On the tenth day of Li Yuebai’s detention, the municipal bureau submitted all case files and evidence to the procuratorate. With that, the case moved to its next stage.
During this time, Zhang Jiting and Ji Chen frequently invited Jiang Hezhou out to gather. Every time he went out, he brought Chu Luyu along, and the conversations almost always circled back to Li Yuebai.
On one occasion, Zhang Jiting brought Xiao Yan along as well. When the two girls met again, they were even closer and more at ease than the first time.
The private room at the club was dimly lit. Xiao Yan sat beside Chu Luyu, nibbling on watermelon slices from a plate, a worried expression on her face.
“These days, Zhang Jiting has been in a bad mood at home. His eyes keep getting red. He’s a grown man, so I don’t want to ask too many questions for fear of hurting his pride. But I know it’s because of Li Yuebai. Sigh—they’ve been friends since childhood, their bond was so deep, and now this…”
Listening to Xiao Yan, Chu Luyu thought about how Jiang Hezhou had been doing these past days.
He seemed even more subdued than usual, though he seemed to be deliberately holding back, not showing it much in front of her. But the night before last, when she’d turned over in a half-awake state, she’d caught a glimpse of him standing on the bedroom balcony, smoking.
The night wind was bitingly cold now. Jiang Hezhou must have been worried about her catching a chill, because the balcony door was closed while he smoked. The next morning, when she woke up groggy in his arms and vaguely caught the scent of smoke, she’d asked him about it.
But Jiang Hezhou denied it, saying she must have been dreaming—he’d slept through the whole night without waking.
There was no point in arguing over something like that, so she’d simply sighed silently to herself.
Xiao Yan continued sighing, then suddenly said: “Li Yuebai always seemed quiet and unassuming, but apparently he had some psychological issues. Did you know he had an autopsy room set up in his own house? When Zhang Jiting and the others went to clean out his place, they accidentally opened that room—it was filled with animal carcasses, and a skinned human brain preserved in formalin… No idea which victim it belonged to. Oh, and those scalpels—they were all the professional kind used by forensic pathologists. Zhang Jiting said he’d once dreamed of becoming one.”
Chu Luyu didn’t know how much Xiao Yan knew, so she didn’t want to say too much. She just responded: “I’ve heard about that too. But in the end, he followed his father’s wishes and stayed by his side. Jiang Hezhou became the forensic pathologist.”
Xiao Yan sighed heavily again. “Ah, fate plays cruel tricks.”
The gathering ended early that day, because after some discussion, the men decided to take advantage of the relatively early hour to visit Li Yuebai’s parents.
They were all elders they’d known since childhood, and the two of them had looked after the boys plenty when they were young. Now that Li Yuebai had done something so terrible, it was only right to go check on them.
Xiao Yan found it boring and didn’t want to tag along—she took a cab home instead.
Jiang Hezhou asked Chu Luyu if she wanted to go home too—if she did, he could drive her back first. But the closer they got to the day she’d have to part ways with him, the more that unexplainable sense of reluctance grew inside her.
After only a few seconds’ hesitation, she shook her head. “I want to stay with you.”
That was exactly what Jiang Hezhou wanted to hear. He smiled at her, satisfied, and took her hand.
Since Li Yuebai’s arrest, his father had fallen ill. Considering his situation, Jiang Qiyou had granted him indefinite paid leave, so he could return to work whenever he recovered.
The Li household had a typical structure—the man handled external affairs, the woman internal. He was strong, she was gentle. Now that their only son had been destroyed, Li Yuebai’s father couldn’t bear the blow and collapsed, while his mother wept day after day.
When the group arrived, Li Yuebai’s mother opened the door. Her already haggard face was now etched with helpless grief.
Seeing Jiang Hezhou and the others, she was suddenly reminded of her son playing with them. Unable to hold back, tears welled up again.
Chu Luyu had a soft heart—she couldn’t bear scenes like this. After sitting with the group in the living room for a while, she tugged on Jiang Hezhou’s sleeve and whispered: “This house is pretty big. You must have been here a lot, right? Is there an unused room where I can hang out for a bit?”
The house had originally been part of the Jiang family’s property, but many years ago, Grandfather Jiang had given it to the Li family of three. Jiang Hezhou had visited countless times since childhood, so naturally, he was familiar with it.
However, after hearing her request, he hesitated for a moment before saying: “I’ll take you to Li Yuebai’s room.”
He nodded to Zhang Jiting and Ji Chen, then quietly led Chu Luyu away. Li Yuebai’s mother was still crying, emotionally distraught, so she likely wouldn’t notice what they were doing.
Li Yuebai’s room seemed uninhabited for a long time—sparsely furnished, neat and tidy, but lacking any sense of life.
Chu Luyu looked around, puzzled, and asked: “Did he not live at home before?”
“Mm. He had his own place. Since he was working under my brother, my brother bought him an apartment in the same neighborhood. He usually lived there and only came back here during holidays.”
