Chen Jian squatted in the pavilion outside the guesthouse, reading Zhou Lecheng’s post on his phone.
The post spanned a long time, starting from about half a year ago. By then, Zhou Lecheng’s illness had already metastasized to his bones. Because it was discovered too late, there were very few treatment options left…
Zhou Lecheng decided to give up on the painful and almost impossible treatment that would barely increase his chances of survival.
“After struggling for so many years, I decided to take a break and, in my final days, truly experience the life I never got to live, to see the world I had yet to see…”
“I want to see the world of the living again.”
The post was very popular. Many people waited for his updates every day. If he updated late, some would even worry about his physical condition.
Chen Jian didn’t read it too closely; after all, this post brought back many memories for him.
His hazy memories of his mother’s last days.
His mother had barely ever left this place, had never experienced more of life, had never seen a bigger world. In her final days, she felt the double torment of physical illness and ever-increasing, unpayable debts.
Zhou Lecheng’s writing was simple, without much obvious emotion, just the most straightforward descriptions.
“The seawater and sea breeze are sticky, very much like summer. I dug a hole in the sand, and a little kid helped me get buried. I only lay there for twenty minutes before I came back to life, but on the third day, I could still feel sand on my body…”
“The restaurant the driver recommended was terrible. I took a few bites and got it to go. I washed it twice back at the hotel and tried to feed it to a stray dog, but it didn’t eat…”
“It’s raining, I don’t dare to go out today. I catch colds easily now. My spirit wants to go up, but my body is going down. It’s a helpless feeling… The medicine arrived yesterday. I’ve decided to take it on time to avoid suddenly wanting to give up on my physical body…”
Chen Jian guessed that the “medicine” here referred to antidepressants.
His pain was hidden in these fragmented, calm words.
After flipping through a dozen pages, Zhou Lecheng arrived at the small town.
“A man-made hundred-year-old town, less than ten years old. Even if I don’t die of illness, it would be hard to wait for it to live up to its name and reach a hundred years before I die…”
Chen Jian smiled.
“Very interesting, this guesthouse is a bit like a bandit’s den…”
What the hell?
Chen Jian glanced at Zhou Lecheng.
“The person who seems to be a security guard and indeed should be a security guard looks like a thug, the kind who isn’t very skilled but dares to fight… The manager looks very strong, like someone not to be trifled with, with a cold face… The girl with dreadlocks at the front desk actually gives the most sense of security, but she has a sleeve tattoo…”
Chen Jian hadn’t noticed these things before, but after Zhou Lecheng’s description, he himself felt that this shop wasn’t engaged in any legitimate business.
“It’s exciting, my friends. A thief broke into the guesthouse today. All the staff mobilized in the middle of the night, and even a dozen guests went out… I haven’t felt this kind of excitement in a long time… It’s a pity my stamina isn’t good enough, or I would have gone too…”
“I walked around the shop today and met the boss… He has an injury on his leg, very much like a retired mastermind from the underworld…”
Chen Jian frowned when he read this sentence.
This should have been the time when Zhou Lecheng was looking for a room to commit suicide and was seen by him and Shan Yu.
If a post with such high popularity mentioned that two people had died in a room at Dayin, how big of a rumor would Shan Yu have to create to suppress this one?
He quickly scanned it a few times and found that Zhou Lecheng hadn’t mentioned this matter.
In fact, he only just noticed that Zhou Lecheng hadn’t mentioned any specific information. The entire journey only had a general location, but he never mentioned the names of the restaurants he ate at or the places he stayed.
Chen Jian glanced at Zhou Lecheng.
“No one knows where I’ve been specifically,” Zhou Lecheng said. “I want this trip to be not so real for others, and I also hope it’s like a dream for me.”
Chen Jian didn’t say anything.
Further down was the matter of playing cards that day.
“Came to see the view on the mountainside today, barely made it up, almost died of exhaustion…”
“Something I never expected happened. I just played cards for over an hour on the mountainside with the cold-faced manager and his two henchmen… They were probably afraid I would commit suicide…”
…Sanbing and Lao Wu, I don’t know who is Heng and who is Ha (referring to two fearsome-looking divine guardians).
