It was already one o’clock in the morning when my wife rushed home in a hurry, reeking of alcohol.
She went straight to the bathroom and started vomiting. The vomit was mixed with semi – transparent white liquid.
I quickly patted her on the back. “Wasn’t it a meeting? Why did you drink?”
My wife wiped her mouth. “It was a last – minute dinner gathering. The leader demanded it, and I couldn’t refuse.
“You go to sleep first. I’m going to take a bath.”
With that, my wife walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
I frowned, feeling a bit depressed. I always felt that something was wrong.
An hour passed, and my wife still hadn’t come out. I went to knock on the door, and she answered, “I’ll soak for a while longer. You go to sleep first.”
I couldn’t hold on anymore, went back to the bedroom, and fell asleep in a daze.
The next morning, when I woke up, my wife was not in the bedroom. I quickly ran to the bathroom and found that the door was locked.
I panicked and immediately kicked the bathroom door open. When I went in, I found my wife lying in the bathtub.
Her face was pale, bloodless, and her body, soaked in the cold water, had already become a bit stiff.
1
At that moment, my mind was in a whirl. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
I touched my wife’s face. It was extremely cold. I really didn’t want to believe that overnight, we were separated by death.
Sobbing sounds came from the door. I looked back and saw my daughter, Xiaoran.
“What’s wrong with mom?”
“She’s dead.”
At the age of ten, she might not have a clear concept of “death,” but she clearly felt that at this moment, no matter how much she called for her mother, no one would answer anymore.
The police and the forensic doctor arrived quickly. They found an empty bottle of sleeping pills on the edge of the bathtub.
“Preliminary judgment is that she took a large number of sleeping pills, causing respiratory failure. Suicide is suspected.”
The forensic doctor then asked for my opinion. “Do you need an autopsy?”
I shook my head firmly. “An autopsy is a second – time injury. There’s no need. Let her go with dignity.”
After handling the aftermath, I took my wife’s phone and started to think.
In her phone’s chat history, there was a meeting at six o’clock in the evening on the day she committed suicide.
The person marked as the finance department’s Supervisor Wang sent a message: “Xiaoxin, call President Zhang and President Li. The four of us will talk about the annual financial report.”
The last message in the four – person group was sent by Supervisor Wang at eleven o’clock that night: “The table is reserved. We’ll set off in a quarter of an hour.”
I sorted out my wife’s clothes from that day and found abnormal stains on her underwear. I also collected some vomit.
I took these two things to a third – party company for testing.
The results showed that there was semen in both the vomit and the underwear stains, and they were consistent. Moreover, it was from three people.
My heart ached as if being cut by a thousand knives. I cried until I was dehydrated.
I couldn’t imagine what kind of inhumane torture my wife had endured that day. If I didn’t avenge this, I would be unworthy of being a man!
2
I conducted a detailed investigation.
The people who attended the meeting at that time, besides my wife’s direct superior, the finance supervisor Wang Chao, were the procurement manager Li Zilong and the company’s vice – president Zhang Dawei.
I sent a message to Wang Chao using my wife’s WeChat: “President Wang, there are some situations I want to report to you in person.”
The other party quickly replied: “Xiaoxin, you haven’t been to work for two days. I thought something happened to you!
“I’m at home. Come over now. Room 1808, Lijing Building.”
When I arrived, I knocked on the door. A man stuck his head out and looked at me with a puzzled face. “Who are you?”
“Hello, President Wang. I’m Liu Xin’s husband. She’s buying something downstairs and will come up soon.
“I brought you some local specialties. It’s a bit heavy, so I brought it up first.”
I patted the iron box wrapped in a blanket at my feet. The man smiled amiably and let me in.
He was of medium build, looked young, and wore a pair of gold – rimmed glasses, looking very gentle.
I looked around. The house was exquisitely decorated and very luxurious. “Are you home alone?”
The man motioned for me to sit down and said, “Oh, I’m single and live alone.”
I replied, “President Wang is young and promising, focusing on his career.”
He laughed. “Hey, it’s definitely different from people like you.”
Seeing that my face changed, he said again, “Xiaoxin mentioned you. You sell pork.
