The aftermath was merely lines of text in the news: a female student from the local finance college, trapped by campus loans, had jumped to her death; teachers and classmates were interviewed one by one, describing how the deceased had once been sunny and cheerful, how she had used her classmates' credentials to borrow money, step by step reaching the point of being abandoned by all; how she had once had an academically excellent boyfriend who also left her. No one could find her boyfriend for an interview. The city soon took the matter seriously, cracking down harshly and regulating lending companies near universities...
Yet three years passed, the incident became a rumor, and no one would remember Zhu Xinya again. Campus loan companies quietly reopened one after another, expanding their operations in the shadows. Among them, Gold Splitting Treasure Company had the largest scale. And Gold Splitting Treasure Company had gained an extremely capable business manager, Chen Zhaoci. He was also a graduate of Huaicheng University, a fellow townsman and senior that students easily trusted.
...
You know? When I was young and my wings were not yet full, when I couldn't fully see or step into this society, I couldn't protect myself. If I encountered kindness, that kindness would help me grow against the wind. If I stumbled into darkness, that darkness was far more cruel than what adults face, trapping me deeply, leaving me powerless to escape.
But the world I possessed was also far more fragile than an adult's. While you all still didn't take it seriously, it was gradually collapsing. Not even twenty years old, my life had reached a dead end. How could I withstand the various tactics of adults?
Only death would free me from being responsible to anyone.
And from being responsible for my own life.
——
Several police cars sped through the streets of Huaicheng.
Xu Mengshan drove one of them, stepping on the accelerator whenever he had the chance. His face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, muttering to himself like a whisper: "There are still three air-raid shelters left to search... Damn it, Fan Jia, you hold on for me... Wait for me to come!"
You Mingxu wore a jacket and sweatpants, her long hair tied into a high ponytail, her expression equally icy. She lowered her head to check the gun at her waist again, while Yin Feng, tall and broad-shouldered, sat beside her, watching her every move.
The city streets were crowded with traffic and buildings. If not for Xu Mengshan obtaining data from the city construction bureau, who would have thought that beneath those unremarkable single-story houses lay air-raid shelters from seventy or eighty years ago? No wonder the police had almost scraped the ground clean earlier but still couldn't find Fan Jia's traces.
You Mingxu looked up and asked Yin Feng, "Are you sure he hid her in one of the air-raid shelters? Every minute we waste is Fan Jia's life."
Yin Feng replied, "Yes. That's his refuge. The little shelter he built for Zhu Xinya collapsed, leaving only this one left."
You Mingxu stared into his eyes: "I believe you."
Yin Feng said nothing, simply grasping one of her hands. You Mingxu didn't resist. After a moment, he quickly lifted her hand, kissed it, and said, "If I'm wrong, I'll take whatever beating, scolding, or punishment you give."
You Mingxu smiled and reached out to ruffle his hair.
She added, "Chen Zhaoci's girlfriend was victimized by campus loans. How did he end up becoming an accomplice to campus loans, trapping one after another person like Zhu Xinya?"
Yin Feng answered, "Choosing to resist or sink has always been a classic dilemma. Many victims, when unable to heal, turn around and become new perpetrators."
You Mingxu detected the cold insight in his words. Though his personality had become childish, when it came to psychological analysis, he seemed no different from the old man he once was.You Mingxu turned to gaze out the window, no longer looking at him. Yin Feng, for some reason, suddenly sensed a trace of loneliness emanating from her and fell silent as well, staring into the vast unknown ahead.
At that moment, Xu Mengshan said, "There's nothing to understand about Chen Zhaoci—he's just inhuman!"
You Mingxu spoke up, "Mengshan, keep your composure!"
Xu Mengshan fell silent.
Yin Feng began, "Xu Mengshan, there's no need to panic. If Fan Jia had fallen into the hands of the killer who murdered Zhao Feier, she would have no chance of survival. But Chen Zhaoci doesn't match my criminal psychological profile, and both the fingerprints and alibi confirm he isn't the one. That killer is still at large, and so far, we haven't caught any trace of him."
"If she's in Chen Zhaoci's hands, I believe Fan Jia's odds of survival are fifty-fifty. There's no evidence that Chen Zhaoci has killed anyone, but he is indeed another psychological deviant hiding among those girls. His childhood family environment fostered a passive, escapist worldview. What he can't tolerate is betrayal and abandonment again. His choice has been to lurk in the shadows, manipulating, luring, and spying on the downfall of those girls. He hates women, yet he loves and desires them. That's why he chose to be with Zhu Xinya, who resembles his stepmother."
"Even if he hasn't killed anyone, he has already disposed of Liu Yisha's body. In a way, he has rehearsed murder. Right now, with Fan Jia—a sacrificial figure akin to a girlfriend, yet one who bravely resists—he is inevitably torn between love and hatred. He yearns for her to save him, yet he will transfer his hatred of women onto her. Chen Zhaoci is now like a person walking a tightrope: will he take a misstep, plunge into the abyss, commit his first murder, and unleash his long-suppressed twisted emotions? Or will he slowly retreat to safety, preserving that shred of humanity and hope for life? It all depends on the person he's interacting with now. It depends on whether Fan Jia can see that the tightrope determining both their fates is already beneath their feet. And she must also be able to carefully and appropriately pull back Chen Zhaoci—this teetering, quasi-psychopathic killer."
After he finished speaking, the car fell into silence, broken only by the sounds of traffic and noise outside the window.
After a while, Xu Mengshan asked, "Teacher Yin, do you think... with Fan Jia's temperament, can she do it?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
Two voices answered simultaneously. Yin Feng and You Mingxu locked eyes. Her gaze held an unyielding stubbornness, while Yin Feng blinked and smiled gently, saying, "Because Fan Jia is someone A Xu trained. Around A Xu, everyone is a warrior. When narrow paths cross... the brave prevail!"
Author's Note:
Let me explain why there's so much description of the criminal's psychological background in the main text. Published books aren't allowed to include separate chapters analyzing criminal psychology. If you recall, the extra chapters for Lin Qingyan in If Snail Has Love and Xie Lu (T) in Beauty as Bait weren't included in the published versions. So now I incorporate such content into the main text—you get it.
OpenNovel