Chen Ping finally saw his wife and daughter.
The people under Qin Yue notified Chen Ping's wife, Wang Man, and informed her of the truth behind Chen Ping's fatal fall back then.
The day after receiving the call, Wang Man arrived at the administrative building and was politely escorted to a conference room by police officers.
Accompanying her was a young girl carrying a schoolbag and wearing a school uniform.
It was Chen Ping's daughter, Chen Xi.
She was twelve years old this year. Because girls matured earlier, she looked a head taller than boys her age.
Her facial features were inherited from Wang Man, but her eyes looked just like Chen Ping's.
Wang Man was only in her early forties, but her heavy makeup made her look five or six years older than her actual age.
The first thing she did upon seeing Qin Yue was apologize profusely:
“I just got off work. I had an appointment with a client for a facial, which held me up a bit. I'm terribly sorry.
My father-in-law is hospitalized for surgery, and my mother-in-law is taking care of him at the hospital. I couldn't find anyone to watch my child, so I brought my daughter along. But don't worry, she's very well-behaved and can just wait outside.”
“It's quite all right. We have other empty conference rooms here.
It's too hot outside, but the conference rooms are air-conditioned. The young lady can do her homework in there for a while.”
Qin Yue glanced at the computer sitting on the desk that was currently in an active call, and said gently to Chen Xi:
“Student Chen Xi, Auntie has very important things to discuss with your mother. Why don't you let this big sister take you to another conference room?
There are fruits and snacks prepared there, so you can take a little break.”
Chen Xi nervously tugged at the corner of Wang Man's clothes. Only after receiving an encouraging look from her mother did she summon the courage to nod and follow the female police officer leading the way to another conference room.
—Where, of course, there was also a computer running a video call.
Seeing her daughter leave, Wang Man breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“No need to be nervous. Please, have a seat first. Xiao Chen, go pour a cup of tea.”
Qin Yue did her best to make her voice sound gentler.
Sensing Wang Man's nervousness and unease, she smiled and added:
“I am Qin Yue from our Qianli City Criminal Investigation Detachment; you can just call me Xiao Qin.
Ms. Wang Man, my colleague has already spoken with you over the phone.
The main reason we invited you here today is to understand whether you and your child are facing any difficulties in life, or if you have any requests?”
“Requests?”
Wang Man looked somewhat bewildered, not understanding what Qin Yue meant:
“Didn't the insurance people already come to discuss the compensation issue?”
In fact, Wang Man had received a call from the insurance company a few days ago.
On the phone, the account manager who had previously rejected the claim underwent a complete hundred-and-eighty-degree shift in attitude.
The manager claimed that a major oversight had occurred on their end back then, and now they were not only willing to pay out the full insured sum, but also prepared to offer additional compensation to make up for their previous error.
The attitude was unimaginably polite.
Wang Man still vividly remembered that when her husband Chen Ping passed away, the insurance company had adamantly insisted that “suicide is not covered under the policy.”
She was no naive fool who would believe the insurance company had suddenly found its conscience.
Could it be... the insurance company's attitude was connected to today's conversation?
Wang Man recalled Qin Yue's self-introduction just now, and her voice sharpened slightly:
“You're a criminal investigator? Then, then my Chen Ping's death—”
“Ah, you misunderstand, Ms. Wang Man.”
Qin Yue explained softly, “I am merely representing the organization to see if our comrade's family has any difficulties. I am deeply sorry for Comrade Chen Ping's death, and the organization grieves as well.”
As she said this, Qin Yue paused and shot a strange glance at the computer.
Saying these words felt rather bizarre.
“But my Lao Chen was just an ordinary man. He never joined the Party, nor was he ever even a member of the Communist Youth League.”
Wang Man grew increasingly bewildered.
How could this be explained?
Was she supposed to tell her directly: Your husband is indeed dead, but in the afterlife he has actively dedicated himself to social construction and made significant contributions?
Of course, Chen Ping's existence was strictly confidential, and Qin Yue could not disclose the slightest detail.
So she simply skipped the topic.
