Chapter 1

My wife fell and never got back up. In the end, she suffocated when vomit blocked her nose and mouth.

All the neighbors thought it was just an accident.

The police, however, didn’t think so. They suspected I had killed my own wife.

How could that be?

Everyone knew my wife and I were very much in love.

I rushed home. The moment I stepped out of the elevator, I saw the corridor crowded with people. There were neighbors and police officers, and a cordon had been stretched across the entrance to my apartment.

Groups of people stood huddled together, pointing and whispering.

I had no time to care about their stares. I hurried toward my door.

A young officer saw me approach the cordon and reached out to stop me. I quickly said, “I’m Ha Tao, the owner of this apartment. Captain Lin Guoqiang called me. He said something had happened to my wife. Let me in!”

“You’re Ha Tao?”

A voice suddenly cut across my words.

I turned toward the living room. The moment I saw a middle-aged man, I ducked under the cordon and hurried over to him.

“Yes, I’m Ha Tao.”

“You’re Captain Lin, right?”

“Where’s my wife? You said something happened to her. What exactly happened?”

Captain Lin gave a slight nod and looked at me with a complicated expression.

“An hour ago, one of your neighbors was returning from walking her dog when the dog suddenly ran to your door. It only scratched at it lightly, and the door opened.”

“When your neighbor saw the dog run inside, she hurried after it. She didn’t expect to find your wife lying on her back on the floor, her face covered in vomit.”

“She called out to her several times, but your wife didn’t respond, so she immediately called the police.”

“By the time we arrived, your wife, Han Fangfang, had suffocated.”

“What did you say? My wife… is dead?”

My expression changed at once. Then, frowning in confusion, I said, “She was lying on her back with vomit all over her face, and she suffocated? That sounds… strange.”

“Captain Lin, you said the dog scratched open my door? Does that mean someone broke in?”

“My wife… was murdered by an intruder?”

“I can’t answer that yet. We’ll have to wait for the investigation and autopsy results before we can reach a conclusion.”

Captain Lin looked me up and down with a pointed gaze.

“There’s quite a difference between you and your wife. You’re dressed neatly and keep yourself in good shape.”

“Your wife, on the other hand, was extremely obese and dressed carelessly. The two of you don’t look like a married couple at all.”

“Ha Tao, how did you meet your wife and end up marrying her?”

“Ah… I’m only asking out of curiosity. I don’t mean anything by it. If you’d rather not answer, that’s fine.”

“There’s nothing I’d rather not answer.”

With a grave expression, I pointed to the wedding photo on the wall.

“My wife wasn’t this heavy before. She only started gaining weight over the last two years.”

“She’s a little overweight, but she’s a very good person.”

“I used to dress rather casually. My wife said clothes were a person’s calling card, and that if I went out to work without dressing properly, people would look down on me. So she often bought clothes for me online.”

“I don’t think we look unlike a married couple. One of us is heavy and the other slim—we balance each other out.”

“Besides, a plump wife brings good fortune to her husband.”

Captain Lin turned to look at the wedding photo and said in surprise, “I thought your wedding picture had been retouched. Your wife only looked a little full-figured back then. How did she get as heavy as she is now in just two years?”

“After we got married, she completely let herself go.”

I looked at my wife’s face in the photo. My eyes reddened as I said, “My wife loves snacks, especially sweets. After we married, she saw how much I spoiled her, so she ate whatever she wanted.”

“But I always told her she needed to take care of her health.”

“My wife had a physical examination twice a year. There was nothing seriously wrong with her.”

“Was your wife ever insecure about her weight?”

Captain Lin’s eyes flickered.

“What was she usually like? How often did you take her out?”

“My wife was outgoing. She was never insecure about being overweight.”

I turned to Captain Lin.

“I took her out to eat and meet friends every week. She was a little heavy, but in a cute way. All my friends liked her.”

“We also went shopping and to the park.”

“Basically, whenever I had free time, I took her out.”

“But lately, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had a chance to take her anywhere.”

Captain Lin’s gaze grew complicated again. He raised a hand and pointed toward the cluttered table.

