After watching the news, everyone exchanged looks. “Is that female reporter referring to Qu Rong?”
Fu Huan hesitated, “But Qu Rong doesn’t seem like the type of person who would commit suicide.”
Indeed, Qu Rong appeared cheerful and confident, always bright and radiant. There was not a trace of gloominess about her, and she didn’t seem like someone who would resort to suicide over unfair treatment.
Li Zhi read the news again.
The female reporter had publicly accused her superior of sexually assaulting subordinates under the pretext of work, and she wasn’t the only victim. However, she was the first to come forward and expose the scandal. After she filed the report, her superior retaliated, claiming she had fabricated the story due to her failure to receive a promotion. When authorities investigated, they found no concrete evidence, leading the reporter to face public skepticism.
Unable to provide proof, the reporter attempted to prove her innocence by attempting suicide, but she was saved after slitting her wrists. However, what happened to her afterward, or how the sexual assault case ended, was left out of the report.
“This is just like what happened with Xiao Ke,” Xiang Ling placed two newspapers side by side. “Both women, cornered with no other options, attempted suicide. But neither of them succeeded. Whether it’s being forced into marriage by her parents or being doubted after reporting sexual assault, their problems didn’t end because they tried to kill themselves.”
Her voice was low but resolute, “The hurt continues.”
Was Xiao Ke, who was saved by the firefighters, truly free from being pressured into marriage after that?
Could Qu Rong, who survived her suicide attempt, silence those who ridiculed and doubted her with that act?
After they had resisted with their lives, what awaited them? A new beginning or an intensification of their suffering?
Fu Huan felt like she was beginning to understand, “There must be some connection between these two. They both moved into this apartment building after their suicide attempts. Could there be something special about this building?”
After a long pause, Li Zhi spoke slowly, “No. It’s not that there’s something different about the building; it’s that there’s something the same.”
Li Feng caught on, “You’re talking about Chen Meiqian?”
Li Zhi nodded, “A woman who’s been subjected to domestic abuse for years, unable to escape her husband’s control for various reasons. Chen Meiqian’s situation is essentially the same as Xiao Ke’s and Qu Rong’s. The same pain, the same torment, with no way out.”
Fu Huan clenched her fists, “So will Chen Meiqian also attempt suicide? Or has she already? Didn’t Grandma Qiu mention that she hasn’t heard any sounds of her being beaten for months? Could it be because she attempted suicide and scared Chu Guangyan into holding back for a while?”
“But there’s something that doesn’t add up,” one of the players frowned. “If Qu Rong had experienced something similar, how could she get so close to Chu Guangyan, a man who abused his wife to the point of pushing her toward suicide? Wouldn’t she feel disgusted?”
Another player suggested, “Maybe Qu Rong didn’t know?”
Someone disagreed, “Impossible! Grandma Qiu, who lives on the first floor, knows about it. How could Qu Rong, who lives on the third floor, not hear anything?”
The group argued for a while but couldn’t come to any conclusions. The mystery of this quest, like the system’s mission, was shrouded in confusion, and everyone began to feel a bit dejected.
“We’ve already found a lot of clues!” Fu Huan tried to encourage everyone. “We’re just missing a final piece to connect everything!”
Li Zhi stood up, “It’s almost time for people to get off work. The number of residents around this time will increase. Let’s see if we can gather more information from them.”
Everyone nodded and left Room 104, splitting up to investigate further.
Fu Huan noticed Li Zhi and Meng Yuhan heading upstairs and quickly followed. “Boss, where are you going?”
Li Zhi replied, “I’m going to check the sixth floor again.”
Fu Huan, curious about Chen Meiqian, who had yet to appear, said, “I’ll go with you.”
The three of them made their way up to the sixth floor. This floor only seemed to house two residents: Chu Guangyan and Chen Meiqian, and the curly-haired aunt they had encountered before. The aunt lived in apartment 606, and to let in some air, her front door was open, with only the screen door closed.
A savory smell of meat broth wafted through the hallway. A small pot simmered on a coal stove in the shared kitchen, the soup gently bubbling away.
Li Zhi approached the screen door and called out with a smile, “Auntie, what kind of soup are you cooking? It smells so good—I could smell it all the way from downstairs.”
The curly-haired aunt, noticing them, walked over and opened the door, modestly replying, “Oh, it’s just a simple soup, nothing fancy.”
Li Zhi laughed, “Chu Guangyan’s family made soup yesterday too. You guys on the sixth floor sure eat well.”
The aunt quickly twisted her lips into a sneer, her tone laced with sarcasm. “We don’t have their kind of luck, lying around at home with nothing to do, never worrying about food or drink. If I want soup, I have to make it myself.”
The aunt’s jealousy and bitterness toward Chen Meiqian practically jumped off the page, and Fu Huan couldn’t hold back her frustration.
“You call a woman who’s being abused ‘lucky’? If you’re so envious, how about taking her ‘good fortune’ for yourself? You’d not only get to enjoy the soup but also get a taste of domestic violence!”
The curly-haired aunt shot her a sharp look, clearly not backing down. “And who are you? How dare you talk to me like that?”
Fu Huan crossed her arms and glared back, not the least bit intimidated. “That’s exactly how I talk. What, you’re so jealous of her life, but where were you when she was getting beaten? Didn’t see you speaking up then!”
“What does her getting beaten have to do with me?” The aunt, likely unaccustomed to facing someone even more fiery than herself, was provoked and ended up revealing her true thoughts.
“Besides, she deserves it! She can’t even have kids, so of course she gets beaten! What woman doesn’t get hit? Chu Guangyan’s got a good job and looks good too—you couldn’t find a man like him if you searched with a lantern! What’s a little beating? Why should she get all the good things?”
