Chapter 354

Chapter 354

◎Threads of Resentment◎

The celebratory banquet descended into chaos when Su Zhe suddenly lashed out and attacked someone. A few guests, standing farther away and unfazed by the sudden incident, even took out their phones to film the scene.

Security personnel from the club rushed in upon hearing the commotion. After assessing the situation quickly, they immediately called the police.

Du Wenxian, having recovered from the initial shock, stared at the restrained attacker with confusion. “What did I ever do to you? Why would you try to kill me?”

Su Zhe himself was in a daze. All the voices around him sounded muffled, like hearing through water—indistinct and buzzing, making his head ache.

Still, despite his disorientation, he dimly realized what he had done. He had nearly killed someone. If he hadn’t been stopped just in time, that stab would have certainly taken Du Wenxian’s life.

But Su Zhe couldn’t understand it himself. How could he want to kill Du Wenxian? They had no connection other than competing once, where Du Wenxian won first place while he only got second.

Su Zhe held no grudge against Du Wenxian. A loss was a loss. Even if Du Wenxian’s piano skills were inferior, he knew he would have won first if not for a small mistake during his performance. But mistakes were his own fault; he couldn’t blame anyone else.

He couldn’t figure out why he wanted to kill Du Wenxian. And earlier, he had even mistaken Du Wenxian for his aunt—could it be that the person he really wanted to kill was his aunt?

As soon as this thought surfaced, Su Zhe shrank back in horror. Yes, he resented how his aunt had controlled his life, but it was also because of her that he received top-tier education and training from renowned teachers. No matter what, he couldn’t possibly hate her enough to want her dead.

In a daze, Su Zhe was taken away by the arriving police. The knife dropped at the scene was collected as evidence, and Du Wenxian, as the victim, was also required to give a statement at the station.

Too many people following would be impractical, so Ji Yunting suggested his father take his younger brother home first while he accompanied Uncle Du to the police station to handle things.

Ji Nanxing cut in, “I need to go too. There’s something off about Su Zhe.”

Ji Yunting nodded. “Alright, you come with me. Dad can head back first.”

Since Du Wenxian needed to go to the station for questioning, his father naturally followed. However, Du Wenxian rode in the police car, leaving his father to ride in Ji Yunting’s vehicle following behind.

Finally calming down from the harrowing ordeal, Du Wenxian Sr. remembered the one who had truly saved his son from disaster.

Clutching Ji Nanxing’s hand tightly, he was on the verge of tears. “He’s my only son. If anything had happened to him, I wouldn’t know how to live. Nanxing, thank you—thank you so much. You’ve saved my entire family!”

Ji Nanxing gave a faint smile and discreetly tried to pull his hand free. “Wenxian has always been favored by fate—it wasn’t his time to go. Though this crisis was avoided, surviving such a disaster is still a warning. For Wenxian’s future, Uncle Du, remember to donate generously to charity. Breaking bad luck means giving generously.”

Du Wenxian Sr. quickly agreed. “Yes, yes, I’ll remember. I’ll make donations! How about I build a few schools in Wenxian’s name? That way we can provide long-term support. Would that be better?”

Ji Nanxing replied, “As long as it genuinely helps people.”

Afraid he might forget, Du Wenxian Sr. immediately called his assistant to arrange it. His son’s future was at stake—there was no room for delay.

At the police station, while Du Wenxian was giving his statement, his father waited outside. After making a phone call, Ji Nanxing turned to his brother. “I’ll check on things. I might head straight to the Bureau afterward, so don’t wait for me.”

Ji Yunting nodded. “Be careful. I’ll have another car sent over to wait for you.”

Watching Ji Nanxing walk deeper into the station, Du Wenxian Sr. asked curiously, “Where is Nanxing going?”

Ji Yunting explained, “There’s something unusual about that Su Zhe who attacked today. Nanxing is a Taoist from the mystic arts circle who deals with supernatural cases, so he needs to look into it thoroughly.”

Du Wenxian Sr. was astonished. “Little Nanxing is already a Taoist at such a young age? No wonder he could sense my son’s impending danger at a glance. That’s an incredible skill.”

When it came to his younger brother, Ji Yunting never held back praise. “Putting everything else aside, Nanxing has truly inherited his master’s abilities. Though young, he’s already a leading figure in the field.”

Du Wenxian Sr. piled on more praise. People with real talent were rare, and being on their good side was definitely a plus.

Originally, his return to the country was mainly because his son wanted to develop his career here. Though his rubber plantations abroad couldn’t be moved, to ensure his son’s success domestically, he could collaborate with major medical equipment companies to build connections.

