Qiming Chapter 72

Chapter 72

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"110 Emergency Dispatch Centre, how can I help you?"

"I've been kidnapped, please save me," a middle-aged man whispered, curled up in the corner of a small room. He had just woken up from unconsciousness, enduring the nausea and pain in his stomach. As he searched his pockets, he unexpectedly found the phone he had hidden in the inner pocket of his shirt.

It seemed that whoever had knocked him out hadn't checked inside his clothes, how careless of them. He carefully pulled back a corner of the curtain, discovering that most of the view outside was obscured by a towering building. The wall was red and sharply defined. The short distance between the buildings left him with only this wall in sight and the reflection of the exterior scene in the glass.

"Do you know your current location?"

"I don't know, but... I'm near a window, and there's a modern red building outside..." His voice was calm and composed.

Red, as red as blood. Not many buildings would dare to use such a bold colour. He licked his dry lips and lifted his head, trying to discern the scene reflected in the glass of the building opposite, hoping to understand what kind of building he was trapped in.

Unfortunately, he couldn't make out the outline clearly. All he could vaguely see was a shadow standing behind him.

The shadow of a person.

He quickly turned around, but before he could say another word, the phone was gently taken from him by a young man who had appeared behind him.

"That was close, lucky I caught you," the other man said with a smile, crouching down to press the power-off button and pocketing the phone.

"I was just wondering why I couldn't find your phone earlier, turns out you'd hidden it."

With a mocking smile, he added, "Confiscated."

The young man removed his hat, revealing a scar on his forehead. He shook the sharp dagger in his hand, spinning the blade tip between his fingers before the handle settled firmly in his grip.

"Not enough time, the police won't have had a chance to trace it." He looked at the man with a half-smile. "By the way, you mentioned something about a red building... Where is that?"

The scarred man ignored the red wall outside the window, as if everything he saw, every object, every colour, was fake, wrong, non-existent.

"This red building you're talking about... it'll probably take them years to find it. What a shame," he said, running a hand over the scar on his forehead, regret filling his voice. "In a few years, you'll have turned into nothing but a pile of bones. How do you want to die? Starve to death slowly, or would you prefer I end it quickly with a single strike?"

The sky outside grew darker, and the middle-aged man was trapped in that small room, despair washing over him as he stared at the window, so close, yet so impossibly far. The blood in his veins and the beat of his heart grew colder, as if he were sinking into an icy abyss.

—————

"What? You want to go home?" Gu Yunfeng stood frozen, gripping his phone, completely motionless. Wen Xin happened to walk into his office to deliver some documents, and seeing his dazed expression, she knocked on the door several times.

"Who wants to go home?" She craned her neck to look at him, full of anticipation.

"Xu Chengyue." He waved his hand wearily, indicating for her to place the documents down and leave. A few days ago, Xu Chengyue had gone off to follow Qiu Lu and then disappeared without a trace. He hadn't returned but left a message saying there was a problem with the lab project, and he needed to stay at the university and work through the night for a few days.

And so, he had been gone for several days.

If he hadn't just called, Gu Yunfeng had been ready to report him as missing.

Wen Xin nodded meaningfully and turned to leave, though her face showed confusion. She couldn't quite figure out what "going home" meant, and whether it was really something that would leave Captain Gu so distraught.

In the office, Gu Yunfeng tried desperately to lower his voice, struggling not to sound too agitated. If he wanted to go home, then fine, let him go home. At first, Gu Yunfeng had actually hoped Xu Chengyue would go back to his own place. Having him stay here meant he had to cook for him and worry about all sorts of things, it was a bother.

Originally, they were independent individuals, and it wasn't like their relationship was particularly close. Each going their separate ways and minding their own business was fine.

But when Xu Chengyue mentioned resigning from the team, Gu Yunfeng couldn't help raising his voice, completely ignoring the curious glances from all directions through the glass windows.

