Translator-Lucyferase
Editor-Alysia
Jiang Yue Lou decided to visit Zhan Jun Bai’s office straight away, but the government building was crowded, and showing up there was inconvenient for him. The two scheduled a meeting at a local teahouse. Jiang Yue Lou was already waiting when Zhan Jun Bai arrived.
After sitting down, Zhan Jun Bai took a sip of tea and said calmly, “I didn’t mean to pry. But Dr. Chen is also one of my friends, I have met him on several occasions in Yu Ying Tang.”
Jiang Yue Lou didn’t speak and was listening quietly. He didn’t know how much Zhan Jun Bai knew about this case.
“…He took a leave of absence and went to Suzhou a while ago. When he came back, he even resigned from the hospital and I finally heard about his sister is missing.”
Zhan Jun Bai sighed, “So many young girls were recently abducted in Jingcheng… I couldn’t stay still and do anything so I sent someone to find her. I wanted to tell you, but you were too busy dealing with drugs and were unable to work on this case at the same time*, so that’s why I didn’t trouble you with it.”
Jiang Yue Lou nodded, “I also sent someone to Suzhou and asked the local Brothers to look after it, but there was no news.”
“That’s because she was not in Suzhou, that’s why you couldn’t find anything.” Zhan Jun Bai said, “ Dr.Chen’s little sister was sold to Hong Kong.”
“Hong Kong?”
Jiang Yue Lou was completely shocked but he kept observing Zhan Jun Bai very carefully.
“Yes,” Zhan Jun Bai nodded, “It’s just a coincidence that my classmates from the military academy are now working at the Hong Kong Anti-Smuggling Administration. They checked all the local and underground places and finally found her…in a massage parlor*. She has the same age and appearance, and says she was living in Jingcheng but, …”
He hesitated to speak and stopped with a trace of embarrassment on his face.
When he heard the word “massage parlor”, Jiang Yue Lou’s face was already ugly but now he was even more worried seeing his expression.
“But what?”
Zhan Jun Bai sighed, “Poor child, she became crazy after being tormented, I can’t even imagine how much she has been through.”
“What?” Jiang Yue Lou stood up abruptly, hitting the table loudly, “Crazy?”
Zhan Jun Bai raised his hands gesturing to him to calm down and said remorsefully, “That’s why I didn’t dare tell Dr. Chen directly, fearing that he couldn’t bear it. Besides, it’s not completely certain that the girl is Chen Keying. Wouldn’t it be even more disappointing if we made a mistake here?”
“If he was given such hope, but in the end, it’s not her, this kind of blow would be unbearable.” Jiang Yue Lou murmured, sitting down, “Then I would rather he never know.”
Zhan Jun Bai agreed, “That’s why I came to you. Even though the two of you got to know each other not so long ago, you seem to be very close to each other already. What about that? I would send someone to pick the girl up at the train station on the 5th and they’ll hand her to you first?”
“Okay, I’ll be there.” Jiang Yue Lou promised, “I’ve seen Keying before, I will know if it’s her.”
He thought for a while and sedately nodded his head to thank Zhan Jun Bai, “Thank you, Brother Zhan. I also thank you on behalf of Chen Yu Zhi.”
Zhan Jun Bai smiled lightly, “It’s not easy to find like-minded* friends and I wanted to help.”
After the first snowfall, the air temperature unexpectedly rose in Jingcheng, and it was warmer than before. In the evening, it rained lightly, and the ground was soaked but not frozen. Jiang Yue Lou was heading home with an umbrella, not as comfortable as she had been. If Zhan Jun Bai finds Chen Keying, he will take care of her and compensate for everything, regardless of how much money and energy it will take to treat her in the future. Subsequently, he needed to clarify things with Yu Zhi.
Jiang Yue Lou came to a halt at the Donghua Street junction. He had already walked to Chen Yu Zhi’s front doorstep before he realized it. They had seen each other the night before, yet he couldn’t justify why he needed to see Chen Yu Zhi; even just hearing his voice would be enough for him.
Jiang Yue Lou wanted to knock on the door, he raised his hand but held back. “What will you say to him? I found your sister?” No, he hasn’t seen Chen Keying yet, what if he was wrong?
A familiar sound of footsteps came from behind, and Jiang Yue Lou quickly stepped back from the door, bowed his head, and walked forward. Sure enough, he almost collided with the oncoming Chen Yu Zhi. Seeing him, Chen Yu Zhi’s expression was a bit complicated. He staggered a step to avoid Jiang Yue Lou, walked to his door, and took out his key to open it.
