I received a call on the blind – assisting APP. A blind little girl asked me to check the expiration date on the medicine bottle.
After checking, I was shocked.
“Don’t take it! Someone is trying to harm you!”
1
Two months ago, I registered an account on the blind – assisting APP named “Eyes” and became a volunteer.
After registration, the APP seemed to die down and there was no more activity.
This was normal. Most blind – assisting APPs on the market were like this. There were more volunteers than blind people, and it was not uncommon for volunteers not to receive help – seeking calls.
So when the help – seeking call rang, I was rather pleasantly surprised.
With excitement, I clicked to answer. What came into view was a little girl who looked only seventeen or eighteen years old.
The little girl had a gentle and amiable face, making people want to get close to her.
If she opened her eyes, her gaze would surely make people feel like being bathed in spring breeze. Unfortunately, she didn’t.
“Hello, could you please help me check the expiration date on the medicine bottle?”
I woke up upon hearing her gentle voice and quickly said, “Sure, no problem.”
So the little girl held a medicine bottle in front of the camera. I took a closer look and it was a bottle of fluoxetine. I was surprised and said, “You… have depression?”
I immediately regretted it as soon as I said it, realizing I had said the wrong thing.
“Yeah.”
The little girl just nodded slightly.
I didn’t ask more questions and carefully checked the medicine bottle for her.
“No problem. It’s still a long time until the expiration date.”
“Thank you. There’s another bottle.”
The little girl fumbled around and handed up another medicine bottle.
I squinted my eyes and leaned forward again.
Looking at the words on the medicine bottle, my heart sank suddenly.
“Do you know what this medicine is?”
The little girl hesitated for a while and said, “Should it be olanzapine?”
I had dated a psychologist girlfriend, so I knew that if depression was severe, there was indeed a way to take fluoxetine with olanzapine.
But…
“Girl, this is not olanzapine. This is phenytoin sodium tablets!”
My tone was a bit anxious. Phenytoin sodium tablets are used to treat epilepsy and cannot be taken with fluoxetine.
I warned again, “Taking these two kinds of medicine together can cause physical poisoning, and in severe cases, it can be life – threatening!”
There was a period of silence on the other end of the video.
“Really can’t take it?”
“Don’t take it! Someone is trying to harm you!”
2
After hanging up the phone, I thought of the little girl’s appearance and shook my head.
As a strange volunteer, I had done what I could.
The rest was up to the little girl herself.
However, the next day, “Eyes” rang again.
The caller was still the little girl.
Her request caught me off – guard.
“Can we meet?”
I kindly reminded her, “Girl, it’s not a wise decision to meet a strange man casually.”
The little girl smiled bitterly, “For me, relatives and friends are very dangerous. Maybe strangers are the safest for me. By the way, I’m not called girl. My name is Zhou Shanshan.”
I looked at the girl named Zhou Shanshan in the video, “Hello, Zhou Shanshan. My name is Yuan Ye. If I agree to meet, what do you want to do?”
Zhou Shanshan said, “I want to ask you to do me a favor. Of course, I will pay enough remuneration.”
…
I admit that one of the reasons I agreed to meet Zhou Shanshan was her appearance.
It’s hard for a man’s inferior nature to reject a pitiful seventeen – or eighteen – year – old girl asking for help.
When we met at the appointed coffee shop, Zhou Shanshan was even more beautiful than in the video.
I had thought that she asked me for help to testify for her when she reported to the police, or more ridiculously, to ask me to be a detective to find out the person who was harming her behind the scenes.
But I never expected that what she said shocked me as soon as she opened her mouth.
“Mr. Yuan Ye, I want to ask you to marry me.”
I was stunned for a moment and didn’t know what to say.
“This is our first meeting…”
She interrupted me, “The third time.”
“Okay, counting those two video calls, it’s three times, but that’s not many either.”
Zhou Shanshan asked eagerly, “Is it okay?”
I remained silent.
She frowned, “Is it because I’m blind?”
I quickly denied it, “No, no, no. That’s not the point. The point is that we are strangers.”
Zhou Shanshan sighed and said, “I told you, strangers are the safest for me.”
I asked, “Why?”
“Because strangers have no interest relationship with me.”
Next, she told me a story.
3
Zhou Shanshan’s story:
My name is Zhou Shanshan. The surname Zhou is from my mother. Because I was born without a father.
My mother died three years ago, and I became alone.
Originally, I was just blind. After my mother died, she left me a lot of money, so I became a rich blind person.
They say that an ordinary man is innocent, but holding wealth is his crime. Having money is my crime.
Three years ago, when I was 16, my relatives scrambled to be my guardian. I certainly knew they had bad intentions.
They wanted my money, to take everything from me.
It was in their endless quarrels and disputes that I got depression.
At that time, I had thoughts of committing suicide several times. Once, I even stood on the windowsill.
