Although Zhang Mingsheng always brought bodyguards and enforcers whenever he went out, he would personally handle anything related to me just like at this very moment. He circled around from behind me and walked straight toward Li Yi. The two stood face-to-face with a single step apart.
As soon as the commotion broke out, Ah Shan and the other enforcers moved in as well, converging from all directions. Every one of them was burly and imposing, dressed head to toe in black, giving off the unmistakable air of organized thugs.
The colleagues behind Li Yi were not to be outdone either. I truly didn’t know where Li Yi had scavenged this group of young men; they were all full of youthful vigor, staring back with furious glares, and several even pulled back their jackets and rested their hands on the holsters at their waists.
The scene instantly became fraught with tension.
I tilted my head and noticed that Ah Hai had even covered Keke’s eyes.
These people have watched too many police-and-gangster movies.
“Inspector Li, I don’t understand what you mean,” Zhang Mingsheng said while standing in front of me, perfectly composed. “A few days ago, you insisted on seeing my wife, yet when you actually met him, you only asked trivial questions. Meeting again today, you’ve gone even further; instead of causing trouble for me, you target my wife. Inspector Li, I am truly curious; my wife has never met you before, so why exactly are you so focused on him?”
Li Yi did not respond. He stared fixedly at Zhang Mingsheng like a crocodile lurking in the water.
Zhang Mingsheng raised an eyebrow. He turned and began to pace with his hands spread open, his voice neither high nor low; just loud enough for everyone around to hear. He said:
“Your police department has accomplished nothing all these years, everyone has seen it with their own eyes. Taxpayers’ money is poured into keeping you afloat year after year. And yet Officer Li, the youngest and most highly regarded among you, instead of trying to salvage the department’s reputation, is so blatantly coveting another man’s wife. I imagine the complaints box at the station must already be overflowing, unable to fit another letter. How about I personally place a complaint letter on your superior’s desk tomorrow? Tell me, Officer, does that sound good to you?”
Li Yi and I are both ordinary people. Being a police officer means living with constant danger, brushing up against death at every corner, all for a paycheck that is far from substantial. But once he loses this job, Li Yi will be just like me; drifting further and further from the truth and his ideals, perhaps even facing the risk of losing his life.
I refused to let that happen even if it meant risking Zhang Mingsheng’s wrath. Drawing in a deep breath, I raised my chin and forced myself to steady my nerves. Parting my lips, I spoke, “Inspector Li—”
The moment I spoke, I immediately felt the gaze of several different people.
Zhang Mingsheng also turned his head. He looked somewhat surprised while wearing a faint, ambiguous smile. A faint twitch crossed his cheek, disappearing almost as soon as it appeared. He inclined his head ever so slightly, giving away nothing of what he was thinking.
My hands and feet turned ice-cold, dizziness washing over me. It felt as though my body and mind had split apart, yet my thoughts had never been sharper. I swallowed hard and heard my own voice say:
“Inspector Li, everyone has witnessed the effort the police station has poured in over the years. But more important than how outsiders perceive this case or whether they choose to cooperate is finding a way to keep the investigation progressing, instead of wasting valuable time and energy on trivial people and meaningless distractions. You are a police officer, while we are merely ordinary citizens. I trust you understand that.”
The smile on Zhang Mingsheng’s lips deepened, carrying an unreadable complexity.
Was it admiration? Resentment?
I couldn’t tell, and for the moment, I couldn’t afford to care about him.
I intentionally tried to alert Li Yi, hoping he would not remain here any longer, it was not only a pointless waste of time but also put him in a vulnerable position. Others might fail to grasp what I meant, but there was no way Zhang Mingsheng would misunderstand. I had to stop at precisely the right moment, careful not to step over Zhang Mingsheng’s red line.
I pursed my lips and continued:
“Inspector Li, I don’t know why you have been looking into my past, but no matter who I used to be, I am my husband’s wife now. We have a family together and a child to raise. Perhaps, Inspector Li is still young and cannot fully understand the burdens that come with being a parent. It’s true that our child emerged unharmed, and Mr. Zhang and I live with lingering fear over what could have happened, caught between relief and guilt; but in the end, life still has to move forward. We trust the police station completely; what more does the department expect from our cooperation?”
“Though I am frail and often fall ill, I do not see myself as merely an appendage of Mr. Zhang. Isn’t it rather aggressive of Inspector Li to approach this matter with such preconceived assumptions?”
After such a long string of hypocritical words, my mouth felt dry. I tentatively looked toward Zhang Mingsheng and saw him lowering his eyelashes, looking at the ground with a contented smile. I knew he must be very satisfied.
My flattery, my show of weakness, and my reprimand of Li Yi all pleased him greatly. But what likely brought him the most joy was the fact that regardless of whether I meant it or not, I had to say it. This was my compromise, my involuntary obedience.
My words were edged with thorns, even carrying a faint trace of mockery. With Li Yi’s temperament, he was bound to be seething after hearing them. I forced myself not to look in his direction, silently hoping only that he would be sensible enough not to confront a man like Zhang Mingsheng head-on in public.
