AD | Chapter 13

Hearing him say this, Lu Qingfeng nodded, then looked up at the sky. The last trace of starlight vanished overhead, turning the entire sky black. Only then did he withdraw his gaze and say, “You’re right. Let’s go together.”

Lin Shuyao: “…” That’s not what you said just now.

The two followed the address Tao Yu had sent, weaving through maze-like alleys. On both sides of the narrow lanes, only a few dim streetlights were lit. Finally, they stopped in front of an old residential building.

Where the wall paint had peeled off, dark cement was exposed. The iron gate at the entrance to the stairwell was rusted, emitting a faint creaking sound in the night wind.

According to the information Tao Yu had investigated, Bai Mengyu lived on the fifth floor of this building.

Going up to the fifth floor, the two realized it was different from what they had imagined. The hallway was very wide, with only one dark green iron door standing quietly on the entire floor. The house number was so blurred that the digits were unreadable.

Lu Qingfeng went to the door and knocked lightly. A woman’s wary voice came from inside, “Who is it?!”

“Rongzhou City Criminal Investigation Detachment.”

At his words, the iron gate let out a heavy, hoarse “creak” and slowly opened a crack. Half of Bai Mengyu’s face emerged from the shadows. Seeing that the visitors were Lu Qingfeng and Lin Shuyao, her tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and she let out a long sigh.

“Oh, it’s Captain Lu.” Although her voice still trembled, she deftly pulled the iron gate fully open. “Please come in.”

Lin Shuyao and Lu Qingfeng walked in one after the other. Just as they entered the foyer, the scent of sandalwood hit them. Lin Shuyao casually glanced around and noticed that the shoe cabinet in the foyer had its door half-open. Inside, several pairs of men’s leather shoes and sneakers were neatly arranged, with a pair of couple’s slippers placed on the outermost side.

Passing by the bathroom, Lin Shuyao glanced through the semi-transparent glass door and saw that the toiletries on the sink were also all for two people.

He calmly withdrew his gaze, silently noting these details, and followed Lu Qingfeng into the living room.

“Please sit down.”

Bai Mengyu guided them to sit on the sofa, while she sat in the armchair opposite. She sat down slowly, folding her hands on her knees, trying to mask her uncontrollable trembling. Even sitting in her familiar living room, facing two police officers, she couldn’t help but feel terrified.

“Mm, we came here this time to ask you about the note,” Lu Qingfeng said straightforwardly.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Bai Mengyu’s whole body began to shake. Her pupils constricted, and her lips trembled uncontrollably. “Officer, I want to report Rongguang Group! Report Song Wenbo! They abuse employees and even murder them. Zhuo, Zhuo Jia was killed by them. Those three streamers were all killed by them. I’m next. They, they have targeted me!!!”

Lu Qingfeng’s expression tightened. He leaned forward slightly, looked at Bai Mengyu, and softened his voice somewhat. “Bai Mengyu, don’t be nervous. Speak slowly. What exactly is going on?”

“About a month ago… That night, just as I arrived at my doorstep, I saw a figure curled up in the corner.” Bai Mengyu’s voice dropped, her eyes becoming distant, as if returning to that night. “It was Zhuo Jia… Her hair was messy, her clothes torn to shreds, and the exposed skin was covered in bruises. Seeing this, I quickly helped her into the house.”

She took a deep breath, her nails unconsciously digging into her flesh. “I asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn’t say. I thought I’d take her to the hospital first, then call the police. But as soon as she heard ‘police,’ she hugged me and cried…”

“Later… later, a man came to the door.” Bai Mengyu’s voice began to tremble. “He said his name was Shen Chen, Zhuo Jia’s boyfriend. He stood at the door, dressed decently, speaking gently and elegantly, looking quite kind. But…” Her breathing became rapid. “But, but as soon as Zhuo Jia saw his face, she acted like she had seen a ghost. She rolled off the sofa, huddled in the corner, and screamed hysterically, telling him to get out.”