But finally, my cousin pulled me back.
My cousin is the only one among these relatives who is good to me. He has been good to me since I was a child.
When I was a child, I couldn’t see, so he would read storybooks to me.
I liked the tabby cat in his house, but that cat was very wild and wandered outside all day long.
So every time I went to his house, he would run around the world to catch the cat, just to hold it in front of me so that I could touch it.
Anyway, my cousin has always been very good to me.
It was also he who said that I was already 16 years old and had an economic foundation, and legally, I might not need a guardian.
Those relatives then left reluctantly.
My cousin stayed and has been taking care of me by my side, just like when I was a child.
At that time, I had just lost my mother and had depression. Without him, I didn’t know if I could hold on.
After graduating from high school, I didn’t go to school anymore.
Although my cousin always encouraged me to go to college or at least go out for a walk.
But I was an inferior and depressed person, so I hardly went out all year round.
Everything was okay at first.
But after I turned 18, I felt that my cousin had changed a bit.
He was still good to me, but this kind of kindness didn’t seem to be the pure kindness as before.
He began to touch my body intentionally or unintentionally, and his breathing was different when he looked at me.
Blind people are very sensitive to the air. Although I can’t see, I can feel that when we were alone in a room, the smell of the air changed.
I was a little scared, so I avoided him intentionally or unintentionally.
He also noticed that I was avoiding him, and I could feel his disappointment.
But he is my cousin. Whether it’s human ethics or the law, it’s not allowed even if he has other thoughts.
And I’m grateful to him. I only have family affection for him, and definitely not that kind of feeling.
Two months ago, he suddenly confessed to me emotionally, and I clearly rejected him.
I could feel his sadness, but I had no way.
Fortunately, after a few days of depression, I felt that the previous cousin was back.
He became cheerful again and often made me laugh, as if the confession had never happened.
I was very happy. I was always worried that I would lose the only relative who was good to me.
…
But since then, my condition has become not quite right. After the doctor prescribed fluoxetine and olanzapine for me, my mood was gradually getting better.
But some time ago, I always felt that my mood often dropped to the bottom, accompanied by severe chest tightness and headache.
When I called you for help, I actually suspected that there was something wrong with my medicine.
And it turned out to be true.
4
After listening to Zhou Shanshan’s story, I was silent for a long time.
“So you think the person who replaced your olanzapine with phenytoin sodium tablets is your cousin?”
Zhou Shanshan nodded.
“I can’t think of anyone else. Besides the doctor, only my cousin can access the medicine bottle.”
I said, “I don’t understand. Why would he do this… Even if he hates you because of love, it doesn’t seem to be this extreme…”
Zhou Shanshan thought for a while and said, “Maybe, it’s for the money?”
I said, “If he wants money, wouldn’t you give it to him? After all, according to what you said, he is the only relative who is good to you.”
Zhou Shanshan said, “Maybe he wants all my money.”
I understood what she meant.
“But if you die, your cousin is not in the sequence of your estate heirs.”
In the legal inheritance order, spouses, children, and parents are in the first rank.
Then come siblings, grandparents, and grandparents on the mother’s side.
Zhou Shanshan has none of these, which means that if she dies, her property will most likely be taken over by the state for public welfare, rather than being inherited by her cousin.
“You’re right. Generally, the cousin really has no right to inherit. But in my case, if the three years he lived with me are regarded as actual guardianship and care, he can fight for the right to inherit. I remember there was a similar case in court.”
Zhou Shanshan looked pained and finally sighed.
“So he has a motive.”
I stared at Zhou Shanshan for a while. This girl was not as innocent as she looked.
I suddenly realized, “You proposed to marry me to dispel your cousin’s thoughts?”
If Zhou Shanshan was married, her spouse would become the first heir.
Then her cousin might give up, and they would return to a pure relative relationship.
I made an inappropriate joke.
“Is this the meaning of establishing a crown prince early?”
Zhou Shanshan didn’t deny it, “Of course, it’s fake between us. We’ll get married for five years, and I’ll pay you one million yuan a year.”
It sounded really like an idol drama.
“Actually, there’s an easier way. You just need to make a will and clearly tell your cousin that even if you die accidentally, the property won’t belong to him. Then I think he’ll give up.”
Zhou Shanshan was stunned and said, “I said, I don’t want to lose him. So I can’t push things too far.”
I picked up the coffee I hadn’t drunk and took a sip.
“Then why me?”
“I said, I want to find a stranger. Anyone will do. I don’t even care if you’re a bad person, because we’ll sign a contract. Just in case, I’ll also make a will in advance.
“But I think that since you’re a volunteer on the blind – assisting APP, even if you’re a bad person, you won’t be too bad.”
I said, “You don’t even know my age or what I look like.”
Zhou Shanshan said, “Anyway, it’s fake. Besides, does it matter what you look like?”