“But now there’s something I want to discuss with you all,” Zhou Lecheng said. “Many people think this place is fun, the scenery is beautiful, and this guesthouse is very interesting and has a human touch. They want to know where it is.”
“Are you thinking of telling them?” Chen Jian asked.
“I have to ask you guys first,” Zhou Lecheng said. “Because this will bring in not just pure tourists. I don’t know if you’re willing.”
“Thank you,” Chen Jian said. “You’re very considerate.”
“Why don’t you guys discuss it,” Zhou Lecheng said. “I’m thinking of saying it… before I die. It should still be a while.”
“So you’re saying, if one day our shop’s business suddenly explodes, it means Zhou Lecheng is dead,” Sanbing said.
“You could say that,” Chen Jian said.
The few of them sat in the small living room of the dormitory and finished reading Zhou Lecheng’s post together. Their moods were all a bit low.
“Thinking about it like this, it feels so sad,” Hu Pan sighed softly.
“Yeah,” Zhao Fangfang wiped the corner of her eye. “He’s a really nice person.”
“They say the nicer a person is, the more likely they are to get that kind of illness, depression and all that,” Sanbing said. “The more you think, the easier it is to get sick.”
“Are you talking about Chen Jian?” Lao Wu asked.
“What the hell?” Chen Jian looked at him. “Is your brain leaking?”
Sanbing picked up the large bag of spicy strips in his hand and slapped it on Lao Wu’s head. “Short-circuited, are you!”
“Don’t hit him, don’t hit him,” Hu Pan couldn’t stop laughing. “He’s complimenting the manager for being a good person.”
“Let’s put this aside for now, there’s no rush,” Chen Jian stood up and took the walkie-talkie. “We don’t need to do anything special. He knows we all know anyway. We’ll wait for Boss Shan to come back.”
“Okay,” Sanbing nodded, then sighed with some emotion. “You know, such a good person, getting sick, and those cheaters over there, nothing wrong with them…”
Sanbing had gone to inquire. There was indeed a couple in a passionate relationship staying there, the kind that was always kissing whenever they appeared.
The woman on the second floor must have already seen them, but she hadn’t taken any action yet, probably collecting evidence…
Chen Jian walked out of the staff dormitory, preparing to do another round of patrols before going to the first floor. He was on duty tonight.
It was supposed to be Hu Pan, but this was the first time since Dayin reopened that there was no boss, and he felt a little uneasy.
Logically, even if the boss was in the shop, he would be in his room feigning sleep and of no use…
When he saw the office at the end of the corridor, he stopped.
He stood at the top of the stairs for nearly ten seconds before walking towards the office.
The office was unlocked. There was nothing important inside, so Shan Yu usually didn’t lock it.
Chen Jian walked around the room, closed the open window, and finally sat down on the sofa in a daze for a while.
To be honest, he was in a low mood right now. Reading Zhou Lecheng’s travel records made him quite sad and brought back many memories. Although it wasn’t directly related to Zhou Lecheng’s situation, many memories he never thought about were unearthed.
In the past, he would have gone for a walk in the woods by himself, found a deserted place to stay for a few hours, and suppressed it.
But today, he really wanted to talk to Shan Yu.
If Shan Yu was in the shop, he would have definitely come here first after talking to Zhou Lecheng, told Shan Yu about it, and heard his opinion. Even if it didn’t involve his own emotions, his heart would feel much more at ease.
Chen Jian glanced at his phone. It was already very late.
This wasn’t an urgent matter.
The boss was probably not asleep, but he was definitely with his friends…
Would he be with his friends?
He didn’t know Shan Yu. Even after Shan Yu told him about Fang Xu that day, he still didn’t know Shan Yu. The one he knew, was familiar with, and could even predict his words and actions in certain situations, was just the boss of Dayin, Shan Yu.
