sin drinker

Chapter 27 The last piece of the puzzle (5)
"Speaking of school, Han Que also found something new from her mother. For a long time, Yuan Jiashu also went out to play on behalf of the school team. This is a photo from that year." Wang Shiqi took out his phone with one hand and threw it to Zheng Yuan. In the album photo taken by Que, Yuan Jiashu, who is still a high school student, is tall and straight, with a huge number 24 printed on his jersey. "Don't forget there is also Yuan Jiashu's younger brother Yuan Tongxin, who was in the same class as Xu Ziqian a year ago." Wang Shiqi added while driving: "There is also Du Qiangwei. According to time, she had already dropped out of school at that time, but she was also in the same class before." 23 students."

"Well, according to Guo Lidong, Zheng Que received a lot of care from Yuan Jiashu when he was a student. Maybe that's why he took the initiative to take care of Yuan Jiashu who took drugs later on."

Wang Shiqi scratched the top of his head: "But there are still many doubts, for example, why Du Qiangwei was dismembered, and what does Xiaoye have to do with them?"

"John Douglas once wrote that the state of the body when it was found revealed the murderer's attitude towards the victim. The body was abandoned on the side of the road, implying that the murderer despised the victim, especially women." Zheng Yuan stared at the constantly receding street scene in the dark: "If we assume that Xu Ziqian did this..."

"A corpse of one hundred catties, murdered, dismembered and thrown away, can a woman do it?"

"She is not the type to do things by herself. It is easy to contact her family's underworld background and find a few helpers." Zheng Yuan held up two photos of rose tattoos to the headlights, one was Du Qiangwei ten years ago, the other It was Xu Ziqian ten years later, the pattern seemed to be a rubbing, but there was something different about it: "Have you ever thought about what is going on with this tattoo?"

"The rose?"

"Yes. It's like a curse." Zheng Yuan blinked: "In modern times, roses are always regarded as a symbol of love and lust, but dating back to ancient Roman mythology, roses represent silence and secrets. In Christianity, roses represent martyrdom and love. Madonna, in medieval legends, roses imply chaste maidens. There is a sentence in "The Name of the Rose" written at the end of the manuscript: stat rosa pristinanomine, nomina nuda tenemus. It means that the rose of the past is gone, and we only have her name."

"Isn't Du Qiangwei's rose tattoo just because of her name? As for the other two..." Wang Shiqi scratched his head: "I didn't expect as much as you."

"You may be right. I'm overthinking." A sea of ​​roses bloomed in front of Zheng Yuan's eyes, blooming on the girl's body, devouring the fresh soul: "Just look at it from another angle. , coincidence may be a kind of chaotic causality, which has an inner connection invisible to the naked eye. The roses of these two people are crochet with black lines, filled with red, and the patterns are similar. The pattern of the leaflets is not the same, but I remember her tattoo The chiaroscuro contrast of fogging is very close to Xu Ziqian's tattoo."

"Is the pattern similar, and the technique similar?" Wang Shiqi pondered: "The similar pattern can be interpreted as imitation, and the similar technique is the same tattoo master."

"Yes, it's imitation. I'm wondering if this is the reason why Qiangwei Du was killed."

Wang Shiqi raised his eyebrows: "You mean, Xu Ziqian killed Du Qiangwei because she had the same tattoo as her?"

"No. First of all, Du Qiangwei's tattoo should be earlier than Xu Ziqian's. Her family is poor, and she probably can't afford a good tattoo shop. The old-fashioned ink tattoos in the past will gradually fade after finishing, just like this."

The car had already driven to the basement, Wang Shiqi stopped quickly, and took the photo in Zheng Yuan's hand, as expected, the black strokes had all faded into black indigo.And Xu Ziqian's tattoo is black and red, as bright as it was just transferred.

"So, rather than saying it's the same tattoo, it's better to say Xu Ziqian imitated Du Qiangwei's tattoo."

Wang Shiqi rubbed the pattern on the photo, Du Qiangwei’s belongings inexplicably flashed in his mind, Kobe’s stickers were placed in the red artificial leather satchel, and the image of Yuan Jiashu wearing a basketball uniform was superimposed on it instantly, number 24... 24...

