Chapter 8

After the meeting, Chen Yi stopped Lu Chengtian and handed him a test report.

"Captain Lu, the blood sample on the tissue you gave me doesn't seem to be a problem, but the platelet count is low. Your friend might be anemic. Furthermore, tricyclic antidepressants were detected in the blood at a high concentration. You'd better pay attention to his mental state."

Lu Chengtian took the report and said, "Thank you. You stayed up all night yesterday. Today is Saturday, so you don't have anything to do for now. Go back and have a good rest."

Chen Yiben was not the kind of person who liked to ask questions, so he nodded and walked away gracefully in his high heels.

Anemia? Depression? Lu Chengtian looked at the report, his thick eyelashes covering his sharp eyes.

He took his computer back to the office and opened the "Kaihe Linxian" interface again.

The man in the ID photo hasn't changed much from now. He still looks gentle and refined, but his eyes are brighter and purer.

Lin Xian attended the best elementary, middle, and high schools in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and later graduated with a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University. After returning to China, he became a reporter for a newspaper that was shut down eight years ago because it was too sharp.

It was not until four years ago that he joined Mirror Magazine.

What did he do in the three years between his two jobs?

Lu Chengtian continued scrolling down the information page and discovered a problem—the internal public security information network didn't even have any information about Lin Xian's family members. Furthermore, his home address wasn't the "Honghua Community" he'd discovered with the tracker, but "Guanhu No. 1," which was more consistent with his income level and social status.

Leaving aside the latter, what does it mean that a citizen’s identity information page cannot find any of his family members?

Did the local police station miss it? Lu Chengtian quickly ruled out that possibility. Even if his parents were working in a highly confidential field, they would have to have some publicly available information. But even with his authority, he couldn't find it on the intranet. This could only mean that someone had deliberately erased that information.

In this situation, he could only be an undercover agent. But he had no police record. How could a journalist pass the rigorous selection process of the public security system and become an undercover agent?

Lu Chengtian was puzzled and felt that there were more and more suspicious points about Lin Xian.

What is most suspicious at the moment is his relationship with new drugs.

Was he the man with the small red mole on his neck who appeared at the drug-loading scene? How did he get the gunshot wound on his shoulder?

Also, it was he who discovered the incense ashes on the rooftop of Jinyuan Building, and it was he who led me to investigate the case in this direction.

Lu Chengtian stared at the face in the ID photo, which had gentle features but was becoming increasingly difficult for him to understand, and made a decision - to invite him to jointly investigate the case under the pretext of in-depth reporting.

His intuition told him that Lin Xian's knowledge of the drug case far exceeded the clues the police had. If he was the person behind the scenes, then he would inevitably be exposed during the investigation.

He dug up Chen Fei's contact information and sent her a message: "The falling case involves campus bullying. Is reporter Chen interested in continuing to follow up on the report? I sincerely invite Editor-in-Chief Lin to come along."

Soon, he received an exaggerated emoji of a person crying with gratitude and making a heart shape with their hands. The other person's flattered tone was clear between the lines: "Thank you, Lu Detachment! Editor-in-Chief Lin is right, you are a really nice person! I'll tell Editor-in-Chief Lin right away!"

Although it was Saturday, the magazine was overwhelmed by self-media from all walks of life and had almost no rest on weekends.

Lin Xian barely slept the night before. After Lu Chengtian left, memories raced through his mind, and he had a series of bizarre dreams. One moment, he saw fields of poppies in full bloom in the Golden Triangle, another, an undercover agent being beaten to death by a drug lord before his eyes, and another, a syringe filled with murky liquid piercing his neck.

He was awakened by shock more than a dozen times, and when he woke up in the morning he was covered in cold sweat and felt a little unsteady when he walked.

Being able to get to the office on time on Saturday morning and personally plan and revise a bunch of manuscripts, including the hot search for the Land Force Detachment, really drained all his energy for the day.

He pressed his eyebrows, opened the drawer, took out a box of capsules, swallowed five or six of them with warm water, and breathed a sigh of relief.

His empty stomach ached, so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of candy. He tore open the wrapper and chewed it carefully. The sweetness stimulated dopamine secretion, and he finally felt better.

The secondary SIM card phone on the table is stuck on the text message interface.

"I'll pick you up at the usual place tonight at 8 o'clock sharp. I'll give you an explanation for what happened before." A "blowing kiss" emoji was attached. It was Zhou Mubai.

