A dream... was it a dream?
Pei Cangyu slowly opened his eyes. He saw the ceiling, the spiral-patterned wallpaper, the soft, comfortable bedding, and the faint, golden glow of the lamp.
Then, the memory of those corpses violently jerked back into his mind.
Pei Cangyu bolted upright. He was still in his own room. There was a third knock at the door, and the butler’s voice softly called for him to wake up.
Pei Cangyu looked around frantically. He remembered someone—no, Bai Shi—covering his mouth last night. And then? After that... He clutched his head, unable to remember for the life of him.
The butler, having fulfilled his duty to knock, turned and left. Pei Cangyu sat in a daze for a moment before leaping up. He rushed to the door, pulled it open, and looked toward Bai Shi’s room.
The glass on the floor by the door was gone, and the door was closed. Pei Cangyu looked up toward the room on the third floor, swallowed hard, gripped his phone, and headed upstairs.
*Take a photo! Get a picture! Then run!*
Pei Cangyu thought to himself. It was daytime now; surely even Bai Shi wouldn't try anything... probably.
He ran barefoot across the floor. Just as he reached the stairs, he ran into the butler, who was about to head down.
The butler politely bid him good morning and asked where he was going.
Pei Cangyu’s face was deathly pale. Not knowing what game the butler was playing, he instinctively asked, "Where is Bai Shi?"
"The Young Master hasn't woken up yet."
Pei Cangyu glanced toward Bai Shi’s room and, after a moment's thought, bolstered his courage. "Oh, I see. Don't mind me, go about your business."
The butler nodded, bid him farewell, and left.
Pei Cangyu didn't hesitate. He rushed to the room on the third floor.
But strangely, no matter how he tried today, the door wouldn't open. Was it locked? Pei Cangyu twisted the handle, but it wouldn't budge.
His phone vibrated, startling him. This was the phone Fei Zuohua had given him when he came to visit, saying it was compensation for the one that had been soaked in tea.
It was Fei Zuohua calling. Pei Cangyu didn't care about anything else; as soon as he picked up, he immediately told Fei Zuohua about his discovery.
He heard a commotion on the other end. Fei Zuohua was wedging the phone between his head and shoulder while getting dressed. "Get out of there! Leave now!"
Pei Cangyu froze. "If I leave, he—"
Fei Zuohua was packing his things. A mechanical sound came through the line, followed by the click of a magazine being loaded into a gun. Fei Zuohua said in a low voice, "Leave the house. Can you find a place to hide nearby?"
"I think so..." Pei Cangyu tugged at the door handle again. "The door won't open now. I can't be sure if they're still inside..."
"About that—"
Suddenly, Fei Zuohua was interrupted. The phone seemed to have been taken by someone else. "Pei Cangyu, this is Tu Ziyun. Did you take any photos?"
"I haven't had the chance yet..."
Fei Zuohua’s voice returned, sounding very dissatisfied with Tu Ziyun. The two seemed to be arguing—one telling him to leave immediately, the other telling him to try and find evidence.
Pei Cangyu couldn't listen anymore and hung up. Realizing the door wouldn't open, he turned and ran downstairs. The people in the courtyard didn't even look at him, as if they noticed nothing.
Pei Cangyu circled to the back of the house and began climbing the drainage pipe. Wearing only pajamas and barefoot, he stepped onto the hard brackets. His feet were cut in several places, and blood immediately began to seep out. He didn't care. He kept climbing until he finally reached the third-floor window.
The window was still unlocked. With one glance, he saw the open cabinet door. Through the curtains fluttering in the wind, Pei Cangyu clearly saw the stiff feet of a dead person.
They were still there!
He tried to climb in to take a photo with his phone. After struggling for a moment, he managed to hook one leg over the sill.
At that moment, the closed door moved. Pei Cangyu froze, watching as the door swung wider and wider. Someone was walking in. The moment he saw that pale hand, Pei Cangyu knew. He scrambled back, clutching the pipe to descend, but he lost his footing halfway and crashed to the ground.
Ignoring the pain, Pei Cangyu glanced at the upstairs window. Seeing no one, he limped toward the exit. He tried to walk steadily to avoid drawing attention. The young lady watering the lawn greeted him, and the gentleman mowing the grass bid him good day. No one asked about his bare feet, his bleeding arms, where he was going, or what had happened.
