“Professor Fu…” Lin Chen raised his head and looked at Fu Hao.
Fu Hao trembled when he was called. “Shixiong, if you have any orders, just say them. I get flustered when you call me like that!”
“I need to ask Professor Fu for a little favor…” Lin Chen paused, but didn’t give Fu Hao time to think. “I remember that when freshmen enter the school, they will record a self-introduction, and it’s kept on file. I want to ask Professor Fu to look for Wang Shishi’s and Xu Haozhen’s introduction video.”
When Fu Hao heard this, he looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He turned to Lin Chen and gave him a look that said, “Shixiong, why do you treat me so cruelly?”
Xing Conglian saw it in his eyes. Although he didn’t know how difficult it would be to get the files, he still mourned for Professor Fu in his heart.
Lin Chen touched Fu Hao’s head and said, “Good.”
Professor Fu couldn’t give out the slightest resistance and could only resignedly walk away.
While looking at his back, Xing Conglian found it amusing. “Why does it look like he’s on his way to a heroic death?”
“The one who manages the admission files for the freshmen is a shijie* who acts quite interesting around Fu Hao.”
*Basically the same as shixiong but for an older/higher rank woman.
“So is Professor Fu going to sell his soul?” Xing Conglian lowered his head slightly, looked at Consultant Lin’s unmoving face, and smiled.
“No such thing.”
Thinking about the two food stall owners near the school who were married, Xing Conglian said with some emotion, “So you’re really a matchmaker.”
“He’s quite happy about it. Don’t worry.”
“Why did you suddenly think of looking at the admission file?”
“There are some problems I can’t figure out.” Lin Chen shook his head. He then asked Xing Conglian, “What kind of girl do you think Wang Shishi is?”
“She, ah, I feel is quite complicated.”
“Yes, it’s not only complicated but also contradictory.” Lin Chen paused and said, “I have analyzed Wang Shishi’s dorm. The bed was neat, and her personal belongings were placed in an orderly manner, giving people the sense that she’s very independent. At the same time, she’s working part time to earn money and loves her little brother. It can be seen that she’s filial and hardworking. Would such a person make a sex tape and behave so boldly and wildly?”
“Is it contradictory? There are many sides to everyone, no? If they are humans, they always have something to hide, and inadvertently, those things will get expose.”
Lin Chen took a deep look at Xing Conglian, then said, “Looking at it from another angle, if you just look at Wang Shishi’s mother, what kind of person do you think her daughter is?”
Thinking about Wang Shishi’s strong-willed and unyielding mother, Xing Conglian felt a headache coming. “With such a fierce mother, the daughter is either particularly deviant or an obedient, cowardly girl.” After he finished speaking, he suddenly discovered that Wang Shishi was simply the perfect combination of these two types.
“Isn’t it weird?” Lin Chen thought for a while, then said, “Wang Shishi grew up in a typical authoritarian family. From a statistical point of view, most children from such families are obedient, cowardly, and lack self-confidence. There are some extremes who will become indifferent, cruel, and extremely aggressive…”
“But Wang Shishi doesn’t seem to match…”
“Yes, there must be a deep reason behind any abnormal sample that deviates from the norm.”
“What about Xu Haozhen? Is this matter related to her?” Xing Conglian keenly remembered the little shimei, whom Lin Chen had taken special notice of because of her nail polish.
“I can’t say for the time being, but Xu Haozhen looked very playful and outgoing, like a beautiful socialite. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Such a person should have strong opinions, so why would she be too embarrassed to refuse to put on nail polish that wasn’t suitable for her? Although I may be taking the bull by the horns, this looks too contradictory and unreasonable.”
“So that’s why you asked Fu Hao to get their self-introduction video because you want to see what they originally were like?”
“Yes, I want to see what they looked like when they were still a blank piece of paper.”
——
Naturally, Professor Fu couldn’t hear this conversation in the archives.
The dehumidifier hummed softly. There were neither fierce shijies nor lovable shimeis. There was actually no one in the large archive room.
The curtains were half drawn, and the room was dim. As Fu Hao walked deeper into the two rows of data shelves, suddenly the door creaked shut. He hurriedly turned around but saw no figures. There was only the sound of leather boots hitting the floor over and over again.
“Wang Shijie?” Fu Hao tentatively shouted but got no response.
Fu Hao looked around. There were iron shelves on both sides, and he didn’t have anything to take advantage of.
He hesitated for a moment as the sounds of footsteps closed in. Through the bottom of the information cabinet, he could vaguely see that the visitor was wearing a pair of black calfskin boots, with smoky gray trousers. Their clothes were well-made, and their steps were unhurried.
Fu Hao took a deep breath. The other party had already walked to the bookshelf away from him. He could now clearly see the corner of the black cashmere sweater they were wearing.
He went through all the names of his colleagues in his mind but couldn’t match anyone who would wear such an outfit. The tension in his heart became stronger. “Who are you?”
There was no answer.
The next moment, the man moved again. The side of his face flashed, causing Fu Hao’s heart to thump heavily. He suddenly turned his head and saw a handsome and elegant face.
Silky, soft hair, amber eyes that were a bit elongated, and at the end of those eyes were slightly curled, like he was smiling, but his gaze held an indescribable iciness.
Fuck me. A psychopath…
Countless swears were stuck in his chest. Fu Hao looked at the visitor as if he were a ghost. His body reacted faster than his mind. Without saying a word, he turned around and ran away.
However, before he could reach the door, a warm, soft male voice came from behind him.
“Walk out that door, and I will break your legs.”
Shit…
——
The traffic in the big cities was always too congested. When Lin Chen and Xing Conglian returned to the police station, a young man wearing a black cap was already sitting in the conference room of the Second Division Criminal Unit, receiving the praise and worship of the entire department.
As soon as Xing Conglian pushed the door open, he heard a very dissatisfied voice from the office.
Wang Chao was holding a cola-flavored lollipop as he pointed his finger at the strong-willed little policeman in front of him and said very unhappily, “Captain, don’t you know it’s tacky to joke around with our names?”
“It’s not my fault!” Comrade Ma Han said helplessly*.
*Clarity: Again, it’s referring to their names as homonyms of the two constables who serves Justice Bao.
“Why are you so fast?” Xing Conglian looked at the time and saw that it had been only three hours since he made the call.
“Oh, I hitchhiked from the highway and zoomed over.”
“Didn’t I tell you to take the high-speed train?” Xing Conglian said as he walked up to Wang Chao.
“No way! You said that money is for me!”
Xing Conglian ruffled the boy’s furry head, leaned close to the screen of his laptop, and found that Wang Chao was dragging the explicit photos that Wang Shishi’s mother had “handed in” and putting them on a timeline.
“What are you doing?”
“Making an MV.” Wang Chao laughed. “It will move.”
Xing Conglian slapped him on the back of the head. “Did you find out what I wanted you to check on?”
“It’s a trivial matter.” Wang Chao gripped his lollipop and beckoned Ma Han, who presented them with a personal file with both hands.
Xing Conglian frowned slightly as he took the file.
Sure enough, the other girl in the video was also a student at Yongchuan University.
Jiang Liu, female, 20 years old. A top student in the Department of Biology at Yongchuan University.
Xing Conglian glanced at the file and handed it to Lin Chen, then looked at Wang Chao. Before he had the chance to speak, Wang Chao had already spoken for him.
“I’ve already checked it. They use fingerprint scanners to punch in at Yongchuan University. This chick didn’t go back to the dorms last night and didn’t go to class today. There’s no record of her on her ID or bank card. In other words, she didn’t seem to open a room with anyone.”
Xing Conglian was about to speak again when Wang Chao continued, “This chick, Jiang Liu, has no intersection with Cheng Weiwei. After all, their ages are a bit too far apart. However, she and Wang Shishi were both officers in the student union of the literary and arts department and had organized the National Day Ball together.” After Wang Chao finished speaking, he spread his hands, indicating this was all he could do.
Xing Conglian nodded and saw Jiang Chao walking down the hallway from a distance.
As soon as he saw Xing Conglian, Vice Captain Jiang seemed as if he had caught a lifeline and started yelling from a distance, “Lao Xing, when will you interrogate Wang Shishi’s fierce mother? She’s already starting to ask for compensation from our police department for emotional damage!”
“Hey handsome, is there anything else I can do for you?” Wang Chao interjected.
“Come with me to make a statement,” Xing Conglian said.
Wang Chao was somewhat flattered.
After all, Lao Xing is telling him to go make a statement together and not A’Chen. Did this mean that he was going to finally move from a technician to a real criminal investigator post?!
In the interrogation room, a woman with messy hair and a fierce aura was sitting behind the table with her arms crossed.
Wang Chao followed Xing Conglian through the sliding door and was met with the woman’s glare. His legs softened a bit on the spot, but Xing Conglian acted like everything was fine. He dragged a chair and sat opposite the extremely fierce woman. Naturally, there wasn’t a third chair in the interrogation room, so Wang Chao had to awkwardly stand…
“Mrs. Wang, I hope you can hand over the original video, and we’ll strive for leniency.” Xing Conglian got straight to the point.
“Captain Xing, are you kidding me? Your policeman detained me here for more than three hours for no reason, and now you’re saying you’ll give me leniency?” The woman crossed her legs and pointed her toe, looking extremely haughty and cold.
“Mrs. Wang, I think you may not realize the current overall situation…” Xing Conglian said as he reached out and pointed to Wang Chao. “This is Yongchuan’s Network Information Security Officer Wang. He was appointed by his superiors to investigate the pornographic products in your hand.”
When Wang Chao was suddenly named, he hurriedly stood up straight. He looked at the Captain, who was sitting upright, and then at the arrogant woman. He quickly understood the situation. Ah, the boss brought him in to put on a farce…
“Yes, madam. Recently, we’ve been focusing on typical cases, and yours is quite representative. According to Article 8 of Chapter III of China’s Internet Video Security Regulations, we will impose a 15-day detention and a fine of 10,000 yuan.” Wang Chao began to spout off bullshit solemnly.
“Are you kidding me? I’m just here to assist in the investigation. I’ve never spread any pornographic products. You can’t arrest me!” Mrs. Wang still looked like a calm and relaxed barrister, but there was a hint of light panic in her voice.
“Of course, the severity of this penalty is mainly determined by the number of videos you spread and how many people viewed them, but you must first provide the original video before we can judge.”
“I… I don’t have the original video…”
Xing Conglian leaned forward abruptly. His tone changed harshly. “Mrs. Wang, please don’t think the IQ of the police is low. The photos you took are obviously screenshots of a video. Now, you’re telling me you don’t have the original video? Do you think this will clear you of the crime?”
“But I really don’t have it. I secretly saw it on Shishi’s laptop when she was taking a shower,” Mrs. Wang said. She suddenly remembered something and raised her voice. “Ah, the laptop. You can look for that video on Shishi’s laptop.”
“You mean to tell me you had time to see that video and take screenshots one by one, but you didn’t have time to save the entire thing?” Xing Conglian asked coldly.
“The video isn’t on her laptop. It’s on the internet. I can’t copy it. It’s an English website.”
“What kind of website?” Wang Chao asked quickly when he heard her reply.
“It’s all in English. The page is black, and it looks weird and scary.”
“Is there a url?”
“It can’t be copied. It’s very long…”
“Does the beginning start with www?”
“It doesn’t seem to be… I don’t remember.”
The face of the little policeman on the opposite side was livid. The more Mrs. Wang spoke, the more guilty she felt.
Wang Chao rarely became serious. He grabbed Xing Conglian’s notebook, tore a page, and, together with a pen, pushed it in front of the woman. “Draw the website and try to include as much detail as possible.”
Xing Conglian didn’t expect this either. He originally just brought Wang Chao as a prop to fool her, but looking at the young man’s current appearance, it seemed he had found an incredible clue.
Mrs. Wang quickly finished sketching the webpage. Since it was so long ago, there weren’t many details she could recall.
When Wang Chao glanced at the paper, he flew out the door in a rush.
When Lin Chen and Xing Conglian were busy at the girls’ dorm, a storm was brewing in the principal’s office.
At the top of the bookshelf, the green leaves of the chlorophytum drooped lightly. There was a cup of boiling water on the table.
The old man in a simple shirt was sitting in front of the window with his glasses hanging on the tip of his nose. He held a pen in his hand and was looking down at a student’s paper.
In front of the old man was a senior. The boy was covered in cold sweat, as if he were extremely nervous. The boy came to ask for guidance on his graduation thesis but didn’t expect to run into a high-level struggle in school.
The vice principal and a well-dressed middle-aged man were standing behind him. The two of them looked gloomy, as if they were enduring something, but the principal didn’t seem to care about them. He was solemnly reading the boy’s thesis, as if the affair that just happened wasn’t as important as the words on the paper.
“Principal, I’m afraid it’s not good to keep Mr. Chen waiting for too long.” Finally, Vice President Xu, who couldn’t bear it anymore, broke the heavy atmosphere in the room.
The boy gulped and looked around, pretending as if he didn’t hear anything.
“Oh… What does he want?” The old man didn’t even raise his head. He turned to the last page of the paper as he replied gently.
“Principal Su, is it your intention to let Lin Chen enter the school to investigate?” The butler, standing at the side with his hands in his pockets, took an imposing step forward.
“Oh, that.” The old man pushed up his glasses and didn’t go on. He looked up and handed the annotated paper back to the boy, then said, “The topic can be more refined. The research scope is still too big… There are two translation errors in the abstract. I have already marked it. You have to go back and carefully check the exact usage, and the explanation needs to be more concise…”
The boy lowered his head and looked at his densely marked thesis. He had an indescribable feeling in his heart. He thought that the principal reviewing his thesis was just doing it as a formality. How could a top leader of the university have the time to advise the graduation thesis of young undergraduates? But he didn’t expect the old man would take it seriously, be extremely meticulous in his guidance, and be patient from beginning to end as he pointed out all the flaws in his paper. Even the punctuation errors were carefully marked. This rigor made the senior dare not to be slack at all.
“There’s nothing wrong with the data collection. You’ve done it with great care, but for the analysis of the variance here, you need to do multiple comparison tests…”
As the old man kept talking, Chen Ping’s face became uglier. As the chief butler of an elite family, he had never suffered such cold treatment.
“Principal Su, are you not going to answer my question?” Chen Ping asked again.
“Please wait a moment.” After the old man finished speaking, he continued to lower his head and explain the thesis to the student.
“Su Anzhi, what are your intentions?!”
