Returning home late
"What does 'mental disorder' mean?" Fang Chengyin looked at Zhong Qiqian with a puzzled expression.
Zhong Qiqian: "Jiang Zhi, son of Jiang Yuecang of Jizhi Media Group, but I don't know what happened between the father and son. He left the Jiang family five years ago, but occasionally comes to Baize Club. The last time he came was five days ago. That day, Jiang Tunan hosted a dinner, and Jiang Zhi also came. During the dinner, I went to the restroom with him, and when I came out, I saw him standing not far from the private room staring at Cui Yunfeng. At that time, Cui Yunfeng was drunk and was mocking and claiming that he was an illegitimate child. Someone saw Jiang Zhi and had the driver take Cui Yunfeng away first. Jiang Zhi had just sat down and said he had to leave first. In the early morning of that day, someone found Cui Yunfeng in an alley. His Yin Kidney Meridian, Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, Ren Meridian, and Stomach Meridian were all torn apart, and he lost his speech. The criminal investigators of Yanyang did not find anything at the scene, but when Jiang Zhi and we went to see Cui Yunfeng, Cui Yunfeng was trembling. Jiang Zhi majored in medicine and is a rare medical talent in Hongruisi. In addition to this incident, there are similar things related to him."
Fang Chengyin couldn't muster any appetite for his favorite hot pot.
Zhong Qiqian continued, "Although there are no eyewitnesses to these events, the Jiang family's wealth and power are more than enough to protect him. It is said that anyone who slanders him or touches on his taboos will be mysteriously injured."
Fang Chengyin suddenly recalled the scene when he first met him, surrounded by ghosts... Could it be because he had done too many evil deeds?
A chilling wind crept up my spine.
Zhong Qiqian said softly, "Chengyin, I'll help you find a new place to rent, or you can move in with me?"
He didn't want to constantly trouble Zhong Qiqian, nor did he want to rely on his friends to solve all his life's problems.
Zhong Qiqian has already helped him too much.
Fang Chengyin: "Qiqian, do you believe in supernatural beings and ghosts?"
Zhong Qiqian looked at him, puzzled.
“You said you revered the unknown during our economics and trade class, and so do I. Regardless of whether Jiang Zhi is mentally unstable or not, I won't jump to conclusions since the law hasn't punished him. Besides, you'll always be there for me the moment, won't you?”
Zhong Qiqian knew that once Fang Chengyin made up his mind, it was impossible to change it, so he stopped pressuring him.
The two finished eating at 11:30, and Fang Chengyin didn't take Jiang Zhi's request to go back before 11 o'clock to heart at all.
A gentle evening breeze rustled as Zhong Qiqian stopped at the fork in the road. "It looks like it's going to rain. You should head back quickly."
Fang Chengyin hummed in agreement.
For security reasons, the Hongruisidu dormitory building has a fully automatic access control system at 23:40. There is no one on duty in the guard room, and you can't swipe your card to enter unless someone inside comes out to greet you using facial recognition.
As a result, hotels near the school are making a fortune at night.
Fang Chengyin didn't have any spare money to stay in a hotel, so he went back home on time every day. Today was no exception. As soon as he stepped into the building, a thunderous roar and a torrential downpour swept over him.
The building's main door clicked shut automatically.
When I took the elevator to the dormitory entrance, the corridor was deserted. There are usually few people here because this is a student apartment, not a student dormitory.
After entering the door lock code, the screen displayed, "Incorrect password".
I tried again, and it still said "incorrect password".
—Jiang Zhi changed the door lock code!
"They must be back before 11 p.m. I don't like roommates who come home late."
These words exploded in his mind like a bomb. Fang Chengyin knocked on the door with a sullen face. Fortunately, the soundproofing was good, otherwise he would rather sit there than disturb others.
Is she asleep?
Fang Chengyin resignedly sat down on a bench to the side.
An echo came from the door: "The movie will end in thirty minutes, please wait a little longer."
Fang Cheng was furious. He had paid for the house but was locked out. What a joke!
"Please open the door."
There was no further sound from that side.
"Do you live alone? And you're acting like a dictator!"
"I found the house, I bought all the furniture, and I even hired a repairman to install the TV you're watching! Except for the fact that my name isn't on the property deed, what part of it isn't mine?"
There was no response.
He turned off the microphone, Fang Chengyin thought.
I sat back on the bench and sighed; it's just that this year is really unlucky.
