When Lin Zhizhi was at home, she usually had no makeup on, her bangs clipped back, and wrapped herself in a blue flannel blanket, looking like a witch. She had stayed up all night because a client was pressing her for drafts. Curled up on her chair, holding her digital drawing tablet, her face was as pale as a ghost, her eyes dull, and an aura of resentment surrounded her.
Xiao Shitou came out of the bedroom, wearing a one-piece bunny pajama with white on the chest, pink flannel on the back and legs, and two long ears hanging from the hood. He was still sleepy but woke up immediately when he saw Lin Zhizhi. “Auntie, you stayed up all night again?”
Lin Zhizhi nodded, gritting her teeth, “This client is the same one who tortured me to death last time. I’ll never forget him. His ideas are as wild as his appearance…”
Xiao Shitou tilted his head, unable to imagine what a “wild” appearance would look like.
Lin Zhizhi pointed to the kitchen, “There are sandwiches and milk in the fridge. Just microwave them, and you can eat. Sorry, Auntie has to make some revisions; if I stop, I’ll lose my inspiration.”
Xiao Shitou nodded, being very sensible. Even if Lin Zhizhi hadn’t mentioned it, he would have taken care of himself. He went to the kitchen, took out a sandwich, poured a glass of milk, and then took out two eggs. He quietly moved a small stool and closed the kitchen door.
If Auntie saw him cooking, she would definitely jump in to stop him. But he had been independent from a young age; making fried eggs was second nature to him. As soon as the door closed, the sizzling sound of the frying pan filled the small space. After five minutes, the door opened again, and Xiao Shitou peeked out. Lin Zhizhi was still focused on her drawing, probably not having lifted her head once during those five minutes.
Finally, Lin Zhizhi put down her work tools and stretched, shouting, “Finished!”
Xiao Shitou opened the kitchen door, first bringing out two plates and placing them on the dining table, then brought over two glasses of milk. Lin Zhizhi walked over, “Did you heat up a portion for me too? Thanks… Huh?”
She saw the fried eggs on the plate, her pupils shaking with surprise, and ran to the kitchen to find that there was indeed oil in the pan. She rushed out and grabbed Xiao Shitou, starting to check him all over. “Did the oil splatter on you? Even just a little? Let me see your hands… Ah, it’s my fault for letting you into the kitchen. It’s so dangerous!”
“It’s okay, I know how to make fried eggs. I wasn’t hurt.” Xiao Shitou opened his hands, and Lin Zhizhi examined them over and over, finally confirming that he was indeed unscathed before breathing a sigh of relief. “That’s good, but you mustn’t do such dangerous things again, okay?”
Xiao Shitou nodded, pulling out a chair. “Auntie, you should sit down. After you eat, you should go to sleep.”
Lin Zhizhi tasted a bite of the egg, her eyes lighting up with amazement, and she couldn’t stop praising Xiao Shitou’s cooking skills. But before she could finish eating, her phone rang. The client’s feedback had arrived.
So, she went back to her computer, plate in hand, to tussle with the client, her keyboard clattering as if fiercely expressing her viewpoint. Xiao Shitou circled around her, picked up the empty plates, rolled up his sleeves, and stood on a small stool to wash the plates and glasses.
“Ahhh, I can’t communicate with them! They completely miss the point. What exactly do they want?”
Lin Zhizhi’s scream echoed, perfectly portraying a designer driven mad by a client. Xiao Shitou glanced back, hoping that the neighbors were at work and wouldn’t complain to the property management.
Finally, by 10 a.m., Lin Zhizhi couldn’t hold out any longer and went to her room, collapsing into bed. Xiao Shitou sat alone on the sofa. Though Lin Zhizhi had bought him some toys, he wasn’t interested. He held a suspense novel instead.
He flipped to the page with the bookmark, continuing from where he had left off yesterday. He hadn’t gone to school, so most of the words he knew were learned from TV, newspapers, and discarded books. After spending some time at Lü Kanshan’s house, he would often open Miaomiao’s textbooks, and his vocabulary had greatly increased.
After Lin Zhizhi discovered his love for reading, she even bought him a dictionary, teaching him how to look up unfamiliar words. So reading novels wasn’t difficult for him. The living room’s bookshelf held all kinds of books, mostly romance novels and design-related textbooks, with only a few detective novels. But it was those few that captivated Xiao Shitou, making him dive in whenever he had free time, like a bookworm.
Who knows how many hours passed before Lin Zhizhi emerged from her room, yawning. “Xiao Shitou, my brother is coming over later.”
Xiao Shitou perked up at the mention of Lin Heyu. Lin Zhizhi yawned again, “I’m so tired… I didn’t dare tell him I stayed up all night. I almost slipped up when I answered the phone. You better not spill the beans. If my brother asks, just say I go to bed by 11 every night.”