“I can’t let my students wait. I’ll have to trouble you for a moment of patience,” the old man said politely.
Hearing this, Chen Ping couldn’t bear it anymore and suddenly raised his voice. “Su Anzhi, who do you think you are? Who are you to ignore the board of directors’ resolution and let Lin Chen into the school? Our Chen family has already taken a stand and forbid Lin Chen to set foot onto Yongchuan University ever again!”
“These are probably all the issues. Go back and change them, then show them to me at 1 on Friday afternoon.” After the old man finished speaking, he nodded to the student and signaled that he could leave.
Hearing this, the boy glanced at Chen Ping. There was no disgust in his eyes, only indifference. He bowed solemnly to the principal and turned to leave.
“I’m the president of Yongchuan University.” The old man took off his glasses, hung them on the chest pocket of his shirt, and responded seriously. “In this school, I am the only one who can make decisions on behalf of the board of directors.”
“What do you mean by that? You’re protecting Lin Chen while not even putting the Chen family in your eyes!” Chen Ping slammed on the table fiercely.
“My students can protect themselves,” the old man said disapprovingly.
The old man’s attitude was surprisingly tough, not buying into the Chen family’s account at all. Chen Ping suddenly realized he didn’t have a sense of propriety, and there was no alternative. In the end, he could only stretch out his fingers and lay down some harsh words. “Su Anzhi, when the board of directors meets this year, be warned. The Chen family will be the first to impeach you!”
Accompanied by these fierce threats came three knocks at the door.
Knock, knock, knock…
The sound was very soft and gentle, but each note seemed to be a knock at Chen Ping’s heart, which made him even more furious. Who was so brazen that they would dare knock while he was having his throes?
He turned his head suddenly and couldn’t help but stagnate his breathing. He saw a good-looking young man standing at the door.
The young man was wearing smoky gray pants and a black cashmere turtleneck sweater. The cuffs on his sweater were pulled to the elbows, revealing his fair wrists. He was holding a dinner plate in his hand with two clear cups on it. The liquid inside shook gently. The young man raised his eyes and glanced at the room with a smile. His hair color was light, his eyes were amber, and his skin was excessively pale. Against the background of the black turtleneck, his smile was elegant and gentle like the spring breeze.
After the young man knocked on the door, he didn’t speak. He just walked in with the dinner plate and sat down in the seat next to the old man. He didn’t put down the dinner plate and handed one of the cups to the old man.
The old man acted as if he had seen a treasure. Regardless of the people around him, he raised his cup and took a big sip.
Chen Ping, who was watching in a daze, only then reacted. He wanted to speak, but the young man raised his head slightly and glanced at him with a smile at the corner of his eyes. “Butler Chen, there’s something wrong with what you just said.”
Hearing this, Chen Ping only found it funny. He didn’t want to quarrel anymore, but now that someone had provoked him, he was naturally happy to say a few more harsh words to vent his anger.
“Impeachment is a procedure used to criminally prosecute senior government officials who violate the law and commit crimes. I’m afraid the board of directors of Yongchuan University doesn’t have such power.”
Chen Ping thought he had heard it wrong. He was actually corrected. Was someone so idle that he had nothing better to do than correct incorrect word usage?
“Ha, so what? Without the Chen family’s vote, after the board of directors meeting in June, your teacher will be demoted from his principal position.”
“You’re wrong again.” The young man was still smiling, bringing in an even greater spring breeze. “He’s not my teacher.”
“Who the hell are you?!”
After Cheng Ping asked, he instantly regretted it. He sensed he had probably stepped into another trap.
“Guess?” The young man asked with a smile.
Chen Ping felt so uncomfortable that he wanted to vomit blood. This feeling was too stifling. It was as if he used all his strength to make a move, but the other party didn’t respond and just lightly stabbed back. It hurt and caused an itchiness that felt suffocating.
Chen Ping took a deep breath, flicked his sleeves, turned around, and was about to leave, but the voice of the young man that was still lingering in his soul sounded again.
“I’m just trying to understand what Butler Chen meant, so I thought about it for you. If the Chen family wants to successfully ‘impeach’ the president using the board of directors, they need to first get more than half the seats on the board, which is equivalent to 26 billion yuan. But you also know that absolute control of Yongchuan University has always been in the hands of that family, so even if the Chen family could afford it, I’m not so sure that family would be willing to sell their shares…”
The young man crossed his legs and supported his chin with one hand. His tone was quite worried. Su Lao couldn’t help but laugh out loud when he heard this, then burped from the carbonated drink.
“You!”
Chen Ping turned his head abruptly. Only then did he realize the drink in the slender cup turned out to be Coke…
The old man and the young man in front of him had been mocking him the entire time!
“Just you wait!”
Despite having a finger pointed at his forehead, the young man didn’t seem angry. He took a sip of the drink in his cup, smiled, then nodded, and didn’t say anything else but, “See you again.”
Chen Ping’s chest was hurting badly. He resolutely turned around and left, fearing that if he stayed any longer, he would have a heart attack from all the anger.
Looking at the distant backs of the butler and the vice principal, Su Lao put down his cup, raised his face, and turned to the educated young man next to him. “You bastard. You’re not half as filial as Lin Chen. You didn’t even want to come back to see me on my 60th birthday!”
“Of course.” The young man smiled. He raised his glass and lightly clinked it with Su Lao’s glass. “Not only am I inadequate at filial piety, but I’m also not as good at causing trouble like him.”
At this time, Mr. Chen, who was extremely irritated, held his chest and could only wallow in his anger.
——
Mr. Lin, who was still on campus, didn’t know that he was being talked about.
He had just finished visiting the girls’ dorm with Captain Xing. When they left, he had an old book in his hand.
Captain Xing rubbed his ear. Girls were probably the most talkative creatures in the world. With the addition of a hyper-talkative dorm manager, he only felt dizzy from the tinnitus. Recalling what the girls said just now, it was too much and too complicated, making things almost completely incomprehensible.
“Any luck?” He thought for a while and could only ask Lin Chen.
Hearing this, Lin Chen stuffed a book with a tattered cover into Xing Conglian’s hand.
Xing Conglian was taken aback. He looked down at the cover and found it was a book of “Discrete Mathematics”. The version of the book wasn’t old, but the reason it was worn was because it had been looked through many times. Thinking about this, he opened the book and found that on the title page, there was a name written.
“Xu… Haozhen?” As Xing Conglian read the name, he seemed to feel that it sounded familiar.
But before he could recall the name, he was patted heavily on the shoulder. Professor Fu’s voice came from behind him. “Lao Xing, are you thinking about our shimei?”
Only then did Xing Conglian remember that Xu Haozhen was the girl who was at Lin Chen’s reunion. He turned his head and saw Professor Fu’s face, which still looked sleepy. He was probably just woken up by phone, and his expression held some reluctance.
“Why is your shimei’s book in the possession of the deceased?”
“What deceased?” Fu Hao rubbed his face, thinking he was hearing things.
“Something has happened at the school.” Lin Chen grabbed Fu Hao and succinctly relayed the case of what happened earlier this morning.
As Fu Hao listened, his mouth opened wider and wider. He didn’t expect that such a big thing would transpire while he was sleeping.
“So… you found Xu Haozhen’s book on Wang Shishi’s bed. Does this mean that the two of them know each other?” Fu Hao’s gaze fell on Xing Conglian’s hands. He thought for a while and looked at Lin Chen in disbelief. “Shixiong… Didn’t you say that there was something strange with Shimei Xu earlier? Why?”
“At first, I thought she was just a little weird.”
“Why? Just because she admired you and wanted to meet you?”
“No. It’s because of her nail polish.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Under what circumstances would a girl choose to apply nail polish that isn’t suitable for her?”
“Isn’t that a matter of opinions? You may not think it’s suitable, but she might like it very much?” Fu Hao couldn’t help retorting.
Lin Chen recalled that when he shook hands with Xu Haozhen, the girl deliberately retracted her fingertips. “She knew it wasn’t suitable. She didn’t like it and was extremely mindful about it.”
“Maybe she’s just experimenting with colors?”
“Do you need all ten fingers to test colors?”
“Someone forced her to paint it?”
“It’s only compulsory to ask someone to paint their nails.”
Lin Chen’s tone was faint. Fu Hao hurriedly shrank his fingers. “You mean, whoever picked it out for her or wanted her to paint that color, she was too embarrassed to refuse? For example, if shixiong wanted to borrow a shirt from me, I would be too embarrassed to refuse… But shixiong, why are you struggling with this nail polish problem? Aren’t you just splitting hairs?”
When Fu Hao opened his mouth, no one could stop that chatterbox. Hearing this, Lin Chen’s eyelids suddenly lifted, as if he thought of something key.
More onlookers had started to gather around the entrance of Yongchuan University.
When Xing Conglian heard what Wang Shishi’s mother had said, his expression turned cold, and he turned to look at the campus security. The security guards looked at each other as if they were clueless about it.
“Do you have the specific photos you can provide to the police?”
“I have it!”
Wang Shishi’s mother was extremely prepared. She took out a stack of photos from her arms.
When Xing Conglian was about to take the photo, the woman slanted her hand and held the photo high as she shouted loudly, “Those so-called top students at Yongchuan University wantonly spread the photos of my daughter, and the school did nothing to stop them, forcing her to commit suicide!”
Hearing these words, Xing Conglian quickly took a step forward and blocked the woman and the photo she was holding from the reporters’ cameras that would rip apart the girl’s last fig leaf*.
*(遮羞布) Metaphor for something used to hide shame. Basically, her last sense of dignity.
“Please give me the photo,” he said.
Wang Shishi’s mother also didn’t expect the police’s attitude to be so tough. She raised her head and stared at the policeman in front of her and said, “Why? Does the police want to protect the school as well?”
Xing Conglian lowered his head and stared at the woman in front of him. His eyes became extremely cold.
In this world, how could a mother who loved her daughter make such a scene at the school when her daughter’s bones weren’t even cold yet and, on top of that, try to publicize her daughter’s nude photos in front of the public’s eyes? All she wanted to do was take this opportunity to use the media to blow things up, then use the power of public opinion to blackmail the school and drain every last drop of her daughter’s blood.
With this in mind, his eyes narrowed slightly. There was a deep and cold feeling behind them. “This has nothing to do with protecting any parties. It only has to do with whether the law has been broken. If you do not hand over those photos, I will arrest you for the crime of spreading obscene articles.”
“You!” The woman only said one word, but she couldn’t go on.
She could obviously say a lot more, such as accusing the police of abusing their powers or accusing the police of bullying a weak woman like her; both legally and morally, she had a lot to say… But at the moment, she suddenly realized that every word the policeman said wasn’t a bluff. He would really handcuff her in full view of the public.
As a lawyer, given the situation, being handcuffed by the police could be considered a glorious thing, but the policeman in front of her was too solemn. She even smelled an unusual indomitability in his attitude, which made her unable to resist. She trembled almost uncontrollably while her hands subconsciously handed over the thick stack of photos.
Xing Conglian lowered his head and took the photos with both hands, seeing the pale face of a young girl in them. He said gently, “Thank you for your trust. The police will do their best to investigate this matter.”
When he finished speaking, he didn’t look at the woman’s face again, but submitted the photos to Jiang Chao.
When the woman saw Xing Conglian turn around, she clenched her fist tightly. He had threatened the dissemination of obscene articles, so she could no longer use these photos even if given the chance. How could a police officer do this to the family of the deceased?!
Without being able to use these photos in the future, media reporters wouldn’t pay much attention to her daughter’s death, and she would lose the best bargaining chip to put pressure on the school.
Despite things blowing up like this, she no longer had the chance to make trouble again. No matter what, she had to take a stand. She didn’t know where she got the courage from, but she glared at Xing Conglian’s back and said coldly, ” Ha, I knew it. You won’t even give the family of the deceased a statement!”
“What do you want us to say?” Xing Conglian turned around and asked.
His eyes were sharp, and his words were like a knife. The woman was forced to turn her head and only dared stare at the old man that was standing by the door as she shouted, “This kind of thing happened at the school. My daughter was forced to kill herself. Isn’t this the school management’s negligence? Are you going to leave this matter unresolved?”
“If something like this happens at the school, our school certainly has an inescapable responsibility…” At that moment, the old man who had been standing to the side spoke.
“If you’re responsible, then say it!” The woman was overjoyed. The school had admitted fault, so she could make as many demands as she wanted. But before she could speak, the old man in front of her suddenly stood up.
“As the head of this school, on behalf of the university, I apologize to you,” the old man said as he bent down. It was a standard 90-degree bow that was done with great solemnity.
Cameras started flashing everywhere.
Lin Chen was sitting in the car as he looked at the bent back of his teacher in the center of the crowd. His hand clenched the door handle with such force that his joints bulged, exposing blue veins.
“Principal!”
“Teacher Su!”
The teachers, students, and employees of Yongchuan University who were watching felt pained. They shouted one after another. Xu Guoqing hurriedly went to help the old man, but the old man forcefully refused.
The woman didn’t expect such a simple and sincere apology from Yongchuan University. She seemed to have lost her reason to continue to make trouble, but at this point, there was no turning back. She could only continue to be tough. “Can an apology solve the problem?”
Hearing this, Xing Conglian retracted his gaze from the police car that was parked on the side of the road. He glanced at the surrounding teachers and students, then said to the woman in front of him, “Since the principal is also here, you can mention any request you have. The police can also help you bear witness.”
His voice was low but clear as it suppressed the countless noisy voices in the area.
For a while, there was silence all around. Everyone’s eyes once again focused on the woman dressed in mourning clothes. The reporters leaned their microphones forward, as if waiting for her to speak.
The woman’s heart trembled as she looked at all the burning eyes focused on her. She silently cursed the policeman 10,000 times in her heart. What do you mean request? What do you mean bear witness? The policeman obviously knew she wanted compensation, but by forcing her to speak in public, how could she directly ask for money?
She took two steps back. She stroked her forehead and whispered, “I’m tired… I want to go to an office to talk.”
Hearing this, Xing Conglian didn’t speak but just glanced at the old man.
Principal Su received the signal and said very humbly, “Mother Wang, if you have any requests, please tell this old man now. If we can do it, we’ll try our best, but if you mention it afterwards…”
The meaning was, after this village, there would be no shop*.
*Idiom meaning that if you miss this opportunity, you won’t come across it again.
The woman’s heart was crossed. She said directly, “I demand 10 million from Yongchuan University.”
After she finished speaking, she didn’t care about the harsh voices that filled the air and she stubbornly met the gaze of the policeman just now.
