Overly Intense [Criminal Investigation] 36

Chapter 36: Sleep in My Bed

Bland

Shen Yiyi stood in the middle of the auditorium, holding a self-criticism speech. Below the stage sat hundreds of faculty members and students, every pair of eyes fixed on her.

The auditorium was silent, no one making a sound. Qin Luo sat in the corner, not daring to look up.

But Shen Yiyi was fearless. She stood on the stage and casually tapped the microphone to test the sound, making sure that every word she said would be heard clearly by the people below.

She stood straight, her voice clear and cold. “Good afternoon, teachers and students. I am not here today to receive an award, but to make a self-criticism.”

Shen Yiyi’s voice echoed in the auditorium. The top students who were on good terms with her were amused.

Qin Luo bit her cheek and glanced up slightly.

“As a high school student, I should keep the school rules and regulations in mind, abide by the social order and laws, and maintain the safety of the campus. I am making a self-criticism for my use of violence and harming others. I hope that everyone will take my shame as a warning and not trample on the rules of the legal system.”

Shen Yiyi didn’t talk much in class and didn’t like to answer questions. The students had little contact with her and rarely heard the top student say so much.

She stared coldly at the speech in her hand, her tone frank. It didn’t sound like a self-criticism, but a warning.

“I’m sorry, teachers. I have failed to live up to your cultivation and guidance, and I have not fulfilled my duties as a student. I was carried away by impulse. I impulsively wanted Han Cheng to realize the fear of the voiceless, hoping that I could fight violence with violence. But after the incident, I reflected on my actions and realized that cutting off his tongue would not actually solve the problem…”

Shen Yiyi looked up and hid the speech behind her back.

Her gaze searched the crowd, passing through layers of figures, and finally landed on Guo Rui.

“It was my fault for hurting someone. I chose the wrong way to solve the problem, using the fastest and most brainless way, which not only hurt myself but also had a bad influence on my classmates.”

“But victims are often unable to express their pain. If we all remain silent, then no one will speak for them. Turning a blind eye is also an additional chain…”

Hearing this, Qin Luo looked up.

She searched for Shen Yiyi’s eyes in the blur.

Qin Luo wanted to guess what she saw.

Did she also have a surging, dirty fire, a mix of emotions? She wanted to get closer to Shen Yiyi’s gaze, so she boldly straightened her back in the crowd.

Qin Luo even forgot that by sitting up straight like this, she would be blocking the view of the person behind her.

But she no longer cared about anything else. She just wanted to see clearly at this moment: whether she also had the ability to stand in front of the microphone and boldly say these words.

After thinking for a long time, Qin Luo shook her head.

She was not qualified for the time being, and she didn’t even have the courage.

***

After the self-criticism assembly, Shen Yiyi returned to her normal school life.

Qin Luo began to take the initiative to talk to her, and the conversations between them gradually increased, but they were limited to questions and extracurricular activities.

Qin Luo knew her limits. She never asked about personal matters, but she always kept the phone call from Shen’s father in her mind.

Uncle Shen had asked her to communicate more with Shen Yiyi at school, to interact with her more, to observe her behavior and habits, and to see if she had any violent tendencies.

Qin Luo was also quite curious as to why Uncle Shen would do this, treating her like a surveillance camera, watching Shen Yiyi’s every move.

Qin Luo did not approve of this behavior in her heart, but she still agreed.

Shen Qinwen was a special father to Qin Luo.

The last time Guo Rui was cornered in the alley, if it weren’t for Shen’s father’s help, it could have been another disaster.

Moreover, Uncle Shen was always very polite and courteous when he spoke to her. He would listen to Shen Yiyi’s thoughts, give them space for free conversation, and even give her two oranges every day and worry about her safety.

Even at the end of that phone call, he had stated that this kind of surveillance was not advisable, but because Shen Yiyi’s mood was not right, he was afraid that she would do something excessive, so he had resorted to this.

Qin Luo did not have such a father.

She only had a father who would doze off while watching TV, who would curse when he was dissatisfied, who would procrastinate, and who would always shift the blame. He had been missing from her life for ten years, but when he landed, he had confiscated all her freedom.

She envied Shen Yiyi’s relationship with her father.

But Qin Luo was more curious about Shen Yiyi’s mother.

She guessed that Shen Yiyi’s mother must be an elegant and dignified oriental woman, intellectual, gentle, and all the adjectives used to praise women could be used on her.

At that time, Qin Luo still didn’t understand.