I looked at her blind eyes and smiled bitterly. It really didn’t seem to matter.
It’s a pity. I’m actually quite good – looking.
“I’m 34 years old this year.”
Zhou Shanshan just said lightly, “I know.”
“Another question. Three years ago, you were 16, so you’re only 19 this year. The legal marriage age is 20. What should we do?”
Zhou Shanshan paused and said, “Then be my fiancé first. The remuneration will be paid as usual.”
5
The reason I agreed to play this game with Zhou Shanshan was, of course, not just because of her beauty.
At least not completely.
The biggest reason was the money.
I like money.
But I didn’t expect this decision to make me fall into an abyss in the future.
I signed the contract in the morning, and in the afternoon, I received 500,000 yuan as an advance payment from Zhou Shanshan.
I thought to myself, she’s really a little rich girl.
My first job as a fiancé was to accompany Zhou Shanshan to meet her cousin.
I wondered what he would react when he saw an old man 15 years older than his cousin becoming his cousin’s fiancé.
I was a little nervous and a little excited.
The place was at Zhou Shanshan’s home. Her home really had the air of a wealthy family.
When the cousin shook hands with me, my right hand almost got crushed.
After sitting on the sofa, he stared at me fiercely, like a lion whose territory had been invaded.
Zhou Shanshan couldn’t see, but she could feel the fighting atmosphere in the air.
“I don’t agree!”
The cousin spoke first.
Zhou Shanshan said, “Cousin, I’m an adult. I think I don’t need anyone’s permission for this matter.”
The cousin’s tone softened, “Shanshan, anyone can see that this person just wants your money.”
Zhou Shanshan said, “I’m blind, but I’m not stupid. If he doesn’t want my money, does he want me to be blind?”
The cousin didn’t speak for a long time, just clenching his fists until the veins bulged.
Finally, he gave up, “Are you angry with me?”
Zhou Shanshan said lightly, “Cousin, I think you think too highly of yourself.”
I didn’t say a word throughout the process, just feeling like sitting on pins and needles.
The cousin suddenly glared at me viciously.
“It’s all your fault!”
As he said that, he rushed towards me, and then we got into a fight.
Although he was younger than me, he took several punches from me and finally lay on the ground gasping for breath.
Zhou Shanshan’s crazy voice sounded.
“Get out! Get out of my house!”
I showed him a victorious expression. He got up dejectedly, mumbling and wanting to say something, but finally said nothing.
He walked out of the door miserably like a defeated hyena.
“You can go back first. I want to be alone for a while.”
Zhou Shanshan said in a tone trying to be calm.
“Okay. Remember to take your medicine.” I reminded her, looking at her emotions.
…
Walking out of the house, I put my hands in my pockets to get a cigarette and then took out a note.
I felt that he had stuffed something into my pocket when I was fighting with the cousin.
The note said: Don’t believe what Shanshan said. I’m not her cousin. Please come to me.
There was a phone number behind.
I took a hard puff of the cigarette, but then suddenly coughed violently.
Damn it. I managed to hold on until now.
This kid really hit hard!
6
When I saw Zhou Shanshan’s cousin again, he had changed into a clean set of clothes.
“Just call me Li Qing.” Li Qing said while rubbing his swollen cheek from my punch.
“Sorry, Li Qing.”
Li Qing waved his hand, “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t go easy on you either.”
I coughed a few times and then smiled.
“You said you’re not Zhou Shanshan’s cousin?”
Li Qing nodded.
“Yes. I’m just her friend from the orphanage.”
I was shocked, “Orphanage? Then who is her cousin?”
Li Qing said, “She doesn’t have a cousin. As far as I know, she doesn’t have any relatives left.”
My mind went blank.
According to Zhou Shanshan, she was still living with her mother three years ago. How could she be in the orphanage?
After her mother died, there were a bunch of relatives vying for her guardianship…
Was all this a lie to me?
But… why?
Li Qing said, “She didn’t mean to lie to you. She just can’t figure it out herself. She… has delusional disorder.”
7
Li Qing’s story:
I’ve liked Zhou Shanshan since I was a child.
I don’t know about her life before she came to the orphanage. She didn’t want to talk about it, and the teacher forbade us to discuss it.
She was always very withdrawn. I tried every way to play with her, but she ignored me.
After a long time, she finally agreed to let me read storybooks to her.
I knew she liked cats, so I caught the tabby cats in the orphanage all over the yard for her to touch. Those tabby cats were very fierce and scratched me all over, but they were very obedient in front of her and didn’t get angry no matter how she touched them.
Shanshan seldom smiled. She only smiled slightly when touching the cat.
For that smile, I really suffered a lot at that time.
Later, when we were 16, she strongly demanded to leave the orphanage.
I also shamelessly followed her all the time.
I knew in my heart that she probably didn’t like me.
