Chapter 37: Persuasion (2)
The girl’s calm gaze distracted Leng Qing Qiu for a moment. After a while, she released the hand that was gripping Lu Zhiyin’s neck.
She couldn’t continue to mistreat the girl in front of her; if she did, the girl would die.
Although Leng Qing Qiu had developed considerable dissatisfaction with Lu Zhiyin due to Long Qinxin’s matters, she ultimately did not want to kill her.
Stabbing her earlier was a result of reaching her limit of anger and temporarily losing control.
She didn’t intend to do anything she would regret further.
“Answer me, is Long Qinxin really that important?”
Annoyed by Lu Zhiyin’s silence, Leng Qing Qiu couldn’t help but doubt if the Lu Zhiyin in front of her was the same weak person as before.
“…No, it has nothing to do with Long Qinxin. I just don’t want you to continue to degenerate like this.”
Looking into Leng Qing Qiu’s eyes with her still calm gaze, Lu Zhiyin touched her neck.
The force Leng Qing Qiu had used to choke her wasn’t great, and it left no significant marks on her slender, fair neck.
“…Degenerate? Me?”
Leng Qing Qiu seemed to find Lu Zhiyin’s words hard to understand. Her eyes widened, and her anger temporarily subsided due to Lu Zhiyin’s inexplicable statement.
Was she currently degenerating in unforgivable sin? The answer was undoubtedly yes; Leng Qing Qiu herself clearly understood that she was sinful.
But she didn’t feel there was anything wrong with it.
“…, why do you kill people?”
Lu Zhiyin softly asked, placing her hands at her sides.
She appeared calm on the surface, but internally, she was extremely flustered. How could she make Leng Qing Qiu give up killing Long Qinxin, and even more so, give up hunting those who shouldn’t have died?
Lu Zhiyin couldn’t find the answer to this question for the moment. She could only grope around, slowly dissecting Leng Qing Qiu’s heart.
“Because they made mistakes, and the police don’t deal with them, so someone needs to.”
Although Leng Qing Qiu understood the nature of her wrongdoing, when questioned, she instinctively raised the banner of justice to shield herself.
She tried to deceive everyone who questioned her with false lies, just as she had once deceived herself.
“Are you trying to say you abuse and kill others for justice? If it’s truly for justice, then please tell me, what wrong have I done? Why did you abuse me and inflict painful scars on me? What bad things did Long Qinxin do that made you determined to kill her? And Qin An, who is truly wicked, is in the class next to yours. She has acted wickedly in front of you countless times, yet you simply ignored it.”
Her red eyes, for once, flickered with intelligence.
“…Enough, I don’t need you to lecture me.”
Frowning, Leng Qing Qiu didn’t want to hear criticism.
She had been praised her entire life.
“…This isn’t a lecture. Admit it, Leng Qing Qiu, you are simply a villain whose mind is twisted by perverted desires. All your actions are just to vent occasional anger and your inner desires.”
Her gaze softened further, and Lu Zhiyin moved closer to Leng Qing Qiu, meeting her eyes.
“If you continue to kill indiscriminately due to your desires, it won’t be long before you die. The police you deem useless will eventually send you to the execution platform to pay for those you killed.”
Her tone gradually softened. Lu Zhiyin reached out and gently touched Leng Qing Qiu’s shoulder with her fingers.
Leng Qing Qiu didn’t react. She merely looked at the girl’s beautiful red eyes with a probing gaze.
So, was Lu Zhiyin concerned about her? Despite all the terrible things she had done to her, why was she still concerned?
Leng Qing Qiu knew that one day she would meet her end, but she always thought that day was still far away. Most of the time, she deliberately ignored her inevitable fate.
But now, Lu Zhiyin had brought her ending to the forefront.
Was Leng Qing Qiu afraid of death? Of course, she was.
“Leng Qing Qiu… stop killing people. If you need to vent your desires, do it on me. I’m willing, so you won’t bear any responsibility. As long as you handle the past cases properly and don’t commit new ones, you can still live.”
Her gaze grew softer, and Leng Qing Qiu was pierced by the girl’s gentle, water-like gaze.
