The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 35

Suspicion – 05

---

On the second of July, it marked the most significant day in Liu Le's twenty-one-year life. On this day, Liu Le finally summoned the courage to confess to the girl she had secretly admired for three years, Ouyang Xue. In Liu Le's eyes, Ouyang Xue was so kind, so beautiful. She was like a radiant sun, making others feel inadequate in her presence, yet also like a moon casting soft light, always caring for those around her.

Liu Le was a girl who liked girls, something she had been certain of since the age of twelve. When she entered university, she was instantly captivated by Ouyang Xue, not just because of her obvious beauty, but more importantly, because of Ouyang Xue's kindness, gentleness, resilience, and the shining humanity she exuded.

Liu Le once felt that she couldn't bring happiness to Ouyang Xue and decided to keep her feelings hidden. For three years, she quietly cared for and looked after her. However, she unintentionally learned that Ouyang Xue was just like her. After much deliberation, Liu Le finally decided to confess on this very day.

"I'll wait for you at Left Bank of the Seine at nine p.m.," Liu Le texted Ouyang Xue.

"Okay," Ouyang Xue replied simply.

After dinner, Ouyang Xue said goodbye to their roommates, mentioning that she wanted to take a walk alone. Liu Le understood this was an effort to keep their two other roommates from suspecting anything. After all, given the strained relationship under the same roof, it was better that they didn't know too much.

To avoid being seen by the teachers, Liu Le snuck out through the dormitory's back garden and excitedly made her way to Left Bank of the Seine to wait for the girl she adored. She never expected this goodbye would be a farewell forever. Liu Le waited until about eleven p.m., but there was still no sign of Ouyang Xue. When she tried calling her, she found Ouyang Xue's phone was switched off. Anxiously, she decided to return to the dormitory to check.

Liu Le arrived back at the dormitory around eleven-twenty p.m. to find it completely empty. A few minutes later, she saw Wang Shan and Bai Xiaoting hurrying back in, their expressions anxious.

Bai Xiaoting was a scheming bitch who outwardly seemed close to Ouyang Xue but secretly conspired with Wang Shan to make life difficult for her. Liu Le had observed it all. The cause? Pure jealousy. Sometimes, girls as exceptional as Ouyang Xue were not very popular with other girls.

"What were you up to?" Liu Le demanded.

"What were you up to?" Wang Shan retorted sharply.

"Tomorrow, if the teacher asks, we all must insist we were in the dormitory, otherwise, no one's getting off easy!" Bai Xiaoting glared at Liu Le.

"Where's Xiao Xue? Did you do something to her?" Liu Le grabbed Bai Xiaoting by the collar.

"Let her go! Ouyang Xue left the dormitory on her own, whatever happened has nothing to do with us!" Wang Shan stepped in to pull Liu Le away, shoving her to the floor in one swift move. With a loud smack, Bai Xiaoting slapped Liu Le across the face.

"Don't get cocky too soon, there are surveillance cameras at the front of the dorm area," Liu Le covered her face and hissed. "There'll be a record of when you left and when you came back."

"So what? It's not like we did anything, is taking a walk at night a crime now?" Wang Shan wasn't willing to show weakness. "Or is it worse than you sneaking out through the back garden?"

Liu Le fell silent and had a sleepless night. The next morning, the news of Ouyang Xue's murder arrived.

"That's what happened last night, it must have been Wang Shan and Bai Xiaoting who killed Xiao Xue!" Liu Le's face streaked with tears.

Yu Tiantian listened to her account, then quietly pressed the pause button on the recorder.

"Why didn't you tell all this to the police?" Yu Tiantian looked at Liu Le suspiciously.

"I have no evidence, saying it would be pointless! And what about my orientation, if I explain that to the police, would they even understand? They'd probably start questioning where I was when I wasn't in the dormitory. If Wang Shan and Bai Xiaoting turn it around and accuse me, I might end up being the suspect, don't you think?" Liu Le replied.

"You said you love Ouyang Xue, but now that she's been murdered, you won't even report your suspicions to avoid implicating yourself, it seems your so-called love has its limits," Yu Tiantian said coldly.

"I... I just don't want to..." Liu Le's voice grew softer and softer.

