Kaleidoscope of Death

Chapter 89: A Sudden Accident

Content Warning: suicide, wrist-cutting

His girlfriend's death obviously dealt a serious blow to Wu Qi.

Lin Qiushi was afraid for him, so frequently kept in contact. But Wu Qi remained mostly indifferent to Lin Qiushi's attention, heart obviously fixed wholly on his girlfriend's death. He looked more and more haggard by the day; even Lin Qiushi, who'd seen him only a few days ago on a visit, was startled by his appearance.

"Are you okay? Wu Qi?" Lin Qiushi asked him in concern.

Wu Qi sat on the sofa, staring at the phone in his hand. Against Lin Qiushi's questions he was distant. Only a while later did he slowly shake his head.

Lin Qiushi said, "Wu Qi..." He didn't know how to comfort this friend who'd just lost a loved one.

When Lin Qiushi first came to this city all alone, he'd pretty much left his past completely behind. He had a distant personality, and there were no especially good friends around him. Only Wu Qi. Lin Qiushi still remembered when he'd passed out in his home with a fever. It was Wu Qi who'd discovered he hadn't gone to work, personally came over, and took him to the hospital.

All these little things, Lin Qiushi had kept in mind. So his relationship with Wu Qi got better and better. But he didn't ever think Wu Qi would be met with a situation like this.

Ruan Nanzhu's side of the investigation had continued as well. The scope was primarily hospitals—normally, those who knew they were about to die had severe illnesses, and any patient diagnosed with a severe illness experiencing a sudden recovery was odd, anyway you looked at it.

But, as Lin Qiushi waited for the results from Ruan Nanzhu's investigations, he received a call from Wu Qi one evening.

Over the phone, Wu Qi's voice was very excited. He said, "Lin Qiushi, I figured it out, I figured it out!"

Hearing his tone, Lin Qiushi was startled. "Wu Qi, what did you figure out?"

Wu Qi, "I figured out why she jumped— it's the door, the door!" He seemed afraid that Lin Qiushi wouldn't understand, and kept repeating himself. "If I'm near death, I can go in!"

A chill instantly went down Lin Qiushi's back. He understood Wu Qi's meaning, and said, "Wu Qi, calm down for a second!!"

But it was too late. Wu Qi had hung up.

When Lin Qiushi called him back, his phone was turned off.

It was nearing dawn, and Lin Qiushi was still in his pajamas in bed. But he couldn't care about that at all, getting out of bed and running straight out. He called 110 on the way and said his friend was going to commit suicide.

An hour's car ride had never seemed so long. By the time Lin Qiushi got to Wu Qi's house, the police were already there. There were even a few rubbernecking neighbors at the door, chattering away in the hall. Lin Qiushi dashed through them, panting.

He was breathing hard, running right into Wu Qi's house without rest. And there he saw everything.

In Wu Qi's living room, there was blood everywhere. Wu Qi lied on the sofa, completely motionless. Lin Qiushi heard someone calling him, but he seemed as if in a trance. He walked in front of Wu Qi, reached out, and tested under Wu Qi's nose for breathing.

There was none. Wu Qi was dead.

Once he knew this, Lin Qiushi became all of a sudden bewildered. He didn't even know what kind of reaction he should be having. This was the second time Lin Qiushi witnessed the death of someone close to him. The first was Li Dongyuan, whom he hadn't known that well, and so didn't feel so close to. This time it was Wu Qi, his good friend of many years. And, he didn't even seem to have died in the doors, but had died in a foolish attempt to enter the doors via suicide.