Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Deadly Joy (21)

Guang Jun rushed out of the interrogation room, the sudden flood of realizations hitting him like a splitting headache. He gripped his hair tightly, his shoulders pressed against the wall.

That woman… that woman wanted to put him to death?!

Before meeting Yin Canxi, he had heard people say that the third daughter of the Yin family was particularly rebellious, resentful of the family's preference for boys, and had severed ties with them before even finishing school. She went out to make her own way.

The other two daughters of the Yin family had similarly distant relationships with their parents, marrying and no longer living in Zhou Ping Town, leaving only an unworthy young son who worked at the glass factory.

Later, he heard that the third daughter, Yin Canxi, had returned. The old couple from the Yin family would boast to everyone that their daughter was filial and successful, earning lots of money to support her brother and take care of her parents.

Guang Jun just laughed it off, until one day, urged by his girlfriend, he walked into Yin Canxi’s cosmetics store. At first sight, he was captivated.

Yin Canxi was beautiful, with subtle makeup, her hair in a high ponytail, her eyes slightly upturned, pure yet alluring. A casual glance at her reminded him of someone who no longer existed.

Yin Canxi carried herself with a grace unlike the other girls from Zhou Ping Town. He had inquired and learned that she had lived in Bincong City, which was a big city.

Originally, after graduating from university, he was supposed to stay in Huiyong City. Like Bincong, Huiyong was a big city. But that incident had thrown him into a panic. His family urged him to return, saying everything—his job, his house—was arranged. He went back to Zhou Ping Town, switched girlfriends multiple times. They were beautiful, sure, but they were nothing more than parasites attached to him.

As soon as Yin Canxi appeared, the other women faded in his eyes. He sent off the crying girlfriend and began to pursue Yin Canxi. Yin Canxi kept him at arm's length, neither agreeing nor rejecting his date invitations.

Every time they met, Yin Canxi wore exquisite makeup and exuded a mesmerizing fragrance. He especially liked her eye makeup and had even asked her if she could wear that style all the time.

Yin Canxi jokingly asked, “Did one of your exes wear this kind of eye makeup?”

He was taken aback. But Yin Canxi teased him, “I was just kidding, are you mad?”

Not long after, Yin Canxi officially agreed to be his girlfriend.

Their relationship progressed rapidly. He admitted he had become somewhat obsessed with this woman, a feeling he hadn't experienced since leaving Huiyong. He was happy when he was with Yin Canxi, but like a bird that could fly away at any moment, he wanted to marry her urgently, using a formal contract to bind her to him.

Lu Xu was furious, and Guang Yongguo strongly disagreed, but he didn’t care. He felt that he and Yin Canxi were alike in that neither of them was close to their family. He had asked Yin Canxi why the Yin family was so biased towards boys and yet she came back to be a "brother's helper."

Yin Canxi had asked him back, “Why don’t you like the Guang family, but still refuse to leave?”

So, everyone had their reasons.

At this moment, Guang Jun suddenly snapped out of his romantic delusion. His one-sided love might have been a trap spun by Yin Canxi!

The sharp sound of high heels echoed down the corridor, growing louder. Guang Jun straightened up, his vision dizzy as he looked over. Through his swaying and distorted view, a woman in a gray coat walked toward him, the familiar scent of her perfume hanging in the air.

Yin Canxi, with her cat-eye makeup, glanced at him with a look filled with unspoken disdain and hatred.

“Yin Canxi!” Guang Jun suddenly snapped back, “You want to harm me?” He lunged at Yin Canxi, but Hai Shu quickly intercepted, locking his shoulders and arms.

Yin Canxi snorted, “What, now you realize? Well then, guess why I want to harm you?”

Guang Jun panted but couldn’t speak.

Yin Canxi turned to Hai Shu, her expression both sorrowful and calm. “Captain Hai, I’ve made up my mind. Rather than watch trash like him die, it’s better to let him face his evil deeds and let the law and morality judge him.”

Guang Jun shouted, “What did you say? What are you going to do?”

Yin Canxi ignored him. “I’m going to report to the police that my husband, Guang Jun, murdered Xu Qiao, a female student at Huiyong University!”

The deafening sound exploded in Guang Jun’s mind. He screamed in fury, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it! You’re slandering me!”

The police officer at the station moved in, firmly restraining Guang Jun.

Yin Canxi said, “Captain Hai, weren’t you asking me why I chose this kind of man? I’m answering you now: I did it to find the evidence.” She pulled out a set of keys. “The evidence is here.”

