Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 42

It was a coincidence.

When Xing Conglian handed over the room card, Zheng Dongdong happened to walk to Lin Chen’s side with a few of their classmates.

When Lin Chen took the room card, he couldn’t pretend he hadn’t seen anything, so he patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and acted as if he were familiar with him and asked, “Lin Che, who’s this?”

Before Lin Chen could introduce him, the man put down his paperwork, stood up, and introduced himself. “Xing Conglian, police officer.”

Perhaps there were those born with a submissive aura. Though the policeman named Xing Conglian hadn’t even said his introduction, Zheng Dongdong had already stretched out his hand unconsciously, and his tone became much humbler. He introduced himself, “Zheng Dongdong, Lin Chen’s classmate. I’m also the manager of this hotel.”

Xing Conglian’s eyes were still peaceful and calm. When he heard the words “this hotel”, he didn’t look surprised and just said, “Mr. Zheng is really young and promising.”

“I’m just working for others.” As Zheng Dongdong spoke, he glanced at Lin Chen subconsciously and tentatively asked, “Are you Lin Chen’s boss?”

“Yes.”

“Ah!” Hearing this, Zheng Dongdong patted Lin Chen on the shoulder again and complained, “The reason why I said there was no room—it turns out that Officer Xing booked it in advance.”

He explained half truthfully to set himself up. Since he said it vaguely, most people wouldn’t say much when they heard those words, so the matter of the reservation wouldn’t be exposed.

But what Zheng Dongdong didn’t expect was that Officer Xing, who was standing in front of him, was not only a serious person but a meticulous one as well.

Originally, Xing Conglian felt that Lin Chen’s classmate was very strange. Now that he heard the other party suddenly mention reservations, there was obviously something shady afoot. Instead of looking at Lin Chen, he looked at Professor Fu, who was hiding behind the crowd, with inquiring eyes.

Professor Fu seemed to have finally seized an opportunity, and he secretly frowned at Xing Conglian while giving him a wink.

The fact that this was both a reunion and at a five-star hotel meant that Zheng Dongdong probably used the guest room to bully Lin Chen. He knew this clearly in his heart, so he politely said to Zheng Dongdong, “No, I just booked it at the front desk. The lady there said that there are still many rooms left, so I could choose whichever I want.”

With these words, Zheng Dongdong’s face instantly flashed between blue and red, and the atmosphere became both quiet and awkward.

Seeing this situation, another of Lin Chen’s classmates in the crowd hurriedly spoke up and changed the subject. “Does Captain Xing still have official duties tonight? If not, will you join us for a drink?”

The word “us” naturally included Lin Chen.

Xing Conglian didn’t intend to chase after Zheng Dongdong’s face, but instead looked at Lin Chen and asked, a little unexpectedly, “You’re going too?”

“Yes,” Lin Chen replied.

Lin Chen’s answer surprised Xing Conglian. He looked at everyone present—it was a group of old classmates who had been reunited for a long time, a rich manager, and a thorn who didn’t fit in. Such a combination configuration was quite interesting, and Lin Chen actually agreed to go drinking? Xing Conglian nodded to the man who invited him and said, “Sure.”

Since most people present had already drunk some wine, and since Xing Conglian promised to go, he had to be the designated driver.

Zheng Dongdong was calling and arranging several substitute drivers, while Xing Conglian sorted out the information on the table, handed it to Lin Chen, then took the car keys and went to the parking lot to pick up the car.

A group of more than a dozen people were waiting at the entrance of the hotel. Four cars drove up one by one, with the leader being Zheng Dongdong’s own silver-gray Mercedes-Benz S400.

The hotel attendant ran to the side of the car and opened the door for him, but Zheng Dongdong deliberately took two steps back and let his classmate get in first. He looked at the end of the four cars and deliberately wanted to see what kind of car Xing Conglian was driving.

However, what surprised him was that Xing Conglian was driving a raggedy Jeep. The Jeep was gray, and the label was probably some kind of cheap domestic brand.

