Unwarranted visits
Perhaps because of the bedtime story she read the night before, Cheng Xiangwu slept for a very short time that night, but at least she didn't dream.
The view in the distance wasn't very clear after the bedroom curtains were drawn, partly due to poor eyesight and partly due to the fog. In Moriko City, the average daily temperature difference between day and night is around ten degrees Celsius these days, and morning fog is common. The fog usually dissipates by the time most residents are ready to go out, only to be followed by an even more unwelcome sudden blaze of sunshine.
The hazy mist didn't seep through the newly opened window, but a cool breeze drifted in along with the scent of grass and trees. Cheng Xiangwu, dressed in her pajamas, didn't feel cold, just as she wouldn't feel hot wearing a fur-trimmed coat in the sun. Sensations didn't often irritate her skin, but to prevent catching a cold, she usually tried to maintain a constant body temperature.
She also really liked the fur collar; it felt nice to the touch.
After ventilating the bedroom, Cheng Xiangwu washed up and went into the living room. In the dimly lit space, the shadow that should have been between the sofa and coffee table was filled by something bulging out. Only then did she remember that there was a high school student lying in her living room. Then she remembered that there was someone else in the guest room. Apart from the bedroom door, she had no privacy measures left.
Not paying much attention to this part, Cheng Xiangwu put on her coat and went out to buy breakfast.
Occasionally, three or five residents would stroll leisurely or with purpose through the mist on the street. Cheng Xiangwu went to her old neighbor's breakfast stall as usual. One of its great features was that it opened early, and another was that the owner knew how to adjust the texture of any food according to the customer's request, which Cheng Xiangwu loved.
Every time she comes here, she commemorates one of her back molars that will never come back.
"Xiao Cheng, you're up so early?" The boss, as usual, sat behind the cashier, his mouth and hands moving at the same time.
"Let's get up early and take a walk," Cheng Xiangwu replied. "I'd like two sesame cakes, the hard kind, to eat here."
After saying that, she remembered that there were still people in her room. "Never mind, pack it up for me. I also need two sweet cookies and two savory cookies, that's normal."
"Alright!" The boss quickly lit the oven, skillfully rolled out the dough, and poured in the oil. "Xiao Cheng even brings breakfast for people now. He's really grown up."
"Hey." 28-year-old Xiao Cheng squeezed his coat.
Once the lid is closed, the carbohydrates and oils inside start sizzling and popping indiscriminately. The owner doesn't even glance at them, but instead calls out to the customers who are lined up at the back of the queue to take their orders, while casually interjecting with various topics of conversation.
Cheng Xiangwu stood aside, waiting for her six pancakes and watching. The owner's wife had died in a car accident a few years ago, and her only child was away at university. She lived alone here, and liked to bring a little bit of everything into her shop. She made the pancakes herself, shaped the steamed buns herself, wrapped the wontons and dumplings herself, repaired the equipment herself when it broke, picked out and carried the ingredients herself, found the topics herself, studied the potted plants herself, and remembered the ways of the world.
This imposing owner is also an expert in this field, and is known as the "Octopus King of the Breakfast Shop".
"Xiao Cheng, here's your pancake." The owner placed a plastic bag made of three paper bags on the counter. Cheng Xiangwu took it, and the aroma wafted out from very close range, mixed with the heat.
"Thank you, I'm leaving now." Cheng Xiangwu waved and turned to leave.
The fog cleared on the way back.
Speaking of fog, Cheng Xiangwu recalled that her city occasionally experienced similar situations to what Gorson had described: there was no fog when she went out in the morning, but it would become foggy after a while. However, that was a coastal city, where the moisture and wind were too realistic to explain. Senhu City is a mountain city, so she wondered if such a situation would be reasonable.
One of the sesame cakes was eaten on the way. Its familiar firmness and lack of crumbs were reassuring. However, the cats following behind in the neighborhood were not so happy. Cheng Xiangwu recognized one of them, a black cat with white paws, because it had lived a very long time. She broke off a piece and threw it to the cat, which it ate.
