Neither of them spoke first. Lu Linjiang couldn't find the words, and Jiang Cheng seemed to have no desire for conversation. After a brief moment of eye contact, they both turned their gaze toward the window in unison.
The food arrived quickly. Lu Linjiang breathed a secret sigh of relief; at least now he had something to do.
"Eat while it's hot."
"I have something to tell you."
The two men, who had been silent for so long, spoke at the same time. Lu Linjiang, chopsticks in hand, looked at Jiang Cheng with a hint of surprise before setting them down again. "Go ahead."
"No need." Jiang Cheng shot a quick glance around, ensuring that even the nearest waiter wouldn't overhear their conversation before continuing, "Listen to me while you eat."
Lu Linjiang felt a strange tug in his chest. He slowly picked up his chopsticks. "Alright."
"Is it certain that Professor Tao died of natural causes?"
Lu Linjiang’s chopsticks tapped against his small bone plate. He asked hesitantly, "Why do you ask?"
Jiang Cheng’s expression finally showed a flicker of emotion, his brows furrowing slightly. "I understand that you can't disclose details before a case is closed. However, even with heart failure, sometimes... it isn't entirely caused by disease."
The chopsticks moved slightly against the plate. Lu Linjiang, who had appeared relaxed just a moment ago, gradually tensed up. "Do you realize what you're saying?"
"I do." Jiang Cheng looked Lu Linjiang straight in the eye. "The onset of a disease must have a trigger. The question is whether that trigger was an accident, a coincidence, or..."
In Lu Linjiang’s memory, Jiang Cheng’s eyes had always been moist and filled with a hint of a smile. Now, those pupils were only a deep, dark black, so profound they seemed capable of pulling a person in.
"Why would you think that?"
"I have my reasons for suspicion."
"What reasons?"
Jiang Cheng was clearly stumped by the question. This was the first time since their reunion that Lu Linjiang saw hesitation on his face. He watched Jiang Cheng intently, but after a moment, the other man shook his head. "I can't say. At least for now, I'm not sure if it's appropriate to speak of it."
Lu Linjiang suddenly laughed. He felt that perhaps he was so overwhelmed by guilt and the desire to make amends that he had almost let himself be led into a trap. "If it's as you say, and there’s another cause, then based on the information we currently have, you would likely be the prime suspect."
Jiang Cheng froze, staring blankly at Lu Linjiang. This reaction finally allowed Lu Linjiang to see a glimpse of the person he once knew.
"Everything is following procedure. But since you’ve put it that way, I’ll have the forensic doctor perform a toxicology screen tomorrow just in case." He picked up a piece of winter bamboo shoot from a dish, paused for a second, and then placed it in Jiang Cheng’s bowl. "Let’s just eat first."
After that, it was as if a mute button had been pressed on their surroundings. Aside from the occasional clink of cutlery, not a single word was exchanged throughout the meal, making the sound of chewing seem unnaturally loud. Lu Linjiang was not naturally gifted at small talk—he was the type who couldn't squeeze out a word if his life depended on it. As for Jiang Cheng, who hadn't been influenced by Lu Linjiang's taciturn nature despite being around him for so many years, he had somehow become as tight-lipped as a sealed gourd.
The meal lasted barely half an hour. Jiang Cheng was clearly disinterested, and Lu Linjiang, having passed the point of hunger, had little appetite. They were like a pair of blind dates who hadn't hit it off, perfunctorily eating a few bites out of politeness to make it look like they’d touched the food, then waiting for someone to lose patience and say goodbye first.
"I'm finished." Jiang Cheng set down his chopsticks. Lu Linjiang, who was exhausted from the pretense, swallowed his last mouthful of rice.
"I'll walk you back."
"No need." Jiang Cheng put on his scarf and hat. "It's right next door. Don't trouble yourself."
Lu Linjiang wanted to say, *Why are you acting like such a stranger?* but the words rolled around his tongue and failed to come out. In that moment of hesitation, Jiang Cheng had already stepped outside. Lu Linjiang hurriedly settled the bill.
By the time he caught up, Jiang Cheng had already walked a fair distance. Lu Linjiang swung his long legs and caught up in a few strides. "I'll still walk you."
