Chapter 123 The Abused Woman (ETL) Part 1
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Chapter 123 This isn’t domestic violence, it’s murder!
Gu Ye sent several more messages, but received no reply from the other side. He went back to the living room and found Yu Ze. “Honey, help me look something up.”
Puzzled, Yu Ze asked, “What is it?”
Gu Ye frowned as he replied, “I only have this person’s ID. Help me get someone to look up her exact address and also get me a lawyer.”
Yu Ze nodded. “I’ll arrange it for you tomorrow morning.”
Hearing that, Gu Ye ran over and hugged Yu Ze’s neck. He kissed him hard and said, “Love you!”
Next, Gu Ye called Xie Cheng, his tone less friendly. “Xiao Chengzi, are you free tomorrow morning?”
In the call, Xie Cheng said disdainfully, “Who’s Xiao Chengzi? You sounded like you’re calling an eunuch1. Where are you planning to go tomorrow?”
Gu Ye said seriously, “It should be outside of the capital.”
Xie Cheng laughed. “Your business is that extensive now?”
Too lazy to joke with Xie Cheng, Gu Ye sent him a screenshot directly. “There are already signs of death from her face reading. Either she dies from domestic violence, or she kills her whole family, then faces a murder charge. I want to go find her tomorrow and try my best to save her.”
Xie Cheng stopped joking. “Okay, let’s leave early tomorrow. Do we have enough people?”
“The two of us are enough, please don’t call anyone else!” Gu Ye was utterly disgusted by the group of idiots and just wanted to leave the group chat.
“Okay, how do we get there? Is it still possible to buy high-speed rail tickets now?”
At the side, Yu Ze said calmly, “I’ll buy them. If there are no tickets, we’ll drive. I’ll provide a driver. If it’s far, I’ll arrange a helicopter. If all else fails, I have an international private jet.”
Hearing that, Gu Ye cupped Yu Ze’s handsome face. Instantly changed his expression, Gu Ye praising Yu Ze with adoration, “President Yu is so handsome! So amazing! It’s settled then. Xie Cheng, get up at 5.00 am tomorrow, Xiao Chengzi?”
Xie Cheng took a deep breath and said weakly, “Okay, this poor guy doesn’t want to talk.”
Gu Ye hung up the phone with a look of disgust. He hadn’t even beaten Xie Cheng up yet, and the little brat was already throwing a tantrum. Humph!
The next morning at 5.00 am, Gu Ye got up and called Xie Cheng to leave. They had already confirmed the woman’s address; it was in a small village in the next province, a truly rural area. Even the county seat was a third-tier city, and it was still 600 kilometers away from the capital.
Yu Ze’s people managed to get tickets to the provincial capital for that day. It’s an hour and a half to the provincial capital, where a car will pick them up and take them directly to this small village called Xiao Wu Village. This time, besides Gu Ye and Xie Cheng, there was also a young lawyer, the same lawyer Zhang who had previously accompanied Yu Ze to the Gu family2. There was also a bodyguard/driver, a man in his thirties with a serious expression. He had been Yu Ze’s bodyguard for several years. Officially, he’s the only bodyguard coming with him, but Gu Ye didn’t know how many people Yu Ze had secretly sent to protect him. It seemed Yu Ze really treated him like a baby; he was extremely worried about him whenever he went out.
When the group arrived at Xiao Wu Village, it was already past 11.00 am. The village was full of single-story houses. Overall, they are not wealthy and are surrounded by farmland.
It was lunchtime, and many children were walking home in groups, carrying their schoolbags. Seeing these children, Xie Cheng remarked in surprise, “These children’s parents seem quite at ease letting their kids go to and from school by themselves.”
Gu Ye looked at the group of children and laughed, “That’s how it is in the countryside. It’s not as chaotic as outside (in the city), so adults here are more at ease.”
Xie Cheng teased, “You sounded like you’ve lived in the countryside before.”
Gu Ye replied seriously, “I’ve lived there in my dreams.”
Xie Cheng retorted, “You spoiled rich kid, stop fooling around.”
The two walked on and chatted, but being unfamiliar with the area, they didn’t know exactly where to look for the woman they had come here for. Just as they were about to ask someone, they saw several children gathered together on a side path.
Gu Ye opened the window and saw several little boys surrounding a girl who looked about 7 or 8 years old, pushing and shoving her. The boys looked a few years older than the girl, and each boy pushed her, causing her to stumble back and forth. One of the boys snatched the girl’s schoolbag and threw it into a ditch by the roadside.
Xie Cheng said irritably, “These little brats are so young and already behaving badly, the strong bullying the weak.”
Just then, the little girl tried to retrieve her schoolbag but was pushed down by the bully. Another child pulled at her hair and smiled, feeling like he looked heroic.
Gu Ye’s expression turned cold. He told the driver, “Go around the bend.”
