An hour and a half later, footsteps were heard at the gate of the courtyard.

Xu Xinghe looked up and saw his underlings leading a man dressed in coarse cloth into the room.

At first glance, he looked a lot like the old Xu Mingli, but upon closer inspection, he was different; he was the stand-in Zhang Qiang.

As soon as Zhang Qiang entered the backyard, he saw Xu Mingli tied to the door of the woodshed. His face turned pale instantly, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to fall.

"What...what's going on?" His voice trembled, his eyes filled with panic.

Xu Xinghe stood up and walked up to him. "His name isn't Shen An. You should call him Xu Mingli. Now tell me, what do you know as a stand-in? Who killed Er Laizi's father? And who killed Er Laizi?"

Zhang Qiang's eyes darted around, and he quickly shook his head. "I don't know, I really don't know anything! I was tricked into coming here to be a stand-in. They told me to stay in Hongqi Village, not to talk nonsense, and to occasionally show my face and pretend to be Chen An. I did as they said! I don't know anything else!"

"Don't know?" Xu Xinghe sneered. "Do you think I would have called you here if I hadn't investigated thoroughly? Don't be delusional. Since you're unwilling to talk about Xu Mingli, fine, then let me ask you, what about Feng Qiushi? Was she also involved in the murder? Tell me the truth, as long as you didn't kill anyone, I can speak on your behalf and ask the military to treat you leniently, as if your previous act as a double and concealment of the crime never happened. But if you dare to lie, you should know the consequences."

Zhang Qiang's eyes lit up instantly. He looked at Xu Xinghe, then at Xu Mingli on the ground, and quickly made a mental calculation.

As long as he shifts all the blame to Xu Mingli and Feng Qiushi, he can get away with it. As for Feng Qiushi...

Anyway, they were just pretending and it was becoming real, and she really did kill someone, so there's no way she can escape!

"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" Zhang Qiang immediately spoke, his tone urgent. "Xu Mingli killed Er Laizi's father, and Feng Qiushi killed Er Laizi! I didn't know at first, really! Xu Mingli and Feng Qiushi both threatened me, saying they would kill me if I dared to tell anyone! I was forced by them. I had no feelings for them at all. They made me pretend to be Shen An, and that's why I pretended to be with Feng Qiushi!"

As he spoke, he desperately tried to distance himself from Feng Qiushi, fearing he would be implicated.

All of this was clearly heard by Feng Qiushi, who was guarding outside the door.

She had been holding onto a sliver of hope, but upon hearing Zhang Qiang's words, her body instantly froze.

She stared at the closed door, then suddenly burst into tears and laughter, her laughter shrill and desperate. "Haha...how ridiculous! I'm the most ridiculous person in the whole world!"

She remembered what Zhang Qiang had said to her when he held her, "Qiushi, don't be afraid. Even if we get arrested, we'll put the blame on Xu Mingli. I won't let anything happen to you."

But what about now?

He not only shifted all the blame onto her, but also fabricated a lie that he was forced into it!

Xu Mingli did indeed pressure him!

But I don't have it!

She later developed genuine feelings for him, cooking and washing his clothes every day, taking good care of him, only to be betrayed in return!

"Darkness...this world is so dark!" Feng Qiushi murmured to himself, tears streaming down his face like broken beads. The last bit of hope he had for love was shattered into dust.

She finally understood that Xu Xinghe was right. They were just strangers who huddled together for warmth. If they encountered danger, the first one to abandon the other would be the one who kept saying he loved her.

The door opened, and Xu Xinghe came out, looking at Feng Qiushi who was slumped on the ground, her eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

"Now you see? This is the person you've been desperately trying to protect."

Xu Xinghe slowly took half a step back to the side, deliberately making way for the body blocking the doorway.

Sunlight streamed in at an angle, illuminating Feng Qiushi, who was slumped on the ground.

Her hair was disheveled and stuck to her face, her tear stains were still wet, and her eyes were empty as if she had lost her soul, completely different from the eagerness she had shown when she was begging for Zhang Qiang's forgiveness.

Zhang Qiang, who was being held by his underlings, subconsciously looked up. When his gaze fell on Feng Qiushi, his face turned deathly pale, and his body, which had been relaxed because he was about to be exonerated, tensed up instantly.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat. He could only avoid Feng Qiushi's gaze and look away at the ground.

Xu Xinghe didn't speak, but just watched the scene quietly.

She wanted Zhang Qiang to see for himself just how deeply he had hurt the woman who trusted him so completely in order to protect himself.

Zhang Qiang's fingers clenched unconsciously. He knew how hurtful his words had been and understood Feng Qiushi's despair at that moment.

In fact, he was not entirely unmoved during his time with Feng Qiushi.

She cooked different dishes for him every day, stayed up all night when he was sick, and would even secretly slip him the spare change she had saved.

It wasn't that he hadn't been sincere; it's just that his sincerity seemed too insignificant in the face of the fear of going to jail.

"I...I'm sorry, Qiushi." Zhang Qiang's voice was low. "I...I had no choice. I can't spend my whole life here..."

"Shut up!" Feng Qiushi suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse as if it had been sanded. She slowly raised her head, and a ripple finally appeared in her empty eyes, but it was an extreme mockery. "My sincerity, consider it as feeding the dogs! Zhang Qiang, I really regret not listening to Xu Xinghe back then, and actually believing a selfish person like you!"

After she finished speaking, she suddenly got up from the ground and staggered towards the door.

Her steps were unsteady, her body swayed violently, yet she walked with extraordinary determination, as if everything behind her had nothing to do with her.

Xu Xinghe watched her retreating figure, her brows furrowing slightly.

Feng Qiushi was probably determined to die.

She immediately gave Zhang Cishu a look, "Stop her, knock her unconscious, then tie her up. Don't give her a chance to commit suicide!"

Zhang Cishu reacted very quickly, stepped forward, and gently tapped Feng Qiushi on the back of the neck.

The other person swayed, everything went black, and then they fell straight down.

Zhang Cishu reacted quickly, reaching out to pull her back and preventing her from falling to the ground.

The younger brother quickly stepped forward, carefully took Feng Qiushi, and escorted her into the next room.

The courtyard returned to silence, leaving only Zhang Qiang and Xu Mingli, who was tied to the woodshed and breathing weakly.

Xu Xinghe looked at Zhang Qiang, her tone icy, "Are you satisfied now? You've driven her to the brink for your own sake."