Volume One, Chapter 16: "I Wish I Could Tear Her Apart Piece by Piece!"

“Then what happened?” Zhang Jie asked. “Since Lin Xiaoyang was so upset, did Fang Yi make any moves?”

Zhang Lei continued, “At first, no. Mainly because Fang Yi thought Xu Yao was quite suitable. After all, finding a secretary who meets all expectations isn’t easy. I don’t know if there was any real problem between them, but I know Xu Yao a bit. She’s diligent, sharp, and quick-witted. If it were me, I’d also want someone like that by my side.”

“That makes sense,” Zhang Jie pondered. “But for a company like Yi Media, finding a clever secretary shouldn’t be difficult, right? If Lin Xiaoyang and her had such a big conflict, and Fang Yi still didn’t take action, could there really be something going on?”

“Hahaha...” Zhang Lei suddenly laughed. “They say women are sensitive to these things. Seems it’s true. The female officers are the same.”

Zhang Jie smiled along. “I’m just analyzing objectively.”

Zhang Lei gradually stopped laughing. “Fang Yi did handle it later. He transferred Xu Yao to another department, so she no longer worked closely with him, and their contact decreased a lot. But even so, Lin Xiaoyang remained uneasy and kept pestering Fang Yi.”

“Why?” Zhang Jie asked, puzzled.

Zhang Lei chuckled, “They work in the same company, with a superior-subordinate relationship. Do you think they’d never have any contact? It’s impossible! They have to approve requests, report progress, plan projects—these all require interaction.”

“But those are normal work contacts. It shouldn’t cause such a fuss, right?” Zhang Jie questioned.

Yang Chenxu, who had been quietly observing their exchange, listened intently.

“Well... how should I put it?” Zhang Lei smiled again. “I mentioned before that Lin Xiaoyang’s personality can be a bit... well, she never lets things go when she’s in the right. And as Fang Yi became more successful, meeting more beautiful women, she grew insecure and suspicious. To most people, Fang Yi and Xu Yao’s contact was normal, but Lin Xiaoyang could read a look or a gesture and suspect Xu Yao of having some ill intentions towards Fang Yi.”

“So what happened then?” Zhang Jie asked again.

“Eventually, there was no choice but to let Xu Yao go,” Zhang Lei said, shrugging.

“Then it was settled, wasn’t it?” Zhang Jie asked.

“If only it were that simple!” Zhang Lei sighed. “The problem was, after Xu Yao left, Lin Xiaoyang didn’t let it go. She suspected Xu Yao was still in contact with Fang Yi and caused trouble, even telling Xu Yao’s boyfriend about their relationship... To put it bluntly, Lin Xiaoyang shared her paranoid suspicions with Xu Yao’s boyfriend, which led to Xu Yao breaking up with him.”

“Things got that serious?” Zhang Jie asked.

Zhang Lei laughed with a hint of sarcasm. “That’s not all. Xu Yao had been with that boyfriend for seven or eight years. They were about to get engaged. And he was well-off—a second-generation rich heir. You can imagine how difficult it is for a woman in her late twenties to find someone with such good conditions again.”

As they chatted over breakfast, the time passed quickly until it was already past eight.

They found Xu Yao around 4 p.m. that day at a large supermarket in Guangnan City. She was busy checking accounts, looking serious but with a subtle hint of impatience and resentment if one looked closely.

After Zhang Jie explained their purpose, Xu Yao calmly followed them out. The three of them sat outside a small café beneath the supermarket.

Xu Yao was nearly 1.7 meters tall, refined and fair-skinned, with a temperament similar to Jiang Shishi, though her features were less delicate. Still, she was undeniably beautiful and stood out in a crowd.

She spoke little, seeming either resigned or unwilling to cooperate.

“When was the first time you met Lin Xiaoyang?” Zhang Jie asked.

Xu Yao gave a slight, disdainful smile. “Are you all suspecting I killed her?”

Zhang Jie was momentarily taken aback. “We’re just trying to understand the situation. No need to be so sensitive...”

“I did want to kill her!” Xu Yao said quietly, each word laced with hatred. “More than once. If I could, I’d tear her apart!”

As Xu Yao spoke, Zhang Jie’s gaze fell on her wrists.

There were two scars, still fresh in color and shape, resembling those from a wrist-cutting.

“What happened to your wrists?” Zhang Jie asked.

Xu Yao paused, her eyes instinctively lowering to her scars. A faint, indifferent smile tugged at her lips. “If I don’t care about my own life, why should I care so much about a woman like her?”

Zhang Jie was surprised by the words but remained composed and calmly continued, “Xu Yao, if it’s just the conflict between you and Lin Xiaoyang, it shouldn’t have driven you to attempt suicide, right?”

“Then I killed someone!” Xu Yao suddenly lifted her head to look at her. Meeting her gaze, she asked, “Are you going to arrest me? Might as well shoot me now—I don’t want to live anymore...”

Yang Chenxu, who had been silent, interrupted, “Xu Yao, we just want to understand the facts. No need to get so worked up.”

“Am I worked up?” Xu Yao replied flatly, still full of despair.

Yang Chenxu looked at her and said, “Then please cooperate and answer our questions.”

“If I tell you everything, you won’t bother me again, right?” Xu Yao asked.

“Yes,” Yang Chenxu answered.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yao smiled slightly and then suddenly began to speak freely, “Alright, I’ll tell you everything I know. You want to know when I last saw Lin Xiaoyang, right? I can’t recall the exact time. I’ve been in a bad mood lately and didn’t keep track. Ever since I left Yi Media, Lin Xiaoyang wouldn’t let me be—she wanted to destroy me completely and even ruined my relationship with my boyfriend...”

As she spoke, the pain hidden beneath her expression surfaced fully. “He was my first love. We had been fine all these years until Lin Xiaoyang messed everything up. Of course, I hate her. I truly wanted to kill her, even thought about taking her down with me...”

At this, Zhang Jie asked, “So, on September 22nd, you deliberately lured Lin Xiaoyang to the riverbank, hopingI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.