It was already 1:30 AM. I lay in bed, completely unable to sleep.
Even though this case had nothing to do with me, everything Zhang Youning had just told me was far too bizarre…including Youning herself. What role was she playing by inserting herself into these cases? Why tell me all this? Why help the police solve them?
Everything happens for a reason, and maybe Zhang Youning wasn’t as innocent as she seemed. I couldn’t figure it out, and I didn’t want to trust anyone anymore.
The Knock at the Door
The next day was the weekend. I had hoped to catch up on sleep, but I was woken up by a rhythmic knocking at my door. Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed and peeked through the peephole.
It was Zhang Youning.
My hand instinctively moved toward the doorknob, but after a second thought, I decided against opening it.
The knocking persisted for what felt like forever. Meanwhile, my phone kept buzzing with incoming messages. The chaotic noise echoing through the empty apartment only heightened my anxiety. Finally, just as I was on the brink of losing it, the knocking stopped.
I quickly scrambled up and listened closely. Hearing the elevator doors open and confirming she was gone, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. What could she possibly want from me now?
“Meow—”
Ningyu padded over, rubbing her head against my hand affectionately. Exhausted from the night before, a sudden wave of sleepiness overcame me. I decided to sleep on it, yawning as I crawled back into bed. Miraculously, I didn’t dream this time. I slept straight through until dusk.
Clues on the Feed
Honestly, if my stomach hadn’t been growling so fiercely, I probably wouldn’t have woken up at all. I rolled out of bed, stretched, and wandered into the kitchen. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side; the fridge was completely empty. Left with no choice, I threw on some clothes and headed out to find a bite to eat.
The streets were brightly lit, packed with rush-hour traffic. Restaurants had set up small tables along the sidewalks, and the air was filled with the lively chatter and laughter of people. I picked a random little noodle shop, ordered a bowl of noodle soup, and pulled out my phone to pass the time.
Scrolling through social media, I stumbled upon a video. Through the blare of police sirens, a group of heavily armed officers and a few plainclothes detectives disguised as tourists suddenly swarmed and pinned a man down after a loud commotion. Then, the camera cut away.
Confused, I tried to open the comment section for answers, but the video was deleted the very next second. The app automatically skipped to the creator’s other content. He just seemed like a wealthy guy enjoying life, posting standard travel vlogs. Nothing unusual.
But when I clicked on his profile, his IP address caught my eye: Changle Island.
My heart skipped a beat. Could it really be that much of a coincidence? It was a shame the video had been taken down so quickly. If I had reacted faster, I could have looked closer at the details. I typed some keywords into the search bar, and before long, I found some clues underneath a video showcasing Changle Island’s scenery:
Netizen 1: “Does anyone know why the police were on Changle Island today? The backup they brought was terrifying. Anyone know what happened?”
Netizen 2: “Yes! I saw them too! Around noon, I was heading back to my hotel from a tourist spot and ran into them in the lobby. They were escorting a guy out, but his head was covered so I couldn’t see who it was.”
Netizen 3: “Oh my god, that’s terrifying. Did some criminal escape to Changle Island? My wife, son, and I are vacationing here right now. Thank goodness nothing happened. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.”
I was so engrossed in reading the comments that I didn’t even notice my noodles getting cold. I opened my mom’s social media profile. Her IP address still showed our local city, but I knew checking it was pointless. She’s a police officer; her movements are classified, so her digital footprint wouldn’t mean a thing.
Lilac Street
Slurping down the lukewarm noodles, I kept mindlessly scrolling through short videos. By the time I finished and walked out of the noodle shop, night had completely fallen. The nightlife was just kicking off, and the streets were noticeably livelier than before. I wandered aimlessly down the sidewalk. I didn’t have much interest in the nightlife…unless, of course, I was out with friends.
Somehow, my mindless strolling led me right onto Lilac Street. Instinctively, my feet guided me toward Ah Ning’s Dessert Shop. By the time I snapped out of it, I was already standing across the street.
The shop was closed, but the lights in the workshop were still on. Cheng Yu’s electric scooter was gone, leaving only Zhang Youning’s little white scooter parked lonely by the curb.
Should I go in?
“Meow—”
Something fluffy suddenly brushed against my ankle. Startled, I practically jumped ten feet into the air. When I turned around, Wuxue was staring up at me as if I were an absolute idiot.
I swear, the animals Zhang Youning raised were too intelligent for their own good. Realizing it had scared me, the cat didn’t apologize…it actually grinned. A hideous, smug little smirk.
Once it finished gloating, I scooped it up by the scruff of its neck. “You’re getting a bit too smart for your own good, old cat! Watch out, or I’ll tell Youning to cut your canned food rations!”
It shot me a look of pure disdain and rolled its eyes. With a powerful leap, it wriggled free and bolted into the alley. After a brief flurry of chaos, it emerged carrying a massive chunk of chicken breast in its mouth. Right on its heels, a long-haired white cat charged out of the alley, hissing and growling as it slowly closed in on Wuxue.
