Chapter 15: The Vanished Woman (8)

After returning, forensic experts confirmed through examination that the remains belonged to Liu Yuwei. Fragments of her clothing were still intact, and a hiking shoe identical to the one found in the canyon was discovered alongside her body.

Meng Siqi didn’t go to see Liu Yuwei’s remains in person. Instead, she saw a few photographs in the autopsy report.

The body had not fully decomposed into bare bones. Some decayed flesh remained, likely due to the protective effect of her tightly sealed hiking gear.

According to the descriptions of Feng Shaomin and Tang Xiaochuan, Liu Yuwei’s body had been wedged between rocks, with her head propped up as if gazing into the dark forest.

After months of exposure to wind, sun, rain, and insects, her body had long since liquefied and decomposed. The skeletal remains of her skull were only covered by a thin layer of rotting flesh, and a few strands of hair still fluttered in the wind.

Meng Siqi had no desire to look at any more details.

At the same time, several police cars surrounded Teng Fei’s residence. Before long, he was arrested.

Two Hours Later – Interrogation Room

Meng Siqi was the last to arrive at the interrogation room. Holding a notebook in her hands, she sat down with a heavy heart.

Inside the room, Han Changlin, Feng Shaomin, Tang Xiaochuan, and Zhao Leiting were already seated, their expressions solemn. The interrogation was being led by Tang Xiaochuan.

Sitting across from them was Teng Fei,now in handcuffs. Unlike his usual confident demeanor, his face was dark, and his eyes drooped slightly as if he had already resigned himself to his fate.

“Teng Fei, the evidence against you is irrefutable. Now, recount the entire process of how you murdered Liu Yuwei. Everything you say will be used as evidence in court!” Tang Xiaochuan’s tone was firm and authoritative.

The interrogation room fell into a heavy silence. The words “Confess and receive leniency, resist and face severe punishment” loomed overhead like a sword of justice—inescapable, piercing through deception.

After a long pause, Teng Fei finally spoke. “I admit it. I killed Yuwei.”

“I failed her.”

His voice was filled with sorrow as he revealed a story that was quite different from what they had anticipated.

At the end of last year, Teng Fei’s younger sister, Teng Rong, was diagnosed with a severe illness. The hospital recommended immediate surgery. The attending physician, Song Ren’ai, estimated that the total cost, including the surgery and all related expenses, would be around fifty thousand yuan.

Teng Fei had been working at an outdoor sport equipment store for years. Even after pooling all his savings and borrowing from friends, he barely gathered twenty thousand. As his sister’s condition worsened, he became increasingly desperate.

He kept recalling dreams of his mother, urging him to take care of his sister. He couldn’t let anything happen to her.

Teng Fei had a habit of occasional gambling, and he had been lucky in the past. He thought this time would be no different. With his remaining twenty thousand yuan, he entered an underground gambling den.

That night, he lost everything.

Penniless, he couldn’t face his sister. For a time, he sank into despair.

Amid his hopelessness, he remembered something—years ago, he had helped a girl move heavy belongings up the stairs. She had repeatedly expressed her gratitude. During their conversation, she had confided in him that she was an orphan with no family in the city.

It was this detail—that she had no close relatives—that triggered an idea in his mind. His job in the outdoor industry required him to sign personal accident insurance. In case of an accident, the payout would go to the deceased’s closest kin.

Before the Lunar New Year, Teng Fei formally introduced himself to her. The girl’s name was Liu Yuwei. Because she had received kindness from him before, she had a good impression of him. Additionally, Teng Fei had a habit of writing, which gave him a scholarly aura. With glasses on, he looked mature and reliable.

As they spent more time together, they fell in love.

A month later, Teng Fei proposed marriage. Liu Yuwei was surprised but also delighted. Since she had no family, she could make her own decisions about major life events. She accepted his proposal without hesitation, believing that Teng Fei was the most important person in her life.

They soon moved in together. Teng Fei treated her exceptionally well—caring for her in every possible way, showing affection, and always being considerate.

