Chapter 5

The Ghost’s Last Wish 05 The Forgotten One

After calming down the agitated Shen Xu, Os looked at him collapsed on the sofa and couldn’t help but look up at An Ge'er, "Can we talk now?"

Anger nodded, prompting Wang Ai to recount her crime.

Wang Ai's tone and demeanor were very strange as she spoke.

Os had seen many confess, but hearing a bloody crime narrated like a love story, with a sense of intoxicating passion, was a first for him. He now understood what it meant to love desperately.

Wang Ai was once a patient of Chen Benlin, and she fell in love with him during the treatment process.

Hearing this premise, Os felt uneasy, thinking what’s with the girls these days? Chen Benlin was indeed handsome, wealthy, and talented, but also arrogant and ill-tempered. He has mellowed a lot with age... but in his youth, he was simply unbearable.

Seeing the change in Os's expression, An Ge'er slightly smiled, "Os."

"Hmm?" Os turned to look at him.

"The more enigmatic a person is, once understood, their charm becomes boundless," An Ge'er delicately offered an explanation to Os.

"Really?" Os scratched his head, then saw An Ge'er winking at Sun Qi, who was listening intently — so, it’s about maintaining a sense of distance!

Os felt a bit troubled, wondering if he needed to become an annoying character like Chen Benlin to be loved.

Wang Ai's love story is simple, possibly linked to her mental illness at the time.

Wang Ai firmly believed that Chen Benlin had feelings for her.

Mo Fei, who had been listening by the side, felt that Wang Ai might have confused a doctor's care for a patient with romantic love.

Os also clicked his tongue, "Well, Dr. Chen really is better to his patients than to others…" he said, casting a discontented glance at Shen Xu nearby, feeling he was ungratefully repaying kindness, and also felt responsible for bringing him to Dr. Chen in the first place.

But according to Wang Ai, after she made her feelings clear to Chen Benlin and was sure of his reciprocation, he betrayed her, marrying a beautiful and wealthy young lady, forming a happy family, while she lived a life of sorrow.

"You mean his wife?" Os was taken aback.

Wang Ai nodded.

"Wow, your delusions really haven't improved, his wife has known him for a very long time."

Wang Ai looked at him for a moment, "Then why did he fall in love with me? He’s the one who’s fickle!"

Os's mouth twitched slightly, whispering, "Have you never doubted, not even for a moment... that Dr. Chen never actually loved you?"

"No!" Wang Ai shook her head, "I'm certain!"

Os shrugged helplessly, Jiu Yi also found it frustrating, but An Ge'er nodded, saying to Wang Ai, "I believe you, continue."

Everyone looked puzzled at An Ge'er.

Mo Fei, head down, was busily arranging the clothes they had brought back, preparing to wash them.

"Then why did you kill him?" Os wondered, "And... why did you first kill the Shen family and how did you get in touch with Shen Xu?"

Wang Ai fell silent for a while, then, without interruption, began recounting that part of her past.

She had recovered from her illness and wanted to start a new life with Chen Benlin. However, when she went to find him, she saw him proposing to a beautiful woman in a restaurant... the proud Dr. Chen devout like a believer. And seeing the tearful, overjoyed woman, Wang Ai felt utterly incapable of comparing with her.

At that moment, she left expressionlessly, not looking back at the happy, well-matched couple.

Afterward, Wang Ai struggled to make ends meet. She also inquired everywhere, wanting to know the identity of Dr. Chen’s lover, admitting to being just a bit curious, hoping to find even the slightest flaw. She finally learned that the woman was a wealthy heiress, a well-educated, princess-like figure, almost flawless, from a good family, a girls' school graduate, who liked doing charity and helping others, generous and optimistic.

Wang Ai was heartbroken at the time, lacking the courage to compare herself with such a person, quietly fading away.

Once, passing through a rural dogfighting ring that was said to be relocating, she saw three puppies abandoned on the roadside. Feeling they were unwanted like her, she took them home. Despite her financial struggles, she took very good care of the three puppies.

She maintained a daily habit of secretly glimpsing Chen Benlin at the hospital, yet she could never again get close to him, her feelings a complex mix.

One day, Chen Benlin spotted her. He greeted her warmly, asking if she needed any help, but to Wang Ai, this felt more heartbreaking than betrayal… as if the man had no heart.