Jiang Yue Lou raised his head to watch his movements. Although Chen Yu Zhi did not look back he could feel Jiang Yue Lou’s gaze on his back. He couldn’t help speeding up his movements. Once the door was opened, and when he was about to set foot into the yard, Jiang Yue Lou abruptly spoke.
“Don’t go out on the 5th, you must wait at home.”
After saying this, Jiang Yue Lou promptly turned around the corner and left. Chen Yu Zhi stood there baffled, and it took him a while before going in and closing the door.
This evening, the gloomy sky seemed also preoccupied. A few drops of rain suddenly fell on the leaves of the osmanthus tree, and then it started raining again.
Bai Jinbo put on his clothes for going out and was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper. Yali walked down the stairs wearing an elegant and simple cheongsam, her high-heeled shoes sounding loud, and she looked at Bai Jinbo affectionately, trying to attract his attention. It is a pity that the latter did not respond and that his eyes stayed on the newspaper.
Yali was a little displeased, twisted her waist, and walked to Bai Jinbo’s side, she sat down on the sofa and moved to his side. Her shoulder quietly touched Bai Jinbo’s arm, and her soft hands clung to the back of his neck before placing her head on his shoulder.
“Hum?” Bai Jinbo finally responded.
“Don’t go out today. Would you like to stay with me at home?”
Yali said softly, “Do you know what day it is today; did you forget?”
Bai Jinbo put down the newspaper and was about to say something when he suddenly noticed the cheongsam she was wearing, his complexion suddenly turned unsightly. He stood up and pulled his arm out of hers.
“Who let you wear this dress? Take it off.”
Yali’s face suddenly became annoyed and said, “What’s wrong with what I wear, it’s just a dress, and it’s a waste to not wear it.”
“Don’t make me say it a second time. You are not allowed to touch her things.”
The voice was cold as a rock, shattering Yali’s heart. She has been with Bai Jinbo for seven years, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t warm the heart of this man at all, nor could she fill the hole in it. What was so good about that woman? She has been dead for seven years, and her husband still can’t forget about her. Why? Did Bai Jinbo love her even a little? No, she was no longer doubtful. From beginning to end, Yali was just a substitute, a phantom shadow projected in the mirror, just like those photos, albums, and portraits. This thought was biting Yali’s heart like a poisonous snake.
She stood up slowly, staring at Bai Jinbo viciously.
“No matter how good Yang Siqi was, can she be better than a living person?!”
With a snap, He slapped her face severely and she fell on the sofa.
Bai Jinbo’s nose fluttered to hold back his anger, he slammed the door and left without saying a word. Yali slowly came back to her senses until the sound of the car started. Sitting on the sofa, she covered her face with her hands, crying. Mother Zhao came out of the kitchen cautiously.
“Madam, you know the director’s temper, so why are you still like this? Change your clothes, I will iron out which one you want to wear.”
“I want to wear this one! I want this one! Ah-!” Yali yelled hysterically, throwing the things on the coffee table to the ground.
The car stopped in front of the Zhan residence, and the porter swiftly opened the door. Wearing a white-fox fur coat, Yu Tang Chun got out of the car and looked up at the plaque of the Zhan mansion. The little apprentice held Yu Tang Chun’s singing costumes and followed him. Qiu Ming greeted him at the entrance.
“Boss Yu, please come inside.”
Yu Tang Chun knew that Qiu Ming was a subordinate of Zhan Jun Bai and nodded politely, “Thank you.”
The living room layout was stylish and simple, combining Chinese and Western styles. Foreign gramophones and other gadgets were placed randomly, with many books almost everywhere in the room. Yu Tang Chun walked and looked around. There were poems and songs as well as new novels, indicating that the owner has a wide range of interests.
Zhan Jun Bai was sitting on the sofa looking through a sheet of music. Hearing Qiu Ming’s announcement, he put down the score and raised his eyes to Yu Tang Chun.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Te Kjcu Jtec ybkfv tlr tjcvr ab ugffa tlw, “Glgfmabg Itjc.”
“Tbe vbc’a cffv ab yf rb mbegafber, qifjrf tjnf j rfja.” Itjc Aec Djl rwlifv jcv ufraegfv ab Te Kjcu Jtec ab rla vbkc. Ktf ilaaif jqqgfcalmf ybkfv gfrqfmaoeiis jcv rabbv ys klat tlr beaola.
“Pr atlr atf mtliv sbe jvbqafv?”
Yu Tang Chun didn’t expect that he even knew this, “Yes. This child has lived in the nursery since he was a child. Because he had nowhere to go when he was older, Dr. Chen recommended it to me.
