Si Han and Zhang Qing are biological sisters, but their parents divorced several years ago. Zhang Qing took her father's surname, while Si Han took her mother's surname.
Their father remarried and their mother remarried. The two sisters were getting old, so they simply lived together in the house their parents left them. The two sisters depended on each other for survival and had a very good relationship, regarding each other as their closest relatives.
Zhang Qing went abroad after graduating from high school and was very worried about her gentle younger sister, so they video chatted every week.
But on her 18th birthday, she was nowhere to be found.
Zhang Qing panicked and contacted his aunt in China. His aunt, Zhang Yu, sent her son, Xie Xinghe, on his bicycle to Fenglin High School, only to find the school surrounded by police cars.
The murderer who pushed Si Han downstairs called the police as if nothing had happened.
They had already fabricated a suicide for Si Han, creating alibis for each other. Xie Xinghe watched from afar as his cousin lay in a pool of blood. The young boy's face was expressionless, but his fists were clenched tightly at his sides, his palms bleeding from the pressure.
After returning home, he told Zhang Qing about Si Han's fall, and Zhang Qing completely broke down abroad.
Xie Xinghe's mother went to the police station to identify the body. Zhang Qing returned to attend her sister's funeral. She was dressed in black, her face was cold, and her eyes were full of hostility.
When she returned home and sorted through her sister's belongings, she found her sister's diary.
The younger sister used a red pen to write down the humiliation she suffered.
Zhang Qing hugged the diary to her chest expressionlessly, her eyes flashing with a cold, sharp light, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey.
The police ruled that her sister committed suicide, but she didn't believe it.
She will avenge her sister and make those who killed her pay with their blood!
***
After graduating, Zhang Qing obtained her teaching certificate and applied for a job at Fenglin High School. Her younger sister's diary only recorded the part about the homeroom teacher and her experience of seeing a psychologist. Zhang Qing started her investigation by investigating the young psychologist, and with a little trickery, the psychologist took the bait.
She quickly found out the cause of her sister's death.
The culprit is, of course, the one surnamed Zhou. The security guard who gave false testimony that day was an accomplice, and the psychologist who ran away without helping was also culpable!
They should all be buried with their sister!
Using her beauty, Zhang Qing meticulously planned and murdered the school counselor with a hammer, stabbed the homeroom teacher three times in the chest, and strangled the security guard with a rope...
She dismembered the three bodies and buried them in her sister's favorite maple forest.
she
They even specially kept a piece of each person's rib, shaved it into the shape of a wolf's tooth, and made a necklace to hang around their necks as a souvenir.
This matter had originally been resolved.
However, the senior year English teacher was pregnant and on maternity leave, so the school rescheduled her to teach Senior Year 3 Class 3, which Xie Xinghe happened to be in. She didn't have much affection for her cousin Zhang Qing; after her parents' divorce, she didn't keep in touch with her aunt's family much, and they had only met a few times. On the other hand, Si Han and Xie Xinghe were closer; both were in China, and Si Han used to frequently eat at her aunt's house.
Out of respect for Si Han, Zhang Qing treated Xie Xinghe very well, even giving him extra tutoring in English.
There was a pretty girl in the class named Ying Xiaoya who secretly liked Xie Xinghe. She could tell, but Xie Xinghe was aloof and arrogant, focused only on studying and getting into a good university, and didn't understand the girl's feelings.
On Monday, Xie Xinghe was on duty, while Zhang Qing was working overtime in the office.
After cleaning the classroom, Xie Xinghe packed his bag to go home, but when he got to the rooftop, he saw Zhang Qing sneaking off the security cameras and going up to the rooftop. Suspicious, he followed him.
Zhang Qing actually has a key to the office building rooftop?
She opened the door, walked onto the rooftop, stood by the railing, and gazed into the distance with a serious expression.
Xie Xinghe walked over and asked suspiciously, "Sis, what are you doing here? How do you have the key to the rooftop?"
