Chapter 280: The Scumbag

2022-05-20

After thinking for a moment, Wang Yikai finally spoke slowly to us. “Lü Zhiqiu, you know, she’s a good person, but sometimes she’s just too good to people.”

I shrugged and asked, “Isn’t being kind a good thing?”

Wang Yikai scratched his head and said, “Being kind is good, but you can’t overdo it. Take Lü Zhiqiu for example—she just doesn’t understand boundaries. She had two scholarships and financial aid, plus she did some design gigs on the side. She made pretty good money every month.”

Wang Yikai held up six fingers and said, “Altogether, all those side jobs probably brought her around six thousand yuan a month. Ten years ago, that was no small sum. She sent four thousand back home and used another thousand to help a female biology student whose father had some kind of rare illness. The last thousand was for herself.”

Making six thousand a month a decade ago pretty much made you rich. Clearly, Lü Zhiqiu was capable; you don’t earn that kind of money without skills.

Wang Yikai kept going. “But even that thousand wasn’t all for herself. If someone asked to borrow money, Lü Zhiqiu always agreed, even if they never paid her back. And whenever the girls went out to eat, they’d invite Lü Zhiqiu, since she’d always pick up the bill without batting an eye.”

“Didn’t she ever think about herself?” I asked.

“I actually heard a girl say once, ‘Lü Zhiqiu has money, so why shouldn’t she treat us? Letting her pay is doing her a favor, really. She wouldn’t survive in a group of girls otherwise.'” Wang Yikai suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right, Lü Zhiqiu wasn’t all that popular among the other girls.”

What Wang Yikai said reminded me of something Wang Xianduo once mentioned—none of the girls really liked Lü Zhiqiu. But the same Wang Xianduo had died right in front of us in an awfully tragic way. So, is it possible Lü Zhiqiu was just putting on an act?

That made me ask, “How long did Lü Zhiqiu help that girl for? Could it be she was just doing it for some outstanding student award or something?”

Wang Yikai thought about it, then replied firmly, “No way. I remember she started helping that girl in her sophomore year, giving her a thousand every month. She didn’t stop—not even until she died. No, wait, there was a break.”

Zhao Mingkun asked, “Was it because of the failed investment?”

Wang Yikai shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. At the time, Wang Xin didn’t ask Lü Zhiqiu to pay her back. She only set aside a thousand every month to give to Wang Xianduo. That girl’s father had a complicated illness—missing even a day of medication was life threatening. I chased after Lü Zhiqiu myself, so I know all this.”

“So why did she stop once?” Zhao Mingkun pressed.

“I’m not really sure,” Wang Yikai admitted. “All I know is there was a pause for a while. I think Lü Zhiqiu ran into some kind of trouble, but when I asked, she wouldn’t say. Honestly, I wasn’t all that fond of Lü Zhiqiu either, so I didn’t push for answers.”

“Alright, tomorrow come with us to see Yang Licheng.” I looked at Wang Yikai. “Some things are better discussed face to face.”

Wang Yikai nodded quickly. “Then, how about… how about you stay in my room tonight? This killer is really sneaky, and I’m scared something might happen to me in my sleep.”

Seeing how nervous he was, and thinking about how many people had died in just two days, I figured it was safer this way. So I agreed.

Zhao Mingkun brought us some cups and spoons and set up simple alarms by the door and window. If either was opened, a spoon would fall into a cup, making a sharp sound. That way, we’d wake up fast and react right away.

Wang Yikai lived on the seventh floor. No normal person could get in through the window. If something did come through the window, odds are a cup and spoon wouldn’t be much help. Luo Ding was scared to death by a human face, but Wang Yikai didn’t seem anywhere near that unstable, so he likely wouldn’t get scared to death.

Still, with the murderer’s bizarre tricks, Zhao Mingkun’s precautions weren’t exactly overkill.

That night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, I stumbled awake, reaching out for the spot next to me, only to find it empty. My heart skipped. I shot up in bed. The alarm on the window by Zhao Mingkun hadn’t gone off, but Wang Yikai was nowhere to be seen.

Had Wang Yikai vanished into thin air? The room’s door was open—did he leave on his own?

Thinking fast, I rushed out and saw Zhao Mingkun sitting on the sofa outside. “Something’s wrong. Wang Yikai just disappeared!” I blurted.

Zhao Mingkun gave me a look, then pointed at the bathroom. “Wang Yikai went to the bathroom three times last night, and this is the fourth. You slept like the dead—even if something happened to him, you’d never know.”

“Four times?” I scratched my head.