"Alright, I understand the situation now." Yu Tiantian stood up to leave. "We'll contact you if there are any developments."

Liu Le sat motionless in her seat without saying another word.

City bureau.

Yu Tiantian reported the situation truthfully, adding at the end, "Liu Le's account isn't entirely reliable. Ouyang Xue's time of death was estimated to be between eleven and twelve p.m. None of the three were in the dormitory during that time, who knows if Liu Le fabricated this story as an alibi for herself?"

"Too scared to tell the police, yet willing to speak to a journalist, clearly trying to use public opinion to shift blame onto the other two and clear her own name," Lu Zheng remarked.

"Could it be that Liu Le did it? She failed to pursue Ouyang Xue and killed her when her love turned into hate..." Chen Chen speculated.

Before they could delve further, Ma Qin rushed in, flustered. "Boss, something's happened! Wang Shan and Bai Xiaoting were attacked in the hills behind the food factory. Bai Xiaoting is unconscious and has been taken to the hospital, but Wang Shan's whereabouts are unknown!"

"What about Liu Le?" Gu Yanta asked immediately.

"She's unreachable!"

"Fuck! Could it really be that Liu Le did it?" Chen Chen exclaimed. "Boss! Why are we still standing here? Let's catch her!"

"No way! How long has it been since Liu Le and I parted ways?" Yu Tiantian was sceptical.

"If Liu Le was so desperate to clear her name, why would she do something at this critical moment to expose herself?" Lu Zheng frowned.

"We can't jump to conclusions on whether it's Liu Le yet, she's just one girl with limited physical strength, how could she knock one person unconscious and abduct another?" Gu Yanta said, waving his hand. "Centre the search around the spot where Bai Xiaoting was found and start a search with a one-kilometre radius. We must find Wang Shan!"

Bai Xiaoting had been attacked in the wilderness behind the Prosperity Food Processing Plant. Struck on the head with a blunt object, she fell unconscious on the spot. After an unknown amount of time, she regained partial consciousness, possibly driven by her survival instincts, and managed to call her teacher for help. However, before the teacher and rescue team could reach the scene, she slipped into unconsciousness once more.

It was midsummer, and the dense vegetation of the forest, coupled with the challenges of conducting a search at night, made the operation extremely difficult. Despite the combined efforts of the entire team and several police dogs borrowed from the SWAT unit, two hours of continuous searching yielded no results.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!" Suddenly, several police dogs began barking frantically in the southwest direction.

"Over there..." Gu Yanta frowned.

The southwest area behind the mountain was an undeveloped zone. Yuchuan City, located in a hilly region, was surrounded by undulating mountains of varying heights. While some areas unsuitable for development remained untouched, others had been levelled to expand urban construction. Given the high value of land in the Yuchuan Technology Park, it can be imagined that any undeveloped area was due to treacherous terrain and the significant risks involved in operating there.

The team followed the police dogs all the way to the edge of a cliff.

"Stop!" Gu Yanta shouted. The police dogs continued barking furiously toward the bottom of the cliff. Gu Yanta raised his flashlight and peered down. Due to the darkness, he could only estimate the height, approximately six stories.

Not far from the cliff's edge, the ground bore a blackened scorch mark. Scattered around it were incense sticks, candles, and paper money, suggesting that Wang Shan and Bai Xiaoting had been there to pay respects to their deceased roommate, Ouyang Xue.

"Team two, continue searching the mountain, team one, come with me, we'll circle around to the west and search below!" Gu Yanta ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

With the assistance of the police dogs, the team discovered a shoe near a rock at the bottom of the cliff. It was a red canvas shoe, smeared with dirt, and highly likely to belong to Wang Shan.

"She's nearby! Hurry up! Let's hope she's still alive!" Gu Yanta shouted.

"This way!" Ma Qin shouted. Everyone immediately rushed toward his location.

Amidst a tall thicket of shrubs, the body of a long-haired girl lay twisted in a grotesque position. Ma Qin knelt to check her vitals, "It's too late, she's already cold. She's probably been dead for several hours."

"Fuck!" Gu Yanta had nowhere to vent his frustration, he could only give a hard kick to a nearby rock.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC |

Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: January 12, 2025 by Angel

Edited: February 18, 2025 by Angel