The Gentle Breeze Reflects in My Eyes - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Little girl, you are Xia Lusheng’s sister? You look quite young yourself. What’s your name?” The man addressed as Captain Li began his questioning, directing his gaze at Gu Yitong.

Gu Yitong snapped back to reality and looked at the man in front of her. “My name is Gu Yitong, I’m 21. I’m not Lusheng’s biological sister. Her mother and my mother grew up together as best friends. Two years ago, when Lusheng’s mother passed away from an illness, I was the last person she saw. Her dying wish was for me to take good care of Lusheng.”

Hearing this, Captain Li frowned. “What about Xia Lusheng’s father?”

Gu Yitong pursed her lips and replied, “She doesn’t have a father.”

Captain Li’s frown deepened.

“Who would want a daughter who is blind? Her parents divorced when she was very young. Aunt Xia brought Lusheng back to A City and never mentioned her father again,” Gu Yitong added.

After a brief pause, she asked, “Can I… can I go see her?”

Captain Li glanced back at the figure in the corner and nodded.

Having received permission, Gu Yitong walked slowly toward the corner and crouched down in front of the girl. She spoke softly, “Lusheng.”

Even though her voice was gentle, the person in the corner was startled. She began to tremble even more violently, burying her head between her knees and hugging her scalp with both hands.

Gu Yitong’s eyes grew redder. “Lusheng, don’t be afraid. It’s me, Gu Yitong.”

Xia Lusheng couldn’t seem to process her words; she simply curled herself tighter into the corner in a panic.

Gu Yitong reached out and rested a hand on Lusheng’s shoulder, softly reciting: “The deer cry ‘yo-yo’ while eating the wild celery. I have a guest here; let the lute be struck and the organ blown.”

This was a passage from the Classic of Poetry, specifically the poem Luming (The Cry of the Deer). Hearing these lines, Xia Lusheng stirred. She lowered her hands from her head and slowly looked up, revealing a deathly pale face to Gu Yitong.

Seeing the girl looking so fragile—as if she might shatter at the slightest touch—Gu Yitong felt a sharp pang of heartache.

Wrapping her arms around Lusheng’s shoulders, Gu Yitong repeated herself: “Lusheng, it’s me. Gu Yitong.”

Xia Lusheng suddenly reached out and gripped Gu Yitong’s clothes with a death grip, like a drowning person clutching at a final piece of driftwood. Her lips trembled for a long time before she could manage a coherent word.

She was, after all, only a sixteen-year-old child.

Gu Yitong pulled her closer, drawing the girl into her embrace while gently patting her back. “Don’t be afraid.”

Under Gu Yitong’s soothing touch, Xia Lusheng gradually began to calm down, though her hands remained clenched tightly around Gu Yitong’s clothes, refusing to let go.

Seeing that her emotions had stabilized, Captain Li stepped forward and began to ask in an aggressive tone, “Xia Lusheng, your fingerprints are the only ones on the dagger that killed the victim. You were the only one at the scene when the crime was discovered. All evidence points to you as the prime suspect. What exactly was the conflict between you and the deceased?”

Every sentence implied she was the murderer; every word sought to convict her.

The newly calmed Xia Lusheng began to shake again, teetering on the edge of another collapse.

Gu Yitong held her tighter and glared angrily at Captain Li. “Officer, everything right now is just your speculation! What right do you have to question her like that? We are willing to accept an inquiry into what happened, but we refuse to cooperate with an interrogation that treats her like a criminal suspect!”

Stunned by her retort, Captain Li fell silent for a moment before saying, “Xia Lusheng was the only one at the scene, and only her fingerprints were on that dagger. When we arrived, she was sitting right next to the victim in a state of mental collapse.”

He didn’t say the rest out loud: It looked exactly like someone who had been killed out of fear and then lost their mind.

Gu Yitong suppressed her anger and looked down at Xia Lusheng. While patting her back to soothe her, she asked softly, “Lusheng, don’t be afraid. Tell me, when did you find that person?”

Captain Li remained silent, watching as Gu Yitong patiently coaxed the girl.

As Xia Lusheng’s breathing leveled out again, Gu Yitong repeated the question. This time, the girl’s lips moved, and a trembling voice escaped: “I… I woke up… and went to the duty room to get my violin…”

Seeing that she was finally willing to speak, Captain Li felt a flash of relief. Since they had found her, these were the first words she had uttered.

Previously, she had been too distraught to listen to anyone, and her silence had made the investigation incredibly difficult. Now that Gu Yitong had gotten her to talk, Captain Li kept his mouth shut, fearing he might startle them.

Gu Yitong continued gently, “And when you went into the duty room, did you hear anything?”

Xia Lusheng’s lips quivered. “After I went in… I was knocked to the floor by someone. Then I heard footsteps running away. I… I felt myself fall onto someone, but I called out and he didn’t answer… and there was a dagger in his chest… I touched it! I touched it!”

At this point, her emotions began to spiral again.

Gu Yitong immediately pulled her closer, tucking the girl’s head into the crook of her neck. She rhythmically patted her back. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Good girl, that person isn’t dead. He was just hurt and was sent to the hospital. He’s out of danger now.”

Captain Li looked at the gentle-faced young woman before him. She wasn’t that old, yet she had extraordinary patience and an aura of maturity. She didn’t seem like a twenty-something fresh out of college—especially since she could lie through her teeth without even blinking.

Xia Lusheng didn’t quite believe her. “Re-really? They… the victim…”

The people earlier had clearly used the word “deceased.”

Without stopping the soothing pats on her back, Gu Yitong said naturally, “They were just trying to scare you because they were worried you wouldn’t tell the truth.”

Xia Lusheng wavered, resting her head on Gu Yitong’s shoulder with half-belief. Though she wasn’t entirely convinced, her emotions miraculously steadied.

Captain Li had an idea. Mimicking Gu Yitong’s approach, he crouched down in front of Xia Lusheng.

The moment he did, he met Gu Yitong’s sharp, piercing gaze.

She watched him warily, terrified he would say something to trigger the girl again.

Seeing her protectiveness, Captain Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This little girl is like a protective mother wolf.

He signaled to Gu Yitong to relax and softened his voice. “Lusheng, don’t be afraid. What Yitong said is true. That person is out of danger. We were just trying to scare you earlier.”

Believing Captain Li’s words, Xia Lusheng’s body suddenly went limp. She collapsed into Gu Yitong’s arms, gasping for air, before finally breaking into an uncontrollable sob.

For a sixteen-year-old to endure this much was already a sign of great strength.

Gu Yitong looked at her with heartache, whispering in her ear, “Cry it out, Lusheng. Once you cry, you won’t be scared anymore.”