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After a moment of recollection, Wang Yikai slowly said to us, "Lu Zhiqiu, well, she's a good person, but sometimes she can be too good to others."
I shrugged and asked, "Isn't kindness a good thing?"
Wang Yikai scratched his head and replied, "Kindness is indeed a good thing, but sometimes it can be excessive. Take Lu Zhiqiu for example; she just doesn't know where to draw the line. She has two scholarships and a grant, plus she earns quite a bit from her design work. She makes a lot of money each month."
Wang Kai held up his hand and indicated "six," saying, "Adding everything together, it probably amounts to around six thousand yuan. Ten years ago, six thousand yuan was quite a sum. After that, she sent four thousand home. She used one thousand to support a female student from the Biology Department whose father seemed to have some serious illness. The remaining one thousand was for Lu Zhiqiu herself."
Ten years ago, someone earning six thousand yuan a month could be considered wealthy. It seemed that Lu Zhiqiu had some skills; otherwise, she wouldn't be making that much money.
Wang Yikai continued, "But even that one thousand isn't all spent on herself. Whenever someone needs to borrow money, Lu Zhiqiu always agrees. Sometimes those people don't even pay her back, and she never asks for it back. Every time we go out to eat, the girls like to invite Lu Zhiqiu because as long as they let her pay the bill, she won't refuse."
"Doesn't she think about herself?" I asked again.
"I heard one girl say that since Lu Zhiqiu is so rich, what's the big deal about treating her friends? Treating them is giving her face; you know how hard it is for her to fit in with the other girls," Wang Yikai recalled. "By the way, it seems that Lu Zhiqiu isn't very popular among the girls."
Hearing Wang Yikai's words reminded me of what Wang Qianduo once told me—that the girls looked at Lu Zhiqiu with some disdain. However, Wang Qianduo, who had such a strong dislike for Lu Zhiqiu, met a tragic end right before our eyes. Could it be possible that Lu Zhiqiu was just putting on an act?
With this thought in mind, I asked, "How long did Lu Zhiqiu help that girl? Is it possible that she did it for some kind of recognition as an outstanding student?"
Wang Yikai pondered for a moment and said firmly, "No way! I remember Lu Zhiqiu started supporting that girl from her sophomore year, giving her one thousand every month without interruption until her death. Well, there was an interruption."
Zhao Mingkun asked, "Was it because of an investment failure?"
Wang Yikai shook his head and replied, "That shouldn't be the case. At that time, Wang Xin had no intention of making Lu Zhiqiu pay back; she only allocated one thousand each month to repay Wang Qianduo. That girl's father had a pretty complicated illness; if he didn't take his medicine, he would be in serious danger. I've followed up with Lu Zhiqiu on these matters; I know all about them."
"Then why was there an interruption?" Zhao Mingkun asked again.
"Wang Yikai" spoke up, "I'm not really sure about that. At the time, I only knew there had been an interruption once. During that period, it seemed like "Lu Zhiqiu" was caught up in some trouble. I asked her once, but she didn't say anything. However, deep down, I didn't really like "Lu Zhiqiu," so I didn't press further."
"Alright, let's go find "Yang Licheng" together," I said to "Wang Yikai." "Some things might work better face to face."
"Wang Yikai" nodded and quickly said, "How about we share a room tonight? This 'Murderer' is just too elusive, and I'm afraid if I fall asleep, I might not wake up again."
Seeing how scared "Wang Yikai" was and recalling how many people had died in just two short hours, it seemed safer to agree. With that thought in mind, I accepted "Wang Yikai's" request.
"Zhao Mingkun" brought over a few cups and spoons and set up some simple devices at the windows and doors. As long as either the door or window was opened, the spoon would fall into the cup, making a crisp sound. This way, we could be awakened immediately and react accordingly.
"Wang Yikai" lived on the seventh floor; it was unlikely anyone could enter through the window. Anything that could come through the window would definitely leave more than just a cup and spoon behind. What had terrified "Luo Ding" was a human face, but looking at "Wang Yikai," he didn't seem so dazed that he would die of fright.
However, the methods of the 'Murderer' were varied and strange; even someone as alert as "Zhao Mingkun" couldn't be too cautious.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, I groggily woke up and reached out beside me only to find emptiness. This startled me awake, and I quickly sat up. The alarm device that "Zhao Mingkun" had set by the window hadn't made a sound, but "Wang Yikai" was nowhere to be found.
Had "Wang Yikai" mysteriously vanished? The door to the room was open; did he leave on his own?
Thinking this, I rushed out and saw "Zhao Mingkun" sitting on the couch outside. I hurriedly said, "Oh no! It's bad—'Wang Yikai' has disappeared mysteriously."
"Zhao Mingkun" rolled his eyes at me and pointed toward the bathroom. "Last night, 'Wang Yikai' went to the bathroom three times; this is the fourth time now. You slept like a log; even if something really happened to 'Wang Yikai,' you wouldn't notice."
"'Wang Yikai' went to the bathroom four times?" I scratched my head and asked.
