Chapter 1938
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Director's Office.
Old Xiao was also confused by Zhong Fakui.
In the middle of the night, he made a video call to himself, but ended up talking about things at the police station.
If Lao Xiao hadn't known that Zhong Fakui was an acquaintance with the director of the Wangchao Town Police Station, he might have thought that this guy had been arrested.
But the sudden mention of the ghost head pattern 15 years ago made Lao Xiao feel creepy.
After all, Lao Xiao didn't want to mention this past event at all.
The pain of bereavement seems to have not yet healed, so Lao Xiao is not too clear about the purpose of the police, Zhong Fakui, and Sangen talking about these past events with him in the middle of the night.
Seeing that Lao Xiao didn't reply anymore, Gu Chen took Zhong Fakui's phone directly and said involuntarily:
"Master Xiao, hello, I'm Gu Chen, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Team of the Furong Branch, and I'm looking for you."
"You...you want to find me?" Seeing that Gu Chen was a young policeman, Old Xiao on the video call also asked weakly:
"Comrade policeman, I don't know, you came to me at night just because of this ghost head pattern?"
"Yes." Gu Chen said in a calm tone, "This ghost, I heard it was a work written by your daughter fifteen years ago? Is there such a thing?"
"Yes... yes." Although he didn't know what Gu Chen meant, Lao Xiao still nodded and admitted:
"This work, I remember, is a work of my daughter's before she was alive. I have seen it too, and I always feel that just looking at it can make people creepy."
"For this reason, I also persuaded my daughter to see a psychiatrist? After all, drawing these ghost works every day is getting more and more terrifying."
"I'm worried that my daughter's psychology will become extremely distorted in the long run..."
Speaking of this, Lao Xiao sighed a long time, and said helplessly: "But, what should come is still here. My daughter's psychology has actually gone wrong a long time ago."
"King Kong is not bad for the Great Walled Lord"
"Although I also noticed the signs, I didn't try my best to dissuade them, which led to my daughter committing suicide by jumping into the river..."
At the end of the talk, Lao Xiao also became choked up, as if the past was unbearable.
"Master Xiao." Seeing Lao Xiao's emotions, Gu Chen reminded him.
On the other end of the video call, Lao Xiao also sniffed, and said in a bad mood:
"Although it is said that my daughter committed suicide, she has nothing to do with her ex-boyfriend. If her ex-boyfriend hadn't moved on, I'm afraid this matter would never have happened."
"Besides, my daughter wouldn't be insane if it weren't for the neighbors around me who gossip every day. After all, these people are also accomplices."
"So, after my daughter passed away, I left Wangchao Town and went to work in other places. After all, this place is a sad place, and I rarely come back in recent years."
"That's right." Seeing that Lao Xiao seemed quite emotional, he was still brooding over what happened back then.
Moreover, Gu Chen found out from Lao Xiao's short words that Lao Xiao's daughter died. Although it was a suicide, apart from her boyfriend's empathy, the neighbor's gossip was also the indirect cause of Lao Xiao's daughter's mental breakdown.
Therefore, Gu Chen could only temporarily calm his emotions and said: "In fact, this world is indeed very interesting. Strange animals are protected, but strange people are excluded. People who are arrested into the confession room are all because of being arrested into the confession room. And repentance, the person who wronged you, actually knows how wronged you are better than you.”
"Isn't it?" It was also because Gu Chen said something in his heart that Lao Xiao was willing to confide in his heart:
"Those neighbors don't say anything on the surface, but they speak ill of my daughter behind their backs."
"They clearly knew that my daughter was the victim, but they made all kinds of assumptions, saying that my daughter must have treated her boyfriend badly, so her boyfriend moved on or something."
With a faint sigh, Lao Xiao also said helplessly: "Tell me, who am I going to reason with? Sometimes, I really don't know how to defend myself."
"I understand." Seeing that Lao Xiao was about to cry when he talked about what happened back then, Gu Chen also continued:
"The brave are angry and draw their knives at the stronger ones; the cowardly are angry but draw their knives at the weaker ones."
"Those who couldn't hear the music thought those who danced were crazy. Many people thought they were thinking, but in fact, they were just rearranging their prejudices."
"They can't understand your daughter, I'm sorry, but, after all, your daughter has been dead for fifteen years, and many things should be let go."
"After all, when your daughter's ex-boyfriend came to your daughter's funeral, didn't you blame him? You even gave him the drawings left by your daughter back then, which shows that you are more generous."
"Hehe." Hearing what Gu Chen said, Lao Xiao on the video call couldn't help laughing twice, and shook his head helplessly:
"Then what do you want me to do? As for the reason why it was like this at the beginning, in fact, to be honest, there are also my factors in it."
"Your factor?" Hearing what Lao Xiao said, Zhong Fakui also looked confused: "Hey, I said Lao Xiao, this matter, from the beginning to the end, was caused by that bastard boy, what does it have to do with you relation?"
Hearing Zhong Fakui's remarks, Lao Xiao also shook his head, sniffed, and then said slowly:
"Actually, there is one thing that I have kept in my heart for a long time, but I was unwilling to admit it at the time, but now that I have thought about it, I think I should say it."
Seeing that Old Xiao seemed to be hiding something, Lu Weiwei, who had been standing beside Gu Chen, couldn't help asking him curiously: "Master Xiao, does this have something to do with you?"
"That's right, it has something to do with me too." Master Xiao seemed to have stopped being entangled, and looked at the crowd and said slowly:
"When my daughter graduated, I always wanted her to stay and work in Jiangnan City."
"But her boyfriend is a child from a remote village in Hubei Province. After graduation, he has been working in Hubei Province."
"My daughter wanted to leave home and join her boyfriend, but I refused."
"After all, I'm just such a precious girl, raised so much, and suddenly I'm going to go away and not be by my side."
"You said, the outside world is so dangerous, don't I have to be careful?"
With a heavy sigh, Lao Xiao also choked up and said: "So, after I listened to my daughter's thoughts, I firmly opposed it, and her mother's persuasion was useless."
"After all, I'm not very familiar with that kid. Who knows if he will bully my daughter in the future? Let my daughter be wronged?"
"My daughter was spoiled and raised at home since she was a child, and she couldn't bear hardships at all. I was also afraid that she would suffer hardships. Therefore, for the sake of my daughter's happiness, I asked her to tell that man."
"Just say, if he really likes my daughter, he will leave Hubei Province and come to Jiangnan City to develop. It's as simple as that."
"So... so?" Police officer Wang was stunned for a while, and then asked:
"So later, that man didn't come over, right?"
"Damn!" Lao Xiao sighed heavily, and said with regret: "Maybe I said too much, and I lost that man's self-confidence."
"Originally, the relationship between the two of them was very good, but after I made such a toss, the relationship between the two also appeared cracks."
"That guy said that his major has room for development in Hubei Province, and he doesn't want to come to Jiangnan City."
"In the final analysis, isn't this just an excuse? He just doesn't love my daughter. If he really loved my daughter, he would definitely overcome difficulties and come to Jiangnan City, but he didn't."
Speaking of this, Lao Xiao was also out of breath, as if he was still very angry with what happened back then.
When Zhong Fakui heard the words, he also smiled and said: "Old Xiao, I said you are really, that guy, he has room for development in Hubei Province, so you have to let him come to our Jiangnan City?"
"Oh, your niece is your darling, baby lump, so that guy is not his parents' darling? Baby lump? You are so selfish."
"Yes, I'm just selfish." Lao Xiao seemed to be emotional, and admitted directly:
"I have raised my daughter so much, and she is about to leave me suddenly. Is it wrong for me to just want her to stay by my side?"
"Besides, I didn't say not to let her go, but that guy's attitude made me very disappointed, so for my daughter, I told her not to leave Jiangnan City until this guy agreed and was willing to come to Jiangnan City to develop."
"But I didn't expect that after that, that guy would date other women again, and my daughter would find out about it."
"Since then, my daughter's mental state seems to have been stimulated, and her painting style has also become darker."
Sniffing, trying to calm down, Lao Xiao said again: "In the earliest days, my daughter's paintings were all in that small and fresh style, and it was very healing to look at."
"But later on, the more I like to draw those ghosts and gods, it makes people feel scary."
"It's creepy for an adult like me. If a child sees it, it's okay? Doesn't it scare the child?"
"And I heard that the publishing house she cooperates with is from overseas, a comic publishing house in an island country in East Asia, so I don't quite agree."
With a heavy sigh, Lao Xiao on the video call also secretly wiped away his tears at this moment.
Seeing Lao Xiao's emotions, he began to go back to fifteen years ago. Gu Chen also returned to the topic and asked him: "Then, did your daughter tell you about the creation of this ghost? What does this mean?"
"What's the meaning?" Hearing Gu Chen's remarks, Lao Xiao recalled it for a few seconds, and then said slowly:
"I seem to have asked her too. After all, this thing looks scary, but she said that it was inspired by an event she participated in when she was in school. What kind of festival is it called?"
"Summer festival?" Lu Weiwei asked.
"Yes, what kind of summer festival? It seems to be a festival in the East Asian island country?" Old Xiao said.
Lu Weiwei nodded silently, and echoed, "That's right, it's a traditional festival in the East Asian island country."
"Lu Weiwei, what on earth is this festival for?" Xu Feng, the director of Wangchao Town Police Station, was a little puzzled, after all, he had never heard of such a thing.
Lu Weiwei explained patiently: "Generally speaking, summer festivals are some activities or festivals held in summer, and they are also traditional festivals in East Asian island countries. The time is about mid-July to late August every year."
"I remember that the 'sacrifice' culture is an important part of the traditional culture of the island countries in East Asia. The summer festival can be said to be the traditional cultural activity with the highest participation in the worship culture of the island countries in East Asia."
"Besides, on the day of the summer festival, there will be festival parades in the local area, and many performances will be held by folk associations."
"At that time, people would put on beautiful costumes and bathrobes, go out to the streets, do shopping, and participate in entertainment activities."
"Then isn't this similar to the temple fair in our country?" Police Officer Wang felt a little familiar the more he listened.
Lu Weiwei nodded fiercely: "That's right, some people say that this is what our country calls garden fairs and temple fairs."
"And when summer festivals are held in island countries in East Asia, the surrounding stores will also redecorate their stores on this day to carry out various special activities."
"In fact, the original customs of this kind of temple fair originally came from our country, and later spread to the island countries of East Asia. Combined with the local culture of the island countries of East Asia, there are various ritual activities today, and gradually formed the national culture of the island countries of East Asia. feature."
"Is that so?" Lao Xiao, who was on the video call, was taken aback after hearing Lu Weiwei's remarks:
"I said, how can my daughter draw such weird things, and the co-authors are all influenced by that side?"
"And the magazine she works with is also from the East Asian island country. I said, how can we allow such creepy things to appear here?"
After a pause, Old Xiao said again: "My daughter happened to see a strange mask after participating in some summer festival."
"The mask looks like a ghost. Someone wore the mask to participate in the comic exhibition, and there was a sacrifice, so my daughter was very impressed."
"Later, because of her boyfriend's empathy, distorted thoughts occurred in her heart, and she couldn't think about it, so she began to reject the people around her."
"Gradually, her work also started to develop this style featuring ghosts."