The Guang family owned several houses, but the one Yin Canxi took Hai Shu to was an old house in the factory area. The Guang family hadn’t lived there in years, but at the beginning of their relationship, Guang Jun had brought Yin Canxi here a few times.

“No one else comes here, it’s my private space,” Guang Jun had proudly shown Yin Canxi the things he had collected since childhood, saying that sometimes when life got too suffocating, he’d come here to sit.

Yin Canxi had stolen a spare key and found two pairs of women’s shoes in an inconspicuous box.

“Captain Hai, it’s these,” Yin Canxi said, standing at the door, arms crossed. “I’ve seen the photos that Uncle Xu took of Xu Qiao. These high heels are exactly the same as the ones Xu Qiao wore. Uncle Xu said those were bought for Xu Qiao before Aunt Xu got sick, because she was going to university, she was growing up…”

Yin Canxi couldn’t continue, tears blurring her vision. She quickly wiped them away, seemingly not wanting to smudge her eye makeup. “There are many more of Guang Jun’s secrets in this house. You can continue searching. I won’t inspect, but I’m sure you’ll be able to confirm those are Xu Qiao’s shoes.”

Chapter 21: Deadly Joy (21)

The evidence collection immediately began. In addition to the two pairs of women's shoes that shouldn't have been there, the criminal investigation team also found expired lipstick, foundation, stockings, women's underwear, and other items.

Cheng Wei, while sealing up the items, said, "Collecting so many women's things, this person is like a pervert."

Regarding the long-standing case of Xu Qiao’s disappearance, Sui Xing had already obtained a formal investigation order from the city bureau, and the police immediately began searching the other properties owned by the Guang family. Lu Xu panicked completely, blocking the police from entering. "What are you searching for? My son is still in your custody! What more do you want to investigate? My son didn’t commit any crime! Our family didn’t either!"

Hai Shu showed the full paperwork. "Mrs. Lu, Guang Jun is suspected of murdering Xu Qiao during his time in university. Please do not obstruct the police in performing their duties."

Lu Xu stood frozen, unable to respond for a while.

While the team searched the Guang family house, Cheng Wei was modeling the footprints collected by the district office back then, extracting possible information from the women's shoes, underwear, and other items to prove that the shoes indeed belonged to Xu Qiao.

During the search, Hai Shu noticed that Guang Yongguo had not appeared. Guang Jun's elder brother hesitated and said that there was a meeting in the city, and their father, representing the glass factory, would be back in half a month.

Hai Shu confirmed that Guang Yongguo was indeed on a business trip. But she raised an eyebrow; this timing seemed a little too coincidental, didn’t it?

Because too much time had passed, it was difficult to identify the ownership of the items, but after modeling and Xu Xiu’s identification, it was nearly confirmed that the high heels were indeed the ones Xu Qiao had lost before she disappeared.

Hai Shu placed the shoes in front of Guang Jun, and his eyes immediately lit up with excitement. If it hadn’t been for Hai Shu’s quick reflexes, he might have lunged at the shoes.

Two criminal police officers restrained Guang Jun in the interrogation chair, and Hai Shu moved the shoes to a place where he couldn’t reach them. "These are Xu Qiao's shoes, why are they in your possession?"

A wild, uncontrollable frenzy appeared on Guang Jun’s face, like a bull seeing red. He panted heavily, "Was it that bitch who led you here?"

Hai Shu said, "Answer me, why are Xu Qiao’s shoes in your hands?"

Guang Jun cursed, "That bitch! She deserves to die!"

Hai Shu said, "She deserves to die? Yin Canxi deserves to die, and who else deserves to die? Xu Qiao?"

Guang Jun suddenly slumped back, collapsing into the chair. "Didn't you all already investigate? Why are you still asking me about it?"

Hai Shu sneered.

Guang Jun glared at her maliciously, "What are you laughing at?"

"Because you’ve flipped the logic."

"What do you mean?"

Hai Shu said, "Xu Qiao disappeared ten years ago. Why would I be reopening the investigation now?"

Guang Jun straightened up again, fear gradually appearing between his brows.

Hai Shu said, "Based on your reaction, you should have figured it out by now, right? I reopened the Xu Qiao case because your good friend Wan Zeyu died, and he died in such a miserable way. When you saw him, why were you so afraid? Because you remembered how you two conspired to harm Xu Qiao! You thought someone was coming to take revenge on you! He was the first, and you’re next!"

