At noon, “Old Shen’s Boxed Lunch” was crowded with customers. Ling Lie ordered a fifteen-yuan set meal and ate with everyone else. Shen Wei and Lu Feixiang had no grounds to kick him out, so they could only let him be.

In the afternoon, after many customers had left, Ling Lie brought his tray into the shop. “Lu Feixiang, ask Boss Shen for some time off in a bit.”

Lu Feixiang remained expressionless, but Shen Wei rushed out in a single step. “What is it now?”

Ling Lie said to Lu Feixiang, “Don’t panic. This time it’s not related to the case. Zeng Shu wants to see you.”

Lu Feixiang’s pupils dilated, a look of surprise on his face. “Her?”

Shen Wei obviously knew Zeng Shu as well. “Why?”

Ling Lie said, “Zeng Shu is about to go abroad again. She came to us and told us the truth about the dropout scandal back then. She said she wants to see you, apologize to you in person, and hopes to offer you some compensation. If you still want to study, no matter which school you get into, even if it’s abroad, she will cover all your expenses.”

Lu Feixiang’s lips trembled slightly, his hands clenched into tight fists. It was clear his emotions were in turmoil. For him, this was justice long overdue.

But after half a minute, he said softly, “There’s no need. Tell her it’s all in the past. I don’t need her compensation.”

Before Ling Lie could speak, Shen Wei, contrary to his usual self, became very agitated. “What are you talking about? Haven’t you been working so hard just because you want to continue studying? Now the opportunity is here, why are you giving up again? She owes you, she should pay it back! Let’s go, let’s go see her!”

Lu Feixiang looked at Shen Wei, wanting to say something but holding back. Shen Wei quickly found his clean clothes. “Go freshen up. I’m closing the shop this afternoon. I’ll go with you!”

Ling Lie smiled. “Boss Shen is right. Don’t act on a momentary impulse and throw away your future.”

Lu Feixiang got into the police car with Shen Wei sitting beside him. He stared out the window, lost in thought, his face a distorted mask of wrinkles in the glass’s reflection.

Zeng Shu waited anxiously. Two female police officers had lunch with her at the city bureau. She would periodically come out to the corridor and peer down the stairs. Any sound from below would make her pace nervously.

Finally, at two in the afternoon, the person she was waiting for arrived.

Seeing Lu Feixiang again, Zeng Shu almost didn’t recognize him. Although she had already seen him in the video, seeing the “rougher” Lu Feixiang, worn down by life, in person, Zeng Shu was instantly overwhelmed by regret and guilt.

Her eyes filled with tears. Covering her mouth, she slowly walked up, as if not daring to meet Lu Feixiang’s gaze, and bowed deeply. “I’m, I’m sorry…”

Ji Chenjiao had already arranged a room for their conversation. He took out iced drinks from Ling Lie’s mini-fridge. “If you have anything to say, let’s get it all out in the open today.”

In the car, Lu Feixiang had thought that even if he saw Zeng Shu, he wouldn’t have much of an emotional reaction.

Hadn’t he gotten through the past two years without anyone caring? That incident was long in the past. Even if he regretted it, it was useless. A person like him was like an ant. Instead of wallowing in the past, it was better to take each step of the present well.

But seeing Zeng Shu walk over and bow, at that moment, it was as if something inside him shattered. Uncontainable anger and grievance roared silently like a subterranean river.

Choosing to let go of the past was only because he couldn’t pick it up. Since it had happened, it could never be erased from his life.

That day he was called for a confrontation by Xue Bin, he was clearly innocent with Zeng Shu. But seeing the pleading look in her eyes, he couldn’t bear to expose her lie. At that time, he had no idea how much trouble this would bring him. He thought he was just doing a girl a small favor. As for what would happen between Zeng Shu and Xue Bin, they could solve it themselves.

But things quickly spiraled out of his control. When he tried to explain that there was nothing between him and Zeng Shu, no one believed him anymore. More slander followed. Roommates, classmates, teachers—all of them kicked him while he was down.

Even Zeng Shu never appeared again.

Before and after dropping out, he fell into the darkest moment of his life. Countless times he thought, if he hadn’t helped Zeng Shu lie, would he have ended up in this state?

Lu Feixiang’s eyes gradually turned bloodshot. He stared at Zeng Shu, who was repenting and crying in front of him, and only spoke after a long time. “You’re finally willing to say it.”

He couldn’t accurately describe his feelings. His future had been ruined by this woman, but he knew that Zeng Shu was only an external factor. The more crucial part was that he himself hadn’t refused.

Now that Zeng Shu was apologizing to him, even if it was just an apology without any material compensation, he seemed to feel much better.