She didn’t understand why she could only use these words to describe women when she thought of them, as if a soft tone could soothe the pain, and revealing vulnerability and softness could attract love and pity. All her beautiful fantasies were placed on a woman she had never met, and at the same time, she released all her imagination about Shen Yiyi.

Clearly, she had a fictional character in her head.

There, everyone was full of fire, and they needed to jump into the raging waves to extinguish it. They were covered in thorns and sharp edges, a far cry from the word “beautiful.”

But she didn’t dare to express it.

She couldn’t find anyone of her kind to express it to.

Qin Luo had asked Shen Yiyi to lunch twice, and Shen Yiyi had refused both times.

The reason for the refusal was also very direct. Shen Yiyi felt that eating was just chewing and swallowing, and did not require companionship. More importantly, she thought Qin Luo was too slow and would waste a lot of her time.

Liu Jia was particularly annoyed when she heard this. After Shen Yiyi had walked away, she asked Qin Luo, “What’s her problem?”

Qin Luo looked at her retreating back and muttered, “If you were in the top few in the city, you’d probably be even more arrogant than her.”

Liu Jia had also forgotten how Qin Luo and Shen Yiyi had hit it off. In her impression, the relationship between the two of them was always mysterious. They seemed distant, but they would always make eye contact.

And Qin Luo would occasionally have Shen Yiyi’s scent on her.

That light, soft, and fresh scent.

She was sure it was Shen Yiyi’s scent, not the ordinary smell of laundry detergent, but a mix of the fabric softener sold in the mall. The scent was very fragrant, and you could even smell it after a run when you were covered in sweat.

Maybe it was the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Liu Jia thought that the Mid-Autumn Festival was one of the few times that Qin Luo hadn’t watched the fireworks with her. And after that Mid-Autumn Festival, Qin Luo had gotten a pair of ugly glasses and had also picked up that pungent smell.

***

Qin Luo had never expected to be taken home by Shen Qinwen.

At that time, her back shoulder was covered in blood, she had barely eaten, and her hair was as messy as a beggar’s on the street. She had been squinting in the middle of the night to confirm why the man in front of her was at the community health clinic on the Mid-Autumn Festival, but she hadn’t expected to be accidentally run into by Shen’s father.

Shen Qinwen saw Qin Luo biting her lip, and his tone was also anxious. “You… where are you hurt?”

“Just my shoulder.”

“How did you get hurt on the festival? Where are your parents?”

Shen Qinwen was about to take out his phone to make a call, but he was stopped by Qin Luo. “No need to trouble you, Uncle. I’m fine. My family is just having an argument.”

Hearing the word “argument,” Shen Qinwen scanned her wound and frowned. “Did you run away from home?”

“No, I just came to see a doctor.”

Buying digestive tablets was a small matter, but disinfecting a wound was a big one. Shen Qinwen called the number left outside the health clinic, and after a brief conversation, he hung up.

The two stood at the door, waiting for the doctor to arrive.

Shen Qinwen asked her, “How did you get hurt?”

Qin Luo looked down. “I don’t know who pushed me to the ground. I was cut by glass.”

Shen Qinwen looked at the girl’s shoulder again. The blood had clotted on her clothes, which were wrinkled. Qin Luo shrank her neck, and she would bite her lip in pain whenever the wind blew.

He took off his coat and draped it over his arm. “Put this on. I’ll call Yiyi. I’ll take you home for dinner later.”

Qin Luo waved her hand and refused. “No need to trouble you.”

“Then I’ll call your parents. How can you be out alone on the Mid-Autumn Festival?” Shen Qinwen opened his coat and draped it over Qin Luo’s shoulders, his movements gentle, afraid of touching her wound.

Qin Luo moved half a step to the left, keeping her distance.

In her impression, her father was a pretender. His rare gentleness was a prelude to violence. She hated the tall and imposing back, the rough throat, the commanding tone he used with her, as if creating the illusion of holding up the sky with one hand, keeping her forever trapped in fear and retreat, unable to resist.

But Shen Qinwen was different.

He also moved a step to the side, one hand in his sweatpants pocket, the other making a call.

“Yiyi, I ran into your classmate Qin Luo at the door of the health clinic. She seems to be in some trouble. Can I bring her home for dinner?” Shen Qinwen asked politely.

Shen Yiyi put down her book. “What’s wrong with her?”

“It’s nothing. We’ll talk about it when we get home.”

Shen Yiyi got up from her seat. “Oh, then I’ll go heat up the food.”

