Chapter Sixty-Four: The Bait

The latest chapter of Deep Guilt...

They had grown up together, playing together since childhood, and were the same age. Yet the contrast between You Xiaoyang’s petty cleverness and duplicity and Wu Donghai’s calm obedience stood out sharply before An Changpu and Qin Ruonan. As Qin Ruonan listened to him recount what had happened and explain how he had handled it, she could not help wondering: if only You Xiaoyang had been able to think and see things the way Wu Donghai did, would he still be safe at home now—or sitting in a classroom, enjoying the simple, busy life of a student?

You Xiaoyang and Fang Wan were two boys four years apart, with lives that had otherwise never intersected. Yet they shared one major trait: greed.

Perhaps using the word “greed” to describe two underage boys seemed overly harsh, or like making too much of the matter. But coveting petty advantages was the earliest manifestation of a greedy nature. A maggot might not yet be called a fly, but it would eventually grow into one—a loathsome fly.

Both missing boys possessed material desires that had never been properly guided or restrained.

You Xiaoyang might simply have been led astray by the lure of online games. Fang Wan, however, had displayed something more obviously akin to despising the poor and fawning upon the rich, just as his parents and maternal uncle had directly or indirectly revealed. Because Qian Yuling’s living conditions and income were inferior to Fang Da’s and could not satisfy his demands, Fang Wan would rather remain with his stepmother, bickering and provoking one another, than live with his biological mother.

Perhaps it was precisely these flaws in their characters that had allowed the boys to be ensnared—to fall into the traps laid by the mastermind behind the scenes.

As for the so-called “Coal Boss,” neither An Changpu nor Qin Ruonan pressed Wu Donghai for details. They both understood that, given how far the investigation had progressed, the “Coal Boss” was very likely no more than an assumed identity used by the true culprit behind the series of crimes, meant to confuse and placate the boys who had been lured into the trap. After all, everyone possessed some degree of caution, even the greedy. It was simply that those with stronger desires could always be made to lower their guard for the slightest reason.

Using the identity of a wealthy, idle coal magnate to deceive a child desperate for more money to equip his gaming character did indeed seem like a very convincing lie.

An Changpu asked Wu Donghai several more questions about the “Coal Boss’s” gaming account. Wu Donghai did not know much about this mysterious giver of money, whose origins were unknown and whose generosity made him suspicious. But because he had worried that You Xiaoyang might be deceived, he had repeatedly warned him to be careful. As a result, he had indirectly taken note of the gaming account and retained a vague impression of it.

Later, however, You Xiaoyang had grown annoyed that Wu Donghai no longer played online games himself and still criticized the one generous friend he had finally managed to find. He therefore rarely mentioned the “Coal Boss” to Wu Donghai anymore. Even when Wu Donghai asked about it directly, You Xiaoyang would evade the question and refuse to answer.

An Changpu took out a sheet of paper. Several account names and gaming aliases had been copied onto it: Fang Wan’s, the suspected account that had previously given Fang Wan gaming equipment, and the account that had given You Xiaoyang gaming equipment. He handed the paper to Wu Donghai and asked him to see whether he could identify any of them.

Wu Donghai studied it for a while, then confidently pointed out one of the accounts. It happened to be the very same account that Ding and Gao Xin had both previously confirmed.

While Wu Donghai was identifying the gaming account, Qin Ruonan kept thinking about another matter: the several gaming top-up cards You Xiaoyang had possessed. The mysterious account known as the “Coal Boss” could transfer expensive gaming equipment to You Xiaoyang within the game, but could not somehow send him physical top-up cards through the air. Even if You Xiaoyang had bought those cards himself from a shop, he would at least have needed the money to pay for them.

Combined with the information Gao Xin had previously provided, this seemed to indirectly prove that You Xiaoyang had indeed had other ways of obtaining cash or top-up cards. If so, could the so-called “Coal Boss” from the online world have had real-life contact with You Xiaoyang?

Once Wu Donghai had identified the “Coal Boss’s” gaming account and alias, Qin Ruonan asked him about her suspicion.

“Wu Donghai, as far as you know, did You Xiaoyang ever meet the person who owned that gaming account in real life?”

“I really don’t know,” Wu Donghai replied, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Later, Xiaoyang became convinced that I would report his online gaming and his online friends to his family—or tell my parents. My parents occasionally ran into his parents, so telling my parents would basically be the same as telling his. After that, he guarded himself against me terribly. The more I asked, the less he would say.

“But I suspect he had met that person. Didn’t he stop coming home regularly on weekends? Once, he told me he had gone to that very expensive buffet restaurant around here. I was shocked. It cost nearly two hundred yuan per person, so I asked him why his parents had suddenly become so generous as to take him there. He said, ‘Come on! My parents are so stingy—how could they possibly be willing to go there?’ Then I asked who he had gone with. He evasively said it was some other relative, but I’m sure he went with that rich online friend!”

