Adventures of a middle-aged uncle

When I opened my eyes, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon, and the first person I saw was Zhang Xiong. I hadn't seen him for two days. He was unshaven and looked particularly listless.

Standing next to him was Wang Bing, his face was pale and a little blue, but his spirit didn't look that bad.

Wang Bing is the most knowledgeable among us, and he has a good temperament, with frameless eyes, always gentle.

When I was in school, he was the prettiest boy in our class. Now he looks more refined and mature, unlike some of you guys who are thick and thick. The middle-aged image is potbellied and receding hairline .

"Li Ming, what happened exactly? Why did you faint at the door of Cheng Li's house?" Wang Bing asked with concern while holding his eyes.

"I went to find Cheng Li, I didn't expect..." The rest of the sentence, he died in front of me, I didn't say it, seeing the body of my best brother in front of me, I don't know how to start got mouth.

"What are you doing at his house?" Zhang Xiong asked, his voice hoarse.

"I.....to give this to him." Seeing his bag on the chair next to him, he asked Wang Bing to hand it to me.

He took out the photo and handed it to Zhang Xiong. He glanced at it and turned pale with shock.The photo was thrown by him and fell to the ground flutteringly. Without saying anything, he turned around and walked out.

I was stunned on the hospital bed, stared stupidly for a long time before I said to Wang Bing, "Hurry up and chase."

I picked up the photo from the ground, and after looking at it, I realized why Zhang Xiong ran out like crazy.That group of figures was on Zhang Xiong's head, and now I can clearly see the outline of the figure's face, it looks very much like a person, but I just can't figure out who it is.

"Li Ming, I didn't catch up with Zhang Xiong. I don't know where he went. Show me that photo." Wang Bing came back panting, and I handed him the photo.

"What's wrong with this photo?" Wang Bing asked me puzzled after looking at the photo over and over again.

"Can't you see that black shadow?" I asked back.

"I can't see it, it's just the four of us." Wang Bing looked at me and replied with certainty.

"How could this be?" I said puzzled

"Tell me about what happened." Wang Bing said nervously.

I told the whole story, but I didn't tell Wang Bing about the dream, because I never wanted him to know that I had a crush on Qi Qi.

After Wang Bing finished listening, his expression was very serious and he seemed to not believe what I said at all. That’s right, how could a person with a doctorate like him believe in the theory of gods and ghosts.But what happened in front of him had to make him believe it.

"Will Zhang Xiong be in danger?" I interrupted Wang Bing's meditation.

Just as Wang Bing was about to speak, a girl in a police uniform came in at the door. She was tall, fair-skinned, and had a heroic look between her eyebrows.She looked at me and said, "Are you Li Ming?"

I nodded.

"Routine questioning, what did you go to Cheng Li's house for?" Bai Xiao asked succinctly, if there was nothing else, she could leave work directly.

"I'll send the photo." I handed the photo to her, staring nervously at her expression.

Bai Xiao glanced at the photo casually and returned it to me.He asked again, "Is it convenient for you to take notes now?"

"Have you settled the case? How did Cheng Li die?" I asked nervously

"The possibility of suicide is relatively high. The monitoring and search of the deceased's home did not find any trace of homicide. Before the deceased jumped off the building, he was the only one in the house. The autopsy is currently underway. The autopsy results will be released tomorrow, and the case will be finalized." Bai Xiao explained.

"It is impossible for Cheng Li to commit suicide. He has never had the tendency to commit suicide. He had a happy meal with us two days ago, so it is absolutely impossible for him to commit suicide." I looked at Bai Xiao and said in denial.

Bai Xiao seemed to be frightened by me. She froze for a moment and said, "Evidence is needed in handling a case. If there is no evidence that it is homicide, we will not rule out the possibility of suicide."

The atmosphere fell into silence again, and after a long time, Bai Xiao said, "If there is nothing else, you can rest well, and I will leave first. I hope you can come to the police station on time tomorrow to take notes."

"Okay, thank you." I replied.

After Bai Xiao left, Wang Bing said, "The key now is to find Zhang Xiong. Do you know where he usually likes to go?"

"Zhang Xiong has always been the one among us who likes to exercise the most. His favorite place to go is the gym. I really don't know about other places." I looked at Wang Bing and said.

Wang Bing took out his mobile phone and kept calling Zhang Xiong, but no one answered, and finally the mobile phone was simply turned off.

"Why don't you go home first, and I'll go to the gym you mentioned." Wang Bing suggested.

"I'll go with you."

"No, you go home and have a good rest. Everyone needs to buffer what happened in the morning." Wang Bing is a scientific researcher and has a minor in psychology in the past, so I still follow his advice.

"Then I can't find Zhang Xiong at ten o'clock tonight. You have to contact me at one point. I'll look for it with you."

"it is good."

On the way home, my mind was still empty.I still can't believe that Cheng Li is dead and Zhang Xiong is missing. What does this have to do with that photo?