What he had been waiting for, really, was just this apology.

“I should have said it sooner!” Zeng Shu became even more emotional upon getting a response, crying her heart out. “I know you’re a good person, kinder than most people I’ve ever met! It was my fault you couldn’t study! Go back to school, I’ll cover all the expenses! Brother Feixiang, you… I believe you will definitely become a good doctor who saves lives in the future!”

Lu Feixiang’s expression faltered slightly. Then he avoided Zeng Shu’s gaze, as if ashamed to face this look of trust. His hands under the table were clenched so tightly that the veins on the back of them bulged.

He seemed to be enduring some kind of torment, just like the torment of conscience Zeng Shu had endured.

Seeing that Lu Feixiang seemed willing to accept compensation, Zeng Shu pulled herself together and showed him the plan she had drawn up—Lu Feixiang’s original grades were very good. If he didn’t have to work full-time, it would be no problem for him to get into university again. If he was worried about being judged in the country because of the dropout incident, then he could just go abroad. She had experience studying abroad and could help him with everything.

Lu Feixiang listened to the blueprint Zeng Shu painted but became more and more absent-minded. He suddenly felt that all of it was very far away from him, floating in the sky. That kind of distance was different from his past efforts of working hard while longing to return to school. The latter was something he could grasp; no matter how tired he was, there would be a day he could achieve it. The former, however, felt as if its foundation was unstable, ready to crumble and disintegrate at the slightest touch.

He stared blankly at Zeng Shu’s side profile. Zeng Shu turned to look at him. “Brother Feixiang?”

At that moment, he suddenly understood why the foundation was unstable.

Because everything was built on Zeng Shu’s guilt and trust in him. Zeng Shu believed he was a kind person, believed he had not stolen from his roommate or the lab.

He really hadn’t, but he…

Lu Feixiang abruptly stood up from his seat. Zeng Shu was startled. “What’s wrong?”

Lu Feixiang’s back was soaked with cold sweat. His eyes were filled with terror. He bolted out the door.

The criminal police waiting outside didn’t know what had happened, but Ling Lie, like a shrewd observer, knew why Lu Feixiang had suddenly collapsed and fled.

Because Lu Feixiang knew very well that he was no longer the kind and honest person Zeng Shu spoke of.

Shen Wei witnessed all of this. He had saved Lu Feixiang from despair. He knew this child was grateful and kind-hearted. With Zeng Shu’s willingness to apologize and compensate, Lu Feixiang’s life, which had hit rock bottom, could have been pulled back up.

But the moment Lu Feixiang rushed out, he knew it was too late.

An apology and compensation that came too late could no longer save a person.

In the evening, the criminal police found Lu Feixiang sitting by the river, enjoying the breeze. Shen Wei knocked on the door of the special operations team’s temporary office.

Ling Lie opened the door.

Shen Wei said, “I’ve come to turn myself in.”

Huang Yi rushed back to the city bureau. Ling Lie and the criminal investigation team’s recorder had already taken Shen Wei to the interrogation room. Shen Wei looked very nervous. The light shone on his face, revealing the sweat that appeared from time to time. He laid his calloused hands on the table, repeatedly scratching them against each other.

Ling Lie asked, “What are you turning yourself in for?”

Shen Wei’s voice was very low. “I didn’t tell the truth about the paraquat before. I knew what Mou Dianpei had brought to eat that day from the very beginning. And he didn’t forget it at my shop; I took it on purpose.”

On July 12th, the day Mou Dianpei had asked Liu Xuelin for a drink, Mou Dianpei had come to “Old Shen’s Boxed Lunch” to get a bite to eat first. The nylon bag containing the paraquat was on the stool next to him. The impending act made him seem very excited, though he himself didn’t notice.

After buying his meal, Mou Dianpei, as usual, boasted and chatted with Shen Wei, saying something about how he was about to get an “official position.” Shen Wei just gave a few faint replies, his peripheral vision catching a glimpse of what was in the nylon bag. At that glance, Shen Wei’s heart suddenly tightened.

The dark-colored bottle was very familiar to him. It was often used in the countryside, and not long ago he had inquired about where to buy it.

Shen Wei suddenly looked at Mou Dianpei. Mou Dianpei, oblivious, was gnawing on a pork rib, looking like a petty person who had gotten his way.

Shen Wei had already found out where to buy paraquat, but he didn’t dare to buy it easily, afraid of being traced by the police. Now Mou Dianpei had delivered it to his doorstep! If this wasn’t a god-sent opportunity, what was?

