Chapter 71: Chengnan Bookstore 18
Being misunderstood by friends and family twice in the same day, Yi Ke and Zhuang Ningyu both blamed the borrowed car.
“Let’s return it today.”
“Okay.”
After watching Yi Ke drive away, Zhuang Ningyu bought two old-fashioned popsicles from the convenience store and pocketed them to go share with his grandfather. From the first day the rule zones appeared, the collaboration between different societal units had continuously optimized. Cumbersome administrative procedures were long gone, replaced by extremely simplified and efficient communication methods—after all, for those trapped in a rule zone, every second was crucial. Thanks to this efficient cooperation and Yi Ke’s all-powerful circle of friends, it took less than three days to find all of Ni Ruiling’s past boyfriends from her university days and her ambiguous contacts from her time at the Baihuagu Golf Club.
“The first one, her boyfriend in college, was in excellent condition, the president of the student union. The two had originally planned to go abroad together after graduation, but the boy’s family disagreed, and the relationship ended,” the investigator said. “Because of this, the boy even had a big fight at home. A young man in his twenties, he went on a hunger strike, lying in bed refusing to eat or drink, insisting that his parents pay for his girlfriend’s tuition.”
“A hunger strike?” Zhuang Ningyu looked at the young man’s resume in the files. He had been a top student since elementary school, attended a key domestic university, then an Ivy League in the US, and was currently employed at a well-known foreign company, married to a wife of equal social standing. His life was so smooth it could be used as a template for success. It was hard to imagine he had such an immature and unstable period.
“The boy’s mother also felt he was as if possessed, which made her even more convinced that there was something wrong with Ni Ruiling and more strongly opposed to the relationship. She kept her son locked at home for several months, then personally accompanied him abroad for his studies, strictly supervising his social circle. It took a long time for things to quiet down,” the investigator said. “We asked the man himself, and he admitted that his mind wasn’t clear at the time and that he was indeed too childish.”
“Did Ni Ruiling mention anything else to him besides being in love?”
“No. When she was in college, based on her financial situation and social interactions, she likely had no connection to any overseas organizations. The boy’s family were also just normal business people.”
Although her plans to study abroad fell through, delaying her for some time, with Ni Ruiling’s academic record, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to prepare for graduate school entrance exams, civil service exams, or find a stable and respectable job in the conventional sense. Yet, after the New Year, she went to Baihuagu to work as a junior receptionist, with a basic monthly salary of only just over three thousand yuan, her high income relying entirely on commissions. The investigator said, “Ni Ruiling became a star receptionist in just six months, and the assets of her ambiguous contacts grew richer and richer. We retrieved her bank statements. During her time at Baihuagu, Ni Ruiling’s main sources of income were from transfers, cash deposits, and second-hand luxury stores.”
On the surface, none of these ambiguous contacts currently seemed to be associated with any relevant organizations. Zhuang Ningyu asked, “What about that group of swindlers?”
The investigator projected a photo onto the screen. “This is him. His real name is Yu Matu, of mixed Chinese and Cambodian descent, with his nationality on the other side. He is currently wanted and on the run, but the charge is not fraud, but transnational kidnapping and illegal detention.”
After being scammed out of her money and affections by Yu Matu, Ni Ruiling did not choose to report it to the police. Instead, she resigned from her job in the shortest time possible. At the time of her resignation, her bank account balance was only about a thousand yuan. She was utterly destitute. To make a living, she had to sell her car and at the same time, had surgery to slightly alter her face back to its state from three years prior.
“It’s not about looking younger; she was already young. What’s the big difference in one’s twenties?” the investigator said. “Three years ago here refers to her appearance. Ni Ruiling took a photo of herself from three years ago to the hospital and asked the plastic surgeon to remove the implants from her nose and chin, to make her face as consistent with the photo as possible.”
“Wait a minute.” Zhuang Ningyu felt a bit confused. He looked at the photos of Ni Ruiling from different stages on the screen—
Stage one, just after graduation: pure and beautiful.
Stage two, at Baihuagu: had her originally less-refined nose and chin done.
Stage three, after leaving Baihuagu: had the implants removed, returning to stage one.
Stage four, after becoming a partner in a beauty salon: had her nose and chin done again, returning to stage two.
Her current face was also stage two, which meant she was actually satisfied with her appearance in stage two. It wasn’t a case of a failed surgery needing revision. The plastic surgeon also said her condition at the time was completely fine. The investigator further explained, “The startup capital for Ni Ruiling’s beauty salon all came from cash of unknown origin. So we suspect the reason she had her face changed back to stage one was because a certain ‘patron’ from her past really liked her during that period. In order to get back in his good graces and gain benefits, she resorted to altering her own face.”
