A Lunatic Says He Loves Me: Chapter 26

26. Eighteen Levels of Hell 9

Han Rong glanced out the window and said, “Indeed, it’s already dawn.”

By the time he got back to the apartment, the sun was high in the sky. He hurriedly freshened up and dove into bed, sighing, “Making money is really hard!” Then he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. In the middle of his slumber, he was groggily awakened by Ji Yan nudging him, saying, “Eat something before you sleep.”

Han Rong mumbled, “Not eating, not hungry,” but as soon as he opened his mouth, a spoonful of millet porridge was stuffed in.

Ji Yan always catered to him in every way, except when it came to eating three meals on time. No matter how soundly Han Rong slept, he would be woken up and fed at regular intervals. Han Rong, naturally irritable and now both tired and sleepy, immediately got angry and swatted Ji Yan’s hand away.

“Crash—”

A piercing sound filled the air as the bowl shattered on the ground, pieces of porcelain scattering everywhere.

Now fully awake, Han Rong sat up with a loud motion, glaring angrily at Ji Yan, looking ready for a fight.

Ji Yan smiled softly, bent down, picked him up, and kissed his cheek, saying, “Let’s eat in the living room. It’s still hot.” He carried Han Rong to the sofa, scooped another bowl of millet porridge, placed it on the coffee table, and then went back to clean up the mess, showing no intention of arguing at all.

Does this person really have no temper?

Han Rong couldn’t help but think of his fights with Chen Sheng, which were always earth-shattering and physical, ending with Chen Sheng bruised and surrendering. He never believed that loving someone meant changing himself, and neither did Chen Sheng. Could that be why their relationship didn’t last?

After a while, Ji Yan came out holding a trash bag, threw it in the kitchen, washed his hands, and sat next to Han Rong, smiling, “Your temper is really bad. Clearly, you were wrong, but you still act so righteous.” He sighed, kissed the top of Han Rong’s head, and said, “But I just love you, like crazy.”

“Idiot,” Han Rong rolled his eyes, scooping a spoonful of porridge into his mouth.

Hmm, it’s sweet.

“Why did you put sugar in it?”

“Don’t you like it?” Ji Yan said, “People from your hometown have a sweet tooth, right?”

Han Rong didn’t ask how Ji Yan knew where his hometown was. After breakfast, all his blood seemed to flow to his stomach for digestion, making him drowsy again. He yawned widely and reached out to Ji Yan. Understanding immediately, Ji Yan picked him up, carried him to the bedroom, and gently laid him on the bed, pulling a blanket over him.

“Sleep well, my little darling.”

Han Rong wanted to say, “That’s disgusting,” but was overtaken by drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep.

He walked through a pitch-black corridor and reached out to push open the door at the end. Outside, it was bright and sunny, with birds singing and flowers blooming. Feeling puzzled, he slowly walked out and saw a small garden. In the flowerbed, there was a swing, and sitting on it was a person with a youthful smile, looking exactly like him.

“Can’t you be a little nicer to Ji Yan? It’s infuriating to watch.”

Han Rong frowned, “Why should I be nice to my ex-boyfriend’s affair partner?”

“How do you know that when Ji Yan met Chen Sheng, he knew Chen Sheng had a lover? What man who goes out to cheat would admit he has a wife? Ji Yan’s pretty innocent, falling for a one-night stand’s lover.”

“How am I not the innocent one, being liked by him?”

The person chuckled, “You’d have to spend money to buy a vibrator. This one’s free. He’s good-looking, skilled, a great cook—hard to find someone like him even with a lantern. Can’t you give it a try?”

“Try what?”

“Dating! Or are you keeping him around as a servant?”

Han Rong instinctively retorted, “I don’t treat him like a servant.”

The person on the swing laughed and asked, “Then what do you treat him as? How is your current relationship any different from that of lovers?”

Han Rong was stunned. He thought carefully. He and Ji Yan bought groceries together, ate together, watched TV together, slept together. They had all the characteristics of a married couple, except for the certificate. It slowly dawned on him that this man, who had suddenly appeared, had used his thick-skinned persistence to integrate into his life, slowly digging a pit for him to fall into.

What was at the bottom of the pit? The accumulated white bones of prey like Chen Sheng, or a ground full of blooming roses?

“You’ll only know if you jump in,” the person said lazily. “You’re not a coward, and besides, what is there to fear losing now? The person who loved you the most in this world is long gone.”

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his head, and Han Rong clutched it with his hands.

It seemed he had lost something very important, but he couldn’t remember what it was.

“Ah!”

Han Rong woke up with his eyes wide open, his chest heaving, feeling a constricting pain emanating from it. His eyes involuntarily became moist, tears on the verge of falling. But he couldn’t understand why he felt so sad.

