Pei Cangyu’s eyes widened the moment he heard those words. He pointed a finger at himself. "Me? I fucking didn't! You..."
But his middle school classmate had already crouched down, flipped the man’s body over, and placed a finger under his nose.
Pei Cangyu looked down at him and asked cautiously, "Is he really dead?"
The classmate looked up. "Dead."
A jolt of electricity seemed to surge through Pei Cangyu’s body, leaving his mind a chaotic mess. It took him a long while to squeeze out a sentence: "...It really wasn't me..."
The classmate stood up and told him, "This area is a wasteland; there are no surveillance cameras." The implication was clear: no one could prove his innocence.
Pei Cangyu’s spirit deflated, but then he suddenly grabbed the other man. "You believe it wasn't me, right?"
The classmate stepped back imperceptibly. "It’s hard to say right now."
Pei Cangyu glanced at the blood on the man's clothes and pointed. "You’ve got blood on your clothes too... You must have gotten it when you touched him just now..."
The classmate nodded and brushed at his clothes. "Yeah. I really shouldn't have checked him."
Pei Cangyu scratched his hair irritably, staring at the man on the ground. After a moment of thought, he pulled out his phone, preparing to make a call.
The classmate tilted his head, looking down at him. "Pei Cangyu, right?"
Pei Cangyu’s hand paused mid-report. He looked up. "Yeah, you still remember. Uh, I think we were deskmates in middle school..." He wanted to call the classmate by name, but he couldn't remember it. The situation was a bit awkward.
Pei Cangyu noticed the classmate’s face suddenly turn cold, though it was quickly replaced by a gentle, shallow smile. "My name is Bai Shi. We were deskmates for a long time."
"Oh." Pei Cangyu nodded. He stole a glance at the corpse on the ground. *This guy... can he really smile in a situation like this?*
"Are you going to call the police?" Bai Shi asked him.
Pei Cangyu nodded. "Someone died."
Bai Shi fell into thought for a moment, then looked at him again. "Perhaps it’s better not to call them."
Pei Cangyu stared at him blankly.
Bai Shi pointed at the alleyway. "There’s no surveillance in this district. Regardless of where you came from, you’ve disappeared from the traceable surveillance system for at least fifteen minutes. Besides, you’re covered in blood, and your fingerprints are on that knife handle. How are you going to explain that?"
"I’ll... I’ll just tell the truth. I just walked in and stumbled upon him... and then..."
As Bai Shi watched him, Pei Cangyu’s voice grew smaller and smaller.
Bai Shi pointed to himself. "I’m covered in blood too, and I touched the knife when I checked him." Bai Shi shrugged. "I don't know about your situation, but I don't want to get involved with the police. I don't trust them much."
Pei Cangyu held his phone, feeling utterly lost. He looked at the body, then at Bai Shi, wanting to say something but not knowing how to express it. Bai Shi’s voice was calm yet carried a hint of seduction, his tone rising and falling like an invitation, yet the words he spoke were incredibly forceful. For a moment, Pei Cangyu felt like he was back in middle school.
Slowing his pace, Bai Shi added with a touch of tenderness, "Also, though it’s a private matter, I’d rather others didn't know I was here. It would affect my work."
Pei Cangyu looked at his middle school classmate with a face full of worry, then suddenly remembered something. "Wait, that’s right. Why *are* you here?"
Before Bai Shi could answer, a pair of men walked past the mouth of the dim street behind them.
"How did he fuck you? Like this..."
"Aren't you annoying? We're outside, talk about it later..."
The two men, huddled together and laughing, quickly passed the street outside the dark alley.
Realization dawned on Pei Cangyu. He felt a bit embarrassed as he looked at Bai Shi. "...So you... are you still gay?"
Bai Shi seemed to freeze for a second, but he immediately lowered his eyes and didn't answer.
Pei Cangyu sighed. "Oh, right... Have you still not told your family that you're gay? ...You should find a chance to tell them, otherwise..."
Bai Shi looked up and interrupted him. "So, I don't want to call the police. Do you understand?"
Pei Cangyu gripped his phone tightly and lowered his head, seemingly struggling internally. "...But you're an adult now. Would your family still send you to a mental hospital?..."
Bai Shi fell silent.
Pei Cangyu slowly put his phone back into his pocket.
Bai Shi spoke again. "It’s time to go. You don't want to be seen, do you?"
Pei Cangyu paused. "Then he..."
"Someone will find him in the morning."
Pei Cangyu hesitated for a moment, then slowly turned around. He took two steps while Bai Shi watched him from behind.
But he quickly turned back. "What about you?"
Bai Shi pointed in the opposite direction. "I came from that way."
"Then your... you know..." Pei Cangyu always felt a bit awkward saying such things. "What about that person?..."
"It’s over. He left."
"Oh."
Pei Cangyu turned around dully again, walking with slow steps toward the exit of the alley.
As he walked, he remembered the man’s eyes—staring straight at him, filled with despair. Why was he running out? Where was he trying to go?
Pei Cangyu couldn't forget that look. If he left like this, without any explanation, his conscience would give him nightmares all night.
He gripped his phone, gritted his teeth, and turned around, sprinting back.
The man’s body was still in the alley. Bai Shi was walking in the other direction but turned back when he heard the footsteps.
Pei Cangyu held up his phone. "I don't think I can do it. This guy dying here like this is too senseless. What if no one finds him? You go. I won't say I saw you."
Bai Shi paused, saying nothing.
Pei Cangyu waved Bai Shi away while dialing the number. "Go, just go."
The call went through.
