Chapter 546: Good Luck

Hearing this, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue had a general understanding, but they patiently listened to Old Wang continue.

Old Wang asked Chen Shi for another cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he gazed at the ceiling. “You know, life is about fate, luck, and feng shui, then virtue, and lastly, education. I have none of these. For some people, life is a series of choices; for me, it’s a series of right or wrong answers, and I can’t afford to make any mistakes! I believed Tamura’s lies and started learning Japanese, got a passport. Tamura said he bought a house in Japan for his sister, and we could only get married if we had a house. He could only pay the down payment; I had to cover the 20-year mortgage. I thought, if he’s gone this far, I should pay! Besides, when Yukari passes away, the house will be mine anyway.

“I sold my family home and gave Tamura 4,000 yuan in cash every month. He would show me bank receipts to prove it was being used for the mortgage. For years, I tightened my belt, sending money for the Japanese house, constantly asking Tamura when I could move to Japan. He told me to pass the Japanese language test—I did. He told me to gain work experience—I did. He told me to get a chef’s certificate—I was working on it… He always had reasons to delay. I felt something was wrong, but I still believed him. I had seen it with my own eyes; he couldn’t possibly be lying!”

Chen Shi interrupted, “You and Tamura were so close. Didn’t anyone in the crew know?”

“We were filming anti-Japanese dramas. What happens on set affects off-set relationships. Look at actors who play couples—they often end up together. If they play enemies, they don’t become friends. And the crew atmosphere was like that; everyone disliked the Japanese. I’m a proud Chinese man—if word got out that I planned to immigrate to Japan, marry a Japanese woman, and change my name, how could I face anyone?”

Chen Shi thought, the irony was sharp. The guy who hated the Japanese the most in the crew was the one planning to immigrate there.

“Alright, continue.”

“That day at dinner, everyone was teasing them. Fujiwara got upset and said Tamura’s family was struggling. His wife was paralyzed, so he came to China to act and pay for her treatment. I was stunned and saw Tamura’s uneasy expression. It couldn’t be true—his sister was paralyzed, his wife too? Plus, Tamura always said he wasn’t married. I suddenly realized I had been deceived all these years. There was no plan to immigrate; he was just waiting to scam enough money and then disappear!

“So I didn’t drink any more that night, dumping it all out. I was furious, grabbed a knife intending only to scare him. I threw stones at his window, and Tamura came down. I asked him what was going on, demanding my money back. Tamura said the money had gone to the hospital, arrogantly saying I deserved to be fooled. He even said he was leaving China the next day!

“Going to Japan was my only hope. Now I had nothing—no house, no future, no wife. How could he do this to me? I snapped, stabbed him in the neck, then slashed his throat. Blood sprayed on me, and I realized I had killed him.

“The noise alerted Fujiwara. I hid in the alley. Tamura was still twitching when Fujiwara came to check. He had his back to me. I couldn’t let him go; he’d expose everything. Who knew what they had discussed? Fujiwara must have known! So I approached him, he was calling Tamura’s name and didn’t hear me. I stabbed him in the back, then two more times. He fell.

“I took the warehouse key from Fujiwara’s pocket, planning to get a tricycle or something to move the bodies. Leaving them there, they’d be found. Like you said, I saw Japanese officer uniforms in the warehouse and had an idea. I dressed them up, tied them, and made them kneel. It was September 18th—the police wouldn’t expect it!” Old Wang shook his head. “I was naive. I should have dumped them in a sewer to make sure you never found the bodies.”

“Why did you clean up Lu Baoqiang’s vomit?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“After the bodies were found, Lu Baoqiang told me. I realized if you knew he wasn’t in the dorm, I had no alibi. So I told him he was asking for trouble, vomiting there. If the police talked to him, his acting career would be over. He got scared and helped me clean it up. It was early morning, no one saw us.”

After verifying some details, the case was solved. They might take Old Wang to the scene for a reenactment later.

Chen Shi said, “We’ve solved many cases. Your method wasn’t clever, but your motive was unexpected.”

Old Wang sighed and shook his head. “These past few days, I’ve been on edge. Saying it all now, I feel better. Honestly, who can I blame for their deaths? It’s Tamura’s fault. Why did he lie to me? He gave me hope, only to crush it. Japanese people can’t be trusted!”

Chen Shi wanted to say something, but felt that any comment now would be pointless.

He just said, “Nothing more to say. Good luck!”

Old Wang bitterly smiled, “My life has no more luck. I killed two foreigners. If not the death penalty, I’ll be in prison for life. Unless there’s a miraculous pardon?”

“Old Wang, as long as you’re alive, there’s always a chance for luck!”