After New Year’s Day, life settled into a three-point routine: the school, the company, and the Zhou residence. He Qian had once again become a canary deprived of its freedom.
As the semester neared its end, the school entered finals week and classes ceased. Zhou Xuying could now command He Qian’s time at will. With the end of the year approaching, Zhou Xuying was busy preparing his new company for operation and did not have much time to torment He Qian.
However, He Qian was not exactly idle. He had to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Zhou Xuying; during the remaining hours, he could choose between staying at school or returning to the Zhou residence. He Qian cherished this time, knowing that the upcoming winter break would likely mean a return to his previous, more restricted life.
The only silver lining was that Xia Tian’s case was finally being retried, sparking a wave of public interest online. Xia Tian’s condition had improved significantly, and she was now capable of appearing in court. The long-delayed truth was finally about to be revealed.
But then, Xia Tian disappeared.
He Qian was studying in the school library when he received a call from Xia Tianming. Xia Tianming said that he had gone out to buy groceries, and when he returned, the front door had been kicked open. Xia Tian was gone!
He Qian’s heart skipped a beat. Forcing himself to stay calm, he told Xia Tianming to report it to the police immediately. Typically, a case cannot be filed until a person has been missing for 24 hours, but given Xia Tian’s circumstances, it was impossible for her to have left home on her own. Based on Xia Tianming’s statement, the police began reviewing traffic surveillance footage.
He Qian gathered his books and left the library, calling Zhou Xuying repeatedly. Three calls in a row went straight to a busy signal. As he reached the school gates, a Bentley drove toward him, and his phone finally rang.
He Qian got into the car, but before he could speak, Zhou Xuying cut him off: “I already know.”
Principal Wei Ze was expected to be promoted to the Bureau of Education. However, with the retrial scheduled before his promotion, the Bureau was paying close attention to the case. They wanted to wait for the outcome. Fearing that his career and reputation would be ruined, Wei Ze had been driven to a desperate, risky move.
Wei Ze was no fool; he had created an alibi for himself and had flown to Linhai City that morning. Xia Tian had disappeared only an hour ago. Whether Wei Ze was actually in the capital remained a mystery, and it was unknown if Xia Tian would be silenced or imprisoned. Neither outcome boded well.
Zhou Xuying lit a cigarette and leaned his head on his hand, slowly exhaling smoke rings. The driver asked, “President Zhou, are we going to Linhai City?”
Zhou Xuying tapped his finger against the car door, a long trail of ash falling away. “Go to the Wei residence.”
He Qian was confused. “If he wants to clear his name, he would definitely create an alibi. Linhai City is the best choice.”
“He has a twin brother who is a murderer,” Zhou Xuying replied.
The Wei Residence
Zhou Xuying sat in the Bentley and waited for half an hour after taking a phone call. Finally, a Toyota pulled up to the Wei residence. A group of men in black stepped out; He Qian noticed prominent tattoos on the backs of their hands. They entered the Wei home almost by force.
Mrs. Wei came out, clutching a child in her arms. “What are you doing?”
Zhou Xuying stepped out of the car, ignoring her. He took the child from her arms and asked indifferently, “How old?” His sharp eyes locked onto the toddler’s face as he reached up to gently pinch the child’s cheek.
Trembling at Zhou Xuying’s intimidating presence, Mrs. Wei stammered, “Two, two years old.”
“How long do you want him to live?” Zhou Xuying asked with a chilling, hollow smile.
Mrs. Wei’s legs went weak. “Who are you? What do you want?”
He Qian opened the car door and stepped out. “Zhou Xuying.”
Zhou Xuying’s cold gaze was like a knife. “Get back in the car!”
He Qian did not dare move again. Two men in black stood directly in front of him and made a gesture for him to return to the vehicle. He Qian was forced back into the car. Surely, Zhou Xuying would not be that insane.
After He Qian was back in the car, Zhou Xuying entered the Wei residence. Two men from the Toyota dragged someone out of their vehicle. The person was covered in blood, leaving a trail on the ground as they were dragged into the house.