Everything outside is perfectly normal.
Inside, perhaps because it was already broad daylight, the people inside had finished getting ready while Cheng Xiangwu was out. Gao Ersen folded the blankets and pillows and placed them on an empty shelf in the corner of the living room. Dressed neatly, he sat upright at the dining table in the dining room, and reflexively looked towards the master bedroom door as soon as he heard the door open.
The door was open, making it obvious who did it; Cheng Xiangwu's last line of defense for privacy had failed.
"Good morning, Sister Xiangxiang!" Gao Ersen greeted her quickly, his voice sounding quite energetic.
"Good morning," Cheng Xiangwu replied, placing breakfast on the table. Just as she was about to go to the bedroom to catch the person, she saw that the person had come out on their own.
"What a coincidence, running into you here." Little Fran moved as naturally as if she were walking out of her own bedroom, even closing the door behind her. She had changed her inner layer and was wearing that orange-yellow and emerald green bow tie, and of course, the tooth that had been missed not long ago was dangling from under her ear.
Cheng Xiangwu had nothing to say.
"Why are you speechless?" Little Ferguson retorted, dissatisfied. "If you have nothing to say, then what about all the things I prepared to say?"
Gorson didn't dare to speak. She quietly stood up, grabbed a cup, took a drink from the refrigerator, and also boiled some water.
“Let’s thank the kind Miss Golson, but I think a good breakfast shouldn’t be without the ingredients to add your own flair, the decorations to enhance your mood, and the tableware to show your hospitality,” Little Franz reminded.
“Okay, Sister Fur!” Golson quickly complied, without the slightest displeasure. She picked up a plate and laid it out on the table, then poured the bewildered biscuit into the silver plate that Fur had chosen the day before, along with some butter, cheese, and jam, and even tore off some hand towels.
Cheng Xiangwu never imagined that her family's dining table would one day turn into this state, nor did she ever imagine that her family would suddenly have an extra slave owner and a slave.
Perhaps even that pancake never imagined it would have such a day.
The three sat down, and Xiao Fu brewed tea. With a special sense of ceremony, she took out a carved silver clip in front of everyone and used scissors to cut the perfectly intact sesame cake. This action was thwarted by the sesame cake. She squeezed the scissor handle and the clip in disbelief.
“Don’t cut it, that’s what I ate,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
"Why not share with us?" Little Fran was still trying.
"Then cut it." Cheng Xiangwu stopped trying to dissuade him.
“…I mean, I need your help,” Little F said.
Although Cheng Xiangwu felt that this sesame cake wouldn't be suitable for anyone's mouth, stomach, or intestines except herself, she still helped cut it open. The sound of the sesame cake falling onto the silver plate was like a brick. Xiao Fu reached out and took a piece, spread jam and cheese on it, added black pepper and sugar, put it in his mouth, and chewed—
She couldn't bite it without chewing.
Cheng Xiangwu also took a cut-up piece of cake, sprinkled some sugar on it, and chewed it with even more texture. This made her slightly applaud Xiao Fu's inexplicable and unnecessary behavior.
“…I don’t do useless things.” Little F put down the cookie in his hand.
Golson gave up trying it after hearing it land with a thud. The biscuit was spread with brown sugar and eaten with jam, like biting into a bread roll with a sweet jam filling. The pie was stuffed with ghee and mixed with cheese, making it taste like a Turkish pie. The black tea was sweetened, and after it cooled down, the taste wasn't so adult-oriented anymore.
She tried to eat quietly, as if she wasn't used to making any noise in this world.
The sudden liveliness during mealtime made Cheng Xiangwu feel a little uncomfortable. She chewed on her biscuit and stared blankly at the view outside the balcony.
"Distracted eating is not a good habit, and I really hope you won't experience stomach upset because of it." Xiao Fu switched back to eating normal food.
No, it has been proven that Chengxiangwu's stomach acid can be used as a substitute for sulfuric acid.
"...Could you reveal the proof process?" Xiao Fu asked curiously, but Cheng Xiangwu ignored her.
