Lu Linjiang didn’t leave the City Bureau building until after nine in the evening. He had tracked down Cheng Hao’s parents at a luxury resort in the suburbs and brought them back to the station. He watched as the elderly couple cycled from sobbing in each other's arms to flying into a rage, and then back to sobbing again. They had spent the entire afternoon clamoring, yet he hadn't gained a single shred of useful information. Cheng Hao was dead set on his course, stubbornly insisting that he had acted alone. Even as his aging parents stood before him in agonizing distress, he didn't waver in the slightest.
Left with no other choice, Lu Linjiang sent the couple home. It was only when he was finally alone in his car that he felt his throbbing head get a moment of relief from the noise. Despite a day of fruitless labor, his mood lightened at the thought of going home. Over the past few days, he had found time to move all his luggage downstairs. Although he was still living alone, Wang Ling had already teased him for his "unilateral forced cohabitation."
Lu Linjiang didn't care about Wang Ling’s banter. Carrying a takeout container in one hand, he calculated how he might coax some information out of Jiang Cheng while watching the floor numbers flicker on the elevator display. As he neared his destination, he realized he had been so busy all day that he hadn't even sent Jiang Cheng a message.
He pulled out his keys as he walked, wondering if he should tell Jiang Cheng he had officially moved in, only to find someone standing in front of his door. Hearing the movement, the person turned around, and both men froze.
"Why are you back?"
Jiang Cheng had been knocking for a while with no response. Just as he was feeling at a loss, the person he was looking for appeared right behind him. He had traveled all the way from San Francisco back to Jinghai, going nearly twenty-four hours without sleep. He had been in a daze the entire time, and it was only upon hearing Lu Linjiang’s voice that he seemed to snap back from the void into reality.
The initial surge of joy Lu Linjiang felt at seeing him faded in an instant. Jiang Cheng was dressed in a formal suit, carrying only a single backpack, looking half-distraught as he stood before the door. Lu Linjiang stepped forward and touched Jiang Cheng’s forehead; it was ice-cold.
"What happened? Why did you come back so suddenly?"
Jiang Cheng’s tongue felt tied. After reading that letter, his mind had been filled with nothing but Lu Linjiang’s safety. He hadn't dared to call or email; his body had simply followed its instincts, flying all the way back from San Francisco just to confirm the other man was alright. Now, looking at Lu Linjiang, his senses had returned, but he was unprepared and had no idea where to begin.
Lu Linjiang pulled him into the apartment. "How did you get so cold?"
Jiang Cheng was wearing a standard three-piece suit—formal enough, but useless against the chill. On a spring night without air conditioning, he felt as though he had just stepped out of an ice cellar. Lu Linjiang turned on the heater and, still worried, rummaged through a box on the floor to find a blanket to wrap around Jiang Cheng.
As his body warmed, Jiang Cheng’s brain finally began to function. He looked at Lu Linjiang, who was crouching in front of him, and slowly organized his words. "I went to San Francisco with Professor Stanley for a funeral."
"A funeral?"
"Yes, Professor Worth’s funeral." Jiang Cheng wanted to continue, but the phone in his pocket suddenly began to vibrate incessantly. His heart skipped a beat, and only then did he realize Lu Linjiang was holding his hands.
Lu Linjiang reached out to pull the phone from Jiang Cheng's pocket. When he saw the name on the screen, his brow furrowed, and a rare expression of pure disgust crossed his face.
Jiang Cheng’s expression shifted the moment he saw the name *Jiang Langmin*. He immediately snatched the phone away and whispered a stern warning: "Don't make a sound."
Lu Linjiang’s frown deepened, feeling the bizarre sensation that he was caught in some illicit affair.
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath before answering the call.
"Are you still busy?" Jiang Langmin’s voice came through the phone. His tone was the same as always, yet it made Jiang Cheng’s skin crawl.
He cleared his throat and replied, "Yeah, I'm alright."
Jiang Langmin seemed to sigh. "I've been quite busy lately. I only found out when I called the lab that you've left Hughes. Why didn't you discuss such a major decision with me?"
"...I didn't want to stay at Hughes for reasons other than my own merit."
Jiang Langmin said helplessly, "I don't want us to be so distant. Besides, you have more than enough talent. Pierre was only targeting you for his own personal reasons."
Jiang Cheng remained silent. He hadn't yet figured out how to face Jiang Langmin, so he stuck to the principle of 'the less said, the better.' Jiang Langmin noticed his reticence and, perhaps assuming he was depressed about leaving Hughes, changed the subject. "Since you've already left, let's not talk about that. Do you have any plans?"
