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墨書 Inktalez
A loud crash echoed as the Delivery Box slipped from Dong Zhengyu's hands and hit the ground.
Inside was a package containing fine bone china tea sets, and the sound of shattering pieces filled the air.
"Are you doing this on purpose?" The recipient, a middle-aged man in a suit, glared at him.
He tore open the package, and several white fragments tumbled out.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Dong Zhengyu said, lowering his head. "I'll pay for it, I'll reimburse you at the original price."
"Pay? Do you know how much this tea set costs? Two thousand eight hundred. Do you think your monthly salary is enough to cover that?"
Dong Zhengyu clenched his fists but forced himself to stay calm. "I can pay in installments."
"Installments? Forget it, I'm going to file a complaint against you." The middle-aged man pulled out his phone and took pictures of the shards right in front of Dong Zhengyu before dialing the complaint hotline for the Express Delivery Company.
This was already the second complaint within a week.
Three days ago, a package was delivered in the rain and got soaked, leading to a customer complaint that all the cosmetics inside were ruined.
Although Dong Zhengyu explained that it was due to the sudden downpour, the customer did not accept this reason.
“Dong Zhengyu, this is the third complaint against you this month,” the station supervisor called him into the office for a talk. “Company policy states that if you receive three complaints within a month, you will be terminated.”
“Supervisor, please give me another chance. I really need this job,” he pleaded.
The supervisor sighed. “Rules are rules. Please return your work ID and uniform by tomorrow.”
As Dong Zhengyu walked out of the delivery station, his phone vibrated.
It was a message from Zhao Qingqing: “Dong Master, I ordered a bookshelf; it might be a bit heavy, so please be careful when delivering it.”
Looking at the message, Dong Zhengyu suddenly smiled—a smile that was filled with sorrow.
That night, Dong Zhengyu returned to the basement he rented and opened Zhao Qingqing's Moments.
On the screen was her latest post: "I got my nails done today, finally treating myself!"
The accompanying photo showcased a beautifully manicured set of nails, along with the nail salon's location—single visit cost 799 yuan.
Dong Zhengyu turned off his phone and stared blankly at the ceiling.
The sound of footsteps from the upstairs neighbors reminded him of that encounter in the elevator.
When Zhao Qingqing saw him, she slightly frowned and quickly averted her gaze, as if he were something dirty.
He opened his Alipay app and looked at his account balance: 1463.52.
That was all his savings.
Just then, the landlord's call came in: "Hey, Dong, remember to pay this month's rent on time."
"Okay, Auntie Landlord."
After hanging up, Dong Zhengyu sat on the edge of his bed, foolishly staring at the window on the door.
Suddenly, he remembered something and pulled a fruit knife out of his pocket.
He had casually tucked the fruit knife into his pocket while cutting fruit that morning.
He looked at the knife in his hand and then at the photo of Zhao Qingqing on his phone.
An idea gradually took shape in his mind.
"Aren't you the one who told me to be careful with deliveries?" he muttered to himself. "Then I'll deliver it to you personally tomorrow."
He placed the fruit knife on the bedside table, lay down, and closed his eyes.
The sound of a train rushing by filled his ears, yet he felt surprisingly calm.
Tomorrow, he would deliver the last package to Zhao Qingqing's home.
At two seventeen in the afternoon, Zhao Qingqing was at home attending a remote meeting.
The doorbell rang.
"Wait a moment, I'll go answer the door."
She finished speaking to the computer and took off her headphones.
Through the peephole, she saw Dong Zhengyu's face.
Today, he wasn't wearing his delivery uniform but a plain dark coat.
“Dong Master? Has the bookshelf arrived?” Zhao Qingqing asked, opening the door with a puzzled expression.
“Miss Zhao, I... I'm feeling a bit unwell.”
Dong Zhengyu leaned against the doorframe, his face contorted in pain.
“What’s wrong? Do you want to come in for a glass of water?”
Just as Zhao Qingqing spoke, a large hand covered her mouth.
Seven minutes later, the neighbors heard a heavy thud coming from Room 2201 but paid it no mind.
Thirteen minutes later, Dong Zhengyu emerged from Room 2201, carrying a woman's handbag.
He took one last look at the door number before heading towards the emergency stairs.
That evening at eight o'clock, Zhao Qingqing's colleagues reported her missing after she had not responded to work messages all day.
When the police broke down the door, they found her lying on the living room floor, with five stab wounds to her chest.
The forensic expert later confirmed that the fatal wound was the first stab, which pierced her heart.
The crime scene investigators discovered that a video conferencing software was still running on Zhao Qingqing's computer.
The screen displayed that the meeting had been ongoing for 5 hours and 47 minutes.
Her colleagues had assumed she had just stepped away from the meeting temporarily.
Dong Zhengyu was apprehended in an internet café in Xining City, Qinghai Province.
He had used Zhao Qingqing's phone to download a mobile game and spent 12,800 yuan on in-game purchases.
This unusual transaction helped the police pinpoint his location.
In the interrogation room, Dong Zhengyu calmly recounted the details of the crime.
He stated that he had only intended to see what Zhao Qingqing's home looked like.
"When she let me in, she was still smiling," Dong Zhengyu said. "That kind of condescending smile."
However, the surveillance footage from the scene showed that Zhao Qingqing merely smiled normally, just as she would with any delivery person.
The police discovered a plastic bag in Dong Zhengyu's rented apartment, neatly containing 162 delivery slips, all belonging to Zhao Qingqing.
Someone had arranged these delivery slips in chronological order, with the earliest dated eight months ago.
In court, the prosecution presented evidence: the day before the incident, Dong Zhengyu had searched for keywords like "Is a stab to the heart fatal?" on his phone.
The defense attorney emphasized his family background and social pressures: "He comes from a poor family, with both parents being ordinary workers. In this city, he delivers hundreds of packages every day but can barely afford his rent..."
Ultimately, the court sentenced Dong Zhengyu to death.
During the sentencing, the judge stated, "The defendant, Dong Zhengyu, harbored murderous intent due to accumulated grievances and employed severe means of home invasion, resulting in particularly grave consequences and posing significant harm to society..."
However, this legal jargon could not fully explain the case.
Between Dong Zhengyu and Zhao Qingqing lay a deeper chasm: it was not just a gap of wealth but a complete inability for the two to understand each other's worlds.
Zhao Qingqing would never know that her casual negative review could lead to a delivery worker losing all his income; and Dong Zhengyu could never comprehend that for Zhao Qingqing, Perrier and Michelin restaurants were never about flaunting wealth but simply part of her everyday life.
In this city, countless Dong Zhengyus stand at the doors of countless Zhao Qingqings every day.
They exchanged glances, yet they lived forever in parallel worlds.
Until one day, a knife pierced through the invisible barrier.
Zhao Qingqing's parents ultimately sold that apartment.
Before leaving, they took down the doorplate marked "2201."
When the new residents moved in, they discovered a package lying in the delivery box at the entrance, addressed to Zhao Qingqing.
Inside the package was a cherry blossom pink mug, which she had ordered on the last day of her life.
The delivery slip read: "Handle with care, fragile."
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