Dependents
Yu Song comforted the cleaning lady through the door, “It’s alright, my dad has some mental issues, just wait a moment.”
The cleaning lady saw a delinquent girl with green hair walk out from inside the house, and felt even more certain that there was nothing good about this family.
But Yu Song’s eyes were very clear, and her voice was gentle, making it hard for people to dislike her. The cleaning lady hesitated, standing at the doorway, sizing Yu Song up.
She was anxious to earn money and didn’t want to give up this job.
If she just left like this, she was afraid the family might complain.
Yu Song gave her a reassuring look, then dragged Gao Daqiang into the room with disgust, lowering her voice to ask, “Is Zhang Xiaofeng still soaking in the water?”
At the mention of that name, Gao Daqiang’s brain was instantly flooded with blood, his whole body stiffening, and his eyes became dazed, as if the ice water poured on his head just now had completely frozen him.
“You… you… what did you say?”
Yu Song smiled faintly, “You heard me clearly, and you know exactly what I’m talking about. Or do you want others to understand too?”
Gao Daqiang finally snapped out of it.
He wiped the water from his face, mumbling incoherently, his voice breaking as if he was about to cry, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What Xiaolong Xiaofeng? Have you played with your phone so much that you’ve gone silly?”
As he spoke, he started walking away, his gaze unfocused and his steps unsteady, really looking like he had some mental problems.
Yu Song blocked his way, “Clean up the water on the floor first. Don’t make extra work for others.”
The cleaning lady hurriedly waved her hand, “It’s fine, it’s fine, I came here to clean anyway. Let me do it.”
Seeing that Gao Daqiang looked shaken, Yu Song couldn’t be bothered to argue with him any further.
She instructed the cleaning lady, “Just do the living room, bathroom, and kitchen. Make sure to clean all the corners thoroughly, and wash all the pots, pans, and utensils in the kitchen. Also, help me check if the rice, oil, salt, and other supplies have expired or gone bad—if they have, throw them all out. And all these stuffed toys and sticker awards in the living room, take them all down.”
The cleaning lady nodded quickly.
Although it sounded like a lot, it was actually just the most basic cleaning work.
Not bad, at least she didn’t have to tidy up that man’s bedroom.
She opened her toolbox and got to work efficiently.
Yu Song kicked open Gao Daqiang’s bedroom door, “Give her a hundred yuan as Loss of Mental Health Compensation.”
Gao Daqiang had recovered from the shock by now.
Only he himself knew about Zhang Xiaofeng—he hadn’t even told Song Wenya and her cronies, so how could this cheap daughter know?
Could it be she’d just heard the name Zhang Xiaofeng and was bluffing?
Or maybe she thought he and Zhang Xiaofeng had an affair and felt he’d wronged Song Wenya, so she was threatening him with it?
Gao Daqiang forced a stiff smile and patted the edge of the bed, “Song, come sit and chat with your dad for a bit.”
“What’s there to talk about? If you don’t want others to know, then don’t do it in the first place. I suggest you turn yourself in.”
After saying this, Yu Song picked up a jacket from beside the bed cabinet, pulled out a black wallet from inside, and took out two hundred yuan.
If she’d dared to do this before, Gao Daqiang would have exploded in anger and maybe even slapped her. But now, he was furious yet didn’t dare show it.
“Why are you always siding with outsiders? That woman’s nothing to you, and I didn’t do anything, just made a joke. What Loss of Mental Health Compensation? Did she ask for it herself? Damn, these people are getting greedier and even dare to blackmail me. See if I don’t report her!”
Yu Song threw the wallet right at his face, “I’m the one who wants to give it. With a beast like you in the house, what else can I do? Go ahead and try reporting her. Anyway, my mom’s already taught me how to report illegal activities—I’m just looking for a chance to practice.”
Gao Daqiang took the wallet to the face, wanting to explode but not daring to, holding back his anger as he said, “Give it if you want, your dad’s making money for you anyway.”
He leaned his big face over, “Did your mom tell you about me and Zhang Xiaofeng? Song, don’t you know what your mom’s like? When has she ever been reliable? Don’t listen to her nonsense.”
Yu Song ignored him, took the money out, and handed it all to the cleaning lady, “This is a tip, thank you for your hard work. Just pretend that earlier was a mad dog barking, don’t take it to heart.”
Yu Song had already paid the cleaning fee online, so the cleaning lady was overjoyed to get an extra two hundred yuan, wishing she could polish the floor into a mirror.
She grew even more curious.
What was the relationship between this green-haired girl and that sleazy man just now?
They seemed like father and daughter, but also like enemies.
Yu Song had actually thought about just leaving and cutting ties with this bizarre family.
But now, she was a murder suspect and being watched—there was no way she could leave.
Besides, she still had to find that serial killer, or else he’d hurt others again.
Looking at the tangled mess in front of her, Yu Song sighed softly.
How could such a dutiful, responsible, outstanding citizen like her ever turn evil?
Even if the male and female leads turned evil, it wouldn’t be her turn.
Yu Song lay on the freshly cleaned bed, sorting through her current predicament.
Her cheap dad had killed someone, but that was three years ago.
There was no evidence or witnesses, and the victim’s body was never found after the incident.
So even if she reported it, it might not be investigated—unless Gao Daqiang confessed himself.
For now, this could only be used to threaten Gao Daqiang.
If he ever got desperate and tried to hurt her, she’d just send him straight to jail.
