The Sister’s Diary

A diary?!

Zhao Yunzhong was undeniably surprised to hear Fu Ziyu utter those words.

Lifting his eyelids, Zhao Yunzhong’s eyes flickered slightly as he spoke, “This… this might not be appropriate.”

Fu Ziyu fixed his gaze on Zhao Yunzhong, making him squirm with discomfort before finally speaking. “What exactly are you thinking? I’m giving you her diary because she’ll be staying with you in the future, so it’s only right to return it to her.”

He chuckled softly as he finished, “What? Did you actually think it was for you to read?”

“Uh…”

Zhao Yunzhong’s expression grew mortified; he had indeed thought exactly that.

Fu Ziyu said nothing further. When the elevator doors opened, the two men stepped inside.

The elevator ascended to the fifth floor, where it halted. Fu Ziyu then led Zhao Yunzhong into his apartment.

“Please, have a seat on the sofa for a while. Help yourself to water if you’d like any,” Fu Ziyu offered as he closed the door, before heading into his study.

Zhao Yunzhong obediently settled onto the living room sofa. He wasn’t thirsty, so he didn’t bother to get any water.

While he knew it was impolite to scrutinize another’s home, Zhao Yunzhong’s professional habits inevitably led him to observe Fu Ziyu’s decor, paying particular attention to dimly lit, shadowed corners.

After a thorough glance, Zhao Yunzhong’s brow furrowed. His gaze ultimately settled on two photographs displayed prominently on the coffee table before him.

One of the photographs was clearly a family portrait of Fu Ziyu and his wife, with their daughter.

A younger Fu Ziyu, handsome and heroic in his police uniform, stood beside a beautiful yet spirited policewoman. Between them, an adorable little girl, wearing a police cap that was conspicuously too large for her, beamed.

All three wore radiant smiles.

The other photograph, however, featured one less person. It depicted a middle-aged Fu Ziyu in casual clothes alongside a young girl in a Chuanbei Middle School uniform.

They, too, shared sweet smiles.

Evidently, a significant amount of time separated the two pictures.

So that’s how it is…

Zhao Yunzhong recalled the young girl he had encountered just the previous evening. He had been struck by her appearance then, never imagining she was actually a blood relative.

What an incredible coincidence…

As he quietly marvelled at this strange turn of events, a young girl’s voice suddenly broke the silence: “Dad, you’re back…”

Zhao Yunzhong looked up, turning towards the source of the voice. The first thing he saw was a pair of pink and white rabbit ears peeking out from a doorway.

Only then did a pretty young girl’s face emerge.

Joy initially lit up the girl’s face, but it swiftly transformed into surprise and confusion. Her voice rose a few pitches. “Huh? Who are you?!”

“I…”

Before Zhao Yunzhong could answer, Fu Ziyu emerged from his study. “Xiao Yu! Why are you still at home?”

Fu Ziyu held a cream-colored notebook in his hand, his eyes wide as he stared at Xiao Yu.

“Dad! So you were here all along. How was work last night? Did everything go smoothly?”

Xiao Yu’s eyes darted around as she looked at Fu Ziyu with a feigned expression of concern.

“I’m fine, but… why aren’t you at school?!”

Fu Ziyu offered a brief smile, which then slowly faded.

He clearly wouldn’t be so easily distracted by this little girl.

“I… I wasn’t feeling well, so I already took the day off,” Xiao Yu mumbled.

As she spoke, Xiao Yu retreated into her room, shutting the door behind her.

“Heh, I’ll deal with you later!”

Fu Ziyu muttered under his breath, then made his way over to Zhao Yunzhong.

“My daughter can be a bit thoughtless, hehe. Please don’t mind her, Yunzhong.”

As Fu Ziyu spoke, he sat down beside Zhao Yunzhong, placing the notebook he held onto the coffee table. His gaze then naturally fell upon the two photographs.

For a moment, neither man spoke.

The silence was suddenly broken by Xiao Yu, who burst out of her room once more.

She rushed from her room, darted straight to the coffee table, snatched up both photographs, and, after a quick glance at the two middle-aged men, retreated back into her room.

“This child, she’s actually just too worried about you, isn’t she?” Zhao Yunzhong remarked.

He added that he was certain such photos wouldn’t typically be displayed so casually on the living room coffee table.

He could easily envision Xiao Yu, alone at home, sitting there, repeatedly gazing at those two photographs, consumed by worry for her father working late into the night.

Fu Ziyu remained silent for a beat before finally chuckling, “Hey, never mind her. Here, this is my sister’s diary.”

Fu Ziyu’s finger lightly tapped the notebook on the coffee table.

Zhao Yunzhong then took the diary.

It had a cream-colored leather cover, roughly a thumb’s width thick, and was secured with a three-digit combination lock.