It was then she conceived a plan for revenge against Chen Benlin. She lied about being unable to find work due to her psychiatric history, claiming life was difficult because no place would hire someone with a mental illness.

Chen Benlin made inquiries at the hospital and found a vacancy for a cleaning job. Thus, Wang Ai stayed, able to meet Dr. Chen legitimately every day.

A few days later, Wang Ai saw a lonely young man sitting by the road, his demeanor mysteriously reminding her of herself - isolated, sorrowful, seemingly betrayed.

She approached and talked to him; the young man was Shen Xu.

In their conversation, Shen Xu revealed his mother had died, his father quickly remarried a very beautiful woman, whom he deeply resented for his father's disloyalty. Later, his stepmother bore a cute sister, and his father was completely taken away by his new wife and daughter, becoming indifferent to him.

Wang Ai responded thoughtfully, “Men are like that, preferring the beautiful and beneficial, often overlooking those who are insignificant. They occasionally give love, but it feels more like a grand act of charity…”

Shen Xu nodded at the time, finding it very reasonable!

Touched by his words, Wang Ai offered to take Shen Xu home as it got late. At his doorstep, she encountered Shen Xu’s mother.

Wang Ai was stunned; Shen Xu’s stepmother was indeed very beautiful, almost identical in aura to Chen Benlin's wife.

Shen Xu’s stepmother thanked Wang Ai and invited her inside. There, Wang Ai saw Shen Xu’s father, a man of the same ilk as Chen Benlin… Their family dynamic, so similar to that couple’s, included a cute little daughter, radiating a happiness that filled her with envy, a bliss she could never attain.

At that moment, Wang Ai felt particularly distressed, a faint resentment rising in her heart, something burning inside her.

Shen Xu and Wang Ai became acquainted over time, often seeking each other for heart-to-heart talks. Both felt abandoned, unloved, and harbored hatred rather than love for everyone around them.

Shen Xu frequently caused trouble, perhaps to get his father’s attention, but Wang Ai noticed his father’s sole focus was on his wife and daughter, showing indifference to Shen Xu.

Thus, Shen Xu harbored deep-seated hatred for everything around him.

One day, Wang Ai fainted at work and woke up in the hospital. After a thorough examination, doctors informed her that, unfortunately, she had late-stage cancer with only a year or two left to live.

Leaving the hospital with her diagnosis, she felt her world collapsing, yearning only to find Chen Benlin for comfort.

However, upon reaching the hospital, she learned that Chen Benlin had taken a two-month leave; his wife was close to giving birth, and he was devotedly caring for her.

Wang Ai quietly found out where his wife's hospital was and sneaked a peek, discovering that Dr. Chen was indeed taking great care of her.

Once again, Wang Ai returned home silently, heart shattered into pieces, not so much from loneliness, but from an inexplicable feeling – that of being detestable.

At home, she found Shen Xu feeding the three dogs.

The once-abandoned puppies, left to fend for themselves on the street, had grown into massive dogs, towering over an adult man. Perhaps due to being confined in a dark room for so long, they were ferocious but obedient to her and Shen Xu.

Seeing Wang Ai's pale face, Shen Xu asked what happened. She confided that she didn't have long to live, wounded by a loved one, feeling her life was worthless.

Knowing her situation, Shen Xu suddenly asked, "Do you hate that doctor?"

Wang Ai nodded, "Yes, I hate him."

"Are you willing to let it go?"

Wang Ai shook her head, "Of course not!"

"What if you could die with him?"

A flicker of light appeared in Wang Ai's eyes.

Thus, Shen Xu made a deal with her. He offered his remaining year for Wang Ai to get close to Chen Benlin. They would help each other fulfill their wishes and bring things to an end!

The two made a pact, proceeding as An Ge'er had deduced. They spent time training the dogs, eventually using them as weapons to commit the crime.

That night, Wang Ai brought the dogs to the Shen residence, while Shen Xu dropped four pairs of shoes from the window. Wang Ai tied the shoes onto the dogs' feet, and then Shen Xu sneakily opened the door… letting the dogs attack.

After the dogs killed three people, they switched the shoes, Wang Ai taking the bloodied ones to burn them, while Shen Xu pretended to faint at the front door, later being found and the police alerted.

The case was nearly flawlessly executed, remaining unsolved.

