“During my first time as a glamour model, I encountered continuous sexual harassment from the photographer.
During the shoot, he deliberately used his hands to ‘adjust’ my limbs, and occasionally touched places he shouldn’t.
But I never resisted.
Instead, I deliberately ‘feared’ him, lowered my head to avoid his gaze, made a shy expression, curled up slightly, or trembled slightly.
I knew he liked this look of ‘wanting to but not daring to resist’.
With my whole body, I showed him that I was a lamb at his mercy.
I had to do this.
Because only in this way could I get close to him and complete that perfect crime.
01
His name was Zhang Zijun. He was once my sister’s ‘benefactor’.
He was a rich second – generation and liked to take portrait photography.
My sister was his most satisfied model.
Later, the two got together, and he gave my sister a lot of money every month.
But the prerequisite was that my sister lived in his villa, regarded every word he said as an order.
She had to take photos with a large scale.
She had to clean the house and cook for him.
When he was not satisfied, she would be punished to stand or kneel.
Motionless, for several hours.
That day, my sister finally summoned up the courage to leave him.
But he went crazy with anger and directly locked my sister in the basement.
For 7 days.
Those 7 days, my sister lived worse than a beast.
My sister never told me these things.
Even after she escaped from that hell and talked to me on the phone, she just said she was doing well, very well, and had earned a lot of money.
Until she disappeared.
Then I saw her suicide note.
02
My name is Lv Xiaoqi, and I am a glamour model.
For one and a half months of cooperation with Zhang Zijun, I let him do as he pleased and took five sets of photos that could only be released on foreign websites.
I’ve been waiting.
Waiting for him to develop more desire for me, waiting for him to invite me to his home.
There, I would collect the debt for my sister.
A blood debt.
I. Lv Xiaoqi
01
On the second month and third day after I met him, we made an appointment at the studio at ten in the morning as usual.
That day, he took out a hemp rope as thick as a wrist and barbed wire from his bag.
He told me he had thought of a new theme.
“You’ll look beautiful in this,” he said.
When he said this, he was very excited.
I knew the opportunity had come.
That day, I proposed several moves that were even more dangerous than his design.
And I deliberately got my arm scratched by the wire.
When the stinging pain came, I exerted a sudden force.
In an instant, the sharp metal tore through my clothes, leaving a few – centimeter – long wound on my arm.
And it was deep enough for the blood to gush out and not stop within a few minutes.
I covered the wound, arranged my hand in a nice shape, and deliberately left a gap between my ring finger and little finger for the blood to flow out. Then, biting my lips, I secretly glanced at Zhang Zijun.
Sure enough, he was stunned there, his eyes fixed on my wound.
Immediately, he started pressing the shutter rapidly, taking close – ups of my wound, and hurriedly arranging the props and adjusting the lights, asking me to pose in more positions.
“One more time…” he muttered. “Hold on for a while longer…”
“Plasma can’t achieve this effect…”
“You really have to be in pain, really in pain, to have this expressiveness!”
During the moment he put down the camera, I clearly saw his eyes.
Those eyes were full of fanaticism.
It was clearly written in my sister’s suicide note.
His desire came from ‘harm’.
He didn’t like beautiful things.
He liked to see beautiful things destroyed in his own hands.
“What a pity,” he mumbled, very softly, but I heard it.
“What a pity, there’s only one wound.”
A chill ran through my body, but I also immediately realized that this was an excellent opportunity.
I walked up to him, raised my injured arm, and gently licked the wound.
Then, with my tongue, I smeared the blood on my lips.
The studio light tube shone from the upper right, in a sunset color, which was the most beautiful light for me.
I looked up at him.
And kissed a lip – print on his shirt.
He was stunned for a long time, and finally said, “Go to my place to deal with the wound.”
“It’s okay. It’s hardly bleeding anymore,” I said.
“No, it must be disinfected.”
His tone was calm, with an unprecedented tenderness.
But it was faked.
Because I was so close to him that I could hear his hungry – like heartbeat.
“Go to my home. Let’s go right now.”
Zhang Zijun.
You took the bait.
02
I arrived at Zhang Zijun’s house.
There was no one at home, but he had already asked someone to arrange a table of Western – style dinner, covered with a metal thermal cover.
I remained calm.
Pretended to be a girl who had never seen the world, being cautious from changing shoes, to getting bandaged, to sitting at the dining table.
Wasn’t a girl from a small city, innocent and inexperienced, supposed to be like this?
Wasn’t this exactly what Zhang Zijun liked?
After eating a little, Zhang Zijun took out a bottle of wine.
He said it was the best table wine.
He poured a glass for me and then for himself.
With a clink.
His glass collided with mine.
Then he drank it all in one go.
I knew there was probably a sleeping pill in that glass.
