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墨書 Inktalez
As I read on, curiosity began to take hold of me. What exactly had Liang Mei done that night? What could have happened that would later fill her with fear when she thought back on it? From Liang Mei's earlier descriptions, it seemed that after she had cried and walked back from the construction site, she had stumbled upon Lu Zhiqiu's body.
Liang Mei had written this letter, which was likely meant to be delivered at a specific time. When a person knows they are about to die, most ordinary people do not lie. As the saying goes, "A dying person's words are sincere." Liang Mei would not be lying about this matter.
If Lu Zhiqiu was not killed by Liang Mei, then he must have died during the time after Wang Yikai and Yang Licheng left and before Liang Mei arrived. We do not know how long Liang Mei cried after Yang Licheng departed, but upon reflection, half an hour seems like the most reasonable estimate.
In other words, within that short span of half an hour, someone came to the construction site and encountered the isolated Lu Zhiqiu. Lu Zhiqiu was likely preparing to leave when he was struck from behind with a brick. The blow was forceful enough to kill him instantly.
However, we had seen photos of Lu Zhiqiu's body, and from those images, it appeared that the dismemberment tools were crude. It was inferred that a blunt instrument had been used for the dismemberment. If a blunt object was indeed used, it would take much longer than half an hour to sever a person's rigid skeleton—specifically the limbs and head.
With this doubt lingering in my mind, I continued reading Liang Mei's email. By the time I finished reading her message, I finally understood what had transpired that night. After absorbing the information, my heart felt unsettled for a long time. I had never considered this aspect before.
I had never realized that murder and dismemberment were actually two distinct steps.
That night, construction at the site had ceased, leaving the surroundings eerily quiet. There were no streetlights around the site; only a few dim lights illuminated the area, casting a hazy glow reminiscent of Liang Mei's blurred vision through her tears. After crying for half an hour, her eyes were nearly swollen shut.
On that night, Liang Mei felt as though her entire life had been ruined.
There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart. Yang Licheng was tall and handsome—a dream figure for many—and although Liang Mei usually kept to herself, she harbored feelings for him as well. While other girls in their dormitory had boyfriends by their sides, Liang Mei stood alone beside a wall at the construction site, feeling as if her four years there would pass in solitude.
It wasn't that no one liked her; others thought she was too aloof and difficult to approach. In truth, she simply didn't know how to express her feelings. But then Yang Licheng appeared before her and confessed his affection for her. Her heart blossomed with joy, yet she did not respond immediately.
Later on, Liang Mei finally agreed to be Yang Licheng's girlfriend. Soon after, they became intimate—this was Liang Mei's first experience.
Little did she know that she was merely a substitute for Lu Zhiqiu.
She loathed both Yang Licheng and Lu Zhiqiu; now Lu Zhiqiu's body lay right before her.
Standing next to Lu Zhiqiu's corpse, Liang Mei gazed down at her. Lu Zhiqiu lay quietly on the ground; previously she had been so beautiful and graceful, admired by many. Yet now Liang Mei realized that even someone as stunning as Lu Zhiqiu could appear so grotesque in death.
The surroundings were silent; Liang Mei could smell the metallic scent of blood rising from the ground.
She lowered her head; she had never looked at Lu Zhiqiu from such close proximity before. Indeed, she was beautiful—no wonder so many people were drawn to her.
As she looked on, Liang Mei shed tears. She patted her belly and said, "Look, child, this is the woman who took your father away."
In that moment, Liang Mei made two decisions that would affect her for the rest of her life. She glanced around and noticed a trowel and a pair of gloves in the corner. Liang Mei put on the gloves and picked up the trowel. Some people used trowels to help many build their own homes, but when Liang Mei picked up the trowel, Lu Zhiqiu was divided into several parts.
Holding the trowel tightly, Liang Mei plunged it into Lu Zhiqiu's neck. A torrent of blood gushed out, splattering onto Liang Mei's face. The warmth felt strange, yet her heart was cold. She raised her hand high and brought it down forcefully, again and again.
The dull trowel struck flesh with a thud. Liang Mei continued without any intention of stopping. She severed Lu Zhiqiu's head and limbs. After completing this gruesome task, Liang Mei collapsed onto the ground.
She had never realized how difficult it was to dismember a person. Finally, she understood why in ancient times, hatred was described as wishing to "slice them into a thousand pieces." Looking at the dismembered Lu Zhiqiu, Liang Mei laughed heartily.