“Ni Ruiling had plastic surgery during a short holiday right after joining Baihuagu,” Zhuang Ningyu said. “She had a boyfriend for all four years of college. The man’s family was well-off, and he had promised to take her abroad to study. Ni Ruiling probably wouldn’t have been looking for a patron during that time.”
So that only left the short three-month period between “graduation and breakup” and “starting her job.”
“She has an incredible counter-surveillance awareness,” Zhong Pinghe, despite having seen all sorts of “experts,” was quite impressed by Ni Ruiling. “Right after graduating from college, she immediately cut ties with all her classmates. Never mind best friends, she barely had any friends at all.”
“They had different paths, which is understandable,” Zhuang Ningyu said, looking at the timeline on the screen. “Can we find the patron from those three months?”
Zhong Pinghe nodded. “We’ll do our best.”
After attending the meeting, Zhuang Ningyu declined the invitation to go for barbecue with the investigation team, nor did he follow his grandfather back to the guesthouse to drink the soup his grandmother had stewed. Instead, he drove straight to Fuxing Court—it was very close to the investigation team’s office building. Although he had told Yi Ke in advance that his overtime tonight was uncertain and that he didn’t need to come over, there was still a fundamental difference between “no need to come” and “actually not coming.” After Zhuang Ningyu opened the door and saw the empty living room and the cold, unused kitchen, his first reaction was to log into the Order Maintenance Department’s internal system to see if there was a new mission somewhere.
But there was none.
The latest message was from three hours ago: “Okay, wifey kiss kiss.” Zhuang Ningyu stood at the door holding his phone, like Prometheus holding the fire, contemplating human civilization. After a moment of contemplation, he decided to take a shower first. The deliberately raised water temperature could effectively wash away the physical fatigue, but it couldn’t wash away the philosophical speculations deep within his heart: pursuit and stability, the unattained and the attained, subject and object, conquering others and self-affirmation, and whether love was ultimately a trick of the will to live.
An hour and a half later, Zhuang Ningyu got up from the bed, threw a long down jacket over his pajamas, and headed straight for the underground garage, full of vigor.
This is what people with high initiative are like.
The small car sped through the city in the early morning hours. There were no more traffic jams; every street was clear. The elevated highways in the night looked like giant butterfly wings, allowing the car lights to trace light and nimble streaks of brightness. The security guard at Guanxing Tower approached with a visitor registration form. Zhuang Ningyu lowered the car window. Upon seeing his face, the sleepiness in the guard’s eyes vanished instantly!
This was the benefit of being the designated mascot. Without him even having to speak, the guard assumed he was there on official business and let him pass without asking a single question. Zhuang Ningyu parked the car steadily, went straight up to the top floor with practiced ease, and unlocked the door with his fingerprint.
The room was brightly lit. About thirty people in the living room all turned their heads in unison, looking at the entryway in shock. And Yi Ke was one of the shocked! He had been sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking all high and mighty. He never expected his wife, who was supposed to be working overtime, to suddenly appear at the door. He froze for three seconds before slapping away the dog head that was whining on his lap.
Zhuang Ningyu, in his superb outfit of pajamas and a down jacket, had orchestrated the biggest social death of his life. So many people, how could there be so many people? The room was still echoing with a familiar, sacred religious tune. A large-eared dog suddenly charged over like a force of nature. The dog’s owner shouted “U-Shield! STOP!” and also charged over. Zhuang Ningyu sidestepped, letting the dog and owner rush out the door.
Bang!
What chaos.
“…”
The legendary flower on the high peak had descended from the heavens, but the “Super Perfect Human Hype Group” was not yet ready to welcome their king. Only the beagle was enthusiastic. Yi Ke, charging out with the dog, promptly grabbed the airborne U-Shield and tossed it back to its owner! His friends, who had finally come to their senses, also hurried to flee. As they passed Zhuang Ningyu, they didn’t forget to flash respectful and fawning smiles. The 4000K light in the entryway made Zhuang Ningyu appear even colder and paler. When their eyes met, “the cold air pierced the bone marrow like the tip of a needle, and breath condensed into frost in the air, as if even thoughts were frozen,” said a friend who had gotten into his car.
Xiao Yi, he is a god!
Yi Ke turned off the stereo, went back to the sofa, and held Zhuang Ningyu’s cold hand, asking again, “Are you really okay?”
“I’m really okay,” Zhuang Ningyu replied calmly. “I just suddenly thought of a possibility regarding the Zeus Grand Hotel and wanted to talk to you about it in person. I didn’t expect you to be busy.”
“It was nothing important. A friend came back from abroad, and everyone happened to be free tonight, so we got together.” The room was a bit hot. Yi Ke helped him take off his thick down jacket. “What possibility?”