Her daughter was dead, so she rightfully needed to be compensated!
However, the moment she raised her head, she saw the policeman’s eyes. In the gaze that swept towards her, there was no ridicule, no mockery, not even contempt. It was transcendent calm, as high as a mountain and as deep as a sea, that could take one’s breath away.
So it turned out she really wanted money!
Although everyone knew it, her daughter’s bones weren’t even cold yet, but her mother was already demanding 10 million from the school in public. This was something that “shameless” could no longer be used to describe. This was simply eating meat buns made of human flesh, and the mother who was eating it was using the blood of her own daughter.
The reporters continued to take pictures, but all they could feel was sick for a while. They silently removed the originally prepared story from their hearts and replaced it with such titles as “The bones of the weak daughter have not yet gone cold, but the cruel mother is already asking for 10 million in compensation”.
The situation suddenly reversed.
“The family of the deceased has filed a claim for compensation, so Principal Su, how do you intend to respond?” Xing Conglian was expressionless, still maintaining his businesslike attitude.
“Well, we still have to wait for the results of the police investigation.” Mr. Su bowed, then said, “But 10 million in compensation would be hard to comply to.”
When Wang Shishi’s mother heard this, her brows suddenly raised, and she turned around to make trouble.
But before she could speak, Xing Conglian bowed slightly and asked the old man, “So if the family of the deceased continues to protest at the entrance of the school, what should I do?”
The old man glanced at Xing Conglian as if to say, ‘Why are you asking such a stupid question?’. “It’s happening right now. Does it matter?”
Hearing this, both the onlookers, reporters present, school teachers and students, and even Wang Shishi’s mother herself were shocked.
Xing Conglian was taken aback for a moment before he asked, “Won’t it affect the education at the school?”
“Do they have such free time?” the old man asked rhetorically.
Xing Conglian thought, ‘It’s truly Lin Chen’s teacher.’ He really didn’t play cards according to common sense.
“What do you mean?”
“In school, you have to concentrate on studying. Does this matter have anything to do with them? Can you even be considered a Yongchuan University student if you can’t even read a book with a little bit of wind blowing grass around?” The old man’s voice was a bit loud, and his tone was stern. He seemed as if he was angry with Xing Conglian. After he spoke, he shook his hand angrily and left.
Xing Conglian felt simply wronged, but he knew that this wasn’t so much an answer to his question as it was addressing the teachers and students at the school. The old man’s meaning was simple: You’re part of Yongchuan University. You need to be tough and unshakable.
He didn’t know if it was because of the old man’s words that played a role or the woman’s naked threat that was too disgusting, but all eyes from the Yongchuan students who were looking at this farce had changed from initial surprise and curiosity, to calm indifference. Indeed, they were students from a famous school favored by the heavens. How could they waste their time on such nefarious dramatics? They found the whole thing quite comical. Those who wanted to act could act, but they certainly didn’t have the time to accompany them through that mess.
Thinking like this, the students gathered at the entrance began to follow the principal’s lead and dispersed in twos and threes. Even the surrounding onlookers felt that it was too shameless to look at this anymore and scattered one after another.
The initially good situation was about to collapse. Seeing this scene, the woman’s face turned red and green, which was quite a sight to see.
She didn’t expect that Yongchuan University wasn’t afraid of losing face, so her attitude remained tough. She couldn’t believe that the policeman in front of her was so powerful that her best trick, trying to use the photos, was so easily beaten. She was forced to hand them over and was silenced on the spot. Finally, he induced the university to take a stand, thereby crushing her dirty means. It was unfortunate that this policeman wasn’t a politician!
“Very well! Wait until you receive the lawyer’s letter!” The woman stretched out her hand and pointed them at Xing Conglian, the old man, and Vice Principal Xu, who were present. Her veiled threat pressed on each of them.
Xing Conglian smiled. “I’ll give you the address later, so you know where to send it to… But before that, we still need your cooperation in the investigation.”
His voice was polite, but when it fell on the woman’s ears, it sounded harsh.
“Why should I cooperate with the investigation? Did I do something wrong? Do you arrest people casually?!” she said angrily. “I have the right not to cooperate!””
“Because now, the owner of these photos that are in my hands is you, Mrs. Wang, according to the ‘Public Security Punishment Law’, those who spread obscene materials, if the circumstances are lighter, are subjected to detention of not more than five days or a fine of not more than 500 yuan… Of course, I know you’re providing the police with important clues to solve the case, so I hope you can follow me back to the police station to make a statement…”
The milder his voice, the less merciful the meaning of his words.
This sentence was like saying, “Either you are deliberately spreading pornographic photos and I will arrest you for it, or you’re kindly providing clues to the police, so please follow me back to the police station so we can interview you for more information…”
The woman raised her head, only to feel that the handsome policeman in front of her was a terrifying demon. She felt so suffocated that she was left completely speechless.
——
Xing Conglian took the photos and returned to the police car.
Lin Chen was still sitting in the back seat. Looking at Xing Conglian’s handsome face, which was as sharp as a knife, he was left speechless.
Acting as if nothing had happened, Xing Conglian naturally divided the photos in half and handed them to Lin Chen. “What do you think about these photos? Did Wang Shishi really commit suicide because she couldn’t bear it?”
Hearing his words, Lin Chen suddenly woke up as if from a dream and looked down at the photos.
In the photo, Wang Shishi was naked and entangled with two other people. One of the people in bed was Li Sa, but oddly enough, the other wasn’t Cheng Weiwei.
“These photos are video screenshots?”
“Whatever they are, we can just ask Wang Shishi’s old lady.” Jiang Chao had sent someone to escort Wang Shishi’s mother to the police station. When he heard Lin Chen say this, he slammed the door of the car and shook Xing Conglian’s hands excitedly. “Lao Xing, you’re so bold today. You dared to threaten the deceased’s mother for spreading pornographic photos. You sure got guts!”
When Xing Conglian heard this, he showed a surprised expression. “After all, this is Yongchuan. If something happens, Captain Jiang will have to bear it,” he said.
Jiang Chao’s back went cold, and he quickly changed the subject. “Are there any clues in these photos?”
“These photos seem to have been taken from a video… I don’t know if the photos are original or if they’ve been photoshopped.”
“Damn it. Everyone in the technical department of our division has been recruited to handle a large-scale internet fraud case, so there’s no spare technician available!”
Hearing this, Xing Conglian felt Lin Chen glancing at him with a strange gaze.
Well, it was true that the living treasures needed to be paired up*.
*Clarity: In reference to my previous explanation regarding their names. Ma Hao and Wang Chao (the one who serves Justice Bao) are usually seen in pairs.
“Our technician may be free…” Xing Conglian said.
——
Spring in Hongjing was a grand scene full of warmth.
In the newly renovated Yanjia Lane, there were parasols erected by vendors on both sides. Under a big black umbrella at the entrance to the alley, there was a young man wearing a cap.
The young man had a female calico cat in his lap. He was petting the cat’s head with one hand while holding his phone tightly with the other. He was focused on the screen, as if he were playing an interesting game, and couldn’t relax for even a moment, when suddenly, his phone vibrated.
The young man looked at the caller ID and unhappily pressed the answer button.
“Hey handsome. I’m currently on vacation. Give me 1,000 yuan to my Love Nikki* account first before you talk to me.”
*Referring to the game Love Nikki-Dress UP Queen
Xing Conglian was sitting in the backseat of the police car as he listened to the soft voice of Wang Chao coming from his phone.
“When did you start playing this kind of game?” He frowned, put down his phone, and clicked on his bank account app.
“I suddenly discovered a game that lets you dress up a beautiful girl. It’s very interesting! So cute, so cute, so cute!” Wang Chao said excitedly. Before he could continue, he suddenly heard a notification sound on his phone. He put down his phone and looked at it. The text message showed him that he had received a transfer of 1,000 yuan.
“Damn, Captain, what’s wrong with you? You’re making this humble servant terrified!”
“Your vacation has been cancelled. Take the money and book a ticket to Yongchuan, and report to the Second Division police station.”
“Captain, did something big happen? Is my A’Chen okay?”
“The Yongchuan police have a case that needs our assistance.” Hearing this, Xing Conglian glanced at Lin Chen, who was sitting next to him, and said, “I have some photos here. I need you to judge whether they have been photoshopped. In addition, search online for videos related to the contents of the photos. Everything has been sent to your email.”
“Oh…”
Under the black umbrella, the young man was already one step ahead as he opened the email. He clicked on the pictures attached to it and looked at them in huge scale. He suddenly shouted excitedly, “Fuck Captain, have you finally transferred to the yellow* division? This case is so heavy this time!”
*Slang referring to vulgar, usually pornographic, things.
Perhaps it was because Wang Shishi’s mother made a fuss at the school that Xing Conglian didn’t gossip with Wang Chao as usual. He said to the person on the other line very solemnly, “Two of the people in the photo have died, and the identity of the remaining one is unknown. I have marked them out. Compare them to the database.”
“Oh… Is it a murder?” When Wang Chao heard this, he quickly swiped through the photos on the screen and said, “If I tell you now that these photos are originals and they are screenshots from a video, do I still have to go to Yongchuan?”
“No. Then I guess the lakeview suite and the buffet of a five-star hotel will be enjoyed by A’Chen and myself alone.” After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he was about to hang up.
“Wait for me!” There was a scream coming from the earpiece.
Lin Chen was used to the jumpy Wang Chao, while Jiang Chao, who had been listening on the side, could hardly close his mouth. “So powerful. He knows it was the original picture just by looking at it?”
“He has a lot of experience in this area.” After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he glanced at Lin Chen and asked, “What’s wrong? You haven’t said anything this whole time.”
“It’s weird…” Lin Chen said lightly.
Extremely strange, bizarre, weird…
These words weren’t enough to describe the case in front of them. If this was a screenshot of a video, from the angle of filming, there should be a fourth person present who recorded the video. If Wang Chao was right, these photos, both in terms of content and shooting angle, were too heavy.
The Wang Shishi in the photo wasn’t as quiet and peaceful as she looked when she died. On that purple double bed, with curling eyes, she looked wild and sexy, but could passionate sex turn a girl into a completely different look?
“What’s so weird?” Xing Conglian asked.
“Do you really think it was because of the spread of these photos at school that made her commit suicide out of shame?”
“I don’t know.” Xing Conglian paused, then said, “But I heard that college girls’ dorms never seem to be able to hide secrets.”
——
Yongchuan University had two dormitory areas, one old and one new.
The College of Science, where Wang Shishi attended, happened to be in the old area.
It was lunch break, but there was almost no one in the corridors of the girls’ dorm. Only a broken incandescent light was flashing non-stop.
When the dorm auntie opened the door on the third floor of the dorm, several girls who were talking in low voices were all startled.
“The police are here and want to ask you something.”
The dorm auntie was full of vigor. Lin Chen and Xing Conglian glanced at each other. It seemed that the students in the entire building probably anticipated their arrival.
The room was long and narrow, with four bunk beds and eight desks. Girls’ clothing and supplies were strewn all over the table, making the space look even more crowded.
Even an experienced police officer like Xing Conglian felt a bit helpless in the face of such a chaotic dorm.
“Look at this room. You’re girls, not dirty people. This place is so messy, all of you girls won’t be able to get married in the future!” The dorm auntie reprimanded the girls with a sharp voice. For a while, the cramped dorm suddenly became a scene of flying chickens and dogs jumping*.
*(鸡飞狗跳) Idiom used to describe panic and chaos.
Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian.
“Auntie, please wait a moment. I have a few questions to ask you.” The captain of the police criminal division stood at the door and tacitly pulled the auntie aside as he said this, attracting the attention of everyone in the dorm.
“Oh, if you have questions, just ask.” The dorm auntie knocked on the table and said to the girls present. “There’s been a big incident at your dorm. You all better sober up and tell the police everything. Don’t hide anything!”
“You should have heard about Wang Shishi. In your impression, what do you think of that girl?” Xing Conglian asked the dorm auntie.
“She’s very pretty. There were many people chasing her.” The auntie sighed with regret. “Several times at night, people would shout her name outside the dorm to confess their love.”
“What about you guys? Why do you think of Wang Shishi?” Xing Conglian turned his head and looked at Wang Shishi’s roommates.
Several girls stopped talking. They had obviously learned about the news of Wang Shishi’s mother making a scene at the school, and they didn’t dare to speak.
Xing Conglian dragged a chair and sat down in front of the girls.
“We’re not here to arrest anyone. We just want to understand the situation…” Xing Conglian said as he swept his gaze across the girls in front of him. When his gaze fell on one of them, his voice became softer. “I think you also heard what Wang Shishi’s mother said just now. Is what she said true? Did you spread rumors behind her back, forcing her to commit suicide?”
“We don’t know anything!” One of the girls spoke abruptly. Her face was flushed, and she looked aggrieved.
“We… We really haven’t bullied her!” Another girl finally couldn’t help but join in. “Her mother is a psychopath!”
“She… She’s actually pretty nice, but we’re not really familiar with her!”
“But you live in the same dorm. How can you not be familiar with her?” Xing Conglian asked.
“She works part time to pay for her tuition, and she leaves early and returns late every day. Except for class, she spends the rest of her time working part-time.”
“Yes, yes. It seems her family didn’t give her a single penny for her tuition, so she has to earn enough money to buy clothes and toys for her brother!”
“But I think she kind of looks down on us. Whenever she comes back, she never talks to us.”
“It’s like she lives in her own world.”
“But she wasn’t like this before. She used to go to breakfast with us…”
“Yes, she used to dress in rags. I think she was too embarrassed and didn’t talk to us because of that, but then she suddenly became like an angel and was extremely cold.”
A rush of chatter surged. Lin Chen walked to the corner of the dorm where the last bunk bed was. The bottom bunk was full of various boxes. When he looked at the top bunk, he became slightly surprised.
It was a bed that could almost be described as untarnished. Snow-white sheets were hung down slightly, the goose-yellow blanket was folded squarely, and the bedside was neatly arranged with a stack of books. Some of them were slightly worn, showing signs they had been flipped through many times.
Looking at the words Wang Shishi on the nameplate by the bed, Lin Chen took off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, and pulled out a tattered book.
Lin Chen didn’t expect that what he said casually would become prophetic.
Before Captain Jiang came back from the director’s office, the person who came looking for him had already found the duty room first.
The round-faced little policeman with a flushed face opened the door and shouted, “Boss, Boss, not good. Wang Shishi’s mother has led a group of people to make trouble at the school. Campus security can’t hold them off anymore. We have to go quickly.”
