The entanglement between Liu Chongsen and Shi Muyuan is actually very simple and can be summarized in nine words: being sentimental and unable to get what you want.
Liu Chongsen fell in love with Shi Muyuan the day she reported to school. She was gentle and docile, beautiful, and the very image of most men's dream wife.
Liu Chongsen can write poetry. Since high school, he has started to use poetry to approach good-looking girls in school.
At that time, they were all young and admired talented people, especially Liu Chongsen, who was studying painting. He had an artist's decadent aura. Therefore, even if his paintings were not good in the eyes of people in the industry, it was enough to fool the little girl who knew nothing.
From high school to college, Liu Chongsen has never lacked a partner.
All of this was gone by the time he reached college. He attended the Huabai Academy of Fine Arts, where countless students studied painting and sculpture, and his skills were simply not up to par. Any pretty girl in school, picked at random, would have far superior professional skills to his.
His once-proud charm was ineffective against the girls at Huabai Academy, and his artistic temperament was not particularly outstanding there. As a child from an ordinary family, he couldn't compete financially.
Gradually, his mindset changed. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts, he met Wu Lili through a blind date arranged by his family. Wu Lili, whose parents were both orphaned, had grown up in the home of her uncles and aunts. She was gentle and easygoing, but her appearance was only considered delicate.
Liu Chongsen didn't say it, but deep down he felt resentful. He felt Wu Lili was marrying above her station, and with his talent and looks, he felt he shouldn't have to compromise. He felt more disgust than tenderness towards Wu Lili.
At school, teaching some students who knew nothing made Liu Chongsen even more frustrated. At this time, Shi Muyuan appeared. Her appearance was like a ray of light, shining into Liu Chongsen's dry heart and lighting up the source of Liu Chongsen's inspiration.
During that time, whenever he had free time, he would lock himself in the studio, painting and sculpting day and night, and he was too annoyed to even look at his wife and son.
But his skills were really limited, so no matter how hard he tried, he could not carve out one-third of Shi Muyuan's beauty and tenderness.
He felt that he had too little contact with Shi Muyuan and observed her too little, so he began to contact Shi Muyuan intentionally or unintentionally.
But Shi Muyuan was a stubborn woman, and no matter how he approached her or how he tried to show her kindness or give her any hints, she ignored him. This made Liu Chongsen, who always felt arrogant and inferior to himself, particularly unbearable.
Liu Chongsen became especially angry when he saw Shi Muyuan, who had always kept a distance from him and treated him as just an ordinary colleague, smiling and acting like a little bird when treating her boyfriend.
He felt betrayed. He could not tolerate the indifference of his muse, the goddess of his dreams, to his love. He also could not tolerate the noble and elegant goddess in his imagination acting like a little woman to another man.
In Liu Chongsen's fantasy, these little womanly gestures of hers were meant to be directed towards him. She should prostrate herself at his feet in obedience, revering him as if he were a god. If this wasn't possible, then she had to stand in the light, forever noble and elegant. She couldn't be touched by any man other than him!
Jealousy drove Liu Chongsen crazy, he found an opportunity, when no one was around, he stopped Shi Muyuan, angrily accused Shi Muyuan of being fickle and undisciplined. Shi Muyuan finally had enough of his self-conceit.
She was a gentle person, and her previous rejections of Liu Chongsen had always been firm but euphemistic. This time, she was no longer euphemistic. Facing Liu Chongsen's questioning, she simply replied, "What is our relationship? We're just ordinary colleagues, not even friends. What right do you have to control how I get along with my fiancé?"
The word "fiancé" hurt Liu Chongsen, and dark thoughts began to grow in his heart.
He knew Shi Muyuan's whereabouts very well. But before he acted out the dark side of his heart, he asked his parents for their pension, bought a piece of land at the foot of a mountain outside the capital, and hired someone to build a house.
The roof of the house was not well built, but there was a very large basement underneath.
The bungalow was built very quickly and was completed in less than a month. The decoration took only half a month. Liu Chongsen even separated out a room in the basement.
He personally bought wedding supplies and decorated the basement room in red. Once everything was ready, Liu Chongsen began to implement his plan of abduction.
Because she has a boyfriend who studies at the Public Security University, Shi Muyuan is very conscious of exercising. During her internship at the university, no matter how busy she was, she would get up early and go for a run.
