Chapter 187: Ji Chunma’s Confession

In the interrogation room, Ji Chunma was eating a large takeaway meal, confessing his crimes in detail.

He was originally born into a wealthy family, but his family fell on hard times. One day, his father, drunk, slit his own artery with a small knife and sped over ten kilometers in the only luxury car that hadn’t been repossessed by the bank, to see whether he would bleed to death or crash first. Ji Chunma didn’t know exactly how his father died, but he hated him deeply. Dying was one thing, but doing it in such a showy way, and destroying his only car in the process, was unforgivable.

All Ji Chunma was left with were bad spending habits and an aversion to work. He couldn’t imagine working for a living. Instead, he relied on the help of friends, especially the Lu brothers, particularly the younger Lu, known as the “Lord Mengchang of Long’an City.” Despite being famous for his debauchery, men and women alike adored him for his outgoing personality and wide network of friends.

The younger Lu once said he didn’t mind if his friends were poorer than him; in his eyes, everyone was poor compared to him. Ji Chunma spent his days flattering and hanging out with him, eating and drinking for free. Eventually, Lu Zhendong approached him with a proposition. Lu Zhendong wanted him to act as an informant, reporting on his younger brother’s activities.

Ji Chunma made a substantial income from this informant work. As Lu Zhendong’s demands escalated, Ji Chunma was asked to sabotage his brother’s reputation further. He would alert the press when the younger Lu was with a celebrity, involved in a car accident, or experimenting with rock music. Once, under Lu Zhendong’s instructions, Ji Chunma planted heroin in the younger Lu’s hotel room and called the police.

Despite these schemes, the younger Lu remained their father’s favorite. His drug use, however, was a step too far. Fearing his son would go down a dark path, the elder Lu sent him to rehab and cut off his financial support.

During those months, the younger Lu, desperate for money, hatched a kidnapping plan, convincing his cronies, including Ji Chunma, to participate. He assured them that even if the police found out, it wouldn’t matter as it wasn’t a real kidnapping. He would vouch for them.

Motivated by money, they embarked on this farce. Then, Lu Zhendong contacted Ji Chunma with a new, more sinister plan. Initially terrified, Ji Chunma eventually succumbed to the lucrative reward, agreeing to turn the fake kidnapping into a real one and kill his brother.

The plan went smoothly. Lu Zhendong himself participated in the killings, using tools he brought. During the murders, a drop of Lu Zhendong’s blood landed on the ransom money. Ji Chunma, ever cautious, kept that marked bill as leverage against Lu Zhendong.

The five million ransom couldn’t be spent. Lu Zhendong had overheard police conversations and knew some of the money was marked. They burned the ransom money, except for the bill Ji Chunma kept.

Ji Chunma thought it was over, but a skilled detective uncovered the truth, and suspicion fell on him. When the police came to arrest him, he jumped out of a window and fled to the countryside.

Living in hiding was hard for Ji Chunma. Feeling wronged that Lu Zhendong escaped scot-free, he called him, threatening to turn himself in with the blood-stained bill as evidence. Lu Zhendong had no choice but to send him money, fake IDs, and vehicles, supporting him in hiding.

Life on the run wasn’t so bad with money. Ji Chunma stayed close to Long’an City, occasionally returning for the local food. As the heat died down, he found a mistress, buying property and saving money under her name while continuing to extort Lu Zhendong.

He later took another mistress. His first mistress, Wang Xifeng, wasn’t happy, but after a beating, she agreed to live together. Whenever Ji Chunma was back, he enjoyed the company of both women, though he knew they weren’t faithful. He didn’t care; it was a transactional relationship, and he had money.

Five years on the run taught him the patterns of police investigations. He knew when to hide in the countryside and when it was safe to return. Recently, he saw news of Lu Zhendong’s murder. Shocked but relieved, he thought his dangerous game was finally over. With enough money to live comfortably, he planned to return to Long’an City and destroy the bill, living peacefully with his two women.

Unexpectedly, upon his return, Wang Xifeng told him she accidentally broke the antique where he hid the bill. She casually mentioned depositing the “dirty” bill at an ATM. Panicked, Ji Chunma rushed to the ATM but couldn’t find it. Realizing the game was up, he prepared to flee again.

The police would trace the bill to Wang Xifeng, who knew too much. She had to die. The second mistress, Qiu Ping, also had to go.

Ji Chunma returned home, where Wang Xifeng, unaware of the danger, kept asking what was wrong. Ji Chunma first took out his frustrations on Qiu Ping, satisfying his desires before what he knew would be a long dry spell. He didn’t touch Wang Xifeng, fearing he might kill her in his anger.

Afterward, he slit Qiu Ping’s throat with a fruit knife, then turned on Wang Xifeng. Seeing him covered in blood, she tried to flee, but he stabbed her from behind. He kept stabbing, venting his fury on the woman who ruined his plans.

Hungry after the killings, he went to the kitchen but found nothing. The fridge was full of face masks. He found some dried goods and noodles in the pantry but craved meat. Then, he had an idea: using Qiu Ping’s tender flesh. He cut a piece from her leg, making a delicious noodle soup with the meat.

Satisfied, he executed his escape plan, which might have worked if not for the police freezing Wang Xifeng’s credit cards, Lu Zhendong’s death cutting off his funds, and a driver recognizing him.

“You’ll never catch me!” Ji Chunma sneered, ending his confession.