Xiao Shitou nodded repeatedly and put the book down. Looking up, he realized it was almost 3 p.m. He had been so immersed in the world of words that he hadn’t noticed time flying by. Lin Zhizhi, after washing up, picked up her phone and asked, “Xiao Shitou, what do you want for takeout?”
Xiao Shitou shook his head. Lin Zhizhi ruffled his black hair. “No way, you have to eat. You’re still growing, so you have to tell Auntie what you want to eat. We’re not strangers, are we?”
Xiao Shitou thought hard. Lin Zhizhi pinched his soft cheek, “You know, it’s strange how you don’t seem to care about food. You don’t even like snacks. That’s not normal for a kid.”
Five minutes passed, and since Xiao Shitou couldn’t decide, Lin Zhizhi made the choice for him, ordering a pork rib soup set. Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Lin Zhizhi went to open it. “Coming, coming, right on time—Huh? Brother?”
Lin Heyu’s tall figure stood at the door, “Ordering takeout again?”
“Just occasionally… Huh?” Looking over Lin Heyu’s shoulder, Lin Zhizhi saw Jian Ru. The young man raised his hand, smiling brightly, “Hello, Miss Lin.”
Hello—hello, my foot! Lin Zhizhi quickly swung her hand, and with a loud “bang,” the security door slammed shut.
“…” Lin Heyu was puzzled, and Jian Ru was equally confused, “Captain Lin, why did the door close again?”
“No idea.”
Jian Ru racked his brain and came to a sorrowful conclusion, “Does Miss Lin not want to see me?”
“…Rest assured, it’s definitely her problem.”
Xiao Shitou was also startled by the loud sound of the door closing and looked at Lin Zhizhi, who was pressed against the door, flustered. Lin Zhizhi looked terrified, “Did my brother bring someone with him?! Why didn’t he tell me in advance!”
“…?” Xiao Shitou was bewildered, “Isn’t it okay to let others into Auntie’s house?”
“Of course not!” Lin Zhizhi covered her face, “I pulled an all-nighter to finish a draft, my face looks like a dead person with panda eyes, how can I meet anyone like this! My brother just wants to ruin my image!”
She dashed into her bedroom, and the sound of bottles and jars clattering could be heard. The security door was knocked on again, this time more urgently, likely because Lin Heyu was getting impatient outside.
Xiao Shitou shrugged and went to open the door himself. But he only opened it a crack, revealing half of his face as he looked at Lin Heyu and Jian Ru, “You need to wait a moment, Auntie has some personal matters to attend to.”
“What is she doing?”
Xiao Shitou glanced back at the bedroom, “Putting on makeup.”
So, it was really for such an incomprehensible reason. Jian Ru was still in a daze; why put on makeup? Does Miss Lin usually have a habit of putting on makeup at home?
Xiao Shitou guarded the door while Lin Heyu scrutinized him. The cute pink bunny pajamas, along with that delicately crafted little face and those big, blinking eyes, would almost certainly be mistaken for a girl if he went out dressed like this. Jian Ru also chuckled, “Xiao Shitou, you look pretty cute in this outfit. Little bunny, won’t you open the door?”
Xiao Shitou looked down at the pajamas he was wearing, “Auntie bought it.”
“I can tell, Miss Lin has a girly side.”
Lin Heyu remained silent, while Xiao Shitou looked up at him, his dark eyes staring intently, “What do you think?”
Their gazes met, and this childish face reflected in Lin Heyu’s eyes gradually overlapped with Yi Shi’s face, bringing his doubts to the surface: Could he be Yi Shi? Both had similarly exquisite features, though Yi Shi’s beauty had an added touch of chilling elegance, cold and noble like a full moon rising over a cold pool, or a solitary plum blossom standing apart from the world.
Before he knew it, Lin Heyu reached out and gently ruffled Xiao Shitou’s hair, a smile tugging at his lips, “You look very nice.”
Hearing this, Xiao Shitou’s eyes curved slightly, his smile pure and endearing.
Lin Zhizhi quickly applied her usual makeup and even changed her clothes, only to find Xiao Shitou still standing guard at the door. She gave him a thumbs up. She pulled open the door, enthusiastically welcoming her brother and the guest inside. Lin Heyu took a look; there was not much difference in her face compared to earlier, at most, her lips were a bit redder and her face a bit paler. He couldn’t figure out why she had gone to all that trouble.
Jian Ru was holding the takeout (just delivered by the delivery person) and handed it to them, “Miss Lin, why don’t you eat first?”
“I don’t mind, but Xiao Shitou needs to eat. A child can’t go hungry.” Lin Zhizhi unpacked the takeout and called Xiao Shitou over. Lin Heyu went to the kitchen, and a minute later, he returned, staring at Lin Zhizhi with a disapproving expression.
Lin Zhizhi felt guilty, but Xiao Shitou, good at reading people’s expressions, quickly spoke up, “Auntie has been cooking recently. Her dishes are really tasty.”
Lin Heyu’s lips twitched, “…There’s nothing in the fridge.”
“Delicious food is always eaten up.” Xiao Shitou didn’t even blink, “No leftovers.”