Taking a deep breath, Lao Xiao said again: "But what makes me strange is that I originally thought that no one would like her works."
"But later I found out that I was completely wrong. The comic magazines of the island countries in East Asia seemed to be very interested in these works of hers and began to cooperate with her for a long time."
"But……"
Speaking of this, Lao Xiao had a sore nose, and said with a sob: "But, the more you paint this kind of thing, the darker side in your heart will increase."
"After all, if you want to paint this style with your soul, then obviously, how much hatred do you have to carry to complete this kind of work?"
"It was because of that period of time that my daughter's psychology became more and more complicated, and she also began to shut herself in the room."
"That's it. At first, my wife and I thought it was my daughter who was in a bad mood, but later we heard a report from the police saying that a girl drowned by the river and committed suicide by jumping into the river. They said that it might be my daughter."
"So I had an ominous premonition at the time, but later I found out that the woman who jumped into the river was really my daughter's queen. Her mother and I cried for a long time holding her dead body."
Sniffing, Old Xiao said again: "Since then, I lost my beloved daughter."
"Damn!" Listening to Lao Xiao's memories, Zhong Fakui said helplessly: "I said, Lao Xiao, if you let your daughter go and let her go to that young man, maybe your grandson is about to take the college entrance examination by now."
"But now, you have lost your daughter forever, and you have nothing. Why do you say you should?"
"I wanted to know that this would happen, and I would let her go, but...but..."
In the end, Lao Xiao couldn't speak anymore.
"But in reality, there are no ifs, only consequences." Gu Chen also continued.
Old Xiao nodded silently: "Yes, I was also at fault, but I have already handed over the picture and painting about this ghost to that young man, and I haven't contacted him since then."
"If you hadn't called today, I wouldn't have known that this ghost would still appear."
"Then, could this ghost head not be your daughter's original? It's your daughter's extension based on something else? After all, you said just now, this may be your daughter, who participated in some summer festival comic exhibition or something, occasionally Didn't you see it in the meantime?" Lu Weiwei also put forward her own opinion.
Old Xiao hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly said: "It's unlikely, my daughter likes originality, and I heard that this ghostly design has been favored by magazines in the East Asian island country, I'm sure."
"So, it should be my daughter's unique work."
"That's weird." Hearing what Old Xiao said, Gu Chen felt incredible.
Old Xiao asked Gu Chen curiously: "Officer Gu, you are always obsessed with this ghost head pattern, what exactly do you want to do?"
"Because it involves a fatal case." Gu Chen said.
"Destiny." Old Xiao didn't quite know at first, what is the purpose of the police looking for him at night?
But as soon as Gu Chen said his fate, Lao Xiao was stunned on the spot, and asked weakly:
"Comrade policeman, are you kidding me?"
"I'm not joking with you." Seeing that Lao Xiao still didn't understand the situation, Gu Chen simply explained to him:
"Maybe you don't know yet, but a murder was found in Wangchao Town. The deceased was a middle-aged man from Hubei province."
"After he came to Wangchao Town, he opened a hotel for more than ten days. We thought he was here to participate in the blueberry picking festival."
"But later I found out that this is not the case at all. He came here to worship. The person who was burned to death at the sponge factory in Wangchao Town 15 years ago was said to be a wandering entertainer in Hubei Province."
When he heard the words "E Province", "Wandering artist" and "15 years ago", Lao Xiao's thoughts were also tumbling quickly, and he quickly remembered the fire that happened 15 years ago, so he hurriedly replied:
"That's right, the fire happened at the sponge factory in Wangchao Town, and I heard that it burned to death a homeless person from Hubei Province."
"This happened 15 years ago, and I heard that the body was buried on a mountain near Wangchao Town."
"Yes." Seeing that Lao Xiao knew about it, Lu Weiwei quickly agreed:
"But this middle-aged man who came to Wangchao Town, he went out early and returned late every day for more than ten consecutive days, and he went to the mountain to sacrifice to the man who was burned to death."
"Everyone doesn't know what's going on? And we're still investigating another case, because we noticed this strange character, so we want to investigate."
"But while we were looking for this man, we found that this man was poisoned to death in that ancient temple in the mountains."
"What? He was poisoned to death?" Hearing Lu Weiwei's words, Lao Xiao frowned slightly, and seemed to become nervous.
Gu Chen continued: "Then we went to find the grave that had been buried for 15 years, and dug it up, to confirm the difference between the person who was burned to death 15 years ago and this person now. What are the differences."
"But we unexpectedly discovered that the coffin was empty."
"Empty?" Hearing this, Lao Xiao couldn't help being stunned.
Gu Chen nodded fiercely: "Not only is it empty, but the side of the coffin was also painted with that ghost head pattern."
"Besides, it's not from the beginning, but it's the latest painting."
"Also, we found a piece of bamboo 200 meters away from the tomb."
"And on this piece of bamboo, the same group is also drawn."
"You mean... that ghost head pattern is also on the bamboo piece?" Old Xiao seemed to understand the meaning.
Gu Chen nodded silently: "Yes, so we also heard from Boss Zhong that he had seen this design and concluded that it was your daughter's work back then."
"That's why we decided to ask you to find out about the situation at night."
"I understand." Hearing Gu Chen's explanation, Lao Xiao also nodded slowly, but said helplessly:
"But Comrade Police, the original manuscript of that work has been taken away by my daughter's ex-boyfriend after attending the funeral, and it is not with me."
"Besides, I don't quite understand why that man chose to take away the work of that ghost among the many sketches."
"But from his expression, I seem to see a kind of bewilderment."
"Demented?" Police Officer Wang was a little confused, and also asked: "Master Xiao, what do you mean by deranged?"
"Uh, I'm not sure about the specifics. It's the kind of expression that starts to become a little distorted as soon as you see this painting."
"After all, these paintings are creepy to look at. I don't like these works, and I don't want these works of my daughter to be buried with her."
"So, I originally waited until the funeral was over, and then I threw all these things into the trash can."
"I didn't expect that my daughter's ex-boyfriend would take the initiative to find me and explain to me that he wanted to take that painting away and keep it as a memory."
"After all, after my daughter was sent to the crematorium and burned to ashes, there will be no more of my daughter in this world..."
Sucking his nose, Lao Xiao also choked up and said: "So, seeing that he still has a little conscience, at least he came to attend my daughter's funeral. As soon as I softened my heart, I gave him the painting of the ghost."
"Then did he tell you anything when he took away the drawing paper?" Director Xu Feng asked.
"This...let me think about it." After all, it was the past 15 years, and Lao Xiao doesn't seem to remember clearly now.
But after waiting for a long time, he said slowly: "He seems to say that he will definitely keep this work well."
"I originally planned to throw this away, but now someone wants to take it away if he finds it as a treasure, so I'll let him take it away, and I have nothing to miss."
"So, I think this drawing should still be in the hands of my daughter's ex-boyfriend."
"Then can you still contact him now?" Lu Weiwei said.
Old Xiao shook his head: "I don't know, after all, although I have saved that phone number, I haven't contacted it all the time."
"Besides, that guy never contacted me, so I don't know if I can still get in touch?"
Hearing Lao Xiao's remarks, Gu Chen also came to him, and said meaningfully:
"Master Xiao, this incident seems to be related to your daughter's posthumous ghost, so we would like to ask you to contact your daughter's ex-boyfriend to see if he knows something? Is that possible? "
"This……"
After being told by Gu Chen, Lao Xiao seemed a little embarrassed.
Seeing this, Xu Feng, the director of the department, also urged him: "I said, Lao Xiao, why are you embarrassed? Anyway, it's just a phone call. If you don't want to make a call, then you hand over the phone and we'll call. What do you think?" ?”
"Okay... okay." Seeing that everyone doesn't need to dial the number himself, Lao Xiao reminded:
"Wait a minute, let me check."
"Okay, we're not in a hurry." Gu Chen said comfortingly.
Also after a while, Lao Xiao finally found the contact number of that person in his address book, so he hurriedly reported it to everyone.
Director Xu Feng also took out a pen and paper, quickly recorded, and then asked: "What's this guy's name?"
"It's... called Zhang Liang." Old Xiao said.
"Zhang Liang? Dongliang's 'Liang'?" Xu Feng asked again.
"Yes, it is the 'beam' of Dongliang." Old Xiao said.
After Xu Feng finished writing, he immediately picked up the phone on his desk and dialed it.
The phone rang "everything", and everyone waited for a long time, but the phone on the other end was not connected.
But Xu Feng didn't give up, and continued to dial for the second time.
This time, the phone nods and the sound of "Dudu" rings differently, but still no one answers the phone.
On the other end of the video call, Lao Xiao is also closely watching all kinds of movements in the Wangchao Town Police Station, especially wanting to see how this person who has not seen him for 15 years is doing now.
After all, it was because of him that her daughter chose to commit suicide by jumping into the river.
If this guy is doing well, then Lao Xiao will be sad.
But if this guy is having a bad time, then Lao Xiao will be sad too.
Just when everyone was about to hang up the phone again, there was a sudden sound of connecting on the other end.
"Hello? Who is it?" A middle-aged man responded on the phone.
"Excuse me, are you Zhang Liang?" Xu Feng turned on the speakerphone and said.
"That's right, I'm Zhang Liang, who are you?" On the phone, the man named Zhang Liang also asked curiously.
Xu Feng stabilized his emotions, and then continued: "I am Xu Feng, director of the Furong Branch of Jiangnan City, Wangchao Town Police Station."
"Xu Feng? Wangchao Town?" Seemingly unfamiliar with these names, Zhang Liang on the phone also asked curiously:
"Could you be liars? I've seen calls like this a lot. I have nothing to do with Jiangnan City."
Seeing that Zhang Liang seemed likely to hang up the phone, Xu Feng hurriedly said, "Then do you still remember that your ex-girlfriend committed suicide by jumping into the river for you?"
Hearing this incident also suddenly, Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone obviously had some mood swings.
After a while, Zhang Liang replied, "Wait for me."
Soon, everyone heard a movement on the other end of the phone, as if they were walking.
Not long after, Zhang Liang said again: "You said you are the director of Wangchao Town Police Station, Furong Sub-bureau, Jiangnan City, so how did you get my phone number?"
"Your ex-girlfriend's father told us." Xu Feng said.
"Him? Why did he tell you my phone number? Are you really the police? I haven't contacted him for more than ten years. How is it possible?"
Judging from Zhang Liang's tone, he seemed to be suspicious of everyone's identities, so when communicating with everyone, Zhang Liang on the other end seemed to be on all sorts of vigilance.
Xu Feng was also a little helpless, so he glanced at Lao Xiao in Zhong Fakui's cell phone video, and said:
"Old Xiao, why don't you talk to him?"
After Xu Feng finished speaking, Zhong Fakui immediately took the phone to the landline.
Although the old Xiao in the video was helpless in every way, he still said helplessly, "Zhang Liang, do I recognize me?"
"Uncle...Uncle?" Hearing this familiar voice, Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone seemed to become polite immediately:
"Are you really an uncle? Did you really call the police?"
"That's right, I gave it to you." Old Xiao spoke with emotion, as if he was still brooding over the events of the year.
But Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone said cautiously at this moment: "Uncle... Uncle, I am really sorry for your daughter's death, but it has been more than ten years since this incident, and we all have our own lives .”
