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墨書 Inktalez
Every person harbors both good and evil within their heart. In that moment, the evil within Zhang Dequan was unleashed. Ever since his wife's death, Zhang Dequan had not sought out any other woman. However, as he looked at Zhang Xue, who increasingly resembled his late wife, he finally released the beast that lay dormant within him.
Like a lion asserting its dominance, Zhang Dequan climbed onto his daughter's bed. Each subsequent day was spent in pain and struggle. He found traces of his wife in his daughter, yet he knew that she was not his wife. He struck Zhang Xue, hoping to awaken himself from this nightmare.
Not a single night passed where Zhang Dequan could sleep soundly.
In the ashtray before him lay seven or eight cigarette butts. Zhang Dequan crushed another cigarette butt into the ashtray and exhaled the last puff of smoke. "So be it; it's quite good this way. I've never felt as at peace as I do today. Time is running out; if there's nothing else, I'd like to have one last moment of quiet."
I quickly pulled a shoelace from my shoe and tied it into a knot in front of Zhang Dequan.
Zhang Dequan watched my actions with some confusion and asked, "What’s this? Have you been a sailor? How do you know how to tie sailor's knots?"
Hearing his words, my mind went blank.
Noticing my sudden change in expression, Zhang Dequan hurriedly asked, "Are you alright?"
I shook my head, threading the shoelace while replying, "It's nothing; I'm leaving."
As I pushed open the door and stepped outside, I felt a turmoil within me that I couldn't calm. Zhou Guo might just be a pawn in this game; from the very beginning, he had never been considered one of the five. The true mastermind behind this plot was likely someone else.
"Gu Chen, bring Zhang Xue here..."
When I finished my pack of Golden Leaf cigarettes, Zhang Xue finally appeared in the interrogation room. Upon seeing me, she seemed slightly uneasy. However, after a moment, she regained her composure. I looked at Zhang Xue and wondered what kind of heart lay beneath her beautiful yet fragile exterior.
Zhang Xue said calmly, "Why did you call for me?"
I took a few deep breaths before responding, "Because we have uncovered who the real mastermind is. Zhou Guo is merely a pawn for you; from the start, you intended to sacrifice him. You and Zhou Guo are alike; both of you need to take Line 1 of the subway."
"Zhou Guo just happened to have a better geographical position and more convenience. But I forgot one crucial point: you actually had more time than Zhou Guo. Every time you left campus two classes early, only you know what you were doing."
Zhang Xue blinked but remained silent.
I continued, "In fact, after Zhou Guo stole the item, the first person he handed it to was you, not Lin Rou. After taking your share, you gave it to Zhou Guo and instructed him to pass the rest to Lin Rou. This way, no one would know that you had ever taken anything—except for Zhou Guo."
"You gave the item to Gao Rui and took Gao Rui's watch in return. Then you killed Wang Yiman and took her puzzle piece." I looked at Zhang Xue intently and said each word deliberately: "You taught Wang Yiman the method of suicide because if she had second thoughts, she could have saved herself, couldn't she?"
Zhang Xue's lips moved slightly but ultimately remained silent.
Seeing her persistence, I continued, "The knotting technique you learned was taught to you by Zhou Guo, not some African method. It’s simply not true! You learned it from your father. When he was young, he was a sailor and only knew how to tie sailor knots. Naturally, you picked up the same sailor knotting techniques from him."
"Do you want me to bring your father here for a confrontation?" I slammed my hand on the table.
Zhang Xue sighed and shrugged. "You're very observant; I was careless. At the time, I didn’t even notice that detail myself. I just answered in a panic when you asked me. I didn’t expect it would lead to such a different outcome, making you think Zhou Guo is the murderer."
I sneered, "After killing Wang Yiman, the police got involved in the investigation and traced it back to your school. You know that if you left any traces at the suicide scene, you would easily expose yourself. So when it came to designing the deaths of Li Zhinan and Maliang, you weren’t involved at all."
Gu Chen nodded. "So that's why Gao Rui and Wang Yiman died in a dignified and painless manner, while Li Zhinan and Maliang's deaths were also painless but quite undignified. It turns out she chose to avoid contact with the victims."
I looked at Zhang Xue, who seemed deep in thought. I continued, "You found these four people and shared your thoughts with them. You told them about your backgrounds, and they sympathized with you, agreeing to help you carry out this plan. Thus, sixteen million came into your hands."
