Fake dating my enemy, The playboy billionaire-Chapter 153: Murder at cliff

"Blue Eagle Scout ranger, New Mexico. Remember something?"

I’m lost. I look at Jun, and he’s just as confused as I am. I glance back at Jianyu, waiting for him to explain.

"23rd September 2015. You joined the scout camp, right?" He questioned again.

I give a silent nod.

"You left the camp midway because your Ning got a wrist fracture."

Another nod. But I feel like I’m being led somewhere, and I’m not sure where.

"Valentina was also there, right? With her girls’ group?" Jianyu’s eyes flicker to Jun. "And that was after things between you and her had hit bottom already, because of whatever happened."

I bite my lip, my head dropping slightly. I never meant for things to go that way. "I didn’t want that for her," I whisper. "I didn’t knew she’d be raped by the hockey team due to the influence of drugs. I left the venue with Jun that night and only next morning I found out..."

A hand rests on my back, grounding me, and I lean against Jun.

"Bro, why are you bringing this up?" Jun asks, his voice laced with concern. "What Yiren did, I’m grateful of her. She saved me that night."

"I’m not accusing her." Jianyu’s expression hardens. "Coming back to the Scout camp, that day, after you left the camp, there was a murder at the cliff. Actually, two incidents. One murder, one attempted murder. The police found your clothes, your college ID, and your blood at the crime scene."

His words hit me like a lightening bolt. I feel the blood drain from my face as Jianyu pulls up photos on his phone. The crime scene photos. The blood, the chaos. How did he even get these?

"I... I don’t know anything about it. And yes, I left in a haste so forgot my day old wet clothes which I had left out to dry. Valentina and her girls’s gang had pulled a stunt against me and I fell into the icy river. I never found my id card after that day. And since I had already graduated from college i didn’t bother to get another. " I recall.

But why Valentina was at the camp was beyond me but I had no say who joins it, so I tried to avoid her and her snobby girls gang. My mom signed me and Jun months in advance for the camp but Jun...

Jun and I look at each other simultaneously as the realisation hit.

"She was at the camp because of me."

"She was at the camp because of you."

Jun couldn’t join it due to some reasons, so I went alone. "But I’m confused. If all the evidences were against me why I never faced the cops?"

"That’s the question for dad." Jianyu says. Every pair of eyes in the room turns toward Mr. Feng.

He exhales sharply. "Your mom asked me to help, Yiren. She called me in panic when cops came home to arrest you. She was so worried, so scared. I had to step in."

"But... Why would she keep this from me?" Suddenly, it hits me. She couldn’t... she didn’t remember. "Her Alzheimer’s... it was already at stage 6."

"I did what I could. I made sure the evidence cleared your name and no records show up ever against you. It was easy as all I had to do was to prove you were in NY when the murder happened. Airport pictures, cctv footage, flight details, boarding pass– all the evidence pointed to you being elsewhere...The cops understood the evidence were planted against you."

He places a hand on my head, almost like a father comforting his child. "I didn’t break any laws, child. Your mother raised my sons. She loved my kids as her own. I owed her that much."

I process his words, feeling both relieved and crushed by the truth. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Is that why none of our men, including X, could find a connection between Yifan and Yiren?" Jun asks, piecing it together.

"It’s exactly why," Jianyu confirms, his voice low. "If Dad erased the records, no one would’ve ever been able to trace it back. That’s how thorough he is."

"But you somehow found out," Mr. Feng mutters. "I wasn’t that thorough."

Jianyu smirks. "Not me. My genius hacker wife found the link. Nothing escapes her eyes."

"But who was murdered?" Jun cuts in. "And what does Valentina have to do with all this?"

Mr. Feng sighs again, his face clouded with a mix of sadness and anger. "Yifan’s brother-in-law was murdered. And his sister, Qian... she was found at the bottom of the cliff. Barely alive. Survived the fall, but she was left paralyzed for life. Yifan went berserk when the cops declared Yiren innocent."

"What did he do?" Jun’s jaw clenches.

"He refused to believe the evidence and accused me of planting fake ones to protect Yiren," Mr. Feng explains. "But a few days later, he came to me, willing to let it go if I took care of Qian’s hospital bills and lifetime expenses. I did as he asked, and I settled everything with ten million dollars."

Jianyu, "Dad!"

Meimei, "Dad!"

"You did not!" Tears rolled down my eyes. I feel Jun’s hand tighten around mine, his eyes rimmed red. Yifan knew he could not fight against Mr. Feng, so he pulled the dirtiest trick.

"What?" Mr. Feng looks between his sons, stopping at Jun. "Did i do something wrong?"

"Yifan took the money you gave him, and stole Jun’s business idea to start his own. And if he is still after us, he is harbouring the old grudge. He didn’t back off, but took a few steps back to launch himself with force." I answer, trying my best not to scream. Jun was heartbroken when his business idea was stolen, and I hate myself for being a part of crushing his dreams.

"Jun– I’m sorry, son. I-I–"

Jun shakes his head, "I don’t blame you, dad. But today I got the closure. Finally, I know how Yifan managed to get the money to kick start the business." his voice is surprisingly calm as he pulled me to his chest and place a kiss on my head, "Infact I’m thankful for everything you did for yiren and her mom."

"I’m sorry, Jun. It all happened–"

"Shhhhh..... No." I feel feather kisses on my shoulder. "My other question, how is valentina related?"

"One, all the other four girls of her gang are missing. Disappeared. Like air. And secondly, who else had grudge against Yiren to plant the evidences against her?" Meimei forwards her phone to Jun, and I peek into it. I remember all of them. And christy, who stole my central park project.

So this was what Valentina was saying at the cruise that night. ’He murdered everyone. He will murder us as well. Help me’

But why would she murder them? Before I could ask, the next photographs answered everything as Jun scrolled.

Multiple pictures of Valentina with a man... hand in hand, cozy, they seem to be in love. I know this man. He was our instructor at the camp and always favoured valentina, even when she pushed me into the river. And then the pictures changed.... the same man with Qian (Yifan’s sister) as a married couple.

Ah hell.

"Now you understand? Valentina was at the camp with something on her mind, but her plan failed when Jun didn’t turn up, and you left early." Meimei took her phone back. "We still don’t know what exactly happened at the cliff and how the tables turned, but the fact that other girls are missing– I’m assuming they are dead already– and Valentina is with Yifan–" she air quotes, ""asking for help".... is a trap."

"But won’t we confront her? I want an end to this."

"We will. But not by putting you in danger." Jun says with the authority that I know he won’t let me go. Period. I’m myself not sure if I want to take the risk. Earlier I might have, but now that I’m someone’s wife, and I have tasted the love Jun is showering on me-- I want to live. "Tell her you are ready to meet and ask for the location. I’ll send someone to check."

I did what he said. But someone as cunning as Valentina won’t fall for this.

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