Chapter 74: Moved

Shen Sui was pulled back into the events of more than a decade ago, every memory still vivid.

She did not know why her emotions had been so intense back then. Whether it was hatred, anger, or resentment, they were all incredibly fierce. Even after so much time had passed, she still remembered the suffocating feeling that had filled her chest.

Every day, she screamed hysterically on the inside, but Ding Tao dismissed it. To avoid her arguments, he chose to distance himself from her. That ignored, unresolved anger accumulated, swelling to its absolute limit, and ultimately twisted her mind until she lost all judgment, spitting out incredibly vicious words.

Even though she knew it was wrong, perhaps only the phrase “possessed by some demon” could describe it. Once a person acts on impulse, they rush toward the most irreversible path, completely disregarding the consequences.

She could not help but think that if Ding Tao had comforted her properly back then, shown her enough respect, and let her vent that resentment, perhaps none of this would have happened.

But he had not. All the regrets and missed chances had led to today’s outcome. It was as if everything was a long-destined retribution.

Drowned in these chaotic thoughts, Shen Sui cried and laughed at the same time. Then she heard He Jueyun ask, “Did you really hate Dong Xuanxuan living in your house that much? If you really hated it, you could have refused, or spoken up. Or do you really believe that the one most at fault in this matter is a helpless five-year-old child?”

Shen Sui curled her lips in a bleak smile and said, “Every woman would hate having a man in the house who makes decisions on his own. What is a home? A home is a group made up of your own people. Dong Xuanxuan is not my son. He is proof of my husband’s betrayal. Why should I accept him? Do you men all think that as long as you have the final say in the household, your wives will just accept this kind of thing?”

Shen Sui clutched her chest, gasping for breath. “It’s impossible! When you hate someone, no matter how long you live together, you will still hate them! You can’t just get used to it!”

He Jueyun said, “Then you should hate your husband.”

“But he is one of my own! I treat him as family!” Shen Sui said emotionally. “When someone takes their anger out on others, there is no logic to it. Why do you think I would be logical when it comes to feelings? That’s why I hate Dong Xuanxuan! The better Ding Tao treated him, the more I hated him. The more sensible he behaved, and the more praise he received, the more I detested him!”

He Jueyun was shaken by her madness, unable to connect her with the weak, beautiful woman from before. When provoked, she could unleash such a torrent of negative emotions.

What would Ding Xihua, who was in the middle of a transition, become when facing her like this every day?

He Jueyun asked dryly, “Just because he isn’t your child?”

“Yes!” Shen Sui said quickly. “Because he came into my home without my permission! Because he got along so well with everyone else that he turned me into an outsider! An outsider! My life was ruined by him!”

The interrogation room, as well as the observation room, fell into a dead silence.

Xie Qimeng heard a heavy breathing sound. When he came to his senses, he realized it was his own and quickly shut his mouth.

For some reason, these words made him feel a wave of panic. Qiong Cang had also come to his home without warning back then, but they had not gotten along well.

That time was already very distant, even feeling unfamiliar to him. After all, Qiong Cang had only lived in his house for a short period.

While Xie Qimeng was reminiscing, he noticed He Chuanzhou glancing back at him. He looked back, and her penetrating gaze made him tense up all over. He swallowed hard.

He Chuanzhou said, “Many people’s emotions are volatile. This is why, in many cases, it is impossible to identify the murderer solely from the perspective of motive. Behind these cases, there are all sorts of ridiculous reasons. Being able to control one’s emotions and remain calm is not necessarily a bad thing. If Ding Xihua had received proper guidance from a young age, he might have become an excellent criminal investigator or judicial officer. Of course, keen emotional perception is also a talent… and, well, being able to work hard is a talent too.”

Xie Qimeng: “…” Why did he feel like that last sentence was something she had wracked her brains to squeeze out just to comfort him?

·

He Jueyun waited for Shen Sui to cry for a while and calm down before continuing to speak with her.

“What did you say to Ding Xihua back then?”

