Beneath the Dome, Sin within Sins

When I finished speaking, Song Caiyin’s eyes widened. She looked at me with a face full of shock, clearly not expecting me to say such things.

“You… you must be speaking nonsense. I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Very well. You may choose not to admit it, but that won’t matter. We’ll eventually uncover the truth. And let me be clear, I wouldn’t be telling you all this without solid evidence. The slingshot and the fluorescent agent we found in your room can prove it. If you still won’t admit it, we can run a fingerprint analysis, and then you’ll have no choice but to confess.

I suspect you found a way to kill Song Sisi, collected her blood, and then poured it over the scene. I’ve always thought there was a certain sense of ritual to this act. Thinking back now, it must have resembled your parents lying there in a pool of blood.

Killing someone and stringing them up-there’s no way one person could pull off something this elaborate. You must have had an accomplice. Now, as for who this accomplice is…”

As I said this, my gaze landed on Zhao Ying, and I flashed a smile brimming with hidden meaning.

The moment Song Caiyin caught my expression, she instinctively moved to shield Zhao Ying behind her. That look of hers-like a tiger baring its fangs-made it clear she was ready to pounce on me at any moment.

“What exactly are you trying to say?!”

“Don’t you already know what I’m trying to say?”

“I do! But then why don’t you just call the police?”

Looking at the way Song Caiyin was roaring at me, I couldn’t help but sigh. “If I were to call the police, you’d have no way out, not even a sliver of hope. Song Caiyin, turn yourself in.”

My words must have struck a chord, hitting deeper than I anticipated. Song Caiyin paused and stayed silent for quite a while. Finally, she spoke:

“My family was torn apart because of that woman, Song Sisi. Three months ago, I found out the truth. When I learned everything, my entire world collapsed.”

“So you decided to kill her, didn’t you?”

“No, that’s not quite it. At first, I didn’t plan on killing her. Honestly, I don’t have many memories of my parents, and the lack of an emotional connection made it hard for me to kill someone out of revenge for them. What truly enraged me was when that woman had the nerve to use her business negotiations as an excuse to force me into a marriage alliance with another company. She knew-she knew…”

As Song Caiyin spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. But none of them fell. Her restraint-her strength-was clearly for the little girl standing beside her.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

At that moment, Zhao Ying walked over to Song Caiyin, patted her on the shoulder, and said, “Yin-Jie, don’t worry. I’ll stay with you.”

Hearing this, Song Caiyin couldn’t hold it in anymore. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob quietly.

Watching these two girls supporting each other, I let out a sigh. “No matter what, you shouldn’t have resorted to murder. There are countless paths in life, and you didn’t have to choose a dead-end like this. Those who take a life will eventually be rejected by society. You know what you need to do, don’t you?”

With that, I turned and walked away. The next morning, when the police arrived, Song Caiyin and Zhao Ying turned themselves in together. As for the sizable hotel, its ownership was passed to Bai Yue because of Song Sisi’s will.

Why Song Sisi made such a will, none of us knew. But Bai Yue proved to be far better at business than her aunt. She managed to revive several near-bankrupt companies, earning admiration from everyone, despite her young age.

When it was time for us to leave, Bai Yue drove Su Mo and me to the airport. She didn’t say a single word along the way. It was clear that she felt deeply saddened by goodbyes.

Just as we were about to part ways, Bai Yue suddenly tugged at the corner of my shirt. As for Su Mo, he saw the scene unfold and quickly made an excuse to give us some privacy.

After Su Mo walked away, Bai Yue lifted her hand, her tear-filled eyes meeting mine. “Do you think we’ll meet again someday?” she asked.

Seeing her like this, I couldn’t help but smile. “Of course. Life is long and unpredictable. We’ll meet again.”

“Two years,” she said, her voice surprisingly firm. “In two years, I’ll turn twenty. If you’re still single by then, would you consider me?”

Frankly, I didn’t know how to respond. But right now, I felt I needed to give her an answer that would make her happy.

With that in mind, I gave her a gentle smile and said, “Alright.”

Bai Yue suddenly leaned in and planted a kiss at the corner of my lips. Then she winked at me and hopped into her car, driving off without looking back.

I stood there, dumbfounded, watching her car disappear into the distance. Slowly, I touched the spot on my lips where her kiss lingered, still warm.

Had I just been flirted with… by a girl younger than me?

At that moment, a sudden chill spread across my cheek. I turned my head, only to find that it was Su Mo, pressing a cold can of beer against my face.

“What are you doing?!” I snatched the beer from his hand, frowning with a hint of annoyance. “Can’t you speak properly? Don’t you worry about giving me facial paralysis with that?”

“Even if you did end up with facial paralysis, you’ve got Bai Yue, your little girlfriend, sticking by your side no matter what! Not bad, senior-I didn’t think you had it in you to keep such a big secret.” Su Mo said this with a sly grin plastered across his face.

I couldn’t be bothered to argue with Su Mo. I had hoped this trip would be a pleasant one, but instead, I found myself caught up in such a mess. If I had to point fingers, the blame rested entirely on Su Mo. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been dragged into this bad luck in the first place!

“Next time you’re planning a trip, don’t even think about inviting me,” I said with irritation as we got off the plane.

Hearing this, Su Mo panicked immediately. “W-wait! Senior, you can’t just say that! Okay, I admit this time was my fault. But please give me another chance! I’ll plan an unforgettable trip abroad this time, and I promise, nothing will go wrong!”

Raising an eyebrow, I couldn’t help but respond, “Really? So you can drag your bad luck onto an international flight instead?”

“Senior, how can you say that? Clearly, every time something happens, you’re always there, too. Why am I the one carrying all the bad luck?” Su Mo shot back incredulously.

And just like that, Su Mo and I bickered all the way from the airport to the police station and, eventually, back home.

When Lu Che heard about the series of events I’d experienced, she nearly laughed herself to tears. Between bursts of laughter, she kept saying how lucky she was not to have joined us. As for Tang Xin and Bigo, they were busy patting themselves on the back, praising their own “brilliant decision” to stay behind.

After that chaotic trip, I spent the next three days at home, doing nothing but sleeping. Apart from eating and the occasional bathroom break, I didn’t step out of bed.

Three days later, having fully recovered my energy, I was ready to head out for some fresh air. But before I could leave, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was an email.

I furrowed my brow in surprise. This was strange. After all, most of the people I knew weren’t in the habit of sending emails.

The email was from an anonymous sender. As I opened it and read the contents, my eyes widened in shock…