There is only one explanation for wearing them: Yuan Jiashu worships Kobe, while Du Qiangwei loves Wujiwu.

"Ah! If Du Qiangwei is Yuan Jiashu's girlfriend, then Xu Ziqian's motives make perfect sense."

"Yeah. Young people's love is inherently paranoid, and Du Qiangwei's personality is so rebellious, so it's not likely that they can be persuaded to quit with just a few curses and a few punches. This kind of attitude can easily arouse sadistic desires."

"But killing Du Qiangwei, Yuan Jiashu would not fall in love with her, so she tried every means to become Du Qiangwei." Wang Shiqi suddenly realized that the tattoo and the subtle adjustment of the facial features were all trying to imitate the one she could not replace. Girl - if you don't love me, I'll be like the one you love.

However, even so, there is still a "rose" that has not been resolved. If Xu Ziqian and Du Qiangwei are personal grievances caused by emotional entanglements, what about Xiaoye?

As if he had picked up on his brainwaves, Zheng Yuan opened his mouth: "As for Xiaoye..." He bit his lips, trying to speak as plainly as possible: "Just now Guo Lidong said that he was assigned by Zhang Huan to find Xu Ziqian's."

"Zhang Huan?" Wang Shiqi was taken aback, and turned his face suddenly: "Isn't Zhang Huan that...that..." Wang Shiqi was shaking with excitement as he held the steering wheel: "I remember her! I've seen her! You know Is she? She's the one who was with Xiaoye that day..."

"I know," Zheng Yuan coughed dryly, "...I've seen her too."

Whether Xiaoye loves her or not, Zheng Yuan is too lazy to figure it out.

He can find 120 appropriate reasons for his obsession with Xiaoye: the unhappiness of the original family leads to a lack of security, the chaotic love history of the elders has developed a cleanliness towards the opposite sex, the empathy effect produced by similar life experiences and growth environments, The typical E-type personality made him used to observe the object from a distance first, and once the other person was brought into the psychologically safe zone, he would completely relax his vigilance.

Or to put it simply, he can only love her, with all his heart.Before Xiaoye, all women were scary, unpredictable, unapproachable, and covered with mysterious thorns.But Xiao Ye was not. From the first time he saw her on the court, even if Zheng Yuan turned his face away, that bright smile was still firmly burned on his retina.She is his first love, friend, wife, sister, mother, teacher, and possesses almost all the qualities he likes: gentle, smart, delicate, and sensitive.Being favored by her made Zheng Yuan firmly believe that he is the luckiest person in the world for a long time.Although time passed, no matter how warm the relationship is, it is inevitable to have ups and downs, but Zheng Yuan never thought that they would be separated. "We will always get married." He said to Wang Shiqi back then: "But it's still a little early, anyway, wait for graduation first, earn more money..."

Fate did not give him time to wait.

In the summer vacation of his junior year, Zheng Yuan rented a house next to the newspaper office. The internship work of "Legal Weekly" was full and busy. Every day, he went to the news portal with the old reporter Zhuo Yibo who was in charge of guiding him. He watched the scene during the day and wrote the manuscript at night. The interns who were approved to join the company joined forces and drank a lot of wine at the beginning.The novelty of stepping half a foot into the society was too strong, and the girlfriend withdrew a little from the center of attention.Zheng Yuan discussed with Xiaoye whether to come and live together, but she only stayed for two hours before holding her nose and leaving—a room for a boy in his twenties is indeed not a good option for a long-term stay.

After that, there were text messages and phone calls, intermittent contact, dinner together on weekends, and her eyes were fixed on the phone. "What's the matter?" He put a piece of fish meat with chopsticks to her mouth, and picked out the thorns and green onions in advance. "Wait for an announcement." She opened her mouth to answer without raising her head, and answered vaguely.Then Zhuo Yibo called, Zheng Yuan clicked his tongue and was busy with work, so he didn't ask any more questions.

