Chapter Fifty-Five: Joy Turns to Sorrow

On the stage, Lu Hehuan saw that Ying Xi grew smug the moment she realized Long Zhentian was absent. She lowered her voice, “Aren’t you afraid the Chief Inspector will find out we helped Long Zhentian?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Long Zhentian isn’t even here. Aside from her, only Director Bao knows about it—do you really think Director Bao would say a word?” Ying Xi replied, unconcerned.

Lu Hehuan, annoyed, let out a cold snort. “Birds of a feather.”

Ying Xi shot her a glare, but her face was still full of pride.

Meanwhile, Long Zhentian crouched in a corner of her cell. The blazing sun filtered through layers of iron bars, leaving pale, wavering halos of light on her body. She reached out, unable to resist brushing those shadows from her skin. Once, she had longed to walk openly beneath the sun, free of darkness, no longer driven by hatred. Yet she was still shackled by the scars and abuse of her childhood.

A metallic clang echoed as two officers opened her cell. “Long Zhentian! Out!” one shouted.

“What for?” she asked dully, standing up.

“There’s a commendation assembly outside. You’re a key figure—you have to attend.”

Long Zhentian, bewildered, followed them out.

On the stage, Ying Xi, exuberant in Long Zhentian’s absence, cleared her throat and addressed the crowd, “Since everyone is so enthusiastic, let me tell you just how monstrous this killer Long Zhentian is, and how Detective Lu and I outwitted her at every turn.”

Flashes burst from cameras as the crowd below stared at Ying Xi and Lu Hehuan with fervor.

Ying Xi paused, then adopted a serious expression. “As you all know, Long Zhentian has rampaged through several provinces in the south, committing more than a dozen murders—thirteen lives taken, her hands soaked in blood. She is ruthless, cunning, and wields a three-foot folding blade with deadly precision. Every victim was cut in half at the waist.”

“Punish Long Zhentian severely! Execute the murderer!” the crowd roared, voices rising in a tide of anger.

At that moment, several burly men under Chief Inspector Yuan escorted Long Zhentian onto the stage from the side. She glanced at the banner with Ying Xi and Lu Hehuan’s photos, then at the two on stage.

Lu Hehuan’s eyes met Long Zhentian’s and he froze, hastily nudging Ying Xi, “Long Zhentian...”

But Ying Xi, unaware Long Zhentian was now onstage, continued her rousing speech, “Though Long Zhentian was cunning, evil can never triumph over good. Detective Lu and I, by studying her crimes, discerned a pattern. Since childhood, Long Zhentian was sold to a brothel. Twisted by her past, she targeted clients for murder.”

Hearing this, Long Zhentian suddenly understood, her eyes blazing with rage as she glared at Ying Xi and Lu Hehuan. “So you’re both police—you’ve been making a fool of me!” she shouted, pointing at them. Then she turned to the audience, “Don’t let Ying Xi and Lu Hehuan deceive you! They’re my accomplices!”

A murmur of shock rippled through the crowd.

Ying Xi finally realized Long Zhentian was onstage and stared at her, speechless and furious. “You’re lying! Murderer, how dare you spout such nonsense!”

Striding to the center of the stage, Long Zhentian cried out, “I’m not lying! They’re my partners. The person with the red blotched face who helped me escape was them in disguise. Every cent I stole after killing those men—I gave it all to them. When I was wounded and no longer useful, they turned me in to the police as a scapegoat, squeezing the last drop of value from me for the reward!”

The venue erupted; reporters rushed to snap photos.

Gordon, livid, turned to Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi. “What? What on earth is going on?”

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi paled in terror.

“It’s a misunderstanding! Please, let me explain!” Ying Xi stammered, panic-stricken.

Long Zhentian sneered, her eyes fixed on the pair. “You have no loyalty—you left me to die as your scapegoat!”

“You—you’re slandering us!” Ying Xi retorted, face flushed with shame.

Long Zhentian smirked in triumph.

Lu Hehuan glanced at Ying Xi in exasperation. “Blinded by greed, now we’re caught in our own web!”

“Is this really the time for blame?” Ying Xi snapped, agitated.

The crowd below was in an uproar.

“What’s going on? Were they really all in it together?”

“Disgraceful—rotten to the core!”

“We almost got fooled by those two!”

Gordon strode up to the microphone to calm the chaos. “Everyone, quiet, please.”

The crowd fell briefly silent. Gordon then looked toward Chief Inspector Yuan. “Chief Inspector, bring your men up here. Identify them—were they the ones who helped Long Zhentian escape?”

Liu Rushuang, who knew the truth, instantly grew anxious.