Zhan Jun Bai responded, “You and Yu Zhi are both caring people.”
“Dr. Chen is the one who has great love to give to others. As for me, it’s just that fellow sufferers empathize with each other*.”
Yu Tang Chun lowered his eyes, “In the early years when the warlords were fighting each other, all my family, my parents, and my brothers, died tragically, that’s why I came to Jingcheng to make a living. I am an orphan just like him.”
“It’s not easy to survive in those troubled times. It must have been hard for you.” Zhan Jun Bai sighed and told the housekeeper to take the child out to eat fruit and have some rest.
Only two people were left in the room. Yu Tang Chun raised his eyelids and looked at his gentle face, there was a bit of pity in his expression.
“Director Zhan is a compassionate man.” He whispered, then turned to look at his apprentice, and motioned for him to lift the costume box and open it.
Zhan Jun Bai took a look, “Is this Yu Ji*?”
“Correct.”
“It’s quite different from “Secret Meeting*”.
Yu Tang Chun smiled slightly, “I heard earlier that the Director has an elegant voice and a good rhythm, and it will be boring to only listen to me singing. How about I’ll accompany you today?”
Zhan Jun Bai raised his eyebrows and smiled, “Boss Yu asked me to sing Hegemon-King*?”
“Yes.” Yu Tang Chun smiled softly, “You are indeed the Hegemon-King.”
Zhan Jun Bai laughed but was aroused by his passion for the operas, so he asked someone to help with the change of clothes.
“No need to trouble them” Yu Tang Chun smiled, stood up, and came to him declaring, “Wait for the concubine to serve his king.”
Saying those words with a calm expression and his eyes full of passion, it seemed like Yu Ji was in front of Xiang Yu*. Zhan Jun Bai couldn’t help but be startled, coughed in disguise, and turned around to take off his long coat.
Yu Tang Chun took out Hegemon-King’s costume and slowly approached Zhan Jun Bai. His heart was pounding so loudly that he was afraid others could hear it, and his hands were sweating profusely. Just his wrist, which concealed a knife, was cold and couldn’t be warmed. Behind Zhan Jun Bai, he took the costume belt to conceal the knife he had carefully sorted out. Zhan Jun Bai’s back was large and defenseless. He bowed his head to put the costume on and straightened his sleeves. The watch on his wrist was bothering him, so he lifted his wrist to remove it. The dial was green and shining and was reflected in Yu Tang Chun’s eyes.
He held his breath and glanced pretending. “The emeralds make this watch so magnificent, I’m afraid there would be no other like this one in the world.”
Yu Tang Chun praised softly, but his right hand was secretly hanging down, clasped on the dagger, and ready to attack with a single move to kill the enemy, before killing himself right after.
“It’s indeed unique. It comes out from the palace.” Zhan Jun Bai, unaware of his killing intent, took off the watch to look at it, “Originally it belonged to my uncle. He gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday.”
Yu Tang Chun paused, “A gift?”
“At that time, the emperor had already abdicated, and the old traditions slowly disappeared with him, and so the gift ceremony. But my uncle still felt that it was a big deal for a boy to become a man, so he gave me his watch following the Western etiquette.”
Suspicious clouds floated in his mind. Yu Tang Chun originally came with a will to kill and die, but now he wasn’t sure whether the person in front of him was his enemy. Zhan Jun Bai was so young, could he be the slaughter who killed this family? If the previous owner of this watch was his uncle, then that person could be the one who did it.
Cold sweat appeared on his forehead, Yu Tang Chun adjusted his clothes belt, took a step back, and used a handkerchief to sweep his head. He was too reckless, he only wanted revenge, but he didn’t think it through. He tried to conceal his emotions with a light cough and covered his face with the handkerchief. Zhan Jun Bai turned around, opened his arms largely, and looked at Yu Tang Chun with a smile.
“How is it?”
Yu Tang Chun swept his eyes, put his hands on Zhan Jun Bai’s hands, and slowly bent to salute, his expression was full of admiration and affection just like Yu Ji.
“My King—”
On the 5th at noon, Jiang Yue Lou just ate a few bites before driving to the station. When he got out of the car, Qiu Ming had just arrived. After greeting each other, they walked to the platform and waited for the train.
“It’s all thanks to Director Zhan.” Jiang Yue Lou announced, “I will come another day to thank him personally.”
“Section Chief Jiang doesn’t have to be so polite.” Qiu Ming said, “The Secretary has always regarded you as a close friend, and he also values Dr. Chen very much.”
