Aula 407

Capítulo 28

Ziyuan shook her head: "I don't know, but I feel that the building where Xu Chen was a child must have some unknown secrets. I plan to go and take a look."

"Okay," Gu Xing immediately stood up and snatched the list from Zi Yuan's hand: "Let's go now."

Unexpectedly, Ziyuan immediately agreed and dragged Gu Xing along, saying "Let's go," leading the way out of Zhang Bei's office, with the others following behind.

In the office, only Zhang Bei remained, standing there motionless.

Finally, Zhang Bei put on her coat, went out, and told her secretary to close the business for five days before leaving.

Zhang Bei left the clinic, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Zi Yuan's school. He figured Zi Yuan had probably already packed her bags and started her journey.

Sure enough, when Zhang Bei arrived at the school, he saw Zi Yuan carrying a light bag, followed by Gu Xing and his group. Zhang Bei walked over, and before Zi Yuan could say anything, he pulled her aside and whispered to her, "Calm down. How could you be so immature, just going like that?"

"I've made up my mind, I'm determined to find out."

Zhang Bei said helplessly, "Okay, wait for me a moment, I'll go home and pack up and then we'll go together."

“No need, you still have work to do,” Ziyuan glanced at Gu Xing and the others, then said to Zhang Bei, “They’re coming with me.”

Zhang Bei looked at Gu Xing and clicked his tongue, then shook his head: "They are young and inexperienced, I would be even more worried about them going with us."

Zhang Bei wasn't much older than Gu Xing and the others, and his words made Zi Yuan laugh.

Ziyuan smiled and asked Zhang Bei, "What about your clinic?"

"Closed for five days."

Ziyuan was taken aback: "Then you've missed out on a lot of money."

Zhang Bei gave a wry smile: "There wasn't much business to begin with."

At this point, Gu Xing became a little impatient and came over to urge them on. Zhang Bei looked at Gu Xing with great displeasure and then set off with Zi Yuan, without even taking their luggage. Gu Xing and the others were carrying luggage. Originally, only Gu Xing and Yang Mian were going, but Da Kai, Li Xu, and Zhang Da insisted on going together, so they had no choice but to go with them.

At first, Zhang Bei assumed everyone except Gu Xing and Yang Mian was seeing them off. But when they arrived at the station and he noticed everyone was carrying luggage, he realized they were going with them, and he felt a little unhappy. However, when it came time to buy tickets, Yang Mian insisted on paying for everyone's fares, which made Zhang Bei feel a bit relieved. He pretended to refuse Yang Mian for a while, but in the end, Yang Mian paid for everyone's fares. Zhang Bei looked at Yang Mian and smiled, saying, "Thanks."

Da Kai came over and put his arm around Yang Mian's shoulder, saying to Zhang Bei, "It's nothing, he's used to being rich. He just comes to the school cafeteria to freeload off us during the second half of the month."

Yang Mian broke free, glared at him, and led the way into the waiting room. After waiting for an hour, they finally got on the bus.

The journey took seven hours, and everyone was sore from sitting for so long. After getting off the bus, Yang Mian suggested that they find a hotel to stay in for the night. Zi Yuan and Gu Xing insisted on finding a hotel first, but unfortunately it was already dark, so they had to accept Yang Mian's suggestion.

That evening, Gu Xing went to Zi Yuan's room to discuss going to the building the next day. Zhang Bei was also in the room, and he just listened quietly to Gu Xing and Zi Yuan's conversation.

Ziyuan thought: Even if they find the building, they don't know how to start investigating, because they have no idea what to investigate.

Gu Xing suggested, "Why don't we call Xu Chen's family and ask her parents what happened in the building before?"

Ziyuan had been feeling rather confused these past few days, and it was only after Gu Xingyi pointed it out that she suddenly realized and said, "Oh right, I almost forgot."

Ziyuan took out her phone, thought about what to say, and dialed Xu Chen's number. It rang only once before Xu An answered.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

"Uncle Xu? I'm Ziyuan."

"Shion, how have you been lately?"

"...I'm fine. How are you feeling?"

Seeing Ziyuan exchanging pleasantries with Xu An, Gu Xing kept giving her meaningful glances, signaling her to get to the point. Ziyuan understood and immediately asked, "Uncle Xu, I have something to ask you."

"What's wrong? Is it about Xu Chen? She hasn't come back yet. I thought she was at your university, but last time you called your Aunt Wang and she said she wasn't at school. Where did she go?"

Ziyuan, afraid that Xu An would worry, lied and said, "She... went on a trip and hasn't come back. Last time I saw her, she hadn't returned to school for so long, so I assumed she had gone home. That's why I called to ask. I'm sorry to have made you worry."

Hearing this, Xu An smiled with relief and said, "It's so rare for you to care so much about our Xu Chen. Thank you so much."

"It's nothing, it's only right."

Seeing that Ziyuan had changed the subject again, Gu Xing gave her a look, urging her to get back to the point.