The torrential rain pounded against the windows across the street. My body, huddled with my knees drawn up, smelled of barbecue and red wine. A cold wind rushed in and assaulted my nostrils, making even myself feel disgusted and unable to bear it.
Thirty minutes later, the door clicked open, and Jiang Zhi poked half his body out. "Come in."
Fang Chengyin entered with a dark face. The movie credits were playing in the living room. He gritted his teeth and said, "If there are still two hours left in this movie, are you planning to wait two hours before opening the door?"
"Oh." He didn't seem to care.
"You treated your previous roommate the same way?"
Jiang Zhi turned off the movie and looked back at him. "If it were them, I wouldn't have opened the door tonight."
Fang Cheng's eyes were filled with anger.
Jiang Zhi walked up to him: "You're different. And you just said that this house only has a property certificate that doesn't belong to you, everything else, including me, is yours."
"Who the hell cares about you?"
Jiang Zhi laughed: "Don't take it so seriously. I just spilled half a bottle of red wine on you, and you spilled it on me too. Besides, we agreed that signing the agreement would allow us to live under the same roof, so there's no need to make things so tense."
Fang Chengyin slightly raised his chin, trying to meet his gaze. "Haven't you figured it out yet? What I can't stand is you as a person. I can't stand you."
"There's nothing we can do about it. That's life. Even if it weren't me, you would still encounter troubles. And I'm not that bad. I can cook, do housework, provide fresh fruit anytime, and even prepay your rent."
Fang Chengyin's face darkened when the topic of rent was brought up.
Jiang Zhi smiled, "Have you thought through all the terms of the agreement?"
Fang Chengyin didn't. He was so busy that he didn't have the time or inclination for that.
Jiang Zhirang said, "Go wash up first, then we can talk about the specifics."
Fang Chengyin glanced at him.
Jiang Zhi looked at the unfamiliar coat in his hand, a dark glint in his eyes.
The two agreed to meet at one o'clock in the morning. The thunderstorm had subsided, and a bright full moon hung in the sky, its silvery light shining on the French windows.
Only the light next to the sofa was on in the living room; its warm yellow light wasn't particularly inviting.
Fang Chengyin had just finished showering, his hair still damp, the light casting shadows on his forehead. He had been in a unilateral standoff for some time now, all because of the red line drawn in the agreement—unless Party A moves out voluntarily, Party B has no right to evict him.
Jiang Zhi became the client simply because he prepaid the rent.
Fang Chengyin was seething with anger.
Jiang Zhi laughed and shoved the cushion into his hands. "I didn't object to all the unreasonable demands you made, but why did you act like you were forced to confess when I only made three?"
Fang Cheng favored him, even though the conditions he proposed were unreasonable:
1. As long as we're renting a place, we have to eat together.
2. No late returns allowed; you must be back before 11 p.m. every night.
3. Unless Party A moves out voluntarily, Party B has no right to evict Party A.
She casually asked, "Don't you have a part-time job?"
Didn't you know that most part-time jobs are done at night?
Jiang Zhi put down the agreement he had already pressed his fingerprint on and leaned back on the sofa. "If selling fruit counts."
How can these be the same? His real identity is that of a wealthy man; he's probably just selling fruit for fun.
Besides, although I don't know how he sells fruit, I do know that the market is very good near the campus at night. You can park your cart on the street and have a big sale, which can make you even more money. The fruit is good, cheap, and fresh, and those young masters and ladies in Hongruis also like it.
But I'm different. As an extra, I have to follow the crew's requirements, and sometimes I have a lot of scenes to film at night.
"My part-time job requires me to be available anytime, anywhere, and I find the second condition difficult to meet."
Jiang Zhi lifted his eyelids. "Then you can switch to this part-time job."
Fang Chengyin gritted his teeth, his tone forceful. "I don't understand. Is it because my late returns and noise will disturb you?"
"No. I just don't like it." He glanced at the agreement and added, "You've already sold your dignity and put your fingerprints on it, why are you still throwing a tantrum?"
Is she throwing a tantrum?
Fang Chengyin wanted to curse, it was like talking to a brick wall, "You'll eventually open the door for me, you might as well leave a door open so I can come in by myself."
Jiang Zhi said thoughtfully, "It seems I made you misunderstand. Anyway, starting tonight, if you can't come back on time, the treatment won't be as good anymore."
