When Fei Zuohua walked into Taozhong Xuan, Lu Mingyue was startled. He lifted his wrist to check his watch. "What time is it even?"
Fei Zuohua sat at the bar and gave a casual wave. "I'm off the clock."
"The sun hasn't even set yet." Despite his words, Lu Mingyue still handed him a glass. "What’s wrong? You look terrible."
Fei Zuohua sighed. "Today was a bit exhausting."
"Speaking of which, your timing is off. Your master just left."
"It’s fine. I don't really want to see him right now anyway." Fei Zuohua placed his hand over the glass, signaling that he didn't need a refill.
"Ho, a fight then."
Fei Zuohua shook his head, unwilling to dive into the details.
He had already heard where his master had gone at noon and could roughly guess how things had played out. In all likelihood, Pei Cangyu would continue to stay at Bai Shi’s house. Fei Zuohua couldn't understand it anymore—why were these two so obsessed and confident about this? Both believed Bai Shi was a problem, yet both believed Pei Cangyu was safe. He just didn't get it.
Fei Zuohua felt his pockets; he had forgotten his cigarettes.
To be honest, he blamed himself quite a bit. If he truly didn't trust Tu Ziyun, if he judged that Pei Cangyu was in real danger, he should have reported it to his superiors and had them step in to stop Tu Ziyun. But Tu Ziyun was his respected mentor, so he still clung to a sort of wishful thinking, choosing to believe him. Yet, his conscience truly felt that Pei Cangyu was an innocent victim.
Consequently, he was incredibly frustrated.
"I keep feeling like... I said the wrong thing today." Fei Zuohua stared at the ice cubes in his glass, gently swirling them. The stacked cubes collapsed with a soft *clink*.
"Huh? Am I the kind of bartender who listens to customers' problems?" Lu Mingyue glanced at him.
"Aren't you bartenders supposed to exist just to listen to customers?"
Lu Mingyue rolled his eyes but moved closer anyway. "Fine, I'll listen this once."
Fei Zuohua recounted the conversation from the infirmary, stripping away the beginning and end and omitting the background. It left Lu Mingyue completely bewildered.
"So, what you're saying is, you scolded him for being useless?" Lu Mingyue summarized.
Fei Zuohua froze. "Is that what it sounds like?"
"I feel like... yeah, pretty much."
Fei Zuohua frowned. "I didn't mean to scold him..."
"You're about the same age, aren't you?" Lu Mingyue thought for a moment. "Don't you think talking like that is inappropriate?"
"But he's still in high school, and he's actually a year younger than me. Besides, I've known him since elementary school..."
Lu Mingyue fell silent and nodded. "Alright, if you insist on putting it that way."
Fei Zuohua lowered his head and sighed again.
As they spoke, a policeman in uniform entered and walked straight toward Lu Mingyue. He took off his cap and handed over a permit. "Boss, the inspection is finished. Thanks for the cooperation."
Lu Mingyue took it. "No problem. Find anything?"
"Haha, you haven't even been open much. What could we find?"
"I told you, I just leave it there. I haven't touched it in a long time."
"Understood, understood." The policeman put his cap back on, preparing to leave. "We're just doing our jobs."
"Take care." Lu Mingyue watched him leave.
Fei Zuohua watched for a moment before turning to Lu Mingyue. "What happened?"
Lu Mingyue tucked the permit away. "Those were cops from the Eighth Bureau. This place is close to where Bai Yinhua died. When they were searching, they checked the movement of vehicles parked nearby, apparently to see if there were any car swaps or accomplices. Anyway, they took my car in for a check. You know, the one I always leave in the parking lot."
Fei Zuohua recalled that the location was indeed not far from the scene. He and his team had been the ones to draw the initial investigation perimeter, though everything was eventually handed over to the Eighth Bureau.
If Fei Zuohua were to answer honestly, he felt a sting of resentment. An investigation he had poured so much effort into, a chance to prove his worth, had been snatched away by the Eighth Bureau.
Lu Mingyue turned to put the permit in the back office. He tripped slightly, making a noise. Fei Zuohua looked up at the sound, watching his back disappear behind the liquor shelves. For some reason—perhaps because he could only see the upper half of his body—Lu Mingyue looked somewhat enlarged. As he walked, his shoulders didn't seem to be at the same height.
Fei Zuohua only glanced for a second before turning back to continue drinking his glass.
***
Unlike his disciple’s hesitation, Tu Ziyun had a destination that afternoon. It was better for him not to bring Fei Zuohua along. He climbed the twenty-seven floors alone.
Ding Chuan seemed to be sleeping constantly. According to the nurses, Ding Chuan was unable to move on his own. Although the left side of his body was paralyzed, he could react to proper stimulation. Despite the hope for recovery, Ding Chuan had no will to undergo treatment. Furthermore, instead of a prosthetic, Ding Chuan had a wooden limb that could be fitted to his leg, but he rarely used it. In short, Ding Chuan spent his days lying in bed, enjoying the care of the hospital and the police, while providing very little information.
An acquaintance from the Eighth Bureau told Tu Ziyun that the trial would likely begin next month.
As per his routine, Tu Ziyun asked about the patient's condition at the door before walking in. Ding Chuan’s door was not allowed to be locked; it was merely left ajar. The guard had been increased to two people, which made Tu Ziyun tense up for a moment.
"Did something happen?"
"It’s not him," the policeman shook his head. "Officer Fei’s orders."
Fei Qisheng? Tu Ziyun greeted the two and walked inside. Fei Qisheng’s wariness of Ding Chuan was truly endless.
Ding Chuan was still sleeping. That unfinished book was still face-down on the table, but it seemed to be nearing the end. Ding Chuan wasn't the type to enjoy reading. Tu Ziyun picked it up and flipped through it gently.
