8
At the wedding, my conversation with Li Zitong was coming to an end.
After confirming that the missing security guard was Li Tianci, I had a general idea of the truth and there was no need to ask about the remaining details.
Li Zitong must have let Jiang Hao go. The final locked-room puzzle, which I'd racked my brains to solve, was actually just a simple sleight of hand. Li Zitong let him out, and the two of them re-stacked the furniture in front of the door. Jiang Hao then hid in another room, and Li Zitong told me the house was empty. Seeing that the furniture blocking the door hadn't moved, I naturally went around to the window to check the master bedroom. At this point, Jiang Hao had made a brazen escape through the open door.
"Don't you want to call the police?" Li Zitong asked.
I shook my head, took a deep breath, and regained some strength to speak. "I want to confirm three questions: Did you kill or assist in the killing of Li Kaiyi?"
"I have no reason to kill him."
"Did you kill or assist in the killing of Li Xueqiang?"
She closed her eyes for a long time, as if she was ruminating on my answer in her heart. I couldn't help but tremble with fear, fearing that she would say yes.
"I've already thought about skinning him alive a thousand times in my mind," she finally opened her eyes, "but unfortunately I don't have the courage or the opportunity to do it in real life."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you kill or assist in the killing of Xu Lan?"
"Do you think I would do that?"
"You won't." I finally felt relieved, rubbing my face, trying to regain my normal expression. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have asked you those questions. Especially on such an important day as today. Let's talk about everything tomorrow. Let's focus on the wedding first."
There was a quick knock on the door. I glanced at the wall clock. It was six o'clock. The person outside couldn't hold back any longer. I wanted to get up and open the door, but Li Zitong remained motionless.
"Let's cancel the wedding. I killed someone," she said.
"Impossible..." I paused. My mind had sensed something, but my emotions were refusing it.
"You should have guessed it. I was the one who killed that man."
"But you have no motive to kill..."
"He had a strong motive." She stared blankly at me in the mirror, as if she were a stranger. "I've hated him for a long time. The day you trapped him in the secret room, I finally put the pieces together and learned the whole truth. My brother died at his hands. When he killed my mother, he even tricked me into participating in the plan. That's when I understood how I felt—I had to kill him myself."
"But on the day you were kidnapped, it was Jiang Hao who called. I also heard his voice on the boat. His tone was natural and coherent, it couldn't be fake!" I tried desperately to find a reason to deny it.
"That's because he's stupid. I pretended to cry in front of him, saying that I might still like him, but at the same time I was very afraid of him. But when I really found him trapped in the secret room, I still desperately wanted to save him. That idiot actually believed it happily. I took the opportunity to ask him for a favor, and he agreed immediately."
"You asked him to kidnap you?"
She raised her right hand, as if observing a wound or checking the color of her nail polish. "That's right. You saw through his disguise then, and he was already a frightened bird, planning to smuggle himself out of the country as soon as possible. I begged him to cooperate with me in staging a kidnapping scene. The 'Videotape Murder Case' has become so popular online that the police will never give up the investigation. As criminal investigation technology advances, the truth behind it will gradually be uncovered. But Li Tianci is dead, and he has left the country. By then, I, who was to some extent an accomplice, might be wrongfully imprisoned. Therefore, I need to stage a kidnapping case to establish the image of the real male murderer in the minds of the police, while completely ridding myself of the identity of a suspect."
"But why would he help you? It won't do him any good."
"Who knows? Maybe he was trying to impress me, or maybe he was trying to impress himself. Before jumping off the tour boat, he even struck a self-proclaimed, handsome goodbye pose, asking me to meet him abroad someday. The next second, I stabbed him through the kidney with a knife. I really wanted to film the look of shock and despair on his face before he fell into the water and relive it over and over again, but unfortunately, time didn't allow it."
"But that life-and-death separation we experienced underwater...was it just a play you made up?"
"Of course. I prepared the lifebuoys at the bottom of the warehouse in advance, filled with pure oxygen. I also practiced in the swimming pool beforehand, otherwise there's no way I could have held out that long until rescued." She said calmly, without a trace of hesitation. "I've directed five films and TV series, but sometimes I think the scene on the cruise ship is the most exciting."
"I don't believe it..."
She finally turned around. Her pale face showed no love or hate, no confusion. My knees gave way, and I needed to hold onto the wall to steady myself.
"Don't be silly, our relationship was part of the plan. The kidnapping scene required someone who risked their own life to save me and could later prove everything to the police. That's why I chose you. Don't let my acting really fool you. If it weren't for my psychological trauma, I could have been a very good actor. Remember my last words underwater? I didn't plan on making those lines so emotional. I did a good job improvising to match your emotions, didn't I?"
