The girl's father charged out from the building and ran to his daughter deliriously, but was stopped by the firemen. He fell lifelessly to the ground and wailed out loud like a child.

“Isn't it embarra.s.sing to cry like this as a man? He still has the guts to cry after raising his daughter like this?” the auntie ridiculed him. As she was talking, she reached over to scratch her leg. A patch of black spot had already formed on her short, fat thigh.

“Have you been stung by an insect?” someone said to her.

“Aiyo, let's go, staying here is so ominous. My kid is getting off school now.” That auntie turned around to leave but she could no longer walk properly as she limped step by step.

Her leg would feel increasingly painful, then finally rot away. If she wanted to survive, she would have to amputate her leg, but if she had second thoughts and did not want to amputate it, then she would die. But n.o.body would tell her what to do, just as she thought n.o.body would persecute her for her mistakes.

On the other hand, that middle-aged man picked up a call and turned away to leave. But before he walked far, he had to stop to take a breath, reaching out to ma.s.sage his back, as if he had a herniated disc.

He did not know what kind of ending was waiting for him. He could become bedridden, face death, or catch an awful illness. n.o.body would tell him, like he had ignored that girl's life, urging her non-stop to jump.

Those who have done evil would receive the fruits of retribution.

The girl's body was taken away and the crowd had dispersed. The girl's father was still sitting lifelessly on the ground. He had cried so much that there was no longer any sound nor tears. He only stared blankly at the pool of blood left on the ground. His neighbor was consoling him, but he seemed to not be able to hear anything. He could not even stand up even when someone was pulling him up.

Qing Zhui and Jiang Hao went to Ning Tao's side.

“Brother Ning, what else can we do now?” Qing Zhui asked softly.

Ning Tao said, “Let's go ask. That girl definitely wouldn't have jumped for no reason. If someone had done something bad, that person must pay for it.”

Jiang Hao and Qing Zhui followed Ning Tao over to the middle-aged man who was sitting on the ground.

The neighbors were discussing it.

“How wicked! That teacher is such a sc.u.mbag, he should kneel down and apologize, no, he should be arrested!”

“A mere disciplinary action for a life. Is there still any justice in the world?”

“Sigh!” A grey-haired old man said, “It's all because of that school's plan to cover the scandal. Poor child… She was still all right this morning and now she's gone, just like that…”

A woman holding a few stalks of spring onion in her hand said, “Xiaoxue was a good child. She had always been good at her studies, but it's such a pity that her life was ill-fated to have met that sc.u.m of a teacher. I really wish that that sc.u.mbag would be punished… Aiyo, something's still cooking in my wok, I need to go back. You guys watch after Chen, don't let him do something foolish. I'll come back right away.”

The woman returned to the condominium.

Ning Tao looked at Jiang Hao in her uniform and something clicked in him. He whispered into Jiang Hao's ear, “Let's go and ask that woman about what had happened. You can just say that you're a police officer. I'm sure she'll cooperate.”

Jiang Hao nodded and followed Ning Tao into the condominium, and Qing Zhui followed behind.

That woman went up to the third floor and rushed frantically into a room. There was a heavy smell of smoke.

In the narrow kitchen, a woman scooped a ladle of water into the burning wok. The fire had been extinguished but the smoke had gotten heavier. The woman was coughing heavily and retreated from the kitchen, yet she saw three people standing by her door.

Jiang Hao said, “Sister, sorry to disturb you.”

That woman said in surprise, “You are…”

Jiang Hao said, “I'm a police officer. These two are journalists. We would like to understand more from you, is that ok?”

The woman asked, “What do you want to know?”

Ning Tao said, “Sister, there was a girl who just jumped off the building. Her father is grieving so it's not convenient for us to disturb him, it would hurt him again. So, we've come to learn more from you about why that girl had jumped off the building. Is it ok for you to tell us?”

That woman said, “What would you do if I told you?”

Ning Tao said, “Expose the truth. We'll make the perpetrators receive the punishment they deserve.”

“Come in quickly, I'll tell you everything I know.” The woman appeared to be enthusiastic and invited the three of them into her house, then they began chatting.

In fact, there was an obvious loophole in Ning Tao's journalist disguise. He did not bring any camera, nor did he bring any voice recorder pen or notebook. But this woman did not suspect it at all. She was just an ordinary housewife with a simplistic mindset after all, and did not think much about it.

“That poor girl's name was Chen Xue. After her mother remarried, she lived with her father. That girl was quite obedient, every time she met me, she would call me 'auntie'. Her studies were also good…”

It was all unimportant information but Ning Tao listened patiently.