But she was a 16 -year – old girl with poor eyesight. What would she do without me?
She only had a large sum of money left by her mother before her death.
But I knew how dangerous the world was. For her, money would only be bait to attract criminals.
…
When she first called me “cousin”, I thought she was trying to avoid suspicion, so I let it go.
Who knew she seemed to sink deeper and deeper, really regarding me as her “cousin”.
After seeing a doctor, I found out that she had depression, accompanied by not – light delusional disorder.
The doctor said it was best not to correct her directly and rudely, as it might aggravate her condition.
So I went along with everything she said. In her fantasy, her mother passed away three years ago, and I was her cousin who had an inappropriate affection for her.
Of course, I really liked her and wanted to take care of her all the time, but it wasn’t inappropriate.
I’m telling you this, hoping you can have pity on her and me.
Please leave.
Besides, I couldn’t hurt her.
I didn’t touch Shanshan’s medicine.
8
After listening to Li Qing’s story, I looked at him with distrust.
Li Qing was a little flustered.
“I know Shanshan signed a contract with you. I’ll pay you the same amount of money she gave you.”
I smiled and said, “You don’t look like you have money.”
Li Qing said awkwardly, “It may take some time, but I will definitely pay you. As long as you promise to leave Shanshan.”
I leaned back.
“You and Shanshan have different stories. How can I determine who to believe?”
Li Qing lowered his head and thought for a long time. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
“The doctor, right! Shanshan has a regular psychologist named Su Qian. You can ask her. She can prove that Shanshan really has delusional disorder!”
I thought for a while and said, “Hmm. I believe you.”
Li Qing was a little surprised, “Tha… thank you.”
I continued, “But I won’t leave Zhou Shanshan.”
…
Young people like Li Qing are easily hurt by love.
People hurt by love are easily manipulated.
I easily made him believe that “appropriate distance” was important for love. Leaving for a while would be good for both him and Zhou Shanshan.
And I promised that when he came back again, as long as both he and Zhou Shanshan agreed, I would terminate the contract and return Zhou Shanshan to him.
What I didn’t tell him was that his leaving was also very important to me.
This period of time was enough for me to turn the wood into a boat.
Yes, I believed that Li Qing didn’t touch Zhou Shanshan’s medicine.
Because it was me who touched her medicine.
9
After saying goodbye to Li Qing, I came to a psychological clinic.
I pushed the door open and hugged the woman in her thirties in front of me.
She was Zhou Shanshan’s psychologist, Su Qian.
“I thought you wouldn’t come.” Su Qian said coquettishly.
“How could I not? Didn’t we agree to meet today?”
“The new one is better than the old one.”
I kissed her on the lips.
“A little girl can’t compare with you.”
Su Qian smiled like a flower, and two blushes appeared on her face.
I let go of Su Qian and sat down on the sofa.
“All right, let’s talk about Zhou Shanshan.”
…
Su Qian and I have been in this business for ten years.
We select suitable single women from her patients, using love as a pretext and marriage as a means to defraud them of their money.
The so – called suitable single women, of course, refer to single women with serious mental illnesses.
They are often extremely starved of love and very easy to deceive.
As long as we are good to them, they will think this is love and get deeply involved.
Once they have an “accident” after marriage, as the spouse, I will naturally be the first – order heir to their money.
Zhou Shanshan was the perfect victim, an orphan, rich, blind, with depression and delusional disorder.
After choosing Zhou Shanshan, I took great pains to appear in front of her in a reasonable way.
First, I had someone create the blind – assisting APP named “Eyes”. Then, as a psychologist, Su Qian told her about the importance of contacting people for her condition.
At the same time, Su Qian constantly instilled in her the idea that there are many good people in the world, that strangers are safe, and that people around her are not completely trustworthy.
Then Su Qian recommended “Eyes” to Zhou Shanshan and replaced her “olanzapine” with “phenytoin sodium tablets”.
What Zhou Shanshan didn’t know was that there was only her as a blind person and only me as a volunteer on “Eyes” from beginning to end.
As long as she dialed the help – seeking call, it would definitely be me who answered.
I waited for two full months. When I almost ran out of patience, I finally received her call.
In the original plan, I would slowly build a connection with her, eliminate her vigilance, and develop a relationship with her as lovers.
This was not difficult for me, especially when the other party was a 19 – year – old innocent blind girl.
But I didn’t expect that she would come up with the idea of a fake marriage with me.
However, this saved a lot of trouble.
As for the will she mentioned, I would naturally find a way to deal with it.
…
Su Qian wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Do you want me to give her a stronger dose?”
I thought for a while and shook my head.
“More haste, less speed. And if we want to act, we have to wait until she turns 20 and gets the marriage certificate with me.”
“True. Zhou Shanshan has had no father since she was a child and has a certain father – complex. It’s easy for you to win her over.”
