Chapter 32
Looking at the finished drawing in his hand, Xia Leyang ultimately resisted sending it to Wang Zuyu. According to Shang Tingzhi, he was causing trouble for others.
Now, Xia Leyang could only rely on Xu Zhiruo. However, Xu Zhiruo was also in a difficult position. The female ghost had been dead for almost thirty years, and her case had long been classified as suicide. No one wanted to bother investigating such an old murder case.
Moreover, Xia Leyang had no substantial evidence proving that the female ghost was murdered. It was almost impossible to reopen the case based solely on his conversation with her.
However, Xu Zhiruo agreed to check the archives for Xia Leyang and would contact him once she found something.
“Ah,” Xia Leyang sighed with no spirit, poking at his rice in the bowl with a lackluster chopstick.
“What’s wrong?” Shang Tingzhi stopped and asked.
Xia Leyang sighed again, “The female ghost sister doesn’t come out anymore.”
Since the female ghost recalled being murdered, she had lost her usual lively spirit. Even if Xia Leyang occasionally called her out once or twice, she had no interest in playing and quickly returned to the bathtub.
Xia Leyang consulted Li Shan about the female ghost’s lack of spirit. Li Shan found it amusing, saying, “Do you think I’m a veterinarian? You’re bringing your ghost to me for a check-up?”
Desperate, Xia Leyang had replied, “Master, can’t you think of a solution?”
Li Shan had said over the phone, “Her condition is already good enough. Considering she recalled being murdered, she could have turned into a vengeful spirit. Be thankful she can coexist peacefully with you.”
In other words, without Xia Leyang, the female ghost might have already been consumed by resentment.
“Let her be alone if she’s not in good spirits,” Shang Tingzhi comforted.
“But she’s so pitiful.” Xia Leyang poked at his rice, muttering softly, “Finally, I have a friend, and she’s suffering. I can’t help her.”
After returning to China, apart from Shang Tingzhi, the female ghost could be considered Xia Leyang’s first friend. However, this friend was exceptionally peculiar, and their interaction couldn’t follow conventional patterns.
Shang Tingzhi had Tang Fengyi inquire about wealthy individuals from Ruicheng who had visited Hong Kong in the 1990s. Even though the two sides had not yet unified during that time, there were still quite a few people who had been to Hong Kong.
On Xia Leyang’s side, he had Xia Tianshui investigate. In the end, after comparing the results obtained by Xia Leyang and Shang Tingzhi, they found two individuals with the most significant “suspicions.”
One was Liu Defa, who had gone to Hong Kong for an exchange program for three years in 1989 and returned to the mainland in 1992 due to changes in the situation.
The other was Zhou Runhua, who went to Hong Kong for business in 1985, shuttling between Hong Kong and the mainland. He returned to the mainland in 1993, starting a cemetery business.
The reason these two were selected was that the female ghost died in 1992, precisely when the two were returning to the mainland. Additionally, from the gossip Xia Leyang had gathered, the murderer was likely a married man. Liu Defa and Zhou Runhua both got married in the 1980s, fitting this condition.
Besides these two, there were other people who had been to Hong Kong, but either the timing didn’t match, or their stay was brief. Since the female ghost was willing to leave her life in Hong Kong to come to the mainland, she must have had a certain emotional foundation with the man. This man also couldn’t be too poor.
Xia Leyang opened the introduction page of Rui City High School and flipped through it. Liu Defa’s photo was displayed under the section on “Educational Philosophy.”
Liu Defa wore gold-framed glasses, had a slightly thin physique, and presented the typical image of an intellectual.
Xia Leyang also opened a news webpage and searched for Zhou Runhua’s photo. Zhou Runhua was tall, not significantly overweight, but his head was slightly bald.
He captured screenshots of both individuals’ photos and juxtaposed them. He showed the combined image to Shang Tingzhi, asking, “If it were you, who would you choose?”
Shang Tingzhi glanced at it and calmly said, “No evidence, it’s not good to guess.”
“I’m not asking you to choose the murderer,” Xia Leyang sighed, “I mean, if you were a woman, which one would you prefer?”
Shang Tingzhi pursed his lips, scanned the images of the two older men for a while, and finally looked at Xia Leyang beside him. “I’d choose you.”
Xia Leyang’s heart skipped a beat. He scratched his cheek with his index finger, saying awkwardly, “Of course, I’m more charming than them. I mean, if you were in the female ghost’s shoes, whom would you choose?”
Shang Tingzhi looked at the photos of the two men again, shook his head slightly, and said, “Unclear.”
“Fine,” Xia Leyang listlessly put away the tablet, showing a “why bother asking” expression. He began to analyze on his own, “Both of them are smooth talkers. I don’t really like either of them, but I believe the female ghost sister is a person of substance. So, the likelihood is higher that she chose Liu Defa.”
“Not necessarily,” Shang Tingzhi said, “Zhou Runhua is a businessman, more assertive than Liu Defa. He could convince the female ghost to give up her life in Hong Kong and come to the mainland. Zhou Runhua’s possibility is higher.”
“That makes sense too,” Xia Leyang gnawed at his fingernails, feeling that both choices made sense.
Watching Xia Leyang’s troubled expression, Shang Tingzhi asked, “Why don’t you just ask the female ghost directly?”
“Oops? Right,” Xia Leyang sat up straight, his eyes shining. He had forgotten that he could ask the female ghost about this.
