Volume One, Chapter 50: The Heartbreaking Truth

Li Zhikun hurriedly denied it. “No, she’s slandering me. The surveillance footage was very clear at the time—I took Qiuqiu back. She left the guesthouse on her own.”

Zhang Shaodan, who had accompanied Li Huihui and watched the footage as well, turned to Chi Xingwan. “Xingwan, Zhikun’s telling the truth. Qiuqiu did leave the guesthouse by herself.”

Chi Xingwan countered, “If I’m not mistaken, the surveillance didn’t actually catch Liu Minqiu’s face, did it? How can you be sure the child who was brought back and then left was really Liu Minqiu?”

Everyone fell silent. Li Huihui had watched that surveillance many times, and as soon as Chi Xingwan mentioned it, she remembered—the footage was indeed blurry, and Qiuqiu’s face was never clearly visible.

Li Huihui sharply turned to Liu Zhikun. “Zhikun, tell me, what really happened that day?”

Liu Zhikun’s face turned deathly pale, sweat pouring down his forehead. His lips trembled uncontrollably, and he stammered, unable to utter a word.

“Shall I say it for you?” Chi Xingwan asked.

“That day, you met someone on the beach and neglected your daughter. By the time you realized, your daughter had already drowned, isn’t that right?”

Liu Zhikun’s defenses utterly collapsed. He crouched down, clutching his head and banging it desperately. “It’s my fault, I’m a bastard, I let Qiuqiu down. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t know she’d wander off, I didn’t know she’d drown.”

Li Huihui’s face twisted with rage as she rained blows upon Liu Zhikun. “It was you! You killed Qiuqiu! And you still tried to hide it from me. Liu Zhikun, how could you do this to me? How could you do this to Qiuqiu?”

The police pulled her away. “All of you, come with me to the station to give your statements.”

Sitting in the mediation room, Liu Zhikun buried his head in his hands and began, between sobs, to recount what happened that day.

“I was playing with Qiuqiu at the seaside when I ran into an old acquaintance…”

The officer interrupted him, sharp-eyed. “Who was it?”

Liu Zhikun hesitated, but at last, under pressure, choked out a name.

The moment she heard it, Li Huihui clenched her fists, a flash of resentment in her eyes.

After a moment, Zhang Shaodan remembered the name and exploded. “Liu Zhikun, are you even human? You’ve been married to Huihui for years, you have a child, and you’re still hung up on your first love?”

Liu Zhikun hastened to explain. “No, I wasn’t in touch with her. We really just ran into each other by chance.”

The police rapped the table. “Continue.”

Liu Zhikun could only go on. “She was covered in bruises. I asked what happened, and she said her husband beat her. She wanted a divorce. I felt really sorry for her—just sympathy, nothing more.”

He looked at Li Huihui, hoping for a sliver of understanding, but she turned her head away.

“So how did Liu Minqiu end up drowning?” the officer pressed.

Liu Zhikun’s voice trembled. “I was so angry on her behalf. I wanted to help her escape her abusive husband, so I was busy trying to contact a lawyer for her. I didn’t notice that Qiuqiu had wandered off. She fell among the rocks and couldn’t get up…”

Li Huihui clutched her heart, sobbing bitterly. She could imagine how helpless Qiuqiu must have been—so small, falling among the rocks, unable to stand. Had she cried out for her father, struggling in vain, while her father neglected her for the sake of his first love? In the end, when her strength failed, the sea swallowed her whole…

After that, Liu Zhikun and his first love, realizing Qiuqiu was missing, searched together and found her body among the rocks. Terrified, his first love couldn’t let her husband know she’d met her old flame, and Liu Zhikun couldn’t let Li Huihui learn the truth. So, in desperation, they threw Qiuqiu’s body into the sea, then had the first love’s son pretend to be Qiuqiu in a staged scene.

Once he had finished confessing, the police detained Liu Zhikun. Li Huihui, after her initial fury, was left numb, shuffling away like a lost soul, supported by Zhang Shaodan.

Back at the hotel, Chi Xingwan and Chu Fangfei found Zhang Shaodan to say their farewells. “Our part in this is over. We should return to school.”

Zhang Shaodan looked exhausted. “Xingwan, Fangfei, thank you. If not for you, Huihui would still be in the dark. I’ll stay with her until things are settled, then I’ll come find you in Yanjing.”

Chi Xingwan and Chu Fangfei returned to Yanjing, and life resumed its quiet rhythm. It wasn’t until half a month later that Zhang Shaodan sent word.

That day, Chi Xingwan happened to be at the Xiao family home, not far from the Zhang house. Zhang Shaodan came over to visit and told her what had transpired.

There was no evidence to prove Liu Zhikun had intentionally killed Liu Minqiu, so he could not be charged with murder. But he and his first love both admitted to dumping Liu Minqiu’s body into the sea, constituting the crime of desecrating a corpse. Both were detained and would be prosecuted.

“How is Mrs. Li now?” Chi Xingwan asked.

Zhang Shaodan let out a deep sigh. “She’s been devastated.”

Li Huihui had always believed herself fortunate, with a loving husband and daughter. Now she knew Liu Zhikun had, for the sake of an old love, caused their daughter’s death and, to cover it up, abandoned her in the sea.

“I helped her handle Qiuqiu’s funeral arrangements, then took her back to her parents’ home. I’ve also arranged for a psychologist, hoping she can recover.”

After explaining, Zhang Shaodan added, “Besides updating you, I wanted to invite you and Fangfei to a meal, as a token of Huihui’s gratitude.”

Chi Xingwan agreed. They set a date, and as Zhang Shaodan prepared to leave—she was indeed worn out—Xiao Rui happened to return.

Zhang Shaodan casually called out, “Xiao Rui, what have you been up to lately? You haven’t pestered me in a while.”

Xiao Rui immediately grew wary. “Sister Dan, don’t joke. There’s too big an age gap between us—nothing could come of it.”

Zhang Shaodan burst out laughing. “Come off it, I know you. I meant you haven’t been bothering me with gaming questions lately.”

The Zhang family’s main businesses were in film and video games, and Xiao Rui, addicted to e-sports, had always come to her for advice.

Xiao Rui’s eyes grew distant. “I’ve been busy with my studies.”

Zhang Shaodan teased him lightly—she was only making conversation—and waved him off.

Chi Xingwan watched Xiao Rui and noticed signs that he was about to lose money, most likely from trusting the wrong friends. She warned him, and he scampered off like a mouse fleeing a cat.

Chi Xingwan left him to his own devices. After all, the Xiao family was never short on money. If he was swindled, perhaps it would teach him a lesson.