Guang Jun screamed, trembling all over, his hands clasped together, as if bowing.

"I can choose not to investigate Xu Qiao’s case, it’s not my case," Hai Shu leaned in close to Guang Jun, "But don’t you really not want me to continue? If I let you go, can you live in peace? Aren’t you afraid, just like your good friend, of having your limbs and head chopped off and being buried in a smoke barrel?"

Guang Jun shouted, "The murderer is Yin Canxi! Go arrest her!"

But Hai Shu just silently looked at Guang Jun.

Silence in such an atmosphere was more nerve-wracking than any argument. Guang Jun’s heart rate fell from its peak. He gradually realized that his earlier words not only exposed too much, but Hai Shu’s reaction seemed to suggest to him—Yin Canxi wasn’t the murderer.

The invisible spider is the most terrifying.

Now, he, Yin Canxi, and even the police couldn’t see that spider!

"It wasn’t Yin Canxi… it wasn’t…" Guang Jun stammered, "Then who could it be?"

Hai Shu shrugged, "You should tell me everything, no secrets."

Guang Jun numbly shook his head, his mouth opening several times without making any sound.

Hai Shu didn’t press him. She stood up and left the interrogation room.

A day later, Cheng Wei and Sui Xing came back with new information. The expired lipstick had been a birthday gift from Xu Qiao’s roommates during her freshman year. Xiao Qing remembered that Xu Qiao had accidentally dropped the lipstick, leaving a small scratch on the tube.

Although these couldn’t be used as direct evidence for conviction, they were still very important in the chain of evidence and would help in the interrogation.

Hai Shu left Guang Jun for two days, then brought a series of new physical evidence back to him. Guang Jun’s psychological defense had almost collapsed.

"I didn’t mean to kill her! It was her fault! I had no choice!" Guang Jun wailed like a lowly animal. When Hai Shu heard him say, "She wasn’t good," she couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down her spine.

Guang Jun confessed that, even in middle school, he couldn't take his eyes off Xu Qiao.

No boy had ever not talked about Xu Qiao. She was so tall and beautiful, so bright and confident, and her grades were excellent, always surrounded by chattering girls. But Guang Jun’s gaze was always very hidden. He never participated in the boys’ discussions about Xu Qiao; he would just secretly glance at her whenever she passed by in the hallway. His favorite thing was watching her beat up the troublemaking boys. He couldn’t help but cheer for her in his heart, and he fantasized that one day, he would be the one getting beaten up by her.

Actually, it was very simple. As long as he also bullied the girls, Xu Qiao, who was passionate about protecting girls, would definitely step in, just like how she beat up Wan Zeyu, who was acting out not long ago.

But he didn’t dare. It wasn’t that he didn’t dare to confront girls, it was that he didn’t dare to be watched by too many people. He preferred to live in the shadows, where only he could observe others, and no one could see his shadow.

But this couldn’t go as he wished. He had a father with power and influence. In Zhou Ping Town, he was born with more attention than his peers. This only made him more cautious.

After the high school entrance exam, he knew he would be sent to the city to study. He was eagerly hoping that Xu Qiao would also come to the city, as Xu Qiao’s scores were high enough, and getting into Experimental High School was no problem. But before the semester started, he was disappointed when he heard from others that although Xu Qiao’s scores were good enough, she had chosen to study in the county town.

For the first time, he felt a kind of inexplicable contempt for Xu Qiao, something like—she’s a girl, unwilling to leave home too far, so unambitious.

But despite his contempt, he still couldn’t help but want to see Xu Qiao. He kept asking for leave from his homeroom teacher, citing family matters, taking the long-distance bus to the county town, but he didn’t switch buses to return to Zhou Ping Town. He waited in an alley near the county high school, hoping to see Xu Qiao.

Xu Qiao had grown taller, and her ponytail had moved lower. She always left school with classmates, eating spicy hotpot, sour and spicy noodles, fried rice cakes…

Sometimes there were boys around Xu Qiao, which made him very unhappy. His attention was all on those boys, to the point where he overlooked that someone was watching him too. The bald disciplinary director ran over to him, and he got scared and ran away. That day, when he returned to the city, he was overwhelmed by a sticky emotion and vomited in disgust.

How could he get rid of the men around Xu Qiao? How could he make Xu Qiao belong to him alone?

