Cent ans de solitude

Chapitre 24

Upon hearing this, Xu Feifei's expression immediately turned serious. She nodded.

“Liu Yun, this person is no ordinary person,” Li Hong said. “Although she is dead now, her soul… still wanders in this world.”

Li Hong noticed that Xu Feifei's brows furrowed, as if she hadn't understood.

"You heard me right. Listen, what I'm telling you now is the truth. Liu Yun, she's dead, she's become a vengeful ghost, and now she's looking for you one by one, causing accidents, trying to drag you to another world to join her."

Xu Feifei stood up abruptly. "Officer Li, you must be joking."

“I’m not joking. I have evidence here.” Li Hong said, flipping through her notebook.

“Zheng Zhihao was one of Liu Yun’s rivals back then. He died in a car accident not long after Liu Yun’s death.” Li Hong said, pointing as she spoke. “He was probably the first person to cause an accident after Liu Yun’s death, and he killed her entirely for revenge. It was from this accident that I learned about Liu Yun.”

Xu Feifei stood there, listening blankly.

“Next should be Tao Jing,” Li Hong said. “She died in October 2006, also in a car accident. I got the information from you, and I still need to investigate the details of that car accident. Although I haven’t investigated that accident in detail yet, I can tell you with certainty that Liu Yun was definitely involved.”

“Then there’s Zou Shunqing, who died recently,” Li Hong continued. “She died in an elevator accident. I’ve investigated the accident and confirmed that Liu Yun’s ghost appeared. I even found the finger bone by following that clue. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found you.”

"You...can see...ghosts?" Xu Feifei asked cautiously, holding up her finger.

“Even so,” Li Hong said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have noticed the connection. Look, people connected to Liu Yun are dying one by one in accidents. We don’t know the situation of Zhao Doudou and Wang Xiaoxin yet, but if my deduction is correct, then they should already be…”

"Impossible!" Xu Feifei began to panic, her voice trembling. "Don't say anymore. They're both alive and well. I have their phone numbers. I can ask them."

"That would be best!" Li Hong said quickly. "I was just worried about not being able to find them. You can ask them. If they are alive and well, I will need to adjust my investigation direction and warn them, because they are facing the same danger as you."

"What if..." Xu Feifei stopped mid-sentence.

“If something happens to them too, then things will be quite serious.” Li Hong bit her lip. “Of course I don’t want anything to happen to them, but if something does happen to them, then you will be in even more danger.”

"You really... saw Liu Yun's ghost?" Xu Feifei asked, almost crying.

"I didn't see it with my own eyes, but I could feel its presence. By the way, why did you fall into the river yesterday?"

"Huh?" Xu Feifei was taken aback by the question, then said, "I don't know either, I just fell into the water without even realizing it..."

“There are railings along the shore, so it’s not that easy to fall down…” Li Hong reminded him.

"I really don't know how I fell..." Xu Feifei said, on the verge of tears, "It couldn't be Liu Yun's, she's been so good to me, how could she..."

"You said... Liu Yun is good to you?" Li Hong asked.

“Yes, I used to be with her, and she was very good to me,” Xu Feifei said. “You must be mistaken. I need to make a phone call first.”

"Okay, then you make the call first. I'll wait for you here. Or you can use my phone." Li Hong said, taking out her phone.

Xu Feifei took the phone immediately and quickly dialed the number. Clearly, she was terrified, especially after hearing that her close friends from back then had all died in accidents; it made her incredibly sad. How she desperately hoped that the policewoman in front of her was lying!

Li Hong watched her anxiously waiting for the call to connect, feeling a pang of sadness, but there was nothing she could do. According to Xu Feifei, Liu Yun and Xu Feifei were "one pair," and the remaining four were "two other pairs." These six formed a small group, maintaining a close relationship. After Liu Yun's death, Xu Feifei revealed that this group disbanded. Except for Xu Feifei, who continued working there for a while, everyone else stopped going to the bar. Although it was unknown whether the four remained in contact outside the bar, their relationship gradually cooled until Xu Feifei left the bar six months ago, at which point the group of six completely severed ties with the bar and went on to live normal lives.