At the mention of her son, Shen Sui grew despondent again. She seemed to sink to rock bottom, her voice becoming faint.

“A long time ago, I knew Xihua was different from ordinary children. He didn’t cry much, and he wasn’t really affected by other people’s emotions. He was very smart, sensible, and independent. I thought these were strengths, that I had raised him well. I felt he was very mature for his age, already acting like a little adult when he was in his teens.”

“When Dong Xuanxuan first showed up, I was completely stunned. Xihua had to go to school, and Ding Tao wasn’t home during the day. Dong Xuanxuan hadn’t finished his paperwork yet, so he couldn’t go to kindergarten. Even with a nanny, I would still see him often. He had a lot of bad habits. His mother was in a bad financial situation and could barely take care of herself, so she hadn’t raised him well at all, and she often beat and scolded him, but…”

Shen Sui lowered her head, tears choking her once more.

“But he was completely different from Xihua. He was extremely sensitive to other people’s emotions, and he was always cautious around me. Even though he knew I hated him…”

Shen Sui pursed her lips and let out a sarcastic laugh.

“When he saw I was sad, he would still come over to comfort me. He would smile at me, hug my legs, and bring me food. I never expected that the only one in this house who actually cared about me would be him.”

Dong Xuanxuan was always buzzing around her like a bee, grinning constantly with his cute face. He called her Mama Ding, told her she was pretty, and said his mother was also a good person, and that he missed home a little.

What was good about his mother? His mother was just an irresponsible person, just like her.

Because of his mother’s volatility, he had known from a very young age not to do things that made people sad, and to please those dysfunctional adults. It was only after meeting him that Shen Sui understood what true precociousness meant.

He Jueyun asked, “Then why did you still…”

“I didn’t actually hate him; I just hated Ding Tao. Ding Tao loved that son, so I deliberately said the things that would hurt him the most.” Shen Sui covered her face with both hands, her voice so choked with sobs it was barely audible. “Ding Tao wouldn’t answer my calls. Xihua was precocious, and he thought he was mature, so I would talk to him, ask him to pass messages to his father, and hope he could help persuade him. I would complain to him. When I was impulsive, I was especially reckless with my words. I thought he wouldn’t take it seriously.”

Shen Sui looked dazed. “Back then, Xihua asked me several times if our family would go back to normal if Dong Xuanxuan disappeared. I always said yes. I told him, ‘Your dad’s heart is with him now, you can’t treat him as a brother.’ And then…”

Seeing that she couldn’t go on, He Jueyun finished the sentence for her. “And then, not long after, he died.”

Shen Sui nodded.

Shen Sui would always remember the scene when she and Ding Tao rushed to the riverbank after hearing the news. Ding Xihua stood on the shore, watching it all with cold detachment.

He was frowning deeply, not out of sadness, but out of confusion. The other children his age had already panicked, unable to even speak clearly, and a few girls were crying so hard they were about to faint.

Looking at Ding Xihua, Shen Sui realized almost instantly that her own son had killed Dong Xuanxuan.

At that moment, she felt a profound chill envelop her entire body. She tried to open her mouth, but she was completely speechless.

She raised her hand and slapped herself hard, realizing what a terrible mistake she had made, but she didn’t dare to speak out.

Shen Sui said, “Dong Xuanxuan listened to him. He took him to a relatively hidden spot, but he was still seen by a villager who had come to fish nearby.”

“Ding Tao had no choice. This was his only son left, so he had to protect him. He had a lawyer step in and bribe the villager. Since Xihua was under fourteen^[1], he wouldn’t face criminal liability even if it came out, not to mention that the man had no evidence at all. So, the villager took the money and left.”

At the time, Ding Xihua held her hand and asked her, “Why is that person looking at me like that?”

His coldness and confusion made Shen Sui feel a bit terrified. This young boy had no concept of what murder or death meant. As an adult, she knew, but she didn’t know how to explain it to Ding Xihua.

She grabbed Ding Xihua’s shoulders and told him that he had to pretend to be very sad, that he had to learn to be flustered and lost like his classmates, that he had to play the part of a normal person, and bury this matter in his heart forever, never telling anyone.

