Chapter 70 of 100

Chapter 70

13 min read3,314 words

Over the two days, Liu Zhenjiang visited Xiao Fei twice, telling him that he had not seen Teacher Dai return.

Liu Zhenjiang smoked Xiao Fei's cigarettes and drank his tea in Xiao Fei's room, saying, "Younger brother, I think you really came here for nothing. You should go back early and save some money."

But how could Xiao Fei leave?

He could not leave the city until the 25th; he had to ensure that the tragedy would not happen.

Moreover, Xiao Fei had come to the city to promote his work, and he had not yet achieved this goal. How could he leave without accomplishing it?

"Brother Liu, I have other things to take care of, not just this one. I won't leave until everything is done," Xiao Fei said with a smile to Liu Zhenjiang.

On the 25th, Xiao Fei got up at 7 a.m., had breakfast outside, and at 7:42 a.m., he walked into the neighborhood.

The security guard on duty was not Liu Zhenjiang but another guard. However, they had become familiar over the past two days, and the guard did not stop him.

Xiao Fei slowly walked to the building where Dai Houying lived and stood beside a sycamore tree. He took out a copy of "People, People!" and pretended to read it seriously.

This was a novel about human nature, exploring the complex human psyche during a special historical period. Through the protagonist Sun Yue's tumultuous emotional journey and the ups and downs of her life, the book depicted the psychological trauma and distortion of human nature brought about by various movements since the founding of the country, calling for the revival and return of human nature.

The novel was very profound and the story was engaging and captivating.

Xiao Fei had read it more than once in his previous life, and now all the characters and plots were vividly imprinted in his mind. Even so, he found it easy to get lost in the book.

While reading, he kept a close eye on his surroundings.

The sun gradually rose higher.

The temperature steadily climbed.

Although he stood in the shade, the wind that blew was hot, and he soon broke into a sweat. It was early autumn, and the heat was still intense.

Thus, Xiao Fei read the book while waiting.

But even by noon, with dozens of people coming and going from the building, Xiao Fei still did not see Dai Houying.

Did I miss her while I was reading?

He thought this and put the book away, holding it in his hand and staring intently at everyone entering and leaving the building.

From 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., sixteen people passed by Xiao Fei, but he still did not see Dai Houying.

Standing under the tree, Xiao Fei caught the attention of many people.

Since most of the residents in the neighborhood were colleagues and knew each other, Xiao Fei's unfamiliar face easily drew attention.

However, no one asked why he was standing there.

By 1:30 p.m., Xiao Fei was so hungry that his stomach was rumbling in protest. He had not drunk much water all morning to avoid going to the bathroom, and his throat was starting to feel dry. His lower abdomen was also feeling bloated, and the urge to urinate was becoming unbearable.

At the same time, he was strongly doubting whether his small actions had truly changed history.

Xiao Fei thought he should quickly go to the bathroom, buy a bottle of water, and get something to eat before returning.

The information he had from his previous life was not comprehensive. He only remembered that Dai Houying was found dead in her home by her brother around 7 p.m.

He did not know the detailed circumstances of the case.

He did not know the exact time Dai Houying was murdered on August 25, 1996.

He hurried out of the neighborhood, feeling increasingly frustrated and anxious.

He had arrived in the city three days early, thinking he could control the situation, but he found that he could control nothing, and everything seemed to be out of his hands.

Xiao Fei left the neighborhood and ran to his hotel room to use the bathroom, finally letting out a long sigh of relief. Holding in his urine was truly uncomfortable.

He then went downstairs and ate a bowl of noodles at a nearby small restaurant.

After eating, he felt even more sticky and sweaty.

Seeing that it was almost 2 p.m., he hesitated for a moment but decided to go back to his room and take a shower. The stickiness was really unbearable.

What Xiao Fei did not know was that shortly after 2 p.m., Dai Houying came down from her apartment to go shopping at the supermarket.

Dai Houying was nearly sixty but was in good health and full of energy.

She had been busy with a charity fundraising project in her hometown for several days and had only returned home in the early hours of the morning.

After returning home, she rested until the afternoon, when she decided to go out for a walk and buy some things.

She slowly walked out of the neighborhood and entered a nearby small supermarket.

They missed each other by about half an hour. Xiao Fei and Dai Houying passed each other without meeting.

After taking a shower, Xiao Fei felt much better. He checked the time and saw it was already past 2 p.m. He quickly dried himself, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and left the room.

He bought a bottle of water downstairs and walked back into the neighborhood where Dai Houying lived.

Returning to the spot where he had been earlier, Xiao Fei looked at the empty building entrance and sighed. It was a Sunday, and because of the heat, most people were likely resting at home, so the neighborhood was almost deserted.

Xiao Fei leaned against the tree, boredly watching the opposite building entrance.

As time passed, his anxiety grew stronger.

The tragedy could happen at any moment, and he still had not seen Dai Houying. Should he rush upstairs and knock on her door?

But what if nothing had happened inside, and Dai Houying was not at home? What should he do next?

Would he be misunderstood and considered a bad person?

Xiao Fei thought nervously.

He now knew that the murderer was a fellow townsman of Teacher Dai, who had entered the neighborhood and knocked on the door of the Dai family as an acquaintance.

However, he had no idea when the murderer had come to the Dai family.

The afternoon was unbearably hot, and Xiao Fei quickly finished the bottle of water he had brought. Due to his high level of tension, he felt his bladder swelling, and the urge to urinate returned.

This made him break out in a cold sweat.

Unable to bear it any longer and with no toilet in the neighborhood, Xiao Fei looked around. Seeing almost no one around, he decided to break the rules.

He quietly ran to a secluded corner nearby and relieved himself.

What Xiao Fei did not realize was that this time, he missed another important person.

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