This question remained unanswered until after high school, as he was still too timid, unwilling to step out of the safe shadows.

After entering university, his wish was half fulfilled. Xu Qiao came to the city to study, and they were only about a twenty-minute drive apart, so he could appear in front of her at any time.

That year, something major also happened: Wan Zeyu’s family collapsed.

He had never had a good impression of Wan Zeyu, and he was vaguely jealous of him because of the fight Xu Qiao had with Wan Zeyu in middle school. But the Guang family and the Wan family had a good relationship, and the two families often worked together. When the two brothers from the Wan family, who drove trucks, died, the Guang family even treated Wan Zeyu like a son.

...But none of this had anything to do with him. That’s what he thought at the time.

University was a whole new world. The Grey Wave Translation College wasn’t much different from vocational schools or sports schools; there were fights on the first day of school. Gradually, the bad tendencies he had once only dared to hide were triggered. The men here were all very confident, thinking that all the girls in the school revolved around them, and even girls from other schools admired them.

He looked at himself in the mirror, and his confidence grew—I have money, I look decent, I’m gentle, I don’t like violence, I’m an adult, so why can’t I pursue Xu Qiao openly and aboveboard?

He stopped spying on her and went to Grey Wave University to ask Xu Qiao out for dinner. But due to his personality and habits, he still couldn’t appear in front of others. He carefully hid in places Xu Qiao might pass by, like a thief.

Later, he realized that perhaps because he acted like a thief, Xu Qiao had a bad impression of him. When she found out he was from the same town, she politely greeted him but didn’t have dinner with him.

He couldn’t accept it and kept visiting Xu Qiao. University was much more convenient than high school; anyone could come and go, and there was no pesky disciplinary director. He saw Xu Qiao playing basketball, participating in debates, hosting cultural evenings, and heard the male students from the Network Engineering College refer to her as "the goddess."

He became so jealous he was on the verge of going crazy. Unable to hold back, he asked Xu Qiao out again, but this time, Xu Qiao showed clear signs of annoyance.

He admitted he felt defeated.

Then, someone unexpected entered his life—Wan Zeyu. He still thought of Wan Zeyu as a thug, but when they met again, Wan Zeyu had become polite and humble. He invited him to dinner and said that, with Guang family's help, he had taken over his father's business and would often come to the city for supplies and business talks, and needed his help.

He didn’t want to get too close to Wan Zeyu—they weren’t from the same circle. But clearly, Wan Zeyu was acting on Guang Yongguo’s instructions, and he understood some of the social etiquette, so he played the part of surface-level brothers with him.

Every time Wan Zeyu came to buy supplies, he would contact him and stay at his rented place. Wan Zeyu was very good at socializing, almost like a social butterfly. After meeting him several times, Guang Jun didn’t dislike him as much. Once, when they were talking about past fights, he accidentally let slip that he was interested in Xu Qiao.

Wan Zeyu, as if he had discovered a new world, said, "Bro, you're interested in that girl? Let me help you get her."

He quickly refused, not wanting Wan Zeyu to do anything unnecessary.

Soon, Xu Qiao’s family received bad news—Xu Qiao's mother was hospitalized with kidney disease and needed a transplant. Xu Qiao’s life suddenly changed, and working to make money and taking care of her mother became her top priority.

He knew every place Xu Qiao worked. At first, he accepted it because they were ordinary places. He understood that Xu Qiao needed money. But later, Xu Qiao worked as a model and went to clubs to serve drinks for men!

The holy light he had admired for so many years seemed to suddenly collapse into a foul-smelling pile of mud. How could Xu Qiao dress like that and show herself to men? How could she be out at night in men’s arms?

He ground his teeth in anger, on the verge of insanity.

Wan Zeyu also knew about it and couldn’t understand why he was so anxious, "Isn’t this your best chance, bro? Just throw money at her, get her to serve you, and you’ll be done with it."

No, you don’t understand! He thought in his heart, but he couldn’t help but block Xu Qiao after her shift, questioning her about why she was working in such a place.

Xu Qiao, exhausted, seemed to have no strength to argue with him. She only wanted to get to the hospital.

He became even angrier. During that time, he drove to Grey Wave University several times, saying he could help Xu Qiao. She needed money so badly, she got into his car—later, he would regret picking her up. What if someone saw and reported him to the police? The consequences would be unthinkable. Fortunately, it seemed like no one noticed him or his car, and after Xu Qiao’s death, the police never came to find him.