Manager Zheng immediately had a feeling that Xing Conglian was a faker.

——

In Xing Conglian’s jeep, Lin Chen sat in the front passenger seat, with only Fu Hao in the back seat.

Lin Chen lowered some of the car windows as the smell of smoke inside was very strong.

It took more than 300 kilometers from Hongjing to Yongchuan, which was about a 4-hour drive. It was now past 9 in the evening. If Xing Conglian wanted to come, he most likely rushed over after getting off work, so the only thing he could do was desperately smoke to reenergize himself.

Thinking of this, Lin Chen couldn’t help but turn his head slightly and look at Xing Conglian’s side profile as he drove intently.

The lake in the distance was dark and quiet. Both sides of the road around the lake had dim halos lingering from the streetlights. There was no music in the car, but the atmosphere was warm and relaxed.

After more than half a day of exhaustion, the sarcastic remarks at the reunion and those boring schemes seemed to have dissipated without a trace the moment Xing Conglian appeared.

This feeling was very strange. In short, when he saw this person, there would always be less trouble and more color in the world. In fact, there was no real cure for depression, but it was often dependent on people.

So at that moment, Lin Chen only felt as if his heart was gently pinched, which made him tremble slightly.

“You didn’t have to come,” Lin Chen said.

“I didn’t come here specifically. In fact, this is related to Yang Dianfeng’s case. After I went through the background system, I found that there were several clues submitted to the Yongchuan police, so I decided to stop by.”

Xing Conglian’s voice was a little hoarse. He also opened the car window slightly to take in the lake breeze.

“Lao Xing, you’re really interesting. Don’t you know that scoundrel surnamed Zheng just now said that there were no special rooms left in the hotel, so he told shixiong he would give him a discount for a room with a lake view at 3,600.” Fu Hao grabbed the back of Xing Conglian’s chair excitedly and yelled, “How can such a big hotel run out of rooms? What else can it be if this wasn’t intentional?”

“Really?” Xing Conglian sighed lightly when he heard this.

Lin Chen frowned and asked in a low voice, “It seems a little expensive to get that room, no?”

“I know a friend here, so I can get a low discount.” Xing Conglian comforted him.

Lin Chen lowered his head but didn’t ask any more questions.

If a hotel manager could only get a 40% discount, no matter who Xing Conglian knew, how low a discount could he get?

——

As the local tyrant of Yongchuan, naturally, the place where Manager Zheng invited people for drinks must be better than his own hotel.

The Tianren Club was such a place.

It was located at the foot of Mount Jun, surrounded by a bamboo forest on one side of the mountain, while the other side was a vast golf course.

At almost 10 in the evening, there were almost no empty parking spaces in front of the clubhouse.

Zheng Dongdong and his entourage got out of the car. The knowledgeable classmates glanced at all the cars parked outside the club and lowered their voices as they asked, “Will it be pretty expensive here?’

Zheng Dongdong raised his head, trying not to look too proud. He spoke lightly as he said, “I’ve booked a private room. The drinks aren’t pricy, so rest assured.” As he spoke, he kept watching Xing Conglian’s broken Jeep.

When he saw the gray Jeep, which had parked in the thicket of luxury cars, the dry dirt marks and scratches on it only made it look shabbier, which made Zheng Dongdong laugh even more happily.

Unlike the usual luxurious clubs, Tianren was very quiet. The entire club consisted of small black and white buildings that were scatted across the vast sea of bamboo.

Perhaps it was precisely because the area it occupied was so large that, despite a night scene full of people, there weren’t any loud noises, so it made the atmosphere feel even more elite and elegant. Compared to the brilliant Intercontinental Hotel, this club was another notch up.

Most likely to highlight the intentions of the club’s back-to-nature vibe, the signboard hanging at the door was nothing more than a small wooden board with a simple engraving [Tianren] and a logo composed of a canary and rose in the lower left corner.

