Chapter 7 – Xing Baichuan 0.3

“Li Jiangluo!”

I don’t know how loud my voice was when I shouted those three words, but the man who had half his body hanging out of the balcony finally stopped as if his soul had returned to his body.

I ran over and pulled him down, at that moment, anger made me shake all over.

If I had come out just one minute later, would Li Jiangluo have already jumped from the 27th floor?

He looked at me blankly, his ears and nose red. The snow continued to fall, and a gust of wind blew past, cutting through the bone with coldness.

I dragged him back into the house, closed the door, and when I turned around, he was still standing there in a daze.

“How old are you this year?” I asked him.

He probably didn’t expect me to suddenly ask this; after a moment’s pause, he said, “27.”

“27!” I punched him in the shoulder, knocking the frail man onto the sofa beside him. He looked pitiful, but I didn’t feel an ounce of pity. “You’re 27 years old, why are you still acting like you’re 17? What were you thinking about doing just now? Jumping? And then what? Would that end this matter?”

Li Jiangluo covered his face, saying nothing.

I was annoyed, frustrated by his demeanor.

The details of Bolin’s death were still unclear, and I didn’t believe the police’s conclusion. Xu Zhao was even more suspicious.

“I really doubt why my brother fell for you seeing you like this.” I wasn’t going to be polite anymore. Li Jiangluo had been like a walking zombie these past few days, not at all resembling a man capable of handling things.

He lowered his hand, remaining silent for a long time before finally speaking. “I don’t know either.”

That night, I didn’t let Li Jiangluo return to his own room to sleep, forcing him to stay with me instead.

After venting my anger, I calmed down. My brother was dead, and I couldn’t allow his lover to get into trouble either.

I ordered takeout, but neither of us ate much. We simply had no appetite, feeling disinterested in everything.

Li Jiangluo slept on the bed, which was at my insistence. He had originally wanted to wrap himself in a coat and sleep on the couch, but seeing how he could fall ill at any moment, I couldn’t bear it.

“Go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, we’ll discuss what to do next.”

But I still couldn’t sleep that night. The snow had stopped outside, and I had run out of cigarettes. Glancing at Li Jiangluo, huddled under the blankets, he seemed quite docile.

I grabbed my coat and the room card and left. Without cigarettes, the night would be unbearable.

There was a 24-hour convenience store not far from the hotel. I bought two packs of cigarettes and two bread rolls. Above the cash register, a TV was broadcasting news.

I feared seeing anything about Bolin and paid quickly, rushing out.

To my surprise, Li Jiangluo was waiting for me outside. We hadn’t changed clothes in days; he was still wearing that same trench coat, looking even thinner after the snowfall.

I wasn’t much better off. Wanting to take off my coat to give it to him was a futile thought.

My coat was even thinner than his, and as soon as I stepped out, the cold wind penetrated it.

Seeing me approach, he followed me back.

The snow crunched beneath our feet, and I lit a cigarette. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him turning to look at me.

His eyes were swollen like walnuts, his nose and face frozen red. This person was actually quite good-looking, clean and refined, but at the moment, he had no image to speak of.

“Wanna smoke?” I offered the cigarette in my hand toward him.

My intention was to give him one if he wanted, but unexpectedly, he took mine directly, lighting up without hesitation.

I had to light another one for myself. Two grown men smoking slowly in the snowy night, we looked like two destitute vagrants.

“The insurance company called me,” Li Jiangluo said. “Actually, they’ve been calling me for a while, but I ignored them.”

When he mentioned the insurance company, I remembered that there had been an insurance policy along with that health examination report at the time. It was a life insurance policy, and the beneficiary was Li Jiangluo.

The police had concluded that Bolin, realizing he might not live much longer, staged a murder to commit insurance fraud.

But I trusted my brother’s character and intelligence; he wouldn’t do something so dishonest, nor would he be foolish enough to make the scene so suspicious.

“What did they say?” I asked.

“They called two days ago, before the case was closed. They said they needed to wait for the results of the police investigation.” Li Jiangluo squinted his eyes, exhaling smoke, then suddenly stopped. “Brother Baichuan, I still can’t believe Bolin committed suicide.”

I walked a few steps ahead, then stopped. Snow began falling again, the originally icy flakes turned warm yellow under the streetlights.

“Whether we believe it or not, they’ve already reached a conclusion.” I didn’t believe it either, but what I believed less was people—Li Jiangluo and Xu Zhao. A terrifying idea suddenly popped into my head. “I haven’t told my parents about this yet. They’re old and in poor health. I want to keep it secret for now. I just called them today, telling them I need to handle some matters domestically, so I’ll be staying here longer.”

I started walking again, and he quickly caught up.

