It didn’t take long—less than three days, and the case had already been solved.
Just as Shen Mo had anticipated, the so-called “robbers” hadn’t been paid because they hadn’t successfully killed their target. At first, they didn’t believe it, thinking the employer was trying to cheat them. But when they saw the news and realized that Su Bi was indeed alive, they panicked. They went back to dig up the body, only to find that it was missing. They finally understood that something supernatural had occurred. They had almost severed her neck—how could she have survived? Terrified, they fled, leaving behind their tools. There was no need for further investigation; the fingerprints left at the scene were enough to capture the two.
Once interrogated, they confessed everything, including the fact that they were hired by Su Bi’s sister, Su Hong. She had followed Su Bi to another city, disguised the murder as a robbery, and ordered the killers to steal Su Bi’s wedding ring. When they couldn’t find the ring, Su Hong grew angry, suspecting that they had kept it for themselves. Her frustration only grew when Su Bi reappeared, seemingly unharmed, and the wedding with Fu Yunkai proceeded as planned. This time, Su Hong refused to pay the hitmen. It was her first time hiring killers, and though she hadn’t communicated with them directly, the police easily traced it back to her.
Jiang Xiaosi was stunned by the outcome and asked Shen Mo, “Did you already know Su Hong was the killer?”
Shen Mo replied, “The motives for murder usually fall into a few categories: love, money, or revenge. That day, Su Hong seemed more concerned about Fu Yunkai than she was about her sister’s death. Typically, someone would be closer to their sister than their brother-in-law. If her sister had died in her brother-in-law’s arms, most people would have at least some suspicion. But Su Hong was so certain that Fu Yunkai wasn’t the killer, without providing any solid reasoning. Simply saying they loved each other isn’t enough; in this world, many people who love each other end up hurting each other.
“Her behavior at the time was very telling—she clearly had feelings for her brother-in-law. When two sisters fall in love with the same man, it often leads to conflict. She already had the motive to want Su Bi dead. And those tears of hers were fake—she was secretly pleased. But these are just subjective observations. Having the desire doesn’t necessarily mean she acted on it, so we needed stronger evidence. Besides, on the night Su Bi drowned in the pool, Su Hong was playing mahjong all night with a group of people, giving her an alibi. So, it was easier to focus on the previous murder attempt.”
Jiang Xiaosi nodded in understanding. “But how did she manage to create an alibi, sneak into Fu Yunkai’s house at 3 AM, and drown Su Bi, who should have been asleep in bed?”
Xiao Tang, standing nearby, also nodded in confusion, looking expectantly at Shen Mo.
Shen Mo glanced at them and said, “When did I ever say that Su Bi was drowned by Su Hong?”
“You just said—”
“I only said that Su Hong hired someone to kill Su Bi. The second time Su Bi was drowned, it wasn’t by Su Hong. It was by Fu Yunkai.”
“What?!” Jiang Xiaosi’s jaw dropped. She had just mentally cleared Fu Yunkai of suspicion, only for Shen Mo to hit her with this shocking revelation.
“But why? Why would Fu Yunkai kill Su Bi? Or are you saying that he and Su Hong were involved in an affair? Su Hong’s first attempt failed, so he decided to do it himself?”
Shen Mo let out a cold laugh. “Why? You’ll have to ask Fu Yunkai himself.”
The group headed to the hospital, where Fu Yunkai was still under police watch, receiving treatment for his mental state.
“Is he faking insanity?” Jiang Xiaosi asked, watching Fu Yunkai’s vacant eyes.
Shen Mo shook his head. “He just can’t accept reality.”
“Reality?”
Jiang Xiaosi watched as Shen Mo walked over to Fu Yunkai’s bedside, pulling up a chair to sit calmly.
Fu Yunkai sat slumped against the hospital bed, staring blankly at the wedding ring he had once given Su Bi.
The room was quiet, with only the soft drip of medication from the IV filling the silence. Lin Qiang, Xiao Tang, Jiang Liu, Shen Mo, and Jiang Xiaosi were the only ones present.
Shen Mo spoke up, “Fu Yunkai, why did you kill Su Bi?”
Fu Yunkai remained unresponsive, lost in his daze.