I said, “I’m allergic to alcohol.”
He was taken aback. “Really? Then drink this?”
He picked up a canned soda and reached out to open it for me.
And the opening method of this soda was an in – button type. When he handed it to me, part of the pull – ring had already been embedded in the water.
If there was medicine on his fingers, it had already dissolved in the water at this time.
He saw that I was holding the can but not drinking, so he motioned with the wine glass again. “Don’t worry. There’s no medicine in it.”
I pretended to be confused and asked him, “Then… where do you usually put the medicine?”
A flash of strangeness passed through his eyes, and then he immediately regained his smiling face.
“In the wine, but you didn’t drink it.”
“Oh,” I smiled. “But when I put medicine, I usually put it in the soup.”
“In the soup?”
“Yeah, borscht,” I pointed to the bowl he had emptied. “You only drink the table wine when you eat the fourth main course, but the soup is finished with the second course.”
He suddenly stood up, but then immediately staggered two steps.
“You… you’re courting death!”
Saying that, he grabbed my neck.
I couldn’t break free and immediately couldn’t speak.
His face was ferocious, and the strength in his hand seemed to be able to break my neck immediately.
“Just you? Just you!?”
03
04
My sister’s name is Lv Qiaoqiao. When our parents divorced, she followed my father.
He was a drunkard who gambled all day and was in debt.
I knew this scoundrel wouldn’t send my sister to school. He would only make my sister work as soon as possible to support him.
In the third month after parting with my sister, she said on the phone that she is now a cosplayer and also a glamour model.
She said she changed different clothes every day and took beautiful photos.
The photos sold well and could support the father – daughter pair, and my father no longer beat her because of this.
It’s just that the clothes were of poor quality and would cause skin allergies.
I said you can show me the photos.
She refused, saying they weren’t that good – looking.
Actually, I knew why she didn’t show me.
If the photos sold well, what else could it be for?
I said Qiaoqiao, wait for your sister. When your sister graduates from college, she’ll support you. Then you won’t have to do anything every day, just play games, watch variety shows, and fall in love with the most handsome guys.
She said no, I want to do housework for my sister. I can cook very delicious food now.
After that conversation, my sister disappeared.
I cursed my father, saying, “You son of a bitch, that’s your daughter! You lost your daughter!”
He was still drunk, saying, “You little slut, when did it become your turn to teach me a lesson!?”
I cried and searched the whole house for any trace of my sister.
That messy house full of wine bottles and cigarette butts.
In the corner, I found her suicide note.
05
In the basement, I stripped Zhang Zijun down to his shorts and tied him up with a rope as thick as a wrist in the way described in the diary.
After waking him up with cold water, Zhang Zijun shivered from the freezing air – conditioner that was turned on full blast.
And I stood in front of him and read the last few pages of the ‘diary’.
Just like pronouncing a sentence.
“Zhang Zijun, I’m her sister.”
“A sister who neglected to take care of her and is sorry for her.”
“So I will definitely help her fulfill her wish.”
“However…”
“Zhang Zijun, how can we multiply by ten the things you did to her?”
06
I prepared a lot of ice cubes, found iodine, hydrogen peroxide, and bandages in his house, and carefully counted the quantity of these disinfection supplies.
Then, I set up a tripod and a mobile phone in front of him.
Found the best – used tools in his house: a beautiful carving knife, a claw – hammer, a pair of wire – cutters, and a baseball bat.
Zhang Zijun became anxious and started talking incoherently.
He said he could give any amount of money.
He said to let him go, and he would never dare again.
He said he really liked me and never wanted to hurt me.
I never gagged him.
Because I needed him to anger me to complete all the cruel things.
The first step was very difficult, and I hesitated for a full twenty minutes.
Until Zhang Zijun started abusing my sister.
“Your sister actually liked this room very much.”
“Do you know how humble she was when she faced me?”
“By the way, do you know how she begged for mercy?”
He was about to continue, but his words were covered by a scream.
I broke his two calves with a claw – hammer.
After that, it went smoothly.
I cut off his index, middle, and ring fingers of his right hand with wire – cutters.
He could no longer hold a camera.
It’s a pity that I could only hurt three of his fingers, after all, the amount of medicine in his house was limited.
He didn’t deserve to die yet.
Then, I disfigured his face with a carving knife.
I made seven cuts in total, because my sister had stayed in his basement for seven days.
Finally, I swung the baseball bat at his most important part.
But just as the bat was about to fall, my hand was suddenly grabbed.
I was stunned on the spot.
I had locked the basement door tightly, and no one could come in.
But this person not only came in but also hid behind me.
I didn’t dare to turn my head.
Until I heard a soft call.
“Sister.”
She walked in front of me.
“Sister, I should do this last strike.”
It was my sister – Lv Qiaoqiao.