“Other than staying at home, did You Xiaoyang take part in any extracurricular activities?”

“He learned to play the accordion,” Wu Donghai said.

The answer was not surprising. An Changpu and the others had already learned about that through other channels. Still, from what Wu Donghai had said, apart from sneaking off to play online games, the only extracurricular activity You Xiaoyang appeared to have was learning the accordion.

Of course, Wu Donghai’s answer could not be treated as an absolute standard. He was a day student, was not in the same class as You Xiaoyang, and had even moved away from his former home. It was impossible for him to know every one of You Xiaoyang’s actions.

Even You Xiaoyang’s homeroom teacher could not possibly have known everything. The time after evening study and lights-out, as well as the weekends when You Xiaoyang did not return home, all fell within the blind spots of his movements.

After they had finished speaking with Wu Donghai, An Changpu and Qin Ruonan prepared to leave. Wu Donghai’s parents politely accompanied them all the way to the door. Although they were not related to You Xiaoyang, they repeatedly thanked the police for their hard work and investigation, expressing hope that good news would come soon.

Perhaps he genuinely felt uneasy after letting Qin Ruonan go home alone the previous evening. Once they left Wu Donghai’s house and finished the day’s investigation, An Changpu insisted on driving Qin Ruonan home first.

She initially refused, but the one behind the wheel was him. She could hardly overreact by jumping out of the car halfway simply to avoid being driven home. In the end, she decided it was better to accept his kindness.

Along the way, An Changpu glanced at his watch several times. Qin Ruonan noticed the repeated gesture.

“Do you have somewhere else to be later? Are you in a hurry?” she asked.

“Oh, I do have something to do, but it’s nothing important. Tao Yinyin’s parents asked me to stop by,” An Changpu replied casually. “I’m afraid it would be impolite to go too late.”

“Are you going to meet your future in-laws? You two are moving pretty quickly.” Qin Ruonan did her best to make her smile look natural and tried equally hard to hide the sourness in her voice. Her heart, however, felt as though it had been soaked in vinegar, aching with every beat. “Then why insist on taking me home? My place isn’t even on the way to Tao Yinyin’s. If I delay the great event of your life, I certainly can’t afford to take responsibility.”

“What great event? It’s nothing like that!” An Changpu laughed. “You know how busy we are. We’ve been occupied with this case the whole time. Even if there’s progress, it should be progress in the case we’re handling together!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Qin Ruonan’s face suddenly flush. Realizing that his words could be misunderstood, he hurriedly corrected himself.

“I mean progress in the case that the two of us are responsible for. Tao Yinyin’s parents have been longtime friends of my parents. They asked me to stop by and pick up something for my parents. That’s all. It isn’t what you were suggesting.”

“You really don’t have to explain so desperately. Explaining is the same as covering something up.” Qin Ruonan did not want to admit that his words had suddenly improved her mood a little, so she chose to trade a few more barbs with him in order to conceal the change in her feelings.

An Changpu immediately raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, then I won’t explain. The innocent need no defense.”

“Silence is as good as admitting it,” Qin Ruonan said, refusing to let him off so easily.

An Changpu looked at her helplessly. When he saw the smile playing at the corners of her lips, he realized that she had deliberately been provoking him. He began laughing too.

After driving Qin Ruonan to her front door, An Changpu said goodbye and drove away to collect the things from Tao Yinyin’s home.

Qin Ruonan returned to her apartment with a complicated mixture of happiness and sorrow. Alone, she lay blankly on her bed, turning over and over in her hands the box of Yunnan Baiyao An Changpu had given her while they were investigating the murder of a transgender person.

She had no idea when she finally drifted into an uneasy sleep. She dreamed chaotic dreams throughout the night. When she awoke the next morning, she discovered that she had somehow held the box of medicine against her chest all night, like a little girl clutching a cloth doll. The box had become slightly crumpled.

Her cheeks burned. She was grateful that she lived alone and that no one had witnessed such an embarrassing scene.

She placed the wrinkled medicine box neatly back on the bedside table, hurriedly washed up, and left for work.

The moment she entered the Major Crimes Division, however, she could not help frowning.

The man who had left such a poor impression on her, Zhong Han, had come again. With him was a clean-cut young boy.

“Hello, An Changpu’s partner!” Zhong Han said when he saw Qin Ruonan. He stood up and waved to her. “You may not remember me. I’m Changpu’s friend, Zhong Han.”

He pointed at the boy beside him.

“This is the bait I’ve brought for you.”