Chapter 49: Committing Murder
The crowd dispersed little by little. Lu Zhiyin sat motionlessly at the school gate, her hand stroking the utility knife hidden in her pocket. Her fingertip slid across the blade, the slight sting confirming its sharpness. Lu Zhiyin closed her eyes slightly. After waiting a moment longer, she opened them. In the distance, Qin An was walking towards the school gate with her nominal younger brother. In this school, middle school seemed to let out about ten minutes later than high school. It wasn’t very logical, but it didn’t matter. There were already enough illogical things in this world; one more wouldn’t hurt.
“…” Qin An noticed Lu Zhiyin waiting at the school gate. She glanced at Lu Zhiyin. Because of Lu Zhiyin’s previous words, she was wary of her. Furthermore, considering that her father’s adopted son was following behind her, Qin An suppressed her desire to talk to Lu Zhiyin and walked past her. The boy behind her glanced at Lu Zhiyin before continuing to follow Qin An towards the apartment.
“…” Lu Zhiyin also remained silent, quietly following them. The noisy clamor of the street masked the sound of turning wheels. It wasn’t until they reached the apartment building that Qin An, turning her head unconsciously, noticed Lu Zhiyin’s presence. She looked at Lu Zhiyin’s right hand tucked into her pocket and felt an inexplicable tension.
“…Why are you following me?” After hesitating for a moment, Qin An finally spoke. She seemed to have grown accustomed to talking to Lu Zhiyin, finding it almost impossible to suppress her desire to converse with her.
“Hm? Did you forget that I live here too?” Lu Zhiyin tilted her head.
“Uh…” Qin An choked, turning her head away sullenly. She wasn’t very smart, her mind not being quick enough to remember such a simple fact.
“… Sis? Who is she?” Beside Qin An, the black-haired boy turned his confused gaze towards Lu Zhiyin, his eyes filled with curiosity. He wasn’t simple; from the boy’s eyes, Lu Zhiyin could detect his shrewdness. However, he was still a child, and no matter how cunning he was, he couldn’t hide all his emotions. He still needed time to grow. Lu Zhiyin wouldn’t give him the time. Lu Zhiyin had originally just intended to look around casually and then return to school to wait for Long Qinxin to pick her up. Now, she realized that Qin Father’s adopted son seemed to live in the same building. Coincidentally, there weren’t many people in this apartment building, so Lu Zhiyin harbored some mischievous thoughts.
“I’m Qin An’s friend. Are you her brother?” Lu Zhiyin answered the boy’s question before Qin An could.
“…Ah, yes, she’s my friend.” *Friend?* Qin An didn’t think so. Her eyes darkened, and Qin An intended to go upstairs.
“Qin An.” Lu Zhiyin called out to her.
“…What is it now?” Qin An stopped. Her tone carried a hint of annoyance. “Can you help me upstairs? Think of it as repayment for all the meals I’ve cooked and the house I’ve cleaned for you all these days.” As Lu Zhiyin requested Qin An’s help, she brought up their previous daily interactions, attempting to attract the boy’s attention. She succeeded. The boy’s eyes flickered as he scrutinized Lu Zhiyin’s face, trying to understand how Qin An had managed to change so much in such a short time. Qin An’s gradual transformation instilled a sense of crisis in the boy. He knew Qin An disliked him, and if Qin An gained inheritance rights, he would surely have a difficult time later. He had gone through great lengths to leave the orphanage just to live a life of comfort, and he absolutely refused to go back to square one overnight. He wanted to find the secret behind Qin An’s change and uncover any potential scandalous secrets Qin An might have, then find an opportunity to defeat her.
“What are you looking at? Let’s go.” Qin An was annoyed by the boy’s gaze at Lu Zhiyin. She stepped in front of Lu Zhiyin, unsure of whom she was actually worried about.
“…Qin An?” Lu Zhiyin called out to her again.
Qin An closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and after a moment of silence, lifted Lu Zhiyin from the wheelchair. “Help me carry my wheelchair upstairs first. I’m afraid someone might steal it,” Lu Zhiyin said, patting her arm.
“…” Qin An remained silent, merely staring at Lu Zhiyin with a somewhat suspicious gaze.
“It’s okay. Nothing will happen,” Lu Zhiyin patted her own leg. “…See? I don’t have the ability to harm anyone, do I?” Lu Zhiyin’s voice was soft, so soft that only Qin An and Lu Zhiyin could hear it. “Do me this small favor, please? I’d be very distressed if my wheelchair was stolen… considering I lent you money to help you through tough times before?” Lu Zhiyin once again subtly mentioned her connection with Qin An.
“…Sigh…” Qin An sighed. She placed Lu Zhiyin on the stairs and picked up the electric wheelchair herself. “Let’s go. Come upstairs with me,” Qin An tugged her nominal younger brother.
“Sis, you go up first. I’ll come up later.” The boy remained unmoved. He wanted to be alone with Lu Zhiyin and ask her more questions.
“…Heh…” With a long sigh, Qin An didn’t want to talk more with this cunning individual. She glanced again at Lu Zhiyin’s legs and, with a sliver of hope, went upstairs alone. She thought, *It should be fine. Even if something happens, I can rush down from upstairs quickly.*
“…” As Qin An disappeared from sight, Lu Zhiyin tightened her grip on the utility knife in her pocket. A cut opened on her palm, and the stinging pain made her senses even sharper. She surveyed the street outside the stairwell.
“Um, Miss, I’d like to ask you some questions. Can you tell me?” The boy didn’t notice Lu Zhiyin’s unusual behavior. He sat down on the step next to Lu Zhiyin. Clearly, he wouldn’t guard against a disabled person he met for the first time. After all, Lu Zhiyin had no animosity towards him and didn’t seem like someone who would hurt others, right?
“…” Silently, Lu Zhiyin plunged the utility knife into the boy’s carotid artery with lightning speed, covering his mouth with her left hand. “Mmm… mmm mmm…” With her mouth and nose blocked, the boy couldn’t call for help. The only struggles he could manage were kicking his legs, punching Lu Zhiyin with his fists, and biting Lu Zhiyin’s hand with his teeth. Of course, these futile struggles quickly ceased. A thick smell of blood spread through the stairwell. As the boy’s eyes, filled with shock and fear, lost their luster, his life also ebbed away. The utility knife was completely embedded in the boy’s neck. His life disappeared quickly, so quickly that Qin An upstairs didn’t have time to react. Lu Zhiyin even had the余裕 to close the iron door leading from the stairwell to the outside and latch it. She pulled the utility knife out of the boy’s neck, and more blood flowed from it. When Qin An heard the sounds of the boy struggling and rushed downstairs, she saw a girl in a blue and white school uniform sitting in a pool of blood. The girl’s pure white hair was stained with bright red blood, and at this moment, she was staring at Qin An with her crimson eyes.