Not the Shan Yu who was five hundred and twenty-seven kilometers away.
He sighed softly, put his phone back in his pocket, and got up to leave the office.
“Are you going to sleep or not?” Yue Lang threw his pillow at Shan Yu.
“Can’t sleep,” Shan Yu leaned against the headboard, resting his head on his arm and looking at his phone. “I’m a light sleeper in new places, and I’m not used to sleeping next to you.”
“Then you go sleep on the sofa,” Yue Lang turned over. “Or just keep your phone on, don’t keep turning it on and off.”
“Saving electricity,” Shan Yu said. “Why don’t you sleep on the sofa?”
“You think I want to squeeze into this crappy bed with you? I usually sleep on a two-hundred-square-meter bed with my wife…” Yue Lang said.
“If she wanted to slap you, she’d have to take a two-mile running start,” Shan Yu said with a laugh.
“Exactly,” Yue Lang said, then sighed. “That crappy sofa in the living room is slanted.”
“So if I sleep on it, it won’t be slanted anymore?” Shan Yu opened Chen Yuluoyan’s Moments. The person’s Moments were blank, but the private chats were quite lively.
Just like him, you couldn’t tell anything from the surface, but privately he was quite…
Shan Yu looked at the concise Chen Yuluoyan in the chat box.
Tsk.
He’s not lively with me in private chats either.
“You’re pretty weird,” Yue Lang started to laugh himself halfway through his sentence. “The slant will straighten out.”
Shan Yu laughed too, tucked his phone into the gap between the mattress and the headboard, and slid down to lie down.
Although it was difficult to fall asleep, fortunately, Yue Lang’s breathing had a steady rhythm after he fell asleep, one-two-three-four, two-two-three-four. After listening for half the night, Shan Yu finally fell asleep.
Probably worried that their boss would act alone and Yue Lang wouldn’t be able to stop him, Xiao Lu and Da Kang came over early in the morning with breakfast.
When Shan Yu was woken up, his dream had only just begun.
“What time is it?” he asked.
“Seven-ten,” Yue Lang replied while eating a fried dough stick.
“How did you get up without any external help?” Shan Yu got out of bed, a little helpless.
“I have to be at work at eight-thirty, and it takes an hour with traffic and cursing,” Yue Lang said. “I’m not the boss.”
Shan Yu glanced at him. “Are you skipping work today?”
“I’m taking my annual leave,” Yue Lang said.
“Damn,” Shan Yu was stunned for a moment. “Can you even go home?”
“I have fifteen days of annual leave. My wife said ten days is enough. If it’s too long, she gets annoyed looking at me and has the urge to get a divorce,” Yue Lang said.
“You…” Shan Yu stood up.
“He’s back,” Xiao Lu shouted in a low voice from the living room. “Just came in.”
Da Kang poked his head into the bedroom. “Brother Shan Yu.”
“Let’s go,” Shan Yu put on his jacket and walked out.
“Finish your breakfast,” Yue Lang said.
Shan Yu glanced at the breakfast on the table, reached out and grabbed a fried dough stick, and walked out the door with it in his mouth.
Yue Lang didn’t say anything, just tilted his head at Xiao Lu and Da Kang. They followed Shan Yu out the door. Yue Lang then went to get a bottle of soy milk before closing the door and following them downstairs.
Shan Yu was very familiar with this place; after all, he had been here countless times as a child.
He stood in the unit entrance for a while, looked at the window on the third floor opposite, finished the fried dough stick in his mouth, and after confirming that there was no one at the window, he took out a tissue to wipe his hands before walking out.
This was an old residential area, mostly inhabited by the elderly. The few young people who rented here were either already at work or still in bed. The elderly hadn’t returned from their morning exercises yet, so it was very quiet.
When they walked into the opposite building, they all lightened their footsteps at the same time.
The door on the third floor was closed. This house hadn’t been lived in for many years and didn’t even have a security door, just an old-fashioned wooden door.
No one knocked. Xiao Lu took out a small iron bar from his pocket.
