“How is that possible!”
At this point, Shi Qi could no longer control his emotions. His anger made his pupils seem to burn. “He was only fifteen, what could he possibly have done!”
“Because Shang Sui had a special rut.”
Li Zhao’s gentle voice was like solid ice at this moment. It was a simple statement, but the meaning behind it made Shi Qi feel a chill down his spine. “Though people speak of gender equality, society still holds prejudice against them.”
“Psycho, lunatic, potential murderer… you should know, that’s how most people view those with a special rut.”
“Moreover, both the physical evidence left at the scene and Zeng Yu’s testimony before his death pointed directly to Shang Sui.”
“……”
“But fortunately, the major crimes unit in Haicheng took this case very seriously. After a full month of investigation, the police finally confirmed Shang Sui’s innocence. The evidence found at the scenes of the first two cases was all part of a deliberate scheme by Zeng Yu.”
“A deliberate scheme?”
Shi Qi repeated in disbelief.
It was all too absurd. He couldn’t imagine why a serial killer would go out of his way to frame a child. “Why would he do that?”
“We suspect Zeng Yu intended to choose Shang Sui as his successor,” Li Zhao said. “The appearance of the special rut among Alphas is completely random. When a regular Alpha and Omega reproduce, there’s only an extremely small chance their child will have it. Correspondingly, even the offspring of someone with the condition has only a minuscule chance of inheriting it.”
“Zeng Yu once had a child, but his offspring was just a regular Alpha. He seemed dissatisfied with that, abandoned his wife and son, changed his identity, and came to Haicheng.”
Shang Sui was treated as a son by this kind of person?
Shi Qi felt a wave of intense nausea. He gripped the photo so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Seeing he couldn’t speak, a hint of worry flashed in Li Zhao’s eyes. She paused her account of the past and gently asked, “Are you okay, Xiao Qi?”
“I’m fine.”
In the face of extreme anger, Shi Qi instead became calm.
Once the strange surface was peeled away, even if the answer was something a normal person couldn’t understand, it was likely to be the truth.
Shi Qi gathered his thoughts and said, word by word, “So Zeng Yu never intended for the police to mistake Shang Sui as an accomplice or the true culprit. His accusation before dying was simply meant to leave Shang Sui with a lifelong shadow.”
Even if the police did everything they could, during the process, Shang Sui would inevitably endure doubt, suspicion, even malice from others.
If pushed to the brink, he could very well walk the path Zeng Yu had hoped for.
Since society couldn’t accept you and chose to view your special rut through a prejudiced lens, after all the insults and cold stares, why not simply commit the crime you’re already being blamed for?
“If Shang Sui couldn’t overcome the psychological trauma, he might collapse, maybe even become a second serial killer; and even if he didn’t, Zeng Yu wouldn’t lose anything.”
“He’d already been arrested. Whether or not he committed suicide, he’d be sentenced to death anyway.”
Li Zhao looked at Shi Qi with slight surprise, not expecting him to regain his composure so quickly after such a shock. “That’s right.”
Back then, the case had been completely sealed off in its later stages, and her master had limited information, never understanding why Zeng Yu had targeted a teenager.
It had taken him a long time to gradually piece together the truth, but Shi Qi reacted with remarkable speed.
Shi Qi didn’t notice the approval in her eyes; he only felt as if half-rotten maggots were crawling up from the soles of his feet, and a pair of pitch-black eye sockets stared at him with unfiltered malice.
After so many years, what he felt most was a deep sense of helplessness.
“Why…” Shi Qi murmured unconsciously, “Why him?”
Shang Sui hadn’t even been of age at the time, yet out of all the people with a special rut in the world, Zeng Yu had chosen him—
No, wait.
Suddenly, Shi Qi thought of something.
If that were the case…!
If it really were the case.
Shi Qi’s fingers turned cold little by little, and his whole body felt as if it had been plunged into an ice cellar.
He seemed to finally understand why Shang Sui would occasionally show signs of inferiority and self-loathing, why he sometimes appeared out of place in a crowd.
It was a secret that, in the truest sense, could never be known.
Realizing this, Shi Qi’s fingers dug into his palm before his expression changed. He forced himself to stay composed, making sure not to reveal too much emotion.
Li Zhao didn’t notice anything unusual about him and just shook her head. “I don’t understand either. Maybe it was just a coincidence?”
“Besides the confirmed investigation results, there was one more thing in Shang Sui’s favor. During the process, the final victim of the case managed to escape from Zeng Yu and firmly stood on Shang Sui’s side.”
Fragments flickered through Shi Qi’s mind: the day they went to Ningshan Hospital, Shi An had mentioned that Shen Qianyu and his mother were the final targets of the Haicheng serial killer case.