“I had no choice but to ask him to leave first.” She closed her eyes, tears sliding down silently. “No matter how I asked her afterward, she refused to say anything more… She only shoved a USB drive into my hand, begging me to find a way to give it to the police. At that time… I had no idea we were already being watched. If I had known… I would never have let that man step foot in my home…”

She could speak no more. She covered her face tightly with both hands, her shoulders shaking with violent sobs, broken cries intermittently escaping through her fingers. “It’s me… It’s all my fault… I caused her death…”

“USB drive…”

Lin Shuyao repeated the two words in a low voice, as if trying to extract some clue from the simple term. He frowned slightly, fixed his gaze on Bai Mengyu, and fell into brief contemplation.

Lu Qingfeng glanced at him, then picked up the glass of water on the table and gently handed it to Bai Mengyu. “Calm down first. Speak slowly. Then what happened?”

“Only later did I find out…” Bai Mengyu’s voice was still hoarse from crying. “Shen Chen had installed a pinhole camera in my place during his first visit. So, the incident of Zhuo Jia giving me the USB drive was recorded. By the time I discovered it, Zhuo Jia had already been taken away by him…”

As she was speaking, a knock on the door suddenly rang out without warning.

The conversation among the three halted abruptly, and the air instantly froze.

Bai Mengyu subconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, her fingertips trembling slightly. Her eyes, filled with unease, turned to Lu Qingfeng. “This… should I open the door?”

Lu Qingfeng nodded, his voice carrying a hint of reassurance. “Don’t be afraid. Check who it is first.”

She took a deep breath and carefully approached the peephole. Under the dim hallway light, a familiar face crashed into her view unexpectedly. Shen Chen!

The moment she recognized the visitor, she stepped back sharply, the blood draining from her face. She whispered, “It’s him, it’s him! It’s Shen Chen!”

Seeing this, Lu Qingfeng gently pressed down on Bai Mengyu’s trembling shoulders, signaling her to step back. The door was kicked open, and he shouted sternly, “Police! Don’t move!”

Before his voice faded, Shen Chen immediately dropped what he was holding and turned to run toward the stairs.

Lu Qingfeng followed closely behind, shouting back to Lin Shuyao, his voice echoing in the empty hallway, “Lin Shuyao, take care of Bai Mengyu!”

The two figures wove through the dim alleys, one after the other, finally diving into a dead end. Intense breathing burned Shen Chen’s throat. His back slammed heavily against the cold wall. There was no way out, he thought.

“Damn it…” He cursed under his breath, anxiety and fear churning in his eyes.

The teacher had guaranteed he would hold off those annoying police officers. Why hadn’t he appeared yet?

A nameless fire suddenly surged in his heart. He abruptly drew a dagger from his waist, panting, “Don’t come closer!” The blade carved several chaotic arcs in the dim light, the metallic glare dazzling to the eye.

Lu Qingfeng stopped five steps away, extending his hands slightly in a calming gesture. “Put down the knife. Let’s talk.”

Behind Lin Shuyao, the door closed silently, cutting off all sounds from the outside.

Lin Shuyao turned around, his gaze still fixed on Bai Mengyu. At this moment, she was pressed tightly against the wall, her fingers unconsciously picking at the seams of the wallpaper, her shoulders still trembling slightly.

“Stop pretending.” His voice was light, yet carried the clarity of someone who saw through everything. “He’s gone.”

Lin Shuyao walked slowly to the window, his fingertips brushing against the tassels of the curtain. “Backup will take at least twenty minutes to arrive. In the meantime, we can still chat?”

“Officer Lin, w-what are you saying? I don’t understand,” she subconsciously bit her lip, hard enough to nearly draw blood.

“You lied just now, didn’t you?” Lin Shuyao turned around, leaning his back against the cold windowsill, and slowly crossed his arms. “Shen Chen’s girlfriend wasn’t Zhuo Jia. It was you.”

Hearing this, Bai Mengyu’s fingers tightened sharply, her nails digging into her palms. She looked up at Lin Shuyao and instinctively retorted, “You’re talking nonsense!”

“Nonsense?” Lin Shuyao sneered. His gaze swept across the living room before settling back on Bai Mengyu. He said calmly, “Then why did he bring things to your place today? These men’s items in your home belong to him, don’t they?”

