Forbidden Land – CH 115

Grandpa Chen was dead! He fell to his death along with the madwoman!

In the terraced fields, Zhang Chao stood, staring blankly at Chen Rong, who was lying on the ground, weeping.

After crying, Chen Rong called her uncle, told him what had happened, and asked for help with the funeral arrangements.

This ending was something Zhang Chao never expected.

He felt that his sudden arrival had caused her grandfather’s accident. If he hadn’t gone up the mountain, he wouldn’t have met the madwoman, her grandfather wouldn’t have disturbed the grave, and none of the subsequent events would have occurred. He was heartbroken.

Chen Rong knew his thoughts and comforted him for a while. Then she had Zhang Chao drive to the county town, where she withdrew 20,000 yuan. Returning to the mountain, it was already night. Her uncle had found more than ten people to help set up a shrine and handle the funeral arrangements.

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Chen Rong insisted on giving the money to her uncle and asked how to deal with the madwoman. Her uncle said that people from the township “government” would come to handle it.

Both of them were heavy-hearted. They ate something and kept vigil together.

At 9:30 PM, Zhang Chao’s phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Lin Yi’ang. Zhang Chao stood up, took the phone, and said irritably, “What!”

Lin Yi’ang lowered his voice and asked, “Where are you?”

Zhang Chao replied, “Chen Rong’s hometown. What’s up?”

Lin Yi’ang said, “What are you doing there?!”

Zhang Chao said angrily, “None of your business. Just say what you need to say. I’m busy.”

Lin Yi’ang said softly, “Is Chen Rong next to you?”

Zhang Chao said, “Yes, what’s wrong?”

On the other end of the line, Lin Yi’ang paused for a moment, then said, “Stay away from her right now. I have something to tell you.”

Zhang Chao said impatiently, “Just say it! Why are you making such a fuss?”

Lin Yi’ang said, “It’s about her. Come out right now. I’ll tell you secretly. It’s very, very important!”

Zhang Chao glanced at Chen Rong, who was standing there with her head down, seemingly still grieving. He said, “I know,” then got up and left the shed, going outside. He said, “Alright, I’m outside. Tell me what happened.”

Lin Yi’ang sighed, urgently saying, “I’m telling you, you need to go back to school immediately. Don’t stay in their hometown. Chen Rong might have a severe mental illness, and she might… she might have killed someone.”

Zhang Chao was taken aback, then asked seriously, “What do you mean?”

Lin Yi’ang said, “From what I’ve heard, when Chen Rong was little, she was playing with some people in the village and pushed a child off a mountain, causing the child to die.”

“What!” Zhang Chao exclaimed in shock. He thought the child had died from a fall while playing hide-and-seek. As for the madwoman saying Chen Rong pushed him, he wouldn’t believe a madwoman’s words. But how did Lin Yi’ang know about this?!

Zhang Chao immediately asked urgently, “Tell me quickly.”

Lin Yi’ang said, “When Chen Rong was in fifth grade, her class went on a spring outing. On a hillside, Chen Rong pushed another female classmate down the hill, and she still died from the fall. In her second year of junior high, Chen Rong passed by a child fishing on a reservoir dam. She quietly went up behind him and pushed him, causing the child to fall in. Luckily, the child could swim and survived, but he didn’t know who pushed him. In high school, Chen Rong encountered a child trying to fish over a well. She secretly went up and pushed him, causing him to drown. Do you know why Chen Rong hasn’t dated all these years?”

Zhang Chao thought about it for a moment and immediately felt strange. He had always assumed that although Chen Rong didn’t have a boyfriend now, she must have had relationships before. She was above average looking, had a great figure, and was highly educated; how could she not have been in a relationship?

But when he had sex with Chen Rong the night before last, he was surprised to find she was a virgin. Now, with Lin Yi’ang’s thunderous words, he was even more astonished and hurriedly asked, “Why?”

Lin Yi’ang said, “Chen Rong has always known she has this kind of mental illness. When someone is in a dangerous place, she can’t control her urge to push them. This is a symptom of extreme personality disorder, and she is fully aware of it. That’s why she doesn’t have a boyfriend, afraid that she won’t be able to control her urge to push and harm someone. It’s probably for this reason that she studied psychology.”

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Zhang Chao asked suspiciously, “Then how do you know all this?”

Lin Yi’ang said, “If a psychologist is sick, they’ll definitely lose their job. Chen Rong went to a major hospital in Beijing under an assumed name for treatment. What I have here is her hypnosis treatment report!”

Zhang Chao asked urgently, “Where did you get it?”

Lin Yi’ang said, “This is complicated. Come back quickly. Don’t mention any of this to Chen Rong; it might be dangerous for you. You must pretend you know nothing, especially when you’re alone with her. Be extra vigilant and don’t go to any dangerous places. Come back quickly; the school is safe. Otherwise, if something happens, even the police won’t have evidence of murder!”

Zhang Chao’s mind was in turmoil. He didn’t know whether to believe Lin Yi’ang. He hung up the phone, returned to his room, and looked at Chen Rong, whose face was filled with sorrow and exhaustion. Could she really be a murderer?