Chapter 3

Chapter 3

What the-?

What the hell?!

He looked around with wide eyes. When he lowered his head, he met the eyes of the Woman in the Red Dress beside him, who was glaring at him. Instantly he got goosebumps, his heart racing, as if he had been jolted awake from a nap.

“Was I asleep?”

He unconsciously raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, then turned to glance at the little girl who had been crowding him, and at the man in the black tracksuit beside her. Remembering what had happened in the dream just now, he gritted his teeth and took two steps to the left, causing the woman next to him to mutter a complaint under her breath.

As soon as he settled in the new spot, the little girl’s voice rang out, “Are you done? I’ve moved this far away and you’re still rubbing against me?” Her voice carried the same anger and indignation.

…

Pei Yuming looked over along with everyone else. This time the little girl had grabbed the Woman in the Red Dress for help, but the woman pulled her hand away. “I didn’t see anything, young lady. Find someone else! There was someone here earlier, but I had my back to you the whole time, so I didn’t see a thing!”

…

Pei Yuming got off the subway without a hitch. When he reached his residential complex, he bought a pack of salt at the supermarket by the gate.

The weather outside wasn’t too hot; the wind was just right. His mind still on that dream, he found a shady spot, lit a cigarette, and smoked while recalling what had happened in the dream.

It was too real!

He even clearly remembered the pain of his foot hitting the cleaver, and the little girl’s words were almost exactly the same as in the dream.

Could this be a warning?

At the thought, his hand began to tremble. He shakily tapped the ash off his cigarette, his gaze fixed on his fingers. He remembered using this hand to check Bai Xue’s breath, the temperature of her skin, and that cold, clammy touch. It was really too real!

No matter what, believing is better than not believing.

He checked his watch. At this hour, Bai Xue should be just starting to get ready; it wasn’t too late yet.

So he took out his phone and called Bai Xue.

It rang twice before she picked up.

“Have you arrived, hubby?” Bai Xue’s voice came through the phone, making his chest feel tight.

“Yeah,” his voice was a bit hoarse. “Honey, maybe we should cancel the gathering today…”

…

“Lao Pei? Have you remembered?” Cao Lei prompted.

Pei Yuming shuddered, as if frightened by Cao Lei in front of him, his face full of terror. “I-how did I get back here?”

“Huh?” Cao Lei was taken aback. “You’ve been here before?”

Pei Yuming didn’t hear him at all. He began looking around the interrogation room frantically, even trying to stand up from the chair but was blocked by the front partition.

“Lao Pei, calm down!” Cao Lei scolded. “What’s wrong? Did you remember some detail?”

Pei Yuming still didn’t answer, just stared in horror at him and the other two officers in the room, gradually calming down after a long moment.

“I… think I fell asleep…” Pei Yuming finally explained in a dry, hoarse voice.

“Fell asleep?” Cao Lei was puzzled. “We’ve been talking the whole time; you weren’t asleep.”

Pei Yuming swallowed and looked at Cao Lei again. “Can I have some water?”

Cao Lei’s brow furrowed slightly, but he still stood up, fetched a bottle of water, opened it, and handed it to him.

Pei Yuming seemed extremely thirsty, downing half the bottle in one go before putting it down. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and asked, “Where were we?”

“Did your younger brother bring anything when he came to your house?” Cao Lei repeated, but his expression was clearly puzzled.

“Oh,” Pei Yuming shook his head. “No, he rarely brings anything when he comes over.”

This time, after Pei Yuming answered, Cao Lei didn’t continue. He scrutinized Pei Yuming, trying to figure out what had triggered his sudden emotional outburst.

He recalled the previous conversation and found nothing amiss. They were just basic questions to sort out the timeline; under normal circumstances, Pei Yuming shouldn’t have such a strong reaction.

Could he be under too much stress? Having a stress reaction?

Cao Lei glanced at the monitor in the corner. Outside, a whole team was also participating in the interrogation.

This case was the biggest mass poisoning murder he had encountered in over twenty years on the job. The province had immediately dispatched an expert team to provide support, ordering the Municipal Bureau Criminal Investigation Detachment to solve the case within twenty-four hours.

The director’s personal instruction came through the earpiece: Continue questioning along these lines, try not to agitate him.

Cao Lei gave a slight nod and sat back down next to Pei Yuming. “After your brother arrived, did you start eating?”

“No,” Pei Yuming kept his head down, his brow tightly furrowed, but his tone was somewhat distracted. “My dad hadn’t arrived yet, so we didn’t start the meal.”

“When did your dad arrive?”

“Almost five o’clock.”

“He didn’t bring anything either, I assume.”

“Yeah.”

“Then you started eating?”

“We waited a bit longer. We started eating at five-thirty.”

“You remember so clearly?” Cao Lei asked doubtfully.

Pei Yuming glanced up then back down. “At the time, my daughter and that kid from Lu Dong’s family hadn’t arrived yet. My wife said to eat while we wait, but I was worried the dishes would get cold, so I called my daughter. She said she’d be there in about ten more minutes. I checked the time then.”

“So your daughter got home at five-forty?”

“Yes, with Lu Zixuan. They ran into each other downstairs.”

“During the meal, did anything strange happen?” Cao Lei rubbed his chin, his questions gradually deepening.

Strange? Pei Yuming felt nothing was stranger than him sitting here for no reason, unable to tell if he was dreaming or awake.

Growling with irritation, he pushed the person crowding him. In a daze, he saw an annoyed face, a blinding white flash, and it took a moment before he realized that it was his own face reflected on the glass.

“I’m sorry.” It was still that little girl, blushing as she apologized to him.