Though the little girl was being bullied, her expression was resolute. She didn’t cry a word but picked up a brick from the ground and threw it at her bully. The boy who had grabbed her hair was startled and dodged away. The leader of the group was taller and chubby and looked strong. Feeling humiliated, the boy ran back and glared at her, yelling, “You wild child! You’ve got some nerve, you even dared to fight back!”
His friends chimed in, “Yeah! Wild child! Your mom cheated, so your dad beat her to death! You’re a wild child! A wild child nobody cares about!”
The little girl hurled stones at the bullies fiercely, picking up whatever she could find and throwing it at them. At the same time, she yelled, “You are the one who’s not biologically related! You are the one who is a wild child! Your mother is the one who cheated!”
Seeing that the little girl dared to talk back, the boys surrounded her again, each one pinning her to the ground. “You’re talking nonsense! Your mom cheated on your dad. You wild child, still dared to talk back!”
The little girl struggled, but the boys grabbed her hair, ready to beat her. The road was too narrow, with ditches on either side, so Gu Ye had to get out of the car. He shouted coldly, “What are you doing?”
The boys stopped, but seeing that Gu Ye didn’t seem like a local, they were quite arrogant. “Is it any of your business?”
“Aiya, these brats!” Xie Cheng angrily got out of the car, whip in hand. “You bunch of little brats, bullying someone and acting so self-righteous? Want a beating? Get lost! If you bully her again, I’ll beat you up!”
Seeing Xie Cheng’s fierce expression, the children fled in terror.
Gu Ye walked over to the little girl and noticed something was wrong from reading her face. Her mother was dead, but a trace of death lingered between her brows. There was only one possible reason: her mother hadn’t left; she just hadn’t shown up during the day. If that was the case, her mother’s death wasn’t natural.
Gu Ye remembered what the brats had said—that her mother was beaten to death by her father—and his brow furrowed. Was domestic violence a tradition here? But he’d seen some kind-looking pedestrians on the street; they hadn’t done anything wrong.
Gu Ye helped the child pick up her schoolbag. “Are you alright, child?”
The little girl’s eyes were full of wariness; she looked at the strangers defensively, afraid to speak.
Gu Ye comforted the young girl, “Don’t be afraid, we were just passing by. Why did they bully you?”
Taking the schoolbag, the little girl brushed the dirt off and said coldly, “They’re used to bullying me, so they just want to do so.”
Hearing that, Xie Cheng’s expression turned cold. He asked angrily, “How can one bully someone and then get used to it? Don’t those kids’ families care?”
The little girl lowered her eyes, “No.”
Gu Ye tentatively asked, “Where are your parents?”
The little girl lowered her head and brushed the dirt off her clothes. “My mom is dead.”
“And your dad?”
The little girl looked up, and in that instant, a deep hatred flashed in her eyes. It was the first time Gu Ye had seen such feelings of a child for her father in the little girl’s eyes. The child didn’t speak, but both of them understood that her father probably wasn’t good to her.
Just then, the group of unruly children who had run away returned. This time, they came back with a group of adults. A middle-aged man with a fierce look on his face, who resembled the leader of the children, asked menacingly, “Who hit my child? You, the one with the whip! You friggin hit my son?”
Xie Cheng said coldly, “No wonder your son is like this. He took after a father like you. Like father, like son.”
The man clearly had a bad temper. After being scolded by Xie Cheng, he angrily stepped forward, wanting to beat him up. He yelled, “You outsider, coming to our doorstep to bully us! I’ll beat you to death, you sonovabitch! You don’t even know what kind of business I run!”
Xie Cheng sneered and flicked his whip, the crack echoing sharply in the air. “You’re just a sheep butcher, not a killer. You can try, see if I don’t whip you until your skin is torn and bleeding!”
Gu Ye said disdainfully, “Don’t you want to get your whip dirty by whipping him? And you, your son bullied this child first, how dare you come back to cause us trouble?”
“Who bullied her?” This man’s son was definitely his own flesh and blood, bullying outsiders with such arrogance and unreasonable behavior.
Gu Ye said disgustedly, “We saw this child being bullied by them with our own eyes. Attorney Zhang, come and explain to him what law he broke?”
Attorney Zhang, who was following behind Gu Ye, pushed up his glasses and said seriously, “Third Young Master, what he did constitutes instigating a minor to bully a child, which is a legal offense.”
Upon seeing the lawyer’s address to Gu Ye, and then glancing at the SUV parked by the roadside—a sturdy vehicle with a large frame, clearly expensive—the middle-aged man sensed fear in his eyes. He said, his tone blustering but his voice betraying his fear, “Don’t try to fool me! What law have I broken?”
Attorney Zhang said sternly, “Your son must have been bullying this girl for years to be so at ease with the actions. And you, as the father, not only didn’t stop him, but you condoned it. I can give you eight hundred reasons to take you to court.” Attorney Zhang stepped forward, pulling out his business card. “I’m a lawyer. Let me tell you, I’ve seen plenty of young men like your son. They usually end up in juvenile detention centers. And the parents are guilty of instigation; at the very least, they’ll be locked up for 3 years, reform through manual labor.”