07
“Qiaoqiao…”
I looked at her, suddenly having so many things to ask, but choking up and unable to say a word.
I wanted to hug her but felt that I was covered in blood and dirt and didn’t want to dirty her.
“Qiaoqiao, aren’t you…”
She stood there, but still had a warm smile on her lips. “I can’t die yet. There are still some things I haven’t done.”
I was immersed in the joy and sadness of seeing my sister, but then I noticed that my sister reached out and took the diary from my hand.
That was her’suicide note’.
Before I could ask, I saw her light the book with a lighter and throw it on the ground.
The flames quickly rose.
“Qiaoqiao, you…”
“Sister, have you ever thought that I deliberately led you here?” She pointed to the burned – out diary. “With this’suicide note’.”
“You? You led me here?”
At this time, Qiaoqiao put on a pair of plastic gloves and picked up the carving knife from the ground.
“Qiaoqiao, what are you going to do?”
“Kill him,” Qiaoqiao smiled at me and walked straight towards Zhang Zijun. “With the knife with your fingerprints on it.”
Then, she grabbed Zhang Zijun’s hair, making his throat exposed.
The knife stabbed down and was pulled horizontally repeatedly.
“It’s really hard to cut!”
She said this with a smile, looking at me.
“Sister, do you know how dirty I am now?”
The knife cut deeper and deeper, and the blood soaked her hand.
“Because mom only liked you. You could go to college, while I had to follow dad! Drop out of school! Work! And be played with by others!”
She pulled hard horizontally.
The blood splashed high, dyeing my vision red.
In the blood – red color, I saw her slowly walking towards me, holding the dripping knife.
“You are the one I most want to kill.”
——
——
——
——
——
“She’s lying!”
“My sister Lv Xiaoqi is lying!”
II. Lv Qiaoqiao
My name is Lv Qiaoqiao.
When I was 17, my parents divorced, and I followed my father.
He drank, beat people, and had no money to send me to school.
But my sister, Lv Xiaoqi, was even more terrifying.
01
The first time I was afraid of her was when I was seven. Once, my mom bought me the leather shoes I liked.
She didn’t buy any for my sister.
So, when there were only the two of us at home, she poured my father’s high – proof liquor on the leather shoes and then lit it.
When the flames burst up, the wine bottle in her hand hadn’t been put down.
So the fire poured back into the bottle along the liquor.
The bottle exploded in an instant, and the glass splashed, scratching a thumb – long wound on her hand.
The blood flowed profusely.
I was terrified, but Lv Xiaoqi stood up and suddenly ran towards me.
She pinched my mouth with her bloody hand and laughed.
She said, “Qiaoqiao, why are you crying?”
That year, she was nine.
02
It’s ridiculous that such a personality of hers was actually beneficial to her studies.
My parents indulged her in everything because of her excellent academic performance.
So her paranoia and mania became more and more serious.
In junior high school, after she knew that the boy she liked liked another girl, she found a group of hooligans to harass that girl day and night.
Half a month later, that girl jumped off the teaching building.
She didn’t die, but she never came to school again.
I tentatively asked her if she knew that the girl had jumped off the building.
“What does it have to do with me?” she asked me fiercely. “What does it have to do with me? She jumped off the building herself. She didn’t want to live. What does it have to do with me?”
I became more and more afraid of her.
I listened to her complaints and grumbles every day, and from time to time, I had to endure her scolding me for being incompetent, cowardly, and submissive.
Later, she began to show great violent tendencies.
She violently attacked me.
With her hands, the tip of a pen, and the bottom of a glass.
Every time after hitting me, she would have a ‘heart – to – heart’ talk with me, saying that she had no friends and that I was her only friend.
But I wasn’t her friend.
I was just a puppet she could trample on at will, her punching bag, her plaything.
So when my parents divorced, I was very happy.
I could finally leave her.
And on the day I knew I decided to go with my father, she locked me in the room when no one was at home.
Then she took out my father’s belt.
I was only wearing a T – shirt and underwear that day.
My entire thigh was exposed and was whipped into swollen blood marks by her. But I didn’t use my hands to block because my hands needed to be seen in public, while my thighs could be hidden under a skirt.
She questioned me why, why I didn’t stay by her side.
She looked at me ferociously. “You’re also going to leave me!?”
“Yes!” That was the first time I looked directly into her eyes. “Yes, you’re a devil. Don’t you know that!?”
I left that home and took the high – speed train to a big city with my father.
I felt extremely happy in my heart.
But later I realized that I couldn’t really leave her.
She had already regarded me as her own thing.
03
After arriving in the big city, I dropped out of school and started working as a model. I met Zhang Zijun.
He treated me very well.
Although the scale of the photos was not small, he was extremely conservative, restrained, and polite during the shooting.
