Captain Xia said that when they were searching in Guanshan Village, the patrol dog suddenly smelled a strange foul odor. The officers immediately rushed in, and as soon as they entered, they saw Liu Lei hanging in front of their eyes.

According to the forensic examination, he had been dead for five days, with the exact time of death around 7 PM on August 13th.

And the taxi driver, Master Chen, had dropped the two people at Guanshan Village at around 6:30 PM.

In other words, Liu Lei died soon after arriving at Guanshan Village.

At the crime scene, there was also a suicide note left behind, but it was addressed to me.

In the note, Liu Lei detailed how he heard me arguing with Yang Kai at home that day, and only then realized how much pain I had been enduring because of Yang Kai's change of heart. He decided to kill Yang Kai, hoping I could be freed from the suffering.

He said he had been imitating Yang Kai's handwriting all along, just in case he needed it one day.

That day, after I left home with my luggage, he decisively took some sleeping pills and the pre-written suicide note to find Yang Kai at home.

Seeing Yang Kai still sulking, Liu Lei went to the kitchen to get some water and mixed in the excessive sleeping pills he had prepared beforehand.

The rest of the process was almost as Captain Xia had guessed. After Yang Kai drank the water, the drug quickly took effect. Once he saw Yang Kai pass out, Liu Lei calmly laid him flat, carefully cleaned the crime scene, and then hurriedly left my house.

After successfully killing Yang Kai, Liu Lei initially felt a rush of excitement. He couldn't wait to share the good news with me.

But as he walked out of the community gate, he hesitated because he involuntarily recalled my fear and hatred toward him.

He realized that even with Yang Kai dead, it was impossible for me to be with him. At that moment, he became afraid that if I knew the truth, I would hate him. He became restless and suddenly didn’t know what to do, so he found an isolated place to drink.

Unexpectedly, he was taken away by a woman, and when he groggily woke up later, he was threatened by her.

"She was Yang Kai's ex. When I attacked Yang Kai, she just happened to come looking for him and quietly witnessed my actions, but instead of calling the police, she forced me to atone with my life. Otherwise, she would make your life miserable forever."

"Ye Lan, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Killing Yang Kai is nothing to regret. If there's a next life, I only hope to meet you sooner."

These were Liu Lei's last words in the note. I closed my eyes and put down the note, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Captain Xia, if you think about it carefully, actually... I am the real culprit."

If it weren't for me, Liu Lei wouldn't have killed Yang Kai, nor would he have committed suicide under someone else's threat. I am the root cause of their deaths.

Captain Xia, however, looked at me and smiled: "Do you really think Liu Lei committed suicide?"

"?"

I was puzzled, wasn’t it all clearly written in the suicide note?

Moreover, the handwriting on this note was identical to the drafts we found in Liu Lei's study, making it difficult for anyone to forge.

"The suicide note might be real, but the autopsy results never lie."

Compared to various analyses and speculations, Captain Xia evidently trusted science more.

"The marks from the rope compressing the soft tissues of the body are called ligature furrows. Due to the body’s weight, these furrows usually adhere closely to the lower jaw, which is where the hyoid bone is situated."

"When the rope is above the hyoid bone, it fixes the person's tongue in place, preventing it from sticking out. But if the rope is below the hyoid bone, the pressure on the hyoid bone forces the tongue to protrude uncontrollably."

I shook my head woodenly, indicating that I didn't understand any of it.

Captain Xia further explained: "The rope marks on Liu Lei's neck were below his hyoid bone, but his tongue did not protrude. The forensic doctor concluded that he was already in a comatose state before being hanged."

"So, he was first put in a noose and then gradually hoisted into the air."

"At the crime scene, we indeed found signs of the rope grazing against the iron hook on the ceiling."

This was the final conclusion of the police investigation.

I listened in shock, my whole body shivering suddenly.

"Clearly, that woman, the woman who took Liu Lei away that night, must be involved in Liu Lei's death!"

But Captain Xia revealed a strange smile on his face.

"What if I told you that there was no such woman in Guanshan Village?"