There was no possibility. Zhuang Ningyu was expressionless, deeply regretting every decision he had made that night. But regret was useless. Whether it was reasonable or not, he had to force a topic. His brain spun rapidly. The Zeus Grand Hotel and Ni Ruiling swirled into colorful blocks. Dou Dekai, the bombing, Ni Ruiling, the patron, a huge sum of cash, and a huge sum of cash…
The huge sum of cash appeared twice. Based on experience, he blurted out without much thought, “Could the startup capital for Ni Ruiling’s beauty salon be the ransom money from the kidnapping?”
After he said it, not only was Yi Ke stunned, but Zhuang Ningyu himself was also stunned.
“What do you mean?” Yi Ke didn’t understand. “Is this the result of your meeting tonight?”
“No,” Zhuang Ningyu pulled his hand back, suddenly stumbling upon a line of thought. “The Dou Dekai in the rule zone was always looking for his money. Is there a possibility that the money wasn’t even at the scene during the explosion? After all, the police only found the remains of four leather handles at the scene. As for the cloth bag that held the money and the money itself, under the explosion, the fire, and the high-pressure water from the fire hoses, there wasn’t even a speck of dust left.”
“There were a few specks, but they were indeed charred and brittle,” Yi Ke said. “Bao Yuzhou himself also said he went there with three million in cash. Could he have been lying?”
Zhuang Ningyu covered his mouth. Don’t make trouble for now. He went over it carefully in his head again—
Bao Mingming was indeed Bao Yuzhou’s biological son, proven by a paternity test. Bao Yuzhou should have no reason not to save his only son.
There were charred fragments of money at the scene.
In summary, this indicated that Bao Yuzhou really did bring money to the scene.
Zhuang Ningyu asked, “Can the authenticity of the burnt currency be determined?”
Yi Ke frowned. “You suspect the three million was counterfeit? But Bao Yuzhou had no reason to do that. At the time, Bao Mingming’s biological mother’s family still had a large collection of Hermès bags and jewelry. The two of them were not short of money. It’s impossible they would risk their son’s life like that.”
“Is it possible the money was swapped by someone else, for example, by the mastermind?” Zhuang Ningyu’s thoughts became clearer and more organized. “The mastermind’s real target wasn’t Dou Dekai, not Bao Yuzhou, and not Bao Mingming, but the three million yuan?”
“That… is possible,” Yi Ke nodded. “But why do you think Ni Ruiling is related to this?”
Zhuang Ningyu replied, “The timing fits.” And that was it. The real core reason was that people talk a lot when they’re nervous.
But fortunately, Yi Ke was never stingy with his praise for his wife. Ample evidence meant his wife was meticulous; insufficient evidence meant his wife had sharp insight. Zhuang Ningyu accepted his praise with a clear conscience and continued to work for a while. Yi Ke leaned beside him with nothing to do and opened the “Super Perfect Human Hype Group” to take a look—
“I can’t believe it, Brother Zhuang missed Xiao Yi so much that he ran over in the middle of the night in his pajamas!”
Yi Ke typed out “No, we’re working” on his phone, then deleted it letter by letter. Vanity and morality were in a frantic battle, one growing as the other waned. In the end, the former gained a slight upper hand. So he nonchalantly tossed his phone aside, turned to look at Zhuang Ningyu who was still working, and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek.
Zhuang Ningyu blocked him with his hand. “Don’t mess around.”
Yi Ke wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his face in his pajamas. I don’t care, my wife came over because he missed me!
Zhuang Ningyu uploaded all the files in one breath, feeling refreshed. He went to wash up again. Yi Ke clung to him the entire time like an octopus, saying pitifully, “We haven’t slept together in four days.”
Then why didn’t you come looking for me tonight, but held an irregular religious gathering here instead! Speaking of religious gatherings, Zhuang Ningyu finally remembered to ask, “By the way, that music was the one we heard at the French restaurant last time, right? Why was it playing tonight too? What’s going on?”
Yi Ke’s arm stiffened. He pretended not to understand. What music?
But Zhuang Ningyu had no intention of letting him get away with it. The solemn melody was deeply etched in his mind. This was definitely not a track that normal people should listen to at a house party. Seeing that his thoughts were already deeply trapped in the cult-like song and he couldn’t get out, Yi Ke couldn’t very well tell him the truth, but saying nothing wasn’t an option either. In the end, he had to make something up: “It’s called ‘The Fourteenth-Century Golden Spindle and the Mysterious Flawless Mirror.'”
As expected, Zhuang Ningyu was greatly amazed by this sacred name. “What’s the theme?”