“Getting up early and staying up late, earning a little money. It’s very hard, right?”
I nodded.
He crossed his legs, squinted at me, and had a somewhat playful expression. “Xiaoxin, didn’t tell you anything, did she?”
My heart skipped a beat, and I replied, “She didn’t say anything. I never inquire about work matters.
“But as a family member, I have to care about her health. It was so distressing that she worked overtime until the early morning last time!”
He hurriedly took out twenty thousand yuan from the drawer and threw it in front of me. “Take this. Xiaoxin does work hard. Consider it a personal subsidy from me.
“Kill fewer pigs and do less evil.”
He grinned, his eyes full of mockery.
I smiled along and said, “Tell me, what were you big leaders talking about when you kept a married woman in a meeting until the early morning?”
Wang Chao’s expression immediately froze, and he didn’t dare to look me in the eye. “Oh, this is work – related. You’re an uneducated person. Even if I tell you, you won’t understand.
“Xiaoxin is knowledgeable and beautiful. She’s good at accounting. It’s a pity she married you.”
I took out a small knife and twirled it in my hand. “That’s true. After all, I only know how to butcher pigs.”
He sat up straight, his eyes full of fear. “What do you want to do?!”
I was quick – eyed and quick – handed. I stabbed the knife into his thigh, accurately and deeply.
The man screamed in pain and tried to fight back. I pushed the small knife back and forth, and the wound gradually widened.
Only then did he not dare to move, just shouting, “It hurts, it hurts. Dad, you’re my dad. Please, stop.”
I grabbed his head and slammed it hard on the coffee table, pried open his mouth, stuffed it into the edge of the coffee table, and then stepped heavily on his head. Several of his teeth instantly fell out.
Wang Chao cried and begged for mercy. I grabbed his collar and dragged him to the bathroom. “Okay, let’s both calm down.”
3
I found some tape, tied his hands behind his back, pushed him into the bathtub, and turned on the faucet.
Probably because the water was too cold, Wang Chao was shivering.
When the water level rose above his chest, I turned off the faucet and pulled the small knife out of his thigh.
With his scream, the bathtub gradually turned red.
He trembled and said, “You, you, what do you, want to do?”
I carried the iron box in and opened it. There were ice cubes of various sizes inside.
As I grabbed the ice cubes and threw them into the bathtub, I said, “What exactly did you do that day?”
Wang Chao’s lips turned purple from the cold. “We, had a meeting. There was a financial matter that needed… needed your, wife’s cooperation.”
The water in the bathtub had completely turned red, and his lips were gradually turning white.
There were only a few ice cubes left in the iron box. I stroked my hair and sat down. “Is there anything else?”
The man was already a bit out of breath. Probably knowing there was no hope.
He grinned his bloody mouth and laughed. “No, I didn’t expect to fall into the hands of a piece of trash like you.
“Hehe, we, we, fucked your wife!”
The cold air in the bathtub made the entire bathroom cool down, like a winter night outdoors, with only endless cold left.
Wang Chao gradually closed his eyes. His face was bloodless, and his whole body was like a sculpture, dying alone.
I quickly cleaned the whole house, erased all possible traces, then closed the door and left calmly.
At night, I cooked a thick pot of porridge at home.
My daughter woke up not long after she went to sleep and climbed up. Her eyes were red and swollen. “Dad, I dreamed of mom.”
When I heard this, I almost couldn’t hold it in. My eyes immediately turned red.
The past events were vivid in my mind.
My wife and I met in college. She studied finance and has been engaged in related work after graduation.
My wife worked conscientiously. She wasn’t very flexible and had always been an ordinary employee, but she enjoyed it.
Two years ago, my wife had a serious illness after eating pork with swine fever outside.
At that time, I was just laid off, so I simply opened a small pig farm. I raised and sold pigs, focusing on health and hygiene.
My wife was very supportive. She often said that although I was a pig butcher, my original intention was good, and it was definitely beneficial to the local area.
In my heart, my wife was an upright and kind – hearted person. What she brought to me and my daughter was always praise and encouragement.
I couldn’t imagine that she left us just like that.
My daughter leaned on my shoulder, and her tears streamed down. “Dad, why did mom commit suicide?”