10
In the following month, I responded to Zhou Shanshan’s every request.
I showed my cooking skills, changing the dishes to lift her mood.
I told her about my life trajectory, deepening her impression of me.
Of course, it was a processed life trajectory.
In this trajectory, to a certain extent, I and she were in the same boat. For example, I only had a grandmother. Besides her, I was actually an orphan too.
But on the other hand, I obtained a normal life with my positive and optimistic attitude.
Li Qing’s mistake was that he made himself into Zhou Shanshan’s shadow.
People don’t love their shadows; they love the sun.
What I had to do was to become Zhou Shanshan’s sun.
Therefore, while responding to her requests, I was also constantly playing the role of a father.
For example, I required her to wear socks indoors and not walk bare – foot on the floor.
I urged her to take medicine.
I required her to draw the curtains during the day and turn on the lights at night. Although she couldn’t see, this could let her perceive her own existence.
Every day, I would surely take her to the park for a half – hour walk, regardless of the wind or rain.
This was to establish a habit and a sense of ritual.
If she didn’t listen, I would get angry and even complain and scold her in a caring tone.
…
Soon, I clearly felt that Zhou Shanshan had developed a dependence on me.
Coupled with Su Qian’s open and secret encouragement that love was good for her condition, and she herself had delusional disorder, her perception of reality was sometimes clear and sometimes unclear. So she gradually became confused about the authenticity of me as her fiancé.
This was my first step.
Then I completely disappeared for a week.
During this week, I didn’t answer calls or reply to messages, as if I had evaporated from the world.
A week later, when I returned to Zhou Shanshan’s side, I found that she was in a mess.
Her hair looked like it hadn’t been washed for a long time, it was greasy. Her face was pale, and she was filled with a sense of dejection.
“Where have you been?”
I said with apology, “My grandmother passed away. Now I’m a real orphan.”
Zhou Shanshan’s anger dissipated instantly. After hesitating for a moment, she hugged me.
I stroked her head.
“I’ll go cook for you.”
Zhou Shanshan started to sob softly.
I knew things were half – done.
Zhou Shanshan said, “Yuan Ye, I want to go for a walk in the park.”
11
When we were walking in the park, we met Li Qing.
I don’t know where he had been in the past month or so, but he looked very decadent.
I was about to say a few words to Li Qing when Zhou Shanshan said to me, “I want to talk to my cousin alone.”
I looked at Li Qing.
“Then I’ll wait for you in the pavilion over there. Remember to call me when you’re done talking.”
“Okay, sure.”
They talked for about an hour. During this time, from a distance, I saw Li Qing’s emotions change from decadence to excitement, and then from excitement to anger.
Several times, he pointed in my direction and cursed.
Finally, after glaring at me fiercely for two minutes, he left with a look of disappointment.
I was satisfied with his performance. It meant that he and Zhou Shanshan had completely broken up.
From then on, Zhou Shanshan had no one else to rely on but me.
But I was naturally cautious and couldn’t take any risks.
I and Zhou Shanshan were at a crucial moment. I couldn’t let him ruin my plan.
I had to find a way to avoid him.
“Shanshan, let’s go on a trip.”
Zhou Shanshan hesitated for a while and said, “Okay.”
…
Traveling is an excellent way to strengthen the relationship between two people. In an unfamiliar environment, human hormones are easily misjudged.
After planning, we decided on an island, Lishan Island, as our travel destination.
This was Zhou Shanshan’s decision.
She said that she had lived on the island for a while when she was a child, and it was one of her hometowns.
She hadn’t been back for many years.
She wanted to go back and have a look.
I had no objections. It didn’t matter where we went. I just wanted to be alone with Zhou Shanshan and stay away from Li Qing, this unstable factor.
When we were preparing for the trip, Li Qing didn’t show up again.
I don’t know what Zhou Shanshan said to him. It seemed that he was seriously hurt.
This was, of course, good news for me. The pride of young people made him not appear in our sight at least in the short term.
…
When everything was ready and we were about to set off, Zhou Shanshan changed her mind.
“Yuan Ye, let’s get married.”
I was stunned, “We are going to get married. It’s clearly written in the contract. But we have to wait until you turn 20.”
Zhou Shanshan hugged me nervously.
“Forget about the contract! Let’s get married right away! Let’s get married on Lishan Island. Have the wedding first, and then get the certificate when I turn 20, okay?”
I squinted my eyes.
Although this didn’t match my plan and the time was advanced too much.
But it was ultimately beneficial to me, so I said softly, “Okay.”
12
Zhou Shanshan was an orphan, and so was I.
So our wedding plan was very simple and plain.
Probably just a formality and a meal.
The reason why Zhou Shanshan wanted to hold the wedding on Lishan Island was that her mother was buried there.
I didn’t invite anyone on my side. Zhou Shanshan said she wanted to invite her best psychologist, Su Qian.