The sirens sounded and the train slowly drew in the station. Qiu Ming led Jiang Yue Lou to the third car. There were not many guests coming by the morning train. A friendly middle-aged sister took a little girl and got out of the car. The little girl was wearing a dress and a hat on her head with a veil covering half of her face. The eldest sister saw Qiu Ming who was waiting, nodded at him, and led the little girl to the two men.
Jiang Yue Lou was anxious and strode forward, “Are you Keying? Chen Keying?” He wanted to reach out and grab the girl’s shoulder. The little girl seemed to be frightened, and she shrank and hid behind the woman, curled up into a ball.
The woman seemed flustered, “This kid is nervous, please you should ask her gently.”
Helpless, Jiang Yue Lou had to squeeze out the best gentle expression he could do, and looked at Chen Keying, “Do you remember your brother?”
“Brother…” The little girl thought for a while, “Brother always treats me well…I’m looking for Brother…”
Jiang Yue Lou wanted to confirm and coaxed, “Come on, Keying, take off your hat and let me see your face, I will take you to your brother.”
The woman slowly stretched out her hand to take off the girl’s veil, Chen Keying without complaint, looked at Jiang Yue Lou nodding innocently. Jiang Yue Lou frowned his forehead deeply, half of the girl’s face was severely burned, scorched, and black, making it difficult for him to recognize her. Afraid to scare Chen Keying, he stood up and turned around, exhaling heavily and pressing his palms strongly on the pillars.
Qiu Ming also turned his face away, as if he couldn’t bear to look at her anymore, and explained in a low voice, “She was disobedient and tried to run away. Annoyed, the person who bought her burned her with a poker, scaring the child to the point of losing her sanity and leaving her with the mindset of a young child…”
Jiang Yue Lou sighed and nodded, “I know. I will explain to her brother. We will take care of her and she will get better.”
He thanked the woman and Qiu Ming, took Chen Keying’s hand, and walked towards the car. The little girl was not afraid of him anymore, and followed him obediently, like a walking doll.
Chen Yu Zhi had no idea what had happened to his sister at this point. He waited at home for half a day as ordered by Jiang Yue Lou, but nothing happened. Just two patients requested a visit from him. The first one was dismissed by Yu Zhi, but the second one showed more serious symptoms, including heavy diarrhea. Chen Yu Zhi was afraid to neglect the patient’s condition, so he packed his medicine kit and prepared to go out.
As soon as he walked out of the gate, he saw Sun Yongren standing around the corner, humming seemingly in a good mood. Seeing him with this medicine kit, Sun Yongren was taken aback and ran over immediately.
“Dr. Chen, where are you going?”
Chen Yu Zhi was somewhat perplexed, “On my way to see a patient.”
“To see a patient?” Sun Yongren hastily opened his hand, trying to stop him, “Didn’t the boss say that you would have to wait at home today? Look, if I didn’t come here to guard, you would have run away.”
Instead of persuading him, hearing those words made Chen Yu Zhi even angrier. He wasted his whole morning staying at home because of Jiang Yue Lou’s thoughtless words.
Chen Yu Zhi himself didn’t know why he trusted him. But obviously, Jiang Yue Lou didn’t trust him, as he sent his men to guard his door to prevent him from leaving!
Chen Yu Zhi was annoyed, “I have wasted all my morning at home, and I am going to visit my patient now, this person is waiting for me, so please don’t stop me.”
Sun Yongren didn’t listen and grabbed Chen Yu Zhi’s medical kit, “No. Even if the sky falls, you have to stay at home.”
This unreasonable behavior reminds Chen Yu Zhi of his first meeting with Jiang Yue Lou. He hid the medical kit behind him and became more irritated and angry.
“Why are you like this? I am a doctor and I am going to see a patient. You have no right to stop me, go away.”
Sun Yongren didn’t dare to act roughly but he couldn’t reach the medical box, so he scratched his head, uneasy. Jiang Yue Lou didn’t let him come, let alone tell Chen Yu Zhi the truth in advance, but if Dr. Chen left, wouldn’t the boss’s good intention be vain?
He thought about it, and finally, he said, “Dr. Chen, this…, it’s you who forced me to say it and the boss cannot blame me for this when he’ll ask. Although, you can pretend to be very surprised when you find out, or else…”
Chen Yu Zhi was confused, “What are you talking about? What surprise?”
“Keying has been found.” Sun Yongren said, “The Boss is sending her over, and she will be there soon.”
With a loud sound, the medical kit fell to the ground.
Chen Yu Zhi, without caring about his kit, marched out of the alley, “Keying…Keying is back!”
Sun Yongren hurried to catch up, “Doctor Chen, please wait, you may have to wait a little bit!”
