Chapter 328: The Final Hypnotic Murder

On the way there, Lin Dongxue asked Fan’s mother, “Why do you think they would be there? What’s so special about that place?”

Fan’s mother replied, “That’s… that’s where her father committed suicide.”

She explained that Fan Lixue, Han Jingming, and many other classmates used to live together in old houses that were later demolished to make way for these apartment buildings. However, the project stalled due to financial issues, leaving many people homeless.

Fan’s father, a low-level government employee, had been responsible for convincing the neighbors to agree to the demolition. When people lost their homes, they turned their anger on him. Rumors circulated that he had taken bribes from the developer, but he was just a small bureaucrat without such power.

Neighbors harassed them day and night, making life unbearable. This anger spread to the children, who began bullying Fan Lixue at school. One day, her father drowned on his way home. Although Fan’s mother suspected he was pushed, the police found no evidence of foul play. She had to claim he succumbed to the pressure and took his own life.

After his death, mother and daughter relied on each other. Fan’s mother knew her daughter was being bullied at school, but Fan Lixue kept silent at home to avoid worrying her. Seeing her daughter suffer broke her heart, but she felt powerless.

As she recounted this, Fan’s mother began to cry, and Lin Dongxue offered some comforting words.

The three of them arrived at the abandoned buildings. At night, the place felt eerie. As they searched, Fan’s mother suddenly called out Fan Lixue’s name in distress. Lin Dongxue looked up and saw two figures on the edge of the roof, one of them dangerously close to falling.

Fan’s mother began climbing the stairs in the dark, falling several times. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong followed closely. The building had sixteen floors, and the staircases were open on the sides, making the climb treacherous. By the time they reached the top, Lin Dongxue was out of breath.

“Fan Lixue, your mom’s here. Don’t do anything rash!” Fan’s mother shouted.

“Mom, don’t come any closer!”

Lin Dongxue looked up and saw Fan Lixue standing on the edge of the roof, next to her classmate Han Jingming, who stood motionless like a statue. Fan Lixue held a phone in her hand, ready to play the song “Dark, Dark” which would trigger Han Jingming to take a fatal step forward.

“Don’t come any closer!” Fan Lixue raised her phone as if it were a detonator. “One more step, and I’ll make her jump!”

Lin Dongxue said, “Ji Changxin has been arrested. No one can help you now. If you kill her, you’ll go to prison, maybe for twenty, thirty, forty years. Is it worth it just to get revenge?”

Fan Lixue cried out, “Why should I have to endure their bullying? Teachers say it’s my fault, that ‘flies don’t land on seamless eggs,’ and my mom tells me to just bear it, that it’s our fate. Going to school feels like jumping into a frying pan every day. The sound of the bell terrifies me. The more I cried, the more they laughed. Why? Why? Why? Until Uncle Ji came along, my life was hell. I finally saw a glimmer of hope. Even if I go to prison or face the death penalty, I want them to know I’m not to be messed with.”

“Please, don’t do this…” Fan’s mother wept, collapsing to her knees.

Lin Dongxue continued, “Have you thought about what this would do to your mother if you go to prison? She’ll have to face everyone’s scorn alone, spend decades without you. Don’t make her pay for this. It would be too cruel.”

Fan Lixue bit her lip, her resolve wavering. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong inched closer, ready to pull both girls to safety.

As they got within ten steps, Fan Lixue sensed danger. “Stay back!” She placed a hand on Han Jingming’s shoulder. “One more step, and I’ll push her off. You don’t know what it’s like!”

Xu Xiaodong said, “Fan, I was bullied too, just like you. I also wanted revenge. But violence doesn’t solve anything. Life isn’t fair. You have to get stronger so no one can bully you. That’s why I became a cop.”

“Please, take your hand off her shoulder,” Lin Dongxue urged.

Fan Lixue began to sob uncontrollably. At that moment, Han Jingming suddenly woke up and screamed, “Why am I here?” She lost her balance.

With Fan Lixue’s hand on her shoulder, both girls teetered on the edge. Han Jingming instinctively pushed Fan Lixue to regain her balance, causing Fan Lixue to fall.

“No!” Fan’s mother screamed.

Lin Dongxue lunged but was too late. In the moonlight, she saw Fan Lixue’s twisted body hit the ground, eyes wide open, blood streaming from her mouth.

“She fell on her own! She fell on her own!” Han Jingming cried, terrified. “I don’t know how I got here!”

“Give me back my daughter!” Fan’s mother tried to push Han Jingming off the roof, but Xu Xiaodong stopped her, and Lin Dongxue pulled Han Jingming to safety.

Descending the building, Lin Dongxue felt like she was walking on air. Fan Lixue was dead, her mother wailing over her body. Lin Dongxue, exhausted, answered her ringing phone, “Han Jingming is safe… Fan Lixue is dead.”

“What!?”

“It was an accident…” Lin Dongxue’s voice choked with emotion.

Lin Qiupu informed Ji Changxin in the interrogation room, “Violence only leads to tragedy.”

“If only I had known…” Ji Changxin clutched his head in despair.

Ji Changxin was soon handed over to the judicial system. Despite using hypnosis to induce suicide, his intent was clear, and he couldn’t escape a murder charge.

Before he was taken away, he wished to speak to his daughter. But when the police connected the call, neither his ex-wife nor daughter would speak to him. In that moment, his expression was one of utter soul-crushing defeat.

Han Jingming soon transferred to a new school, where no one knew her. When Lin Dongxue visited to finalize the case, she discovered Han Jingming was being bullied there too.

Word of her past had spread, marking her as a jinx. The students first shunned her, then insulted her, and finally began bullying her. Seeing the fear and bruises on Han Jingming’s face, Lin Dongxue felt a mix of sorrow and frustration. If someone is labeled as different, they quickly become an outcast. Bullying in school perpetuates this toxic cycle.

Before the trial began, Ji Changxin died in custody. His cellmates said he spent the entire day talking to the wall, seemingly insane.

The next morning, Ji Changxin was found dead. He showed signs of cyanide poisoning but had no physical wounds and his organs were intact. He held a button in his mouth. After thorough investigation, the police concluded that Ji Changxin had performed a perfect self-hypnosis, convincing himself that the button was poison. Thus, he “died from poisoning.”

This was the final and most flawless hypnotic murder of his brief criminal career.