The doctor arrived on his electric scooter, biting a mooncake. He unlocked the door, pushed it open, and looked at the girl beside Shen Qinwen, asking where the wound was.

Qin Luo gently took off Shen’s father’s coat, held it in her arms, and winced as the movement pulled at her wound, taking a sharp breath.

“My shoulder.”

Shen’s father took the coat. “Help me get a box of digestive tablets.”

“Is Yiyi’s stomach still not good?” The doctor rummaged through the disinfection tray and took another bite of his mooncake before walking to Qin Luo’s side.

He pointed to her shoulder with a pair of scissors. “I’m going to cut your clothes to look at the wound.”

Qin Luo’s collar was not big, and her clothes were already torn. The only way to see the wound was to cut the clothes.

She covered her collarbone and said in a weak voice, holding the front of her collar, “Okay.”

The doctor pulled open the back of her collar and cut a circle along the tear. The long gash from the glass was not deep, but it looked scary.

It didn’t need stitches, but it would take a long time to heal.

The doctor asked, “Do you have keloid skin?”

“Huh?” Qin Luo didn’t know what keloid skin was. She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“It means it will leave a scar.” The doctor cleaned the glass shards with a pair of tweezers, then took out iodine and cotton. “I’m going to disinfect it. It might hurt a little.”

***

When Shen Yiyi opened the door, Qin Luo was standing behind her father.

She was as thin as a withered blade of grass. Draped in her dad’s ill-fitting sweatshirt, she looked like a scarecrow, swaying.

Shen Yiyi stepped aside and pointed to the slippers on the floor, saying to Qin Luo, “Wear these. They’re mine.”

Qin Luo clasped her hands together and said timidly, “Thanks.”

Qin Luo put on the slippers.

Hmm… are Shen Yiyi’s feet that small? At least two sizes smaller than hers.

“Yiyi, Qin Luo is staying with us tonight. Find some clean clothes for your classmate to change into. I’ll go get the food.” Shen’s father’s tone was like an announcement. He threw the digestive tablets on the dining table and disappeared into the living room.

Staying at home? Changing clothes?

Shen Yiyi looked at her father’s back, then at Qin Luo.

There were only two rooms in the house. She didn’t want to squeeze in with someone else to sleep!!!

Shen Yiyi turned and dragged her feet on the floor. “I’ll find you some clothes.”

Qin Luo was sensitive. She noticed the reluctance in Shen Yiyi’s voice and her sluggish gait.

A sour feeling rose in her heart and stuck in her throat, more burning than the pain in her shoulder.

She didn’t want to be a wet blanket.

So Qin Luo said, “I didn’t want to trouble your uncle. I’ll go home after I finish eating.”

Shen Yiyi didn’t answer. She led Qin Luo into the bedroom and opened the closet door. She buried her head inside, then poked her head out and looked her up and down.

“How tall are you?”

“174.”

Oh, a few centimeters taller than her.

Shen Yiyi took out a short-sleeved athletic shirt from the layers of clothes. Shen Qinwen had bought it for her to exercise in back then, but she had never played basketball, so the shirt had been rotting in the corner of the closet.

Shen Yiyi handed it over. “You can wear this underneath. I’ll find you a sweater.”

Qin Luo held the clothes. Besides the smell of mothballs, there was also a faint scent of green grass.

She looked around, at a loss. “Should… I change now?”

Shen Yiyi was buried in the closet, looking for a sweater, and just said, “Mm.”

Qin Luo took off Shen’s father’s coat and gently draped it over the back of a chair. Then she hesitated for a long time, holding the hem of her shirt, and finally turned her back to change.

Qin Luo changed very quickly, holding the torn clothes in her hand, her slender waist exposed in the light. She fumbled to cover herself.

To cover her ripe self.

But Qin Luo was a step too slow.

“The sweater…”

The sweater was suspended in mid-air, her arm not daring to move. Shen Yiyi’s thoughts were stolen by the gauze on her shoulder, and… and her bra strap and… her waist.

There was no gap in her vision, but her sight was squeezed by the light.

For some reason, the ever-present phantom was shy of the full figure and suddenly disappeared without a trace. Only she was left in the room, holding up her hand, with no one else following.

The information being input into her brain was greater than her ability to process it. Her eyes could only fall on the smile on Qin Luo’s face as she turned.

She was wavering between three things.

One was the wound covered by the gauze.
Two was Qin Luo wearing her clothes.
Three was someone hiding in her body.

Shen Yiyi turned and buried herself in the closet again. “I’ll sleep on the floor tonight. You can sleep in my bed.”