But Chen Yu Zhi was full of rapture, his steps were flying, and he couldn’t hear what Sun Yongren shouted. Keying is back! My sister has been found! Jiang Yue Lou found my sister! Keying will be back soon!
Jiang Yue Lou was behind the wheel while Chen Keying was in the back seat. The little girl’s eyes were dull as if she were oblivious to the world around her. He sighed quietly in his heart, imagining Chen Yu Zhi’s sadness when he sees his sister.
Fortunately, the person has been found back. She would recuperate slowly, and would soon be better. Even if she couldn’t fully recover in the future, he will help Chen Yu Zhi take care of this little girl for a lifetime. He owes it to the Chen brother and sister.
At the intersection of Shouxi Road, Jiang Yue Lou was about to turn the steering wheel. A guy unexpectedly stepped in front of a car. In an attempt to avoid him, the car derailed and smashed on the roadside stall spilling vegetables and food all over the floor. Jiang Yue Lou quickly slammed on the brakes. Around the same time, a bullet grazed his shoulder through the window.
The street instantly panicked.
Something warm soaked through his sleeves where the bullets roughly scratched his flesh, but Jiang Yue Lou couldn’t care about it at the moment.
He pulled his gun out and instinctively shot twice the open window upstairs of a building on the side. Seeing figures flickering behind the curtains, he knew that the sniper was no longer there.
“Son of a bitch!”
Jiang Yue Lou cursed, then turned around and ordered the screaming Chen Keying, “Don’t cry! Get down and don’t move!”
The girl sobbed and bent down, not daring to move. Jiang Yue Lou opened the car door and threw himself out.
Chen Yu Zhi, who was rushing over, heard the gunfire as well. A bad premonition surged in his heart, he stopped, took a deep breath, and immediately started to run again. Sun Yongren was even more anxious, drew a gun, and loaded it up as he ran, “Dr. Chen, stop! Don’t go there!” But he couldn’t persuade him anymore.
Jiang Yue Lou crouched next to the car, keeping a wary eye on the building on the other side. The people on the street had long ago fled, only the wheels of a rack lying in the middle of the road were still spinning.
The windows of the three rooms on the second floor were all opened. Only four bullets remained in Jiang Yue Lou’s gun. He grabbed a stone near him and threw it to the second floor.
With a bang, the stone exploded in the air. The debris fell on the top of Jiang Yue Lou’s head. The sniper was an expert, and he didn’t know if he had an accomplice.
At this time, as a target, it was better to watch before taking the initiative, and he has to find a way to call for support.
Jiang Yue Lou was thinking tensely but he suddenly turned pale with fright. Coming from nowhere, he saw Chen Yu Zhi running through the alley panting!
“Keying!” he shouted while rushing to the car.
Jiang Yue Lou was terrified, afraid that the sniper would shoot him. He shouted to Chen Yu Zhi from the back of the car, “Go back! It’s too dangerous! Sun Yongren, don’t let him come over!”
Sun Yongren, who was following, just ran out of the alley when a bullet hit the ground under his feet.
“Oh, my mother!” Sun Yongren took a step back, “Dr. Chen, come back here!”
Chen Yu Zhi seemed to hear nothing and ran forward desperately. Jiang Yue Lou, who was about to go mad, jumped up in a hurry and rushed over regardless of life and death. The sniper was coming after him. Let’s see if you have the ability to kill Jiang Yue Lou!
But he was indeed fast, as a bullet flew past the back of his head, and his hat was lifted off. Jiang Yue Lou rushed to Chen Yu Zhi without even looking, hugged him, and pulled him back to the alley before tackling him to the ground.
“Let me go!” Chen Yu Zhi struggled desperately, shouting anxiously, “Keying! Keying is still in the car!”
“There is a sniper, you’ll die if you go now!” Jiang Yue Lou grabbed him firmly, preventing him from getting up, “Keying will be fine, she…”
An explosion sounded loud, interrupting him. The car’s fuel tank was shot, and the fire swallowed the car in an instant.
Chen Yu Zhi looked at the scene in front of him, and for a moment his heart seemed to stop beating. He screamed, pushed away Jiang Yue Lou with all his strength, got up, and ran towards the car.
Jiang Yue Lou was also stunned. The barrel on the second floor flashed and disappeared.
“Sun Yongren, go after him!”
“Yes Sir!” Sun Yongren left after receiving the order.
Jiang Yue Lou strode to catch up with Chen Yu Zhi and tightly encircled him with these arms.
“Don’t go there! The sniper may still be there!”