The Ji family was naturally among the candidates for collaboration. Although he and Ji Xianhong were close friends, they'd stayed in touch even during years abroad, but business and personal matters were kept separate. Even brothers kept clear accounts.

But now, with this life-saving favor, they'd naturally need to renegotiate terms.

The collaboration between the two families had always been handled by Ji Yunting. The Ji family primarily focused on pharmaceutical R&D, and while they dabbled in medical equipment, they were far from being industry leaders. Aside from technological barriers, the biggest obstacle to mass production was raw material supply.

The major equipment manufacturers had long monopolized the suppliers. The Ji family had only been playing at it small-time, treating the profits as just pocket change for the younger siblings—as long as they didn’t incur losses.

If the Du family could offer more favorable terms, they might consider expanding production lines. With both technology and capacity, they could carve out a share of the market. After all, who would complain about more money? A thicker wallet for the younger siblings meant they could buy whatever they wanted—wouldn't that be nice?

Du Wenxian and Ji Yunting shared a look of understanding, reaching an unspoken agreement.

Su Zhe was temporarily detained, but no one had questioned him yet. The police were still at the club gathering witness statements and reviewing surveillance footage.

Once the evidence was collected, they would question Su Zhe to determine his motive. The case would likely be prosecuted as attempted murder, depending on how his defense lawyer argued.

Locked up, Su Zhe became more clear-headed. Though he still couldn’t comprehend why he had suddenly snapped and tried to kill someone, he clearly remembered his actions—and knew he was finished.

In front of so many witnesses, he had nearly murdered the Youth Music Competition champion. As the runner-up, his motive looked cut-and-dried. Even if he claimed he harbored no ill will toward Du Wenxian, no one would believe him—because he had almost succeeded in killing him.

Even if he escaped with a light sentence, the whole public debacle would follow him forever.

When Ji Nanxing arrived, Su Zhe sat there numb, his expression hollow, like a man who'd given up on life.

Ji Nanxing pushed the door open. "You’re surprisingly calm."

Su Zhe looked up, startled to see Ji Nanxing. "Why are you here?"

They'd only met once before—they barely knew each other. And this was a police station. The officers hadn’t even questioned him yet, yet here was Ji Nanxing.

Ji Nanxing casually lit a stick of incense nearby. The incense smoke curled, making the lingering black threads clinging to Su Zhe recoil faster.

With a flick of his fingers, Ji Nanxing collected two wisps and trapped them in a golden bell before asking, "Do you hate Du Wenxian?"

Su Zhe, bewildered by Ji Nanxing’s presence, still had to speak up for himself. "If I told you I don’t hate him, that we’ve never had any conflict, and that I never once thought of killing him—would you believe me?"

Ji Nanxing nodded. "I believe you."

Hearing this, Su Zhe felt some of the tightness in his chest loosen. Yet he scoffed bitterly. "What does it matter if you believe me? The evidence is right there. I almost killed him—in front of everyone."

Ji Nanxing asked, "What were you thinking when you rushed at him with the knife? Or what did you see?"

Su Zhe stared at him. "Why are you here? Are you a cop? No—you’re still in high school. You can’t be a cop."

Ji Nanxing: "I’m a Taoist. When cases involve supernatural elements, the Bureau’s investigative authority takes precedence over the police."

Su Zhe was baffled. "A Taoist? Like, ghost-hunting Taoists?"

Isn't this supposed to be the age of science? Were ghosts actually real? And did the police know about Taoists?

Ji Nanxing: "Don’t worry about who I am. Right now, you're carrying Grudge. If you want justice, cooperate with me. If you already know what you did to invite this disaster and refuse to help, I won’t force you. The legal process will proceed as usual."

Su Zhe: "Carrying Grudge? Are you saying I was possessed when I did that?"

Ji Nanxing: "We’ll only know after investigating. What were you thinking when you held the knife?"

Su Zhe, who'd thought there was no way out, now saw a possible way out. Eagerly, he replied, "I felt totally not myself—like my mind and body weren’t mine. There was a voice in my head, telling me killing her would set me free. The person I saw… wasn’t Du Wenxian."

Ji Nanxing: "Who did you see?"

Su Zhe remained silent for a while before speaking: "It was my aunt I saw."

Ji Nanxing: "Do you hate your aunt?"