Not long after, Xiaoye's birthday is approaching.Zheng Yuan saved more than 5000 yuan intermittently from his internship salary plus extra cash. After thinking about it, he planned to buy something for Xiaoye.He was wandering around the jewelry counters in the shopping mall. He was dazzled by the gleaming gold jewelry. He finally picked one. After paying the money, he was picking out the packaging. promise.

This woman was Xiaoye's closest friend before, but Zheng Yuan hardly dealt with her.Whoever made her see herself every day was like seeing a feud, her face was frosted with thorns in her words, and she was very unfriendly.Xiaoye's thoughts were exquisite and clear, probably to take care of his emotions, and after the two got married, she and Cheng Nuo gradually became estranged.She actually called me, the sun really came out from the west.Zheng Yuan slandered while pressing the connect button, the voice on the other side of the phone was a little imperceptibly flustered: "Zheng Yuan, why don't you go to Yanghe apartment 1035."

Yanghe Apartment?Zheng Yuan was confused: "What are you doing there?"

"...to find Xiaoye." Cheng Nuo hesitated: "Go, it might be useful."

The call was cut off abruptly, and Zheng Yuan took it down to see that the battery had run out.Cold sweat oozed from his back inexplicably.

Yanghe Apartment is a small apartment for commercial and residential use. Because it is built near the university town and the supporting facilities are also high-end, it has become the first choice for wealthy students to rent a house outside.Forget about others, what does Xiaoye do living there?Zheng Yuan hurried to 1035, knocked on the door several times, but nothing happened.He got anxious and turned to knock on the next door: "Is there anyone? Have you seen the person next door? Is there a girl living here! Talk!"

There was a lot of commotion, people stuck their heads out in twos and threes in the corridor, and a rough male voice began to curse: "What are you talking about! You're crazy! Call the police again!"

Zheng Yuan was full of anger, and just about to retort, the wooden door of 1035 behind him creaked and opened a small crack: "Old Zheng, stop making trouble..."

It was Xiaoye, Xiaoye with her hair and a nightgown.The rosy cheeks are as beautiful as the first day he saw her, but when he first saw her, he didn't see those ambiguous marks on her shoulders.

Angrily, he pushed her away and went in, thus meeting Zhang Huan for the first time.

She was sitting on the sofa, she was tall and her scalp was shaving green.In front of her was the brewed Lapsang Souchong. Zheng Yuan strode forward, but she didn't lift her head: "Sit."

There were two men standing behind her, with the same shoveled scalp, black face, and muscles with veins on their arms, as if they were about to burst at any moment.Zheng Yuan didn't move, one of them came over, punched him in the stomach, and pressed it down.

"Zheng——" Xiaoye was startled, her voice stuck in her throat, and her footsteps were cut off by another man.Zheng Yuan reluctantly raised his hand: "I'm fine." He forced himself to hold back his moans, and looked straight into the other's eyes: "Who are you?"

Zhang Huan was fiddling with a pair of cigar cutters in his hand, and the cold light was reflected in Zheng Yuan's eyes, causing pain. "and who are you?"

"I'm her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? Humph, yes, you're really good." Zhang Huan raised one eyebrow, and looked at Ye Zimin with a sneer. She didn't speak, and hid her face in her long, slipping hair. "It doesn't matter, I don't have to worry about it, anyway, come one and waste the other." Zheng Yuan's scalp tightened, and just about to dodge, the man behind had already strangled his neck.Zhang Huan strode across the coffee table, and suddenly grabbed Zheng Yuan's right hand, and the tooth hole of the cigar scissors passed through his ring finger. Zheng Yuan held his breath, watching helplessly as the blade was about to cut into flesh...

"No!" Ye Zimin's shrill cry penetrated the living room.Zhang Huan's hand stopped.

"Brother Huan, don't...please..." Ye Zimin knelt down and hugged Zhang Huan's leg:
"I was wrong. I'll make it clear to him...you...you don't..."

Zheng Yuan felt cold in his heart.He guessed that the expression on his face must be very desperate, because Zhang Huan on the opposite side suddenly laughed and reached out to pat his face.

"Boy, you are not qualified to rob a woman from me."

