Tang Tang felt a bit uncomfortable and took the initiative to speak up. "The police came to our school again today."
Zuo Mu stopped in his tracks and almost eagerly inquired, "What did they come for?"
"How would I know? They weren't here to see me," Tang Tang replied. She thought Zuo Mu's behavior was really strange. He must have been hiding quite a few things from her.
But since he didn't want to talk about it, she didn't plan to ask either.
Zuo Mu seemed to let out a sigh of relief. His furrowed brow relaxed, but he remained silent.
"Ge, what's wrong with you today?" Tang Tang asked tentatively. She thought she hadn't done anything wrong.
No...
Looking at Zuo Mu's slightly gloomy face, Tang Tang suddenly remembered the time she skipped class.
"Ge... I didn't do it on purpose. I can explain!"
Zuo Mu was a bit confused and looked at Tang Tang with a puzzled expression. The little girl seemed to be getting more and more guilty, almost shrinking her head in.
"I... I shouldn't have skipped class to join in the fun. I was wrong. I won't do it again."
Tang Tang thought the teacher was really unprincipled. He clearly said the matter would be resolved at school, but still told Zuo Mu.
The person in front of her didn't say a word for a long time, which made Tang Tang even more anxious. Although Zuo Mu used to like to educate her, he never gave her the silent treatment.
Just as she was wracking her brains about what to do, she heard Zuo Mu's voice floating down from above her head. "Well, Tang Tang, you've even learned to skip class now."
Tang Tang looked up blankly. Based on the context, she concluded that Zuo Mu wasn't angry because of this.
"Didn't the teacher tell you?" Tang Tang asked, throwing caution to the wind.
Zuo Mu still stood there, silent, just staring at her motionlessly. Tang Tang felt too embarrassed to meet his gaze.
"Ge... I thought their visit this time must be related to Wang Lin's case. I just wanted to see what progress they had made. I was wrong. You can scold me or even hit me."
Tang Tang still kept her head down and voluntarily stretched out her palm. She knew she was wrong, but for some reason, it felt as if sand had suddenly gotten into her eyes. Her tear ducts were out of control. Although she tried hard to hold back her tears, a few still slipped out accidentally.
"Tang Tang?" Zuo Mu called out softly, but didn't get a response from the little girl.
Even in the bustling crowd, Zuo Mu heard Tang Tang's suppressed sobs.
"Sorry. I was in a bad mood. I won't do it again."
Zuo Mu knelt on one knee on the ground and reached out to wrap Tang Tang in his arms. The little girl finally seemed to have found something to rely on and obediently lay on Zuo Mu's shoulder. Almost instantly, Zuo Mu felt the wetness on the shirt on his shoulder.
In his perception, Tang Tang had always been too sensible. Even though she would have petty fights with him, most of the time she didn't act like a child of her age.
She was patient and strong. Even when she was left alone at home, she would go out with her own money to find a restaurant to eat. After that, she would generously share which dishes were delicious.
If he hadn't accidentally read her diary, he wouldn't have known that she was just an ordinary girl, longing for the warmth of a family and the care of her parents.
So when Tang Gu proposed that he take care of Tang Tang, Zuo Mu didn't hesitate at all to agree.
He felt pity for Tang Tang and mostly indulged the little girl's wishes.
It was really the first time he had shown his negative emotions in front of Tang Tang. He had expected Tang Tang to be angry, but he didn't expect her to burst into tears.
"Shall I carry you home? Give me a chance to atone for my mistake?" Zuo Mu gently patted Tang Tang's back and felt that the girl in his arms was gradually calming down.
Tang Tang didn't say yes or no, but Zuo Mu knew it was a silent agreement.
After putting her arms around Zuo Mu's neck, Tang Tang asked with a sob, "Why were you in a bad mood today?"
"Something happened at the hospital. A patient's condition is not very good. I feel a bit powerless."
Tang Tang nodded slightly and then laid her head on Zuo Mu's shoulder. She didn't really want to talk anymore.
When the stars climbed into the night sky, Zuo Mu leaned on the balcony and opened Tang Tang's phone. He saw that bloody photo again.
It was a severed finger. Judging from its shape and size, it should belong to a girl.
"Did you see the gift I sent you? Isn't it especially beautiful? You should have heard the scream of that little girl when her finger was cut off. It was simply the most melodious song in the world! But... your fingers are, of course, even more beautiful."
Tang Tang was already sound asleep. Only Zuo Mu knew.
It wasn't about the hospital or the patient. It was just that photo of the finger that was the cause of their conflict.
The next day, after dropping Tang Tang off at school, Zuo Mu went to the police station.
Shen Hao wasn't surprised to see him at all and directly invited him inside to sit down.
"I heard you've found new clues?" Zuo Mu got straight to the point.
Chief Li was brewing Tieguanyin tea and replied jokingly, "It seems your intelligence is even faster than ours as policemen."
Zuo Mu didn't bother with small talk. He just threw Tang Tang's phone on the table.
"We found a severed finger in the toilet of Experimental High School. Coincidentally, it was also that toilet when Tang Tang was pranked last time."
Shen Hao continued, "It seems the criminal knows Tang Tang's habits very well."
"That's exactly why I'm worried about Tang Tang's safety. Although I can ensure her safety during non - school hours, I can't accompany her at school. And obviously, this criminal can easily get close to Tang Tang during her classes."
Shen Hao's eyes twitched. "You don't mean to ask us to assign a policeman to protect Tang Tang all the time, do you?"
"I know that won't work. The criminal is extremely vigilant. It might even tip him off. I'm just reminding you to pay more attention to what's going on at the school. Maybe you'll find some clues."
Shen Hao rubbed his forehead. Wasn't this just a disguised form of protection? And this guy made it sound so high - minded.
"The severed finger has been taken by the forensic doctor for a DNA test. We should get the results this afternoon. But according to what you said, it's probably Wang Lin's."
Zuo Mu nodded. He himself had no clue either. So far, it seemed that besides sending Tang Tang some text messages and creating some scary messages, the criminal hadn't done anything else.
But so far... they still couldn't figure out the criminal's real purpose.
"Do you have any guesses about the possible motives of the criminal?"
Shen Hao shook his head. "We've investigated. Wang Lin's social relationships were very simple. She just had ordinary relationships with her parents and classmates at school. She didn't have any enemies, so there's no question of retaliation... Based on the current situation, the criminal should have strong anti - social characteristics. For the rest, there are no results for now. As for the relationship between the criminal and Tang Tang, there are even fewer clues."
Zuo Mu thought of Shen Tian, the stranger he met that day, and the mention of Tang Tang. Thinking carefully, if there was anyone, it might be this person.