Chapter 118: Romance

Zhang Mu was indeed frequently having dreams, and she was indeed dreaming of a child whose gender was indistinguishable. All of this was a manifestation of Zhang Mu's own psychological distress. Her subconscious had already concluded that it was the Kuman Thong that was helping her, and although she did not want to return the doll, she was still inwardly anxious.

At first, this anxiety did not lead to any serious consequences, but under the weight of her psychological pressure, Zhang Mu gradually began to suffer from a mental breakdown. By the time the situation became severe, she felt deep regret—she regretted not listening to Wu Qingshan and returning the Kuman Thong within a year.

It was not only Zhang Mu who felt regret, but Charlie as well. Charlie said that if he had known Zhang Mu would suffer another mental breakdown as a result, he would have returned the Kuman Thong immediately, even if only to appease her. Zhang Mu’s condition spiraled out of control, and she became increasingly suspicious and paranoid.

Just as one wave subsided, another rose. Charlie suddenly discovered that Zhang Mu had a connection with someone: Zhou Sheng.

Zhang Mu and Zhou Sheng were lovers, their romance beginning before Zhang Mu became "Z." As Zhang Mu started to recount the details of their relationship, I smiled slightly. What she described was much as I had surmised; when a playboy falls deeply in love, it can sometimes become even more uncontrollable than for an ordinary person.

Zhou Sheng and Zhang Mu had met by chance while Zhang Mu was still working odd jobs. Initially, Zhang Mu could sense that Zhou Sheng approached her only because he wanted to sleep with her, as she bore a striking resemblance to the beautiful actress Z. However, as they spent time together, they unexpectedly fell in love.

Zhou Sheng did not tell anyone. He was trying to find a way to bring Zhang Mu into his family. Because his parents were incredibly wealthy, they were particularly obsessed with social status, a fact of which Zhou Sheng was keenly aware. Just as they were falling deeper in love, Z’s scandal broke, and Charlie approached Zhang Mu.

Zhang Mu was tempted; she felt this was an excellent opportunity. If she could replace Z, her status and standing would be elevated overnight. To Charlie’s frustration, Zhang Mu revealed all her secrets to Zhou Sheng. Zhou Sheng had truly fallen for her, so he kept her secret. Especially after learning that Zhang Mu had killed Z, he dared not speak of it to anyone.

Perhaps, in the beginning, Zhou Sheng also thought this was a good opportunity. But he had not anticipated that his parents, beyond demanding a match of equal status, were also fixated on the "purity" of their future daughter-in-law. Zhou Sheng must have been deeply troubled, but by then, everything had already started. They had no way to turn back and could only take things one step at a time.

When they arrived in the capital, Zhang Mu’s mental state deteriorated further. Several times, she nearly confessed to her crime. Distraught, she began to distance herself from Zhou Sheng, but Zhou Sheng became obsessive. To keep him in check, Charlie initially told him to stay in the Hong Kong district, claiming that Zhang Mu wanted him to become a respectable man.

After putting Zhou Sheng off for about a month, Zhou Sheng could no longer restrain himself and took the initiative to come to the capital to find Z.

Meanwhile, Wu Qingshan began demanding a high hush-money fee from Charlie, who felt increasingly that the situation was becoming impossible to hide. After meeting with Zhang Mu, Wu Qingshan made an excuse, claiming he could not handle the vengeful Kuman Thong, but as soon as he left, he arranged to meet Charlie at the old mansion.

At that time, malice had already taken root in Charlie’s heart. On the night of the meeting, taking advantage of Wu Qingshan’s lack of vigilance, Charlie picked up a metallic Kuman Thong doll and struck him heavily on the back of the head. Before Wu Qingshan was fully dead, Charlie gouged out his eyes and sliced off his nose. The vengeful Charlie completely destroyed Wu Qingshan’s features.

Leveraging the rumors that the old mansion was haunted, Charlie simply glued Wu Qingshan’s facial features onto the Kuman Thong dolls, hoping to shift the blame onto the occult.

"Were all the Kuman Thong dolls in the old mansion prepared by you?" I asked.

Charlie shook his head. "When I arrived, those dolls were already there. I just found a pile of them and buried him inside."

I was slightly surprised. I had assumed the piles of dolls were Charlie's doing, but it now seemed they were either prepared by Wu Qingshan or someone else entirely. The bizarre events we experienced on the night we visited the mansion were not caused by Charlie.

I set aside my doubts for the moment and urged Charlie to continue.

After killing Wu Qingshan, news of his disappearance reached Zhang Mu, who turned pale with fright, convinced that the Kuman Thong had exacted its revenge. Seeing her reaction, Charlie realized he could no longer control her, and another criminal thought emerged: he would kill everyone who knew the truth, and finally, he would kill Zhang Mu.

Over two years, Zhang Mu became a massive star, and Charlie earned a fortune through this new cash cow. In his eyes, fame and wealth were always more important than life itself. Thus, Zhou Sheng, who had arrived in the capital, became his next target.

Zhou Sheng never managed to contact Zhang Mu, though he met with Charlie several times. Charlie told him that Zhang Mu no longer loved him and urged him to get lost. Charlie was taking a risk; he knew that a wealthy heir who knew Zhang Mu was a murderer and still traveled to the capital to find her must truly love her, and he gambled that Zhou Sheng would not expose her.

As expected, Zhou Sheng, in his distress, became self-destructive in the underground parking garage. Charlie began staging eerie incidents there to prepare for Zhou Sheng’s murder.

Zhou Sheng loved Zhang Mu deeply, to the point of insanity; this explained why he never left that garage. The bizarre surveillance footage Zhou Sheng saw or heard was all orchestrated by Charlie. Zhou Sheng was terrified, but he was unwilling to leave.

Originally, Charlie intended to make more thorough preparations to make the death look identical to Wu Qingshan’s, which would have better shifted the case onto the Kuman Thong. But he hadn't anticipated that when Chen Fan and I went to the parking garage, we would meet Zhou Sheng and inquire about him in the elevator.

Our discovery accelerated Zhou Sheng’s death.

Charlie felt things were going wrong. Lacking time for further preparation, he was forced to act hastily. That was why he killed Zhou Sheng in such a rush.

The subsequent case, Charlie’s own "murder," was a ruse he committed himself to clear his own name. All the cases revolved around people close to Z, and Charlie was Z’s closest associate; victims are rarely suspected as perpetrators.

Charlie’s plan was unfolding step by step. His final goal was to cause Zhang Mu’s death, stage it to look as if he had narrowly escaped, and then flee abroad with the money. However, Charlie did not expect that I would set a trap for him.

Charlie was clever; he had left no evidence during his crimes. Although I had basically confirmed that he was the killer, I lacked the proof to convict him. Compared to Li Deshui, the killer in the "Ghost Food Delivery" case, Charlie was far more cautious. Li Deshui was eventually undone by a hairdryer, but Charlie would not be so easily convicted. The only option I could think of was to tempt him into committing another crime so we could catch him in the act.

I had Luo Feng kidnap Z’s mother and bring her to the capital. When I took her to see Zhang Mu, Zhang Mu’s reaction confirmed my suspicion that she was not Z.

I did not explain the details to Z’s mother; instead, I acted out a play with her. Z’s mother was the key to solving the case, and her sudden appearance was something Charlie had never anticipated.

I was certain that because of her arrival, Charlie would act, as she was the most likely person to expose Zhang Mu’s scheme of substitution.

That day, I had Zhang Mu and Charlie stay with Z’s mother. Zhang Mu was clearly terrified, hesitating and resisting, but this time, Charlie was much more decisive.