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墨書 Inktalez
This is another story.
It began two weeks ago.
At noon, Chen Lin and Liu Fei'er were sitting together.
Chen Lin tried out a lipstick belonging to Liu Fei'er, applying it as he said, "Have you really made up your mind? Are you really leaving? What’s wrong with this life? Do you know how many people in this world envy your lifestyle? You can use high-end cosmetics and eat things that others can only dream of."
Liu Fei'er sat on the edge of the bed, not answering directly but instead asking, "Weren't you tired last night, lying under the bed?"
Chen Lin shook his head and replied, "A few years ago, I slept in sewers and garbage dumps. I’ve slept everywhere. If it weren't for your father taking me in, I would still be living from hand to mouth."
"But you once..." Liu Fei'er began but only got halfway through her sentence.
Chen Lin immediately continued, "Yes, I once killed seven people. At first, I thought that kind of life was meaningless. What kind of life do those freaks like me lead? They rely on being laughed at just to stay alive."
"So I killed them," Chen Lin said with a smile. "On my eighteenth birthday, I killed them. Later I thought, maybe I shouldn't have killed them! Eighteen means I could be sentenced to death. I should have killed them before turning eighteen; then I wouldn’t have been given a suspended death sentence."
Liu Fei'er looked at this somewhat neurotic man, unsure of what to say.
Chen Lin gave a bitter smile and continued, "At that time, I thought that after killing them, I would commit suicide. But then I got caught and was given a suspended death sentence. That meant I would almost spend my whole life in prison, but I didn’t want that. Suddenly, I realized that I didn’t even want to be locked up, let alone die."
"Perhaps only each person has the right to choose their own life path," Chen Lin said suddenly with deep eyes. "If given another chance, I definitely wouldn’t choose to kill them. But sometimes it’s like this: every decision you make for someone else can lead to unexpected consequences."
Chen Lin asked seriously, "So have you really made up your mind?"
Liu Fei'er replied decisively, "I’m ready. I've been ready since I was sixteen. And we won’t hurt anyone; I'll pretend to be kidnapped and ask Liu Yinyan for a large sum of money. Then we can escape far away with my father. A few tens of millions is nothing for Liu Yinyan."
Chen Lin sighed and said, "But don’t you really want to discuss this with your father? If you make such a decision on your own, will he agree?"
Liu Fei'er smiled and said, "I know he won’t agree; that’s why I'm doing it this way. If you love someone but can’t be together openly and have to hide all your life, what’s the point? Look at how healthy Liu Yinyan is; he probably won’t die until he’s ninety. By then, I'll be forty!"
Chen Lin wanted to say something more but gave up when he saw Liu Fei'er’s determined gaze.
After a long pause, Chen Lin said, "Since you've made up your mind, we can start acting soon. Before we act, I've already bribed a security guard so we can leave this place unnoticed. Then I'll call Liu Yinyan and tell him to prepare thirty million."
Liu Fei'er thanked him sincerely, "Chen Lin, thank you so much."
Chen Lin shook his head and replied lightly, "You don’t need to thank me; just hope that when the time comes, you won’t regret it like I did. Liu Yinyan treats you very well; don’t you think so?"
Liu Fei'er fell silent; she wanted an apple but Liu Yinyan had given her an orange orchard.
At noon, Chen Lin ran down from the balcony with Liu Fei'er.
According to Chen Lin's plan, if a security guard went missing, the police would certainly realize it was not just a disappearance but a kidnapping case. At that point, he would call Liu Yinyan, who would undoubtedly think he was the kidnapper. Once he got the thirty million, Liu Fei'er and her biological father would flee to another country, while he would continue living a fugitive's life.
The person responsible for their escape was Lin Da.
However, Chen Lin never expected that waiting for them at their agreed-upon location was another group of people.
This group was even more ruthless and bloodthirsty than Chen Lin; they kidnapped Lin Da and killed Chen Lin.
They left a bloody message using the lipstick that Chen Lin had used, beginning to convey clues in their own way. The underground parking lot where Chen Lin had gone to buy Beef Tapeworm was marked by a car they intentionally left behind, with leaves embedded in the tires that could only be found around the villa.
After that, everything fell into place.
We gradually walked into the trap set by this new group of kidnappers. They replaced Chen Lin and kidnapped Liu Fei'er while also capturing Lin Da's daughter.
Liu Fei'er had planned to escape with her biological father but unexpectedly fell into the hands of real kidnappers. Throughout this ordeal, Liu Fei'er believed her father was unaware of what was happening.
Yet the only person who could have betrayed her was him; there was no one else.
For several days, the kidnappers did not make a single phone call because they were busy dealing with the aftermath of Liu Fei'er's abduction.
