Xiao Q and Xiao Peng attended the same university.  

However, they were in different departments and not even the same class.  

Xiao Q had been fascinated by criminal cases, crimes, and detective work since childhood.  

He majored in criminal investigation and planned to become a police detective after graduation.  

Although he was good friends with Xiao Peng, he usually didn't like hanging out with Xiao Peng's rowdy group of friends.  

He came this time because he was extremely interested in what had happened two days ago.  

The two were smoking outside the apartment building. Behind Alice Apartment was a massive garden with a small stream where fish could be seen swimming.  

The air was fresh here, with open views—a perfect spot for smoking and chatting.  

As they arrived, they noticed someone flying a kite not far away.  

Coincidentally, the kite string snapped.  

The kite swiftly descended from the sky toward Xiao Peng and Xiao Q.  

It eventually landed not far in front of them.  

Xiao Peng walked over and picked up the kite. It wasn't large, shaped like the cartoon character Pikachu, bright yellow and incredibly lifelike—just as cute as the one seen on TV.  

The moment Xiao Peng held it, he noticed how realistic it was, with an exceptionally smooth texture.  

"Thank you, that's my kite."  

A simple, honest-looking middle-aged uncle hurried over from a distance.  

"Here you go."  

Xiao Peng handed the Pikachu kite back. The uncle gratefully took it, thanked them, and went back to flying his kite.  

At that moment, Xiao Peng turned and noticed his friend Xiao Q squinting sharply, like a cat eyeing its prey, staring intently at the departing middle-aged man.  

"What, you keep staring at him like that? Don't tell me you've fallen for him? Got some daddy issues?" Xiao Peng teased.  

"Shut up! You're the one with daddy issues!" Xiao Q retorted. "I just feel like I've seen him somewhere before."  

Pulling out his phone, Xiao Q suddenly grinned at Xiao Peng. "Hey, let me tell you something interesting."  

Xiao Peng: "What? Did some hot new girl transfer to our school?"  

Xiao Q gave him a disdainful look. "Even if there was, she wouldn't be for you—she'd be some rich guy's. Stop dreaming."  

"Look at this. Does it seem familiar?"  

Xiao Peng glanced down casually at Xiao Q's phone screen. At first, he didn’t pay much attention, but then his eyes widened in shock.  

Pointing at the screen, he exclaimed, "Hey hey hey! Isn't this the guy who almost killed Wang Ju?! How do you have his photo?!"  

Xiao Q chuckled. "You described him to me before, remember? I thought he looked familiar, and sure enough, I found him."  

Xiao Peng took the phone. On the screen was an online encyclopedia entry for a man named Lin Shengli—the very same man who had nearly killed Wang Ju.  

"So his name is Lin Shengli..." Xiao Peng muttered, scrolling further down.  

But the more he read, the more his expression darkened.  

By the end, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him—or if the encyclopedia was wrong.  

"It says here Lin Shengli was a convicted rapist and murderer involved in multiple cases. He was sentenced to death three years ago. What the hell? Then who did we just meet?! A twin brother? Or someone who looks just like him?"  

Xiao Peng frowned deeply.  

Xiao Q laughed. "The guy you met earlier was definitely Lin Shengli, no doubt about it."  

"As for why a man who should've been dead three years ago is still alive and committing crimes again?"  

"Simple."  

Xiao Q lowered his voice. "Four words: 'paper sentence served.'"  

"Paper sentence served?!" Xiao Peng nearly shouted in disbelief.  

"That kind of sick, disgusting bastard—god, I wanna punch someone!"  

Xiao Q shook his head. "Calm down. 'Paper sentence served' isn't that uncommon—most people just don’t know about it. Lin Shengli must’ve had money or connections. Otherwise, do you think he could afford living here after getting out?"  

Xiao Peng was still furious. "So money means you can do whatever you want?"  

Xiao Q patted his shoulder. "Money doesn’t mean 'whatever,' but it’s pretty damn close."  

"Thankfully, your friend had the guts to finish him off with that chainsaw. Otherwise, if he could fake his sentence once, he could do it again."  

"Too bad it was a one-for-one trade, though."  

Xiao Peng fell silent for a long moment.  

Then Xiao Q added, "I only came because I was curious about Lin Shengli. But just now, I noticed something else interesting."  

Xiao Peng: "What? You spotted a hot girl?"  

Xiao Q scoffed. "Can you think about anything besides women? 'Walk by the river often, and you’ll get wet.' Keep playing around, and you’ll catch something nasty."  

Xiao Peng grinned. "Nah, I’m careful. Always use protection."  

"Anyway, what did you find?"  

Xiao Q nodded toward the middle-aged man flying the kite in the distance.  

"I just remembered who he is. And he’s even more messed up than Lin Shengli."  

Xiao Peng squinted. Though he couldn’t make out the man’s face clearly, he could see his figure and the kite.  

"More messed up? Don’t tell me that 'honest-looking' guy is also a psycho criminal?"  

Xiao Q smirked. "Wow, smart! Almost as sharp as Zhuge Liang. You nailed it."  

Xiao Peng rolled his eyes. "Cut the jokes. Who is he?"  

Xiao Q: "You guessed it. That guy’s a sick criminal. I’m not kidding."  

Xiao Peng looked stunned, as if he’d seen a ghost.  

Xiao Q continued, "His name is Wang Nuli. A deranged killer. Loved kites since he was a kid—a master at making them. His handmade kites were practically art. But he was never satisfied, always thinking they weren’t perfect."  

"Wang Nuli’s parents divorced early. He grew up poor with his grandparents and dropped out of school to work. Because of his poverty, none of his relationships in his youth worked out—never married. Later, he gained fame for his kites, his life improved, and he finally married."  

"His wife was over a decade younger, very beautiful. They had two sons together."  

"Unfortunately, that hard-earned happiness didn’t last."  

"One day, Wang Nuli came home early and caught his wife cheating. Worse, he found out his two sons weren’t his—they were the other man’s."  

"And the final blow? He discovered his young, beautiful wife had been with her lover even before marrying him—and had never broken it off. He was the one who had 'stolen' her from their relationship."  

"Even more infuriating? All the money he’d given his wife over the years had gone straight to her lover."  

"Enraged, Wang Nuli killed both sons in front of her, then slaughtered the lover right before her eyes. Finally, he gave his wife a choice: 'Let’s start over.'"  

"Whether she refused or he was just toying with her, in the end, he killed her too."