He begged Xu Qiao not to work in clubs anymore, saying serving those men was useless, and that she might as well serve him. Xu Qiao slapped him in anger. He cursed loudly, "What’s so noble about you? Didn’t you hear what people at your school are saying about you?"

He didn’t understand why Xu Qiao looked down on him, even though she needed money. His twisted love had turned into hate. As the rumors surrounding Xu Qiao, thanks to her roommates' efforts, gradually faded, he became the source of those rumors.

Like countless despicable and twisted men, he believed that if he couldn’t have her, he would destroy her.

He found out that Xu Qiao seemed to be with a boss. His anger reached its peak, and he forcibly dragged Xu Qiao into the car. In the middle of the night, on a street without surveillance, in a corner where no one knew, Xu Qiao disappeared just like that.

He locked Xu Qiao in his rented room and found that there was medicine in her bag for treating X disease! He went mad, forcing Xu Qiao to explain what was going on. Xu Qiao defended herself, saying that it was given to her by the club as a precaution, but he didn’t believe her!

He couldn’t accept this. He wanted Xu Qiao to die! Xu Qiao had to die!

But he didn’t know what to do. If he killed Xu Qiao, how would he dispose of the body? The police would definitely find him!

Not killing Xu Qiao wouldn’t resolve his hatred either. This woman had betrayed him! This woman was so filthy!

Coincidentally, Wan Zeyu came to buy supplies again and discovered Xu Qiao. At this point, he didn’t hide anything from Wan Zeyu and asked him what to do.

Wan Zeyu thought for a moment and said, “Bro, your family has helped me so much, I haven’t repaid you. If you really want her dead, I have a way.”

They took Xu Qiao to Bai Lin Village, which was still on the outskirts of the city at that time, got her drunk, and then pushed her down the mountain. Wan Zeyu even went down to confirm that she was already dead. The position she fell in also looked like a suicide.

The heavy rain washed away all traces in the ravine. He had no time to think about why Wan Zeyu was so experienced at killing, so unburdened by guilt. He was in great pain during that time. Whenever he saw the security guards at school, they would avoid him.

Wan Zeyu reassured him, saying that he had chosen a very remote place, and no one would pass through there. Even if someone found the body in a year or two, there would be no traces of them left. The police wouldn’t find them. Besides, Xu Qiao had also “done well,” her posture clearly looked like a suicide. If they quietly spread rumors about Xu Qiao contracting a disease, everyone would believe she really committed suicide.

And indeed, things went as they hoped. The police never found Bai Lin Village, no one in the village discovered the body in the ravine, and rumors about Xu Qiao spread wildly in the campus. The school and the police fought a tug-of-war, and soon, under pressure, the investigation into Xu Qiao’s case was dropped.

They were safe.

After graduation, Guang Jun hesitated whether to stay in Grey Wave City. If it wasn’t for Xu Qiao, he would have definitely stayed, living freely in the bustling world, much better than a small place like Zhou Ping Town. But he had killed someone here, and although the police hadn’t solved the case, what about in the future? What if?

Just then, his family asked him to return home, saying they had arranged a job for him at the glass factory. Though he was reluctant, he still went back. In the first few years, he gradually brought Xu Qiao’s personal belongings back to Zhou Ping Town, hiding them like treasures.

That “filthy” woman had died, and the woman who no longer existed became his pure faith.

When he saw Yin Canxi, he was mesmerized by her looks. Time had made him arrogantly forget the life he had once tried to destroy. He was about to start pursuing a new romance.

In the interrogation room, Guang Jun mumbled in a daze, “Yin Canxi came for revenge... She killed Wan Zeyu! She wants to kill me too! Who is she? How did she know it was us?”

Outside the interrogation room, Yin Canxi was smoking. “I’m not the killer, and I don’t know who the killer is,” she said, smiling as she raised the cigarette. “But I respect him.”

Hai Shu’s gaze shifted from the raised corners of her eyes to her pupils, where sadness overflowed, as if silently crying. Like someone smiling, the raised corners of her lips couldn’t hold back the tears falling from her eyes.

She seemed to be detached from both murders, yet also appeared to be involved. She hadn’t completely cleared her name, but at this moment, the police had no reason to detain her.

People passing by the corridor looked at her. She was stunning, dazzling. Behind her, on the other side of a wall, her husband was cursing her with the most venomous words.

Hai Shu placed her left hand on her back. “Let me get you something to drink. Xiao Xiao.”