For Liu Yuwei, it was the happiest time of her life. After losing her parents, she finally felt the warmth of love again. She believed she was the luckiest woman in the world.

Before their wedding, Teng Fei suggested a trip. Liu Yuwei knew he was passionate about outdoor adventures and had always wanted to try them herself, so she was excited about the idea.

Two weeks before the trip, Liu Yuwei signed a personal accident insurance policy. When it came to the beneficiary, she volunteered, “Just write your name down!”

At that time,Teng Fei refused her offer with a serious expression. “No. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Liu Yuwei felt heartbroken seeing Teng Fei’s sorrowful expression.

“If I die, I hope to leave behind some money for my sister’s treatment.”

These were Liu Yuwei’s sincere words. Even the insurance agent who handled her policy at the time remembered them clearly.

Teng Fei had planned everything in advance, but when they entered the mountains, he hesitated. In truth, he never truly liked Liu Yuwei at first. However, as they spent time together, he sometimes felt afraid of losing her. The thought of spending his life with her didn’t seem so bad.

This inner conflict was something Teng Fei later wrote into his novel. It was a genuine feeling—he had once truly fallen in love with Liu Yuwei.

But reality was different from dreams. His hesitation lasted only a fleeting moment before he regained his composure.

He deliberately changed his mind and said, “Yuwei, don’t you love watching the sunrise? How about we skip the canyon and go somewhere else? I’ll take you to see the sunrise.”

Liu Yuwei saw this as a sign of his love for her. Deeply moved, she agreed without hesitation, and they set off for Xiaobie Mountain.

The route up Xiaobie Mountain was difficult, but Liu Yuwei felt cared for throughout the journey. Despite carrying a heavy backpack, Teng Fei held her hand tightly the entire time.

When he got pricked by thorns and his hands started bleeding, Liu Yuwei even shed tears for him.

That night, they pitched a tent on a flat piece of land. Just as they sat down, Liu Yuwei noticed a swollen lump on her calf, with blood oozing from it.

“Don’t move. It’s a mountain leech,” Teng Fei calmly lifted her exposed ankle.

The thought of a leech burrowing into her flesh terrified Liu Yuwei, and she trembled uncontrollably. But in the next moment, she saw Teng Fei lower his head and press his mouth against the swollen lump, using his tongue to suck the leech out.

It was the most touching moment of her life. She threw herself into his arms, crying and laughing at the same time. She told him, “For the rest of my life, I will love you. I will never leave you.”

Teng Fei gazed into the darkness of the night, stirred by her heartfelt promise.

Inside the tent, Liu Yuwei took the initiative. Despite the cold night and the distant cries of wild animals, she felt completely safe as long as Teng Fei was by her side.

She wanted him to have her, right there in the vast wilderness.

Amidst the chirping of insects, Teng Fei let out a deep breath. He tied a knot in the condom and placed it in the corner of the tent. Looking at the woman nestled against him like a rabbit, he once again fell into deep thought.

He had originally planned to act that night.

But he didn’t.

As he recounted this in the interrogation room, a chilling glint flashed in his otherwise dull eyes.

He and Liu Yuwei spent a passionate night together. The next morning, before dawn, he woke her up. Still drowsy, she playfully clung to him, half-complaining.

But the moment he mentioned watching the sunrise, she perked up and quickly put on her coat.

The summit was only a short distance away. Teng Fei walked slowly, while Liu Yuwei was light on her feet, already dreaming of what romantic words she would say when the sun appeared.

Finally, they stood at the mountaintop. Liu Yuwei held Teng Fei’s hand, her eyes fixed on the brightening eastern sky.

“Look, look!”

The horizon turned red as the golden sun began to rise. Liu Yuwei was immersed in the most beautiful moment of her life.

She turned to Teng Fei and kissed him. “I love you.”

She had planned these words for a long time. They were her way of expressing gratitude to Teng Fei—for appearing in her lonely life, for treating her well, for protecting her, and for giving her warmth unlike anything she had ever known.

But it was also a confession of genuine love.

