Meng Jin stood behind Long De, also staring at the wall covered with the case’s character connections.
All the known conditions were laid out in front of them, but Long De had already seen through every connection—both the obvious and the hidden, the superficial and the deep. For him, it was effortless.
This was an unspoken competition, one that Long De had initiated on his own.
Meng Jin admitted defeat.
Unaware of his old classmate’s inner thoughts, Long De continued, “Our initial question was why the murderer waited more than 20 years to exact revenge. I believe I’ve found the answer.”
The killer had planted the red maple tree more than 20 years ago near the Jiangnan Oasis Community, where Liu Tianshi and Jennie Yang had once lived. Clearly, the killer had long known about their connection to Lin Kun’s death. Planting the tree was part of preparing for the revenge.
But the killer hadn’t acted immediately, waiting over 20 years before striking. Why now? Because someone had died.
That person was Liu Er.
Liu Er’s death was significant and must have held special meaning for the killer. Looking back at the timeline, Jennie Yang and Liu Tianshi went to the U.S. more than 20 years ago, and less than a year after their return, Liu Er was born.
Given the timing, it’s highly likely that Liu Er was related by blood to Lin Kun. This could be easily verified by comparing the blood samples of the fake Guo Tiandi and Lin Kun.
If Lin Kun and Liu Er were indeed father and son, then the killer clearly wasn’t aware of Liu Er’s deception in impersonating Guo Tiandi.
Jennie Yang’s public declaration that Guo Tiandi was her illegitimate child from before her marriage had already tarnished her reputation. The killer had achieved part of their goal.
But that was only one of the killer’s objectives. The other goal was to protect the child in He Saibing’s womb, ensuring that the child would be acknowledged by Jennie Yang and ultimately become the heir to the Fang Zheng Group.
What would the killer do next? He would undoubtedly ensure that He Saibing reappeared in the public eye. Once he took action, there’d be no escaping capture.
Meng Jin contacted Dr. Jin to test the blood samples of the fake Guo Tiandi and Lin Kun.
After listening to Long De’s analysis, Zhao Yunzhi had a sense of getting the answers early. “Looks like we don’t need to rush to find He Saibing. Someone is already protecting our witness. All we need to do is wait for the right moment. He Saibing’s due date is coming soon, and once she shows up, Liu Er won’t be able to escape.”
He leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on the table, chewing on his pen, looking completely relaxed, like a student who had just finished an exam.
However, Long De shook his head gravely. “Now is not the time to relax. We’re running out of time. Guo Tiandi is about to be released, and once he walks out of the station, his life will be in danger.”
Zhao Yunzhi’s eyes widened in shock, looking at Long De in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Meng Jin immediately understood Long De’s implication.
The killer had endured the immense grief of losing his son and wife because he still held hope—hope that Liu Er would inherit the Fang Zheng Group. With Liu Er “dead,” that hope had shifted to the unborn child in He Saibing’s belly.
The killer would eliminate any obstacles in the way to ensure Liu Er’s child would become the heir to the Fang Zheng Group. And the so-called obstacle was Jennie Yang’s other son, Guo Tiandi.
Although the current Guo Tiandi was actually Liu Er, the killer didn’t know that.
In clearing away the obstacles, what would the killer do? Naturally, he would harm the fake Guo Tiandi.
Zhao Yunzhi’s nerves tensed up, and he suddenly slapped the table. “Then why don’t we just announce that Guo Tiandi is actually Liu Er? The killer wouldn’t kill him then.”
Meng Jin responded, “We can’t do that. If we reveal that Liu Er is still alive, He Saibing will be in danger. Since Liu Er is alive, He Saibing becomes unnecessary. Plus, we don’t have solid evidence yet to prove that Guo Tiandi is Liu Er.”
“Evidence is secondary,” Long De added. “We could spread some ambiguous rumors, but doing so might backfire. We wouldn’t be able to predict the killer’s next move. He could either choose to kill Liu Er or target He Saibing. The police’s focus would be scattered.”
Meng Jin agreed, reporting their conclusions to the higher-ups. After a meeting, they quickly finalized a plan.
To catch a fish, you need bait. Two days later, Jennie Yang arrived with a lawyer to bail out Guo Tiandi, and the police used the opportunity to set the bait.
As soon as Guo Tiandi and Jennie Yang walked out of the station, they were surrounded by a swarm of media. Only then did Guo Tiandi learn that Jennie Yang had publicly acknowledged him as her illegitimate son from before her marriage.
Guo Tiandi, or rather Liu Er, was overjoyed. He could finally return to the Liu family mansion openly and legitimately. He could finally resume his former life of luxury and excess. He could finally stop being a poor man earning a meager salary of 3,000 yuan a month.
He thought of his recent experience as if he had participated in a reality TV show called Transformation, where he got to experience the life of the lower class. Silently, he promised himself that in the future, he would be a good person, a good son, someone hardworking and diligent.
He was so excited that he hugged Jennie Yang, who was smiling for the cameras. He felt her body stiffen slightly before she gently patted his shoulder.