Bao Kang wanted to speak, but seeing his daughter Bao Rong’s worried face, he hesitated and fell silent. Zhu Wolong, on the other hand, looked on with schadenfreude.

Lu Xiang and Lin Zhi, watching Lu Hehuan on stage, were at a loss.

A moment later, Chief Inspector Yuan and several strongmen walked onto the stage, scrutinizing Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi before shaking their heads.

Gordon, perplexed, asked, “Not them?”

“It’s hard to tell. The ones who helped Long Zhentian that day had red blotches all over their faces,” Chief Inspector Yuan replied.

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi let out a secret sigh of relief, thinking the danger had passed—when suddenly Gordon spoke up. “Red blotches? This is serious—we can’t let the guilty go free. Someone, fetch a lipstick.”

A policeman nodded and hurried off. Ying Xi’s heart pounded in her chest. Lu Hehuan leaned in, whispering nervously, “Should we confess now?”

“It’s too late,” Ying Xi moaned, on the verge of tears.

Soon, the policeman returned with a lipstick. At Gordon’s signal, he smeared it over Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi’s faces.

Before he’d finished, the strongmen all pointed at them. “It’s them! Those two helped Long Zhentian escape at Zhi Yin House that day!”

As the officers spoke, every eye in the room turned on Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi. Ying Xi swallowed nervously.

The hall fell silent for a few seconds before exploding in outrage.

“Punish these two corrupt officers! Execute the murderer!” The crowd’s anger surged as reporters swarmed the stage. Ying Xi instinctively shielded her face and stepped back, but Lu Hehuan caught her, gripping her arm to reassure her. “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

Ying Xi had expected Lu Hehuan to mock her, but in this perilous moment, he offered comfort instead, and she couldn’t help but feel moved.

A short distance away, Long Zhentian watched their predicament with a sly smile, her lips curling. When their eyes met, she looked at Lu Hehuan with open provocation, recalling how she had failed to assassinate them before, but now had finally dragged them down with her. “Let’s see if you survive this time,” she thought, basking in her triumph.

Lu Hehuan glared back, eyes full of contempt. Enraged by his scorn, Long Zhentian clenched her teeth. “Rot in hell with me, then!”

Meanwhile, reporters bombarded Gordon with questions.

“Chief Inspector, did you have no suspicion at all about Ying Xi and Lu Hehuan’s actions? If Long Zhentian hadn’t exposed them, would you have remained in the dark, even promoted and rewarded their accomplices?” one asked.

“Chief Inspector, when Long Zhentian was rescued before, why didn’t you order a thorough investigation? Was there negligence on your part?” another pressed.

“How do you feel about being deceived and publicly commending these two criminals? Won’t this become a laughingstock for the police force?” a third demanded.

Officers held back the surging tide of reporters as Gordon’s fury boiled over. He shot a glare at Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi. “You two are a disgrace to the force!”

Ying Xi pleaded, “Chief Inspector, it’s a misunderstanding—”

“Shut up!” Gordon roared, cutting her off. “You two reckless fools—you conspired with a murderer and then came to me seeking praise? How am I supposed to save face, or the whole police department for that matter?” He turned to the nearby officers. “Lock them up!”

The officers surged forward, restraining Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi.

In the audience, Lin Zhi tried to rush the stage when she saw her son being arrested, but Lu Xiang held her back.

Her eyes wide with fury, she glared at Lu Xiang. “Why are you stopping me? Our son’s being framed—I’m going to demand justice from that foreign devil!”

“Don’t make a scene. Let me figure out what happened first. I’ll find a way to save our son,” Lu Xiang said, holding her back and trying to soothe her.

“Why are they arresting my son? Go ask them now!” Lin Zhi shouted, still struggling.

“Stop it. That’s the Chief Inspector—my superior. If you cause a scene, it’ll only make things worse for me. Give me some time; I’ll handle it!” Lu Xiang pleaded.

Lin Zhi finally broke down and wailed, “Our son’s being treated like a murderer and all you care about is your own reputation? Lu Xiang, you heartless fool!”

Helpless, Lu Xiang comforted her as best he could, glancing up at Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi, now being led away in handcuffs.

Bao Rong, seeing Lu Hehuan arrested, started toward the stage.

“Where are you going?” Bao Kang immediately blocked her path.

She bit her lip in agitation. “I’m going to ask what’s going on. There’s no way Detective Ying and Hehuan are Long Zhentian’s accomplices.”

“Whether they are or not is for the police to investigate. Why are you getting involved?” Bao Kang replied, eager to keep himself clear of trouble.

“I believe Hehuan is innocent. I need to ask those officers why they’re so sure it was Detective Ying and Hehuan who helped Long Zhentian escape. They must be mistaken!” With that, Bao Rong tried to push past.

