Chapter 93: Twenty-Four Names
No matter what mistakes Fan Yu's aunt had made in the past, at this moment, she was thinking of Fan Yu's well-being.
"I'll do my best to look after that kid for you." Chen Ge agreed without hesitation. Among everyone involved in the corpse-hiding case, Fan Yu was probably the most innocent.
"Actually, you don't need to worry about that." The police officer from behind the interrogation table also walked over. "We can help you contact a children's welfare home for assistance. As long as you show a good attitude in confessing, you might even get to see your child in the future."
"My child?" Fan Yu's aunt stared at the officer, her blank expression slowly shifting. Her lips parted as she looked at the officer's shoulder, and for some reason, a smile crept onto her face. "Fine, I'll tell you everything I know."
The police proceeded with the normal interrogation process. Chen Ge felt it was inappropriate for him to stay, so he asked to leave.
Exiting the city police station, he hailed a taxi and headed to Fan Yu's residence.
This matter seemed to be over, but in reality, the biggest question remained unresolved—one that only Chen Ge knew about, and the answer to which only Fan Yu could provide.
The sky cleared, and the sun rose above the horizon, but its warm light seemed unable to penetrate the tangled alleyways.
Getting out of the car, Chen Ge followed the route in his memory and ran to the deepest part of the alley.
He found the place where Fan Yu's aunt had rented, rushed up to the second floor, and knocked on the door. After several minutes of continuous knocking, the sound of a spring latch turning came from inside the iron door, and it cracked open.
Chen Ge pulled the rental door open, but to his surprise, there was no one inside. He stood at the entrance for a long time, the sunlight on his skin offering no warmth.
"Fan Yu?" Chen Ge stepped inside, feeling even colder.
The living room and kitchen were empty. Chen Ge quietly moved toward the bedroom.
He tried pushing the door, and just like the first time he had entered Fan Yu's room, it wasn't locked and swung open easily.
Thick curtains blocked out all the light, and with no lamp on, the room was dim and gloomy. Scattered on the floor were crumpled balls of paper.
Chen Ge picked one up at random. On it was still a drawing of a black house packed with red stick figures.
"Why throw all these away? Not satisfied with them?" Chen Ge held the drawing in his hand and looked toward the desk. Fan Yu sat there, his back to him, seemingly lost in thought.
Carefully stepping around the papers on the floor, Chen Ge approached and noticed that the only drawing left on the desk was one that hadn't been discarded.
On the white paper, a house was drawn in black lines, with a single black stick figure standing alone inside it.
"What about those red figures?"
Chen Ge hadn't expected Fan Yu to answer, but to his surprise, the boy turned his head to look at him and said softly, "They have a new place to live."
"Moved away?" Chen Ge thought of the twenty-four school uniforms that had appeared in his haunted house and vaguely understood something. "Were you friends with them?"
The boy shook his head, his eyes fixed on his drawing. He reached into the drawer and pulled out a paper box, handing it to Chen Ge.
"For me?" Chen Ge looked inside the box. There were twenty-four name tags, each bearing a different name. In the middle of the tags was a group photo, showing twenty-four students standing with their backs to the camera.
These twenty-four names were likely the reason the last classroom had come into being. Now, Fan Yu was handing them over to Chen Ge.
After giving him the name tags, Fan Yu didn't say another word. No one knew what was going through his mind at that moment.
Neither of them spoke. Chen Ge looked at Fan Yu as he was now and couldn't bring himself to ask the question weighing on his heart.
Just as their silence stretched on, footsteps echoed from the hallway outside the rental door. A man and a woman stopped at the entrance.
"The street office said it should be this place."
"Why is the door unlocked? Is Fan Yu home?"
Hearing the commotion, Chen Ge ran out to take a look. "Who are you?"
"We're staff from the Hanjiang Welfare Home. Here are our credentials. Per the higher-ups' instructions, we're here to take Fan Yu for a medical check-up and then handle the placement procedures for the child of a convicted individual." After speaking, the man and woman looked at Chen Ge with slight confusion, wondering why a stranger not in their records was in the child's home.
"Fan Yu is in the bedroom. He's a kid with a strong mind of his own. I'll leave him in your care from now on."
"It's our duty. This is our job." The woman entered the bedroom to get Fan Yu, while the man stayed outside, eyeing Chen Ge warily, as if he didn't quite trust him.
When the woman entered the bedroom, Fan Yu reacted fiercely. He grabbed the drawing from the desk and bolted toward the door, as if trying to escape the place.
"Stop him!" the woman shouted from inside.
The man at the door moved in perfect sync with her. As Fan Yu reached him, he grabbed the boy's arm.
The man was experienced with children; he easily locked Fan Yu's hands, ensuring neither the boy could scratch him nor hurt himself.
Caught, Fan Yu struggled desperately. Chen Ge couldn't stand to watch and exchanged a few words with the man, who finally let Fan Yu go.
Clutching a drawing in his hand, Fan Yu, now free again, didn't try to run. It was as if he already knew it was futile.
Watching Fan Yu being led away, Chen Ge couldn't hold back any longer. He chased after him, crouched down in front of the boy, and asked the question that had troubled him for so long.
"You knew heaven was in the well. You witnessed everything. Why didn't you stop them?" Chen Ge had never treated Fan Yu like an ordinary child. The room full of red stick figures said enough.
Fan Yu, who had been expressionless the whole time, thought seriously for a moment after hearing Chen Ge's question. Still, he didn't answer. Instead, he looked up at Chen Ge and gave him an innocent, guileless smile.
Watching Fan Yu leave, Chen Ge realized his back was soaked with sweat. He didn't know when it had happened. It was the first time he had seen Fan Yu smile.
Carrying the paper box Fan Yu had given him, with the twenty-four name tags and the group photo of backs, Chen Ge took a taxi back to New Century Park.
It was early morning, and between going to the police station and then to see Fan Yu, a lot of time had passed. By the time he returned to the park, it was already 10:30.
The rain had cleared, and it was a good day for a visit. There were many tourists, and Chen Ge's mood gradually lifted.
As soon as he entered the park gates, he saw a crowd gathered near his haunted house from a distance.
At first, he thought they were tourists, but as he got closer, he realized something was off. These people weren't lining up to buy tickets; instead, they were blocking the front aggressively.
"What's going on?" Chen Ge approached and saw Uncle Xu there too, apparently arguing with them about something.
Pushing through the crowd, they spotted Chen Ge and, as if finding the person they were looking for, surrounded him.