WOOY Chapter 3

Finding someone isn’t actually that hard these days, with all the identity information networked nationwide. As long as the name and surname are real, and you have a friend in the police system, it’s a piece of cake.

Chang Dong asked Little He for help. Little He had a childhood friend in the city bureau, and it was an easy favor.

They quickly got back to him: there were five or six Ye Liuxi across the country, but either their ages didn’t match or their genders were wrong—none fit Chang Dong’s description, not even close.

This was within Chang Dong’s expectations: finding Ye Liuxi wouldn’t be too easy, because that would make it less challenging; but it also wouldn’t be too hard, since she was the one who came to him, setting up challenges without even explaining clearly—no normal person would do that.”

“Since identity information couldn’t be found, the most effective method would be to check the surveillance footage. This isn’t within the authority of ordinary police officers, so Chang Dong didn’t mention it.”

——
Chang Dong had been in the theater for the past two years. He was like stagnant water- he had no social connections and barely left the house.

However, in the past few days, he first abandoned his performances and then asked for help in finding someone. This stirred the stagnant waters, causing Little He to develop a sense of crisis: from the beginning, Chang Dong was “temporarily” saving the situation, a temporary worker.

Their partnership could end at any time.

It was time to prepare for this possibility. All day long, Little He was asking around, making calls, even reaching out to Huaxian in Weinan, known as the “Hometown of Shadow Puppetry,” to see if there were any replacements available.

By the end of the day, he was at his wit’s end. There were a few candidates, but none were as good as Chang Dong, and their asking prices were quite high. Holding onto a glimmer of hope, he decided to probe Chang Dong: what if he was overthinking it and Chang Dong had no intention of leaving?

After having dinner with his girlfriend, Little He rushed to Huimin Street. The theater was dark and closed, and seeing other businesses bustling with customers, he felt a pang of jealousy.

He opened the door and walked through the pitch-dark theater, seeing the light on at the far end in the bathroom, with the door ajar and the sound of running water inside.

Little He pushed the door open and greeted, “Dong Ge… Ah!”

He tripped over the step at the bathroom entrance, forgetting the high-low step there, and fell clumsily. Trying to grab onto something, he ended up knocking over the trash bin by the door, making a mess.

Chang Dong frowned at him, “What’s wrong?”

Little He awkwardly got up from the floor, holding his waist and laughing nervously, “Nothing, just being clumsy…”

He was used to seeing Chang Dong hunched over with gray hair and an old demeanor.

Suddenly seeing a young man with a straight posture, dressed in a black tracksuit, with a baseball cap casting shadows around his eyes—it caught him off guard, making him think there was a thief in the room.

Chang Dong turned off the tap, grabbed a tissue to wipe his face, his eyelids drooping, without looking in the mirror.

Little He laughed awkwardly, trying to make conversation. “Dong Ge, you look quite sharp in that outfit… It’s so late, where are you headed? Do you need a ride? I just came by to pick up something I left here…”

Chang Dong crumpled the tissue and threw it into the overturned trash bin. “I have something to do outside.”

Instinctively, Little He stepped aside to let him pass, watching him walk away, only then realizing he hadn’t asked the questions he meant to.

For some reason, he felt a sense of relief and squatted down to clean up the spilled trash.

As he was busy, Chang Dong’s voice suddenly came from behind. “Little He?”

Little He turned around. “Ah?”

 

Chang Dong returned. The corridor was dark, his cap pulled low, and his hands in his pockets, looking like a shadow standing up.

“You should find someone to take over.”

——
Used to living with someone else’s face, suddenly returning to his original appearance felt like being skinned. From Huimin Street to the street corner, a short walk of just a few minutes, Chang Dong was sweating profusely, feeling like everyone on the street was watching him.

Finally, he got into a taxi and instructed the driver to go to the Zhuque Road Antique Market.
The driver, apparently familiar with the place, chewed his gum and turned the car around, chatting with him, “Going to hunt for treasures? The antique market has been moved, didn’t you know?”

Chang Dong didn’t respond, and the driver, sensing his mood, kept quiet for the rest of the ride to their destination.

The Zhuque Road Antique Market had been around for some years and was once quite prosperous. However, in the past two years, business had become difficult, and management had become more centralized and regulated, leading to its decline. But it was said that on Saturdays, there was an early market, where spreading a newspaper or drawing a circle with chalk on the ground counted as claiming a spot.

