The notes of Lu Hui don’t need to be deliberately sought; he never hides from Ji Fanyang when taking notes, doing so openly without any intention of secrecy. The young man pushed open the door, took off his coat and hung it behind the door, then walked to the sofa and sat down.
The sofa, covered with a soft blanket of hemp fabric, is where Lu Hui often lazily leans against the back of the couch, covering his lower abdomen with the blanket, resembling an eccentric old cat afraid of the cold, half-closing his eyes to watch TV.
The memories of Lu Hui are too vivid; they did indeed happen either yesterday or this morning. Ji Fanyang’s gaze lingered on the spacious balcony of the living room, specially chosen for Lu Hui. Seventy percent was to entice Lu Hui, and thirty percent was his own selfish desire.
A massive balcony, excellent lighting – Ji Fanyang liked this positively bright feeling.
He felt an impulse to spend his whole life here.
Would Lu Hui have such a feeling? Ji Fanyang wondered.
Maybe not.
Lu Hui doesn’t like anyone or anything; he is a stubborn computer, viewing the world as a complex task. Solving mysteries is his livelihood, and the rest of the experiences seem like boring bonuses.
Ji Fanyang withdrew his gaze from the distant balcony and focused on the coffee table where a notebook was placed.
He flipped open the first page, revealing Lu Hui’s bold handwriting, “Lin Hua City is really poor.” Ji Fanyang couldn’t help but laugh, picturing Lu Hui’s sarcastic expression in his mind.
Lu Hui, half-asleep, opened his eyes. The explosion was not part of his plan. When the car fell off the bridge, he was trapped by the seatbelt, and there was a stolen corpse on the passenger seat.
“Oh no,” he thought.
He had spent two days planning his own death, but he didn’t really want to die! Lu Hui was on the verge of a breakdown, realizing that the seatbelt was much stronger than he had imagined. Wuling Hongguang, the universal divine car.
Then came the explosion, a completely unexpected success that knocked Lu Hui unconscious. He had no idea what happened next.
“Are you awake?”
A middle-aged male voice echoed in the hospital room.
Lu Hui frowned, his years in the police force habitually bringing his calmness to the forefront. “Who are you?”
The male voice chuckled lightly, sounding familiar to Lu Hui. “Do I know you?”
The laughter was too familiar; if Ji Fanyang were present, he could surely recognize it. But Lu Hui’s mind seemed to be rusty.
“If you visit home every year,” the male voice said, a middle-aged man in a white coat pushed open the door and walked into the hospital room, “you would recognize me.”
“…Dad?!” Lu Hui sat up abruptly, ignoring the buzzing in his head. “Why are you here?”
“I am your father, why can’t I be here?” The man frowned at Lu Hui. “Did you think you could hide it from Lu An?”
“It was you who sold me the second-hand car,” Lu Hui suddenly connected the dots, “and caused the explosion!”
“Yes,” Lu Qingqiong looked coldly at Lu Hui, who glared at him. “Did you think driving the car off the bridge into the water would make others think you’re as good as dead? Fool.”
“…Mom knows about this too?” Lu Hui asked.
“Do you think someone else made the explosive materials?” Lu Qingqiong looked at Lu Hui with disdain. “Lie down, the TV remote is in the first drawer of the bedside table. Take a right when you leave the cafeteria, don’t bother us unless necessary.”
“…Does my sister know?” Lu Hui inquired.
Lu Qingqiong paused for a moment and said, “I don’t know; she’s probably on her way to Lin Hua City.”
“Oh.” Lu Hui’s expression suddenly turned indifferent. He lay down, covering his head with the blanket. “I’m going to sleep.”
Lu Qingqiong stared at the bundled blanket thoughtfully for a while and then turned to leave.
Ji Fanyang sat on the sofa, flipping through Lu Hui’s notes until it got dark.
Lu Hui’s notes were similar to him, focusing only on the task, not on people. There was little about interpersonal relationships within the bureau in the notes. Names like Rao Feifei and Yang Jie were almost absent, Ji Fanyang’s name appeared only a few times, and Gao Zhengcheng was mentioned as the director once or twice.
Rubbing his eyes, Ji Fanyang turned the pages, and judging by the dates, it seemed to be from the last two days. Lu Hui stopped recording and wrote something else.
【Ji Fanyang, you’re a very fussy person.】
Ji Fanyang chuckled, as if he could hear Lu Hui’s teasing voice.
【After I’m gone, Wei Congjia will definitely take away the notes. Give him this notebook.】
【Trust Wei Congjia; he is sometimes timid but will thoroughly investigate this matter.】
【Ji Fanyang, you have a high starting point. Go back to the capital. Learn from your father, find a mentally stable partner, and stop being a good-for-nothing.】
【You are my friend, forever.】
Ji Fanyang held the notebook, his gaze lingering on the last sentence, his smile freezing. He felt lost, like fish from the deep sea suddenly exposed to sunlight, like the unexpected blare of a ship’s horn, the sudden confusion overwhelmed him, drowning him, making him choke.
Go back to where? The capital? Why?
Because Lu Hui was dead.
Closing the notebook, the young man’s brow furrowed with heaviness.
The sea waves surged onto the beach one after another. Ji Fanyang listened intently to the quiet tide, which was from the Bluetooth speaker that Lu Hui had insisted on buying initially. At first, Lu Hui was not used to having another person’s presence in the room, so he used the speaker to play piano music to help Lu Hui concentrate. Later, when Lu Hui was kidnapped and managed to escape, he used the speaker to play white noise to soothe Lu Hui’s emotions.
Before his suicide, Lu Hui carefully set the speaker to play the sound of the waves at regular intervals to help Ji Fanyang stay calm.
“Where am I?” Lu Hui asked Lu Qingqiong.
Lu Qingqiong, wearing casual clothes, frowned. “Hurry up and get dressed; we’re going mountain climbing.”
“At 8 o’clock in the evening, go mountain climbing?” Lu Hui sat on the hospital bed. “Not going.”
“Your mom is waiting outside; move faster,” Lu Qingqiong urged.
“First, tell me where I am,” Lu Hui said.
“East China Province,” Lu Qingqiong said. “In the mountains.”
“…How long do you plan to hide me?” Lu Hui asked.
“We? We are your parents,” Lu Qingqiong’s tone emphasized, “Would you rather die than see us?”
“I didn’t say that.” Lu Hui frowned.
“Oh, where will you be for the Chinese New Year this year?” Lu Qingqiong sneered.
Lu Hui raised an eyebrow, “Do you think I’d rather be kidnapped than go home?”
“I didn’t say that.” Lu Qingqiong replied.
Angry, Lu Hui glared at Lu Qingqiong, like an unyielding wild dog. “Is it that you don’t want me, and now you’re throwing all the blame on me?”
“What’s going on now?” A woman’s voice broke the deadlock. Song Ji walked in, looking at the two of them who seemed like raging bulls.
“Nothing, let’s go.” Lu Qingqiong looked at his wife. “Let our son be by himself for a while.”
“Okay.” Song Ji nodded and left without looking at Lu Hui.
Early in the morning, Ji Fanyang stepped into the director’s office. “Director Gao.”
“Little Ji, you don’t look too energetic,” Gao Zhengcheng looked up at Ji Fanyang.
Ji Fanyang forced a smile, placing documents on the mahogany desk. “Director Gao, I’m resigning.”