I looked sad and replied, “She had her own difficulties. It’s all my fault. I didn’t notice in time and didn’t care enough about mom.
“But don’t worry, baby. Those who once hurt mom, I won’t let any of them go!”
4
One morning, a white Audi was parked downstairs of my wife’s company.
A man got into the car. I knocked on the window. While he was looking out, I opened the rear door and got in.
“Damn it, who are you? What are you doing in my car?”
The man in the driver’s seat cursed. He was a bit bald, overweight, and had several chins.
I took out a small knife and pressed it against his neck. “Li Zilong, right? Don’t make a sound, or I’ll stab you!”
The man was so scared that he was sweating profusely and nodded repeatedly.
I put my phone on the front – row bracket. “The navigation is set. Just follow it.”
The man started the car tremblingly. About half an hour later, we arrived in front of a river in the suburbs. There was no one around.
Li Zilong’s hand was disobedient and secretly tried to unbuckle the seat belt. I cut the small knife into his neck, and blood immediately oozed out.
He screamed in pain. “Big brother, big brother, spare my life! Let’s talk things over!”
I tapped the phone screen, and a piece of news was playing. A man in this city died accidentally in his bathtub.
Li Zilong was trembling with fear. “Isn’t this Wang Chao? He’s dead?!”
I said, “Not only him, but my wife, Liu Xin, is also dead.”
He became even more flustered and muttered to himself. “Damn it, could it be Zhang Dawei who did it?”
Then he said to me, “Brother, their two deaths have nothing to do with me!
“I suspect it was Zhang Dawei. He’s the vice – president of our company. Recently, your wife was checking the accounts and found a 5 – million – yuan deficit in the company. It was the project he led!
“A few days ago, he called us to a meeting and wanted your wife to help falsify the accounts, but your wife didn’t agree. So, he might have harbored hatred and killed her!”
I asked, “Was there anything else that day besides the meeting?”
Li Zilong rolled his eyes quickly. “No, there wasn’t!”
I tied his hands behind his back, took out a wire, wrapped it around his neck, tied a knot behind the headrest, and then used pliers to keep twisting the wire knot.
Li Zilong’s neck was getting tighter and tighter, and he started to go crazy involuntarily. “Bro, brother, I, I’ll tell you!”
I stopped twisting my hand. He coughed violently a few times. “Your, your wife didn’t agree to falsify the accounts. Zhang Dawei and Wang Chao forced her to drink.
“Then, then, we, we raped her.”
I said calmly, “Do you deserve to die?”
When he heard this, he immediately panicked and begged for mercy. “Brother, brother, I’ve been in procurement for so many years. There are too many such things. It’s inevitable.
“I’m very sorry. Look, I’ll give you one million yuan. Can it be considered as atonement? As long as you spare my life!
“With one million yuan, it’s enough to marry another wife!”
I twisted the pliers, and the wire got tighter and tighter until he opened his mouth wide. Then I lowered the seat and made him lie semi – reclined.
I opened the rice cooker I brought with me and spooned the thick porridge into his mouth.
Until I couldn’t pour it in anymore, I took a towel, covered his face with it, and kept pouring water on it.
Li Zilong twitched wildly, and his movements became smaller and smaller until he stopped moving.
I checked his breath, confirmed that he had suffocated to death, then packed up my things and wiped away all the traces in the car.
I released the handbrake, closed the car door, and let it slowly slide into the river.
Late at night, I was looking at my wife’s photo at the table, and my eyes were moist. “There’s only one left, the biggest villain!”
Early one morning, when I was sending my daughter to school, as soon as I opened the door, several policemen stood at the door and motioned for me to go with them.
“For several recent cases, we need you to cooperate with our investigation!”
5
In the interrogation room, the young policeman came straight to the point. “Recently, two senior executives of Deming Company died one after another. Do you know this news?”
I pretended to be nonchalant. “I don’t know. What does other people’s life and death have to do with me?”
“But it has something to do with your wife!”
The policeman’s expression became serious. “According to our investigation, these two deceased had a meeting with your wife before they died.”