Ziyuan nodded, then asked Xu An, "Where's Auntie? Is she there?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Xing was so anxious that he almost wanted to grab the phone and ask for himself. He kept whispering to Gu Xing, "Quickly ask about the building."

Xu An on the other end of the phone said, "Your Aunt Wang is taking a shower."

While using gestures to reassure Gu Xing, Zi Yuan asked Xu An, "Uncle Xu, did you get a room in the state-owned factory before?"

"Oh! That was more than ten years ago. Back then, the entire factory lived in one building, and Xu Chen was born around that time."

"Well..." Ziyuan found it a little difficult to say, "Did anything happen to the building back then?"

"What?" Xu An found it a bit strange: "What do you want to ask?"

Ziyuan lied again, saying, "I just wanted to ask about the place where Xu Chen used to live when she was little, and what happened there, so I could understand her better..."

The word "illness" is really hard to say. As a psychologist, Ziyuan has always respected her patients and often avoids such sensitive words.

Xu An understood Zi Yuan's meaning and replied, "Let me think... it seems nothing happened."

Ziyuan didn't answer, hoping Xu An could think about it some more. After a while, Xu An said, "Oh right, I remembered. When Xu Chen was a child, the factory accountant's wife liked Xu Chen very much and often bought him snacks. But later, for some reason, she was admitted to a mental hospital. At that time, we were about to move, so we didn't know much about it."

After hearing this, Ziyuan's eyes lit up, and she asked, "What's the name of that mental hospital?"

"It's been more than ten years, I don't remember, and I might have died there after being discharged from the hospital."

"So what's her name?"

"I forgot, wait for me a moment." Xu An said and then hung up the phone.

Zi Yuan could only wait anxiously for a while. After a little over a minute, Xu An returned, picked up the phone, and said, "Her name is Qin Lizhen. Fortunately, your Aunt Wang still remembers her. Dr. Zi, will this help Xu Chen's mental illness?"

Ziyuan replied evasively, "It...it's helpful."

Then, Ziyuan asked Qin Lizhen some questions, but Xu Anzhi said he didn't know and wondered why Ziyuan knew these things. Ziyuan casually used some psychological terms as an excuse and then hung up in a hurry.

Seeing the aster hanging from the wire, Gu Xing hurriedly asked, "How is it?"

"When Xu Chen was a child, there was a girl named Qin Lizhen who was admitted to a mental hospital. Other than that, nothing else happened."

After Ziyuan finished speaking, she sighed and said, "I don't even know which mental hospital she lives in. I'm really at a loss. Besides, I don't know what her situation has to do with Xu Chen."

Gu Xing comforted her, "At least there's a clue, which is a turning point."

"I hope so." Ziyuan habitually touched her throbbing head and said, "Go to that building tomorrow and take a look. If we don't find anything, we'll go find Qin Lizhen's people."

"Okay," Gu Xing glanced at the time and, seeing that it was getting late, stood up from his chair. "I'll go back to my room first."

After Gu left, Zhang Bei followed. Zi Yuan saw Zhang Bei out of the room, returned to bed, and lay down, her mind filled with various thoughts: Huang Yi and Wang Yujing... the building... Xu Chen as a child... Qin Lizhen... Qin Lizhen... Qin Lizhen...

Shion is asleep.

The next day, Ziyuan and her group of seven left the hotel and searched for a long time before finally arriving at an old residential area. Some of the houses there were still built with mud bricks and tiles, and most of them were deserted. Both the street scene and the houses were very dilapidated. The factory was located nearby.

They asked several people, and only those who were old enough knew the factory. After they pointed out the way, they finally found the factory among a cluster of old houses.

Although it wasn't the weekend, the factory stood silently amidst a cluster of old residential buildings. The gate was dilapidated, and the iron gate at the entrance was unlocked. Without any ceremony, they went straight into the factory. In front of them was an open space filled with various wooden wheels and scrap metal, surrounded by weeds. After walking a few steps, they even saw a lot of dog poop.

After crossing the open space, they were greeted by a long-abandoned factory building. Of the dozen or so frosted glass windows facing them, most were dilapidated.

They approached the factory only to find that the gate was locked.

They peered through more than a dozen dilapidated windows, and everywhere they looked, there were broken machines, piles of cotton yarn, oil stains all over the floor, a foot-thick layer of dust, and cobwebs everywhere.

Looking at these scenes, it's as if I can hear the distant sounds of machinery from the factory's prosperous days.

"Hey, who are you looking for?" A man's shout rang out from behind the group, startling them. Turning around, they saw a small house to the right of the factory gate, used as a guardhouse. Inside, an old man in his fifties or sixties was peering at them through the window. The voice came from him.

When Ziyuan and the others saw the old man, they walked towards him together. The old man also came out of the duty room and walked towards them. Before Ziyuan and the others even reached him, he asked as he walked, "Who are you? Are you here to visit the factory?"