Zhang Qing said calmly, "Xiao Han jumped from here back then. I just came here to see her." She looked at the distant maple forest, her eyes filled with deep sorrow. "If I hadn't gone abroad and had stayed to attend university locally, she wouldn't have suffered like this… I was too ambitious, too eager to succeed. I didn't take good care of her…"
"Didn't Sister Han commit suicide?" Xie Xinghe asked in a low voice.
"Suicide? Hahaha!" Zhang Qing clenched his fists, his smile sinister. "She was pushed off the building. I've already found out! Those murderers are buried in the maple forest. If Xiaohan is watching from heaven, she can see their gruesome dismemberment every day. Their flesh will rot and be eaten by insects, leaving only scattered bones. Hahaha!"
The woman's shrill laughter echoed in his ears. Xie Xinghe pushed up his glasses and remained silent.
"What, you're not surprised?" Zhang Qing turned around and looked at him in surprise.
"I guessed it was you who did it," Xie Xinghe said softly. "The three people who have gone missing from the school in recent years are all related to Sister Han. The counselor was someone she often consulted before she died. The security guard and her homeroom teacher were both there that day. How could it be such a coincidence?"
"Moreover," Xie Xinghe paused, took out a copy of " The Count of Monte Cristo " from his bag, and said, "I saw the original of this book in your drawer, and I even went out of my way to buy a translated version to read. The story is about revenge; you're avenging Si Han, and you've killed all three of them."
"That's right." Zhang Qing sneered. "They deserve to die!"
"Why not submit the evidence to the police? Why insist on doing it yourself?"
"You're too naive. So many years have passed, all the evidence has been destroyed, they won't admit it! Besides, letting them be executed is too easy for them. I'll torture them slowly, let them experience what it's like to wish they were dead!" Zhang Qing's voice was icy cold. She touched the necklace around her neck, her smile a strange gentleness: "I'll also cut them into pieces and bury them in the woods to mourn my sister."
"..." Ying Xiaoya, standing at the entrance to the rooftop, covered her mouth in horror.
She deliberately switched her duty roster with Yi Ru today because she wanted to do duty with her crush. Although Xie Xinghe was always cold, she was already very satisfied to spend more time with the top student.
Yu Hui was furious and found Xie Xinghe increasingly displeasing, thinking, "How could my little sister, whom I raised, be taken advantage of by this pig, Xie Xinghe?"
Ying Xiaoya spent a long time soothing her cousin before he went to the court to play basketball, waiting for Ying Xiaoya to come downstairs.
But as if by some strange twist of fate, when she finished her chores and was about to go downstairs, she saw Xie Xinghe carrying a schoolbag to the rooftop of the office building. Curious, she followed him—only to overhear a shocking secret!
Zhang Qing's cruel words almost made Ying Xiaoya scream. She immediately turned and ran away, her legs trembling as she went downstairs.
Zhang Qing noticed the movement behind her and turned around abruptly: "Who's there?"
Xie Xinghe guessed it was Ying Xiaoya, and said, "It's nothing, it was just windy."
He adjusted his glasses and said, "Your methods of avenging Si Han were cruel, but... I can understand your feelings. Sister Han died a terrible death, and those who harmed her should be punished. Since you've killed all three of them, let's leave this matter behind and not bring it up again."
Zhang Qing coldly replied, "The past? Ha, the dead can't come back to life, how can we let it pass?"
She was looking at the maple forest in the distance when she suddenly saw Ying Xiaoya running frantically to the basketball court, grabbing Yu Hui and turning to leave as if their lives depended on it.
Zhang Qing narrowed his eyes slightly: "Just now, did Ying Xiaoya overhear our conversation?"
Xie Xinghe immediately denied it: "No, it's Yi Ru's turn to clean today. She couldn't finish her homework, so I let her go home first. Ying Xiaoya is playing basketball with Yu Hui. Don't you teachers know that they have a good relationship?"
Zhang Qing watched the boy and girl's retreating figures thoughtfully, a hint of unreadable emotion flashing in her eyes.
Xie Xinghe had a bad feeling.
