The cold air rose the hair on Officer Gong and Qiu Fu's skin as they approached Yi Zhao's place. It was dark out, the only light coming from the window of the factory.
The after smell of the rain coated their smell and the soft mud caused a slushing sound as they walked through it. Officer Gong took in the appearance of the place and smiled at its improvement. He hadn't seen that factory in six years when he was sent there to bust a bunch of addicts who hid out there.
It looked so much different. The grass was freshly cut, there were flowers growing along the walls and stairwell to hide the rusted metal and worn-away brick. All of the old glass and trash had been cleared away and some were tossed into a recycle bin.
The windows were repaired, the few that weren't covered, and a cute pink bike sat at the bottom of the stairs chained to them. Officer Gong smiled as he imagined Zhen Jie riding the bike and laughing jovially with Yi Zhao watching.
She deserved to be happy.
She deserved to be more than happy.
The two men made it upstairs and slid the window open, tossing their legs over the ledge and dropping inside. Qiu Fu ran out just as quickly as he entered and vomited over the stairwell. Officer Gong stood there in silence, stunned and unable to move.
The scene was one of the most grotesque ones he'd seen in his life — and it was enough to make him quit.
Skull fragments and brain matter splattered across the walls, painting it into a gruesome, bloody picture. Dead animals of all sorts laid around the room. Some of them were clean, others were sliced open and had their insides ripped out and thrown around.
Who he could only assume to be Yi Zhao sat in the middle of the bloodbath, throat slit and head blown off. He was tied to a chair with his legs open and his fingers were still clutching the chair.
A used condom on the floor indicated he'd been taken advantage of before he was killed — or maybe even after.
The setup of the scene was obviously meant for Zhen Jie. If the dead animals that were laid on the ground spelling her name wasn't enough of a giveaway, the message written in blood was.
This is all your fault. All you had to do was mind your business. I was going to spare him but the way he cried your name made me so mad.
Following Qiu Fu's footsteps, Officer Gong rushed out and vomited. It was an endless stream of digested food leaving his mouth. After emptying his stomach, Officer Gong called the police and left once they arrived.
He couldn't be there anymore but he didn't want to face Zhen Jie.
He cried the entire way home. Zhen Jie was going to break. She was going to blame herself and probably lash out. She'd experienced death before — but not someone she loved so much.
That kind of loss is one of the worst kinds.
Officer Gong slowly left his car and made his way into his room. Zhen Jie sat on the bed with a smile on her face. When Officer Gong entered, she leaned over to look past him, waiting for Yi Zhao to show up and run to her with open arms.
"He's gone," Officer Gong's head held low as he cried. "They killed him."
Zhen Jie laughed, stood from the bed, and ran out of the room. She looked all around the house for Yi Zhao, telling him to come out and play with her.
She told him to come out and hug her. She told him to come out and kiss her. To come out and give her the bread she knew he'd gotten her and read a book to her.
She finally went back into the room and fell into Officer Gong's arms, holding to strength to keep herself up.
She screamed so loud, the entire world could probably hear her. She fell to the floor, taking Officer Gong with her, and wailed. Her face was barren of any color and stained with tears.
She shook her head numerously, denying Officer Gong's words. He was a liar. He was lying and Yi Zhao was going to come back to get her. Yi Zhao wouldn't leave her because he promised. Officer Gong promised her he wouldn't — so he wouldn't.
He was still alive. He was still there. He was okay.
Zhen Jie stood over Yi Zhao's grave with her head low. The black dress she wore flowed gently with the wind and the headband that pushed back her hair that'd grown a bit glimmered in the dull sunlight.
"I looked pretty for you today. But I wish you were here because you would tell me... and I would not say thank you because I am shy." She giggled. "I'm sorry for not saying thank you, and I am sorry for—"
Officer Gong and Qiu Fu stood behind Zhen Jie protectively while she said her spoke to Yi Zhao. Qiu Fu rubbed her back as she choked up and urged her to continue.
"And I am sorry for what I said... because you would not have left me if I did not say it."
Officer Gong and Qiu Fu sighed at her words. No matter how many times they tried to tell her it wasn't her fault, she ignored it and blamed herself. If she had just listened to him he would've stayed with her and took care of her while she was in that state.
He would've showered her with hugs and kisses, bought her a warm slice of bread, and told her how strong she was and that he was going to get revenge on everyone for her — even when she opposed to the idea.