As he spoke, Jiang Hezhou’s gaze slowly swept across the room.
Everything in the room was achingly familiar—a place he’d spent so much time in growing up. The certificates on the wall, the height marks on the side of the wardrobe, the two computer desks in the corner… Li Yuebai had secretly asked his father to add an extra desk so they could play games together. Back then, Jiang Hezhou’s parents didn’t want him playing online games, so they’d steal away to this little hideout.
He and Li Yuebai shared far too many memories. Standing here again, it all felt surreal.
He didn’t understand how they’d ended up like this. They shouldn’t have been this way.
Chu Luyu stayed quietly by his side, not saying a word. She could see his mood sinking again—he must have been lost in memories, hurting all over again.
Jiang Hezhou walked further into the room, running his hand over the two computer desks, his brows deep in thought.
Then, he noticed a poster stuck to a corner of the wall—a vintage poster of a basketball star from the last century, someone they’d both idolized as kids. The poster looked very old, edges yellowed and colors faded.
He stared at it for a long time, and suddenly a memory surfaced—
“Whenever I watch those period dramas, the mansions always have secret compartments to hide treasure. Let’s make one too—we can hide our good stuff in it.”
“Where should we dig it?”
“On the wall. I’ve already picked the spot—right behind my poster. When my parents go out of town to visit my grandparents in a few days, we’ll get to work. We’ll finish before they get back—no one will ever know!”
“Fine. But don’t make it too big—it’ll be easier to spot.”
The secret compartment had actually been made. But they only used it for a short while—it was too small to hold much of anything. Eventually, they left it empty behind the poster.
Remembering this now, Jiang Hezhou, almost involuntarily, tugged at the old poster on the wall.
The adhesive backing seemed to have been maintained over the years—it hadn’t lost its stickiness. As one corner peeled away, the small “compartment” was exposed. Jiang Hezhou had expected it to be empty, but instead, he found a thick notebook, like a journal, lying inside.
He paused, then tore the poster off completely and reached in to retrieve the notebook.
This notebook had clearly been used often—the edges of its leather cover were worn and faded.
Chu Luyu couldn’t help but walk over, and when she saw the journal in his hands, she was surprised.
“Is this Li Yuebai’s diary?”
“I don’t know.”
Jiang Hezhou’s voice was heavy, his thoughts unreadable. After a long moment, he slowly opened the first page—
[He’s too amazing. He effortlessly achieved what I’d dreamed of for so long! Watching Jiang Er cry like that at the funeral made my whole heart tremble with excitement!]
[He found out I’d discovered his secret, but I said I’d keep it for him. He didn’t believe me at first—until I said I could kill someone too. Then we’d both have leverage over each other, and we’d never betray each other to the death. He stared at me for a long time, and eventually, he seriously began teaching me how to take a life without anyone knowing!]
[I did it! He’s incredible! I used his method to kill that bastard who used to call me a servant when we were kids. The foreign police never suspected a thing—they even ruled it as a drug overdose. I recorded the entire process of torturing him to death and sent the video to him. He praised me for being clever and said he’d teach me more. He is my god!]
Line after line, page after page—every word hit Jiang Hezhou and Chu Luyu like a physical blow, as if the text itself carried sound.
When he turned to the next page, she saw new entries—
[Jiang Er keeps going to that noodle shop for no reason. He’ll probably never know that we have surveillance footage of every single visit. We treat it like art—watching, drinking wine, savoring his years of suffering. He really must have loved his father. That man’s been dead so many years, and he’s still hung up on it, refusing to forget. But it’s good he doesn’t forget. Seeing him desperate to find the truth but having no leads—that dejected look—it gets my blood pumping every single time!]
The words on this page felt like knives and thorns. Just reading them made Chu Luyu’s heart ache.
She immediately turned to Jiang Hezhou, reaching up to cover his eyes: “Don’t read anymore. Jiang Hezhou, stop.”
She then hugged him, her chest swelling with sorrow. The man simply let her hold him, standing as still as a lifeless tree. It was a long, long time before he finally moved.
He gently pushed her away, took her hand with one of his, and pulled out his phone with the other, dialing a number.
The phone rang a few times. As he waited, Jiang Hezhou’s face was as cold and lifeless as a statue standing in the wind and snow of a frigid night.
When the call connected, he finally spoke—
“Captain Zhou, there may be more to this serial homicide case. I’ve found new evidence. Based on what I’ve seen, the true killer was not just one person.”
·
Because the case had taken a new turn, the bureau applied to the procuratorate to re-interrogate Li Yuebai.
As the one who had discovered the new evidence, Jiang Hezhou was required to sit in during the interrogation.
But Li Yuebai refused to say anything, insisting over and over that he alone had committed all the murders—including the death of Jiang Hezhou’s father. After several rounds, the officers tasked with questioning him were exhausted. Only Jiang Hezhou remained calm and still.
Back at home later, he sat alone in the study, reading the journal entries over and over again.
