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墨書 Inktalez
Qing He quickly recounted the entire sequence of events, which matched Hui Nai's recollections. With that, Qing He confessed.
However, before the verdict could be reached, one morning during a routine inspection, the prison guard discovered Qing He's lifeless body. The cause of death was determined to be a severed wrist from broken glasses, leading to excessive bleeding. It was ruled a suicide.
Thus, the murder case could be considered closed.
Qing He left a will, requesting that a treasured book from his collection—a 1968 edition of Notre-Dame de Paris—be given to Hui Nai.
This request seemed reasonable enough. Consequently, the book was delivered to Hui Nai.
The deformed and ugly bell-ringer Quasimodo was adopted by the priest Claude from Notre-Dame de Paris.
The seemingly respectable priest Claude became infatuated with the beautiful gypsy girl Esmeralda after their first encounter. Enchanted by her beauty, he ordered Quasimodo to forcibly abduct Esmeralda. During the abduction, they were rescued by Captain Phoebus of the king's cavalry, leading Esmeralda to fall in love with Phoebus. However, Phoebus, known for his flirtatious nature, was later murdered by Claude, who framed Esmeralda for the crime, resulting in her death sentence. During her execution, Quasimodo rescued Esmeralda and hid her within the cathedral.
Esmeralda was ultimately killed by soldiers led by Claude during an assault on Notre-Dame. In a fit of rage, Quasimodo threw Claude from the top of the church. He then cradled Esmeralda's lifeless body in a tragic act of devotion.
This ancient and sorrowful tale can bring tears even after reading it a thousand times. Not only does it touch sensitive souls like Hui Nai's, but even the calm and seemingly unfeeling Qing He must have been moved by this story countless times.
On the title page, he left an inscription:
"If she is calling me, then I would gladly offer my life and soul at any moment."
The handwriting appeared fresh, as if it had been written recently.
In Qing He's heart, there was love for Hui Nai. Yet that was far from enough to earn her forgiveness.
How could she forgive him? Some things cannot be resolved even by death. For instance, Hui Nai's love for Ryoji and her hatred for Qing He are unchangeable truths. Time will have to take its course with these matters.
Though there were still lingering doubts.
Where did the drug that killed Ryoji come from? He wasn't a surgeon, and it was impossible for him to carry such medication with him when he went out, let alone have access to that kind of drug.
Given his personality, while a breakup was indeed a significant event, it wouldn't have led him to visit in the middle of the night. According to his usual behavior, he would have patiently persuaded Hui Nai and then encouraged her to visit the clinic for counseling the next day.
Yet, there was still a lingering sense of confusion, as if recalling a story riddled with inconsistencies.
Perhaps it was due to the memory loss he had experienced. Hui Nai comforted herself with this thought.
Gradually, she stopped dwelling on it too much. After all, it wasn't a pleasant memory but rather a painful and haunting recollection.
And so, four or five months passed.
Hui Nai's life seemed to have returned to normal.
One day, a friend named Yuriko came to visit Hui Nai. Yuriko and Hui Nai had been classmates and friends for many years, and their relationship had always been strong.
Yuriko was now married with children and had to take care of her family, which made it rare for them to meet. Therefore, this visit lasted particularly long.
The two chatted about various topics—past and present circumstances alike.
Suddenly, Yuriko's phone rang. The sharp, piercing sound startled Hui Nai.
That ringtone was just like the one Qing He’s phone had during the second hypnosis session.
Yuriko apologetically took out her phone but didn’t answer; instead, she simply hung up.
Hui Nai couldn’t help but feel curious. “Why didn’t you answer?”
"Ah, that wasn't a phone call; it was actually an alarm I set. Since I usually take care of the baby at home, I need to feed him milk at a certain time. I'm afraid I might forget or fall asleep, so I specifically set this alarm to remind myself. It works quite well, actually. I forgot to turn it off when I came today, which interrupted our conversation."
Yuriko apologized sincerely as she took out her phone to show Hui Nai.
Yuriko's phone was the same model as Qing He's.
"I thought it was a phone ringing," Hui Nai said.
"Oh, no. The alarm sounds on this phone are simple and melodious tunes that serve as reminders, but they aren't suitable for ringtones; they would startle anyone who hears them. That's why there's no sound like that in the phone's ringtone options."
So, was Qing He's phone actually just a pre-set alarm too?
However, Hui Nai had arrived and started the hypnosis at the usual time, and the doctor's phone had never rung at such an hour before.
It seemed like he had done it on purpose.
Hui Nai fell into deep doubt.
Fortunately, the conversation resumed, interrupting Hui Nai's thoughts.
Until it was time to say goodbye, another incident made Hui Nai feel suspicious once again.
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