Shen Wei sucked in a breath and quickly shut the door. The two looked at each other in silence. Lu Feixiang said, “Uncle Shen, don’t do it. Let me help you.”

Shen Wei excitedly pushed him against the wall. “What nonsense are you talking about! You are not to do anything! Do you hear me? This is my business, I’ll weigh the options myself!”

Lu Feixiang: “But for my matters, didn’t you also consider everything so thoroughly for me? I have no home in Feng City; you gave me one. I want to repay you.”

Shen Wei: “Silly child! That’s no way to repay someone. Just pretend you didn’t hear anything today! I’m still considering it, it’s not a definite that I’ll seek revenge.”

Lu Feixiang fell silent. After a moment, he nodded. “Uncle Shen, if you make up your mind, let me know. I consider you family.”

Shen Wei suddenly burst into tears, choking up as he patted Lu Feixiang’s shoulder. “I know, I know, thank you…”

After that night, although Shen Wei didn’t do anything to Mou Dianpei for the time being, likely because he was still struggling, Lu Feixiang could feel Shen Wei’s extreme tension whenever Mou Dianpei came. His entire aura would change in an instant.

When Shen Wei wasn’t looking, he stole the recording pen and listened to the recording that Fu Shun’an had someone secretly make. The speaker was indeed Mou Dianpei, a drunken piece of trash bragging about murder, and how the police couldn’t touch him, confirming he was the killer in the Tan Fabin case.

Lu Feixiang looked at Shen Wei’s back and felt he was pitiful. Shen Wei had been a medical student, with saving lives etched into his bones. Because of the Tan Fabin case, he had to give up his studies and his life, and now he had to kill for revenge.

Lu Feixiang completely understood Shen Wei’s hesitation, because he himself was also a medical student.

But there was one point where he and Shen Wei did not share the same stance. He believed Fu Shun’an’s words more—because he had experienced the same helplessness when the law couldn’t help him, and he could only choose to admit defeat and let go.

So he knew very well that going to the police was useless. The knife for revenge was in their own hands.

He didn’t want to delay any longer, nor did he want to continue watching Shen Wei suffer. Shen Wei would not allow him to take revenge on his behalf, but he could act without telling Shen Wei, striking first and reporting later!

It was like someone handing you a pillow when you’re sleepy. The smoothest thing that ever happened in Lu Feixiang’s life was, surprisingly, that while he was pondering how to kill Mou Dianpei, Mou Dianpei himself showed up with paraquat.

The pesticide was on the stool next to Mou Dianpei. At first, he would glance at it from time to time, but later he focused on gobbling down his food. A passing customer accidentally bumped the stool backward.

At the time, Lu Feixiang didn’t actually know what was in the nylon bag, only that it was a dark-colored bottle. Something carried like that might be problematic, and he could see that Mou Dianpei’s state today was very strange, clearly excited, as if he was about to do something big.

While Mou Dianpei wasn’t paying attention, Lu Feixiang quietly approached and, without anyone noticing, took the nylon bag.

Back in the shop, he immediately hid the bag in the upstairs loft.

Mou Dianpei finished his meal and left, only to return shortly after, saying he had lost something in the shop. Lu Feixiang pretended not to know and even asked Shen Wei in front of Mou Dianpei if he had seen it. The three of them looked for a while but couldn’t find it. Lu Feixiang asked what it was and whether they should call the police. Mou Dianpei’s face changed instantly, and he quickly said no need, it wasn’t anything valuable, it was fine if it was lost.

Mou Dianpei’s attitude made Lu Feixiang even more certain that the contents of the bottle were not simple.

Shen Wei didn’t say anything at the time, but after closing up that night, he suddenly asked, “Xiao Lu, did you see Mou Dianpei’s bag?”

Lu Feixiang was stunned for a moment, thinking Shen Wei had found out. “Uncle Shen, you suspect me?”

Shen Wei was a little embarrassed. “It was Mou Dianpei who came. I can’t help but watch him, and I saw you hovering around him several times. So I just thought, maybe you took his bag.”

Lu Feixiang’s heart pounded. “Why would I take his bag?”

Shen Wei became even more uncomfortable, feeling he had wrongly accused someone. “Sigh, maybe I was overthinking. I just felt you might want to mess with him.”

Lu Feixiang breathed a sigh of relief. “Uncle Shen, I really didn’t. If I wanted to mess with him, I wouldn’t just take his bag.”

Shen Wei frowned, wanting to say more but holding back.

