False evidence

Chapter 8 Beating the Ghost Child

On the phone, Gao told me that there really had been a car accident.

I dare not say whether they would have died in a car accident as I said if they hadn't changed cars, but the fact that the actual situation was roughly similar to what I described was enough to shock them both.

More importantly, I didn't understand at the time why Gao He was stabbed to death with a fruit knife when it was clearly a car accident.
Gao told me that there was evidence from another case in the glove box on the passenger side, near the airbag, which happened to be a fruit knife with a green handle!

I didn't lose my temper and told him I had been suspended from school.

Gao calmly stated that, considering the interests of other teachers and students, the school's actions were understandable.

I gave a wry smile and said that I don't even have a place to live anymore.

Gao He sighed and apologized, saying that all he could do was to apprehend the murderer as soon as possible and clear my name.

After hanging up the phone, seeing my gloomy face, Meng Chao patted me on the shoulder and said excitedly, "Hey, with your talent, why are you still in school? Listen to me, let's buy lottery tickets right now!"

Li Ping, however, was quite 'rational' and cautiously said, "Sanqi only dreamed of bad things last night; he didn't dream about the lottery draw at all. I think we should let him go back to his dorm and get some more sleep before the school finalizes the matter?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Stop wasting your time, can't we be more realistic?"

I don't believe in dreaming of free lunches. Although I'm still confused, I can vaguely sense that everything I see, whether in dreams or in the momentary daze when facing Lin Dan, is related to people.

The best proof of this is that before each incident, different faces and expressions would appear in my mind. No matter how chaotic it was at the beginning, it would always end with one of Yang Wudao's strange expressions.

I said to the two of them, "Let's put the lottery ticket thing aside for now. If I ever dream about the winning numbers, I'll definitely share them with you, my brother. Right now, the important thing is to help you find a place to stay."

If it were up to me, now that Yang Wudao is dead, could I go and stay at his place for a while? After all, I paid his rent.

This idea was immediately rejected by Li Ping, who analyzed it in great detail.

Putting everything else aside, just that one night, the arrival of the police cars alarmed countless nearby residents. Too many people saw me being taken away in a police car, and if I went there again, the impact would be no less than the panic I caused among the teachers and students at the school.

Li Ping said, "I did think of a place, but the surrounding environment isn't very good. To be honest, it's a bit unfair to you. But, this case can't go on forever, right? You're only going to make do for a few days, so don't be too picky. At least you won't have to spend money to stay there."

It turns out that an aunt in Liping married a local man, but a few years ago she moved abroad with her son and his family, leaving the old house vacant.

I said, "With such a good thing, what are you waiting for? Ping, if it's convenient, could you make a long-distance call to your aunt right now..."

Before I could finish speaking, Li Ping said, "She left me the key to her house before she left. She originally wanted me to stay there, but I felt that place was a bit far from the school. It would be better to stay in the dormitory arranged by the school, where I can eat in the cafeteria every day. Here's what I'll do: I'll talk to a colleague and ask him to keep an eye on things for me. I'll take you there to take a look later. If you think it's suitable, you can stay there and stay as long as you want."

After Li Ping finished his phone call, he went back to school, drove his secondhand Jetta, picked me and Meng Chao up, and headed straight for the place he had mentioned.

Meng Chao looks big and burly, but he has a problem: he's a chatterbox. As long as he's sober, his mouth is never idle.

As soon as the car left the city, he couldn't help but mutter, "This place is a bit remote, but the advantage is that if I stay here, I definitely won't feel empty, lonely, or cold during the day or night."

I said, "If you like this place, then move here. We brothers can keep each other company." Meng Chao grinned and said, "Let's forget it. I don't have much self-control and can't resist temptation. If I really lived nearby, I would be exhausted to death in less than a month."

Looking at the row of shops along the roadside with their shutters still down and various 'beauty and hair salon' signs hanging on them at this hour, I lost interest in chatting with him anymore.

This place isn't exactly remote, but this area is like a stubborn stain that every city struggles to eradicate. Having a place to live isn't enough; I also need to find a way to earn money. It seems there aren't any suitable jobs around here.

After passing through the block, the car slowed down, finally turned a corner, and stopped at a small intersection.

Meng Chao was the first to push open the car door and run out. When we saw him leaning against a tree, bent over and vomiting violently, Li Ping and I realized that this guy had always been prone to motion sickness.

I took a bottle of mineral water from the car and walked over to hand it to Meng Chao when I suddenly heard a hoarse, gloomy voice curse: "You little brats, do you want to die?"

Meng Chao vomited so hard he probably didn't notice, but I was startled. Turning around, I saw a withered, short old woman dressed entirely in black staring at us.

I really didn't know how I had offended her. Knowing I had no choice but to live here, I forced a smile and nodded at the old woman. But before I could even speak, she rushed over, grabbed Meng Chao, and forcefully shoved him aside.

Meng Chao was still vomiting and completely disoriented when she suddenly flung him away, almost causing him to fall flat on his backside. When he came to his senses, he was about to unleash a torrent of curses.

I quickly stopped him, and when he saw what the old woman looked like, he was also embarrassed.

Just then, Liping arrived, pulling at us while bowing and scraping to the old woman: "Third Grandma, do you still recognize me? I'm Liping!"

The old woman had very sharp eyes. She only glanced at him, and her expression softened, but she just waved her hand, signaling us to leave.

Li Ping wanted to say something more, but this time it was my turn to pull him and Meng Chao together.

The three of them walked a few steps, and I turned my head to look. I saw that the three old women were actually cleaning up the vomit under the tree.

Meng Chao also witnessed this scene and said guiltily, "I didn't expect the old lady to be so considerate. Should I go back and help her clean up?"

I quickly said, "Don't go there now, you'll definitely get yelled at. The old lady might even try to chop you up with a winnowing basket."

Li Ping seemed puzzled: "Third Aunt is an elder in the family of one of my old classmates. She's not usually like this. Why is she so hot-tempered today?"

I asked him where the house was. The three of us walked into the alley, and then I said to him and Meng Chao, "That old lady was a bit rough, but she had a kind heart."

I lowered my voice, "Didn't you see the white circle drawn under that tree? And there was a pattern drawn inside the circle?"

Meng Chao said blankly, "It seems so, she seems to be holding paper money in her hand... Oh dear, is she burning paper money for the dead?"

I said, "Don't you even know what time it is? Who burns paper money for the dead in the middle of the day? This old woman isn't an ordinary person; she's trying to abort someone's child!"

(End of this chapter)