When Bai Shi approached the house across the street, he saw clearly that the lights were out. The dark building didn't emit a single flicker of light; only three lamp posts stood on the lawn in the yard. It made sense—it was past midnight, and Proffice and Vanessa should have been asleep. Even though Bai Shi had told Pei Cangyu he was coming over, he had waited until after dinner to make his move.
Bai Shi turned to glance back at his own home. He saw Pei Cangyu watching him anxiously from upstairs, clutching a golf club in his hand, looking as if he would come charging over the moment a command was given.
Bai Shi tested the fence gate and found it unlocked. He pushed it open gently and walked inside.
His footsteps were quiet as he made his way to the door. He gave it a tentative pull, and as expected, it opened. Everything seemed prepared. Bai Shi let out a small smirk and stepped inside.
The house was shrouded in darkness. Guided by a sliver of distant moonlight, he could make out the location of the kitchen. Aside from that area, the entire first floor was draped in heavy curtains, making it terrifyingly dark.
The moment Bai Shi took a step forward, he heard a sharp *clack*—the sound of a shotgun being chambered. Then, the figure sitting in the brown single-seater sofa ahead moved, clicking on the desk lamp on the side table. The pull cord swayed slowly. The green-shaded lamp cast a dim, yellowish glow, illuminating the side of Proffice’s face with an eerie light. The shotgun rested across his lap; he steadied the weapon with one hand while the other raised a wine glass. He took a sip, set it down, and pointed the dark muzzle directly at Bai Shi.
"Good evening, Mr. Bai," he said.
Bai Shi let out a low whistle. "What kind of gun?"
"A NOVA." Proffice tilted his chin, gesturing toward the furniture. "Why don't you have a seat? Sit."
Bai Shi noted the veins bulging on the hand Proffice used to steady the gun. He clicked his tongue and sat on the sofa opposite him. Placing his hands on the armrests, he adjusted his posture, crossed his legs, and looked at the man calmly.
"I could shoot you dead for trespassing," Proffice said, his smile remaining fixed, though it didn't reach his eyes.
Bai Shi looked at him. "Why bother? I haven't even started talking yet."
Proffice sighed. "Should I listen?"
Bai Shi nodded. "You should."
Proffice gave a cold laugh. "And why is that?"
Bai Shi shrugged. "Because even with a gun pointed at me, I can still kill you."
He spoke those words with total nonchalance, devoid of the panic expected from someone at a disadvantage. This deeply annoyed Proffice, who was accustomed to being in control. He frowned. "Five minutes."
"I won't need that long." Bai Shi waved a hand, uncrossed his legs, and leaned forward. "I'm here to strike a deal."
"What kind of deal?"
Bai Shi glanced toward the upper floor. "Regarding Vanessa."
Proffice’s expression didn't flicker. "How much do you know?"
"Enough to ruin you."
Proffice wasn't intimidated. He tilted his chin up. "Speak."
"Vanessa is three months shy of fifteen, and she’s had three abortions. Let’s count them. The first was when she was twelve, just as you started dating her mother. The second was at thirteen, two months before her mother’s car accident. The third was last month—oh, and that’s why she hasn't been to school lately." Bai Shi looked at him. "Is that enough?"
Proffice laughed after hearing this, rubbing his chin. "She’s quite good at getting pregnant, isn't she?"
Bai Shi smiled thinly. "I’m not in the mood for jokes."
Proffice’s face went cold. "Then, is there any evidence to prove it was me?"
Bai Shi didn't speak.
Proffice spread one hand. "This girl has been messing around with boys since she was twelve, causing so much trouble. It’s a shame her mother played the piano in the church; how could she have shown her face if word got out?" He pointed to himself. "Fortunately, I was her mother’s boyfriend. I vouched for that woman’s character and even married her to give them a stable home. Even after she passed away, I’ve been taking care of the daughter she always viewed as a nuisance."
Bai Shi smiled. "Very persuasive."
Proffice arched an eyebrow. "Isn't it?"
"I found the doctor who performed the abortions back then. Don't look at me like that—I have the means to find a few doctors who operate in the underworld. Anyway, he performed the abortions when she was twelve and thirteen. The mother, who had been following her, found out. He didn't talk, but after she interrogated Vanessa, you were outed—so, you killed your wife, didn't you?"
