Soul Patch

Chapter 182 Lily

It doesn't make sense for the murderer to be looking for the murderer.

Wenjie thought for a moment and asked, "Then how can you be sure that Zhang Zhipeng is looking for the murderer? When I killed him just now, didn't you also scold him for lying to you? Is it possible that he was pretending to be looking for the murderer, but actually looking for an opportunity to kill Li Shiman?"

"This...this..." Liu Qingqing was truly stumped by the question, and she hesitated before saying:

"Probably not. Based on my understanding of Zhang Zhipeng, he's very motivated to complete tasks. Besides... there's a certain degree of danger in system tasks; you could easily lose your life if you're not careful."

"Don't even mention him, I work really hard too."

After listening, Wenjie nodded in agreement, then thought for a moment and asked, "What did you do that night?"

After asking, he noticed a blush creeping onto Liu Qingqing's face, and wondered what the girl was thinking. He could only add:

"I mean, what homework did you all do to complete the mission?"

"Oh, oh, that... I remember Zhang Zhipeng made a table listing the personnel at Huahai, noting their positions, relationships, etc. He also made several guesses about the reason for Li Shiman's murder:"

1. Crime of Passion

It could be revenge from an ex, or a current ex-girlfriend being unreasonable and determined to fight to the death, or getting caught up in a love triangle.

Given the victim's age, if she was involved in a love triangle, Li Shiman might have been the third party, and it's possible that she was stabbed to death after the original wife came to her door demanding an explanation.

2. Vendetta

The victim, Li Shiman, had enemies seeking revenge. This is a broad category; it could be family feuds, workplace rivalries, or hatred stemming from social relationships outside of work.

3. Random crime

This is even more outrageous. For example, Li Shiman accidentally stumbles upon some shady dealings and is silenced by the other party.

Or perhaps you encountered a desperate criminal, a psychopathic killer, or something similar. You had no motive for murder; you just happened to be within the killer's field of vision and were killed for no apparent reason.

Wenjie listened to Liu Qingqing's account and nodded repeatedly.

He didn't expect that they had done so much work to complete the task, so they must have developed several implementation plans.

Thinking of this, Wenjie's face darkened, and he snorted lightly as he asked:

"You were the one who ambushed me with props in the corridor, weren't you? And you were the one who used Captain Wu to try and shoot me, weren't you?!"

Liu Qingqing's face flushed red and then turned pale as she was asked the question, unsure of how to respond.

"Just say it!" Wenjie hated beating around the bush and shouted in a gruff voice.

Liu Qingqing shuddered and awkwardly replied:

"Hmm! We've figured out the identities of patch carriers 3 and 4, especially Xue Xiaowan, who's clearly in cahoots with you. Ah Zhi... oh, I mean Zhang Zhipeng is convinced you're the murderer. So the two of us adjusted our plans and started focusing on dealing with you..."

As she spoke, her voice lowered. Wenjie simply nodded, his expression unchanged. Liu Qingqing wasn't sure if this young master Wen was angry.

She looked at Wenjie anxiously, waiting for him to speak.

Wenjie had basically guessed all of this; he was just asking to verify it, and also to find some clues to correct his life's trajectory. So he simply asked:

"Then why did you eliminate Patch Carriers 3 and 4? Wouldn't it have been better for the Patch Carriers to complete the mission together?"

"What?" Liu Qingqing stared with her almond-shaped eyes: "Where would we find a kill patch carrier 4? Didn't you kill that assistant?"

Wenjie smiled slightly upon hearing this: "Who told you I killed my assistant, Zhang Zhipeng?"

"Zhang Zhipeng, that liar told me he witnessed you stabbing your assistant to death, so he wanted me to target Xue Xiaowan. He impersonated Li Shiman and hid the real Li Shiman..."

Of course, it's pointless to say any of this now. We've all been deceived by Zhang Zhipeng; he's the real murderer, the one who wanted to kill Li Shiman.

No, something still doesn't make sense. Wenjie rubbed his forehead, slowly sorting out his thoughts:

Could it be understood that Zhang Zhipeng didn't know he was the murderer before entering the system mission? That's why he listed so many reasons for Li Shiman's murder.

If he already knew his identity as the murderer at that time, why would he need to analyze the reasons for his murder? Shouldn't he have focused his energy on what obstacles he might encounter in murdering Li Shiman and how to overcome them?

He knew perfectly well what level Liu Qingqing was at in the system missions and what items she had. There was absolutely no need for him to do so much deception and waste his time and energy.