Although I knew Su Qian definitely didn’t want to see this, I didn’t object.
Zhou Shanshan said she would arrange the wedding.
I agreed. Although the main tone was simplicity, most little girls had fantasized about their weddings.
I naturally wouldn’t oppose her in this regard.
…
I knew Lishan Island was far, but I didn’t expect it to be this far.
We took a train, then a bus, and finally a ferry.
On the boat, Su Qian, taking advantage of Zhou Shanshan’s blindness, frequently winked at me.
I could only signal her to stop. What if we were discovered? All our efforts would be in vain.
The boat moved slowly. When we arrived at Lishan Island, it was already dark.
This was a very small island. There were only about a dozen households on the island.
All the people in sight were old people. The three of us young people seemed a bit out of place.
An old man was waiting for us at the pier.
Zhou Shanshan introduced, “This is Old Lin. He’s also our wedding officiant.”
Looking at the old man who seemed to be over eighty years old, I thought this old officiant might not even be able to speak clearly.
Although I thought so, I couldn’t say it.
“Hello, Old Lin. I’m sorry to trouble you.”
The old man looked up at me and said tremblingly, “You are… Shanshan’s… husband, right? No, no… no trouble. Shanshan, your old house… has been cleaned for you. Have a good… rest tonight.”
“Old official means husband in our dialect.”
Shanshan explained the old man’s dialect to me.
The night was too dark to see the old man’s face clearly, but I always felt something indescribably strange.
After settling down in Zhou Shanshan’s old house, Zhou Shanshan proposed to go to her mother’s grave to pay respects.
I advised, “It’s too late. Let’s go tomorrow, okay?”
She insisted, “It’s the custom here. Children must visit the grave on the first day they return home. Old Lin has already prepared the candles and paper money for me.”
So I followed Zhou Shanshan up the small hill in the middle of Lishan Island.
“My mother liked the sea when she was alive.”
Zhou Shanshan explained to me why she buried her mother here.
Soon we arrived in front of a grave.
I shone the flashlight and found that the tombstone was a blank one.
Zhou Shanshan knelt down and stroked the tombstone, saying, “Before a child gets married, the tombstone of a deceased mother cannot have words. This is called a blind tombstone. This is also the custom on the island.”
I nodded and helped Zhou Shanshan light the candles and burn the paper money.
Zhou Shanshan said to the grave, “Mom, your tombstone will soon have words on it.”
The sea breeze blew gently, but it made people feel a bit cold.
13
These days, Zhou Shanshan was busy with the wedding arrangements and insisted that I not interfere.
I was happy to wander around the island with Su Qian.
There really wasn’t a single young person on this island.
For some reason, when those old people heard that I was Shanshan’s fiancé, they would turn away with some disgust.
Old Lin comforted me, “They all watched Shanshan’s mother grow up, and then watched Shanshan grow up. They’re reluctant to part with Shanshan. They don’t know you well, so they’re inevitably a bit wary. Please be understanding.”
Su Qian pulled me aside.
“Yuan Ye, I always feel that my eyelids are twitching badly.”
I pinched her face, “We’ll leave after the wedding tomorrow. Don’t be so superstitious.”
…
The day of the wedding finally arrived.
It turned out that Shanshan had set the wedding location on the mountain, right next to her mother’s grave.
And the scene was set up in a way that made me feel it wasn’t a wedding.
To be honest, it looked more like… a mourning hall?
But I thought that Shanshan was ill after all. Maybe she wanted her mother to watch her get married?
As for the mourning hall, I had been married several times. To be honest, the arrangements for weddings and funerals were indeed similar.
So I didn’t think much about it.
After all, I was sure that Zhou Shanshan was completely under my control.
The people who came to the scene were all old men and women.
They had dull eyes, looked senile, and seemed drowsy.
I knew they were considered Shanshan’s relatives on the female side. But why, when it wasn’t raining, were they all wearing raincoats?
Suddenly, everyone turned their heads to one side. I followed their gaze and instantly felt my hair stand on end.
It was Zhou Shanshan who came.
But why was she wearing mourning clothes?
I was about to open my mouth to ask when I suddenly felt a heavy blow to the back of my head!
In a daze, I saw Old Lin holding a wooden stick and spitting at me viciously.
…
When I woke up, Su Qian and I were both tied up.
Zhou Shanshan stood in front of us, her expression as cold as ice.
“Yuan Ye, after today, my mother’s blind tombstone can be engraved with her name.” Zhou Shanshan said, “Maybe I should call you, step – father.”
“What do you mean, Shanshan? Can you untie me first? I think there must be some misunderstanding.”
Zhou Shanshan said coldly, “Don’t worry. I’ll let you die clearly.”
14
Zhou Shanshan’s story:
I do have depression, but I don’t have delusional disorder.