Zheng Dongdong stood at the door of the clubhouse with a group of classmates behind him. He slowly took out his membership card from his wallet and handed it to the staff.

The staff member who greeted the guests at the door was a very young girl. She wore a close-fitting suit and had a goose-yellow silk scarf tied around her neck. She was gentle and had a pleasant temperament. She took the card and brushed it lightly against the scanner.

Hearing a light beep, Zheng Dongdong nodded. He was familiar with the way and was about to push open the door.

“Mr. Zheng, please wait a moment.” The girl stopped him.

Zheng Dongdong retracted his hand with some impatience.

The girl could tell, based on the way the guest’s brows arched, that he was arrogant. She bowed and then pressed on her headset, as if confirming something.

After a while, she said quietly, “I’m sorry, Mr. Zheng. Today’s private rooms are fully booked.”

Hearing this, Zheng Dongdong’s face turned black.

He knew that a club of this level would often have senior members squeezing out lower-level members’ reservations. On a normal day, he’d probably complain, take the small benefit promised by the club, and then turn around and leave. However, the situation was different. He had all his old classmates, especially Lin Chen and Fu Hao, following him. If he really brought them to the door but was kicked out, it would be too humiliating. In this case, he could only bite the bullet and fight. “Miss, what do you mean? I made my reservation a week in advance!”

The attendant was used to this kind of problem. She still maintained a decent smile and said, “I’m sorry, sir. There really are no more spare rooms left.”

This was a euphemism telling him that his reservation had been taken by a more premium member. However, at this moment, Zheng Dongdong could only pretend not to know. “Check the reservation record for me, and you’ll see that I’ve made a reservation!” He raised his volume and yelled at the girl.

The attendant was still smiling. “Sir, I’m really sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. You can enjoy a 10% discount the next time you come here. Is that okay?”

“What’s with this attitude? I know your manager!” Zheng Dongdong said as he took out his phone to make a call.

The attendant bowed and said nothing. She looked around, and burly security guards immediately surrounded her.

“That’s karma, I tell you,” Fu Hao muttered behind the crowd while crossing his arms as he looked at the farce in front of him in amusement.

“Dongdong, forget it. I saw that your hotel has a bar. Let’s just go there for drinks.” Upon seeing this, some of the classmates hurriedly pulled the man who was about to get mad and tried to persuade him.

“Yeah, yeah. Originally, this was just so we could all gather and have fun. There’s no need to get angry,” another person echoed, trying to make peace.

Since someone around him gave him a pass, naturally, Zheng Dongdong was happy to accept. He glanced at the nametag on the girl’s chest and said arrogantly, “Next time I’m having dinner with your manager, I’ll tell him about this.”

“Go ahead.” The girl still remained smiling. “I also hope our manager can remember my name.”

Zheng Dongdong snorted coldly and turned to leave.

At this time, a black Bentley just drove to the entrance and rubbed against the corner of Zheng Dongdong’s clothes and stopped steadily.

Lin Chen was surprised. After all, they were standing at the entrance to the club. No matter what kind of status a person had, they shouldn’t be able to drive their cars right into the clubhouse. This was the rule. But seeing this car driving in, the person sitting inside was probably the club manager himself.

Zheng Dongdong was seeking virtue and had acquired it.

Sure enough, Zheng Dongdong turned his head nervously and looked at the people in the car. His face instantly turned pale. He took a step back, as if afraid that what he had just said was caught by them.

However, the sky was never what people wanted. Everyone watched as the windows of the Bentley slowly rolled down.

The driver was a middle-aged man dressed in a suit and leather boots with an outstanding temperament. Zheng Dongdong hurried over and said, “Manager Wang, what a coincidence.”

However, just as he leaned over, he seemed to see a person in the back seat and was stunned on the spot, leaving him completely speechless.

There was an old man sitting there. Zheng Dongdong swallowed hard as his eyes widened.

“Manager Zheng, who were you going to mention?” The old man in the back seat asked.