Jiang Yan had always believed that Shen Qianyu and Shang Sui shared a secret and that both of them deeply hated thunderstorms.
While chatting with Jiang Yan, the latter had mentioned that Shen Qianyu had chosen medicine without hesitation and had obtained a license for psychological assessment of those with the special rut as quickly as possible during graduate school, later becoming Shang Sui’s private doctor.
Back then, Jiang Yan hadn’t caught on and mistakenly thought Shen Qianyu had a crush on Shang Sui.
Now it seemed clear that Shen Qianyu stood by Shang Sui’s side unwaveringly simply because Shang Sui had saved his life.
“Was that person surnamed Shen?”
“Yes,” Li Zhao replied. “He’s now the deputy director of Ningshan. Because of this matter, the families of the other victims are all very grateful to him.”
“In fact, and according to that deputy director’s account, it was Shang Sui who subdued the killer.” Li Zhao paused slightly, also feeling sorry for what he had gone through.
“He should have been honored as a hero.”
“Back then, quite a few media outlets were following the case closely. My mentor tracked it most thoroughly and knew the most about the inside story. He received a warning and, in the end, only reported part of the story involving the deputy director at Ningshan, erasing all traces of Shang Sui from the incident.”
“Out of protection for Shang Sui, and also his own decision, the police discussed with the Shang family and ultimately chose to conceal all information related to him.”
Li Zhao revealed everything she knew, then gestured again to the photo in Shi Qi’s hand. “Aside from the materials retained by the police, this should be the last existing image in the world linking Shang Sui to the Haicheng serial murder case.”
“You two have a special relationship, so how it’s handled is up to you.”
Shi Qi silently placed the photo back into the envelope and only spoke after a long pause. “I understand. Thank you.”
He looked at Li Zhao and said seriously, “Please keep this a secret for him.”
“Of course, it was always his private matter.” Li Zhao’s expression showed regret. “Once you’ve talked things through, if possible, I’d like to apologize to him on my mentor’s behalf.”
“I’m very sorry. Even though we promised Shang Sui’s family back then, my mentor still kept that photo in private.”
Shi Qi said nothing.
He didn’t like taking out his emotions on others. Society already held prejudice against the special rut. Li Zhao’s mentor was gone, but even so…
What exactly did they take Shang Sui for?
A potential suspect? A living piece of news material?
Seeing Shi Qi in a bad mood, Li Zhao tried to comfort him. “Talk to him. You’re important to him. I believe he’ll be willing to tell you everything.”
Shi Qi said softly, “I need to think it through first.”
He hadn’t decided what to do with the photo yet. If it were about himself, he would’ve just burned it, but this was part of Shang Sui’s past.
There had been too much information all at once, and Shi Qi didn’t even know how to begin.
Six years ago, when he met Shang Sui in Qijiang, the latter had several bodyguards with him. Thinking back now, it must have been his family fearing he might suffer misfortune again.
At first, when getting to know Shang Sui, he had always seemed quiet and withdrawn, as if he lived in his own world. Occasionally, the expression in his eyes reminded one of a withered flower.
That night during the Lantern Festival, he had said he wasn’t good at dealing with people and hadn’t interacted with strangers in a long time.
And there was the thunderstorm weather he had always hated.
What kind of shadow had the events from eight years ago… left on Shang Sui?
Shi Qi closed his eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them again.
As he was about to leave, Li Zhao finally mustered the courage to speak. “Xiao Qi, wait!”
“The Haicheng serial murder case greatly deepened public prejudice against the special rut, but in truth, the one who subdued the killer back then was another person with the special rut.”
She was clearly still very hesitant, but seeing Shi Qi stop in his tracks, she continued, “It’s been so many years, and Shang Sui may not care anymore. But if he’s willing, I’d like to do a new report on him.”
“The public’s impression of the special rut was deeply ingrained. After publishing it, the report might simply sink without a trace, but I thought… at least in this one article, he could break free from prejudice and receive the recognition he deserved.”
–
Shang Sui stared fixedly at the image in the photo album.
Beside him, Jiang Youning cupped her face in her hands, her expression blissful. “So cute, right! This is the only photo of him with long hair! Just that once, Xiao Qi was coaxed by me and Papa Xiao An into wearing a wig.”
“After that, he wasn’t so easy to fool anymore.” Jiang Youning looked regretful.
In the photo, Shi Qi was wearing a blue and pink dress, and Jiang Youning had braided his hair into a big braid, adorned with more than a dozen tiny blue velvet bows. The remaining long black hair spilled down his back. Because of his young age, it was almost impossible to tell his gender.