“Why do you care about me like this? I’m just a scumbag who treated you like a pet and often ignored your will.”
As she spoke, Leng Qing Qiu touched her chest.
Sensing the shift in Leng Qing Qiu’s attitude, Lu Zhiyin felt a sense of relief, but she didn’t dare to show any carelessness.
“Because you are pitiable…”
Once again, Lu Zhiyin’s words left Leng Qing Qiu utterly bewildered.
“I… pitiable?”
Leng Qing Qiu had no idea why this word was associated with her.
“Mmm, pitiable. Leng Qing Qiu, you’ve always lived alone, haven’t you? Is it because of loneliness that your psychology has become distorted?”
Her voice was very gentle. Lu Zhiyin reached out and gently touched the back of Leng Qing Qiu’s hand.
“Whatever unhappy things you encounter, or whenever you feel the urge to abuse, just take it out on me. I will always be with you, so please stop killing people.”
Gently embracing Leng Qing Qiu, Lu Zhiyin looked up.
Her gentle words and soft gaze reminded Leng Qing Qiu of her mother for no reason.
The anger in her heart vanished without a trace, and she stood there stunned.
Was she pitiable? Was she truly afraid of loneliness? She couldn’t understand.
Was the girl in front of her lying? Perhaps, or perhaps not.
Leng Qing Qiu’s emotions were complex.
Feeling the girl’s arms around her waist, Leng Qing Qiu pinched Lu Zhiyin’s face.
Looking at the pale face, clearly due to blood loss and pain, it was evident that Lu Zhiyin was more pitiable than herself.
Her mind gradually emptied, and childhood memories surfaced in Leng Qing Qiu’s thoughts. She remembered how Lu Zhiyin’s parents treated her.
Even when she showed indifference towards Lu Zhiyin’s family, Lu Zhiyin’s parents remained kind to her.
Now, Lu Zhiyin was like her parents; even though she was not well-received, she still treated others with kindness.
Leng Qing Qiu thought, they were truly all good people, that entire family…
Closing her eyes slightly, Leng Qing Qiu realized that Lu Zhiyin’s words were not entirely unreasonable. She couldn’t continue like this.
“Aren’t you afraid of death? You know, everything I’ve done to you has been awful. To paraphrase your words, if you continue like this, you will die very soon.”
Opening her eyes, Leng Qing Qiu looked into Lu Zhiyin’s ruby-like eyes, yearning to understand her thoughts.
“…”
Leng Qing Qiu’s words rendered Lu Zhiyin silent.
Her feigned calmness was almost shattered. Honestly, she was afraid of pain and death and didn’t want to be abused by Leng Qing Qiu at all.
But regardless of what she felt inside, her task now was to maintain her gentle facade.
“Death?… With me being a disabled person who can’t live independently, it’s no different from being dead… Leng Qing Qiu, don’t worry about me.”
The girl smiled, but the smile looked bittersweet.
Leng Qing Qiu’s heart was stirred.
She pushed away the girl’s arms around her waist and continued to treat Lu Zhiyin’s wounds.
“Kill one last person, and then stop.”
She still wanted to kill Long Qinxin. She understood that if Long Qinxin remained alive, she would be in danger.
Long Qinxin’s hostility towards her was too intense.
“…No…”
“Enough, stop talking.”
Lu Zhiyin wanted to continue persuading Leng Qing Qiu, but her mouth was directly covered.
“You were supposed to meet her at the park, right? I saw it.”
After applying antiseptic and wrapping the bandage, Leng Qing Qiu took one last look into Lu Zhiyin’s eyes.
Her red eyes trembled slightly, conveying her displeasure.
Taking a small packet from the drawer, Leng Qing Qiu poured powder into her palm and covered Lu Zhiyin’s mouth.
“…?”
A strange scent entered her nose, and Lu Zhiyin’s head quickly became heavy, her consciousness rapidly blurring.
“Just sleep. When you wake up, it will all be over.”
Wiping the powder from her palm with a tissue, Leng Qing Qiu took an antidote for herself.