"Besides, I also knelt down to your elders back then, and your elders also forgave me, but today, why did you contact the police to find me again? Do you still think that I have to pay for your daughter's death?"
"What did you say? Did I say that?" It was also Zhang Liang who was on the phone and said this.
Lao Xiao, who was already suffocating, suddenly said angrily: "It was the police who found me and asked me to contact you."
"Otherwise, why should I contact you? Really."
At the end of the talk, Lao Xiao also began to have various thoughts.
Hearing this, Zhang Liang also asked weakly, "So...so, what is the police looking for me for?"
"Zhang Liang, right?" I also saw Zhang Liang on the phone, and I still don't understand why the police in Jiangnan City suddenly found me at night.
So Gu Chen reported his family name and said, "I am Gu Chen, captain of the criminal investigation team of the Furong Branch of Jiangnan City."
"Gu...Hello, Captain Gu." When he heard the words from the captain of the criminal investigation team, Zhang Liang suddenly became very polite: "Do you need something from me?"
"When you came to the funeral of your ex-girlfriend, you took something from your ex-girlfriend, do you remember?" Gu Chen asked.
"The things you took away?" Hearing what Gu Chen said, Zhang Liang seemed to be lost in thought.
But after a while, Zhang Liang replied immediately: "I remember, I seem to have taken away a drawing of my ex-girlfriend."
"Yes, that's the one." Gu Chen said.
Zhang Liang was a little puzzled: "But that's just a drawing, why do you ask this?"
After all, 15 years have passed, but the police suddenly asked about the painting, which inevitably made people unable to turn the corner.
So Zhang Liang's curiosity is also normal.
Gu Chen asked him righteously: "Do you remember what that painting is?"
"What is it? It's... a picture of a ghost head." Zhang Liang said.
"Then, is this painting still in your possession?" Gu Chen asked again.
"This... seems to be there, but, as you know, I already have my own family. I can only keep this ex-girlfriend's stuff as a memory, so I secretly keep it in the basement."
"When my wife asked, she said it was a gift from a friend, but because the ghost head was too scary, I was afraid of scaring my lover, so I kept the painting sealed up."
After thinking about it, Zhang Liang asked again: "But, does this have anything to do with you looking for me?"
"Let me tell you this." Seeing that Zhang Liang was easy to communicate with, Gu Chen said frankly:
"From Wangchao Town, Jiangnan City, a man from Hubei Province came. He booked a room for more than ten days in a hotel in Wangchao Town."
"However, he leaves early and returns late every day, and goes to a wild grave on the mountain to worship."
"This wild grave is the grave of the person who was burned to death in the sponge factory because of a fire 15 years ago."
"This man has always played erhu and begged for a living, but because the weather was too cold, he hid and slept in the warehouse of the sponge factory in Wangchao Town. He was burned to death in a fire, and his identity is still unknown."
"On our side, he has been buried at the back mountain of Wangchao Town."
After a pause, Gu Chen said again: "But this worshiper from E Province was also poisoned today, and the corpse in that wild grave has disappeared."
"Also, we found a recently painted ghost head pattern on the side of the coffin."
"At a distance of 200 meters from the coffin, I also picked up a small piece of bamboo, and on the bamboo piece, this ghost head pattern was also drawn."
"So... so, the ghost head pattern you are talking about...could it be the pattern on the painting of my ex-girlfriend, right?"
Hearing Gu Chen's explanation, Zhang Liang seemed to have guessed the meaning.
Gu Chen nodded silently, and took the initiative to admit: "That's right, it's that ghost head pattern."
"From this point of view, we have verified that the people who saw the painting at the time have also contacted your ex-girlfriend's father."
"With him, we have also been verified that this is your ex-girlfriend's original painting ghost head."
"No...impossible? How is this possible?" Hearing Gu Chen's words, Zhang Liang seemed a little restless.
Gu Chen asked again: "What's wrong? What do you want to say?"
"That painting, that painting, actually..."
Having said this, the man seemed a little flustered.
Gu Chen frowned slightly, and asked, "Actually, what? Tell me clearly."
"I...I don't know, this...may have nothing to do with me."
"How could it have nothing to do with you?" Hearing Zhang Liang's remarks, Old Xiao immediately said angrily:
"You came to my daughter's funeral back then, and before you left, you told me in person that you wanted to take away my daughter's painting of the ghost head and keep it in your memory. Have you forgotten?"
Seeing the silence on the other end of the phone, he seemed a little afraid of himself, so Lao Xiao said again: "You also said that you would keep that work well, and that's what you said."
"And you also said just now that you were afraid that your wife and children would be scared when they saw it, so you secretly sealed that work in the basement. You also said that it was a gift from a friend. Isn't that what you said just now?"
"But since you have sealed my daughter's posthumous work in the basement, no one should see it."
"Now the ghost head pattern originally created by my daughter suddenly appeared in our Wangchao Town in Jiangnan City. Do you dare to say that this matter has nothing to do with you?"
"No... no, Uncle, that's not how it works."
"Is it not like this or what? Tell me clearly." Facing Zhang Liang's various explanations, Lao Xiao also seemed to be angry.
Yes, the daughter's relics were originally given to Zhang Liang for preservation, and Zhang Liang also admitted that he would take good care of them.
But now, this kind of ghost head pattern suddenly appeared in Wangchao Town, and it also involved life.
A man from Hubei Province was suddenly poisoned to death, while another body that had been dead for more than 15 years disappeared.
This made Lao Xiao himself feel a little terrifying.
But when I asked the daughter's ex-boyfriend again, he faltered.
As soon as Lao Xiao heard it, he knew that there must be a problem here.
After being reprimanded by Lao Xiao, Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone also sighed at this moment, and said helplessly:
"Uncle, it's...it's my fault. There is something that I should tell you clearly. I..."
"What are you? Why are you stammering?"
It also felt that this beam seemed to be hiding something, and Lao Xiao also yelled angrily.
Zhang Liang is even more timid at the moment, but now it involves sensitivity, and the police from the criminal investigation team have also found him.
Obviously, there are some things, if you don't make it clear, you may have to get involved.
So Zhang Liang said slowly after repeated internal struggles: "Okay, this...it's all my fault. I shouldn't have kept it from you. In fact...in fact...the painting of your daughter is no longer in my possession."
"What did you say? It's not with you?" Hearing this, Lao Xiao on the video call also stared, and said to the phone:
"It's not with you? Where is it? Why does the ghost head pattern appear on someone's coffin?"
"Uncle, don't be in a hurry, it's not good to be in a hurry." Seeing that Lao Xiao was really anxious, Zhang Liang calmed down for a while and gave Lao Xiao a good vaccination, and then he said a little ashamedly:
"Actually, actually, I...I have already sold that painting of your daughter's to someone else."
"What? Sold?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Weiwei, Police Officer Wang, Xu Feng and Zhong Fakui who were present also spoke in unison, feeling incredible.
Gu Chen didn't startle, but was very calm.
Look at Lao Xiao in the video on Zhong Fakui's mobile phone. At this time, Lao Xiao seemed to be dumbfounded by these words, and he froze there, speechless for a moment.
However, Zhang Liang's reply came from the landline phone at this time: "Uncle, I know I was wrong about this, but I also had difficulties at the beginning, so don't be angry, or you can just scold me a few words, don't you Don't talk?"
"What else can I say?" Lao Xiao was so disappointed at the moment, tears began to flow out uncontrollably, and he said with a sob:
"My daughter trusted you so much. You were with other women. She jumped into the river and committed suicide. You came to her funeral in person. Well, I forgive you."
"You said you wanted to keep her a painting as a thought, okay, I agree with you taking that painting away."
"But you promised, you will keep that painting well, but you... what have you done?"
In the end, Lao Xiao cried.
...
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Director's Office.
Old Xiao was also confused by Zhong Fakui.
In the middle of the night, he made a video call to himself, but ended up talking about things at the police station.
If Lao Xiao hadn't known that Zhong Fakui was an acquaintance with the director of the Wangchao Town Police Station, he might have thought that this guy had been arrested.
But the sudden mention of the ghost head pattern 15 years ago made Lao Xiao feel creepy.
After all, Lao Xiao didn't want to mention this past event at all.
The pain of bereavement seems to have not yet healed, so Lao Xiao is not too clear about the purpose of the police, Zhong Fakui, and Sangen talking about these past events with him in the middle of the night.
Seeing that Lao Xiao didn't reply anymore, Gu Chen took Zhong Fakui's phone directly and said involuntarily:
"Master Xiao, hello, I'm Gu Chen, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Team of the Furong Branch, and I'm looking for you."
"You...you want to find me?" Seeing that Gu Chen was a young policeman, Old Xiao on the video call also asked weakly:
"Comrade policeman, I don't know, you came to me at night just because of this ghost head pattern?"
"Yes." Gu Chen said in a calm tone, "This ghost, I heard it was a work written by your daughter fifteen years ago? Is there such a thing?"
"Yes... yes." Although he didn't know what Gu Chen meant, Lao Xiao still nodded and admitted:
"This work, I remember, is a work of my daughter's before she was alive. I have seen it too, and I always feel that just looking at it can make people creepy."
"For this reason, I also persuaded my daughter to see a psychiatrist? After all, drawing these ghost works every day is getting more and more terrifying."
"I'm worried that my daughter's psychology will become extremely distorted in the long run..."
Speaking of this, Lao Xiao sighed a long time, and said helplessly: "But, what should come is still here. My daughter's psychology has actually gone wrong a long time ago."
"King Kong is not bad for the Great Walled Lord"
"Although I also noticed the signs, I didn't try my best to dissuade them, which led to my daughter committing suicide by jumping into the river..."
At the end of the talk, Lao Xiao also became choked up, as if the past was unbearable.
"Master Xiao." Seeing Lao Xiao's emotions, Gu Chen reminded him.
On the other end of the video call, Lao Xiao also sniffed, and said in a bad mood:
"Although it is said that my daughter committed suicide, she has nothing to do with her ex-boyfriend. If her ex-boyfriend hadn't moved on, I'm afraid this matter would never have happened."
"Besides, my daughter wouldn't be insane if it weren't for the neighbors around me who gossip every day. After all, these people are also accomplices."
"So, after my daughter passed away, I left Wangchao Town and went to work in other places. After all, this place is a sad place, and I rarely come back in recent years."
"That's right." Seeing that Lao Xiao seemed quite emotional, he was still brooding over what happened back then.
Moreover, Gu Chen found out from Lao Xiao's short words that Lao Xiao's daughter died. Although it was a suicide, apart from her boyfriend's empathy, the neighbor's gossip was also the indirect cause of Lao Xiao's daughter's mental breakdown.
Therefore, Gu Chen could only temporarily calm his emotions and said: "In fact, this world is indeed very interesting. Strange animals are protected, but strange people are excluded. People who are arrested into the confession room are all because of being arrested into the confession room. And repentance, the person who wronged you, actually knows how wronged you are better than you.”
"Isn't it?" It was also because Gu Chen said something in his heart that Lao Xiao was willing to confide in his heart:
"Those neighbors don't say anything on the surface, but they speak ill of my daughter behind their backs."
"They clearly knew that my daughter was the victim, but they made all kinds of assumptions, saying that my daughter must have treated her boyfriend badly, so her boyfriend moved on or something."
