Chapter 2 The Next Day

The next day.

I bid farewell to Lin Fei's family early in the morning and drove directly onto the expressway to the provincial capital.

The road conditions were smooth and unobstructed during the Spring Festival, perhaps because there were fewer out-of-town vehicles.

Anyway, I started to feel drowsy halfway there, so I quickly patted my stiff neck to shake off the sleepiness.

By the time I got off the expressway, it was lunchtime, but I wasn't hungry at all.

I wondered if I should go home and catch up on sleep or go somewhere to hang out.

I pulled the car over to the side of the road, lit a cigarette, and hesitated, trying to decide. Finally, I decided to take a drive to a neighboring city. Being in one city for too long can get boring, and staying in another city for a few days can bring a sense of novelty.

I started the car and got back on the expressway.

In just over half an hour, I arrived at the toll station. As soon as I paid the toll, the phone on the passenger seat suddenly rang. It was Manager Li again.

I frowned. I didn't need to guess; it must be about Pei Shi Yu's family.

I deliberately answered the phone slowly, pretending to sound sleepy.

"Hello, Manager Li."

"You didn't go last night?" Manager Li is usually a slow and deliberate person, but both times he's called, he's sounded very anxious.

"I contacted her later. Pei Shi Yu said everything was fine, and they'd already left home."

"You need to go over there and take a look. Something must have happened to her father. Shi Yu just called me and said their house was a complete mess."

"Why don't you just tell her to call the police? What good will it do if I go..."

I wanted to make excuses, but Manager Li said in a very unhappy tone, "I don't want to explain anything. Even a neighbor would lend a hand. I've called several times from last night until today, and you're still unmoved. What am I supposed to say about you!"

"Okay... okay... okay, I'll head over there right now. I'll contact you when I get there."

I made a U-turn at a gap in the road and drove back faster than I had come.

...

When I got to the entrance of her apartment building, I parked the car in a parking space and then dialed Pei Shi Yu's number. She answered quickly. I asked her, "Are you home? I'm downstairs. Tell me the building and apartment number."

It was very noisy inside. Pei Shi Yu gave me the apartment number and hung up quickly.

When I stepped out of the elevator, the scene in front of the door made me gasp. Several police officers were standing at the door, and the door of the apartment across the hall was half-open, with a head poking out to watch.

I walked up to the police officers and looked inside. Only Pei Shi Yu was standing in the living room, while Father Pei was shouting from another room.

I was about to step inside when a police officer stopped me and asked, "Who are you? It's best not to go in right now."

"What happened?"

"Mr. Pei seems to be mentally unstable. He's holding a knife."

"It's okay, I'm a friend of hers."

I casually replied and walked to Pei Shi Yu's side. She looked a little helpless at the moment. I didn't say anything and just stood there for about a minute before she noticed me...

Then I said, "He needs to be taken to a hospital."

"The ambulance came earlier, but he scared them away with the knife."

"You need to take him to a psychiatric hospital. They have specialized equipment for restraining him."

I looked around the room and asked, "Where's Xiao Long?"

"At the neighbor's," Pei Shi Yu replied simply.

I think anyone would be heartbroken to encounter something like this. Even though I've had my disagreements with her, I still felt a pang of pity.

While I was thinking about what to do, her father suddenly walked into the living room. As soon as he saw me, he rushed towards me. I dodged nimbly, grabbed him from behind, and said to Pei Shi Yu, "Take the knife away from him."

But instead of snatching it away like I said, she patiently persuaded him, "Dad, give me the knife. You'll hurt someone like this. If you have anything unpleasant on your mind, tell me, and we'll solve it together."

The old man, who had been struggling desperately, suddenly calmed down after hearing Pei Shi Yu's words. Then he cried, his voice filled with tearing and despair, making people feel extremely sad.

Perhaps because I was restraining him, he voluntarily gave the knife to Pei Shi Yu and then sat on the floor like a child, crying and saying, "Your brother is dead, and your mother is dead. What's the point of me being alive?"

I saw Pei Shi Yu hide the knife under the sofa and then squat down beside her father and continue to comfort him, "You still have me and Xiao Long. Just think of them as having gone to another world, watching over us all the time. If you keep getting angry like this, they'll be sad too."

"They're gone, they'll never come back."

At this point, Pei Shi Yu's eyes also started to turn red. I suddenly understood what Manager Li had told me last night and felt guilty about my attitude towards her because at this moment, I saw a strong force in her.

It could also be seen that Pei Shi Yu used to live in a pampered environment. Suddenly suffering this, she not only had to face the death of her loved ones but also take care of the old and the young, and support the family.

I stood silently on the side, watching her patiently comfort her father. After the old man's emotions had stabilized a bit, she began to ask, "Dad, should I take you to the hospital?"

"No, I'm not sick."

"I know you're not sick, but your emotions have been very unstable lately. Let the doctor give you a good checkup, so Xiao Long can feel at ease by your side. I have to manage the company, and I can't always be there to take care of you."

The old man seemed very resistant to going to the hospital, and his emotions started to get agitated again. Seeing this, I walked out of the room and started calling to inquire about hospitals because it was the holiday period, and I didn't know if they could accept patients.

I called several places before finally finding a hospital and doctor. Timely treatment is the best option, otherwise, if it's delayed, the psychological pressure on Pei Shi Yu will be even greater.

Before I went back into the room, the police officer asked, "Have you contacted the hospital?"

"Yes, the ambulance will come to pick him up later. You can go back now."

"We'll wait until the ambulance arrives. If he refuses to go, we'll have to take coercive measures."

I thought about it and didn't go back into the room. Standing outside, I saw that a corner of the glass coffee table had been smashed, and the TV was also broken. The arrangement of the whole house looked messy and不堪 (unbearable). I didn't know if it had happened today or last night. If it was last night, I thought Pei Shi Yu and Xiao Long must have been in real danger, which was probably why she took the initiative to call me.

The police officer standing next to me suddenly said, "Such a prominent family, to end up like this, it's really unbelievable."

I didn't respond. It only proves that people are helpless in the face of disaster, but the living must continue to face reality.