Half an hour later, Zhou Xuying emerged from the Wei residence, smoking a cigarette. He was dragging someone by one leg, leaving a fresh streak of blood on the pavement. Blood completely masked the man’s face; it was only when they were within five meters that He Qian could see clearly.
It was Wei Ze!
Zhou Xuying stepped over the man’s legs, tied him up, and glanced at the pale-faced He Qian. “Sit in the front.”
He Qian obediently moved from the back seat to the front. Zhou Xuying grabbed the man by the neck, opened the car door, and kicked the half-dead body inside. He then got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
Zhou Xuying’s knuckles were covered in blood. He Qian’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to them. Zhou Xuying’s features were sharp and commanding. His long, thin hands possessed a startling, morbid beauty when stained with blood.
“Scared?”
At a red light, Zhou Xuying used a break in the driving to wipe away the blood with a tissue. He glanced into the rearview mirror, his sharp eyes filled with danger. He Qian snapped back to reality.
“No.” He Qian looked back at the man he thought was Wei Ze. “Did he say where Xia Tian is?”
Zhou Xuying reached out with one hand and forcibly turned He Qian’s head back. “Do not look at other men.”
He Qian wiped his face.
“He is not Wei Ze. He is a murderer and the real culprit.”
Wei Ze was a child from the mountains. He had a twin brother, Wei Qiang. When they were eight, Wei Qiang reportedly fell off a cliff with their father and died. The death was a lie to escape responsibility. Wei Ze’s father had not fallen; he had been killed by Wei Qiang and Wei Ze together. Although the father was a terrible man, Wei Qiang used the staged death to vanish.
Later, Wei Ze relied on his excellent grades to get into a university in the capital, and his career took off from there. Meanwhile, his twin brother grew up in the shadows, becoming a psychopathic murderer. Because he was legally dead, his DNA was removed from the database, making him a “ghost” with no legal identity.
Upon learning his older brother had become a principal, he went to the capital for help. Feeling guilty, Wei Ze took him in. Some people are born monsters, and that was certainly true for Wei Qiang. He used Wei Ze’s identity to commit numerous crimes. This was how Wei Ze had escaped the initial DNA testing.
Despite the public outcry, Wei Qiang had never been punished. He became increasingly brazen, even working with local thugs to secretly harass the Xia family.
Zhou Xuying drove the car to the Sunset Tower on the outskirts of the city and drifted to a stop. He turned back to look at Wei Qiang. “You know the consequences of lying to me.”
Wei Qiang spat out a mouthful of blood. “Heh.” The only shred of humanity left in him was his brother’s son. If it were not for that child, Zhou Xuying would be waiting to collect Xia Tian’s corpse.
Zhou Xuying stepped out of the car and looked at He Qian. His dark eyes were full of warning, telling He Qian not to do anything as foolish as trying to run. He Qian frowned but stayed in the car without moving.
Zhou Xuying slammed the car door shut and walked toward the Sunset Tower.
Once Zhou Xuying was out of earshot, Wei Qiang’s chest heaved as he laughed even louder. He lifted his bloody face; a stream of blood ran down one side of his face from a bloodshot eye. It was a terrifying sight.
“Hey, let us run together,” Wei Qiang suggested insanely.
“You cannot escape.”
“How do you know? I can take you with me! I have been running for years. If it were not for those damn thugs ratting me out, Zhou Xuying never would have found me!”
He Qian remained silent. He would not help a criminal like Wei Qiang escape justice. To the Xia family, this delayed justice was the dawn that would lead them out of the darkness.
Wei Qiang continued to talk to himself. “Zhou Xuying scrambled to be someone’s illegitimate son, and after he used them up, he even killed their only son! Are you really not going to run?”
He Qian’s heart suddenly sank. “What do you mean?”
Seeing that He Qian was unaware, Wei Qiang laughed even harder. “You do not know?”
Wei Qiang grew excited. “I am telling you, Zhou Xuying begged to go to the Zhou family as an illegitimate son! He is a goddamn bastard with no father or mother!”