His tone was airy. He was dressed in a Chinese-style outfit made of linen, and the neckline was lightly pulled up with a button. However, he carried the unique dignity of those who had been in the upper echelons for a long time.

Hearing this, Zheng Dongdong only felt a cold sweat was about to break out. He hurriedly nodded and bowed. “Supervisor Xing, what brings you here?”

The old man who could make the manager of the Tianren Club his personal chauffeur, with the surname Xing and first name Fu, was an old steward of the Xing family.

And, as Zheng Dongdong had said, Xing Fu was an old steward who could be named Xing, which naturally meant he was a direct descendant of the Xing family and was qualified to serve as a senior member of the consortium. Even Zheng Dongdong, who was the manager at their hotel, had only met the old man at the high-level annual meeting of Cohen May.

In fact, Xing Fu had come here just for a routine inspection. He stopped the car just now because he heard someone was making things difficult for the staff at the club. Seeing that the other party was their group’s hotel manager, he stopped for a little warning, but he really didn’t have the intention of punishing anyone.

He was about to leave after speaking, but the moment the window of the car slowly rolled down, he suddenly saw a tall young man standing under the dim street light at the end of the crowd of people.

The young man was standing casually with his police uniform tucked into his left arm. His hair was cut short, to about an inch, and he had an unshaven face. His eyes were deep, and his profile was handsome, showing obvious signs he was of mixed blood.

Xing Fu felt as if he was seeing things.

He stretched out his hand and gently rubbed the center of his brows, then opened his eyes.

The young man was still standing in a casual manger with his face unchanged, so Xing Fu was quite sure he wasn’t mistaken.

The car window gently closed, and the black iron door of Tianren slowly opened.

The old man sat in the car but continued to look back at the streetlight behind him.

“Xing Lao*, did you see someone you know?” The general manager of the club looked in the rearview mirror and asked respectfully.

*When Lao is used at the end of a name, it signifies addressing someone (generally older than you) with respect. Translated would be like him calling him “Elder Xing”.

Xing Fu didn’t answer.

Outside the car, in front of Tianren.

Mr. Zheng, who had just bumped into his immediate boss, wanted to leave quickly.

Suddenly, the girl at the door held down her headset again, as if some instructions had come out.

“Mr. Zheng, please wait a moment.” She stopped Zheng Dongdong once more, who was firmly set at the doorway, unable to take a step back or forward.

The girl bent down as she spoke, opened the side door, and stretched out her hand very respectfully to make a gesture of invitation. “I’m very sorry. Just now, it was our mistake. To make up for it, we have upgraded your private room.”

The girl bent her waist extremely low, while Zheng Dongdong suddenly felt like jumping into the clouds. The attitude of the staff had suddenly turned 180 degrees. Needless to say, it was orders from the old man in the car just now.

Inside the Bentley.

The club manager put down his phone. He didn’t know why the old man had made such an order, but a person like him, who had climbed up from the bottom, step by step, knew exactly the things he shouldn’t ask.

It was dark all around as the old man continued to sit silently in the back seat.

After a while, the old man seemed to think of something and spoke again. He said to his subordinates, “Go buy a box of Yongchuan draft beer. Ice it to 8 degrees and send it over later.”

The person in the cab nodded.

“And fried peanuts…” The old man paused and then said, “Forget it. I’ll do it myself.”

It was probably because of the sudden turn of events that the original ordinary private room was suddenly turned into a luxury model that Zheng Dongdong plastered a proud smile on his face.

The Tianren’s private room was in the deepest part of the clubhouse.

Lin Chen and all his classmates walked through the bamboo forest. When they actually sat down, it was already 11 in the evening. Many students looked tired as the waiter brought the drinks menu, while Zheng Dongdong was full of life.

He spread the wine list on the table generously and said, “Just order whatever you like. No need to be polite.”

It was the first time many of the people present had been to a high-end club. They leaned over curiously to look at the price and were too reverent to speak… because the cheapest thing on the list was mineral water that was in the three digits.