"Are you talking to me?" Golson asked, puzzled.
“Don’t pay attention to her when she’s talking to herself; it won’t do you any good,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
"My communication skills are privately referred to by my peers as devilish ventriloquism, how can they be tainted by such an adjective as 'talking to oneself,' which belongs to street drug addicts?" Little F was very dissatisfied and threw the uneaten piece of biscuit into the trash can.
"It's not that serious, is it?" Golson said softly, quickly shutting his mouth before Little Fran's gaze darted away.
"Congratulations, you still retain some rebellious spirit." Little F said, picking up his teacup again.
“Please spare me,” Golson replied quickly.
After what should have been a simple breakfast, the three of them cleaned up their tableware under Cheng Xiangwu's supervision. Xiao Fu brewed a new tea, which had a minty aroma, as if to reduce the average cost of using the teaware.
"Breakfast tea and after-meal tea should not be confused, but I won't go into details about that now; I'll talk about it later," said Xiao Fu.
“Sister Fufu is right.” Golson nodded.
Everyone gathered in the living room to discuss the day's events. Since there was no background music, Cheng Xiang turned on the TV to watch the weather forecast.
“Your parents are indeed still under observation, especially since you went missing. Recently, criminal police from other places have come to investigate cases at your school, so the surveillance on them will only become more stringent. We can adapt to their daily routines and there will always be a chance to talk to them,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
The weather in Moriko City today will be sunny turning cloudy with high visibility. There will be fog in some areas in the early morning, so please be careful when going out.
“My family members all work in companies in the city, so I know their usual commuting times.” Gao Ersen nodded. “They usually arrive at the company at 9:30 in the morning and leave for home at 5:00 in the afternoon. My home is not far from No. 2 Middle School, and there are a lot of people on the road during commuting hours.”
Today's sunrise time is 6:40 AM and sunset time is 7:30 PM. The UV index is low.
"My opinion is that it's best to choose a space where we can discuss things privately, to avoid any unexpected situations," said Xiao Fu.
The wind direction is north-northwest, with a wind speed of 7 km/h and gusts of 13 km/h.
“An accident?” Golson didn’t quite understand, but he nodded. “I understand. If we can communicate, I will try my best to agree with your ideas.”
The perceived temperature is similar to the actual temperature, the humidity is 63%, and the air pressure is moderate.
"Um," Golson asked uncertainly, "is the phone ringing?"
Indeed, Cheng Xiangwu raised her hand to turn off the TV before realizing that her phone had received a call.
“Unfortunately, if you hadn’t reminded me, this call would have continued until the weather forecast ended.” Little F put down his teacup.
The caller was Zhou Mi, but not from her own cell phone; it was from the convenience store's landline. Cheng Xiangwu frowned, stood up, and went to the balcony to answer the call, while the other two automatically remained silent.
"Xiao Mi?" Cheng Xiangwu responded.
"Sister Xiangxiang, it's me." Xiaomi's voice was inexplicably a little nervous, but not panicked. She stopped there, as if waiting for the other person to speak first.
"...What happened?" Cheng Xiangwu asked with genuine concern.
"That's right." Zhou Mi took a deep breath. "I heard you took that foreign friend out early this morning, since there's not much interesting place around here, right?"
How could such a thing happen? Cheng Xiang didn't know how to answer during the May Day holiday. Did Zhou Mi want to go out and play with her?
Xiao Fu couldn't help but laugh. She took out her phone, typed a message, and showed it to Cheng Xiangwu: "That sunglasses-wearing detective has come knocking on our door."
How could such a thing happen? Cheng Xiang was even more puzzled, but she understood what Zhou Mi was talking about. She paused and then said, "I just got back and I'm at home now."
In any case, we can't let Zhou Mi get entangled with that troublesome person.
"Eh—" Zhou Mi's voice clearly showed disappointment, "No, it's just, um—"
“It’s alright,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “Don’t worry, I’m in the apartment. Just let me know if you need anything.”
