Chapter 9 – Farce

The dim interrogation room.

The delicate young man lowered his head, his slightly overgrown bangs covering his eyes, making his demeanor appear even more somber. Several days of interrogation seemed to have drained his energy, yet he still stubbornly refused to say anything.

With a clang, the iron door opened.

Yan Ru’s eyelashes trembled slightly, but he didn’t even bother to lift his head.

“Hello, Yan Ru. My name is Qin Yuezhang.” The man who walked in sat across from Yan Ru, placing his hands properly on the interrogation table, leaning slightly forward in a listener’s posture.

Yan Ru’s eyebrows, hidden beneath his thick hair, twitched imperceptibly as he slowly raised his head.

This was the first time Qin Yuezhang had formally and directly faced Yan Ru.

The young man’s features were delicate, his eyes gleaming like stars under the interrogation lights.

It was difficult to associate this excessively beautiful face with that of a vicious murderer.

But often, appearances did not reflect the heart.

“Another officer for interrogation today?” Yan Ru’s face was pale, but the provocation in his smile remained undiminished.

Qin Yuezhang was patient. “I’m not a police officer. I’m just a psychological consultant hired by the police. You can think of me as a listener—if you’re willing to talk.”

“A different way to fish for information? Psychological consultant—how novel. You all don’t actually think I’m some ruthless, bloodthirsty psycho, do you? That’s too much praise for me.” Yan Ru paused, then seemed to take an interest, tilting his chin up and glancing at Qin Yuezhang with a mocking smile. “So, what do you want to hear today?”

Qin Yuezhang said, “Your father is Yan Ande.”

Yan Ru froze abruptly, the smile vanishing from his face, his gaze turning sharp and guarded.

Like a startled cat, its fur standing on end to appear fierce and formidable.

Qin Yuezhang met his gaze calmly, expressionless.

Perhaps it was the psychologist’s natural aura that made people want to confide in him, but Yan Ru soon relaxed again. He said, “Consultant Qin, tell me this: if your father is a murderer, are you destined to become one as well?”

Qin Yuezhang replied, “There’s no theoretical basis for that.”

Yan Ru sneered and lowered his head indifferently. “Then why, long before this, had everyone already judged me countless times?”

As I fiddled with my bangs, which had grown long enough to cover my eyes, the train abruptly started moving again without warning.

I was startled, almost poking myself in the eye.

But this was a good thing. The train had already wasted too much time here, and some passengers even cheered.

I looked out the window at the moving scenery, the greenery spreading like paint, with occasional telephone poles flashing by. It was already afternoon, and the dazzling sun hung in the distant sky outside the window.

Yan Ru gazed thoughtfully out the window, a hint of confusion in his expression.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. There was nothing unusual outside—the sun was still the same, no different from how it looked in the morning.

Yan Ru withdrew his gaze and said calmly, “Nothing. Just looking.”

Really?

I studied his face discreetly. His handsome, striking features showed no cracks. I said, “We should be arriving in Xue City soon. If you really have nowhere to go, you can stay at my place. My home is at…”

Halfway through my sentence, a sudden sense of disorientation and inexplicable discomfort rose in my mind. It was that kind of confusion and frustration when you forget what you were about to say just as the words reach your lips.

What was going on?

But my confusion didn’t last long, because a woman’s voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.

“Thank you both so much for earlier.”

Yan Ru and I turned our heads in unison—it was Qi Youxuan. Her face was slightly pale, likely still shaken, and she still clutched her backpack tightly.

I curled my lips and waved dismissively. “People like that shouldn’t be encouraged. Otherwise, they’ll just climb all over others!”

Qi Youxuan forced a smile, her eyes still shadowed with sorrow. She had seemed downcast since the first time I saw her. Thinking of the photo that had fallen out of her bag earlier… Had she gone through a breakup?

Just then, Gu Lanshan, who had been sleeping in the upper bunk, suddenly poked his head out, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “The train’s moving? How long has it been? Shouldn’t we be arriving in Xue City soon?”

As he spoke, he climbed down from the bunk. His gaze froze for a moment when it landed on Qi Youxuan, but he quickly looked away as if nothing had happened.

“It just started moving,” I said. “You woke up at just the right time.”

Gu Lanshan scratched his short hair. “I woke up earlier because of all the commotion. This trip—what was supposed to take half a day has turned into a day and a half! When I get off, I’m definitely giving them a piece of my mind…”

Before he could finish, Xu Anran, wearing a gray trench coat, awkwardly appeared in the aisle pushing a cart, his face caught between smiling and not smiling.