Twenty years ago, such a notebook would have been considered quite expensive and high-end.

Zhao Yunzhong could tell, however, that the notebook’s cover must have originally been pure white, but had yellowed to its current cream shade over the years.

“The password is actually quite simple. I guessed it right away back then,” Fu Ziyu said suddenly, a hint of pride in his tone.

Zhao Yunzhong instinctively chimed in, “Her birthday? ‘722’?”

Fu Ziyu raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “You kid, you’re quite perceptive!”

“Uh… I assure you, I won’t look inside.”

Despite having accurately guessed the password, Zhao Yunzhong made his promise with utmost seriousness.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a peek?”

Fu Ziyu tempted him, “The diary’s contents are truly fascinating. Absolutely explosive, completely beyond your imagination.”

“You’ll come to know a completely different Fu Ziqing.”

“Brother Yu, have you read it all?” Zhao Yunzhong countered, unwilling to fall for the bait.

Fu Ziyu responded matter-of-factly, “Of course. Back then, I had to read her diary for the investigation. I thought it might yield some clues.”

“Oh,” Zhao Yunzhong acknowledged. He mused that since the case hadn’t progressed in so many years, the diary likely contained no useful leads.

“Speaking of which, that girl… she put on such a dignified front in front of outsiders, but privately, she was incredibly wild,” Fu Ziyu reminisced.

“She had endless tricks for pranking people, it was truly…”

As Fu Ziyu spoke, he seemed to recall some unbearable past events, his expression becoming ineffable, and he simply trailed off.

Is that so…

Zhao Yunzhong, however, looked utterly captivated, his eyes clearly eager for Fu Ziyu to continue.

Fu Ziyu naturally preferred not to share his embarrassing anecdotes, but he changed the subject, “Normally, she wasn’t very close to me, her older brother.”

“I always felt the way she looked at me wasn’t how a sister should. That condescending, always-lecturing attitude, it was as if she treated me like her younger brother.”

“Actually, I think that’s quite normal,” Zhao Yunzhong offered. “Girls mature earlier, both physically and often mentally, than boys.”

Zhao Yunzhong’s words carried a certain truth, and Fu Ziyu readily agreed, “Right, that’s what I thought at the time too. I wouldn’t fuss over it with her, my younger sister.”

“But then, after she started high school, she sometimes became very strange,” Fu Ziyu continued. “She’d suddenly act incredibly dependent on me.”

“Aside from things like using the bathroom or showering, she insisted I be with her at all other times. She even wanted me to sleep beside her and would say some odd things.”

“Then, first thing the next morning, she’d kick me out of bed and look at me with utter disdain for days afterward.”

Fu Ziyu finished speaking, then, seeing Zhao Yunzhong’s expression, suddenly erupted, “What kind of look is that, kid?!”

Zhao Yunzhong had indeed been looking at Fu Ziyu strangely. Startled by Fu Ziyu’s sudden outburst, he abruptly realized something.

“Brother Yu, are you telling me all this because you’ve sensed something particular?” he inquired.

Fu Ziyu dropped his angry demeanor and replied, “Since you’ve asked, it means you’ve formed some ideas. Then, proceed with your investigation according to those ideas.”

“After all, you’re the professional here.”

He gestured towards the diary and added, “You should still take the time to read this diary carefully. What clues I couldn’t discern, perhaps you might.”

Having said his piece, Fu Ziyu stood up and stretched.

“Alright, that’s pretty much everything. You go on and get busy. I won’t see you downstairs.”

“Understood. Brother Yu, please get some good rest.”

Zhao Yunzhong then exited the apartment.

Turning back, he saw Fu Ziyu still leaning against the doorframe, nodding at him.

“Brother Yu…”

Zhao Yunzhong glanced behind Fu Ziyu, about to speak.

“What is it?”

“Get some good rest!”

“Alright, stop being so sentimental.”

Fu Ziyu chuckled playfully. Behind him, a woman suddenly walked to his side, offering Zhao Yunzhong a gentle smile and a nod.

“Thank you,” the woman murmured softly. Zhao Yunzhong nodded, then turned to leave.

Fu Ziyu closed the door, took a shower, and then knocked on Xiao Yu’s door. “Xiao Yu, if you’re not feeling well, you should see a doctor or get some medicine from the pharmacy.”

“No need, I’m already fine.”

“Is that so? Then you’ll be going to school this afternoon, right?”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean, ‘Huh?’ If I wake up and find you still at home, heh heh!”

With that, Fu Ziyu returned to his own room.

Lying on the bed, half-asleep, he felt something gently brush his cheek.

“Wife…”

“Mmm, I’m here.”

Fu Ziyu drifted peacefully into sleep.