Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 292 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (3)

Jin Shuhe let out a scream. He bent his legs like a madman and kicked the bed board mechanically, as if he felt no pain.

Finally, the bed board flipped to one side, and the dim light still made him feel nauseous.

He used both his hands and feet to crawl from the house to the door, not daring to look back.

Then I climbed up to the corridor.

Under the astonished gaze of his neighbors as they returned home from get off work, he said, "Someone killed my mother."

……

Lu Liruan gasped sharply and sprang up from the bed.

The memory was so heavy and oppressive that Lu Liruan could almost see the tragic scene of that day and hear the terrifying "rustling" sound through it.

Lu Liruan closed her eyes and felt cold sweat on her forehead.

"Phew..." For the first time, Lu Liruan couldn't bear to watch the original plot anymore.

I got out of bed, poured myself a glass of water, and when I returned to the bedroom and looked at the bed, I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Bending down and grabbing a corner of the sheet, I could tell that this bed was a four-poster bed, unlike the old-fashioned beds which had storage space underneath. I could tell at a glance that there was no one under the bed.

The bedroom was cozy, with a light camel-colored shaggy rug under the bed, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the memory, which eased Lu Liruan's chilling feeling.

It was completely dark outside, and the living room lights were off. Lu Liruan thought to herself, watching this alone at night is really a test of one's endurance.

How helpless that child must have felt, bearing all of this alone? What I felt was probably less than one ten-thousandth of what he experienced!

Lu Liruan sighed. Even before meeting the child, she already felt a pang of heartache.

According to the timeline, the male supporting character should be seventeen years old now, which, in Lu Liruan's opinion, is indeed still a child...

After calming herself down, Lu Liruan leaned back on the beanbag chair and continued watching the original story.

When Jin Shuhe came to his senses again, he heard the sharp, overlapping sound of police sirens.

The basic urban infrastructure in this peri-urban area is severely lacking; there are hardly any streetlights, and when they break, they are not repaired.

But it was very bright outside today, with the headlights of the work vehicle on and three or four police cars flashing red and blue lights.

The alternating colors painted on the exterior walls of the self-built house create a somewhat psychedelic effect, making the scene feel fragmented and unreal.

Utterly absurd.

Jin Shuhe, a small girl, slumped on the cold, dirty floor of the corridor. Dou Dou, who had gone to the zoo with her mother that afternoon, stood outside the cordon at the stairwell, holding her mother's hand, looking blankly in this direction.

The policewoman in uniform squatted down next to Jin Shuhe, reached out and gently patted the child's shoulder, feeling that the child's clothes were already soaked.

"Let me take you to change your clothes," the policewoman said softly. "Are your clothes in the closet in your bedroom?"

Upon hearing the word "bedroom," Jin Shuhe looked up in terror, her large, clear eyes filled with a heartbreaking fear.

The policewoman realized she had said the wrong thing, so she stopped asking questions, asked her colleague to stay with the child, and went inside by herself.

"Xiaohe!"

"Xiao He—"

The two voices called out Jin Shuhe's name almost simultaneously.

A man and a woman, both looking flustered, ran from the other end of the corridor, heading straight for Jin Shuhe.

"Please stand outside the warning line!"

"Entry is not permitted inside the cordon. Who are you people?!"

“We are the child’s uncle and aunt! Let us see the child, he is so young, oh dear, what are we going to do…” The woman, around fifty years old, wearing an old-fashioned cotton-padded jacket, had tears streaming down her face.

"Officer, we just want to see the child. Xiaohe must be terrified..." The dark-skinned man, wearing a tattered military overcoat, took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to the policeman with his rough hands, bending over.

"Take it back." The policeman shook his head solemnly. "The technicians here are investigating the scene. Are you the child's family members? This child is the only eyewitness."

"I'm Xiao Miao's older sister..."

“Not related by blood!” A man interrupted her. “She’s from the village next to Xiao Miao’s hometown. Lao Jin and I used to work together. Where in Pucheng do Xiao Miao and Lao Jin’s families have any real relatives? We… well, let’s just say we’re relatives.” The man rubbed his hands and sighed as he explained.