More and more people came to eat. Shen Wei kept a close eye on Mou Dianpei. After calming down and thinking about it, this kind of drug was now banned. The person buying it couldn’t possibly be using it as a real pesticide. Mou Dianpei must be trying to harm someone.

Instead of letting Mou Dianpei harm someone, I might as well take revenge myself!

“Wait a minute,” Ling Lie interrupted. “Revenge? So, you were very sure Mou Dianpei was the killer?”

Shen Wei nodded, a regretful, bitter smile on his face. “If only you had shown up sooner, before I had acted against Mou Dianpei.”

Ling Lie: “When we first found you, you were very happy, but when we asked for clues, you became evasive and couldn’t speak clearly. Was it because you had already poisoned Mou Dianpei? So you didn’t dare say you suspected him?”

“Yes. He was dead. If I let you know I suspected him, then I would be the one you suspected.”

“I don’t understand. How did you suddenly become certain that Mou Dianpei was the killer? Seventeen years ago, the police cleared him of suspicion. He often ate at your shop, which at least shows he wasn’t afraid to be near you, and you were willing to treat him as a fellow villager.”

Shen Wei was silent for half a minute, his head lowered, his expression unreadable.

Ling Lie’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. “Did you suddenly get an important clue?”

“I’ve never had a good feeling about Mou Dianpei. When the police released him back then, it wasn’t because they had completely ruled him out, but because there was no concrete evidence.” Shen Wei smiled helplessly. “Haven’t there been enough news stories like this? Some people are killers, but the law can’t punish them. I watched Mou Dianpei for a long time but really didn’t find anything on him. I let my guard down later because after coming to Feng City, he was always around me. I thought, if he dared to do that, it meant he had a clear conscience.”

“But after he got drunk that one time, I knew he was deliberately flaunting his crime in front of me, the victim’s family member.”

It was a day in early summer. Mou Dianpei was anxious because “Gui Yong Tang” was stealing his business. He wanted to pull Shen Wei in as a partner. The specific method was to have Shen Wei advertise in his shop, and he would give Shen Wei a commission.

Because “Old Shen’s Boxed Lunch” had good business, many “Gold Imprisoners” had approached Shen Wei for cooperation. Shen Wei had refused all of them and didn’t plan to make an exception for a fellow villager. But Mou Dianpei was persistent, insisting on treating Shen Wei to a meal and saying he absolutely wouldn’t mention the partnership, just a chat between fellow villagers.

Unable to refuse, Shen Wei had to go. During the meal, Shen Wei didn’t drink. Mou Dianpei, however, drank cup after cup. When he was drunk, he complained about how hard his life was. Half his life was gone, he had no money, and couldn’t even get a wife. Now business was getting harder and harder, and soon he’d be drinking the northwest wind.

Shen Wei wanted to leave, but Mou Dianpei held him back and, to his surprise, started talking about Tan Fabin. Shen Wei was stunned.

Mou Dianpei’s tone when mentioning Tan Fabin was extremely ugly. He said Tan Fabin was full of schemes, advocating for the whole county to get rich together, but was only lining his own pockets. Someone should have come out to deliver justice for heaven and taken out this hypocritical thing long ago.

Shen Wei couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What did you say? Say it again?”

Mou Dianpei, completely devoid of reason from being drunk, boasted, “I’m the one who delivered justice for heaven! Hehehehe! The police are all useless, they caught me and then let me go! No evidence, hic… The police can’t arrest people without evidence. I can kill whoever the fuck I want!”

The wine bottle in Shen Wei’s hand was already raised, almost smashing down on Mou Dianpei’s head. He was burning with rage, his eyes seeing almost nothing else.

But at that moment, Mou Dianpei’s poisonous words echoed in his ears—The police can’t arrest people without evidence.

His hand slowly lowered. He stared at the unconscious Mou Dianpei. If a scoundrel like this could escape punishment, why couldn’t he?

A plan for revenge began to form in his mind. He had finally found the killer. He would kill Mou Dianpei without a trace and avenge Tan Fabin!

But how could he kill Mou Dianpei?

Mou Dianpei often came to eat. Poisoning his food was a good idea. But what poison? An acute one wouldn’t work; the police would be at his door quickly. It had to be chronic and irreversible.

Once a top student at the medical college, Shen Wei immediately thought of the now-banned paraquat. But getting paraquat was a problem. Any purchase would surely leave a trace.

Steal it? But from where?

Just as Shen Wei was struggling to get his hands on paraquat, Mou Dianpei delivered it to him.

Taking advantage of the crowd, Shen Wei quietly took Mou Dianpei’s nylon bag while pretending to move a stool. Mou Dianpei didn’t even notice something was missing when he left.

