Murder the Dream Guy

When they left, Xiang Wan saw Meng Chi flipping that book and saw the words that Second Young Master Mu wrote, as well as his signature. His expressionless expression changed slowly… as if a glint of light had flashed by him.

Then, that glint, along with his face, disappeared into the shadows.

…

“Where are we going later?”

After walking out of the detention center, Xiang Wan blinked at Bai Muchuan.

“We should go back and pack our luggage.” He looked serious.

“You’re preparing to go back to the Capital?”

“Mm!” Bai Muchuan turned his head to look at her as if he detected something. “You’re not coming with me?”

He puffed a sigh after a momentary pause. “It’s Tu Liang’s Memorial Service in two day’s time!”

“Well, I had wanted to go back to Jin City!” Xiang Wan saw him looking a little grim. “But, I must attend Tu Liang’s memorial service as well. Fine, I’ll go back to the Capital with you and attend the memorial service before returning to Jin City!”

“You have something to do in Jin City?” Bai Muchuan looked at her deeply in the eyes.

“Mm! Wen Quan’s Annual Awards Ceremony,” replied Xiang Wan, unsure what she had thought of; she frowned a little and then showed a half-smile. “Heh! The platform may be small, but there’s certainly a lot of drama going on!”

“… Do you need my help then?” Bai Muchuan knew what she was referring to and placed his arm on her shoulders.

“It’s okay!” Xiang Wan smiled. “I can handle it.”

She felt that it was ridiculous to get a man to help her with all these dramas with another female author.

For the past few days, Xiang Wan only logged onto her own author’s account to upload chapters. She did not check out the website’s forum or WeChat Moments; she did not even look at her own book reviews and comments page…

She knew that this petty bickering wouldn’t end so abruptly.

Bai Muchuan saw her slightly troubled look and squeezed her shoulders lightly.

“You really don’t need my help?”

“I really don’t.”

“I see, alright then!”

“… Thank you!”

Xiang Wan smiled.

In her mind, there was nothing more important than the fact that he understood her.

She valued it more than love.

…

The sky outside the detention center looked stunning.

The warm sun in winter was gorgeously red, and that there was a beautiful glow in the sky.

Sweeping away the gloominess in her, Xiang Wan took a deep breath as she lifted her head to look at the ball of light looming up in the sky; tears almost flowed out from her eyes as she did that.

“The sun is so big!”

“You’re an idiot, right?” Bai Muchuan was leading her to walk toward their car when he noticed what she was doing and covered her eyes. He did not know if he should laugh or feel annoyed. “Didn’t you that there are two things in the world that you can’t look directly at?”

“… I know!”

The first one was the sun.

The other one was the human mind.

The streets were filled with people.

Everywhere was bustling with activity.

Everyone has a mind of their own.

Yet no one could understand what was in each other’s minds.

Xiang Wan sat on the “wife’s seat”. Her fingers touched the window and she suddenly felt like asking a question. “So Sir Little Bai, can I look at your mind directly?”

“Of course you can.” Bai Muchuan started the car. “But you better wear an eye mask.”

“… Why?”

“I’m afraid that after you’ve seen it, you’ll force me to write 10 chapters in a day!”

“… Pervert!”

The car was driving down the street.

Both of them were thinking about something and were silent for a long time.

Suddenly, Bai Muchuan heaved a deep sigh.

“Xiang Wan, have you ever thought about…?”

“About what?” Xiang Wan turned her head.

“The book that the murderer replicated was not ‘Murder The Dream Guy’ but ‘The Grey List’…”

“Eh?” Xiang Wan couldn’t react for a moment.

“No! More accurately, he had long thought about using the framework of ‘The Grey List’, but he took the details and the plot of ‘Murder The Dream Guy’!”

At this point, Xiang Wan suddenly realized something; her eyes opened wide as she showed a look of shock.

“Oh right! How could I not realize it until now!?”

“Because you’re dumb!”

In ‘The Grey List’, the real murderer behind the scene became twisted because of an incident that forced him to witness the vileness of human nature. From then on, he felt a deep seething hatred within him and made a long list of people he wanted to seek revenge on. Anyone on the list would have to die—

Moreover, the people on that list had done evil deeds; they could have been a betrayer or even a rapist… Although it was a crime to kill people not by the hands of law, every time he released the truth about these people he killed, there would be others who would give cheers on his deed, for they felt that such people should be better off dead. They felt that they should forgive the murderer, for his crimes were actually justifiable in their opinion. This sparked off different points of view from the public, and people debated over it relentlessly…

Hence, Bai Muchuan named the book as “The Grey List”.

A color that sits between black and white.