I smiled. “So what? Since they are senior executives, having a lot of meetings is normal, right? Bringing up my wife, what do you mean?”
The policeman waved his hand. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s just a coincidence. There were only four people in that meeting, including your wife. Now three of them are dead. Of course, this is worthy of our suspicion.
“What’s even more strange is that the two male deceased, through our investigation, can be determined to be homicides, but your wife committed suicide.”
I became a bit impatient. “What exactly do you want to say?”
The policeman smiled. “Don’t be in a hurry. Do you think there’s a possibility of vendetta and revenge here?”
I asked, “Who revenges whom?”
He showed a proud expression. “People commit suicide for a reason, most likely because of injustice.
“You killed them to avenge your wife.”
This made me a bit fidgety. “Officer, do you usually solve cases like this?
“Of course, it’s okay to have bold suspicions, but doesn’t solving a case always require evidence?
“Besides, there are so many people who commit suicide in the world. There are those who are depressed, those who are in debt. Which one of them doesn’t involve some injustice? Do you have to investigate all of them?”
He suddenly patted the table. “We will definitely investigate. If you did it, I will never let you go!”
I took a long breath. “Officer, there’s no need to be like this. If I’m guilty, the law will punish me, not you.”
He was so angry that his eyes were wide open. At this time, an old police officer with gray hair came in with a thermos cup.
He patted the other police officer’s shoulder, motioning for him to calm down.
The old police officer said to me, “Mr. Chen, we are just getting to know the situation for now. However, your wife’s suicide may not be so quickly determined. It needs to be reinvestigated.”
I nodded.
He took a sip of water and then asked, “I heard that you used to do intelligence analysis?”
I started to think. “Yes. Before opening the pig farm, I worked in an Internet company on public opinion – related work.”
The old policeman’s casual question really made me nervous.
To say that I directly dealt with two people like this and haven’t been caught until now has something to do with that previous experience.
Before taking action, a careful plan is needed, and the perfection of the plan requires a lot of intelligence support.
I never fight an unprepared battle. Even more, I have a team.
So, I quickly said, “Your summons today made me unable to send my child to school.
“I never ask about my wife’s work, so I probably can’t help much.”
The old police officer nodded. “Okay, that’s it for today. By the way, your daughter is in the next room. You can leave together.”
6
I was startled, immediately picked up my daughter, and drove her back.
On the way, I asked my daughter, “What did the police uncle ask you?”
She replied, “Nothing special. He just asked if there was anything strange about mom before she committed suicide.
“I said everything as usual. There was nothing strange. Dad, did they give you a hard time?”
I shook my head and immediately changed the subject. “I almost forgot. Let’s go to school first and help you ask for leave.”
My daughter said, “No need. The police uncle with gray hair has already asked for leave for me.”
“Did he take you to school?”
“Yeah. He drove me there and waited for me at the school gate. I went in by myself to ask the teacher for leave.”
A warm feeling welled up in my heart.
It had been a few days since my wife’s accident, and it couldn’t be kept completely secret. I was particularly worried about my daughter’s situation at school.
I couldn’t imagine what kind of gossip she would face if the police appeared around her at this time.
At this moment, the green light came on. Just as I was about to start, a large SUV suddenly appeared from the side, rushing towards us at high speed and instantly flipping my car over.
The huge impact made the car roll several times until it hit a big tree by the roadside and stopped.
My head was dizzy, and there was blood in my line of sight. I touched my forehead. It was painful and sticky. I probably had a head injury.
I quickly looked at my daughter. Her whole face was buried in the airbag. I quickly shook her and shouted several times, “Xiaoran, are you okay?”
She slowly said, “Dad, my head… it’s so dizzy.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Just then, several footsteps approached.
I immediately tensed up, unbuckled my seatbelt, and struggled to climb out of the car. Unexpectedly, a heavy punch came towards me.
Two masked men grabbed me and started beating me up.
I held my head tightly and fought back. Obviously, these two were good at fighting and definitely not ordinary people.
After creating some space, I secretly took out the small knife I carried with me. When one of them kicked me, I grabbed his leg and quickly inserted the knife into his thigh.
The man let out a cry of pain, pushed me away, and stepped back, covering his leg.
