Zhang Fang clenched his fist unconsciously as he said this, before continuing,

"You know, those photo booth things are pretty much like mirrors, and there was no way I was going in there. When she pushed me hard enough, I finally told her I was afraid of mirrors."

"Xue Lin, I don't know what she was thinking, but she insisted that I look in a mirror for her sake, or else she wouldn't love me."

"At that moment, I was about to cry."

"On one side was a rule I'd kept for over ten years, a nightmare I'd feared for over ten years. On the other side was a girl I'd loved for two years, coaxed for two years."

"I really couldn't choose."

"The more troubled I became, the angrier Xue Lin got. In the end, she not only stomped off, but also went to the academic affairs office to admit her 'mistake,' saying she was in a relationship."

"Xue Lin realized her error and turned back, but I was expelled and transferred from a key high school to an ordinary one."

"When you transfer high schools, people always ask why. The students at the new school made fun of me for being transferred because of a relationship, which pissed me off, and I got into four fights in less than a week."

"I was directly expelled from the school. I studied on my own for over half a year before taking the college entrance exam. I used my score to slap everyone in the face."

"No one knew that my grades used to be on par with Xue Lin's. I had always been letting her win, wanting to go to the same university as her. If I really tried, the top student in the grade would be trash in front of me."

"After I became the top scorer in the college entrance exam, I deliberately posted my transcript at the entrance of the key high school."

"As for Xue Lin, I didn't go to see her. I wasn't that magnanimous."

"What I didn't expect was that Xue Lin came to my school to find me a week before my twenty-first birthday."

"When I saw Xue Lin in the corridor, she didn't let me look closely at her face. She just said, 'I want to talk to you,' and walked out of the school."

"I followed her to the corner of the teaching building, where she stopped and took out a mirror from her pocket, handing it to me. 'Can you look in a mirror for me?'"

"I pushed her hand away. 'You're not Xue Lin.'"

"I stared directly at her surprised expression and said, 'You look a lot like Xue Lin, but Xue Lin is used to looking at the ground when she walks, while you hold your head high and pay attention to the movements behind you, as if you're afraid I'll run away.'"

"'Moreover, you pay attention to the movements behind you very naturally. This is the result of long-term training. You're not a student. Who are you?'"

"The other party took out a police officer's证件 (zhèngjiàn, badge): 'I'm Dai Xue Lin's older sister, Dai Ning'an, and also the captain of the city's criminal police team. I now suspect you of murdering Dai Xue Lin. Please come back with me to assist in the investigation.'"

"Before I could react, the other party handcuffed me and took me to a police car without explanation."

"Dai Ning'an shoved me into the interrogation room, glaring at me and saying sternly, 'Dai Xue Lin was killed in the school not long after you were expelled. The murderer used a knife to cut open her mouth and tongue. No traces were left at the scene. The police have been unable to solve the case for three years, and there are no suspects.'"

"Dai Ning'an stared at me intently and said, 'I now suspect that you are the murderer!'"

"Dai Ning'an continued after seeing that I didn't speak, 'Xue Lin suddenly left the classroom during class. There was no sign beforehand. However, I know that you have a special way of contacting each other.'"

"'The murderer took less than five minutes from seeing Xue Lin to completing the murder and taking the body away, which means that the murderer is not only familiar with the school environment, but also physically strong and has certain fighting skills. This fits you very well. You have won provincial traditional martial arts competition championships.'"

"'The murderer's methods are cruel, which means that he has certain psychological problems. You are afraid of looking in the mirror, which is a serious psychological illness.'"

"'Moreover, you have extremely high intelligence, like detective novels, are good at observation and analysis, and are calm in the face of events. You have stood out in several high school intellectual competitions. This meets the characteristics of a high-IQ, perverted killer.'"

"'More importantly, you hate Xue Lin. You have enough motive to kill. You are the murderer, aren't you?'"

I looked at Dai Ning'an calmly and said, "Officer Dai, I think you should go back to police academy for a while. Or, change careers and write novels."

"Also, I don't think you're a police officer. This isn't the criminal police team, at least not in terms of direction. Can the police take people to places other than the police station for questioning?"

Dai Ning'an didn't answer my question. "I know you won't admit it. However, I have prepared a small gift for you - a mirror."

I didn't react at the time, and Dai Ning'an pressed on my acupoints (xué dào, vital points). At that time, I couldn't even close my eyes, so I could only watch helplessly as Dai Ning'an brought the mirror in front of me.

That was the first time in my twenty-plus years that I had truly looked in a mirror.

A cloud of mist still appeared in the mirror. I felt like I was about to be sucked into the mirror again, and everything in front of me was a vast expanse of white mist.

At that time, I really felt myself stand up from the chair and walk directly into the mirror. When I walked out of the mist, I saw a grave, and my father was sitting on that grave, sneering at me, "Look behind you."

When I turned around, I actually saw myself sitting in the chair.

My soul had really come out.