Liu Chongsen was lying in ambush at a corner. When Shi Muyuan ran over, he found the sleeping pills he had prepared long ago and covered her mouth and nose with them. He then took her to the rental house he had prepared long ago.
He also used Shi Muyuan's mobile phone to send a breakup message to Zuo Xiangfeng.
Because of some strange self-esteem of men, in the message he sent to Zuo Xiangfeng, he specifically mentioned that Shi Muyuan fell in love with him, a romantic "author".
Liu Chongsen brought Shi Muyuan to the specially prepared bridal chamber, chained her to the bed, and began his assault.
This abuse lasted for three months, during which time Liu Chongsen quit his job at the school and spent his days and nights in the suburbs.
One day, Shi Muyuan attempted suicide while he was out. Because her limbs were locked and she had difficulty moving, Liu Chongsen came back and saw it.
Liu Chongsen was very angry. He was a man of little character. He stepped forward to punish Shi Muyuan. When Shi Muyuan resisted, Liu Chongsen strangled her to death.
Liu Chongsen was stunned when he saw Shi Muyuan, who was not breathing. He was filled with grief and anger. In the midst of his grief and anger, a bold idea emerged in his mind.
He went down the mountain and went to four or five places to buy a lot of formalin liquid. The formalin liquid prevented Shi Muyuan's body from rotting, and after completing the preliminary antiseptic work.
Liu Chongsen began his cruel act. He first used white glue and crepe paper to trace the marks on Shi Muyuan's face, then broke open Shi Muyuan's body, took out her internal organs, and then filled her body with plaster.
Afterwards, he wrapped her entire body in gauze and applied layers of plaster on top.
He spent nearly a year carving the work Shi Muyuan. This time, he finally carved out the perfect Shi Muyuan in his mind.
His joy was beyond words.
After Shi Muyuan died, during the period of carving, he allowed his wife and son to come over. One night, when his wife was tidying up the bridal room in the basement that had become a storage room, she saw a line of blurred small words written in blood beside the bed.
The news that Shi Muyuan was missing and her parents and boyfriend were looking for her everywhere had spread throughout the school at that time. Because Liu Chongsen worked at that school, Wu Lili was very concerned about all kinds of news about that school.
When Wu Lili saw that line of words, she thought about Liu Chongsen's actions after Shi Muyuan disappeared, and she finally understood. Shi Muyuan's disappearance was caused by her husband.
She was shivering all over and her face was pale. Before she could recover from the shock, Liu Chongsen hit her with a stick from behind.
His artwork was about to be completed, and he had a premonition that once his work was released, he would become famous throughout the Chinese sculpture world.
He will never allow anything to hinder his success, whether it is a person or an object.
He decided to go all out and kill Wu Lili as well. This time, he was more experienced and could handle the situation faster and better. During this time, his son kept making trouble, which made Liu Chongsen extremely annoyed.
He had never been one to like children. When the little one was born, he hadn't even held him a few times. He cried and made a fuss, which was annoying. He looked similar to Wu Lili's brother, but there were very few similarities between him and her.
The child kept crying for his mother, and Liu Chongsen, annoyed, simply killed him as well. He told others that Wu Lili didn't like him, divorced him, and took the child away. Of course, the divorce certificate and divorce agreement were all obtained by someone he had hired.
After spending a lot of money, the certificate he finally got was issued by a legitimate organization. If it weren't for Shi Muyuan's boyfriend from the Public Security University who had been looking for him like a mad dog for over a year, Liu Chongsen would have wanted to call him a fake marriage certificate holder and get his and Shi Muyuan's marriage certificate.
This is also one of Liu Chongsen's biggest regrets in life.
Liu Chongsen told the public that Wu Lili had run away with her children, and that Wu Lili's uncles and aunts didn't care. They were already very good at raising Wu Lili and her siblings. After Wu Lili got married, they took some of her belongings, and how Wu Lili lived after that was no longer their business.
Besides, rumors were circulating that Wu Lili had gone abroad with a wealthy businessman. What kind of good life would that be abroad? Wu Lili's uncles and aunts were filled with envy just thinking about it.
Only Wu Shengzong didn't believe Wu Lili would go with someone else. Wu Shengzong knew better than anyone how satisfied Wu Lili was with her current life. Wu Shengzong was not a reckless person. On the surface, he pretended to believe Liu Chongsen's words, but secretly, he always followed Liu Chongsen.