He would ask me to lower the shoulder straps and lift up the short skirt, but he would never have any physical contact with me. Even his eyes always examined me through the lens.
Once, during a shooting break, I suddenly got my period. He immediately turned his back and reminded me that my skirt was dirty. He asked if I had brought any other pants. I said no. He stammered and asked if I had brought “that”. I shook my head. So, he lent me his expensive top to wrap around my waist, boiled hot water, and then went out of the studio to buy me sanitary napkins. When he came back, the hot water was ready. He made a cup of brown sugar water, held a few pieces of ginger slices in his hand, and asked if I could stand the taste. Looking at his serious expression, I couldn’t help laughing. I said that just two slices would be fine. Throughout our conversation, he didn’t make any jokes, snicker, or peek. He stirred the brown sugar, his eyes always on the cup, and occasionally tested the temperature with his fingers. That was the warmth and respect I had never felt in my life. It was given by Zhang Zijun. So, a week later, when he confessed to me, I agreed.
04
I started spending more time with him.
He treated me to expensive French cuisine and street-side fried sauce noodles, watched mindless romance movies with me as I cried, forced me to wake up early to watch the sunrise from the mountaintop, and turned every subsequent photo shoot into a short trip.
He captured countless photos of my smiling face.
Once, he asked me why I could be so happy every time we went out to play.
I laughed and said, “Because you don’t hit me.”
He was taken aback and looked at me.
Subconsciously, I pulled my short skirt down a bit.
Although the skirt had long covered the scars left by my sister.
He noticed my action and said, “I won’t.”
“Won’t what?”
“As long as I’m around, that kind of thing won’t happen again.”
05
He mistakenly thought that the one who abused me was my father. So, he took me to his home. That period was the most beautiful time in my life. I was woken up by him every day, ate the breakfast he made, let him play with my hair, watched him go out handsomely, and then quietly waited for him to come back. I was immersed in the happiness I had never dared to dream of before and couldn’t extricate myself. Only the occasional calls from my sister would pull me back to reality. But I never answered her calls, didn’t reply to her messages, and ignored the cursing voice messages she sent one by one. I deleted all her records every day, lying to myself that I could completely escape that “old world”. But suddenly one day, a strange number called. I picked up, and there was no sound for a long time on the other side. I knew something was going to happen. I asked softly, “Sister?” Her hoarse voice rang out.
“Do you like him very much?”
06
That day, Zhang Zijun was busy with his parents’ business and would only return the next day. I was staying alone in his villa. Late one night, while I was taking a bath in the bathroom of the second-floor bedroom, I faintly heard the front door of the house open. Although it wasn’t the agreed time, I thought it was Zhang Zijun coming back. I turned off the shower, about to call out to him. But soon I realized something was amiss. The footsteps coming from downstairs were those of high heels. Then, all the lights in the house went out in an instant. I instinctively wanted to scream, but I immediately covered my mouth. I knew it was my sister. She had turned off the main circuit breaker for the entire house. It was her usual trick; when she was angry with me as a child, she would lock me in the room and then cut off the power to the whole house. I hid alone in the bathroom, feeling increasingly cold. I never thought she would find her way here, and I had no idea what she would do to me next.
07
The sound of high – heeled shoes kept ringing on the first floor. From time to time, accompanied by her leisurely voice.
“Qiaoqiao.”
“Come out. I see you, Qiaoqiao.”
The voice wasn’t loud, but it made my spine tingle like a death summons. But I quickly realized that even if she found this house and pried open the door lock, she still wouldn’t know the structure of the house. She didn’t know I was in the second – floor bedroom, and she wasn’t even sure if I was in this house at all. I quietly got out of the shower room, wrapped myself in a bathrobe. Then, I walked cautiously out of the bedroom, entered the second – floor guest room, and hid under the bed. There were only two rooms on the second floor. If my sister came upstairs, she would surely be attracted by the heat from my just – finished bath and go to the master bedroom first. Then, I could take the opportunity to go downstairs and escape from this house. This was the only way I could think of in a short time. After all, I didn’t have the courage to confront her directly. When I thought of this, the sound of high – heeled shoes had reached the stairs on the second floor. But she didn’t go to the other bedroom. Instead, she stopped right there. She was hesitating. She also realized that if she entered the wrong room, I could escape! But why did she stop there and not move? When did she become so indecisive? Just as I was constantly speculating about her thoughts, a terrifying thought suddenly came to me. It was a thought that made me despair: The absence of the sound of high – heeled shoes didn’t mean my sister wasn’t moving. She just deliberately took off her high – heeled shoes. Suddenly, a strong light shone into the bottom of the bed.
“Qiaoqiao.”
At the edge of the strong light was my sister’s smiling pale face.
“I found you again.”