Lin Xian's brow furrowed slightly as he expertly opened the electronic wrist cuffs, installed a miniature camera on the inner edge, and put them back on. On the surface, it looked like just a simple sports bracelet on his wrist, nothing out of the ordinary.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door.

He pulled down his shirt sleeves to cover the electronic shackles and the scars underneath, and said, "Come in."

Chen Fei, panda-eyed after a long night, walked in joyfully, pointing at the chat logs on her phone and practically spinning in circles. "Editor-in-Chief Lin, Lu Chengtian has invited us to follow up on the falling case! It's trending all over the internet right now, and many people suspect there's more to Liu Yaoyao's story than meets the eye. We can also use this opportunity to expose some of the realities of school bullying. It's definitely a unique and in-depth look!"

Lin Xian was quite surprised—why would Lu Chengtian suddenly extend such an invitation? Mirror View had just given him a "trending" spot. For someone as self-conscious and media-averse as him, he must be deeply regretting allowing them the opportunity to interview him.

Chen Fei analyzed seriously, "It must be the trending search you sent him that proved our agency's influence and built his trust in us!"

Hearing this, Lin Xian smiled helplessly: "Why do you seem so full of energy? After all, you are a young man with dreams." He thought of his first few years as a reporter, and the tired eyes behind the lenses softened.

The income of journalists who have just entered the industry is not high, especially under the impact of today's new media environment. The only way they can persevere is through their passion.

Lin Xian took the phone that Chen Fei had not been willing to replace for years and whose screen was shattered into pieces. He stared at the chat interface with the nickname "Lu Chengtian" for a while, and his eyes gradually focused on his avatar.

That was Chengtian Temple in the sun, with dazzling stars reflected on the orb on the top of the tower.

Chengtian Temple, Lu Chengtian.

His parents, who died from drugs, must have loved their child - Lin Xian thought.

After returning the phone to Chen Fei, Lin Xian took off his glasses and wiped them carefully, seeming to be seriously considering whether to accept the invitation.

Chen Fei secretly stared at the editor's face for a long time, thinking: What a handsome guy, it's free anyway, I might as well take a look.

Suddenly, she felt as if someone in the building opposite was looking at her. She leaned forward slightly to see more clearly, but the person quickly left the window.

"What are you looking at?" Lin Xian asked in confusion after noticing his subordinate's gaze.

Chen Fei thought that he was being overly suspicious, and then he said perfunctorily: "I thought someone was watching this side from the other side, I must have seen it wrong."

Hearing this, Lin Xian's expression changed, but only for a moment. Facing his subordinate, he calmly put his glasses back on and jokingly said, "You've been looking at your phone too much, and your myopia has worsened, right?"

"That's because I've been working overtime and looking at the computer too much." Chen Fei made a face and continued to ask, "Um...school bullying, should we go?"

"If you want to go, go." Lin Xian closed the computer and put a portable notebook in his coat pocket: "Let's go to the Municipal Bureau."

The girl with panda eyes wanted to jump up on the spot: "Editor Lin, wait a moment, I'll go get the equipment!" and disappeared in a flash.

·

When the gentle and frail Editor-in-Chief Lin drove his tall Wrangler and appeared in front of the Municipal Bureau with reporter Chen carrying a camera, Lu Chengtian's eyes fixed.

"Hey, Editor-in-Chief Lin?" Zhao Yiqing was quite surprised. He stepped forward and shook hands with Lin Xian politely, not forgetting to compliment the makeup-free Chen Fei standing beside him. "Does your agency look at appearance as well as talent when hiring? Reporter Chen is truly as natural as a lotus emerging from pure water."

Chen Fei, who had been working on a manuscript for most of the night and was covered in dust, felt a little hot in his ears when he heard the praise from Mr. Zhao. He lowered his head and smiled shyly.

Then, Zhao Yiqing looked back at Lu Chengtian, stepped forward and whispered in his ear, "I thought you would want to beat him to death when you saw the trending search."

Lu Chengtian didn't answer the question. He just looked at Lin Xian and said calmly, "Until the case is solved, I hope Editor-in-Chief Lin can cooperate with the police to ensure confidentiality. Please also allow us to review the article before publishing it to avoid it becoming a hot search again."

"Of course." Lin Xian was wearing a dark grey cashmere coat of excellent texture, with a deep and pleasant voice, looking like a walking gentleman.

He took a step forward, closing the distance between him and Lu Chengtian, and said slowly, "Many times, traffic is beyond our control. We were also surprised that Team Lu, with his talent and beauty, became a hot topic."