Lin Chen was still sitting on the bed, studying the autopsy report with the forensic pathologist. Hearing this, the forensic pathologist looked at the door and said loudly, “Ma Han, can you not be so jumpy all the time? What’s the matter? Speak slowly!”
Lin Chen turned his head and looked at Xing Conglian in disbelief. “Ma Han, what’s his relationship with your Wang Chao*?”
*Clarity: Their names are homophones for Wang Chao (王朝) and Ma Han (馬漢), two of the four constables who serve Justice Bao. They are often paired together and would perform investigations and arrest together. If you see one, the other is nearby, which is why Lin Chen says this.
“They’re both living treasures*.” Xing Conglian straightened the document on his lap and laughed.
*Term used to refer to a funny/quirky person (has both positive and negative connotations depending on how it’s used).
That was quite an apt summary…
Comrade Ma Han said, “Can’t slow down. Can’t slow down. People will die if I slow down. The reporters are coming. Where is our boss!”
“Laozi is here!”
Hearing this, Ma Han turned his head stiffly and saw Vice Captain Jiang holding a cigarette in one hand and resting on the doorframe with his other, giving him a look of “Why are you looking for me?”
Ma Han wisely clung to Jiang Chao and shouted, “Boss, something’s happening at Yongchuan University. The mother of the deceased has called reporters and said that it was a school teacher and classmate who killed her daughter. She wants the school to give an explanation. Her technique seems very professional. She seems to have a background dealing with medical malpractice. So scary!”
“Wang Shishi’s parents are both lawyers,” Lin Chen said.
“Fuck, isn’t that more terrifying than medical malpractice*?!” Jiang Shao understood. He broke away from the little policeman and said to Xing Conglian, “Lao Xing, let’s go!”
*Clarity: The term they’re using is Yi Nao, the organized disturbance of hospitals or medical staff, usually to obtain compensation for actual or perceived medical malpractice.
Xing Conglian nodded, put on his uniform, and stood up quickly. When he fastened the last buckle, Lin Chen had already gotten out of bed and finished tying his shoelaces.
“Do you think that our department is more normal?” Xing Conglian asked.
After thinking for a bit, Lin Chen replied, “Yes.”
——
Yongchuan University, main entrance.
Under the towering white marble plaque, two groups of people were facing off.
One of them was wearing navy blue uniforms, which were those of the school security guards, while the remaining group of people, all dressed in mourning attire, were holding banners and photos while scattering paper money all over the ground.
Their crying shook the sky.
Xu Guoqing, the vice principal of administration, stood in the sun as he felt a surging headache.
If, when he saw Lin Chen earlier was equivalent to a bit troublesome, then this woman now truly made him understand what difficulty was.
In fact, it wasn’t like he never encountered parents coming to make trouble. After all, with a school this big, there would always be accidents, and when something happened to their children, the parents would come and make trouble. Frankly, it wasn’t just about the money.
However, Wang Shishi’s mother was different. This woman, from the beginning, had never put money in her eyes. She wanted justice, and she wanted the school to give her justice.
The woman looked aggrieved as she knelt on the ground. Her hair was messy, and her eyes were flushed as she was holding a photo frame in her hands. She didn’t cry; she just sat there silently, which made people feel distressed.
Above her head was a white marble archway built when Yongchuan University was established, with the words “Peaceful and Calm” written on it. The woman was sitting under the word “Peaceful”. The weather was good, and the sun was shining brightly, but the shadow from the stone plaque shrouded her, which made the picture she was holding quite shocking.
After the two groups, the reporters’ cameras were aimed at the woman. Their shutter kept flashing. They were thinking about how to write a press release to make this even more sensational.
Xu Guoqing cleared his throat. “Wang Shishi’s mother, you’re causing trouble like this, which affects the normal order of school life. Don’t you know that this is illegal?”
Wang Shishi’s mother suddenly raised her head and snapped back, “Illegal? Let me tell you, I gave you a living daughter, and now she’s dead in this school, and you dare talk to me about the laws of Yongchuan University?”
As she spoke, her tone was sharp, as if she was in a courtroom. Xu Guoqing was left speechless as more pedestrians gathered around to watch.
Not only newspaper reporters but even TV reporters came. The videographer, who was carrying a camera on his shoulder, ran out of the car towards Wang Shishi’s mother to take a 360-degree shot.
Xu Guoqing’s tone could only soften. “Then what do you want? If you want justice, then you have to give the police time to investigate. What is the problem? Whether Wang Shishi committed suicide or it was a homicide, our school can only listen to the police…”
“My daughter committed suicide because of all the teachers and students in this school!” Wang Shishi’s mother stood up from the ground and held her daughter’s portrait with her left hand as she pointed to the words “Yongchuan University” above the school gate with her right hand. “It’s such a pity that this famous school that’s been around for hundreds of years is full of filthy things!”
Her back was straight, giving her a graceful appearance. When she accused the school, her posture was heroic and fearless, like a sculpture. The sound of shutters in the area incessantly started snapping again.
At this moment, the school gate, which had been closed this whole time, suddenly opened, and someone walked through.
It was an old man wearing reading glasses and an ordinary shirt. He walked up to Wang Shishi’s mother with his hands behind his back, raised his glasses, and asked, “What’s going on?”
His tone was gentle and soft, as if the old man were asking a young child why he was crying on the side of the road.
Wang Shishi’s mother took a breath but found that when facing the old man, she couldn’t raise her voice. She moved her eyes slightly and glanced at Xu Guoqing, only to see that Vice Principal Xu was also quite surprised by the old man’s appearance, so she asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m an old teacher of Yongchuan University.” The old man turned around, walked to the security guards, patted the captain of the security guards on the waist, and then said, “What are you doing here, blocking the entrance?”
Hearing this, the security captain bent down and said respectfully, “Principal, why are you here?”
“Well, I heard that there are a lot of people at the school’s entrance, so I came to take a look,” the old man said with a smile.
Hearing what the captain said, if this was neither Principal Zhang nor Principal Li, then the old man in front of her must be the president of Yongchuan University.
“Su Anzhi. You are Su Anzhi!” Wang Shishi’s mother thought for a moment before raising her voice and pointing her finger at the old man’s back. “You’re finally out.”
“Ah… It’s me, it’s me.” The old man turned around again and calmly faced the woman’s finger that was pointing straight at his face.
When Lin Chen arrived, he saw such a scene.
His teacher was standing in the middle of the crowd, being pointed at by a middle-aged woman, surrounded by flashing lights, with a cameraman filming the entire thing.
Jiang Chao stopped the car.
He opened the door and was about to get out when Xing Conglian held him back.
“In this situation, it’s not suitable for you to come forward,” Xing Conglian said.
Hearing this, Lin Chen glanced at the old man standing in front of the school, then turned his head and stared at the face of the mixed-race young man.
Lin Chen’s face was solemn, and there was even a little hint of nervousness. This was something that Xing Conglian had never seen before. He looked at the old man standing with his back to the door and knew in his heart. That old man was the “old man” who Lin Chen and Fu Hao always mention and was being pointed and yelled at by, unsurprisingly, Wang Shishi’s mother.
“Don’t worry. Leave it to me.” He patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and got out of the car.
The arrival of the police was like water droplets falling into a pan of hot oil or fire falling on dry wood—the entrance to the school exploded instantly.
Reporters had long heard that three corpses were dug up under a tree by the lake at Yongchuan University. The school had strict access control, so reporters were prohibited from entering the campus to investigate. The police spokesman was tight-lipped, so they were worried about finding more information on the story. Now, with a police car here, and seeing that the car’s license plate belonged to Captain Jiang of the Second Division, all the reporters quickly turned their cameras and pointed them at the two policemen who got out of the car.
“What’s going on? Why are so many people surrounding the entrance to a school, an important place for education? Everyone needs to show a little respect, yeah?” Jiang Chao was naturally a veteran at this. He didn’t ask for any reason but feigned ignorance and questioned why so many people were at the school’s entrance. He started raising his hand to drive people away.
“Captain Jiang, Captain Jiang, can you tell us about the case?”
“Has there been significant progress in the investigation?”
“May I ask if the three dead people found were murdered or committed suicide?”
“The mother of the deceased Wang Shishi just revealed to us that the murderer is in the school. Is the murderer one of the school’s teachers or a student?”
Jiang Chao glanced at the reporters surrounding him and hooked his hand mysteriously. “Come on, I’ll tell you.”
When the reporters heard this, they all surrounded Jiang Chao.
“You can quote me on this as this came from our police spokesman, ‘This case is currently being fully investigated and it’s inconvenient to disclose any relevant information.’”
After Jiang Chao finished speaking, regardless of the reaction from the reporters, his face sank, and he moved towards Wang Shishi’s mother. Xing Conglian didn’t say a word and followed him.
Wang Shishi’s mother, who was naturally capable and well-organized, didn’t confront Jiang Chao but shouted at the old man in front of her, “Why, you even called the police. All the teachers and students in your school forced my daughter to her death, and now you want to silence me?”
Jiang Chao stood behind Wang Shishi’s mother, but the other party didn’t look at him. He could handle things with ease in front of reporters, but he was a bit helpless in front of such a tough woman.
Xing Conglian glanced at Jiang Chao and took a step forward. “If you have any questions, you can come to the police station.”
Hearing this, Wang Shishi’s mother turned around and looked up and down at Xing Conglian.
Before she could speak, Xing Conglian said again, “If you have any key evidence in your hand, I hope you can show it without hesitation so the police can solve this case quickly.”
His tone was calm, and the area gradually quieted down. The reporters’ cameras were once again aimed at Wang Shishi’s mother.
Humans were prone to gossip, so even the eyes of the passersby were full of eagerness, as if they were saying, “Take out the evidence.”
Xing Conglian’s words floated lightly, pushing Wang Shishi’s mother to the front of the stage again.
With the gaze of passersby, it made the atmosphere uncomfortable.
The woman gritted her teeth, as if she had made up some determination, as her tone was decisive. “My daughter committed suicide because she was forced to by the school!”
“Oh, what evidence do you have?” Xing Conglian continued to ask.
“I…I…” The woman stopped talking. Her face was flushed. She finally wailed out, “Those monsters in the school leaked lewd pictures of my daughter, which is why she committed suicide from the unbearable humiliation!”
In the room, there was a light sound of paper flipping.
Lin Chen turned around and saw that the bedside was dim. Xing Conglian was sitting in the shadows by a tiny light. He didn’t seem to be asleep, as he was looking through something.
There was another person in the room. Jiang Chao sat on the chair next to him. His brows were locked tightly.
Lin Chen pushed off the blanket and sat up.
“Awake?”
Xing Conglian’s eyes swept over, but it was too dark, so Lin Chen couldn’t see his expression clearly.
“What time is it?”
“Just after noon.”
Hearing this, Lin Chen calculated carefully. He had only slept for less than an hour and a half, so Xing Conglian probably slept for an even shorter time.
Looking at Jiang Chao’s appearance, it seemed he had discovered important clues that he had disturbed their sleep.
“What happened?” Lin Chen asked.
“Captain Jiang has already found the identities of the three victims.”
“So fast.”
“The fingerprints of one of the dead were in the police database. The other two were a student and an employee of Yongchuan University, so the results came back pretty quick.” Xing Conglian divided the information in his hands into two pieces and handed it to Lin Chen. “Take a look.”
Lin Chen was a little surprised. After all, this was a case under the jurisdiction of a different police department. From a procedural perspective, they weren’t in a position to intervene, and Xing Conglian wasn’t an ignorant person. Looking at Jiang Chao, it seemed that they really needed their help.
Why?
Lin Chen lowered his head. His gaze fell on the two pages in front of him as he began to read.
There were three victims in this case. What he was holding was the information of two of them.
Li Sa, male, 28 years old. An only child. He left his hometown to work after graduating from high school. He was a painter in the logistics department of Yongchuan University.
Wang Shishi, female, 19 years old. A mathematics student at Yongchuan University. She’s the eldest daughter in the family. Has a 10-year-old younger brother. Wang Shishi comes from an upper-class background, as both her parents were lawyers.
Judging from personal data alone, Li Sa and Wang Shishi, regarding both age and social class, were too far apart. The boy was too ordinary and had a plain background, while the girl was like jade. How did two such people intersect, and what was the reason that led them to be buried under the banyan tree?
Thinking of this, Lin Chen gently pinched the corner of the paper, turned his head, and looked at Xing Conglian’s hand.
So what about the third victim?
“You just said the third victim’s fingerprints are in the police database. Whose is it?” Chen asked.
It was very strange for Xing Conglian to specifically mention that the fingerprints were in the police database and not in the citizen files.
“It belongs to the last victim,” Jiang Chao replied.
Lin Chen remembered the last body exhumed under the tree. It seemed to be a woman about 40 years old. He asked, “Why were her fingerprints registered?”
“Because of a robbery,” Jiang Chao said.
Xing Conglian’s gaze paused slightly, as if he had seen something incredible. He looked up at Jiang Chao and said, in a surprised tone, “Cheng Weiwei… Yaqin Jewelry?”
“Correct.”
“What’s the matter?” Lin Chen asked.
“I seem to have seen this name somewhere!” As Xing Conglian spoke, he handed Lin Chen the identity information of the last victim and turned to the file folder related to Yang Dianfeng’s case that he had brought from Hongjing.
Lin Chen lowered his head. The woman in the photo, who looked extremely capable, was wearing a professional suit. Her hair was curled, and her eyebrows were quite charming.
Cheng Weiwei, female, 38 years old. Graduate of Anyang College. Assistant to the general manager of Yaqin Jewelry. Her parents are ordinary retired workers.
Lin Chen placed the information about the three deceased people side by side in front of him. Sure enough, Cheng Weiwei and Li Sa were very different from Wang Shishi.
He took out a copy of the material from the file bag attached to it, raised his head, and asked Jiang Chao, “The 723 Mega Highway Robbery?”
“Yeah, do you know about it too, Lao Xing?” Jiang Chao sniffled. “Last year’s unsolvable case. Ah, if we can’t solve it before the end of the year, everyone in the bureau will have their bonuses deducted. Is this not a hard life or what?”
Naturally, Xing Conglian ignored Jiang Chao’s complaints. He quickly scanned the file and, sure enough, saw the words “Cheng Weiwei”.
