Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The hair on the back of my neck stood up at Lu He’s words.

I thought back to every moment I had spent with Xu Qing over the years.

Xu Qing had a tomboyish personality, but she had always looked out for me.

I remembered a time back in college when I had food poisoning. I was vomiting and had diarrhea; my clothes were covered in filth, and I was a total mess.

It was Xu Qing who stayed up all night taking care of me, patiently wiping the vomit off my body.

At that moment, I had only one thought: I wanted to be friends with Xu Qing for the rest of my life.

But now, I suddenly realized that I knew nothing about Xu Qing’s past.

She had never mentioned the high school fire or the kidnapping to me.

Just then, my phone rang again.

I looked down. It was a call from Xu Qing.

No-to be precise, it was a call from the Xu Qing of one week in the future.

I glanced at Lu He. “I need to use the bathroom.”

I hurried to the en-suite bathroom and picked up the call.

On the other end, Xu Qing’s voice was still choked with tears.

“Why did the call cut out so fast before? I still have so much to say. It took me forever to get through again.”

“Xiao Nuo, I have to tell you something very important about Lu He.”

“After you died, I kept hiring people to investigate him. It turns out he actually has a twin brother.”

“Lu He’s older brother had a very twisted personality from a young age. He was still wetting the bed at twelve, he enjoyed torturing animals, and he was frequently violent toward his classmates. He had all the classic traits of a killer.”

“When Lu He was fourteen, his brother beat a classmate so badly that the family had to pay a massive settlement. The night before his brother was supposed to go to juvenile detention, a fire broke out at their home. Lu He’s older brother supposedly died in that fire.”

“Xiao Nuo, I’ve been wondering why Lu He would hide this from us.”

“Do you think… do you think the person who died in that fire might have been the real Lu He?”

My heart tightened painfully.

Twins usually look remarkably alike. If the one who survived back then wasn’t Lu He, but his twin brother instead?

To escape juvenile detention, Lu He’s older brother could have taken on Lu He’s identity and lived his life.

My breathing suddenly became shallow and rapid.

Between Xu Qing and Lu He, who was telling the truth?

Right then, there was a knock on the door.

“Xiao Nuo, are you okay? I thought I heard you talking to someone in there.”

Lu He’s voice drifted in from outside the door.

I forced myself to steady my breathing. “I’m fine.”

Suddenly, Xu Qing lowered her voice on the phone, her tone thick with terror. “Xiao Nuo, your cause of death has changed! It went from a fall from a great height to a ruptured heart-you were stabbed to death!”

My heart hammered against my ribs.

I carefully bent down and pressed myself against the floor.

Through the gap at the bottom of the door, I saw Lu He’s feet.

And in his hand, he held an incredibly sharp knife.

At that moment, the voice on the phone cut off abruptly.

The one-minute call limit was up.

Remaining calls: 3.

The doorknob began to turn with a slow, agonizing creak.

I backed away in horror.

The next second, the door swung open.

Lu He stood in the doorway, the sharp blade in his hand glinting with a piercing reflection.

He gave me a faint smile, his expression dark and unreadable as he looked at me.