However, Li Hong couldn't be sure if Liu Yun's real motive for killing them was "to take them to another world to accompany her," which was merely an excuse she gave Xu Feifei. But currently, there seemed to be no better motive—it wasn't only those with finger bones who were in danger; Xu Feifei didn't have finger bones, yet she still encountered an accident.

Li Hong saw Xu Feifei's face turn pale. She hadn't paid attention to what Xu Feifei had said, but it was clear that Xu Feifei had probably received bad news from one of them. She quickly hung up the phone and dialed another number.

“It’s a disconnected number…” Xu Feifei lowered her arms in frustration, then her eyes reddened and tears welled up in her eyes.

“You…” Li Hong stood beside her.

"Wah..." Xu Feifei suddenly burst into tears, "Dou Dou too..."

Li Hong hugged Xu Feifei without saying a word, only gently patting her back.

2.18 Motivation

"What should I do now?" Xu Feifei asked, sobbing, her face streaked with tears. She was terrified, gripping Li Hong's arm tightly, unwilling to let go, afraid that if she loosened her grip, Li Hong would disappear before her eyes, and Liu Yun's ghost would descend from the sky. She had to hold on to this lifeline.

"What can we do now?" Li Hong said helplessly. "You just have to be more careful yourself. But everything's fine during the day—don't hold me so tightly."

"No, I'm scared." Xu Feifei didn't let go; instead, she gripped even tighter. "I'm afraid of ghosts."

"It won't come out during the day, so don't worry!" Li Hong started to pry Xu Feifei's hand away. "How can I talk to you when you're holding me like this? It hurts a little."

"Then I'll just grab your clothes." Xu Feifei said, loosening her grip and pulling on the sleeve of Li Hong's shirt.

"Oh my god." Li Hong covered her face with one hand, feeling a bit overwhelmed. She felt like she had gotten herself into a huge mess, with Xu Feifei suddenly clinging to her. Now she didn't know what to do.

"If you don't tell me what to do, then I'll just have to stay with you," Xu Feifei said, her voice trembling with tears. "You make me feel even more scared when I'm alone."

“But I’ve already told you what to do. Be careful, don’t get up at night, not even to go to the toilet,” Li Hong said. “Liu Yun is only causing accidents now, and we haven’t found it using any other methods yet. Besides, even I haven’t seen Liu Yun’s ghost, so it’s even less likely that it will appear in front of you.”

“That’s not necessarily true. You don’t know her, but I do,” Xu Feifei said. “Maybe she just doesn’t want to show herself in front of you.”

“That’s possible,” Li Hong said. Then she thought for a moment and said, “I have a friend who once told me that I wanted to use you as bait to lure Liu Yun out, and then we would take her down together.”

"Huh?!" Xu Feifei was shocked. "What kind of friend is that? Why would she give you this idea? I won't do it. If we can't take it down, I'm doomed—I was so good to Liu Yun all this time for nothing."

“Sigh…” Li Hong was completely at a loss. “You’re right. Why would Liu Yun want to harm you? You don’t even have finger bones.”

“Didn’t you say you’d take us to keep her company?” Xu Feifei said. “Can I burn some paper money for her and beg her to let me go? Oh, or how about we make a paper effigy of me and burn it for her, so the paper effigy can keep her company?”

Li Hong turned to look at Xu Feifei, and said with some surprise, "You're quite clever. But I can't be sure it wants to kill you all to accompany it. It definitely has a purpose, but I haven't figured it out yet."

"I think you were right at the beginning, she just wanted us to keep her company."

"If what you're saying is true, why were you the last one to be threatened, instead of being the first to be killed?" Li Hong asked. "You were her girlfriend before she died, she should have missed you the most."

"This..." Xu Feifei was speechless for a moment, "So, you're saying she didn't want to harm me because she missed me? My burning of paper figures is useless then?"