Wuxue completely ignored the threat and tore into the chicken breast right in front of me. I pressed a hand to my forehead, thoroughly impressed, and gave it a sarcastic thumbs-up.
The white cat didn’t dare get any closer, but it looked utterly heartbroken over its stolen meal. Feeling guilty by association, I went to a nearby convenience store, bought a ham sausage, and handed it over to the victim. While a ham sausage paled in comparison to a fresh chicken breast, it was the best I could do at the moment. The cost was definitely coming out of Wuxue’s future rations.
Once the white cat wandered off, I gave Wuxue a light tap on the head. “Bad cat! It’s not like Youning starves you. Why do you have to steal from others?”
It just glance at me, stretched lazily, and sauntered back across the street. Figures. Spend enough time around humans, and any animal starts acting like one.
I cast one last glance toward the dessert shop, saw nothing, and shook my head as I slowly retraced my steps home.
Three Heads and Six Arms
Back home, I collapsed onto the couch, mindlessly scrolling through my phone while cuddling my cat. I was in a foul mood. Opening WeChat, I noticed a new group chat had appeared on my feed. There were only three members: me, Sheng Yitang, and Sui Yue.
I dropped a cat meme into the chat: “When was this group made? I just noticed it.”
Sheng Yitang: “We made it at noon. Took you long enough.”
Looking at the group name, I sighed in exasperation: “And who came up with this name?”
Sui Yue: “That would be me. Why, don’t you like ‘Three Heads and Six Arms’?”
“No, it’s great. Perfect.”
Sheng Yitang: “By the way, did you guys see the news? Meng Renxing got arrested.”
Sui Yue: “Huh? Hold on, let me go check.”
I wasn’t surprised at all. “I saw it. That’s good news.”
Sheng Yitang: “But the news only mentioned Meng Renxing. Even in the videos recorded by tourists, he was the only one there. Where is Shen Leqing?”
Sui Yue returned after checking the news: “Yeah, the reports only mention one person. No sign of Shen Leqing.”
“Shen Leqing’s situation probably hasn’t been made public yet,” I speculated. “The public only knows about Meng Renxing, so they won’t report on her.”
Sheng Yitang: “So Shen Leqing just vanishes into thin air, and the police are doing nothing?”
Sui Yue: “They definitely wouldn’t ignore it. It’s just… I never imagined my childhood friend would turn out to be a murderer.”
Sheng Yitang agreed: “Exactly. She always just seemed a bit introverted. She never felt like someone capable of such evil, and she was always so nice to us. When I saw that video yesterday, I felt so sick I couldn’t eat all day.”
Sui Yue: “You actually watched it? I took one look at the thumbnail and couldn’t bring myself to click.”
“All we can do now is hope they find her soon. I’m sure there will be a breakthrough,” I offered, trying to keep things positive. That was really all I could say.
Drawing the Line
Just then, there was another knock at the door. I walked over and looked through the peephole. It was Zhang Youning again.
She seemed to be holding a bag, standing quietly in the hallway, occasionally looking up as she waited for me to answer. I hesitated once more. Her predictions were coming true one by one. There was no doubt she would end up on the police’s radar soon. Based on everything that happened yesterday, she was smart enough to know that. Her motives definitely involved me; otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone out of her way to tell me all this.
To protect myself, I decided it was best to keep my distance until the truth finally came to light. In the end, I kept the door shut. Eventually, she left.
Late that night, a string of texts from Zhang Youning popped up.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
“Do you still not trust me?”
“Ah Ling, please don’t shut me out.”
What was she trying to do in the middle of the night? She should have anticipated this reaction before spilling everything to me.
I typed back: “Zhang Youning, I need some space. Don’t bother me for a while.”
Sure enough, after that text, her side went completely silent.
From that point on, Zhang Youning vanished from my life. I didn’t bump into her on my commute to school, she was never waiting outside the gates at dismissal, and whenever I walked past the bakery on Lilac Street, she was nowhere to be seen. Our trio stayed glued to each other, and gradually, these bizarre interludes faded into the background, washed away by time.
A New Year’s Greeting
On New Year’s Eve, just like the year before, I went out to set off fireworks with my cousin and our chubby dog, Hotpot. I snapped a ton of photos and posted them on my WeChat Moments. One shot caught my cousin, Hotpot, and me beaming happily just as a massive burst of fireworks bloomed behind us. It was picture-perfect.
Surprisingly, Zhang Youning liked the post. As far as I knew, she barely ever scrolled through Moments, let alone left a like.
I opened our chat history, stared at the blank screen, and hesitated for a long moment.
Right then, the clock struck midnight. Outside, fireworks erupted simultaneously and firecrackers boomed, shaking the night sky. Distracted by the noise, I looked away for a minute. When I glanced back down at my phone, a new message had breached the months of silence.
“Ah Ling, Happy New Year.”
I froze for a second, then typed back.
“Happy New Year, Youning.”