The police officer nodded: "Was it the child's father who contacted you?"

"Yes...yes, yes! Old Jin called me...he's driving a car out of town and can't come back right now!"

What's your last name?

"My surname is Zhao, Zhao Lizhu."

"I... my surname is Zhang, Zhang Chunxia," the woman beside her cautiously interjected. "Brother Zhao called me and asked me to come and check on the child..."

"Go inside and stay with the child. Don't move around, don't touch anything, and don't ask the child any questions about the case. Do you understand?"

"Sigh...sigh! I understand!"

The two of them bent over and came over from behind the police line, their legs trembling as if they didn't know how to walk.

"He! Little He!" Zhang Chunxia looked at Jin Shuhe, tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling, and she hugged the little child tightly in her arms.

"Oh dear, how could this happen! What will we do with Xiaohe?!" She wailed, the child in her arms just trembling, his eyes glazed over, without a single tear.

"Didn't the police tell us not to talk nonsense? Why can't you remember? They'll kick us out in a minute!" Zhao Lizhu patted her on the shoulder.

"Yes, yes, I just couldn't help it..."

Zhao Lizhu squatted down: "Xiao He, your father will be back tomorrow. Don't be afraid. Your uncle and aunt will stay with you. Once the police officer agrees, you can come home with your uncle." He patted Jin Shuhe's head with his large, rough hand.

The child hung his head and remained silent.

"Why are you still letting the child stay here? Can't you let the child come back with us first?" Zhang Chunxia muttered. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she was scared even standing outside. What if the child got seriously injured?

"Do we understand it better than the police officers?" Zhao Lizhu shook his head.

Almost all the residents of the houses built in front and behind came to watch the spectacle.

On ordinary days, when young people fight or couples quarrel, many people will watch the spectacle. But today, the expressions on everyone's faces are different from usual.

This...this could kill someone!

I heard that it was dragged out so bloodily, such a long line!

With such close proximity, the neighbors all began to feel uneasy.

"Officer! What's going on here? Please explain this to us, otherwise we won't feel at ease!"

"Yeah... Hey, I heard... it's that... serial killer, is it true?"

"We can't keep killing people here, can we?"

There was a whisper in the crowd.

"Wow, it was Xiao He's mother who died? Oh my, that's terrifying! What was that child looking at?"

"Keep your voice down, the child is still there..."

Police are working to disperse the crowd.

"Go back, everyone! Don't delay the police work! Disperse, disperse..."

A dignified-looking policeman walked firmly behind the policewoman toward Jin Shuhe.

He nodded to the two adults beside the child: "I am the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. My surname is Wu. I'm here to talk to the child about the circumstances of the incident."

"Officer Wu, hello, look at the child..." Zhao Lizhu shielded Jin Shuhe behind him and said cautiously.

"Officer, could you please let Xiaohe go home first? Look how terrified the child is. Could you please stop asking questions for now?" Zhang Chunxia pleaded, unable to bear it any longer.

"This is a routine questioning of the eyewitness. We know the child is young, so we will be careful with our questioning. But time is of the essence in solving the case. The sooner we get the information, the clearer the information we have, the more it will help us carry out our investigation. We ask for your understanding and cooperation."

Officer Wu's reasoned and well-founded words left the two, who were already struggling to speak, even more at a loss for what to do.

Officer Wu looked down at the child, who was huddled up in a small ball behind the two adults.

That glance left him momentarily stunned.

The child, who had just been burying his head in his knees and not making a sound, had somehow raised his head. In his dark eyes, there were no tears, only a strength and composure beyond his years.

He looked at Officer Wu, who was speaking, as if he were carefully analyzing every word he said.

Officer Wu was originally speaking to the two bewildered adults, but seeing their reaction, he had an idea and waved to them to stop talking.

Then he squatted down so that his line of sight was level with Jin Shuhe's.

"Xiao He, is that right? Are you Jin Shuhe?" he asked in a calm voice.

He spoke in a calm and unhurried tone.