With a faint sigh, Lao Xiao also said helplessly: "Tell me, who am I going to reason with? Sometimes, I really don't know how to defend myself."
"I understand." Seeing that Lao Xiao was about to cry when he talked about what happened back then, Gu Chen also continued:
"The brave are angry and draw their knives at the stronger ones; the cowardly are angry but draw their knives at the weaker ones."
"Those who couldn't hear the music thought those who danced were crazy. Many people thought they were thinking, but in fact, they were just rearranging their prejudices."
"They can't understand your daughter, I'm sorry, but, after all, your daughter has been dead for fifteen years, and many things should be let go."
"After all, when your daughter's ex-boyfriend came to your daughter's funeral, didn't you blame him? You even gave him the drawings left by your daughter back then, which shows that you are more generous."
"Hehe." Hearing what Gu Chen said, Lao Xiao on the video call couldn't help laughing twice, and shook his head helplessly:
"Then what do you want me to do? As for the reason why it was like this at the beginning, in fact, to be honest, there are also my factors in it."
"Your factor?" Hearing what Lao Xiao said, Zhong Fakui also looked confused: "Hey, I said Lao Xiao, this matter, from the beginning to the end, was caused by that bastard boy, what does it have to do with you relation?"
Hearing Zhong Fakui's remarks, Lao Xiao also shook his head, sniffed, and then said slowly:
"Actually, there is one thing that I have kept in my heart for a long time, but I was unwilling to admit it at the time, but now that I have thought about it, I think I should say it."
Seeing that Old Xiao seemed to be hiding something, Lu Weiwei, who had been standing beside Gu Chen, couldn't help asking him curiously: "Master Xiao, does this have something to do with you?"
"That's right, it has something to do with me too." Master Xiao seemed to have stopped being entangled, and looked at the crowd and said slowly:
"When my daughter graduated, I always wanted her to stay and work in Jiangnan City."
"But her boyfriend is a child from a remote village in Hubei Province. After graduation, he has been working in Hubei Province."
"My daughter wanted to leave home and join her boyfriend, but I refused."
"After all, I'm just such a precious girl, raised so much, and suddenly I'm going to go away and not be by my side."
"You said, the outside world is so dangerous, don't I have to be careful?"
With a heavy sigh, Lao Xiao also choked up and said: "So, after I listened to my daughter's thoughts, I firmly opposed it, and her mother's persuasion was useless."
"After all, I'm not very familiar with that kid. Who knows if he will bully my daughter in the future? Let my daughter be wronged?"
"My daughter was spoiled and raised at home since she was a child, and she couldn't bear hardships at all. I was also afraid that she would suffer hardships. Therefore, for the sake of my daughter's happiness, I asked her to tell that man."
"Just say, if he really likes my daughter, he will leave Hubei Province and come to Jiangnan City to develop. It's as simple as that."
"So... so?" Police officer Wang was stunned for a while, and then asked:
"So later, that man didn't come over, right?"
"Damn!" Lao Xiao sighed heavily, and said with regret: "Maybe I said too much, and I lost that man's self-confidence."
"Originally, the relationship between the two of them was very good, but after I made such a toss, the relationship between the two also appeared cracks."
"That guy said that his major has room for development in Hubei Province, and he doesn't want to come to Jiangnan City."
"In the final analysis, isn't this just an excuse? He just doesn't love my daughter. If he really loved my daughter, he would definitely overcome difficulties and come to Jiangnan City, but he didn't."
Speaking of this, Lao Xiao was also out of breath, as if he was still very angry with what happened back then.
When Zhong Fakui heard the words, he also smiled and said: "Old Xiao, I said you are really, that guy, he has room for development in Hubei Province, so you have to let him come to our Jiangnan City?"
"Oh, your niece is your darling, baby lump, so that guy is not his parents' darling? Baby lump? You are so selfish."
"Yes, I'm just selfish." Lao Xiao seemed to be emotional, and admitted directly:
"I have raised my daughter so much, and she is about to leave me suddenly. Is it wrong for me to just want her to stay by my side?"
"Besides, I didn't say not to let her go, but that guy's attitude made me very disappointed, so for my daughter, I told her not to leave Jiangnan City until this guy agreed and was willing to come to Jiangnan City to develop."
"But I didn't expect that after that, that guy would date other women again, and my daughter would find out about it."
"Since then, my daughter's mental state seems to have been stimulated, and her painting style has also become darker."
Sniffing, trying to calm down, Lao Xiao said again: "In the earliest days, my daughter's paintings were all in that small and fresh style, and it was very healing to look at."
"But later on, the more I like to draw those ghosts and gods, it makes people feel scary."
"It's creepy for an adult like me. If a child sees it, it's okay? Doesn't it scare the child?"
"And I heard that the publishing house she cooperates with is from overseas, a comic publishing house in an island country in East Asia, so I don't quite agree."
With a heavy sigh, Lao Xiao on the video call also secretly wiped away his tears at this moment.
Seeing Lao Xiao's emotions, he began to go back to fifteen years ago. Gu Chen also returned to the topic and asked him: "Then, did your daughter tell you about the creation of this ghost? What does this mean?"
"What's the meaning?" Hearing Gu Chen's remarks, Lao Xiao recalled it for a few seconds, and then said slowly:
"I seem to have asked her too. After all, this thing looks scary, but she said that it was inspired by an event she participated in when she was in school. What kind of festival is it called?"
"Summer festival?" Lu Weiwei asked.
"Yes, what kind of summer festival? It seems to be a festival in the East Asian island country?" Old Xiao said.
Lu Weiwei nodded silently, and echoed, "That's right, it's a traditional festival in the East Asian island country."
"Lu Weiwei, what on earth is this festival for?" Xu Feng, the director of Wangchao Town Police Station, was a little puzzled, after all, he had never heard of such a thing.
Lu Weiwei explained patiently: "Generally speaking, summer festivals are some activities or festivals held in summer, and they are also traditional festivals in East Asian island countries. The time is about mid-July to late August every year."
"I remember that the 'sacrifice' culture is an important part of the traditional culture of the island countries in East Asia. The summer festival can be said to be the traditional cultural activity with the highest participation in the worship culture of the island countries in East Asia."
"Besides, on the day of the summer festival, there will be festival parades in the local area, and many performances will be held by folk associations."
"At that time, people would put on beautiful costumes and bathrobes, go out to the streets, do shopping, and participate in entertainment activities."
"Then isn't this similar to the temple fair in our country?" Police Officer Wang felt a little familiar the more he listened.
Lu Weiwei nodded fiercely: "That's right, some people say that this is what our country calls garden fairs and temple fairs."
"And when summer festivals are held in island countries in East Asia, the surrounding stores will also redecorate their stores on this day to carry out various special activities."
"In fact, the original customs of this kind of temple fair originally came from our country, and later spread to the island countries of East Asia. Combined with the local culture of the island countries of East Asia, there are various ritual activities today, and gradually formed the national culture of the island countries of East Asia. feature."
"Is that so?" Lao Xiao, who was on the video call, was taken aback after hearing Lu Weiwei's remarks:
"I said, how can my daughter draw such weird things, and the co-authors are all influenced by that side?"
"And the magazine she works with is also from the East Asian island country. I said, how can we allow such creepy things to appear here?"
After a pause, Old Xiao said again: "My daughter happened to see a strange mask after participating in some summer festival."
"The mask looks like a ghost. Someone wore the mask to participate in the comic exhibition, and there was a sacrifice, so my daughter was very impressed."
"Later, because of her boyfriend's empathy, distorted thoughts occurred in her heart, and she couldn't think about it, so she began to reject the people around her."
"Gradually, her work also started to develop this style featuring ghosts."
Taking a deep breath, Lao Xiao said again: "But what makes me strange is that I originally thought that no one would like her works."
"But later I found out that I was completely wrong. The comic magazines of the island countries in East Asia seemed to be very interested in these works of hers and began to cooperate with her for a long time."
"But……"
Speaking of this, Lao Xiao had a sore nose, and said with a sob: "But, the more you paint this kind of thing, the darker side in your heart will increase."
"After all, if you want to paint this style with your soul, then obviously, how much hatred do you have to carry to complete this kind of work?"
"It was because of that period of time that my daughter's psychology became more and more complicated, and she also began to shut herself in the room."
"That's it. At first, my wife and I thought it was my daughter who was in a bad mood, but later we heard a report from the police saying that a girl drowned by the river and committed suicide by jumping into the river. They said that it might be my daughter."
"So I had an ominous premonition at the time, but later I found out that the woman who jumped into the river was really my daughter's queen. Her mother and I cried for a long time holding her dead body."
Sniffing, Old Xiao said again: "Since then, I lost my beloved daughter."
"Damn!" Listening to Lao Xiao's memories, Zhong Fakui said helplessly: "I said, Lao Xiao, if you let your daughter go and let her go to that young man, maybe your grandson is about to take the college entrance examination by now."
"But now, you have lost your daughter forever, and you have nothing. Why do you say you should?"
"I wanted to know that this would happen, and I would let her go, but...but..."
In the end, Lao Xiao couldn't speak anymore.
"But in reality, there are no ifs, only consequences." Gu Chen also continued.
Old Xiao nodded silently: "Yes, I was also at fault, but I have already handed over the picture and painting about this ghost to that young man, and I haven't contacted him since then."
"If you hadn't called today, I wouldn't have known that this ghost would still appear."
"Then, could this ghost head not be your daughter's original? It's your daughter's extension based on something else? After all, you said just now, this may be your daughter, who participated in some summer festival comic exhibition or something, occasionally Didn't you see it in the meantime?" Lu Weiwei also put forward her own opinion.
Old Xiao hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly said: "It's unlikely, my daughter likes originality, and I heard that this ghostly design has been favored by magazines in the East Asian island country, I'm sure."
"So, it should be my daughter's unique work."
"That's weird." Hearing what Old Xiao said, Gu Chen felt incredible.
Old Xiao asked Gu Chen curiously: "Officer Gu, you are always obsessed with this ghost head pattern, what exactly do you want to do?"
"Because it involves a fatal case." Gu Chen said.
"Destiny." Old Xiao didn't quite know at first, what is the purpose of the police looking for him at night?
But as soon as Gu Chen said his fate, Lao Xiao was stunned on the spot, and asked weakly:
"Comrade policeman, are you kidding me?"
"I'm not joking with you." Seeing that Lao Xiao still didn't understand the situation, Gu Chen simply explained to him:
"Maybe you don't know yet, but a murder was found in Wangchao Town. The deceased was a middle-aged man from Hubei province."
"After he came to Wangchao Town, he opened a hotel for more than ten days. We thought he was here to participate in the blueberry picking festival."
"But later I found out that this is not the case at all. He came here to worship. The person who was burned to death at the sponge factory in Wangchao Town 15 years ago was said to be a wandering entertainer in Hubei Province."
When he heard the words "E Province", "Wandering artist" and "15 years ago", Lao Xiao's thoughts were also tumbling quickly, and he quickly remembered the fire that happened 15 years ago, so he hurriedly replied:
"That's right, the fire happened at the sponge factory in Wangchao Town, and I heard that it burned to death a homeless person from Hubei Province."