Shan Yu gestured for him to move aside.
Xiao Lu hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside.
This kind of wooden door was easy to pick, and kicking it down would actually make very little noise.
Shan Yu raised his right leg and kicked the lock. The door made a muffled sound and swung open inward.
The person standing inside didn’t have time to react, just swayed in shock and astonishment, and subconsciously looked towards the door.
The moment their eyes met, Shan Yu’s lips curved into a slight smile.
Xiao Lu and Da Kang had already rushed into the room the moment the door was kicked open.
Only then did Fang Xu think of running. He turned and rushed towards the window.
Da Kang grabbed his arm and pulled him back. With Xiao Lu on the other side, they held him and pushed him into a nearby chair.
Shan Yu walked into the room at a leisurely pace. Yue Lang closed the door behind him and kicked a shoe-changing stool to block the door.
From the moment the door was kicked open until now, no one had said a word. Even Fang Xu’s desperate struggles to escape were silent.
After the door was closed, the room was completely silent, except for Fang Xu’s slightly heavy breathing.
“Mr. Fang,” Shan Yu walked up to him and stood there.
Fang Xu looked up at him, then turned to glare at Yue Lang, and asked in a hoarse voice, “Are you following me!”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Yue Lang clicked his tongue. “I’m a busy office elite. Who has time to meddle in your crappy affairs?”
Fang Xu turned back to look at Shan Yu and was silent for a moment. “Shan Yu, what do you mean by this?”
“What do you think?” Shan Yu also looked at him. “Just catching up on old times.”
“Cut the crap,” Fang Xu said. “Isn’t it just because I went to your house…”
Before he could finish, Shan Yu slapped him across the face.
The slap was heavy. Fang Xu was knocked sideways. If it weren’t for Xiao Lu and Da Kang holding him, he would have been knocked to the ground.
“You knew, yet you still ask,” Shan Yu rubbed his wrist, his voice steady. “We’re so familiar, why pretend?”
“I just went to apologize,” Fang Xu said, spitting on the ground. There was blood at the corner of his mouth.
“Apologize for what?” Shan Yu asked. “For my three-year sentence or for my leg.”
“I don’t know about your leg,” Fang Xu said. “I was still inside when your leg was injured!”
“That’s true,” Shan Yu smiled.
“Shan Yu, let’s not involve others in our business,” Fang Xu looked at Xiao Lu and Da Kang. “You’ve said it before, you hope everyone will walk the right path in the future…”
“I almost forgot,” Shan Yu tilted his chin at Xiao Lu and the others.
Xiao Lu and Da Kang exchanged a look, hesitating.
“Let him go,” Yue Lang said from the side.
The two let go of Fang Xu’s arms and stepped aside.
Fang Xu raised his hand to touch his face. Just as he was about to speak, Shan Yu kicked him in the stomach. He and the chair flew backward and hit the wall.
“What are you doing!” Fang Xu clutched his stomach and shouted.
“Now it’s just between us. Get up,” Shan Yu’s voice deepened. “I’ll give you a leg.”
Fang Xu didn’t say anything, slowly got up, leaned against the wall to catch his breath for a moment, then suddenly turned and ran towards the bedroom.
Shan Yu picked up the chair and threw it at him.
The chair hit Fang Xu squarely in the back. He was thrown into the bedroom and fell to the ground.
Shan Yu followed him in. Just as Fang Xu was propping himself up to get up, he stepped on Fang Xu’s back, pressing him back to the ground.
“Shan Yu!” Fang Xu struggled to get up from under his foot, his hand reaching for his pants pocket.
Shan Yu didn’t say anything, stepped on his wrist again, and deftly took the knife out of his pocket. Then, with one hand pressing on his neck, he pulled the quilt from the bed with the other hand and, amidst Fang Xu’s constant struggles, smothered him on the ground with the quilt.
The next second, with his knee on Fang Xu’s back, he held the knife and stabbed down without a moment’s hesitation.
“Damn it!” Yue Lang rushed in.
