Chapter 741: Diary

On April 9th, the police went to Little Four’s house to investigate and collect evidence.

Little Four’s "home" was a bit special. It was a broken excavator in front of a ruined building. He had removed the seat inside the cab. His bedroom was the cab that was less than two square meters. There was a bed there. There was a lazy laptop table on the bed with a laptop, and a lock on the door.

In such a cramped space, the search could only be carried out alone by Lin Dongxue.

The area around the excavator could be called his home’s "yard". It had an old sofa, an iron bucket, and some old furniture that he had picked up.

The police found a lot of ashes in the iron bucket, which were later identified as a burnt wig, women's clothing, etc. They were probably the props he used to trap Zhang Xiao.

In addition, there were some paper ashes, which seemed to be photos or the like. Chen Shi also found a small piece of partially burnt printed paper with a string of numbers on it.

After investigation, it was learned that Zhang Xiao had designed a new recruitment poster for the PUA Association in mid-March, and carried it with him. Chen Shi guessed that he might have accidentally dropped this piece of paper at Duan Lin’s house by him and it was found by Little Four. Little Four, who definitely had some hacking skills, found them through the poster.

"Look at this!" Lin Dongxue crawled out of the excavator, holding a notebook in her hand. It was a diary. Based on the handwriting, it had been written by Duan Lin.

The contents of the diary were very trivial, and Lin Dongxue selected a few paragraphs to read out.

"...I was paid today so I got to have a good meal for once. I bought a box of Yangzhou fried rice and walked ahead. A boy had been following me, making me a little nervous. He had been staring at the food in my hands as if he hadn’t eaten for a long time. As if I was possessed, my heart went soft and I gave him the fried rice in my hands. He squatted on the side of the road and ate it with his hands. Looking at him was saddening. After he finished eating, he left without saying a word... It felt as though I had fed a stray dog.

"The boy appeared again today. He was waiting for me on my way home from work. I told him that Elder Sister had nothing for him to eat. He ran over and stuffed a wad of crumpled small-denomination money[1] into my hands and ran away."

"I saw him again. It was strange. I was actually looking forward to it. He squatted there motionless, as if he was waiting for me. I smiled at him. He actually stood up and followed me. I actually let this stranger come into my house even though I don’t even know his name and gave him a bowl of instant noodles. We didn’t talk a lot, but it didn’t feel awkward. He ate it hungrily. I have never seen anyone eat instant noodles with such zest. After he finished eating, he went over and washed the dishes by himself. Then I heard the sound of the stove being turned on. He was actually clumsily making me noodles. He even cracked the egg outside of the bowl, making me laugh."

"He has gotten into the habit of coming to my house. He’s a lot cleaner after taking a shower. He’s a handsome young fellow, but his eyes look like that of a child’s. I even hugged him to sleep that night. No, nothing happened between us. We are not in that kind of relationship. In his sleep, he called me his elder sister, and I responded. It’s a very happy thing to have a person to snuggle up to for warmth in this cold city. Outside the window, there was a pattering sound. It turned out that it was raining..."

"‘Little Four’ is the name I gave him and he’s already living in my house. He’s like a small animal. Whenever I get home, he would be overjoyed and hug me to sniff the scent of my body. Taking care of him is quite interesting, but I really don't have that much money. I told him that he should earn some money himself. He wasn’t happy and ignored me all night. This slacker."

"After my persuasion, Little Four finally took this step and became self-reliant. He went to work in an art studio. It turned out that he could paint. I never knew. After earning his first paycheck, he bought a little gift for me. I was very happy and gave him a kiss."

"Dad knows about this. From his point of view, my relationship with Little Four is - 'You’re cohabiting with a man before you’re married'. He threatened to come to the city to take care of this matter. I explained to them that we’re not in that kind of relationship, but in their opinion, a woman and a man must have something between them if they live together. It’s so tiring! I could only explain this to Little Four. Little Four promised to move out, but he would visit me regularly."

"Dear Diary, I have found a boyfriend! Haha, I actually left singlehood behind! He’s an outstanding man. He has just returned from studying in the United States. His parents are both public prosecutors and his manners are especially good. When we went on our first date, he sent me home like a gentleman and said, "I won't go up." He was practically the textbook example of a good man. I hugged my blanket and laughed foolishly all night. I was sure he was the one I had been waiting for. I didn't tell Little Four about this. Maybe it was because I was afraid he would be jealous. I'll tell him when the relationship is confirmed."

"He encountered some troubles and needed some money. I immediately gave him this month's salary. I believe in his personal character."

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"A failed date. He said it was all my fault. I shouldn't bring up that topic. I was sad and cried all night. He’s such a good man that I don't think I deserve him. No, I want to be a better version of myself, so that I’ll never disappoint him again!"

"He’s starting to ignore me. Does he have another woman, or does he not want me anymore? My heart’s almost broken. I took the initiative to contact him, ask him out, and gave him my first time. I don’t have regrets, because I love him more than anything else."

"I’m a humble, base, and useless woman. He’s right. My life is indeed a mess. I can't handle anything. I don't deserve his love at all like this. I can't choose who I was born for, but I’m able to choose who I will die for. That way, I will always have a place in his heart."

The diary illustrated the step-by-step process in which Duan Lin walked towards self destruction, from meeting Little Four to meeting Zhang Xiao and being deceived by his routine. After reading it, everyone fell silent and felt sad.

Loosening the reins temporarily in order to capture her, devaluing her self-worth, and spiritual dominance were PUAs' means to control a woman. It’s because human beings’ fear of loss is greater than the desire to obtain something. Love should be a joyful thing, but women who are immersed in this kind of love do not have much joy. PUA veterans wouldn't even take the initiative with sex, but would just wait for the woman to propose it herself. They’re like a swamp covered with fresh flowers. Just stepping into it would consign you to eternal damnation. Not to mention a girl like Duan Lin who wasn’t very experienced.

But then again, the prey that PUAs look for are types like Duan Lin, inexperienced girls with poor judgment who lack romantic experience and have no friends around them for support. They bypass outstanding women because they know full well that in front of high-level women, their lies and routines would be seen through anytime.

Xu Xiaodong sighed, "Why didn't she talk to Little Four when she was in greatest pain? Then this series of tragedies wouldn’t have happened."

Lin Dongxue said, "Women are like this. There will only be one person she cares for at a time. In the second half of the diary, she didn't mention a single word about Little Four. Her whole body and mind has been invested in this 'Prince Charming'."

Lin Qiupu said, "We have sufficient evidence and it’s time to go back to interrogate Little Four."