Volume 1, Chapter 18: The Murder Weapon Was Actually This

Old Master Bo was over eighty years old, yet his palm remained strong. He suddenly slapped the other cheek of Bo Congnan—the side that hadn’t been struck before.

The motion was so abrupt that it startled me, making my soul recoil.

“Grandpa, Shen Zhiyi—she…” Bo Congnan opened his mouth, intending to reveal the affair to Old Master Bo.

But recalling what Bo Qindao had said, he stopped mid-sentence.

If Grandpa knew he and Shen Zhiyi were at odds, he would surely think him incompetent, incapable even of managing family matters.

“It’s been so many days, and you still haven’t found Zhiyi. What on earth are you doing?” Old Master Bo sat upright on the bed, his face looking somewhat haggard.

The weather had turned cold, and at his age, even a slight cold could take a toll.

Hearing this, Bo Congnan immediately replied, “Grandpa, rest assured, I will find Zhiyi as soon as possible. She’s just angry for a moment. If I communicate properly and speak kindly, she’ll be back before long.”

I listened to Bo Congnan’s self-righteous words.

I could only laugh in silence.

Never mind that I was already dead; even if I weren’t, given his sordid affairs with Meng Xiangyi and others, I would never forgive him again.

No matter if he knelt and begged me, I would never turn back!

Having appeased the old man, Bo Congnan, with his cheeks still swollen and red, returned to the private club.

He took out his phone and stared at the silent chat window between us.

He made calls, but they fell into the void.

Recalling the image of me kissing a stranger, Bo Congnan punched the sofa in frustration. He thought about tossing the phone away but then remembered Bo Qindao’s words.

If it weren’t for Grandpa, he would never stoop to beg that wretched woman!

After hesitating for a while, Bo Congnan finally drafted a text.

“Zhiyi, it was wrong of me to leave you on our wedding day. Please come back; let’s talk this through.”

Bo Congnan rarely bowed his head to me.

Thus, he was confident that a slight admission of fault would make me obediently return to his side.

He even believed that my seeking other men was out of jealousy—that I was only trying to provoke him, hoping he would be jealous enough to care.

I sat by the sofa with a calm gaze.

Alas, Bo Congnan, you have misjudged once again.

I will never return to you. Not now, not ever.

After sending the message, Bo Congnan went to freshen up.

When he saw no reply, he invited a few friends out for drinks.

As soon as he entered the private room, he saw Jiang Ze seated at the card table.

Bo Congnan sat beside him. “What occasion brought you all here today?”

Jiang Ze drew a card and threw it down, then glanced at Bo Congnan’s face and asked coolly, “Got hit?”

Lu Chao, curious, chimed in, “Wow, didn’t expect Zhiyi to be so fierce, to hit hard like that.”

“So, tell me, you got someone on the side?” Jiang Ze paused his hand mid-game but said nothing.

Bo Congnan’s expression was indifferent. “Old Master did it.”

Jiang Ze casually asked, “Your grandpa is quite old. Why would he hit you?”

Lu Chao added, “Yeah, my old man met your grandpa recently. He said your mood was good after you got married. Why would he hit you for no reason?”

Jiang Ze appeared casual but was subtly probing, while Lu Chao was simply unaware of the full situation.

Bo Congnan pursed his lips and remained silent.

He lowered his head and silently checked the messages he had sent me—still no response.

His hand holding the phone tightened ever so slightly.

The two didn’t press further. Midway through the game, Jiang Ze’s phone rang.

“Baihua Street? Okay, I’m on my way.”

Hearing Baihua Street, Bo Congnan stood up and followed Jiang Ze.

He wanted to see what kind of scoundrel had captivated Shen Zhiyi so much that she wouldn’t return home.

He had already shown such concession, yet Shen Zhiyi still wouldn’t respond. Her temper was growing worse by the day.

Baihua Street was notorious for illegal street racing.

Because the surrounding area was mostly ruins, it was difficult to make arrests, so the police often struggled to catch the participants.

This time, several undercover officers from the Nanjiang precinct had staked out the area for over a month and finally caught a dozen or so suspects.

Jiang Ze, unable to participate directly in the headless woman’s murder case, had been relatively free lately.

Hence, he was assigned the interrogation task.

In the car, Jiang Ze asked, puzzled, “Why are you following me?”

Bo Congnan recalled the photo of the kiss and said coldly, “To catch someone.”

Though his voice was calm, the anger beneath was palpable.

“You’re not a cop. What are you trying to catch?”

Bo Congnan sneered, “Jiang Ze, in your heart, Shen Zhiyi must be a pure, virtuous woman, right?”

Jiang Ze tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Bo Congnan directly showed him the photos—the kissing picture and others taken that day.

“Look for yourself. Shen Zhiyi isn’t as spotless as you think! She’s a shameless woman! Married yet running around with other men!”

His words were like sharp daggers, striking at me repeatedly, nearly shattering my fragile soul.

How laughable—he was the very man who, the day after his wife’s death, had caroused with her sister in her own room.

And now, brandishing a dubious photo, he condemned me before his best friend.

I sat behind Bo Congnan, furious enough to slap him twice more.

Jiang Ze glanced at the photos and declared firmly, “Impossible. This isn’t Zhiyi.”

“This is clearly Shen Zhiyi’s face. How can you say it’s not her?”

Jiang Ze looked straight ahead, avoiding the photos. “From the photos alone, it does look like Zhiyi. But I believe in Zhiyi’s character.”

See? Even Jiang Ze was willing to believe me.

Bo Congnan didn’t even compare to a casual friend.

“Believe or not, it doesn’t matter. The people have been caught. I want to see which scoundrel has Shen Zhiyi so enchanted she won’t come home!”

I didn’t know that Bo Congnan even darkly intended, if he found me, to eliminate the trash coveting his things.

Like that “wild man”!

In Bo Congnan’s mind, I could run away, throw tantrums, even talk divorce—but I could never love another man.

Never!

The car soon stopped steadily in front of the Nanjiang precinct.

They had arrested over a dozen people involved in the illegal street racing.

Among them were thugs and wealthy second-generation brats, dressed expensively.

Jiang Ze verified each one and then proceeded according to protocol.

Returning to the office, he laid out the specially printed photos before Bo Congnan, one by one.

“See if you recognize her.”

Bo Congnan’s face was cold as he looked through them but didn’t find me.

Finally, his gaze stopped on a girl whose profile resembled mine greatly, though her frontal face was quite distinct.

Bo Congnan’s anger instantly gave way to disbelief. “How… how is this possible…”

Jiang Ze looked at his stunned friend and recalled what he had said in the car.

He couldn’t help but speak coldly: “Zhiyi has been missing for so many days. You didn’t look for her, and now you even suspect her of cheating. Bo Congnan, don’t you remember what you told me before?”

Before?

What had Bo Congnan said back then?

I wanted to know, but Jiang Ze didn’t say.

“I…”

Faced with Jiang Ze’s questioning, Bo Congnan was momentarily speechless.

He had misunderstood, but also never imagined it truly wasn’t Shen Zhiyi.

Guilt surged like a tidal wave from all directions, and pain prickled his heart.

What had he done?!

Jiang Ze was about to say more when a cold voice rang out:

“The murder weapon in the headless woman case has been identified.”