Using Marriage as Bait : Extra 5
Extra 5
After Lin Xiyu became pregnant, Lu Junting wanted her to focus on a peaceful pregnancy. However, with some unresolved matters at the club, she couldn’t entirely step away. To ensure her well-being, Lu Junting assigned an assistant to be with her at all times.
One day, while visiting Lu Junting at Changheng, Lin Xiyu overheard the secretaries gossiping as she walked past their office.
“I heard Vice President Liu is back. Did President Lu call her back? Wasn’t she just brought in as a suspect a few days ago?”
“I heard from a friend in HR that she came back to hand over her work because President Lu brought someone else in to replace her.”
“So does this mean Vice President Liu won’t be coming back?”
“Who knows? Since it's a homicide case, Changheng is such a big company; that they can't keep a suspect on staff. It would be terrible for the company's reputation.”
Lin Xiyu didn’t stay to listen to the rest. Since Liu Manqing was there, it wouldn’t hurt to say hello.
Liu Manqing had just finished the handover and exited her office. She saw Lin Xiyu and smiled. “Why are you here?”
“I heard you were here, so I came over to say hi.”
Liu Manqing looked well, as radiant as ever, as if nothing had happened.
Lu Junting’s assistant, assigned to look after Lin Xiyu, was also there, but Liu Manqing paid it no mind and naturally congratulated her, “I heard you’re expecting. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m preparing to leave now. I can’t stay here for too long.”
“No problem; I’ll see you off.”
The two walked down the hall together, passing by various departments. Many people peeked out and gossiped openly, pointing fingers at Liu Manqing, and labeling her a suspect. Lin Xiyu couldn’t help but reflect on how esteemed Liu Manqing once was; no one would have dared talk behind her back before.
Liu Manqing, however, seemed unaffected, keeping her composure.
“Are you doing okay?” Lin Xiyu asked.
“I’m fine. It’s just a bit boring being unemployed and stuck at home.”
“If you’re bored, why not spend time with your boyfriend?”
Liu Manqing chuckled with a hint of self-mockery in her smile. “We broke up long ago.”
“What happened?”
“He left when he found out about my complicated family. It’s understandable.”
She seemed to shrug it off, taking it lightly.
Lin Xiyu struggled to find the right words to console her, knowing she was facing setbacks both at work and in her personal life.
“But I don’t mind much,” Liu Manqing continued. “Now that I have free time, I can do things I’ve always wanted to, like learning photography.”
Lin Xiyu was glad to see her looking at the bright side. “That sounds nice; you can take this time to refresh yourself.”
By then, they had reached the ground floor. Before parting, Liu Manqing said, “Thank you. During a time when most people are avoiding me, you came to see me off.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
“Still, I believe in my innocence. Time will prove it.”
Sometimes, Lin Xiyu thought Liu Manqing seemed more like Zhang Ai’s daughter. Liu Manqing had Zhang Ai’s strength and grace, never bowing her head when facing accusations. As long as her conscience was clear, she held her head high, and never swayed by others’ opinions.
But Lin Xiyu didn’t expect that a little over a month later, when she saw Liu Manqing again, that indomitable spirit would be gone. She had grown weary, her once-confident demeanor buried under a heavy gloom. Her belief in her innocence had faded.
Because, a week before, the murderer had been caught—her ex-boyfriend, who had broken up with her just before the murder.
When the police announced it, even Lin Xiyu was stunned. She would never have guessed it would be him; he seemed completely unconnected to the case.
She initially thought it might have been someone with a grudge against that family. She even considered it might have been a security guard from Changheng, given that family’s rude and arrogant behavior.
But her ex-boyfriend? She never saw that coming.
With the suspect in custody, Liu Manqing was fully cleared of any suspicion, and she returned to Changheng. Given that she was no longer a suspect, life should have returned to normal, and she had no deep attachment to her ex-boyfriend. But Lu Junting told Lin Xiyu that Liu Manqing was not in a good state.
Lin Xiyu planned to meet her at the rooftop cafe of Changheng. Since she couldn’t have tea due to her pregnancy, she ordered juice.
It had been a while since Lin Xiyu last saw her. Liu Manqing looked drastically different—much thinner, with dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep.
Lu Junting hadn’t been exaggerating; she was in poor shape.
“What happened to you? You don’t look well at all,” Lin Xiyu asked.
