Jiang Keyang argued with his mother, adamantly believing she had rescued him because the situation had deviated from the plan. In reality, it wasn't Teacher Wang Ren who had saved him.
"Jiang Keyang doesn't know who rescued him?"
"Do you know?" Teacher Wang Ren asked me.
"I do!"
After speaking, I sighed deeply. The one who rescued Jiang Keyang was Ke Yingying. Of course, the police concluded that Liu Ran had killed Guo Jing and, around the same time, apprehended the black-haired dog Gerard. Gerard confessed that Liu Ran and Guo Jing had colluded with the drug lord Sister Ling to frame Jiang Keyang.
As a result, Jiang Keyang remained the anti-drug hero, and the criminals became Guo Jing, Liu Ran, and the fake Chen Ling. From my judgment, it was Gerard, the black-haired dog, who committed the murders. Gerard killed Guo Jing and Liu Ran, then hid Liu Ran's body and left Guo Jing's body for the police. As for the fake Chen Ling, to avoid taking the blame, she had to go into hiding.
"Not bad, that's pretty much it," Teacher Wang Ren affirmed my analysis.
At the time, to find the real "Heart Eater," I had specifically sought Jiang Kexin's help. After obtaining clues for profiling, Da Zhou refused me. Puzzled, I looked at Teacher Wang Ren: "Why did you make Da Zhou refuse me?"
"If Da Zhou had helped you, you might have faced the 'Heart Eater' without knowing anything. Therefore, I asked Da Zhou to refuse you, so you would seek out Yu Xiaoluo."
"You thought of all this?"
"You don't know many police officers," Teacher Wang Ren said with a faint smile.
"Did you also arrange things with Sister Xiaoluo?"
"No, but as an observer, Xiaoluo could see what you couldn't and guide you."
I was truly impressed by Teacher Wang Ren. She hadn't orchestrated the entire scheme, yet she had effortlessly guided me to unravel it.
"What else do you know?"
"I also know that once you understand everything, you'll come to me to confirm your thoughts."
"So, you already know who the Heart Eater is?"
"Yes!"
"Can you tell me?"
"When I learned the victim was Hu Xiaoyu, I had Da Zhou investigate. You guessed correctly, that child is the 'Heart Eater'."
"Shi Ying, I didn't guess wrong, did I!"
Teacher Wang Ren smiled, glanced at her watch, and then at the hospital room door: "My child, you've listened for a while, come in."
Jiang Keyang was indeed outside the door. He opened it and walked in, his expression solemn as he looked at me.
I extended my hand: "Hello!"
Jiang Keyang raised an eyebrow but showed no intention of shaking my hand. I awkwardly withdrew my hand and rubbed it.
...
"Dayang, Tang Nan is a disciple of Lao Jiu and Xiao Shi. In terms of seniority, he is your junior brother. Don't be so cold."
"This whole thing didn't need his help at all. If he hadn't interfered, this scheme wouldn't have been so complicated."
It was clear Jiang Keyang was angry with me. I smiled helplessly: "Ignorance is bliss. I got involved while trying to save someone."
"A great achiever overlooks minor details, changing the overall situation for the future of one or two people. Do you know that if we don't catch all these small fry, how many more families will suffer?"
Judging by his tone, Jiang Keyang was genuinely angry. His plan was sound. Although Sister Ling was under control, the "Southern Faction" still controlled Sister Ling and the trade routes in northern Myanmar.
Moreover, drugs were like weeds. If you don't cut them at the root, they will grow back like wildfire. This was Jiang Keyang's current strategy: foster then eradicate. He intended to cultivate some small drug dealers to gain access to the core of the drug trade. The truly big drug lords were the root of the problem, and eliminating them was a boon to the people.
"Yes, Brother Yang is right. I'll atone for my mistakes. Tell me what to do, and I'll cooperate."
My humble attitude made Wang Ren chuckle repeatedly. She said to Jiang Keyang, "My child, this Tang Nan is the fifty-sixth generation successor of the Schemer. He's expressed himself this far, so please forgive him."
Jiang Keyang looked at me and sighed, "Since that's the case, listen to me. Let's capture Shi Ying first."
"Okay!"
...