Ji Yan heard the commotion and walked in from outside, shocked at Han Rong’s state. He immediately sat on the bed, pulled Han Rong into his arms, and asked with concern, “What’s wrong, baby?”

Han Rong opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, and tears fell.

Ji Yan grew increasingly anxious, quickly lowering his head to kiss the corners of Han Rong’s eyes. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”

Han Rong’s eyes, usually bright and lively, were now filled with confusion and helplessness. He murmured, “My chest hurts…”

“I’ll rub it for you.” Ji Yan placed his hand over Han Rong’s chest, massaging gently, while softly kissing his face and whispering, “There, there, don’t cry.”

Han Rong wrapped his arms around Ji Yan’s neck and buried his head in Ji Yan’s shoulder.

After a while, a muffled voice came out, “You like me, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Ji Yan responded without hesitation. He heard Han Rong say next, “Then let’s date.”

Seeing that Han Rong seemed to have returned to normal, Ji Yan turned his face to look at him and smiled, “Okay. From now on, I’m your boyfriend.”

“Mm,” Han Rong responded, his voice a bit nasal.

Ji Yan curled his fingers and gently scratched Han Rong’s face, saying seriously, “Then you can’t flirt with others anymore.”

Han Rong looked innocent as he asked, “When did I?”

Ji Yan pressed his forehead against Han Rong’s and whispered, “Stay away from that guy at the bar’s front desk. Every time I see you talking to him, I get so jealous that I want to cement him and throw him into the sea.”

Han Rong mumbled, “A few days ago, you swore you wouldn’t break the law for me.”

Ji Yan tightened his embrace, hugging him close. “That’s why I controlled myself. But what if one day I lose control because of you? Now, tell me, why were you crying earlier?”

Han Rong retorted with irritation, “I dreamed you died! The police thought I killed you!”

Ji Yan chuckled softly, “If I die, who will take care of you? Don’t worry, I’ll live longer than you. I’ll stay alive until you are old and gray, and when you peacefully close your eyes, I’ll follow. How does that sound?”

“Ugh! Who wants to grow old with you!”

****

After the meeting at the police station, Yuan Fei followed the information and found Li Yueran’s middle school homeroom teacher. The teacher was already retired, enjoying his golden years in an upscale neighborhood. Upon explaining his purpose, the teacher asked in surprise, “Did something happen to that child?”

“No. We’re investigating a case and need to understand some things. Can you tell me what kind of person Li Yueran was as a student?”

The homeroom teacher recalled, “He was very introverted and quiet, didn’t have many friends, but his academic performance was good. If it weren’t for that incident, he could have gotten into a top school.”

“What incident?”

“In his third year of middle school, he snuck into the girls’ dormitory and stole their underwear. When the incident was discovered, the school decided not to report it, considering he was at a crucial stage preparing for the high school entrance exams. They wanted to handle it quietly. However, his male dorm mates spread the word, and Li Yueran faced retaliation because of it.”

“Retaliation?” Yuan Fei observed the difficult expression on the teacher’s face and speculated, “Something like school bullying?”

She sighed, “We tried to stop it, reprimanded them, but it persisted. Moreover, Li Yueran wearing the stolen underwear made the other boys despise him even more.”

Yuan Fei pondered, “Are you sure it was Li Yueran who stole the underwear?”

The homeroom teacher nodded, “Someone saw him do it.”

“Who?”

“Pang He, Li Yueran’s roommate.”

“Do you know where Pang He is now?”

“He died in a car accident not long after the high school entrance exams. Such a delicate-looking boy. What a pity.” The teacher went into her room and brought out a framed class photo, touching it gently. “They were my last class of students. The most memorable one for me.”

In the photo, Li Yueran was very tall, standing in the last row, almost towering over everyone. Yuan Fei spotted him immediately. Li Yueran’s gaze seemed unfocused, his eyelids slightly drooped, and his eyes fixated on a boy standing in front of him.

The teacher pointed at that boy and said, “That’s Pang He. He had a tough life. His mother died of severe bleeding a few days after giving birth to him. Not long after, his father also died of illness, and he was raised by his uncle.”

“Do you have his uncle’s contact information?”

“It’s been so many years; I don’t have it anymore. But I remember he worked as an executive in a large company. I think it was XX company, and his name was Pang Dahai.”

Yuan Fei quickly took out a photo of Pang Dahai and showed it to her, “Is this the person?”

The teacher adjusted her glasses and squinted at the photo, “If he were eight or nine years younger, he’d look a lot like this. Considering the age, it should be him.”