“The Virgin Mary,” Yi Ke said, rolling with him onto the bed. The first kiss wasn’t for love… well, it was for love, but mostly it was to make his wife stop talking. His knowledge of music was meager; he could only remember their romantic BGM. He couldn’t make up another word. Zhuang Ningyu lay on the soft bed and concentrated on kissing him for a while, only then completely relaxing. The lighting in the bedroom was gentle, and the bed was warm, a sharp contrast to the pitch-black Fuxing Court. After a while, he still felt it was quite wrong for Yi Ke not to have come looking for him for four hours, so he raised his hand and slapped him.
Yi Ke grunted, not knowing why he had been hit, and continued to cup his face and kiss him. So Zhuang Ningyu compromised again, saying, “You guys can have your party again tomorrow. I won’t disturb you.”
“What disturbance? I only agreed to let them come over because I thought you were going back to Fuxing Court tonight. It’s nothing important,” Yi Ke said, leaning against the headboard and hugging him like a precious baby. “This is our home. You’re the one being disturbed.”
Zhuang Ningyu’s heart softened at his words. He lifted his head and took the initiative to kiss him again.
Yi Ke smiled and rubbed his cheek with his chin.
Tonight’s bedtime story was Dante’s Paradiso. Because under Yi Ke’s sweet words, Zhuang Ningyu had, by association, become interested in “The Fourteenth-Century Golden Spindle and the Mysterious Flawless Mirror,” and the interest was quite strong. He kept asking to hear it again, but Yi Ke stubbornly refused. He had to settle for a meal replacement.
Yi Ke: “A noble lady in heaven took pity on the man who encountered the obstacle I sent you to remove, and thus broke the stern judgment of heaven… Wifey, can we change the book? I’ll continue reading Faust to you.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “No!”
Yi Ke: “…Your faithful servant needs you now. I entrust him to you.”
Zhuang Ningyu hugged his waist and fell asleep contentedly in an atmosphere of compassion and sanctity.
Yi Ke was relieved and tossed the book aside, thinking that this would be the end of it.
But the next day, when he woke up, he almost thought he was hallucinating, because the living room was blaring with the sacred music! Solemn notes poured slowly from the high-end speakers embedded in the ceiling. Yi Ke felt as if an ancient parchment scroll filled with Hebrew text had already appeared before his eyes.
Zhuang Ningyu had been tinkering in the kitchen for a long time and finally came out with bread and grape juice.
Yi Ke asked, “What’s this?”
Zhuang Ningyu replied, “The Holy Communion.”
Yi Ke: “…”
It was hard to say if the recipe from Baidu was accurate, but the sense of ceremony was definitely there. After finally finishing breakfast, the two went to the parking garage together, ready for work. Yi Ke leaned against the elevator wall, listening to the familiar “Für Elise,” and for the first time, felt that the property management’s choice of music was so down-to-earth and tasteful. But when they reached the third basement level, before the car had even started, the familiar melody once again blared from the Bluetooth speakers, surrounding them from all sides.
He turned his head in horror.
Zhuang Ningyu had inserted the memory card he had just specifically copied. He had tried to search for it directly in the music app, but for some reason, it was nowhere to be found.
“This hymn is so obscure.”
“…Yeah.”
Yi Ke maintained his professional husbandly composure. He calmly drove his wife to the entrance of his workplace a few hundred meters away, gave him a kiss, and tenderly watched him walk into the research group’s building. Then he swiftly pulled out the card!
The world was finally at peace!
The one who was no longer at peace was the research group.
He Mo passed by Zhuang Ningyu’s office, knocked on the door, and asked, bewildered, “What song are you playing?”
Zhuang Ningyu replied, “‘The Fourteenth-Century Golden Spindle and the Mysterious Flawless Mirror.’ Don’t worry, I’m not violating any discipline. I’m just purely appreciating the music. I find it very solemn and peaceful, filled with a sense of sanctity that can cleanse the soul.”
So He Mo also came in to listen for a while.
“How is it?” Zhuang Ningyu asked expectantly.
He Mo knew nothing about music, but he didn’t want to admit it. So he replied, “It’s alright. What did you say it was called again?”
“‘The Fourteenth-Century Golden Spindle and the Mysterious Flawless Mirror.’ It’s an obscure song, you won’t find it by searching.” Zhuang Ningyu sent it to him via Bluetooth.
He Mo clicked accept, then turned around and forwarded the song to the department’s group chat. It was for no other reason than he felt that everyone had been a bit too eager for quick success and a bit too restless in their work lately. They were in great need of this kind of peaceful and holy comfort. He had great faith in Zhuang Ningyu’s superb artistic taste.
Ren Bing: “What the hell is this?”
He Mo: “A sacred song that Ningyu greatly praised and specially recommended to me. It is said that only those with pure souls can understand it.”
Ren Bing: “…”
He listened for the entire afternoon.
