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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 84: Gao Sheng
Hearing me, their expressions grew increasingly tense. Qin Jian, however, remained calm and asked matter-of-factly, "Did you ask her who that person is?"
"I did. That person is tall and thin, sickly pale, and looks completely unenergetic—just sickly overall."
"That's all? No name or surname?"
"Yes, the name is Gao Sheng."
Qin Jian, Chi Xinrong, and Zhang Xian clearly had never heard of this name. They asked in unison, "Have you seen him?"
I shook my head. I had gone out for a bit, and it was a long story. So I still wasn't sure; having learned the other person's name, I had a vague feeling that this Gao Sheng was not the person I was looking for but rather someone hidden behind him.
"Li Luwen will be fine. Let's go eat wontons."
Zhang Xian frowned and said to Chi Xinrong, "Wontons? I'm not going; you all go. I'll stay with Li Luwen."
"Is she okay?" I asked as I noticed Zhang Xian leaving with a heavy heart.
Chi Xinrong linked her arm with Qin Jian's and glanced at her phone. After reading something on the screen, she exclaimed a bunch of dialect phrases before Qin Jian replied for her: "It seems Dr. Zhang has been having trouble sleeping. People who suffer from insomnia often have dark circles under their eyes; she might just want to catch up on sleep. It's strange for her to be with Li Luwen; Li Luwen probably wouldn't agree to that anyway."
Qin Jian was absolutely right.
On the surface, Li Luwen and Zhang Xian seemed fine, but whether they truly forgave each other was something only a ghost would know.
After finishing her conversation on WeChat, Chi Xinrong returned to our topic: "She keeps having nightmares about friends from her youth and then can't sleep. Mo Feng has already gone back to work at the hospital, and she plans to start working officially too. It’s just that she can’t seem to settle down; her eyelids keep twitching. She probably wanted to ask you something but felt embarrassed to bring it up, so she made an excuse about not liking wontons to leave."
Qin Jian rarely took unrelated matters seriously but shared his thoughts: "Could it be that there’s something else weighing on her mind?"
"I think so too," Chi Xinrong continued to play with her phone.
Qin Jian and I chatted for a few moments about the Fateful Path incident.
Qin Jian asked, "What should we do next?"
"This isn't something I should be asking you?" Sometimes I feel like Qin Jian is just a woman without a backbone, always making me decide things. Damn it, he's the boss; I'm just the errand runner. How could he possibly ask me about everything?
"I am. Han Lan was picked up by her family, and Li Luwen will be discharged tomorrow. Her mother can't come out, and I need to write the summary report for this case. Are you going to see her off?"
"Why me?"
Qin Jian snapped, "Damn it, if you don't go, I'll have to! Then you can write the summary report for me!"
He was clearly taking advantage of the fact that I wasn't very literate. Writing my own name was one thing; writing some damn summary report was beyond me. I glared at him in silence while he continued to ramble on.
I was in a heated argument with Qin Jian.
Chi Xinrong, however, ignored us and seemed to be in a leisurely mood as he searched for a good Wonton Shop. "Hey, this place is nice! I've been here several times, and they do great business late at night." He didn't care that there were two people behind him and walked straight in, calling out to the counter, "Two orders of two liang and one order of one liang wontons."
This Wonton Shop was indeed impressive. As we walked along, many restaurants were closed for business, but this Wonton Shop was still open.
The sign read: Liu Chao Shou Wonton Shop.
The shop wasn't large; a rotating light fixture cast a soft warm glow that made the atmosphere cozy and inviting. The owner was a middle-aged man who greeted us with a smile as we entered. I noticed that the wontons Chi Xinrong ordered were already on the table—how fast!
We took our seats, and Chi Xinrong dug in enthusiastically, making it look so delicious that I couldn't help but grab one and pop it into my mouth. Wow—so hot! Damn it, this wonton went down my throat like molten lava, making me break into a cold sweat while Chi Xinrong laughed uncontrollably at my plight. It felt like I had been reincarnated as a starving deadbeat.
Qin Jian had already eaten dinner and was now having a late-night snack. He leisurely picked up his lighter and lit a cigarette, squinting through the smoke as he looked at the steaming wontons in front of me. Seeing my struggle made him chuckle: "Fresh out of the pot; isn't it hot? Still starving yourself? You're going to ruin your esophagus."
These two were perfectly matched—gleeful at my misfortune while also teasing me.
I shot them an annoyed glare and slammed my chopsticks on the table: "I can't compare with you guys; I've been starving since this afternoon!"
Qin Jian took a puff of his cigarette and saw Chi Xinrong fanning away the smoke. He reluctantly extinguished it in the trash can before picking up his chopsticks to stir his wontons: "If you're hungry, just eat. Take your time."
Not wanting to engage further, I focused on my food. Having learned from past experiences, I decided to be cautious this time. Blowing on it wouldn’t cool it down immediately, but it would help me gradually tackle these wontons floating in grease.
After taking a bite of his wonton, Qin Jian opened up again about our earlier argument: "The Fateful Path incident has come to an end. I'll write the summary report; you see Li Luwen safely home. As for her mother’s situation, what do you think we should do?"
“Cold Tossed,” I said, feigning anger. First, I needed to fill my stomach before I had the energy to argue with Qin Jian. I continued to eat the wontons heartily; they were quite tasty, with plenty of filling and a rich meat flavor. Once I finished mine, I reached over with my chopsticks to scoop some from Qin Jian’s bowl, curious if he would let me.
Chi Xinrong simply laughed. After a good laugh, she stood up to pay the bill. At least she was considerate enough not to take sides in our little spat; maintaining neutrality was no easy feat.
Finally, after finishing all the wontons in my bowl and half of those in Qin Jian’s, I felt full and stretched lazily, letting out a satisfied burp.
“Now that we’ve eaten, can we conclude the Fateful Path incident?”
I pulled out a napkin and quickly wiped my mouth. Regarding the Fateful Path incident, I shared my thoughts: “From what I can see on the surface, it seems like nothing significant will happen anymore. Look at Mo Fenghua; he’s back at work without any issues. The rift between Zhang Xian and Li Luwen is also fading. As for Hua Lu’s aftermath, if possible, I’ll help Fatty handle this Order as discreetly as possible. Sun Yue deserves his fate but still needs some form of closure since it was a violent death. It would be best for Zhang Youjian to also have some sort of memorial for him. Liu Hui and Sun Yue had an unclear relationship, and Zhang Xian doesn’t seem to understand that either; their families are unaware of everything. This matter has escalated unnecessarily, but aside from that, it seems like there’s really nothing more.”
“Really nothing more? I’m just preparing to draft the summary report,” Qin Jian replied, looking somewhat uneasy. It was clear he had doubts about this matter; however, those doubts were vague. I too felt an unsettling sense that this issue wasn’t going to wrap up so easily.
Everything appeared calm on the surface, yet there was an undercurrent of tension lurking beneath.
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