He Chuan Zhou returned home and called Wang Yifei several times, but all he got was a message that the phone was turned off. Then she called Zhou Tuoxing, but he couldn't get through either.
It wasn't until around 9 PM that Zhou Tuoxing left the police station and called her back based on the missed call record.
They both spoke at the same time.
"Where's Yifei?"
"I'm fine."
Then both fell silent.
He Chuan Zhou came back to her senses and was the first to speak, "I know you're fine."
Zhou Tuoxing slowly responded, "Oh."
He Chuan Zhou had heard "oh" many times today and for the first time realized how much emotion this word could convey. Now she felt that this response was somewhat complex.
Before she could savor it, Zhou Tuoxing quickly said, "He said he was coming to see you this morning. What happened?"
He Chuan Zhou replied, "He already left and left me a bank card. It was very rushed, and I feel something's not right."
Zhou Tuoxing's tone became serious, "Hold on."
He hung up and called back two minutes later.
"No answer," Zhou Tuoxing said. "Could he have gone to find his dad?"
He Chuan Zhou didn't want to stir up panic. Maybe Wang Yifei was just temporarily out of touch. She calmed down and said, "Maybe. I'll go ask Uncle Wang tomorrow."
"I'll go with you," Zhou Tuoxing, probably still standing by the roadside, asked, "What time?"
Wang Yifei's father, Wang Gaozhan , was an accountant before he went to prison.
The next morning, He Chuan Zhou found him at the address. He was sitting at a small table on the street, having a meal.
The greasy table had two baskets of soup dumplings, a bowl of soy milk, and a bowl of noodles. The food was full, so he must have just sat down.
When Wang Gaozhan saw He Chuan Zhou, he probably didn't recognize her at first glance and instinctively looked across from him, then buried his head and blew on the hot soy milk.
However, the young man eating with him immediately put on an exaggerated expression and greeted her as if welcoming an honored guest, "Oh, Officer He! Here for breakfast this early? Is this your new colleague? He's quite handsome."
This man was about thirty years old.
Zhou Tuoxing stood behind He Chuan Zhou and, not recognizing him, didn't respond. He Chuan Zhou hooked a foot around the leg of a stool under the table, pulled it out, and sat down directly opposite Wang Gaozhan.
The plastic stool, used for a long time, had a layer of gray-black grime on its surface. Zhou Tuoxing looked at it and, feeling too conspicuous standing, sat down in the only empty spot.
He Chuan Zhou slightly tilted her head and asked, "Do you know him?"
"Of course, he's my big brother!" Zheng Xianwen slurped his noodles, always watching her expression, seeing that she mostly focused on Wang Gaozhan, he joked, "Do you know him too? You didn't come here to find me today?"
He Chuan Zhou, surprised by his appearance, looked cold and asked, "When did you get out of prison?"
"A while ago." Zheng Xianwen still smiled, put down his chopsticks, took out a box of cigarettes from his pocket, and warmly offered, "Smoke?"
Zhou Tuoxing, being close, directly pushed it back. Zheng Xianwen gave him a strange look and placed the cigarette box on the table corner.
He Chuan Zhou asked, "How are you two together?"
Zheng Xianwen put his arm around Wang Gaozhan's shoulder, leaned in, and bumped him lightly.
Wang Gaozhan, drinking soy milk, tilted sideways, spilling some on his clothes and face.
He quietly put down the bowl, wiped his mouth, ignored Zheng Xianwen's interruption, and started eating the soup dumplings in the middle of the table.
Zheng Xianwen, in a lazy, boneless posture, familiarly patted Wang Gaozhan's shoulder and said, "We're living together now! He's my best brother! We eat and make money together. Officer He, didn't you say to face the future? We're living good now."
Wang Gaozhan ate very slowly, deliberately slow. His hands trembled slightly, unable to hold a dumpling properly, so he used chopsticks to spear it and slowly chewed it down.
His shoulders weren't broad, the blue-and-white striped short sleeve was too big, draping over him, matching his graying hair and indifferent expression, giving a sense of someone weathered and lifeless.
He Chuan Zhou watched him eat for a long time before saying to Zheng Xianwen, "Be careful, don't go back in."
Zheng Xianwen immediately raised his hands, proclaiming his innocence, "Look at you, I'm a law-abiding citizen now! I was framed before, and it won't happen again!"
He Chuan Zhou's eyes carried a bit of a dangerous warning, but her tone remained calm, "Don't make me keep an eye on you."
Zheng Xianwen lowered his hands, smirked, and put the cigarette back in his pocket.
Zhou Tuoxing observed the two, noticing that although one joked and the other remained calm, they clearly didn't get along.