On July 23, Yaqin Jewelry purchased a batch of loose diamonds worth nearly 100 million yuan from South Africa and appointed Falcon Security Co. to escort the shipment. The general manager of Yaqin Jewelry and his assistant, together with two security personnel, took a flight from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Yongchuan City in the early morning of July 23. They arrived in Yongchuan at 10 p.m. on the 23rd.
Falco Security Co. sent two special bulletproof vehicles and eight security personnel to pick up the goods and was responsible for transporting them to Yaqin Jewelry headquarters. However, the security vehicle was robbed on the national highway.
Nine people in the car were unfortunately killed, and the loose diamonds worth nearly 100 million yuan disappeared. Except for one person, who was lucky enough to escape.
That person was Cheng Weiwei.
“Nine people died, and only Cheng Weiwei survived. Haven’t you ever doubted her?” Xing Conglian asked Jiang Chao while handing the file to Lin Chen.
“Lao Xing, what do you mean by this? Of course we can, but in regards to how the police handle a case, talk is talk, but everything needs evidence!” Jiang Chao picked up a bottle of mineral water from his lap and took a sip. “Wheel warfare*, ten rounds of interrogation, but she refused to relent. We checked all her communication records and contacts, and even turned her house upside down three times, but found no clues! What can we do? We had to let her go!”
*Military term referring to taking turns fighting against the enemy or adopting roundabout tactics to exhaust the other side physically and mentally.
“Did she say why the robbers didn’t kill her?” Lin Chen asked suddenly.
“She said it was because she was a woman that the robbers spared her…”
“How chivalrous,” Xing Conglian sneered.
“This reason is not enough for you to let her go so easily,” Lin Chen said.
“Ah, of course, but did you know that in the two cars, the other nine people who were dead, their bodies were smooshed as if they had gone through a sieve, but she was completely unscathed. When the police arrived, she was sitting in the blood-soaked car without saying a word.” Jiang Chao gritted his teeth and said, “In the first few days, we couldn’t get her to pry open her mouth at all. Later, when she did speak, she said she didn’t know why the robbers didn’t touch her. If she was an inside agent, then why was she alive? It would be better if they had beaten her half dead so there wouldn’t be any suspicion.” Jiang Chao slapped his thigh. “I mean, look, it really makes no fucking sense!”
“Then did you send someone to follow her later,” Xing Conglian asked.
“What do you think? I followed her for three months but didn’t find any clues. Later, even laozi felt that this bitch was innocent!” Jiang Chao said this angrily and took another sip of water. Perhaps it was the effect of the cool water that calmed him down a little. He suddenly looked at Xing Conglian in a daze and said, “Hey, you took stuff out of your folder. This isn’t related to Yang Dianfeng’s case, is it?”
Xing Conglian raised his head, and there was a rare helplessness in his eyes. “Unfortunately, it does.”
“The vehicles of Falcon Security Co. aren’t equipped with the highway safety warning system that has issues, right?” Jiang Chao opened his mouth wide, as if his chin was about to fall off.
Lin Chen glanced at the file and said, “Not only are they installed on the vehicles, but after investigating the system, it was found that on July 23rd, the driving records of the two bulletproof vehicles Falcon Security Co. was driving were modified.”
“Fuck, doesn’t this mean…”
“There is no proof of death,” Lin Chen said coldly.
In the room, there was an unbearable silence again.
Jiang Chao gripped the bottle of mineral water, causing it to make a teeth-shattering sound. “So, Cheng Weiwei, was she murdered…” Jiang Chao paused, as if looking for the right words. “Because you guys are here… so…”
Lin Chen and Xing Conglian looked at each other.
“We can’t rule out this possibility,” Lin Chen said.
Hearing this, Captain Jiang, who was originally depressed, suddenly became happy. “Then, wouldn’t it be possible to investigate these cases in parallel?” He suddenly jumped up, took a few steps, and opened the door. He turned around and rushed to the two people by the bed and said, “You’re not allowed to leave! This is what you caused. I will report to the director right away. Do you hear me? Don’t move until I come back!”
After he finished speaking, he flew away, leaving the two people in the room looking at each other.
“We can’t leave?” Lin Chen asked.
“I’m afraid so.”
“But the reason is too far-fetched. How can we cause this much trouble?”
“Captain Jiang is easily excitable.” Xing Conglian paused and asked, “But do you think this reason is really far-fetched? I mean… The relationship between Cheng Weiwei’s death and our bringing the file to Yongchuan.”
“It’s hard to say.” Lin Chen shook his head. “First of all, it still depends on the cause of death. If it’s murder…”
“No need to look.”
A voice sounded from the door, interrupting Lin Chen’s words.
Lin Chen raised his eyes and saw the forensic pathologist they had met earlier standing at the doorway, holding a small stack of reports.
“It’s not murder.”
“What do you mean?” Lin Chen asked.
“Soil particles were detected in the bronchi and lungs of the three deceased. At the same time, there were no sleeping pills, hallucinogens, or tranquilizers detected in their bodies. Except for hand injuries, they didn’t have any trauma, no head injuries, no binding traces, and even their skin wasn’t scratched…” The forensic pathologist slowly walked into the room and looked down at Lin Chen. “In other words, the three of them were buried in the grave while they were conscious, and…”
“Didn’t struggle,” Lin Chen said lightly.
“Correct.” The forensic pathologist handed over the autopsy report and said, “They were buried alive.”
This was obviously concluded, but Lin Chen’s heart had no joy.
If Cheng Weiwei, Li Sa, and Wang Shishi were buried while they were conscious and they didn’t have any signs of struggles, this showed that the three of them did this voluntarily.
Thinking of the quiet and content expressions on their faces, even Lin Chen felt a chill down his spine.
Under what circumstances could three people allow themselves to lie willingly in a cold and wet grave, covered with layers of soil, until they suffocated to death?
Why did these three dead people of different ages, classes, and family backgrounds die together? Was Cheng Weiwei’s death really related to the grand theft robbery that took place a few months ago?
“I suddenly feel…” Lin Chen raised his head and looked at Xing Conglian.
“Hmm?”
“Earlier when you told me to get some sleep, was it because you already knew that we wouldn’t get any tonight?”
Since he didn’t find the third body under the tree, it indicated that he didn’t know about the matter, so the suspicion on him had naturally eased.
It was just that, although this may be the case, the worries in Lin Chen’s heart weren’t even half alleviated.
Under the banyan tree, the scene of busy work stagnated again.
Not only Jiang Chao, who was captain of the team, but every officer present felt their scalp go numb. Three corpses were found under one tree at the same time. What did this mean?
This showed that they most likely encountered a major criminal case.
Two police officers squatted down and began to assist the forensic pathologist in cleaning up the soil layer covering the third body. Jiang Chao ordered the rest to start a carpet search of the woods around the lake. If there were any traces of soil being loosened, excavation would begin immediately.
After arranging the task, he looked at Lin Chen again. His eyes turned slightly, and then he gulped. “I say, Lao Xing, you’re not in a hurry to go home today, right? Why not stay for a few more days?” He took Xing Conglian’s hand and handed him a cigarette. He suddenly felt that it was a blessing that the old man had filed the complaint just now. Otherwise, how could he get the opportunity to ask these two to go back with him and assist with the investigation?
——
The news of a major case on the campus of Yongchuan University quickly spread back to the police force like wings.
Therefore, when Lin Chen was “brought back” to the police station, he found that the entire office was looking at him strangely. If he could describe what this “strange” feeling was, it probably resembled enthusiasm or eagerness?
Lin Chen suddenly couldn’t figure out the situation.
His hand was tightly held by Vice Captain Jiang, while Vice Captain Jiang’s other hand was hooked on the shoulder of Xing Conglian. It felt like Vice Captain Jiang’s entire being didn’t want to let either of them go.
There were signs that Jiang Chao’s office had obviously been tidied up. There was a new trash bag in the trash can, and there were still some water stains left over on the floor.
In front of the desk, two seats, the kind with soft brackets, were specially placed. On the table were two cups of freshly brewed tea. The tea leaves looked new and green, and the water was clear and had a pleasant aroma.
Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian, trying to get some hints from the other party, but Xing Conglian didn’t seem to care. He sat down at the desk in a big way, grabbed the teacup, and took a sip.
“Consultant Lin, please sit down. Please sit down.”
Lin Chen was hesitant, but Jiang Chao hurriedly pressed him to the other chair and stuffed the hot teacup into his hand.
They were obviously brought back to the police station as “suspects” to assist in the investigation, but now they were treated as guests. Wasn’t this kind of treatment a bit wrong?
At this moment, there was a knock on the office door.
A little policeman that looked dignified and strong poked his head in and said to Jiang Chao, “Deputy Jiang, Deputy Jiang, the Boss let you go!”
“Let me go where!” Jiang Chao slammed the table fiercely. “Didn’t you see Captain Xing and Consultant Lin here?”
Before Jiang Chao could finish speaking, a deep voice came from outside the door. “Deputy Jiang, you seem to have a lot of authority recently.”
During the conversation, a middle-aged man pushed the door in. The visitor was a burly man with silver stars shining on his shoulders. He was of the same rank as Inspector Huang. In other words, the visitor was the Director of Yongchuan Police Second Division, Jiang Chao’s immediate boss, and the Boss that the little policeman was referring to.
“Boss Zheng, Boss Zheng. Sorry, sorry, sorry. You see, I’m really too busy!” As soon as he saw his boss, Jiang Chao hurriedly nodded his head, admitting his mistake and apologizing. However, the middle-aged man didn’t look at him, and instead his gaze fell on Xing Conglian.
Following the middle-aged man’s gaze, Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian again, only to see that Xing Conglian was still sitting upright and didn’t even bother to look back, as if he was unaware of the middle-aged man’s arrival, or perhaps he was deliberately ignoring him?
Lin Chen’s doubts started to deepen.
Seeing this situation, the middle-aged man gritted his teeth and pretended to look at Xing Conglian in surprise before shouting loudly, “Isn’t this Captain Xing? Why are you here?”
It wasn’t until this moment that Xing Conglian finally reacted. He stood up, turned his head, and saluted the middle-aged man expressionlessly, then said, “Hello, Boss Zheng.”
“Xiao Jiang, how come you didn’t tell me that Captain Xing is here!” The middle-aged man took a step forward and shook Xing Conglian’s hand exaggeratedly. “It’s been so long since I last saw you. Too long, Lao Xing!” As he spoke, he turned his head and said to Jiang Chao, “Hurry up. Go to the cafeteria and order a few good dishes so we can treat Captain Xing at noon!”
“No need.” Xing Conglian spoke faintly. As he spoke, he took his hand back and presented a document folder with both hands. “I’m just here to hand over some documents in Yang Dianfeng’s case. The relevant information about the case is here. Also, it is requested that Director Zheng check it.”
Lin Chen turned his head.
Xing Conglian’s attitude was too businesslike. Not only did he not mention the Yongchuan University case, he also urged the Yongchuan police to hand over the case as soon as possible, which didn’t seem to fit his usual style.
Sure enough, after hearing what Xing Conglian said, Director Zheng was so embarrassed that he couldn’t speak. Jiang Chao hurriedly saved the scene. “Eh, Lao Xing, what’s the rush? Don’t you think something big just happened? I really don’t have spare hands!” Jiang Chao said, but he didn’t take the documents from Xing Conglian’s hands.
“Then please send one of your subordinates?” Xing Conglian raised his eyes and looked at the director, who was rather calm, collected, and uncondescending.
The attitude was obvious at this point. Director Zheng, of course, understood very well why Xing Conglian was angry. However, it was under his orders to have Hongjing’s psychology consultant brought back, so he couldn’t apologize.
In fact, when Jiang Chao quietly called him and told him that the suspect who was asked to be brought back to the police station by the Chen family’s butler was the one who rescued Fang Zhiming’s daughter in the Hongjing Highway case, he had long wanted to drag that old man Chen Ping out and beat him to a pulp. What a fucking joke! To take Lin Chen back to the police station as a suspect—even if he wasn’t afraid of quarrelling with Lao Xing, he was certainly afraid that Fang Zhiming’s ghost in heaven would come and haunt him.
“Lao Xing, as you can see, this is a really big case that just happened. We really can’t spare the manpower. Just take consultant Lin to the cafeteria and eat at ease!” Director Zheng said, while shaking Xing Conglian’s hand again.
“Please take it as soon as possible so that Consultant Lin and I can leave.” Xing Conglian emphasized again.
“Hey, Lao Xing, don’t be like this!”
“Sorry. After all, Consultant Lin didn’t come to Yongchuan for business. We were just wandering around, yet we were brought into the police station as suspects. If we stay for too long, I’m afraid it would be easy to provoke criticism, right?”
Hearing what Xing Conglian said, Lin Chen realized that the real reason Xing Conglian was being uncharacteristically tough was because he was standing up for him.
However, he had experienced too many trivial things like this and felt they didn’t really matter, so why should Xing Conglian care so much?
As Lin Chen was puzzled, Director Zheng finally realized from the solemn expression on Xing Conglian’s face was due to today’s matter. If he didn’t make a definite statement regarding today’s event, things wouldn’t be good.
So Director Zheng let go of the hand that was shaking Xing Conglian’s hand and turned to face Lin Chen.
Lin Chen was surprised by this.
“Consultant Lin, I’m really sorry. Today is indeed a misunderstanding. I hope you don’t take it personally!”
The middle-aged man’s tone was sincere, and after he spoke, he bowed slightly to Lin Chen and apologized.
Seeing as this was the director apologizing, Lin Chen felt a bit awkward. He wanted to turn around and return the sincerity, but Xing Conglian’s hand pressed on his shoulder.
From the force of the hand, Lin Chen understood what Xing Conglian meant. He shouldn’t give way. This was what it was supposed to be, and he could afford it.
Now that the other party had apologized, naturally, Xing Conglian let go of his cold shoulder.
When Director Zheng stood upright again, Xing Conglian retracted the document folder and said to Jiang Chao, “Since Captain Jiang is busy, Consultant Lin and I haven’t slept all night. I want to take a break first. When you’re free, come and call us?”
“Eh, why are you leaving?!” When Jian Chao heard this, his face instantly became aggrieved.
“We’re not leaving. If it’s convenient, we’ll rest in the duty room.” After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he looked at Lin Chen.
Looking at Xing Conglian’s deep eyes, Lin Chen had no choice but to nod. He felt that the atmosphere of the entire Yongchuan Branch was a bit strange.
For example, the director personally apologized to him, and on the way to the duty room, someone stuffed some candies in his hand.
The light in the duty room was dim. In the small room, there were two simple bunk beds.