The faint scent of sandalwood lingered at the tip of Lu Chengtian's nose. He subconsciously took a half step back, but his unintentional movement caught Lin Xian's eye.

"Leave me your contact information, Captain Lu, and I'll scan you." Lin Xian stepped forward again, opened WeChat and scanned the QR code, smiling gently.

Lu Chengtian showed the QR code to the other party.

Lin Xian's unfamiliar and polite tone made him feel that the frail figure in the bathrobe last night, the hideous gunshot wound on his shoulder, and the somewhat angry expression when he discovered the tracker he had deliberately left behind were all just an illusion.

Only the blood analysis report in his desk drawer and the faint scent of sandalwood could prove that it was not a dream.

"Alright, please allow the Lu detachment to do you the honor of passing through."

He lowered his eyes to glance at the newly added profile picture in the contact list. It was a crystal hexagonal snowflake, and the nickname was "Hail" - with an unintentional yet unconsciously seductive aura.

Only when you get close to him, you will find that his essence is like ice that cannot be melted or warmed, and no one can get close to him at all.

Lu Chengtian exited the WeChat interface, and the time on the lock screen showed that it was almost time for dinner.

He looked at Zhao Yiqing, a rare look of apology on his face. "Captain Zhao, take a few of your brothers and Reporter Chen to dinner first, and talk to the people at the North City Branch about the situation. I have something to discuss with Editor-in-Chief Lin, so we'll meet up later."

Zhao Yiqing gave him a meaningful look, then shifted his gaze to Lin Xian, who was also a little surprised. He smiled very appropriately, "Okay, I'll put the meal money on your account. Don't forget to reimburse me later."

So, for some unknown reason, Lin Xian was invited to have lunch alone by Team Lu.

He got up late in the morning and didn't have time to eat breakfast. His stomach was weak to begin with, so he was indeed a little hungry at the moment.

Standing in front of the tall Wrangler that was completely inconsistent with his temperament, Lin Xian glanced at Lu Chengtian from the corner of his eye and said, "Captain Lu, get in the car."

"I'll drive." Lu Chengtian walked around to the driver's seat and got into the car with a long stride.

Lin Xian respectfully obeyed and threw the car keys to Lu Chengtian, experiencing the passenger seat of a Wrangler for the first time - Lu Detachment "condescended" to be his driver.

Under the warm winter sun, the tall and tough off-road vehicle roared through the seemingly bustling and peaceful city, and the interior of the car was suddenly silent.

Lin Xian glanced down at the messages in the magazine's work group chat for a moment before suddenly saying, "He's being nice to me for no reason—Team Lu invited me to dinner alone. I'm afraid this doesn't mean he's here with bad intentions."

Lu Chengtian glanced at him.

Lin Xian's skin was flawless, like fine white porcelain glazed with glaze. The sunlight lightly edged it, and a black turtleneck sweater obscured the glaring kiss mark. He lowered his head slightly, a strand of hair falling to the edge of his glasses. His nose was thin and straight, and the corners of his lips were naturally slightly upturned, making him look like a young man from a scholarly family, wealthy and leisurely—but unfortunately, it was all superficial.

Lu Chengtian suddenly felt that nine years was an insurmountable barrier, a barrier that had completely changed everything. In the ward, filled with the smell of disinfectant, the young man beside him seemed like a phantom of his imagination.

In order to break through someone's heart, Team Lu decided to play the emotional card.

He slowed down his tone, and even his voice was a little softer than usual, and he said suddenly: "Brother, there is no one else here, you don't have to be so polite." This "well-behaved" address was like a thunderclap in Lin Xian's ears.

Lin Xian finally turned his gaze to Lu Chengtian.

He was meticulously dressed in his uniform shirt and even a tie, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. His hands on the steering wheel were bony, slender, and powerful, with bulging veins, clearly the image of a mature man.

But when he called out "Brother" once again, seemingly casually, after such a long time that it seemed to have faded, Lin Xian suddenly felt a warm touch. It was as if the boy who spoke so little, but whose every fiber screamed for love, hadn't changed in all these years.

Thinking of this, he felt embarrassed to continue using the social etiquette "exclusively for Editor-in-Chief Lin", but for a moment he didn't know how to talk to Lu Chengtian, who had already developed a domineering and arbitrary face.

Editor-in-Chief Lin, who is eloquent and never embarrassed by dull moments, was speechless for a moment.

As if he had guessed what he was thinking, Lu Chengtian didn't say another word, but just tried his best to suppress the corners of his mouth that were slightly raised because his plan had succeeded.

In this subtle atmosphere, the car finally drove into the narrow alley where the target restaurant was located.

