9. I can’t trust anyone else, so I can only come to you

Jiangming City had its first snow of the winter. Zeng Xiasheng nearly slipped while climbing over the wall, his dirty cuffs leaving him feeling vexed. Fortunately, Tang Sizhuo didn't mind. She stood in front of the first-floor window, her eyes sparkling. She said to him, as if presenting a treasure, "Brother, I found this that can be opened. Look!" She retreated to the wall and fumbled around for a while. Suddenly, the security net clicked, and a small window popped open from the side. Several potted plants, half-frozen, were placed on the protruding iron fence. Tang Sizhuo stepped onto a chair and tried to climb out, but the steel rebar froze him back.

Zeng Xiasheng looked at her worriedly, "Don't come out."

However, Tang Sizhuo had been locked up at home by Xiao Tong for over a month. After finally discovering this secret passage by spying on the maintenance workers, she finally smelled the fragrance of freedom. Now that no one was home, and only her aunt would come to cook later in the evening, she completely ignored Zeng Xiasheng's advice, ran upstairs quickly, and then ran downstairs again, changed into a pink and white down jacket, and put on gloves. Her small leather boots were also the most difficult to care for, light pink, decorated with a circle of white fluff, and two small balls of wool on the side swayed with her movements, making a light clicking sound on the leather uppers. Tang Sizhuo first stepped onto a chair, then knelt on the windowsill, and like a kitten that was walking unsteadily, she struggled to move on the crisscrossing steel bars. The down jacket fell down, stained with snow and dust underneath, leaving a stain.

For some reason, Zeng Xiasheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He released his fingers from the attempt to hide his sleeve in his palm and reached out to help Tang Sizhuo. It was still early, and there was no one else in the neighborhood. Only the girl was panting as she climbed out. Tang Sizhuo reached the very edge and began to feel scared again. The escape was almost as high as she was. Trembling, she tried to reach out to help Zeng Xiasheng, but instantly felt like she was losing her balance. She quickly withdrew her arm and tentatively tried to use her legs to get out first.

Zeng Xiasheng walked right under her, slightly hunched over, completely abandoning his finally clean and air-dried cotton-padded jacket, letting Tang Sizhuo step on his shoulders. The girl, excited and nervous, swayed unsteadily, her foot landing on his shoulder but not daring to exert force. As a result, her body tilted, and the down jacket came out before her. The contents of the pockets, unknown, spilled out, crackling and hitting Zeng Xiasheng's face, leaving a faint sweet aroma.

It's chocolate.

When Tang Sizhu mentioned it by chance, he didn't know what chocolate was.

He struggled to lift the girl down, bumping into the wall as he did so. The snow from the awning fell down, instantly covering the traces of the gold foil wrapping. Zeng Xiasheng expected her to be upset, but Tang Sizhuo, like the first time he was taken downtown, was fascinated by everything. She gave an exaggerated "wow" and then asked him if they could dig chocolates out of the snow. Whoever dug up the most would win the treasure hunt.

She wasn't actually that happy. Zeng Xiasheng could see it; the smile in her eyes was no longer as pure as before, and even her innocent words were tinged with deliberateness. But there was nothing he could do. He couldn't even afford another little bear friend, let alone take her away. So he said nothing. After a brief pause, he leaned over, scooped up a handful of snow, and threw it high towards Tang Sizhuo, signaling her to start the game.

Zeng Xiasheng sighed and slowly opened his eyes. He hadn't fallen asleep, but the old days still haunted his dreams. These scenes had replayed in his mind so many times, each frame becoming clearer and clearer like an old photograph. He could even make out the girl's fluttering eyelashes, the tips of her hair rising as she ran, and the blush on her cheeks after all that playful fun.

The shop was empty at noon. Chen Tianhao, who had been talking about finding a partner to open a branch, had been so busy that he hadn't even been seen. The shop was completely silent. Zeng Xiasheng sat up, stretching his aching back, and heard the windshield at the door snap.

He looked up and suddenly saw Tang Sizhuo standing before him, his face flushed by the cold wind, his amber pupils clear and limpid, just as he remembered him. Before he could regain his composure, before his heartbeat could break through his cold, hard facade, Zeng Xiasheng heard his own voice, gentle and hoarse, whispering, "Why are you here?"

Tang Sizhu seemed to still be bothered by the unpleasantness of that day. After hesitating for a moment, he took out an old mobile phone from his bag and handed it to him.

"Help me, I need the photos inside."

Zeng Xiasheng should have rejected her, thinking that she had a prestigious career and a respected position, so she could easily find a lot of connections to help solve this minor problem. There was no need for her to come to him. But before he could even say anything, Tang Sizhuo said, "There might be private photos of my client in here. I can't trust anyone else, so I have no choice but to come to you."

Zeng Xiasheng looked into her clear eyes, his lips moved, but he couldn't say a word.

He wanted to ask her why she couldn't trust the regular stores in the city center, or why she believed that he, a bachelor with a tainted reputation, wouldn't have any bad thoughts about private photos. But he couldn't ask anything, because for a moment, he actually felt happy, thinking that he had some effect, that he could help her escape the nightmare of her childhood and remember it.