I can tell the difference between reality and illusion, so I can never forget what happened to my mother.
I was born without a father. My mother and I lived on Lishan Island for a while.
The grandparents on the island were very kind to us mother and daughter. When I was a bit more sensible, I learned that my mother also grew up on this island since she was a child.
My mother’s parents also died early. Oh, my mother and I were really cut from the same mold. My mother grew up on the charity of the people on Lishan Island.
This island is so remote that as soon as the young people come of age, they all run out. Over time, only the elderly are left on the island. The elderly love children. She declared herself the island – owner. One can imagine how popular my mother was on the island when she was a child.
She told me that besides taking turns to feed her, every time she visited a house, it was like going on a shopping spree. She could get countless snacks, all given by the elderly. She was grateful to these old people. When she was a child, she would spend time with them, listening to their old – fashioned stories.
Later, when she grew up, she would run to help whenever someone on the island was in trouble. If there were unfilial descendants who ignored the elderly, she would take care of them. All the old people on this island regarded her as their own daughter, and she regarded these old people as her parents.
Later, she got married and gave birth to a daughter, but the daughter was born blind, and her husband died young. In order to treat my eyes, she went to the city alone. My mother had some talent in painting. Later, she earned money by painting and took me to various major hospitals, but she could never cure my eyes.
Her pressure grew greater and greater, so much so that she developed depression and often went to see a psychologist.
…
That’s when a man appeared in her life. The man was much younger than her. He showed her great concern every day and soon charmed her. She was immersed in the joy of love, and even her depression seemed to be cured.
Soon, they got married, and only then did the man show his true colors. They started to quarrel endlessly, and every quarrel ended with my mother kneeling and begging him not to abandon her. My mother’s illness relapsed and became more and more serious.
Although I couldn’t see, I could hear clearly. That man kept belittling my mother and me. Until one day, she opened the window and jumped out of the building. At the age of 8, I lost my mother.
My mother’s name was Zhou Shuhua, and I’m not called Zhou Shanshan. My real name is Zhou Yuyan.
15
My head seemed to explode. Memories from more than ten years ago flooded into my mind. At that time, I had just started this business, and Zhou Shuhua was the first woman I cheated. Over the years, I had deceived so many women that I had selectively forgotten a lot of things.
Now, Zhou Shuhua’s face filled my mind, and I also remembered that she indeed had a blind daughter. I looked at the blank tombstone not far away, and a huge sense of fear welled up in me. Su Qian was crying non – stop beside me.
Zhou Yuyan said calmly, “After my mother died, you naturally wouldn’t adopt me, so you sent me to an orphanage.”
I said fearfully, “I’m… I’m sorry.”
Zhou Yuyan shook her head and continued, “After leaving the orphanage, it took me a long time to find Dr. Su. I tried every means to become her patient, making you choose me as the next target. I knew you would only target rich people. Of course I had no money, but I had my grandparents. The 500,000 – yuan advance payment I gave you was also the savings of the grandparents on the island, which they had scraped together over the years.”
I looked around. The eyes of those old people were cold, as if what Zhou Yuyan said had nothing to do with them.
“I also knew that Dr. Su secretly changed my medicine. At that time, I was so excited that I almost jumped up because I knew you had finally chosen me. When Dr. Su first recommended the blind – assisting APP to me, I was confused. But the moment I heard your voice when I made the call, I knew the time was ripe. I will never forget your voice, Father Yuan Ye. Do you remember this address? You killed my mother. According to the custom of this island, if a person is killed, the tombstone cannot have a name until her great revenge is avenged. A tombstone without a name is like a person without eyes, so it’s called a blind tombstone. Yuan Ye, I can’t let my mother be like me, without eyes, can I?”
…
After listening to Zhou Yuyan’s story, I understood everything.
“What about… Li Qing?”
Zhou Yuyan frowned.
“He has nothing to do with this. He doesn’t know anything. When I found out that he had met you in private, I was really panicked. So when he appeared the second time, I tried my best to drive him away. That was the time when you were in the pavilion.”
I recalled Li Qing’s eyes that day. So he was really just a silly young man crazy about love.
I held onto my last hope and said to Zhou Yuyan excitedly, “Yuyan, can we talk again? Hand me over to the police! Please hand me over to the police! Let the law judge me. If you kill me, you’ll be caught too!”
Zhou Yuyan said, “You didn’t kill my mother with your own hands. If you’re handed over to the police, you won’t die.”
I seemed to grab a life – saving straw, “Yes, yes! I didn’t kill your mother with my own hands! Your mother’s death was an accident!”
Zhou Yuyan nodded.
“So I don’t plan to kill you with my own hands either.”
I let out a long sigh of relief.
“That’s good, that’s good. As long as you don’t kill me, you can vent your anger however you want!”
Zhou Yuyan smiled, “I only said I won’t kill you. Although the grandparents love me, they don’t always listen to me. They love my mother more than me. I can’t persuade them.”