Proffice said with a smile, "No." His eyes were full of admiration. "However, that doctor told you quite easily. He wouldn't say such things to a stranger. You must have a much closer connection to him. Care to elaborate?"
Bai Shi waved it off. "That’s not the point. From the looks of it, for the third abortion, you switched doctors. Why?"
Proffice shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I’m a busy man; I didn't know these things were happening to her."
Ignoring his posturing, Bai Shi continued, "I have a theory I wanted to ask you about."
Proffice nodded, waiting for him to speak.
Bai Shi pointed upstairs. "That’s not Vanessa, is it?"
Proffice watched him calmly.
"Vanessa is dead, isn't she?"
Proffice smiled. "Has your imagination always been this vivid?"
Bai Shi leaned back against the sofa. "At first, I thought you switched doctors to avoid suspicion, but the car accident was strange. I took a trip to the hospital where you were treated after the crash."
Proffice let out a surprised sigh. "My god, you’re so diligent. I’m almost embarrassed."
Bai Shi ignored him. "To keep it short, I think both Vanessa and her mother died there. The reason you switched doctors for the third abortion was because the blood type had changed. You did it to avoid suspicion."
Proffice nodded as if listening to a story. "And then? Why would they both die there? What’s the motive?"
"The cemetery." Bai Shi looked at him. "You didn't bring her body back; instead, you buried her on the spot. Is it because there are two people in that coffin?"
"Where’s the evidence?" Proffice shook his head. "You can't do anything without evidence. The hospital issued death certificates."
Bai Shi reached toward the inner pocket of his jacket. Proffice’s gun immediately tracked the movement. Bai Shi raised his hand slightly, signaling he was just getting something.
He pulled several photographs from his pocket, placed them on the table, and gave them a flick. The photos slid in front of Proffice.
Proffice looked down. The photos showed the corpses of a mother and daughter huddled together, already decayed to the bone.
Proffice stared for a few moments, then looked up with a wistful expression, sighing. "Should I have cremated them?"
Bai Shi nodded. "Yes. I don't know why you buried them like that."
"Sigh, there was no time. Cremation draws too much attention." Proffice gave Bai Shi a reproachful look. "Digging up someone else's grave... that’s not very appropriate, is it?"
Bai Shi shrugged. "I had someone else dig it."
Proffice rubbed his chin. "Oh, so you have accomplices."
Bai Shi fell silent. He realized he had just said too much.
He changed the subject. "You have accomplices too. Being able to tamper with hospital records in the neighboring town is no simple feat."
Proffice stared at him and smiled. For a moment, his expression resembled a vulture. "You’re the one. In such a short time, you investigate whatever you want, however you want. Between the two of us, you’re the more dangerous one."
Bai Shi frowned, his expression one of slight disbelief, as if stating the obvious. "Yeah. You just realized that?"
Proffice didn't respond. Bai Shi shifted his posture to get more comfortable. "So, I’m here to negotiate. This is your one and only chance."
Proffice brushed his hand behind his ear and made an elegant "please" gesture, his smile not reaching his eyes. "I’m all ears."
Bai Shi looked at him. "Send that girl—whatever her name is—away to a boarding school. She doesn't need to come back. Give her up, and I can let you go." Bai Shi gave a magnanimous nod. "After all, I’m about to become your friendly neighbor."
Proffice began to laugh, as if watching a toddler try to commit a robbery. "Why are you so invested in this?"
Bai Shi didn't answer. He only said, "As for what you do outside of here, or who you’re in league with, I won't ask. Where you found her and what you did to her—let bygones be bygones. How about it?"
"You certainly talk big. Quite the high-and-mighty posture."
"I’m thinking of you. You’re a man of status."
Proffice nodded. "Not bad. The terms are good. I like the phrase 'let bygones be bygones.' However," he shifted the gun in his hands, "I have a better idea."
Bai Shi clicked his tongue impatiently. "I told you not to rely on that. You can't win."
"What?" Proffice looked at the gun in his hand. "Oh, no, no. Not this." He reached under the table, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Bai Shi.
Bai Shi glanced at him and slowly took it.
