The Secret Beneath the Veneer

At the age of twenty, I became a killer. My victim was Wen Yun, my college classmate. After the murder, a desperate, calculated decision sealed my fate: I underwent extensive plastic surgery, transforming my face, body, and every identifying feature to be completely identical to Wen Yun. I stole her identity, living her life for five years, building a perfect, unquestionable façade.

However, last night, that solid veneer cracked wide open. Wen Yun’s grandfather – the man whose granddaughter I was impersonating – was brutally murdered in his own home. The gruesome scene suggested a fierce struggle: he was found face down on the living room rug, the back of his head smashed by a trophy, a bloody mess with even traces of brain matter visible.

What shook me was not his death, but the evidence found by the police: the killer’s blood was genetically related to the victim. An immediate DNA investigation was initiated within the Wen family.

“We need to draw blood for your DNA test, Ms. Wen.”

Just that simple sentence from the young police officer, and my voice involuntarily pitched high, an uncontrollable reaction. The gaze of Officer Zun, the youngest captain of the investigation team, was sharp as an eagle, piercing me. He sneered, a look of mockery in his eyes: “Oh, your family is strange. Such a violent reaction just hearing about a DNA test?”

I was facing a terrifying truth: one drop of blood, and the secret buried for five years would be exposed, and I – Ling Yao, the killer and identity thief – would be dragged into the light.

The investigation quickly revealed the Wen family’s conflicting dynamic. It was the grandfather’s 70th birthday, the day he was set to announce his will. With an eight-figure sum in his bank account, the event had drawn the entire family together after 5 years of estrangement. Officer Zun recounted: they had a short dinner, went back to their respective hotels, and received news of his death the next morning. Initially, police suspected robbery as the safe was emptied, but the discovery of the killer’s relative blood type overturned all theories.

In Officer Zun’s eyes, I was the most suspicious. “We heard a family member killed their grandfather, and you don’t seem surprised at all.”

I had to remain calm. Wen Yun’s cold, pragmatic persona was my best shield. I countered his question about the will – clearly, they hadn’t found it. I smiled calmly: “Grandfather was wealthy, but he never gave us a dime for years. He repeatedly said he would donate all his money to charity when he died. Are you still surprised? Besides, it’s not the first time they wanted to harm him.”

I immediately presented a seemingly perfect alibi: “There’s no need. I returned to my hotel at 9 PM last night and did not leave. The hotel has cameras, you can check. The forensic report states my grandfather was killed between 11 PM and 12 AM. I ordered food, spilled it on the duvet, and the hotel staff came to change the sheets for me. Both the shipper and the housekeeping staff saw me. I have a perfect alibi.”

Officer Zun was unfazed, launching a counterattack: The air conditioner in the grandfather’s room was set to 14°C for 14 hours – low temperature would affect the time of death estimation. Furthermore, the camera at my hotel has been broken for half a month.

I had to pivot: “The killer’s blood type is A, mine is O. This point alone excludes me.” I presented my blood donation certificate, clearly stating Type O.

Officer Zun pressed on relentlessly: “Ms. Wen seems very unwilling to take this test. Does Ms. Wen have a secret she can’t share?”

I knew he was suspicious. I had no choice but to confess another harmless secret to cover the deadly one: “That’s right. I have hemophobia [fear of blood].”

The young officer next to him was about to suggest a cheek swab, but I cut him off with an impatient, arrogant tone befitting Wen Yun: “I said, no need. Do you not understand human language?”

Just as tension peaked, the doorbell rang. It was the room service staff. In my panic, I quickly grabbed the trash bag from the bathroom and handed it to her, instructing: “Please dispose of this for me; I don’t need anything else.” I turned to Officer Zun, gesturing for him to leave: “I’ve made it clear, my blood type O doesn’t match the killer. Do I really need to teach you something so simple?”