After tracking for a while, he determined that there was something fishy about the small house at the foot of the mountain, but when he went to check it out, he was killed by Liu Chongsen who had been waiting for a long time.
Wu Zongsheng became the third statue "Son of the Sun God" in Liu Chongsen's hands.
The first of these three statues is well-known as the goddess in my dream. Just as Liu Chongsen expected, this statue attracted the attention of people in the art world as soon as it was unveiled.
Liu Chongsen was very proud of himself and successively launched the "Mother Goddess" and "Son of the Sun God", which both contained his wife and son.
But after these three sculptures, Liu Chongsen never produced another fine sculpture. Without real people in his sculptures, Liu Chongsen could no longer create such lifelike sculptures. No matter how hard he tried, his imagination was useless, and his skills were reduced to the original. Liu Chongsen could not overcome his own mediocrity.
He began to publish his own poetry collections and leave his email contact information. Liu Chongsen was using his own way to choose a "work" that suited his taste.
He Wanqing was the most suitable target for him among his many targets. However, when he wanted to use He Wanqing, He Wanqing was also using him to escape and become a monk.
In the timeline where Feng Qinqin was wronged, the incident of Liu Chongsen hiding people in the statue was exposed, which also happened during this period.
Because talent is so important in the art world, Liu Chongsen's exhibition was rushed. The sculptures he included were meant to show reporters the hardships and changes he's experienced in sculpture over the years.
He wanted to create a persona as a sculptor who used hard work to transform his natural talent. The reporters took his money and wrote about it.
But on that day, there were so many art students visiting that even Professor Kang Mei from Huabai Academy of Fine Arts came.
It was a professor at the Huabai Academy of Fine Arts who noticed something was amiss with the sculpture. But she wasn't sure. After returning home from the exhibition, she felt a growing sense of uncertainty. The next day, she planned to return to the exhibition hall, only to discover something had happened. Upon learning someone had disappeared there the previous day, the professor was so frightened she went straight to the police to report the situation.
Upon hearing this, the police rushed to investigate and, indeed, they found the person in the sculpture. Everything that followed fell into place. When they checked Liu Chongsen's other computer, they found dozens of contacts. Several of them were even carefully labeled, with details ranging from height to hobbies to educational backgrounds, even including photos of their loved ones.
It is not difficult to imagine how many innocent women would have turned into sculptures in various poses if Professor Kang Mei had not reported the case to the police.
Seeing this, Lin Shuyue breathed a sigh of relief, but soon the breath was stuck in her heart.
This Liu Chongsen is even more cold-blooded than she imagined. He is a madman, an incompetent and cold-blooded madman!
Lin Shuyue got up from the bed, opened her notebook, and quickly wrote an article titled "The Case of the Sculpture Tibetans" and sent it back to Huang Qiang.
The cell phone rang. Lin Shuyue picked it up and looked at the time, only to find that it was already past five o'clock.
It gets dark early in the winter in the north. The shops on the street outside the window have already turned on their lights, and all kinds of neon lights are flashing non-stop in the dark night.
Lin Shuyue went downstairs to eat with Hang Jiabai. They had braised chicken with rice. The chicken was ginger-colored, garnished with green bell peppers and red chili peppers, and also had mushrooms, soy milk, and other ingredients.
After eating a piece of tender and tasty chicken thigh, Lin Shuyue asked about Zuo Xiangfeng. Hang Jiabai said, "He asked me out for a drink tonight."
Hang Jiabai was happy. Zuo Xiangfeng had invited him for a drink in such a short time, which meant he was almost over it. His ability to figure it out was the greatest comfort to his friends. In the past two days, everyone, with their backs to Zuo Xiangfeng, was expressing their regret for Zuo Xiangfeng and Shi Muyuan.
Lin Shuyue nodded: "Drink less."
"Okay." Hang Jiabai agreed.
Lin Shuyue mixed the broth from the braised chicken with rice and ate the tofu puffs in it. After the meal, Lin Shuyue returned to the hotel, while Hang Jiabai went to keep an appointment with Zuo Xiangfeng.
She had just come out of the shower when Feng Qinqin came in to talk to Lin Shuyue.
"I couldn't help it in the afternoon and contacted Mengmeng." Feng Qinqin said, sitting on the bed where she had slept before.
Lin Shuyue was holding a towel in her hand and wiping the water off her hair.