Only when Lin Chen saw the bed did he feel sleepy. He wasn’t a neat freak, so since he was sleepy, he should sleep. He put the candies on the bedside table, took off his shoes, and climbed into bed.
Xing Conglian didn’t get on the bed. He sat in a chair with his feet on another chair, looking very casual.
“Yongchuan police seem reluctant to hand over Yang Dianfeng’s case to you. Why?” Thinking about what happened in the office just now, Xing Conglian only used the document folder to force Director Zheng to bow his head. Lin Chen thought about it for a while and then asked this question.
“Actually, it has nothing to do with the files.” Xing Conglian took off his police uniform, covered his body with it, and then turned his head to look at Lin Chen. “It’s just about you.”
“Huh?” Lin Chen was slightly surprised to hear this answer.
“What do you think about the Yongchuan University case?” Xing Conglian ignored Lin Chen’s response.
“It’s complicated,” Lin Chen replied.
“Can you be specific?”
“Do you think it’s shocking to find three overlapping courses under a banyan tree?” Lin Chen asked.
“Very.”
“Then what was your first reaction when you saw the body buried on campus?”
“What does it mean when a shocking story begins with a bland narrative?”
“Someone wants the effect of twists and turns?” Xing Conglian suddenly understood what Lin Chen was going for. Even if three people under that tree were willing to be buried alive, there must have been someone to personally cover them with the last handful of soil.
“They did do it,” Lin Chen said quietly, but when he was finished, he also understood what Xing Conglian meant. “You mean Captain Jiang and the others?”
“They probably really want to keep you to help with the investigation.” Xing Conglian spoke helplessly.
“I don’t understand. I don’t seem to be that important.” Truth be told, the director had apologized to Lin Chen personally because he wanted him to assist in the investigation. Even if Holmes* were here, it would be difficult for him to enjoy this kind of treatment.
*Sherlock Holmes, a fictional detective created bySir Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a “consulting detective” in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science, and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients, including Scotland Yard.
After hearing Lin Chen’s words, Xing Conglian’s gaze suddenly softened. He looked at the candies that Lin Chen had set aside and said softly, “Because Fang Zhiming worked here for ten years before he was transferred to the narcotics department. The people here, including Director Zheng himself, were all his colleagues.”
“You uncovered the corner of a dark truth. You saved their colleague from dying in vain, and also saved his daughter. This is why you’re important to them.”
The Chen family may be able to put pressure on the police, but no matter how much pressure they put on them, it couldn’t beat what Lin Chen had done.
In this world, money could buy countless submissive eyes and hypocritical flattery, but it would never buy true respect.
Lin Chen finally understood. “You know about this, so… you asked Director Zheng to apologize?”
“How can I ask such a thing?” Xing Conglian laughed dumbfoundedly. “You think Director Zheng went downstairs in person just to scold Captain Jiang? He knew he had ordered you to be arrested and came to make amends with you, but he just didn’t have the opportunity.”
“So, just now, it was all acting?”
“Yes, it’s a characteristic of Yongchuan’s Second Division.”
Lin Chen leaned on the bed and felt that the atmosphere of this police station was indeed a bit bizarre.
“Not used to it?” Looking at the person leaning on the bed in contemplation, Xing Conglian suddenly spoke.
Lin Chen thought for a while and nodded.
“Just get used to it slowly in the future.” After he finished speaking, he turned off the micro-light at the bedside. “Take a good rest. They won’t go easy on us later.”
The heavy curtains were carefully drawn up, and there was almost no light in the room.
The sound of even breathing soon came to his ears. Lin Chen stretched out his hand, picked up a candy from the bedside table, and peeled off the wrapper.
The sound of Xing Conglian’s breathing gradually became long.
Lin Chen put the candy in his mouth and sucked on it.
Truthfully, you didn’t have to do this, but still… Thank you very much…
What was more terrifying than the discovery of a corpse was finding out it had been buried alive. What was more frightening than this was finding a second corpse underneath said corpse.
Lin Chen stood beside Xing Conglian, feeling that everyone was giving him a strange look.
Under the banyan tree, the body of a painter had been put into a bag. A black zipper gently closed, covering the last traces of his face.
The sun had risen higher at this point, but the lake breeze got colder.
Lin Chen gathered his clothes together, walked to the edge of the mound, and looked in.
In the deep pit, under the place where Li Sa had been lying, there was another corpse of a girl. She was very young and beautiful.
The girl was wearing a long white dress. She had long black hair and a quiet face, like a well-behaved doll. Although her dress was dirty and her face was covered in soil, her expression was warm and content, as if she were drinking a cup of hot cocoa in a dessert shop in winter.
Thinking of this, Lin Chen’s gaze followed the girl’s arm and moved upwards.
Sure enough, the girl’s hands also overlapped on her chest. Her original fair and delicate hands were also chapped and caked with blood and dirt.
“How did you know that there were still more people down there?”
There was a cold question coming from behind him. Lin Chen retracted his gaze and looked back.
Mr. Forensic Pathologist was standing far away from him, clenching his fist, obviously deliberately trying to keep calm.
“Because I used to be a student here.”
“That has nothing to do with you knowing there was another corpse underneath!”
“No, because I’m a student here, I know a lot of things about this school.” Lin Chen paused, trying to find a more suitable wording to explain his uncertain foresight. “This banyan tree has a very rustic name. It’s called the Lovers Tree. It’s always surrounded by strange legends. Rumors has it that as long as two people who love each other lie under the tree, hand in hand, and make a wish, they can grow old and never be separated until they die.”
Most of the legends were absurd and bizarre. When Lin Chen first heard them, he thought it was strange. At any rate, they were all students with a formal education. Why would anyone believe in this kind of plot device that wouldn’t even be used in a third-rate romance novel?
But it wasn’t until one day, when the old man took his hand and mysteriously told him the legend about the Lovers Tree, that he discovered the legend was, of course, made up by the older generation to deceive the young.
But according to the current situation, it seemed that someone had turned the legend into a reality.
“So, you thought there was still a corpse under there just because of a campus legend? What’s the relationship between this girl and the painter? Two lovers?” The forensic pathologist asked hesitantly. Even he didn’t believe it himself. Why would a little angel-like girl fall in love with such an extremely ordinary painter? This love just didn’t seem to make sense.
“I’m not an immortal, so how can I know such an answer*?” The question was a little too over the top, so Lin Chen really couldn’t answer it.
*Clarity: The term the pathologist is using to describe the girl is [tianxian] (天仙) which is normally used to describe beautiful women (because their beauty is like that of angels/immortals). It uses [xian] (仙) which refers to immortal/gods/fairies ect. This is why Lin Chen responded like this.
“Oh! So it was purely a guess that you thought someone was down there?” Jiang Chao pulled back the forensic pathologist carelessly as he asked his question.
“Well, it’s not wrong to say that. After all, I didn’t bury the person, so I can only guess.” Lin Chen felt a bit helpless. He found that if he didn’t explain this problem clearly now, he would be regarded as being deceptive*, so he took two steps back, left the pit, and looked at the soil under the banyan tree. “First of all, this is a corpse. The burial site is on the university campus. This shows that no matter who buried Li Sa, they had no intention of hiding it. This means that this place itself is very meaningful.”
*The term being used here is god stick (or magician wand) (神棍). It refers to someone who’s a deceitful liar. || In this context, Lin Chen is basically saying, if he doesn’t explain it well, he’ll be viewed as a huckster/fraudster; either that, or he had godly abilities to somehow predict that there was a corpse beneath a corpse.
“That makes sense. Go on.”
“Although the same place has different meanings for different people, the most famous meaning of this banyan tree is the legend I just told. Of course, the legends of lovers holding hands until death do they part made me wonder if this case had anything to do with lovers dying in martyrdom…” As Lin Chen spoke, he stared at the ground under his feet. “However, under the banyan tree, there’s only soil near Li Sa’s body. There are signs it has been flipped. Anyone who has surveyed the scene will subconsciously conclude that there’s only one body here.”
“Yeah, so tell me quickly, why you thought there was another body buried beneath the corpse! Between the two corpses, there’s a thick layer of soil. If you didn’t ask us to dig deeper, we wouldn’t have found anything underneath.”
“Because of Li Sa’s hands.”
“What about his hands?”
“Li Sa’s hands were very worn out, which shows that he dug up this tomb with his own hands. I guess the reason is probably to bury his lover.”
Lin Chen’s voice was a little low. At the end of his sentence, it was almost so soft that it was barely audible.
The police officer by the tree silently put down the shovel in his hands. Jiang Chao looked at the girl with more sympathy. Everyone around the tree was silent, and no one spoke—or rather, they didn’t know what to say.
At this moment, a crisp sound broke through the quiet and low atmosphere.
Someone was clapping. The applause rang out again at a very low frequency.
Lin Chen turned his head and saw two people walking towards them through the sparse trees.
The man in the lead had a full head of white hair. He was wearing a close-fitting black suit with a bow tie around his neck and a dark red handkerchief in the front pocket lapel, giving off a noble and elegant temperament. It was the butler.
“Truly deserving to be a Yongchuan University graduate. The most famous psychology graduate in a decade. Making up stories one after another.” The man’s tone was as condescending as ever.
Lin Chen looked at him and almost lamented his luck once again.
Although he was reminded by Xing Conglian that he had to be careful everywhere when he stepped into Yongchuan—after all, this was the territory of the Chen family—he didn’t expect he would meet the butler of the Chen family again in this way at Yongchuan University.
They moved so quickly that he was unprepared…
“Hello, Mr. Butler.” He bowed slightly and greeted the man, then raised his head and bowed to the person left of Chen Ping. “Vice Principal Xu, it’s been a long time since I saw you.”
Chen Ping lowered his eyes and looked down at the young man in front of him.
Previously, his subordinates reported to him that Lin Chen had set food in Yongchuan University again, so he immediately came to the school, but when he arrived, he heard that there had been a murder, which only made him furious!
In layman’s terms: Lin Chen, you fucking did this on purpose. Why does something always happen anywhere you go?!
Although he was in an irritable mood, Chen Ping had to maintain the pride that a butler of an elite family should have, so when he saw Lin Chen, he had to restrain himself from taunting him.
Yet Lin Chen was still polite and unassuming, neither humble nor overbearing. In fact, every time he drove Lin Chen away and pressed the young man to take a menial job, he always responded with the same calmness.
Many times, Chen Ping felt that Lin Chen didn’t care about his predicament of being expelled by the North and South families, let alone whether he cared if he was sleeping in a small bungalow or a basement. The key issue was that, deep down, Lin Chen didn’t seem to care about them at all.
Why?! Why doesn’t he care?!
The more Chen Ping thought about it, the angrier he became. He angrily said to the police officer on the scene, “There’s been a murder at Yongchuan University, and this is how you investigate?”
Jiang Chao looked at the aggressive old man who was yelling, his voice hoarse.
“Mr. Butler, do you have any comments on the police investigation?”
It was a lazy voice that had a slight sarcasm in its tone. Chen Peng felt he had heard this voice somewhere before. He followed the sound and saw the policeman who had protected Lin Chen at Hongjing Experimental Primary School last time.
“If you have any opinions, you can go to the bureau and raise them. After all, this is the scene of a crime. If you go in and out at will, it’ll cause trouble for our forensic team.” Vice Captain Jiang, who was still in a state of shock, finally spoke up.
Jiang Chao instantly regained his senses, turned his head to glare at the two uninvited guests, and shouted, “Who are you? Casually entering the crime scene… Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen, remove those people!”
Chen Ping sneered, “This is the vice president of Yongchuan University. For such a big thing to happen in the school, are the police not letting our school understand the situation?”
“There’s no problem understanding the situation, but irrelevant people are not allowed to enter the crime scene. Please forgive me,” Xing Conglian said.
“This is Yongchuan. It seems that it’s not your jurisdiction, Captain Xing. Besides, isn’t he an irrelevant person as well?” Cheng Ping spoke while pointing at Lin Chen.
“But I’m a policeman, and Mr. Lin Chen is our consultant for the Hongjing Police Department. Of course, compared to you, we’re still slightly more qualified to stand here,” Xing Conglian said very politely with a smile on his face, but the meaning in his words was quite disrespectful.
Looking at that young man’s smiling face, Chen Ping realized he was being led into a pit…
“Very well… Very well!” Chen Ping sneered. He took out his phone and called someone. “Is this Director Liu? I’m Chen Ping. I’m at Yongchuan University… Yes, something happened at the school. I want to trouble you…”
“Something happened at the scene.” Chen Ping’s gaze swept across the faces of Lin Chen, Xing Conglian, and the policeman who wanted to kick him out. Then he turned around and walked out of the woods. He walked very slowly, as if deliberately to let everyone present hear what he was saying. “Someone found a second body that was impossible to find. We suspect that person is suspicious and is involved in a major crime… but your subordinates seem to be protecting him… I want to ask you, what the hell is going on?”
They didn’t know what the person on the other end of the line said, but Chen Ping’s tone eased. “Alright, then I’ll trouble you…”
He hung up after he finished and stood still outside the cordon, looking at the people inside.
Jiang Chao looked around, feeling as if the grove seemed to echo the old man’s cold, hard voice. “Was that a complaint to our director?” he asked Xing Conglian.
“It seems so?” Xing Conglian smiled helplessly.
Almost the next second, Jiang Chao’s phone rang.
Xing Conglian could hear the scolding coming from the other end of the line. The voice echoed loudly from the microphone of Jiang Chao’s phone in the distance.
Jiang Chao hung up the phone and looked at Xing Conglian with an embarrassing expression, like an eggplant beaten by frost*.
*Term used to describe someone as wilted/listless/low-spirited. It derives from how eggplants can’t withstand frost and tend to wilt in the cold.
Xing Conglian was very understanding. He went over and patted Jiang Chao on the shoulder and asked, “Hey, need our assistance with the investigation?”
Jiang Chao nodded heavily and leaned into Xing Conglian’s ear and whispered, “Ah, it’s fine. Our boss is probably just pretending to put on a show for the old man.” After he finished speaking, Jiang Chao rushed to where the butler was standing, trying to appease him.
When Jiang Chao returned, he had a difficult expression, as if he didn’t know what to say. “Lao Xing, I’m really sorry. I have to trouble you and Mr. Lin to come back with us!”
When the police officers at the scene heard this, they were immediately displeased.
“What are you doing? Have you finished collecting evidence? Did you finish the autopsy? Hurry up and get to work!” Jiang Chao shouted.
Because of Jiang Chao’s urging, the police officers resumed their operation.
