Zhang Heng's words stunned Xu Qian for two seconds. She even forgot to breathe. It was not until she choked on the cigarette that she had just inhaled that she coughed and said, "This is ridiculous. According to what you said, there are a lot of clones in New Shanghai 0297. Other than those with a mark on the back of their neck, there are also clones like me … What did you say? Another batch of clones without a serial number?"
"Yes." Zhang Heng nodded.
"How did you come to such a conclusion? From the fact that the boss and lady boss of Fu Ji refused to admit that I worked there, and Jiang Hong and the landlord said that the original tenants of 714 were a family of three? Then, you think that I'm not the only one, and there are many clones like me in this city? "
"You are not the only one in this situation," Zhang Heng said calmly.
"What?"
"I went to your boyfriend's company two days ago."
"Wait, are you still investigating him behind my back?" Xu Qian was a little angry when she heard what Zhang Heng said. "Didn't I tell you many times that the stalking is over?"
"I heard what you said, but it has nothing to do with you being stalked. It's just my personal interest," Zhang Heng said. "I investigated your boyfriend's company, and I met a marketing manager named Liao Ming there."
Xu Qian did not know what to say when she heard this explanation. Indeed, if it weren't for the fact that she was being stalked, Zhang Heng could investigate anyone he wanted.
Xu Qian took a deep breath, calmed down, and said, "I seem to have a little impression of this person. I saw him when I went to the company. My boyfriend said that he is the backbone of the company, and he seems to be in charge of all the sales."
"Yes, if you look at his resume, you will find that he is the perfect employee that all companies dream of."
"And?"
"Do you know why Liao Ming works so hard? It's because he has a daughter. He and his ex-wife gave birth to her. Maybe it's because the divorce made his daughter lose her mother. Liao Ming has always felt guilty about his daughter. So, he tries to make up for the latter in terms of material life."
"What are you trying to say? Liao Ming's daughter doesn't exist?" Xu Qian asked.
"No, his daughter exists. His daughter is the reason why Liao Ming works so hard, and the two of them meet from time to time. She must exist. Only then will Liao Ming have the motivation to work like crazy," Zhang Heng paused. "But you are right about one thing. Some people don't exist."
"Who?"
"Liao Ming's ex-wife." "Liao Ming came to New Shanghai 0297 with his daughter after his divorce, so there are no friends or relatives who knew him and his ex-wife in this city."
"Isn't this very normal? When we first met, I told you that this is a young city. People come here in search of jobs and a better life. Of course, there are also people who hope to start afresh here."
"That's right, but I've asked Liao Ming's daughter's homeroom teacher. Ever since Liao Ming's daughter transferred to this elementary school a year ago, her mother has never visited her, not even once."
"Well, that's a little unreasonable. But as far as I know, some women cut off contact with their previous families after remarrying," Xu Qian said. "Maybe Liao Ming's ex-wife is such a person. She left all the past behind and welcomed a new start. You have to know that women can be very scary when they are ruthless."
"Yes, this is the most likely guess. To verify this guess, I went to the second floor to visit someone."
"Who?"
"Liao Ming has a female subordinate. She has always admired Liao Ming, and the two even developed some … well, a relationship that goes beyond work."
"Office romance?"
"Something like that. I looked through their chat records. The female subordinate was willing to change her job for Liao Ming, and she promised to treat Liao Ming's daughter as her own. However, Liao Ming was still unwilling to admit this relationship. As a result, she got a little agitated and asked Liao Ming if he had contacted his ex-wife again. Liao Ming's answer was … You know, ever since she came to me and said that she was going to remarry and asked me to pretend that she was dead, I never bothered her again."
"Doesn't this prove my previous guess?" Xu Qian asked.
"It seems so. And after the visit, I got more details of the meeting that day, including the time, place, and what happened … Who said that the person who knows you best is not your friend, but your enemy," Zhang Heng said. Zhang Heng said, "With this information, not only did I find the cafe where the incident happened, but I also found the owner of the cafe. Interestingly, the owner of the cafe didn't remember Liao Ming and his ex-wife going to his cafe. Doesn't this sound familiar?"
"But this is normal. There are so many people in the cafe every day, and this incident should have happened a long time ago."
"Logically speaking, this is the case. However, the meeting between Liao Ming and his ex-wife that day didn't go smoothly. During that time, the two had a fierce quarrel. Liao Ming's wife made it clear that she would never come to New Shanghai 0297 again, and she would never contact Liao Ming again. After that, she grabbed a steak knife on the table and stabbed Liao Ming. Liao Ming's arm was cut, and he bled a little … This kind of thing is not common even for a cafe that receives many customers every day." Zhang Heng said, "After that, I tried to find the waiters who worked in the cafe that day. They didn't remember anything either."
Xu Qian was silent for a moment, then looked up again. "Do you think Liao Ming's marriage was forged? Is he a clone?"
"Unfortunately, according to the current standards for judging clones, he is not," Zhang Heng said. "When he took me around the workshop, I secretly shone an ultraviolet flashlight on the back of his neck. There was no code on it."
Xu Qian's fingers, which were holding the cigarette, could not help but tremble. However, she was still unwilling to accept Zhang Heng's inference that Liao Ming was a second type of clone. "Your statement is too crazy. There must be another explanation. And even if what you said is true, the second type of clone is no different from a normal human being. Why are you telling me these things? As long as I don't doubt the authenticity of my memory, I can live like a normal person."
"I'm afraid you can't live like an ordinary person …" Zhang Heng said. "Clones are special production tools. Since they are production tools, they must consider production efficiency. You saw how they treat ordinary clones. Once something goes wrong, they must be sent back to the factory for calibration. For clones that can't be calibrated, you know what will happen to them.
Zhang Heng looked at Xu Qian as he spoke. "Tell me, during the time you spent with your boyfriend, did you ever doubt his purpose in approaching you? When you were being followed and monitored, did you really not think about what role he played in it? You don't want me to continue investigating this matter. Is it because you subconsciously don't want to accept the results of the investigation? "
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