Seeing that no one had said anything, Zheng Dongdong was satisfied with the deterrent effect. He pretended to be familiar with the drink’s menu, crossed his legs, and looked at the only beautiful lady present in the room and said, “Haozhen, would you like a weak cocktail?”

Xu Haozhen was the only girl in the room. Usually, a normal girl would give some pushback, but Xu Haozhen didn’t hesitate at all. She smiled sweetly and said to Zheng Dongdong, “Thank you shixiong for your treat.”

Perhaps it was because the little sister led the way that the rest of the people present also started to order the drinks they wanted.

Zheng Dongdong listened in his heart as his eyes kept skimming over the price list as he quickly tried to add everything up, then he turned his head. Lin Chen obviously saw the bad look on Zheng Dongdong’s face. Suddenly, he heard Zheng Dongdong say, “Captain Xing, Lin Chen, Professor Fu, what do you want to order?”

“I don’t need anything,” Lin Chen said calmly.

“Lin Chen, you’re not giving your old classmate any face like this. At least drink something other than water,” Zheng Dongdong said with a blank face.

“No, I think it’s all too expensive and I don’t want Mr. Zhang to spend his money.”

“Hey, hey, it’s only proper to treat old classmates!”

“Give me a glass of kiwi juice,” At this moment, Fu Hao interjected. “It looks pretty good.”

“Good Lao Fu. I’ll put it down for you.” Zheng Dongdong took the drink list and looked at Xing Conglian and asked, “Captain Xing, do you want something to drink?”

“Me?” Xing Conglian didn’t even think much about it and said casually, “Two bottles of Yongchuan draft beer.”

As if hitting the mark, Zheng Dongdong laughed out loud, like he was laughing at the lack of worldliness of the Captain. “I’m sorry, Captain Xing. The worst beer in Tianren is Hoegaarden,” Zheng Dongdong said, deliberately accentuating his English.

The implication was that the beer he wanted was too low-level that it wasn’t sold here.

Xing Conglian didn’t seem to notice the contempt in his words. He just shook his head and said, “Foreign beer, forget it.”

Zheng Dongdong smiled slightly. Suddenly, there were three knocks on the door. The door was then gently pushed open, and a club waiter stood at the doorway.

Everyone watched as the waiter put a tin bucket and peanuts on the table, bowed, and backed out again.

It only took 10 seconds from when the waiter came and left, and everyone was completely stunned after his departure.

Inside the tin bucket that the waiter brought were two bottles of Yongchuan draft beer, priced at 8 yuan, and a plate of peanuts that were still exuding fragrant heat.

The private room fell silent.

No one spoke for a long time while Zheng Dongdong’s face was livid.

The surrounding classmates all looked at him with some contempt in their eyes.

You said there was no room, but someone opened a room. You said there was no draft beef, but what did the waiter just bring?

Even if you have money and look down on your old classmates, repeatedly making trouble for others is quite tasteless.

Xing Conglian sat on the sofa, looking at the two things on the table, and his eyes darkened a little.

——

Cold beer and peanuts were just small interludes.

As soon as the KTV was turned on, the booming sounds quickly eased the cold atmosphere.

Even if it was a class reunion of classmates who hadn’t seen each other for many years, in the end it was just a process of singing, drinking, and bragging.

Of all the people present, Xu Haozhen had the most fun. Whether it was a duet of love songs or a female solo, her voice never stopped from beginning to end.

Lin Chen looked at the figure of the little shimei thoughtfully.

Xing Conglian leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window and was silently drinking. Fu Hao swayed left and right with the rhythm, while Lin Chen glanced at the two of them. He leaned toward Xing Conglian and thought for a while before bringing up a topic. “What’s going on with Yang Dianfeng’s case?”

“It’s fine.” Xing Conglian took a sip of beer and said, “I’m afraid the implications of this case are wider than you and I thought.”

“Hmm?”