Later, Shen Xu feigned mental illness and, unsurprisingly, was transferred to the city's best psychiatric hospital. Unbeknownst to him, Os was a friend of Dr. Chen Benlin, making his treatment effortless.

Chen Benlin’s special attention to Shen Xu’s peculiar condition, and Wang Ai’s feigned concern for Shen Xu, afforded her several opportunities for conversations with Chen… That year, Shen Xu was fulfilling his promise, pretending to be mad or traumatized. Wang Ai, on the other hand, was savoring her last moments in life, cherishing the brief daily hours with Chen Benlin, even though he returned to his beloved wife and daughter every evening.

The day Wang Ai received her terminal diagnosis notice, she informed Shen Xu.

On the day of Shen Xu’s final meeting with Dr. Chen, Wang Ai watched from outside, marking her farewell to Dr. Chen.

After everyone left, Shen Xu used the dog’s barking as a signal, time to fulfill their pact. Wang Ai, accompanied by the dogs, went to kill her beloved, fulfilling her final wish.

When the police investigated, Shen Xu pretended to escape, barking like a dog to arouse suspicion. He then went to the police station to report, blaming everything on Wang Ai. He claimed he had been threatened into silence but came forward after she killed Dr. Chen, fearing for his life. His escape was to find a reason for Dr. Chen's death – the news. With Wang Ai facing legal consequences and Shen Xu free, he inherited his parents' substantial fortune and started his own life. His year's ordeal, in exchange for the life he desired, felt worthwhile to him.

After hearing this, Aust looked admiringly at Shen Xu beside him, "Weren't you just a middle schooler a few years ago? How did you come up with such an idea?"

Shen Xu, with a face of indifference mixed with dissatisfaction, lamented, "It's just a pity... the plan fell through." He then glanced at Anger.

Aust frowned, "Lucky that you were caught now, otherwise you'd surely cause major trouble someday. This world indeed has its natural-born villains."

"It's not about being born evil," Wang Ai said with a faint smile. "It's just that people are born into unequal circumstances. Some are too fortunate, inciting envy, while others are so pitiable, losing even basic respect and surrounded by misfortune."

Os told the admiring Sun Qi to stop idolizing Anger and to focus on taking the two culprits back first.

Sun Qi left with his team, mentioning he had a pile of unsolved cases he wanted to consult Anger about and would visit again in a few days.

Aust scratched his head and sighed deeply, "Ah, old Chen, old Chen, how could you die so unjustly, especially to be loved by a lunatic."

Eliza once again climbed onto Aust's shoulder, patting him in an attempt to console.

"Let it be, at least the truth is out. I'll go tell Dr. Chen's family about the outcome," Aust said, downhearted, as he stood up. Ji Yi, seeing him so despondent, offered, "I'll drive for you." Then, he followed Aust out the door.

Mo Fei threw his dirty clothes into the laundry basket and then sat down beside Anger, "This case is quite unsettling... I don't think Wang Ai hated Dr. Chen that much. Why would she do something so cruel?"

"If she weren't doomed to die, she might have secretly loved Dr. Chen for a lifetime," Anger said softly, sipping his tea, "Intense love often gets mixed up with possessiveness." As he spoke, he gently touched Mo Fei's cheek, "Like that question, some people give up love for the happiness of the other, while some, for love, make the other lose happiness... The same goes for Wang Ai and probably Dr. Chen too."

Startled, Mo Fei asked, "You mean, Wang Ai's belief that Dr. Chen liked her wasn't a delusion?"

Anger smiled lightly, "Otherwise, why would Dr. Chen pose that question to her and keep indulging her presence?"

"Guilt?" Mo Fei frowned, "I can't understand."

"No need to understand," Anger put down his teacup, "Wang Ai was destined to die. After assuming her guilt, her name will forever be linked with Chen Bolin. Perhaps that was her last wish. Calling herself a 'beautiful ghost' might be because she knew she was nearing death; 'beautiful' being her final self-assessment in her lonely existence."

"It's disappointing to encounter such a case on the first day back," Mo Fei said as he got up to wash the clothes.

"Don't be disheartened, Mo Fei, just forget it," Anger said, stroking Ace's neck fur, "Some come and go, stirring emotions, but eventually, they are forgotten... Yet, the living must continue. The world is just so. We only need to remember a few."