"Lao Li, what are you doing standing there?" The owner of the small restaurant, He Hao, was standing at the door of his small shop, smoking a cigarette, staring at me with a smirk on his face.

"Ah, I..." I stood still in a daze.

"Come here for a drink or two, I invite you." He Hao shouted to me, his words seemed to have magic power, I nodded and walked towards him.

After drinking for three rounds, I kept drinking with my head covered and said the first sentence to He Hao, "Do you believe there are ghosts in this world?"

He Hao smiled noncommittally while holding the wine glass, "People who believe in ghosts usually have ghosts in their hearts."

"Haha" I smiled wryly twice.

"What happened, tell me and I can analyze it for you, and the bystanders will know."

"Tell me, I'm afraid you won't believe me." I took a sip of my wine.

"Everything related to gods and ghosts is inseparable from grievances and hatred." He Hao took a sip of his wine.

I sighed and took out the photo. The black shadow on the photo became clearer and clearer, and I didn't even dare to take another look.

"There's nothing strange about this photo, it's just..." He Hao looked at it carefully.

"Just what." My voice suddenly raised.

"Don't you think the person in the photo is very strange?" He Hao said, pointing at Wang Bing's face.

"He's weird." I was a little surprised.

"The three of you are all smiling happily, but he looks very sullen and unhappy, that smile is obviously fake. And the three of you are very close, your arms are still wrapped around But if you look at the man on the farthest side, he seems to keep a distance from you deliberately. Not only is his body far away, but his hands are deliberately behind his back.

I took the photo, and the gloomy person he mentioned was Wang Bing, and it really was a detail that I didn't notice at all.

Immediately afterwards, I told He Hao the whole story again, this time I didn't even hide any part of my dream, perhaps it was easier to let go of my defenses in front of unfamiliar people than in front of close people.

"According to what you said, apart from you, there should be Zhang Xiong who can see the figure on it, and no one else can see it, including the little policewoman and me. Now there is a problem, the dead Cheng Li is still alive before you." Before giving him the photo, he committed suicide by jumping off the building. Assuming he could see the shadow on it, Wang Bing was the only person in the photo who couldn’t see the shadow. There are two possibilities. One is that he really saw the shadow. If you don’t see the shadow, then the three of you must have done something that Wang Bing didn’t participate in. The second possibility is that he saw the shadow but concealed that you didn’t see it. This shows that there is something wrong with Wang Bing.”

"If there is something wrong with Wang Bing..." I repeated this sentence, and I suddenly realized that Zhang Xiong was in danger.

I quickly stood up and walked towards the door.

"What are you going to do?" He Hao asked.

"I'm going to find Zhang Xiong."

"If I were you, I wouldn't go now. Because we have no way to confirm these two possibilities now."

"Then what should I do." I turned around and looked at He Hao who was sitting at the dining table calmly. He was smoking a cigarette, and he looked a little confused under the smoke.

"If I were you, I would go home and get my cell phone first. Then go to the murder scene this morning to see if there are any clues, because you are also one of the parties involved in this matter. If Zhang Xiong dies, the next It’s your turn. Knowing why this happened is better than blindly looking for someone who is sincerely trying to hide.”

"You mean Zhang Xiong is hiding." I couldn't believe it.

He Hao smiled noncommittally.

Back home, He Hao's words played back in his head one by one.I glanced at my phone, and sure enough, no one was calling except for a call from my wife.

There are still 10 minutes until ten o'clock.Zhang Xiong's phone was still off, and Wang Bing's phone was still on the phone. He was calling Zhang Xiong, and he still said that he had been deliberately not answering my phone.

Without thinking about it, I planned to go to Zhang Xiong's house again with a glimmer of hope. Before going out, I habitually closed the windows of the house, and came to the gate of the community to take a taxi to Zhang Xiong's house.

He Hao's shop has not closed yet, and the red signboard at the door is still glowing faintly. I suddenly wondered whether to call He Hao up to take a look together, but apart from the relationship between customers and bosses, I am no longer close to him. Not to the point where I can rest assured to work with him.What's more, even Wang Bing can't believe it now.

"Damn it." After finally catching a taxi, she was preempted by a girl with long hair and big eyes.

"Hey, Lao Li, take my car." An old Mitsubishi parked in front of me, and it was He Hao with the window rolled down.

"You haven't closed the door yet." I turned to look to the right, and the red signboard stood alone in the dark night.

"I just forgot to put the sign in."

"Ha ha" I forced a laugh twice.

Immediately I asked, "Why should I trust you." I looked at him, as if wondering why he would help me enthusiastically.

He looked at me with small eyes, and then smiled and said, "It's fate to be able to speak, I haven't met someone who can speak for a long time."

"Thank you." I opened the car door and got into his car. No matter whether He Hao helped me out of sincerity or falsehood, I really need someone to be by my side now.

"Where are you going?" He Hao asked simply.