“Not long ago, she got sick in school and took a leave of absence to rest in her dormitory. Her cla.s.s teacher went to visit her, but that sc.u.mbag had started taking advantage of her, seeing that she was pretty. She resisted and it attracted the other students. That sc.u.mbag ran away, but it had traumatized the girl. She did not dare to tell Chen and kept it to herself. But how would a little girl be able to endure it? She was upset every day and became depressed very quickly. After Chen pursued, she told the truth. And after that, Chen went to the school, and the school had only given the sc.u.mbag disciplinary action in order to cover up the scandal. Because of that, Xiaoxue was mocked by her cla.s.smates, her grades kept falling too, adding to her depression… She then… then…” The woman could no longer continue and wiped her tears away.

Jiang Hao frowned. “Did they not report it to the police?”

The woman said, “They have. But the police said that there was no proof so they could not make it a case. And even if they had found evidence, no real intercourse had happened between that sc.u.mbag and Xiaoxue, so he would only at most be detained for a few days. In turn, they had encouraged Chen to just dismiss the matter and not persist anymore. Chen had hurt his legs going everywhere for this, but little did he expect such an outcome. He had gotten ill as a result too. Now that Xiaoxue is gone, I'm worried that he will not be able to go on. Sigh, poor thing.”

Ning Tao suppressed the anger in him, asking, “Sister, where's that sc.u.mbag teaching? What's his name?”

That woman told them the school and the teacher's name. “That sc.u.mbag's name is Lan Yong. I heard that he had even gotten some excellent teacher award. How ironic.”

Ning Tao remembered that sc.u.mbag's name and said as he got up, “Thank you, sister. We have to go now.”

“Let me send you off.” The woman stood up to send her guests out, and asked, “Which TV channel or newspaper would I be able to see your interview?”

Ning Tao did not expect her to ask such a question and replied casually, “Heaven's Way News.”

“Heaven's Way News? A good newspaper. Heaven will serve the karma. That sc.u.m will be punished,” the woman said.

Ning Tao nodded solemnly at the woman and left.

After leaving the condominium, that group of neighbors had dispersed. The girl's father was no longer around. It was unclear whether he had gone to see his daughter's body or somewhere else.

Regardless of who has left this world or whatever misfortunate has happened, this world will not stop moving. It had only been about 10 to 20 minutes, and there was still a faint smell of the girl's blood left in the air, but who would still remember her after a few more decades?

Ning Tao did not think about how to look for that father, because he knew that there was no way to help him. The worst was a heart of despair. That poor Mr. Chen had lost his only kin. Even though he was still alive, his heart was already dead. What was waiting for him was a long journey of pain and suffering, which was worse than death.

A human life and a despondent heart. That teacher had committed such evils but had only received mere disciplinary action. Where was the fairness?

There was no fairness, so there had to be the way of Heaven.

“I'll go check up on that guy's ident.i.ty,” Jiang Hao said.

Ning Tao said, “Just let me know once you find something. You don't need to be involved.”

Yet Jiang Hao said, “If I had not personally seen that girl jump off the building, I would listen to you if you didn't want me to be involved. But now that I've seen it personally, I feel that I should do something for her.”

“But your ident.i.ty…” Ning Tao started to speak but stopped. He was still conflicted over her Bureau of Special Affairs ident.i.ty.

Jiang Hao said, “I'm no longer the Jiang Hao from before.”

Ning Tao said, “Then all right, go on. Then we'll go look for that guy.”

Yet Jiang Hao responded, “No, now the girl is dead. That guy named Lan Yong will be put in the spotlight of public opinion. If we made a move now, we'd attract trouble. Let's just wait for the public outcry to die down before acting.”

Ning Tao said, “Don't worry. I have a way to do this without leaving any traces behind. It's indeed at the cusp of public opinion right now, but if he were punished, then it would be a warning to those people who would commit the same evil deeds. You go investigate and we'll make a move once you find something.”

It did not make sense for Jiang Hao to try to dissuade him anymore, so she nodded as a sign of agreement.

For such sc.u.mbags to live for another second longer was an insult to the ways of Heaven. Ning Tao had personally witnessed the evilness of that Lan Yong; how could he possibly allow him to continue living comfortably in this world?

Jiang Hao took out her phone and made a call while she followed Ning Tao and Qing Zhui back.

That auntie had fetched her child and was walking along the same road. She was limping on one leg as she scolded, “How unlucky. It was your own business to jump. It's not like I was the one who pushed you, how dare you blame me for it! I'm not a pushover! I'll go back now and hire a Taoist priest to exorcise you, and you'll never be able to reincarnate!”

“Granny, what are you mumbling about?” her child asked.

That auntie spat, “Yaya, don't ask anymore, a fool jumped off the building and made your granny's leg hurt.”

“Why would Granny's leg hurt because a fool jumped off a building?”

“Aiyo, child, you should say that she deserved to die, or else Granny won't buy you chocolate anymore.”

“Oh, then she deserved to die.”

Ning Tao, Qing Zhui, and Jiang Hao pa.s.sed by that auntie. Jiang Hao and Qing Zhui glared at that auntie while Ning Tao averted his gaze and walked away.

Looking at such a person even for another glance sickened him.