The Second Wife

The living room was an unbearable mess: clothes hangers were twisted out of shape, clumps of hair were scattered about, and fresh red bloodstains marred the bathroom floor.

Most shocking of all were the small, bloody handprints on the wall! The neighborhood aunties gathered around, exchanging horrified glances. Qin Xiu had truly intended to beat the child to death.

"Is this even a woman? She's a venomous snake! To have a child out of wedlock and then have the gall to beat her like this?" someone said indignantly.

Several elderly women couldn't bear the sight. "Oh, heavens, how much pain must that child have been in!"

Gu Fadian always liked to carry a large bag whenever he went out; nearly all his worldly possessions were inside it. He walked in with Officer Zhao and handed her his camera, saying coldly, "I'm sure you thought I was just making trouble, Officer Zhao, so you didn't bring anything, right?"

The hangers, the hair, and the bloodstains were all evidence of a crime; the scene had to be photographed and preserved.

Indeed, Officer Zhao had not brought a camera. She took it from him, looking somewhat embarrassed. "You have to be honest, kid. I really did think you were just acting out..."

Gu Fadian let out a cold laugh. "If I told you someone was beating a child, would you have even shown up? Wouldn't you still have thought I was just making trouble?"

The two were actually long-time acquaintances because Officer Zhao was a friend of Lin Jun. Lin Jun and her husband, Gu Jin, practiced a very hands-off style of parenting. Fearing that Gu Fadian would go astray without supervision, Lin Jun had entrusted him to Officer Zhao, asking her to keep an eye on her son.

Every few days, Zhao He would come by to check on Gu Fadian’s situation.

Otherwise, according to regulations, a criminal investigation required two officers; her coming alone was technically against protocol.

In Officer Zhao's eyes, Gu Fadian was a boy neglected by his biological father, with poor grades and a penchant for roaming the streets—just one step away from becoming a common hoodlum.

Yet, for once, he was doing something good, standing up for a little girl he barely knew.

Deep down, Officer Zhao was pleased.

However, in all honesty, society was in a state of upheaval. Police forces were stretched thin, and major cases were piling up like mountains. Truly, no officer would normally investigate parents just for hitting their children.

Being a woman herself, Officer Zhao understood the tragic reality of the current social climate all too well.

But where was Ban Xia? Gu Fadian had only let go of her hand for a moment, and now the little girl was nowhere to be seen.

Where did she go? Given Qin Xiu's temperament, could she have taken advantage of the distraction to hurt the child again?

The last time Gu Fadian had looked this panicked was when his mother told him clearly that she would not be taking him abroad with her.