Soon, Mou Dianpei rushed back, saying he had forgotten a bag. Shen Wei asked him what it was, but of course, he wouldn’t say. Shen Wei helped him look, even calling Lu Feixiang over to help.

But how could something that was deliberately hidden be found?

Shen Wei said it might have been taken by another customer. With the high customer traffic, it would be impossible to find it just by looking. If it was something valuable, he should report it to the police.

Mou Dianpei was startled. How could he possibly report it to the police? He quickly forced a smile and said it was just a drink, and it was fine if it was lost.

Shen Wei stood outside the shop, watching him leave with cold eyes.

After that, Shen Wei divided the paraquat into small bottles, each with a small dose, and disposed of the original bottle. Every time Mou Dianpei came to eat, he would secretly pour in a bottle. He estimated that within a month, Mou Dianpei would surely die.

“What I didn’t expect was that besides me, someone else would want his life,” Shen Wei sighed heavily. “What I didn’t expect even more was that after seventeen years, you would reopen the investigation. If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have done it. But sometimes the timing of things is just so ironic. I had no choice.”

After finishing, Shen Wei fell silent. Ling Lie looked at him for a while. “Then what about Lu Feixiang?”

Shen Wei quickly said, “It has nothing to do with Xiao Lu! He knows nothing!”

Ling Lie: “How do you know I was going to ask if Lu Feixiang knew?”

Shen Wei froze. “I…”

“From my observation, Lu Feixiang must know something, right?” Ling Lie said. “The first time I went to the shop, Lu Feixiang was shelling beans. Every time you were about to reveal a clue, he would hint for you to stop.”

Shen Wei said nervously, “That’s not true. He works for me, so he might know some things about my family. Right, he also knows Xiangli. Xiangli might have told him some things. But we never discussed it, and I never told him about the drinking incident. He didn’t know I hid the paraquat, so it’s even more impossible for him to know about the poisoning.”

“Right, Chen Xiangli.” Ling Lie’s earliest suspect was Chen Xiangli. This woman was not good at pretending. Perhaps she had been warned not to speak carelessly, so she always responded to the police with silence. “Does Chen Xiangli know that Mou Dianpei was the killer?”

Shen Wei hesitated for two seconds, but those two seconds of reaction betrayed him. “I don’t know. I haven’t told anyone.”

Ling Lie asked meaningfully, “Did Chen Xiangli really love your big brother?”

Shen Wei frowned. “What do you mean?”

Ling Lie: “Haven’t you ever thought that she might have a new lover by now?”

Shen Wei’s lips trembled. After a moment, he said, “That’s her freedom.”

Ling Lie: “Are you protecting her?”

Shen Wei: “I do hope she can live the rest of her life in peace.”

“Oh, I have one more question.” Ling Lie leaned forward, arms crossed. “Why did you suddenly turn yourself in today?”

The muscles on Shen Wei’s face tensed up, his eyes darting away. “I just, I just suddenly figured it out. Actually, I’ve achieved my goal, right? Avenging my brother. All these years, my only thought has been to find the killer. Now that I’ve lost my direction, and I’d have to be on guard against you catching me, it’s better to just admit it.”

Ling Lie: “Wasn’t it because of Lu Feixiang?”

Shen Wei: “What does it have to do with Xiao Lu?”

“Then let me ask you, where did the rest of the paraquat go?”

“I disposed of it.”

“How did you dispose of it, and where?”

“…”

Ling Lie said, “Before you came back, I went to see Lu Feixiang. He was washing cars near the medical college. That night, he suddenly returned to your shop and left empty-handed ten minutes later. Guess why he went back? Was he worried about something being left in the shop after seeing me and went back to clean it up?”

Cold sweat trickled down Shen Wei’s face. “Maybe he just went to check the water and electricity?”

This explanation obviously didn’t convince Ling Lie. Seeing the cold smile on Ling Lie’s lips, Shen Wei took a deep breath. “I’ve confessed to what I’ve done. I found out Mou Dianpei was the killer, I stole his poison, and I poisoned him. I accept all punishment. Xiao Lu, Xiangli, they are all innocent. Please don’t disrupt their lives anymore.”

Lu Feixiang was brought back to the city bureau by Huang Yi. In the corridor of the criminal investigation team, Shen Wei was just being led out of the interrogation room. Lu Feixiang’s gaze drifted upward. When he saw the three words “Interrogation Room,” a look of horror flashed in his eyes. He suddenly looked at Shen Wei, who gave him a very slight shake of his head.

The two brushed past each other. The exchange of glances in that split second seemed to be filled with a thousand unspoken words.

