With one utterance from Qian Bowen, the room was struck as if by thunder.
Everyone stared at him in shock, unable to believe their ears.
A distinguished professor, erudite and accomplished, had committed murder—how could this not be astonishing?
“Brother, what on earth happened?” Qian Weidong asked, his eyes red. Even now, he refused to believe Qian Bowen was responsible.
Qian Bowen said, “Father’s traditional values were deeply ingrained. After Chunmei’s miscarriage, he repeatedly made it clear that he hoped Chunmei and I would try for a son.”
“But Chunmei’s health couldn’t withstand another pregnancy. Another child could put her life at risk.”
“Yet Father kept pressuring me, to the point where I often dreaded going home. It was around that time that a woman appeared.”
“She was my student!”
“She cared for me, understood me, admired me, and knew my struggles. She even offered to bear me a son without any claim to status.”
“She was young, beautiful, and gentle. Honestly, I was tempted.”
“But then I thought, coming from a family like mine and being a professor, how could I stoop to an affair with my own student? How could I still be a role model?”
“How could I face Chunmei?”
“How could I face my two daughters and Father?”
“How could I face the century-old scholarly reputation of the Qian family?”
“So, I refused her.”
Cao Chunmei erupted, “Refused, my foot! Don’t think I don’t know—you got involved with that student, and she even gave you a son!”
Qian Bowen ignored Cao Chunmei and continued, “Though I deliberately kept my distance from that woman, she was still my student, and we inevitably saw each other a few times a week.”
“About four years ago, her class graduated, and they held a farewell banquet for the teachers.”
“That night, I drank too much. When I woke up, I found her beside me. And just like that, we were together.”
“Soon, she got pregnant. I initially didn’t want the child, but when we found out it was a boy, I wavered.”
“Ten months later, the child was born. She and I both adored him.”
“We got along well until two months ago.”
“Two months ago, she suddenly demanded that I marry her and buy her a flat in the city. I refused.”
“From then on, she grew cold towards me. Sometimes, she wouldn’t contact me for a whole week. She ignored my video calls, phone calls, and WeChat messages.”
“One day, I went to her rented flat. When I entered, I found her in bed with a stranger, doing those things, with the child watching nearby.”
At this point, Qian Bowen’s forehead veins bulged, his fists clenched tightly, like an enraged lion.
“Hahaha…” Cao Chunmei burst into laughter. “Qian Bowen, to think you’ve been cuckolded! Serves you right, hahaha…”
“Shut up!” Qian Bowen roared.
“I won’t shut up! What can you do about it?” Cao Chunmei sneered. “So, that woman cheated on you, and in a fit of rage, you killed the man?”
Qian Bowen admitted plainly, “I killed him!”
The crowd gasped.
A renowned professor had thrown away a brilliant career over a woman—truly lamentable.
Qian Bowen continued, “I didn’t mean to kill them. I was just so angry. I got into a shouting match with that vile couple, and in the heat of the moment, that wretch let slip a secret.”
“The secret was that the child she bore wasn’t mine.”
“I immediately took some of the child’s hair and had a paternity test done. Sure enough, the child wasn’t mine.”
“When I saw the test results, I was consumed with rage. I felt like a clown, played for a fool by that wretch.”
Cao Chunmei mocked from the side, “You reap what you sow—serves you right!”
Qian Bowen said, “That very night, under the cover of darkness, I sneaked into her rented flat, turned on the gas, and left.”
The crowd was stunned.
Could it be that Qian Bowen had killed more than one person?
Indeed.
Qian Bowen continued, “The next day, the news reported that all three of them died of gas poisoning.”
Hearing this, Governor Han cursed, “Qian Bowen, as a professor, how could you commit such a heinous act!”
“Even if that child wasn’t yours, he was so young, and you killed him! Are you even human?”
“You’ll be the death of your teacher!”
Qian Bowen gave a bitter smile. “I know my crimes are unforgivable. Afterwards, I was terrified and lived in constant dread.”
“When I returned home, Father noticed something was off. He thought I was under too much stress and invited me to drink. But I drank too much and, in my drunken state, confessed everything.”
“Father was furious and slapped me several times, demanding that I turn myself in.”
“I begged him repeatedly, but he wouldn’t budge. He insisted I confess. In the end, after much pleading, he gave me one month.”
“He said if I didn’t turn myself in within a month, he would report me to the police himself.”
“I didn’t want to go to prison. I’m a professor—if I confessed, my reputation would be ruined, and I’d face the death penalty. I didn’t want to die!”
“As I was at my wits’ end, I happened to meet a Taoist priest who told me about the art of yansheng (a form of malevolent sorcery). An idea formed.”
“Around that time, I learned that Chunmei and Rong’er had been gambling online, racking up huge debts and even taking out high-interest loans. They desperately needed money to pay them off.”
“So, I conspired with the Taoist priest and carefully orchestrated a plan to kill by proxy.”
“I first found a history book that mentioned the art of yansheng and deliberately let Chunmei see it.”
“Then I arranged for the Taoist priest to ‘accidentally’ meet Chunmei on the street and tell her about the yansheng method.”
“Chunmei was cautious. After learning about yansheng, she didn’t approach the priest herself but sent Rong’er to get two wooden figurines from him.”
“They followed the path I had laid out, performing the yansheng ritual on Father. Even the place where they hid the figurines was exactly as the priest had instructed.”
Hearing this, Cao Chunmei and Qian Rong felt a chill run through them.
They had thought this was a secret known only to the two of them, but it turned out Qian Bowen had orchestrated everything from the start.
“After all our years as husband and wife, you even schemed against me! Qian Bowen, you’re inhuman!” Cao Chunmei cursed.
Qian Rong, filled with resentment, said, “Dad, I’m your own daughter, and you harmed me! I’ll never forgive you!”
At that moment, Qian Weidong suddenly stepped forward.