"This happened 15 years ago, and I heard that the body was buried on a mountain near Wangchao Town."
"Yes." Seeing that Lao Xiao knew about it, Lu Weiwei quickly agreed:
"But this middle-aged man who came to Wangchao Town, he went out early and returned late every day for more than ten consecutive days, and he went to the mountain to sacrifice to the man who was burned to death."
"Everyone doesn't know what's going on? And we're still investigating another case, because we noticed this strange character, so we want to investigate."
"But while we were looking for this man, we found that this man was poisoned to death in that ancient temple in the mountains."
"What? He was poisoned to death?" Hearing Lu Weiwei's words, Lao Xiao frowned slightly, and seemed to become nervous.
Gu Chen continued: "Then we went to find the grave that had been buried for 15 years, and dug it up, to confirm the difference between the person who was burned to death 15 years ago and this person now. What are the differences."
"But we unexpectedly discovered that the coffin was empty."
"Empty?" Hearing this, Lao Xiao couldn't help being stunned.
Gu Chen nodded fiercely: "Not only is it empty, but the side of the coffin was also painted with that ghost head pattern."
"Besides, it's not from the beginning, but it's the latest painting."
"Also, we found a piece of bamboo 200 meters away from the tomb."
"And on this piece of bamboo, the same group is also drawn."
"You mean... that ghost head pattern is also on the bamboo piece?" Old Xiao seemed to understand the meaning.
Gu Chen nodded silently: "Yes, so we also heard from Boss Zhong that he had seen this design and concluded that it was your daughter's work back then."
"That's why we decided to ask you to find out about the situation at night."
"I understand." Hearing Gu Chen's explanation, Lao Xiao also nodded slowly, but said helplessly:
"But Comrade Police, the original manuscript of that work has been taken away by my daughter's ex-boyfriend after attending the funeral, and it is not with me."
"Besides, I don't quite understand why that man chose to take away the work of that ghost among the many sketches."
"But from his expression, I seem to see a kind of bewilderment."
"Demented?" Police Officer Wang was a little confused, and also asked: "Master Xiao, what do you mean by deranged?"
"Uh, I'm not sure about the specifics. It's the kind of expression that starts to become a little distorted as soon as you see this painting."
"After all, these paintings are creepy to look at. I don't like these works, and I don't want these works of my daughter to be buried with her."
"So, I originally waited until the funeral was over, and then I threw all these things into the trash can."
"I didn't expect that my daughter's ex-boyfriend would take the initiative to find me and explain to me that he wanted to take that painting away and keep it as a memory."
"After all, after my daughter was sent to the crematorium and burned to ashes, there will be no more of my daughter in this world..."
Sucking his nose, Lao Xiao also choked up and said: "So, seeing that he still has a little conscience, at least he came to attend my daughter's funeral. As soon as I softened my heart, I gave him the painting of the ghost."
"Then did he tell you anything when he took away the drawing paper?" Director Xu Feng asked.
"This...let me think about it." After all, it was the past 15 years, and Lao Xiao doesn't seem to remember clearly now.
But after waiting for a long time, he said slowly: "He seems to say that he will definitely keep this work well."
"I originally planned to throw this away, but now someone wants to take it away if he finds it as a treasure, so I'll let him take it away, and I have nothing to miss."
"So, I think this drawing should still be in the hands of my daughter's ex-boyfriend."
"Then can you still contact him now?" Lu Weiwei said.
Old Xiao shook his head: "I don't know, after all, although I have saved that phone number, I haven't contacted it all the time."
"Besides, that guy never contacted me, so I don't know if I can still get in touch?"
Hearing Lao Xiao's remarks, Gu Chen also came to him, and said meaningfully:
"Master Xiao, this incident seems to be related to your daughter's posthumous ghost, so we would like to ask you to contact your daughter's ex-boyfriend to see if he knows something? Is that possible? "
"This……"
After being told by Gu Chen, Lao Xiao seemed a little embarrassed.
Seeing this, Xu Feng, the director of the department, also urged him: "I said, Lao Xiao, why are you embarrassed? Anyway, it's just a phone call. If you don't want to make a call, then you hand over the phone and we'll call. What do you think?" ?”
"Okay... okay." Seeing that everyone doesn't need to dial the number himself, Lao Xiao reminded:
"Wait a minute, let me check."
"Okay, we're not in a hurry." Gu Chen said comfortingly.
Also after a while, Lao Xiao finally found the contact number of that person in his address book, so he hurriedly reported it to everyone.
Director Xu Feng also took out a pen and paper, quickly recorded, and then asked: "What's this guy's name?"
"It's... called Zhang Liang." Old Xiao said.
"Zhang Liang? Dongliang's 'Liang'?" Xu Feng asked again.
"Yes, it is the 'beam' of Dongliang." Old Xiao said.
After Xu Feng finished writing, he immediately picked up the phone on his desk and dialed it.
The phone rang "everything", and everyone waited for a long time, but the phone on the other end was not connected.
But Xu Feng didn't give up, and continued to dial for the second time.
This time, the phone nods and the sound of "Dudu" rings differently, but still no one answers the phone.
On the other end of the video call, Lao Xiao is also closely watching all kinds of movements in the Wangchao Town Police Station, especially wanting to see how this person who has not seen him for 15 years is doing now.
After all, it was because of him that her daughter chose to commit suicide by jumping into the river.
If this guy is doing well, then Lao Xiao will be sad.
But if this guy is having a bad time, then Lao Xiao will be sad too.
Just when everyone was about to hang up the phone again, there was a sudden sound of connecting on the other end.
"Hello? Who is it?" A middle-aged man responded on the phone.
"Excuse me, are you Zhang Liang?" Xu Feng turned on the speakerphone and said.
"That's right, I'm Zhang Liang, who are you?" On the phone, the man named Zhang Liang also asked curiously.
Xu Feng stabilized his emotions, and then continued: "I am Xu Feng, director of the Furong Branch of Jiangnan City, Wangchao Town Police Station."
"Xu Feng? Wangchao Town?" Seemingly unfamiliar with these names, Zhang Liang on the phone also asked curiously:
"Could you be liars? I've seen calls like this a lot. I have nothing to do with Jiangnan City."
Seeing that Zhang Liang seemed likely to hang up the phone, Xu Feng hurriedly said, "Then do you still remember that your ex-girlfriend committed suicide by jumping into the river for you?"
Hearing this incident also suddenly, Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone obviously had some mood swings.
After a while, Zhang Liang replied, "Wait for me."
Soon, everyone heard a movement on the other end of the phone, as if they were walking.
Not long after, Zhang Liang said again: "You said you are the director of Wangchao Town Police Station, Furong Sub-bureau, Jiangnan City, so how did you get my phone number?"
"Your ex-girlfriend's father told us." Xu Feng said.
"Him? Why did he tell you my phone number? Are you really the police? I haven't contacted him for more than ten years. How is it possible?"
Judging from Zhang Liang's tone, he seemed to be suspicious of everyone's identities, so when communicating with everyone, Zhang Liang on the other end seemed to be on all sorts of vigilance.
Xu Feng was also a little helpless, so he glanced at Lao Xiao in Zhong Fakui's cell phone video, and said:
"Old Xiao, why don't you talk to him?"
After Xu Feng finished speaking, Zhong Fakui immediately took the phone to the landline.
Although the old Xiao in the video was helpless in every way, he still said helplessly, "Zhang Liang, do I recognize me?"
"Uncle...Uncle?" Hearing this familiar voice, Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone seemed to become polite immediately:
"Are you really an uncle? Did you really call the police?"
"That's right, I gave it to you." Old Xiao spoke with emotion, as if he was still brooding over the events of the year.
But Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone said cautiously at this moment: "Uncle... Uncle, I am really sorry for your daughter's death, but it has been more than ten years since this incident, and we all have our own lives .”
"Besides, I also knelt down to your elders back then, and your elders also forgave me, but today, why did you contact the police to find me again? Do you still think that I have to pay for your daughter's death?"
"What did you say? Did I say that?" It was also Zhang Liang who was on the phone and said this.
Lao Xiao, who was already suffocating, suddenly said angrily: "It was the police who found me and asked me to contact you."
"Otherwise, why should I contact you? Really."
At the end of the talk, Lao Xiao also began to have various thoughts.
Hearing this, Zhang Liang also asked weakly, "So...so, what is the police looking for me for?"
"Zhang Liang, right?" I also saw Zhang Liang on the phone, and I still don't understand why the police in Jiangnan City suddenly found me at night.
So Gu Chen reported his family name and said, "I am Gu Chen, captain of the criminal investigation team of the Furong Branch of Jiangnan City."
"Gu...Hello, Captain Gu." When he heard the words from the captain of the criminal investigation team, Zhang Liang suddenly became very polite: "Do you need something from me?"
"When you came to the funeral of your ex-girlfriend, you took something from your ex-girlfriend, do you remember?" Gu Chen asked.
"The things you took away?" Hearing what Gu Chen said, Zhang Liang seemed to be lost in thought.
But after a while, Zhang Liang replied immediately: "I remember, I seem to have taken away a drawing of my ex-girlfriend."
"Yes, that's the one." Gu Chen said.
Zhang Liang was a little puzzled: "But that's just a drawing, why do you ask this?"
After all, 15 years have passed, but the police suddenly asked about the painting, which inevitably made people unable to turn the corner.
So Zhang Liang's curiosity is also normal.
Gu Chen asked him righteously: "Do you remember what that painting is?"
"What is it? It's... a picture of a ghost head." Zhang Liang said.
"Then, is this painting still in your possession?" Gu Chen asked again.
"This... seems to be there, but, as you know, I already have my own family. I can only keep this ex-girlfriend's stuff as a memory, so I secretly keep it in the basement."
"When my wife asked, she said it was a gift from a friend, but because the ghost head was too scary, I was afraid of scaring my lover, so I kept the painting sealed up."
After thinking about it, Zhang Liang asked again: "But, does this have anything to do with you looking for me?"
"Let me tell you this." Seeing that Zhang Liang was easy to communicate with, Gu Chen said frankly:
"From Wangchao Town, Jiangnan City, a man from Hubei Province came. He booked a room for more than ten days in a hotel in Wangchao Town."
"However, he leaves early and returns late every day, and goes to a wild grave on the mountain to worship."
"This wild grave is the grave of the person who was burned to death in the sponge factory because of a fire 15 years ago."
"This man has always played erhu and begged for a living, but because the weather was too cold, he hid and slept in the warehouse of the sponge factory in Wangchao Town. He was burned to death in a fire, and his identity is still unknown."
"On our side, he has been buried at the back mountain of Wangchao Town."
After a pause, Gu Chen said again: "But this worshiper from E Province was also poisoned today, and the corpse in that wild grave has disappeared."
"Also, we found a recently painted ghost head pattern on the side of the coffin."
"At a distance of 200 meters from the coffin, I also picked up a small piece of bamboo, and on the bamboo piece, this ghost head pattern was also drawn."
"So... so, the ghost head pattern you are talking about...could it be the pattern on the painting of my ex-girlfriend, right?"
Hearing Gu Chen's explanation, Zhang Liang seemed to have guessed the meaning.
Gu Chen nodded silently, and took the initiative to admit: "That's right, it's that ghost head pattern."
