The next day.
When several people were having breakfast, Hua Wuyou was not there.
"Where is Master? Isn't he up yet? I'll go call him!" Yu Yifan said.
"No need to call him!" Sitting next to him, Hua Wuyou said casually, "Last night when I was moon gazing on the roof, I saw him leave the yard. He must have left!"
He didn't stay with Yu Yifan last night, instead he slept on the roof all night.
Everyone unconsciously looked at Su Mo.
Su Mo paused and stood up saying, "Let me bring a bowl of porridge to Yu Jiaojiao."
Su Mo left the room. Yu Yifan immediately chased after her, "Teacher's wife, wait for me!"
"Teacher's wife, don't trouble yourself. I'll bring it to my sister."
Su Mo stopped and looked at Yu Yifan, "Did your master say anything to you yesterday?"
Yu Yifan immediately shook his head, "No!"
Su Mo didn't ask further and continued walking with the porridge.
Yu Yifan tentatively asked, "Teacher's wife, did you and master...have a fight?"
Su Mo impatiently said, "We broke up!"
"Broke up?" Yu Yifan scratched his head, "What does broke up mean?"
Su Mo didn't have the patience to explain. She shoved the bowl to Yu Yifan, "Bring this to your sister! I'm going out for a bit!"
"Oh...Okay..."
Yu Yifan took the bowl and saw Su Mo turn around and leave.
...
Soon after, Yu Yifan hurried back again.
"Big sister Li, my sister said she wants to see Qin Shi..." Yu Yifan said.
Sang Li thought that since Yu Jiaojiao had mental issues, perhaps seeing Qin Shi could help resolve them.
"Then take her to see him..."
Everyone went to Yu Jiaojiao's room and brought her to the woodshed.
Qin Shi was sitting against a pile of firewood, his hair was a mess and he looked lifeless.
The door to the woodshed opened but he didn't even blink an eye.
When Yu Jiaojiao saw him like this, her previously expressionless face suddenly turned red around the eyes.
The Qin Shi she had seen before exuded an air of refinement, even with his ruined face he couldn't hide his scholarly aura.
She never could have imagined that the man she so admired would commit such an unforgivable crime.
"Qin Shi..."
Hearing Yu Jiaojiao's voice, Qin Shi who hadn't moved a muscle, reflexively lifted his eyelids.
"Can you all go out for a bit? I want to talk to him alone." Yu Jiaojiao turned to say to Sang Li.
"No, sister. This Qin Shi is a murderous psycho. He'll kill you!" Yu Yifan quickly said.
"If he wanted to kill me he would have already..." Yu Jiaojiao slowly said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine..."
Yu Yifan still wanted to say something but seeing his sister's determination, he finally kept quiet.
Everyone left the woodshed and closed the door, leaving only Qin Shi and Yu Jiaojiao inside.
Yu Jiaojiao's gaze fell on him as she slowly walked over. Qin Shi sat motionless on the ground without even glancing at Yu Jiaojiao.
Yu Jiaojiao stood in front of him looking at his face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Qin Shi, why don't you believe me? Why don't you believe my true feelings for you?"
"Hmph!" Qin Shi let out a cold laugh before finally lifting his eyes to look at Yu Jiaojiao, harshly saying, "True feelings? Yu Jiaojiao, you're nothing but a prostitute. Do you think you deserve me? Qin Shi wouldn't even deign to touch you!"
Yu Jiaojiao closed her eyes as tears seemed to burst from a dam. "Then why didn't you kill me?"
Qin Shi didn't say anything.
He had seized Yu Jiaojiao because one night she suddenly came looking for him and inadvertently witnessed what he was doing.
Yu Jiaojiao begged him to let the girl go. He originally wanted to just kill Yu Jiaojiao to eliminate any future trouble.
But for some reason, he softened at the sight of the disappointment in Yu Jiaojiao's eyes, as if pierced by thousands of arrows.