If he learned he was the murderer after entering the system task.

Logically, he should know his reasons for killing Li Shiman, right? Why did Zhang Zhipeng answer "I don't know" when he asked him what Li Shiman did twenty years ago?

Wenjie felt his thoughts had reached a dead end. He looked blankly at Liu Qingqing and murmured:

"After Zhang Zhipeng entered the system, did you notice any unusual behavior from him? Did he say anything strange or do anything inexplicable?"

He spread his hands and gave a helpless smile; he was a little unsure of what he was asking.

"Yes!" Liu Qingqing answered Wenjie's question decisively: "I felt that he seemed very excited, and some of the things he said to you in the office were a bit strange."

These words reminded Wenjie, and his eyes lit up as he quickly said:

"When I said that Li Shiman had been killed by him and that it was all over, he seemed particularly ecstatic. It was as if nothing in the world could make him happier than Li Shiman's death."

"You felt that too?" Liu Qingqing exclaimed in surprise. Even though she was outside the door, she had sensed Zhang Zhipeng's unusual behavior. At first, she thought Zhang Zhipeng was acting, stalling for time...

But now that I think about it, that feeling of ecstasy couldn't be faked.

You can't fake liking or disliking something; if you do, others will see right through it.

“He hated Li Shiman, a hatred that seeped into his very bones. He wished Li Shiman would die immediately, which is why hearing that Li Shiman was dead made him so happy and intoxicated,” Wenjie said quietly, his tone deep.

Liu Qingqing looked at Wenjie in surprise; Wenjie's words had startled her.

It turns out her boyfriend harbored such deep hatred; she hadn't realized it before. Now, thinking about Zhang Zhipeng's thin frame and deep-set eyes... it's actually a little frightening.

"Then why does he hate Li Shiman so much?" Liu Qingqing asked, still feeling a lingering fear.

Wenjie sighed and shook his head, his voice filled with doubt and confusion: "Zhang Zhipeng only knows how to hate Li Shiman, but he himself can't explain why he hates her."

Liu Qingqing frowned as she listened, nodded, then shook her head after thinking for a moment.

This was far beyond her comprehension; she couldn't imagine a situation where someone only knew how to hate, but didn't know why.

Wenjie only had a vague understanding, and judging from Liu Qingqing's expression, he figured he couldn't count on her to answer his question.

He chuckled and said, "Our dorm leader went through three girlfriends in college, all of them long-haired and big-eyed. We asked him why he only pursued this type of girl, whether he only liked this type of girl. He said he didn't know."

Also, there's a guy in our dorm named Zhang Yang. Every time he goes to the supermarket to buy yogurt, he only buys cranberry and blueberry yogurt. We thought he was just picky and only drank that kind.

He said that he used to drink all kinds of yogurt, but because his girlfriend always bought this one kind, he gradually got used to only choosing this kind.

As for whether I like it or not, I really can't say.

Liu Qingqing glanced at a row of wooden chairs near the entrance of the residential area. She walked over, sat down, and massaged her legs. Her voice was slightly weary as she said, "You mean, he might like Li Shiman? Because of love turned to hate?"

Wenjie raised his eyebrows and saw Liu Qingqing doing gymnastics, stretching her long legs onto the chair, flattening them, and tapping and pressing them.

She sighed inwardly: Women's thought processes are really unique; they can attribute everything to love.

"I'm just saying that some things become habits over the years, and you can't explain why."

Perhaps Zhang Zhipeng has hated Li Shiman for many years, and the hatred has only grown stronger, with increasingly inexplicable reasons?

"Starting from age six!" Liu Qingqing answered quickly.

Wenjie smiled slightly. Liu Qingqing had finally been smart for once, saving him a lot of trouble.

"Why don't you sit down and rest for a while? I'll go check at the entrance of the community." Wenjie was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.

He turned to look at Liu Qingqing, who was stretching her arms and legs, and returned to his chair.

Liu Qingqing looked up at him in confusion, as if asking: Why are you back?

Wenjie gestured with his chin toward the gatekeeper: "Go ahead and ask the security guard what address the flower delivery person registered."

"Why?" Liu Qingqing was a little unwilling to be assigned work by Wenjie as soon as she sat down.

"What do you say?"

Liu Qingqing glanced at the gatekeeper and saw that the gatekeeper, who was standing straight, was a tall young man of about 1.8 meters. He looked like a retired soldier, and his military posture was very standard.

She sighed, "Okay, give me an extra chicken leg tonight."