The phone, six or seven years old, looked fine on the outside, but Zeng Xiasheng wondered if the battery was damaged or something more serious. He charged it for ten minutes but it still wouldn't turn on. He had no choice but to disassemble the screen and test several power points around the motherboard with a multimeter, trying to determine which parts might still be working.

Perhaps because it was too cold and he didn't want to go out, Tang Sizhuo leaned aside and talked on the phone with someone, not avoiding him.

"...Liu Dong was too cunning, and there was no way to get anything out of him. But luckily, Zhang Qiuran remembered that a few years ago, Liu Dong's phone suddenly broke. He said that every time he changed phones, he would completely format the old one, but this time, the phone wouldn't turn on for some reason. He originally said he would take it to the store to repair it, but he didn't go. It just sat there. I just went with her and got it out before Liu Dong got home."

Zeng Xiasheng wanted to ignore it, but she couldn't help but pay attention. It sounded like Tang Sizhuo had just done something quite dangerous, and the person on the other end of the line had the same reaction, cursing and lecturing her.

It was a man's voice. Zeng Xiasheng couldn't hear it clearly, but from her relaxed and natural tone, he could guess that it should be the person who had breakfast with her that day.

"I know it's dangerous. I'm just anxious. What if he remembers it if I go there later? ... It's okay, I've already taken it out." Tang Sizhuo acted impatient, but there was a hint of smile in his words. "I told her to stay home for the time being and contact you when the photos are ready."

Contact him? Is he her lawyer friend, or a judge, or a police officer?

Zeng Xiasheng paused, hiding the gloomy emotion in his eyes, and stood up to tidy up the operating table.

Tang Sizhuo hung up the phone and leaned over. "How is it?"

"It's seriously damaged, and the chip needs to be removed."

He cleared a small area on the countertop, wiped it clean, covered it with an anti-static mat, donned a wristband, and began carefully working with the heat gun. The chip was fragile, requiring precise temperature control. Zeng Xiasheng held his breath, gently sweeping the heat gun back and forth, and using tweezers to try to move the solder joints.

Tang Sizhuo leaned against the table, his eyes fixed on him. Zeng Xiasheng's hands were steady, the heat gun and tweezers like extensions of his limbs. He had to control the temperature so as not to burn the chip, while also ensuring that all the solder melted to avoid breaking the tiny connections underneath.

She recalled how Zeng Xiasheng had helped her make lanterns in junior high. It was clearly her idea for a craft, but she couldn't get it right, growing increasingly frustrated. Finally, Zeng Xiasheng sat down and cut and pieced together the pieces, bit by bit. He didn't get angry when the paper she'd cut too small wouldn't close, but instead took it apart, replacing it with rice paper of the right size and starting over. She'd leaned over the table, watching him, his rough but nimble fingers gluing the pieces together with perfect precision. She wondered if he'd studied harder, perhaps he could become a surgeon.

However, there are no ifs.

After a while, Zeng Xiasheng successfully removed the chip and re-soldered it so that he could install it on the adapter and connect it to the programmer.

"You're amazing," Tang Sizhuo whispered. She admired his ease from the bottom of her heart, almost forgetting their previous argument. She leaned over the operating table, staring at him with the same admiration she had in her childhood.

Zeng Xiasheng didn't respond, but instead asked her, "Did you bring your computer?"

"I brought it, why?"

"Give me your computer."

Zeng Xiasheng copied the software from his computer and installed it on her laptop. "I'll copy the chip data directly to your computer so there's no risk of it leaking from me. Do you know the password to your phone?"

"There are a few, I'm not entirely sure, you can try."

Tang Sizhuo pulled a notepad from her bag and handed it to him. Zhang Qiuran and Liu Dong had a good relationship in the early days, keeping their secrets. She had even checked Liu Dong's phone during her tantrums, but had indeed found nothing. Zeng Xiasheng exported all the image files and began trying the lock screen passwords one by one. Sure enough, it unlocked after the third one. However, under Tang Sizhuo's watchful eye, he searched the system camera photos, other images, and downloaded files one by one, finding no trace of nude photos.

"No?"

"Not necessarily. It might be hidden in another folder, or the suffix might have been changed."

Zeng Xiasheng operated a few times on the computer, and the data recovery software began to automatically perform a deep scan. The progress bar moved extremely slowly, and the room was so quiet that only the whirring sound of the radiator could be heard.

He lowered his eyes, seemingly concentrating on the computer screen, and suddenly asked her softly, "What medicine are you taking?"

Tang Sizhu was taken aback by his question. When he realized what was going on, he had already missed the best opportunity to deny it. He said vaguely, "Nothing. I wasn't feeling well some time ago, and the doctor prescribed some tonic. How did you know I was taking medicine?"

Zeng Xiasheng was silent for a moment, then turned to look at her. Just as he was about to speak, there was a sudden loud bang outside, followed by a sharp car alarm. Tang Sizhuo was startled, but quickly calmed down, opened the curtain and ran out. Zeng Xiasheng also got up and went out.

In the corner of the alley, the windshield of Tang Sizhu's parked car was smashed by someone.