She was the one who killed him and she hated herself for it — but she knew he'd come back. He wouldn't leave her. He promised he wouldn't and he promised not to break any more promises.
The process of Yi Zhao's funeral was long and painful due to the horrific way he died. It took months to finally get his body because someone kept paying off the pathologists — which didn't make any sense because it was obvious he was murdered.
What else did they have to hide?
The wind softly blew petals from the wisteria tree around the grey sky. They lightly flew around in the air like feathers before falling to the ground, some in Yi Zhao's grave.
Zhen Jie dropped her favorite hair clip into the grave and finally turned around. She went to the tree where Yi Zhao had carved their initials when they visited his uncles place and cried. She traced over the carving with her index finger and wiped her tears with her other hand.
She missed him.
"It's time for you to go in. We'll check in every week, okay?" Qiu Fu said as he rubbed Zhen Jie's shoulder comfortingly. "You sure you don't want one of us to stay?"
"I'm sure." Zhen Jie nodded.
Officer Gong and Qiu Fu walked Zhen Jie to the door of the home she was now living in. Officer Gong decided it was best for Zhen Jie to move to the country and live in Yi Zhao's uncle's home as they'd planned. No one would be able to find her there.
It was a spacious two-story house that was in the middle of a large field. Behind the house were trees that painted a beautiful scene when it rained. A few horses roamed the area inside of the fence and Zhen Jie already grew fond of them, naming them Cinnamon, Peanut, and Mello.
Qiu Fu helped Zhen Jie start a garden and would come every week to help tend to it.
A purple wisteria tree sat in the corner by the fence. Yi Zhao was buried under it, having told Qiu Fu years ago that he wanted to get buried underneath one. Officer Gong and Qiu Fu made sure they fulfilled the boy's wish.
After Officer Gong and Qiu Fu left, Zhen Jie made herself a cup of tea and took the bread that had been keeping warm from the oven. She cut herself a slice and made her way upstairs to her room.
Her bedroom window overlooked the field and the city that was almost too far away to notice if you didn't know it was there. She sat in her chair that was beside the window and pulled out the book she had just gotten, her beloved frog, Berry, in his terrarium beside her as well.
She took a sip from her tea, letting it warm her insides before swallowing down a piece of bread too. The tea was sweet and the bread was chocolatey from the chocolate chips. Zhen Jie finished her bread and tea and sighed while rubbing her stomach.
"Yi Zhao, if you were here, you'd fuss at me for eating until I'm sick." She whispered as tears fell again. "Yi Zhao, if you were here you'd rub my belly for me."
"Yi Zhao, if you were here, you'd kiss my cheek and wait for me to fall asleep. You would read to me too." Her voice was soft. "But you're going to come back, I know."
The rain started to fall, hitting the window and blurring her vision of Yi Zhao and his tree. The soft music from the radio that played made for a beautiful atmosphere of serenity. Zhen Jie closed her eyes, enjoying the calm weather and leaned back in her chair, falling asleep.
Loud claps of thunder erupted and lightning struck through the darkening sky, illuminating it for a few seconds, and waking Zhen Jie. The wind started to blow faster and the petals from the wisteria tree were twirling around like ballerinas.
Zhen Jie opened the window and smiled, "Okay, Yi Zhao!" She called while rubbing her eyes. "I'm going to read the book just like you taught me! Calm down!"
"I promise, no mistakes! If I read well, you will come back, right?" She asked, but received nothing but a howl from the wind and heavy pitter patter from the rain. "I do not deserve it, I know... but I love you."
Thunder clapped again, making Zhen Jie smile and pick up the book. She held it up to the window in clear view of the wisteria, "Today we're reading Goodnight Mr. Tom! I'm gonna read it so good so you can come back!"
"Because I know you'd never ever leave me!" She smiled. "You just need to see me do good to come back, I know!"
Zhen Jie stayed awake for hours reading the book aloud perfectly. She made sure she didn't mess up once and when she finished, she looked up.
Her eyes connected with a fuscous pair. The owner of those eyes was leaned against Yi Zhao's tree with a smirk on their face. They were playing with something in their hand and motioned towards the tree. Zhen Jie yelled for them to get away and slammed the window shut when they held up their knife, scratching Yi Zhao and Zhen Jie's initials from the tree.
Zhen Jie ran into her closet and hid with her knees pushed up to her chest.
The person from outside of her door stopped and laughed at her next words:
"Yi Zhao, protect me, please."