“I think so. But I can’t find Liu Yun’s motive,” Li Hong said. “Right now, I can’t find her motive, so I don’t know how to prevent things from happening in the future. That’s the most troublesome thing.”

"Oh no, what do we do then?" Xu Feifei became anxious again.

“Now, I need you to be extra careful. Be careful when you’re sleeping, crossing the street, or even walking,” Li Hong said seriously. “I’m not joking with you; this is very important.”

Xu Feifei nodded vigorously. "I've been following you the whole time. I feel much more at ease knowing you can see it."

"Oh my god." Li Hong felt like she was going crazy. "Why are you following me? I can't see it. I told you I can only sense its presence. If you're not careful, following me won't help. If we're together, we might even attract it."

“I don’t care, I want to follow you forever,” Xu Feifei said, looking childlike.

"Okay, you can come with me." Li Hong felt sweating all over; it seemed she couldn't shake her off. "You can come with me, but don't drag me around like this. I still need to continue my investigation."

"Okay, I won't pull you." Xu Feifei said reluctantly, letting go of her hand. "I can help you. I don't want to be a burden to you."

“That would be best. Hmm, where were we? Right, first of all, you can’t have any accidents. The finger bone spread from you, and we can’t be sure of the role of the finger bone in this matter. This is one of the directions of the investigation; secondly…” Li Hong paused as she spoke.

"Secondly what?" Xu Feifei listened with great interest.

“Secondly, I need to talk to someone about this,” Li Hong said. It was only then that she realized Zheng Zhihao hadn’t said a word.

"Who are you looking for? Is it far?" Xu Feifei asked.

“Not far,” Li Hong said, taking out her phone. She had to put on an act, otherwise Xu Feifei would be terrified if she knew that a ghost was haunting her right hand.

"Old Zheng, what are you doing?" Li Hong said into her phone.

Zheng Zhihao did not answer.

"Can you now determine Liu Yun's motives?"

Zheng Zhihao still did not answer.

Li Hong put her phone aside, pinched her right hand, then picked up the phone again and continued, "Wake up quickly."

Xu Feifei looked at her strange behavior and hesitated to speak.

Li Hong waited with the phone in hand. Perhaps he was deeply shocked, she thought, hearing the astonishing news that Liu Yun was "in the industry" back then, leaving him speechless with shock. Sigh, who could have imagined this? It can only be said that Zheng Zhihao appeared at the wrong time, or that his contact with Liu Yun was too brief.

"What do you want me to say?" Zheng Zhihao's deep voice finally rang out, sounding weak and listless.

"Put that matter aside for now," Li Hong said in a deep voice. "It's been so long, there's no point in thinking about it now."

"I blame myself for being so foolish." Zheng Zhihao's voice became agitated. "How could I not have seen it? How could I have let things continue like that? I should have helped her!"

“Don’t think like that.” Li Hong felt that Zheng Zhihao was getting stuck in a rut, and she had to get him to pull himself together quickly. “She chose this path back then entirely on her own. You have no right to demand that she do this or that. She believed that she could find happiness by following her choices, so what could you do? Do you think you could persuade her to change? Besides, your confession back then was an opportunity for her to change, a golden chance, but she didn’t accept it and didn’t turn back. Can you blame her for that? I think you’ve done more than enough, because you didn’t know her situation at that time. You didn’t understand her, did you? You did nothing wrong.”

Zheng Zhihao fell silent.

Xu Feifei listened intently to Li Hong's phone call, somewhat dumbfounded. She didn't understand what Li Hong meant by "discussing with someone," but it didn't sound like she was discussing the most urgent matter at hand; it sounded more like she was advising a friend who had just broken up with her boyfriend.

“You can think about this carefully. I hope you can pull yourself together quickly. So much time has passed, and you're like this again. What else can't you let go of? Right now, we need your help, and we need expert advice,” Li Hong said sincerely.

