C9 Who Was the Murderer?

Although Qiao Liang and Lin Xiangyi were perplexed about why Lu Wangshu insisted on visiting the orphanage, they nonetheless drove directly there from Zhong Qian's house.

Upon their arrival, Dean Liu greeted Qiao Liang, Lu Wangshu, and the others with warm hospitality. "You've arrived. What can I do for you?"

"We'd like to see Yun once more," Lu Wangshu stated.

Dean Liu nodded in agreement and escorted them to Yun's room, only to find it empty. After calling out several times with no answer, Dean Liu stopped a passing child and inquired, "Have you seen Yun?"

The child, with a babyish voice, pointed towards the end of the hallway and said, "I just saw Sister Yun over there."

"Is she playing with the other kids?" Dean Liu asked softly.

The child shook their head. "I don't know."

"Okay, go on and play!" Dean Liu gave the child a reassuring smile and then led the trio in the direction the child had indicated.

Around the corner of the corridor, they spotted Yun sitting by the stairwell window, the breeze gently tousling her hair. She seemed far too composed for a seven-year-old girl.

"Yun," Lu Wangshu called out to her.

Yun turned her head, her eyes lighting up into crescent moons as she beamed at Lu Wangshu and sweetly exclaimed, "Uncle!"

Lu Wangshu's tone shifted to one of cold detachment. "Who are you?"

The dean and the others, taken aback, wondered if Lu Wangshu had lost his senses.

"I'm Yun, uncle," she replied, her smile faltering momentarily before returning.

"You're not Yun. You've hidden the real Yun, haven't you?" Lu Wangshu challenged.

The smile slowly faded from Yun's face as she locked eyes with Lu Wangshu. "How did you know? Yun was in so much pain, I had to hide her."

In that moment, Yun seemed to possess the soul of an adult within her youthful frame, an eerie and unsettling sight.

"Why did you kill Chen Rou and frame Zhou Yang?" Lu Wangshu asked, his tone light, as though discussing something trivial.

"What are you saying, Lu Wangshu?!" Lin Xiangyi clutched at Lu Wangshu's arm, her voice raised in alarm.

To Lin Xiangyi, it appeared that Lu Wangshu, in his desperation to crack the case, was willing to cast aspersions on an innocent child.

"A pair of adulterers—what does it matter if they killed one? Killing two birds with one stone, isn't that perfect?" Yun's laughter, chilling and unsettling, echoed through the room, startling everyone. Lin Xiangyi released her grip and stared at Yun with astonishment.

"She's pregnant. They're going to have their own child," Yun said, her laughter subsiding as her expression grew solemn.

"After the child is born, what will become of Yun? I came into existence to protect her. I can't allow her to be subjected to this kind of shock again. That selfish couple only saw Yun as a stand-in to prepare themselves for their own child," she explained, as if she were talking about someone else entirely.

Yun scoffed, "Xiao Yun is too weak. I must protect her."

"You're the selfish one!" Lu Wangshu yelled at Yun.

"You think Chen Rou and Zhou Yang will neglect you once they have their child. You believe Yun isn't happy with the Chen family. You assume Yun will be bullied just like she was in her previous family. All of these are just your assumptions! You've ruined the happiness of Chen Rou and Zhou Yang, and you've destroyed Xiao Yun," Lu Wangshu said with a heavy sigh.

He understood that the Xiao Yun before him was not the true Xiao Yun, but another facet of her personality, likely emerging from the time spent in Zhong Qian's household.

This personality had formed to shield Xiao Yun from domestic violence, but it had grown extreme, selfish, and distrusting, even showing signs of overtaking Xiao Yun's original self.

Initially, Lu Wangshu had dismissed the idea as fleeting, but recalling the book "The 24 Faces of Billy" on Zhong Qian's bookshelf and Xiao Yun's own admission, he became convinced that the disturbances in the case stemmed from another personality within the young girl.