Shen Mo asked again, “Do you know why Su Hong wanted to kill Su Bi?”
This time, Fu Yunkai’s head shot up, his previously cloudy eyes slowly coming to life.
“Did you know that Su Hong killed Su Bi?” Shen Mo pressed.
Fu Yunkai struggled to speak. “What…what did you say?”
“Su Hong loved you, so she wanted Su Bi out of the way so she could take her place. You must have been aware of her feelings for you. Maybe she confessed to you or tried to seduce you, but you rejected her harshly. That only made her hate Su Bi more. We’ve already arrested her, and she’s confessed to everything. Su Bi’s death was her doing.”
It was as if Fu Yunkai had suddenly snapped out of his world of sorrow, gradually regaining his clarity.
Jiang Xiaosi mentally remarked that he must be a clever and talented man. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone from a poor nobody to someone so successful, with two sisters falling in love with him.
“Su Bi wasn’t killed by Su Hong. She’s taking the blame for me. I killed Su Bi.” Fu Yunkai suddenly confessed, shocking everyone in the room. They hadn’t expected him to admit it so easily. But they needed more than just the confession—they needed the truth.
Xiao Tang angrily asked, “Why did you kill Su Bi? Didn’t you love her?”
Fu Yunkai clenched his fists, gripping the wedding ring tightly, his eyes filled with pain and bitterness. “I did love her, but she didn’t love me anymore. She wanted to leave me. She was going to leave me like everyone else! How could I let that happen? I held her down in the pool, over and over again. At first, she struggled. She looked at me with pleading eyes. I almost let go, but then I thought of her leaving, and I couldn’t control myself, I…”
Jiang Xiaosi looked at him in disbelief and shouted, “That’s impossible! Su Bi wouldn’t have wanted to leave you! Do you even know how much she risked and how much she suffered just to be with you again? Why would she leave you?”
Fu Yunkai let out a bitter laugh. “That’s what I used to think. I believed she loved me. I worked myself to the bone just to give her a better life. Everything I did was for her. But she wanted to leave, and none of it mattered anymore… There was no point in living anymore…
“She disappeared for an entire month without a trace. I was going crazy with worry, posting missing person notices everywhere, searching for any information about her. And then, suddenly, she came back. She didn’t explain anything. I was overjoyed and gave her the grandest wedding I could afford. But she had changed. After that, whenever we were together, she would drift off into thought. She rarely smiled and always seemed burdened by something.
“I knew she had someone else. She had fallen in love with another man. That month she was missing, she must have run off with him! I was consumed with jealousy. I hired a private investigator to follow her. I even followed her myself. Eventually, I discovered that every night around 2 AM, she would disappear from my side. I knew she was going to meet him. I stayed up all night, watching her, but every time, she would vanish in the blink of an eye. I couldn’t keep her with me. That night, I went downstairs to look for her and saw her sitting by the pool. I didn’t know if she had just returned from seeing him or if she couldn’t sleep because she was thinking about him. I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew that if things continued like this, she would leave me again, just like before. So, instead of letting that happen, I killed her…”
Fu Yunkai’s voice was filled with rage, and his eyes brimmed with tears.
Jiang Xiaosi finally understood how Su Bi had died. It was tragically absurd—she had died twice, each time at the hands of the people she loved the most.
“Su Bi didn’t want to leave you. She never even thought about leaving. There was no other man—it was all in your head. The reason Su Bi disappeared was because Su Hong had sent people to kill her! At that time, she had already died! She became a zombie and didn’t dare to see you, afraid you would reject her. She went to the Tuoguxiang shop and bought the medicine, risking everything—even turning into a monster or disappearing completely—just to become human again, so she could live with you. She sent word that she had succeeded, and I thought she had been lucky enough to make it. But it seems the medicine still had side effects. When she disappeared at night, it wasn’t because she was going out—it was because you couldn’t see her. She never actually left. Your paranoia and lack of trust killed her!”
The wedding ring in Fu Yunkai’s hand fell to the ground with a clang, the dazzling pink diamond glinting as it caught the light—just like the warm, beautiful glow of the streetlamp on the nights they used to push their little cart and sell roasted chestnuts by the roadside.
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