The other man knew I was not easy to deal with, so he slowed down and took up a fighting stance. However, I wasn’t afraid of a one – on – one fight.
That man also took out a knife. After several rounds, perhaps due to nervousness, he showed a flaw. I grabbed his arm and quickly slashed it a few times.
I was very familiar with cutting meat. In just a few moves, he lost his combat ability.
At this time, people were already coming from afar. Seeing that things were not going well, the two quickly retreated and drove away.
Watching them run away, I was helpless. I really couldn’t hold on any longer and fell to the ground.
7
My daughter and I were quickly sent to the hospital. After examination, my daughter was fine, just a bit of a mild concussion.
At this time, the police arrived at the hospital. It was the old man with gray hair again.
After entering the room, he said, “The accident site was very remote, with few people. It seems like an ambush.
“Do you think there’s anything strange?”
I shook my head and said, “Nothing strange. Maybe it was just a traffic accident. After the accident, the other party just ran away.”
He nodded and didn’t ask any more questions. He just said, “Okay. However, the case has become more complicated. If you have any information, be sure to notify us in time.”
With that, he left me a contact number and left.
But I was suspicious. Those two were obviously professionals doing dirty work.
Since they were after me, most likely they were sent by Zhang Dawei.
The consecutive deaths of the two senior executives of Deming Company had already made it to the top search. Now, it was all over the city.
I had a bad premonition. I should end this as soon as possible and not delay any longer.
But before that, I needed to arrange for Xiaoran properly. I couldn’t let her get involved anymore.
After we were discharged from the hospital, I talked to my daughter and planned to apply for her to take a leave of absence from school. After everything was over, we would move to a new place and start a new life.
One day, I took her to school, being very careful all the way. We walked among the crowd to avoid being ambushed again.
However, after going through the procedures, my daughter disappeared.
I grabbed her homeroom teacher’s collar and shouted, “How could she disappear?”
The thin woman was frightened and started crying. “I don’t know what happened. Xiaoran just went to the bathroom, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone.”
The principal mobilized the teachers to search the whole school, but still, there was no sign of her.
I quickly rushed to the police station and reported the case. When the old man with gray hair heard this, his expression was very serious.
I almost burst into tears and said to him, “I’ve lost my wife. I can’t let anything happen to my daughter. I beg you, please find her!”
He nodded and comforted me, saying, “Don’t worry. We’ll organize people to start the investigation right away!”
At night, I checked all my tools and carefully looked at all the information about Zhang Dawei.
His office location in the company, his daily work arrangements, his eating habits, and the people he often contacted.
I rehearsed the plan in my mind countless times. Early the next morning, I set off to avenge my wife by killing the last beast.
8
Under the Deming Company building, there was a huge crowd. Many people were holding filming equipment, as if waiting for some important person.
This had been the norm since a few days ago. With two senior executives dying in a row, this influential company in the city had long been caught in an public opinion whirlpool.
People wanted to know what secrets were hidden behind this case.
Of course, various speculations and rumors were spreading everywhere.
“Many of this company’s businesses are not regular. Isn’t it enough to cheat ordinary people?”
“Those two dead senior executives were not good people. They must have been retaliated against!”
“My relative’s daughter went for an internship there and was sexually harassed by a senior executive. It’s a mess inside!”
All kinds of negative information about Wang Chao and Li Zilong had been dug up.
As a result, who would be the next became the focus of people’s conversations during meals.
I entered the building. In the janitor’s room, I used a wet towel with anesthetic to knock out a cleaner, changed into his clothes, put on a mask, and then went directly to the 8th floor.
The employees of Deming Company worked on the 7th floor, while Zhang Dawei’s office was on the 8th floor, which was relatively quiet and safe.
I pushed the cleaning cart to the 8th floor and immediately saw his secretary preparing refreshments in the pantry.
I went up to him and struck up a conversation. “Secretary Guo, does President Zhang’s room need to be cleaned?”
He looked at me with disgust, didn’t even look me in the eye, and said impatiently, “No.”
I asked again, “Then is there anywhere else that needs to be cleaned?”
Finally, he lost his patience. “Damn it, are you annoying? Get out of here!”
