Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 385 - 385 380 Stealing Chicken Only to Lose Rice

Chapter 385: Chapter 380: Stealing Chicken Only to Lose Rice Chapter 385: Chapter 380: Stealing Chicken Only to Lose Rice What?

Claim the body?

The Qi family was stunned; they had only come to go through the motions and see Qi Shengdong, not expecting to have to claim his body, let alone arrange for cremation and burial, which would cost a good deal of money. Who would pay for it?

The noisy scene suddenly grew quiet as Qi Shengnan and Qi Shengmei, along with their siblings, stepped back involuntarily, dividing into two groups. Only the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Qi remained at the front, close to the police officer’s desk.

“Here is a form. Fill it out, and then you can go to the municipal bureau to claim Qi Shengdong’s body.”

The officer laid a form and a pen in front of the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Qi, urging them, “Hurry up and fill it out, we’re about to close for the day.”

Then he glanced over their shoulders and shook his head inwardly.

Qi Shengdong’s case had been well-known at the station these past few days mainly because his daughter was a student at Beijing University. She was attractive, had good grades, and was very outstanding in all aspects. Initially, when they saw her turning herself in, they felt sorry for her after understanding the rough details of what had happened.

Little did they know, as they delved deeper into the investigation, they discovered that the girl had given up her future to take the blame for her mother, which led the station officers to pity her even more, especially since the mother and daughter had been subjected to domestic abuse for years. Though things improved for her after she left for university, her mute mother’s plight worsened.

According to the investigation, not only was Qi Shengdong not the slightest bit happy when his daughter was admitted to Beijing University, but he also intensified his abuse of his wife. It seemed that Qi Lihong getting into university was a great shame for him, which was clearly a sign of psychological abnormality.

What kind of parents, who had raised such a son and allowed him to beat his wife and daughter, could be considered good?

The officer watched the old man, lips tightly pressed, intensely staring at the form without moving, while the old woman’s mouth was half open, her face frozen in sadness. Their expressions were somewhat comical for a moment.

Without making a sound, the officer knocked on the desk, “Grandpa, Grandma, are you too grief-stricken? Ah, it’s tragic when the elderly have to send off the young. We understand how you feel. But whom can you blame? Qi Shengdong’s excessive drinking along with a heart attack—it’s beyond even the gods to save him. His habit of drinking heavily, you tell me why didn’t you two advise him earlier? Especially since he beat his wife so severely after drinking that she ended up in the intensive care unit, ah… It’s just that he’s gone now, but if he were still alive, he’d surely be arrested and sentenced to years in prison!”

What… what?

Excessive drinking plus a heart attack?

If he hadn’t died, he would’ve been sentenced to years in prison?

Caught in a daze, Mr. and Mrs. Qi finally caught on, nearly collapsing as they struggled for breath. Qi Shengnan and Qi Shengmei hurriedly stepped forward to support them on each side, both also gaping at the officer in surprise.

Qi Shengnan was the first to ask, “Wasn’t he killed by his daughter?”

“Exactly, wasn’t it said that the mother and daughter beat up my brother together?” Qi Shengmei immediately inquired after.

The young officer, who had just investigated their household with the sanitation department yesterday, even saw a colleague show him the medical report of the injuries Qi Lihong’s mother had sustained when she was taken to the hospital, clearly indicating that Qi Shengdong’s domestic abuse when drunk was a frequent occurrence.

As his parents, brothers, and sisters, could they really be completely unaware?

He asked with a cold smile, “Who told you he was killed by his daughter? Murder is a serious accusation, are such words to be taken lightly? And what do you mean by ‘the mother and daughter beat him’? Do you mean to say, he can beat his wife and children at will, but his wife and children are not allowed to fight back, that they should just stand there and take it without resisting? Is that what you’re saying?”

Qi Shengnan and Qi Shengmei were at a loss for words, unable to utter a single response.

Running out of patience to argue with them, the officer lifted his pointer finger and tapped on the desk, pressing them irritably, “Hurry up and fill out the form. After you’re finished, you can claim the body at the municipal bureau in the next two days.”

Grandma Qi disagreed, “He has a daughter, shouldn’t that girl be the one to claim his body?”

“Qi Lihong is the victim. In the case where the perpetrator’s parents are alive, the victim is entitled not to handle his posthumous affairs. Unless both the perpetrator’s parents have passed away and he has no siblings.”

These final words managed to infuriate both Grandpa Qi and Grandma Qi, and the three siblings Qi Shengnan were also quite upset.

On the other side, Lawyer Zhang, Chi Zuo, and Jiang Yan nearly laughed out loud. This little police officer was quite interesting; there was no such regulation in the law. He was completely making it up, but of course, people who don’t understand criminal law that thoroughly wouldn’t know.

He was doing this purely to spare Qi Lihong any trouble.

Having no choice, Grandpa Qi finally filled out the form with trembling hands and promised to claim the body tomorrow.

The police officer took back the form they had kept on file and reminded the group, “Make sure to claim it tomorrow, alright? It’s almost New Year, and I’m sure you seniors don’t want to receive our calls during the celebration, right? After all, it’s your own son; it’s best to claim him early so he can be laid to rest in peace.”

It sounded like a consolation, but why did it feel so much like a threat?

The Qi family had come with high spirits, only to leave with anger, having run around for nothing and now even had to take care of a dead body. They came hoping to gain something but ended up with a loss—a case of failed cunning, probably that!

Meanwhile, at the hospital.

After the Qi family left, Qi Lihong leaned into Liu Wenhui’s arms, breathing heavily as if she was out of strength; it took a good while before she could stand up straight again, but the tears in her eyes kept flowing, unable to be wiped away.

She had long known these people were bullies who feared the tough, but why couldn’t she have stood up to them earlier, why couldn’t she have stood up to Qi Shengdong! If she had done so earlier, her mother wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.

Liu Wenhui stood beside her without saying a word, truly at a loss for what to say.

Suddenly, a series of alarm bells “beep-beep-beep” went off. The nurse, who had just left a short while ago, hurried back towards them, shouting as she ran, “Call Dr. Lin, quick!”

The doors to the intensive care unit opened and closed again, and it took less than half a minute for a doctor in a white coat, followed by the nurse who had called him, to run over like the wind.

Qi Lihong realized what was happening and jumped up, rushing to the transparent window of the intensive care unit. Her face was full of panic as she watched the flurry of activity inside with doctors and nurses bustling about, the machines beeping incessantly, and the line on the heart monitor displaying erratic fluctuations.

Qi Lihong’s face instantly turned deathly pale, her hands clenched into fists, her entire body ice-cold.

“Don’t worry…”

Liu Wenhui wrapped his arms around her from behind, intending to console her, but just as he finished those three words, the line on the heart monitor suddenly turned into a straight line, the beeping sound sharply piercing.

Qi Lihong’s face grew even whiter, her eyes, bloodshot, were wide open, her lips quivering, and her entire being looked like she could collapse at any moment.

The doctors inside continued the resuscitation efforts, but after a good while, seeing no heartbeat response, they gave up.

The door to the intensive care unit opened, and as the doctor walked out to Qi Lihong, he said, “I’m very sorry…”

Before he could finish, Qi Lihong’s body went limp and she fainted.