“Thank you!” Yuan Fei, having obtained critical information, rushed back to the police station, pulling out his phone to call, “Ding Ding, how’s it going on your end? I just got a lead that might be related to the case!”

Ding Ding replied, “The boss’s guess was right! We found blood-stained glass fragments in the gap between the floorboards behind the curtains. The forensics team is taking it back for testing now! I’m planning to visit Pang Dahai’s company to question his colleagues and see if we can uncover anything.”

“Thanks for your hard work! I think we’re starting to see some clues!”

After hanging up the phone, Ding Ding went to Pang Dahai’s company and found his secretary to question her. “How long has Manager Pang been working at your company?”

“Over thirty years.”

“What kind of person is he usually?”

“Quite serious and proper.”

“Do you know anything about his romantic life?”

“Around nine years ago, when I had just joined the company, he had a girlfriend, and they were already discussing marriage. But suddenly, one day, they broke up, and it was quite unpleasant. After that, we never heard about him dating anyone again.”

“Did anything specific happen between them?”

“One day, she came to see the manager. I went out to make tea, and when I came back, I overheard her through the door, shouting and cursing at the manager, pointing at his nose and saying, ‘You beast, I’ll send you to jail.’ Then Manager Pang asked her how much money it would take for her to let him go. I thought it wasn’t good to listen in, so I walked away.”

“Do you know where that woman is now?”

“Not long after, she jumped into the sea and committed suicide.”

“Does she have any family?”

“She has a mother.”

“Do you know where her mother is now?”

“She’s in Hucheng Psychiatric Hospital. After her daughter died, her mother came to our company, causing a scene, saying that her daughter was killed by the manager and that she wanted to take him down with her. We wanted to call the police, but the manager stopped us, saying she was mentally ill, and then called an ambulance to send her to the psychiatric hospital. For all these years, it has been Manager Pang who paid for her treatment. I think the manager might still have feelings for his girlfriend.”

“I don’t think he’s taking care of her mother out of leftover feelings. I suspect the reason they broke up was that she found out he was a damn scammer, a gay man pretending to marry!”

“As a policeman, my gut tells me this matter isn’t simple!” Back at the police station, Ding Ding reported to Ling Feng, “Boss, I request to visit Yang Qin’s mother, Yang Wen, at Hucheng Psychiatric Hospital.”

“I’m afraid it won’t be easy.”

Usually, considering the patient’s condition, the hospital often refuses police visits. As expected, Ding Ding was turned away for three consecutive days. To avoid delaying the investigation, Ling Feng thickened his skin and asked Ji Yan for help. Ji Yan had extensive connections in this area, and the hospital agreed to the visit that same day, on the condition that Dr. Ji must accompany them throughout and the police must not agitate the patient.

On Saturday morning, Ling Feng drove everyone to Hucheng Psychiatric Hospital. The hospital staff even lined up to welcome them, making it look like a leadership inspection.

Han Rong commented, “Officer Ling, you have quite the influence.”

His words seemed like a golden key, unlocking the tightly closed door to Yang Wen’s heart. Yang Wen’s expression gradually softened, and she slowly reached out to take the photo, holding it as if it were a precious treasure. She pressed it to her cheek, rubbing it gently, and murmured, “Qin Qin…”

Ding Ding quickly glanced at Ji Yan, who gave a nod of approval. Then he took out a photo of Pang Dahai and asked, “Do you recognize him?”

Yang Wen’s expression instantly turned to terror. She clutched the photo tightly to her chest, retreating desperately into the corner. She muttered incoherently, “I don’t know, don’t kill me…”

Ji Yan spoke slowly and firmly, “Don’t be afraid. Pang Dahai is dead. We’re here to save you.”

Ding Ding frowned and looked at Ji Yan, silently asking, “What did you notice?”

Ji Yan didn’t answer, patiently waiting. After about ten minutes, Yang Wen’s emotions gradually calmed. Her eyes darted around, showing some panic when she saw Pang Dahai’s photo. But when she looked at the picture of Yang Qin in her arms, her expression became resolute. Suddenly, her face twisted in anger, and she shouted, “He’s the murderer! He pushed Qin Qin into the sea! I saw it, I saw it! I’m not lying!”

Although he was mentally prepared, Ding Ding still gasped. He reached out and held Yang Wen’s shoulder, saying, “Auntie, I believe you! Tell me everything. I swear by the supreme national flag and police badge that I will get justice for your daughter!”

————————

Author’s note:

Han Rong, in his delirious state, was unaware that his mother was no longer alive.

Suddenly, I feel a bit sorry for him. Lighting a cigarette, I realize I am indeed a cruel author.

If you're enjoying the story don't forget to support the author! You can also support me on KOFI for site maintenance, raws purchase or as an energy boost~ 

 

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