Song Wenya had even more secrets.
She not only pimped but also smuggled illegal drugs, helped Black Market Intermediaries with Loan Sharking—basically, she’d do anything to make money, and spent it just as fast.
Both Gao Daqiang and Song Wenya were social outcasts who’d both been in the Police Station more than once. But they were clever and timid—every time they got caught, it was never for a major crime, so they’d get out in a few months.
The longest Gao Daqiang was ever locked up was half a year, and even then, he was taking the fall for Song Wenya.
Even the most experienced wardens couldn’t make people like them turn over a new leaf.
Yu Song didn’t plan to waste any effort—she’d just wait until they made another big mistake and then take them down in one go.
As for herself, she needed to go to school, and she had to find the real murderer of Zhou Yaohui as soon as possible, so Uncle Hat wouldn’t keep watching her.
As Yu Song was thinking, the cleaning lady came over and knocked on the door, “Little sister, I cleaned out the fridge for you too. There are still some vegetables and eggs inside. How about I make you a meal?”
Yu Song hadn’t expected that two hundred yuan would bring such a return. She looked the cleaning lady up and down, smiling, “Really? I haven’t had homemade food in ages. You’re so kind!”
The cleaning lady blushed and whispered, “Little sister, I was just worried that with no one taking care of you at home, you’d go hungry. You can’t eat takeout all the time.”
She turned and headed to the kitchen. Yu Song stared at the door for a while, recalling the cleaning lady’s every word and action just now, and smiled helplessly.
From another perspective, maybe life wasn’t so meaningless after all.
The cleaning lady was extremely efficient, quickly whipping up two dishes and a soup: garlic broccoli, stir-fried bitter melon with eggs, and a pork rib soup.
The taste couldn’t compare to a restaurant chef, but for homemade food, it was already great—at least much better than what her cheap parents used to make.
The cleaning lady’s surname was He.
Yu Song thanked her again and added her on WeChat before she left.
“I still have lots of jobs to do, Xiao Yu. If you need anything next time, remember to call me—I’ll definitely come to your house first.”
“Aren’t you afraid of my dad?” Yu Song looked at her with a half-smile.
“Isn’t it because you’re here? Even if I was scared, I’d still come for you.”
He Ayi spoke with such sincerity that Yu Song believed her for now.
No matter who sent her, at least for now, she meant no harm.
After eating, Yu Song casually put the dishes in the sink and went to knock on Gao Daqiang’s door, “Don’t forget to wash the dishes!”
Gao Daqiang was pacing in his room like a trapped beast, replaying every step of his murder. He was certain nobody had seen him—so how did this money-losing brat know?
Yu Song’s knock startled him. For a moment, her words and tone felt oddly familiar.
Gao Daqiang cracked his knuckles loudly, practically turning the world upside down. That damn girl actually dared to tell him to wash the dishes.
Yu Song had spent a whole day and night being interrogated by the criminal investigation team.
After showering and eating, she felt even more exhausted.
She’d originally planned to rest well at home today, pulled the curtains shut, when her phone rang—it was an unfamiliar number.
She thought of the unknown calls the original host had received before, her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately answered. On the other end was a woman with a low, sorrowful voice.
“Hello, is this Yu Song? I’m Zhou Yaohui’s wife, you can call me Mrs. Zhou.”
Yu Song was a bit surprised—why would the victim’s wife contact her? Did she also think Yu Song was the killer?
“Hello, Mrs. Zhou. I saw the news. My condolences.”
Mrs. Zhou sniffled on the phone, “Thank you. I heard my husband happened to meet you before he died, and you provided the police with a lot of clues. Yu classmate, I wanted to thank you, so I’ve prepared two hundred thousand yuan for you. Can you come out now? I’ll give you the money.”
Yu Song almost laughed in disbelief. Did they really think she was stupid? She’d fall for such an obvious and fake bait?
But she’d planned to investigate the victim anyway. Since the opportunity presented itself, she definitely wouldn’t miss it.
She put on a surprised and greedy tone, “Ah, how much did you say? Two hundred thousand? For me… haha, uh, actually… Mrs. Zhou, I didn’t really do much, you don’t have to be so polite.”
On the other end, Mrs. Zhou was gritting her teeth, thinking, Just you wait, you brat.
She sniffled again, pretending to sob, “Even two hundred thousand feels too little, but since you’re still a student, I’m afraid giving you too much might cause trouble for you. Xiao Yu, I really do want to thank you in person. I’m at Spring Tea House right now, at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Spring Street. Hurry over, or do you want me to pick you up?”
“No need, I’ll be there in half an hour.”
Yu Song could tell Mrs. Zhou saw her as an enemy, probably planning to deal with her, or maybe even thought she was the mistress?
She changed into her newly bought running shoes and a white tracksuit, then grabbed a small fruit knife from the kitchen and slipped it into her pocket.
The knife wasn’t very sharp, but it would do for self-defense if she aimed it right. Yu Song thought, given her current environment, she’d better prepare some unconventional self-defense weapons whenever she had time.
Before leaving, she looked herself over in the mirror.
With a new outfit, even her green hair looked much better—she was actually quite pretty.
Gu Zhi also heard that Yu Song had gone to Spring Tea House and frowned, “That seems to be Zhou Yaohui’s business.”
Liu Jingjia looked at the constantly flashing red dot on her phone, “That’s right, but she’s already left. Judging by her direction, it looks like she’s heading to the Southern Suburbs.”