“Let go of me! You! Let me go!” Chen Yu Zhi completely lost his mind, and his eyes were like burning flames. He struggled frantically, his elbow hitting Jiang Yue Lou’s chest, desperately trying to get rid of Jiang Yue Lou’s hold.
“It’s too late! There is nothing you can do! It could explode again!” Jiang Yue Lou gritted his teeth and did not let go, with both hands holding Chen Yu Zhi’s chest.
“Let me go!”
Before he could say anything, the second explosion occurred. This time the impact was even more violent, and the airwave knocked both Chen Yu Zhi and Jiang Yue Lou to the ground.
Chen Yu Zhi couldn’t say a word, as if something was stuck in his throat. Unable to speak or breathe, he barely got up on his knees and crawled towards the car weakly, every step heavier and harder than the previous one. But it was too late. The entire car has been reduced to ashes. He watched the fierce flames engulf the car, swallowing his last hope.
Chen Yu Zhi was an orphan. Soon after he was born, he was placed outside of a hospital by his birth parents. The master and his wife were kind-hearted, old, and childless and decided to take him in. Master said that to improve the virtues of his house and to celebrate his arrival in their family he named him Yu Zhi. When he was a child, he was weak and often sick. The master and his wife took care of him like their own son. It seemed that the heavens acknowledged the compassion and kindness of these two old people and when Yu Zhi was eight years old, the wife gave birth to a daughter.
Keying’s favorite thing when she was young was Yu Zhi. She followed her brother wherever he went like a little tail. As long as her brother was feeding her, she would always eat nicely and neatly. Watching them, the master’s wife was laughing every time saying that Keying came to Chen’s family because she liked her brother. The master stroked his beard and nodded with a smile. His parents were both old so in the future when his sister would have to get married, he would find the right person for her. Even though Chen Yu Zhi, who was less than ten years old and was still ignorant at the time, earnestly promised to take care of his sister and made her happy and safe forever.
During Chen Yu Zhi’s last year of studying in Japan, his master fell ill. He hurriedly finished his studies and came back, only to get a chance to see the Master one last time. He was now the only man in the family. The Master entrusted his wife and younger sister to him and asked him to support the family. But it didn’t take long for his wife to die too. There were only two people left in this house, Keying and him.
And though the morgue was as cold as an ice pit, Keying’s corpse was only wrapped with a thin sheet of fabric. He couldn’t take it anymore. Chen Yu Zhi knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks onto the white cloth. He was sobbing so much that he couldn’t breathe or speak, only clutching to the shroud.
Keying was gone. He had no more family in this world. He didn’t protect his sister and couldn’t explain himself to the spirit of Master and his wife in the sky.
Chen Yu Zhi reached into his pocket and took out the hairpin he had been carrying. The morgue was cold and his hands were frozen, he only managed to take the hairpin out after trying a few times. He slowly lifted the white cloth, looked at his sister’s charred and miserable body, and bit his lip to hold back a cry. With his knees too weak to support him, Chen Yu Zhi knelt next to Keying, stretched out his fingers, and tremblingly touched her hair, the only remaining part that hadn’t been burnt.
Outside the glass door, Jiang Yue Lou kept watching in silence. His wound was roughly bandaged, and he didn’t even change his bloody clothes. After the fire was extinguished, Chen Yu Zhi didn’t say a single word, and the incoherent soul stayed in the morgue for more than an hour. Jiang Yue Lou didn’t want to disturb him, but it was really cold in the morgue, and most of the people couldn’t bear it for too long. After hesitating for a moment, he opened the door and walked in.
Chen Yu Zhi was still kneeling beside Keying, his hands trembling so badly that he couldn’t put the hairpin. Jiang Yue Lou remained silent, half-kneeling beside him. Chen Yu Zhi tried and tried again, and finally, the hairpin was clipped on Chen Keying’s hair. The young man flicked the strands of hair lightly and moved it softly as if the miserable corpse was still his lively and lovely sister.
“Sorry, Keying… Brother didn’t protect you…”
His voice was dry and weak, full of love and sadness. Jiang Yue Lou’s heart seemed to have been thrown into the hot water, shrinking in pain.
“The killer must be from Jimmatang and he came for me. I’m the one responsible for what happened to Keying, I’m sorry…”
Chen Yu Zhi didn’t seem to hear him. He straightened his sister’s hair, covered it lightly with the white cloth, and tried to stand up. He knelt for too long, staggered when he got up, but ignored Jiang Yue Lou’s outstretched hand. His face was as pale as the one of a dead man, and his body was shaking like the leaves in the wind. If Chen Yu Zhi was furious or was yelling at him, or even punching him like he did last time, Jiang Yue Lou would have felt better, but he was so painful and desperate that Jiang Yue Lou didn’t know what to say.
