CH 25

"Home is the only place in the world where human flaws and failures can be hidden, and it also contains sweet love." - George Bernard Shaw

In the Yixin Residential Community of Huadu East District, it is now 9:00 pm.

It's an overcast night, and the moon is nowhere to be seen in the sky. The temperature has finally dropped, and it's possible to sleep without turning on the air conditioner.

In building 32 of the ordinary residential area, the wife, Lu Qin, has already entered the bedroom, while the husband, Ye Zhixue, is still outside checking information on his computer.

Both husband and wife have ordinary jobs. Lu Qin is an accountant at a foreign trade company, while Ye Zhixue is a sales manager at a real estate company. Recently, Ye Zhixue's leader was transferred to another city, and he had the opportunity to be promoted, so he is working even harder.

This is a warm and harmonious little family.

There are two wedding photos hanging on the wall, the largest of which was taken in the sunset. It shows the silhouette of two people kissing each other, with Lu Qin wearing a romantic long veil and Ye Zhixue wearing a suit and tie. The sweetness and affection in the photo almost overflow.

They have been married for almost two years, and their parents have urged them many times to have a baby as soon as possible. But they haven't enjoyed their 2 person world enough yet, and haven't made having a child a priority on their agenda.

For this young couple, it was an ordinary night with the television on in the living room, playing quietly and casting a white light.

Lu Qin was lying in the bedroom, watching an episode of a Korean drama. She grew sleepy and put her tablet aside. As she dozed off, she suddenly heard some strange noises outside.

Ye Zhixue seemed to be talking to someone, maybe on the phone? Then, there was a sound of something breaking. Lu Qin was awakened by the noise and shouted to the living room, "Zhixue, keep it down!"

However, she did not get a reply from Ye Zhixue.

Lu Qin opened her eyes and felt that something was not right. She shouted, "Are you okay?"

The living room was silent, and there was still no response. Lu Qin sat up, and as she looked around, she saw that it was dark. Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open, and the light was turned on.

The light hurt Lu Qin's eyes, and as she looked up, she saw a stranger, a short and thin woman wearing a jumpsuit standing at the doorway, looking at her coldly.

Lu Qin was stunned, she was only wearing a camisole. She quickly covered her body with the blanket and reached for her charging phone on the nightstand. "Who are you? How did you get in? Where's Ye Zhixue?"

For a moment, Lu Qin thought that Ye Zhixue had cheated on her, as there were too many mistresses these days, and they were audacious.

The woman did not answer, standing there like a thin ghost, with a cold and indifferent gaze that sent shivers down Lu Qin's spine. Then, a tall black-clad man walked in from the doorway, wiping the bloodstains off his hands with a tissue.

There were more than one intruder!

"This is my house! Who are you? How did you get in?" Lu Qin screamed, jumping out of bed. She quickly dialed 110, and shouted, "Help..."

She only managed to say one word when the man rushed over and punched her on the head, causing her phone to drop and the call not to connect.

The punch hit her eye socket, and Lu Qin curled up on the bed, her head ringing, and her vision blurred by stars. It was then that she realized that there were robbers in the house. She gritted her teeth and crawled off the bed, reaching out to grab her phone on the ground. But, someone had already picked it up.

It was a teenager with very short hair and narrow eyes.

There were three robbers in total?!

The man in black clothes pulled her hair and dragged her off the bed, tying her hands. Then, Lu Qin's mouth was gagged with a cloth, and she couldn't make any sound.

When Lu Qin was brought into the living room, she found her husband Ye Zhixue kneeling on the floor with his hands tied behind his back, his feet bound, his mouth gagged with a rope, and struggling to make muffled sounds. There was a small knife inserted in his leg, and fresh red blood kept flowing out.

Desperate to see his wife also captured, he banged his head against the floor, trying to make some noise.

But the sound was too weak to even attract the attention of the people downstairs.

Outside the window, so many houses were lit up. On this seemingly calm night, no one knew what terrible things were happening in this household.

Three strangers, a man, a woman with short hair, and a teenager, suddenly appeared in their home and took control of them.

The teenager walked into the kitchen, rummaged through the refrigerator, and found a tub of ice cream. He took it out and placed it on the table outside.

The woman with short hair walked to the window and pulled the living room curtain shut. Then she walked to the dining table.

The man shut down Ye Zhixue's computer and collected their phones, putting them on the table.

The TV in the house was still on, playing the evening news.

