114 Father

 

This was another story, and it started 2 weeks ago. That noon, Chen Lin sat on the bed with Liu Fei’er. Chen Lin tested one of Liu Fei’er’s lipsticks. As he put it on, he asked, “Are you sure about this? You want to leave? What is so bad about this life, do you know how many people would kill to have your life? To have all these amazing cosmetics and money that you’ll never finish.” Liu Fei’er sat on the edge of the bed. Instead of answering the question, she asked one of her own, “Aren’t you tired lying under the bed the whole night yesterday?”

Chen Lin shook his head. “I’ve spent years sleeping in sewers, garbage dumps. If not for your father, I might have died already.”

“But you…” Liu Fei’er began and then stopped. Chen Lin continued for her, “Yes, I’ve killed 7 people. That was because at the time, I felt life was meaningless. A half man, half woman like myself won’t have any semblance of a life. In fact, my family survived by being the laughing stock of others. So I killed them.” Chen Lin smiled, “I killed them on my 18th birthday, I shouldn’t have done it! I should have killed them earlier, because then I would be a minor and I wouldn’t get the sentence that I did.”

Liu Fei’er glanced at this crazy woman and didn’t know what to say. Chen Lin chuckled mirthlessly. “I thought about killing myself after killing them, but I was captured and instead was given imprisonment for life. That meant that I would live forever in prison, that was definitely not what I wanted. Inside the prison, it felt like I had returned back to my circus days, I was gawked at again. It was then that I realized I had to leave. When I made that decision, it was like everything hit me then. Perhaps only we can decide the trajectory of our lives.” Chen Lin suddenly sighed, “If I am given another chance, I would definitely not kill my family. But that’s life, every decision that you’ve made would carry irrevocable consequences.” Chen Lin paused to ask seriously, “So have you really made your decision?”

Liu Fei’er said firmly, “I have, I’ve made that decision when I was 16. Plus we wouldn’t be hurting anyone, I would pretend to be kidnapped and demand a lot of money from Liu Yinyan. That would be enough for me and my father to elope. That money is nothing for Liu Yinyan.”

Chen Lin sighed, “But are you sure you don’t want to discuss this with your father first? Will he agree to a decision like this?”

Liu Fei’er laughed. “I knew he wouldn’t so I have to do this. What is the meaning of life if you love someone but cannot be with him officially, and have to hide your love forever? Look at how hale Liu Yinyan is, he won’t die even after 90, by then I would be 40 already!”

Chen Lin had more to say but after seeing the glint in Liu Fei’er’s eyes, she only shook her head. After a long time, she said, “Since you’ve made your decision, then we better move on. I’ve already bought out a patrol guard so that we can sneak out from this place and then I will call Liu Yinyan to ask for 30,000,000 RMB.”

Liu Fei’er held his hands. “Chen Lin, thank you so much.”

Chen Lin shook his head and said softly, “Don’t need to thank me, I only hope that you won’t regret your decision in the future like I do. Actually Liu Yinyan treats you very well, doesn’t he?” Liu Fei’er was silent. What she wanted was apples but Liu Yinyan had given her a whole plantation of oranges. Around noon, Chen Lin carried Liu Fei’er and slid down the balcony. Based on Chen Lin’s plan, after a guard disappeared, the police would realize this was not a disappearance but a kidnapping. Then he would call Liu Yinyan to demand for ransom. After he got the money, Liu Fei’er and her father could finally be together and he would continue his solitary life of a fugitive. The person who was responsible to help them leave was Lin Dafa.

But to Chen Lin’s surprise, it was another group of people waiting for them at the meeting point. This group was the kidnappers who were bloodier and crueller than Chen Lin. They apprehended Lin Dafa and killed Chen Lin. They left dog’s blood on Chen Lin’s lipstick and started to use their method to leave trails for us. At the underground parking lot where Chen Lin visited for the beef tapeworm, he purposely left a car there and planted the leaf of the plants unique to Lin Yinyan’s bungalow in the tire treads.

Then, everything else was as written. We slowly walked into the other group’s trap. They took over Chen Lin’s job of kidnapping Liu Fei’er and even captured Lin Dafa’s daughter. Liu Fei’er’s original plan was to elope with her biological father but she was captured by an actual group of kidnappers and she assumed her biological father didn’t know about all these. But the only her real father could have known about her secrets and so he was the only person who could sell her out.

