I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 33: Chapter 31: Saw Cai Xi

A night passed, but there were no new developments in the case.

Cai Ke was still in the interrogation room, yelling to see his lawyer. After his voice went hoarse, he started threatening to file a complaint against them with their superiors.

Meanwhile, at the Cais’ residence, Zhuang Yanzheng met with Cai Xi.

The kid wasn’t old, but he was incredibly arrogant.

Facing the police, he sat with one leg crossed over the other, his chin tilted so high it practically touched the sky.

He spoke with a confrontational edge, as if everyone owed him a hundred million.

Cai Xi claimed he hadn’t gone out at all last Sunday afternoon.

He said he’d been at home playing video games all afternoon, straight into the evening.

His father had even yelled at him that evening because he was gaming nonstop.

He even pulled up his game history from Sunday afternoon.

Zhuang Yanzheng took a look.

From 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

There were indeed game logs.

However... he was absolute trash at it.

Not a single win all afternoon, just a screen full of red ’Defeat’ notices.

Zhuang Yanzheng felt it was bad luck just looking at it.

The surveillance cameras on Qingyang Road hadn’t captured Cai Xi either.

With no substantial evidence, and considering Cai Xi was a minor, they decided not to bring him to the station for the time being.

The next day, Zhuang Yanzheng returned to the scene.

He walked a route that avoided the cameras on Qingyang Road.

To enter the amusement park through the main gate, you had to walk down the street in front of it. That made it impossible to avoid the camera on the corner of Qingyang Road.

So, Zhuang Yanzheng drove a full circle around the amusement park.

He finally stopped beside a willow tree.

The willow tree was right next to the park’s fence.

The fence was high; an ordinary person definitely wouldn’t be able to climb it.

But using the adjacent willow tree would make it much easier.

Zhuang Yanzheng finally discovered a dried bloodstain on one of the fence’s spikes.

’It must have been left by someone climbing over the fence.’

He immediately returned to his car, grabbed his tools, collected the bloodstain, and rushed back to the municipal bureau.

...

Early in the morning, Su Miaoyi woke up in a daze.

She had been dreaming all night again.

The moment her alarm went off, all the dreams vanished, leaving not a single trace in her mind.

She dragged her exhausted body through her morning routine.

Su Miaoyi took out her phone to hail a ride to the pet hospital.

She felt completely drained, just so, so tired.

When she arrived at the entrance of the pet hospital, Shen Yanzhou was already waiting there, holding the cat.

”Mr. Shen.”

Shen Yanzhou smiled and nodded.

”An’an, do you remember me?” Su Miaoyi greeted the cat.

An’an sniffed her fingertips, then looked up at her.

”Want to hold her?” Shen Yanzhou asked.

”May I?” Su Miaoyi asked.

Shen Yanzhou handed the cat to her.

Su Miaoyi held her, stroking her head. ”An’an.”

An’an was very docile in her arms, nuzzling her with her head. She seemed to like her a lot.

Shen Yanzhou found it very strange.

This cat... was usually very wary of strangers and quite timid.

But with Su Miaoyi, it was as if her defense mechanisms had completely failed.

She carried An’an into the hospital.

She stayed with her through the check-up.

It was mainly a prenatal check-up.

Everything was normal; An’an was very healthy.

Su Miaoyi left with Shen Yanzhou, still holding An’an.

”Aw, the fur on her belly has all been shaved off. Good thing it’s warm out now,” Su Miaoyi said.

They had to shave the fur on her belly for the color ultrasound.

”It’s just short fur; it’ll grow back in no time,” Shen Yanzhou said. ”The driver is waiting outside. Take her to the car first. I’m going to ask about a few more things.”

”Okay.” Su Miaoyi looked down at An’an as she walked toward the exit.

Noticing someone coming in, she moved to the side to let them pass.

Her head was down, so she saw a woman in high heels, a boy in white sneakers, and a Pomeranian.

”Mrs. Ji, you’re here?” the hospital receptionist said, coming out to greet them.

Hearing those two words, Su Miaoyi looked up.

Her gaze met Cai Qinglian’s.

Su Miaoyi: ”...”

’I must have forgotten to check the almanac before leaving the house.’

”Why is it you again?” Cai Qinglian frowned.

Su Miaoyi didn’t want to engage with her and planned to just leave, but then her eyes met the boy’s behind Cai Qinglian.

The boy had been staring at her the whole time.

Their gazes locked.

