Chapter Thirty-Three: The Elusive Chopstick Magician

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Ten days had passed since the Chopstick Killer murdered Lu Youwei.

Ning County Public Security Bureau.

Meng Zhitan, Captain Meng.

Young Su—Su Qiu.

Young Lin—Lin Chen.

Along with several other detectives, they gathered together.

On the table lay piles upon piles of case files.

Among them, one section displayed dozens of photographs.

Among these, one was unmistakably a photo of Shen Ye.

Su Qiu said in a low voice, “These sixty-eight photographs are the suspects we’ve identified as being connected to the nine women. Over the past ten days, we’ve used every means to investigate them. We found that none of these sixty-eight people have any gunshot wounds. That is to say, these sixty-eight are basically in the clear.”

“The Chopstick Killer must have a gunshot wound now, and there’s no way that kind of wound could have healed in such a short time. Yet all sixty-eight suspects related to those nine women show no traces of gunshot injuries? So, none of them are the Chopstick Killer?” Meng Zhitan frowned. “Xiao Lin, what about the hospitals lately? Especially the underground clinics.”

Beneath the city, there were private clinics that specialized in all sorts of clandestine cases.

Among those cases were knife wounds and gunshot wounds alike.

The fees were steep, but information remained confidential, and the surgeons were highly skilled.

“I’ve had people watching those private clinics for the past ten days, but we haven’t found anyone with a gunshot wound,” Lin Chen reported gravely.

“So we still haven’t found the Chopstick Killer?” Meng Zhitan frowned, feeling the headache intensify.

The Chopstick Killer had already committed two murders.

The higher-ups were furious, and the pressure weighed heavily on their shoulders.

Yet all the leads had dried up.

All this time, the syndicates had also been frantically mobilizing their crews, desperate to find anyone with a gunshot wound, determined to identify the Chopstick Killer. But despite the efforts of the two kingpins, East Bear and West Wolf, no trace of a wounded man was found.

Oddly enough, there was one almost comical incident—a Vietnamese man came to town, already carrying a gunshot wound. He was immediately suspected of being the Chopstick Killer, plunging the underworld into chaos. In the end, the Vietnamese man was shot dead by West Wolf’s Wolf King on the open sea. But everyone in the business knew—the Chopstick Killer was still at large.

…

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A month later.

It was already April.

By now, the storm caused by the Chopstick Killer’s murder of Lu Youwei had mostly subsided.

The weather was brushing up against thirty degrees.

In Ning County’s Silver Sand Beach, the air was scented with the fragrance of gardenias.

Inside a small house by the sea, the song “Could Write A Book” played in a relaxed, mellow rhythm.

Shen Ye wasn’t sitting inside the seaside cottage.

Instead, he sat by the front door,

Letting the sea breeze wash over him, savoring the sensation.

Back when he chose to open a shop here, it was precisely to enjoy this seaside wind.

As he sat there, it seemed as though the horizon grew brighter for a moment.

A woman appeared, gliding gracefully along the street.

Many men on the street couldn’t help but fix their eyes on her, swallowing involuntarily.

She had a classic oval face, delicate and a touch pitiful, but her figure was truly extraordinary. Though she stood only about one meter fifty-five, she possessed a stunning figure. With each step, certain assets bounced enticingly, drawing every gaze.

While the average Chinese woman wore an A or B cup, this woman was definitely a D, perhaps even an E.

Her face, too, was beautiful—fair and tender-skinned.

Even the plainest market-stall clothes couldn’t conceal her natural allure.

Her destination was clearly the seaside cottage.

Shen Ye immediately stood up and smiled. “Ah, it’s my sister-in-law—what brings you out this way?”

The woman was Wen Xiuting, wife of Shen Ye’s cousin Shen Die—his cousin’s wife.

Seeing Wen Xiuting hesitate, Shen Ye pushed open the door to the cottage. “If you have something to say, come in and talk.”

It wasn’t mealtime, so the seaside cottage was empty.

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Wen Xiuting nodded and followed Shen Ye inside.

Noticing her discomfort, Shen Ye couldn’t help but smile. “Would you like some coffee, orange juice, or just water?”

“Just water’s fine.” Wen Xiuting took the glass he offered, tucking her hair behind her ear with a gesture that exuded a natural charm. She looked as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.

“If you have something to say, just say it,” Shen Ye encouraged her with a smile.

Wen Xiuting paused, then finally spoke. “Shen Ye, you’re... the Chopstick Hero, aren’t you?”

The words had barely left her lips when Shen Ye’s expression changed dramatically. He pressed her against the wall, hand clasped tightly around her throat. “How do you know?”

Wen Xiuting struggled a bit under his grip.

Realizing that any more pressure might kill her frail frame, Shen Ye loosened his hold.

“Shen Ye, there’s a mole behind your right ear. I’d noticed it before. That night, when you turned around, I saw the same mark,” Wen Xiuting whispered. “But don’t worry—it was you who saved my life. If not for you, I’d have fallen into that place. I would never betray you.”

“I could never betray the person who saved my life.”

“Besides, you’re a legendary hero. What you’ve done may break the law, but you’re upholding justice. I admire you.”

For a brief moment, Shen Ye’s mind was in turmoil. His secret as the Chopstick Killer must never get out. Could he trust Wen Xiuting? He thought for a while, then spoke. “Since you suspected I was the Chopstick Killer, why only come to me now?”

“For a while, the police were investigating me and the other eight women, afraid the killer was among our acquaintances. It was fifteen days before they lifted the surveillance. Now, a month has passed and everything is quiet—that’s why I came. If I’d wanted to report you, I wouldn’t have waited a month.”

“That’s true,” Shen Ye admitted, letting her go. “Sorry—I got a bit carried away.”

“It’s only natural. If your secret got out, it would be a disaster,” Wen Xiuting said with understanding.

Now Shen Ye finally relaxed. He wanted to find a mirror, but oddly enough, there wasn’t one in the cottage.

In the end, Wen Xiuting handed him the compact from her makeup bag.

One glance confirmed it—there was indeed a small mole behind his right ear.

He’d never noticed this flaw before. Luckily, it was his cousin’s wife who discovered it first—if it had been anyone else, the consequences would have been unthinkable.