Just then, Wang Yikai came out of the bathroom. He looked pale, brow furrowed, and was so unsteady on his feet it was clear he was about to collapse from exhaustion. Rubbing his stomach, he said, “No idea what’s up, but since last night my stomach’s been in knots.”

“Are you faking it? We’re supposed to go to Yang Licheng’s place today—don’t tell me you’re trying to get out of it. Was everything you told us last night a lie?” I pressed.

Wang Yikai grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, downed it, and said, “Why would I lie? Let’s go. I already spoke to the company’s director. After today, I’m leaving Dongxing City for a month on a business trip.”

Judging by how out of it he was, Wang Yikai must’ve caught a chill—he couldn’t even drive. He gave me the address, so I’d have to drive us there.

He told us he’d already arranged things with Yang Licheng, who was waiting for us at home.

The moment we walked in, Wang Yikai rushed straight to the bathroom.

Yang Licheng seemed a bit on edge. During the time Wang Yikai was in the bathroom, he smoked in silence, not saying a word to us. I noticed his ashtray was full of cigarette butts, his face was haggard, and he looked like he hadn’t slept properly in ages.

When Wang Yikai came out of the bathroom and looked at Yang Licheng, he didn’t bother with small talk and cut right to the chase. “Yang Licheng, this is about what happened seven years ago. That night at the construction site, you saw me with Lü Zhiqiu. Did you go back with me?”

“That’s it?” Yang Licheng was about to bring a cigarette to his lips, but stopped mid-motion at Wang Yikai’s words.

Wang Yikai sat down. “That’s it, what else? As long as you can prove we’re innocent. You have no idea—Zhang Yifa and those other two died right in front of me. If we don’t find out who the killer from seven years ago is, I’m pretty sure all thirteen of us are doomed. You just can’t imagine how that killer slips in and out.”

Yang Licheng set his half-smoked cigarette on the edge of the ashtray. “I can vouch for that. Back then, I did see Wang Yikai and I went back with him.”

“I heard you weren’t very friendly to Wang Yikai at the time?” I turned to Yang Licheng. “You tried to keep him away from Lü Zhiqiu—why?”

When Yang Licheng heard me, he picked up the half-smoked cigarette and took a long drag. “Yeah, I said that. It’s ‘cause I thought Lü Zhiqiu liked me, but later I realized I was dead wrong. She acted the same to everyone—I was just fooling myself.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “Come on, think about it. Lü Zhiqiu had so much going for her, why would she go for a guy like me anyway?”

He went on, “I hate how I was back then, obsessed with Lü Zhiqiu like a moth to a flame. The way she treated you made you think she liked you, but in the end, she’d tell you you were just like a brother. But if you don’t like someone, why take their kindness? I knew Wang Yikai was chasing her—I was just looking out for him! Honestly, maybe if I hadn’t gotten involved, Lü Zhiqiu wouldn’t be dead now!”

His last statement shocked all of us. From Yang Licheng’s earlier behavior, I’d already suspected he knew something, but I never expected him to say it outright.

“What do you know?” I quickly asked.

Yang Licheng answered, “Seven years ago, I really was trash. Just a total scumbag. During my internship, I confessed to Lü Zhiqiu. She told me she only thought of me as a brother. I was angry, hurt. Then I saw Liang Mei. Without thinking it through, I confessed to her too.”

Yang Licheng took a big drag from his cigarette. “Liang Mei wasn’t pretty and was a quiet, meek type. After I confessed, she said yes immediately. But truth is, I never liked her. She was just an emotional outlet for me.”

“Scumbag,” Zhao Mingkun said.

“Yeah.” Yang Licheng brushed it off. “I’ve always said I was scum. A few days later, I wanted to break up. That very night—the night I bumped into Wang Yikai, the night Lü Zhiqiu died—I asked Liang Mei to meet up. I told her it was over, but she refused. So I told her the truth—she was just a distraction after I failed with Lü Zhiqiu.”

Yang Licheng crushed his cigarette into the table hard. “Then Liang Mei said she was pregnant. How could that be? It hadn’t even been a week! So I ignored her and walked off. The next thing I knew, I ran into Lü Zhiqiu and Wang Yikai.”

“I was burning with anger back then,” Yang Licheng continued. “All I meant was to warn Wang Yikai, but it came out like a threat. After we left that night, I’m pretty sure Liang Mei ran into Lü Zhiqiu.”

Yang Licheng held his head. “If Liang Mei took her anger with me out on Lü Zhiqiu, that would make sense. Years later I found out she really was pregnant with my kid. I always figured Liang Mei was the killer—but how could I say anything?”

“If all these people hadn’t died, maybe I’d have kept my mouth shut forever…”