"From this point of view, we have verified that the people who saw the painting at the time have also contacted your ex-girlfriend's father."
"With him, we have also been verified that this is your ex-girlfriend's original painting ghost head."
"No...impossible? How is this possible?" Hearing Gu Chen's words, Zhang Liang seemed a little restless.
Gu Chen asked again: "What's wrong? What do you want to say?"
"That painting, that painting, actually..."
Having said this, the man seemed a little flustered.
Gu Chen frowned slightly, and asked, "Actually, what? Tell me clearly."
"I...I don't know, this...may have nothing to do with me."
"How could it have nothing to do with you?" Hearing Zhang Liang's remarks, Old Xiao immediately said angrily:
"You came to my daughter's funeral back then, and before you left, you told me in person that you wanted to take away my daughter's painting of the ghost head and keep it in your memory. Have you forgotten?"
Seeing the silence on the other end of the phone, he seemed a little afraid of himself, so Lao Xiao said again: "You also said that you would keep that work well, and that's what you said."
"And you also said just now that you were afraid that your wife and children would be scared when they saw it, so you secretly sealed that work in the basement. You also said that it was a gift from a friend. Isn't that what you said just now?"
"But since you have sealed my daughter's posthumous work in the basement, no one should see it."
"Now the ghost head pattern originally created by my daughter suddenly appeared in our Wangchao Town in Jiangnan City. Do you dare to say that this matter has nothing to do with you?"
"No... no, Uncle, that's not how it works."
"Is it not like this or what? Tell me clearly." Facing Zhang Liang's various explanations, Lao Xiao also seemed to be angry.
Yes, the daughter's relics were originally given to Zhang Liang for preservation, and Zhang Liang also admitted that he would take good care of them.
But now, this kind of ghost head pattern suddenly appeared in Wangchao Town, and it also involved life.
A man from Hubei Province was suddenly poisoned to death, while another body that had been dead for more than 15 years disappeared.
This made Lao Xiao himself feel a little terrifying.
But when I asked the daughter's ex-boyfriend again, he faltered.
As soon as Lao Xiao heard it, he knew that there must be a problem here.
After being reprimanded by Lao Xiao, Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone also sighed at this moment, and said helplessly:
"Uncle, it's...it's my fault. There is something that I should tell you clearly. I..."
"What are you? Why are you stammering?"
It also felt that this beam seemed to be hiding something, and Lao Xiao also yelled angrily.
Zhang Liang is even more timid at the moment, but now it involves sensitivity, and the police from the criminal investigation team have also found him.
Obviously, there are some things, if you don't make it clear, you may have to get involved.
So Zhang Liang said slowly after repeated internal struggles: "Okay, this...it's all my fault. I shouldn't have kept it from you. In fact...in fact...the painting of your daughter is no longer in my possession."
"What did you say? It's not with you?" Hearing this, Lao Xiao on the video call also stared, and said to the phone:
"It's not with you? Where is it? Why does the ghost head pattern appear on someone's coffin?"
"Uncle, don't be in a hurry, it's not good to be in a hurry." Seeing that Lao Xiao was really anxious, Zhang Liang calmed down for a while and gave Lao Xiao a good vaccination, and then he said a little ashamedly:
"Actually, actually, I...I have already sold that painting of your daughter's to someone else."
"What? Sold?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Weiwei, Police Officer Wang, Xu Feng and Zhong Fakui who were present also spoke in unison, feeling incredible.
Gu Chen didn't startle, but was very calm.
Look at Lao Xiao in the video on Zhong Fakui's mobile phone. At this time, Lao Xiao seemed to be dumbfounded by these words, and he froze there, speechless for a moment.
However, Zhang Liang's reply came from the landline phone at this time: "Uncle, I know I was wrong about this, but I also had difficulties at the beginning, so don't be angry, or you can just scold me a few words, don't you Don't talk?"
"What else can I say?" Lao Xiao was so disappointed at the moment, tears began to flow out uncontrollably, and he said with a sob:
"My daughter trusted you so much. You were with other women. She jumped into the river and committed suicide. You came to her funeral in person. Well, I forgive you."
"You said you wanted to keep her a painting as a thought, okay, I agree with you taking that painting away."
"But you promised, you will keep that painting well, but you... what have you done?"
In the end, Lao Xiao cried.
...
Director's Office. Old Xiao was also confused by Zhong Fakui. In the middle of the night, he made a video call to himself, but ended up talking about things at the police station. If Lao Xiao hadn't known that Zhong Fakui was an acquaintance with the director of the Wangchao Town Police Station, he might have thought that this guy had been arrested. But the sudden mention of the ghost head pattern 15 years ago made Lao Xiao feel creepy. After all, Lao Xiao didn't want to mention this past event at all. The pain of bereavement seems to have not yet healed, so Lao Xiao is not too clear about the purpose of the police, Zhong Fakui, and Sangen talking about these past events with him in the middle of the night. Seeing that Lao Xiao didn't reply anymore, Gu Chen took Zhong Fakui's phone directly and said involuntarily: "Master Xiao, hello, I'm Gu Chen, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Team of the Furong Branch, and I'm looking for you." "You...you want to find me?" Seeing that Gu Chen was a young policeman, Old Xiao on the video call also asked weakly: "Comrade policeman, I don't know, you came to me at night just because of this ghost head pattern?" "Yes." Gu Chen said in a calm tone, "This ghost, I heard it was a work written by your daughter fifteen years ago? Is there such a thing?" "Yes... yes." Although he didn't know what Gu Chen meant, Lao Xiao still nodded and admitted: "This work, I remember, is a work of my daughter's before she was alive. I have seen it too, and I always feel that just looking at it can make people creepy." "For this reason, I also persuaded my daughter to see a psychiatrist? After all, drawing these ghost works every day is getting more and more terrifying." "I'm worried that my daughter's psychology will become extremely distorted in the long run..." Speaking of this, Lao Xiao sighed a long time, and said helplessly: "But, what should come is still here. My daughter's psychology has actually gone wrong a long time ago." "King Kong is not bad for the Great Walled Lord" "Although I also noticed the signs, I didn't try my best to dissuade them, which led to my daughter committing suicide by jumping into the river..." At the end of the talk, Lao Xiao also became choked up, as if the past was unbearable. "Master Xiao." Seeing Lao Xiao's emotions, Gu Chen reminded him. On the other end of the video call, Lao Xiao also sniffed, and said in a bad mood: "Although it is said that my daughter committed suicide, she has nothing to do with her ex-boyfriend. If her ex-boyfriend hadn't moved on, I'm afraid this matter would never have happened." "Besides, my daughter wouldn't be insane if it weren't for the neighbors around me who gossip every day. After all, these people are also accomplices." "So, after my daughter passed away, I left Wangchao Town and went to work in other places. After all, this place is a sad place, and I rarely come back in recent years." "That's right." Seeing that Lao Xiao seemed quite emotional, he was still brooding over what happened back then. Moreover, Gu Chen found out from Lao Xiao's short words that Lao Xiao's daughter died. Although it was a suicide, apart from her boyfriend's empathy, the neighbor's gossip was also the indirect cause of Lao Xiao's daughter's mental breakdown. Therefore, Gu Chen could only temporarily calm his emotions and said: "In fact, this world is indeed very interesting. Strange animals are protected, but strange people are excluded. People who are arrested into the confession room are all because of being arrested into the confession room. And repentance, the person who wronged you, actually knows how wronged you are better than you. "Isn't it?" It was also because Gu Chen said something in his heart that Lao Xiao was willing to confide in his heart: "Those neighbors don't say anything on the surface, but they speak ill of my daughter behind their backs." "They clearly knew that my daughter was the victim, but they made all kinds of assumptions, saying that my daughter must have treated her boyfriend badly, so her boyfriend moved on or something." With a faint sigh, Lao Xiao also said helplessly: "Tell me, who am I going to reason with? Sometimes, I really don't know how to defend myself." "I understand." Seeing that Lao Xiao was about to cry when he talked about what happened back then, Gu Chen also continued: "The brave are angry and draw their knives at the stronger ones; the cowardly are angry but draw their knives at the weaker ones." "Those who couldn't hear the music thought those who danced were crazy. Many people thought they were thinking, but in fact, they were just rearranging their prejudices." "They can't understand your daughter, I'm sorry, but, after all, your daughter has been dead for fifteen years, and many things should be let go." "After all, when your daughter's ex-boyfriend came to your daughter's funeral, didn't you blame him? You even gave him the drawings left by your daughter back then, which shows that you are more generous." "Hehe." Hearing what Gu Chen said, Lao Xiao on the video call couldn't help laughing twice, and shook his head helplessly: "Then what do you want me to do? As for the reason why it was like this at the beginning, in fact, to be honest, there are also my factors in it." "Your factor?" Hearing what Lao Xiao said, Zhong Fakui also looked confused: "Hey, I said Lao Xiao, this matter, from the beginning to the end, was caused by that bastard boy, what does it have to do with you relation?" Hearing Zhong Fakui's remarks, Lao Xiao also shook his head, sniffed, and then said slowly: "Actually, there is one thing that I have kept in my heart for a long time, but I was unwilling to admit it at the time, but now that I have thought about it, I think I should say it." Seeing that Old Xiao seemed to be hiding something, Lu Weiwei, who had been standing beside Gu Chen, couldn't help asking him curiously: "Master Xiao, does this have something to do with you?" "That's right, it has something to do with me too." Master Xiao seemed to have stopped being entangled, and looked at the crowd and said slowly: "When my daughter graduated, I always wanted her to stay and work in Jiangnan City." "But her boyfriend is a child from a remote village in Hubei Province. After graduation, he has been working in Hubei Province." "My daughter wanted to leave home and join her boyfriend, but I refused." "After all, I'm just such a precious girl, raised so much, and suddenly I'm going to go away and not be by my side." "You said, the outside world is so dangerous, don't I have to be careful?" With a heavy sigh, Lao Xiao also choked up and said: "So, after I listened to my daughter's thoughts, I firmly opposed it, and her mother's persuasion was useless." "After all, I'm not very familiar with that kid. Who knows if he will bully my daughter in the future? Let my daughter be wronged?" "My daughter was spoiled and raised at home since she was a child, and she couldn't bear hardships at all. I was also afraid that she would suffer hardships. Therefore, for the sake of my daughter's happiness, I asked her to tell that man." "Just say, if he really likes my daughter, he will leave Hubei Province and come to Jiangnan City to develop. It's as simple as that." "So... so?" Police officer Wang was stunned for a while, and then asked: "So later, that man didn't come over, right?" "Damn!" Lao Xiao sighed heavily, and said with regret: "Maybe I said too much, and I lost that man's self-confidence." "Originally, the relationship between the two of them was very good, but after I made such a toss, the relationship between the two also appeared cracks." "That guy said that his major has room for development in Hubei Province, and he doesn't want to come to Jiangnan City." "In the final analysis, isn't this just an excuse? He just doesn't love my daughter. If he really loved my daughter, he would definitely overcome difficulties and come to Jiangnan City, but he didn't." Speaking of this, Lao Xiao was also out of breath, as if he was still very angry with what happened back then. When Zhong Fakui heard the words, he also smiled and said: "Old Xiao, I said you are really, that guy, he has room for development in Hubei Province, so you have to let him come to our Jiangnan City?" "Oh, your niece is your darling, baby lump, so that guy is not his