Chapter Fifty-Seven: Roller Coaster

Kang Ge’s conclusions matched Yan Xue’s thoughts in part, but the other half left her somewhat surprised.

“How could Wu Beibei be excluded so quickly? Isn’t that a bit hasty?” she asked, puzzled.

Kang Ge stretched lazily. “Ah, I just saw those boys doing strength training outside the practice room, and it made me want to get moving too! Running around investigating all these days has made my arms and legs stiff. Why don’t we go run a couple of laps on the track?”

“Hey, we’re in the middle of something serious! Answer my question first. Later, I’ll run not just two laps, but ten if you want.” Yan Xue found Kang Ge agreeable in most ways, but his wandering train of thought made him hard to pin down, which was sometimes a source of frustration.

“That’s easy enough to explain! Just one thing.” Kang Ge raised a finger and waved it. “After hearing so much about Wu Beibei, what do you think she cares about most? Figure that out and you’ll have your answer.”

Yan Xue thought it over. The question, in fact, wasn’t hard to answer.

In K University, Xu Wenrui had carefully crafted the image of someone from a wealthy family—handsome, suave, and talented in many areas. The reality was quite different, but unless one knew him well, it was hard to see through the facade. This was likely the reason Wu Beibei, after getting together with Xu Wenrui, had deliberately fabricated her own family background.

As for whether she’d kept up the same act when she later dated Zhang Lei, Yan Xue couldn’t say, but it didn’t matter. The key point was that Zhang Lei was another outstanding figure in a different field at K University, and in terms of looks, he was no less impressive than Xu Wenrui. From his attire earlier, he didn’t seem to be in any financial straits like Zhuang Fukai. He, too, was the sort of boyfriend others would envy.

Wu Beibei had already lined up her next target before even breaking up with Xu Wenrui, and later, she abruptly gave up on rekindling things and rushed back into Xu Wenrui’s arms. Such rapidly shifting affections made it hard to believe she had any deep feelings for either of them. Her choices were simply about which option benefited her more.

So, to sum up, whether together or apart, Wu Beibei’s main concern was clearly not love, nor any particular person, but herself.

She had to have a boyfriend who looked good on the surface—someone who could add prestige and face, preferably with decent financial means as well.

And she wasn’t the type, like Deng Chun, to be forcefully devoted and then moved by her own sacrifices. For her own ends, she could play the dutiful girlfriend, doing Xu Wenrui’s laundry in his dorm; but when she realized the goods didn’t match the packaging, she could just as easily turn to Zhang Lei, becoming a gentle and dependent partner.

With such a girl, Yan Xue found it plausible that, out of annoyance at Xu Wenrui’s pestering, she might have incited Zhang Lei or someone else to beat him up. But murder? To take revenge on an ex-boyfriend by sacrificing her own bright future and entire life—for someone so self-serving, that was simply too high a price.

With this realization, Yan Xue understood why Kang Ge had so readily eliminated Wu Beibei from the list of prime suspects.

“I get your point!” She nodded to Kang Ge. “Let’s put off running for now, though. Once this busy spell is over, I’ll invite you out for a run some evening!”

“Oh, so you’re a night runner?” Kang Ge hooked his little finger toward Yan Xue. “It’s a deal then, you can’t stand me up!”

“Are you three years old? Still doing pinky promises?” Yan Xue was half exasperated, half amused. But since Kang Ge had already stretched out his hand, she couldn’t just leave him hanging. She hooked her pinky with his and shook it symbolically a couple of times. “I really am a night runner. Back at school, getting up early for morning exercises was torture! I’m a night owl—ask me to work late and I’m fine, but waking up early is pure agony. There was a period when I was so busy I slept late every night and couldn’t be bothered to eat breakfast, let alone go for a morning jog. That was Xia Qing’s thing.”

“Alright, then we’ll plan for evening runs!” Kang Ge said as he handed over his phone. “They found the stalker. Luo Wei just sent word—the person tailing Xu Wenrui was the owner of a shop nearby.”

“Really? Do you have a clear photo?” Yan Xue was very interested, quickly taking the phone to have a look.

The photo showed a man in his forties, slouched wearily against the exterior of a storefront. Judging by the sign above his head, it was a small hotel. The sign was old, sun-bleached, and grimy, as lackluster as the man himself, exuding an air of utter exhaustion.

“By today’s trendy terms, this guy is the definition of ‘defeated.’ He just looks like he’s given up on life!” Yan Xue commented, finding the man’s image particularly strange. “Are we sure about his identity?”

“All we know is that he owns that little hotel; we haven’t gathered the rest yet. Let’s head over now—once we have a target, we can work with purpose!” Kang Ge checked the time. “Let’s try to get the full picture on this guy today.”