“…I, I apologize.” He reiterated, “I’m so sorry.”
Chen Yu Zhi took a breath and tried to hold back his tears. He slowly raised his head and looked at Jiang Yue Lou.
“It’s useless, Jiang Yue Lou. Keying will never come back again.” He said, “She was only fifteen years old. She has done nothing wrong…”
The huge grief finally overwhelmed him, and Chen Yu Zhi could no longer control his emotions.
“She did nothing wrong! Nothing! Why did she have to suffer so much torture, why did she die?! Jiang Yue Lou, I thought you said you’re going to use violence to curb violence?! It was Jinmatang that caused her to be like this! So, go destroy Jinmatang! Go! Go!”
Both Sun Yongren and Song Rong stood in the corridor, looking at the scene in the morgue in distress. It was also the first time they saw Chen Yu Zhi explode. Jiang Yue Lou lowered his head silently, without saying a word, letting Chen Yu Zhi blame him. Sun Yongren couldn’t bear it and wanted to go in and persuade him, but Song Rong grabbed his arm and shook his head.
There were footsteps on the stairs behind him. The two turned their heads at the same time and found that the person who had just arrived was Zhan Jun Bai.
“Director Zhan…” Song Rong was about to salute, but Zhan Jun Bai raised his hand to stop him.
“I heard, and decided to come to see it myself.” There was no need to ask about the situation inside, the glass door told everything.
Zhan Jun Bai sighed and blamed himself, “It is my fault. It is me who should apologize to Yu Zhi…”
“Don’t say that,” Sun Yongren prompted, “You are also kind, those who should be blamed are the people of Jinmatang.”
A lively life just faded away, at the same age as a flower. No amount of persuasion can offset regret. Several people bowed their heads and said nothing. Only Chen Yu Zhi’s painful sobbing echoed in the corridor.
In contrast to the desolate and depressing atmosphere in the police station, the atmosphere at Tianyun Garden was bustling with noiseS and excitement. The show that night had just begun, and the guests were in high spirits.
Backstage, Yu Tang Chun was stroking his eyebrows in front of the mirror, and the little junior sister Yuan Zining, as usual, was chirping beside him like a magpie.
“Seems like something urgent happened with Director Zhan tonight, the stool was not hot yet when he left in a hurry.” As she said, she was helping her brother to arrange his hair.
“Maybe there was some last-minute official business.” Yu Tang Chun said lightly.
“But he gave a reward before he left, and a lot of money!” Yuan Zining smiled and said, “He put it on your name, Shi ge!”
“Is that so?”
“Of course! I think Director Zhan is going to support you, Shi ge!” Yuan Zining was even happier than he was “This person is generous, understands opera, and respects opera singers. How rare is such a fancier!”
Yu Tang Chun put down his eyebrow pencil, looked at the younger sister in the mirror, and asked casually, “So you respect Director Zhan a lot?”
“Of course, it’s a blessing that such a person is willing to praise us!”
Yuan Zining stuck out his tongue, “But if you meet someone like his uncle, it would be calamitous!”
“His uncle?”
Yuan Zining didn’t notice the change in Yu Tang Chun’s tone, and said to herself, “Yes, Zhan Tianqing, my aunt and him are from the same town, and everyone secretly called him “Butcher Zhan”. The man burned, killed, looted, and would not shrink from any crime*. He started to kill when he was only twelve years old. The blood flooded in the place he led his soldiers. Don’t mention it, he is a monster.”
Yu Tang Chun’s breathing was a little short, he took up his veil and hid his face, and coughed a few times, concealing his emotions.
“Shi ge, what’s the matter with you?” Yuan Zining was concerned. “You should drink some water for your throat.”
“It’s nothing, it was just a bit frightening to hear.”
Yu Tang Chun took a sip of tea and wiped his lips, “How can uncle and nephew be so different from each other.”
“Who knows.” Yuan Zining shrugged, “A mother has nine children, and there are ten kinds of mothers, let alone uncle and nephew?”
She was afraid that the tea would be cold, so she hurriedly took the teacup from her brother’s hand to replace it with hot tea. Behind her, Yu Tang Chun’s eyes showed a thoughtful look.
Coming out of the police station, the sky began to drizzle again. The rain pattering at night was much colder than during the day, and the cold air seemed to penetrate the bones.