The wig Jiang Youning chose was very long, nearly reaching Shi Qi’s thighs. His dark gray eyes were bright and watery, slightly upturned like a cat’s, and his entire appearance resembled that of a finely crafted porcelain doll.
Shang Sui turned the page. In the next photo, Shi Qi seemed to have noticed something was off. His lips were slightly pursed, and he looked unhappily at the camera.
Unlike the previous elaborate outfit, Shi Qi was only wearing a white puffy tulle dress. He knelt on a fluffy carpet, the sheer skirt fanned out around him, arms wrapped around a brown stuffed teddy bear, seemingly sulking.
Shang Sui couldn’t help but widen his eyes. “So cute.”
“Right, right! That was the last time Xiao Qi wore girls’ clothes. It was my birthday that day. I begged him to make a wish for me, and he reluctantly agreed.”
“He even glared at me at first, but the next second he seemed to feel bad about it, and in the end, he just stayed silent. Our baby was just too adorable, really unbelievably cute!”
Shang Sui responded at the right moment, “Like a little angel.”
“Exactly, exactly, that’s it!”
Jiang Youning looked pleased and gave Shang Sui a look of approval that said, “You have good taste.”
The two Alphas looked through the photo album together until the final page, both still not satisfied.
Shang Sui noticed there was another book in her hand.
“Isn’t this one too?”
It was a blue leather-bound notebook with bright yellow embroidered kittens on the cover.
Jiang Youning shook her head. “This seems to be Xiao Qi’s old diary. I accidentally brought it along. I’ll give it back to him later.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the person they were discussing pushed the door open and entered.
Shi Qi silently walked over to Shang Sui’s side and glanced at the photo album in his hand. Had it been earlier, he might have felt ashamed, but now his attention was completely occupied by something else.
He looked at Shang Sui, about to speak but hesitating.
Jiang Youning was called away by Shi An, and Li Zhao was still outside. Only the two of them remained in the living room.
Shang Sui curved his eyes in a smile. “Your old photos were really cute.”
“…” Shi Qi mumbled, “It’s nothing special.”
The barstool wasn’t quite high enough. The Alpha’s long legs stretched to the floor, like a lion lounging lazily under the sun.
Looking at Shang Sui now, no one could have imagined he had once endured such a dark past.
When Shi Qi saw the smile on his face, he could no longer hold back his emotions, a trace of pain flickering across his eyes.
“Why are you so unlucky?”
There was a slight hoarseness in Shi Qi’s voice. Shang Sui withdrew his playful expression and set the photo album aside.
He coaxed Shi Qi softly, “What’s wrong, baby?”
Shi Qi’s fingers unconsciously brushed the right pocket of his pants, where the photo Li Zhao had given him was tucked away.
In that instant, he felt regretful. He shouldn’t have spoken before deciding what to do.
Shi Qi didn’t respond, but Shang Sui quickly guessed the general idea.
From their first meeting, he had sensed that Li Zhao was observing him. They didn’t know each other, and if Li Zhao had seen him before without his knowledge and had been shocked because of it…
Given Li Zhao’s profession, he could more or less guess what she had told Shi Qi.
Shi Qi’s quiet voice pulled Shang Sui’s attention back. “Why is it that people always bully you?”
A malicious serial killer, the public’s deeply rooted prejudice against the special rut, and most recently, Yu Zhiling’s unfiltered words like a lunatic, stabbing Shang Sui where it hurt most.
“It’s not all that unlucky.” Shang Sui met his gaze with a knowing look and, seeing Shi Qi’s gloom, reached out to ruffle his fluffy hair. “Didn’t I meet you?”
“What’s the point of meeting me? Clearly—!”
Shi Qi didn’t finish the sentence.
He had originally planned to think it through before talking to Shang Sui. This was no small matter, and if he spoke rashly, he might stir up painful memories.
He had held it together so well earlier that even Li Zhao, who was good at reading people, hadn’t noticed anything off.
But in front of Shang Sui, his eyes grew hot; it seemed that the closer someone was to him, the more easily his emotions showed.
Shi Qi bit his lip and nearly cried.
“What did Li Zhao tell you?”
“…”
After a long pause, Shang Sui cupped his face, as if handling a delicate, soft feather.
“No matter how much she knows, it’s just a part of the past.” Shang Sui looked into his damp eyes. “Do you remember? I once told you an incomplete story.”
“When you remember everything, I want to tell you the whole thing, from start to finish.”
“Meeting you matters. You matter to me.”
“Because the memories I made with you replaced those awful ones.”
Shi Qi’s eyelashes trembled. A moment later, he finally understood what that meant.
So he helped Shang Sui six years ago?
As if to confirm his guess, Shang Sui smiled at him. “You’re my most special friend.”
Even if you once forgot my name, that will never change.