The huge body of the Wrangler was a bit cramped in the narrow alley, but Lu Chengtian drove it with ease, avoiding the various old man shops, fruit stalls, and tricycles on both sides almost at a distance of a hair, and stopped the car steadily by pressing half of the curb.

"We're here, bro. Get out of the car."

When Lin Xian saw the small restaurant with a pleasant environment, he knew that he had entered the "Pansy Cave" - ​​nine years ago, in that small northwestern county, Lin Xian invited Lu Chengtian, who had been discharged from the hospital, to have a "farewell dinner" in this national chain restaurant.

The dirty plastic stools were replaced by leather sofa booths, the floor tiles that were once colorless have become shiny, and the dining table is covered with a dark green tablecloth with a dark pattern.

After taking the menu, Lu Chengtian did not ask Lin Xian's opinion, and quickly talked about a few dishes with the blushing young waitress beside him.

Lin Xian looked around boredly. There were some people around, but not too many. The atmosphere was perfect for chatting with friends.

The waitress finished recording the dishes on a tablet. Lu Chengtian called her over and said, "Please tell the chef to use less salt, less chili, and no peppercorns."

Lin Xian looked at him in surprise, as if his heart was pricked by a furry little animal.

It was just a quick glance; nine years was enough time for them to forget each other in the crowd, but he actually still remembered his dietary restrictions.

During his years as a reporter, he interviewed many people from the lower classes of society and helped many children, but this was the first time he truly felt the feeling of being cared for by others.

Lu Chengtian did not show any abnormality. He calmly took the teapot beside him and poured him a cup of barley tea given by the restaurant.

Lin Xian picked up the cup, took a sip, and looked up at Lu Chengtian: "I told you, it was just a piece of cake, you really don't have to keep it in your heart. You don't owe me anything."

"The moonlight over the lotus pond you asked for." The waiter brought a brightly colored vegetarian dish, interrupting the stagnant atmosphere.

After the waiter left, Lu Chengtian looked him straight in the eye and said slowly, "Brother, I'm not in a hurry to pay you back. Look, I didn't even ask for the money you secretly left for me." He considerately picked up a handful of wood ear mushrooms and yam and placed them on Lin Xian's plate. "Although you only stayed with me for a short week, in my heart, you are my only relative in this world."

The hand of the "only relative" holding the teacup trembled leisurely, and the tea spread out on the dark green tablecloth in large patches, just like the quiet night in the northwestern town nine years ago, when the boy who lost his loved ones trembled with his shoulders, and tears silently spread out on his shoulders.

The restaurant served the food quickly. Moonlight over the Lotus Pond, Crayfish with Thirteen Spices, and Steamed Egg with Clams—these were all dishes Lin Xian had ordered for him back then.

Finally, the waiter brought a bowl of boiled pork slices, not very spicy but fragrant, and said with a warm smile: "You two have your dishes. Please enjoy."

Lu Chengtian said thank you and used his unused chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat and put it into Lin Xian's bowl: "Eat more meat. You look so weak, you don't even look like a man."

When Lin Xian saw the piece of meat soaked in red oil and with clear texture on the plate, his stomach, which had only taken a few capsules and milk candy, suddenly began to twitch violently.

He dropped his chopsticks and without explaining, he went straight to the bathroom at the stairs which he usually never used due to his mysophobia.

Amid the loud sound of flushing water, scenes from that afternoon eight years ago flashed through his mind.

The sea lapped against the rocks, and on the reef lay a huge black bag with neatly stacked slices of meat inside. And on his father's phone, a text message came from an overseas server: "Enjoy your meal."

With a "wow" sound, he bent down, supported himself on the wall, and spit out the acid water into the toilet.

The handbag filled with cooked meat seemed to be hanging in front of him, and the texture of each piece was clear... Lin Xian was gasping for breath violently, and his head was spinning. It was not until he vomited out all the bile that his already empty stomach finally calmed down for a while.

He leaned against the wall to the colorless washbasin. He leaned over with one hand on the water and rinsing his mouth. He looked up at the cracked mirror. The person in the mirror was pale, bisected by the strange crack. A fine layer of cold sweat oozed from his forehead, and water droplets splashed on the spotless lens.

Lin Xian took a while to relax and finally found the feeling of falling back to the ground.

He released his hands, which were supporting the pool and whose knuckles were white from the effort. He suddenly felt a dizziness and cold all over. His knees went weak and he almost fell to the ground.

He frantically groped for support, but fell into a warm embrace.