CJLTNS Chapter 6

During the meal, Yu Xin didn’t say much. Most of the talking was done by Jiang Ran, who complained about how hard school was one moment, and then grumbled about how Jiang Chong was always busy and rarely came home.

When it came to other topics, Yu Xin would occasionally respond. But whenever Jiang Chong was mentioned, Yu Xin stayed silent.

After dinner, Yu Xin planned to meet up with Xu Yuanyuan at a KTV, so he told Jiang Ran to head back on her own. “I’ve got something to take care of. Where’s your driver?”

Jiang Ran’s eyes shifted, and she shook her head. “He had something to deal with back home and took two days off. I came by taxi today. It’s fine—I’ll just take a taxi back too.”

Yu Xin glanced at his watch. It was already 8 p.m., and night had fallen. After a moment of thought, he opened the front passenger door. “Alright, I’ll drive you home first.”

“Yay! Brother Xiao Yu is the best!” Jiang Ran beamed with satisfaction and quickly buckled her seatbelt after getting into the front seat.

The used Bora drove out of the parking lot. Without using GPS, Yu Xin smoothly took the road toward the Jiang family home.

The Jiangs lived halfway up Yongjia Mountain on the eastern side of Kangzhou. It was a prime location—close to the city, with beautiful surroundings and a panoramic view of Kangzhou. Back in the day, when the Jiang family bought the land and developed it into a villa estate, they instantly rose to become the wealthiest family in Kangzhou.

At the gate of the villa area, Yu Xin’s car was stopped. Jiang Ran leaned out of the window from the passenger side to show her face, and the barrier slowly lifted.

There was a time when Yu Xin came and went from this place like it was his own home. He drove up to the entrance of the Jiang house, and Jiang Ran reluctantly unfastened her seatbelt and looked at Yu Xin. “Xiao Yu ge, come in and sit for a while.”

Yu Xin shook his head. “You should go in. I still have things to do.”

Jiang Ran pouted and nodded. “Then at least add me on WeChat so I can find you to eat with me again.”

Yu Xin instinctively wanted to say no, but when he saw the hopeful look in her eyes, he took out his phone and added her on WeChat.

Jiang Ran got out of the car and walked into the house, looking back three times with every few steps. Only after seeing her enter the house did Yu Xin finally turn around and drive away.

On the mountain at night, a cool breeze began to stir. Yu Xin rolled down the window, letting the mountain wind pour into the car. The chill helped ease his turbulent thoughts.

Jiang Chong walked out of the interrogation room and saw a message from his younger sister, Jiang Ran, telling him to come home because she had something important to tell him.

Jiang Chong didn’t think much of it—he figured Jiang Ran must want to do something that their parents didn’t approve of, so she was coming to him instead.

After graduating from college, Jiang Chong had moved out and only visited home once or twice a month. He did a quick mental calculation—it had already been more than half a month since he last went home. So, he decided to make the trip.

A black Cullinan drove along the winding mountain road of Yongjia Mountain. Occasionally, cars passed by in the opposite direction—luxury cars, every one of them. Only the elite of Kangcheng could afford to live in this area.

A car came from the opposite direction. Jiang Chong instinctively turned off his high beams and saw it was a white vehicle, somewhat worn out and a bit out of place here.

As the two cars passed each other, Jiang Chong turned his face slightly. In the split second their cars crossed, he caught a glimpse of Yu Xin’s profile. In just that instant, Yu Xin’s car faded into the darkness behind him.

When Jiang Chong got home, he greeted his parents briefly and went upstairs to Jiang Ran’s room. “Ah Ran, what’s this important thing you wanted to tell me?”

Jiang Ran stood beside Jiang Chong, the height difference between them stark—she had to tilt her head back just to see his face. “Brother, you’ll never guess who I ran into today!”

With his hands in his pockets, Jiang Chong gazed out at the brightly lit city nightscape in the distance. He swallowed and said, “Yu Xin.”

Jiang Ran had wanted to be mysterious and tease him a bit, but Jiang Chong had guessed it right away. She pouted in disappointment. Sure enough, in front of a cop, there were no secrets.

Suddenly remembering something, she perked up again and waved her phone in front of Jiang Chong. “Brother, I even added Brother Xiao Yu on WeChat today. I’m going to ask him out for dinner next time!”

Jiang Ran was shaking her phone so much that Jiang Chong couldn’t see the screen clearly. He took the phone from her and looked. Yu Xin’s profile picture was a simple sketch of a bird—white background, black lines.

On the chat screen, Jiang Ran had sent a message:
“Brother Xiao Yu, drive slowly on your way back.”

Yu Xin hadn’t replied yet. Jiang Ran glanced at the time—he was probably still on the road.