Liu Manqing let out a bitter laugh, tracing the rim of her cup. After a long silence, she said, “I never expected him to kill someone, you know? He did it for me.”
“What happened exactly? You two had broken up, hadn’t you?”
“Yes, he broke up with me before the murder to avoid implicating me. But he didn’t anticipate that the police would suspect me anyway, so he confessed. If he hadn’t, the police might never have caught him. He covered his tracks well.”
Lin Xiyu knew a bit about Liu Manqing and her boyfriend’s situation. From conversations with Liu Manqing, she learned that they were in a mutually beneficial relationship. Liu Manqing liked the thrill of something new, while her young boyfriend needed her resources. There wasn’t any deep affection between them.
If their relationship was truly like that, it seemed unlikely he would commit murder for her, so her words puzzled Lin Xiyu.
“You must be wondering, right? I was just as confused when I found out he killed someone—until the day I visited him at the detention center.”
Liu Manqing would never forget that day, seeing the boy through the glass, dressed in prison clothes with shackles on his hands and feet.
He liked wearing all sorts of trendy clothes, and she was willing to spend money on him. She just loved seeing his youthful, handsome appearance. Even in prison attire, he still looked striking. His brown hair had been cropped short, giving him a fresh look.
They looked at each other through the glass for a long time before picking up the phone almost in unison.
“How are you?” Liu Manqing asked him.
“Alright, except that I can’t see you.”
He smiled at her through the window. His youthful grin, his clear, bright eyes—this was what she loved most about him.
Finally, Liu Manqing voiced her doubts. “Why did you kill him?”
“With him gone, you wouldn’t have nightmares anymore,” he said.
Liu Manqing's fingers tightened instinctively on the receiver. “How did you know I was having nightmares?”
“We were together for so long. How could I not know? I also know what that beast did to you.”
Shock and confusion filled Liu Manqing’s face, and after a long pause, she asked, “How did you find out?”
“I read your diary.”
“......”
Her diary? Liu Manqing remembered that in her youth when she had begun developing and was especially sensitive to past events, she would often have nightmares. She had started keeping a diary, writing down the nightmares and adding curses afterward. As she grew older, she learned to control her emotions and eventually stopped fearing those past nightmares. She had burned that diary long ago, burying those painful memories with it. So, how could he know?
The boy continued, “I didn’t sneak a peek after we got together. It was before.”
“Before we got together?” Liu Manqing was even more confused.
Before they were together, they didn’t even know each other!
“You probably don’t remember, but you used to tutor students in college. You had one overweight student who was insecure and timid, and you often encouraged him. Later, he rebuilt himself, but he never forgot you and found a way to be near you.”
Indeed, Liu Manqing had tutored during college, working with multiple families daily to make ends meet. She could no longer remember what her students looked like. Her days had been packed with classes and life, leaving little room for remembering every person she met.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember me; it’s enough that I remember you,” he said to her.
So he had known her for a long time? Had he deliberately scraped her car that day to meet her? He had intentionally collided with her car to get acquainted with her?
She remembered that day well. Her car had just pulled out of the garage when a boy on a bicycle suddenly appeared. Thankfully, she hadn’t been driving fast and only bumped him lightly. If their meeting had been intentional, did he realize how dangerous that could have been?
And when he mentioned his internship nearby, he’d already known she worked at Changheng. He had found an internship nearby just to be close to her?
A swirl of complex emotions churned within her. She didn’t know whether to be shocked or angry. Her voice quivered slightly as she said, “Even so, you didn’t have to kill him. Killing him only dirtied your own hands.”
“I know, but he came back, and you started having nightmares again. I didn’t want you to have nightmares. I just wanted you to live a bit more easily, so I wanted to get rid of that problem for you.”
Liu Manqing wanted to curse at him. Unable to control her emotions, she shouted into the phone, “Are you stupid? So what if I have nightmares? It won’t kill me! You’re so young—you didn’t have to ruin yourself for a scumbag!”
“I didn’t do it for the scumbag. I did it for you.” His voice was calm. “Remember, I told you I love you.”
Countless nights, after their moments together, he would hold her and whisper, “I love you.”
She had never taken their relationship seriously, seeing it as mutually beneficial. She had dated several men before, and sweet talk came easily to her. She was no longer the type to be moved by an ‘I love you.’
She had even replied, ‘I love you too,’ without meaning it.
Liu Manqing froze, unable to move for a long time. All her intense emotions felt as though they had been doused in cold water, extinguished in an instant, leaving not even a spark.
