Chapter 49: Orphan Complex

Upon hearing this, Qi Fei couldn't help but look at He Zhixin with suspicion: "If you aren't close, why would you let their child come over to play?"

He Zhixin looked at him, his previously tough attitude softening. He sat on the sofa to the side and sighed: "That's true, but that was all in the past. We haven't really interacted at all this month."

"Because Yue Fengsheng got drunk, felt you were meddling in his business, and kept harassing you," Zhong Kui continued.

He Zhixin opened his eyes wide in surprise: "How do you know that? It's as if you were there on the scene."

Qi Fei cast a warning glance at Zhong Kui, worried she would start spouting more supernatural nonsense.

Zhong Kui clearly understood Qi Fei's intent. She acted mischievous, deliberately drawing out her voice as she said: "Because I am clairvo..." Just as Qi Fei prepared to interrupt her, she immediately changed her tune: "I guessed it from the shoes at the door and the date on the magazine. The soles of those women's sneakers are stained with mud from a rainy day, but it hasn't rained in Nan City for the past month." As she spoke, she looked at Zhou Li, who was standing to the side. "Your wife keeps in great shape; it's obvious she exercises daily. Yet, she hasn't gone out for a run in the last month. Unless there's a special reason, someone with an exercise habit wouldn't suddenly stop. There are several marks on your door where someone kicked it hard, concentrated in different spots. It looks like they came to kick it over several different days; the shoe prints are indented. It seems they came back repeatedly to cause trouble, and it was quite serious. Also, this magazine is a monthly issue. In previous months, there were more or less doodles from a child, but the latest issue has none. It looks like the child hasn't been over."

While He Zhixin showed an expression of admiration, he also shook his head helplessly and said dejectedly: "We aren't being cold-hearted on purpose. This is an old residential complex, and the surrounding neighbors are all retirees from the same workplace as us. We've known each other for decades and are used to helping one another. Actually, Yue Fengsheng used to be a decent person. He didn't talk much and was quite thoughtful in his dealings with others. Occasionally acting a bit wild when drunk is human nature. Who knew that after his wife passed away, his drinking problem would become so severe? Zhou Li is Yue Fengsheng's second wife, whom he married two years ago, and she brought this child with her. We saw the child was cute and quite likable, often playing outside alone. My own child has gone abroad, and I often feel quite lonely, so I kindly invited the child to our home."

"However, this Yue Fengsheng is one way when sober and another when drunk. At first, the whole building could hear the couple arguing, and that's when we realized Xiao You often ran out to play alone because his mother was afraid of being beaten by Yue Fengsheng at home."

"The child is truly pitiful, so when they argued, we would take Xiao You in to hide at our place."

"As a result, Yue Fengsheng set his sights on this and came over to demand the child back."

"At first, my wife was very angry and argued with Yue Fengsheng a few times. His wife coaxed and scolded him away. The next day, when he was sober, he acted as if he didn't remember the incident and was polite to us again. We thought the matter had passed. Who knew the nightmare was still to come."

"Just as you said, my wife has a habit of exercising after dinner. When Yue Fengsheng got drunk, he would lie in wait on the path my wife had to take for her run, pulling and tugging at her and spouting unbearable insults. I rushed over, couldn't take it anymore, and punched him twice. He was too drunk to stand steady and was no match for me at all, so he left while cursing. The first time it happened, we thought it was just a drunken accident. Even though we had a falling out after the fight, we thought he would have learned his lesson and wouldn't come back. But it turned out he was determined to make things difficult for us. The second time, he simply rode his bicycle and knocked my wife down! Right there, on that road by the river where you just came from." He Zhixin walked to the back window in agitation and pointed across the river. "Right under that utility pole. Damn it, he even knew how to hit someone with a bike; I don't think he looked drunk at all!" At this point, He Zhixin was furious. He walked to the bedroom and took out a red tracksuit. "Look at this! The clothes are worn through like this; you can tell how badly my wife fell. If it weren't for the cold weather and the thick clothes she was wearing, I don't know what the consequences would have been! That bastard ran away after hitting her. We went to his door to reason with him, and he wouldn't even admit it. Since it had reached this point, there was nothing left to say, so we didn't let the child in anymore."

"Zhixin, let it go, the person is already dead." Beside him, Zhou Li persuaded him, then said to Zhong Kui and Qi Fei, "We are just one of the households he harassed; there's nothing special about us. Let alone the people in this building, if you ask the people on this street, nine out of ten have been picked on by him for one reason or another."

Zhong Kui listened quietly as they spoke, then suddenly said: "From the time we arrived until now, neither of you has asked us how Yue Fengsheng died. It seems you aren't concerned at all about how he died?"

Zhou Li said: "Lao He and I are just simple people who mind our own business. He's dead, and it has nothing to do with us. There's no point in asking."

"By the way, since you used to take Xiao You in often, have you ever seen or heard him mention a 'Daddy-Long-Legs'? Someone who is quite tall?" Qi Fei asked before leaving.

Zhou Li listened, thoughtful: "Is that what Xiao You said?"

"You know about it?" Qi Fei felt hope ignite in his heart and asked hurriedly.

"Wait a moment." Zhou Li turned and walked inside, taking out a book. On the cover, the four characters "Daddy-Long-Legs" were written.

"Lao He bought this for our son a long time ago. When Xiao You came over, I accompanied him to read it a few times and told him the story of Daddy-Long-Legs."

Zhong Kui clearly knew the book and said immediately: "This book is quite famous. It's a novel written by the American author Jean Webster in 1912, telling the story of an orphan who receives anonymous help from someone using the pseudonym Daddy-Long-Legs. It seems Xiao You took it to heart and projected this image into reality."

Qi Fei felt a wave of disappointment: "So, this person is something Xiao You imagined?"

Zhou Li was also surprised: "I thought this story was too mature for Xiao You to understand. Because we don't have children that young at home, I flipped through everything and couldn't find anything suitable for Xiao You to read, so I just felt this was the closest thing. Xiao You has always been a very well-behaved child. I let him listen, and he would just listen from the side. I didn't expect him to actually understand it."

"An orphan, being redeemed by someone—this is exactly what Xiao You hopes to achieve in his heart. Xiao You lost his biological father at a young age, and his stepfather is an alcoholic who abuses him. He must have a very strong orphan complex," Zhong Kui said, looking at the cartoon image of Daddy-Long-Legs on the cover.

Several people appeared in the autopsy room, only to see a bizarre scene... ===== CHAPTER 50 =====