Zhou Mu immediately began to act pitiful.
"Sister!! How could you say that? I was trying to hide what you did, but… but you just won't let it go… wuuu…" Zhou Mu sobbed as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Yes, yes, Zhou Xue! Zhou Mu has already forgiven you! But how can you be so ungrateful? Accusing your own sister of such a crime? Do you want to destroy her reputation? Drop this nonsense and return to our Zhou family!" Father Zhou shouted angrily, glaring at Zhou Xue.
Everyone in the hospital ward—including those lingering outside—stood stunned, dumbfounded by Father Zhou's audacity.
"Officer, this is a family matter. Please don't concern yourselves with this ungrateful girl," Father Zhou added with a flattering smile, turning toward the police officers.
"Mr. Zhou," the tall male officer—clearly the leader—spoke coldly. "Are you saying we came all this way just to treat an attempted murder as a family squabble?"
"N-no… that's not what I meant…"
"Then shut up!" the officer snapped. "We don't have time to play games with you."
The color drained from Father Zhou's face. He suddenly looked years older.
Madame Zhou, standing beside him, was confused. Earlier, she'd been reprimanded by her husband because of Zhou Xue. And now, he was suggesting they drop the case and bring the girl back into the family?
No way!
If that happened, she would lose the promised 1 million blue coins, no she wanted all of Zhou Xue's money.
"No! We can't drop the case. We must find the real culprit and send them to prison!" Madame Zhou shouted in panic.
Everyone in the ward went speechless. Even Zhou Xue couldn't believe the sheer shamelessness.
Zhou Mu glared at Madame Zhou, her eyes filled with murderous rage.
"Ugh… I think I'm going to be sick. Doctor, could you please show me the restroom?" Zhou Mu asked pitifully, looking up at Doctor Chu.
If Doctor Chu hadn't seen the worst of humanity over the years, he might have truly believed Zhou Mu just needed a bathroom.
"There's no need," said the female police officer seated beside Zhou Xue's bed. "Until we uncover the evidence, no one leaves. Miss Zhou Mu, if you're going to vomit, Doctor Chu, what are you waiting for? Bring her a plastic bag."
"Ah?!" Zhou Mu exclaimed, stunned.
Doctor Chu gave a slight nod and left to fetch a small bag.
Father Zhou nearly collapsed, wobbling as he struggled to stay on his feet. Just moments ago, he'd been praising Zhou Mu for her cleverness in covering their tracks. Who would've thought every escape route had already been blocked?
The tense silence in the ward was broken when one of the officers' phones rang. He glanced at the screen, then smiled and increased the phone's brightness before playing a video.
"Everyone, please take a look at this," he called out.
Curious, the crowd gathered around him.
Zhou Mu, sensing impending doom, hung back at the edge of the group, ready to bolt if necessary.
As the video played, everyone's expressions darkened—especially the Zhou family trio.
"How… how can this be?!" Madame Zhou shrieked in disbelief.
The video showed Zhou Mu pushing someone, captured from a perfect angle with crystal clarity.
"Zhou Xue!! How dare you go so far as to collude with the police to frame your sister?" Yang Jue accused, still clinging to her delusions.
"Miss Zhou," said another officer, voice stern. "Are you saying our investigation is nothing but a scheme to frame your daughter? This footage came directly from the Gong Commercial Building's central satellite system. Would you like to explain that to President Gong in person?"
"No! No, that's not what I meant…"
"Madame Zhou," the female officer snapped, "I'll remind you that falsely accusing the police is a criminal offense."
Madame Zhou turned pale and fell silent.
"As for you, Miss Mu—where do you think you're going?"
Everyone turned to see Zhou Mu had silently edged her way to the door.
As soon as she heard her name, she swung the door open, attempting to flee.
But standing there were the very people she'd invited. Their eyes now filled with disgust and disbelief.
Even Lin Shihan, who used to look after her, took a step back. He didn't want anything to do with a criminal.
The headteacher and students who had once believed in Zhou Mu were filled with deep regret. They had hated Zhou Xue, who turned out to be innocent.