Due to the pit under the banyan tree being too deep, two police officers, under the command of the forensic pathologist, were needed to remove the girl’s body.
Ling Chen and Xing Conglian walked together. Seeing Lin Chen frown, Xing Conglian couldn’t help but comfort him. He whispered, “It’s not your fault.”
The girl’s body was slowly taken out.
Suddenly, something under the corpse that was buried in the soil attracted the attention of the forensic doctor again.
He knelt carefully on the edge of the pit, gently poking the layer of soil with his hand, and exposed a red cloth!
“It seems… It seems that there’s another person below…” He raised his head and shouted at the two people who were talking not far away.
Hearing this, Xing Conglian finally showed a shocked expression on his face.
Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian with the same expression as he muttered, “My suspicion seems to have cleared up a bit?”
For a place like a university, even if a hundred years passed, there wouldn’t be much change.
In fact, Lin Chen didn’t have much attachment to it, but he felt bad for passing by the school gate without going in to take a look.
In the early morning, the mist hadn’t dissipated yet, and the campus was very quiet, with only the sound of birds all around.
Lin Chen took Xing Conglian to walk on the old brick road down a path going towards campus.
At the end of the path was an old-fashioned Republic of China building that could vaguely be seen. The trees on the side of the road were lush, which obscured most of the scenery in the distance, so it was quite interesting to walk around and gawk at the scenery.
Xing Conglian put his hands in his pockets as they walked down the road. He suddenly said, “Your principal must not be a businessman.”
“Hm?” The spring breeze was light. Perhaps it blew Lin Chen into confusion, as he didn’t understand Xing Conglian’s words.
“It’s a pity this place doesn’t charge 20 yuan for admission.”
Lin Chen found it funny. “You’re just exaggerating, aren’t you?”
“A place that can teach you naturally is good.”
Lin Chen looked at him.
Xing Conglian’s eyes were lowered. His eyelashes trembled slightly in the breeze, and his eyes were gentle and sincere.
Lin Chen sighed. This person had a truly powerful ability. He could speak such cheesy words so candidly, yet the person on the receiving end would feel the words were rightfully deserved. Apart from sighing, he couldn’t think of a better way to respond.
Lin Chen stood in place, trying to find his words, when a siren suddenly sounded in the distance, penetrating the dense forest.
It sounded extremely urgent and seemed to still be moving, so it could be judged that it was a fast-moving police vehicle.
The two looked at each other.
Lin Chen was the first to speak. “It’s not my fault. You said you wanted to come here.”
Xing Conglian laughed helplessly.
Following the sound of the siren, the two quickly came to a lake.
Far away, they could see the outside of the grove by the lake, surrounded by bright yellow warning tape and police officers in navy blue uniforms.
At the end of the thickets, under a banyan tree, there seemed to be a forensic doctor in a white robe squatting.
Not far away, the cafeteria had started cooking, filling the air with the smell of fragrant rice.
Occasionally, students passed by the cordon. They looked at the police, who were going in and out with strange and curious expressions on their faces. The security guards stood on the outer side of the cordon, driving the students who wanted to watch away.
Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian, and the two hurried their pace.
Coincidentally, when he walked to the edge of the woods, Xing Conglian discovered the person who was leading the team was the vice captain of the Yongchuan Police Criminal Division, and he was the one who wanted to hand over new information on Yang Dianfeng’s case.
The two looked at each other and were surprised.
“Lao Xing, why are you here!” The vice captain, whose surname was Jiang, said casually.
Xing Conglian patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and introduced him to the other party. “Lin Chen, our new consultant. He graduated from Yongchuan University. It’s still early, so we decided to walk around the university first. Since you’re here, I’ll go to the car later and give you information about that case,” Xing Conglian said politely. He didn’t inquire about what happened in the grove.
“Is he the one who engaged the ‘Candy Bandit’ with you?” Vice Captain Jiang stared in surprise as he whispered to Xing Conglian.
Seeing Jiang Chao’s reaction so mysterious, Xing Conglian glanced at Lin Chen and said with a smile, “Yeah, why?”
“How awesome. A hero, a hero!” Jiang Chao took Lin Chen’s hand and shook it heavily. “Come, come.”
Lin Chen had seen too many cautious police officers but had never met such an enthusiastic person as Jiang Chao. This had made him quite unaccustomed. “We’re at a crime scene. This isn’t a convenient place to talk, right?”
“Rules, rules!” Jiang Chao waved his hands carelessly and raised the cordon, pulling Lin Chen inside.
Xing Conglian patted him on the shoulder, leaned into his ear, and whispered, “Fang Zhiming’s former comrade-in-arms.”
Lin Chen nodded, seemingly understanding.
——
On the side of the woods closest to the lake was a lush banyan tree with a green and lush canopy. As soon as the lake breeze blew, it swayed gently.
Lin Chen stood under the tree, a little surprised.
This banyan tree was one of the most beautiful landscapes in the minds of all Yongchuan students.
He remembered that when he was in college, many of his classmates liked to read books or fall in love under this tree. Because it wasn’t too cold or too hot here, you could shoot the breeze, read a few pages of your book, or take your lover’s hand and whisper sweet nothings to each other. Since the trunk was thick and the shade plenty, everything under the tree would appear calm and tranquil, including the person lying in the pit under the trunk right now.
It was a young man. His skin was a bit dark. His clothes were so dirty that their original color could no longer be recognized because they had been buried under the soil for so long. His legs were straightened, and he had his hands crossed on his chest. He looked very ordinary, with thick eyebrows and thin lips. It was almost the kind of face that no one would pay attention to if they came face-to-face with it, but to everyone who was present, when they first saw him, they couldn’t help but keep their eyes on his face.
Lin Chen stared quietly at the man lying in the ground.
The expression on that face was so comfortable and serene, as if the place where he was lying wasn’t a cold and hard pit, but the warmest bed in his home. At this moment, he seemed to just be resting on a down pillow and having a good dream without ever waking up.
The expression on that face is so comfortable and serene, as if the place where he was lying wasn’t a cold and hard pit, but the warmest bed in his home, and at this moment, he seemed to be just resting on a feathered pillow, having a good dream without ever waking up.
“The deceased’s name is Li Sa. He was a worker in the logistics department of your school.” Jiang Chao’s voice fluttered into Lin Chen’s ears.
As he spoke, Jiang Chao walked to the edge of the pit. There was already a forensic doctor squatting on the ground doing a preliminary autopsy.
“Well?” Jiang Chao asked.
“It’s very strange, very strange.” The forensic doctor frowned and pulled his hand away from the back of the deceased’s neck. “No trauma has been found for the time being, and it doesn’t look like poisoning.”
“Oh!” Jiang Chao’s eyes lit up. “It’s not murder!”
The forensic doctor gave him a sideways glance. “What are you thinking?”
“Since there’s no trauma, it’s most likely not a murder. It’s probably an ordinary corpse dumping case,” Jiang Chao said while looking up at the sky as if he were praying.
“Oh, excuse me, Boss Jiang, if he was still breathing when he was buried, would that also be considered corpse dumping?” The forensic scientist said coldly.
Hearing this, Jiang Chao’s eyes glazed over, as if he couldn’t believe what he heard. “What was the cause of death?”
“The preliminary judgment is that it’s mechanical asphyxiation.”
This so-called mechanical asphyxiation referred to an external force that obstructed the body’s breathing, resulting in a physiological dysfunction of the body from a lack of oxygen and leading to death.
In layman’s terms, the deceased suffocated to death.
Jiang Chao made a depressed face, but the forensic scientist had no intention of letting him go. “The deceased’s neck has no external injuries, indicating he wasn’t strangled. I checked his mouth and nose, and there were no obvious surface abrasions or subcutaneous or intradermal bleeding. In other words, he didn’t suffocate to death, so…”
“He was buried alive?” Lin Chen said lightly.
Jiang Chao took in a cold, deep breath.
The forensic doctor turned his head abruptly. “Who are you?!”
Xing Conglian took two steps forward and stood by Lin Chen’s side. “We’re from the Hongjing police force.”
“Oh, peers.” The forensic scientist squatted on the ground again, looked at Lin Chen with great interest, and asked, “What do you think?”
“Can you give me the time of death?” Lin Chen’s gaze fell on the hands on the deceased’s chest.
“Around 3:00 AM on the 12th,” the forensic doctor replied.
“Since he was buried alive, there are two possibilities.” Lin Chen paused then continued, “First, he was buried in the soil after he was unconscious, or second, he was lying in this grave while he was alive.”
“Then which one do you think is the most likely?”
“If it’s the first one, then you should be able to detect large amounts of sleeping-type drugs in his body. If it’s the second…”
“If it’s the second?”
“It’s impossible for a person to do it perfectly—dig a pit, lie in it, and then bury himself. Were there any shovel-like tools on the scene?” Lin Chen’s became cold.
“No… No.” Jiang Chao answered subconsciously.
Lin Chen lowered his head slightly, pondered for a moment, and asked the forensic scientist. “Can I see his hand?”
At this point, the gaze in the forensic scientist’s eyes changed from flippant to admiring.
He stood up, took out a pair of rubber gloves from his pocket, and handed them to Lin Chen. He then took two steps back and made way.
Lin Chens squatted down, put his hand into the pit, and gently grabbed the corpse’s wrist.
Compared to the deceased’s comfortable and serene face, the hands of the deceased looked extremely hideous and terrifying.
His nails were shattered, and his hands were full of wounds. Blood was mixed with dirt, turning it brown, and was caked on his hands.
The forensic doctor stood beside Lin Chen and asked, “Well?”
“I have an idea.” Lin Chen put down the dead man’s hands and took off the gloves. His gaze stayed frozen on the pit.
“Don’t keep us in suspense.”
“He dug this grave himself.”
Lin Chen spoke slowly, word by word, saying the words that made everyone present shudder.
The audience was silent.
The forensic scientist took a deep breath, and then said, “Young man, do you really dare think like that?”
“Can you dig it up some more?” Lin Chen interrupted him. He turned his head, raised his hand, and compared the approximate height.
“Isn’t the pit big enough?” the forensic doctor asked.
“I mean, move out the deceased and dig down a little bit.”
——
Shovel after shovel of soil was quickly dug out.
Xing Conglian and Lin Chen stood by the lake, looking under the tree from a distance.
Lin Chen thought for a while, then asked, “Was I too arrogant just now?”
After all, earlier, Xing Conglian had reminded him that he had to be careful with everything since he was in the Chen family’s territory.
Hearing what he said, Xing Conglian laughed dumbfoundedly. “No, Lao Jiang isn’t someone who would care about that. But why are you so nervous?”
“The situation may not be good,” Lin Chen said.
Under the banyan tree, when the soil that had been dug out had piled up knee high, the police officer in charge of the excavation suddenly stopped moving.
He held the shovel in one hand and turned his head stiffly. Seeing the situation, Jiang Chao hurriedly leaned over. There was a broken banyan root running through the pit. Other than that, there seemed to be no abnormality.
“There’s something down there.” The police officer threw down his shovel towards the edge of the pit. He poked the thin soil layer with his hand and exposed a bright red cloth.
The original shout broke the exchange between Xing Conglian and Lin Chen. A policeman with dirt on his hands rushed to the two of them quickly with chattering teeth.
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.”
Compared with Hongjing, Yongchuan, which was hundreds of kilometers away, was truly an international metropolis. There were many high-rise buildings, with traffic weaving around them, and pedestrians all walked in a rush.
Lin Chen walked out of Yongchuan Station and saw Fu Hao standing on tiptoe, nervously guarding the exit, carefully screening passengers for fear of missing someone.
Separated by many people, when Lin Chen saw this he felt it was like a scene before Chinese New Year.
He put his hands in his pockets and walked up to Fu Hao, startling him. “Shixiong, you didn’t wave or anything. Are you not excited to see me?”
“Then should I do it and follow Professor Fu’s script?” Lin Chen smiled as he asked rhetorically.
Fu Hao snorted softly, didn’t say anything, and circled around Lin Chen. He opened his eyes wide and said incredulously, “Shixiong, why didn’t you bring anything?”
“Bring what?”
“Birthday gift!”
Before Lin Chen could react, he was grabbed by his shidi and dragged out of the station. His nagging shidi had started to yammer again. “Don’t you know, Zheng Dongdong and his gang have been showing off their gifts they’re going to give to the old man to the group chat. I’ve already seen Ganoderma, ginseng, Shoushan stone seals…”
Lin Chen was surprised by Fu Hao’s information. He smiled and said, “At this rate, this will be equivalent to paying tribute to the emperor.”
“What is this?! Zheng Dongdong himself has prepared a set of 8 Chinese rosewood* longevity folding screens.”
*Furniture made from wood from this tree is highly sought after as luxury and prestige items.
“How generous.”
“Shixiong, you should have a sense of crisis. Look at all these people. They’re spending money on a luxurious birthday banquet for the old man and giving him all these gifts. Won’t this be embarrassing for us?”
“Luxurious birthday banquet?”
“At the Intercontinental Hotel, owned by Cohen May, which is regarded as the best hotel in Yongchuan. Zheng Dongdong is now the general manager of Cohen May Hotel. People like him will die if they don’t show off, so he directly books the banquet hall for the old man.” Fu Hao walked away as he kept talking.
Hearing this, Lin Chen felt it was inappropriate. “Does the old man know about this?” he asked.
“I don’t think so?” For a moment, Fu Hao was taken aback. “They said in the group chat that they wanted to surprise the old man.”
“That’s too presumptuous.”
“Then what can be done? I think they already pinpointed that our old man is a good old man. Even if he doesn’t like it, how can he reprimand a student’s kind intentions to their face?”
Professor Fu couldn’t drive, and the place to hail taxis was always overcrowded. When Lin Chen came back to his senses, he had already subconsciously walked to the side of the bus stop with Fu Hao. The habit he developed in college was still as stubborn a few years later.
There were many students waiting for the bus on the platform. Various stalls were set up on the sidewalk on one side. The fumes and aromas diffused onto the platform, causing Lin Chen to turn his head and walk to the sidewalk.
When he came back, he had an extra plastic bag in his hand, which contained freshly bought fruit.
“Shixiong, what are you doing?!” Fu Hao looked at the red plastic bag in Lin Chen’s hand and was stunned.
“Didn’t you ask me to buy a birthday gift?”
“This is too random. Can’t you buy something expensive.”
“But I really don’t have any money.”
——
If you had no money, you had a mind without it. If you had money, then you would find ways to live with it.
