chapter 15
It was a few months later when I heard news of Shen Qingqie again.
He stabbed Xu Anran and Qin Ye eight times each, every wound avoiding the vital points.
Both of them were admitted to the ICU and remain unconscious to this day.
The police searched for him for three days, but he was nowhere to be found, dead or alive.
All the teachers and classmates were shocked by his cruelty.
Only I knew that, inside, he was just a madman.
The police interviewed his teachers and classmates.
I was among them.
After returning home from the police station, I took out my key to unlock the door.
Suddenly, a towel with a pungent odor covered my nose and mouth.
I lost consciousness instantly.
When I woke up again, I found myself on the rooftop of an abandoned building, my hands firmly tied to a chair.
Shen Qingqie, dressed in a suit, stood with his back to me at the edge of the rooftop, lost in thought.
A cold wind swept by, lifting the dead leaves and gravel on the ground.
A wave of despair rose in my heart.
Sensing the movement behind him, Shen Qingqie turned around and slowly lit the candles on the table.
Only then did I notice that the table was filled with my favorite dishes.
Shen Qingqie sat beside me, his delicate face half illuminated crimson by candlelight, the other half fading into the darkness.
What act was he playing at?
“What do you want?” I stared at him coldly.
He smiled gently, but there was an almost imperceptible madness in his calm eyes.
“Ranran, have you forgotten?
“I still owe you a wedding anniversary.”
Anniversary, my ass.
He really was insane.
I stared at him steadily. “Let me go home. You can’t hide with me for long.”
He seemed not to hear me, just quietly ladled a bowl of soup for me. “It’s our first anniversary. I made your favorite pork rib soup. Try it…”
I couldn’t listen anymore and interrupted impatiently, “Shen Qingqie, did you lose your memory? Want me to help you remember?”
His hand froze in midair.
“On our first anniversary, you used the video camera to confess to Xu Anran, abandoned your wife and child to leap from the eighteenth floor, and hoped to reunite with her among the stars and the sea.
“Do you remember now?”
My voice was full of sarcasm, and Shen Qingqie’s eyes instantly reddened.
He reached out to pull me into his arms, his cheek pressed against my neck, coaxing me in a half-spoiled tone, “Let’s spend today well and not mention those things, okay?”
After all these years together, he knew too well how to calm my anger.
In the past, whenever he acted cute, I would soften and give in.
But now, I only felt disgust.
I kicked at the dining table.
The wine bottle toppled and spilled dark red liquid all over him.
He ignored it, showing no anger.
He simply reached out to gently caress my cheek, his deep gaze fixed on me, as if he wanted to engrave this moment in his heart forever.
“There isn’t much time left, Ranran.” A smile hung on his lips, and his dark pupils were as tranquil as the night.
What time?
I grew uneasy and instinctively moved away from him.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you again.” He noticed my movement, his tone bitter.
I didn’t believe him at all.
Suddenly, sirens wailed in the distance.
I instantly relaxed.
When questioned at the police station, I had volunteered to wear a tracker.
Coming home alone was just to draw Shen Qingqie out.
He leaned down and kissed my forehead, as if bidding a final farewell.
I heard his soft sigh: “Ranran, how did we end up like this?”
It was all his own doing.
If he hadn’t been obsessed with Xu Anran, if he’d taken responsibility from the start, maybe we would be a happy family of three now.
But there are no ifs.
Fortunately, there are no ifs.
A glaring white light suddenly shone onto the rooftop, making me squint.
The next second, several red dots gathered on Shen Qingqie’s body.
He stood up, gazing at me with reluctance as he slowly stepped backward.
I looked up and met his gaze.
There was no surprise in his eyes, only a trace of relief.
In that moment, my skin crawled.
Suddenly, I realized-
He knew this was my trap.
And he never planned to escape.
When he reached the edge of the rooftop, Shen Qingqie stopped.
He gave me a soothing smile, calm yet full of despair.
“Ranran, I’ll atone for you with my life.”
Why should he!
My eyes filled with fury. “Shen Qingqie! Stop right there!”
Why should he get off so easily!
I don’t want him to get away with it!
He hurt me, he hurt others. The rest of his life should be spent repenting in prison!
“Ranran, I love you.” The cold wind on the rooftop carried his soft words and ruffled his messy hair. He leaned back…
For a moment, I felt as if I had returned to that summer afternoon.
The air was hot and humid, the walls of the teaching building old and peeling. A teenage boy, under the squeaky fan, tilted his head to look at me, his ears slightly red, his voice clear and gentle.
“Bai Ran, do you like me?”