"I killed the wrong person!"
"I actually killed the wrong person!"
"The moment I saw it was Xiaohong, my mind went blank."
"I didn't know what to do, I was completely stunned."
Xiao Nian cried out, the fluctuations in her emotions causing the toxin inside her to spread rapidly.
Her originally pale face turned completely black in an instant.
She suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and Chen Xiao asked, "The body wasn't disposed of by Gu Yue, it was you who disposed of it, right?"
"Yes, after that extreme regret and shock faded away, I could only accept the mistake and focus entirely on covering it up! Moreover, that notebook seemed to delve into every dark corner of a person's heart. It taught me that hastily disposing of a body is the most unwise thing. Before carrying out the case, all the aftermath should have been carefully planned."
"That's the only way to create a perfect murder case! Because if nobody discovers the dead person, then there will never be a criminal investigation. But I killed the wrong person, so I could only try to fix my mistake. So I contacted Gu Yue again and created the illusion that he might have committed murder."
"That night, I deliberately had him take away a suitcase, and finally agreed to meet him again at midnight. I knew there were cameras where he lived, and you, the police, would definitely find the footage. As long as Gu Yue didn't show up, he would be forever seen as evading capture out of guilt."
Xiao Nian revealed all her plans, but Liang Yan asked in confusion:
"If that's the case, why did you both take poison before we arrived?"
Chen Xiao already had the answer in mind, replying, "Because she didn't expect me to go to the nursing home. Once there, I would know of Uncle Huang. Knowing Uncle Huang, it's possible the real murder weapon could be exposed."
"Indeed, I subconsciously included Xiaohong in all of this from the very start. It was all just for those four words in the notebook, 'clear suspicion!' To clear suspicion, another suspect must be created."
At this point, Xiao Nian could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.
Chen Xiao looked at the notebook in his hand: "This notebook is terrifying, and the person who wrote it is even more terrifying. I can't imagine if this case was done by that person, he definitely wouldn't borrow Uncle Huang's knife like you did."
Xiao Nian struggled to look at Chen Xiao, wanting to ask something, but swallowed her words back down.
Chen Xiao knew she was nearing her end, so he asked one final question: "Did you inquire about the owner of this notebook?"
"No need to inquire, the last page of the notebook has his signature — Chen Yan!"
Chen Xiao frowned, immediately flipping to the last page, and indeed the last line had a name written — Chen Yan.
Just like him, also named Chen.
Chen Xiao was thinking of asking more questions, but Xiao Nian had already lost her breath, sprawled on the ground.
Liang Yan sighed.
Her sigh was certainly not for Xiao Nian, but for this entire case.
The case, though complex, didn't take too much time.
Yet it was intertwined with much darkness and ethics.
"Let's first take Xiao Nian away."
Liang Yan said, then also went over to the freezer to look at the dismembered body of Gu Yue.
Chen Xiao remained fixated on the notebook in his hand, continually staring at the name "Chen Yan."
His intuition told him that this person named Chen Yan is far from simple.
It's possible the cases recorded in the notebook have already happened.
If they have indeed occurred, then it means this person named Chen Yan has completed over a dozen perfect murder cases!
Chen Xiao tried hard to recall his past memories.
Perhaps in his past, before 2023, he paid too little attention to crime news, or the name Chen Yan never blew up, so he had no memory of this person at all.
Watching the two bodies being carried away by the police from the criminal investigation team, only then did Chen Xiao close the notebook and look towards Zhao Hai.
Zhao Hai was undoubtedly the central figure in the whirlpool of this case.
But Zhao Hai had committed no crime, all his actions could only be condemned morally and conscientiously.
Liang Yan didn't want to deal with him much, and Chen Xiao had nothing he wanted to say.
Because everyone knew Zhao Hai couldn't have any more incidents now, if anything else happened, there was a little girl in kindergarten who would be left without any support.