The knocks on the door came again, more urgently. I couldn't help but grab the heavy object at hand and smash it against the door, "Stop making noise!"
The people outside the door were not scared at all, "Police, please open the door."
Li Zitong and I were both startled and subconsciously looked at each other. Her face changed slightly, but soon returned to its pale color.
"Did you call the police before you came?" she asked.
I shook my head in denial.
There was a loud bang, and the door was thrown open. Two policemen blocked the main entrance to the room, and then a female police officer walked in. I recognized her as Xu Wenjing, whom I had met several times before.
She said to us, "I'm sorry to bother you at this time. We've discovered new leads in Ms. Li's kidnapping case and would like to ask for your cooperation in the investigation."
"I directed and acted in that kidnapping, and I also killed the person," said Li Zitong.
"Wait, are you admitting your guilt?" Xu Wenjing showed an expression of disbelief.
"Yes, I admit it. I planned the whole thing, and it has nothing to do with my fiancé."
Xu Wenjing looked at me in surprise, "When did you learn the truth?"
"While sorting through my father's belongings, I found some investigation files..."
"I see." Xu Wenjing nodded. "Your father investigated diligently until the end."
I heard what the policewoman said, but I could barely comprehend her meaning. It felt like my brain had stopped functioning properly from that moment on.
The police conducted on-site questioning, clearly to confirm the facts and solidify the evidence. But I had no idea what they were saying at the time; all I could see was everyone's lips moving.
"Why did you leave the 'Dawn Star' on the victim? Wouldn't that make it easy to be exposed?" Xu Wenjing asked.
"He was guarding it too tightly, so I couldn't get it from him," Li Zitong replied, "but he fell into the river because of it."
"It's like a bird dies for food," Xu Wenjing sighed. "Aren't you afraid your body will be discovered eventually?"
"I'd studied the hydrology of the area beforehand and had chosen a day with heavy rain and high tide. I thought the body would be carried directly to the sea by the turbulent river current, but…" She raised her head and took a deep breath. "This is what they call God disposes, man proposes."
"Two years ago, someone used Li Tianci's ID to store a suitcase in Chengguan City. Did you know about this?"
Li Zitong shook his head.
"Besides the bloodstains in the suitcase, there was also a letter of authorization. Your signature was on the letter of authorization."
"I see. You rely on that thing to detect the truth."
Xu Wenjing did not answer.
The door was pushed open again, and a male police officer squeezed in. "Captain Xu, please come out for a moment."
Xu Wenjing frowned. "Aren't you responsible for guarding the main gate? Why are you leaving your post?"
"The situation outside is getting a bit out of control," the male police officer frantically adjusted his hat. "Seven or eight media outlets have arrived, armed with cameras and cameras. Onlookers have also gathered, crowding across the street."
"Have the hotel close the main entrance. The wedding tonight can't go on anyway," Xu Wenjing said. "And then call the police station and ask them to send reinforcements and evacuate the crowd."
After arranging the work, Xu Wenjing scratched her head. "Really? Where did those media people get the news from? They came so quickly... Yeah, I forgot. You are indeed a celebrity. It's normal to arrange some media interviews at your wedding. Anyway, come with us to the bureau first, go out the side door."
Li Zitong obediently followed them away.
After the police left, the relatives and friends who had been crowding outside the door all rushed into the room, asking questions all at once. I couldn't understand what they were saying and was just stunned.
I closed my eyes and thought back to the night many years ago when she and I fell into the lake. The moon in the night sky was dazzlingly white.
The moon appears bright and clear, but in reality it is just a cold rock hanging alone in the night sky. There is no air, no wind, only a vast vacuum. A vacuum cannot retain memory. No one can understand the moon, no one can read its heart.
Someone twisted my arm with great force and pulled me up.
"Why are you still standing there?" Gao Yang asked me loudly.
We rushed through the crowd like we were swimming upstream. Once we were out of the dressing room, he simply grabbed me and started running. I guess everyone's minds were in a mess, and many people chased after us.
The other wedding hall on the right wasn't rented out tonight and was empty. Gao Yang pulled me in, closed the door, and picked up a broom and stuck it between the two door handles.
"Go that way." He pointed to the side door across the hall. "I've checked the fire map. Out of that door, just go straight down the corridor and you'll find the side door. We still have time to catch up now."
"What's the point of chasing after him? Everything is over." After running around aimlessly for a while, my mind more or less returned to normal and I could speak.