08
When I woke up again, my hands were tied and locked in the basement.
For the next several hours, I didn’t leave that corner.
I ate the food my sister bought.
I used the spittoon she kicked over to relieve myself.
She even helped me take off my pants.
And there were her unprovoked insults.
She said, “You’re used to being tied up like this, aren’t you?”
“You usually like to take photos like this, don’t you?”
“Pretending to be pitiful, letting men take pictures!”
The more she talked, the angrier she became, and each time it escalated from insults to slaps.
But I never made a sound.
I knew my pain would excite her. So I kept silent.
I knew in my heart that Zhang Zijun would come back.
When he came back, he could save me from here.
Zhang Zijun had said, “As long as I’m around, that kind of thing won’t happen again.”
After more than twenty hours.
If he can’t get through to my phone, would he be worried?
09
Finally, at the time Zhang Zijun was supposed to come back, at 5 p.m. on September 27th, I heard the iron gate open. At that time, my sister was in the living room. Soon, I heard the sound of tables and chairs colliding, vases breaking, and heard sharp curses and the dull sound of blunt objects. A few minutes later, the living room became quiet. Then, there were footsteps. Heavy footsteps and the sound of clothes rubbing. The door of the basement slowly opened. I didn’t look back. Because I could already tell from the footsteps that it was my sister. Lv Xiaoqi had won. She walked up to me, holding a claw – hammer in one hand and dragging Zhang Zijun with the other. She smiled and asked me,
“Qiaoqiao, how do you want him to die?”
10
“Why? Sister, why!?”
“Qiaoqiao, actually, you’ve hated me for so many years, right? And you like him.” She said while tying Zhang Zijun opposite me. “So…”
She looked at me, her eyes blood – red. “So I have to destroy him.”
11
She turned the air – conditioner to the lowest temperature, then splashed cold water on Zhang Zijun to wake him up. She found ice cubes, iodine, hydrogen peroxide, and bandages. And that claw – hammer, wire – cutters, baseball bat, and a carving knife. Zhang Zijun became anxious and started talking incoherently. He said he could give any amount of money. He said to let Qiaoqiao go, and he would do anything! My sister never gagged Zhang Zijun’s mouth. She just wanted to watch Zhang Zijun beg for mercy. She enjoyed all this. She enjoyed even more the screams of me and Zhang Zijun. She broke Zhang Zijun’s two calves with a claw – hammer; cut off his index, middle, and ring fingers of his right hand with wire – cutters; and disfigured his face with a carving knife. Then, she grabbed Zhang Zijun’s hair and made him face me. She said, “Qiaoqiao, watch carefully. This is the end of your betrayal of me.” The carving knife cut through Zhang Zijun’s neck.
“It’s really hard to cut!”
——
——
——
——
——
“So, is the case closed like this?”
“Yes, it’s closed.”
“The confessions of the two sisters are completely opposite.”
“But all the evidence shows that the elder sister is lying. The appraisal results show that the elder sister indeed has mental problems, bipolar disorder and delusional disorder.”
“So, you believe the younger sister?”
“We tend to think her confession is true.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Wrong?”
“Of course, you’re wrong, brother. Lv Qiaoqiao…”
“Except for mild depression, Lv Qiaoqiao is normal in all aspects, and her confession can completely correspond to the evidence!”
“But the evidence is incomplete!”
“Isn’t it enough that the existing evidence corresponds? On the contrary, the elder sister Lv Xiaoqi’s confession is completely nonsense!”
“So you conclude that everything the younger sister said is true and everything the elder sister said is false!?”
“Otherwise?”
“What if both of them are lying?”
III. Officer Yu
My name is Yu Xundao. In 2015, our sub – bureau received a homicide case. Zhang Zijun, the second son of the Sheng Tang Group, was brutally killed in his own villa. The suspects were a pair of sisters. The elder sister was named Lv Xiaoqi, and the younger sister was named Lv Qiaoqiao. When handling the case, I was on a business trip. Some new colleagues in the bureau lacked experience. After using some basic interrogation methods, they determined that there were major logical flaws in Lv Xiaoqi’s confession. Combining with the evidence, they determined that Lv Xiaoqi was the murderer. The case was actually closed like this. But when I came back and looked through the file, I immediately asked them to stop the judicial process. This case was too strange. That day, I went to Lv Qiaoqiao’s home. She was alone at home, made tea for me, and then sat opposite me. And I, except for introducing my identity as a police officer, didn’t say anything else. After drinking three cups of tea, she finally couldn’t help it.
“Haven’t you asked me many times?”
She had never been a police officer and probably didn’t understand that at this time, whoever spoke first would lose their momentum. She couldn’t hold her ground, so I was confident in this unconventional interrogation. I asked the first question, the most essential one.
“Why did you kill Zhang Zijun?”
