Chapter 472: Chapter 461: Fierce Ghost
"Captain Ling, there is a child outside looking for you."
"A child looking for me? Who is it?" Ling Xiao raised his head from the case files, revealing a face tired yet resolute.
"He said his name is Xiao Ran."
"Xiao Ran?" Hearing this name, Ling Xiao abruptly stood up and strode outside, "Where is he? Who did he come with?"
"A traffic policeman brought him over."
"A traffic policeman? He isn’t with any other adults?"
"No."
Ling Xiao went outside and indeed saw a child sitting on the sofa in the reception room, who was unmistakably Chu Ran.
"Xiao Ran, why did you come here alone? Where’s your dad?" Ling Xiao walked over and crouched down to ask.
"Dad doesn’t want me anymore. He and Aunt Xiao Jin hit me and didn’t give me any food to eat." Seeing who had arrived, Xiao Ran suddenly burst into tears, a tactic taught to him by Uncle Water Ghost and Fierce Ghost to temporarily get away from Dad and Aunt Xiao Jin in order to protect Mom temporarily.
Initially, he was just meant to cry symbolically, but the longer he thought about how Mom had been gone for so long and Aunt Xiao Jin had taken over Mom’s place, the more heartbroken he felt.
The painful crying made even the policewoman who came with Ling Xiao feel deeply saddened. Though only a few sentences were spoken, she had already pieced together the situation, as criminal police usually have no lack of imagination.
This must be the typical step-parent teaming up with the parent to mistreat the child, right? How despicable, how could they bear to raise their hand or let such a sweet child starve?
"Don’t cry, don’t cry, are you hungry Xiao Ran? Auntie will go get you something to eat right away." The policewoman quickly comforted him.
"Chu Cheng and Song Jin abused you?" Ling Xiao asked, face cold.
"Yes." Xiao Ran sobbed a bit more before continuing, "Dad also wants me to call Aunt Xiao Jin ’Mom’, but she isn’t my mom, and they hit me when I wouldn’t call them that. They also locked me in the room and didn’t give me any food to eat."
"They got married?" Ling Xiao’s aura turned even colder; Ye Qiu had passed away just less than three months ago!
"Aunt Xiao Jin threw away all of Mom’s things and moved into Mom’s room."
"Them!" Ling Xiao’s eyes turned red, and he grabbed Xiao Ran’s arm in a grip.
"Ouch! Uncle Ling Xiao, it hurts," Xiao Ran cried out in pain.
Ling Xiao, remembering Xiao Ran’s earlier statement that Chu Cheng and Song Jin had hit him, immediately released his hand, then gently lifted his shirt. The child’s skin was tender, and really, Song Jin had not been gentle at all, leaving Xiao Ran’s body covered in startling bruises both blue and purple.
"My god, who would deal such a harsh blow!" The policewoman, who had just gone to get food for Xiao Ran, returned and gasped at the sight of the injuries on Xiao Ran.
"These two scoundrels! I knew Chu Cheng was no good," Ling Xiao clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Xiao Zhou, help me go to the next room and report this to the police for investigation."
"Yes, Captain Ling, here is the meal I just got from the cafeteria, please feed Xiao Ran quickly."
"Thank you."
"No need, Captain Ling, you better call the team doctor to take a look quickly."
"I will."
Xiao Ran had good habits and learned to eat on his own very early, he held a spoon and stuffed the food into his mouth in big bites.
"Don’t rush, eat slowly." Ling Xiao patted Xiao Ran’s head, then his eyes reddened again when he saw a certain dish on the spoon.
He knew that Xiao Ran had been picky about food before, refusing to eat mushrooms no matter what. Xiao Zhou didn’t know Xiao Ran’s preferences, so the food he had packed contained mushrooms, which used to be the food Xiao Ran most detested, yet today, he was devouring it eagerly—what else could it be if not extreme hunger?
Xiao Ran was indeed very hungry; he hadn’t had a proper meal for several days. Ye Qiu was now just a ghost, unable even to converse with Xiao Ran, so how could he ensure his well-being?
"These are all minor injuries. It only looks shocking because children’s skin is tender, but the person who did this was cruel, specifically targeting the painful spots," the team doctor said after examining Xiao Ran, sighing as he looked at the well-behaved and sensible child.
"Whose child is this?"
"My sister’s," Ling Xiao replied, taking a puff of his cigarette.
"Aren’t you..." The next words the team doctor held back, as everyone on the team knew Captain Ling was an orphan.
"She was a sister from the same orphanage, and she just died three months ago."
Now the team doctor understood, but with Mom having just passed away and Dad quickly finding a stepmom of dubious character, what would become of the child?
"Doctor Xiao, are these injuries sufficient to strip his father of custody rights?" Ling Xiao asked.
"I’m afraid not, these are mostly emotional, legally unsupported." Doctor Xiao shook his head.
Ling Xiao knew the answer but still felt heavy-hearted: "Is long-term abuse and not feeding the child not enough either?"
"It won’t be, at most it will result in community workers periodically making visits. Captain Ling, you know this better than I do, don’t you?"
Ling Xiao knew all too well, which is why he was prone to doubting himself. He couldn’t help but feel guilty looking at Xiao Ran’s innocent face, thinking what use was he as a police officer if he couldn’t even protect a child?
"However, now that a case has been filed, if Xiao Ran strongly insists, we can temporarily prevent the child from being handed over to them, but it definitely won’t work for long. Think it over carefully."
"I understand, thank you, Doctor Xiao."
"No need to thank me, come to me if you need help again, and try not to act rashly."
"I understand."
Chu Cheng and Song Jin had just returned home and hadn’t figured out how to deal with Ye Qiu when they received a call from the police asking them to visit the station.
"What’s the matter?" Chu Cheng asked irritably.
The policewoman on the phone was also a bit annoyed; her tone was not very friendly, "Didn’t you notice that the child was missing?"
"He’s at the police station?"
"Yes, please come over."
Chu Cheng abruptly hung up the phone, while the policewoman on the other end snorted coldly, "What kind of person is this, abusing a child and still so temperamental."
"Exactly, thinking that Xiao Ran still has to go back with him makes me feel unwilling," another policewoman chimed in.
"People who abuse children don’t deserve to have children, the law really should punish them properly."
"Can’t help it, our laws in this respect are still not perfect! Hopefully, it will get better in the future!"
"Where is the child? I’m his dad, can’t I just take him away directly?" Chu Cheng, already frustrated by the day’s troubles, his face turned steel-cold when told they still had to make a statement.
Therefore, the faces of the two police officers turned even colder: "Mr. Chu, Miss Song, you are suspected of child abuse, the child cannot be taken away by you now, please cooperate with us in making the statement."
"I don’t understand what you’re talking about, I want to see the child," Chu Cheng said impatiently.
"This is the evidence," the policewoman presented Xiao Ran’s injury report and several photos taken earlier. "Do you have anything else to say?"
"I..." Looking at the shocking injuries in the photos, Chu Cheng turned to look at Song Jin in disbelief.