Lu Qin looked at these people with tears in her eyes. They were just an ordinary family with not much wealth. Why did they attract such vicious robbers?

She nervously watched the three people, but they seemed incredibly leisurely. They sat in the dining room, looking at them lying on the floor as if they were the true owners of the house.

"Let us go... please..." Lu Qin bit the rope, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Do you want money? I can tell you where all the money is... just don't hurt me and my wife..." Ye Zhixue also pleaded in a low voice.

The man sat down, lit a cigarette, and announced in a deep voice, "From now on, we will make the rules for this game."

The woman with short hair turned her head and looked at them with interest. "You will soon realize that your so-called love and family ties are worth nothing..."

At this time, Lu Qin did not know that this would be the longest night of her life.

Three hours later, Lu Qin lay on the floor, with cold knives piercing her body several times. Every time the knife penetrated, she could feel the metal scraping against flesh and blood.

"It hurts, it hurts so much. I've never felt such pain before."

Fresh blood gradually dyed her clothes red, dripping incessantly from her legs and arms, converging into a pool under her body. She was in so much pain that her entire body trembled.

Why hasn't it ended yet?

The man pulled her hair and his devil-like voice kept asking in her ear, "What's your answer, what is it?"

The endless cold night made people tremble. Lu Qin felt as if she had been forced to the edge of a cliff. Another step and she would be shattered. Her lips moved, her eyes lifeless, and her entire being enveloped in intense despair.

Two minutes ago, she heard Ye Zhixue crying in despair. He was a man who would comfort her even if he had injured his leg. Since they got married, Lu Qin had never heard him cry before. But just now, the cries from the next room were heart-wrenching.

Now it was her turn.

"My choice is..."

The moment she spoke her answer, Lu Qin saw the man smile, as if it was the answer he had been waiting for.

But Lu Qin suddenly felt a sinking feeling in her heart. She vaguely felt that she had done something wrong.

The man's expression revealed madness and ferocity. He draped a piece of clothing over her and plunged the icy blade into her heart. As the blade was pulled out, blood spurted out, but most of it was blocked by the clothing.

This was a skilled killing technique.

Her chest hurt so much that her body couldn't control its trembling. Blood oozed out of her mouth and her breathing gradually stopped. Lu Qin's pupils slowly dilated. She was like a rag, thrown on the ground by the man, her body gradually growing cold, heading towards death.

It's over, it's finally over...

Her life, her love, her family, her future, everything was gone with this night...

After returning home, Su Hui slept until the next afternoon. Finally, he was awakened by his phone ringing.

When Su Hui turned to pick up his phone, the movement affected the pain in his waist. It hurt so much that he frowned and his face turned a little pale. But when he saw that it was Director Tan calling, he hurriedly answered, "Hello, Director Tan, is the result out? How's everything going?"

Tan Ju's voice quickly came from the other end: "Su Hui! Why did you answer the phone so late! You scared me..."

Su Hui was taken aback, looked at his phone, and saw several missed calls from Tan Ju. He explained: "I was sleeping and the ringtone was too low, so I didn't hear it clearly."

Tan Ju was furious: "You... You live alone outside, and your eyesight and hearing are not good. Why don't you turn up the volume on your phone? I've called you more than ten times in a row. If you didn't answer this time, I would have come to kill you."

It was only then that Su Hui gradually woke up from his sleep: "Director Tan, I am an adult, what could happen?"

After a moment of silence, Tan Ju changed the subject: "Su Hui, the bones excavated yesterday have been verified, and the results are the same as your previous prediction. The corpse is Pei Weiwei's."

"It's good that we found her." Su Hui breathed a sigh of relief and lay back on the bed. He looked at the clock on the bedside table, 2:30 in the afternoon. He had no classes today and had slept until the afternoon. With the curtains drawn in the room, there was no clear distinction between day and night for him.

"Thanks to you, we were able to find her...I want to thank you on behalf of Pei Weiwei's parents," said Tan Ju. With this case now solved, Tan Ju felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

Su Hui replied: "I just hoped to be able to do my part."

Then Tan Ju said: "I also want to talk to you about your reinstatement. My opinion remains the same as last time. The frontline is lacking in talent like you. You have gradually adapted for some time, and I have made proper arrangements for you...Come to our bureau's safe house in the city, and we will talk in detail."

Su Hui rubbed his eyes and accidentally woke up Aristotle, who was sleeping next to him. The little cat meowed a few times and jumped off the bed.

Su Hui said, "Okay, but I just woke up. You might have to wait for a while."