I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 117: Chapter 115: Too Alike, Dreaming of That Person Again

The pecking order in Zhuang Yanzheng’s family.

Ms. Yan, Zhuang Yihao, Liu Liu, the houseplants, and then, finally, Zhuang Yanzheng.

Zhuang Yanzheng had long gotten used to it.

Legend had it that on the day Zhuang Yanzheng was born, his father had cried even louder than the newborn himself, all because he felt so sorry for his wife.

Ever since he’d turned eighteen, his father had wanted him to move out so he could have his wife all to himself.

Unfortunately, his son hadn’t started a family of his own, and his wife missed their boy often, which was the only reason he was allowed to continue living in their house.

Yan Zhiqing glanced at Zhuang Yihao.

President Zhuang, ever adaptable, stuck his neck out stubbornly. ”I was just talking nonsense!”

Zhuang Yanzheng smiled, then looked at Yan Zhiqing. ”Mom, her name is Su Miaoyi. She’s the daughter the Ji Family didn’t want.”

Yan Zhiqing frowned. ”The Ji Family? Ji Sheng?”

Zhuang Yanzheng nodded.

A string of curses that would need to be bleeped on video flashed across Yan Zhiqing’s face. ”But... she looks so much like Le Yan. For a split second there, I was so dazed, I thought it was Le Yan standing right in front of me.”

”Do they really look that much alike?” Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

”Very much so,” Yan Zhiqing said. ”Don’t you think so?”

Zhuang Yanzheng didn’t say anything.

He thought back to the first time he saw Su Miaoyi. Back then, there had only been a slight resemblance. It seemed he had failed to notice that the likeness was becoming more and more pronounced.

Because he had spent so much time with her and seeing her was so commonplace, he hadn’t noticed some of the changes.

It was like having a child around all the time; you don’t notice how quickly they’re growing taller.

Only when you don’t see them for a while and then suddenly catch a glimpse do you realize how much taller they’ve gotten.

”Are they really that alike?” Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

Yan Zhiqing nodded. ”Very.”

Zhuang Yihao patted her hand. ”Don’t mention this to Professor Shen.”

”I know,” Yan Zhiqing said. ”Seeing someone who looks so much like her would only serve as a constant reminder of Le Yan. Unless Le Yan actually came back to life, seeing an identical face would just be agonizing. It wouldn’t bring a shred of comfort.”

Listening to his mother’s words, Zhuang Yanzheng looked at her.

Yan Zhiqing continued, ”Ever since I saw her today, I’ve spent the whole afternoon thinking about Le Yan, and the feeling is just unbearable. I remember when she and Yan Zhou used to come over to play as children... I still have some of her old clothes from back then in my walk-in closet.”

Zhuang Yanzheng remained silent.

Yan Zhiqing added, ”Shilan, Xia Ye, and I are all good friends. Our three families have always been close. And Le Yan was the only daughter among all of us. Forget about how the Shen and Qin families doted on and treasured her—your father and I genuinely adored her, too.”

Zhuang Yihao nodded.

”When Le Yan decided she wanted to go to the police academy, the whole Shen family—all three of them, plus Old Mr. and Mrs. Shen—were all against it,” Yan Zhiqing said. ”Only Qin Chengyuan and Shilan were in favor, saying they had to support their child’s choice. They fought about that for ages.”

Zhuang Yanzheng recalled those past events.

His mother was putting it very mildly.

That wasn’t an argument; it was practically all-out war.

At the time, he was attending the police academy.

And the fire ended up spreading to him.

Shen Yanzhou said that he had been a bad influence on his little sister.

He said his sister was possessed and insisted on hiring a master to perform an exorcism on her.

He even said that Zhuang Yanzheng was the malevolent influence.

The truth was, he and Qin Leyan barely had any contact back then.

The matter really had nothing to do with him.

They had often played together as children.

But after they grew up, they didn’t really keep in touch.

When they got even older, they would only exchange a few words during the three families’ gatherings.

