Roses in Flames

Wang Jun grew up in a single-parent family. His father used to be a sailor, but two years ago he fell into the sea in an accident and never came back up.

The shipping company paid out a compensation payment of nearly one million dollars.

Wang Jun took out 200,000 yuan and married Jiang Zhaodi, a girl from the neighboring town, who is now Wang Jun's wife.

"I heard from the neighbors that Wang Jun has a tendency to be abusive and often beats Jiang Zhaodi until her face turns bruised and purple," Cheng Lei said.

Chen Yang frowned. "Don't Jiang Zhaodi's parents care?"

Ye Yuntang's lips curled into a cold, sarcastic smile. "They've already named her Zhaodi, so the Jiang family probably has another one, Yaozu!"

The police have not yet investigated the Jiang family's situation, but it is undeniable that Jiang Zhaodi has suffered domestic violence for many years, and her own family members have not cared about her, which must be due to extreme patriarchal bias.

"Have you found out the identity of the man who looks exactly like Wang Jun?" Xiao Lin asked.

Cheng Lei nodded. "I went to the airline and found that about six months ago, a man named Xie An who looks a lot like Wang Jun flew from Y country to Cang City."

Xiao Lin's features were taut, and his eyes were sharp as an eagle's. "Wang Jun's death was most likely a murder plotted by his wife Jiang Zhaodi and this suddenly appearing Xie An."

Chen Yang immediately applied for a search warrant, and the group rushed to Wang Jun's home.

When they arrived, Xie An was not at home; only Jiang Zhaodi was there.

When the police broke down the door, Jiang Zhaodi's face paled, and panic and fear flashed in her eyes.

After Chen Yang explained the situation and issued a search warrant, Jiang Zhaodi's legs went weak and she could barely stand.

Ye Yuntang and Shen Yan, carrying their toolboxes, began their investigation.

When she reached the restroom, she took out luminol reagent and sprayed it on the floor, walls, and sink.

In the darkness, a large patch of dazzling blue-green fluorescence suddenly appeared.

The grout between the bathroom tiles and around the drain were covered in a large amount of human blood that had been washed away.

When Jiang Zhaodi saw the terrifying blue-green fluorescent light in the bathroom, her face turned ashen, her whole body trembled, and she almost collapsed to the ground.

She pressed her fingertips tightly against her palm, about to say something, when Xie An, who had just bought the fruit, returned.

Xie An saw the room full of police officers, and his gaze swept over the glowing bloodstains in the bathroom. His eyes darkened.

Before Jiang Zhaodi could speak, he stretched out his hands towards the police, saying, "I killed the person. Zhaodi knows nothing and has nothing to do with me."

Xie An gave a self-deprecating laugh, his eyes filled with madness and ruthlessness. "I really didn't expect you guys to be so capable. I destroyed all traces of his identity, yet you still managed to find this place!"

Chen Yang took out handcuffs and cuffed Xie An. "Where are Wang Jun's arms?"

"His arms? He used those arms to abuse Zhao Di all the time. He didn't deserve those arms. I chopped them up and fed them to the dogs!"

……

In the interrogation room.

Chen Yang lit a cigarette for Xie An and said in a deep voice, "Speak, why did you kill Wang Jun?"

After taking a few puffs of his cigarette, Xie An spoke in a hoarse voice, "Because he deserves to die!"

Wang Jun and Xie An are twins. Their father used to work in country Y, where he met their mother.

The two later separated. The father took Wang Jun back to China alone, while Xie An lived abroad with his mother.

Xie An was still young at the time and did not know that he had a twin brother.

Until six months ago, her mother's condition worsened, and her only wish before she passed away was to see Wang Jun one last time.

So he bought a ticket and returned to China. He inquired for two whole months before he finally found out where Wang Jun was.

That night, he went to Wang Jun's house.

As soon as I got to my doorstep, I heard sounds of punches, kicks, and painful pleas.

He realized something was wrong and kicked the door open forcefully.

She saw Wang Jun beating a slender and delicate woman.

The moment the woman looked up at him, clutching her head, he felt as if struck by lightning; his ears rang, and his mind went completely blank.

It was her, Jiang Zhaodi.

The girl who had chatted with him online for a whole year two years ago, video chatted countless times, and was preparing to meet him in person when he came to China.

He and Jiang Zhaodi talked about everything online and promised to be together for life.

He should have met her two years ago and started dating her in person, but unfortunately, his mother was diagnosed with an illness at that time, so the meeting had to be postponed again and again.

When he tried to contact her again, he couldn't reach her at all.

He never expected that he would see her again at Wang Jun's house.

She became Wang Jun's wife. Wang Jun married her, but he didn't cherish her and tortured her to death.

When Xie An finished speaking, his voice trembled uncontrollably, and tears streamed down his face.

"I saw clearly that she had a urine bag attached to her body, and there were traces of urine seeping from the edge of her pants. She was shaking like a leaf. One of her eyes was swollen and black, and her vision was blurred, almost blind. Her face and neck were covered with bruises and scars, both old and new."