Jiang Chong tapped on the phone a couple of times. Jiang Ran stood on her tiptoes trying to see but couldn’t make out anything.

Jiang Chong handed the phone back. When Jiang Ran looked at the screen, she realized Jiang Chong had added Yu Xin’s contact via the name card she had recommended.

Suddenly, she seemed to confirm something. She elbowed Jiang Chong and said, “Brother, do you still like Brother Xiao Yu?”

Jiang Chong’s hand was still in his pocket, his fingertips rubbing constantly. After a long silence, he softly replied, “Mm.”

His voice was so quiet that if Jiang Ran hadn’t been listening carefully, she would’ve thought she imagined it.

Jiang Ran’s eyes lit up with excitement and curiosity, practically bouncing around the balcony. “Bro, you’ve got to work hard and win Brother Yu back!”

Jiang Chong couldn’t help but laugh at Jiang Ran’s enthusiasm—it wasn’t even her love life, so why was she so excited?

He reached out to pat her head. “Got it.”

After leaving Jiang Ran’s room, Jiang Chong returned to his own. Although he rarely stayed over, the room was always kept clean so he could come back anytime.

Standing on the balcony, Jiang Chong lit a cigarette and took a drag. The smoke he exhaled drifted away in the mountain breeze. He pulled out his phone, his finger hovering over the WeChat profile with the little bird icon. Just as he was about to confirm the friend request, a phone call suddenly came in.

“Alright, I’m on my way.”

Jiang Chong had just received word that someone resembling a suspect from a sketch had been detained by officers at the local substation, so they called him in.

He went downstairs and quickly said goodbye to his parents. “Mom, Dad, there’s a case. I have to go.”

His mother, Zhang Hui, looked at his rushing figure with concern. “He just got back, and now he’s leaving again? Not even staying the night.”

His father waved a hand, trying to reassure her. “It’s his choice. Let him be.”

Jiang Chong drove to the substation in the west of the city. At night, the place was lively with activity—drunk troublemakers, brawlers—every kind of person you could imagine.

“Captain Jiang, over here!”

Jiang Chong greeted the officers and stepped into the holding area, where he saw the potential suspect.

“Captain Jiang, we got a tip from locals about illegal gambling. While investigating, we noticed this guy looked a lot like the sketch, so we brought him in.”

Jiang Chong looked through the bars at the man. He did resemble the computer-generated composite. Jiang Chong checked the man’s ID and had a DNA sample taken. He instructed the officers to detain him under the gambling charges for now and wait for the DNA results the next day.

After wrapping things up, it was already 9 p.m. Jiang Chong prepared to leave.

“Jiang… Jiang Chong!”

He turned toward the voice and saw a tall, lean figure standing under the eaves beside a pillar.

Jiang Chong walked over. “Why are you here?”

Yu Xin was silently cursing Xu Yuanyuan to the heavens. She was ridiculously clueless. He had only been gone a short while, and she went undercover alone pretending to be a KTV staff member. While serving drinks, the button-sized camera she had hidden on her body fell off, and she was caught red-handed. The KTV staff dragged her straight to the station.

Yu Xin had just gotten the call to come pick her up. He thought a fine and an apology would settle things. But the KTV wanted to save face for their VIP clients, refused any form of settlement, and insisted on pressing charges. Xu Yuanyuan was now facing seven days of detention.

Xu Yuanyuan was not only clumsy but also timid. Who knew how terrified she must be right now? Yu Xin had been waiting outside the station, racking his brain for a way to get her out, when he spotted Jiang Chong.

He needed help—and from his ex, no less. All the confidence and smugness he’d shown Jiang Chong just days ago vanished. He awkwardly cleared his throat, and despite his discomfort, forced the words out:
“Jiang Chong, can you do me a favor?”

Jiang Chong looked at the way he was acting all timid and bashful—it was just like the old days. When Yu Xin was lively and radiant, he was like a little fox; but every time he made a mistake, he became like a whimpering puppy, looking all pitiful—it made it hard to stay angry at him.

Yu Xin was wearing an oversized T-shirt, the collar so worn it had turned yellow and lost its shape, revealing his well-defined collarbones. Jiang Chong, his voice a little hoarse, said, “Go ahead.”

Yu Xin briefly explained the situation about Xu Yuanyuan getting arrested. Seeing Jiang Chong’s expression grow darker by the second, he quickly added, “We’re journalists—real ones—with credentials.”

Jiang Chong looked at him, took a deep breath, then put an arm around Yu Xin’s shoulder and said coldly, “Come with me.”

Jiang Chong led Yu Xin into the police station and spoke with one of the officers for a bit before taking Yu Xin into an office. Then he stepped out to make a phone call.

About ten minutes later, a man in a loud floral shirt, around forty years old, hurried into the station.