Lin Xi saw through Chen Xiao's thoughts and said softly, "Let's leave the scene to Sister Liang, we can go out first."
Chen Xiao agreed and waited downstairs with Lin Xi.
While waiting, Lin Xi tugged at Chen Xiao's arm: "You solved the case, why don't you seem happy at all?"
Chen Xiao smiled, "I'm thinking about the owner of this notebook."
Only then did Lin Xi notice the notebook still in Chen Xiao's hand, and she snatched it over.
"Why are you still holding onto this notebook?"
Chen Xiao scratched his head awkwardly, "I just forgot, I'll hand it over to Sister Liang later."
Lin Xi nodded, muttering, "But speaking of which, I think these cases should be handed over to the bureau by our investigation team."
"What, you also suspect these cases are real?" Chen Xiao asked.
"I don't know, but recorded so meticulously, it shouldn't just be someone's random thoughts. To be safe, it should be handed over to the higher-ups for decision-making."
While Lin Xi was speaking, Liang Yan happened to come downstairs.
Chen Xiao asked, "Still no improvement from Zhao Hai?"
"No, he looks as if he's lost all soul, can't hear a thing nor say a word," Liang Yan said casually, then quickly showed a broad smile:
"Chen Xiao, this case is all thanks to you again!"
Chen Xiao grinned back, "Then Sister Liang, this time you should really reward me well!"
"Reward, huh? You got a fifty thousand bonus from the Red Cotton Pants case! Besides, didn't Zhao Hai say..."
Liang Yan didn't finish the sentence, embarrassedly adding, "I really didn't expect the perpetrator to be Xiao Nian. If someone else was to wait for Zhao Hai to recover, he should remember what he promised. Unfortunately, as a law enforcer, I have no right to make Zhao Hai fulfill his verbal promise."
Chen Xiao indeed longed for the fifty thousand Zhao Hai promised, but the probability of getting that fifty thousand was less than one percent.
"How about I treat you and your wife to a meal!" Liang Yan finally came up with a way to reward him.
Chen Xiao and Lin Xi laughed helplessly and could only agree.
Not saying much else, Liang Yan took Lin Xi back to the investigation team to continue work, while Chen Xiao called Luo Dali.
Soon, Luo Dali drove over to pick up Chen Xiao.
Upon meeting, Luo Dali immediately asked about the follow-up of the case. After Chen Xiao told him everything, it took a long time for Luo Dali to process it.
"This is messed up; you telling me Xiao Nian is the culprit doesn't surprise me, that woman is too scheming and scary. But what I can't accept is Zhao Xiaohong being mistakenly killed, his death was too wronged."
"Was it really a mistaken kill? In Xiao Nian's mind, Zhao Xiaohong was always the most crucial piece, otherwise why would she have Zhao Xiaohong teach her the sword technique? The so-called mistaken kill might just be Xiao Nian providing a refuge for her conscience when everything became exposed and she collapsed."
Luo Dali listened in silence, and Chen Xiao patted him on the shoulder, saying, "No more talk, we're at my place. You've been running about all day; I'll treat you to a meal in a couple of days."
"Stop with the formalities, brother! You head upstairs now, but there's only your wife's mom at home. Aren't you scared?"
Hearing this, Chen Xiao immediately forced a smile, "Until you mentioned it, I was fine, but now you bring it up, I'm feeling uneasy."
"It's a pity that the case was like this; otherwise, if you could have gotten Zhao Hai's fifty thousand reward, I bet your wife's mom would have no objections anymore."
Chen Xiao smiled gently, "Things can be made to happen; there will always be a bright moment."
Leaving that remark, Chen Xiao said no more and went straight upstairs.
But upon reaching the door, Chen Xiao heard multiple voices coming from inside his home.
Feeling puzzled, Chen Xiao took out his key to open the door.
But the moment the door opened, Chen Xiao regretted it — massively regretted it!
That woman, she was actually there!