"I... I'll finish my thesis defense first. Everything else can wait until after that's done."
Jiang Langmin hummed thoughtfully. "Jiang Cheng, remember to come to me if you need any help, okay?"
Jiang Cheng gave a soft grunt of affirmation. Lu Linjiang, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor and had overheard most of the conversation, raised an eyebrow in dissatisfaction. He desperately wanted to mock Jiang Langmin’s presumptuous behavior, but Jiang Cheng had explicitly told him to shut up. Lu Linjiang suppressed his frustration and began mentally organizing his words, planning to present all the suspicious points regarding Jiang Langmin to Jiang Cheng so the younger man would stay far away from him.
Jiang Cheng and Jiang Langmin shared a moment of silence on opposite ends of the line before Jiang Cheng finally said, "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
Jiang Langmin’s tone audibly dropped. "Alright. Don't forget what I said. If you run into trouble, you can ask for my help anytime."
"Jiang Langmin might—"
"There's something wrong with Jiang Langmin. He's likely the one behind the data tampering, and even Professor Worth’s death might be related to him."
Lu Linjiang wasn't fast enough to beat Jiang Cheng to the punch. Hearing Jiang Cheng blurt out exactly what he had been thinking, Lu Linjiang realized the younger man had even added a new piece of information. "Professor Worth? Wayne Worth?"
Jiang Cheng nodded. He pulled his hand back from Lu Linjiang’s grasp and handed over the letter from his pocket, his face flushing involuntarily. Lu Linjiang glanced at him before looking down to read the letter. He immediately asked the same question Jiang Cheng had: "The letter was sent on the 22nd. Tao Minxing should have already passed away by then."
Jiang Cheng told Lu Linjiang about Worth’s computer. "I suspect Professor Tao was afraid something would happen, so he saved a copy in a scheduling software and set a trigger condition. That’s why the email was sent two days after he died. But I think Jiang Langmin likely discovered this, which is why Professor Worth’s computer was wiped clean. Look at this letter; he didn't even print it directly, probably to avoid leaving a trail."
"That makes sense," Lu Linjiang agreed. "It’s a pity there’s no concrete evidence in here, but this is enough. I don't believe Jiang Langmin could leave absolutely no trace." Lu Linjiang sat on the floor, tilting his head up slightly. He tucked the letter away and then took Jiang Cheng’s hand again, unceremoniously prying his palm open. Lu Linjiang watched as their fingers interlaced, feeling very satisfied to see Jiang Cheng’s face turn red again.
"Let's set the issue of Jiang Langmin aside for a moment. I have a question I want to ask first. Why did you come back so suddenly?"
Jiang Cheng tried to pull his hand back, but with Lu Linjiang refusing to cooperate, he couldn't move an inch. He gave up the struggle and looked into Lu Linjiang’s smiling eyes, saying somewhat reluctantly, "I don't know."
"Oh?" The smile in Lu Linjiang’s eyes deepened.
Jiang Cheng turned his head slightly. "After I read the letter and spoke with Worth’s two sons, I had a terrifying realization."
Lu Linjiang’s smile faded slightly as he waited patiently for Jiang Cheng to finish.
"Professor Worth fell ill right after attending Professor Tao’s funeral. Combined with Professor Tao’s suspicions in the letter, it’s hard for me not to have dark thoughts about Worth’s sudden illness. If Jiang Langmin really did it, then Worth likely contracted the virus at the funeral." Jiang Cheng’s eyes gradually began to redden. "At the time, Professor Worth asked me to hand him a glass of water. That glass..."
"That glass of water was given to me by Jiang Langmin." Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and looked at Lu Linjiang. "I might have unknowingly become Jiang Langmin’s accomplice."
"Jiang Cheng..."
"I know what you want to say," Jiang Cheng interrupted. "But I can't stop myself from suspecting it, and I'm afraid I might have helped him with other things without knowing. I'm even more afraid that if you investigate him like this, he might use the same methods against you to get rid of you."
"I wanted to know if you were okay, so I came back."
Lu Linjiang finally pulled him into a hug. "I'm fine. I don't have a fever, a cold, or even a cough, which is why I can hold you like this with such peace of mind." His free hand slowly stroked Jiang Cheng’s back. "Don't worry. I'm fine."
Under the glow of an exquisite crystal chandelier, Jiang Langmin held his phone with an expressionless face. On the coffee table before him sat a laptop. A map was displayed on the screen, and a red dot was flashing.
"You've truly disappointed me."
***