"In fact, last night, I saw the bank cards in your hands on the rooftop." I glared at Zhang Xue.
Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "If that’s the case, why didn’t you arrest me then?"
I gritted my teeth. "I thought that if this sixteen million could help you escape your chaotic family and distance yourselves from darkness, it would be worth it. But this money also came from darkness! If you hadn’t done that thing, I would have definitely let you go!"
Zhang Xue sat up straight. "What?"
I spoke slowly and clearly. "At the beginning of the semester, you met Zhou Guo. He was naive and everyone in class loved to bully him. You learned that his mother was paralyzed; from that moment on, you had a vague plan in mind, didn’t you? Later on, you met Gao Rui on subway line one and encountered Wang Yiman, Li Zhinan, and Maliang."
"A year later, they all confided their suicidal tendencies to you one after another." I said lightly. "Mary never found anything online because they never expressed their feelings there. You are different; you're thoughtful and always carry an inexplicable melancholy and stubbornness."
"So you became good friends with them. If they were to commit suicide, they hoped to hear from you; they all agreed."
"Thus began your first step: persuading Zhou Guo's mother to commit suicide. This wasn’t an easy task; so from that time on, you started leaving school early every day to take subway line one to Zhou Guo's home. His mother regarded you as Zhou Guo's good friend while all along you planned to sacrifice him!"
Zhang Xue trembled slightly.
I grew more agitated. "Just like that, you became close friends across generations. To get closer to her, you even helped her mother with cross-stitching! That was when she decided on suicide. The cross-stitching on that table wasn’t actually done by her mother; the stitching was too poor—it was clearly done by a novice!"
"Then Zhou Guo's mother died. Zhou Guo knew nothing; he truly believed his mother committed suicide without realizing that you were behind it!" I continued. "With his mother gone, he had no hope left either. So he only had feelings for you; you completely controlled him."
I pounded the table again. "It was all part of your scheme! You made Zhou Guo fall in love with you just to use him! You knew that if there was a scapegoat, the police might not continue their investigation because this wasn’t a murder case but a suicide case!"
"You collected Gao Rui and others' most precious belongings not for memories but to frame Zhou Guo! Did Zhou Guo’s family look like they could afford imported biscuits? That iron box and its contents were gifts from you to Zhou Guo! The money is already in hand; now Zhou Guo can take the fall!"
I pointed at Zhang Xue.
Zhang Xue nodded, then shook her head and said, "Yeah, who told him to fall in love with me, to fall in love with a heartless person, to fall in love with someone he shouldn't? Only someone with his kind of personality wouldn't go around causing trouble; he would obediently follow my arrangements. It's just like when I told him that if he committed suicide first, I would follow suit, and he actually believed me!"
"But!" Zhang Xue said emphatically, "I want money. I want to go to a place where no one knows me. Is that wrong? Am I destined to be violated by my own father just because I was born? Have I killed anyone? They all have tendencies toward suicide."
Zhang Xue became agitated: "Even if it’s Zhou Guo, it’s still his choice to die for me! I know my mother attempted suicide many times without success, so I hope those who are suicidal can die without pain, not like my mother! Is there anything wrong with what I'm doing?"
I shook my head. "I had no intention of pursuing this any further, but you absolutely should not treat Zhou Guo as a sacrificial pawn. No one deserves to be sacrificed; he didn't have to commit suicide; he didn't want to. Do you really think Zhou Guo is a bookworm? Do you really believe Zhou Guo believed your words about dying for love?"
I took out the letter Zhou Guo left for us: "In the end, Zhou Guo understood what he was to you. He took all the blame upon himself; he wanted to end his life to illuminate yours. He’s not foolish; he just loves you."
"But why, why would you do this?" Tears streamed down Zhang Xue's face. "Zhou Guo has already chosen to bear the blame for me, so why are you still trying to capture me? Can't we at least live a good life? Just as we are about to climb out of hell, why do you want to destroy us with your own hands?"
Zhang Xue cried bitterly; the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. In her heart, she might have thought that once her father's issues were resolved, she could take the four million and continue living in a city where no one knew her—rich and happy.
But I couldn't allow it; one person's life should never be controlled by another. Even if Zhou Guo consented, I could not agree.
"Why, why!" Zhang Xue continued to scream.
I looked at Zhang Xue and smiled at her. "Because I simply don't want to see someone like you clawing their way up from hell. I refuse to witness you achieving happiness at the expense of others."
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