chapter 2
Before checking into the room, I received a call from my parents.
“Jiang An, did you escape from the Mental Hospital? Do you really think your sister will wake up if you kill someone? Don’t be naive!”
They cursed furiously: “If you cause any more trouble, no one will be able to save you! What did we do to deserve a child like you!”
All along, I had been calm, my face unmoved even when doing bad things-but at the mention of my sister, my pupils shrank sharply.
Like a cold-blooded snake whose only vulnerable spot had been touched.
Half a month ago, my sister was raped and beaten into a vegetative state.
I saw the photos from the crime scene. She was beaten beyond recognition, connected to tubes, her limbs broken, severe bleeding from her head, her left kidney dead, not a single patch of healthy flesh left on her body.
It took all my strength to accept that it was really her.
For the first time, I-who took pleasure in bloodshed-tasted the feeling of pain.
The police initially suspected revenge. My sister was a social worker who provided psychological counseling for ex-convicts, helping them reintegrate into society.
She was always warm-hearted and kind, and as part of her job, she helped arrange job interviews for them.
The police sighed: “Of course, most of the jobs were in factories, janitorial work, or restaurants, but the suspect, Zhao Ze, felt your sister was insulting and looking down on him. He repeatedly made trouble for her, stalked her, and even posted pornographic rumors and face-swapped (deepfake) images online, claiming they had a relationship. It’s a classic case of biting the hand that feeds you.”
During questioning, Zhao Ze said brazenly: “Just ’cause we had issues doesn’t mean I’d kill anyone. I’m a big shot on the streets. That bitch actually told me to go work on an assembly line tightening bolts, to serve plates in a restaurant, to act like a dog? And she had the nerve to talk about commission? Ha!
“If she really wanted to help me, playing the saint, then just give me the money! Why didn’t she give me money when I asked? Hypocrite!
“Maybe she was just messing around with some old lover or something.”
His provocative laughter enraged everyone, but there wasn’t enough evidence. The perpetrator was careful, leaving no traces in my sister’s body, and there was no surveillance at the crime scene.
Clearly, this was a premeditated crime.
Before my sister lost consciousness, she clutched a plaque tightly in her palm. On it was written:
“Wishing my beloved sister, Jiang An, eternal happiness!”
That day was my birthday. She had the accident on her way to see me after work.
My sister gave me a gift I will never forget.