"Mengmeng said that she had suspected He Wanqing a long time ago, but she had no evidence." Giving gifts to leaders is a private matter that only one or two people know about.
Just like Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing, the two of them gave gifts together. As good friends, Xia Mengmeng was filled with indignation when she found out that they had given gifts, but the master refused to accept her own gift and hinted that he wanted something else. She had no place to vent her anger, and she only told Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing.
"She said that at first, she suspected me. After all, He Wanqing is so gentle and doesn't seem like someone who would tell lies. I, on the other hand, have a more outgoing personality and tend to be a bit talkative. It was normal for her to be suspicious of me first."
Feng Qinqin was not sad or upset that Xia Mengmeng was the first person to suspect her.
The reason why she and Xia Mengmeng can be friends is because of He Wanqing, who serves as a spatial bond between them. They subconsciously keep a certain distance from each other and are not too close.
It was normal for Xia Mengmeng to doubt her. Lin Shuyue acted as a listener and did not interrupt Feng Qinqin's narration.
Feng Qinqin was in a state where she just needed someone to listen, so she pulled out a stool and sat in front of Feng Qinqin to wipe her hair.
She didn't ask any random questions, which made Feng Qinqin feel relieved. Under Lin Shuyue's encouraging gaze, she continued, "Mengmeng said that she thought about it carefully later. Before she met me, she actually said a lot of sweet things to He Wanqing and did a lot of things. It wouldn't be long before the news got out."
"She didn't care because it wasn't anything shameful. She'd been friends with He Wanqing for a longer time, and she'd been warned by He Wanqing's mother before, but it was better then. Her mother didn't insult her, she just spoke harshly."
"Meng Meng and He Wanqing broke off their friendship, but it was He Wanqing who begged her to became friends again."
Feng Qinqin said, "If I had talked to Mengmeng about this earlier, I wouldn't have suffered such a huge loss. Thinking about it really makes me angry. I've never seen anyone as stupid as me."
Feng Qinqin felt like she was the dumbest person in the world, letting He Wanqing fool her around. If it weren't for her luck this time, when Lin Shuyue and the others discovered the secret hidden in the sculpture and tracked down He Wanqing's escape direction in time, and sent her back, she would have suffered even more in the future.
After Feng Qinqin told Lin Shuyue about her distress, she felt much more relaxed: "Shuyue, thank you for listening to me. If I didn't tell you, I really don't know who to tell."
Feng Qinqin felt like she was going to go crazy if she kept it in any longer.
"It's okay. Your friend called Mengmeng, isn't she going to do anything?"
Feng Qinqin shook her head: "She still needs treatment now. When her condition gets better, she will fight back."
Feng Qinqin was also happy to hear these words from Xia Mengmeng herself.
Lin Shuyue also smiled.
As time was getting later, Feng Qinqin went back to rest.
No one new had entered Lin Shuyue's room. She lay on the bed at night and fell asleep quickly.
•••••
He Wanqing also arrived at her home in Hebei Province. On the way back, no matter where she was, Gong Sufen never stopped talking and kept scolding her.
She suppressed her annoyance and grievances and dared not say a word back, because she knew that if she did, Gong Sufen would slap her in the face.
Finally, it was nine o'clock, the set bedtime in He Wanqing's family. Ever since she was old enough to understand, the family had always gone to bed at this exact time.
The situation did not improve until she graduated from university and started studying at a newspaper.
She used to be able to take her laptop and cell phone to bed with her at night. But now, this right is gone, and Gong Sufen has also locked the phone at home.
Her house was on the first floor, and the window of her room was also locked from the outside by Gong Sufen.
He Wanqing watched her mother's series of actions, breathing was difficult. She was sent to her room to sleep. The door to the room could not be closed. Gong Sufen was in the living room, where there was a small bed, which was facing He Wanqing's room door.
As long as she slept outside, even if He Wanqing turned over, she could see everything clearly.
Before He Wanqing went to high school, Gong Sufen stared at her like this. He Wanqing was trembling all over. The feeling of being unable to feel free made her feel uncomfortable all over.
After staying awake for a long time, He Wanqing finally fell asleep and began to dream.
She dreamed she had successfully escaped from the exhibition hall and reached the Mongolian grasslands she had longed for. In winter, the Mongolian grasslands were barren, like a desert, with not a single blade of grass to be seen. But He Wanqing wasn't disappointed at all. She followed the road and walked until she came to a tribe of Mongolian yurts.
