Chapter 147: The Poison Mistress (2/2)

“Hide?” she shook her head and smiled. “I never thought about hiding. This orphanage is where I grew up. I always come here and volunteer whenever I have time. When Dr. Cheng was arrested yesterday, I knew there was no escape for me. I came here so I could help the children here one last time before I get arrested.”

“If it weren’t for the evidence,” said Xiaotao. “I never would have thought that you were the kind of person who would murder four people.”

“Four?” Qu Tingting’s expressions changed. “Isn’t the florist dead?”

“We saved her in time,” I replied. “I must admit, your scheme was very clever!”

“Why did you do it, Miss Qu?” asked Bingxin.

Qu Tingting told us of the ridicule that she had to endure all her life because of the birthmark on her face. She never had any friends; she had never been in a relationship; and she spent every day of her life alone and isolated from other people. She felt like she was just a walking corpse.

That was until she met Cheng Yahui. He brought a ray of light to her life because he was the only man to ever smile at her and thank her. She knew that he was merely being polite, but he was nevertheless the bright shining sun that transformed her once dull and grey life. She couldn’t help but fall in love with him. However, she soon found out that Dr. Cheng was a promiscuous man who never lacked a woman to sleep with. What’s more, those women were all very beautiful. Qu Tingting realized that she would always be the nurse that he barely ever talked to or even noticed. It was like they were living in separate dimensions.

All she could do then was secretly collect his possessions—his old clothes, his hair, his used tissue paper… She would hold these objects and think of him. When her loneliness and misery became too unbearable, she would often slash her arm with a knife.

Qu Tingting pulled her sleeves and revealed her arms which were full of scars. There were so many cut scars that they overlapped each other.

She would often tell herself that although these women came and went, she was the only woman would always stay by Dr. Cheng’s side. Seeing Dr. Cheng’s smile every day was more than good enough for her.

But one night, about four months ago, Dr. Cheng was upset for some reason and was in an irritable mood. She was the only left in the department at the time. Dr. Cheng suddenly told her to take off her clothes. She complied eagerly and they went on to have sex. That night was the height of Qu Tingting’s life. She believed that her dream had finally come true.

However, Dr. Cheng made no mention of the incident the next day or ever again afterwards. Qu Tingting’s illusions were shattered. She realized that Dr. Cheng just used her to vent his frustrations.

Later, Qu Tingting found out that she was pregnant. She couldn’t bring herself to confront Dr. Cheng directly about it, because she knew that he would pressure her into getting an abortion. So, she sent him an email without revealing her identity. Dr. Cheng got very upset when he received the email. He called the five women that he slept with one by one to ask them about it, but he never thought of asking her. It was as if nothing happened at all that night!

The pain pierced through her heart. It also gave her an idea—what if all the women around Dr. Cheng were dead? Would he then turn to her? The memory of their liaison gave her confidence and courage. If Dr. Cheng turned to her once, then he might not be as unattainable as she thought he was after all!

So, she began to put her medical knowledge into practice. When she was in nursing school, she studied pharmacology for three years. She spent extra time revising what she learned all those years ago, then began her frenzied hunt to eliminate the five women.

When Qu Tingting reached this part of her story, I could hear the distinct excitement in her voice. Her eyes betrayed the deep infatuation that she felt for Dr. Cheng. To her, the four lives that were lost because of her were completely worthless!

“What did you think you’d accomplish by killing those women?” scoffed Xiaotao. “You know what Cheng Yahui is like. He’d just go find another woman!”

Qu Tingting bit her lips and shouted, “Then I’ll kill that woman! And if he finds another one, I’ll kill her too! I’ll do it until he notices me! He’s inseparable from me anyway, because I poisoned him and I’m the only one who has the antidote!”

“You would go to such lengths just for that scumbag?” Dali retorted.

“You’re not allowed to insult him!” she yelled at him. She lunged towards Dali to attack him, but Xiaotao blocked her path just in time. Qu Tingting was a petite woman, but she had a fire raging inside of her that made her as fearsome as a lioness. Dali might have been bold seconds before, but he was cowering in fear now.

“I understand you, Miss Qu!” cried Bingxin. “No matter how flawed someone is, if you love them, they’re perfect in your eyes!”

Qu Tingting nodded.

“No matter what reason you had,” said Xiaotao, “murders are still wrong and indefensible. You must pay for what you do, Qu Tingting!”

“You can’t arrest me,” sneered Qu Tingting. “I’m pregnant!”

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