After a moment’s contemplation, Xiaotao said, "You mean the murderer lives near her school?"

I nodded, "Looks like you understand what I mean! Only the seventh victim was murdered because if two people died at the same time, that means something else entirely. If she was murdered alone, she could’ve been kidnapped anywhere, but if two of them were murdered at the same time, it was equivalent to announcing to the police that the murderer travelled on that road. The murderer might have been someone who lived nearby or passed that road every day."

"Then why didn't he kidnap only one of them?" asked Bingxin.

"I think it was an accident that Shen Lijuan went home with the seventh victim. It disrupted the murderer’s original plan. Hence, he was forced to kidnap the two together," I replied.

"Do you think the murderer has a car?" asked Xiaotao.

That was an important question. If he didn’t, then the murderer lived nearby, so two girls could’ve been carried back on foot.

"You forget that she said she was driven away in a car?" Bingxin interjected.

I shook my head, "That car might not have belonged to the murderer. We’ll confirm the details with Shen Lijuan later on!"

Bingxin smiled, "She’s pregnant. How can you keep ripping off her scars?”

"You're right. I’m rather embarrassed to keep bringing that up. Let's analyze the murders, put together the questions we want to ask, and then look for her."

Right then, our food arrived. As we dug in, Xiaotao said, "Why did the murderer hand over Shen Lijuan to your grandfather? Don't you find that strange?"

"Yes!” Bngxin agreed. “Could it be your grandfather knew the murderer but deliberately concealed that?"

I mused, "The answer is two words... Jiangbei Daggers!"

"What?!” The girls stared agape.

"According to Shen Lijuan's description, she was put into a car, then pushed to the ground, and helped up by Grandpa. I think a middleman intervened and made some sort of deal with Grandpa. Don’t forget, Grandpa wasn’t someone to be trifled with. If there was someone who could force him into violating his principles, the Jiangbei Daggers immediately come to mind."

"What sort of deal could it have been?" Bingxin stared at me unblinkingly.

"My guess is, they had Grandpa stop the investigation. I don’t know if you noticed, but after he saved Shen Lijuan, the murders never occurred again. It has been calm for the past twenty years. Did the murderer suddenly gain a conscience? No! There must be a strong external force that’s stopping him!"

"So that was the deal!" exclaimed Xiaotao.

"If I had been in Grandpa’s place, I too would have taken the deal since it meant no more murders and releasing a surviving victim. There’s nothing greater than life–that’s what Grandpa used to say. This sentence has been deeply seared in my heart. In Grandpa’s opinion, saving a good man far outweighs punishing a bad one."

For a considerable amount of time, the table fell silent as we stopped eating entirely.

"Then what about Ma Sanyou?" asked Bingxin.

"Ma Sanyou… If the organization had really intervened, then according to their usual style, they would have prepared a scapegoat to free a criminal. Ma Sanyou may be that scapegoat. He’s ugly, fierce, and is bad with women. He’s the perfect candidate. Have you noticed? Nie Yalong said that the experts hadn’t discovered the two key clues before. At that time, Grandpa had cooperated with Sun Tiger for more than ten years. His methods and experience were far superior to mine. Would he have missed such obvious clues on the sole? There’s only one explanation then. The so-called key evidence was fabricated by the organization. They did such a thorough job that the evidence was convincing."

Xiaotao snapped her fingers, "I see! Your grandfather had little choice. He was the only one who knew Ma Sanyou was innocent but he couldn't tell anyone. He didn’t want to see the innocent Ma Sanyou sentenced to death. When everyone decided that Ma Sanyou was the suspect, he was forced to burn the evidence room."

When I thought of the dilemma Grandpa had faced, my heart was tinged with sadness.

In my eyes, he was a strong, fearless, upright man. But when facing the organization, he was also weak, helpless, and compromising. In order to protect an innocent girl, he could only sacrifice his reputation.

Although Ma Sanyou was saved, his suspicion dragged his entire family into dire straits. If Grandpa knew, he would’ve been sad.

As these thoughts ran through my head, I felt myself tearing up. Fighting back the tears, I joked, "The crayfish is too spicy. I can’t eat it."

The two looked at me strangely when Xiaotao suddenly laughed, "Yes, it's too spicy. We’ll take it back for Wang Yuanchao to eat. It's getting late, we should rest!"

That night, I tossed and turned. But with my inner troubles solved, I felt much better.

The next morning, I slept until nine, opened my eyes and saw Xiaotao's smiling face. The room was filled with warm sunshine. I looked up in surprise.

"You can stop looking. I drove Wang Yuanchao out of the room," laughed Xiaotao.

"You got me! I thought the hotel provided this special service!"

Xiaotao stuffed her cold hand into the quilt, making me jump up.

"Mister, would you like the special service?" she teased.

My wicked thoughts which had been suppressed for several days suddenly sprang up once more. Leaning in, I kissed Xiaotao on the lips.

"Brush your teeth first!" she frowned.

Cheeks turning crimson, I ran to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face. When I returned, I found Xiaotao standing by my bed, dressed neatly.

"Idiot, won’t you hurry up?" she urged.

"Oh!"

I reached out to unbutton her coat, my heart pounding in my ears. After removing her coat, I tried to pick her up. Her body was lighter than I expected, so I carried her princess style..

Xiaotao screamed and laughed as she playfully pounded my chest. "Meanie!"

"Well, I won’t be courteous then?"

"Who’s being courteous with you!"

Placing her on the bed, I hugged her sweet-scented body. The feeling was surreal. I couldn't help kissing her lips again. "Seeing your face as soon as I open my eyes every morning must be the best thing in the world!"

Xiaotao smiled, "I can't believe such romantic words left your lips."

"I’m being honest!"

At that exact moment, my love for Xiaotao was too much to describe in words. We stared at each other quietly. Only those who had experienced love would understand this sort of tenderness. In my eyes, she was simply the most perfect existence, much like a work of art. I felt content just quietly appreciating her beauty.

Xiaotao's cheeks were as red as the peach blossoms in April. Placing her palm on my chest, she whispered, "Although listening to your romantic talk intoxicates me, if you don't hurry, this precious opportunity might slip away again!"