Finally, Officer Zun left. I collapsed onto the floor, utterly exhausted. That trash bag contained Ling Yao’s hair – the evidence I meticulously gathered in unfamiliar environments to leave no trace.

The real Wen Yun died 5 years ago. We were not close until my grandmother suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Wen Yun, the one who donated the most money, offered me a high-paying job taking care of her grandfather. I, desperate for money to save my grandmother, accepted. The grandfather was not as difficult as Wen Yun described. But when my grandmother fell ill again, requiring double the previous surgery cost, Wen Yun reappeared.

“I can cover all the hospital bills, hire a caretaker, everything… on one condition.”

The condition: I had to replace her grandfather’s calcium supplement with a slow-acting poison, ensuring his death.

I trembled. “That’s your grandfather.”

Wen Yun smiled coldly: “Your grandmother or my grandfather? You choose.”

At that moment, I realized all her past help was a manipulation to make me the unwitting killer. I chose my grandmother.

The next morning, Wen Yun’s mother called, panicked, saying the police had taken her hair sample. I rushed to find the trash bag, but it was too late. The room service staff said the police had taken it as evidence. I had handed the evidence to the police myself.

To become Wen Yun, I had undergone 10 surgeries, lost 20 kilograms, and lived like a sewer rat. I would not accept the collapse of everything. I tried to convince myself I could deny the hair was mine.

But Officer Zun reappeared. He cut straight to the chase: “Have you met Ling Yao recently?”

Ling Yao, the name I had burned along with all memories. I smiled, lying without blinking: “I met her the night before last, the same night my grandfather was killed. I ran into her on my way back. We talked on the street for about half an hour.”

“Last night, in the trash bag you threw away, we found Ling Yao’s hair.”

I had to improvise the quickest explanation: “It was very cold last night, and Ling Yao was wearing only a thin coat. I lent her my jacket for a while; it’s unavoidable that some hair got transferred. Is that illegal?”

Officer Zun narrowed his eyes, his words like a knife: “It’s just that… in my impression, the two of you don’t seem like you could sit and talk calmly, do you?”

He was right. Wen Yun owed Ling Yao a life.

I agreed to kill Grandfather Wen to save my grandmother. But after the successful surgery, Wen Yun spread rumors that I was a prostitute, sleeping with my employer for money to pay the hospital bills, forcing me to drop out of school. Worse, she told this to my grandmother. My grandmother, overcome with shame and regret, committed suicide by jumping off the roof. It was a case of “indirect murder.”

After handling the funeral, I rushed to school and beat Wen Yun, causing a fight so severe that the police were involved.

Officer Zun pressed hard: “Ling Yao has never forgotten the pain you caused her. She not only forced Second Uncle to kill the grandfather but also kidnapped Second Uncle, coercing him to act. Kidnapped?“

I was utterly stunned. Second Uncle killed the grandfather? Second Uncle (Wen Bo) had attempted to rape Ling Yao (me) 5 years ago, after Wen Yun drugged me. Grandfather Wen had rushed back in time to save me. After that incident, the grandfather had taken me from the police station, claiming me as his granddaughter and protecting me from his own children, especially Second Uncle and Wen Yun.

I knew Second Uncle hated the grandfather. I shrugged, neither admitting nor denying the hypothesis that Second Uncle was the killer.

“It’s just an internal family dispute, irrelevant to this case.” I tried to divert Officer Zun from Ling Yao’s past.

He sneered: “A family dispute? Since when did Ling Yao become a member of the Wen family?”

Indeed, he had found out the truth about the grandfather adopting me. But Officer Zun’s suspicion was different: “We checked. Ling Yao has no exit or entry records… Since 5 years ago, she seems to have vanished into thin air. We suspect she has been hidden by your Second Uncle all these years. In other words, she went willingly, because she wants revenge, she wants to kill your Second Uncle.”