Liu Manqing had never been one to fantasize about love. Perhaps it was due to being molested by her brother or witnessing her parents’ favoritism. She didn’t believe in marriage, nor in men. For her, relationships were merely physical, or a way to add a little spice to life.
She had never invested her heart, nor did she expect anyone to be sincere. To her, romance was a transaction. But now, someone was telling her he loved her, so much so that he had killed someone for her and, in doing so, ruined himself.
“Maybe I’m just a passing moment for you, but you are someone I will remember all my life,” he said with a smile, knowing she liked boys who smiled. “I don’t regret what I did because now I know you won’t forget me.”
Liu Manqing suddenly felt a surge of anger. She shouted at the boy through the glass, “You’re so naive. Do you think that by doing this, I’ll remember you? I won’t! I’ll soon move on to the next relationship and forget you, while you’ll pay for what you did. You’ll regret everything.”
She slammed down the receiver. Inside the glass, he still held the phone, smiling at her, though tears glistened in his eyes as he continued to smile.
Liu Manqing turned and left. She sat in her car, thinking about their past, about how he always clung to her, always holding her, saying, ‘I love you.’
She had thought he was just a clingy boy.
“Don’t work too hard. I’ll take care of you now that I’m earning money.”
“I really like you, sis. Can we stay together forever?”
“In a few years, once I’ve settled down, would you marry me?”
She had thought it was just playing along. She had never taken him seriously. To her, love and boyfriends—were just diversions in life, something to pass the time when she was bored.
But he knew that. So why?
It wasn’t worth it to ruin himself for her.
Lin Xiyu, listening to Liu Manqing’s story, was stunned for a long time—not only by the boy’s motive but also by what Liu Manqing had endured.
Her own brother had molested her.
Lin Xiyu realized words felt hollow at that moment, and she couldn’t find anything to say to comfort her. She just took Liu Manqing’s hand on the table and held it tightly.
Liu Manqing grabbed a tissue and looked up, dabbing at the tears that hadn’t fallen.
“What are you going to do now?”
Lin Xiyu asked after a while.
“Just live and work well. Other than that, I don’t know what else to plan.”
“And the boy…?”
“I haven’t gone to see him again. I don’t know how to face him.”
Lin Xiyu paused for a moment before asking, “Do you love him?”
Liu Manqing shook her head. “You might think I’m heartless, but I don’t love him. Maybe I liked him, but it wasn’t love. I never expected him to do anything for me, so now I don’t know how to face him. His love is too heavy.”
For a moment, Lin Xiyu didn’t know who to feel sorry for.
“Alright, I need to get back to work.”
Lin Xiyu said, “Junting told me your mood hasn’t been good lately. Take some time to adjust.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
After Liu Manqing left, Lin Xiyu slowly drank her remaining juice. She felt heartache for Liu Manqing and pity for the boy. He had just graduated from college, and his life only beginning, yet it was ending.
More tragically, he had killed someone for the woman he loved, but she didn’t love him back.
What a pitiful fool.
“Why are you sitting here alone? Weren’t you going to talk to Liu Manqing? Where is she?”
Lin Xiyu turned to see Lu Junting walking over. She smiled at him and extended her hand. Lu Junting took it and sat down beside her.
“I talked to her for a while, and she went back to work.”
“Then why are you still sitting here? It’s windy. Be careful not to catch a cold.”
Lin Xiyu looked at the billowing white clouds in the distance. “I was just reflecting on what Liu Manqing said. That boy killed someone for her. I lost track of time.”
“There’s nothing to be sentimental about. Adults must take responsibility for their actions. Since he did this, he must bear the consequences.”
Lin Xiyu nodded. “That’s true.”
Everyone must take responsibility for their actions, and that boy had to face the consequences of his choices.
Afterward, Lin Xiyu never heard anything more about the boy from Liu Manqing. Her life gradually returned to normal. Her emotions stabilized, and her parents stopped bothering her.
It was only once, while watching the news, that she learned of the boy’s fate. Because his crime was premeditated, and the method was exceptionally cruel, causing significant social harm, he was sentenced to death.
On the day the boy’s execution was carried out, Lu Junting told her that Liu Manqing had taken the day off and hadn’t gone to the office at all. However, he didn’t specify where she went.
The author has something to say:
The little sister of Lu family will make her appearance in the next chapter!
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