“There are a lot of weight-loss products on that table. If your wife was never insecure about her weight, did she buy them herself, or did you buy them for her?”

“What made her decide to lose weight?”

“Captain Lin, that’s something that really frustrates me.”

My face darkened.

“I never agreed to let my wife use those products to lose weight. They’re harmful to her health.”

“Two or three months ago, my wife happened to run into a few of her high-school classmates again.”

“When she came home that day, she cried terribly and said her classmates had mocked her. Then she insisted on losing weight.”

“After that, she bought all these things.”

“I tried to stop her from using them, but she wouldn’t listen. She said a female classmate had recommended them and that they worked very well.”

“But after she started using them, they didn’t help at all. Instead, she developed symptoms like drowsiness and dizziness…”

“I wanted to take my wife to the hospital, but she absolutely refused to go.”

“She said her classmate told her those were normal reactions and that they would pass after a while.”

“What were those classmates’ names?”

Captain Lin stared at my face as he asked, “Was your trip to meet a client outside the city today a last-minute decision, or had you arranged it long ago?”

“Had your wife ever offended anyone?”

“I only remember one name. Her name was Ma Li.”

I looked at Captain Lin, puzzled.

“My meeting with the client was arranged in advance.”

“My wife was gentle and easygoing. She never offended anyone.”

Captain Lin nodded slightly and narrowed his eyes.

“Ha Tao, we’ve taken your wife’s body away. Your apartment is now a crime scene. Until we determine the cause of her death, you can’t stay here for the time being.”

“If you need clothes or daily necessities, pack them now.”

“Do you have somewhere else to stay?”

I thought for a moment and said, “A friend of mine has a spare room. I’ll stay there.”

At Captain Lin’s signal, I called my friend. Once I had confirmed a place to stay, I packed a few changes of clothes and some personal belongings under his supervision.

Captain Lin walked me to the door and said, “Ha Tao, please don’t leave the city for now. We may need your help with the investigation.”

With reddened eyes, I nodded and dragged myself toward the elevator.

As soon as I was far from my apartment complex, the tension in my face disappeared.

The fat pig Han Fangfang was finally dead.

Ha ha ha…

At last, peace and quiet.

From now on, I wouldn’t have to hear those torturous sounds she made when she burped, farted, chewed, or snored.

To be honest, for every second of the past year, I’d been thinking about how to kill her.

She had no one but herself to blame for what happened.

A little over two years ago, when we first married, she weighed less than sixty-five kilograms. Back then, her slightly plump figure and lively personality really did make her seem adorable.

But after we married, her true nature gradually showed.

She was greedy and lazy. She might look polished on the outside, but in reality she was a complete slob, always tossing things wherever she pleased.

Before we married, we had clearly agreed: I would take care of things outside the home, and she would handle the housework.

There wasn’t much to do around the house anyway, so she had an easy life.

Every day, she sprawled on the sofa, eating while scrolling on her phone.

She was eating before I left for work, and she was still eating when I came home.

In just one short year, she gained more than twenty kilograms.

When I saw how quickly her weight was climbing, I suggested she find some kind of work, for the sake of her health. It wasn’t about money—I wanted her to stop snacking and lose weight.

I never expected that shrew to start crying and making a scene, demanding to know whether I was having an affair. Had I started looking down on her?

She even called me another Chen Shimei, a faithless husband, and said I deserved to be struck by lightning.

After making a scene, she called her mother over to lecture me.

My mother-in-law was just as unreasonable and sharp-tongued. She wouldn’t listen to my explanation at all. The moment she walked in, she pointed at my face and told me to remember my place.

She said the money I used to start my business had come from her, and the apartment I lived in belonged to her. I had nothing to my name but myself and a beat-up car.

She also said her daughter’s hearty appetite was a blessing, and that her gaining weight would make me prosperous.

Faced with my mother-in-law’s insults and accusations, I could only keep my good intentions to myself, swallow the insults, and apologize.

After I placated the two of them, I began cleaning the house.

But when I saw the used sanitary pads scattered under the bed, I truly wanted to pick up a knife and stab that filthy woman to death.