When he got off work, Lu Feixiang secretly took the hidden bottle. Upon returning to his place and examining it, he discovered it was paraquat, which had already been banned for sale! Mou Dianpei must have bought this to kill someone. Who did he want to kill? He even brought it to the shop. Was he planning to poison Uncle Shen?

Lu Feixiang was instantly furious. This trash was indeed a murderer. Could it be that he remembered what he said when he was drunk and came to silence him?

Lu Feixiang’s hair stood on end. He wanted to tell Shen Wei immediately, but thinking of Shen Wei’s kindness, he decided to handle it himself, to strike first and gain the upper hand!

“Mou Dianpei, you brought this upon yourself!”

Lu Feixiang divided the poison into small portions and brought them to the shop. Three days later, Mou Dianpei came for a meal again. Although Lu Feixiang had planned it meticulously, he was still very nervous when it was time to administer the poison.

He watched Mou Dianpei eat the drugged food, his hands clenched into fists under his apron. Shen Wei noticed his abnormality. “Xiao Lu, what are you looking at?”

He immediately turned around. “Nothing, Uncle Shen. Mou Dianpei is here to eat again.”

Shen Wei looked at Mou Dianpei and sighed.

Lu Feixiang knew that Shen Wei still hadn’t made up his mind. It’s okay, he thought, I’ll do it.

After the first time, the next two poisonings were much easier. Mou Dianpei didn’t notice anything different in his food at all. After eating, he would even pester Shen Wei to help him drum up business.

Lu Feixiang watched him coolly, thinking: Go do business in the underworld.

Lu Feixiang calculated the time of onset, but just as he expected Mou Dianpei to be on the verge of dying from the poison, news suddenly broke that a body had been found at the funeral home, very likely Mou Dianpei’s.

At first, he thought Mou Dianpei had died during the process of transporting a body and was discovered. But the rumors spread more fiercely around the Third Hospital, saying that Mou Dianpei had been strangled and dumped at the funeral home, and the killer had abandoned the car and fled.

Lu Feixiang was astounded. His first thought was of Shen Wei. Could it be that while he was secretly poisoning him, Shen Wei finally came to a decision and killed Mou Dianpei himself? Then what was the point of all his actions? He hadn’t protected Shen Wei at all!

He looked at Shen Wei, and Shen Wei was also looking at him in panic. In that instant, he understood. Shen Wei thought he had done it!

He suddenly felt relieved. If Shen Wei thought that, it meant Shen Wei wasn’t the one who strangled Mou Dianpei. Shen Wei had nothing to do with Mou Dianpei’s death!

Then who could it be? Mou Dianpei’s other enemies? Like Bi Jiang’s family? Or new enemies Mou Dianpei had made over the years? Or, was it Fu Shun’an? Did Fu Shun’an see Shen Wei’s hesitation and act on his behalf?

At least at that moment, Lu Feixiang was full of gratitude towards Fu Shun’an.

Shen Wei, after a day of racking his brains, finally couldn’t help but ask Lu Feixiang if he had killed Mou Dianpei. He smiled and said, “Uncle Shen, it really wasn’t me. I was in my rented apartment at night. You can ask my roommate if you don’t believe me.”

Shen Wei’s worries did not lessen, because Lu Feixiang had just recently said he would take revenge for him, and now Mou Dianpei was dead. If the killer wasn’t Lu Feixiang, who could it be?

But soon, new information came in. The killer was suspected to be another “Jin Wuchang,” Liu Xuelin. Only then did Shen Wei feel relieved.

“You all know what happened after that,” Lu Feixiang said. “You found Uncle Shen and said you were reopening the investigation into the Tan Fabin case. He couldn’t contain his happiness, but he couldn’t say anything, and I was on the side reminding him not to reveal any clues. At that time, Mou Dianpei was already dead. If he had spoken up, you would have suspected him of killing Mou Dianpei.”

Ling Lie nodded. “But when we found out about the paraquat, did Shen Wei suspect you again?”

Lu Feixiang gave a bitter smile and shook his head. “Uncle Shen wasn’t just suspecting anymore. After you came to investigate the paraquat, he was already certain that I was the one who administered the poison.”

“Xiao Lu, tell me the truth, was it you?” Shen Wei gripped Lu Feixiang’s shoulders, the wrinkles on his face soaked with sweat. “Mou Dianpei came to eat with paraquat, you took the paraquat, and then you poisoned him? I felt something was off that day. Why would an ordinary nylon bag be taken? You were always hovering around him, looking for an opportunity, weren’t you?”