Pei Cangyu didn't stop until he was out the gate, his heart still thundering in his chest.
He took out his phone and called Fei Zuohua. The other side sounded extremely tense. "Pei Cangyu? Are you okay? We're almost there."
Pei Cangyu looked around as he ran into the bushes to hide. "I'm fine. I saw them, but I didn't have time to take a photo. But I think I know how he moves the bodies out."
It sounded like they were driving. "How?"
"I think I heard the sound of a heavy truck. With four bodies, a car definitely wouldn't work. I'm watching from here. If a vehicle comes, I can at least get the license plate."
The voice on the other end changed to Tu Ziyun. "Good job, Pei Cangyu! We'll be there in about ten minutes. Stay hidden."
"Okay."
Pei Cangyu gripped his phone and crouched in the bushes. He saw Bai Shi walk out of the main gate and look around for a while, seemingly searching for something. Pei Cangyu didn't need a brain to guess he was looking for him. He looked down at his injured feet; because they were covered in mud and dirt, the bleeding had stopped. It seemed Bai Shi hadn't found anything either. After waiting a while, Bai Shi’s expression turned serious, and he made a phone call.
The occasional taxis that passed were mostly responding to calls; they had to register at the villa complex entrance and didn't stop at the Bai residence. Bai Shi stood at the gate, unmoving. No other visitors came. Bai Shi just kept making calls. After a while, the head of the villa complex security arrived. Bai Shi spoke to the man and pointed toward the exit. Pei Cangyu guessed he was asking about his whereabouts.
For some reason, the two officers were taking an exceptionally long time. Pei Cangyu checked his phone; twenty minutes had passed.
Bai Shi seemed very displeased, his gentle facade gone as he reprimanded the security chief. Pei Cangyu stared at Bai Shi from a distance and saw another security guard hand something to him. Bai Shi flipped through the pages one by one. Because he was flipping them vertically, Pei Cangyu could see the pages as they turned—they were black-and-white surveillance photos. Likely footage from the security cameras.
Pei Cangyu pursed his lips. Bai Shi was indeed still looking for him. If he had actually tried to run away just now, he would have fallen right into his hands.
Finally, twenty-three minutes later, Tu Ziyun and Fei Zuohua arrived.
As soon as they arrived, they went straight to Bai Shi. After a brief exchange, Pei Cangyu’s phone rang.
It was Fei Zuohua’s voice, sounding very heavy. "Please come out."
Pei Cangyu stepped over the brush and broken branches, emerging from the thicket. His feet, which had stopped bleeding, were cut again. Bai Shi’s gaze lingered on his filthy ankles for a moment.
Fei Zuohua’s expression was grim. He asked Pei Cangyu solemnly, "You called the police earlier and mentioned finding four corpses in a room on the third floor of the Bai residence?"
Only then did Pei Cangyu notice the recording device clearly visible in Fei Zuohua’s left chest pocket. Fei Zuohua added, "From this point on, our conversation will be a public recording with legal effect. Do you understand?"
Pei Cangyu nodded. Fei Zuohua asked again, "Do you understand?"
Pei Cangyu realized what he meant. "Oh," he leaned his head closer to Fei Zuohua’s chest and spoke clearly, "I understand."
Fei Zuohua awkwardly leaned back slightly. Bai Shi watched Pei Cangyu with interest, while Tu Ziyun looked at Bai Shi coldly.
Fei Zuohua turned to Bai Shi. "Mr. Bai, given that we have a witness, may we enter the house to conduct an inspection?"
Bai Shi looked at Pei Cangyu. "It’s not quite appropriate without a search warrant."
Pei Cangyu froze. Bai Shi continued, "However, as a law-abiding citizen, it is my duty to cooperate with the police. Please, after you."
With that, Bai Shi stepped aside. Fei Zuohua and Tu Ziyun entered the main gate. Pei Cangyu frowned—why was there no search warrant? Was it because they were in too much of a hurry to get one?
"Can we go to the third floor?" Fei Zuohua asked Bai Shi.
Bai Shi simply sat on the sofa, ignoring them. "Feel free."
Fei Zuohua and Tu Ziyun went upstairs, with Pei Cangyu following behind. Bai Shi spoke up to stop him.
