even so, she was still afraid he wouldn't come! She would watch him eat and drink for free, then meticulously question him about why he hadn't come for the past few days, where he had gone, what he had been doing, and who he had been with—a man or a woman?

When asked, he would say, "I want to be with you every day, don't you get tired of me?"

Why should I bother you? I just want to be with you every day.

The painter didn't speak, just stared at her with a stern face, nodding repeatedly.

That night, lying in bed, she had a rare erotic dream. She dreamt that the painter was on top of her, groping her indiscriminately, from her face to her breasts to her stomach, and then down there, touching her relentlessly until she couldn't take it anymore. Only then did he finally have sex with her, leaving him drenched in sweat. But when she touched the man on top of her, the real man pressing down on her, it wasn't just a dream. He had sex with her again.

It wasn't until the next day, when she recalled the pleasure of the night, that she remembered how he got into her room. Every night before going to bed, she would check that both locks were secure. As a woman sleeping alone, how could she not be wary of thieves and hooligans?

One night, she remembered that she had never had such a pleasurable and satisfying experience with him, and she couldn't sleep soundly. When she turned over, she saw a dark figure standing in front of her. At first, she thought she was dreaming and turned over again, but she heard the man's familiar breathing. When she turned over again, the man's two hands suddenly grabbed her breasts.

She yelled "Oh my god!" and rolled off the bed, but he just laughed and said, "Didn't you say you weren't bothered by me?"

She cried out, "You scared me to death! How did you get in?"

He just laughed, saying nothing. After laughing enough, he pounced on her, quickly stripping off his clothes and going at it until he was drenched in sweat and breathless. A little while later, he pounced on her again, going at it until he was drenched in sweat and panting. But each time, at the crucial moment, he would go limp and fail to give her the pleasure she desired, which made her increasingly disappointed.

Fewer and fewer people were coming to the restaurant, and Liu Li was anxious and frustrated, unable to figure out why. Later, a waiter told her that an old man had said that the paintings on the wall were "fortunate and ominous." Later, other people also said that the landscape paintings were strange and made them dizzy after looking at them for a while.

She didn't believe it and looked at each one one by one. She didn't get dizzy looking at them. They looked good from afar and up close. After all, she didn't spend any money. The lakes, rivers and seas were unfathomable. It looked like a mysterious and attractive place. She couldn't help but take a closer look.

The waiter smiled mysteriously and said, "You can see it tonight."

That evening, Liu Li looked at the three landscape paintings again. The lake, river, and sea water were still a mix of deep and light black. The water was indeed very deep, but she still didn't feel dizzy or lightheaded.

The waiter pulled her aside and said, "Look from a little further away."

Looking at the paintings from afar, under the dim light, after looking at all three paintings, I still couldn't see any demons, monsters, or dizzying things in them. I just felt that the water was becoming increasingly unfathomable, so deep that if you fell in, you wouldn't be able to climb out, so deep that it sent chills down my spine.

The waiter said, "Don't look at it so seriously! Are your eyes playing tricks on you?"

As I stared, I could see nothing more, only a blood-red, blood-like substance seeping slowly from behind the black background, indistinctly, the seepage increasing. When I tried to focus again, there was nothing there; the black remained black. But after staring for a while, my vision blurred, and suddenly the black turned into blood, surging like waves, as if about to crash over my head. I was startled and hurriedly closed my eyes, but the blood-red waves surged into my heart, like ice needles, icy and piercing, causing a sharp, painful pain.

She was suddenly gripped by a strange panic, feeling as if her neck was being squeezed so she couldn't breathe. Even after watching for a long time, she still couldn't calm down. The thought of him appearing beside her in the dead of night, the locked door and two iron locks unable to stop him, sent cold sweat pouring down her chest.

The great Marx said that if your love does not evoke love in the other person, that is, if your love as love does not create love, if you, as the lover, do not make yourself the beloved by expressing your life, then your love is powerless, and such love is unfortunate.

On-site: Why did three black clubs turn into four?

Sunday, July 6th, was peaceful and uneventful, as was Monday, July 7th.

Wang Liguo still felt uneasy, because it was possible that their surveillance network had deterred the murderer from committing crimes, but it was also possible that they had not yet discovered the people he had killed!

Wang Liguo certainly hoped that the murderer would behave himself and stop killing. However, it would be even more terrifying if he behaved himself and stopped killing temporarily. He would kill again when the police force was withdrawn. Wouldn't that catch people off guard?

At this point, Wang Liguo felt like an ant on a hot pan. His clothes hadn't been washed for over a month, and he could smell the stench of sweat on his body.

That evening, my wife called and said, "My daughter and I will bring you some clean clothes!"

Wang Liguo thought for a moment and said, "It's getting dark, so be careful and don't go out unnecessarily! With the case unsolved, all sorts of rumors are circulating outside."

His wife immediately understood his caution and said, "I know, but that would be too unfair to you." Then she couldn't continue.

Wang Liguo suddenly realized how good it was to have a wife who cared about him; otherwise, he would have become a lonely man.

Li Zhongxin returned carrying two plastic bags; one bag contained takeout containers, and the other bag contained something else entirely.

He said, "Captain Wang, you've really suffered these past few days! Everyone told me to buy some good food tonight so I can have dinner with you. They're all on duty and can't come over to keep you company."

Wang Liguo was taken aback. What? Aren't you guys working harder than me?

No, you didn't understand me. What everyone's saying is that you're suffering inside, that you're under much more pressure than we are. Otherwise, you wouldn't have made yourself so repulsive! When we're in meetings with you, you're like a sauerkraut vat, the sour smell is unbearable.

As he spoke, Xiao Li opened another plastic bag, took out a set of sky-blue sportswear, and handed it to Wang Liguo, saying, "You'd better throw away those baggy shorts and tank top you're wearing right now! Please, don't pollute us anymore!"

Wang Liguo took the tracksuit Xiao Li gave him, held it in his hands and looked at it again and again. As if he saw something else, his eyes became moist, and he said repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll change right away, I'll change right away!" As he spoke, he hid by the bed, took off the old tank top and shorts that were no longer recognizable, and put on the brand new tank top and shorts. Dressed in a sky blue outfit, he immediately looked like a different person.

Xiao Li said, "Everyone knows you're under a lot of pressure, but we're too embarrassed to tell you. Everyone has a bunch of gas vouchers, travel expense vouchers, and meal vouchers in their hands, and we don't know when we can get reimbursed."

Wang Liguo stared blankly out the window before timidly saying, "I know, I know." But the bureau chief is under even more pressure; how could I possibly tell him this now? Besides, the bureau isn't exactly broke either.

Xiao Li opened several lunchboxes; they contained shredded pork with garlic sauce, pork with alfalfa sprouts, dried tofu with green peppers, vermicelli with bean sprouts, and two boxes of white rice. Humans aren't naturally inclined to eat alone, so eating with someone is less appealing than eating alone. If it were a communal meal, so many people would fight over it, it would surely lead to overeating. Wang Liguo, seeing and smelling the dishes, immediately felt hungry. He took the disposable chopsticks Xiao Li handed him and took a big bite of each of the four dishes. Before he could take another bite, the phone rang. The detective on stakeout reported that something had happened in apartment 612, unit 4, building 37 in Gujingli. A woman inside was crying and screaming for help; it was still unknown whether there was a murderer inside.

Wang Liguo said, "You must guard all the entrances and exits! I'll be there right away!"