Chapter 45: Suyang’s novel

'The suspect’s hoot' I silently read the title of the novel as I brushed my fingers across the protruding words.

If it's a book that Suyang would read, it can’t be that bad, right!?

Ever since I was young, I had a terrible weakness. Whenever it came to studying or reading, I would get really sleepy. While I was studying for my college entrance exam, I had to drink countless amounts of American styled coffee in order to pull through. But for once, reading woke me up.

When did it first begin? Was it the first time I stabbed? Or the first time I saw fresh blood spurting out? It was then my heart truly started to beat.

That was the prologue.

The novel was about a man who went on a business trip. When he had returned home, he witnessed his wife committing adultery with another man. After his discovery, he accidentally killed both of them.

The man felt like he had committed a grave sin, but also felt gratification when slaughtering others. His conscience and instinct were in a constant battle. Ultimately, he chose the path of self-destruction.

“H-husband….” Sitting on the side of the bed, the woman’s clothes were in a disarray. She attentively stared at the man who stood by the door.

Through the door crack, she could see her husband ferociously glaring at her. His eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead were evident. The corners of his mouth were tightly clenched; it looked like he was trying to suppress his emotions.

The woman’s lover appeared to be carefree as he rolled off the bed to put on his trousers. Then, he went to open the door.

The two men made eye contact, but the lover didn’t seem to be afraid. On the contrary, he directly smirked at the man. Three seconds later, he proudly strolled past him.

Similar to what the rumours say, he was a pushover, the lover arrogantly thought to himself. He didn’t notice the hurried footsteps and irregular breathing that were swiftly approaching him from behind.

It was the wife’s husband. He snatched a decorative flower vase and smashed it over the lover’s head.

He completed his act in one smooth move. Following were the wife’s horrific screams and the shattering sounds of a broken vase. Before the lover knew what was coming, he was already lying in a pool of blood. The wife ran over. She was unable to move from the ghastly scene before her.

Her cowardly, weak husband….actually struck someone? Deep down, aside from fear, she also felt slightly thrilled.

The man remained clear headed despite the pool of blood in front of him. He slowly bent down next to the lover as he checked his breathing with his finger. After confirming, he casually declared to his wife, “He’s dead.”

“Ah….” The woman sucked in a mouthful of cold air as she stealthily tried to turn towards her cell phone that was on the cabinet.

“What are you trying to do?” The man lifted his head as he coldly glared at her. The air appeared to have solidify as the man slowly stood up. He stepped over the body and headed for the woman.

From the moment the vase shattered, it was as if he had discovered the New World. He was reborn.

The woman definitely noticed the change in the man. As he advanced forward, she began to back up into her room.

“Husband, I was wrong...please...let me go….?” The woman pleaded. This was the first time she had ever used such a soft and submissive tone towards him. In the end, when she had nowhere else to retreat, she fell down onto her knees and pressed her palms together.

The man pinched the woman’s chin. Like a beast, his eyes were scarlet. “It’s too late.” He cruelly growled. His hands began to shift lower to the woman’s fair neck.

“Ah….!” The woman couldn’t stop herself from shuddering. Confronting death, her eyes were opened wide. She never thought her life would end like this.

The man gradually applied strength. The woman was struggling to breathe; her brain was lacking oxygen. Right before she lost complete consciousness, the man uttered the last lines, “Yes, just like this. Open your eyes wide. Engrave my appearance. My current appearance.”

I continued reading.

“It’s not that I’m abnormal. It’s just that compared to everyone else, I have very few attachments to anything in this world. I only have myself. Even if you killed me today, no one will notice my corpse. So, Mister, you’re super lucky. You will kill your only witness and no one will notice. There wouldn’t be a single person who would come and check up on her….You have a lot of time to run. I have lived 25 years without anything. Today, my meaningless life will finally come to an end. Regardless of whether I am happy or not, I’m still all alone...Sir, are you happy?”

“......”

“If my death can make you happy, I will die without regrets….”

This was part of a witness's dialogue while the man was about to commit another crime. But how come it sounded so familiar? From the words, I could feel the hopelessness and despair of the victim. In the novel, this eyewitness became the sole survivor of the man’s attack.

Wait, is that me?! I remember when I first met Suyang, Shen Shaoqian was pretending to be a criminal. Those were the words I said to Shen Shaoqian before my 'death'.

Thinking back, I was so brave. The current me wouldn’t be able to say such words anymore.

Suddenly, it was as if something knocked me across the head. I hastily slammed the book shut and anxiously scrolled for the author of this novel -Du Yu.

Could it be Suyang?

My discovery was like finding the New World. My eyes were filled with disbelief. I repeatedly brushed my hands over the title 'A suspect’s hoot'. This had to be Suyang’s novel, or else my words wouldn’t be in here.

I foolishly smiled and held the book close to my heart and repeated over and over, “Du Yu, Du Yu.”

-----

When I left the apartment the next day, I felt very relieved. After all, today was the day I was going to resign from school.

Knowing that I will no longer have to pretend to be a University student at my old age made my smile extremely big.

After the resignation procedures were completed, there would be no more Bai Silu. As of today, there will only be Lin Yixin. Most likely, I was never meant to do any spy work. Up until now, I felt no connection to the name Bai Silu.

I strolled through the school campus and quietly enjoyed this leisure moment. No housework, ghosts, or Suyang. How relaxing.

I passed by the lakeside and noticed a couple whispering lovingly into each other’s ears underneath the cool shade. My mouth twitched and I was both envious and jealous on the inside. Keep acting sweet! Keep being lovey dovey! Let’s see how long you two can remain like this when you get into the real society!

I shook my head. Just as I was about to leave, I heard someone yelling my name. “Bai Silu!?”

It was my ex-name. It felt strange hearing it again. I turned around and searched for the source. It was Kevin. He was standing and waving to me from the second floor of a school building.

I straightened my body like a pine tree and waved back. Then, I headed towards his direction.