Seeing my submissive attitude, Jiang Keyang's cold expression softened, and he was willing to share some information about Shi Ying. Jiang Kexin's analysis was correct: the "Heart Eater" suffered from deep emotional distress, was lonely, and introverted.
Was Shi Ying such a person?
It was hard to tell from her appearance that Shi Ying was an introverted person, but she was. She merely wore a facade of a different personality.
Before high school, Shi Ying was always a shy girl, not one to talk much. Besides attending classes, Shi Ying generally wouldn't go out to play. Her mother had contracted cancer when Shi Ying was very young. Shi Ying was very sensible, spending most of her time taking care of her mother. Her mother was greatly gratified, always praising and showing off her sensible daughter, whether in public or private.
In Shi Ying's second year of junior high, her mother's condition worsened, and she passed away.
At that time, Shi Ying was still naive about the world, her future filled with beautiful illusions. However, society is like that; it constantly forces people to accept the facts they are unwilling to face.
...
Six months after Shi Ying's mother passed away, Shi Ying's father married another woman. This woman was around thirty years old and always dressed herself provocatively.
Before Shi Ying's mother was alive, this woman was Shi Ying's father's secretary. She knew about the situation in Shi Ying's family and was a distant relative of Shi Ying's mother.
Shi Ying's father was named Shi Jun'an, and the woman was named Li Fang.
In Li Fang's life, Shi Jun'an was an insurmountable hurdle. Around the age of ten, she was a blooming young girl. While attending her elder sister's wedding with her parents, she saw a handsome man and unknowingly developed a crush.
However, this was just the beginning of a secret love.
Li Fang knew the man she fancied was the groom. The bride and groom were a perfect match, and all the relatives and friends offered their most precious blessings. Only Li Fang showed a strange smile. She childishly took a doll she carried, wrote the bride's name on it, and then stuck needles into the doll's head, malevolently cursing the bride.
...
This curse brought no trouble to Shi Jun'an's life. He loved his wife dearly, and they lived in harmony. The following year, they had a baby girl, whom they named Shi Ying.
With a child, Shi Jun'an and his wife became even more affectionate. No matter the occasion, Shi Jun'an would bring his wife along, flaunting his happiness.
Of course, Shi Ying's mother, learned and graceful, with outstanding temperament, brought Shi Jun'an considerable prestige.
...
It wasn't until Shi Ying was eight years old that her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Tormented by pain, Shi Ying's mother finally disappeared from Shi Jun'an's social circle.
Most of the time, Shi Ying's mother stayed at home. She was tortured by illness but unwilling to let go of her happy life. She had a loving husband and a lovely, sensible daughter.
However, cancer does not disappear because of love. Shi Ying's mother tried her best and finally left this world. After her mother's death, Shi Ying was often alone at home, the lights illuminating her inner solitude. Similarly, her father changed. He either didn't come home or stumbled in drunk.
A man's pain impacted a child's young heart.
...
After a long period, Shi Jun'an decided to live seriously again. He started abstaining from alcohol and devoted himself entirely to work, even forgetting he had a daughter at home. It was also during this time that Li Fang came to Shi Jun'an's company. More than ten years had passed, and Li Fang was no longer the young girl she once was. She was nearing thirty, not particularly young, and didn't wear makeup well; sometimes, the powder on her face would flake off.
Unlike Shi Ying's mother's gentle and elegant personality, Li Fang was the kind of woman who could easily lure someone into bed with just a few sweet words. Moreover, Li Fang had a nickname: "Zipper Terminator." She seemed to enjoy staring at male colleagues' crotches. Whenever someone forgot to zip up, she would remind them with suggestive and flirtatious remarks.
One day, Shi Jun'an was working late. Li Fang, wearing a low-cut dress, pushed open the door. She looked at Shi Jun'an with a flirtatious smile: "Brother-in-law, your zipper is down."
"No, it's not!" Shi Jun'an looked down. Li Fang's hand had already reached out, unzipped his pants, and she added, "White. Just as I expected from the man I secretly love."
Perhaps Shi Jun'an was too lonely, for he did not resist Li Fang's advances that day.
And so, Li Fang successfully moved into the Shi household as Shi Jun'an's new wife.