“And look at her—she even talked about wanting to die before. But did she? Nope! She just can’t give up her comfortable life. She should count herself lucky to have a man like Chu Guangyan! There are plenty of women worse off than her!”
Fu Huan was so angry, she laughed. “So, that’s what it comes down to, huh? We women are just supposed to pick men from the trash heap, is that it?”
While the two were arguing, Li Zhi kept her eyes on the door of apartment 603.
The shouting was loud enough that Chen Meiqian couldn’t possibly have missed it.
With her neighbor insulting her so openly, did Chen Meiqian really not care? Or was it that she heard but couldn’t come out?
The curly-haired aunt’s words confirmed that Chen Meiqian had indeed thought about suicide.
After a few more moments of arguing, Fu Huan realized there wasn’t much more useful information to be had from this woman, so she signaled to Li Zhi, and they quickly made their escape.
The curly-haired aunt, furious and cursing, tried to chase after them. “Don’t you dare run! You think you can just say whatever you want and leave? I’ll tear you apart!”
Li Zhi calmly extended her hand, stopping the aunt in her tracks.
The aunt suddenly felt herself pulled by an irresistible force, and with a loud *thud*, she dropped to her knees, hitting the ground so hard it seemed like her kneecaps nearly shattered.
The people nearby gasped in surprise. “Auntie, why did you kneel down like that? You shouldn’t! Get up, quick!”
The curly-haired aunt, both in pain and furious, found herself too tongue-tied to even curse.
Li Zhi gave her a slight smile but made no move to help her up. She turned and leisurely walked away.
Back on the first floor, Fu Huan was waiting near the building entrance. Seeing Li Zhi, she immediately winked and grinned. “Well? Pretty good, huh?”
Li Zhi gave her a thumbs-up.
After basking in her triumph for a moment, Fu Huan sighed and grumbled, “But seriously, that kind of person is just the worst! I’ve met people like her in real life—miserable themselves but can’t stand to see others doing well. They have to find satisfaction in other people’s suffering.”
Li Zhi glanced at the sky.
Dusk was approaching.
She handed Meng Yuhan over to Fu Huan, then turned and headed back to the sixth floor.
This time, Li Zhi avoided drawing any attention. After quietly making her way upstairs, she slipped into the bathroom to hide.
Chu Guangyan would be home from work soon. During the day, Chen Meiqian hadn’t shown herself. It was possible she was being confined, or there could be other reasons preventing her from coming out. However, Grandma Qiu mentioned that just a few days ago, Chen Meiqian had helped prepare a death feast for her, which took place in the evening.
Could her movements be restricted, similar to the dead on the second floor? Perhaps she could only leave the apartment when her husband returned home from work.
This time, when Chu Guangyan came home from work, it might be the best opportunity to see Chen Meiqian. Even hearing her voice could prove something.
The sixth floor was quiet. Li Zhi stood near the entrance of the women’s restroom and could hear the curly-haired aunt from 606 moving around in the hallway. She had taken her soup back inside, muttering to herself, and slammed the door shut. It seemed she still hadn’t let go of her earlier frustration.
Li Zhi waited for a while longer, and finally, she heard footsteps ascending the stairs.
The steps were steady, unhurried. Li Zhi could picture Chu Guangyan climbing the stairs with his briefcase in hand. After he reached the hallway, there was the sound of keys being fumbled, followed by the opening and closing of a door.
No other sounds.
It was as if he lived alone, without a wife waiting for him at home, and without the usual post-work greetings exchanged between couples.
Even the audience, who had been tensely anticipating something, felt a sense of disappointment. They began discussing in the live chat whether breaking in and forcing their way into Chu Guangyan’s apartment was the only way to uncover the truth.
But Li Zhi, hiding in the bathroom, didn’t seem the least bit rushed.
She remained standing by the wall, her expression unchanged, continuing to wait patiently.
As the minutes ticked by, at last, there were more footsteps in the hallway.
Someone had opened a door and come out.
This time, the footsteps were lighter, different from the earlier ones.
Li Zhi finally stepped out of the bathroom.
Standing in the hallway was a young woman with a pleasant appearance, holding a basket of vegetables. She walked towards the communal kitchen, seemingly about to cook something in one of the pots. Upon seeing someone suddenly step out of the bathroom, she jumped in surprise.
The door to 603 was slightly ajar, and the sound of running water could be heard from inside.
“Hello, I’m a new neighbor. I just moved into 205,” Li Zhi said with a smile as she walked toward the woman. “The water’s out on our floor, so I came up to use the bathroom.”
It was a rather flimsy excuse, but the young woman didn’t seem to mind. She smiled gently, “Hello.”
Li Zhi asked, “You must be Mrs. Chu?”
The woman nodded, “Yes, I’m Chen Meiqian.”
Li Zhi extended her hand. “I’ve heard Mr. Chu mention you before.”
She glanced at the door to 603 and casually asked, “Is Mr. Chu home?”
Chen Meiqian shook Li Zhi’s hand briefly, “Yes, he’s home. He’s taking a shower.”
Her hand was warm and soft, the hand of a living person.
Li Zhi smiled, “You have a private bathroom in your apartment? That’s nice.”
Chen Meiqian replied softly, “Yes, my husband had it remodeled. He’s a bit of a germaphobe and doesn’t like using the communal facilities.”
Li Zhi observed her expression—everything seemed perfectly normal.
Chen Meiqian gave a small apologetic smile, “I need to start cooking now.”
Li Zhi waved her hand, “Let’s chat next time. I’ll head downstairs. Bye!”
Chen Meiqian nodded gracefully, “Goodbye.”