Bao Kang grabbed her firmly, his face stern. “Don’t meddle. Come with me.” He motioned to Zhu Wolong, and together, they tried to pull her away, but she resisted stubbornly.

“They brought this on themselves. Don’t get involved—come home with me,” Bao Kang insisted.

“Miss Bao, let sleeping dogs lie. This is none of your business anyway. Best not to get dragged into this mess,” Zhu Wolong chimed in.

Fuming, Bao Rong shouted at them both, “Let me go!”

They ignored her, dragging her away by force.

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi were led off by the officers. Ying Xi struggled, searching for Bao Kang in the crowd, only to see him and Zhu Wolong pulling Bao Rong away. For a moment, Ying Xi and Bao Kang’s eyes met, and Ying Xi pleaded silently for help. But Bao Kang looked away coldly, leading Bao Rong out without a word.

Despair washed over Ying Xi. He had served the police for years, only to be abandoned by Bao Kang in his hour of need.

In the crowd, Liu Rushuang, seeing Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi being hauled off, urgently turned to Bai Yulou. “Bai, let’s go stop the Chief Inspector—I need to testify for Xi.”

Bai Yulou nodded. “Alright.”

“When the time comes, back me up and help explain,” Liu Rushuang instructed, anxious.

Bai Yulou nodded again, then helped Liu Rushuang push through the throng to intercept Gordon, who was about to leave.

Gordon was startled to find a man and woman suddenly blocking his way.

“Chief Inspector, Xi and Lu Hehuan are not Long Zhentian’s accomplices! They fought desperately to capture her,” Liu Rushuang declared earnestly.

Gordon eyed her with suspicion. “What?”

Liu Rushuang signaled to Bai Yulou. “Bai, help me.”

Bai Yulou straightened up and began acting out her explanation with exaggerated gestures.

“At first, Xi didn’t even know that woman was Long Zhentian. He thought she was weak and asked me to look after her. Long Zhentian tried to harm me several times, but I avoided her each time. Later, Xi and Lu Hehuan discovered her identity and rushed to capture her. Long Zhentian took me hostage to escape, but Xi and Lu Hehuan worked together brilliantly, outsmarted her, and managed to injure her and rescue me. Xi even got hurt in the process—if you don’t believe me, you can check his arm. Chief Inspector, it’s all true. I can vouch for their innocence!”

Liu Rushuang recounted the whole story, while Bai Yulou mimed each part in his own flamboyant style.

“You call Xi ‘Brother Xi’? Who are you?” Gordon asked, puzzled by her constant use of the affectionate term.

“My name is Liu Rushuang.”

“Liu Rushuang?” Gordon looked her up and down.

An officer behind Gordon leaned in and whispered, “Chief Inspector, Liu Rushuang is Xi’s admirer. She hangs on his every word, is totally devoted, and even publicly declares her love for him. She’s notorious for being bold and high-profile.”

Gordon seemed to understand now, his face turning stern. “So you’re in love with Xi?”

Liu Rushuang hesitated, then nodded earnestly.

“Your testimony is invalid,” Gordon said curtly.

“I’m telling the truth! How can it be invalid?” Liu Rushuang protested.

Gordon’s expression hardened, his anger barely contained. “Because you’re in love with Xi. I have every reason to believe you fabricated your so-called evidence out of concern for him.”

Desperate, Liu Rushuang tugged at Bai Yulou’s sleeve. “Bai, you were there too—back me up!”

“Oh,” Bai Yulou blinked, then puffed out his chest and declared with affected bravado, “I’ll testify!”

Gordon eyed him. “And who are you?”

“My name is Bai Yulou,” Bai Yulou replied, fluttering his hand in a flamboyant gesture.

“Bai Yulou?” Gordon raised an eyebrow.

The officer behind him added, “He’s Liu Rushuang’s sidekick—follows her every command, won’t contradict her, and does whatever she says.”

Gordon frowned, growing impatient. “Your testimony is also invalid.”

“Why?” Liu Rushuang cried, even more aggrieved.

“Because he does whatever you say. I have every reason to believe he’s following your orders to testify for Xi.” With that, Gordon prepared to leave.

Liu Rushuang, frantic, grabbed his arm. “I don’t care—you must release Xi! He’s innocent! If you don’t, I won’t let you leave!”

Gordon, at his limit, ordered the nearby officers, “Get her off me.”

They pulled Liu Rushuang away, and Bai Yulou rushed to help her, only for both to be pinned to the ground.

“Let me go! Let Xi go!” Liu Rushuang shouted, struggling.

Gordon ignored her and strode off, surrounded by officers, without looking back.