It’s Him – Ch28

Caught

For a period of time, the people of Pingcheng were described online as eccentric.

They had strange thought processes and even stranger actions.

For example, right now, Buildings 2 and 3 of Qingbei Community were surrounded by the police, and the neighborhood security guards were driving out onlookers.

At this moment, a young woman broke through the crowd. Several security guards went after her, and just as they were about to catch her, they saw her climb up a tree like a monkey, using all four limbs.

The security guards couldn’t climb up, so they could only shout at her to come down.

“If something happens later, let’s see how you handle it!”

A few older folks nearby asked, “What’s going on now? Did the police fire shots?”

The person up in the tree, sitting on a branch, was clearly visible because it wasn’t a banyan tree with dense leaves blocking the view. She took out her equipment and started recording firsthand footage. She even set up another device to start a live stream.

The security guards under the tree wanted to shout, but she interrupted them.

“Don’t make a fuss. Just search for the events in Pingcheng, I’m live streaming!”

Everyone below received the message and quickly began searching for the live stream.

Not far from the building, at the entrance, a frail middle-aged woman had a kitchen knife pressed against a young man’s neck.

From her position, she couldn’t hear well, so she focused on reading his lips.

“How could she not know some lip reading? She’s a professional gossip journalist. How could she make a name for herself and afford that BMW if she didn’t know some tricks?”

“He’s the serial killer from back then. I’m sure of it, it’s him! He’s not telling me, he’s not telling me… You’re his wife, you must know!”

Li Yugui pressed the knife against Zhao Jingzheng’s neck.

Li Xun nearby didn’t dare get close and could only try to persuade her, “Mom, calm down. Even if his father is the killer, he’s innocent.”

Qin Li spoke up: “Your daughter is right, he’s innocent. Please stay calm, I beg you, don’t hurt him.”

“I won’t kill him. Stay back,” Li Yugui said.

Her eyes were vacant, and anyone could tell that she was in a very unstable emotional state. She was on edge, and the tension could snap at any moment.

She thought she had found the killer and that everything would end. After so long living with the killer, no matter what she tried, she couldn’t get any news of her child. The torment of having no hope finally broke her.

When she saw Zhao Jingzheng, she clung to a new obsession.

She loved her child, and she naturally believed that others would love their children too.

She had nowhere to turn, and her last hope was placed on the killer’s wife.

Maybe she knew it deep down.

Qin Li was also very anxious because she didn’t know what to do.

She stopped speaking, and Li Yugui grew agitated again. The police quickly tried to calm her down.

“Li Yugui, you know the pain of losing a child. You wouldn’t want another mother to witness her child’s life being taken.”

Qin Li realized that the mother the police were referring to was her, so she quickly nodded. “Yes, he’s my son. I don’t want him to die.”

She was so tense, and the conflicts between her and her son were deep, leaving their relationship strained. The police signaled her to say more, and she stammered, “As long as you don’t hurt him, I’ll do my best to cooperate with you…”

Li Yugui looked at her and asked, “I won’t hurt him. I just want an answer.”

She said she wouldn’t hurt him, but the kitchen knife was still pressed to his neck, and her mental state was terrifying.

Li Yugui stared at Qin Li, “You’re a mother too. You must understand how I feel. She’s so small, so afraid of the dark. I just want to bring her home. You were married to him. You must know where my daughter is. If you tell me, I’ll do anything.”

Qin Li wanted to say that she also felt her ex-husband was like the killer, but she didn’t have much memory of the past. She was in a bad state at that time.

She didn’t dare to speak the truth, so she tried to placate her, “Let me think about it. I’ll surely remember. How about this: you let my son go, and I’ll come in and we’ll talk. My husband is here, right? We’ll deal with the issues from our generation. I know him better, and I’ll help you interrogate him.”

Zhao Jingzheng wanted to say no but didn’t dare speak up.

Qin Li was about to approach, but the next second, Li Yugui became agitated again and pulled Zhao Jingzheng to hide inside.

