Zhang Dongliang lifted his head slightly, then quickly lowered it again.
His voice grew quiet too. "She kept crying for a long time and wouldn't say anything. Eventually, she begged me, and I got a little... a little impatient. Then... then I slammed the door and left. I told her to think things over by herself. I knew rape was a crime. I... I just... I wanted to leave her alone for a while, scare her a little. I didn't think... When I came back a few days later, the room was empty, and her things were gone. I didn't think she'd have the nerve. I thought... I was furious at the time. I took the recording. I really did mean to sell it. When I bought the camera, that guy told me he'd buy anything good I filmed. I watched what it had recorded. There was only a little. I hadn't changed the batteries or the memory card for a while. The footage showed her still crying after I left, crying nonstop. After a long while, she went outside. When she came back, I don't know what happened, but she packed her things and left. I knew she had no money on her—she only had the ten-odd yuan I'd given her. I bought all her food, drinks, and clothes. She shouldn't have had any money, so she couldn't have gone far. I did try looking for her, wandering around the streets for a while, but eventually I gave up."
"What happened after that?" Ye Qing pressed.
Zhang Dongliang began to tremble.
He was shaking so badly that his legs gave way, and he dropped to the floor. His eyes bulged, as if he'd seen something terrifying beyond words.
"After that, Ai Jiayi must have moved in, right?" Ye Qing