In the early few days, the kidnappers didn’t give any call because they needed to arrange everything after they captured Liu Fei’er. Using Lin Dafa’s daughter as hostage, they forced the man to work for them. They left clues about the man and eventually sent him into our hands. They even led us purposely to the factory where Liu Fei’er and Liu Yinyan were kept. Everything was a show meant for us police. That was why the kidnappers’ motives had confused me, why the earlier part of the case, the kidnappers valued secrecy but the later part, they kept leaving clues for us. It was because this case was conducted by 2 groups of people, and Wu Zui’s group was clearly the crazier one.

Then we knew what happened next. Wu Zui’s target wasn’t Liu Fei’er but Liu Yinyan, because only by killing someone like Liu Yinyan would Dong Xing City fall into chaos. Wu Zui’s group appeared to savor chaos and anarchy. At this point, all the truth had been exposed.

The case started with a ‘kidnapping’ designed by Liu Fei’er and it ended with Liu Yinyan’s murder orchestrated by Wu Zui. The man had perfectly molded the 2 cases together. It was flawless. If not for my alertness, we might never know the truth. Liu Fei’er who lost a finger hugged her father tightly and her father’s face was covered in tears. Liu Fei’er’s father had no idea that how much work Liu Fei’er had done just to be with him. She had chosen to abandon her family of 20 years and abandon her own mother. But Liu Fei’er didn’t know that she was just the replacement for her mother. Her father exposed all the secrets to Wu Zui because he planned to have both Liu Yinyan and Liu Fei’er die in the process, then no one would stand in his way of being with Liu Fei’er’s mother.

Of course, that was just my speculation.

However, there was one person who was completely fooled. Liu Yinyan, who had worked his whole life, lost everything in matters of seconds. ‘But at 70, I still can’t read human hearts, much less heaven’s decrees.’ That was what Liu Yinyan told me after his confession that night. His melancholy, placidity was still echoing in my ears.

3 people died, an innocent patrol guard, a fugitive, a legend in the venture capitalism world. And Liu Fei’er herself lost a finger. Chen Lin was right, when one made a decision, we would have to live with its consequences.

I didn’t ask whether Liu Fei’er regretted it or not, I didn’t ask whether she felt guilty or not. I didn’t ask her biological father why he had exposed his daughter’s secret to Wu Zui, or whether he had only treated Liu Fei’er as a replacement. I was not a good doctor, I didn’t want to expose people’s wounds and I didn’t like to play Wu Zui’s ‘secret game’. Everyone had the right to their own secrets, be it good or bad, torture or relief.

When the 3 of us walked out from the cake shop, Liu Fei’er finally broke down. She cried until her body shook. When Liu Yinyan died, she didn’t even cry this hard. Only oneself could manage one’s own emotions.

“Are we going to end things like this?” Gu Chen looked at me and asked, “Don’t we need to bring her in?”

I shook my head and looked up at the dark sky, “I don’t think so. The consequences of what Liu Fei’er has done is punishment enough. Bringing her to the station will not change anything. I just wanted to know the truth but sometimes, after knowing the truth, you’d rather not knowing about it.”

I turned to Song Ze, “What about you? I’d suggest you keep this to yourself.” Song Ze didn’t speak but nodded slowly. His world was entirely ruined, this was yet another innocent victim.

“Shall we go back now?” Gu Chen asked. I nodded. “Okay, I’m tired. I need to sleep.”

Inside the car, I glanced at the shops that rolled by. Music drifted out from the shops, the heavy tempo made people want to dance. The pedestrians crowded the streets, beside them were heavy traffic, accompanied by constant honking. Dong Xing City was a metropolis, everyone could find a place here. They worked hard for their tomorrow, for the future that they wanted. But what was the final purpose? Why must dreams take so many sacrifices before it could come true? Or was it because once one had something, they would greedily want something else?

Gu Chen opened a radio and a ballad drifted out.

Do not assume that I know

Everything that you have done for me

The sacrifice that you have given

How come I feel not a drop of it

Is that not worth a single proclamation of love?

There is a time that I remember

The both of us riding on the bicycle

I hug you closely from behind

I wish to hug tighter, refusing to let you go

Life is like a wasteland

If a child can hang forever from their father’s powerful shoulder

Who would ever want to let go?

…

Did Liu Yinyan really not know that Liu Fei’er was not his biological daughter? Or after 20 years, he had accepted her as his own?

I couldn’t answer this question, but as the sharpest venture capitalist around, Liu Yinyan should be able to answer that question…

 

 

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