01
“I’ve told you this many times before. You have my file. It’s very detailed in there.” Lv Qiaoqiao said with anger as soon as she opened her mouth. “I didn’t kill him!”
I raised my hand to signal her to calm down. “I’ve read the file. However, there are full of loopholes.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Where are the loopholes?”
“The loopholes are that every word of your confession can be corroborated by evidence, such as your sister’s mental appraisal, the old wounds on your body, the photos of you taken by Zhang Zijun, and even Zhang Zijun’s travel records. But the confession of your sister Lv Xiaoqi, the story of avenging her sister, is full of mistakes and flaws.”
“Officer Yu, what exactly do you want to say?”
“Isn’t it too coincidental? The two confessions are completely opposite.”
“I’m the one who seems to be in the right.”
“But the truth is often gray.”
02
Actually, if judged solely from the file, my colleagues were not wrong. The file had sorted out many mistakes in the elder sister Lv Xiaoqi’s confession. Lv Xiaoqi claimed that she had cooperated with Zhang Zijun in taking pictures for nearly a month to get close to him. But according to the traffic records, Lv Xiaoqi only came to this city the day before the crime. She didn’t have time to cooperate with Zhang Zijun. But this itinerary was completely consistent with what the younger sister Lv Qiaoqiao said about the time of breaking into the villa. There were numerous other “the elder sister is wrong, the younger sister is right” evidences: For example, Zhang Zijun’s reputation in the photography circle was indeed good, and no collaborator had ever accused him of crossing the line; the relationship between the sisters was indeed bad, and the younger sister hung up on the elder sister’s calls several times within a week; the “diary of the younger sister” claimed by Lv Xiaoqi didn’t exist; and most obviously, only the elder sister’s fingerprints were on the murder weapon.
03
“Uncle Police, are you making fun of me?” Lv Qiaoqiao asked me with a smile.
“Yes, all the evidence shows that you are right.” I said.
“Then you still believe her?”
“But there is one thing she is right about, and you are wrong.”
“What?”
“Motivation.”
I looked into Lv Qiaoqiao’s eyes. I was sure that in that instant, I saw her panic…
“Lv Qiaoqiao, your story lacks a motivation.”
04
I took out two medical certificates of my sister, Lv Xiaoqi.
One was a diagnosis of severe bipolar disorder, and the other was a diagnosis of delusional disorder.
That is to say, Lv Xiaoqi has severe depression, mania, and a tendency towards delusions.
“These two diagnostic certificates were found by my colleagues during their investigation at Lv Xiaoqi’s home. Based on these certificates, combined with the testimonies, they determined that Lv Xiaoqi killed Zhang Zijun due to her desire to control you, coupled with the onset of mania and delusions.”
Lv Qiaoqiao spread her hands, “This is the motive.”
I shook my head, “It’s too coincidental.”
“What’s coincidental?”
“The diagnosis of bipolar disorder was from a year ago, but the diagnosis of delusional disorder was actually the day before the crime.”
“The day before the crime?”
“Both of your testimonies state the crime occurred on September 27, and this diagnostic certificate is dated September 26.”
“So you’re implying…” Lv Qiaoqiao pretended to think for a moment, “That my sister deliberately proved herself mentally ill before committing the murder to escape responsibility?”
I laughed, “I didn’t say that.”
Lv Qiaoqiao shrugged, “It wouldn’t matter even if you did. Such baseless speculation won’t affect the verdict.”
“Right, but what if my inference could influence the verdict?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if my inference is… that the time this medical certificate was issued was not before the crime, but after?”
05 – Loopholes
“Actually, you both mentioned an interesting point. That is, you poured cold water on him to wake him up, turned the air – conditioner to the lowest temperature, and used ice cubes…
“You have a clear explanation that the air – conditioner was used to cooperate with the cold water to torture him, and the ice cubes were used to stop the bleeding…
“But what if the ice cubes, cold water, and air – conditioner were deliberately mixed with other items by you?
“To confuse the public and cover up their real and common purpose! Isn’t that also possible?
“It is possible.
“Because these three things can do an even more powerful thing…
“Freeze the corpse.”
06
Lv Qiaoqiao: “What would I freeze the corpse for?”
I: “Stop pretending. You used a large amount of ice to delay the forensic determination of Zhang Zijun’s time of death! In fact, he died on the 26th. And in the next 24 hours, you were ready for everything!”
Lv Qiaoqiao: “You police really know how to make up stories.”
I: “You sisters are really good at lying.”
Lv Qiaoqiao: “Officer Yu, we’re not that smart…”
I was taken aback. “What did you just say?”
Lv Qiaoqiao: “What did I just say?”
I suddenly grabbed her hand. “Say what you just said again!”