It wasn’t a Saturday, nor was it an early market day.

Chang Dong paid the taxi fare and walked towards Fenghua Alley nearby, finally stopping at a small supermarket.

The lightbox on the supermarket read four characters: “Han and Tang style”

Inside, the shelves were divided into two sections: on the left, they sold porcelain, bronzeware, calligraphy, paintings, ancient books, and old coins. On the right, they sold local farm eggs, Shaanxi Red Fuji apples, various roasted goods, and also offered phone screen protector services.

There was only one checkout counter, where a skinny man with small eyes sat. Despite being in his early twenties, his hairline was already receding rapidly, a sign of his overly scheming nature.

That was Fatty Tang.

It is said that he was as skinny as a monkey when he was born. His mother hoped he would grow fat, so she gave him the nickname “Fathead.” Later, when “Doraemon” became popular, it was changed to “Nobita.”[mfn]photo 1- dont ask why, I have no clue 😂[/mfn] Understanding his mother’s wish, he chose the online name “National Treasure Sumo Wrestler.” After getting into the antiques business, he acquired the industry nickname “Fatty Tang.”

But fat always favors those who don’t want it.

Chang Dong had dealt with Fatty Tang a few times and didn’t particularly like him. Their relationship was superficial, and after the incident, they hadn’t seen each other for a long time—

He hesitated before going in.
——
Fatty Tang was busy.

He glared and puffed his cheeks, veins bulged on his forehead. He shoke a pure copper tortoiseshell divination tool[mfn]photo 2[/mfn] frantically, the rattling sound incessant—finally, with a shout of “There!”, the tortoiseshell turned over, spilling six Qianlong Tongbao divination coins.

Fatty Tang leaned close to the counter, squinting at each coin, calculating the hexagram lines in his mind. His face lit up with joy as he exclaimed, “That’s right, head west, great fortune awaits!”

With no customers in the shop, he cheerfully pushed open the door and looked westward.

Chang Dong instinctively wanted to bow his head, but felt that would be too conspicuous. After standing stiffly for two seconds, FattyTang recognized him. “Dong… Dong Ge?”

Chang Dong responded awkwardly with a grunt.

Fei Tang reacted quickly and ushered him into the store. “Dong Ge, it’s been almost two years, right? What are you doing standing at the door? I thought you were…”

He swallowed the rest of his sentence: late at night, dressed all in black with a low hat, standing suspiciously at someone’s door—just like a creep in a crime film.

Chang Dong said, “I want to ask for your help.”

“Dong Ge, you’re too polite. What’s the matter?”

A couple of years ago, Fatty Tang’s business was good. He had made many wealthy friends—people with money who found conquering wealth boring and wanted to conquer plateaus, deserts, and the Gobi. That’s how he met Chang Dong; their relationship wasn’t particularly close.

His current enthusiasm was purely out of curiosity: Holy cow, you led a team and people died?

Over a dozen deaths, it made the TV news. How have you been these past two years? How dare you show your face?

Chang Dong said, “I remember you once mentioned you had a friend who was really good with computers?”

——
Fatty Tang called his friend, who said it was a small job and had time to help, so they could come over directly.

It was about closing time anyway, so Fei Tang closed the shop and invited Chang Dong, “My friend lives nearby, just two streets away. Let’s walk.”

On the way, Fatty  Tang initially wanted to ask Chang Dong about the past two years, but Chang Dong was laconic, giving short answers that didn’t invite further conversation. Besides, the WeChat group “Antiques Enthusiasts” was buzzing, and Fatty Tang quickly got distracted.

After chatting for a while, feeling spirited, he boasted into his phone, “Today, I acquired a valuable item. Guess what it is? It’s the He Shi Bi![mfn]photo 3- a jade from around 8th century BCE. It was lost in the 10th century[/mfn]”

Chang Dong glanced at him.

Fatty Tang noticed and laughed dryly, “Dong Ge, I’m just kidding. This guy said someone came to him a few days ago to sell a animal-head agate cup[mfn]photo 4- its an object from the Tang dynasty[/mfn]. I had to one-up him, right?”

He played the voice chat for Chang Dong.

