Chapter 7: The Hidden AIDS Patient (4/5)

Following this is the testimony of Dong Lixin and his wife, whose name was Liu Qinggui.

Dong Lixin

Do you communicate with your daughter often, usually?

Not much. My work keeps me busy, and my daughter usually talks to her mother. When she comes to me, it's mostly to ask for money, and I always give it to her.

Do you know what kind of person your daughter was?

Qianqian was a very carefree, easygoing girl, not one to fuss over small things, quite the image of a young lady from a good family. Her grades weren't good—we spent several tens of thousands on her in high school—but I never forced her about it. After all, grades don't represent everything. As long as she was happy, that's what mattered. I, as her father, have amassed such a large fortune that even if she never amounts to much, she'll still live in comfort and luxury her whole life.

Do you know anything about your daughter's romantic relationships?

That... I really don't know. My daughter always had many suitors, but I never asked who she'd accepted.

Do you know whether your daughter had offended anyone in her life?

Qianqian never told me about that, only told her mother who she disliked and who she liked. There were probably quite a few people at school she'd offended—after all, I always heard her mention someone bothering her, someone doing this or that to her.

So, who had offended her?

I don't know that either.

We found a large quantity of anti-HIV medication in the drawer of Dong Qian's dormitory. Did your daughter have AIDS?

What? (shocked) AIDS? How could she have gotten that disease? You must be mistaken.

We only found the anti-HIV medication in the drawer of Dong Qian's dormitory. Whether she was an HIV carrier requires further autopsy confirmation. Do you know much about your daughter's romantic life? Because AIDS is mostly transmitted sexually.

No, I don't know. My poor daughter—she must have been maliciously infected by someone.

According to Dong Qian's school records, your family is from Henan. Is that correct?

Yes, my hometown is Zhumadian, Henan. Qianqian was seven or eight months old when we came to Zhejiang. Our family has lived in Zhuji for eighteen years.

Did you ever go back to your hometown during that time?

No. After my parents died, I had no more relatives in Henan. It's so far, and I didn't want to go back.

What made your family move from Henan to Zhejiang in the first place?

That... it's not really convenient for me to say.

I'm sorry, but you must tell us.

When I was in Henan, my family was very poor, and my parents were the rigid type who cared about nothing but money. I really couldn't get along with them while living at home, so I simply packed up the family and left Henan to make a living in Zhejiang. Fortunately, heaven had mercy on me, and I achieved what I have now.

What stroke of fortune changed your family's fate?

Our family received help from Ren Jiahua... the founder of Jiangzhu University. He took care of our family and gave me the opportunity to make money and get rich. Later—later he committed suicide. I don't know why he killed himself. Such a good man—how could he end up like that? Sigh—

Alright, that concludes the questioning. Thank you for your cooperation.

Liu Qinggui

Do you communicate with your daughter often, usually?

More than her father does. Whatever's on my daughter's mind, she tells me first.

What kinds of things did she tell you?

Besides asking for living expenses, she mostly talked about life at school. She had suitors like clouds—all kinds of boys courting her—but she looked down on most of them. She only accepted one boy, someone from our hometown. From what Qianqian told me, that boy pursued her with utmost sincerity, and that's what won her heart. Our Qianqian was very particular—the only boy she ever truly liked, she said, was very handsome.

Who was the boy pursuing her? And who was the boy she liked? Do you know their names?

I know a bit about the one pursuing her—he was from our hometown, Zhumadian, but I've forgotten his name. As for the one she liked, she never told me.

Have you looked into your daughter's romantic affairs carefully?

She usually doesn't bring it up on her own unless I ask. My daughter dated in high school too, but those relationships never lasted—they'd break up after a while. She said those boys weren't up to much, she didn't like them. In college, it was just what I mentioned.

And how was your daughter with her classmates?

She got along fine with her roommates, and none of her classmates ever gave her a hard time. Our Qianqian was rare—born into a good family, beautiful, with a bit of the proud, high-spirited air of a young lady of wealth. She had many friends. I think, socially, she had absolutely no problems.

Did she have anyone she disliked, or someone she specifically targeted?

She never told me about that. There might have been someone she disliked. I remember... it seems like right after the semester started, she once asked me the name of the former principal's daughter. I said I'd forgotten, so she went and asked her father.