He Chuan Zhou ignored him and tapped in front of Wang Gaozhan, waiting for him to look up, and asked, "Do you remember me?"
Wang Gaozhan, looking soulless, with vacant eyes, nodded.
He Chuan Zhou continued, "Do you know where Wang Yifei is? Did he contact you yesterday?"
Wang Gaozhan picked up another dumpling and said, "No."
Zheng Xianwen, loving to join in, curiously asked, "Who?"
Wang Gaozhan took a bite and slowly said, "My son."
He Chuan Zhou listened to his hoarse voice, and though the features were similar, she couldn't connect him to the person in her memory.
When Wang Yifei was in his third year of middle school, He Chuan Zhou and Zhou Tuoxing accompanied him to visit Wang Gaozhan in prison once.
The reason was that Wang Yifei unexpectedly learned that Wang Gaozhan sent money to relatives every month, asking them to take care of him. It wasn't much, about a thousand yuan, from his labor savings, with some left for their life after his release.
Wang Yifei went to tell him not to send money anymore since he couldn't receive it and the school had various subsidies, so he wasn't lacking for now.
But at the prison gate, Wang Yifei didn't want to go in anymore.
The suburban prison exuded a cold aura, with tall iron gates blocking half the view. The deserted street and the whistling wind made the place seem eerie.
He excused himself with a stomachache and went to the restroom, so Zhou Tuoxing and He Chuan Zhou went in to deliver the message.
That year, Wang Yifei was 14, and Wang Gaozhan was just turned 41.
Having served seven years, Wang Gaozhan had a crew cut, haggard appearance, half of his hair white despite being in his early forties.
He looked like an honest, gentle person, not fierce at all, and was thin. No one would associate him with being a murderer.
When they arrived, he clutched his hands nervously, looking behind them for Wang Yifei. Not seeing him, his face darkened, and he helplessly stared at the closing door, which even made He Chuan Zhou feel sympathetic.
He must have loved Wang Yifei dearly.
Zhou Tuoxing took out a notebook from his bag, reading the purpose of Wang Yifei's visit.
Wang Gaozhan visibly lost his spirit, slumping his shoulders, nostrils flaring, but still tried to listen attentively.
The message was brief, only two or three sentences.
Besides asking him not to send money, he mentioned that Wang Yifei was entering high school next year.
Zhou Tuoxing couldn't stand Wang Gaozhan's look and, keeping a straight face, fabricated a story about Wang Yifei's current situation.
He said that Wang Yifei was doing well in school, though he couldn't afford tutoring, his siblings helped him study, and his teacher said that he shouldn’t have problem getting into a top high school.
For example, the person currently taking care of Wang Yifei is He Chuan Zhou's father, who buys him new clothes for the New Year and even attends parent-teacher meetings on his behalf.
Everything was fine.
Listening to this, Wang Gaozhan managed to pull up the corners of his mouth into a smile. It was somewhat stiff but not bitter, and it painted a feeling of relief on his wrinkled face, delineated by strong lines.
Zhou Tuoxing paused and looked up across the table. The glimmer of tears in Wang Gaozhan's cloudy eyes was something he couldn't forget. After the visit, he even said to He Chuan Zhou, "He seems to be living a pretty tough life."
With his eyelids lowered, his gaze was deep and restrained—a kind of pain that they, at their age, could not fully empathize with but could still perceive.
"Yifei really should have come in," Zhou Tuoxing whispered, "He'll regret it in the future."
Another ten years passed, and Wang Gaozhan still didn't seem to be doing well. Other than that, he seemed to have completely changed.
The warmth and tenderness were gone, leaving only emptiness and numbness. Even the brief reaction he had when hearing Wang Yifei's name was fleeting.
He Chuan Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Yifei mentioned that he said some very harsh things to you before and didn't have the chance to apologize. Please don't take it to heart."
Wang Gaozhan had little reaction and perfunctorily replied, "I don't remember."
"If he comes to you, I hope you can let me know." He Chuan Zhou took out her phone, "Leave a number. Do you have a phone?"
Wang Gaozhan took out a smartphone from his pocket. He wasn't used to it and hadn't even set a password, so he handed it directly to He Chuan Zhou.
She saved her name and number in his contacts and noticed he had downloaded WeChat, so she added herself as a friend.
Zheng Xianwen, unable to keep his mouth shut, shook his leg and waved his hand with a grand gesture, saying, "Wang Ge's son is my nephew! What's going on? If you need help, you can count on me!"
He Chuan Zhou originally planned to take out Wang Yifei's card, but seeing Zheng Xianwen there, she didn't mention it. She handed the phone back and said, "Contact me if anything comes up. Keep an eye on my messages."
As she was about to leave, Zheng Xianwen called out from behind, "Officer He, see you next time!"