The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 38

Suspicion – 08

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Lu Zheng rushed to the entrance of the emergency room in a few strides, just in time to see the medical staff wheeling Liu Le's bed into the emergency room. A doctor emerged from inside, and he rushed up and grabbed the doctor's sleeve anxiously. "Doctor! What's the condition of the girl who was just brought in? Is her life in danger?"

The doctor was startled by the sudden tug and staggered slightly. In recent years, the tense relationships between doctors and patients have made them more defensive. Seeing this, Lu Zheng realised his own loss of composure, and quickly released the sleeve he had been gripping tightly.

"What are you doing? Are you a relative of the patient?" the doctor asked warily.

Lu Zheng quickly took out his credentials. "I'm sorry, I'm a police officer. The girl who was just brought in is significantly related to two accidental death cases we are currently investigating, she's a key witness."

The doctor then relaxed, sighed, and shook his head as he said, "Kids these days, a little setback, and they resort to suicide. Honestly, I don't know what they are thinking. Thankfully, the bridge supports are under renovation, and she was caught by a tarp on her way down. Otherwise, falling from that height off the river bridge into the water would have been no different from hitting a concrete slab."

"Is she seriously injured?" Lu Zheng asked.

"She shouldn't be in life-threatening condition, but we'll need to keep her under observation," the doctor replied.

Hearing that Liu Le's life wasn't in danger, Lu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. This case was growing increasingly complex. What kind of hatred and grudge could drive someone to such lengths to bring death to these four girls?

Lu Zheng dialled Gu Yanta's number. As soon as the call connected, the chaotic background noise of hysterical crying and yelling from victims' families came through, and he couldn't hear exactly what was being said.

"Yu Tiantian! Come over here and help explain things, I need to take a call!"

"Ai! Coming!"

Finally, Gu Yanta took the phone and his voice drew nearer. "What's wrong? Lu Xiaozheng? What's the matter?"

"Have you seen the video online?"

"What video? The victims' families are making a fuss here, how can I find time to check the internet?"

"Liu Le jumped off a bridge to kill herself! She's being treated at the hospital where Bai Xiaoting is!"

"What? Liu Le attempted suicide? What happened? Is she alive or dead?" Gu Yanta broke out in a cold sweat. Last night, Liu Le had been alive and well, yet by this morning, she had jumped off a bridge? What was going on in that dorm room? Was it cursed?

"I spoke to the doctor briefly. She was relatively lucky, during her fall, she was caught by a tarp, so her life shouldn't be in danger."

"Good thing she's alive... I'll send someone to the hospital immediately to keep watch. No more accidents..." Gu Yanta said with a deep sigh of relief. "By the way, how did it go with questioning Bai Xiaoting?"

"I didn't go in, but it seems she had quite a disagreement with her mother," Lu Zheng replied helplessly.

"I'll head over in a bit. The victims' families are causing a scene here, all insisting it couldn't have been an accidental death. I've been explaining for ages, but it's no use. We just haven't identified a suspect yet, nobody said it was definitely accidental!" Gu Yanta said. "By the way, have you had lunch yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then wait for me, I'll come pick you up for lunch!"

Lu Zheng hung up the phone, and a faint warmth inexplicably rose in his chest. He had always lived a solitary life, so having someone suddenly take the initiative to get close to him had felt strange at first. Even though they had kissed and embraced, there was still a barrier in his heart. But now, he was starting to feel that having someone by his side wasn't so bad, especially someone as upbeat, humorous, and full of life as Gu Yanta.

Still, Lu Zheng couldn't help but feel a twinge of self-consciousness about his reserved personality. Would he find him uninteresting after a while? Although he didn't fully understand why Gu Yanta liked him, he didn't believe in the idea of "opposites attract." To him, the most important factors in a relationship were shared values and mutual interests. If one person was always proactive while the other passively accepted it, the relationship couldn't last long.

With that thought, Lu Zheng secretly resolved to be a little better to Captain Gu in the future. He couldn't let the man put in all the effort alone.

Before long, Lu Zheng spotted the familiar figure of Little Green from a distance. He walked straight up to the car, opened the passenger door, and got in. Faced with Captain Gu's startled expression, he squeezed out an awkward smile.

"What's wrong with you now? What did I do this time?" Gu Yanta asked, looking at Lu Zheng's forced grin that was more like a grimace.

"Nothing's wrong! Brother~~~ Where are we going to eat?" Lu Zheng tried to make his voice sound more cheerful.

Gu Yanta placed his hand on Lu Zheng's forehead and then touched his own. "There's no fever! What's got into you in broad daylight?"

"Get lost!" Lu Zheng was instantly angered by the comment, crossing his arms with a huff.

"Now that's more like it... Haha."

Lu Zheng rubbed his face, which was stiff from smiling awkwardly. Sure enough, being overly enthusiastic just didn't suit him.

The two arrived at a Hunan restaurant near the hospital. As soon as they sat down, Lu Zheng noticed Gu Yanta awkwardly greeting someone at the door. "What a coincidence!"