She sat on the ground for a long time, feeling that after such an extended period, someone must have discovered her actions. She was prepared to be caught. But after a long wait, no one came.
Liang Mei thought to herself that perhaps one of the loneliest feelings in the world was dismembering a corpse and realizing that no one was paying attention to her when she was ready to be apprehended. She chuckled at her own absurdity before standing up to leave.
Before departing, Liang Mei suddenly remembered something. She stood up and straddled Lu Zhiqiu's head with her feet on either side before taking a photo with her phone. It was the last close-up shot she would leave for Lu Zhiqiu. Liang Mei had intended to show this photo to Yang Licheng later.
However, when Liang Mei returned to her dormitory and looked in the mirror, she saw herself covered in blood; her clothes were stained red with Lu Zhiqiu's blood. So she began washing her clothes. After finishing laundry, Liang Mei felt exhausted and collapsed onto her bed, falling asleep.
That night, having exerted so much effort, she slept soundly; it was the best sleep she had ever had. Yet that night also marked the last night of Lu Zhiqiu's life. Ultimately, Lu Zhiqiu would not see another sunrise.
When the second sun rose, Liang Mei woke up early. Workers at the construction site discovered the body. Seeing what she had dismembered stirred an inexplicable feeling within Liang Mei. Suddenly filled with regret, she felt foolish.
She saw Yang Licheng's expression—one of fear and disdain. The emotional turmoil in that moment struck Liang Mei hard; she realized something profound: Yang Licheng did not truly care for Lu Zhiqiu. What he liked was perhaps just having a goddess-like girlfriend for himself.
People are inherently selfish; ultimately, they only love themselves.
From the very beginning, this had nothing to do with Lu Zhiqiu. It was Yang Licheng who had been rejected; it was he who pursued her—it wasn't Lu Zhiqiu who prompted him to act this way. In her mind’s eye, Liang Mei observed every expression on people's faces from afar.
Not a single person mourned for Lu Zhiqiu; she understood that when someone excels beyond others in a group, jealousy begins to spread. They were never on the same level; Kori Chiu did not grasp this point. Perhaps Lu Zhiqiu sensed others' negative perceptions of her while Kori Chiu misinterpreted their reasons.
People often believe that what most think is correct; however, there is no absolute right or wrong in this world. Fearing making mistakes that might lead others to judge her, Lu Zhiqiu lived as someone who tolerated everything and forgave all without realizing that this very trait distanced others from her.
A person with boundaries often earns more respect than someone who is overly accommodating.
Sadly, Lu Zhiqiu had always longed for others to respect her, but how could anyone respect someone who did not even respect herself?
Liang Mei understood this point clearly. In the end, she chose not to show the photo to Yang Licheng. Liang Mei decided that she could live well on her own and raise her child alone. She thought that she would soon catch the Murderer, and when she did, she would take care of her own demise, thus no longer seeing herself as a scapegoat.
However, seven years passed, and the Murderer was nowhere to be found.
On the eve of graduation, Liang Mei's child was born. At that time, everyone was busy with their own lives, and no one noticed that Liang Mei had given birth. Liang Mei had always told her child that he was born without a father. But even without a father from birth, it did not hinder anything.
So much time had passed that Liang Mei had long forgotten about it. Unexpectedly, seven years later, someone returned seeking revenge for what happened back then. When Liang Mei learned about Hu Xiaoxue's situation, she feared that the Murderer might pose a threat to her child. Therefore, upon returning from a gathering, she quickly suggested moving away and sent her child to her mother's house for help while she returned alone to Dongxing City.
She needed to investigate who had come back for revenge.
After sending off her child, she hurried back to Dongxing City overnight. She dug out the photo she had taken seven years ago and saw something that made her uneasy. As a designer, Liang Mei whimsically decided to use professional graphic software to enlarge the photo taken seven years prior. When she did so, she discovered something chilling.
In one corner of the image, behind a concrete pillar, a person's foot and a section of pant leg were visible. Liang Mei suddenly recalled who had worn such shoes and pants seven years ago. That person must have been the one who killed Lu Zhiqiu seven years prior.
The true Murderer had witnessed Liang Mei's frantic actions seven years ago; one could only wonder what kind of feelings stirred within him at that moment.
That night seemed to be the longest night for the Murderer as well.
He saw someone more deranged than himself committing acts even more insane than his own.
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