Since the female ghost had not appeared for the past few days, Xia Leyang wanted to make her happy. He intentionally lost the talisman to let her possess and enjoy snacks, but she showed little interest. So, with the photos of the “suspects” in hand, Xia Leyang had momentarily forgotten that he could have the female ghost identify them.
When the female ghost finally appeared, Xia Leyang, holding the computer screen with the photos, asked, “Do you recognize these two people?”
The female ghost lifted her bangs and stared at the computer screen without moving for a long time. After a while, she retracted her neck, shook her head, and said, “I don’t know them.”
Xia Leyang, unwilling to give up, asked again, “Really don’t recognize them?”
The female ghost said, “I don’t recognize them.”
Xia Leyang sighed and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. He thought this approach would help find the real culprit behind the murder of the female ghost, but it turned out to be futile.
His disappointment was evident, and the female ghost couldn’t help but ask, “Who are they?”
“They are the ‘suspects’ we identified,” Xia Leyang shrugged, “We speculated that the father of the child might be the one who killed you. So, we identified a few candidates.”
The female ghost glanced at the screen again and disdainfully said, “You guys really underestimate me.”
Xia Leyang asked curiously, “What do you mean?”
“I’m very picky about a man’s appearance,” the female ghost said with emphasis, “Look at these two, old and ugly. This one is even bald. How could he be the father of my child?”
Xia Leyang looked at the photos again and said, “Old men can’t be good-looking, can they?”
“Anyway, it’s definitely not them,” the female ghost said disdainfully, floating back into the bathtub and lying down. She sighed softly, “You think I’d be interested in just anyone’s aura?”
Thinking about this, Xia Leyang suddenly became spirited. He closed the laptop and asked, “You don’t like Hua Hua anymore?”
Previously, the female ghost had insisted on sharing, but now, when Xia Leyang voluntarily brought it up (though he was unaware of it), she showed no interest.
“Boring,” the female ghost waved her hand, “Why should I raise a child for a dog of a man?”
“That’s true,” Xia Leyang said, “But think of it as for yourself. Absorbing more yang energy is good for your health.”
Next door, Shang Tingzhi inexplicably sneezed, unaware that someone was discussing him behind his back.
“I’m already dead, what’s there to nurture?” the female ghost lay in a depressed manner, “I know you mean well. I take back what I said about you being a plastic sister.”
Xia Leyang wasn’t too concerned about this title. He tried another way and asked, “Aren’t you going to teach me some techniques? I still haven’t learned any.”
“What techniques?” the lazy female ghost said, “There are a thousand Hamlets for a thousand readers, a thousand ways to enjoy a banana. Techniques are just illusions. Only when you are familiar with your own banana can you perform it like flowing clouds and water.”
Damn, that’s quite philosophical.
Xia Leyang was shocked by this sentence. It made him more convinced that the man the female ghost was looking for must be very knowledgeable.
Coming out of the bathroom, Xia Leyang put the computer on the desk with a serious expression. Shang Tingzhi noticed that something was wrong with his expression and asked, “Did she recognize them?”
Xia Leyang climbed onto the bed, shook his head, recounted the female ghost’s words, and then said, “We might have missed other people. Ruicheng is so big, and those who went to Hong Kong in the 90s may not necessarily be prominent figures in Ruicheng now.”
“She only looked at the photos you gave her?” Shang Tingzhi asked while pulling the blanket over Xia Leyang, making it easier for him to snuggle in.
“Yeah,” Xia Leyang said, “The photos I found were all front-facing. If her lover is among those two, she wouldn’t have failed to recognize them.”
“That’s not necessarily true,” Shang Tingzhi held down Xia Leyang’s hands, “Her memory is stuck in ’92. At that time, Principal Liu and Boss Zhou might have been handsome. Now, almost thirty years have passed. It’s not surprising if she can’t recognize them.”
“So, you mean we have to show her photos of them when they were young?” Xia Leyang looked at Shang Tingzhi and asked.
“Yeah,” Shang Tingzhi said, “In any case, we can’t use their current photos to rule them out.”
“But where can we find them?” Xia Leyang couldn’t help but worry. He and Liu Defa, Zhou Runhua had no close relationship, and they wouldn’t just give him their young photos for no reason.
“Let’s think about it tomorrow,” Shang Tingzhi rubbed Xia Leyang’s head, turned off the bedside lamp, and said, “This matter can’t be rushed.”
Xia Leyang pondered in the dark for a while, without a clue. He also knew that this matter couldn’t be rushed. After a while, he shook Shang Tingzhi and whispered, “I was chatting with the female ghost just now and discovered a truth.”
Shang Tingzhi asked in a low voice, “What is it?”
“Some things,” Xia Leyang paused, “can’t be expected to suddenly open up one day. Instead of waiting, it’s better to practice diligently. This way, the chance of a breakthrough is higher.”
Shang Tingzhi didn’t quite understand Xia Leyang’s words and asked, “What things?”
Xia Leyang’s two claws were not obedient, grabbing Shang Tingzhi’s pajama waistband and not letting go.
Several minutes later, even Shang Tingzhi, who was calm in the face of problems, couldn’t help but utter some vulgar language.
“Sss—this damn thing isn’t a carrot!”
Shang Tingzhi lifted the blanket and looked at Xia Leyang’s fluffy head, wondering what was wrong with this little troublesome spirit. He had been with the female ghost for a while, and now, how come he was not resisting this?
Fortunately, this time Xia Leyang paid much more attention than last time. Half an hour later…
With a sense of accomplishment, Xia Leyang lifted his head, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and looked at Shang Tingzhi with shining eyes, saying, “Finally, it’s my turn.”