“Don’t talk nonsense! Who instigated him?” The middle-aged man, who was someone who could read, saw the information on the name card—a corporation, a law firm, and a deputy director—and was immediately terrified. He grabbed his child and ran away.
Xie Cheng whispered, “Wow, buddy, this lawyer’s talking nonsense with a straight face. He’s not as innocent as he seems. Where did you find him?”
Gu Ye clicked his tongue. The people Yu Ze hired were all like this, black-bellied inside. “Attorney Zhang works for Yu Ze’s company. Anyway, they won’t dare bully this kid anymore. If you hit the child, this little girl will be bullied even more after we leave. No one will protect her.”
Xie Cheng finally realized, “You’re too thoughtful.”
Gu Ye turned to comfort the little girl, “They shouldn’t bully you anymore for now, don’t be afraid.”
Carrying her schoolbag, the little girl gratefully said, “Thank you.”
Gu Ye squatted down and smiled as he patted the dirt off the child’s legs. “They’re all talking nonsense. You’re not a bastard/wild child. You’re your father’s child, and a very excellent child at that. You’re very strong.”
Hearing that, the little girl stared blankly at Gu Ye, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears. She hadn’t cried even when bullied by a group of unruly children, but Gu Ye’s simple words of comfort brought tears to her eyes. She whispered, “My mom didn’t cheat.”
Gu Ye nodded. “Yes, so can you tell big brother how your mother died?”
The little girl shook her head, pursing her lips.
Gu Ye’s eyes darkened. This child knew how her mother died. He carefully examined the child’s face and said sympathetically, “Alright then.” Gu Ye didn’t ask about the child’s mother anymore. “Shall we take you home?”
Gu Ye had already realized that the child’s mother’s death was not normal, and her vengeful spirit hadn’t left. He wanted to go to her house to check, but the little girl still shook her head. “No, Daddy, Grandpa, and Grandma will be angry.”
Gu Ye didn’t press the child, gently asking, “Then where is your mother buried? Can you tell me?”
The little girl pointed to the east of the village, “That mound, the one with the wreaths.”
Gu Ye knew that in some places, it was customary to place wreaths sent by others on the grave after someone died. Since the wreaths were still there, it meant the child’s mother hadn’t been dead for long. Gu Ye stopped asking about the child’s family and took out his phone to show her a picture of the woman. “Do you know this person? We’re here to find her. Is she from your village?”
The girl hesitated. “This is…this is my aunt.”
Gu Ye and Xie Cheng were both surprised; this was too much of a coincidence. “Is she your biological aunt?”
The girl nodded. “Yes.”
Gu Ye asked again, “Is she in your village?”
The girl shook her head and pointed to the next village. “No, my aunt got married a long time ago. She’s in that village, right next to ours. It’s only a 10-minute walk.”
Gu Ye and Xie Cheng both realized something was wrong. Why was her aunt making such a desperate sound after her mother died? What exactly was the relationship between these two families?
The child didn’t want to say much, “Big brother, I have to go home. I’ll get scolded if I’m late.”
Gu Ye quickly said, “Go ahead, goodbye.”
“Goodbye, big brother!” The little girl waved and ran home. Gu Ye got back into the car. “That village should be Xiao Wu Village instead.”
They hadn’t driven far when they arrived at the village the little girl had pointed to. Seeing an old woman standing at the village entrance, Gu Ye asked, “Grandma, is this Xiao Wu Village?”
The old woman, seeing Gu Ye’s fair complexion and polite manner, replied, “This is Xiao Wu Village. Who are you looking for?”
Gu Ye showed the old woman a photo. “Do you know where this person lives?”
The old woman looked at them warily. “What do you want with her?”
Seeing that the old woman did know the woman in the photo, Gu Ye and Xie Cheng got out of the car. “We’re police officers. We heard she’s been a victim of domestic violence for years, so we came to check.”
Upon hearing they were police officers, the old woman turned to leave. Gu Ye and Xie Cheng quickly chased after her. Gu Ye slipped 200 yuan into the old woman’s hand. “Grandma, this is a reward for anyone who provides a clue to the authority. Let’s keep it a secret; I won’t tell anyone it was you who told me.”
Seeing the money in her hand, the old woman smiled. “How could I accept this?”
Gu Ye smiled and said, “You deserve it for the information. I just want to know what her family situation is like.”
For the sake of the money, the old woman said, “This is simply a tragedy. This woman’s name is Fang Mei. She married into our village from next door. She was a good student from a young age and even went to high school. But she’s unlucky. She has an older brother who has a leg disability and is lame, so he’s never been able to find a wife. In our village, there’s also a disabled person with a hand disability who’s also never been able to find a wife. Some unscrupulous person arranged for the two families to marry into each other’s villages. The sister from one village married into the other, and this woman married into our village. It’s been almost 10 years.”
Xie Cheng asked, “Is her husband treating her badly? Does he always beat her?”
Raw word count: 7748 (whole chapter)
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