8
The vibration of the hammer smashing the skull and face was still pulsating on the fingertips. The adrenaline kept Zhuang Xiaodie in an excited state. She didn't even need to rest in the middle. She drove back to City A for more than four hours and picked up Nian Jinsi who was wandering by the river.
When Nian Jinsi got in the car, Zhuang Xiaodie subconsciously turned her face away to avoid him seeing her slightly red and swollen eyes. Nian Jinsi didn't seem to notice, and just said it was her turn to drive. She dozed off on a bench by the river for a few hours, which was considered a rest.
"You need to change your clothes." Nian Jinsi said, "There's blood on your neck, didn't you notice?"
Zhuang Xiaodie moved to the back seat, took out clean clothes to change her bloody clothes, dipped a tissue in mineral water, and wiped the blood off her neck bit by bit in front of the makeup mirror.
"How are they?" Zhuang Xiaodie asked, "Are they getting along well?"
"It seems there's nothing wrong." Nian Jinsi replied, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. "They've already developed some feelings for each other after a day. Since we're related by blood, it won't take long."
"Oh, that's good."
"The child asked about you in the playground," said Nian Jinsi.
Zhuang Xiaodie didn't respond, but just cut a small hole in the bloody clothes with nail clippers and tore it into strips.
"You came back so soon after the burial?"
"Not buried."
"Zhuang Xiaodie, are you crazy?"
"The boss said she would bury it."
"You believe that too?"
"That man gambled and beat her, and she kept thinking about him because she wasn't in her right mind." Zhuang Xiaodie balled up the rags and held them in her hand. "When I arrived, she was beaten unconscious, her face covered in blood, and she was almost dead."
Nian Jinsi didn't say anything for a moment.
"I just don't know if she's taken care of it. It's been over five hours now, and daybreak is almost here," Zhuang Xiaodie said. "There are a lot of dogs in their village. I saw three just by walking to the river that day."
"What if it's not buried properly and the dog digs it out?"
"That's because I have bad luck." Zhuang Xiaodie replied.
"Is your life good?" Nian Jinsi said.
Zhuang Xiaodie was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. She slapped the back of her chair as she laughed, tears streaming down her face. She gasped and said, "Looks like we're going to be discovered."
Nian Jinsi said, "Just shut up."
At that moment, the sky was bright, slicing through the car like a knife. They fell silent for a moment. Zhuang Xiaodie half-lay down, the bitter aroma of chocolate lingering on the back of the chair. She sighed deeply.
That sentence turned out to be a prophecy.
Zhuang Xiaodie felt like she had only slept for a few seconds when she was suddenly slapped across the face, jolting her awake. She struggled to slap back, but was blocked. Someone roared in her ear, "Get up!"
The voice was harsh but weak, more horrified than angry. Zhuang Xiaodie sat up and said, "What's wrong with you again?"
Behind Nian Jinsi's pale and tense face was a sea of green. They stopped by a small road, not knowing the exact location. Nian Jinsi held up her cell phone, which showed a photo of a building in a residential complex.
Zhuang Xiaodie didn't recognize it at first glance.
"My house! You've been there!"
"How many years ago?" Zhuang Xiaodie said, taking the phone and swiping it down, "What about your family's photos--" The tip of her thumb just stopped at the word "corpse odor", and her tongue froze.
"We've been discovered." said Nian Jinsi.
"What kind of idiot are you? You killed someone and didn't deal with it?" Zhuang Xiaodie paused, then suddenly laughed. "Oh, I forgot. You came to me just to make me take the blame. How can I deal with it?"
"He should be in the flowerpot." Nian Jinsi said coldly, "There must be other reasons for him being discovered. Maybe the neighbor's cat climbed onto my balcony and got in through a crack in the window."
"You still put flower pots on the balcony?"
"Put it at home! Do you understand what people are saying?" Nian Jinsi pinched Zhuang Xiaodie's hand, "If you hadn't insisted on taking that child with you and going back to save that boss, we would have been here a long time ago. Why would we have to—"
"Did you only kill this one?" Zhuang Xiaodie said, "You killed three, Nian Jinsi. One could be considered excessive self-defense, but the three, were they all excessive self-defense?"
"It's four." Nian Jinsi said coldly, "You also have a share in the first one, don't forget."
Zhuang Xiaodie nodded and said, "Yes, I am also involved. So, what do you want to do? Kill me now and escape alone? That's fine. I don't care."
Nian Jinsi's eyes widened, and his lips trembled, as if he felt that what she said was unreasonable. He raised his hand to hit her again, but Zhuang Xiaodie grabbed his wrist and said, "You should have expected this to happen when you killed him and didn't call the police."
Nian Jinsi fiercely shook her hand off and said, "If I had known earlier, I shouldn't have..."
"Shouldn't you have saved me?" Zhuang Xiaodie smiled and turned to hold Nian Jinsi's hand. "You will save me." She patted the back of Nian Jinsi's hand and held her hand with both hands. "You were very happy at that time. You thought I was someone who needed pity, and your help was a favor."
Nian Jinsi pulled her hand back abruptly: "Do you miss me that much?"
"Then why did you come looking for me after you killed someone?" Zhuang Xiaodie asked, "What did you mean by 'you owe me'?"
Nian Jinsi fell silent and got back into the car. The two of them sat side by side, and the tension that had just been building seemed to have dissipated. Zhuang Xiaodie continued, "I drove here last night because I wanted to take the blame for you."
Nian Jinsi smiled, something between a sneer and a wry smile, without even looking up at her.
"Because of you, I lived for more than ten years," Zhuang Xiaodie said, "and then I realized there was nothing here to be nostalgic about... Do you remember the address I sent you when you first came to see me?"
"—under the bridge?"
"I slept there for several months, and before that, I slept on the streets, in dilapidated houses, and in dangerous buildings," Zhuang Xiaodie said. "That house wasn't mine, it was Shentu Hai's. I didn't send that address; Shentu Hai sent it to you to threaten me. I used to be so afraid that you'd know what kind of life I had become."
Nian Jinsi almost subconsciously touched one of her arms, where Kong Yanchen had left many scars.
"I envisioned a life where I'd suddenly die in a few years," Zhuang Xiaodie said. "At first, I was annoyed by your coming. I didn't want you to see me like this. Then, when you found out, you gave up and didn't want to care about anything anymore. As a result, the Wei Dahe incident happened. Because of you, I've lived for more than a decade. Since you feel I owe you, it's okay for me to pay you back. Didn't you record the video of me killing that guy? If you want me to take the blame, this can come in handy. I can turn myself in."
Nian Jinsi finally looked over, her eyes red and tears welling up in them. She spoke with a trembling voice, "The video is gone."
"--What's the meaning?"
“I deleted it.”
Zhuang Xiaodie didn't believe it. Nian Jinsi didn't say anything and opened the photo album on her phone to show her.
"——What do you mean?" Zhuang Xiaodie didn't understand what tricks she was playing.
"I thought a lot last night," Nian Jinsi said. "There's really nothing much to say. Back then, I just wanted you to live."
Zhuang Xiaodie didn't say anything.
"I still want you to live."
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