Even in Yongchuan, where every inch of land was like gold, the Cohen May Intercontinental Hotel was the first choice of the rich.
It was located on the banks of Lake Honghu, with a panoramic view of 12 square kilometers of water. Although it was on the outskirts, it was adjacent to the CBD*, so the location land-wise couldn’t be better.
*Central business district.
But for Lin Chen and Fu Hao, such a geographical location required them to take the bus for more than half an hour, and walk for more than ten minutes before they reached the door to the hotel.
It was getting dark, and the sunset had dyed the sky on the upper half of the lake red.
Lin Chen was carrying a plastic bag. As soon as he stepped into the hotel, an attendant came up.
Fu Hao stood aside and mentioned the birthday banquet. The resourceful attendant bowed and whispered, “It’s Mr. Su’s 60th birthday. It’s on the third floor. Please follow me.”
The elevator of a five-star hotel was filled with an elegant fragrance.
Previously, from Hongjing to Yongchuan, and another half-hour bus ride, Lin Chen didn’t feel too much, but when he really thought that he would see his teacher in a minute or two, he suddenly felt nervous.
The attendant put his hand on the door of the banquet hall, bowed, and pushed the door open.
The banquet hall was filled with people chattering. The bright lights were so dazzling that they stung their eyes.
At the main table at the end of the hall sat an old man with glasses. The old man had just passed the age of obedient ears*, and he was full of gray hair.
*(耳顺之年) Idiom referring to when you’re 60 years old, you can judge whether other people’s words are true or false. It refers to being 60, basically.
The old man was surrounded by many people who were chattering with him. Among those people, many were wearing elite suits and shoes, as well as young people who were simply dressed, having just stepped into society. Without exception, the old man was very patient with everyone who talked to him. His face was full of smiles. He always used both hands when shaking hands and would bow his head slightly when listening to others.
Lin Chen walked over the plush carpet printed with the hotel’s iconic canary and rose logo and stood on the edge of the crowd, waiting.
At this moment, the old man patted the arm of the student in front of him lightly, as if to signal to wait a moment, and then raised his head.
Lin Chen had just met his gaze.
The old man pushed up his glasses, smiled, and said, “A’Chen, you’re here.”
His gaze was gentle and peaceful. At that moment, all the hustle and bustle in the hall seemed to retreat like the tide. For an old man who had always been self-disciplined and respectful, it was already a great preference for him to interrupt a conversation with a student only to greet him. Lin Chen took a few steps forward, squatted down in front of the old man, and said softly, “Teacher Su.”
“You’ve returned?” The old man’s palm patted his head, and his voice sounded a little hoarse.
“Nn.”
“You’re back. It’s good you’re back,” the old man said while patting him on the head.
Lin Chen immediately handed over the bag in his hand and said, “Happy birthday. It’s vitamin supplements.”
The old man took the simple bag, opened it, and saw that there were six peaches inside, so he laughed out loud with joy.
The atmosphere between a master and his disciple was truly warm. Someone who was greeting his classmates in the middle of the hall saw this scene and walked to the main table, extremely displeased.
“Isn’t this Lin Chen? Long time no see!”
A loud voice sounded in his ear. Lin Chen got up and turned his head. Standing in front of him was a man in the uniform of a hotel executive.
He was taken aback for a moment and subconsciously looked at Fu Hao. Professor Fu thoughtfully mouthed the words silently, “Zheng Dongdong.”
When Lin Chen received the signal, he naturally stretched out his hand and said, “Long time no see.”
Although Fu Hao had repeatedly mentioned the name Zheng Dongdong to him, he really didn’t have much impression of this person. In his memory, Zheng Dongdong seemed to be the president of their student council. Other than that, he didn’t really remember much of him, so he simply said what he said as purely a theoretical courtesy.
“That’s right. How can a busy person like you think of coming to visit an old classmate?” Zheng Dongdong joked.
Lin Chen thought for a while, but didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent, which made the scene quite awkward.
Zheng Dongdong’s face darkened. He squinted and caught a glimpse of the plastic bag in the old man’s hand, then happily said, “Lin Chen, what good things did you gift our teacher? Let us take a look as well?”
“Peaches.”
“It’s teacher’s birthday banquet, and you give him a bag of peaches?” Zheng Dongdong fiercely raised his voice, pretending to be shocked, which garnered many eyes to follow the sound.
“Well, I just bought them.”
Lin Chen’s voice was very calm, without the slightest bit of shame. Zheng Dongdong’s countless taunts seemed to be held back by just these words.
Just then, the old man clapped his hands and inserted himself into their conversation. He glanced back and said, “A’Hao, don’t you always shout when you see your shixiong Lin Chen? Come here.”
At this time, Lin Chen noticed there was a half-a-person tall pile of birthday gifts piled up behind the old man, and a slim and beautiful girl was beside the birthday gifts, registering something.
Hearing her teacher’s call, the girl hurriedly turned her hair, causing her long hair to slide down smoothly.
Her face was extremely beautiful, with eyebrows like distant mountains and sharp eyes. The girl was wearing a maroon short-sleeve knitted cardigan, and a knee-length black pleated skirt. Her soft hair draped over her shoulders, covering her pearl earrings. She put away her notebook and walked over with a smile and stretched out a hand towards Lin Chen. “Shixiong, hello.”
Lin Chen looked at the girl in front of him, and his gaze finally fell on her rather uncoordinated pink nails. Xu Haozhen gently retracted her fingertips but didn’t shirk her hands away. In the end, Lin Chen stretched out his hand and gave her a handshake. “Hello.”
After speaking, he leaned over to the old man and asked in a low voice, “What is she doing?”
“I have to say, they gave me all these useless things, so I’m registering the price. Then I’m having them return it and give me cash instead so I can donate it,” the old man whispered back.
Lin Chen was dumbfounded. “Isn’t that not good?”
“You don’t feel bad about coming to my birthday and bringing me a bag of peaches?”
“But at least you can take that home,” Lin Chen whispered.
After he finished speaking, the old man laughed. The laughter was a bit loud, and it fell into Zheng Dongdong’s eyes, which was particularly dazzling.
With his gift delivered, Lin Chen consciously stepped back as there were many students around the old man.
At 6, the birthday banquet started.
The seating arrangement of the table was very particular. Lin Chen and Fu Hao were arranged at a corner table, while some celebrities and elite sat at the main table. The old man was surrounded by stars like he was the moon, and from time to time, students would give a toast. Lin Chen didn’t join the fun and instead sat quietly eating his food.
The seating order was messy. Lin Chen and Fu Hao didn’t even get to sit with their previous classmates but were driven to the corner with the people who weren’t very gregarious. Everyone at the table was busy burying their heads in the food, and there was a strange silence at the table.
The dishes of the five-star hotel were, of course, good. In addition, perhaps the chef knew that it was the general manager’s treat this time, so he was more attentive when cooking. Lin Chen scooped up half a spoonful of shrimp and heard Zheng Dongdong’s haunting voice again.
“Lin Chen, how could you be here? I was really busy and forgot. This won’t do. Do you want to sit at the main table?” Zheng Dongdong walked towards him with a glass of wine. The hotel manager’s face was flushed, as if he had just finished a round of wine.
His tone was haughty, and his voice was loud, half mocking, half polite. A person like Zheng Dongdong, who was scornful and vindictive, had lost face just now, so of course he had to get back on his feet. If Lin Chen were to answer yes to such a question, it would be catering to him*, but answering no would make him look shameless. No matter what he answered, it would make everyone uncomfortable.
*Climb up the pole (顺杆爬) Metaphor referring to catering to a master’s will.
Several tables around them had already noticed the commotion.
Lin Chen didn’t feel the slightest bit of embarrassment. He picked up his teacup, calmly clinked it against the glass of red wine, and then said, “Yes.”
The more magnanimous he was, the uglier Zheng Dongdong’s face became.
Lin Chen walked to the main table.
Upon seeing this, the old man passionately patted the empty position beside him and said, “A’Chen, come, sit here.”
The seats at the main table were full, with only one vacant seat, which belonged to Zheng Dongdong. For a person like the old man, this was an obvious statement. The people who were present were the old man’s most successful proteges. When they looked at Zheng Dongdong’s eyes, they couldn’t help but feel something strange.
The old man didn’t say anything more, but asked the waiter to add another seat to the table. Zheng Dongdong toasted a round of wine, as if nothing had happened, and sat down in his new position.
After he sat down, he gave a wink to another person at the table. The other person understood and put down his glass. “Lin Chen, I’ve heard of this famous name for a long time now. You were always at the top of our class and overshadowed us all. What have you been up to since graduating?”
Naturally, the main table was abuzz with conversation. If questions were asked, answers needed to be said. “I used to be a dorm manager at Hongjing Experimental Primary School…” Lin Chen replied.
“Pfft.” A sneer sounded on the table before his voice fell. “Then why did Lao Fu say that you’re a consultant for the Hongjing Police Criminal Division?”
“Well, I just took over that position.”
“Isn’t that too big of a leap?” the man said with a smile.
Lin Chen didn’t answer and heard Zheng Dongdong say sarcastically, “That small police department in Hongjing? Truly an overkill.”
“Hey, not everyone can be like you, a general manager of Cohen May at such a young age!” The man sang praises to Zheng Dongdong. “Cohen May is a multinational consortium. If you become the president one day, don’t forget us old classmates!”
“It’s not that easy. Us psychology graduates aren’t as popular as orthodox finance students. Moreover, Cohen May is an overseas industry owned by the Xing family. Of course, the president of the group can only be a direct descendent of the Xing family. I have no hope!”
What Zheng Dongdong said was half true.
The surrounding classmates were a little shocked.
After all, everyone knew that Cohen May was the best five-star hotel in Yongchuan, but few knew that on top of this hotel was a multinational consortium, and behind it was the towering Xing family. Zheng Dongdong, who hoped to go further in that family’s business, was truly amazing. Everyone looked at Zheng Dongdong with a little more envy, and soon someone praised him again. “No matter, if you really become president, like today, you’ll have to treat us. One for all and all for one, like they say!”
“It’s hard to say in the future, but tonight, I can still invite everyone for drinks.”
“If you’re inviting, then it must be a good place!”
“Okay, okay.” Zheng Dongdong sipped his wine. He shifted his gaze to Lin Chen and said mysteriously, “Lin Chen, you’re coming along too, right?”
“Yes, shixiong, let’s go together.” For some reason, the shimei* besides Lin Chen chimed in.
*Basically like shidi but used for girls who are younger than you/beneath rank.
Lin Chen looked at Xu Hao’s strange pink nail polish and finally nodded.
Knowing that the students still had activities in the evening, the old man found a reason and slipped away in advance. Before leaving, the old man patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and told him to come visit him for dinner when he had time.
As the old man left, many people followed along with him. Seeing that everyone was almost scattered, someone said to Zheng Dongdong, “Dongdong, it’s fine that you’re treating us for drinks, but we’re still going to pay for our hotel reservation.”
As the man spoke, many people at the table nodded in agreement.
“Why are you all being so polite?” Zheng Dongdong seemed quite dignified. He shifted his eyes slightly, looked over, and asked, “By the way, where are you staying for the night, Lin Chen?”
Lin Chen hadn’t spoken yet, but Professor Fu, who had sneaked up to the table, answered for him, “Shixiong is staying with me tonight.”
“Don’t joke. Who doesn’t know that the teacher’s dorm in Yongchuan University is a single room. How can you let your shixiong lay on the floor!” The man then said what Zheng Dongdong wanted to hear most, “Dongdong, see if there’s still any special rooms left at the hotel and book one for Lin Chen. It’ll be livelier with all our classmates being together.”
Zheng Dongdong nodded and called the main office without saying a word.
Lin Chen didn’t know what was said on the other end, but Zheng Dongdong held down the microphone and made a face of false apology. “I’m sorry. Our hotel’s special rooms have all been booked by these guys. Only the lake view executive suite is left. The original price is 6,000, but I can give you a 40% discount. How about 3,600?”
Zheng Dongdong raised the corner of his mouth. His eyes were full of pride, as if he was waiting for Lin Chen to come up with an excuse to refuse so he could laugh again.
Fu Hao couldn’t help but clench his fists as he listened.
Lin Chen didn’t seem bothered. His face still had that plain and calm expression. He gently pressed down on his shidi’s fists and said, “No thank you.”
——
When the banquet was over, Zheng Dongdong led the group of students downstairs for drinks. They walked in front as a group, while Lin Chen and Fu Hao lagged behind. Fu Hao deliberately grabbed Lin Chen and complained fiercely, “Shixiong, damn that Zheng Dongdong. He’s really making it clear that he’s trying to embarrass you. 3,600 a night after the discount? If it’s so great, why doesn’t he go there and live by himself!”
“I can’t afford to stay in a luxury hotel, so I should be embarrassed?” Lin Chen asked rhetorically.
Hearing this, Fu Hao glared at him and then changed the subject. “Why did you promise to go drinking with him!”
“Because I found a very strange thing,” Lin Chen whispered. As he walked around the corner of the hall, he suddenly raised his head, as if he had sensed something.
The large group in front of them had already reached the hotel lobby. More than a dozen people surrounded Zheng Dongdong, as if they were allocating vehicles waiting to travel. Since they all had drinks, it was somewhat noisy, but all of a sudden, Lin Chen couldn’t hear any sound.
Under the bright crystal lights in the hotel lobby, there was a person with long legs crossed leaning on a sofa reading documents. His police uniform was resting on the armrest on the side, and behind him was the dark and quiet water surface of Lake Honghu.
From Lin Chen’s perspective, he could only see the other party’s hand resting lightly on the countertop, and his side profile was extremely handsome.
Then, the other party turned his head towards him, still with a loose demeanor and a quiet, far-reaching gaze.
The soft piano in the hall suddenly sounded.
Lin Chen walked over slowly. “Why are you here?”
Xing Conglian smiled. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to call?”
Lin Chen shook his head helplessly. At this moment. Mr. Zheng Dongdong, who was greeting the rest of his classmates, walked up to Lin Chen and put his hand on his shoulder. Lin Chen frowned, thinking that Zheng Dongdong was going to say something nasty again, but all Zheng Dongdong’s words stopped when he looked at the table.
Lin Chen followed his gaze.
On the coffee table was a black room card painted with the Cohen May signature canary and rose symbol.
Xing Conglian’s finger tapped lightly on the card, then moved it from the table.
Lin Chen was still stunned as the other party’s always low and pleasant voice sounded in his ears.
“Sir, please take your room card.”
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