“…Sigh.” Zhou Mi sighed deeply. “Okay, it was that woman in sunglasses who said she wanted to talk to you guys, saying she ran into you yesterday and had some questions for you. Honestly, I think she’s super suspicious!”
The last sentence was spoken very softly, but Cheng Xiangwu guessed that everyone heard it.
“Xiao Mi, it doesn’t matter if that person is suspicious, there are plenty of surveillance cameras in the neighborhood.” Cheng Xiangwu didn’t know what to say, after all, the suspicious ones were actually the few of them. She turned to look at Gao Ersen, who was already curled up on the sofa, and replied, “Let me talk to her face to face.”
"Okay." Zhou Mi didn't say anything more. "Then should I tell her your apartment number?"
It would be unreasonable for only one person to meet with the man in sunglasses, but leaving only Golson at home might lead to an accident. Cheng Xiangwu turned around and glanced at Xiao Fu, who nodded.
“Let’s do it this way,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”
"Okay—" Zhou Mi replied, and the call ended.
"Police!" Golson reacted violently, even more panicked than when recounting her nightmare. She froze in the corner of the sofa, only breathing as she spoke. "The police, are they here for me?! I, I don't want to—"
She was more afraid of the police than some real criminals.
“Miss Golson,” Little F said, “those aren’t the local administrators you’ve seen, but rather an invasive species. They won’t pay attention to you unless you have no other source of nutrition.”
“…But, but…” Golson breathed a slight sigh of relief, but was still so scared that he gripped the sofa armrest and dared not move. “Are you all okay? What if that person actually suspects you directly? Then I, I…”
Her lips trembled for a long time, but it was still only me.
“I can confirm that there was no trace of the two of us left in that ward,” Cheng Xiangwu said. She was a professional at clearing herself of any involvement. “I don’t know what that guy came here for. If he really suspected us, he should have come directly to our door. He shouldn’t have contacted me through Xiao Mi.”
But clearly, the person about to arrive didn't care whether it was right or wrong; the convenience store was at most a five-minute walk from the apartment door, and the customer was about to knock.
"Just typical behavior for conspiracy theorists." Little F didn't react much. She refilled all three teacups and sat back down on the sofa with a relaxed air. Turning to Golson, she said, "Take your things to the study."
Golson took a deep breath, and when she stood up, her trembling had stopped. Silently, she took her blankets and pillows into the study, and then went to the entryway to take her shoes. Before stuffing herself inside, she took all the toiletries from the half-bathroom in the living room. She had only been in the apartment for a little over half a day, and after this tidying up, there was practically no trace of her presence left.
Cheng Xiangwu took out her key and locked the study door. Before she threw the key into her pocket, she heard a knock on the door, three times forcefully and quickly, as if the door was about to be pushed open regardless of the owner's wishes.
"Have there been a lot of people knocking on this door lately?" Cheng Xiangwu thought to herself as she opened the door. Xiao Fu didn't seem inclined to get up. Standing through the peephole was a familiar face, dressed in a shirt, trousers, and leather shoes. It was indeed the detective in sunglasses. Today, she was wearing brown-lensed sunglasses, and the half of her face that was also covered maintained a polite smile.
"Hello!" the sunglasses-wearing detective greeted. "I'm sorry to have worried Miss Zhou Mi. It was indeed abrupt to find you two in this way. Please allow me to apologize again. I am Xie Wuchang. How should I address you?"
Upon opening the door, he was met with such a long string of words. Cheng Xiangwu was taken aback for a moment before replying, "I am Cheng Xiangwu. What do you want with me?"
“Excuse me, Ms. Cheng, but I am not here for you, but for the foreign friend who is traveling with you.” Xie Wuchang said, seemingly wanting to frown to show her concern, but her large sunglasses concealed most of her expression. “Excuse my intrusion, but is the lady who calls herself Xiao Fu also here?”
"What do you want with her?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.
“There’s no need to be so wary, Ms. Cheng. I just have some private matters I’d like to discuss with her. It would be best if she were here, but if not, perhaps you would be willing to provide her with this person’s contact information?” Xie Wuchang gave a smile that was rather friendly without his sunglasses.