The child in front of him had soft, sweaty skin clinging to his forehead, but he was trembling and his jaw was chattering uncontrollably. Yet, he stubbornly raised his head and stared at Officer Wu.

"My name is Wu Qidong, and I'm the police officer in charge of investigating your mother's case. You can tell me anything, and I promise I'll take it seriously."

"Oh dear! Officer, Xiao He is so young, what can he understand? Please don't scare him..." Old Zhao nervously tried to stand in front of the child, but was too afraid to stop Officer Wu from asking questions.

"Or, wait for his father, wait for Old Jin to come back..."

Aunt Zhang, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement, looking at the child with a heart full of tenderness.

Wu Qidong did not answer their questions, but continued to look at the child with gentle firmness. His resolute expression gave people a sense of trust.

Finally, the child opened his mouth and struggled to utter a syllable.

"you……"

"Hmm?" Wu Qidong tentatively placed his hand on the child's thin and frail shoulder.

"If I had been able to run away back then, my mother..." His throat tightened and he became hoarse when he mentioned his mother.

"Can Mom be saved?" His eyes were stubborn yet timid, revealing a delicate melancholy unlike that of other children his age.

Wu Qidong immediately sensed that this was a sensible and precocious child.

"Poor thing..."

Aunt Zhang couldn't help but burst into tears, wiping her eyes vigorously with the sleeve of her coat.

Wu Qidong gave Old Zhao a wink, signaling him to take Aunt Zhang aside so she wouldn't affect the child's mood.

Old Zhao understood, and hurriedly reached out to grab Aunt Zhang's clothes, pulling her to the corner of the corridor.

"Stop crying! If we all cry and wail along with her, how much more upset will Xiaohe be!"

"Yes, yes, you're right, but... I just can't help it. Xiao Miao, Xiao Miao is such a good person, and her child is still so young. It's such a terrible tragedy!" Her tears fell even harder, and she wiped her nose a couple more times.

Old Zhao stopped talking, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it with trembling hands.

Jin Shuhe heard it all. He has had excellent hearing and sense of smell since he was a child. He can tell who is next to him just by distinguishing the scent with his eyes closed.

He sat in the third row of the classroom, but during class, he could vaguely hear his deskmates, who sat in the second-to-last row, whispering together.

He could not only hear Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhang's voices, but he could also hear more clearly what the people coming and going in the house were saying.

When Wu Qidong heard his words, he didn't try to comfort him with nice words. Instead, he said very seriously, not like he would coax a child, "It has nothing to do with your behavior."

"Based on our preliminary forensic examination, we can basically conclude that your mother lost vital signs the moment she collapsed in the small room before you even returned home. Do you understand what I mean?"

The child stared at him intently, as if trying desperately to understand what he was saying.

"I mean..."

He said in a low voice, "Before I got home, my mother had already..." It was clear that he was trying desperately to stop crying, but he couldn't help but sob uncontrollably.

"Yes, we will issue a more detailed investigation report after we return to the Municipal Bureau. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask me."

Wu Qidong was serious, treating the child in front of him as if he were treating other adult victims' families.

It can be said that this child's behavior was much calmer and more composed than that of many adult victims' families.

This surprised Wu Qidong, who felt that the child was truly intelligent and precocious, with quick and logical thinking, and was still able to analyze and think even in such a situation.

Jin Shuhe stared into his eyes, analyzing whether his words were true or false, and whether he was just trying to comfort her.

“You did nothing wrong. You reacted quickly and knew how to protect yourself, doing your best to keep yourself safe. If it weren’t for what you did, you might already be dead and unable to help your mother’s case.”

Seeing that the little boy didn't seem to mind, Wu Qidong increased the pressure on his hand and patted him twice: "You are very brave and smart. Don't blame yourself, because you didn't do anything wrong."

His firm statement reflects the common mindset of a victim's family member or a survivor of a crime.

I've thought countless times about whether I could have done better, whether I could have changed the outcome, and why I survived.

Many people are deeply troubled by this kind of thinking, unable to get out of it for many years or even a lifetime, and some even end their lives with pain and guilt.

Wu Qidong didn't want such a young child to suffer the same tragedy.