The noise in the private room was very loud. In order for the two of them to hear each other’s voices clearly, they could only get extremely close. Lin Chen felt Xing Conglian’s warm breath spray on his face, and it made him feel a little itchy.

“Wang Chao just finished screening the system records for nearly half a year. There are more than a dozen suspicious records, which involve more murders, and two are outstanding robberies.”

Hearing this, Lin Chen couldn’t help frowning slightly. “The other party is willing to take a big risk and quickly kill Yang Dianfeng. The reason must be very good.”

“Correct.”

Lin Chen and Xing Conglian continued to talk in a low voice in the corner. Although there was deafening singing in the room, the silence around them seemed to have stagnated.

Zheng Dongdong’s gaze also swept to that corner.

All night today, Mr. Zheng seemed to have fallen under a strange spell. No matter how he used his strength, it seemed he was shooting himself in the foot, which only made him feel more uncomfortable.

It was almost early in the morning, and it wouldn’t be long before the party dispersed. It would be difficult for him to have a chance to payback for the unhappiness of today.

Thinking of this, he clenched the high-end foreign wine bottle, poured himself a full glass, gritted his teeth, and walked towards Lin Chen.

When Zheng Dongdong walked in front of him, Lin Chen was listening to Xing Conglian analyze the suspected cases one by one.

Suddenly, a glass full of wine was put in front of Lin Chen. “Lin Chen, everyone is a classmate, so I’m giving you a toast. Can you give me some face?”

Lin Chen looked out. Zheng Dongdong was holding a bottle of X with a fake smile on his face.

He didn’t know if it was intentional or not, but the music in the private room was also suspended.

For a while, Zheng Dongdong’s drunken voice seemed particularly abrupt.

At class reunions, mutual persuasion among boys was generally hard to shirk. After all, there was the affection of being each other’s classmates, and with many people watching, if one didn’t drink to a toast, they would be considered not manly enough.

Everyone looked at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen glanced at the wine in front of him. His eyes were very cold and light. He raised his head and said to Zheng Dongdong, “You don’t have such face.”

In an instant, Zheng Dongdong seemed to be ignited with anger. “What the hell! Don’t be so shameless!”

Fu Hao made a move to scramble up, while Xing Conglian just sat quietly aside.

Lin Chen took the lead in getting up. He bowed slightly to the others in the private room and said, “Sorry, I have something to do today. I’ll be leaving first.”

After speaking, he walked out without saying anything else. Seeing this, Fu Hao hurriedly followed. Xing Conglian was the last to stand and didn’t speak. He lifted up the police uniform on the side and calmly walked out of the room.

In the private room behind him, there was a loud sound of a wine bottle shattering on the ground.

A cool wind blew in the bamboo forest outside the private room. Lin Chen took a few steps forward as Xing Conglian quickly caught up and asked with a smile, “On purpose?”

“Didn’t you say that you had to go to the Yongchuan Police Station tomorrow? That means you have to go back and rest early, right?” Lin Chen replied.

“You made Zheng Dongdong angry like that just so we could go back early.”

“Captain Xing, don’t say that. I did it for you.”

“Thank you, Consultant Lin.”

They chatted with each other as they walked to the entrance of Tianren. Surprisingly, there was a substitute driver waiting for them.

Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian, who didn’t seem surprised by the sudden appearance of the substitute driver. He said lightly, “I’ve been drinking. Safety first.”

——

The night in the metropolis never slept.

Lin Chen didn’t go back to the hotel first but sent Fu Hao back to the school with Xing Conglian.

At dawn, the substitute driver parked the car at the entrance of the teacher’s dorm on the west side of Yongchuan University. When Professor Fu got out of the car, his legs were already woozy because he felt drowsy beyond what humans should experience.

Xing Conglian and Lin Chen had to assist him back to his room, and when they came out, the sky had gradually turned from dark blue to light.

Xing Conglian lit a cigarette, took a deep breath, and let out a lazy breath.

There was a faint aroma in the air, like the scene of tea, eggs, and pancakes. Xing Conglian rubbed his stomach and then looked at Lin Chen.