I felt a jolt of terror. Kill Wen Bo! That was what I wanted to do 5 years ago. After the attempted rape failed, I meticulously planned my revenge, seducing Wen Bo until he was off guard, then using the knife I had seen in my dreams, torturing him to death.

But the grandfather found out. He asked me: “Between revenge and living a good life, which one do you choose?”

He persuaded me to choose a new life and had me undergo surgery to leave the country under Wen Yun’s identity. “As for Wen Bo, if you trust me, leave him to me.” Ling Yao vanished, and Wen Yun went abroad.

Officer Zun asked again: “So what exactly happened 5 years ago?”

Just then, my phone vibrated with a message.

“If you don’t want your secret to be revealed, obediently bring the old man’s will here to me.”

My hands trembled. This person knew about the will being with me, and they knew the secret of Ling Yao/Wen Yun. It was Wen Bo.

I realized the horrifying truth: for the past 5 years, the grandfather was not a miser but a man of revenge for me. He had used his influence to bankrupt Wen Bo, almost leading to him being maimed by loan sharks. The grandfather had nearly destroyed his own son to protect me—someone not related by blood.

Tears streamed down my face. In an instant, everything connected. Wen Bo was not kidnapped by Ling Yao. He was retaliating against the grandfather.

Less than 30 seconds later, a second message arrived: a handwritten letter from the grandfather, the envelope addressed “Dearest A Yao.”

I knew I had to go. I messaged Wen Bo, agreeing to meet him at an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

When I arrived, darkness had fallen. Wen Bo’s hoarse voice echoed from inside: “Just wait, just wait, you’ll be living a life of luxury with me soon. The old man used the remaining money to threaten me every day, but I never thought that as soon as he closed his eyes, the money would still fall into my hands.”

Another voice chimed in: “Brother Bo, are you sure your niece will bring you the money?”

Wen Bo laughed loudly: “If she doesn’t, not only will she hand over the money, but I’ll also let you guys take turns sleeping with her.”

Lewd laughter rang out, discussing taking turns to “serve” the niece.

I stood outside the warehouse door, listening calmly. The cold, luxurious veneer of Wen Yun had shattered. I, Ling Yao, the killer and imposter, was facing the man who had indirectly killed my grandmother and tried to ruin my life.

I had chosen a new life, but my enemy would not let me go.

I pulled a USB drive from my jacket pocket, a copy of the will the grandfather had entrusted to me before I left the country. The will, as he had said, bequeathed the entire estate to Ling Yao, and if she declined, the money would be donated to charity. Wen Bo would not receive a penny.

I stepped inside, my eyes coldly sweeping over Wen Bo and the two thugs laughing.

“Here’s the will.” I said, my voice eerily calm.

Wen Bo, the greedy man, lunged for it. As he frantically plugged the drive into an old laptop, I concealed the cold fruit knife, prepared and hidden in my handbag. It was there, ready for the revenge I had rejected 5 years ago.

Now, no one was stopping me. The grandfather died because of me, and I had to protect myself and his honor.

Wen Bo opened the will, his face instantly turning from greedy to ashen, then to pure rage: “Ling Yao! You tricked me!”

His actions were clear: he had retaliated against the grandfather by killing him, and now he intended to destroy me.

In the moment he was distracted by his fury, I lunged. The fruit knife, the weapon from my 5-year-long nightmare, plunged into Wen Bo’s eye socket, exactly as I had rehearsed in my mind.

Blood sprayed, and a desperate scream echoed through the deserted warehouse. I didn’t stop. Another stab to the abdomen, another to the chest.

Now, I was no longer the drugged Ling Yao, nor the hemophobic Wen Yun. I was the survivor, the avenger.

After it was over, I calmly called Officer Zun: “I want to confess. I am Ling Yao, and I killed Wen Yun 5 years ago. And now, I have just killed Wen Bo.”

The secret was out, the Wen Yun veneer was shattered. I chose a new life, but in the end, I had to become a killer to survive.