As expected, the group was buzzing with chatter. Someone said they had received the “Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival”[mfn]photo 5- painting from the 10th-11th century. There is also a cdrama with the same name that basically reenacts the story of the painting[/mfn] today, while another claimed to have bought the “Orchid Pavilion Preface” by Wang Xizhi for twenty thousand yuan.

The guy being mocked by everyone also spoke up, angrily shouting, “If I’m lying, I’m a bird! I saw it clearly! The old master in the shop also looked at it, and he hasn’t been wrong in decades!”

Chang Dong commented, “Sounds quite convincing.”

Fei Tang sneered, “The animal-head agate is the treasure of our Shaanxi History Museum, and you can’t see it even with a free ticket—Dong Ge, if it were stolen, wouldn’t it be all over the news? We’ve arrived.”

——
Fatty Tang’s friend was similarly skinny, named Qi Liuhai[mfn]means neat fringe[/mfn]. True to his name, his hair was messy, yet he maintained a perfectly straight fringe.

After working for a while, he pulled up the street footage from that day for Chang Dong. “Take your time and find a clear shot of that woman’s face; leave the rest to me.”

Chang Dong watched carefully, recognizing each person one by one without fast-forwarding. Qi Liuhai, estimating it would take a while, went to chat with Fei Tang to pass the time.

They chatted about various topics, with Qi Liuhai also complaining about Chang Dong, “Your friend is really impolite. I’m helping him, and he doesn’t even smile at me.”

Fei Tang glanced at the corner where Chang Dong was, lowered his voice, “With the weight of over a dozen lives on your shoulders, you wouldn’t be able to smile either.”

Qi Liuhai immediately became interested.

 

Fei Tang vividly described, “Two years ago, he led a team into the desert and chose the wrong campsite. Everyone got buried alive by a sandstorm, including his own woman… Hey, search for the video. The victims’ families beat him like a dog. It’s still online.”

Qi Liuhai quickly took out his phone, searched for the keywords, and after flipping through a few pages, he found it. Fatty Tang handed over an earphone, and the two of them, sharing a pair of earphones, clicked play.

The video, shot by a passerby, had poor resolution and shaky footage, but it was still recognizable that the person kneeling on the ground was Chang Dong. Several middle-aged men and women were pulling at him, crying and hitting him with their fists, pulling his hair, and kicking him.

Qi Liuhai’s eyes lit up, “They’re really beating him up!”

Fei Tang watched intently, grabbing an open bag of chips and munching loudly, “Keep watching, there’s more with bricks. You think about it, this is about lives. I heard he didn’t dare to leave his house after that…”

Suddenly, Chang Dong’s voice came from in front of them, “I found it.”

Fei Tang was startled, quickly pulling out the earphones and giving Qi Liu Hai a shove in the process—accidentally, the earphone jack came loose, and a woman’s heart-wrenching voice echoed through the room.

“She was alive when she left with you, but I didn’t even get to see her remains after she died, not even a proper coffin…”

Qi Liuhai panicked, trembling as he struggled to click the “×” on the video. When he finally managed to close it, his face was as red as a monkey’s backside.

Chang Dong said, “I’ve found it. I paused it, and there’s also a car. If you can track the license plate, it will be helpful.”

Qi Liuhai, feeling relieved, responded, “Leave it to me. I’ll handle it from here.”

He hurried away, leaving Fatty Tang to deal with Chang Dong.

Fatty Tang felt the awkwardness in the air, unsure of what to do. He pretended to be engrossed in eating chips, even politely offering some to Chang Dong. After a while, he secretly sent a WeChat message to Qi Liuhai: “Just find something to get him out of here. I can’t hold on any longer…”

Qi Liuhai didn’t disappoint him. He quickly handed over a post-it note to Chang Dong.

“Good luck, the nearby street camera captured the license plate number. I found the owner and got his phone number. But the owner’s last name isn’t Ye. You can call him first, and I’ll follow up tonight. I’ll let Fatty Tang know if I find anything.”

Chang Dong took it.

The car owner’s name was Huang Defu, 46 years old, living in Naqi Town, on the border of Menggan Province.

——
On the way back, despite knowing the chances were slim, Chang Dong dialed Huang Defu’s number.

Huang Defu’s response surprised him.

“The car… I don’t drive it; I rented it out to someone else.”

“I think her last name is Ye, can’t remember her full name, but it’s a woman for sure.”

“You’re looking for her? She’s been selling melons on the streets lately.”

 

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