The office door opened, and the officer led the floral-shirt man inside. “Yu Xin, this is the KTV owner. Have a talk—see if he’s willing to settle.”

Yu Xin had never met this man before; when he’d applied to work undercover at the KTV, it was always the floor manager who handled interviews.

Yu Xin took the initiative, lowering his stance considerably. “Hello, boss.”

The floral-shirt man bent slightly and gently shook Yu Xin’s hand with both of his. “Reporter Yu, hello, hello!”

Xu Yuanyuan had already been locked up for three hours—who knew how scared she must be. Yu Xin wanted to resolve things quickly, so he got straight to the point. “Boss, my friend was in the wrong here. We’re willing to apologize and offer compensation. How much would you need to be willing to let this go?”

The floral-shirt man looked completely flattered. God knew, when he got that call from Jiang Chong—it was the heir of the Jiang family calling! His KTV was rented from the Jiang family’s property, and now Jiang Chong himself was calling? That was the honor of a lifetime.

And once he found out that the person in custody was a friend of Jiang Chong’s friend, he broke out in a cold sweat, rushed to the station to apologize—how could he still demand an apology or compensation?

“It’s all just a misunderstanding—a misunderstanding. We’re all friends here! No need for apologies or compensation!”

Seeing this, Yu Xin understood. This KTV either belonged to the Jiang family or they had some sort of stake in it. Right—how could a powerful family like the Jiangs operate like ordinary people?

Since both parties had come to an agreement, the rest was easy. The floral-shirt man signed a letter of understanding, Yu Xin paid a fine, and finally got Xu Yuanyuan out of the station.

Xu Yuanyuan had red eyes and tear stains all over her face. She was curled up like a ball. As soon as she saw Yu Xin, she burst into tears again. “Shifu… I…”

Seeing her like this, Yu Xin couldn’t bear to scold her. He comforted her a bit and handed her a packet of tissues. “Go to the bathroom and wash your face.”

Watching their interaction, Jiang Chong chuckled. “Where’d you find such a clueless disciple?”

Sure, Xu Yuanyuan was a bit slow and not the sharpest tool in the shed. But to Yu Xin, it was a master’s duty to defend his disciple. If someone else criticized her, it rubbed him the wrong way. “She’s not that clueless—just a little slow to react.”

Still just as fond of arguing as before, Jiang Chong thought silently to himself.

A few minutes later, Xu Yuanyuan came out of the restroom, looking a bit better. Yu Xin was about to take her home when he noticed Jiang Chong still waiting nearby. Feeling a little awkward, he said, “Jiang Chong, thanks for today.”

With just one glance, Jiang Chong could tell Yu Xin felt uneasy. A mischievous idea suddenly crossed his mind, and he deliberately said, “I did you such a big favor, and that’s all I get—a thank you?”

Yu Xin didn’t expect Jiang Chong to be so direct. For a moment, he was caught off guard. He coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness. “Um… then I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”

In society, “next time,” “let’s find a time,” or “when we’re both free” often means: we’re never contacting each other again. A polite way to part ways, preserving adult dignity.

“Not next time—right now. I haven’t even had dinner yet.”

“Ah… right now?”

Yu Xin coughed again, hesitated, then nodded. “Alright, just give me a moment. Let me make sure she’s settled first.”

He turned around and whispered to Xu Yuanyuan, “Yuanyuan, can you get home by yourself? Or do you need me to drive you back?”

Xu Yuanyuan sniffled. She already felt bad enough for making her mentor come to the police station in the middle of the night—she didn’t want to trouble him further. She quickly said, “Shifu, I can go home by myself.”

Yu Xin nodded and took out his phone. “I’ll call a ride for you. Text me when you get home.”

After seeing Xu Yuanyuan into the car, Yu Xin turned back to Jiang Chong. “Let’s go. What do you want to eat? My treat.”

Yu Xin had driven there and assumed Jiang Chong had too, so he started walking toward his own car.

“I didn’t drive. I’ll go with you.”

Jiang Chong got into Yu Xin’s car. The space inside wasn’t very big, and with two men over 1.8 meters tall squeezed in together, it suddenly felt cramped.

“What do you want to eat?” Yu Xin asked as he started the engine.

Jiang Chong buckled his seatbelt and thought for a moment. “Let’s go to the snack street behind our old high school.”

The Jiang and Yu families were close. Jiang Chong and Yu Xin had gone to the same school growing up, although Jiang Chong was a grade above Yu Xin. When they were younger, they didn’t get along—Jiang Chong thought Yu Xin was too playful and unserious, and Yu Xin thought Jiang Chong was cold and boring. They both looked down on each other. It wasn’t until Yu Xin was in his third year of middle school and accidentally discovered one of Jiang Chong’s secrets that their relationship started to change for the better.