Song Mu's consciousness began to fade, but he could still feel warm liquid flowing down his neck. Yes, it was Xu Wen's tears. Xu Wen held Song Mu, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face. In his final moments before losing consciousness, Song Mu grabbed a handful of Xu Wen's hair. Xu Wen ignored the slight pain; she held Song Mu for a long time until his convulsions gradually stopped, his breathing ceased, and his body temperature slowly dropped. After a long while, Xu Wen finally released her hold on Song Mu. She looked at his pale face and checked his breath. Everything finally came to an abrupt end at that moment.
Xu Wen had never felt so relieved. She no longer had to cry for someone, laugh for someone, or grieve and suffer for someone. However, this feeling of ease didn't last long before Xu Wen was plunged into another vortex. She squatted beside Song Mu's body and burst into tears.
"So, after you killed him, were you happy?" Wang Shen asked, looking at the pained and distorted expression on Xu Wen's face as she stopped talking.
"Happiness?" Xu Wen looked up at Wang Shen, then muttered to herself. "Happiness? No! I'm not happy!" Xu Wen burst into tears again.
“You loved someone in the wrong way. As for Song Mu, so was he.” Wang Shen looked at Xu Wen’s current state, unsure whether to pity her or criticize her. “Song Mu lost the person he loved because he couldn’t overcome the prejudices of morality and ethics. And your love…” Wang Shen paused, reorganizing his words. “Your love is too obsessive and self-centered.”
"Was my love too obsessive and self-centered?" Xu Wen stopped crying upon hearing Wang Shen's words, staring at him with tearful eyes as she repeated what he had said. "I loved him with all my heart and soul," Xu Wen cried out in anguish.
"Wholeheartedly? With all your might? Love, I think, should be a two-way street. If one person gives too much to the other, it can easily become a burden for the other. Think about it, when you're alone with him, has he ever smiled? When you're alone with him, are you truly happy?"
"Did he ever laugh? Was I really happy?" Xu Wen repeated these two questions to herself. "No, he really never laughed. And me, I..." Before she could finish her sentence, Xu Wen pulled at her hair, and another kind of pain appeared on her face.
"Love is a beautiful thing. How can it be love if it involves mutual torment? He took someone's life for his narrow-minded love. And you, for your so-called love, took his life. What kind of love is this?" Wang Shen said, looking at Xu Wen and gently shaking his head.
"What kind of love is this? What kind of love is this..." Xu Wen kept grabbing her hair and repeating this sentence over and over again.
Wang Shen didn't say anything more, just waited for Xu Wen to process her emotions and calm down. After more than ten minutes, Xu Wen stopped what she was doing, but her eyes still looked empty.
"Now that you've admitted everything, may I ask a few questions related to the case?" Wang Shen took out paper and pen from his pocket and began to truly delve into the investigation of the case.
Xu Wen looked up at Wang Shen, neither refusing nor responding.
"You've cleaned up the coffee stains on the floor, haven't you?"
After listening, Xu Wen nodded slightly after a long while.
Seeing Xu Wen's state, Wang Shen wisely refrained from dwelling on the issue and moved on to the next question. "Based on the deceased's time of death, we discovered that you had already left the psychological clinic around that time. But later, a strange man entered the clinic. Can you tell me what happened?"
Xu Wen's response was still slow, or rather, she wasn't paying attention to Wang Shen's question. After a long time, Wang Shen could only repeat the question he had just asked. Only then did Xu Wen begin to respond: "Both of them are me. I went to the public restroom to change my clothes."
Wang Shen nodded. As for the other case details, accurate judgment could be made through examination, so there was no need to question Xu Wen further. "One last question, I hope you can answer my doubts." After Wang Shen finished speaking, Xu Wen still didn't react. "Judging from your expression today, you probably already knew we were coming to find you. And what about yourself? Were you prepared to turn yourself in from the start?"
Upon hearing this question, Xu Wen's stagnant expression finally changed. She was no longer as hysterical as before; the resentment, bitterness, and even the hint of regret in her expression had all vanished. "You're right, love is a matter between two people, love is something that brings joy. I loved the wrong person, my love was wrong. But you can't deny my feelings for my senior. Besides my parents, he was the most important person in my life. Now that the most important person is gone, there's no need for me to remain in this world. That morning, after I saw you glance at the cup on my table, I knew everything could no longer be hidden." Xu Wen spoke calmly, but the lifelessness in her voice was gone.
“This counts as turning yourself in, and we can plead with the judge on your behalf,” Wang Shen said, pursing his lips and frowning as he offered Xu Wen a word of comfort.
"Plead for me? How much can you plead for me? The best outcome is nothing more than dying of old age in a dark cage. What's the point?" With that, Xu Wen chuckled twice and glanced at the glass bottle containing strong acid in her hand. Slowly, the bottle began to tip over.
Wang Shen was startled and immediately stood up from his chair. However, before he could take any action, a familiar voice came from behind him. "Xiao Wen, don't be so silly!"
Wang Shen turned around and was surprised to see the young policeman helping the old woman they had met at Xu Wen's doorstep walk quickly towards them. Xu Wen, hearing the old woman's call, paused, her hands stopping their movements. Seeing the old woman hurrying towards her, Xu Wen's eyes filled with tears. These tears were distinctly different from the previous ones; they were warm and filled with emotion.
"Grandma, please don't come any closer." Xu Wen turned her face away, refusing to look at the old woman, and verbally stopped her from moving forward. Wang Shen, also worried about the old woman's safety, similarly stopped her from approaching. At the same time, Wang Shen glared at the young policeman.
"Xiaowen, the police have told me everything about you. You silly child, how could you be so foolish?" The old woman's voice was clearly urgent, and as she spoke, she began to sob.
"Grandma, you're not feeling well, you should go back now. I... I've already made it to the other side." Clearly, Xu Wen's hand holding the glass bottle was trembling.
"Silly child, as long as you want, everything can be turned back. Come back, come here." The old woman beckoned to Xu Wen.
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