Chapter 42 – Lovers

“Yan Ru and my actions might have been cruel and unfair to him. But what can I say? That’s just Yan Ru’s fate in this life.”

The man whispered to the freezer, his tone both confiding and mocking.

“There are countless people in this world with miserable fates—so many that you can’t even pity them all. Yet he refused to accept his fate, stubbornly fighting against it. So, no matter what price he pays, it should be willingly, don’t you think?”

Wei Qinzhou had a girlfriend, who, like him, was a technician at Weiyao Technology.

Their secrecy was impeccable. Even Qin Yuezhang only knew of the girlfriend’s existence but had no idea who she was. However, I managed to get my hands on Wei Qinzhou’s work log—which also functioned as a diary—and pieced together clues from his writings.

The only pity was that he never explicitly wrote down the girl’s name.

He only mentioned that, to avoid unnecessary gossip about office romance, they had decided to keep their relationship hushed. At work, they maintained the facade of ordinary colleagues.

When I first read this, I couldn’t help but laugh at the man. They weren’t public figures—why the need for secrecy in their relationship? Ridiculous.

But eventually, we had to find this girl.

Weiyao Technology had at least a thousand female employees, hundreds of whom were technicians. Among them, many had crossed paths with Wei Qinzhou. Pinpointing the girl he still pined for even in death was no small task.

However, I came up with a brilliant idea. Though it was a gamble, I was confident I wouldn’t lose.

And as it turned out, I was right.

Now, I’ve found her.

As I made my way through the woods, I recalled everything that had happened. Qi Youxuan’s demeanor had been off from the moment she arrived. The old saying really holds true—it’s hard not to let emotions bleed into work.

She must be grieving Wei Qinzhou’s death. How pitiful!

So, where would they most likely hide? I had to find Qi Youxuan before Xu Anran and the others.

I pushed aside branches blocking my path and trudged through the soft soil. Apart from me, there seemed to be no one else around.

Finding someone intentionally hiding in the mountains was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Qin Yuezhang.”

A calm, crisp voice called out unexpectedly behind me.

I turned around without surprise and saw Qi Youxuan.

She had been waiting for me.

I smiled. “Miss Qi, why are you running around like this? You had us all worried.”

Qi Youxuan’s expression was dark, half wary, half scrutinizing. After studying me for a long moment, she said, “Stop pretending. You knew I was waiting for you.”

I shrugged, narrowing my eyes in what I hoped was a friendly smile. “Fine. Then, Miss Qi, what do you want from me?”

Qi Youxuan took half a step back, as if startled, hesitating before asking, “Are you really Qin Yuezhang?”

“When you asked that, you already had your answer.”

Her expression shifted briefly, surprise flashing across her face before settling into calmness. “Yan Ru. So you’re really Yan Ru.”

I said, “How does it feel, facing the man who killed your boyfriend?”

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She blinked hard, feigning composure. “You’re not the killer.”

I wasn’t surprised by her response and waited quietly for her to continue. At least she wasn’t completely stupid. Wei Qinzhou had decent taste.

“If you were really the killer, you wouldn’t have exposed yourself to me like this,” Qi Youxuan said, lowering her lashes. “Besides, all those… insane things you did earlier were just to get my attention, weren’t they?”

I broke off a straight branch and swung it lightly in my hand. “Insane?”

“Those roses!” Qi Youxuan’s emotions suddenly flared. Tears spilled uncontrollably, dropping one by one into the dirt. “Roses are my favorite flowers. The places you scattered them—the Old Locust Tree Field at Xue City University, the Lovers’ Monument in the park, the Shepherd Girl Statue in the square—those are all the places where Qinzhou and I fell in love!”

A black bird flew past in the silent woods, its wings flapping as it let out a blood-curdling cry.

Qi Youxuan’s emotions completely unraveled. Her chest heaved violently as she crouched down, curling into a small ball. Pain and sorrow twisted her face, tears streaming down like beads. She looked absolutely miserable.

I watched her impassively. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to care whether I, as her audience, was interested in their story—she just needed to pour it all out.

Between sobs, Qi Youxuan spoke haltingly: “He once said he’d propose to me at the Old Locust Tree Field because that’s where we first met. I asked what if I said no. He just laughed, so carefree and full of spirit. He said it must mean the location wasn’t good enough to convey his feelings. The Lovers’ Monument, the Shepherd Girl Statue… there had to be a place where I’d say yes. I regret it so much… I cared too much about what others thought. He entered Weiyao’s Senior Division before me, and I was afraid people would say I got in because of him. So I never admitted our relationship. Why did I care what others said? I regret it so much!”

She clutched her hair, burying her face in her knees like a mushroom rooted to the spot.

But what’s the use of regret now?

Wei Qinzhou is already dead.

Perhaps life is just like this—full of regrets and suffering. I’ve experienced enough of both, so I just listened, even finding a place to sit down, completely unmoved.

Eventually, Qi Youxuan vented enough. Her breathing steadied, and her back rose and fell evenly.

She seemed like a strong woman, able to compose herself without needing comfort.

That was good. Saved me the trouble.

Though I once sold women’s clothing at a street stall, I never really interacted much with women. As for comforting people—well, that was even more foreign to me.

Qi Youxuan wiped her tears, smoothed her disheveled hair, and stood up. Her eyes were red, and her voice still trembled with remnants of crying, but her emotions had completely settled.

“Rose Killer. The roses you scattered caused so much attention and discussion. Many say you have a histrionic personality, craving attention since childhood, resorting to such methods to get it.”

She paused, and I theatrically bowed in response.

That should fit the histrionic personality trait, right?

“But I know—you were tormenting me!” Fresh tears welled in her eyes, but this time, she let them fall without visible sorrow. “If you were the killer, there’s no way you’d know these things between him and me.”

I looked at her with genuine admiration. “Miss Qi, so you understand now—we’re allies with a common goal.”

“But have you considered how reckless your methods were? What if you couldn’t find me? What was your purpose? You’ve stained yourself and could end up behind bars!”

Birds of a feather flock together. Why did Qi Youxuan, like Wei Qinzhou, care so much about things that didn’t concern her?

I stared at her coldly.

Back then, we knew that with just the two of us, finding Wei Qinzhou’s beloved in the vast sea of Weiyao’s employees would be impossible.

But as I read his logs, an idea struck me.

If we couldn’t find her, why not make her come to us?

If they were truly as in love as Wei Qinzhou’s words suggested, she wouldn’t let any chance to uncover the truth of her boyfriend’s death slip by.

At first, he disagreed, mocking me for being a gambler. But I insisted. In this plan, the only one taking risks was me. After frowning and thinking for a long time, he had to admit my proposal was the quickest and most efficient.

After all, the living could wait—but the corpse couldn’t.

Besides, the two of us were too insignificant, too powerless against a behemoth like Weiyao Technology.

Our only option was to make this a spectacle, to draw everyone’s attention here.

Just like how Jenny’s article back then made the Highway Schoolgirl Sudden Death Case a national sensation. This time, we’d do the same.

Make everyone look at me. Then, under the spotlight, in front of the whole world, I’d prove they were all wrong—all fooled, all idiots!

A surge of vengeful pleasure coursed through me.

Yes, I’m not noble or generous.

My goal is simple: I’ll use Wei Qinzhou’s case to take revenge on everyone.

Even if I fail?

No. In my plan, failure isn’t an option.

I’m already a rotten life, decaying in the mud. Whatever the outcome, I’ll accept it gladly.