Did her father tell her?

He did. After Principal Ren and his wife passed away, we never heard anything more about their children. It's been so long, I long ago forgot the names of those two children.

How much living allowance do you give your daughter each month?

Not much—around five or six thousand a month. It's not that I'm stingy with her, I just wanted her to learn thrift. After all, we came from poverty too.

We found a large quantity of anti-HIV medication in the drawer of Dong Qian's dormitory. Did your daughter have AIDS?

What?! (agitated, standing up abruptly) AIDS?! How could this be?! That's impossible, how could she get that disease?

Mrs. Dong, please stay calm. At present this is only a hypothesis—we haven't reached a definite conclusion.

AIDS... this... who on earth did this to my daughter... how could my Qianqian just be gone like this?... My child...! Waah!

Mrs. Dong, our condolences on your loss. This concludes our questioning. Thank you for your cooperation.

Finally, the testimony of Ren Jie:

On October 16th, around 6 p.m., you went to the forest behind the school. What did you go there to do?

I go there often. There's no one there, and I like places without people—I don't do anything in particular. That day I went just to burn a letter for my father.

Has your father passed away?

Yes. Both my parents died when I was seven. I was raised at my uncle's house.

The police produced the shredded paper scraps found at the crime scene and asked: Are these yours?

Yes.

Why weren't they burned—why were they torn to pieces instead?

Because before I could burn it, that Dong girl tore it up.

Why would she tear up your letter?

How should I know? I don't even know how she found out I was in the back forest. That woman came up and started pulling at my clothes. Disgusted and annoyed, I argued with her. She tried to hit me, and that's when she snatched my letter away. After reading it, she mocked me while tearing it to pieces. I forced myself to hold back my anger, and when she came close again, I shoved her away and turned and ran.

Did she chase after you?

No. I ran fast, and I didn't hear anyone following behind me.

What did you do after you left?

I went back to my dorm. I didn't go out again for the rest of that day.

Who can confirm this?

My roommates were all there at the time. If they remember, they can testify to it.

I heard you have a girlfriend named Ren Jingting. Does she know about you and Dong Qian?

She doesn't know, and I never told her. Besides, Ren Jingting isn't my girlfriend at all—she's my biological sister.

Biological sister?

Yes, Ren Jingting is my sister. We're blood siblings.

Does Ren Jingting know this?

Of course she knows.

Since you're biological siblings, why pretend to be a couple?

We only just managed to find each other again (he hesitated a moment). If people around us found out, they'd inevitably start asking questions, and we wanted to avoid the hassle, so we pretended to be a couple. It's as simple as that.

Only just managed to find each other again? Didn't you grow up together?

Of course not. We were separated when we were very young. The year our parents died, my sister was only three. I was raised at my uncle's house, and my sister was sent to an orphanage in Shanghai. If you don't believe me, you can find my sister and have it verified.

Do you remember your parents' names?

My father was Ren Jiahua, my mother was Fang Xulan. Both of us siblings were born at the City People's Hospital—you might even be able to find our birth certificates there.

Since you're siblings, why would you worry about people around you asking questions? That's not the kind of relationship one needs to hide.

Officer, a lot of things aren't as simple as you think. (bitter smile) Do you think we wanted to put on this act? Don't you think it's twisted enough as it is?

So there's something you find difficult to say?

Given the current situation, I can't say it. I can't trust you people right now.

You don't trust the police?

It's not that the police can't be trusted—it's that people's hearts can't be trusted. Go ahead and investigate all you want. What I've told you is all true. I didn't kill that Dong girl, and I certainly didn't rape and kill her. But who knows—maybe it'll end up like fifteen years ago, with some wrongful conviction thrown together carelessly, and a few more people dying for nothing.

Do you have some complaint against the police?

How would I dare? This worthless, insignificant life of mine is entirely in your hands.

Then don't be so sarcastic. Just answer what we ask you.

I didn't kill anyone. No matter how you ask, or what you ask, that's my answer. I know perfectly well whether I did something or not. If you don't believe me, go ahead and put me under hypnosis.

Needless to say, continuing the interrogation in this manner would be nothing but splitting hairs, and so the questioning of Ren Jie was left unresolved for the time being, while the police were still discussing whether to use other methods.