Ying Xiaoya must have heard it. In the following days, she was late for class every day and often spaced out in class. She used to be good at English, but she didn't get a single word right in the dictation during morning reading. Zhang Qing looked very unhappy, but didn't say anything. After class, she called Yi Ru over.
Zhang Qing asked, "Is Monday your and Xie Xinghe's turn to be on duty?"
Yi Ru honestly replied, "I switched with Xiao Ya. She and Xie Xinghe are on duty together now. What's wrong, teacher?"
Zhang Qing smirked coldly: "It's nothing."
That same day, she went to the security office and, under the pretext of checking the surveillance footage from Monday, she saw that while she was chatting with Xie Xinghe, Ying Xiaoya appeared near the rooftop and soon after ran downstairs with a pale face.
Ying Xiaoya heard it.
Zhang Qing touched the bone necklace on her chest, lost in thought.
The next day was Wednesday. Xie Xinghe noticed that Zhang Qing had bought the same shoes as Ying Xiaoya and was wearing casual clothes and canvas shoes to class... She rarely dressed like this, and Xie Xinghe sensed something was wrong.
Will Zhang Qing kill Xiaoya to silence her? She's only seeking revenge for her sister; would she really harm the innocent Xiaoya? Why did she buy those shoes?
To the other students, it was normal for the teacher to buy these canvas shoes; after all, they were a popular style that many people wore. But Xie Xinghe knew something was wrong—he knew Zhang Qing. Zhang Qing was a very sophisticated woman who loved to wear makeup when she went out, and her shoe cabinet was full of all kinds of fashionable high heels. She rarely wore canvas shoes or casual sportswear.
In any case, he wanted to be on the safe side.
During chemistry class in the afternoon, the chemistry teacher was talking about organophosphates. Xie Xinghe locked the door, came out with the teacher, and then secretly went back to the lab, unlocked the door, and took half a bottle of organophosphates.
After returning home, he went to the supermarket and bought a large box of chocolate filling that Yu Hui often gave to Ying Xiaoya. He then used a syringe to replace the contents with organophosphate poison.
Thursday and Friday were exam days. He handed in his last paper early and waited for Ying Xiaoya in exam room number 7.
After Ying Xiaoya finished her exam and left the house, Xie Xinghe handed her a printed love letter. Ying Xiaoya was stunned for a moment, and when she got home and read it, her face turned bright red... The love letter was so cheesy. Did Xie Xinghe really like her? It was unbelievable!
Xie Xinghe had no idea that Ying Xiaoya had a crush on him. The love letter turned into a pink bubble in the face of the girl's heart. Ying Xiaoya didn't understand the obvious hints in the love letter at all, but the more she read it, the faster her heart raced.
Her feelings were extremely conflicted.
She learned many secrets: Teacher Zhang was actually the class monitor's older sister, and Si Han, who fell to her death five years ago, was also the class monitor's older sister. Teacher Zhang killed three people to avenge Si Han —it was terrifying… How could such a horrific thing happen? Three corpses were buried in the maple forest! She even went to the maple forest to recite her lessons every day; just thinking about it sent chills down her spine!
Ying Xiaoya was restless all night. On Sunday, her mother suddenly had a change of heart and flew to celebrate her birthday with her. She asked Ying Xiaoya to go to the hotel to give her a cell phone. Ying Xiaoya was in a panic and forgot to bring her school uniform. She had a nightmare while staying with her mother and overslept. She was late again on Monday.
When Xie Xinghe saw Ying Xiaoya come to class, he realized that the girl hadn't understood his love letter at all, so he had to resort to his backup plan.
He always felt that Zhang Qing's eyes were somewhat fierce at the time. He didn't know if Zhang Qing would make a move against Ying Xiaoya, but just in case, as long as Xiaoya ate chocolate and suffered from poisoning and had to go to the hospital for emergency treatment, and the police came to investigate, Zhang Qing would have no chance to make a move.
He should find another opportunity to properly persuade Zhang Qing, whose mind has become twisted, and the matter can be perfectly resolved.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
Just as Ying Xiaoya finished eating her chocolate, Zhang Qing arrived at the classroom.