Pei Cangyu reported the incident and the location. Following the police's instructions, he stood at the scene to wait. When he hung up and looked again, Bai Shi was already standing beside him.
Pei Cangyu jumped. "Why didn't you leave?"
Bai Shi almost sighed. "My fingerprints are on the knife."
Pei Cangyu blinked, staring at Bai Shi.
After a long while, it finally clicked.
"Shit! I forgot..." Pei Cangyu scratched his hair, looking frustrated and apologetic. "I really didn't mean to..."
He had a sudden idea. "How about you just say you came here with me? Huh?"
Bai Shi looked at him. "Is that okay?"
Pei Cangyu nodded. "Yeah, it’s fine."
It seemed as if this was exactly what Bai Shi had been waiting for. He nimbly pulled Pei along, leading him all the way to the entrance of the alley on the other side, almost reaching the street at the far end. Pei Cangyu, caught off guard by the sudden tug, stumbled after him. Bai Shi pointed to the dim street on this side and told him, "I came from this way."
After saying that, he pulled Pei Cangyu back to the alley entrance where the dead man lay. "You came from this way."
Pei Cangyu, confused by being dragged back and forth, said, "I know that..."
Bai Shi stopped and stared into Pei Cangyu’s eyes. "But you can't say that. What you need to say is that we met at the intersection of Beitong Street at 10:41, and then walked here together. Just old friends meeting up and chatting for a bit."
Pei Cangyu nodded, then paused. "But I came in from the Dongtong Street intersection."
Bai Shi told him, "There is surveillance outside this district, but none once you enter from Dongtong Street. You entered from Dongtong Street, but instead of walking straight to this alley, you walked along the street entrance to the Beitong Street intersection first, and then walked into this alley with me. Understand?"
"Oh—" Pei Cangyu nodded dazed, then shook his head. "No."
Bai Shi gently took Pei Cangyu’s hand and flattened his palm. He extended a long, slender finger and drew on it. Starting from the wrist, he drew a straight vertical line. "In reality, you walked directly here from the Dongtong Street intersection, right?"
Pei Cangyu nodded.
Bai Shi started from the wrist again and drew a horizontal line. "What you need to say is that you went from the Dongtong Street intersection to the Beitong Street intersection first, where you met me, and then we walked over together."
Pei Cangyu nodded.
Bai Shi let go of his hand. "What are you holding?"
"Oden. Want some?"
"..."
The sound of sirens rose. Bai Shi took the oden from his hand and said one last thing: "There’s a convenience store at the Beitong Street intersection. I was just there."
It took the police only about seven minutes to arrive at the scene.
A total of three police cars arrived. People from two of the cars got out and ordered the two of them to stand aside while they set up a cordon. Several people quickly put on shoe covers and approached the body with cameras.
Two jacket-clad officers stepped out of the last car and walked toward Bai Shi and Pei Cangyu, who were separated by the police line.
One officer was younger, looking no more than twenty-one or twenty-two. He wore a deep blue jacket and stood about 182 centimeters tall. His hair was meticulously combed back, his brows were furrowed, and his young, handsome face bore a sense of forced seriousness. The other officer was older, around fifty. He wore a brownish-grey long jacket and was slightly shorter than the younger officer. His hair was greying, but his face looked young, wearing a gentle smile. His movements were lean and agile; he was a middle-aged man with a very refined air.
The younger one walked up to them and gestured to the side, speaking formally. "Please come this way."
The older one echoed with a chuckle, "It’s brighter over here."
Bai Shi and Pei Cangyu followed them.
The younger officer pulled a pen and notebook from his pocket. "Name."
Pei Cangyu, however, was staring at the young officer in the blue jacket.
Bai Shi watched Pei Cangyu patiently.
Failing to get an answer, the young officer looked up at Pei Cangyu impatiently. "I'm asking you. Name."
Pei Cangyu clapped his hands, his eyes lighting up as he pointed at the young officer. "I remember now! Fei Zuohua!"
The young officer’s brow remained furrowed as he looked Pei Cangyu up and down. As he looked, his tight frown smoothed out, his expression shifted, and he gave a small smile, pointing back. "Pei Cangyu?"
Pei Cangyu nodded with a grin, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "Long time no see! You actually became a cop."
Fei Zuohua smiled.
Bai Shi watched them.
The older officer watched them.
Fei Zuohua cleared his throat and quickly retracted his smile, brushing Pei Cangyu’s hand off his shoulder. He looked at Bai Shi. "Name."
Pei Cangyu bumped Fei Zuohua’s shoulder. "It’s Bai Shi! The one who transferred in during ninth grade. Don't you remember?"
Bai Shi politely extended his hand. "Hello. I am Bai Shi."
Fei Zuohua looked at the bloodstains on his hand. "What is this?"
Bai Shi looked down at his hand. "I touched that person just now."
Hearing this, Fei Zuohua took a step back and re-evaluated the two of them. Only now, under the bright light, did he see clearly that there was blood on both their clothes and hands. Fei Zuohua turned to look at the older officer, who gave a nod.
Fei Zuohua put away his pen and notebook and reached for the baton at his waist. He raised his voice. "Please put your hands up, both of you. You’re coming with us to the station."
Pei Cangyu was stunned. "Huh? We..."
Fei Zuohua raised a hand to cut him off, shifting his jacket to make the baton more visible to the two of them. "I repeat: please put your hands up and come with us to the station. Please cooperate."
Pei Cangyu even took a step forward. "Wait, no, we..."
Bai Shi slowly raised his hands. At the same time, he looked at Pei Cangyu mildly, his face practically screaming *'What did I tell you?'* but he simply said, "Do as he says."
