On the day I received the money, I transferred all of it into Xu Yan's bank card and tried to invite her out for dinner.
It seemed like she had really broken up with Shen Ning. I heard that Shen Ning had just recovered not long ago, and they ended up fighting again.
Naturally, Xu Yan was the one who suffered; her face bore several new injuries.
Even though she had dressed up carefully, the bruises on her face were still quite noticeable.
I reached out to touch her wounds, but she quickly turned her head away, her eyes showing an unnatural avoidance.
As if afraid I would misunderstand, she quickly added, "Don't touch it; it still hurts."
I smiled and handed her the menu beside me, casually changing the subject.
"Let's go out and have some fun sometime. Where do you want to go?"
She rarely wrapped her arm around mine like before and said, "Anywhere is fine; I’m okay with whatever you decide."
The meal was still enjoyable.
That was until I saw that text message.
After we settled the bill, she went to the restroom.
I stood in the hallway holding her bag and lit a cigarette.
Suddenly, her phone rang; a text message came in.
"That crazy person didn't see what you were planning to do, did they? If anything feels off, call me."
Although I had doubts about why she so readily agreed to have dinner with me, I chose to trust her.
Now, the content of the text message kept replaying in my mind, and I held my phone, feeling as if I had Parkinson's disease.
Not only was I shaking intensely, but I was also freezing cold.
After thinking it over, I finally made a decision...
When Xu Yan came out again, I had just finished a cigarette.
She linked her arm with mine and asked if I wanted to go to the cinema to watch a newly released movie.
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and whispered, "Why go to the cinema? Let's go to my place."
I noticed the timely blush on her face, like the evening glow that descended that day.
I took her back to the house I shared with Shen Ning, poured her a glass of red wine, and watched as she leisurely drank it. I then brought over a fruit platter and started playing a slideshow of moments between Shen Ning and me in this house using a projector.
As Xu Yan watched the intimate scenes of Shen Ning and me on the wall, she looked alarmed.
She smashed her wine glass in a fit of rage and accused me and Shen Ning of being shameless lovers.
I laughed, "And what about you? When you were at the hotel with him, were you two shameless lovers too?"
Fear flashed in her eyes, and the next moment she stood up, trying to rush out the door.
I acted quickly, grabbing her and throwing her to the ground, binding her hands and feet with rope and gagging her mouth.
Seeing the tear stains on her face, I could no longer feel pity. I simply held her against me, just as she had held me when I was ill years ago.
I lowered my head, greedily inhaling the scent of her perfume; it was sweet yet tinged with a hint of something vile.
Before long, she fell asleep in my arms.
I gazed at her beautiful yet fragile face before getting up and heading to the kitchen.
The knife I usually used was an expensive German import, sharp enough to chop both meat and bones effortlessly.
The water in the bathtub was dark red, resembling the rare sunset seen that evening.
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I pondered how to clear my name…
By the time I finished everything, dawn was breaking.
I picked up the red wine bottle that had fallen to the floor beside the table and drank it all by myself; it was originally meant for celebration.
Leaning against the windowsill, I plotted how to completely ruin Shen Ning's reputation…
Six months later, a major scandal broke out in A City.
"A man kidnapped his wife to cover up his affair, received a ransom of millions, and then brutally stabbed his lover over an unequal share of the spoils."
I sat in the sunlight, reading today's newspaper, admiring the disheveled photo of Shen Ning on the front page.
He had lost weight, his hair had grown long, and he had a beard.
It must have been tough for him to hide away these past six months.
As I read the article about his trial, my heart filled with joy.
Xu Yan and Shen Ning, the two most important people in my life.
The moment they decided to abandon me, they sealed their fate.
I burst into laughter, tears streaming from the corners of my eyes, unsure if they were tears of joy or sorrow.
"Number 32, Lu Yang, it's time for your medication."
Suddenly, someone interrupted my thoughts.
A young nurse pushed a cart over to me, handing me a cup of water and a bottle cap.
Inside the cap were several pills of different colors, which I had to take daily.
I took a sip of water and looked at the young nurse; she was a stranger to me.
"What is your name?" I asked her.
"Xu Yuan."
"That's a nice name." I smiled gently as usual and asked friendly, "Can I call you Yuan?"
She paused for a moment, then sweetly replied, "I am Xu Yuan, not Yuan Yuan."
I nodded, "I know."
After taking the medicine, my head started to feel heavy. I lay on the lounge chair, my consciousness also becoming hazy.
In a daze, I heard someone discussing.
"Do you know about number 32, Lu Yang? She's completely lost it. You all need to be careful when delivering medicine; last time she went crazy and stabbed one of our doctors several times..."
"That's terrifying. I heard she was shouting her friend's name and her friend's husband's name while stabbing..."
"Isn't that the one who hung up photoshopped wedding pictures of her friend’s husband and herself at home?"
"Yeah, I told you, her friend was really unlucky; she even lost her life..."
(The End)
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