Maybe it was my nerves, but my throat clenched, and I started coughing uncontrollably. As soon as it happened, Zhang Mingsheng approached. He knelt down, his eyes full of worry, and he wrapped an arm around me, gently patting my back, his voice soft as he asked if I was okay; like a truly devoted, modern husband.
While half-embracing me, Zhang Mingsheng addressed Li Yi:
“Inspector Li, you can see for yourself, my wife is in poor health. Even if my wife were willing to push himself, I would not allow it either. You may call me a chauvinist if you like, I don’t care, but I will not permit you to question my wife again. And if you insist on continuing, I am not afraid of trouble; I will take this matter to court.”
I still have not looked up until now even though I know Li Yi must be watching me.
Shortly after Zhang Mingsheng finished speaking, the sound of leather shoes treading on the ground rang out once more.
Li Yi and the others had left.
I turned my head, wanting to catch a glimpse of their retreating backs, but my gaze collided with Zhang Mingsheng’s chest. I instinctively looked up and found him watching me with a meaningful look.
After such a farce, the funeral proceeded awkwardly. It dragged on, and everyone looked as if they were working overtime.
It was already three in the afternoon by the time we started the return journey. Ah Hai and Ah Shan were both assigned by Zhang Mingsheng to another car; they were responsible for taking Xiao Yuan and Keke home. Before leaving, Ah Hai gave me a rather worried look, but he didn’t have much of a say in front of Zhang Mingsheng.
Zhang Mingsheng carried me into the car and sat me in the passenger seat. He personally drove, heading east across more than half of Hong Kong Island, making a straight course toward Mount Jin.
The rain had already ceased, and sunlight poured down like woven gold, spilling across the rain-soaked foliage and scattering a dazzling brilliance. As we ascended the winding mountain road in the car, the horizon slowly deepened into dusk, washed in shifting tones of orange and red. I rolled down the window and looked out.
The wind was strong, and I had to use my hand to press down on the brim of my hat.
Zhang Mingsheng suddenly reached over, seized my hat, and yanked it off my head before flinging it out of the car. It flapped twice midair, then tumbled down the steep rock face, disappearing out of sight.
I had no idea what kind of madness had gripped him again.
When the twilight grew even more magnificent, Zhang Mingsheng finally spoke. He said, “Actually, it’s not that surprising either that Li Yi could recognize you.”
He paused, steering with one hand while retrieving a cigarette with the other. He slipped it between his lips, flicked open a lighter, and inhaled deeply before speaking. “At that time, I told the doctor to make you; if possible, still resemble yourself, yet not entirely the same. The doctor said it would be difficult.”
Suddenly, my vision went dark. He had driven the car into a long, deep tunnel. All I could hear was the howling of the wind, it was a deafening roar. The tunnel lights flickered with an inconsequential glow.
Zhang Mingsheng said with a smile, “But when I saw you open your eyes again, I knew that some things simply cannot be changed. No surgery can do it.”
I had no idea what he really meant.
We were still traveling through the tunnel; there seemed to be no end in either direction.
I reached out, felt for his cigarette pack, and lit one for myself. After exhaling a cloud of white smoke, I asked, “All these years, you’ve never been willing to tell me why. Why all of this? Why?”
“I don’t know why you insist on having an answer. You are perfectly free to view me as a villain, a pervert.”
“You think that’s not what you are in my eyes?”
“There are always differences between one villain and another just as murder is different from accidental killing. I know you want a definitive answer.”
“So why? Did you want revenge on the police? Or were you afraid I would expose you?”
“How come ‘lust at first sight’ or ‘driven purely by desire’ isn’t an option?” He appeared to be in a good mood, a faint smile lingering on his face.
For sex? Was it worth it? Fleeting novelty and possessiveness could never sustain a protracted, one-sided imprisonment.
Even if it were love, it would be hard for it to last this long either.
“I’ve long since passed the age where I read novels.” I said, extending my hand out of the window to flick the ash away.
The tunnel exit lay just ahead. The opening of white light expanded rapidly, drawing nearer until it finally engulfed us completely. Our car shot out of the tunnel as though it had entered an entirely new, dazzling world, the sudden brilliance of sunlight leaving me faintly dizzy.
At that moment, Zhang Mingsheng spoke up abruptly. He said, “Your eyes.”
“Hmm?”
“The look in your eyes is very special. When I was a child, I kept a shepherd dog. Your eyes look very much like its eyes.”
“So, you’re just short a dog?” My heart remained undisturbed; the humiliations he subjected me to in bed went far beyond this.
“Why does it still sound like you’re implying I’m driven purely by desire?” Zhang Mingsheng laughed. “Officer Yu, you lack self-awareness.”
Reaching the summit, he finally stepped on the brakes.
I thought to myself: We were just one step away from perishing together.
After turning off the engine, Zhang Mingsheng left his hands resting on the steering wheel, his gaze still locked on the view ahead.
Suddenly, Zhang Mingsheng said, “Can I kiss you?”
I lowered my head and gave no reply, simply smoking in silence. I understood it wasn’t truly a request, so long as I did not agree, we would remain stranded here indefinitely.
The scenery on the mountain was breathtaking with clouds drifting slowly past, bathed in layers of gold and crimson light.
I crushed the cigarette out with my hand.