Hehe, Wenjie touched the fifty yuan in his pocket and muttered to himself:

Add chicken legs? This money is probably only enough for two people to stay in a guesthouse and eat instant noodles.

Liu Qingqing walked lightly toward the gatekeeper. Wenjie saw the gatekeeper politely bow to her, stand up straight, lean forward, and listen attentively to what she was saying.

A smile played on his lips, as if his little trick had finally come in handy. He seized the opportunity, circled around to the back of the gatekeeper, and slipped past the car on the other side.

Despite the heavy security, there are still plenty of opportunities to sneak in. Wenjie stroked his chin and gave Liu Qingqing a look from afar, meaning she should decide for herself and leave if necessary.

Liu Qingqing's face remained expressionless, but in her heart she deeply despised Wenjie.

She was making good progress on her end, and she called out to the security guard with a charming smile, making him feel embarrassed.

"I'm probably not as old as you, I'm only 20." The other person blushed.

Liu Qingqing playfully stuck out her tongue. She almost forgot that the term "little brother" didn't exist in 1999. If you called someone "little brother," then it really meant "little brother."

Fortunately, Liu Qingqing was flexible and sexy enough that no matter what she called the doorman, he would happily write down the address on a piece of paper.

Liu Qingqing took the piece of paper from the gatekeeper and was overjoyed when she saw its contents:

The note had the recipient's address, the florist's name, and even the message left by the sender on the greeting card.

She thanked the security guard repeatedly and left her phone number with him before leaving.

Seeing the security guard staring blankly at a string of phone numbers, she smiled mysteriously: "Call again in a couple of days, otherwise I might not be able to answer."

Liu Qingqing had a huge haul. She stared at the note again and again, then carefully folded it twice and placed it in her palm.

She sat back down on the chair at the entrance of the residential area for a while, and then she saw Wenjie come out of the residential area.

She got up and slowly walked towards the street they had come from, and Wenjie followed her knowingly.

"Wenjie, listen to me, I've made an important discovery."

"The flowers are for Li Shiman, right?" Wenjie said expressionlessly as he walked forward.

"Uh... you know now!" Liu Qingqing felt instantly frustrated. She pushed Wenjie and pouted, "What do you mean? You made me ask? Tell me... aren't you being unreasonable!"

Wenjie didn't have time to deal with Liu Qingqing's spoiled attitude. He stopped and looked at Liu Qingqing, saying, "When I sneaked into the neighborhood, I saw the young man who delivered flowers standing at the entrance of a building watching the commotion. Isn't that a coincidence? The ambulance was on its way to the very building where he was delivering flowers."

I watched as two people in white coats carried a stretcher downstairs. The medical staff quickly lifted the stretcher onto the ambulance. On the stretcher was a little girl who looked haggard and seemed to have a serious illness.

And the family member accompanying her was the little girl's mother, did you know? That elegant middle-aged woman looked quite similar to Charmaine Li, and she was holding a bouquet of lilies...

That's the very bouquet the florist was carrying! What a coincidence!

As Wenjie spoke, he looked at Liu Qingqing, as if he had guessed something.

Li Shiman doesn't look weak at all like she did when she was sick as a child. On the contrary, Zhang Zhipeng is thin and pale, and looks like he has a stomach problem or is suffering from another serious illness.

"So I asked the young man who delivered the flowers, and guess what he said?"

After a moment's thought, Liu Qingqing exclaimed in surprise, "Don't even mention that Li Shiman's birthday is also July 7th!"

Wenjie gave Liu Qingqing a disdainful look and muttered, "You, how can you say something so unreliable? Where did you get the idea that the two of you share the same birthday?"

"No!" Liu Qingqing said softly, her head down.

"How dare you talk nonsense without my knowledge?" Wenjie questioned.

"But I saw these lilies in the trash can at the end of the corridor on the 16th floor of Huahai International." Liu Qingqing rolled her eyes at Wenjie resentfully.

Wenjie was taken aback, then hurriedly said, "Continue, hurry up!"

"Oh... what are you talking about? I just saw a few bunches of dried lilies, what's there to say about that?"

I only remembered that the dried flowers in the trash can were probably lilies when you just mentioned lilies.

"To be honest, I never even considered that possibility. Those dried-up flowers were so ugly, I couldn't even be bothered to look at them twice," Liu Qingqing said, her expression showing disgust.

"That's it, that's it!" Wenjie clapped his hands. "I asked the flower delivery guy, and he said he delivers a bouquet of lilies to the Li family every day."

(End of this chapter)