Jiang Yue Lou was holding the umbrella in his hand but didn’t open it, silently following Chen Yu Zhi a few steps behind. Chen Yu Zhi was walking in front. He knew that Jiang Yue Lou was following him, but he had no strength to object. His body was rigid and cold, and each movement weighed as much as concrete. He didn’t know when he would fall, or where he was going, he was just walking aimlessly.
He walked for an uncertain amount of time before his vision became blurry. He couldn’t feel his legs and didn’t have the energy to walk. He was about to lean against the cool wall to take a breath when he was embraced by a firm arm and carried to the bench on the side of the street.
Jiang Yue Lou held him in one hand while removing his coat in the other and placing it on the bench. He was only dressed in one layer, but that didn’t worry him. Chen Yu Zhi was groggy and unable to struggle, so he had to sit on the bench. Jiang Yue Lou hesitated before taking a seat beside him.
After a short rest, Chen Yu Zhi regained some consciousness. He sat up slowly, leaning on the back of the chair to get up.
“You should rest a little more.” The person next to him said, “You should regain some strength before you go.”
After saying that, Jiang Yue Lou got up first and stood a few steps away, “You don’t want to see me so I would just stay away.”
He turned around, took out a cigarette under the streetlight and held it between his lips, and felt his pocket for a match, only to remember that the coat with the match was lying under Chen Yu Zhi’s body. Jiang Yue Lou rolled the cigarette into a ball and threw it on the ground, turning his head to look at Chen Yu Zhi.
“If you still have the strength, you can scold me. You can curse me as bad as you want.”
He said, “It’s better to vent it all out than to hold it in your heart.”
“……I am sorry.”
Jiang Yue Lou froze for a while before he understood what he had just said.
“You are not to blame for Keying’s death, so you don’t need to blame yourself…”
Chen Yu Zhi raised his head, his eyes fell on the bandage wrapped around his arm, “You even get hurt, for her…”
“The one that Jinmatang wanted to kill was me.” Jiang Yue Lou stated, “Keying’s death was only caused by of me…”
“No, if they wanted to kill you, they would have hit the gas tank and detonated the car at the beginning… they won’t have to wait for you to get out of the car.” Chen Yu Zhi shook his head, “They were not going to kill you, nor me. From the beginning, Keying was destined to be a victim.”
He spoke slowly, and there was anger hidden in his calm intonation.
“Keying’s abduction may have been accidental, but this incident must be deliberately designed by those people. They want me to blame you for Keying’s death and isolate you, to hinder your actions.”
Something choked in Jiang Yue Lou’s throat, making him speechless. He never admitted to Chen Yu Zhi, but this young man’s calmness, tenacity, and sobriety impressed him from the very beginning. Even though he was now grieving, he did not lose his mind nor passed his resentment onto the others.
“I… if I’d been more cautious and precautious…”
“I’m Keying’s brother and it happened because I wasn’t there to protect her as I should have.”
Chen Yu Zhi said, “But having regret is useless. I will work with you and help you treat your disease and help with your investigation. Those wicked want to separate us and I will never let them!”
He clenched his fists as if he was taking an oath to his sister’s spirit in the sky.
Jiang Yue Lou wanted to say something and ask for Chen Yu Zhi’s forgiveness, but he knew that the other party no longer blamed him. Chen Yu Zhi didn’t want an apology. They are chasing the same purpose. Jiang Yue Lou walked in front of Yu Zhi, bent over to support his shoulders, and solemnly promised, “I, Jiang Yue Lou, swear to you that I will eliminate Jinmatang and return Jingcheng to a clear and bright city. I will not let Chen Keying’s tragedy happen again!”
Chen Yu Zhi raised his eyes. His eyes were red and swollen, but also resolute and determined.
“En, I trust you.”
The bond of ‘brotherhood’ has been established!
I feel sorry for that little girl who was used as cannon fodder…🙁
Yes, the girl is the most pitiable one! Poor victim of such powerful people’s evil scheming plot 🙁
Thank you for the chapter!
My eyes are swollen 😢 poor keying
This chapter was so sad, poor little girl😭😭😭
And CYZ as such strong personality, despite all his sadness he is not blaming JYL for what just happened and still manages to figure out that his sister’s killing was planned!!!!
And now CYZ and JYL are inseparables!!! ❤❤❤
Tbh, I didn’t hate the drug lords in early chapters; I mean they didn’t force the victims to smoke opium, people chose to ruin themselves. But now what the heck? They just bombed a little girl in front of her brother just to create a discord between the two. Is human life that cheap? That innocent and pitiful girl was burned into charcoal!
Btw, does this novel have a side couple?
Yes, Zhan and Boss Yu 🙂