Too Bad I Take Things Seriously

Li Weiguo's expression was also somewhat tense as he gathered his thoughts.

He spoke hesitantly, "This... I think I heard someone drowned... Old Song saw it happen, and then... he was taken away..."

"An eyewitness?"

Hearing this, Qin Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, the word "homicide" prevented him from staying calm. He couldn't spare a thought for anything else and hurriedly left the house, rushing towards the nearby police station.

「...」

「Half an hour later.」

「Outside the police station.」

Qin Mu had just arrived when he saw Shen Dao escorting Song Tiancheng out.

"Alright, we've finished asking everything. If you have anything else to add, come find me anytime," Shen Dao said solemnly to Song Tiancheng.

Song Tiancheng nodded silently. He seemed to be in a rather bad mood.

"Old Song? Why did they let you out? Are you in the clear?" Zhang Qingyuan and Li Weiguo hurried forward, asking with "concern."

Only then did Song Tiancheng notice Qin Mu and the other two had come to pick him up, and a warmth spread through his heart. He shot Zhang Qingyuan and Li Weiguo a fierce glare, then walked over to Qin Mu and recounted what had happened that afternoon.

That afternoon, because he was too bored staying cooped up in the courtyard, he went for a walk in a nearby park by himself. As it happened, he saw two girls walking their dog without a leash. Their dog, being overly playful, slipped and fell into the river. The girls were on the bank, desperately and urgently crying for help.

When he first heard the cries for help, he initially wanted to assist. But then he remembered it was a dog that had fallen in... and dogs can swim. So he just stood on the bank and watched the commotion. However, after the girls had been shouting for a minute, a crowd gathered. A boy playing basketball in the nearby residential complex ran over, still holding his ball. He asked the two girls about the situation, then dropped his basketball and, SPLASH, jumped into the river. He wanted to save it. By the time Song Tiancheng realized he should try to stop him, it was already too late. In the end, the boy sank and drowned because he ran out of strength.

After Song Tiancheng finished recounting the main events, he said, "Sigh, a vivid life, gone just like that. He looked to be only about sixteen or seventeen." He then sighed deeply, his face filled with regret, and continued, "Especially the scene when the boy's mother rushed over after hearing the news, crying out 'Son!' along the riverbank... Her cries were heart-wrenching. It saddened those who heard it and brought tears to the eyes of those who saw it. The greatest sorrow in this world is for parents to outlive their children. And because I was a close-range eyewitness, the police called me in for questioning."

"Drowned?"

Hearing this news, Qin Mu also felt a profound sadness. If it had been to save a person... that might have offered some small consolation to the living. But if it was to save a dog... that really left one at a loss for words.

"After the boy sank, the dog swam ashore. Those two girls also left. Officer Shen said they're investigating..." Song Tiancheng said with a wry smile, shaking his head.

"They left?" Zhang Qingyuan, upon hearing this, was so angry his eyes bulged.

Li Weiguo, a retired teacher, also frowned deeply, filled with indignation. Anyone faced with such a situation... their first instinct should be to call the police or try to find a way to rescue the person. This act of leaving... they simply couldn't understand it.

"But there's a question." Qin Mu took a deep breath and looked at Song Tiancheng, asking, "You said the boy spoke to the two girls. So, did he still risk his life jumping into the river just to save the dog?"

It's common knowledge that dogs can swim. Most people know this, perhaps aside from elementary and middle school students. And according to Old Song's description, this boy who bravely tried to help was sixteen or seventeen. It's unlikely he wouldn't have known that dogs can swim.

"I was some distance away from the three of them at the time, so I couldn't hear clearly what they were saying," Song Tiancheng said, shaking his head truthfully. "I only saw the sequence of events clearly. There were no surveillance cameras in that area back then, and I was the only eyewitness. All I saw was that after the three of them talked for a bit, the boy jumped into the water without a second thought. At the time, I even thought he was very brave. If I had known it would cost a life... I would have done anything to stop him."