Ding Xihua asked her, “Am I not a normal person?”

Shen Sui was already on the verge of going mad back then. She felt like she was half a murderer herself. Whenever she closed her eyes, Dong Xuanxuan’s face filled her mind. She couldn’t believe how Ding Xihua had dared to do such a thing.

She had never been good at handling stress, and her voice slipped out of control as she blurted out, “No, you’re not!”

She had forgotten how Ding Xihua reacted; he must have been very disappointed and sad. He listened to her, mournfully saw Dong Xuanxuan off, and never mentioned it again. Just like Dong Xuanxuan, he learned to read people’s expressions and please others.

“I hoped we could all forget these things, as if nothing had ever happened.” Shen Sui’s eyes were unfocused. “But it’s so hard. It didn’t work. He noticed my wariness toward him.”

That was why Ding Xihua kept so many photos in his room, because his normal family now only existed in those pictures.

Clearly, clearly his original intention had been to salvage things, and he had followed the advice his mother gave him.

Shen Sui slumped weakly against the table and said softly, “I didn’t dare say those things to him anymore; I didn’t even dare to speak to him casually. Fortunately, he started boarding at school later on. I finally managed to move past it, it was supposed to be over… twelve years… I didn’t expect it to start all over again.”

He Jueyun took a deep breath and couldn’t help but shake his head. “He learned the absolute worst things from you.”

Hatred, malice, lies, coldness, selfishness, irresponsibility…

He just like being used and then ruthlessly abandoned by his mother, he lost the family he could have still maintained, and he also lost the chance to fit into this world.

Perhaps it was through this event that he realized killing someone with his own hands was not a good choice, and that playing with people’s minds was far more enjoyable. He could obtain compensation for his youth from the pain and obsession of others.

He Jueyun looked down to confirm the timeline and found that the time of Dong Xuanxuan’s death was just two days before Ding Tao blocked the ambulance, causing Hong Jun’s wife to miss her window for emergency treatment.

Having lost his son, Ding Tao heard the ambulance driver shouting about a pregnant woman in need of emergency rescue. A despicable impulse suddenly took hold of him, so he refused to yield, leading to yet another tragedy.

He Jueyun put down the documents, his feelings a complex mix. “Shen Sui, you really aren’t fit to be a mother.”

Shen Sui sobbed, “I know I was wrong, but I don’t know how to change it. What do you think I should do?”

“And what about Ding Tao? You killed him too,” He Jueyun said. “Do you really want to repent? Or are you just looking for excuses to run away forever?”

Shen Sui raised her head, looking at him through tear-blurred eyes.

He Jueyun’s low, slow voice acted like hypnosis, tugging at her nerves.

“You killed his son, and then you killed him. In the end, you didn’t even leave him the truth. Shen Sui, can you bear the weight of such pressure?”

·

In the room on the other side, Qiong Cang and Ding Xihua stared at each other for a long time. Aside from their initial greetings, neither of them made a sound.

Ding Xihua asked, “Aren’t you going to talk to me?”

“I do want to talk to you. But I’m wondering where I should start.” Qiong Cang casually brought up a topic. “How is your prison life going?”

Ding Xihua smiled faintly. “Are you really that confident of victory?”

Qiong Cang said, “You’ve already lost, haven’t you? Aren’t you currently enjoying your prison rehabilitation package?”

“I haven’t necessarily lost,” Ding Xihua said, gesturing arrogantly. “I’ll serve five years at most, maybe ten. By the time I get out, I’ll still be young. I’ll make sure to reform myself well in there, study, and never make the same mistakes again. The world is made for geniuses like us. What is a genius? Someone destined from birth to be a cut above ordinary people. Don’t you agree?”

Qiong Cang nodded, finding his words quite reasonable. “In that case,” she said, “why don’t I tell you a bit about my student?”

Ding Xihua laughed and leaned over the table, wearing a look of earnest attention. “I’ve heard about them. I’m very interested.”