I fell through the tunnel and brought my family to live a good life

"Then what is the second suspicious point?" Tang Wenhao asked.

"It's that strange man," Shen Xiao took over the conversation. Xu Congyi happened to take a few sips of tea. He had talked too much just now and was a little nervous, so he felt dry mouth.

"Brother Wenhao," Xu Congyi put down the teacup, "Do you still remember how Yuanyuan and that man got along?" Xu Congyi also wanted to confirm it further, as she was worried that Shen Xiao might have missed something in his retelling.

Tang Wenhao tried his best to recall the situation at that time. "On the first day, I pleaded with my mother under the scorching sun, hoping that she would agree to my marriage with Yuanyuan, because my mother also married my father under the pressure of my maternal grandparents. Later, my mother relented. My father was not at home before, but he was going to come back that night. My mother promised me that she would help me speak well of him when he came back, so that I could feel at ease.

Because it was late, I didn't go to look for Yuanyuan, but went after school the next day. When I walked to the bun stall, I noticed a strange man standing next to Yuanyuan. They seemed to be arguing about something, but the voice was very low and I couldn't hear clearly.

"Did you think they knew each other at that time?" Xu Congyi used to be a tutor in college and was very patient with children. Although she heard Shen Xiao say that the man claimed to be Chen Yuanyuan's cousin, she did not jump to this step directly, but guided Tang Wenhao to discover the problem.

"I'm not sure about that," Tang Wenhao shook his head.

"Let me put it another way. Do you think the strange man's behavior is like that of an ordinary diner? Or, do his words and actions reveal a sense of coercion or threat? Also, does Yuanyuan's reaction at the time make you feel that she was unwilling to talk to this man?"

Under Xu Congyi's guidance, Tang Wenhao gradually realized that something was wrong. "Neither of them! I remember that they stood very close to each other, almost shoulder to shoulder. And the strange thing is that although they seemed to be arguing, I didn't sense any resistance from Yuanyuan."

"So for Yuanyuan, that man was not someone he didn't know," Shen Xiao added at the right time.

"And what did Yuanyuan say about that man's identity?" Xu Congyi and Shen Xiao cooperated very well.

Tang Wenhao closed his eyes and tried to recall the scene. After a moment, he slowly said, "After I arrived at the bun stall, Yuanyuan saw me and showed a hint of surprise and nervousness on her face, but it soon passed. Because every day after school, Yuanyuan would leave me my favorite meat buns, and that day was no exception, but I felt that she was a little unnatural, and I felt that there were tears in the corners of her eyes. She handed me the meat bun, and I asked her who the man was."

"What's Yuanyuan's reaction?"

"Yuanyuan turned her head to look at the man, opened her mouth but didn't say anything, and seemed to be hesitant. But the man suddenly spoke, saying that he was Yuanyuan's cousin, and that he came to take Yuanyuan back because Yuanyuan's mother was temporarily staying at his house and something happened at home."

"Yuanyuan also told you that he was her cousin?" Xu Congyi continued to ask.

"Yes, Yuanyuan did not deny it. She told me that she was going home with her cousin for a few days and would be back in a few days."

"Then let me tell you my guess," Xu Congyi straightened his body. "First, from your description of the situation at that time, we can extract a few key points. First, Yuanyuan's interaction with the strange man did not seem like contact between strangers. There was no obvious resistance or alienation between them. Second, although Yuanyuan seemed a little unnatural when she mentioned this man, she eventually admitted that he was her cousin and gave a reasonable reason for leaving."

Shen Xiao tapped the tabletop with his fingers, as if he was organizing his thoughts. "Based on these points, Yi Yi and I have a few guesses. First, this so-called 'cousin' may not be a real relative, but an identity that Yuanyuan has to admit for some reason. She may have been under some kind of pressure or threat, so she dare not directly reject him. The reason why I think he was not sent by Uncle Tang is that the two of them seem to be acquaintances rather than strangers. Second, Yuanyuan's unnaturalness when talking to you and the possible traces of tears in the corners of her eyes may imply that she is unwilling to follow this man away, but she can't say it clearly. Third, considering Yuanyuan's usual attitude towards you and the relationship between you, she is very likely protecting you from being involved in some kind of danger."

Xu Congyi told Tang Wenhao all the clues he had found at the Dongkou Wharf: the appearance and disappearance of the strange man before and after Yuanyuan fell into the water, the fishermen's private discussions, etc.

Tang Wenhao listened quietly, his face gradually becoming solemn. He never expected that behind the truth that he had always believed was Chen Yuanyuan's suicide, there were actually so many doubts hidden, and he had never doubted these doubts, which led to him knowing them three years later! The self-blame in his heart surged like a tide, and he regretted why he did not understand the truth more deeply at the beginning, and why he did not notice the subtle changes in Yuanyuan. Those details that he should have noticed, but due to his careless negligence, became regrets that can never be made up.

Shen Xiao knew his good friend very well, and he knew that Tang Wenhao must be blaming himself at this moment. "Wenhao, you have been depressed for three years because of Yuanyuan, but now that we have found the suspicious points, we must try our best to find them. You said that Yuanyuan told you that she was from Licheng and took her mother to seek refuge with her uncle. We can check her parents and uncle, and we will definitely find them."

Tang Wenhao tried to calm himself down. "You are right. I can't go on like this. I have to do something for Yuanyuan, even if it's just to find a little trace of her. Whether she is alive or dead, I have to give her an explanation, and also give myself an explanation."