He then pointed at his watch and said to me, “If you delay President Zhang’s afternoon tea, I’ll kill you!”
After I walked away, I found two tall men at the door of Zhang Dawei’s office. I recognized them at a glance. They were the two who had crashed into my car.
I walked to a place not far from them, took off my mask, and when the two turned around and saw me, their expressions immediately changed, and they quickly chased after me.
I quickly ran towards the staircase entrance and hid at the door. When the first person pushed the door open and came in, I took the opportunity to insert a knife into his neck.
A stream of hot blood spurted out immediately. That person was indeed well – trained. He held onto the knife tightly, not letting me pull it out.
The second person followed in. I had to let go. He looked at his fallen companion and without saying a word, started fighting with me.
We wrestled with each other, evenly matched. Then we rolled down the stairs together. In a panic, I grabbed his clothes, pulled them off with a tug, and then managed to stand up.
That person took out a gun from his waist. Almost at the same moment, I used the clothes in my hand to wrap around his arm and cover the gun, making him unable to determine the direction of the muzzle.
The man slammed the gun at my head. I fell down as he intended and brought him down to the ground as well.
Bang, bang, two gunshots rang out!
My adrenaline was surging, and I didn’t feel any pain. I grabbed his head and slammed it hard on the ground about a dozen times until he passed out.
I tidied up my clothes, stood up, and walked towards Zhang Dawei’s office.
9
I knocked on the door, and a voice inside replied, “Come in!”
When I entered, Zhang Dawei was sitting behind a huge desk, with his back to me, talking on the phone.
“What’s going on with your HR department? There are a few fewer girls among this year’s interns.
“Recruit some more. Pay attention to the resumes. Be sure to include lifestyle photos. Send them all to Xiao Guo. He’ll do a preliminary review, and then I’ll conduct the interviews myself!
“Now that the company is big, for new employees, we should pay more attention to their figures and looks. Aim for the flight – attendant standard. That’s more presentable!”
After putting down the phone, he mumbled another sentence, “Xiao Guo, didn’t you just bring in the tea?”
When he looked up and saw me, he was shocked, his eyes almost popping out.
He had a square face, wore glasses, and looked like a decent person. He asked me, “Are you Liu Xin’s husband?”
I smiled. “I didn’t expect President Zhang to know me.”
He grinned and laughed. He took out a gun from the drawer, loaded it, pointed it at me, and then slowly walked out from behind the desk.
“Of course I know you. You used to do intelligence work and were even a corporate spy. In college, you were interested in the military, especially in the special – forces field.”
I was secretly startled. This guy had investigated me so thoroughly.
He sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said, “Since you’re here, it means that Wang Chao and Li Zilong must have been killed by you.”
I was sweating on my forehead and replied, “You’re much smarter than those two idiots.”
At this time, blood was flowing out of my left sleeve. The intense pain had already made me overwhelmed.
The second of the two gunshots had hit my left shoulder before.
When Zhang Dawei saw the blood on the ground, his expression immediately changed. “Did you kill my two bodyguards?”
I nodded.
He immediately stood up, thought for a while, and then laughed again. “It doesn’t matter. You were able to kill those two stupid pigs quietly.
“Today, here, I can also kill you. Disposing of the body is quite easy!”
Zhang Dawei stared at me and sighed. “Ah, you and your wife are both stubborn.
“In the workplace, it’s normal to have some personal sacrifices. None of the other female employees in the company committed suicide.
“Their families didn’t react either. But with you, it’s a big deal. You had to kill people.
“It’s just a matter of money. Just ask, and I could have given you tens of thousands of yuan. Is it necessary to go to such extremes?”
I covered my left shoulder and said mockingly, “Don’t you know that villains die from talking too much?”
He showed a surprised expression and suddenly slumped to the ground. The gun also dropped.
I slowly walked over and sat down beside him. “The tea your secretary brought in for you. I ground up two bottles of sleeping pills and some anesthetic powder and put them in it.
“Right now, you’re almost paralyzed.”
He looked terrified, trying to struggle but to no avail. His eyelids were already drooping.
I said, “Don’t sleep. If you sleep, you won’t wake up.”