parents' darling? Baby lump? You are so selfish." "Yes, I'm just selfish." Lao Xiao seemed to be emotional, and admitted directly: "I have raised my daughter so much, and she is about to leave me suddenly. Is it wrong for me to just want her to stay by my side?" "Besides, I didn't say not to let her go, but that guy's attitude made me very disappointed, so for my daughter, I told her not to leave Jiangnan City until this guy agreed and was willing to come to Jiangnan City to develop." "But I didn't expect that after that, that guy would date other women again, and my daughter would find out about it." "Since then, my daughter's mental state seems to have been stimulated, and her painting style has also become darker." Sniffing, trying to calm down, Lao Xiao said again: "In the earliest days, my daughter's paintings were all in that small and fresh style, and it was very healing to look at." "But later on, the more I like to draw those ghosts and gods, it makes people feel scary." "It's creepy for an adult like me. If a child sees it, it's okay? Doesn't it scare the child?" "And I heard that the publishing house she cooperates with is from overseas, a comic publishing house in an island country in East Asia, so I don't quite agree." With a heavy sigh, Lao Xiao on the video call also secretly wiped away his tears at this moment. Seeing Lao Xiao's emotions, he began to go back to fifteen years ago. Gu Chen also returned to the topic and asked him: "Then, did your daughter tell you about the creation of this ghost? What does this mean?" "What's the meaning?" Hearing Gu Chen's remarks, Lao Xiao recalled it for a few seconds, and then said slowly: "I seem to have asked her too. After all, this thing looks scary, but she said that it was inspired by an event she participated in when she was in school. What kind of festival is it called?" "Summer festival?" Lu Weiwei asked. "Yes, what kind of summer festival? It seems to be a festival in the East Asian island country?" Old Xiao said. Lu Weiwei nodded silently, and echoed, "That's right, it's a traditional festival in the East Asian island country." "Lu Weiwei, what on earth is this festival for?" Xu Feng, the director of Wangchao Town Police Station, was a little puzzled, after all, he had never heard of such a thing. Lu Weiwei explained patiently: "Generally speaking, summer festivals are some activities or festivals held in summer, and they are also traditional festivals in East Asian island countries. The time is about mid-July to late August every year." "I remember that the 'sacrifice' culture is an important part of the traditional culture of the island countries in East Asia. The summer festival can be said to be the traditional cultural activity with the highest participation in the worship culture of the island countries in East Asia." "Besides, on the day of the summer festival, there will be festival parades in the local area, and many performances will be held by folk associations." "At that time, people would put on beautiful costumes and bathrobes, go out to the streets, do shopping, and participate in entertainment activities." "Then isn't this similar to the temple fair in our country?" Police Officer Wang felt a little familiar the more he listened. Lu Weiwei nodded fiercely: "That's right, some people say that this is what our country calls garden fairs and temple fairs." "And when summer festivals are held in island countries in East Asia, the surrounding stores will also redecorate their stores on this day to carry out various special activities." "In fact, the original customs of this kind of temple fair originally came from our country, and later spread to the island countries of East Asia. Combined with the local culture of the island countries of East Asia, there are various ritual activities today, and gradually formed the national culture of the island countries of East Asia. feature." "Is that so?" Lao Xiao, who was on the video call, was taken aback after hearing Lu Weiwei's remarks: "I said, how can my daughter draw such weird things, and the co-authors are all influenced by that side?" "And the magazine she works with is also from the East Asian island country. I said, how can we allow such creepy things to appear here?" After a pause, Old Xiao said again: "My daughter happened to see a strange mask after participating in some summer festival." "The mask looks like a ghost. Someone wore the mask to participate in the comic exhibition, and there was a sacrifice, so my daughter was very impressed." "Later, because of her boyfriend's empathy, distorted thoughts occurred in her heart, and she couldn't think about it, so she began to reject the people around her." "Gradually, her work also started to develop this style featuring ghosts." Taking a deep breath, Lao Xiao said again: "But what makes me strange is that I originally thought that no one would like her works." "But later I found out that I was completely wrong. The comic magazines of the island countries in East Asia seemed to be very interested in these works of hers and began to cooperate with her for a long time." "But" Speaking of this, Lao Xiao had a sore nose, and said with a sob: "But, the more you paint this kind of thing, the darker side in your heart will increase." "After all, if you want to paint this style with your soul, then obviously, how much hatred do you have to carry to complete this kind of work?" "It was because of that period of time that my daughter's psychology became more and more complicated, and she also began to shut herself in the room." "That's it. At first, my wife and I thought it was my daughter who was in a bad mood, but later we heard a report from the police saying that a girl drowned by the river and committed suicide by jumping into the river. They said that it might be my daughter." "So I had an ominous premonition at the time, but later I found out that the woman who jumped into the river was really my daughter's queen. Her mother and I cried for a long time holding her dead body." Sniffing, Old Xiao said again: "Since then, I lost my beloved daughter." "Damn!" Listening to Lao Xiao's memories, Zhong Fakui said helplessly: "I said, Lao Xiao, if you let your daughter go and let her go to that young man, maybe your grandson is about to take the college entrance examination by now." "But now, you have lost your daughter forever, and you have nothing. Why do you say you should?" "I wanted to know that this would happen, and I would let her go, but...but..." In the end, Lao Xiao couldn't speak anymore. "But in reality, there are no ifs, only consequences." Gu Chen also continued. Old Xiao nodded silently: "Yes, I was also at fault, but I have already handed over the picture and painting about this ghost to that young man, and I haven't contacted him since then." "If you hadn't called today, I wouldn't have known that this ghost would still appear." "Then, could this ghost head not be your daughter's original? It's your daughter's extension based on something else? After all, you said just now, this may be your daughter, who participated in some summer festival comic exhibition or something, occasionally Didn't you see it in the meantime?" Lu Weiwei also put forward her own opinion. Old Xiao hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly said: "It's unlikely, my daughter likes originality, and I heard that this ghostly design has been favored by magazines in the East Asian island country, I'm sure." "So, it should be my daughter's unique work." "That's weird." Hearing what Old Xiao said, Gu Chen felt incredible. Old Xiao asked Gu Chen curiously: "Officer Gu, you are always obsessed with this ghost head pattern, what exactly do you want to do?" "Because it involves a fatal case." Gu Chen said. "Destiny." Old Xiao didn't quite know at first, what is the purpose of the police looking for him at night? But as soon as Gu Chen said his fate, Lao Xiao was stunned on the spot, and asked weakly: "Comrade policeman, are you kidding me?" "I'm not joking with you." Seeing that Lao Xiao still didn't understand the situation, Gu Chen simply explained to him: "Maybe you don't know yet, but a murder was found in Wangchao Town. The deceased was a middle-aged man from Hubei province." "After he came to Wangchao Town, he opened a hotel for more than ten days. We thought he was here to participate in the blueberry picking festival." "But later I found out that this is not the case at all. He came here to worship. The person who was burned to death at the sponge factory in Wangchao Town 15 years ago was said to be a wandering entertainer in Hubei Province." When he heard the words "E Province", "Wandering artist" and "15 years ago", Lao Xiao's thoughts were also tumbling quickly, and he quickly remembered the fire that happened 15 years ago, so he hurriedly replied: "That's right, the fire happened at the sponge factory in Wangchao Town, and I heard that it burned to death a homeless person from Hubei Province." "This happened 15 years ago, and I heard that the body was buried on a mountain near Wangchao Town." "Yes." Seeing that Lao Xiao knew about it, Lu Weiwei quickly agreed: "But this middle-aged man who came to Wangchao Town, he went out early and returned late every day for more than ten consecutive days, and he went to the mountain to sacrifice to the man who was burned to death." "Everyone doesn't know what's going on? And we're still investigating another case, because we noticed this strange character, so we want to investigate." "But while we were looking for this man, we found that this man was poisoned to death in that ancient temple in the mountains." "What? He was poisoned to death?" Hearing Lu Weiwei's words, Lao Xiao frowned slightly, and seemed to become nervous. Gu Chen continued: "Then we went to find the grave that had been buried for 15 years, and dug it up, to confirm the difference between the person who was burned to death 15 years ago and this person now. What are the differences." "But we unexpectedly discovered that the coffin was empty." "Empty?" Hearing this, Lao Xiao couldn't help being stunned. Gu Chen nodded fiercely: "Not only is it empty, but the side of the coffin was also painted with that ghost head pattern." "Besides, it's not from the beginning, but it's the latest painting." "Also, we found a piece of bamboo 200 meters away from the tomb." "And on this piece of bamboo, the same group is also drawn." "You mean... that ghost head pattern is also on the bamboo piece?" Old Xiao seemed to understand the meaning. Gu Chen nodded silently: "Yes, so we also heard from Boss Zhong that he had seen this design and concluded that it was your daughter's work back then." "That's why we decided to ask you to find out about the situation at night." "I understand." Hearing Gu Chen's explanation, Lao Xiao also nodded slowly, but said helplessly: "But Comrade Police, the original manuscript of that work has been taken away by my daughter's ex-boyfriend after attending the funeral, and it is not with me." "Besides, I don't quite understand why that man chose to take away the work of that ghost among the many sketches." "But from his expression, I seem to see a kind of bewilderment." "Demented?" Police Officer Wang was a little confused, and also asked: "Master Xiao, what do you mean by deranged?" "Uh, I'm not sure about the specifics. It's the kind of expression that starts to become a little distorted as soon as you see this painting." "After all, these paintings are creepy to look at. I don't like these works, and I don't want these works of my daughter to be buried with her." "So, I originally waited until the funeral was over, and then I threw all these things into the trash can." "I didn't expect that my daughter's ex-boyfriend would take the initiative to find me and explain to me that he wanted to take that painting away and keep it as a memory." "After all, after my daughter was sent to the crematorium and burned to ashes, there will be no more of my daughter in this world..." Sucking his nose, Lao Xiao also choked up and said: "So, seeing that he still has a little conscience, at least he came to attend my daughter's funeral. As soon as I softened my heart, I gave him the painting of the ghost." "Then did he tell you anything when he took away the drawing paper?" Director Xu Feng asked. "This...let me think about it." After all, it was the past 15 years, and Lao Xiao doesn't seem to remember clearly now. But after waiting for a long time, he said slowly: "He seems to say that he will definitely keep this work well." "I originally planned to throw this away, but now someone wants to take it away if he finds it as a treasure, so I'll let him take it away, and I have nothing to miss." "So, I think this drawing should still be in the hands of my daughter's ex-boyfriend." "Then can you still contact him now?" Lu Weiwei said. Old Xiao shook his head: "I don't know, after all, although I have saved that phone number, I haven't contacted it all the time." "Besides, that guy never contacted me, so I don't know if I can still get in touch?" Hearing Lao Xiao's remarks, Gu Chen also came to him, and said meaningfully: "Master Xiao, this incident seems to be related to your daughter's