That commercial street wasn’t far from K University, and the location Luo Wei sent was at a corner of the street. Kang Ge and Yan Xue left the university and headed straight there.

By eight or nine that evening, Yan Xue and her team had already collected some direct and indirect information about this man, whose very presence radiated defeat, from neighboring shopkeepers and residents.

His name was Li Xuelin, and he was an old resident in the area, around forty-five or forty-six years old. When the neighborhood was redeveloped, he’d received a sizable two-story storefront and used it to open this hotel. For a long stretch in the early years, business was booming and life was good.

If he’d stayed a prosperous small business owner, he wouldn’t have ended up so lackluster, his face etched with despair.

Li Xuelin’s life so far could be likened to a roller coaster, but not the classic type with ups and downs; his was a slow ascent to a peak, followed by a relentless plunge straight into the depths, never climbing back up.

It was said that Li Xuelin had once been quite content—he had a house, a car, money, a thriving business, a loving wife and child. Not wealthy, but certainly comfortable and happy.

K University’s campus hadn’t originally been there; at the time, Li Xuelin’s business thrived on the nearby colleges, as did the other shops. The street wasn’t large, but business was steady.

Then K University’s new campus was built, bringing a surge of students—and with them, a massive business opportunity.

The scattered shops were organized into a proper commercial street, gaining scale and variety, bustling with activity. Everyone’s businesses improved.

Li Xuelin’s hotel grew busier, gaining quite a reputation. But as the years passed, the place became outdated. Many amenities no longer met guests’ needs; things grew old and dirty. Determined to prosper, Li Xuelin took a risk and invested heavily in a complete renovation.

He thought this would take his business to new heights. Instead, the renovation marked the peak of his roller coaster—afterward, everything began to plummet.

The hotel lost customers.

No one could say why. Business had been fine before, but after the renovations—despite a much cleaner, prettier environment—guests stopped coming.

Li Xuelin thought maybe people didn’t recognize the place anymore, or assumed there was a new owner, so he rehung the old sign and handed out countless flyers, trying to revive his business.

At first, his efforts brought some results: the freshly renovated hotel saw a wave of guests drawn in by the ads. Li Xuelin was delighted, but before his smile could truly broaden, the brief boom ended.

A young woman who’d stayed one night returned angrily, claiming she’d come to K University for a dance competition, but after sleeping in Li Xuelin’s hotel, she woke up with severe facial swelling and an allergic reaction. Hospital tests suggested the cause was harmful fumes that hadn’t yet dissipated after the renovation.

Li Xuelin thought apologizing, refunding the room fee, and paying a bit of compensation would settle it. But the woman demanded a fortune for emotional distress, arguing that her chance to shine in the competition had been ruined by the allergy.

Li Xuelin refused, and the dispute escalated. The woman’s family began harassing him daily, disrupting his business. When he finally called the police, they’d vanish; as soon as the officers left, they’d return.

After enduring this for a while, Li Xuelin installed security cameras outside to gather evidence. Only then did the harassment stop, and the family left after accepting medical expenses.

The farce ended, but so did the hotel’s reputation. Rumors flew—unsanitary conditions, air that damaged skin, even whispers of the place being haunted.

Business worsened daily. While other shops thrived thanks to the new campus, Li Xuelin’s hotel was deserted and dreary.

As if this weren’t enough, fate dealt another blow—his wife suddenly demanded a divorce, refusing any reconciliation.

The true reason for their divorce remained a mystery; neighbors speculated endlessly, but Li Xuelin himself never spoke of it.

What was clear was that after the divorce, all that remained to him was the failing hotel. Li Xuelin became increasingly despondent—his once lively life stagnated, and he lost all vigor. He rarely even watched over the hotel, often locking up and disappearing for long stretches.

After discreet inquiries, Yan Xue and Kang Ge found no evidence that Li Xuelin had committed any crimes. His life was more than just unlucky—it was downright tragic. His mental state was unstable, but that alone didn’t make him a suspect in any plot against Xu Wenrui.

They couldn’t even find any connection between Xu Wenrui and Li Xuelin.

Still, confirming his identity was a good start. The rest would just require patient investigation.

Compared to Li Xuelin, who remained a mystery, Kang Ge and Yan Xue decided to focus more on Zhuang Fukai.

This quiet, withdrawn young man—no matter how he’d learned of Xu Wenrui’s death—had already shown questionable motives by telling Xu Hao. Earlier, he’d also seemed intent on diverting police attention elsewhere. What exactly was he trying to hide? And did that secret have any direct connection to Xu Wenrui’s death?

Kang Ge and Yan Xue spent nearly two more days chasing down leads. After much effort, they finally uncovered the answer.