He stood by Ding Chuan’s hospital bed, head lowered, focused on the pages. The long-overcast sky was finally clearing today, and the cold, damp mist was dissipating. The kingfishers were the first to react, already chirping outside the window. The sun occasionally peeked through the drifting clouds, casting intermittent light into the room, causing it to flicker between brightness and shadow.
Tu Ziyun turned another page. The sound of the IV drip echoed in the room.
"I was thinking," a voice came from the bed. Tu Ziyun stiffened. "You aren't doing this to avenge me. You just want things to operate according to your... rules."
Tu Ziyun slowly set the book down and looked at Ding Chuan.
"My rules? What rules are those?"
Ding Chuan had opened his eyes and was looking at him calmly. "Good people are good, bad people are bad. Keep it pure."
Tu Ziyun turned toward him, pulled over a chair, and sat down. He stared at him without a hint of a smile. "Then are you a good person or a bad person?"
Ding Chuan actually smiled. "If you could figure that out, would you still be in this much pain?"
Tu Ziyun didn't respond.
"Self-abandonment, refusing to fight or grab, losing faith in the place you belong but unwilling to voice it... and still no companions to this day, because you don't trust anyone. I wanted to say this last time," Ding Chuan looked at his unbuttoned collar. "What? Did you climb the stairs? What’s wrong with the elevator?"
Tu Ziyun remained silent, leaning back into the chair.
"Do you know Ding Siyu?" Tu Ziyun asked. He had no interest in playing psychological games with Ding Chuan; he had a job to do.
This time, Ding Chuan said nothing.
"Ding Siyu’s body was found in District Y. That suit of his was custom-made; the handmade shop wasn't hard to find. The first five digits of the card number on the receipt match the card used to pay for the soil replacement at your house. The bank confirmed they belong to a woman named Shang Yichang. I have reason to believe you know this person."
Ding Chuan smiled but didn't answer the question. "You’re the one asking me, not the Eighth Bureau. Did you not tell them?"
Tu Ziyun didn't answer Ding Chuan’s question either. "If you wanted to hide, you’ve managed to hide for all these years. There’s no reason to trip over such a small matter. Such obvious clues and guidance... could it be that your alliance with Bai Shi has fractured?"
Ding Chuan looked at him, and Tu Ziyun looked back. Neither spoke, letting the silence spread.
Ding Chuan’s expression remained unchanged, so Tu Ziyun smiled. "You don't have to tell me. It might be more appropriate for the Eighth Bureau to ask you. They’re better at it."
Ding Chuan sighed, his answer irrelevant to the question. "You know, Fei Qisheng still hasn't come to see me. His former 'Big Brother' is quite heartbroken..."
Tu Ziyun pressed his hand to his forehead and gave a bitter laugh. "You’re being so uncooperative. What exactly is it that you want?"
Ding Chuan’s withered hand suddenly gripped Tu Ziyun’s wrist. His calm face shattered instantly, and a look like burning dry wood flared in his eyes, giving the haggard man a strange, haunting vitality, as if a demon had possessed his body. "What I want—you should know exactly what it is!"
Startled, Tu Ziyun stood up and wrenched his hand from Ding Chuan’s grip. He stumbled back a few steps, knocking the chair to the floor with a loud *clatter*. Immediately, there was a knock at the door. A policeman poked his head in, looking at the coughing Ding Chuan and then at Tu Ziyun. "Is everything alright?"
Tu Ziyun shook his head. "It’s nothing."
Tu Ziyun stood dazed for a moment, watching Ding Chuan cough so hard his whole body shook. He poured a glass of water and handed it to him, then righted the chair. "You really have changed a lot." Tu Ziyun lowered his head and sat back down. "You used to be very..."
"Naive." Ding Chuan spat out the word with a raspy voice.
Tu Ziyun didn't deny it.
"You, on the other hand, are as unhappy as ever." Ding Chuan placed the water glass on the table. "When you were over there, you thought of this side; now that you're here, you long for that side. But there is no place that follows your rules."
Tu Ziyun didn't want to linger any longer. He stood up and asked one last time, "I hope you’ll cooperate with me. I’ll come back tomorrow. Right now, there’s a child in danger. Regardless of your grudge or the Bai family’s grudge, it has nothing to do with him. So, I need your help."
He looked at Ding Chuan. Ding Chuan struggled to lift his immobile hand and smiled, as if to say it was none of his business.
Tu Ziyun stared at him for a while before speaking. "If you cooperate, I can persuade Old Fei to come visit."
Ding Chuan still gave no reaction. Tu Ziyun turned to leave.
"You might need a doctor," Ding Chuan’s dry, harsh voice rang out.
"Me?"
"Because to deal with a madman, you must first understand him." Ding Chuan began to laugh, a sound filled with an indescribable loathing.
Tu Ziyun nodded and walked toward the door.
"Don't you find it ironic, Tu Ziyun?" Ding Chuan turned his head to look out the window. "Even now, the person who understands you best is still me."
Tu Ziyun didn't turn around as he left the ward.
He called Fei Zuohua and went straight to Taozhong Xuan.
"How long have you been drinking?" Tu Ziyun sat next to Fei Zuohua with a frown.
"Just one glass. The rest is water." Fei Zuohua swirled his apple juice. He caught the scent of alcohol in the air. "Did you go to the hospital?"
Tu Ziyun nodded. "To see Ding Chuan."
Fei Zuohua turned his face away, gripping his glass, looking somewhat resistant.
"How much do you know about the police department's cooperation with the university?"
Fei Zuohua didn't understand. "What?"
Tu Ziyun looked at him. "I think we need an expert in criminal psychology."
