"Mr. Zhang, according to what we know, you were the housekeeping manager at the Junli Hotel from 2000 to 2002. Do the names Pan Ping, Shi Wenshan, Wei Yinan, and Zhou Guangcheng ring a bell?"
"..."
"Mr. Zhang, please answer the question."
"..."
"Mr. Zhang, to be frank, this New Year's Day, a woman checked into Room 809. She's now pregnant in a highly unusual way."
"...No wonder you're asking about this..."
"You must have guessed as much, right? That's why you contacted us so quickly."
"...Yes... I guessed. Your investigation is right. I was the housekeeping manager those two years. On New Year's Day in 2001, a young man named Pan Ping booked Room 809. He was planning to propose. By the time I found out, it was already the morning of New Year's Day. He'd booked the room and arrived. My senior planned his proposal for New Year's Day too—in 1999, the hotel's first New Year's Day after opening. Back then, there weren't any New Year's fireworks along Riverside Avenue or the Luoqu River, and people in China weren't used to the idea of a romantic night alone together. My senior had studied abroad, so he chose that day. I even told him that after the proposal, he should get the publicity department to put out a news story. Maybe our hotel would start a tradition of New Year's couple suites, like hotels overseas... When I heard about Pan Ping, that was all I thought about. My senior had been dead for over a year by then..."
"Did you know that Shi Wenshan left the hotel around three in the morning on January 2, looking disheveled?"
"I found out as soon as I got to work the next day. The Junli had strict management, and the employees who dealt with guests face-to-face were all young newcomers. They didn't know about my senior's past. After he died, hardly anyone mentioned him. But that day, when I heard what those young people were saying, a few of us longtime employees remembered him. One of my coworkers even said that maybe the room had bad feng shui and wasn't suitable for a proposal... I felt a bit stifled, and I was in a bad mood for days afterward. When the cleaning lady found that ring and handed it to us, my mind went blank..."
"It was the ring your senior bought, wasn't it?"
"Yes, the very same one. I thought maybe it was the same design, or maybe there was another explanation. I even called his uncle that day to ask. He said he'd never seen the ring. Maybe my senior had gotten rid of it. Maybe he sold it, and then Pan Ping bought it, but I... I felt uneasy... I don't know why. I just felt uneasy."
"Did you know that Shi Wenshan jumped into the river and killed herself?"
"The reporters came to the hotel. How could I not know?"
"When Wei Yinan and Zhou Guangcheng checked in on New Year's Day in 2002, they said you handled the incident involving Wei Yinan the next day. Is that right?"
"Yes... By 2002, I didn't really care about it anymore. My senior's death, the ring—I didn't care much about any of it. Those two checked in and caused a scene, and I thought it was just normal hotel work. I dealt with it according to the usual procedures."
"But you gave them a lot of compensation."
"..."
"Normally, waiving the bill or offering money is the most you'd do. But you gave them a lot of things, helped them book tickets to tourist attractions, and even bought them contraceptive pills. That doesn't seem like normal compensation."
"I don't know. I really didn't know what I was thinking back then. I just did it. It wasn't until they complained about a child making noise that I realized... realized what I was doing... I was... trying to see, trying to confirm something... I thought I'd forgotten, but I hadn't. When I heard them complain, I knew I'd been right. There weren't any children staying near them. That child's laughter... and what happened to them on New Year's Day... I... I thought my senior... probably..."
"Then they left."
"Yes, they left. I bought their train tickets, so I knew where they were going. Then I waited..."
"You got your answer from the local news. The incident involving Wei Yinan caused a huge uproar."
"..."
"After that, you quit."
"...I didn't know what to do. How could something like that happen? But it... I couldn't deny it. I hoped I was imagining things. In any case, I couldn't stay at the hotel anymore."
"Your senior was named Xiao Zheng, right?"
"You..."
"We found out that his parents have both passed away. Do you know where he's buried?"
"What are you going to do?"
"You don't know what to do. We do."
"I... I'll write down the address for you."
"Thank you. I hope you can also tell us the name and contact information of his girlfriend. Do you know them?"
"I only know her name. It's Xu Ling."
"Thank you."
May 23, 2004: Investigated Xiao Zheng's grave. Confirmed there were no anomalies.
May 24, 2004: Found surveillance records of the client and her husband, Wang Fangjie. Video file: 02320040523.avi. Audio file: 02320040523.wav.
"...Here, the two of them are leaving home and heading to the station."
"He's already possessed her."
"But, Chief, Yu Meng doesn't look like she's being forced?"
"You idiot. That means Xiao Zheng is putting on an act. He's cunning."
"I'm saying, this might not be Xiao Zheng. Maybe there's an evil spirit attached to that wedding ring."
"When are you going to show some improvement, you idiot? Yu Meng and Wei Yinan never saw the ring. How could the ring be the problem?"
"It's Xiao Zheng's ghost possessing her. I saw his face."
"Oh."
"They changed buses and got off. There's no surveillance beyond this point."
"The direction they went..."
"Beyond there are Weishan Villages One through Seven."
"That could mean so many residents! Couldn't you at least figure out which neighborhood they entered?"
"It's not like I can figure that out just by trying harder or thinking it through."
"We should be able to narrow it down from their route, right? How many bus routes could take them from their home to Weishan Road?"
"Hmm, that's a good idea."
May 25, 2004: Narrowed down the area where the client and Xiao Zheng's ghost might be. Visited Weishan Villages Five, Seven, and Eight.
May 27, 2004: Found Xu Ling's contact information, but she refused to speak with us.
May 28, 2004: Confirmed the client and Xiao Zheng's ghost were in Weishan Village Five. Audio file: 02320040528.wav.
"...Oh, yes! I've seen those two. They just moved in. I saw the woman on the day they arrived, but I haven't seen her leave the house since. The man said she wasn't well. I see him pretty often, though. He doesn't seem to go to work. He just buys groceries, cooks, and takes care of her every day. Maybe she was just discharged after a serious illness or something."
"Could you tell us where they live?"
"Who are you? Why are you asking?"
"She's my older sister! They've been away from home for a long time. We searched for ages before we found this place!"
"Oh, I see. Then I'll take you there."
"Is the man home right now?"
"Huh?"
"Is he usually home at this time, or does he go out to buy groceries?"
"Now that you mention it... I haven't seen him go out to buy groceries in a long time."
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