Honestly, when the police come to your door and say "we're just having a chat," it usually means they're about to take action. Cheng Xiangwu didn't know how to respond to this person. So she just stood there expressionless and didn't say anything. Her colleague had said that as long as she stood there expressionless and didn't move, some people would understand that it was time for them to leave.
Laughter came from inside the house; there was no need to guess who the owner was.
Xie Wuchang, who had once again automatically claimed the object of the laughter, visibly froze. Now Cheng Xiangwu knew what those sunglasses were for; at least one of their functions was to allow those who read faces to understand certain things, just like she did.
"...It seems you have some misunderstandings about me." Xie Wuchang took off her sunglasses and smiled again. She had a respectable face that could be used to set a good example. "I am not a suspicious person. On the contrary, the foreign lady who calls herself Xiao Fu cannot stand up to scrutiny. I wonder how long you have known her? You say you are acquaintances, but as the saying goes, you can know a person's face but not their heart. Do you know anything about her background?"
"Is that even a question?" Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment and said, "We're really not that close—"
Before she could finish speaking, she turned her head to the side, and a whooshing sound came from behind her. A teacup and saucer flew out of nowhere like an unidentified flying object, grazing her fur collar and Xie Wuchang's neck before shattering on the corridor wall.
"Familiar, isn't it?" Cheng Xiangwu finished speaking, frowned as she looked at the shards scattered on the ground, and turned around.
Inside the hallway, Xiao Fu smiled and patted his hands, which weren't actually dusty. "You can know a person's face but not their heart. That saying doesn't apply to all situations, am I right?"
Xie Wuchang brought back the sunglasses.
"Clean it up yourself." Cheng Xiang pointed to the ground with her five thumbs up. "You need to use tape to stick the pieces together."
“You should say yes now, and then declare to that rude, subjective person that our connection is extraordinary,” Little Franz said, disgruntled.
"Hurry up and tidy up, or the wind will blow it everywhere," Cheng Xiangwu said. "Remember to wear gloves."
Xiao Fu remained silent, expressionless, and began cleaning up the broken pieces on the floor with tape. Seemingly sensing the awkwardness, Xie Wuchang silently stepped aside. Cheng Xiangwu offered Xiao Fu gloves, but she didn't take them.
"What are you giving me this for? Are we close?" Little F asked expressionlessly.
How is Cheng Xiangwu supposed to respond to this? Should she say, "We know each other well, so hurry up and put on your gloves so you don't cut yourself and then throw a tantrum in the corner?" Or should she say, "What do you mean 'well-known'? Should you look at who's standing next to you and think about who's locked in the study?" Or should she just say, "Do you want to see what you're asking? Don't you know how suspicious you are?"
"Hahaha—" Little Fu still laughed, "Anyway, you have to help me pack. I won't let a tea set be missing a piece for no reason."
“…Okay.” Cheng Xiangwu sighed, having nothing more to say, and squatted down to start tidying up.
Then Xie Wuchang inexplicably squatted down and started piecing together the fragments, making the corridor suddenly crowded and busy. A palm-sized teacup, after shattering, was able to cover the entire apartment corridor—could one say it had exceptional flexibility?
After helping to bundle up a palm-sized ball of shredded tape, Xie Wuchang went into the apartment to throw away the trash. She casually took off her shoes at the door and asked if there were any slippers. There were indeed; she still had a set of slippers left over from the mall she'd bought yesterday. Looking at the extra pairs, Cheng Xiangwu felt a long-forgotten, inexplicable sense of unease.
“It’s not inexplicable, you know. Don’t you guys have that wicked self-comforting idea of ‘divine arrangement’?” Little Franz said.
“…Sigh.” Cheng Xiangwu sighed again.
In the living room, one of the three cups of hot tea was missing its saucer, and the cup stood barefoot on the table, like an uninvited guest.
"Are there any new guests besides me?" Xie Wuchang asked in surprise.
“Of course it was prepared for you, even this sentence.” Little Fran replied with satisfaction.