I took his hand and placed it on the coffee table, then stabbed it with a knife. He let out a loud scream.
“That’s right. This will wake you up. Otherwise, if you pass out, who will I take revenge on?”
With that, I brought over the hot – water kettle, put his other hand in it, plugged it in, and started heating it.
He was shivering with pain and started begging for mercy. “I, I was wrong. Please spare me. I shouldn’t have touched your wife. I was wrong!
“How much money do you want? I, I’ll give it to you. Please, spare my life!”
The water started to boil, and he was in so much pain that he was biting his own tongue. But he didn’t even have the strength to do that.
After torturing him enough, I pulled out the knife, lifted him up, and carried him to the window. The cold wind was howling, and there was still a huge crowd downstairs.
Thinking of the scene of my wife lying in the bathtub, I gritted my teeth and threw Zhang Dawei down.
He landed right on a car and died on the spot.
This was a grand show of death. After people’s astonished expressions, there were countless flashes.
I laughed, but tears welled up in my eyes. Enduring the intense pain, I climbed up to the rooftop.
10
Standing on the edge of the rooftop, just as I was about to jump off, someone called out from behind.
“Dad!”
I was startled and looked back. It was Xiaoran, along with a man and a woman.
Xiaoran was crying loudly and said, “Dad, are you going to abandon me too?”
My tears kept flowing. I replied, “Xiaoran, dad can’t run away.”
I then glared at the man and the woman and said, “Why did you bring her here?”
The man replied, “Xiaoran insisted on coming. We couldn’t persuade her!”
The man was called Awen, and the woman was called Ali. They were colleagues from the pig farm and also members of my team. Years ago, they followed me as analysts. After I was pushed out of the company, they left with me.
For these revenge plans, they helped me collect a lot of information behind the scenes.
As for why Xiaoran was with them, it was my deliberate arrangement.
After the car accident, I realized that I wasn’t safe. For Xiaoran’s sake, I asked Awen and Ali to pick her up from school on purpose and protect her.
At the same time, reporting the case was also to distract the police’s attention so that I could avenge my wife by killing Zhang Dawei.
Xiaoran walked over. Her face was red from the wind. “Dad, you can’t leave me alone.”
I was crying uncontrollably. “Xiaoran, I’m a bad dad. I killed people, but I hope you can understand. This is how I loved your mom.”
She nodded. “Dad, you’ll always be the best in my heart.”
Awen said anxiously, “Boss, let’s go quickly. There’s still a chance before the police come.”
I shook my head. “It’s no use. I won’t leave. Seeing Xiaoran, I’m satisfied.”
I looked at my daughter and said to her, “Xiaoran, in the future, you won’t be alone. You’ll be with Awen and Ali.
“You’re so familiar with them. They’re like family. They’ll love you on behalf of mom and dad.”
My daughter stared at me blankly, just like she had stared at her mom in the bathtub that day.
I hugged her and said softly, “Forgive dad’s selfishness. Only in this way can I be worthy of mom.”
I pushed Xiaoran towards Awen. “Before the police come, you have to leave. I’ll surrender myself later.
“Please, take good care of Xiaoran.”
The two left with tears in their eyes, reluctantly taking Xiaoran away.
I will never forget the look in my daughter’s eyes when she looked back at me before disappearing, filled with pity and reluctance.
11
After the old police officer with gray hair came to the rooftop, I asked, “I still don’t know your name.”
He replied, “Qin Yimin.”
In the interrogation room, Officer Qin took out a report. “It took some time, but we finally found it.
“This is the test report you submitted to the third – party company. I think you know very well what’s in it.
“That is to say, the motive for the crime is quite sufficient. Revenge for your wife.”
I asked him for a cigarette, took a puff, and said, “It was only a matter of time before Officer Qin found out.
“Even for those two homicides, no matter how clean I erased the scenes, you would eventually find out.
“Here, I also want to apologize to you. I’ve caused you trouble. I’m willing to confess all my crimes.”
He picked up his thermos cup as usual, took a sip, and then turned around and went out.
On the day of the execution by shooting, I looked into the distance and silently said, “Xiaoran, I avenged mom. This is how I loved her.”
– End –