The original diary had been handed over to his colleagues; what he kept was a copy. There were still so many dense entries. From the initial shock that had roiled inside him, he had now reached a state where he could read through the whole thing with a tranquil heart.
In the middle of the night, when Chu Luyu woke up, she found Jiang Hezhou was not in bed again.
Recently, they’d been sleeping together in the master bedroom. He appeared to maintain a regular routine, patiently coaxing her to sleep every night—outwardly no different from usual. But occasionally, when Chu Luyu turned over in the middle of the night, she’d notice the space beside her was empty.
She’d ignored it the first couple of times. But tonight at dinner, Jiang Hezhou had been coughing incessantly—clearly his body was showing signs of exhaustion. Unable to hold back her worry, she rubbed her eyes, threw off the covers, and went looking for him.
“Jiang Hezhou, why aren’t you sleeping again? Didn’t you promise me before bed that you wouldn’t stay up late today? Now what are you doing?”
Jiang Hezhou, uncharacteristically flustered, set down the copied journal and stood up to walk over to her.
The girl was always so adorable when she’d just woken up—soft and pliant, every bit of her radiating innocence. Pulling her into his arms, the gloom in his heart seemed momentarily soothed by her warmth.
He asked her: “Did I wake you?”
Chu Luyu shook her head. “When I turned over, I half-woke and noticed you were gone, so I came out to find you.”
Her gaze drifted to the journal on the desk. “Why are you reading that again? Haven’t you gone through it many times already?”
“I keep feeling like there are subtle clues I’ve missed. I wanted to look again.”
Chu Luyu sighed. After a moment’s thought, she took his hand. “Then I’ll stay with you.”
If she couldn’t persuade him to rest, she’d stay by his side.
Jiang Hezhou didn’t really want her to tire herself out, but he also couldn’t bear to let go of the soft warmth in his arms. To him now, she was like the finest painkiller—with her there, the ache was always a little more bearable.
When he carried her back to the desk and sat down, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, reaching around to reopen the journal.
Chu Luyu knew exactly how to make herself comfortable. Without needing his help, she wiggled into the coziest position in his lap.
A casual glance downward, and the journal’s contents were easy to read.
They sat together like that, reading under the bright light, surrounded by warmth and stillness.
After a while, Chu Luyu couldn’t help but ask: “Jiang Hezhou, are you suspecting that Li Yuebai was covering for someone else?”
Jiang Hezhou shook his head. “Based on the chain of evidence, the previous victims were indeed killed by him. The traces found at the scenes all match him.”
“Ah…” Chu Luyu bit her lip and continued, “So after reading this journal, you think your father’s death might have other complications?”
Jiang Hezhou nodded, then shook his head a moment later.
“What do you mean?” Chu Luyu asked.
“Meaning, from what’s reflected in the journal, Li Yuebai seems to have been only the one wielding the knife. There must have been someone behind him pulling the strings.”
“You mean they conspired together?”
“Yes. Between the lines, Li Yuebai is full of admiration for that ‘him.’ And based on the level of resentment toward me that Li Yuebai previously revealed, this person must have done something that greatly pleased him in order to earn such recognition. He also mentioned that person’s reaction at my father’s funeral, so I strongly suspect that this person killed my father first, then the two of them crossed paths. Li Yuebai agreed to keep the secret, and their relationship grew closer from there.”
After hearing him out, Chu Luyu thought for a moment, then said: “Assuming your father wasn’t killed by Li Yuebai, and that person was someone Li Yuebai knew, then the suspect pool is probably limited to people within your circle.”
Jiang Hezhou’s hands unconsciously clenched. After a long silence, he replied: “I know. Actually, I already have some guesses. But without evidence yet, I don’t want to believe that the person who killed my father is who I suspect.”
Chu Luyu sighed inwardly. She stayed quiet, nestled in his arms, keeping him company.
Jiang Hezhou’s long, pale fingers turned another page. New words came into view: [Jiang Er is so stupid—how can he be that stupid? He actually goes to that noodle shop to eat in his free time! He knows nothing! He knows nothing at all! Like a fool! Hahaha!]
Chu Luyu stared at the passage, then pointed with her finger: “I feel like Li Yuebai was implying something here. What’s with that noodle shop?”
“I looked into it before—there was nothing unusual. The owner came from a mountain town; his identity and household registration are all there. I even went to his hometown to check—neighbors confirmed they’d seen him and could verify he’d been living there all along.”
“That’s strange, then. If there’s nothing wrong with it, why did Li Yuebai write it so pointedly? Something feels off.” She paused, then asked, “You’ve never stopped investigating your father’s case all these years, right? You must have found some leads.”
“I have. But over the years, outside forces have interfered, so progress has been slow. However, a few months ago, Ji Chen helped me find something overseas—”
He stopped abruptly. In a flash, Ji Chen’s words came back to him—
[No wonder we could never find that mechanic abroad all these years—he got plastic surgery right after leaving the country and probably had his identity secretly changed as well.]
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