The darkness in his heart was provoked but he couldn't bring himself to kill Yu Jiaojiao. So right in front of Yu Jiaojiao he killed that girl.
Yu Jiaojiao's face was spattered with blood and she fainted from fright.
Afterwards he locked Yu Jiaojiao in the basement but didn't violate her.
However he would violate the murdered girls right in front of Yu Jiaojiao.
He would also viciously ask her, "Don't you like me? No matter what I become, you still like me right? Do you still like me now? Huh? Say something!"
Yu Jiaojiao's mind was cruelly tormented. She had thought of committing suicide but Qin Shi never gave her a chance. He gagged her mouth and tied up her hands and feet, feeding her regularly every day.
Even if Yu Jiaojiao didn't eat he would forcibly make her swallow.
"You said you liked me? I think you're lying! Why do you women have to deceive people? Why?!" Qin Shi would hysterically interrogate her, seeming utterly deranged.
However he also had relatively normal moments. He would come to the basement and quietly sit next to Yu Jiaojiao, murmuring to himself.
It was as if he was talking to himself but from some of his words Yu Jiaojiao also learned some things about him.
It turned out he had been deceived in the past by a woman he loved deeply, leading to his family's ruin. That was why he had become like this.
But in the end, what he had done was still unforgivable.
Qin Shi also knew that his crimes were damning and that there would be a day he'd be caught. But he wasn't afraid of dying since living no longer held any meaning for him.
"I didn't kill you because you're not even worth it!" Qin Shi's voice carried a mocking tone. "Yu Jiaojiao, the women I want to kill are all respectable ladies from good families. Are you?"
Yu Jiaojiao had thought there was still a shred of feeling for her in Qin Shi's heart, it was just that the hatred inside him had already twisted and consumed him whole.
But now it seemed their previous ambiguous relationship was merely her wishful thinking.
"I see..." Yu Jiaojiao choked back a sob, self-deprecatingly saying, "Fortunately I'm just a prostitute..."
She turned and left the woodshed.
Qin Shi watched Yu Jiaojiao's retreating figure, his eyes strangely turning red.
His hand hung limply behind him, tightly gripping a handkerchief.
It was a handkerchief that Yu Jiaojiao had personally embroidered and given to him. He had to admit, the time he spent with Yu Jiaojiao did help to heal him somewhat.
But the hatred in his heart ran too deep, distorted too deeply for him to even control himself.
Yu Jiaojiao, I'm sorry, Qin Shi doesn't deserve you.
Hate me, so you'll have no more regrets.
Qin Shi clutched the handkerchief tightly, slowly closing his eyes.
...
When Yu Jiaojiao came out, Yu Yifan immediately went up to her, "Sister, you're not hurt right?"
"I'm fine..." Looking at Sang Li, Yu Jiaojiao said, "Thank you ladies for saving me."
"Now that you've asked your questions I'll take Qin Shi away."
As Hua Wuyou was about to enter the woodshed, seeing this Xia Miaomiao hurriedly tried to stop him but walked too quickly on her still injured ankle. She stumbled towards Hua Wuyou.
Hua Wuyou immediately reached out to grab her waist and pulled her into his arms with a laugh, "Little bunny, so eager to throw yourself into my arms. Have you agreed to become my eleventh wife?"
Everyone: "..."
Xia Miaomiao's face turned slightly red as she quickly pushed herself out of his embrace and straightened up, "I wanted to tell you, let's eat lunch together and leave after that..."
"Why should we eat lunch before leaving?" Hua Wuyou asked.
"Just..." Xia Miaomiao thought for a bit and made an excuse, "To let you try what real grilled fish tastes like, much better than what you made!"
Hua Wuyou looked at her a little suspiciously. "Really?"
He was quite interested in fine cuisine. Figuring it wouldn't be long before lunchtime anyway, he said, "Alright, I'll take you up on that offer!"
Hua Wuyou leaned in close to tease her in a low voice, "If it doesn't taste good, I'll just eat you instead..."
Xia Miaomiao's ears turned red but she didn't respond.