"Leaving the team? Xu Chengyue, have you lost your mind?" Disappearing without notice was already over the line, but now he was really pushing it, planning to vanish completely?

How long had he been here, solving just a few cases? This was too irresponsible!

Gu Yunfeng suspected that Xu Chengyue's series of reactions had something to do with the results of his medical examination. He even vaguely guessed what Xu Chengyue was facing... Perhaps it was related to the surgery Ying Han had performed to wake him up after that fall last March, during which a chip had been implanted in his brain.

But resigning was too sudden, he hadn't even had time to mentally prepare for it.

"Who said that? Where's the paperwork? Where's the notification? There's no way they'd let you leave just like that," he snapped anxiously. Until the official paperwork and notification were in place, Xu Chengyue was still a serving officer in the criminal investigation team. Besides, it had only been a day, far too short a time for any official documents to be issued. Even if there had been internal discussions, he should have known before Xu Chengyue, with Director Zhao informing him first, and then him relaying it to Xu Chengyue.

That's the proper procedure. Xu Chengyue's resignation application wouldn't be approved until it had gone through several layers of approval, and until then, he couldn't neglect his duties and stay away from the team!

Pacing back and forth in his office while on the phone, Gu Yunfeng picked up a glass of cold water from the desk and took a sip to calm himself. As he steadied himself, he could only hear faint breathing on the other end of the line. He sighed, calming down, and asked Xu Chengyue patiently, "What's happened?"

The brief seconds felt like they stretched into hours. Just when he was holding his breath, thinking the call would be cut off, Xu Chengyue finally spoke in his familiar voice and tone, his emotions stable.

"How's Wang Kun's situation now?"

"He's not cooperating with the treatment and has changed his story, claiming he killed all the victims." Ever since Wang Kun had been taken into custody, his health had deteriorated, and he barely ate. Refusing to cooperate with the treatment, they had no choice but to impose compulsory treatment measures on him.

"Do you believe him?"

"Of course I don't, none of the details in his statement match up, he only killed Jiang Yang."

"Mhmm." On the other end of the line, Xu Chengyue responded softly, then slowly called out his full name, "Gu Yunfeng."

Gu Yunfeng had once told Xu Chengyue that he preferred being called "Captain Gu," and as a result, he had never called him by his name. But now, hearing his full name spoken with a gentleness in his voice that he had never heard before, Gu Yunfeng realised that his name was actually quite pleasant, like a breeze outside the window or a cloud in the sky, bringing an immediate sense of calm.

But the next moment plunged him into deep shock.

"I've seen the person who killed the other members of the Jiang family, and I've also learned some things... things that go beyond what you and I can handle," Xu Chengyue continued. "It's dangerous to talk about this over the phone, but right now... I need some time to think."

"Xu Chengyue, where are you?" Gu Yunfeng gripped the phone tightly, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "You don't need to think about it so much. Just tell me where you are. A lot of things aren't as complicated as they seem, they can be resolved."

If you can't resolve them, then let me help you. Even if neither of us can resolve them, facing them together is better than being a lone warrior and suffering greater losses.

"Actually, I miss you a lot, I want to see you right away, to call your name a few more times."

He heard Xu Chengyue's helpless laughter, and it was as if he could see the other man shaking his head, staring aimlessly into the distance.

"I will catch the murderer, but now is not the time. I can't come to see you, nor can I immediately fulfil my duties..." His voice trailed off intermittently.

"I've thought about this a lot, and in the end, it all comes back to one question."

He paused. "What exactly am I?"

This question felt like a bucket of ice water poured over Gu Yunfeng's head. It wasn't the first time Xu Chengyue had asked this question. What exactly had he discovered? What had he gone through? And who was he facing alone?

Gu Yunfeng had no idea where Xu Chengyue was, but he could faintly hear the sound of water, wind, and the lingering toll of a bell in the final silence before the call ended.