Lin Heyu asked Lin Zhizhi, “You buy and cook fresh every night?”
Lin Zhizhi nodded like a bobblehead, yes, yes, yes, every day personally cooking, following the recipe, which really wore her out.
“…” Not wanting to embarrass his sister in front of a guest, Lin Heyu chose not to expose her. Does she take him for blind? The last time he visited, the seasonings in the cupboard were exactly the same as this time, not even their positions had changed. Lin Zhizhi wasn’t meticulous enough to remember to put everything back in the exact spot after cooking.
The big and the small acted well together, deceiving him without blushing or skipping a beat. The elder feared being scolded by her brother, the younger feared being sent away by the uncle; each had their own worries, and they combined their efforts perfectly.
Under Lin Heyu’s supervision, Xiao Shitou obediently ate all his food, even drinking all the soup, and added a compliment, “Not as good as Auntie’s,” which made Lin Zhizhi even more embarrassed.
Because of this, she quickly cleaned up the takeout containers, grabbed her digital tablet and pen, and dashed back into her room to continue working. It happened that Jian Ru had something to discuss with Xiao Shitou, something related to a case, and it was more convenient with Lin Zhizhi not around. He sat down next to Xiao Shitou, smiling, “Xiao Shitou, do you still remember me?”
Xiao Shitou stared at his face for a moment, then nodded, “I remember.”
“Great, I was worried you’d forgotten Uncle. But I’m not here just for a chat; I found something and wanted to ask if you know what it is.” Jian Ru reached into his pocket, then brought out his hand, tightly clenched into a fist, and slowly opened it in front of Xiao Shitou.
In his palm lay a colorful Xiao Shitou. Xiao Shitou’s pupils shrank at the sight, and he stood up abruptly, “Where did this come from?!”
Jian Ru and Lin Heyu exchanged a look, confirming they had found the right person. Xiao Shitou indeed knew something about it. His expression was intense as he grabbed the stone, urgently questioning Jian Ru, “Uncle, where did you find this? Can you tell me?”
Lin Heyu placed a hand on his tense shoulder, “Xiao Shitou, tell us first, what is this?”
“This is—this is—” Xiao Shitou bit his lip, hesitant to speak. Seeing his anxiety and hesitation, Lin Heyu signaled Jian Ru with a glance. Jian Ru nodded, got up, and went to the balcony, pretending to look at the view.
Lin Heyu crouched down, holding Xiao Shitou’s tense arm, and softly said, “You can speak now, he won’t hear.”
“Can you promise not to tell him?” Xiao Shitou’s eyes were pleading. “This, this is something only you know…”
“Mm.” Lin Heyu’s tone was resolute. “I won’t tell anyone.”
Xiao Shitou lowered his head, his small fists clenched tightly, his slender body trembling slightly. “It’s from Gardenia. She drew this stone.”
Lin Heyu immediately recalled the additional hostage in the case and continued to ask, “Are you sure?”
Xiao Shitou nodded vigorously. “There’s no mistake, it’s her. We agreed that if there was danger, we would use this as a signal. She’s waiting for me to rescue her.” He grabbed Lin Heyu’s sleeve. “Is she here? Did you see her? Is she still… alive?”
The last few words were choked with emotion, his voice trembling, eyes misting over. Lin Heyu gently comforted him, “Don’t cry, she’s fine, she’s not in danger.”
Xiao Shitou nodded, tears pooling in his eyes, struggling not to let them fall.
He still clung to Lin Heyu’s sleeve, his voice trembling with pleading. “Can you save her? Please, I don’t trust anyone else, only you can help me…”
“I will save her, I promise.” Lin Heyu wiped his tears with a large hand. “But since you don’t want the uncle over there to know Gardenia’s real identity, you should calm your tears now. When you’re emotional, you’re most likely to say or do the wrong thing. Try to stay calm in the future, can you do that?”
Xiao Shitou nodded, wiping the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, his emotional state returning to normal quickly.
When Jian Ru came back, Xiao Shitou had already reverted to his usual indifferent expression, only his eyes slightly red, with no trace of extra emotion. He asked Lin Heyu, “Captain Lin, what’s the story with this stone?”
“It’s from one of the hostages. During captivity, Xiao Shitou saw her draw these colorful stones.”
“…Hostage?” Jian Ru immediately denied. “But I’m sure there’s no such girl among the hostages.”
Xiao Shitou looked up, his eyes clear. “It’s true. We were kept together before, but then we were separated, and I don’t know where she was taken.”
“Do you know her? What’s her name?”
“…I don’t know.” Xiao Shitou’s hands, resting at his sides, clenched tightly. “She was in kindergarten, wearing a school uniform. We never spoke.”
Jian Ru nodded thoughtfully, not asking more.
Does he really not know her? Then why such an emotional reaction?
And what about Captain Lin? Does he not know either? Since it involves the hostage related to the case, is there something they can’t know?