“Actually, there is another reason we asked you here today.
Back when Comrade Chen Ping passed away, the employees of Xinchuang Game Company mistakenly placed his personal belongings into a utility closet during their cleanup.”
Qin Yue lifted a cardboard box from under the desk, which was filled with all sorts of miscellaneous items:
A stainless steel thermos, sky-blue folders, a vintage brass alarm clock, hardened moxibustion patches, a large pink three-tiered lunchbox, a desk lamp covered in little red flower stickers, an exquisitely framed family photo, a pair of knee pads, toilet paper, a wired mouse with a snapped cord...
Having sat in the utility closet for so long, the items were covered in a thick layer of dust.
Staring at these items, Wang Man seemed lost in memory, speaking in a daze:
“Ah, so these things were with you all along. No wonder I couldn't find them anywhere...”
Her eyes slowly reddened, and she gave a soft sniffle before pulling out the large pink three-tiered lunchbox from inside.
It was a rather bulky lunchbox, plump and round, covered in various pink heart stickers.
On the top lid, someone had carved a line of crooked characters with a knife:
【Daddy must eat well or Mommy will be angery】
“Angry” had even been written with the wrong character.
Wang Man had managed to keep her emotions in check, but seeing this line of writing, she froze in place, tears bursting from her eyes:
“This lunchbox is still here?
Back then, to save money, Lao Chen had me cook at home so he could take lunch to work the next day.
I heard that heating plastic in a microwave was toxic, so I bought a higher-quality lunchbox.
Lao Chen nagged me about it for so long back then, saying that two hundred yuan could have bought three catties of cherries for Xi'xi.
You tell me, this man was just too honest, always taking losses and getting pushed around.
When others asked him to work overtime, he agreed without a second thought; when the boss told him to revise a plan, he never made excuses or pushed back.
Going out with him was utterly exhausting—if he saw someone lost, he had to give directions; if he saw someone's kid wandered off, he wouldn't rest until he walked them home.
That night, when his college roommate got married, Lao Chen gave two thousand yuan as a wedding gift.
Over that two thousand yuan, I... I had a huge fight with him, yelling at him that if he had any spine, he shouldn't come back—”
At this point, Wang Man covered her face, her shoulders shaking as she began to sob convulsively:
“Two thousand yuan... two thousand yuan. Why on earth did I fight with him? How much must it have hurt when Lao Chen fell...”
Qin Yue remained silent, quietly listening to the woman's grief-stricken outpouring.
Even though Chen Ping had been dead for a year, the grief of losing her beloved was still like a maggot in the bone, clinging relentlessly to Wang Man.
At certain moments or in specific scenes, this grief would surge forward and completely engulf her.
On the other end of the computer screen, Chen Ping had long dissolved into tears.
He had never blamed his wife.
The burdens of life weighed heavily not just on him, but on his wife as well.
Chen Ping had seen Wang Man cry for an entire night just because she lost a three-hundred-yuan perfect attendance bonus.
That night's argument, he had never held against her.
Whenever he thought of his wife and daughter, his mind held only those beautiful, heartwarming memories—warm enough to melt his entire soul.
In the unseen realm, something seemed to shatter.
At that moment, Nan Zhi received a system notification.
【Random Quest Completed】
【Ghost Chen Ping’s Wish (II): Clear the rumors and restore Chen Ping's innocence (Completed)】
【Quest Rewards: Five Thunder Protection Curse (blue quality), Heavenly Treasure Tree Lottery Ticket ×5】
【Ghost Chen Ping’s Wish (III): Chen Ping finally remembered what he had lost in the mansion.
His wife's cooking was not very good; one could always find eggshells in the tomato scrambled eggs, and there were always bits of garlic skin left in the garlic cabbage.
Yet he remembered that the happiest part of each day was opening the lunchbox to enjoy lunch.
Seeing his daughter's encouragement, Chen Ping would always feel brimming with energy.】
【Quest Rewards: Heavenly Treasure Tree Lottery Ticket ×5, Upgrade EXP ×200】
Rate on N.U.
