Chapter Six: Economic Compensation

Ning Shuyi sighed softly, giving Wang Yuluo’s father ample time to vent his emotions.

Huo Yan stood quietly by her side, watching the elderly man weep. The emotions flickering in his eyes were difficult to decipher. Ning Shuyi suspected she must have been mistaken, for otherwise how could she see a hint of… envy in Huo Yan’s eyes? She shook her head instinctively, thinking her impression was truly absurd, even laughable! Who would ever envy a father sobbing his heart out for his dead child? That was far too outrageous!

Wang Yuluo’s father remained unable to compose himself in the presence of his deceased daughter. With no other option, Ning Shuyi asked Huo Yan to stay and wait a while longer. She accompanied Wang Yuluo’s father to handle the paperwork required by the medical examiner, then returned to the station. Such repeated emotional blows would do him no good, and without calming down, there was no way to communicate effectively.

Moreover, Wang Yuluo’s aunt and uncle were still waiting at the station. Earlier, her father had said that it was this couple who had looked after his daughter in her daily life. If she hoped to understand the situation, she would have to speak with them as well.

When they returned to the station, Wang Yuluo’s father was still visibly shaken. Ning Shuyi brought him together with the waiting relatives and led them to the meeting room. The moment Wang Yuluo’s aunt and uncle saw his reaction, they understood at once that the deceased was indeed Wang Yuluo. Their faces darkened with grief.

Ning Shuyi gave Wang Yuluo’s father a moment to collect himself before gently inquiring, “How much do you know about Yuluo’s daily life? Could you tell me a bit about her?”

Wang Yuluo’s father wiped his tears and shook his head. “Yuluo’s mother passed away when she was little. At that time, my career was just beginning, and I had to focus on making a living for the family. So I didn’t have much energy left for her. Financially, I gave her a lot of freedom, but in other respects, I really didn’t pay much attention.

“When she got older, I tried to reach out to her, but… Now I regret it so much. Why did I always insist on being right with her? If she didn’t want to talk to me, I should’ve kept trying, shouldn’t I?”

“Don’t blame yourself like this, brother,” Wang Yuluo’s aunt sighed, trying to comfort her distraught brother. “No one could have foreseen this! You worked so hard all these years so she could have a good life. If you hadn’t been out there fighting, how would she have had food and drink? You’ve done more than enough as a father—don’t torture yourself with these thoughts!”

“Yuluo… she was never the type to be affectionate with elders. You say you didn’t have time for her, but I surely did! To be honest, I paid more attention to her than to my own daughter. Yu Mengpeng used to complain that I favored her cousin over her. But what then? Yuluo still wasn’t close to me. That’s just how she was—it’s not that any of us neglected her! Over all these years, you let her have her way in everything, didn’t you?”

Her words trailed off as her husband nudged her leg, signaling her to watch her words. She realized that, regardless of what her niece had been like, this was clearly not the time to judge her. Embarrassed, she fell silent.

Ning Shuyi listened, grasping the situation. Wang Yuluo had grown up in a single-parent household, her family providing her with financial comfort but little emotional support. They had treated her well, yet remained distant.

“Did you and Yuluo live together?” Ning Shuyi asked her father.

“We did, but we hardly saw each other,” he replied. “I’d leave early and come home late. She’d stay up all night and sleep all morning. A few years ago, we had a falling out about something, and in a fit of pique, she installed a security door at the top of the stairs, forbidding me from going upstairs. So while we lived under the same roof, it was as if we didn’t live together at all.”

“And you?” Ning Shuyi turned to the aunt.

She seemed a bit uneasy, but answered, “I looked after the little things in her daily life. I’d drop by to help tidy up, buy household necessities, and cook meals for Yuluo to put in the fridge. If she was home, she’d let me clean her room. But if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t give me a key, wouldn’t allow me to go upstairs.”

“Were you aware of Yuluo’s health?” Ning Shuyi asked.

“She was perfectly healthy!” the aunt replied without hesitation. “She just had a physical last month—I picked up the report for her. Everything came back perfect, not a single issue!”

“No congenital heart diseases?” Ning Shuyi pressed.

“None! Absolutely none, otherwise I wouldn’t have thought you made a mistake,” her father replied firmly.

“What about her work? Did she experience any undue stress or exhaustion?” Ning Shuyi continued.

Her aunt waved her hand. “Nothing like that! I know best about this. Yuluo graduated over two years ago. Her father tried to get her a good, stable job, but she refused—insisted on making her own way and not relying on him. Even before graduation she wanted to pursue a master’s degree, tried twice for the entrance exams, but never made it. I never saw her study hard either—she’d play games at night, sleep late in the morning, just kept renewing prep classes over and over. No one in the family expected her to pass or pressured her. None of us gave her any stress.”

After finishing, she looked puzzled, still not understanding the situation. Turning to her brother, she whispered, “Brother, what exactly happened to Yuluo? What really caused her death? First you ask about heart disease, then about stress and overwork. I’m completely confused! She didn’t… she didn’t do something foolish, did she?”