They used Lin Da's daughter to coerce him into doing their bidding, deliberately leaving various clues for him. They even allowed Lin Da to be captured by us and intentionally led us to discover the factory where Liu Fei'er and Liu Yinyan were kidnapped. Everything was meticulously arranged for us by them.
This is why we struggled to understand the kidnappers' intentions; it explained why they seemed terrified of being exposed at first but later left clues everywhere. The truth was that this case involved two different groups of people. Wu Zui's gang was clearly more deranged.
As events unfolded, we learned that Wu Zui was not targeting Liu Fei'er but rather Liu Yinyan. Only by eliminating someone of Liu Yinyan's stature could they stir up chaos in Dongxing City. Wu Zui's group seemed to revel in bringing down significant figures from their pedestals.
At this point in the case, the truth became clear.
Initially, it was Liu Fei'er who orchestrated her own "kidnapping," while at the end, it was Wu Zui who plotted to murder Liu Yinyan. The two cases were seamlessly intertwined by Wu Zui, leaving no room for error. If it hadn't been for our accidental vigilance, we might have never uncovered the truth.
With one finger lost, Liu Fei'er held tightly onto her father, whose face was streaked with tears. Her father had no idea what lengths Liu Fei'er had gone to just to be with him. She could abandon her family of twenty years and forsake her mother.
But perhaps Liu Fei'er did not realize she might merely be a substitute for her mother. Her father's betrayal likely stemmed from a desire for both Liu Yinyan and Liu Fei'er to perish so he could rekindle his relationship with Liu Feier's mother. However, Wu Zui would never reveal this information to us, leaving us in ignorance of the full truth.
The most bewildered must have been Liu Yinyan, wondering why all his lifelong efforts had suddenly crumbled away in an instant.
"At fifty, one knows their fate, but here I am at seventy, unable to even see through the hearts of others. How can I understand fate?"
These were the words spoken by Liu Yinyan one night. His expression, his gestures, his sorrow and weariness resonated deeply within me.
Three lives were lost: an innocent security guard, a fugitive named Chen Lin, and the leading figure in the venture capital world, Liu Yinyan.
And Liu Fei'er herself had lost a finger.
Perhaps Chen Lin was right; when one makes decisions for others, it often backfires.
I did not ask Liu Fei'er whether she regretted her actions or felt guilty. I didn't inquire if her father had other intentions, perhaps seeing Liu Fei'er as a substitute.
There was truly no need to dig into someone's wounds; I wasn't a good doctor and didn't enjoy playing Wu Zui's "secret game." Everyone should have their own secrets buried in their hearts—whether good or bad, joyful or tormenting.
As the three of us left the bakery, Liu Fei'er finally broke down in heart-wrenching sobs.
She hadn't cried this hard even in the face of death.
Sometimes, whether someone is moved or not is a question they must ask themselves.
"Is this how it ends?" Gu Chen asked me blankly. "Don't we need to take her back to the police station?"
I shook my head and looked up at the dark sky. "There's no need. Liu Fei'er's actions have already punished her enough. Taking her back to the police station wouldn't mean anything. I just wanted to know the truth of the matter, but sometimes the truth is something you'd rather not know."
"And you?" I turned to Song Zhe. "You'd best keep this matter to yourself."
Song Zhe said nothing, merely nodding silently. It seemed that witnessing someone's image completely shatter had taken a significant toll on him.
"Shall we head back now?" Gu Chen asked.
I nodded. "Let's go back. I'm tired and want to get some proper sleep."
Sitting in the car, I watched as shops whizzed by outside. The loudspeakers outside were still blasting energetic music, stirring an impulse to dance along. Pedestrians hurried by on the street, bustling about. Cars zoomed past us with blaring horns accompanying them.
Dongxing City was a bustling metropolis where everyone could find their place. They were busy chasing their own futures, striving for what they desired. But what were they truly busy for? Why were so many unable to attain what they wanted without resorting to desperate measures?
Or perhaps once a person gets what they desire, they only crave something else?
Gu Chen turned on the car radio, and a soft song began to play.
Do not assume that I know everything, everything is done for me. Why is it so great yet feels so distant? Wouldn't it be wonderful if love were expressed in words?
I only remember once when we truly connected, riding our bicycles together, embracing tightly against each other's backs. It was hard to part; I wanted to hold on a little longer. Life feels vast and desolate, like a wilderness. If only a child could rest on their father's shoulder.
Who wants to get off the bike...
Does Liu Yinyan really not know that his daughter is not his biological child? Or has he accepted Liu Fei'er as his own over the twenty years of their relationship?
I truly do not know the answer to this question.
But Liu Yinyan is a sharp and decisive venture capitalist; perhaps he knows.
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