Wang Yikai emerged from the bathroom, his brow furrowed and his face pale, walking unsteadily as if he were about to collapse. He rubbed his stomach and said, "I don't know what's wrong. Since last night, I've felt a bit twisted in my stomach, but I can't figure out why."
"You're not faking it, are you? We’re supposed to go to Yang Licheng's house today, and now you're pretending to be sick," I replied. "Everything you told us last night wasn't a lie, was it?"
Wang Yikai grabbed a can of milk from the fridge and gulped it down. "Why would I lie to you? Let's go! I already discussed it with the company board; after today, I'm leaving Dongxing City for a month on a business trip."
It was clear that Wang Yikai seemed to have caught a cold. He couldn’t drive, so he had to tell me the address while I took the wheel.
He informed us that he had already arranged things with Yang Licheng, who was waiting for us at home.
As soon as we entered, Wang Yikai dashed into the bathroom.
Yang Licheng appeared somewhat resistant towards us. While Wang Yikai was occupied in the bathroom, he smoked silently, not saying a word. I noticed the ashtray in front of him was filled with cigarette butts, and he looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept well in a long time.
When Wang Yikai finally came out of the bathroom and saw Yang Licheng, he wasted no time and stated firmly, "Yang Licheng, we're not here for anything else but that incident from seven years ago. That night at the construction site when you met me and Lu Zhiqiu, did you come back with me?"
"Is that what this is about?" Yang Licheng paused as he was about to put the cigarette in his mouth but stopped upon hearing Wang Yikai's words.
Wang Yikai took a seat and continued, "Yes, that's exactly it. As long as we can prove our innocence, that's all that matters. You don’t know; Zhang Yi and those three died right in front of me. If we can't find the murderer from seven years ago, I fear all thirteen of us will end up dead. You have no idea how elusive that murderer is."
Yang Licheng placed half of his cigarette on the edge of the ashtray and replied, "I can attest to that; I did see Wang Yikai back then. I returned with him."
"I heard you were quite unfriendly towards Wang Yikai," I said to Yang Licheng. "You told him to stay away from Lu Zhiqiu. Why did you do that?"
Upon hearing my question, Yang Licheng picked up the half-burnt cigarette again and took a deep drag. "Yes, I did. At first, I thought Lu Zhiqiu had feelings for me, but later I realized how wrong I was—completely mistaken. Lu Zhiqiu treats everyone like that; it was just my own delusion."
Yang Licheng self-deprecatingly said, "Yeah, just think about it. At that time, Lu Zhiqiu had conditions far better than mine. Why didn't she go find someone better? Why did she settle for me?"
"Damn it!" Yang Licheng continued, "I really hate the me from back then, completely infatuated with that white lotus, Lu Zhiqiu. People like her may treat you well and make you think they like you too, but in the end, they tell you they only see you as a brother. If she didn't like anyone else, couldn't she just refuse others' kindness? I know Wang Yikai was pursuing Lu Zhiqiu; I was actually trying to remind him! Looking back now, if it weren't for me, Lu Zhiqiu wouldn't have died!"
Yang Licheng's words took us all by surprise. From his previous actions and words, I had a vague feeling he knew something, but I never expected him to speak up like this.
"What do you know?" I hurriedly asked.
Yang Licheng replied, "Seven years ago, I was a scumbag, a complete scumbag. During my internship, I confessed to Lu Zhiqiu, but she only saw me as a brother. I was very angry and sad at that time. Just then, I met Liang Mei. Without thinking much, I confessed to her."
Yang Licheng took deep drags from his cigarette. "Liang Mei wasn't particularly good-looking; her personality was rather feminine and quiet. Right after I confessed, she agreed. Soon after, we ended up in bed together. But honestly, I didn't like her at all; she was just an outlet for my emotions."
"Scumbag," Zhao Mingkun remarked.
"Yes," Yang Licheng waved his hand dismissively. "I was indeed very scummy. After a while, I wanted to break up. That night—when Wang Yikai was with Lu Zhiqiu—I called Liang Mei out to break up with her. But Liang Mei refused to agree. I told her the truth: she was just a consolation prize because I couldn't win over Lu Zhiqiu."
Yang Licheng crushed the cigarette butt hard on the table and said, "But Liang Mei was pregnant! How could that be possible? It hadn't even been a week! So I ignored her and walked away. As I left, I happened to run into Lu Zhiqiu and Wang Yikai."
"At that moment, I was boiling with anger," Yang Licheng continued. "I originally intended to warn Wang Yikai, but when the words came out, it turned into a threat. After we left that night, Liang Mei likely encountered Lu Zhiqiu."
Yang Licheng clutched his head in frustration. "If Liang Mei vented her resentment towards me onto Lu Zhiqiu, that would be normal. Many years later, I heard that Liang Mei really was pregnant with my child. Although I suspected Liang Mei might be the murderer, how could I…"
"If so many people hadn't died, I fear I'd never have revealed this matter…"
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