"That's truly an honor," Xie Wuchang smiled. "Would you mind if we sat down and chat?"
What else could Cheng Xiangwu say? "Sit down," she said, and sat down herself.
The three sat down, and the cup of tea without a saucer naturally belonged to Xie Wuchang.
"Since you all don't intend to chat with me any longer, then I won't bother you with any more idle talk." Xie Wuchang picked up his tea and took a sip. "Good tea. Although it's not a particularly precious tea, the brewer's technique is unique. It's a truly rare experience."
Cheng Xiangwu felt that this person had no end to his idle chatter.
“Of course.” Little F gently lifted his teacup.
"How should I address you?" Xie Wuchang peered out from beneath his sunglasses. "This foreign friend who calls himself Little Fu?"
If this person were really a criminal police officer, then Xiao Fu's registered personal information should have been available at the local police station yesterday. Cheng Xiangwu felt something was strange, but she didn't intend to say anything.
"After all, I'm prepared to stick to the principle of preventing spoilers from the very beginning," Little Franz said smugly.
"...Is this the answer?" Xie Wuchang asked, frowning.
“That’s right.” Little F nodded. “Why don’t we bypass that point? The form of address is just an unnecessary constraint. What you want to know is not just what a name represents, is it?”
"That's not necessarily true," Xie Wuchang smiled.
"Oh?" Little F raised an eyebrow.
“If you can’t produce a reasonable identity document and are unwilling to provide traceable personal information, then the local public security authorities in Senhu City may find it hard not to suspect you, foreign friend?” Xie Wuchang spread his hands, seemingly helpless. “And Ms. Cheng, who chose to hide you here, will also find it hard to get away, after all, the two of you seem to have a good relationship.”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiang frowned. This was why she disliked dealing with these criminal police officers; they would inexplicably haunt her for the slightest thing.
“That’s natural,” Little F said with a smile.
Xie Wuchang's expression turned visibly puzzled; her change in expression was so obvious that even her sunglasses couldn't hide her professional instincts.
"Do you think there's something that would make her come all this way to get it?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.
"You'd have to ask the person involved. Who knows if the stone is waste rock or jade before it's excavated?" Xie Wuchang retorted.
"So you think she has X-ray vision?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.
“You’d have to ask him yourself.” Xie Wuchang looked at Xiao Fu. “Judging from your conversations over the past few times, I’d be willing to believe you have X-ray vision.”
“…This is that thing.” Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment, “Psychology.”
"Hahaha, of course I was just joking." Xie Wuchang laughed three times without any sense of humor, then looked at Xiao Fu. "Let me be clear. The various characteristics you've shown make it hard for me to believe that you're really here to visit Senhu City. And now you're not even willing to reveal your name, so is it some kind of famous name that would surprise everyone if you told it?"
“She said she wanted me to remember it myself,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
“…Ms. Cheng.” Xie Wuchang finally changed the target of his question. “You are neither her parent nor her representative, so why are you answering all her questions?”
Her clenched teeth were so obvious.
"No, I haven't seen enough yet," Little F said regretfully. "How about we talk about three more segments? If we talk about three more segments, I'll include myself in the dialogue."
"Didn't you say you wanted to investigate me?" Cheng Xiangwu frowned.
Xie Wuchang suddenly laughed, with a hint of provocation, "Why do you think I have the right and the qualification to investigate you? Just because I'm a 'conspiracy theorist enthusiast'? Let me be direct, how did you know my identity and purpose?"
“Haven’t you already prepared at least three answers for us?” Little Fer replied.
“…Sigh.” Xie Wuchang sighed, “I can’t hide my feelings. I guess I’ll suffer for it sooner or later?”
Cheng Xiangwu felt that she couldn't be entirely blamed for this.
“Then our entertainment time is over.” Xiao Fu put down his teacup. “Miss Xie Wuchang, you must have a reason for visiting this place. Please say it, and I will then assess your purpose and your worth, and consider replying.”
"Aren't you worried about your identity?" Xie Wuchang stared intently into Xiao Fu's eyes.