Lv Qiaoqiao: “I said… we…”
I: “You said ‘we’. When you refuted me, you were standing from the position of ‘we’!”
I: “Admit it, Lv Qiaoqiao.”
Lv Qiaoqiao: “Admit? Admit what!”
I: “Admit that the two of you conspired and fabricated two confessions.”
I: “Admit that these two confessions are both lies! All to lead the police in the wrong direction!”
I: “Admit that your sister is not the murderer. And you are!!”
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“Sister…”
“Qiaoqiao? Are you… are you crying? What’s wrong?”
“Sister… Sister, I killed someone.”
IV. Lv Qiaoqiao – The Truth
The confessions of my sister and I were both mixed with lies. And all of this was my sister’s plan. She wanted to help me get away with it. Yes. It was me who killed Zhang Zijun.
01
Zhang Zijun actually had a good reputation in the circle because no one knew how ugly he was under his handsome and gentle appearance. Therefore, I trusted him. I went home with him and was led to the basement by him. He said he wanted to shoot a set of “imprisonment” – style photos. But in fact, he just wanted to cross the line. He suddenly pressed me down, held my hands, and kissed me forcefully. He thought I should be that delicate and shy girl in his camera. But he was wrong. My mother was addicted to gambling, and my father worked away from home all year round. I grew up depending on my sister for everything. I had experienced all kinds of things and lived a wilder life than boys. I bit his lips until they bled. He covered his mouth, cursed, and cursed like a madman. He said that in this room, he was the one who had the final say! Then he pounced on me again, fiercely grabbed me, tore at my clothes, and tried to violate me. But when we knocked down the tool rack, I touched a carving knife. I wanted to intimidate him, screaming for him to get away. But he got even angrier, turning the act of crossing the line into a beating. In a panic, the knife slit his throat. He was stunned for a few seconds. Then blood suddenly spurted out, warm and fishy. At that moment, I knew everything was over.
02
“It’s okay.” But my sister actually said this on the phone. “As long as I’m here, you’ll be fine.” The same day, my sister rushed from our hometown to the city where I was. She told me that on the train, she had already thought up all the countermeasures. “What countermeasures?” “Countermeasures to get you off the hook.” “But, sister, I killed someone.” She smiled, showing her dimples. “No one will know.” She put a lot of ice cubes on the corpse and turned the air – conditioner to the lowest temperature. She said this could make the time of death of the corpse be postponed by twenty hours. Then she found a lot of tools, cut off the corpse’s fingers, broke its leg bones, and scratched its face. She said, “Qiaoqiao, look, doesn’t this look like a revenge?” “Revenge?” “Yes, a madman’s revenge. Qiaoqiao, I’m that madman.” She told two stories. In each story, she became a madman. She was manic, delusional, and full of unprovoked anger. I asked my sister what these two stories were for. My sister said, “They are confessions. One is full of loopholes, and the other completely matches all the evidence I fabricated.” “This is the flaw I deliberately left for them.” “When they hear these two confessions, they will instinctively believe the one that seems more real.” “But both of them are fake.” “In the end, they will believe that I’m the murderer.”
03
“Trust me, this is a very complete plan to get away with it. It will definitely succeed. Because I not only changed the result of the murder but also the motive for the murder.” “And that motive is…” “That we don’t love each other.”
04
I said no! I said, “Sister, I’ve listened to you since I was a kid, but this time I won’t!” She suddenly slapped me. Then, she kicked me in the abdomen. Grabbed my hair, slammed my head against the wall, and quickly tied my hands with a rope. I couldn’t break free and could only keep crying. She said, “I’m sorry, Qiaoqiao. In the confession, I hit you.” She tied me up there, crying while hitting me. Finally, she took out a belt and raised it high. But it didn’t come down for a long time. She was choking with sobs and couldn’t speak coherently. “Qiaoqiao… Sister is useless. I went to college myself, but I let you follow that bastard father…” “You dropped out of school, worked as a model to make money, met a scumbag, and even… even killed someone…” “It’s all because…” “It’s all because sister is sorry for you.” “So this time, let sister do something for you.” The belt finally came down. This was the weapon my sister liked to use the most in the story, evidence of her abusing me. But… But it had been almost twenty years. Every time my father’s belt came down, wasn’t it she who stood in front of me?
05
“Sister, I’ll turn myself in. Let me go! I’ll turn myself in!” “I can’t let you go. You can only be rescued by the police.” She squatted in front of me, with tears in her eyes, but still trying to comfort me with a smile. “Don’t worry, sister has already prepared the mental problem certificate. Sister has had severe depression for a long time. After being ill for so long, I know how to pretend to be a delusional person.” I knew I couldn’t reason with her. So I showed the expression I used to have when arguing with her since I was a kid. “Sister, you won’t succeed. The second the police rescue me, I’ll turn myself in. I’ll…” She interrupted me. “Sister won’t be in prison for long. At most four or five years, but you will surely die.” I started crying again immediately. Because my cowardice took over my rationality. But why did my sister do this? She reached out and stroked my hair, just like every night in the past dozen years. “It’s okay. In the second half of our lives, you can support sister, okay?”