I didn’t understand what she meant and looked around in confusion.
Those old people, who had looked drowsy before, woke up when they heard Zhou Yuyan’s words, as if they had received some signal. Their eyes sparkled with a certain light.
Old Lin somehow took out a pig – killing knife and slowly walked towards Su Qian.
Su Qian was already terrified, her face pale, and she kept shouting for help.
“Let me go! Save me! I was wrong! Yuan Ye, save me!”
An old man in his seventies or eighties stabbed Su Qian’s abdomen with a knife neatly.
Su Qian didn’t even have time to shout before a second knife stabbed in. It was an old woman.
Then came the third… the fourth…
Until Su Qian stopped making any sound. Her blood spurted out when the knife was pulled out, splashing on the old people’s raincoats and dripping into the soil.
Only then did I know why the old people were all wearing raincoats. The fear of death instantly enveloped me.
16
I forced myself to calm down. At this time, I could only save myself.
“Yuyan, wait a minute! I have money. I can buy my life with money!”
Zhou Yuyan frowned, “I don’t want money. I just want you to die.”
Looking at the old people gradually surrounding me, I became more and more panicked. I was sweating profusely and had been rubbing the ropes with a stone since the beginning.
If I could break the ropes, there were only a group of old people and a blind girl on this island. I would have a chance to escape or even fight back.
When Old Lin raised the bloody pig – killing knife, the ropes that bound me were finally worn through!
I made a dash and directly knocked Old Lin to the ground, then stepped on Old Lin’s body and ran forward.
After all, they were just a group of old men and women. When they saw me break free, they panicked for a moment.
I said viciously, “Hahaha, you killed Su Qian. As long as I escape from here, you all will end up in prison for the rest of your lives! None of you can escape!”
Zhou Yuyan said calmly, “The next ship won’t come until three days later.”
I was stunned, and my eyes gradually turned fierce.
“Then I can only act in self – defense.”
Killing people was not something I had never done in my long career of fraud…
Just as I set my eyes on an old woman, ready to snatch the weapon from her hand, I suddenly felt a figure rush towards me quickly!
I was panicked. There shouldn’t be anyone on this island with such speed!
In my moment of distraction, a sharp knife stabbed directly into my ribs.
I turned my head and saw Li Qing’s face in front of me.
I staggered and fell to the ground.
Seeing this, the old people surrounded me one after another.
One knife after another stabbed at me…
Li Qing’s voice sounded.
“Shanshan, no, Yuyan. Forgive me for following you secretly, but I… I was worried about you.”
After a moment of silence, Zhou Yuyan sighed.
“That’s it then.”
She walked towards me, who was dying on the ground. Old Lin handed her the knife in his hand and guided her to the position of my heart.
She said softly to me, “Now I forgive you.”
After that, she stabbed the tip of the knife hard into my heart.
17 “Epilogue”
A meeting was being held on Lishan Island.
After a moment of silence, Zhou Yuyan spoke first.
“I will turn myself in to the police.”
“No way!”
“Nonsense!”
“We old fogies on the whole island don’t agree!”
…
The first “no way” was said by Li Qing, and the rest were from the old people.
Old Lin stood up and said, “Listen to me. Yuyan came back to visit relatives. We’ve never seen any Yuan Ye or Su Qian. We’ve never even heard of them in our lives!”
Zhou Yuyan said, “Sooner or later, it can’t be hidden.”
Old Lin said, “Didn’t you say neither of them has relatives? A case without victims can be hidden for a longer time. Hide it for as long as we can, preferably for three to five years, or even ten – odd years, until we old fogies all die. Anyway, I don’t have many years left. Listen, except for Yuyan and Li Qing, the two young ones, everyone go home and write a suicide note for me. The content is that you killed the people. If something happens, when someone dies of old age, that person will take the blame. Do you all understand?”
The voices of the old people were scattered, but they all expressed one meaning.
“Understood.”
“Okay.”
“What if I can’t write?”
“I’ll write it for you. You can press your fingerprint, right?”
“All right.”
…
Listening to the old people’s chatter, Zhou Yuyan finally couldn’t help crying.
“But… what about your reputations?”
Old Lin waved his hand, “When a person dies, it’s all over. I’ve lived for over eighty years. I’ve even killed people. What’s a reputation?”
18 “Epilogue 2”
On the small hill in the center of Lishan Island, in front of Zhou Yuyan’s mother’s grave.
The blank tombstone was finally engraved with words.
“Tomb of the Kind Mother Zhou Shuhua”
“Erected Respectfully by Her Filial Daughter Zhou Yuyan”
…
Li Qing summoned up the courage to ask something, but finally lowered his head and didn’t say anything.
The sea breeze blew.
“I like you too.” Zhou Yuyan said softly.
(The End)
