Chapter 391 - Suicide (1/2)

Translator: Lonelytree Editor: Millman97

“Chen Ge?” Ol’ Wei and Doctor Gao said in unison. Neither of them had expected to run into Chen Ge here.

“I’m here to see the old man from Ping An Apartments. Excuse me, where is Room 269?” Chen Ge spoke quickly. It was not the time to chat.

“Come with me, I’ll take you there.” Doctor Gao seemed to be very familiar with the place. He led Chen Ge down the corridor, and Ol’ Wei followed. After double checking the number of the room, Chen Ge glanced into the room through the door’s window. Two nurses and a doctor were standing beside the bed. They seemed to be communicating with the old man. The old man’s condition was bad. He had his eyes closed, and his lips moved, but no one seemed to understand what he was saying.

Chen Ge knocked the door before entering. One of the nurses recognized him and whispered something to the doctor. The doctor nodded and signaled for the nurses to leave the room.

“Mr. Chen, I called you here today because of two things.”

“How is the elder doing? Didn’t he seem like he was recovering when I left last time?”

The doctor sighed softly and walked to stand beside Chen Ge. He kept his voice low to prevent the old man from hearing him. “We have tried our best. His physical condition was not good to begin with, and he suffered under the hands of the non-professional, trapped in his apartment for so many years. It is a miracle that he survived for so long. He held onto life because he wanted to find the killer that murdered his son.”

Chen Ge looked at the old man lying in bed who could not even open his eyes, and his mind was blank.

“Life hasn’t been fair to this old gentleman. His apartment is a haunted property, so it is hard for it to get sold. A few years ago, the government wanted to level the place to build a villa. They promised to give him compensation if he moved, but he refused no matter what. They tried all kinds of tactics, including cut off the electricity and water, but he refused to budge.

“Finally, when the workmen came to the door, the elder sat in the middle of the road with his wheelchair. He said that if the house got torn down, the clues to the murder would be gone, and the killer would never be caught.

“I cannot imagine how he managed to survive all these years. He’s malnourished and is down with many different diseases, but he held on for five years until the case was solved.”

At this point, even the doctor was overwhelmed with emotion. Since Chen Ge did not pick up the thread of conversation, he continued.

“We called you over because we want to respect his final wishes. This case is the only thing that kept him alive. You have fulfilled his wish, so he is thankful to you from the bottom of his heart.” The doctor gave Chen Ge a phone number. “This is number for the public notary office. He split all of his assets, including that apartment, into four parts.

“One will be donated to missing children funds; one will be donated to Jiujiang’s law enforcement; one is the reward for you for completing his dying wish; the last one is also for you, but the content stated is he wished you would take good care of his granddaughter. If it’s okay with you, please contact the people from the public notary office as soon as possible.”

“I have a question.” Chen Ge finally spoke. “Why are we talking about his will when the person is still alive? You should try your best. Don’t give up until the last moment.”

The doctor wanted to say something, but Chen Ge stopped him. “Do you mind if I have a private moment with the elder?”

Chen Ge did not show greed from the sudden windfall—this was different from what the doctor expected. He told Chen Ge several words and walked away. The room door closed. Chen Ge sat on one side of the bed and placed Xiaoxiao on the old man’s shoulder. There were sound of weeping in the room, but it was soft and unclear. Chen Ge held the old man’s hand—it was skin and bone. Holding it, it felt like he was holding a dried branch buried in snow.