Xu Chengyue stood by the river, crossed arms leaning on the bridge railing. Waterfowl flew across the river and perched on the ferry's railing, only to be chased away by the nearby crowd.

The wind from the other shore lifted the hem of his black trench coat, and feeling a bit cold, he pulled his jacket tighter around him and turned to leave.

Before he could take a step, he heard Lin Xiangrong's voice coming from beside him. Her voice had a unique magnetism, when she spoke gently, it easily touched your heart. She wasn't wearing her usual dark suit but a modified qipao with a cardigan draped over it.

She walked slowly from a short distance away, truly like a scene along the riverbank.

"Who were you just on the phone with just now?" she asked, smiling lightly, the wind lifting the curled ends of her hair.

Xu Chengyue didn't respond. He lowered his head and walked forward quickly, eager to shake off this woman who made him extremely uneasy.

"Talking to that police officer, I bet." She followed him unhurriedly. "You quite like him. It's because of him that you want to become a real person, isn't it?"

Her voice was soft, but it cut sharper than a blade. Xu Chengyue stopped in his tracks, standing with his back to her, not turning around.

"Do you often wonder what kind of monster you are?" She gradually drew closer, rising on her toes to whisper in his ear, "You've borrowed a human body, but not a human soul. When you embrace that police officer, doesn't it feel uncomfortable? After all, that body doesn't belong to you, Professor Xu."

"I don't know how deep your relationship has gotten," Lin Xiangrong raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly, "but since you've lived together... do you two have sex? Think about it carefully, when you have sex with him, is it really you?"

It felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen.

Without hesitation, he raised his arm and slapped her across the face.

"Jealous? Jealous of who? Yourself?" She covered her face and smirked, without a trace of anger.

The noise around them seemed to fade away. Though he and Gu Yunfeng weren't that intimate, a thorny branch grew in his heart, unable to blossom or bear fruit, only capable of piercing his fragile veins over and over again.

No matter how harsh it sounded, it was a truth he had been unwilling to face.

What did it matter if their hearts were close? It wasn't his heart. When their lips and teeth met, when they whispered sweet nothings, his soul and body were separated. All the emotions, all the love, weren't meant for him alone.

Once the chip was removed, the vessel for his soul would be lost immediately. And the chip was created with the intent of being removed one day!

When that day came, the person he loved, the one he longed to kiss and hold, would be left heartbroken over a Xu Chengyue who was a complete stranger. His existence, his memories, his birth, would all become meaningless.

"So how can I become a real person?" He flexed his fingers and looked up at the azure sky. A few minutes ago, a plane had flown overhead, its long contrail slicing the sky in two, one half clouded, the other bathed in light.

The light on that half of the sky was a bit too bright, so he raised a hand to shield one eye. When he looked down, he saw Lin Xiangrong smiling with narrowed eyes.

"Didn't I tell you before? Just don't let him wake up, and you can be Xu Chengyue forever."

As she spoke, she lit a cigarette, shielding the wind with her left hand. The small flame quickly dimmed as she put away the vintage-style lighter, holding the slender cigarette between her fingers.

"You can continue to have a career, love, and a fulfilling life. The only price is... you'll have to do something for me."

"And what is that?"

"Keep an eye on Lu Yong's movements for me. And tell that police officer friend of yours to stop investigating the Jiang family case, just go along with Wang Kun's confession." As she spoke, she opened her bag and pulled out a business card. To his surprise, it read – Zhiyin Technology, Biomedical Science Division.

"It's now Zhiyin Biotech, but I haven't bothered to change the cards. I don't like Fang Xing either, that greasy middle-aged man. I'm just waiting for the day he retires so the company can give me a new boss."

"After pretending to be a housewife all these years, I can finally be myself again." She winked at Xu Chengyue and walked off in the opposite direction without giving him any chance to respond or even speak.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: August 27, 2024 by Angel

Edited: November 25, 2024 by Angel