Jiang Cheng’s hands were tucked into his coat pockets. He looked at the approaching Lu Linjiang and suddenly asked, "Is it because of guilt?"
Lu Linjiang: "..."
"Back then, I was the one who was willing and you were the one who wasn't. Strictly speaking, I was the one who caused you trouble. So much time has passed; please don't take it to heart anymore."
Jiang Cheng spoke sincerely, yet his face remained expressionless. He stood there under the neon lights of the cold night. If it weren't for the white mist of his breath, Lu Linjiang would have thought the person before him wasn't real.
His inner thoughts exposed, Lu Linjiang stood there awkwardly. Jiang Cheng ignored the obvious discomfort and tucked his sharp edges away again. "Please, don't come any further. I'll be going now."
Lu Linjiang watched his silhouette disappear at the intersection, eventually letting out a long trail of white mist from his mouth. He stood by the roadside like a wooden post for a while before finally pulling out his phone and dialing a number. "Wang Ling, what are you doing?"
Wang Ling was a "code monkey." Usually, he was either working overtime or on his way to work overtime. Hearing Lu Linjiang’s voice, he gave a disgruntled huff. "Nonsense. What do you think I'm doing?"
Lu Linjiang skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Jiang Cheng is back."
Wang Ling’s fingers stopped clicking on the keyboard. He shook his wrist and leaned back against his chair. "Huh? He looked for you?"
"No, we crossed paths on a case. We just had dinner."
"He didn't poison you?" Without waiting for Lu Linjiang’s answer, Wang Ling teased him, "If we're talking about a kind heart, it has to be Little Orange. If it were me, I’d at least make you have the runs for a few days."
Lu Linjiang listened quietly, only finding a chance to interject once the other man finished. "Come out for a drink."
Wang Ling glanced at his screen. "Fine, wait for me. Your treat."
Carrying his laptop bag, Wang Ling found Lu Linjiang in a corner of the bar. He irritably tossed his hat and bag onto a stool, grabbed Lu Linjiang’s drink, and took a sip. "What were you thinking, coming here?"
"It's close." Lu Linjiang gestured for a waiter to take an order. Seeing Wang Ling’s skeptical look, he explained, "Jiang Cheng is staying at the International Hotel right behind us."
Wang Ling’s expression shifted to one of understanding as he slowly took off his coat. "What’s this about? Planning to get yourself drunk so you can go over there and get on your knees to apologize?"
Lu Linjiang shot him a glare. "Can you be serious for once?"
"I can't. Being as serious as you are is how you drive a partner away. I can't learn that."
Over the years, Lu Linjiang had grown accustomed to Wang Ling’s jabs; his brain automatically filtered out the keywords. He silently took a sip of his drink, letting Wang Ling ramble in his ear.
Wang Ling talked until his throat was dry, took a sip of his drink to moisten it, and unceremoniously tapped the table in front of Lu Linjiang. "Crossed paths on a case? Is Little Orange okay?"
"For now, yes." Lu Linjiang swallowed some liquor and set the glass down heavily on the table.
Wang Ling had grown up with him and knew his speech patterns inside out. He stopped mid-drink and held his glass up. "What does that mean?"
Lu Linjiang looked at him, squeezing the words out one by one: "I can't say until the case is closed."
The two men locked eyes. Wang Ling set his glass down. "Little Orange isn't on the outside?"
Lu Linjiang nodded.
"In that orchard... there can't be just one fruit, right?"
"This harvest wasn't very good. Just one."
Wang Ling almost jumped off his stool. "Holy crap, no way! What kind of mess is this?"
"Don't get worked up. Nothing is settled yet."
Wang Ling sat half-suspended in the air, carefully observing Lu Linjiang’s face. "Are you... out of your mind?" He sat back down heavily and downed his drink. "Can you just say it plainly? Code monkeys die young as it is; are you trying to speed up the process for me? Let me make it clear: you're not in my will!"
Lu Linjiang ignored him and looked down to fiddle with his phone. Just as Wang Ling was about to snap at him, he felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a phone number—sent by Lu Linjiang, who was sitting right across from him.
***