Xie An dug his hands into his hair, his nails digging into his scalp as if trying to draw blood. "Zhao Di is the woman I love deeply. I missed the chance to meet her in person, and I regret it every day. I just want her to be well, I just want her to be happy. I never imagined that she would fall into Wang Jun's hands and be tortured like that."

"I feel guilty, distressed, and remorseful! If I had come to find her regardless of everything, she wouldn't have suffered like this, wouldn't have been blinded in one eye, and wouldn't have had to live in hell with a urinary catheter for the rest of her life."

Xie An's eyes were bloodshot, and he was on the verge of a breakdown. "I don't know how she got through these past two years, especially since Wang Jun looks exactly like me. I don't know how much torment and pain she went through..."

"I rushed over and tried to pull Wang Jun away, but he was blinded by rage and wouldn't listen to reason. I also lost my temper. I happened to see a piece of wire on the coffee table, and without thinking, I rushed over and strangled Wang Jun's neck."

"I held on tightly until he could no longer move. By the time I came to my senses, it was too late!"

Xie An closed his eyes, tears mixed with despair falling down his face. "But I don't regret killing him. I only regret not being able to protect the woman I love sooner."

"Officer, I did everything myself—murder, dismemberment, cleaning up the evidence—it had nothing to do with Zhao Di."

"She was beaten unconscious by Wang Jun. After I carried her to the bed, I went to dispose of Wang Jun's body."

"After I finished dealing with it, I made a bold decision: I would pretend to be Wang Jun, stay by her side, and live with her."

At this point, Xie An gave a bitter smile, and tears rolled down his cheeks again. "I thought that as long as I disguised myself as Wang Jun and treated her well and protected her, I could pull her out of hell. But I never expected that my face would become her deepest fear."

"I dare not acknowledge her, I dare not tell her who I am, I am afraid she cannot accept it. I can only take care of her carefully and be good to her with this face that she hates. I thought I could keep it a secret for a while longer and save her from the abyss. I did not expect you to still find me."

Xie An lowered his head and sighed very softly, "It's alright, now it's all over. Dad's gone, Mom's seriously ill, Wang Jun is dead, and now I'll face legal consequences." He gave a bitter smile, "I guess this can be considered a family reunion!"

Chen Yang then interrogated Jiang Zhaodi, and her testimony completely matched Xie An's without any discrepancies.

All testimonies, bloodstains at the scene, forensic examination, murder weapons, and dismemberment marks form a complete closed loop, and the chain of evidence is conclusive and sufficient.

Cheng Lei walked over to Chen Yang and asked, "Captain Chen, can we close the case now?"

Chen Yang nodded. "Yes, where's your eldest son?"

"The boss went to the cafeteria, let's go eat there too."

Inside the canteen of the Cangzhou City Police Station.

After Xiao Lin got his food, he saw Ye Yuntang and Shen Yan sitting face to face eating together.

He touched his back teeth with the tip of his tongue, picked up his plate, and walked towards the two of them.

He sat down next to Shen Yan. Ye Yuntang raised her eyes to look at him, but quickly looked away.

Shen Yan glanced at Xiao Lin, then at Ye Yuntang.

As the only person who knew they were a couple, he vaguely sensed that something was off between them.

It seems they've had a conflict.

"Ahem, I'll go to the next table." Shen Yan prepared to get up.

"Senior brother, you don't need to leave. It's someone else who should leave."

Someone ate without making a sound, their features as cold and hard as ice.

Just then, Cheng Lei and Chen Yang arrived.

Once the group sat down together, Ye Yuntang had no choice but to act normally and stop being cold.

After finishing her meal, Ye Yuntang went to the restroom.

When I came out of the restroom, I saw a tall, aloof figure standing in the hallway.

He had one leg slightly bent and the other leg stretched out, almost blocking most of the passage. If Ye Yuntang wanted to leave, she had to pass in front of him.

He stood there casually, his gaze fixed on her, showing no intention of moving aside.

Ye Yuntang pursed her lips, not wanting to pay attention to him, and turned to the side, intending to step over his outstretched legs.

But the next second, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by the man.

The force wasn't great, but it didn't allow her to break free.

He pulled her directly to the emergency exit.

His tall figure loomed over her, forcing her back against the corner of the wall.

Ye Yuntang was both ashamed and angry. She raised her foot and kicked him in the shin.

She kicked him hard, but the man didn't even flinch and didn't budge.

Seeing that he wouldn't let go of her and wouldn't say anything, she glared at him irritably, "Weren't you ignoring me?"

The man looked down at her, his dark eyes swirling with indescribable emotions, his voice low and hoarse, "It's all because you said such hurtful things."

Ye Yuntang continued to glare at him, "How did I say something that made you angry? Is it because I made you angry that you've been ignoring me for days?"

The man's Adam's apple bobbed, and he lowered his voice, "You ignored me too, didn't you?"

Thinking of the hurtful words she had said during their argument that day, Ye Yuntang lowered her long eyelashes, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said in a soft voice with a hint of awkwardness and grievance, "I... I was just saying it in the heat of the moment, I was angry, and that's not what I really meant."

She bit her red lips, unusually yielding, and said in a voice barely audible, "I'm sorry."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man reached out and pulled her into his arms tightly.

……

Happy New Year, everyone!