SES Chapter 108 Part 2

Chen Xiangrong looked at Luo Ren. “I never thought she had those kinds of skills—really, I didn’t. I always figured that kind of stuff was just TV nonsense. So at the time, I didn’t even think she was escaping. I thought she’d jumped.”

He really did believe that, and even shouted out, “Someone jumped!”

He never even got the chance to rush to the window himself. Later, he heard that by the time the first officer got to the window and looked down, she was already on the ground. Then she bolted toward the courtyard wall, barely touching the ground, and vaulted over it in one move.

By the time everyone else reacted and gave chase, she was long gone.

It was the most shocking case Nan Tian County had seen in years. Even though the higher-ups said to keep it under wraps, this was still a small county—when someone falls off a bridge, whole crowds gather just to gawk. Something this unbelievable? Word was bound to spread.

Luo Ren handed Chen Xiangrong an extra hundred yuan and told him to grab a cab home. He wouldn’t be giving him a ride.

Chen Xiangrong was delighted. The trip wasn’t far anyway. He tucked the money carefully into his inner pocket and walked back.

Passing the bridge, he, like all the other curious gawkers, leaned out and stared for a while.

Luo Ren sat in his car for a bit.

Chen Xiangrong wasn’t the first person he’d spoken to. Earlier, he had already talked with Zheng Li.

She was nervous at first, probably thinking he was there to investigate, and rushed to distance herself from Mu Dai.

“I don’t really know her that well,” she said. “She only started working at the restaurant a few days ago. I don’t know where she’s from or what she used to do, and she wouldn’t say even when I asked.”

But she was still just a young girl. Under the gentle probing and leading of his questions, her words gradually betrayed her worry for Mu Dai.

——“My sister Mu didn’t have much money on her. I met her on the long-distance bus. That’s just how she was—alone, without even a bag. She had no money. Later, my aunt gave her a little, but not much.”

Luo Ren filed that away: if she had no money, she wouldn’t be able to run far. And since she’d made such a bold, public escape, the police would be on high alert, checking all the transit stations immediately. Which meant, most likely, Mu Dai was still in Nan Tian.

“Does she have any friends here?”

Zheng Li thought for a moment. “No. She never mentioned her family either. Just that she had a boyfriend—handsome, seemed rich, and treated her well.”

Something stirred in a soft corner of Luo Ren’s chest.

“She kept saying she was looking for someone. A woman who used to live in a now-demolished old building, someone who always wore red high heels. But it seems she never found her.”

It didn’t look like he would get much more out of Zheng Li. Before leaving, Luo Ren asked one last question: “How’s her mental state?”

Zheng Li didn’t understand.

He rephrased: “What kind of person do you think your sister Mu is? Tough, or the weak type?”

Zheng Li replied, “No way she’s weak. My sister Mu is really tough.”

After thinking a bit, she added, “I can’t describe it exactly. Sometimes she seems fierce, then the next moment she’s kind to you. She’s that type—hard on the outside, soft on the inside.”

Luo Ren spent the entire afternoon circling Nan Tian, driving down every street and alley, often more than once.

Sometimes he parked to buy a drink, only to toss it away right after. He even drove out toward the outskirts, speeding past clouds of dust.

He found himself missing the days back in Xiao Shanghe—gunning the car across the Gobi, cutting through dunes, spinning out, and sending plumes of sand flying. The rush of it, like catching the wind.

He kept driving in loops until late evening, then headed to the night market. He bought toiletries, alcohol—beer and baijiu—plus food: roasted chicken, roast goose, salted shrimp, a few cold dishes, and some plain white rice. Passing a fruit stand, he picked up some fruit too.

Afterward, he drove to a small motel he had scouted earlier.

It was tiny, shabby, nearly empty. Registration was done by hand; no cameras anywhere. Even the bathroom didn’t have running hot water; there was just a heater that had to be lit.

After checking in, Luo Ren boiled water, opened his laptop to set up some pages, then laid out the food on the table without eating. He turned on the TV. The signal was poor, static hissing across the screen. The local news happened to be reporting yesterday’s case, the anchor’s dramatic tone declaring: “There has been significant progress in the investigation.”

After midnight, most channels had nothing on. He landed on a talk show about the usual drama—wives versus mistresses. A man, face pixelated, sat calmly while his wife sobbed: “When you were courting me, you gave me your whole heart…”

Yesterday’s treasured jewel, today’s spit on the floor—two sides tearing each other apart.

Then came a knock at the door, soft, almost blending into the host’s droning voice.

But Luo Ren tensed immediately. He shut off the TV, paused for a moment, then walked to the door. He rested his hand on the latch and gently turned it.

In the dim yellow light of the corridor stood Mu Dai. She looked thinner, her face mostly hidden by a large mask, only her eyes showing—like a frightened but harmless animal. Dark shadows lay under her eyes from lack of sleep.

She said, “I saw your car circling the streets. I figured you must be looking for me.”

Luo Ren stepped closer. Mu Dai flinched back.

He smiled. “Mu Dai, I’ve already held you, hugged you, even kissed you. If you think whatever illness you’ve got can spread just from close contact, don’t you think it’s a bit late to start worrying now?”

Mu Dai didn’t answer. She lowered her head slightly, her long hair slipping forward, baring her pale, delicate neck—so fragile it looked as though it could snap with the slightest touch.

“Have you eaten these past two days?” Luo Ren asked.

She thought for a moment, then shook her head. Her clothes were torn in a few places, with gray smudges at the seams. Who knew where she had been hiding all this time?

Luo Ren reached out, pulled her inside by the arm.

The air inside was different, rich with the aroma of food. After skipping so many meals, the smell tugged at Mu Dai’s senses. Her eyes fell on the table covered in takeout containers. To her, it was a feast.

Then her view was blocked—Luo Ren had stepped between her and the table. He motioned toward the bathroom. “Shower.”

“I don’t have any clean clothes,” she said.

“I heard. No luggage, no money—just your head and your hands. You must’ve thought that was pretty cool, huh?”

He handed her clothes—men’s clothes, plus disposable underwear he had picked up at the supermarket.

Then he nudged her toward the bathroom. “Shower. After that, eat. Then we’ll talk.”