Thank goodness Zhou Xue was still a student of First High School—they still had a chance to make amends. Immediately, they pulled out their phones and began reporting the truth to the school's forum.
Soon, the entire forum exploded.
It turned out Zhou Xue was the innocent one all along, while Zhou Mu was the real culprit. Some still doubted, but that skepticism evaporated with the next shocking revelation.
Zhou Xue was actually a wealthy heiress with millions of star coins in her account.
Boys all over school started preparing to approach her, hoping to gain favor.
Back in the hospital room, Lin Shihan smoothed his hair and peered in affectionately. He believed no girl could resist his good looks. He was determined to win Zhou Xue over and become the next young master of Long City.
Meanwhile, Zhou Mu, who had tried to escape, was caught and dragged back by an officer. She screamed and cried, claiming it was all a setup, but no one believed her anymore.
Even Madame Zhou glared at her, furious about losing the 100 million blue coins.
Suddenly, she turned to Zhou Xue with a tender expression.
"Xiao Xue… Mother—"
"Officer," Zhou Xue interrupted coldly, "I have another important case to report."
The female officer looked at her kindly. "What is it?"
Zhou Xue didn't speak. She simply picked up her phone, typed something, and handed it to them.
The officers gathered to view the new video—and gasped in horror.
Zhou Mu was already handcuffed, but the content made even the people outside the room freeze in terror.
It was a recording of Zhou Mu committing murder.
Not just any murder—but the killing of Xú Mei, Zhou Xue's best friend, who had gone missing.
The phone contained hundreds of videos, each documenting different murders carried out by Zhou Mu.
She wasn't just a murderer.
She was a notorious serial killer, long wanted by police headquarters.
Shock filled the room. Even Zhou Mu began to cackle madly, struggling like a deranged animal.
"A serial killer…" someone whispered.
Blood drained from everyone's faces. Even Father and Madame Zhou stumbled away from her.
They had unknowingly lived under the same roof as a killer.
"Hahaha! What are you looking at?!" Zhou Mu screamed. "Zhou Xue, you bitch!! Where did you get my baby—my phone?!"
Zhou Xue remained calm, sitting on the bed leisurely.
The officers turned to her. "Where did you find this?"
Zhou Xue explained that she'd discovered Zhou Mu's phone hidden in the Zhou family's garden. Suspicious of her odd behavior, especially how protective she was of her phone, Zhou Xue had taken a look.
What she found shocked her—videos named after victims, including footage of her best friend being tortured and the real daughter of the Zhou family being killed.
"What did you say?!" Father and Madame Zhou asked in unison.
"Zhou Mu isn't your real child. She murdered yours and took her place," Zhou Xue said calmly, as if she'd known all along.
"Ahh! My child?!" Madame Zhou screamed and fainted.
Father Zhou lunged at Zhou Mu, strangling her.
"Give me back my daughter, you bitch!! I'll kill you!"
Despite being choked, Zhou Mu laughed bitterly and coughed violently.
"Why are you pretending? If you hadn't killed my parents in that car crash, I would've been Mu Rong—the heiress of a first-rate family. But you ran away after killing them. You deserve this… all of you! Die!!!" she screamed maniacally.
"You—You!!!" Father Zhou tightened his grip.
The officers pulled him off immediately. "Control yourself!" they warned.
Zhou Mu kept screaming threats at Zhou Xue, stating how she would turn her into a ghost. until she was suddenly interrupted.
"Oh? You want to see a ghost?" Zhou Xue said coldly. "Then I'll show you one."
She stood up and pointed out the window.
Everyone followed her gesture.
"There… that's the ghost you're looking for."
About eight meters away, several translucent figures floated rapidly toward the window.
"HAAA!!" people screamed and tried to flee the ward.
The ghostly figures approached at alarming speed.
The officers leapt into action, plastering ghost-suppressing talismans on each wall and the glass window.
"Call the Organization immediately! We've got a supernatural case!" the leader ordered one of his team.
Everyone else had fled the room—except for the officers, the Zhou family trio, Zhou Xue, and Doctor Chu.
Even he, who had always known Zhou Xue wasn't an ordinary girl, felt a chill run down his spine.
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