Fang Chengyin laughed.
Jiang Zhi's eyes were dark and exuded a unique murderous aura. Fang Chengyin was taken aback for a moment, but his momentum did not weaken as a result.
In life, you have to strive for things that are useful to you.
He thought Jiang Zhi would say something offensive again, but he didn't. He just quietly observed his prey like a wild beast that had put away its claws, without any intention of attacking, yet enough to terrify his prey.
Fang Chengyin looked away. In fact, he knew very well that he was in a dilemma and could only give in to this matter again.
He folded the paper and prepared to get up when his phone on the table vibrated. He slid down to the floor and sat cross-legged, not caring that Jiang Zhi, who was sitting on the sofa, could see what was on his phone.
It was a message from a newly added friend on WeChat. I opened it: after a few seconds of black screen, screams and splashes of red rushed into my eyes.
Fang Chengyin trembled, and his phone slipped from his hand.
It is the victimization process of the kindergarten teacher's death.
“He has accomplices,” Fang Chengyin blurted out, his voice trembling like a mosquito's buzz.
Jiang Zhi had already moved behind him, covering his left arm with one hand, and leaned over to pick up the fallen phone and press pause.
Jiang Zhi naturally pulled him close, his damp hair brushing against his cheek. "Are you alright?" His gentle words were not those of a cold bystander.
Fang Chengyin's eyelashes trembled slightly. He removed his hands from his ears, stood up, and remained calm, as if he hadn't been the one trembling just now.
"It's alright. Thank you."
Jiang Zhi handed over the phone, which Fang Chengyin took. Without looking back, he left the living room and disappeared into the darkness.
Jiang Zhi kept staring in the direction he left, her eyes fixed on him for a long time.
With a click, Fang Chengyin locked the door from the inside, slid down behind it, tilted his head back, and looked dull and lifeless.
Outside the window, a torrential downpour and lightning flashed, and a ghost appeared, clinging to the glass. Its empty eyes stared straight ahead, so empty that it was impossible to tell whether it was actually looking at itself.
After a moment of palpitations, Fang Chengyin calmed down. Most ghosts like this were homeless and had no tendency to harm people.
The phone vibrated again.
His gaze hardened, and he opened the message. This time it was a text: "There are some rumors saying you're a murderer. Why don't you just admit it?"
Fang Chengyin: "You just want to find a scapegoat?"
A few seconds later, another message came in: "This is exactly what I want right now."
Is it fun to give aimless replies?
"How can you be so sure it's retaliation?"
Fang Chengyin: "You escaped, which means you didn't want to be caught. Now you're trying to instigate me, which means you know me. But we have no grudge against each other. I'm probably just a pawn for you to take revenge on someone."
After waiting a few seconds, there was still no response.
Fang Chengyin didn't care. "But actually, even if I agree to take the blame for you, you don't want me to be arrested right away. You probably still have a lot of those kinds of videos, right? Only when you've released them all and still can't find any new ways to play will you need me to take the blame for you."
An audio message quickly arrived, edited by AI. It started with laughter, a sharp and chilling laugh, followed by a smug expression of control: "Fang Chengyin, tell me, what kind of death is the most painful, yet most satisfying?"
Fang Chengyin was stunned when he heard his name called.
He really did know about his background, yet the secrecy was flawless. Even Zhong Qiqian, with his extensive intelligence network, had to use numerous connections to become suspicious. How could this person...?
Fang Chengyin tightened his grip on his phone, realizing he could no longer reply to messages objectively, and no more messages came from the other end.
Switching to the phone screen, a phone number appeared. It belonged to Zhang Weike of the Criminal Investigation Team One of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, who was in charge of this case.
Just as I was about to make the call, a message popped up. It was a text message from that person: "I'll come out and admit my guilt once you answer correctly."
Fang Chengyin gritted his teeth, "Before this, how many more innocent people will you hurt!"
Who knows?
Fang Chengyin's fingers clenched so tightly they turned white.
The person said, "Goodnight, baby."
Fang Chengyin stared blankly at the word "baby." In his entire life, only one person had ever called him that.
That was Fang Bokang, who stayed by his side, loved him, and always said goodnight to him before going to sleep, no matter where he was.
Even hidden in a corner where lightning couldn't reach, Fang Chengyin's reddened eyes were still dazzlingly bright.
He closed the phone screen that had been used to call Zhang Weike.
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