Seeing his appearance, Lin Chen had no choice but to say, “Let’s go. I’ll treat you to breakfast.”

After all, having studied in Yongchuan for years, Lin Chen was familiar with the food scene here. He took Xing Conglian to an alley next to the school.

The alley was long and deep, and at the entrance was a dilapidated small shop.

When the two walked to the door of the store, the shopkeeper happened to be carrying a stove and came out to make a fire.

When he saw them, the shopkeeper was taken aback.

“Uncle Zheng,” Lin Chen shouted in a low voice.

“Oh, it’s A’Chen!” The middle-aged man patted his head, as if remembering something. He hurriedly put down the stove and shouted into the room, “Old woman, look who’s here!”

His loud shout was soon followed by the pounding of feet inside the shop. A middle-aged woman in an apron opened the curtain and rushed out. When she saw Lin Chen, the middle-aged woman was also taken aback. The corners of her eyes were full of smiles. “Look at you. It’s been a long time since you came. Don’t you miss your Auntie Wang at all?!”

“Of course I do,” Lin Chen smiled, as he replied very sweetly.

Lin Chen took Xing Conglian to sit down. Auntie Wang wiped her hands on her apron, smiled, and asked, “Two bowls of shrimp wontons. What else do you want?”

There was no menu in the shop, so Xing Conglian stared blankly at Lin Chen.

“A bowl of preserved egg porridge, an order of xiaolongbao, and an order of shumai.” Lin Chen thought for a bit, pointed to Xing Conglian, and then added, “Auntie Wang, can you make him an egg pancake?”

“Okay, okay.” The middle-aged woman happily ran back to the kitchen.

Xing Conglian looked around and found the shop quite small. The tables and chairs were worn out, and there was only a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Other than that, there were no other decorations. Strangely enough, perhaps because there wasn’t light outside or because the light in the shop was a little too dim, Xing Conglian felt the place was peaceful and felt like home.

“Is this place good?” Xing Conglian put his hands on the countertop and stared at Lin Chen quietly.

“Yeah, really good. I only eat here.”

“Really? That great?”

“No, because this store doesn’t charge me money,” Lin Chen said with a smile.

Xing Conglian was taken aback. At that moment, the shopkeeper rushed over to solve his confusion. “A’Chen is a great matchmaker for me and my old lady!”

Two bowls of freshly cooked wontons were placed on the table. The shopkeeper, Uncle Zheng, stood at the door and said this to Xing Conglian.

“Matchmaker?”

“Yes. Before we got together, one of us ran a wonton shop at the entrance of the alley, and the other ran a dim sum store at the end. A’Chen saw that we were interested and hooked us up.” The middle-aged man squeezed his eyes at him. Before he finished speaking, he ran to bring out the steaming xiaolongbao.

Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen in disbelief. “How did you pull the strings*?”

*Referring to the red thread of fate. It’s commonly thought of as an invisible red chord around the finger of those that are destined to meet one another in a certain situation, as they are “their true love”.

Lin Chen lowered his head and handed him a spoon with the utensil holder.

“This kid is so bad. He went to my shop and ate wontons for a week. Every time he came, he would hold a steamer of xiaolongbao and a steamer of shumai from my old lady’s shop. He didn’t return them after eating but asked me to send them back for him every day.” The middle-aged man put down the steamer and sat down beside Lin Chen as he told the story.

Hearing this, Xing Conglian felt a little moved. He suddenly realized that Lin Chen’s youth may have been quite wanton and interesting.

——

The sky was getting brighter, and the sun was rising.

There was constant laughter and chatter from the wonton shop at the entrance of the alley.

At Yongchuan University, not far away, the early risers had already started their morning studies.

Wang An’an was one of the most ordinary security guards at Yongchuan University.

At 5 in the morning, he, who had been lazy for most of the night, got up from bed and prepared for the last patrol on campus.