It was only later, when they both ended up at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, that they reconnected.

He had been completely and utterly wronged.

”But Le Yan was set on her choice. The Shen family initially disagreed out of love for her, and they eventually agreed for the very same reason.” Yan Zhiqing finished, fell silent for a moment, then rose to her feet. ”It’s all just fate.”

With that, she headed upstairs.

Zhuang Yihao followed her upstairs.

Zhuang Yanzheng sat on the sofa, unmoving.

On one hand, he felt that Su Miaoyi was Qin Leyan.

But on the other hand, he felt that such a thing shouldn’t be possible in this world.

He couldn’t be sure.

Not based on his own feelings, nor based on anything about Su Miaoyi.

He just couldn’t be sure.

After all, Su Miaoyi seemed completely unfamiliar with Qin Leyan.

...

「Weiyang Palace.」

Su Miaoyi went home, washed up, and immediately flopped onto her bed.

She scrolled through short videos on her phone, but her mind was fixated on the scar she’d seen on the delivery driver’s neck.

She hadn’t been able to see the delivery driver’s face, so the scar seemed to be the only clue she had.

As she mulled it over, she drifted off to sleep.

The short videos on her phone were still playing.

She started dreaming again.

She dreamt every night, but most of the time, she would forget everything upon waking.

She dreamt of the scar on the delivery driver’s neck.

Then the scene suddenly shifted, and she found herself on a martial arts training ground.

There were many people around, all watching her.

She stood in the center of the training ground, looking at them.

Suddenly, a hand from behind rested on her shoulder.

She jumped, a shiver running through her.

Turning her head, she saw a man standing beside her with his arm around her shoulders.

Once again, she couldn’t see his face.

The sun was bright and the man was very close to her. She could see everything else with perfect clarity, but she couldn’t make out his face.

The man chuckled and said, ”The hypnosis might not be working very well, but there’s another crucial part of being a professional killer: having excellent skills.”

She glanced at the man, then back at the people on the training ground.

The man’s voice sounded in her ear. ”Pick one. Defeat him, and there’ll be no hypnosis today. I’ll take you out to have some fun.”

She narrowed her eyes, then casually pointed at someone.

The man chuckled. ”Ah Xu, come here.”

The man called Ah Xu walked over and stood before her.

The man said, ”Ah Xu, don’t you dare hold back.”

”Yes,” Ah Xu answered.

The man stepped back to the sidelines to watch.

Ah Xu made the first move.

She sidestepped to dodge and launched her own attack.

The two of them were quickly locked in bare-fisted combat.

At first, she was at a disadvantage.

She took several hits.

Until she was pinned to the ground.

She suddenly fought back, turning the tables and pinning Ah Xu to the ground instead.

From that point on, she had the upper hand and launched a furious assault.

Ah Xu retreated continuously, but finally found an opening. He grabbed the fabric at her waist, lifted her entire body into the air, and prepared to throw her.

She grabbed onto his clothes.

As he threw her, she used the momentum to pull him down to the ground. After landing steadily on her feet, she pulled the dagger from Ah Xu’s waist.

Apparently, they feared she might commit suicide, so she wasn’t allowed to have anything on her person.

Seeing that she had the dagger, the man suddenly shouted from a distance, ”Su Miaoyi!”

She completely ignored his shout and, without hesitation, slit Ah Xu’s throat.

Fresh blood spurted out instantly.

She tilted her head to avoid the spray.

Some of the blood splattered onto the side of her neck.

The man strode over quickly, snatched the dagger from her hand, and ordered someone to take Ah Xu away to the hospital.

”Why didn’t you stop!” the man demanded, grabbing her face.

She looked at the man, her expression indifferent and her tone even colder. ”Then why don’t you kill me.”

The man stared at her. After a few seconds, he let out a laugh and used his finger to wipe away the blood splattered on her jaw. ”It wouldn’t be any fun if I killed you.”

...