“Don’t move, I won’t come closer!” Qin Li quickly said.

Li Xun called out, “Mom!”

Qin Li noticed this and quietly approached Li Xun, saying to Li Yugui, “I know you’re in pain. I understand, but your daughter is here. You have to think about her. She’s been busy with your matters all this time.”

Li Yugui finally said, “She’s not my daughter. She’s just a tool for me to get close to the killer. She doesn’t know my plan. Don’t try to use her to threaten me.”

As she spoke, the kitchen knife moved, and another police officer had already aimed at her.

Li Xun saw this and tears immediately fell. “Mom, don’t move—”

Qin Li quickly said, “Don’t move, I won’t either. We can talk. How about this: I’ll go inside, bring my ex-husband out, and question him.”

Qin Li took off her coat as she spoke. “I don’t have anything on me, just watch me go in. My son is in your hands, I won’t do anything reckless.”

She slowly approached and walked into the room.

There was no one inside.

Li Xun spoke from outside, “There’s a basement on the other side of the table. He’s in the basement.”

Qin Li found the basement and, sure enough, her ex-husband was inside.

“Our son is in his hands. Just answer her questions when she asks.”

Mr. Zhao hadn’t eaten all day, his words weak, “I really don’t know anything. Don’t you know? How long have we known each other?”

Qin Li didn’t care about this and dragged him out.

When Zhao Jingzheng saw him, he burst into tears. “Dad—”

Mr. Zhao had lost his earlier calm and became flustered. “Let go of my son, I’ll tell you anything.”

“Where’s my daughter?”

“I didn’t kill her. I gave her to a childless couple,” Mr. Zhao said.

Li Xun immediately knew that Mr. Zhao was a master at manipulating people’s emotions. This was exactly what Li Yugui had been hoping to hear.

Sure enough, Li Yugui’s attention was distracted, and a police officer approached her from behind.

Li Xun seized the opportunity and grabbed her mother’s kitchen knife. The officer behind her also restrained Li Yugui.

Everyone rushed forward, no longer scattered like before.

Li Xun’s fingers were cut by the knife, and blood and pain poured out.

However, Li Yugui was still struggling, cursing her for being ungrateful, a white-eyed wolf, saying she had raised her for so long but couldn’t make her understand.

Li Xun froze, tears pouring down.

Li Yugui immediately stopped cursing and looked away.

Li Xun initially sobbed quietly, but this small emotional crack quickly led to a flood of sorrow.

She felt so sad, so incredibly sad.

She couldn’t control herself, her whole body seemed to be in pain, pulled by her heart. Half of it was because her mother was about to go to prison, and the other half was because of the cruel things her mother had said.

Even though her rational mind told her that her mother’s current state meant she might have a place where she could eat and sleep regularly, and she could still try to get her mother treatment, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

And her mother’s words were just to get her out. None of it was real.

But she still couldn’t stop the pain.

Sun Ning heard the news and rushed over. She immediately supported Li Xun and hugged her.

When she arrived, she quickly understood the situation and why Li Xun knew so much.

She was both heartbroken and distressed, hugging the high schooler and comforting her, “I have a student who’s a lawyer. She can help us. Don’t be sad. I’m still here.”

As she spoke, the police were talking to Mr. Zhao.

He looked pale and thinner, but his condition was still much better than Li Yugui’s.

He had no injuries on his face or body.

Sun Ning glared at him, her heart filled with endless anger.

——————————

The local entertainment reporter’s live broadcast pushed the whole situation to its peak.

Netizens split into several camps:

1. The Great Love of a Mother Camp, which firmly believed that this mother was not mistaken, and that the teacher was the killer.
2. The Sober Camp, arguing that without actual evidence, no one should jump to conclusions. It had been so long, how could she remember everything clearly?
3. The Gut Feeling Investigator Camp, claiming that just by looking at Zhao Teacher, it was obvious he was a bad person. He was definitely the killer!

The three camps argued fiercely.