“I’m not the one who needs to worry about my identity here,” Xiao Fu replied.
Xie Wuchang paused for a moment, then put down his teacup. The bottom of the cup clicked against the glass coffee table with a crisp sound.
"Then I'll just ask directly." Xie Wuchang simply took off his sunglasses and placed them on the table. "What brings you two here?"
Without her sunglasses, her ever-changing expressions became even sharper in the light.
"Leaving aside the foreign friends for now," she said, looking at Cheng Xiangwu. "Ms. Cheng, I suspect you've come for Qin Zixi, who's about to be released from prison, and perhaps even for his life. Am I right?"
Cheng Xiangwu didn't say anything.
“To be honest, I can completely understand and even agree with your thoughts, but you also know that vigilante justice is absolutely prohibited in modern times. In fact, if your actions were proven, the modern court might sentence you more severely than Qin Zixi himself, because your actions have elements of advocating excessive violence, while the prosecutor’s office always stands on the side of advocating peace.” Xie Wuchang continued, her words tinged with helplessness.
Cheng Xiangwu didn't say anything.
"Perhaps you have an unwavering confidence in your ability to succeed? I don't know where that confidence comes from, but I also have the confidence to shatter it. I don't want to threaten an innocent person, but that must be based on the premise that the person is truly innocent. As I said before, yes, I do have the authority to investigate your identity and to issue a warrant for your release." Xie Wuchang's tone became somewhat forceful, yet also carried an urgent sense of persuasion. "I really don't want things to escalate to that point, which is why I wanted to talk to you in person."
Finally, she didn't look at Cheng Xiangwu again, but picked up her teacup again and sighed, "If you still don't want to explain anything, then I have nothing more to say."
"This rhetoric is exactly the same over and over again, from the tone and paragraphs to the accompanying performance. You could say its translation is far more consistent than the Bible. Thank you for proving the accuracy of this idea to me, Miss Xie Wuchang," said Xiao Fu.
Before Xie Wuchang could speak again, Cheng Xiangwu spoke first, "Let me confirm."
"Of course?" Xie Wuchang looked over with a smile.
"You're threatening me, aren't you?" Cheng Xiangwu turned her head to meet the eyes of the face that wasn't covered by sunglasses. At this distance, she could clearly observe the other person's features and remember a lot of things.
Muscle distribution, force exertion habits, hidden injuries and old ailments, reaction speed, how to twist joints to break them faster, so that they lose their ability to resist in the shortest possible time.
She's a professional.
"...There are many surveillance cameras in the community?" Xie Wuchang's smile disappeared.
"You really believe it?" Cheng Xiangwu asked doubtfully. Hadn't this person confirmed it himself?
The infrastructure in Senhu City is fairly good; the streetlights are working, and the water pipes are repaired. But as mentioned before, without X-ray vision, you can't see anything valuable here. The fact that there are surveillance cameras at the intersection is already a sign of good intentions; in this residential area, there are only surveillance cameras at the main entrance and the large parking lot.
“With bait hanging in front, people don’t care if the road collapses when they walk by; this scene always repeats itself,” Little Fu nodded.
Xie Wuchang put the cup back on the table and took his sunglasses back with him.
“It’s a bit too late to start having doubts now. Right now, you can’t tell whether it’s just psychological or whether the tea prepared for you, this uninvited guest, was really laced with that ancient sleeping potion, can you?” Little Fu said.
Cheng Xiangwu didn't remember that the mall sold such things.
“Of course I took it myself,” Little F nodded.
Okay, she did have some in her suitcase, but she remembered that she only brought lethal poison.
"...What are you taking?" Xie Wuchang asked, a cold sweat trickling down her forehead.
Xiao Fu smiled without explaining, while Xie Wuchang broke out in a cold sweat even more.
“At least she meant it when she said she ‘agrees with what you did,’ so let’s get back to that and start extending our conversation again?” Little F held up one finger.
"What's the use of this?" Xie Wuchang asked.
“Of course, it’s about showing our attitude.” Xiao Fu looked at Xie Wuchang. “So, Miss Xie Wuchang, are you willing to follow this attitude?”