“Can you go back to the place where you lived before? I want to sort through my brother’s belongings and find a place to stay temporarily.” I had a plan. Until I found a conclusion that satisfied me regarding Bolin’s case, I wouldn’t leave here.

“Xu Zhao said we can go back the day after tomorrow. I also don’t intend to continue living there.”

“Do you have a place to go?” I asked. “You haven’t gone to work these past few days. Is there no problem at the company?”

Li Jiangluo took a puff of his cigarette, then blew it out, rubbing his nose. “Continuous absence from work, I got fired. I’ll just have to find another place to live.”

We returned to the warm hotel, our bodies still emitting cool air. As soon as we entered the room, I extinguished the cigarette butt and took off my coat.

“Why don’t we find a place together?” I suggested. “You lost your job because of my brother, and you probably don’t have much money now. I’ll pay the rent.”

Li Jiangluo hesitated for a moment, but before he could object, I went into the bathroom.

When I came out, he had already sat down by the window and started smoking again.

The next day, we were notified that we could go back.

I packed my things and, together with Li Jiangluo, went downstairs to check out. In the lobby, we saw Xu Zhao sitting there.

Today, he wasn’t wearing his police uniform, and his facial hair was shaved clean. He looked a few years younger, not as unkempt as when we had first met.

Seeing us come out, he nodded at me and then asked Li Jiangluo, “Are we going straight back?”

Li Jiangluo nodded and said, “Let’s check out first.”

I thought that Li Jiangluo must also realize that Xu Zhao felt differently toward him. Because of this, I became even more suspicious of Xu Zhao.

Of course, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that the entire incident was a joint scheme concocted by Xu Zhao and Li Jiangluo. The truth of the matter awaited verification.

From last night until now, I kept thinking that perhaps Li Jiangluo and Xu Zhao had been secretly together, and Bolin found out. An argument ensued between the three of them, and Bolin was accidentally killed. The case was handled by Xu Zhao, who investigated it himself. This was practically the thief shouting to catch the thief.

Although this theory didn’t seem to hold water upon serious scrutiny, Bolin’s case had many strange aspects. From beginning to end, it was like a rope tied in countless knots, and yet, not a single knot was untied before the case was closed.

I followed behind Li Jiangluo and Xu Zhao as we left the hotel. His car was parked outside, and we naturally got in.

Although we planned to find a new place to live, we still had to go back for these few days.

I desperately wanted to see the place where my brother had lived. I believed he would have left some clues for me.

I sat in the backseat, while Xu Zhao and Li Jiangluo were in front.

Xu Zhao asked him, “What are your plans after this? Are you going to look for a job first? Or do you plan to go out and clear your mind?”

I silently scoffed, unable to shake off the suspicion that something was amiss between the two of them.

This police officer in front of me must have harbored ulterior motives during the investigation. I had to uncover the truth, clarify everything, and next, it would be his turn to lose his job.

“I’m planning to move first.” Li Jiangluo said, “Brother Baichuan will be staying here for a while. It would be convenient for us to live together for the time being, and there’s also Bolin’s funeral…”

He stopped talking here, and I saw him turn his head toward the window, not knowing what he was thinking.

Xu Zhao looked at me through the rearview mirror, and when he noticed me, his gaze quickly shifted away. However, I still sensed hostility.

I thought that my speculation might be correct. This negligent police officer must be plotting something.

“Why don’t you stay in my vacant apartment for now?” Xu Zhao suggested.

“The one in the north of the city?” Li Jiangluo turned around and asked naturally.

The relationship between these two people was closer than I could have imagined. They seemed to be intimately familiar with every detail of each other’s lives.

“Yeah, it’s empty anyway. Since you don’t have a job recently, you shouldn’t bother renting elsewhere.” Xu Zhao glanced at me through the rearview mirror again. “Mr. Xing, do you think that’s alright?”

“I don’t mind,” I spoke the truth. Staying in Xu Zhao’s house would be better; there might be unexpected discoveries.

“Okay, I’ll hire a cleaner to tidy it up later. You can move in after you finish packing up,” Xu Zhao said to Li Jiangluo. “It’s also convenient for me to have you move out. I’m on leave these few days, so I can spend more time with you.”

From my angle, I couldn’t see Li Jiangluo’s reaction, but I felt sorry for my brother. He had experienced love for the first time, only to end up in such a situation.

I clenched my teeth and looked out the window, unwilling to listen to Xu Zhao’s caring words toward Li Jiangluo. I didn’t know what kind of mood Li Jiangluo was in, having lost his lover and facing such care. All I knew was that I wished this car would plunge off the overpass, allowing me to drag them along to accompany my brother in death.