Li Min was shocked and dismayed.
"You can deny it, but if Yan Yan and Yuanyuan both identify you as the person who told them the knife was a magic wand during questioning the day after tomorrow, combined with these drawings as evidence, I think it will be enough to prove you're the murderer."
Li Min fell silent, her mind wrestling with inner conflict. Finally, she made a decision.
"Enough. There's no need to torment these children anymore. I admit I did it. I wanted to kill Zhang Xuemei and Jiang Yun, those two devils. They were too cruel, using these autistic children for drug experiments!" Li Min stood up excitedly, accusing, "Yuanyuan was almost killed by them."
"What drug experiments?"
"Jiang Yun's pharmaceutical company developed a drug to treat autism. The drug had passed animal trials, and the next step was clinical trials. That's when they set their sights on the autistic children at Star Home and those supported by Zhang's foundation. This drug's side effects were still unknown. If used long-term, the consequences could be unimaginable."
Fang Rui and Zhang fell silent. They had imagined many motives, but never thought Li Min killed to protect these children.
"I can plead guilty and clearly explain the entire process of the crime, but as a deal, you must thoroughly investigate the drug trials conducted by the Star Benefit Station Children's Health Center and Jiang Yun Pharmaceuticals. If you don't agree, I won't say a word, and you'll never know the truth."
"If there really were illegal drug trials, we'll definitely investigate," Fang Rui promised.
"I started working at Star Home because of Director Zhang's inspiring story. I idolized her and wanted to be like her. I never imagined she would do such an evil thing for money. My spiritual pillar collapsed."
Li Min's brother was also autistic. When he was ten, he drowned in a pond due to her negligence. Li Min had always felt guilty about this, so she chose to major in special education in college. Director Zhang's story resonated with her, so she chose to follow her.
"At first, I wanted to kill them directly. But why should I sacrifice my life for these two devils? Later, I realized that minors who commit murder aren't held criminally responsible, let alone autistic children like Yuanyuan and Yan Yan. So I told Yuanyuan and Yan Yan that the knife was a magic wand that could cast spells to save people.
No hypnosis was needed, just simple psychological suggestion. To make them believe, I pretended to faint, and then Yan Yan stabbed me with the prop knife I had prepared. I immediately opened my eyes and 'came back to life.' They believed what I said. But I didn't expect Yuanyuan to draw that scene, which became evidence to convict me."
Fang Rui looked at the torn drawing, frowning slightly, "Didn't you tear up these drawings?"
"I didn't tear up this one that Yuanyuan drew. I know when he drew it. I tore up these four. At the time, drawing these pictures was to help them better understand how to use the magic wand. Later, I tore them up and threw them in the trash can in Yuanyuan's room. I didn't expect you to find them."
Fang Rui realized that someone seemed to have deliberately led them to discover these clues to convict Li Min.
Li Min described the details of the crime.
"That rainy night, I found the power was out, which was the perfect opportunity for murder. I had Yuanyuan hide in Director Zhang's closet beforehand, telling him we were playing hide-and-seek, and he could come out when he heard a bang.
On the day Director Zhang's son died, it rained heavily. Under my inducement, she indulged in nitrous oxide to numb herself. She would inhale nitrous oxide whenever it rained. I had replaced her cylinder earlier, and this time the concentration was higher than ever. She quickly passed out. The sound of her falling attracted Yuanyuan, who picked up the fruit knife I had left nearby and stabbed Director Zhang."
"Good children pick up trash when they see it. Yuanyuan picked up the nitrous oxide cylinder on the ground, just like Yan Yan would conscientiously pick up marbles on the ground.
Killing Jiang Yun was more troublesome because I couldn't get close to her. Fortunately, when Yan Yan asked me how to keep his mother from leaving, I told him that if he scattered marbles on the ground and his mother broke her leg after falling, she wouldn't be able to leave. He did exactly that, but after Jiang Yun fell unconscious, Yan Yan would use magic on her, killing this devil."
Zhang listened, feeling his scalp tingle. Li Min had actually used the children's innocence to commit murder.
Li Min sincerely pleaded, "Officers, I've confessed my crimes in detail. Can you investigate those drug trials and arrest all those people?"
"We'll investigate this matter thoroughly. Do you have any more detailed information you can provide?"
"No, I only know the drug was developed by Jiang Yun's company, but I don't know the company name. However, Teacher Jiang definitely knows. She would assess the children who had been given the drug to see if their condition improved."
Li Min stood up and bowed deeply to Fang Rui and the others, "I thank you on behalf of those children."
The media somehow got wind of the news and extensively reported on these two murder cases involving autistic children. They portrayed Yuanyuan and the others as evil children who killed their mothers, sparking online discussions about whether autistic individuals are prone to violence.
After Li Min's arrest, they changed their previous conclusions, defining Li Min as a devil and portraying Yuanyuan and Lin Qianyan as innocent youths who were induced to commit crimes. Netizens condemned Li Min en masse and sympathized with these two innocent young boys.
Yuanyuan might have been induced, but was Lin Qianyan really innocent?
Fang Rui recalled Lin Qianyan's expression when he killed, the photos of Mu Mian in his room, and the drawings he made. Shen Xiyin said he might have antisocial personality disorder. Fang Rui suddenly had a bold idea.
Lin Qianyan had been staying at the detention center for the past two days, not because he was being held, but because his nanny, Sister Chen, was too afraid to take care of him. To prevent him from suddenly becoming aggressive and harming himself or others, he was kept there.
Jiang Yun had previously made a will stating that if she died, all her assets would go to Lin Qianyan. She also designated her nephew, Jiang Yinian, as Lin Qianyan's sole guardian. Jiang Yinian had the right to manage all the assets, but he must ensure that he would take care of Lin Qianyan until his natural death.
Jiang Yinian drove to the detention center to pick up Lin Qianyan.
The prison guard had seen the news and knew that the young man in front of him was about to inherit all of the Lin family's assets. Seeing Jiang Yinian's impatient and displeased expression, he joked, "You've suddenly come into a huge fortune, why aren't you happy?"
"So what? I've also inherited a lot of trouble. I don't need that much money, and I don't like having responsibilities forced upon me."
"..." Too pretentious!
The guard took him to see Lin Qianyan.
"Cousin Yinian." As soon as he saw Jiang Yinian, Lin Qianyan excitedly rushed towards him.
Jiang Yinian held his hand back, saying impatiently, "Lin Qianyan, I've told you many times, you can't hug me."
Lin Qianyan asked coldly, "Then can Mu Mian hug you?"
"She wouldn't hug me."
Lin Qianyan said dissatisfied, "If it were Mu Mian, you'd definitely let her hug you, right? You and mom both like her. She has a sister and so many friends, while I only have a cold and empty villa. This world is too unfair."