"Are you going too?"
Pei Cangyu stopped and stared at Bai Shi warily. Bai Shi smiled. "Why don't you put on some shoes? You'll catch a cold like that."
Pei Cangyu ignored him and quickened his pace to catch up.
The butler followed as well, opening the door for them.
"Right here." Pei Cangyu pointed at the door, his hand still trembling slightly. Fei Zuohua placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
The door opened. Tu Ziyun and Fei Zuohua kept their hands on the pistols at their waists as they slowly walked in. Pei Cangyu waited at the door.
However, the curtains in the room were gone. The cabinet doors were all closed.
With a creak, a cabinet door was opened. It was empty.
Pei Cangyu, watching from a distance, stiffened. He immediately said, "The back! The cabinets in the back!"
The two understood without him saying more. They continued to the back and opened every single cabinet. There was nothing.
Pei Cangyu rushed in, leaning against a cabinet and sniffing intently. Even if the bodies were gone, the smell should still be there. He sniffed carefully and finally caught that nauseating stench in one of the cabinets. But in an instant, the smell was masked by the scent of perfume. It had clearly been treated.
Pei Cangyu stood up and pointed at the cabinet. "It was this one!"
Tu Ziyun and Fei Zuohua looked at him with complex expressions. Fei Zuohua crossed his arms and looked at Tu Ziyun. "Do we need the K9 unit?"
Tu Ziyun shook his head slightly. "Do you think Bai Shi would let police dogs in?"
Pei Cangyu thought of something else. "The basement! Go check the basement!"
Bai Shi sat leisurely sipping coffee, watching the people upstairs move back down and head straight for the basement door. Pei Cangyu’s face was pale, caught in a daze where he couldn't distinguish truth from falsehood. The two police officers were increasingly solemn; even the "old fox" Tu Ziyun looked troubled.
They entered the basement.
It was an ordinary wine cellar.
Refusing to give up, Pei Cangyu threw open the wine barrels, checking every single one. But there was only wine inside. Although the butler didn't stop him, he sighed with regret. "It seems this batch of wine is ruined."
Nothing.
Pei Cangyu was supported by Fei Zuohua as they left the basement.
Bai Shi stood up. "So, did you find anything?"
Fei Zuohua and Tu Ziyun looked grim, while Pei Cangyu was completely stunned. Bai Shi reached out toward Pei Cangyu, attempting to take him from Fei Zuohua, but Pei Cangyu dodged him.
Bai Shi looked at Pei Cangyu. Fei Zuohua spoke up. "Mr. Bai, we still have a few other concerns..."
"Then apply for a search warrant." Bai Shi dropped his cooperative act, his tone turning icy. "I have already allowed you in without evidence. Do not push your luck."
Pei Cangyu seemed to suddenly snap out of it and turned to Fei Zuohua. "What about the dogs? The dogs will definitely be able to smell it."
"The problem is," Fei Zuohua lowered his voice, "we have no grounds to search his home."
Pei Cangyu was confused. "I can testify."
"The problem lies with you." Tu Ziyun looked at him calmly.
"What do you mean?"
"Have you..." Fei Zuohua hesitated. "Have you injected drugs?"
Pei Cangyu stared blankly for several seconds. "Huh? What?! I fucking—"
Tu Ziyun stepped forward and pressed a hand on his shoulder. "On Sunday, you went to the Third Hospital to treat an abdominal wound. You had blood drawn there for a test. The results showed a significant amount of Ketamine mixed with Methcathinone in your blood."
Pei Cangyu froze on the spot, still unable to process it.
He stiffly licked his bloodless lips. Sunday...
Tu Ziyun looked at him. "The same mixture was extracted from the unburned corpses found in the warehouse. This specific combination isn't common. It seems you are using the same supply as them."
It must have been from that shirtless guy... Pei Cangyu remembered. He had been extremely reluctant to go to the hospital back then, fearing exactly this kind of record. But the person who brought him back then... wasn't it Bai Shi?
"Therefore, we cannot use your accusations as testimony to issue a search warrant," Tu Ziyun told him. "But even if we had a warrant, this is the extent of the search we could conduct today. Any further search would mean you are pressing charges against him, which would require a new blood test. More importantly, do you understand what pressing charges means? You need evidence that can actually convict him."