Su Zhe nodded, then shook his head. "I'm grateful to her, but I also resent her. My family situation is complicated. My aunt always wanted me to become a musician because my grandfather was once the concertmaster of the Vienna Orchestra. Because of that status, she and Uncle Ding were considered a socially compatible match back then. Unfortunately, none of us inherited Grandfather’s musical talent. After he passed away, our family went downhill fast. My uncle lived for pleasure, and my father failed in business, selling off many of Grandfather's collections. He quarreled with my father, claiming he had a rightful claim to some of Grandfather’s belongings. The whole family fell into chaos. With Grandfather gone and our fortunes plummeting, my aunt lost her status in the Ding household. So she decided to cultivate another musician."

But her own son, Ding Ran, had no musical talent. My uncle continued living for pleasure and never married. Among the younger generation of the Su family, only I remained—and as it happened, I showed an interest and natural ability in music from just a few years old, giving my aunt hope.

He resented his aunt for depriving him of the choice of his future, yet he was grateful for the years of devoted nurturing she gave him.

But unless someone experienced those hardships firsthand, they could never truly understand.

Though I carry the Su surname, I grew up in the Ding household. My aunt pinned all her hopes on me, naturally focusing all her attention on me. Her own son had a mother, but lived like he didn’t. Just this fact alone made it impossible for me and Ding Ran to get along.

Su Zhe: "Can you understand that feeling? Everyone says my aunt favors me, that I stole what belonged to Ding Ran—his friends, the Ding relatives who glare at me and mock me. I feel like an outsider, but they see me as greedy and ugly. She said she wanted to nurture me and brought me into the Ding household. The very next year, my parents had another child. I wasn't close to my real parents, and I couldn't be close to my aunt like a real mother and son. I was caught in between—nowhere felt like home."

I used to naively think I could get along well with my cousin. We’re family, after all—we grew up together. Maybe we could even develop a bond like real brothers.

But my aunt’s favoritism made harmony impossible. No child would accept seeing their own mother favor someone else. Even siblings can’t stand parental favoritism, let alone when the one taking their mother’s love isn’t even blood-related.

When Ding Ran got sick, my aunt was there accompanying me during piano practice. At parent-teacher meetings, she was busy securing me expert guidance. In every moment where a mother was needed, she was absent for Ding Ran, spending her time and energy on me instead. How could anyone accept that?

Growing up in such a toxic environment, how could I not feel resentment?

Su Zhe: "But I never thought about killing anyone. In the Qingyin Competition, I only came in second place. My aunt was furious—she smashed my violin and told me to leave, saying I was hopeless. With all the rumors and mockery from outside, I couldn’t take it calmly. I had my own anger, but no matter what, I’d never hate someone enough to kill them."

Ji Nanxing: "So you and Du Wenxian didn’t have any beef? You weren’t bitter about losing to him?"

Su Zhe shook his head. "I lost because of performance issues during the competition. I can handle wins and losses like that."

Ji Nanxing: "Performance issues? What kind?"

Su Zhe: "I wasn’t feeling well during the competition—I didn’t play my best."

Ji Nanxing’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Su Zhe more closely. Feeling unwell during the competition—that seemed too convenient.

Making note of this, Ji Nanxing asked, "If someone wanted to harm you, who would you suspect most?"

Su Zhe clearly hadn’t been thinking about this question, yet the answer came instantly—he just hesitated to say it aloud.

Ji Nanxing said, "Is it Ding Ran?"

Su Zhe nodded. If anyone wanted to see him ruined, it could only be Ding Ran. Ding Ran hated him—so much that he once hired someone to break his hands. Later, my aunt slapped him and told him to get out.

After that incident, Ding Ran moved out and never returned to the Ding household.

Ji Nanxing: "I’ll go check out Ding Ran. In the meantime, you’ll stay in custody following legal procedures."

Su Zhe looked up at Ji Nanxing. "If it really is connected to him, what happens then?"

Ji Nanxing: "This counts as attempted murder through mystical means. The sentence will follow accordingly."

Su Zhe: "What if I don’t press charges? Can I just drop it?"

Ji Nanxing: "Don’t concern yourself with others when your own suspicion hasn’t been cleared yet. If Ding Ran did something, it’s not up to you whether or not to pursue it. Do you really think it was just luck that stopped you in time today?"

Su Zhe frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ji Nanxing: "Earlier, I saw a death omen on Du Wenxian’s father—an impending violent death. That’s why the bodyguard rushed out when he did."

With that, Ji Nanxing left. He needed to find out more about Ding Ran and track down the source of the Grudge.

Sitting in the interrogation room, Su Zhe felt a chill run through him. Without Ji Nanxing, he would already be a murderer. Even if it were later proven that he was possessed and acted under supernatural control, the fact remained that he had killed someone—a psychological trauma that would haunt him for life.

Even if the law found him innocent, his life would effectively be over.