The scene before Su Miaoyi’s eyes suddenly shifted.

Shi Tianyu was on the ground, curled up and covering his head, as two boys kicked him.

”Think you’re so tough, huh?! Don’t you think you’re hot stuff? Let’s see if Zhao Tiantian still likes you when you show up to school on Monday all black and blue!”

”You phony! Think you’re so great ’cause you get good grades? You’re just a poor loser! Even your parents didn’t want you!”

Shi Tianyu remained curled into a ball.

”You’re nothing but a jinx, a burden to everyone!”

Suddenly, Shi Tianyu grabbed one of the boy’s feet and yanked him to the ground.

Then he shot to his feet.

The boy who had fallen scrambled back up.

The three of them started brawling again.

They were fighting with bloodshot eyes, completely enraged.

Shi Tianyu was grabbed from behind. Unable to break free, he kicked the boy in front of him.

The boy staggered back a few steps from the kick, then pulled out a knife tucked at his waist and lunged forward, plunging it into Shi Tianyu’s chest.

The final image was of the terrified face of the boy holding the knife.

Su Miaoyi snapped out of the vision.

The terrified face from the vision overlapped with the face of the boy in front of her.

”I’m talking to you, are you deaf? Did that Cheng family teach you to have no manners at all?” Cai Qinglian’s voice rang in her ear.

Su Miaoyi ignored her. She took a step forward and looked at the boy.

His face overlapped with her memory of him as a child. ”You’re Cai Xi?”

A contemptuous sneer appeared on Cai Xi’s face. ”Don’t say my name, it’s bad luck. I was wondering who it was. So it’s you, the jinx.”

Su Miaoyi narrowed her eyes.

”I am talking to you.” Cai Qinglian raised her hand and shoved Su Miaoyi. ”Did you hear me? Is this how that vegetable-selling couple raised you?”

Su Miaoyi looked at her.

Just as Cai Qinglian raised her hand to shove her again, her arm was seized.

Cai Qinglian cried out in pain.

She startled all the cats and dogs in the clinic.

”Who—! Do you have a death wish—” Cai Qinglian turned her head and met Shen Yanzhou’s gaze. The rest of her words died in her throat. ”Young Master Shen?”

Shen Yanzhou flung her arm away and shielded Su Miaoyi behind him. ”Mrs. Ji, and this... dog-walker here. You’ve truly opened my eyes to the Ji Family’s upbringing.”

Cai Qinglian’s face instantly turned ashen. ”Young Master Shen, aren’t your words a bit out of line?”

”Considering you’re an older woman, I was already holding back,” Shen Yanzhou said. ”What? Would Mrs. Ji prefer I say something even nastier?”

Cai Qinglian was so choked with anger by his words that the flesh on her face trembled.

”What’s wrong with my aunt? We were just speaking the truth, and besides—” Cai Xi didn’t get to finish.

Shen Yanzhou cut him off coolly. ”What are you? Do you have any right to speak here?”

”You!” Cai Xi suddenly took a step forward.

Su Miaoyi subconsciously pulled Shen Yanzhou back slightly.

She remembered the vision of him lunging forward with the knife.

However, a single glance from Shen Yanzhou was enough to scare Cai Xi into freezing in place.

Shen Yanzhou lowered his gaze to look at Su Miaoyi’s hand on his arm.

Su Miaoyi let go of his arm and faced Cai Qinglian. ”My aunt and uncle raised me very well; you have no right to comment. With your attitude, acting like a vitriolic shrew, I’m just glad I didn’t grow up in your family. With people like you, what kind of good child could you possibly raise? Do you even know the meaning of the word ’upbringing’?”

”You!” Cai Qinglian started to say something.

Su Miaoyi cut her off. ”The next time you see me, please take a wide berth. Stop coming near me and making me sick. Otherwise, I might not be able to stop myself from airing out all the Ji Family’s dirty laundry from over the years, so everyone can see what kind of character you all really have.”

Both Cai Qinglian and Cai Xi wanted to say more, but one look from Shen Yanzhou and they didn’t dare.

”Let’s go,” Su Miaoyi said.

Shen Yanzhou followed her out of the pet hospital.

When they reached the car, Su Miaoyi looked at him and handed An’an back. ”Mr. Shen, I have something to do, so I’ll be leaving first.”

”Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.” Shen Yanzhou said before she could politely refuse. ”It’s no trouble. I’m free today.”

Su Miaoyi thought for a moment and said, ”The municipal bureau.”

...