She was wearing casual clothes and canvas shoes, unlike the suit dress she wore for morning reading class. But she had worn this outfit before, so Ying Xiaoya didn't suspect anything. She asked nervously, "T-Teacher, did you want to see me?"
Zhang Qing smiled and said, "I know you were upset when I scolded you during morning reading and made you stand as punishment. But I was stern with you because I wanted your grades to improve as soon as possible. Come with me for a moment, and I'll tell you more about this exam."
Ying Xiaoya couldn't refuse this reason, so she followed him nervously.
Zhang Qing said, "There are too many people in the office. Let's find a quiet place to talk properly."
Ying Xiaoya assumed that her English teacher was unaware that she was eavesdropping, and given the teacher's earnest "tutoring" demeanor, she didn't think much of it and followed her.
She never imagined that she would be pushed off the building.
She only saw Xie Xinghe go to the rooftop and followed him out of curiosity; she didn't want to hear these secrets.
She was utterly innocent.
****
Police station.
Seeing Zhang Qing and the canvas shoes being brought in by the police, Xie Xinghe turned ashen-faced.
He confessed everything.
The police were stunned by the truth. Zhang Qing was detained on charges of intentional homicide and is awaiting prosecution.
Xie Xinghe requested to meet her.
Through the iron bars, Zhang Qing sat there expressionless. Xie Xinghe clenched his fists and asked coldly, "Why did you attack Ying Xiaoya?! She's innocent! I thought you weren't that crazy, but I never expected you to even kill her!"
Zhang Qing said calmly, "She knows too much. Once she tells anyone, the corpses in the maple forest will be discovered."
Xie Xinghe frowned deeply: "This is not a reason for you to kill her. She was timid and wouldn't have said anything out of turn! Sister, you're not yourself anymore. You've become the kind of person you used to hate the most. How is your behavior any different from the murderer who killed Si Han back then?! What would Si Han think of you if she knew all this?!"
Zhang Qing suddenly burst into laughter, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. As she laughed, tears streamed down her face.
She touched the bone fragments on her chest in a daze and said softly, "The dragon slayer will eventually become the dragon. The moment I decided to take revenge with my own hands, perhaps... I was no longer myself."
***
Zhang Qing was sentenced to death.
Xie Xinghe used too low a dose of poison, and his original intention was to...
Ying Xiaoya was released from detention after a few days with the help of her school and parents, and was able to take the college entrance examination.
The story card ends with a cemetery.
Rows of tombstones stood neatly arranged on the empty mountain. Xie Xinghe, dressed in a pure black suit, came to Ying Xiaoya's grave with a bouquet of white flowers. He placed the flowers beside the tombstone and whispered, "I'm sorry."
A cold wind swept across the hillside, scattering the pure white petals everywhere.
The young man stood against the wind, his gaze calm and profound: "The college entrance exam scores are out. I did well. I applied to a police academy. My family was very opposed, but it doesn't matter. I've made up my mind."
He gently touched the girl's photo on the tombstone with his long, slender fingers, his voice unusually gentle: "From now on, I will be a Criminal Police Officer. Zhang Qing shouldn't have laid a hand on you, and those who killed Si Han are also unforgivable. You and Si Han are both innocent."
"I don't know how many innocent people I can save with my own strength, but... I will do my best."
He stood up and bowed deeply to the tombstone: "May there be less killing in the world, and may there be no more pain in heaven... Rest in peace, Xiaoya."
[ red heart 3 escape room - bloody maple leaf end]
Author's Note: Card World is a fictional world. The rulers here are the two Jokers, Red Heart Ace, Diamond Ace, Ace of Spades, and Plum Blossom Ace of Poker. There are no political parties, and the laws are different from those in the real world.
Previously, Xie Xinghe only cared about his own studies, but after this incident, he had a complete awakening and wanted to help other innocent people, so he stood on the side of justice.
Xie Xinghe became a police officer in Card World, and he will spend his life atoning for his sins.