Since losing her parents, she had been like a drifting boat in the vast ocean, a feather caught in the wind. Teng Fei was the one who finally gave her a place to land, making her feel the warmth of home. She wanted to be with him forever.

She remembered how, at the age of eight, her parents had both passed away. She was sent to an orphanage, but she remained trapped in loneliness, unable to open up to others. Deep down, she felt increasingly inferior.

When she was ten, a wealthy couple wanted to adopt her. But she ran away, hiding in a dark storage closet where no one could find her.

When the orphanage staff finally discovered her in tears, she refused to explain why. She simply believed she was unworthy of such a privileged family.

For years, she kept her insecurities hidden from everyone—until she met Teng Fei.

Only then did she slowly begin to open up. To her, Teng Fei was everything.

Bathed in the morning glow, she turned happily, basking in the warmth of the sunrise.

Teng Fei stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She leaned into his embrace, feeling an overwhelming sense of happiness.

For the first time since she lost her parents, she felt truly safe, truly loved. She cherished this moment more than anything.

But in the next instant, something tightened around her neck—a thin red cord.

At first, she might have thought Teng Fei was putting a necklace on her, perhaps as an engagement gift.

During the interrogation, Teng Fei recounted in an eerily emotionless tone, “She didn’t resist. She just held onto me tightly. I didn’t even need to take out the knife in my pocket.”

Facing the blazing sunrise, Liu Yuwei’s memories flashed before her eyes—every painful, confusing, and happy moment of her past played out like a black-and-white film speeding by too fast for her to relive.

Once he was certain she was dead, Teng Fei cradled her body in his arms.

For a moment, he felt a pang of sorrow. Her face was covered in tears. She must have been in immense pain. She must have regretted everything.

And yet, strangely, there was still a faint, content smile on her lips.

To make it appear as if she had fallen and lost her hiking shoe, Teng Fei forcefully yanked off the boot that had been tightly secured to her foot.

The process was brutal—her ankle was nearly dislocated.

But amidst it all, he noticed the scar from the mountain leech’s bite.

And in his mind, Liu Yuwei’s promise echoed relentlessly—her vow to never leave him.

Teng Fei held her tightly, trying to steady his trembling hands. He pressed a kiss on her tear-streaked cheek and then, without hesitation, threw her off the cliff.

Hearing this, Meng Siqi shuddered from head to toe. Cold sweat soaked her entire body. She had never expected the story to be this brutal. Every word she recorded felt as if it were drenched in blood.

After killing Liu Yuwei, Teng Fei realized he was running out of time. His original plan was to kill her the night before. That morning, he did everything he could to transport all their belongings from Xiaobie Mountain to the canyon, ensuring everything was placed exactly as planned.

Following his predetermined route, he set up the tent and then walked a few hundred meters further, deliberately dropping one of her shoes beneath the waterfall.

Once everything was in place, he double-checked to ensure there were no flaws before returning to the canyon entrance. There, he anxiously called for a rescue team. To avoid any inconsistencies in his story, he lied, claiming he had spent half a day searching for her inside the canyon.

Later, thanks to the accidental death insurance policy, his sister was able to undergo surgery. However, the improvement was short-lived. Her condition worsened and began to spread. In reality, he was powerless to change anything.

At some point, he noticed that people were gaining attention and making money by writing about unusual topics. Inspired, he decided to start writing again. This time, he planned to tell his own story—the story of him and Liu Yuwei.

To his surprise, the novel, based on his life, quickly gained a following. Some readers even hailed him as one of the most thrilling and gripping writers.

Teng Fei said, “After killing Yuwei, I kept seeing her in my dreams. She never left me. Writing that book helped me find some relief. Over time, I started to forget the real Liu Yuwei. I felt like the story in the book was the real version of her. She became immortal.”

“Immortal my ass!” Han Changlin slammed the table, his anger erupting. He stood up abruptly and strode toward the door. The door swung open with a loud crack, slamming into the wall with a heavy thud.

Fresh air rushed in from outside, quickly clearing the oppressive atmosphere in the room.