Zhang Bei quickly answered, "Yes, we're here to visit." Her eyes were also scanning the old man. He was still wearing his old work clothes, almost entirely patched, and cloth shoes. A third of his hair was gray, his face was full of wrinkles, and his forehead was bald and shiny. When he came out of the duty room, he clenched his fists, hunched his shoulders, and waved his hands as if looking for a fight. But upon closer inspection, he seemed to exude a peaceful aura, and his body appeared quite robust.

After hearing Zhang Bei's words, the old man replied, "Would you like me to take you to see it?"

Zhang Bei thanked him repeatedly, stepped aside, and asked him to lead the way. The kind old man still waved his clenched fists and hunched his neck as he led the way, saying as he walked, "The factory has been around for over thirty years. In the past, joining the factory meant a secure job with nothing to worry about, because the government could help us at first. But starting several years ago, the factory has been losing money continuously. After all, it's not our own business. One factory manager after another has come and gone, but none of them have been able to change the factory's predicament. There have been quite a few who have used their positions for personal gain."

“A few years ago, the factory stopped paying wages, and all the workers were laid off. The people from the Industrial Bureau gave me a little money every month to watch over this dilapidated factory…”

The old man paused for a moment, perhaps realizing that what he was saying was inappropriate, before pointing to the broken windows of the factory and saying, "The factory is a bit old, but it's still usable. Some of the parts inside can still be used for remote work. You won't lose out if you auction them off."

Zhang Bei and Zi Yuan then realized that the old man had mistaken them for buyers because the factory's assets were now being auctioned off, and Zhang Bei was even wearing a suit.

The proceeds from the factory auction might be distributed among the laid-off workers, including this old man, as compensation. That's why the old man enthusiastically showed them around.

Upon arriving at the factory gate, the old man took out his key. Ziyuan, who hadn't come here to see the place, stopped him, saying, "Old man, we've come to see this."

Ziyuan took out the auction list and pointed out the section about the building to him. The old man squinted and looked at it carefully for a while, then said, "Oh, so you're looking at the dormitory building. Come with me."

The old man put the key back in his pocket and led them out of the factory. Along the way, he instructed Ziyuan and the others, "The dormitory building is already a dangerous building. Just look at it from the outside and don't go in. As for the land, it's still quite good. The old town area nearby is about to be redeveloped into commercial land, and the building's land is in the heart of the commercial street."

The old man led them for a few minutes until they arrived at the building. The building was surrounded by low, old bungalows. The building was nestled among these bungalows, with moss growing all over the walls and the surface mud layer peeling off, clearly revealing the red bricks on the walls. Therefore, the building looked particularly out of place.

Ziyuan stood in front of the building, gazing intently, oblivious to the old man beside him recounting its history.

The strange things happening around Xu Chen and the mysteries one after another aroused everyone's curiosity to the extreme. Gu Xing couldn't help but take a step towards the building's entrance.

He had only taken a few steps when the old man grabbed him and shouted in a booming voice, "What are you doing?"

Gu Xing looked at the old man and saw that his face was flushed, his big eyes were bloodshot, and his right hand was like an iron clamp tightly gripping Gu Xing, making Gu Xing feel a dull pain.

Everyone was stunned.

After a while, the old man pulled Gu Xing back, his tone softening slightly, and said, "Didn't I tell you not to go in? This is a dangerous building."

Gu Xing hadn't paid much attention to the old man's words when he arrived, as his mind was entirely focused on Xu Chen. Only now, hearing the old man's words, did he see the building clearly. It had only one main entrance, leading to a dark, straight, and deep corridor. On either side of the corridor were doors, labeled: 101, 102, 103, 104...

The building has ten floors, and each floor has more than a dozen balconies protruding out, some of which are so old that only half of them remain. The entire building stands precariously in front of them.

At this moment, the old man released Gu Xing's hand, smiled, and said to Gu Xing, "You young people are really reckless, you don't think things through at all."

Yang Mian muttered, "Even if it's a dilapidated building, there's no need to be so nervous, as if it's going to eat people up."

The old man seemed afraid they would go back inside, so he said, "Let me show you around. If you buy this land, you'll definitely make a lot of money in the future."

Ziyuan and the others remained unmoved, standing still and refusing to leave with the old man. The old man then said, "Come on, let's go. There's nothing much to see here. I'll take you to the nearby commercial street. Part of the old city has just been redeveloped there. After you buy this land, the government's redevelopment work will also be carried out here."

Ziyuan and the others remained staring intently at the building from the outside. It seemed that Ziyuan was also planning to go inside and take a look. Only then did the old man realize that they didn't seem to be there to look at the land, but rather to look at the building itself.

The old man then blocked their way and said, "Are you here to look at land or not?"

"Sir, did you used to live here?"

The old man replied, "I used to be a factory worker, so of course I lived here. A few years ago, this building was designated as a dangerous building, so I moved to a warehouse in the former factory."

"So, if the factory is auctioned off, won't you have nowhere to live?"

"The Industry Bureau promised to give me a house," the old man replied to Ziyuan, his eyes fixed on her. Ziyuan felt as if he was wary of something.