Fei Zuohua pursed his lips. "By the way, the school also received your blood test results today..."
Pei Cangyu didn't move.
He suddenly wondered: why were the results from Sunday only coming out now?
...The two police officers were late because they had received his test results on the way... He remembered the phone call Bai Shi made at the gate. Bai Shi’s eyes had been on him the whole time. The taxis coming and going, the fact that none of them stopped at the main gate...
Pei Cangyu turned mechanically toward Bai Shi, his neck moving in jerky increments until his eyes met Bai Shi’s. He suddenly remembered—that thundering truck sound that made him mistakenly believe only a truck could move the bodies; the fact that no one else went to the second floor, yet those clear conversations at night happened right outside his door, so deliberate it was shameful, yet he had still fallen for it; the bell that woke him up didn't ring every night, only when Bai Shi wanted him to wake; if he hadn't insisted on turning to the police, the police wouldn't have had to apply for a warrant, wouldn't have had to investigate him, wouldn't have known about his blood test. His results would have stayed buried in the hospital. Even when Bai Shi "saved" him, he had kept a card up his sleeve. And the blood test results just happened to be sent to the school today. What was this? A punishment?
The normal life he had fought so hard for, the chaotic existence he had tried to escape, his exams, his future, his home—all gone in a single fire...
Bai Shi gave a faint smile.
Pei Cangyu’s mind exploded. He lunged forward, grabbing Bai Shi by the collar, his eyes wide with murderous fury. "I'll fucking kill you!"
The people nearby scrambled to pull them apart. Bai Shi remained motionless, letting him do as he pleased.
Pei Cangyu’s grip was so tight his fingertips turned purple. Blood rushed to his head, and his mind roared. After a burst of wild rage, he suddenly lost all strength and slumped to the floor.
Fei Zuohua quickly knelt down and put an arm around his shoulder. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
Pei Cangyu kept his head down, unmoving.
Everyone waited in the heavy silence. As the seconds ticked by, all three men stared at Pei Cangyu on the floor.
Suddenly, Pei Cangyu lifted his head and spoke flatly.
"I should go to school."
"You..." Fei Zuohua reached out to pull him up, but Pei Cangyu had already stood up on his own and headed upstairs to pack his bag.
Fei Zuohua turned to Bai Shi. "I'm taking Pei Cangyu to the hospital today."
Bai Shi looked at him coldly. "He is an adult. He can make his own decisions."
"You—" Fei Zuohua started to say more, but Tu Ziyun reached out to stop him.
Bai Shi smiled. "Then let me see you both out."
In an eerie silence, the three walked toward the main gate. Fei Zuohua gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed deep. Tu Ziyun remained expressionless, while Bai Shi still wore that faint smile.
As they reached the door, Tu Ziyun suddenly reached out to stop the door from closing. He smiled. "Mr. Bai might not remember, but we've met before."
"Oh? When was that?"
"It’s no wonder. You were young then, maybe eight or nine years old." Tu Ziyun gestured to the height of a small child.
"I'm sorry, I don't recall," Bai Shi smiled.
Tu Ziyun nodded. "That’s normal. To be precise, I saw you, but you didn't see me. You were busy at the time."
"Is that so? That really is a shame then," Bai Shi said gently.
Tu Ziyun seemed to be reaching deep into his memories. "You were busy strangling a bird to death."
Bai Shi’s smile didn't fade. "Was I?"
Tu Ziyun stared into his eyes. "And then you looked up."
Bai Shi maintained his smile as he looked back.
"Your eyes look exactly like your father’s." Tu Ziyun narrowed his eyes. "You really are just like him."
Bai Shi nodded. "People often say that."
Tu Ziyun’s gaze suddenly turned razor-sharp. "Like Ding Chuan?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know who that is."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 氯胺酮 | Ketamine | A dissociative anesthetic used recreationally as a drug. |
| 甲卡西酮 | Methcathinone | A stimulant drug, sometimes referred to as "bath salts." |
| 丁川 | Ding Chuan | A name mentioned by Tu Ziyun, likely an alias or associate of Bai Shi's father. |
| 三院 | Third Hospital | Short for a municipal "Third People's Hospital." |