“Passengers, I’m truly sorry for the delay,” Xu Anran said professionally, pretending he hadn’t heard anything as he took out a few bags of local specialties from the cart and handed them to us respectfully. “These are small gifts from the railway—Xue City’s specialty, toasted sesame cakes.”

I took one and examined it. It was the kind of snack often sold on trains, and it looked decent.

But when Gu Lanshan took the gift, his expression suddenly turned strange. He spun around abruptly, turning his back to us, half-leaning against the middle bunk with his head lowered. From my angle, I could only see his shoulders heaving from heavy breathing.

Yan Ru also noticed something was wrong. “What’s the matter?”

Gu Lanshan shook his head, clutching the bag of toasted sesame cakes tighter. “I suddenly have a stomachache. I’m going to the restroom.” With that, he walked away without looking back.

When Gu Lanshan passed Xu Anran, I noticed Xu Anran turned his head away. Their eyes met for a split second before parting.

When Xu Anran turned back, his expression showed no sign of anything amiss.

I happened to be hungry, so I tore open the packaging and shared the snacks with Yan Ru and Qi Youxuan. Then I said to Xu Anran, “I’m actually curious—did you find that thief?”

Xu Anran’s face stiffened. He glanced around, looking both troubled and eager to talk.

“This incident is so big, it’s bound to spread. It’s better for us to understand the truth first, so we don’t say the wrong thing,” I added.

Xu Anran hesitated but eventually put away his cart and said in a low voice, “It’s not that it can’t be talked about. We’re just worried that people won’t know the truth, which could lead to bad rumors.”

I patted the empty seat beside me, signaling for Xu Anran to sit. “Exactly… So why did you take that Ms. Xu out earlier? Did you find her stuff?”

“No!” Xu Anran shook his head emphatically and slapped his thigh. “There was no jade Guanyin heirloom at all! I really thought it was a major case!”

Yan Ru raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Qi Youxuan blurted out, “It was fake?!”

“Keep it down!” Xu Anran raised his hand, gesturing for us to lower our voices. “She might have an heirloom, but one thing’s for sure—she didn’t bring it on the train!”

I was intrigued. “So she was crying wolf!”

This was interesting. That Sun guy had backed her up. I’d love to see his face when he found out the truth—it’d be a sight to behold.

“I overheard a bit—she might have bought property insurance for it,” Xu Anran said. “I don’t know if she’s stupid or just evil, trying to commit insurance fraud with such a half-baked plan. The railway’s security system is advanced now, and the surveillance isn’t just for show. Earlier, when the police weren’t here, they were checking the security footage from the station entrance. Guess what?”

At the crucial moment, Xu Anran deliberately paused, his eyes scanning my face, Yan Ru’s, and Qi Youxuan’s.

“What happened?” I played along.

Xu Anran seemed pleased. “The footage showed that when her luggage was scanned, there was no silhouette resembling a Guanyin statue. She probably threw out a plastic bag at the station to make it look convincing. But the police retrieved it, and it was just a green beer bottle inside.”

With that, Xu Anran spread his hands, looking exasperated.

So that was it.

I turned to Yan Ru and raised an eyebrow. “See what I said earlier? Whether we’re guilty of theft is still up in the air, but someone definitely violated others’ privacy—that’s indisputable.”

Xu Anran hurriedly said, “That passenger, Sun, isn’t actually acquainted with her! He wasn’t in on it! Even though what he did was wrong, his intentions were good—he just wanted to do something…”

Of course I knew. Xu Anran was just trying to dissuade me from pursuing the matter further.

Who was I? A renowned psychologist, a distinguished scholar! How could I possibly stoop to the level of someone who didn’t even understand the law?

But the simmering anger in my heart disagreed. Flames of fury licked at me, burning my insides.

I thought I should be more magnanimous.

Qi Youxuan lowered her head to look at the bag in her arms, biting her lip without a word.

Yan Ru sighed, his expression softening. “It’s understandable. But they need to be made aware—’the law does not punish the masses’ isn’t a valid excuse. If this were pursued legally, he’d be the first to face consequences.”

“Absolutely, absolutely!” Xu Anran grinned and stood up. “I’ll go deliver the gifts to the other passengers now. We’re arriving at Xue City Station soon—you should start packing. Have a safe trip!”

With that, Xu Anran turned to push his cart. Perhaps due to inexperience or the aftermath of the bizarre farce, he struggled for a while before finally getting the cart moving, stumbling forward.

Meanwhile, the train gradually slowed, and the platform came into view outside our window. A station sign stood by the platform like a tall, silent figure welcoming travelers from all directions.

Blue background, white lettering.

Xue City Station.