"You idiot! I don't know what the police said to you, but tonight is her wedding, and you just let the police take her away?"
"She went of her own accord."
"What's the difference?"
"That's enough. Please, an outsider like you, stop interfering. You know nothing, and you don't know how cruel she really is. In her eyes, I'm just a pawn, nothing, okay?"
"Ah, yeah, I'm an outsider and don't understand anything." He grabbed my collar and said, "The only connection between her and me is that I confessed my love to her when I graduated from junior high school, but she rejected me outright. She said she already had someone she liked. Isn't that funny, you idiot?"
The person outside the door started to ram the broom, and the bamboo pole suddenly cracked. Gao Yang rushed over and held the door with his shoulder.
"Do you believe her?" he roared.
I lowered my head and remained silent.
"Don't you believe her?" he roared again.
I looked up.
"Go after him!" He pushed against the door with all his strength.
I stumbled through the empty wedding hall. Someone whispered something in my ear, in a shy, cheerful, yet infinitely sad voice:
"That's all I want to say." The train passed by, its whistle blew.
"Let's be together forever." The seagulls sang in the sky of the Aegean Sea.
"Carry my memories with you and live well." I went back and forth between the bottom and the surface, begging for help, until I fainted. Li Zitong sucked oxygen from the airbag of the lifebuoy and passed it to me.
My legs regained their strength, and I ran faster and faster until I finally caught up with the police at the side door of the hotel.
Outside the side door was an alleyway where two police cars were parked. The first one had already left. I rushed into the alleyway, blocking the car in front of me regardless of the consequences. I heard the sharp sound of brakes.
"Wait a minute... please, wait a minute." I stretched out my arms to block the front of the car, "Let's finish the wedding first."
Xu Wenjing was sitting in the passenger seat of the car in front. She pushed the door open and squeezed in front of the other police officers. "Do you know what you're doing?"
"Know."
"Do you know how many years the sentence for obstruction of public service is?"
"I know it very well."
The policewoman stared into my eyes, her gaze as ruthless as a matter of business. I stared back without hesitation. After a moment, her tense face relaxed, and she smiled. She discussed with the others, "Why don't we make some concessions and let them go through with the wedding?"
"Sister Xu, isn't this against regulations?" The policewoman, who was standing next to Li Zitong with a coat covering her hands, frowned.
"Rules are dead, but people are alive. If we really handcuffed a bride in her wedding dress and took her home, wouldn't the national media be all over it the next day?"
"But what if someone runs away..."
"Close all entrances and exits to the hotel. We have enough staff to control the entire hotel. If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility."
While the others were still hesitating, Li Zitong spoke out his objection before they could. "Don't be ridiculous! I confessed everything just to avoid this farce of a wedding. Could you please follow the rules and regulations?"
She tried to get into the back seat of the police car, but I grabbed her wrist and said, "I understand your feelings, but if I let you go tonight, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
"What you think has nothing to do with me." She struggled to break free without even turning her head.
"You're right. It's a pity that you can't be an actor. Your acting skills are indeed outstanding." I held her wrist tightly.
She stamped her feet hard, and the sound of her high heels breaking echoed from beneath her white skirt. I reached out and grabbed her waist. After regaining her balance, she quickly pushed me away and stumbled several steps away.
The moment I held her in my arms, I saw that her originally exquisite bridal makeup was completely ruined.
"To be honest, I've never loved you." Her voice remained calm, without a trace of trembling, and no trace of emotion could be heard.
"As long as you turn around, look me in the eyes, and repeat what you just said, I will believe you and never bother you again."
She didn't answer, her neck remained motionless as if frozen.
"I'm not very smart. I don't know how many times you've fooled me since I was little. But this time I've learned my lesson, I've become smarter..." I wanted to make a joke, but I had to do my best to hide my tears. "You can't fool me anymore."
I heard a slight sobbing sound.
The wedding ceremony was stuck at the ring-pinching part because Li Zitong was crying so hard.
"The bride is crying with joy. Let's raise our glasses to bless the newlyweds!" said the host perfunctorily, who only wanted to end the wedding, which had been delayed for three hours, as soon as possible.
I snatched the microphone from his hand, forcing the audience to stop applause.
Li Zitong buried her head in my chest, holding me tight, her sharp nails digging into my arms. She cried for a long time. I didn't know what was the most reasonable thing to do. Even if I thought to the end of logic and the singularity of the universe, I couldn't find an answer. I could only comb her long, soft hair with my fingers and stroke her back for a long time.
This was the first and last time I saw her cry.
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