Proffice watched him open the envelope and smiled. "Look at us. Don't we look like pen pals opening Christmas presents?"
***
Bai Shi stared at the photos of Fei Zuohua and the others.
A bell rang in the hall.
Proffice tilted his head, glancing toward the door. "I bet it’s him. What do you think?"
Bai Shi looked up from the photos, silent.
The bell rang again.
Proffice sighed with a smile. "He’s so impatient. Should I go open the door?"
"What do you want?"
"We’ll have to discuss that slowly. First, you’d better tell the one at the door to go back."
Bai Shi watched him for a moment, then took out his phone and sent a text to Pei Cangyu, saying he’d be back soon and not to worry. Pei Cangyu insisted on hearing his voice, so Bai Shi had no choice but to make a brief call.
When he put the phone down, Proffice was looking at him with a meaningful smile. "A kidnapper, Mr. Bai. I knew there was something off about you."
Bai Shi gestured with the photos. "What did they tell you?"
Proffice didn't answer. Instead, he said, "That young man leading them... he really seems to hate you."
Bai Shi watched him.
"They’ve made quite a few preparations. Once they find you, they’ll have a way to arrest you. Even if the boy you’re living with doesn't testify, if they take you back to your previous residence where you killed someone, there will be people there who recognize you." Proffice analyzed the situation for him. "What will you do? In my opinion, you should deal with that boy first. That way, they won't have direct evidence to launch an investigation. Afterward, you can find an excellent lawyer. I’m sure you have the means. It might take some time, but you won't lose in the end. What do you say, Mr. Bai?"
Bai Shi said nothing.
Proffice leaned back. He was very relaxed now. "For a kidnapped person, he’s far too leisurely. Does a victim worry about their kidnapper? Is he suffering from that... Stock—"
Bai Shi interrupted him. "What do you want?"
Proffice sat up straight. "It’s simple. I already said it. We open our presents and each take what we need."
Bai Shi looked down and chuckled, then raised his face. "Are you threatening me?"
Proffice mimicked Bai Shi’s earlier tone, frowning theatrically. "Yeah. You just realized that?"
Bai Shi didn't speak. Proffice watched him, unhurried, his finger tapping idly on the gun barrel as he chatted casually. "Do you know how many of them there are? Are they all in the photos? There are four—no, five. There’s a new policeman running errands for them. I heard they chased you all the way from Montenegro. Montenegro... I’ve never been there..."
Bai Shi looked up and cut him off. "Where did the girl upstairs come from?"
"Tsk." Proffice set the gun down and rubbed his chin. "When the slums were being redeveloped, the children were sent to adoption agencies and taken in by families. But in these matters, there are always those who don't fare so well."
"So you brought her here to deflect suspicion, and to satisfy yourself while you're at it?"
Proffice smiled. "When you put it like that, it makes me sound a bit sinister. But don't you also kidnap and domesticate victims, kill to silence witnesses, and live a life on the run?"
Bai Shi smiled as well. "True. When you put it like that, it makes me sound like a total psycho."
Proffice clapped his free hand. "So, do we have a deal?"
Bai Shi stared at him. "It’s been a long time since anyone threatened me."
Proffice stood up and extended his hand, looking exactly like someone at a contract signing. "Then take this chance to remember the feeling."
Bai Shi stood up slowly and took his hand. "For now."
Proffice smiled. "Of course. I’m having a gathering this Friday. Not many people, but you’re welcome to come."
***
When Bai Shi returned with his newly minted, fragile agreement, Pei Cangyu jumped up from the sofa and ran over barefoot. "How did it go?"
Bai Shi shrugged and went to get a glass of water. "It was fine."
"'Fine'? What does that mean? Is he...? Are they...? And then? What about her?" Pei Cangyu fired off questions like a machine gun.
Bai Shi set the glass down and looked into Pei Cangyu’s clear eyes. For a fleeting moment, a surge of guilt washed over him. He understood that intimacy was built on trust. Pei Cangyu had already accepted all his thorns—the thorns he had tried so hard to hide. This should have been a moment for honesty, but he had an ominous premonition.
"It’s like this." Bai Shi placed his hands on Pei Cangyu’s shoulders, lowering his head slightly to look at him, drawing closer. "I think we misunderstood him."
***