“Yes…” The word was squeezed out through her teeth. She lowered her eyelids, her voice dropping. “I did lie a little just now…”

“A little lie? Tell me, what do you like about Shen Chen? Cheating? When he was involved with Zhuo Jia behind your back, did you really not notice? Or—did you notice but not care?”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Bai Mengyu screamed at him uncontrollably, her carefully maintained mask completely shattered. “He didn’t cheat! He loves me. He is mine!!”

“Really?” He shook his head gently, his voice calm to the point of cruelty. “Then why do all the men’s items in this house look like props just taken off a mall shelf? Even the toothbrushes are so new they show no signs of use.”

Lin Shuyao approached step by step, his shoes making clear echoes on the cold floor, particularly piercing in the empty room.

“Let me guess.” His voice was low, every word hitting Bai Mengyu’s heart. “You considered yourself his girlfriend, but he was never willing to admit it. Until you joined Rongguang Group and met Zhuo Jia… Then you discovered that your ‘boyfriend’s’ attention was completely captured by another woman.”

Bai Mengyu’s breathing suddenly became rapid.

“You became jealous. So what did you do? You wanted to sow discord between Shen Chen and Zhuo Jia. And your actions may have indirectly led to Zhuo Jia’s death. Is that right?”

“He betrayed me first!” Bai Mengyu raised her head abruptly, her eyes red-rimmed. “He is the one who is wrong! The teacher said that men who cheat deserve punishment. I just did what the teacher told me to do. I didn’t kill anyone!”

“No, of course you didn’t kill anyone,” Lin Shuyao’s voice was calm and cold. “You merely used someone else’s hand to commit murder.”

“Was he not wrong? Did he not betray me? Shouldn’t he be punished? I am not wrong! What could I have done wrong!” Bai Mengyu’s voice trembled. She suddenly bent down, grabbed the dagger shining with cold light from the floor, and pressed it fiercely against her own neck.

The sharp blade instantly drew a thin line of blood on her fair skin.

“Don’t come closer!” As she spoke, she climbed onto the rooftop terrace.

“If you come any closer, I’ll jump!”

“If you jump now, you’ll just be a sacrifice for your ‘teacher.’”

“Haha…” Bai Mengyu suddenly laughed, her laughter filled with indescribable desolation. “Officer Lin, do you know? You really resemble someone. A woman…”

“What did you just say?!” Lin Shuyao frowned slightly.

“Seven years ago, she advised my sister in the same way. But my sister still died. Everyone in my family is sick. None of the children are normal. My parents, unwilling to give up, wanted a healthy son. That’s why I was originally named Bai Pandi. Listen, what a straightforward name.” The corner of her mouth curved into a mocking arc. “When my sister was my age, she was diagnosed with leukemia. So she was useless to them. They abandoned her…”

“Seven years ago?” Lin Shuyao keenly caught this timeframe. “Then the time you came to Rongzhou—”

“You’re wondering how I would know about events from seven years ago, right?” Bai Mengyu interrupted him, her eyes suddenly becoming sharp. “The teacher said that seven years ago, my sister also encountered a police officer. A self-righteous, stupid female cop… You really are identical in your stupidity.”

Suddenly, the wail of police sirens came from downstairs, growing louder as they approached. Bai Mengyu leaned against the mottled balcony railing, a slight curve on her lips. The red and blue lights below flickered on her pale face.

“Bai Mengyu, don’t be impulsive!” Lin Shuyao said anxiously.

“Impulsive?” She suddenly laughed, her laughter fragmented in the night wind. “Do you think I have many days left to live? I’ve also been diagnosed. Leukemia! Hahahaha. I’ve even written my suicide note.” Her voice calmed down again. “The evidence is in my room, along with Zhuo Jia’s USB drive. Go find it.”

Before she finished speaking, she jumped down without hesitation. Lin Shuyao rushed to the edge of the balcony, only catching a glimpse of a falling white shadow.

But soon, his vision was replaced by red, and a sharp ringing sounded in his ears simultaneously. The scene of Lin Wan jumping from a building in the depths of his memory overlapped with the scene before his eyes. “No, Sister!”

Before he could grasp anything, his vision plunged into darkness.

When he woke up again, it was already the next morning. The “beep beep” sound of instruments reached his ears, and the smell of disinfectant filled his nose. Seeing him awake, Lu Qingfeng couldn’t help but tease, “You’re finally awake.”