She knocked on the door of one of the yurts. A sturdy man about 1.8 meters tall opened the door. After hearing that she wanted to stay overnight and buying some food, he let her into the yurt.
The Mongolian man was very hospitable and served her the best food he could offer at the moment. During the meal, He Wanqing also learned some basic information about the Mongolian man.
After learning that the Mongolian man was still single, the two slept in the same bed at night.
He Wanqing's temperament has been suppressed since she was a child, so her heart is particularly eager for indulgence, and sexual indulgence is also something He Wanqing particularly wants to try.
She spent a winter in a Mongolian man's yurt. Because he was kind, willing to pamper her, and especially able to satisfy her in matters of that nature, she stayed there. Her life was exceptionally easy and enjoyable.
He Wanqing also dreamed that she was gradually becoming famous online for her grassland photos. She slept with a smile on her face.
But just when she was feeling proud of herself, she suddenly found that she had turned into Feng Qinqin. Before she could figure out what was going on, she found that her parents had come. They moved in openly and ordered her around.
They ruined her job, ruined her blind date, lived in her house with a shameless attitude, and ate and drank lavishly without any scruples. If she didn't give them food and drink, they would buy on credit from stores outside, and the store owners would come to her house to ask for money.
He Wanqing knew she was dreaming and struggled to wake up, but she couldn't open her eyes.
In her dream, she seemed to have lived Feng Qinqin's entire life.
When she opened her eyes the next day, she was relieved to see that she was still in her room. But when she thought of the dream she had last night, which was still clear after she woke up, she shuddered.
But soon, she recalled the days of freedom she spent when she escaped to Inner Mongolia, and as she thought about it, she became lost in thought.
As for the things she experienced later as "Feng Qinqin", she didn't take it to heart at all. No matter how real that dream was, it was someone else's life. What did it have to do with her?
•••••
December 28th arrived in the blink of an eye. This day was the day for the selection meeting for the top ten young journalists. The selection meeting started in the afternoon and was held in the largest banquet hall of the Haiyue Hotel.
When Lin Shuyue, Feng Qinqin, and the others arrived, the banquet hall was already packed with people, about a hundred in total, all outstanding young journalists from all over the country. Some of them Lin Shuyue had met before, others she didn't.
Before the selection meeting started, everyone was chatting with each other and soon everyone became familiar with each other. Some active people even took out their phones to create a group on the spot, and the reporters present joined enthusiastically.
You know, the most important thing for a journalist is to be well-informed. And how does one get such well-informed information? Isn't it through connections? Everyone has heard of Lin Shuyue. The news she reported over the past six months has been reprinted countless times. In less than half an hour, her phone book has been filled with many more people.
The host in evening gown arrived and the selection meeting officially began.
Lin Shuyue was undoubtedly selected for her numerous popular reports.
The party lasted for three hours. After the selection was over, everyone stayed in the banquet hall and chatted with each other.
At noon, Lin Shuyue and nine other young reporters who were selected were brought to the TV station by Wang Jiao.
They were received by Deputy Director Guo of the National Taiwan News Department.
Seeing Lin Shuyue and the others, he didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "To celebrate the arrival of May Day next year, the national TV station is preparing to produce a special report on how people from all walks of life are working hard and living in peace and contentment in the new era."
"In order to give unofficial journalists a wider range of opportunities, we have specially selected ten of the most representative industries for you to report on."
Deputy Director Guo took out a box and said, "We've compiled some industry adjectives, written them down on paper, and put them in this box in advance. Draw lots, and whatever you draw is what you get."
"After you capture the adjectives, by March of next year, you will need to compile your filming and reporting into a document and send it to my email. This deadline is March 15th at the latest. If you submit after March 15th, we will not review your reports."
After Deputy Director Guo finished speaking, he placed the box on the table.
Lin Shuyue and the others exchanged a glance, their excitement overflowing. As journalists without a job in a public institution, who wouldn't be excited? Who wouldn't be happy to be able to participate in such an event?
Everyone came forward to draw lots, and only after everyone had drawn lots did they open the slips in their hands together.
"I caught the railroad."
"I caught the workers in the hot sun."
"I grabbed the last line of defense by the sea."
•••••
Everyone was chattering about the industries they had drawn. Lin Shuyue did not join in. She looked at the slip of paper in her hand. The proposition on it was:
"Guardian."