Lu Feixiang was speechless. It took him a long time to speak. “Uncle Shen, as long as neither of us says anything, no one will know. Mou Dianpei is already dead, not killed by paraquat, but strangled to death!”

Shen Wei’s heartache was palpable. “Xiao Lu, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this and ruined your good name!”

Lu Feixiang knelt at his feet. “Uncle Shen, what good name do I have left? When everyone else said I deserved to drop out of school, you gave me a job. Uncle Shen, you don’t owe me anything.”

Shen Wei knew that nothing more could be said. He hugged Lu Feixiang, a man in his forties, and sobbed uncontrollably.

“Uncle Shen said he was closing the shop for a while to go back to Feng’an County to see Tan Fabin,” Lu Feixiang said. “Last year, Uncle Shen also closed the shop. I didn’t think much of it, I just thought he was going to tell Tan Fabin that his great revenge had been achieved. But thinking back now, Uncle Shen was actually already prepared to take the blame for me back then.”

Lu Feixiang buried his face in his arms and took a while before continuing, “He returned to his hometown to say goodbye to his older brother, saying he might not have the chance to visit his grave in the future—I guess, that’s what he said.”

Ling Lie asked, “That day after we came to find you, what were you dealing with when you went back to the shop?”

Lu Feixiang said, “I was afraid there might still be some paraquat inside. But there actually wasn’t.”

Ling Lie asked again, “What about that recording pen?”

Lu Feixiang took it out. “I hid it later, so Uncle Shen didn’t find it. You can take it.”

Ling Lie immediately had the technical investigation team take it for analysis.

“Aren’t you going to ask me if I repent?” Lu Feixiang said suddenly.

Ling Lie raised an eyebrow. “I’m not a priest. I just need a confession and physical evidence.”

“You’re so cold-blooded,” Lu Feixiang remarked with a smile. “But maybe only someone as cold-blooded as you can uncover the truth. People who are too emotional often overlook what’s right under their noses.”

An image of the always honest and smiling police officer appeared in Ling Lie’s mind. Wei Zhiyong was a very emotional person; otherwise, he wouldn’t have saved a child of unknown origin like him, nor would he have persisted in looking for him for so many years, even thinking of him as he was dying.

And Wei Zhiyong had failed to see the truth from seventeen years ago, perhaps really because… he believed too much in the goodness of human nature.

Ling Lie took a deep breath and said, “So, do you repent?”

Lu Feixiang was stunned for a moment, then immediately said, “For poisoning Mou Dianpei? I don’t regret it. He deserved to die. The law couldn’t touch him, so I did it. What I regret is that I clearly promised Uncle Shen that as long as neither of us said anything, no one would know. But that day when I saw Zeng Shu and heard her call me kind, it was as if my conscience was suddenly awakened. That afternoon, I kept thinking, yes, I am a kind person, I should have the courage to admit what I’ve done.”

“Uncle Shen knows me too well. He saw what I wanted to do, so he confessed first.” Lu Feixiang started to cry. “He is the truly kind person. He couldn’t even bring himself to harm his enemy. He felt I still had a bright future, and that it didn’t matter what happened to him…”

Many of the criminal police at the Municipal Bureau couldn’t understand why Lu Feixiang remained silent and allowed Shen Wei to be detained when he discovered Shen Wei was taking the fall for him. Given their relationship, he should have staged a scene where he rushed to confess.

But Ling Lie, surprisingly, understood Lu Feixiang’s choice—because that was Uncle Shen’s final request to him, Uncle Shen’s wish, so he wanted to honor it.

Only now, upon discovering the unusual relationship between Fu Shun’an and Chen Xiangli, and suspecting that the revenge might have been a conspiracy against Shen Wei, Lu Feixiang finally could no longer remain silent.

The interrogation ended, and Lu Feixiang was detained. When Ling Lie returned to the temporary office, he found that Ji Chenjiao was not there. He was a bit tired, so he sneaked under Ji Chenjiao’s desk, rummaged through the mini-fridge, took out a carton of ice cream, and began to eat it contentedly.

After finishing the ice cream, he noticed the fridge was a bit empty. He went to the entrance of the Municipal Bureau, brought back a small watermelon, and patted it. “Returning a peach for a plum is nothing, I’m returning a melon for ice cream.”

After doing all this, Ling Lie’s high-speed brain finally got a breather. Just then, Ji Chenjiao called. “Come to technical investigation. There’s a problem with the recording Lu Feixiang handed over.”