"Love?" Xu Xinghe seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "You call that love? Or is it love for the Xu family's assets that he talks about, and for going abroad to enjoy a life of luxury?"
She stepped forward, looking down at Feng Qiushi, her tone becoming increasingly sharp, "Even if you didn't know he would kill people at first, you should have found out after Er Laizi's father died, right? Why didn't you tell the military then? If you had stood up and testified against Xu Mingli then, you would have been a tainted witness, not only avoiding punishment but also making amends. Xu Mingli was the one who bought the fake identity, and Xu Mingli was the one who committed the murder. It had little to do with you, so why didn't you speak up? Are you going to say it's because you love him now? Does loving someone mean you can't distinguish right from wrong and can become an accomplice to evil?"
Feng Qiushi lowered her head even further, tears streaming down her face again, her voice filled with deep regret, "I dare not... Xu Mingli said we're in the same boat, and if I dare to tell anyone, even if he dies, he'll drag me down with him! I'm afraid... I'm really afraid of his revenge!"
"Fear? Or wishful thinking?" Xu Xinghe directly exposed her lies. "You just think that Xu Mingli's actions were flawless, and that this matter might not be exposed, right? You're just hoping to get away with it and even get some benefits in the end, aren't you? Feng Qiushi, don't try to portray yourself as innocent. Perhaps in some things, you weren't entirely willing, but Er Laizi's death was a consequence of your own actions, that's an undeniable fact! You are the murderer, and you can't deny that!"
Xu Xinghe's words were like sharp knives, stabbing deeply into Feng Qiushi's heart.
She knew Xu Xinghe was right. She had indeed taken a chance, thinking that as long as she didn't say anything, no one would find out, and maybe she could eventually live a good life with Xu Mingli.
But she never expected that Xu Mingli would be caught so quickly, and that she herself would also be exposed.
"I was wrong... I was really wrong..." Feng Qiushi could no longer hold back and collapsed to the ground, wailing and pounding the ground with her fists. "I regret it! If I hadn't gone with him back then, if I had called the police earlier, none of this would have happened!"
Her crying grew louder and louder, and she completely lost control of her emotions.
Suddenly, she sprang to her feet and rushed toward the door like a madwoman.
Xu Xinghe hadn't expected her to make a sudden move, and it was too late to reach out and stop her.
When a person is in grief, even a woman, the power she can unleash is terrifying.
Feng Qiushi rushed into the woodshed like a madman. Seeing Xu Mingli lying unconscious on the ground, her eyes instantly turned red. She pounced on him, scratching and hitting his chest while screaming wildly, "It's all your fault! You ruined my life! If you hadn't lied to me, I would still be in Shanghai, maybe already married to a good family and living a peaceful life! Why did you lie to me? Why did you make me kill someone? I hate you! I wish I could kill you!"
Xu Mingli was awakened by intense pain. In his dazed state, he saw Feng Qiushi's ferocious face. Before he could react, she had scratched his face until it was covered in blood.
He tried to struggle, but was bound tightly and could only let out painful groans.
It took Xu Xinghe and Zhang Cishu some effort to pull Feng Qiushi away from Xu Mingli.
She was still struggling frantically, repeatedly shouting, "Let me go! I'm going to kill him! He ruined me!"
Xu Xinghe looked at the seemingly insane Feng Qiushi, her eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
This is the price she paid for her greed and wishful thinking; she has no one to blame but herself.
She ordered her henchmen behind her, "Tie her up and keep her in separate cells from Xu Mingli. Don't let her cause any more trouble!"
The henchmen immediately stepped forward, took out ropes, tied Feng Qiushi up tightly, and dragged her away from the woodshed.
The woodshed finally fell silent, leaving only Xu Mingli lying on the ground, his face covered in scratches, his breath weaker, and his eyes filled with despair.
Xu Xinghe looked at him and said coldly, "Look, the people who used to like you now wish they could kill you. This is the consequence of your evil deeds."
After saying that, she turned and walked out of the woodshed. Now that Feng Qiushi had confessed, the next step was to find the double hiding in Hongqi Village.
Feng Qiushi was tied up in the next room. Her crying gradually subsided, leaving only intermittent sobs.
Xu Xinghe glanced at the time and knew that she had calmed down, so she asked her younger brother to bring in a bowl of water and two steamed buns.
"Let her eat something first, and bring her to see me when she's calmed down."
Half an hour later, the younger brother brought Feng Qiushi over.
Her hair was disheveled, her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were filled with exhaustion and despair. However, when she saw Xu Xinghe, she instinctively shrank back.
"Are you emotionally stable?" Xu Xinghe sat in a chair, her tone calm. "If you are, write a note to that stand-in now, saying that Xu Mingli has something urgent to discuss with him and that he should come to town immediately, or it will be too late."
Feng Qiushi suddenly looked up, her eyes full of resistance. "I won't write it! Zhang Qiang was tricked into coming here by us. He didn't know anything at first! He didn't call the police later because of me. He's a good person. You can't arrest him!"
She knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly to Xu Xinghe, pleading, "Please, let him go! Everything was done by Xu Mingli and me, it has nothing to do with him!"
Looking at her like this, Xu Xinghe felt only helplessness.
Feng Qiushi is a typical love-struck fool; even at this point, he's still pleading for the substitute.
Why doesn't she think about herself?
Xu Xinghe said calmly, "A good person? You used lies to bring him in, to make him Xu Mingli's substitute, to help you cover up your crimes. If he were really a good person, he would have called the police long ago. It's just a mutual huddle for warmth. You actually think he's a good person."
"No! He's genuinely good to me!" Feng Qiushi hurriedly defended himself. "He said that even if he gets arrested, he'll wait for me!"
They would even help her shift all the blame onto Xu Mingli.
"Really?" Xu Xinghe raised an eyebrow. "Then let's see. You write a note. If he really treats you the way you say he does, I might consider being lenient with him. But if you don't write it, then he's an accomplice and will have to bear the same punishment."
Feng Qiushi hesitated for a long time, but in the end he still didn't dare to provoke Xu Xinghe. He picked up the pen and wrote words on the paper with trembling hands.
Xu Xinghe took the note, glanced at it, and instructed his underling to deliver it to Hongqi Village immediately, making sure to hand it to Zhang Qiang personally.
After his younger brother left, Feng Qiushi sat on the ground, hugging his knees with both hands, his eyes glazed over.
She has absolutely no idea what to do now...
This world is so vast, yet we know not where to go or what to do.
I'm so young, what will happen if I go to jail?
Is she still alive?
Even if he doesn't die, after serving time in prison, his life will probably be completely ruined.
Xu Xinghe looked at her but didn't say anything more.
Some things, she has to see with her own eyes before she can completely give up.
She absolutely did not think that Zhang Qiang was a good person!
What kind of good person is a man who acts as a substitute for others for personal gain and even has an affair with someone else's wife?
A truly upright person would never do such a thing!
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