Chapter 155: Is He the One Behind It All?

October 20, 2023

Author: Zi Tao

Even though Feng Chunhua was speaking in a low voice, Chu Xuan still overheard her.

“No matter how useless Xiaozhi is, he’s still your younger brother. I’ll have to rely on him to take care of me in my old age. If you don’t pay for his treatment and he dies, will you take me in?”

“If you won’t, then just give me the money. Not a cent less than five thousand.”

“This is life-saving money, and you’re still bargaining with me?”

“Fine! Four thousand, then. Wire it over immediately. Also, the jade pendant was stolen. Carve another one for me.”

“What? It’ll take half a year? Fine!”

After Feng Chunhua hung up, she glanced around nervously. Only when she saw no one was eavesdropping did her expression relax.

She had no idea that Chu Xuan had just left a second before she ended the call.

Chu Xuan rode her bike to the county hospital to see Dr. Zhang for a checkup and prescription.

Dr. Zhang said she was recovering well, advised her to keep exercising, go to bed early, and wake up early. With luck, she’d only need to take Chinese medicine for a few more months.

About ten minutes later, Chu Xuan carried seven packets of herbal medicine to her bike—only to find the rear tire was flat.

She’d have to get it fixed.

She remembered there was a repair shop nearby.

She pushed her bike over.

As she passed through a deserted alley, Guo Hailian suddenly rushed out, brandishing a kitchen knife and slashing at Chu Xuan’s face.

“Chu Xuan, I’m going to kill you!”

Chu Xuan shoved her bike hard in Guo Hailian’s direction, let go, and jumped back. The bike tripped Guo Hailian.

Guo Hailian’s hand hit the ground and the knife flew from her grip.

Chu Xuan quickly kicked the knife away.

Guo Hailian tried to get up and attack again.

Chu Xuan stepped forward and twisted her arms behind her back.

One-on-one, Guo Hailian was no match for Chu Xuan.

Just then, Wei Qiang happened to be patrolling nearby. He rushed over to help and tied up Guo Hailian.

Guo Hailian shouted, “Let me go! Let me go! It’s Chu Xuan who tried to kill me! You’ve got the wrong person!”

Chu Xuan turned to Wei Qiang. “The kitchen knife was brought by Guo Hailian. My fingerprints aren’t on it, but hers are. She tried to attack me with it.”

Wei Qiang said seriously, “I believe you!”

Guo Hailian tried to protest her innocence, but Wei Qiang scolded her, “We can check the fingerprints. Keep making a scene and you’ll face extra charges!”

Guo Hailian wisely shut her mouth.

Chu Xuan picked up her bike. The herbal medicine was still hanging from the handlebars, untouched.

“Comrade Wei, wasn’t Guo Hailian arrested before? Why is she out again?”

Wei Qiang patiently explained, “She has a mental illness and needs treatment. She should be in the hospital, but somehow she got out. I’ll look into it and give you an explanation.”

Guo Hailian was taken back to the security team for questioning.

Chu Xuan followed to give her statement.

Wei Qiang personally interrogated Guo Hailian.

“Why did you attack Chu Xuan?”

Guo Hailian’s face twisted with hatred. “Because she likes Mu Chenze! She pesters him every day—he’s sick of her! I’m helping him get rid of trouble!”

“Who told you that?”

“I’m not telling! I have a mental illness, you can’t do anything to me! At worst, just lock me up. At least I’ll get free meals. Honestly, your food here is way better than at the psychiatric hospital!”

“The person who told you that Chu Xuan likes Mu Chenze was lying to you. Chu Xuan doesn’t like him at all, nor does she pester him. It’s that person who likes Mu Chenze and holds a grudge against Chu Xuan, so they tricked you into hurting her!”

“That person can’t possibly like Mu Chenze! Because he’s a man.”

“A man? Then maybe his sister or another female relative likes him.”

“You make a good point. That man was using me.”

For a moment, Guo Hailian’s muddled mind cleared.

Over the years, she’d sometimes been lucid, sometimes crazy, unable to control herself.

Especially when it came to Mu Chenze—she lost all control.

She started banging the table and kicking chairs, shouting, “I’ll kill that man! Kill him! And his sisters too!”

Wei Qiang gently guided her, “Draw a picture of him for me. I’ll help you find him and bring him here.”

“Fine! I’ll draw him! I remember what he looks like—I’d know him even if he turned to ashes!”

Wei Qiang was delighted and quickly handed her paper and pen.

Ten minutes later, when he saw the drawing, he realized you can’t expect too much from a psychiatric patient.

On the paper was a masked man wearing sunglasses and a hat.

The hat was a common straw sunhat, the sunglasses were ordinary.

Basically, it was no clue at all.

Patiently, he asked, “Guo Hailian, does that man’s voice have any distinctive features?”

Guo Hailian grinned, “I remember his voice. I can imitate it.”

She immediately mimicked a man’s voice: “Guo Hailian, you need to be vigilant. Chu Xuan likes Mu Chenze and pesters him every day…”

Wei Qiang couldn’t tell if there really was a man egging her on, or if it was just another personality in Guo Hailian’s split mind.

Five minutes later, Wei Qiang called Chu Xuan to his office and described the interrogation in detail.

Chu Xuan said confidently, “There really is a man behind this.”

In her previous life, Guo Hailian had never attacked her.

But this time, because she’d been reborn and wasn’t as naive as before, the person behind the scenes had started paying attention to her early on—otherwise, people like Zhang Qiu wouldn’t have tried to rob her.

This time, they tried to use Guo Hailian to kill her. Truly vicious.

Wei Qiang looked puzzled. “Do you have any enemies?”

Chu Xuan smiled calmly. “If I have any enemies, it’s only Feng Chunhua’s family. Even if I have conflicts with others, they wouldn’t want me dead.”

“You mean Chu Zhi put Guo Hailian up to this?”

“Chu Zhi is lying in the hospital—he doesn’t have time for that.”

“Then it must be Chu Dashan! I’ll apply to arrest him.”

“Chu Dashan is busy flirting with the widow from the next village—he doesn’t have time either. And Feng Chunhua is a woman. But I always felt her eldest son isn’t dead, though I have no proof. Can you have Guo Hailian imitate that man’s voice for me?”

“Of course. Come with me.”

Wei Qiang led Chu Xuan into a room with a glass wall. Through the glass, they could see Guo Hailian’s expressions and actions in the next room, but she couldn’t see them.

Wei Qiang handed Chu Xuan a headset. “Listen here. I’ll go talk to Guo Hailian.”

“Okay.”

Chu Xuan put the headset on.

Wei Qiang went into the next room and spoke to Guo Hailian.

Soon, Guo Hailian began imitating the man’s voice.

“Guo Hailian, you need to be vigilant. Chu Xuan likes Mu Chenze and pesters him every day…”

The voice was low, with a hint of hoarseness and melancholy.

Chu Xuan was certain she’d heard this voice in her previous life.

But where, and who it belonged to, she couldn’t recall right away.

She needed to think carefully.

She closed her eyes, trying to remember every detail involving Feng Chunhua and the others.

Finally, she remembered something. Back then, the village office had a call for Feng Chunhua, but she wasn’t home, so they asked Chu Xuan to answer it.

The man’s voice on the phone was exactly the same as the one Guo Hailian had just imitated.

At the time, the man said, “Hello, comrade! I’m looking for Feng Chunhua from your village.”

Chu Xuan replied, “My grandma’s not home.”

He asked, “Where did she go?”

Chu Xuan answered, “She said she was going out for a few days. Not sure when she’ll be back.”

The man hung up without another word."