He kept his finger, but he didn't escape a punch.Afterwards, he didn't know how he got back to the rented house. He only knew that the sky was gray, the ground was gray, and the constant pain poured from his heart to his flesh.The world was like a poor-quality plastic model. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, fell on the bed, and fell into a drowsy sleep.

It was midnight when I woke up again, the rain was rumbling, and the damp water vapor gushed in from the window with the wind.In the haze, someone turned on the light, and the sudden light hurt the eyes.Putting a hand on his cheek, he reached out reflexively, pinching the other's upper arm tightly, and his nails sank into the white tender flesh.The other party was startled, and cried out almost immediately: "Old Zheng...don't be like this..."

Zheng Yuan came to his senses, he sat up and looked at Xiao Ye opposite.She was drenched from head to toe.

He boiled water for her to take a bath, wiped her hair, changed and washed her clothes, and made ginger soup.He didn't speak, and Xiaoye didn't speak, and the silence lasted until midnight. Xiaoye took the wet clothes to the washing machine, and folded them back after a while, with a square red box in her hand.She said, "For me?"

There was a burst of bitterness in Zheng Yuan's mouth, and he nodded slightly after a long while.

"I'm sorry... my dear... I'm sorry..." Xiaoye's eyes were red, she came up to hug him, buried her face on the side of his neck, the warm fragrance steamed up, Zheng Yuan couldn't help reaching out to touch him, and then a bit.

What a good girl she was, so good that he didn't believe that she would belong to him.She is the moon in the sky, the flower in the water, falling in love with her is doomed to pay the price.Even if she is lying to me, Zheng Yuan thought, at least she is willing to lie to me.What about me, am I willing to be cheated by her for the rest of my life?
"That person, who is she?"

"...Ah, she, she and I have always been..." Before Xiaoye finished speaking, Zheng Yuan pushed her away and interrupted: "I don't want to listen to this, let me ask you, who is she?"

"Her name is Zhang Huan, and she is the owner of a bar. Lao Zheng, listen to me, or we should..."

"That's enough, don't talk about it." Zheng Yuan hugged his head, Xiaoye looked down at the top of his head, two hairs swirled one left and one right, like two little horns.She laughed at him before, she looked soft, her temper was more stubborn than a cow, and she couldn't pull back eight horses when she was in a hurry.Now is probably the moment that will never come back.

Ye Zimin sighed and turned to leave, but her hands were grabbed.She looked back in surprise, and saw him take a deep breath, and opened the box, a ring inlaid with fine diamonds shimmered in it: "Marry me, we will get married after graduation." He said.Xiaoye lowered her head and stared at him blankly, eyes full of disbelief.

"But I..."

"I don't care what you were like before, since we are together, it proves that we are suitable, right?" Ye Zimin opened his mouth, his voice was hurriedly suppressed by Zheng Yuan: "Listen to me! Listen to me first ... We have been so long, you are also happy? You took me to see your mother, which means that you have thought about the future, right? You... Even if you don't think about me, you think about your mother, think about it You yourself...Auntie said before that she spent so much time and effort to raise you up, you are still a police student, you...do you really plan to live with that kind of person for the rest of your life? "

Ye Zimin's face turned pale, she bit her lip, the whites of her eyes were bloodshot: "Zheng Yuan! What are you?"

"Think about it, you...you don't have to agree to me now." Zheng Yuan pressed the red velvet box into Ye Zimin's palm, she looked at the dark red scar on his ring finger, struggled a bit, but didn't push it away .

The next day, Zheng Yuan went to work as usual, and Xiao Ye huddled up in the corner of the bed and fell asleep, so cute that it made people tremble.He was out of his mind all day long, wanting to go home early but not daring to go home early.When the door was really opened, the empty room had already heralded the bad news - Xiaoye had already left, and the red velvet box was neatly placed at the end of the bed.He didn't answer the phone, he didn't reply to the text message, he breathed in the smell of perfume left in the air, and suddenly felt great hatred.

He followed Zhuo Yibo in the criminal investigation line for a few months, and saw many criminals. Zhang Huan, the owner of an underground bar, and a person who carried thugs with him, couldn't get anywhere.

(End of this chapter)