A milky white mist floated on the campus in the early morning. The fish hadn’t risen from the bottom of the water, and the sparrows were still sleeping among the branches.

He patrolled most of the campus, and there was nothing unusual. When he rode to the woods by the lake, he yawned heavily. It was so early in the morning that the bad guys had already gone back to sleep. Thinking of this, he simply stopped his bicycle. There was a leafy banyan tree in front of him. He took a few steps and ran to rest under the canopy.

Some students who woke up in the morning were reading aloud on the rocks by the lake. It seemed to be English text. Wang An’an listened to them and felt himself getting drowsy.

The CET-4 and CET-6* exams were approaching, so the students had been very diligent recently. Wang An’an squinted for a while, then, as if thinking of something, he opened his eyes, looked at his watch, raised his head again, and looked further away.

*College English Test. National English as a foreign language test in China. It examines the proficiency of undergraduate and postgraduate students. 

There, a dilapidated old canteen stood. In half an hour, the canteen would start serving breakfast, and he could call it a day.

He thought about this as he closed his eyes again unconsciously and his hand drooped from his lap gently onto the ground.

Suddenly, he bounced up as if he had been stung.

He seemed to have touched something slippery and sticky. He took a closer look and found that a piece of white rubber was exposed in the soil under his feet. It might be a dilapidated football or a broken shoe thrown by someone. Wang An’an looked at the bare rubber and then at his hands, but he seemed to feel that what he touched just now had moved gently.

Wang An’an looked around. The students who were studying in the morning by the lake didn’t seem to notice what was happening under the tree. He squatted down and, hesitatingly, used his fingers to gently pull the soil next to the rubber, wondering in his heart what the thing he had just touched under the soil was. What the hell is this thing?

However, the speed of gently digging was too slow, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, his hands slammed into the soil and pulled out a large handful of dark brown dirt.

Immediately, a white sneaker was exposed; the tip of the shoe was facing up, and there was a checkmark on the upper part of the shoe.

Wang An’an recognized the brand. He was relieved and only blamed himself for making a fuss.

Perhaps he was a little too nervous just now. Wang An’an felt that he was gasping for air. He sat down against the trunk of the tree, put his hand in his pocket, and wanted to quietly pull out a cigarette. However, while his left hand was holding a cigarette, his right hand was feeling around trying to find a lighter for half a day with no luck. Truly a big mistake! He could only hold the cigarette and sniff at it, hoping the scent would relax his salivation.

The lake breeze was cool, and he gradually calmed down. Thinking that the banyan tree might be too cold for a rest, Wang An’an got up and wanted to leave.

At the moment he got up, because of the change in angle, he vaguely saw that under the sneakers buried in the soil, there seemed to be a small piece of fabric attached. What kind of student would throw a shoe away by the lake and also socks along with it?

Wang An’an froze. As the cool wind blew, goosebumps covered his body. He swooped in front of the sneaker, dug frantically, and finally couldn’t help but scream!

Under the soil, where the shoe was connected as a leg!

Upon finding it, Wang An’an let out a resounding scream.

Just like laughter and chattering in the wonton shop couldn’t spread on campus, the terrifying events that happened on campus certainly wouldn’t spread outside of the school in an instant.

After being full of food and drink, Xing Conglian nodded contentedly and walked side by side with Lin Chen on the long street outside Yongchuan University.

There were more pedestrians on the street now, and breakfast stalls had been set up one after another.

The boys and girls wearing Yongchuan University uniforms passed by them from time to time. Everything looked youthful and beautiful, which was quite pleasing to the eye.

Xing Conglian turned his head and saw Lin Chen was looking at the school gate in the distance, wondering what he was thinking of.

Xing Conglian suddenly said, “Come on, let’s go for a walk in your school.”

Lin Chen turned his head, as if he had heard something strange. “Didn’t you say I’d better not go in?”

“I mean, when you’re alone.” Xing Conglian puffed out a breath of smoke and laughed. “Now that I’m with you, of course it’s fine.”

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