It also represented the middle ground between right and wrong, good and bad…

That was the human mind, and why people could not look directly at it.

In this series of cases, the murders behind these crimes were similar to ‘The Grey List’. The murderer made a list of his perceived “murderers” who refused to help his wife and child during the disaster and exact revenge on them.

That murderer was Cui Ming.

Xiang Wan’s eyebrows furrowed in thought. “In this way, the logical chain is clearer now.”

Bai Muchuan swept a glance. “Tell me about it.”

“From the recording that Meng Chi used to drive Lima crazy,” replied Xiang Wan, “that means he already knew everything about what happened 20 years ago. Back then, Meng Chi’s mom and sister were also on that bus. Later on, Meng Chi’s mom went crazy and his sister died. It’s the same for Mr. and Mrs. Zhao, Sun Shangli and Tan Ziyang, as well as your mom… all these cases are similar in a way.”

Bai Muchuan showed a clouded countenance and remained silent.

Xiang Wan cleared her throat. “Back in Jin City, Cui Ming plotted against Xie Wanwan and her doll got stolen where her past was exposed to the public, causing her to want to jump to her death… In this situation, if Meng Chi seek revenge against Cui Ming, it is entirely reasonable.”

“Mm.” Bai Muchuan chuckled. “It’s the same as what we analyzed previously.”

“Yes, the 121 case in Xi City was a trap under the pretense of ‘The Temptation of the Rich & Famous’. They framed me, so they could involve you and Serious Crime Division One and led the police to direct their attention to Nanmu to remove the Dark Clan once and for all. After that, he found an opportunity to get rid of Cui Ming—a perfect instance of killing him through the hands of another. If this person is Meng Chi, we could explain all these doubts we had.”

“Yup.” Bai Muchuan nodded, agreeing to her analysis.

“A pity though…” Xiang Wan sighed. “Everything is so reasonable and logical until the last part when Meng Chi took Xie Wanwan and Ye Lun away, then fired at Tu Liang with so many police officers around. This is too strange!”

Bai Muchuan remained silent.

“What he had done in the past was perfect. Even if Ye Lun really stepped out and said that he had seen Yu Bo, it was not something that could pin him to the crime. Why did he have to do this?”

“Didn’t you already say that he is suffering from split personality disorder?”

“Even if that’s the case, it’s still strange.” Xiang Wan changed to a more comfortable position. “No matter which personality was dominant, who would want to risk oneself by killing someone with so many pairs of eyes watching your every move? Otherwise, why did he have to make a plan so meticulously in the first place?”

“…”

Nobody could answer this question.

This was the only thing that they couldn’t explain at the moment.

“Don’t delve into it any deeper. You might go crazy.” Bai Muchuan smiled at her in consolation. “Little Xiang Wan, there won’t be a perfect crime. Even if I did it, I have no confidence to make sure that the police wouldn’t find any evidence against me. Meng Chi is just an ordinary man! He might be too overconfident for all we know!”

“Aye! Seems like this is the only explanation!”

Meng Chi refused to confess what he had done and went through.

How would they know what he was actually thinking?

Xiang Wan sighed regretfully. Then she gave it a thought, and her eyes suddenly brightened.

“So Sir Little Bai, can I write a different ending in my novel then?”

Bai Muchuan stepped on the brakes as he stopped at the red traffic lights.

“What kind of ending are you thinking about?”

Xiang Wan blinked her eyes. “Please look forward to it!”

…

In a funeral parlor in the Capital…

Snow danced around the sky along with the cold winds in the early morning.

It was white, sacred and everything was still as if the surrounding was bidding its farewell to that wisp of soul.

Sorrowful sighs felt like bitter cries.

Elegant couples showed their grief.

That day was Tu Liang’s memorial service and his ceremony for cremation.

Shen Wenjing only wanted a simple ceremony by informing friends and relatives. She did not want to publicize it in a grand manner.

It was not what Tu Liang wanted, and not what she wanted too.

The title “Hero”… was not suitable for just anyone.

Shen Wenjing was clearer than most that if she became the “wife of the hero”, it would bound her for life and every step she took would fall under scrutiny.

Bai Muchuan respected her decision and had conveyed her wishes to the superiors to make this a low-key event—

Unexpectedly, many people still turned up at the ceremony.

The people who came organized amongst themselves voluntarily, when they caught hold of the news.

Some of them had gained Tu Liang’s help in the past. Some came when they heard of the news from the internet and wanted to pay their last respects for the hero who had sacrificed while in duty.

They held white chrysanthemums in their hands as they stood quietly outside the funeral parlor, not disturbing anyone or making any commotion.

That color was like the color of snow!

It felt like they were one with the snow, fluttering about in the sky.