"I don't believe I've done anything wrong. Xiao Yun is too weak. In protecting her, I'm also safeguarding myself. The world is overwhelmingly oppressive. At first, I felt confined within Xiao Yun's body, but gradually, I realized we were both trapped by this selfish society. I need to take Xiao Yun away. In doing so, Xiao Yun will be liberated, and I will be too..." Xiao Yun murmured, gazing out the window.

Before anyone could process her words, Yun leapt from the window in a flash. Lu Wangshu, seeing this, wanted to rush over and catch her, but it was already too late.

He peered out the window to see Yun lying in a pool of blood below, utterly still. The whole case unfolded like a lute song, ending with a final, resonant "Clang!"

Several days had passed since the closure of Chen Rou's case, and Lin Xiangyi had been in low spirits ever since. She found it hard to believe that such events could happen again.

Lin Xiangyi was organizing files next to Lu Wangshu when Qiao Liang entered the room. Lu Wangshu himself had been lacking energy for several days.

"Has everything with the Chen Rou case been settled? Is Zhou Yang free now?" Lu Wangshu inquired.

He was deeply concerned about Zhou Yang, having witnessed his heart-wrenching despair in prison.

Qiao Liang nodded gravely, "It's been confirmed that Yun's fingerprints were on the pregnancy test. It appears that when Yun's deranged personality emerged and she discovered Chen Rou was pregnant, she feared being abandoned again and, in her rage, murdered Chen Rou and framed Zhou Yang."

"A child pulling off such a flawless crime and framing someone else to mislead the police is beyond anyone's imagination," sighed Lin Xiangyi. She had never seen a dead body before, but the sight of Yun's jump from the window nearly made her pass out. She'd been plagued by nightmares for days, particularly haunted by Yun's innocent-looking face paired with that piercing voice.

Qiao Liang went on, "We informed Zhou Yang about the pregnancy test. He... he broke down crying, seemingly unaware of Chen Rou's pregnancy. This morning, we received a report that Zhou Yang had taken his own life by drinking pesticide at home."

Lu Wangshu bowed his head, fighting to keep the tears at bay. "He truly loved Chen Rou and couldn't bear to be without her."

The gaze of someone in love is unmistakable, shining with a special light when they speak of their beloved. Yet, Lu Wangshu failed to notice the expression he wore when he looked at Lin Xiangyi.

Lin Xiangyi spun around and dashed upstairs, doing her best to stifle the sobs threatening to escape. She had witnessed numerous love stories that moved people deeply, yet the saga of Zhou Yang and Chen Rou was so poignant that she couldn't help but cry.

"Even if Yun hadn't taken her own life, even if we proved she was the culprit, it wouldn't change anything. She's only seven and has a mental illness," Qiao Liang told Lu Wangshu.

Lu Wangshu played with a pen, trying to divert his mind from the grief. He looked up at Qiao Liang and said, "Death might be a release for both Yun and that personality. One is too timid, the other too aggressive. When will we see an end to orphans? When will every family truly be happy and complete?"

As he spoke, a wry smile crossed Lu Wangshu's face. He wasn't just referring to Yun; he was talking about himself too. With his parents gone and no emotional anchor, wasn't he essentially an orphan?

Aware of Lu Wangshu's circumstances and noting his somber mood, Qiao Liang swiftly steered the conversation elsewhere. "I've come today because there's something important I need to discuss with you."

"Oh?"

"The bonus from your last case has been deposited into your account. Make sure to check it. Solving such a baffling case in just three days has earned you high praise from the brass. There's another tough case that's giving the Major Case Squad a real headache," Qiao Liang explained.

Lu Wangshu's brow furrowed. The bonus from the last case should keep him afloat for a month, so he wasn't keen on taking on new cases. He preferred to delve into the unsolved mysteries that his father had left behind in the basement.

"How tough are we talking?" Lu Wangshu asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Qiao Liang replied, "The campus ghost..."

Lu Wangshu laughed even harder. "You're an atheist. You don't seriously believe in these spirits and specters, do you?"

"I certainly don't, but the situation has escalated to the point where the school might shut down. The principal is offering a hefty reward to catch whoever's behind this charade," Qiao Liang emphasized.