Footsteps sounded behind them, followed by a magnetic young male voice. "Yeah! Long time no see! How have you been, Captain Gu?"

"Ah... same as always. What about you?"

"I'm doing alright. I was transferred to Ren'ai Hospital nearby recently. There are a lot of patients here, so I've been so busy I'm only just coming out for a meal."

The conversation felt incredibly awkward. Without turning around, Lu Zheng could already guess what was going on. Seeing Gu Yanta, who was usually so thick-skinned, looking like this, it was almost certainly his ex-boyfriend. He politely turned around and nodded towards the newcomer. The man was about his age but looked a little more mature. With handsome features, sharp facial contours, and a well-tailored shirt and trousers that accentuated his slim waist and long legs, he was undeniably attractive.

"Your friend?" the man asked, nodding at Gu Yanta, smiling to reveal a set of perfectly white teeth, then extending a hand to Lu Zheng. "Hello, I'm Cheng Yu, an old friend of Captain Gu."

Gu Yanta was clearly at a loss for words. He certainly couldn't introduce Lu Zheng as his boyfriend, after all, they hadn't crossed that final line yet. If he said that, would it make him seem presumptuous?

"Oh, this is my colleague, we're out working on a case and decided to grab a bite together. Are you here alone? Want to join us?" Gu Yanta blurted out, mentally cursing himself. What kind of idiot invites both an ex and a potential boyfriend to the same table? His emotional intelligence was seriously hopeless...

"No need, Captain Gu, I'm meeting someone, they're waiting for me in the private room. Enjoy your meal, let's catch up some other time." Cheng Yu waved a hand before turning and heading towards the private dining area.

Gu Yanta breathed a sigh of relief, said goodbye to Cheng Yu, and returned to his seat, only to be met with Lu Zheng's inscrutable expression.

"Your ex-boyfriend?" Lu Zheng asked with an edge to his voice.

"Ah... how did you know..." Gu Yanta asked, suddenly feeling guilty. He shrank back, stammering, "It was years ago... a long time ago... we broke up... nobody expected we'd run into each other here... Ah... right, he mentioned he transferred to the hospital nearby..."

As soon as Gu Yanta finished speaking, the plate beside him crashed to the floor. The waiter rushed over to help him clean up, and the long-dormant "destructive hand" made its return.

"What are you nervous about?" Lu Zheng leisurely lit a cigarette and reclined in his chair, exuding an air of dominance. "I didn't say anything."

"Ah... I'm not nervous... My clumsy hands and feet are an old problem, you know that!" Gu Yanta cursed himself for being clumsy but also noticed something unusual in Lu Zheng's behaviour. Could this be the legendary jealousy? Even Lu Facial Paralysis was feeling it today? As Gu Yanta thought about it, he couldn't help but feel a little pleased.

Gu Yanta finished tidying up the mess just as the dishes they had ordered were finally served, and he quickly buried his face in his bowl. "Aiya! I'm starving! The food here is pretty good! Lu Xiaozheng, don't just sit there, dig in!" As he spoke, he picked up a large piece of chopped pepper fish head and placed it in Lu Zheng's bowl.

Lu Zheng took a bite, chewed thoughtfully, and then asked, "Colleague?"

Why can't eating shut you up? Gu Yanta steeled himself and answered, "Right! What else would he be?"

Lu Zheng put down his chopsticks. "Do colleagues kiss? Captain Gu, isn't that considered workplace sexual harassment?"

"I..." Gu Yanta fumed internally. If I say boyfriend, you won't admit it. If I say colleague, you still pick a fight with me? "Then you explain it next time!"

Lu Zheng fell silent, and the two ate what appeared to be a peaceful lunch relatively wordlessly.

Gu Yanta thought the topic had finally been put to rest, but he underestimated how petty Lu Zheng could be.

Sure enough, as soon as they got in the car, the man spoke again. "Your ex-boyfriend is pretty good-looking. Captain Gu, you've got good taste."

How am I supposed to respond to that? Admit my taste is good? Then I'd be accused of still harbouring feelings for my ex. Deny it? Then I'd be asked if that meant Lu Zheng wasn't good-looking. Gu Yanta would never have guessed that Lu Zheng could be this jealous!

After mulling it over for a while, Gu Yanta finally came up with an answer that might work. Sheepishly, he replied, "Everyone has their own standards for aesthetics. But right now, I think you look the best!"

Lu Zheng said nothing in response to the evasive, borderline-playboy answer, and silence settled between them once more.

The car hadn't gone more than a few dozen metres and Gu Yanta's heart was still hanging when Lu Zheng spoke again. "So, what did he mean by 'let's catch up some other time'?"

Gu Yanta was on the verge of spitting a mouthful of blood onto the windshield! Suddenly, he let out a snort and then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Lu Zheng huffed

"Haha... hahaha... Lu Xiaozheng... you're so ridiculously jealous!"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: January 17, 2025 by Angel

Edited: February 18, 2025 by Angel