posthumous ghost, so we would like to ask you to contact your daughter's ex-boyfriend to see if he knows something? Is that possible? " "This" After being told by Gu Chen, Lao Xiao seemed a little embarrassed. Seeing this, Xu Feng, the director of the department, also urged him: "I said, Lao Xiao, why are you embarrassed? Anyway, it's just a phone call. If you don't want to make a call, then you hand over the phone and we'll call. What do you think?" ? "Okay... okay." Seeing that everyone doesn't need to dial the number himself, Lao Xiao reminded: "Wait a minute, let me check." "Okay, we're not in a hurry." Gu Chen said comfortingly. Also after a while, Lao Xiao finally found the contact number of that person in his address book, so he hurriedly reported it to everyone. Director Xu Feng also took out a pen and paper, quickly recorded, and then asked: "What's this guy's name?" "It's... called Zhang Liang." Old Xiao said. "Zhang Liang? Dongliang's 'Liang'?" Xu Feng asked again. "Yes, it is the 'beam' of Dongliang." Old Xiao said. After Xu Feng finished writing, he immediately picked up the phone on his desk and dialed it. The phone rang "everything", and everyone waited for a long time, but the phone on the other end was not connected. But Xu Feng didn't give up, and continued to dial for the second time. This time, the phone nods and the sound of "Dudu" rings differently, but still no one answers the phone. On the other end of the video call, Lao Xiao is also closely watching all kinds of movements in the Wangchao Town Police Station, especially wanting to see how this person who has not seen him for 15 years is doing now. After all, it was because of him that her daughter chose to commit suicide by jumping into the river. If this guy is doing well, then Lao Xiao will be sad. But if this guy is having a bad time, then Lao Xiao will be sad too. Just when everyone was about to hang up the phone again, there was a sudden sound of connecting on the other end. "Hello? Who is it?" A middle-aged man responded on the phone. "Excuse me, are you Zhang Liang?" Xu Feng turned on the speakerphone and said. "That's right, I'm Zhang Liang, who are you?" On the phone, the man named Zhang Liang also asked curiously. Xu Feng stabilized his emotions, and then continued: "I am Xu Feng, director of the Furong Branch of Jiangnan City, Wangchao Town Police Station." "Xu Feng? Wangchao Town?" Seemingly unfamiliar with these names, Zhang Liang on the phone also asked curiously: "Could you be liars? I've seen calls like this a lot. I have nothing to do with Jiangnan City." Seeing that Zhang Liang seemed likely to hang up the phone, Xu Feng hurriedly said, "Then do you still remember that your ex-girlfriend committed suicide by jumping into the river for you?" Hearing this incident also suddenly, Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone obviously had some mood swings. After a while, Zhang Liang replied, "Wait for me." Soon, everyone heard a movement on the other end of the phone, as if they were walking. Not long after, Zhang Liang said again: "You said you are the director of Wangchao Town Police Station, Furong Sub-bureau, Jiangnan City, so how did you get my phone number?" "Your ex-girlfriend's father told us." Xu Feng said. "Him? Why did he tell you my phone number? Are you really the police? I haven't contacted him for more than ten years. How is it possible?" Judging from Zhang Liang's tone, he seemed to be suspicious of everyone's identities, so when communicating with everyone, Zhang Liang on the other end seemed to be on all sorts of vigilance. Xu Feng was also a little helpless, so he glanced at Lao Xiao in Zhong Fakui's cell phone video, and said: "Old Xiao, why don't you talk to him?" After Xu Feng finished speaking, Zhong Fakui immediately took the phone to the landline. Although the old Xiao in the video was helpless in every way, he still said helplessly, "Zhang Liang, do I recognize me?" "Uncle...Uncle?" Hearing this familiar voice, Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone seemed to become polite immediately: "Are you really an uncle? Did you really call the police?" "That's right, I gave it to you." Old Xiao spoke with emotion, as if he was still brooding over the events of the year. But Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone said cautiously at this moment: "Uncle... Uncle, I am really sorry for your daughter's death, but it has been more than ten years since this incident, and we all have our own lives . "Besides, I also knelt down to your elders back then, and your elders also forgave me, but today, why did you contact the police to find me again? Do you still think that I have to pay for your daughter's death?" "What did you say? Did I say that?" It was also Zhang Liang who was on the phone and said this. Lao Xiao, who was already suffocating, suddenly said angrily: "It was the police who found me and asked me to contact you." "Otherwise, why should I contact you? Really." At the end of the talk, Lao Xiao also began to have various thoughts. Hearing this, Zhang Liang also asked weakly, "So...so, what is the police looking for me for?" "Zhang Liang, right?" I also saw Zhang Liang on the phone, and I still don't understand why the police in Jiangnan City suddenly found me at night. So Gu Chen reported his family name and said, "I am Gu Chen, captain of the criminal investigation team of the Furong Branch of Jiangnan City." "Gu...Hello, Captain Gu." When he heard the words from the captain of the criminal investigation team, Zhang Liang suddenly became very polite: "Do you need something from me?" "When you came to the funeral of your ex-girlfriend, you took something from your ex-girlfriend, do you remember?" Gu Chen asked. "The things you took away?" Hearing what Gu Chen said, Zhang Liang seemed to be lost in thought. But after a while, Zhang Liang replied immediately: "I remember, I seem to have taken away a drawing of my ex-girlfriend." "Yes, that's the one." Gu Chen said. Zhang Liang was a little puzzled: "But that's just a drawing, why do you ask this?" After all, 15 years have passed, but the police suddenly asked about the painting, which inevitably made people unable to turn the corner. So Zhang Liang's curiosity is also normal. Gu Chen asked him righteously: "Do you remember what that painting is?" "What is it? It's... a picture of a ghost head." Zhang Liang said. "Then, is this painting still in your possession?" Gu Chen asked again. "This... seems to be there, but, as you know, I already have my own family. I can only keep this ex-girlfriend's stuff as a memory, so I secretly keep it in the basement." "When my wife asked, she said it was a gift from a friend, but because the ghost head was too scary, I was afraid of scaring my lover, so I kept the painting sealed up." After thinking about it, Zhang Liang asked again: "But, does this have anything to do with you looking for me?" "Let me tell you this." Seeing that Zhang Liang was easy to communicate with, Gu Chen said frankly: "From Wangchao Town, Jiangnan City, a man from Hubei Province came. He booked a room for more than ten days in a hotel in Wangchao Town." "However, he leaves early and returns late every day, and goes to a wild grave on the mountain to worship." "This wild grave is the grave of the person who was burned to death in the sponge factory because of a fire 15 years ago." "This man has always played erhu and begged for a living, but because the weather was too cold, he hid and slept in the warehouse of the sponge factory in Wangchao Town. He was burned to death in a fire, and his identity is still unknown." "On our side, he has been buried at the back mountain of Wangchao Town." After a pause, Gu Chen said again: "But this worshiper from E Province was also poisoned today, and the corpse in that wild grave has disappeared." "Also, we found a recently painted ghost head pattern on the side of the coffin." "At a distance of 200 meters from the coffin, I also picked up a small piece of bamboo, and on the bamboo piece, this ghost head pattern was also drawn." "So... so, the ghost head pattern you are talking about...could it be the pattern on the painting of my ex-girlfriend, right?" Hearing Gu Chen's explanation, Zhang Liang seemed to have guessed the meaning. Gu Chen nodded silently, and took the initiative to admit: "That's right, it's that ghost head pattern." "From this point of view, we have verified that the people who saw the painting at the time have also contacted your ex-girlfriend's father." "With him, we have also been verified that this is your ex-girlfriend's original painting ghost head." "No...impossible? How is this possible?" Hearing Gu Chen's words, Zhang Liang seemed a little restless. Gu Chen asked again: "What's wrong? What do you want to say?" "That painting, that painting, actually..." Having said this, the man seemed a little flustered. Gu Chen frowned slightly, and asked, "Actually, what? Tell me clearly." "I...I don't know, this...may have nothing to do with me." "How could it have nothing to do with you?" Hearing Zhang Liang's remarks, Old Xiao immediately said angrily: "You came to my daughter's funeral back then, and before you left, you told me in person that you wanted to take away my daughter's painting of the ghost head and keep it in your memory. Have you forgotten?" Seeing the silence on the other end of the phone, he seemed a little afraid of himself, so Lao Xiao said again: "You also said that you would keep that work well, and that's what you said." "And you also said just now that you were afraid that your wife and children would be scared when they saw it, so you secretly sealed that work in the basement. You also said that it was a gift from a friend. Isn't that what you said just now?" "But since you have sealed my daughter's posthumous work in the basement, no one should see it." "Now the ghost head pattern originally created by my daughter suddenly appeared in our Wangchao Town in Jiangnan City. Do you dare to say that this matter has nothing to do with you?" "No... no, Uncle, that's not how it works." "Is it not like this or what? Tell me clearly." Facing Zhang Liang's various explanations, Lao Xiao also seemed to be angry. Yes, the daughter's relics were originally given to Zhang Liang for preservation, and Zhang Liang also admitted that he would take good care of them. But now, this kind of ghost head pattern suddenly appeared in Wangchao Town, and it also involved life. A man from Hubei Province was suddenly poisoned to death, while another body that had been dead for more than 15 years disappeared. This made Lao Xiao himself feel a little terrifying. But when I asked the daughter's ex-boyfriend again, he faltered. As soon as Lao Xiao heard it, he knew that there must be a problem here. After being reprimanded by Lao Xiao, Zhang Liang on the other end of the phone also sighed at this moment, and said helplessly: "Uncle, it's...it's my fault. There is something that I should tell you clearly. I..." "What are you? Why are you stammering?" It also felt that this beam seemed to be hiding something, and Lao Xiao also yelled angrily. Zhang Liang is even more timid at the moment, but now it involves sensitivity, and the police from the criminal investigation team have also found him. Obviously, there are some things, if you don't make it clear, you may have to get involved. So Zhang Liang said slowly after repeated internal struggles: "Okay, this...it's all my fault. I shouldn't have kept it from you. In fact...in fact...the painting of your daughter is no longer in my possession." "What did you say? It's not with you?" Hearing this, Lao Xiao on the video call also stared, and said to the phone: "It's not with you? Where is it? Why does the ghost head pattern appear on someone's coffin?" "Uncle, don't be in a hurry, it's not good to be in a hurry." Seeing that Lao Xiao was really anxious, Zhang Liang calmed down for a while and gave Lao Xiao a good vaccination, and then he said a little ashamedly: "Actually, actually, I...I have already sold that painting of your daughter's to someone else." "What? Sold?" Upon hearing this, Lu Weiwei, Police Officer Wang, Xu Feng and Zhong Fakui who were present also spoke in unison, feeling incredible. Gu Chen didn't startle, but was very calm. Look at Lao Xiao in the video on Zhong Fakui's mobile phone. At this time, Lao Xiao seemed to be dumbfounded by these words, and he froze there, speechless for a moment. However, Zhang Liang's reply came from the landline phone at this time: "Uncle, I know I was wrong about this, but I also had difficulties at the beginning, so don't be angry, or you can just scold me a few words, don't you Don't talk?" "What else can I say?" Lao Xiao was so disappointed at the moment, tears began to flow out uncontrollably, and he said with a sob: "My daughter trusted you so much. You were with other women. She jumped into the river and committed suicide. You came to her funeral in person. Well, I forgive you." "You said you wanted to keep her a painting as a thought, okay, I agree with you taking that painting away." "But you promised, you will keep that painting well, but you... what have you done?" In the end, Lao Xiao cried. ...