“I understand,” Zheng Zhihao said. “I need some time to calm down. Now you’d better investigate the last girl, Wang Xiaoxin, and find out what her current situation is. We can’t be sure if she’s alive or dead, so I think it’s best not to make any inferences without complete information. Liu Yun’s motive, like hers back then, is an unsolvable mystery…”

2.19 Xiaoxin

Li Hong sat in the taxi, with a thoughtful Xu Feifei beside her. Xu Feifei was no longer the carefree and adorable girl Li Hong had first met; now she looked like someone knocked down in a boxing ring and then getting back up, her face filled with confusion. Getting her discharged from the hospital had been a huge effort for Li Hong, as the doctors didn't want Xu Feifei to encounter any further accidents. Fortunately, Li Hong finally convinced the doctor that she was a forensic pathologist and would bring Xu Feifei back that evening, and the doctor reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Taking Xu Feifei out of the hospital wasn't for any other reason than to help her find the girl named Wang Xiaoxin; they needed to check on the girl's condition. The taxi weaved through the busy streets, the streets teeming with people because of the fine weather. Xu Feifei stared blankly at the cars and pedestrians outside the window, feeling as if she were in another world. She often shopped on this street and ate at that restaurant, but this normal life seemed to be slipping away from her, gradually blurring and disappearing before her eyes.

"How old is this girl named Wang Xiaoxin?" Li Hong asked casually when she saw tears welling up in Xu Feifei's eyes again.

“She’s 23 years old this year,” Xu Feifei replied. She glanced at Li Hong and felt a warmth in her heart at having someone by her side. She immediately hugged Li Hong’s arm again.

Li Hong didn't struggle, letting Xu Feifei hold her like that. It was just that the weather was very hot, and the air conditioning in the taxi wasn't cool, so she soon felt all sweaty.

************************

Judging from the apartment building where Wang Xiaoxin lived, the girl's financial situation must have been quite good. However, several years have passed, and Xu Feifei doesn't know if she still lives there. Back then, Zhao Doudou and Wang Xiaoxin were a couple, always seen together. They had once invited four other close friends over for a small gathering, which is why Xu Feifei knows this place.

"12th floor, room 1203," Xu Feifei said to Li Hong, standing at the entrance of Unit 3.

Li Hong glanced at her and pointed to the building intercom: "Why don't you knock on the door?"

“But if something happens to her… then she definitely won’t be the one living there anymore, so you should knock on the door. You’re a police officer,” Xu Feifei reminded her.

Li Hong pursed her lips, "Okay, okay. It's only 3 p.m., I don't think she'll be home."

“She’s a freelancer, she doesn’t have a fixed job, and she’s usually at home at this time,” Xu Feifei said.

Li Hong nodded and pressed the doorbell for room 1203. She saw Xu Feifei standing nervously to one side, her hands clenched tightly together, her knuckles white.

"Who is it?" a girl's voice came from the walkie-talkie.

It was obvious that Xu Feifei recognized the voice very well. She jumped up from the ground and exclaimed, "Xiaoxin, Xiaoxin, it's me!"

"Huh? Is that Feifei?" The voice on the walkie-talkie was also very surprised, and it revealed a hint of joy. "Is it really you?"

With a "snap," the building door opened. Xu Feifei, her earlier gloomy and dejected expression gone, rushed ahead of Li Hong excitedly, "We're up!"

When Li Hong heard Xu Feifei excitedly calling Xiaoxin's name, her heart felt as warm as if it had been warmed by a cup of hot tea. She wasn't surprised that Wang Xiaoxin was still alive; instead, she watched with a smile as Xu Feifei skipped and hopped ahead. Xu Feifei quickened her pace, then turned back and pulled Li Hong up, saying, "Hurry up! Let me show you Xiaoxin's house; it'll definitely surprise you."

“I think… I’d better not go up,” Li Hong said. “You can go up and sit for a while and then come down.”

“That won’t do!” Xu Feifei said. “You definitely have to go up, and…” Her face darkened for a moment, “You have to tell her if there’s any danger.”

Li Hong looked at her pleading face and nodded.