“…Alright.” Xie Wuchang sighed. “Let’s each take a step back and keep a safe distance.”
As she said this, her face immediately turned sour.
“That’s right. Forget about those side paths, let’s take the inside line.” Little Franz nodded. “You’ve already covered our part, now let’s talk about yourself, you talkative guy?”
"Myself," Xie Wuchang repeated. "If we only talk about myself, you might not get much useful information. Since you have such good insight, why don't you skip over me and talk about the part I represent?"
She straightened her back, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked as if she was about to give a speech.
“No, that doesn’t matter at all. That kind of thing is not special enough for me to spend a single word about, no matter when, where, or how big it is.” Little F shook his head arrogantly. “Tell me about yourself, and I will judge your worth myself.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Wuchang first looked out the window, where there was nothing but a clear sky, just as the weather forecast had predicted.
“Well, before I officially set my sights on Mori Lake City, it was just a small city I would never have actively sought out in my life. But when I needed to get something from it, it turned out to be more worthwhile and more solid than I had imagined.” Her voice drifted out the window. “Let me be frank, I need to prove that what I’m doing is meaningful, and for that, I need sufficiently valuable evidence. I believe there’s such solid evidence waiting for me to uncover in Mori Lake City, and you all seem to have something worth uncovering as well, so I’ve come.”
She sighed softly.
“But to be honest, I don’t know what exactly I’m pursuing.” Xie Wuchang looked away. “I think it might be a ghost, or it might just be some kind of disease.”
Her voice was hesitant; this seemed to be the first time she had used her eloquent tongue to speak to an outsider about a suspected target whose very existence she herself was unsure of.
“I believe there is some kind of entity that alters people’s memories of the dead. As you said, I suspect many cases, but there is no direct evidence to prove that my target actually exists,” she said. “The most recent example comes from Senhu No. 2 Middle School, which has been closed for a long time. It is about a student named Gao Ersen in Class 1 of Grade 11. I received news that she died yesterday afternoon, but her body is currently missing.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
"Then how can you be so sure she's really dead?" Cheng Xiang asked five times, realizing that this person didn't seem to know much either.
"Because I asked her family, or rather," Xie Wuchang paused, then took out a voice recorder, pressed a button, and the red light flashed.
The recording included sounds of clothing rubbing together and electronic noise.
“Gorson, Sensen, yes, that’s what our child’s name is.” A woman’s voice came first, her tone uncertain, as if she were completely unfamiliar with the name she had chosen herself.
"Let me see, yes, it's her, it's this person." The male voice pointed, as if identifying a criminal. "Why are you asking us this?"
"Why?" Xie Wuchang's voice on the recorder sounded even more puzzled. "She's your child, isn't she? I understand you haven't seen her for a while because of the hospital's quarantine procedures, but haven't you thought about visiting her?"
"Visiting?" The man's voice sounded as puzzled as a Catholic hearing for the first time that the dead cannot be resurrected.
“You have every right to visit her at a public hospital in the city,” Xie Wuchang said.
"What are you looking at? Isn't she dead?" the woman asked, puzzled.
Further questions, guidance, and expressions of disbelief followed, but the man and woman seemed racially isolated from the topic and unable to participate in the conversation. Their tone conveyed indifference, and a self-deprecating indifference, even the common sense that "parents should care about their children" did not change their attitude in the slightest.
The living room fell silent again, but Cheng Xiangwu was more worried about the atmosphere in the study than the living room.
“…Interesting.” Little F took out his notebook and wrote.
“They didn’t have any way of getting the news. I mean, they didn’t know where they found out about it and just accepted it naturally.” Xie Wuchang put away the recorder, his expression consistent with his tone of disbelief in the recording.
“You came here because you suspect us, no, you suspect that this matter is related to the reason I came here,” Little Franz said, looking up.
"Really?" Xie Wuchang pressed.
“Of course we are, that’s why we say we’re competitors,” Little Fu nodded.
Xie Wuchang smiled.
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