How long had it been since he had hugged his mother? Probably not since high school.
He had rebelled, ignored her teachings, indulged in a life of debauchery, and never made any progress. He had hit someone with his car. He had killed.
His mother had helped him time and again, but he had never repented.
He realized now that he had been wrong—truly wrong.
He had thought he would never get another chance, but here his mother was, once again forgiving him, giving him a chance to be reborn.
This time, he would not disappoint her.
In the future, he would be a good person, a good son, someone hardworking and diligent.
Under the watchful eyes of the media, Guo Tiandi followed Jennie Yang back to the mansion.
Once the door closed, all the noise was left outside. The household staff had been given a break, leaving only the two of them in the large mansion.
Guo Tiandi completely relaxed, lying on the sofa, gazing at the luxurious crystal chandelier on the ceiling. He felt a strange sense of disconnection, as if his previous life was from another lifetime.
Jennie Yang told him to take a shower. He immediately got up and obediently went to the bathroom. In truth, he didn’t feel like moving, but he wanted to be a good son, to show his mother that he had changed.
As she watched Liu Er’s retreating figure, Jennie Yang’s mind briefly flashed to another figure. That figure turned around and gave her a bright smile, with a row of teeth gleaming with happiness, even more radiant than the sun.
That was the real Guo Tiandi.
She tried hard not to think about that face. That face—that person—hadn’t appeared in her mind for a long time. But now that Liu Er was here, and would be staying for some time, she couldn’t help but think of that person every time she saw Liu Er’s similar features.
The son she had killed with her own hands.
That year, she had given birth to the child in a dilapidated factory. From the first moment she saw him, she felt disgust—disgust so strong it made her physically nauseous.
This child would ruin her life, extending her shame indefinitely. She had decided long before he was born that she would end his life with her own hands.
Her hand reached for the baby’s neck—so weak and fragile that just a light squeeze would break it. But just then, someone burst in and snatched the baby away.
It was Lin Kun.
One of her secret admirers.
She had too many admirers, open and hidden, and she couldn’t even remember most of their names. But Lin Kun stood out to her—he was the only one who never wrote her love letters, never bought her breakfast, never gave her gifts. His unconventional behavior had left an impression.
Ever since her belly began to show, she had rarely gone out. No one knew she was pregnant.
Lin Kun must have followed her.
She looked at him warily, as if he were a pervert.
Lin Kun didn’t deny it. He apologized first, saying he had no ill intentions and wasn’t a pervert. At first, he had just wanted to see her more often, but then he noticed she seemed to be pregnant and worried something might happen to her. So he often followed her secretly, especially in the later stages of her pregnancy, even skipping classes to watch over her from outside her place.
Her gaze remained full of disdain, and his actions didn’t move her at all. Instead, she felt disgusted. She was unmarried and pregnant, which was already a great shame. She had carefully hidden her disgrace, but now she realized that her secret had long been discovered.
Lin Kun stood there awkwardly, holding the newborn baby who hadn’t even had time to cry. He smiled and said, “Since you don’t want him, I’ll raise him.”
“You?” Jennie Yang sneered.
She didn’t know anything about Lin Kun, except that he came from a poor family and wasn’t very bright. He was always a little behind in class and struggled with assignments.
“Why? You’re still in school yourself. How are you going to raise him?” she mocked.
Lin Kun’s gaze was determined, but his voice remained gentle. “I’ll drop out of school and get a job. I’ll do my best to give him a good life.”
Her sneer deepened. She really didn’t want this child, but she wouldn’t hand him over to a fool like Lin Kun.
The child was her disgrace, and no matter what, she would wipe that disgrace clean herself.
But Lin Kun wouldn’t give the child back to her.
He turned and ran.
The soft baby in his arms didn’t cry, and it occurred to her that this child was extraordinarily quiet. He seemed aware of his fate and didn’t make a sound.
It was pouring rain that day. Lin Kun ran with all his might, but halfway through, he tripped over some debris in the abandoned factory.
With a loud “thud,” his head smashed against the ground.
The baby, held tightly in his arms, remained silent.
Lin Kun’s blood mixed with the rain, flowing down the dirt road.
At that moment, Jennie Yang stood there in the downpour, watching Lin Kun’s lifeless body.
She should have been grateful to him, but instead, she felt irritated. Had he not interfered, she would have been able to end things cleanly.
Now, things were messy.
She didn’t even look at Lin Kun’s body again. Holding the baby, she left the factory and hailed a cab.
After that, she wiped away the baby’s traces just like she wiped away the rain on her face. She thought the baby had died soon after, since she had left him at the entrance of an orphanage, wrapped in a thin blanket on a chilly autumn night.
The baby, named Guo Tiandi, grew up and returned into her life 20 years later.
And now, Jennie Yang was sitting in her luxurious living room, her face expressionless, waiting for Liu Er to finish his shower.
She wasn’t thinking about anything.
Or maybe, she was thinking about everything.