"I think it's better to go to Zhang Xiong's house first, and check again." I bit my lower lip and replied with difficulty.

"Ok."

When I arrived at the small house where Zhang Xiong lived, I knocked on the door with all my strength, but there was no answer.At this time, the sound of opening the door came from downstairs:

"Damn you, do you want people to sleep at night?" A rough voice came, followed by the clacking of slippers and footsteps going up the stairs. A big bald man in Hawaiian shorts pointed at me and said "You're fucking sick, what are you knocking on?"

Seeing that the visitor was not kind, He Hao's face turned cold, and he stared fiercely at the bald man. The man's fierce appearance just now became flattering in an instant, and he was shocked by his invisible aura, and he started to stumble when he spoke, obviously lacking in confidence. "I said, I saw him go out in the afternoon with his bag on his back, but he didn't come back. I'm a light sleeper, and I'm angry about getting up, hehe. Just be considerate, be considerate."

"You said he went out in the afternoon." He Hao lowered his voice and looked even more stern.

"Well, yes, yes, I met him when I was taking out the garbage in the afternoon, and I usually greeted him twice, but today I saw him hurried away in a big black bag, and I didn't care." After speaking, he laughed twice, He asked curiously again, "Is there anything you can do with him?"

He Hao smiled coldly and said, "Debt collection." After saying that, he winked at me, and we both ignored the man with colorful pants and left there.

"Where are you going now?" He Hao looked at me who was downcast.

"I don't know." I don't know where Zhang Xiong will go at this time.

"Go to the murder scene in the morning to see if there are any missing clues." He Hao suggested again.

"Okay." I don't know why He Hao is always convincing.

He Hao has opened this fried restaurant at the gate of my community for five years.

The shop is small, but the business is not bad, the shop is full of people after get off work, and it is more than enough to support a big man.When I am free and at night, I will ask him to play two games of chess.

He has a thin face, small eyes, and thin lips. He is 1.9 meters tall and extremely thin.But it is unbelievable that he has great strength. I once saw him turn two woks at the same time to cook for customers. He could easily lift a can of gas, and he could carry hundreds of catties of rice with one hand.I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

Such a person is in front of me, and I can't see through it at all.

Cheng Li is single, his wife divorced him ten years ago, took their children and remarried a foreigner and went to Australia.Since then, Cheng Li has been alone, and he is extremely afraid of death, except for the pile of skin care products at home, he is also afraid that he will suddenly get sick at home and no one will know.Zhang Xiong and I were given a spare key each, and we were repeatedly told to call him every other day, so that the chance of his accidental death at home would be greatly reduced.

So how can I believe that such a person who is greedy for life and afraid of death will commit suicide.

Right now I am standing at the door of his house, holding the spare key and gently opening the door of his house.

A vague, faint fragrance floated into the tip of my nose.

This is a one-bedroom, one-living room. I took a flashlight and took pictures in the living room. Cheng Li’s clothes were piled up in a mess on the large black sofa, and there was a box of instant noodles that I had eaten long ago on the coffee table. , a remote control, a glass water glass with a layer of limescale, and an ashtray full of cigarettes.And the health medicine that Wang Bing brought to Cheng Li last time.Everything was furnished as if Cheng Li was still alive, the windows were wide open, and there was a cool breeze.

He Hao quietly followed me into the house, and he muttered, "This is really a house where a 40-year-old divorced man lives."

What exactly did Cheng Li experience before his death? There was no sign of any tampering in the house. How did the police collect evidence and samples?

I stood in the middle of the room, looking at all the familiar scenes, trying to find the subtle differences.He Hao greeted me and went to the kitchen and bedroom to have a look.

Only Cheng Li was at home in this room in the morning. I arrived downstairs at about [-]:[-]. I went to the sofa and sat down, imitating Cheng Li's most common sitting posture when drinking with Cheng Li.He likes to spread out on the sofa with his feet on the coffee table.Use the remote control to change channels randomly.

The remote control, I instinctively want to use the remote control to change channels, but when I reach out to touch it, it feels cold and soft, like a woman's delicate skin.

"Li Ming, look up at me." Qi Qi's voice as thin as running water rang in my ears.

I raised my head in a trance, and saw the indescribably beautiful Qi Qi, her good-looking eyebrows, her faint smile, and her shallow dimples.

"Qi Qi" I couldn't help touching her face with my hands, it's so nice, I would like to look at her like this for the rest of my life.

"Li Ming, come, follow me." Qi Qi leaned close to my ear and whispered.

I took her limp and boneless hand, and followed her graceful steps to the happy paradise.

"Old Li, you are dying." With a loud cry, I looked back and saw that it was He Hao, who was holding my leg tightly.

Look at myself again, most of my body is hanging outside the window.

Almost, almost, I became the second Cheng Li.

After being pulled back by He Hao, I sat under the window and stared blankly at the opposite clock, and there was another "tick, tick" sound.

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