Chapter 144: The King of Acting Unleashes His Performance

2022-05-20

Sometimes, our eyes deceive us. You can’t always trust what you guess.

The old Village Chief told me that. So did Li Danan. And right now, I believe it more than ever. Just because I see something, does that mean it’s the truth? If there are enough people, and their feelings seem genuine—does that make what they say real?

My voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for all three of them to hear.

Before Erxiao could reply, a voice drifted up from below. It was Uncle Li, Li Luo: “Enough talking. At this point, what’s left to say?”

As he spoke, Sun’s father helped Li Luo slowly climb down from the ladder.

Li Danan asked, “Why did you come down? Where are the other two?”

Sun’s father answered, “After knocking them out I gave them some drugs. They won’t be waking up anytime soon, don’t worry. But honestly, does it matter whether they wake or not? What, are you planning to kill all three of them?”

That sentence left all five of us in silence.

Li Danan glanced at me, and I looked back at him. Blood had stopped flowing from his wound but had already dried and caked across his face—he looked like he’d survived a car crash. Li Danan shot me a vicious glare, then clenched his jaw.

The next moment, a scheme tumbled from his lips: “Brothers, listen. Those two are still knocked out upstairs and don’t know a thing. The only person who knows all five of us are the killers is Wu Meng. If I kill him, then nobody will ever find out.”

He seemed proud of his clever plan: “Let’s just stick to what we agreed before. I knocked out Gu Chen and Captain Zhou, and then Wu Meng just happened to show up. In the chaos, we struggled. I killed Wu Meng by mistake. At that moment, you guys realize you chased in the wrong direction and come back to the supermarket, running into me by chance.”

“Simple as that. You catch me and wake up Gu Chen and Captain Zhou. With my confession and all your statements, the story is Wu Meng died in the line of duty, and I take the punishment I deserve. This way, no one else will ever know what really happened.”

When he finished, another hush swept the group.

“So, what do you think?” Li Danan pressed.

Erxiao was first to speak. “This all started because of me. I’m done running. I don’t want to kill again. At this point, I can’t even figure out if I’m still just an ordinary person. I’m exhausted. Killing isn’t as easy as I thought. I’ve barely slept in days. Every time I close my eyes, I see Luo Sumei sitting up…”

Tears slid quietly down his cheeks, without a sound. Maybe he’d cried more today than in his entire life before.

“I’m done running, done killing, done hiding.” Erxiao looked at me through blurry eyes. “I don’t want to kill you. If I did, I would’ve done it already.”

Li Luo sighed. “I’m blind. Where would I even go? In my own home, I’m like a fish in water. Out in the world, I’d be lost—might as well be dead. If you do wrong, you deserve the consequences.”

Li Danan scowled. “So you’re all just going to let him go? No one agrees with me?”

Right then, Old Xia shouted, “Kill!”

That was classic Old Xia—man of few words, down to choosing murder with a single syllable.

But that created an awkward standstill, two votes for and two against. Only Sun’s father hadn’t spoken, and now everyone’s eyes landed on him. It was obvious: my fate hung in his hands. Not that I cared much, since things were moving exactly the way I’d hoped.

Still, the mood was heavy and cold—not from the weather, but deep inside our hearts.

Sun’s father studied me, then the others. His lips twitched, finally setting as if making peace with a hard decision. “I think he’s a good person. Back when Kang Ning saw that hand, he thought it was meant for him. Wu Meng didn’t blame the kid. He protected Kang Ning’s tiny dream.”

As he spoke, his eyes reddened. “Kang Ning was so little back then. He forgot most of what happened, but as his father, I never forgot a single word those people said about us. I can never forgive them, never stop hating them. We moved here because only here felt like home, because here, we could actually live.”

“I can’t take Kang Ning away again. He’s old enough now to understand. Even if I die, as long as he’s safe here, that’s enough for me. Honestly, it’s rare to meet you all—and you too.”

“It’s hard,” Sun’s father whispered, “Nothing in life is easy.”

Li Danan looked around at everyone, clearly still not understanding. “Just like that, you’re letting him go? If he makes it out, all of us will get arrested. I only have six months left anyway, doesn’t matter where I spend it. But you—you’ve still got time, a whole lifetime ahead.”

“That’s how it is,” Erxiao sighed. “My only dream was to buy a house in Dongxing City, but what did that ever do for me? I wanted out two years ago but kept dragging it on. Now I get it—this place really is a paradise apart from the world. It’s nothing like the outside.”

“True,” Li Luo agreed. “We’ve lived here too long. This place has marked us. We couldn’t leave if we tried.”

Everyone nodded. Erxiao looked at Li Danan and Old Xia. “We’ve decided. The three of us aren’t running anymore. The two outside are still out cold, and Wu Meng is no danger. It’s pitch dark. You two take my truck and follow the highway out. By sunrise, you’ll be miles away.”

“And don’t ever come back,” Erxiao said wistfully. “Hide out somewhere like Tougouzi Village for the rest of your lives. I know deep down, you’re both good people. You both deserve a long life. Really, you do.”

A mournful, heavy atmosphere rolled over us, like we were all saying our final goodbyes.

Standing among them, I couldn’t help but feel like the odd one out. Someone more sentimental would’ve probably been swept up in this brotherhood-in-life-and-death. To be honest, even I felt a little moved, maybe even wavered, hearing all this.

Suddenly, Li Danan slammed his hand against the wall. “If none of you are running, then I’m done too. I’ve only got half a year left. I don’t want to die on the run. I’ve lived all my life in Tougouzi Village—even if it wasn’t long, it’s still home. I want to die here, not somewhere far away.”

All five decided to stay, now staring at me.

I shook my head, watching them, at a loss for words.

I’d finally seen through the whole truth, but now that I had, I almost wished I hadn’t. Still, I was obsessed with this kind of pursuit. At my age, I want to understand everything about this world—

Why was I abandoned? Will I ever see Zhao Mingkun again? Who really is Wu Zui?

What do these five really plan to do?

I frowned. “You all really don’t want to kill me. For all your fierce looks and threats, none of you ever meant it. If I were weaker, maybe I’d have fallen for your trap by now. But I’m not—I never was afraid of dying.”

“I just don’t get why you’re doing any of this.” I continued, “But suddenly, it hits me. It’s something I asked you before. The world isn’t just made up of love—there are other feelings, too. Those can drive people to pain and sin. Sometimes, killing isn’t just to take a life; sometimes it’s to save one.”

“What are you trying to say?” Erxiao asked.

Slowly, I spoke each word as if forcing it out: “From the moment I stepped into this supermarket, you had me walk into an act so easy for me to pick apart. That’s how I knew you and Li Danan were in this together—the five of you killed someone. But when I saw the corpse, when I watched the way you acted, I realized you’re all still pretending.”

Erxiao shook his head. “What act?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Cut the act. If I can say this much, then I’ve already figured out exactly what happened with this case. The only thing I don’t get is—is all this really worth it? I think the moment you killed four days ago, you already saw where all this would end.”

I looked at each of them—Erxiao, Old Xia, Li Danan, Li Luo, and Sun’s father.

“You five gave yourselves up, all to save one person.”

The silence between us dragged on.

At length, I forced myself to speak, my voice slow, almost dragging out every word: “Is this person really that good? Are they worth all this? Are they truly worth your sacrifice?”