Ling Lie stood at the other end of the corridor, witnessed this scene, and said softly, “This is bad.”

Soon, Lu Feixiang was brought into an inquiry room. Huang Yi greeted Ling Lie, “You want to question him? When we found him by the river just now, he said he had something to confess.”

Ling Lie said, “He probably doesn’t want to confess anymore.”

Huang Yi: “Why?”

Ling Lie sighed. “Let’s ask first.”

Although he said that, Ling Lie did not participate in the questioning. He returned to the special operations team’s temporary office and watched the surveillance with Ji Chenjiao.

Huang Yi said, “What did you want to confess?”

Lu Feixiang hesitated for a few seconds. “Why did you arrest Uncle Shen?”

Huang Yi did not reveal the details of the other interrogation. “I’m asking you. What did you want to confess?”

Lu Feixiang shook his head. “I just wanted to thank you. Thank you for finding Zeng Shu and giving me justice.”

Huang Yi found it strange. Lu Feixiang’s state at this moment was completely different from when he was by the river. But why this change?

Lu Feixiang stood up and bowed to Huang Yi and another criminal police officer. “I’m sorry. I was emotional just now after receiving long-overdue justice and ran out, wasting police resources to find me. I apologize to you.”

Huang Yi was baffled. When asked about the paraquat, Lu Feixiang said he knew nothing about it.

“It’s very clear. Shen Wei wants to take the fall for Lu Feixiang,” Ling Lie said, sitting on the desk. “Lu Feixiang must have known about the paraquat. Maybe he was the one who took it. They could have kept this a secret forever, but Zeng Shu’s apology and compensation awakened Lu Feixiang’s conscience. Lu Feixiang wanted to confess. Shen Wei knew he was going to confess, which is why he suddenly turned himself in.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Neither of them reacted at first to what Zeng Shu’s apology meant. Lu Feixiang didn’t want to come; it was Shen Wei who persuaded him. Shen Wei’s dedication to this young worker is so deep, perhaps he’s also projecting his own youthful aspirations onto him. The tacit understanding between these two is a bit beyond my expectations.”

“Indeed. When Lu Feixiang ran out emotionally, Shen Wei knew he was going to confess,” Ling Lie said. “When they met in the corridor, Lu Feixiang and Shen Wei exchanged a look and understood his intention—Don’t confess, I’ve admitted to everything. You just walk your own path, study, go abroad, don’t let me down. That’s why Lu Feixiang didn’t confess to Huang Yi.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “I have a question.”

Ling Lie turned his head. “Hmm?”

“Who was the one who administered the poison? Was it Lu Feixiang? But even if Shen Wei helped him in his most desperate moment and he wanted to repay him, could his impulse to repay be stronger than Shen Wei’s impulse for revenge? And there’s a contradiction here. Given Shen Wei’s protection of Lu Feixiang, he probably wouldn’t have told him that Mou Dianpei was the killer. In that case, Lu Feixiang poisoning him doesn’t make sense.”

“If Shen Wei told Lu Feixiang, it doesn’t fit Shen Wei’s own logic of action. So let’s push another possibility. The poisoner was Shen Wei, then there’s no taking the fall. Did Lu Feixiang just know about the existence of the paraquat? Did he help steal the paraquat? Then we’re back to the previous question—Shen Wei was unlikely to have taken the initiative to tell Lu Feixiang that Mou was the killer. No matter how you look at it, Lu Feixiang’s connection to Mou Dianpei’s death seems slim. What exactly is Shen Wei protecting?”

Ling Lie thought for a moment. “So what you mean is, from the very beginning, Shen Wei hasn’t been telling the truth? He didn’t find out Mou Dianpei was the killer from drinking with him. For Lu to know this, either Lu found out himself, or he happened to overhear it when someone told Shen?”

Ji Chenjiao: “I don’t know which it is, but the version Shen Wei is telling now has low credibility. And judging by his reaction, Lu was definitely involved. Also, Shen Wei completely trusts Lu Feixiang and Chen Xiangli. Lu Feixiang seems to be worthy of his trust, but what about Chen Xiangli? Could it be that since seventeen years ago, there has been a deception between Chen Xiangli and him?”

Ling Lie’s eyes flickered. “Chen Xiangli was a blind spot in the investigation at the time. The police investigated high and low, and the only one they overlooked was the grief-stricken fiancée.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “If our deduction is true, then it’s too cruel for Shen Wei.”

“Let’s go.” Ling Lie jumped off the desk.

Ji Chenjiao: “Where? To interrogate Shen Wei again?”

“No, I’m going to make Lu Feixiang tell the truth.”