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V. Ending
Officer Yu
“I’ve said everything I need to say.
Actually, all of this is just my speculation.” That day, Lv Qiaoqiao was very tough.
The whole conversation lasted forty minutes, but she only showed some suspicious micro – expressions.
I knew I couldn’t interrogate her anymore. And without the possibility of interrogation, I couldn’t ask for more information.
“Actually, the case has been closed, and I can’t change anything. I just think that those who break the law should be brought to justice, and the innocent should live well.” When I said these words, Lv Qiaoqiao turned around and went to boil hot water again. I said, “Don’t make tea. I’m leaving now.”
Then I stood up.
“Lv Qiaoqiao, don’t worry. After me, no other police will come to your house. Everyone is already clear that your crazy sister is the murderer.”
I knew these words were harsh. But I had no choice. These few steps to the door were my best and last chance to break her. The sound of her pouring water stopped.
I knew she was angry.
I walked slowly to the door, opened it. Then turned back.
“Oh, by the way, remember to come and watch the execution of the crazy woman in a week.”
When I said this, I stared at her. And as I expected, her face turned pale in an instant, and then her whole body began to tremble slightly.
“She…”
Lv Qiaoqiao trembled.
“She’s a mental patient.”
I had long expected she would ask this.
So I took out the medical record notice of Lv Xiaoqi from my pocket.
“Delusional disorder? This piece of paper is fake.
We knew it two hours after she entered the police station.
” After saying that, I tore up the notice. Suddenly, I heard a scream from Lv Qiaoqiao. She rushed towards me, trying to stop me. But the snow – like pieces of paper had already scattered. She was stunned for a moment, and then started hitting me like crazy.
And I immediately used the police – standard movements to press her down and lock all the joints she could struggle with.
I got close to her eyes and shouted at her through her wailing,
“Lv Qiaoqiao!”
“Lv Qiaoqiao, how could you be so heartless!? That’s your sister. How could you be so heartless!?”
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Lv Qiaoqiao
Officer Yu deceived me.
What he tore up at the time was just a color photocopy.
But I still chose to confess everything.
After making a statement at the police station, I felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
Officer Yu told me not to worry, he had already contacted a college classmate who is a lawyer.
He said that lawyer is very capable and would plead my case as excessive self-defense, so I wouldn’t be sentenced to death.
I said it would be okay even if I were to die.
He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he didn’t speak, just lit another cigarette.
“Officer Yu.”
“Hmm?”
“I want to see my sister now.”
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Lv Xiaoqi
Two weeks later, the lawsuit was over.
My sister was sentenced to seven years.
I only had civil liability, three months of detention with a six-month reprieve, and I didn’t have to spend a single day in jail.
After everything was over, I took the pastries I made to the police station to give to Officer Yu.
I felt very guilty because on the day my sister confessed, I slapped Officer Yu several times.
When he saw me coming, he was very polite, bowing and gently pushing his hands, refusing to accept the box of pastries.
I don’t know why I started crying.
I said, Officer Yu, please take it. We sisters owe you a favor.
He stood there, silent for a long time, and finally spoke.
“It’s noon, let’s go to the cafeteria and eat together.”
In the cafeteria, he sat across from me and began to eat the pastries in big mouthfuls.
I told him to slow down and drink some water.
He said it was fine, they were very delicious.
He said, “I know the boss in that prison, no one dares to bully Qiaoqiao inside.”
He said, “I know it’s not easy for you sisters, I really do.”
He said, “But I’m a police officer, this is all I can do.”
After saying that, his eyes turned red, and he quickly wiped away his tears with his hand.
He took a few more big bites of the pastries.
He said, “Don’t hate me.”
Actually, I don’t hate him anymore.
My sister told me not to hate him.
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That Day’s Visit
Qiaoqiao: “Sister, you seem to have lost weight.”
Xiaoqi: “Why are you here? You…”
Qiaoqiao: “Yes, sister, I still confessed.”
Xiaoqi: “Why? Why!?”
Qiaoqiao: “Because I have to let them know that my sister is not a crazy person.”
Xiaoqi: “Qiaoqiao, how could you be so stupid!?”
Qiaoqiao choked up: “I have to let them know that my sister is the one who loves me the most in the world.”
Xiaoqi: “You fool!”
Qiaoqiao raised her head, her smile mixed with tears: “Yes! But now I dare to tell the truth. I love my sister, very much. No matter how big the thing is, it can’t separate us!”
The End
