Pristine Darkness

The results of the on-site forensic investigation were quickly known .

A forensic staff member reported, “The luminol reaction shows that there was a lot of blood at the scene, and it has been proven to be Ke Qian’s . Theoretically, it is impossible for a person who has lost so much blood to remain alive . ”

——

That evening, the members of the Special Cases Unit ate quickly at the restaurant on the first floor of the police station .

While ordering, Bo Jinyan called Fu Ziyu to ask him to eat with them . However, the call was forwarded to a voice message . Fu Ziyu’s clear voice said, “h.e.l.lo, if you hear this tone, it means I am sleeping, on vacation or something similar, and am unable to take your call . Please call again later . ”

Bo Jinyan smiled faintly and put down the phone .

Fang Qing lit a cigarette and leaned against the doorway, smoking lazily . He watched as An Yan ordered a c.o.ke for himself, then asked, “Do you both not smoke?”

Bo Jinyan merely looked at him, too lazy to answer . An Yan smiled and said, “I don’t like the smell of smoke . ”

Fang Qing smiled and squinted into the distance as he continued to blow out cigarette smoke .

He only entered the private room after he had finished the cigarette . Jian Yao could smell the smoke off his body, but it didn’t trouble her .

“What do you think?” Fang Qing looked at Bo Jinyan .

“The answer is obvious,” Bo Jinyan said .

Jian Yao, whose mind was still entangled in the bizarre case, frowned slightly . An Yan said, “I believe, in all probability, Ke Qian should already have died . ”

Bo Jinyan looked at Jian Yao and smiled slightly as he said, “Mrs Bo, your thinking processes tend to be meticulous and perceptive, which is both a strength and a weakness . Kindly remember a crucial rule in criminal investigation: The more complicated and bizarre the situation, the simpler the truth tends to be . ”

“Uhm . ” Jian Yao nodded .

Fang Qing laughed . “Is this how you two normally get along? Is there always this atmosphere of academic learning, with probing questions?”

Jian Yao smiled and replied, “Yup!”

Fang Qing just kept smiling . After a moment, he patted Bo Jinyan’s shoulder and whispered, “It’s really your good fortune* to be able to find a wife who tolerates you . ”

*T/N 三生有幸 (san sheng you xing) – literally, the blessing of three lifetimes .

Bo Jinyan had a subconscious aversion to people touching him, especially men . However, Fang Qing’s casual and natural tapping of his shoulder surprisingly did not irritate him .

Still, he could hear the sarcasm in Fang Qing’s words . Was he trying to say he was too pedantic and tedious?

“Ah . . . ” Bo Jinyan lowered his head and whispered into Fang Qing’s ear . “My fiery pa.s.sion is naturally not something which can be seen by outsiders . ”

Fang Qing took a sip of water .

“Therefore . . . ” Jian Yao pondered briefly, then looked up . “Disregarding the corpse’s disappearance and the bizarre possibility of his resurrection, disregarding his familiarity with the other members of the studio, this case has only two possibilities . ”

Bo Jinyan and Fang Qing slowly drank their tea and listened to her . An Yan also gave her his attention .

“First,” Jian Yao said, “he has really been blessed by heaven, and survived despite tremendous odds . He has been in hiding for several months, and has finally emerged to take revenge . ”

“Second,” Bo Jinyan added, “Ke Qian is indeed dead . It doesn’t matter if it was Fang Qing or Gu Fang Fang, whoever saw him only saw him at night, and only from the back or the side . Plus, he was wearing a cap . Therefore, a close friend who understood him very well and looked like him in terms of height and appearance could have stolen his body and avenged him . ”

“Second,” Bo Jinyan added, “Ke Qian is indeed dead . It doesn’t matter if it was Fang Qing or Gu Fang Fang, whoever saw him only saw him at night, and only from the back or the side . Plus, he was wearing a cap . Therefore, a close friend who understood him very well and looked like him in terms of height and appearance could have stolen his body and avenged him . ”

“What should we do next?” An Yan asked .

“Everything leads back to the point of origin,” Fang Qing said . “We have to restart the investigation from Ke Qian . ”

——

It was not completely dark yet, but the curtains in Fu Ziyu’s house were tightly pulled across the windows . Only a soft bedside lamp illuminated their faces .

At the beginning, even their hug was full of apprehension . The two of them stood, facing each other, for quite a while, before Fu Ziyu reached out a hand and pulled her into his arms .

He hugged her gently at first, then slowly tightened his embrace .

It was this movement that caused Han Yumeng to feel as if something were obstructing her heart and giving her pain .

“Joe?” He asked in a trembling voice, as if trying to determine that she was really there .

“Mm . . . it’s me, Kris . ”

After hugging her quietly for a span of time, he lowered his head to look at her, down the straight line of her high nose bridge, following the contours of her face, slowly moving down until he reached her lips . Both of them were silent for a moment, then he forcefully covered her lips with his, eliciting a startled widening of eyes from Han Yumeng .

She had never thought that he would kiss her so fiercely and wildly . In a flash, her mind was full of noise and confusion . Dazedly, she sensed that the man in front of her was not 30-year-old Fu Ziyu, but the pa.s.sionate and presumptuous boy in his early twenties . But, his eyes were so clouded over; she had never seen him like this . He bit her lip hard, so hard that it hurt . With one move, he pushed her onto the bed and pressed her down, but did not touch her clothes . He just held down her shoulders, rendering her unable to move .

He lowered his head, so that she could not see his eyes clearly .

After a pause, he suddenly laughed, and asked huskily, “Why have you suddenly . . . returned? It’s been eight years, Han Yumeng, eight years! You have been dead in my world for the past eight years; why have you suddenly come back? And why have you searched me out?”

After a pause, he suddenly laughed, and asked huskily, “Why have you suddenly . . . returned? It’s been eight years, Han Yumeng, eight years! You have been dead in my world for the past eight years; why have you suddenly come back? And why have you searched me out?”

A hot tear landed on Han Yumeng’s cheek .

He was crying .

In a split second, Han Yumeng’s eyes were also br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with tears .

“I . . . ” Unexpectedly, she found herself lost for words . At that moment, all she wanted to do was to bolt for the door, but her body seemed to have lost all its strength, and she could not move at all .

Her face wet with tears, she said slowly, “I, and he . . . we encountered a storm at sea . We did not die, but drifted to South America . ”

Fu Ziyu lifted his head to look at her .

“I . . . ” With every word she spoke, she could feel the dryness in her throat . “He made me do a lot of things that I didn’t want to do . I couldn’t come back . I thought that I would never see you again in this lifetime . Until recently, when he was seriously ill, and I escaped . I fled, all the way from South America to China . ”

She raised her hands and covered her face .

Fu Ziyu remained silent for a while before asking, “Then, why have you been hiding from me? And, why suddenly appear now?”

Han Yumeng replied, “I . . . was not sure if I should still appear in front of you . However, I still wanted to come, to come and look for you . ”

Fu Ziyu gazed at her in contemplation for a long time . He then abruptly released her and sat at the side of the bed in total silence .

Han Yumeng stared blankly at his back, acutely aware of the deep grief in her heart . He was once her G.o.d, her faith, her love of a lifetime . Now, he was inaccessible .

Could she draw near to him once again? Would she have the fortune to be able to stay with him all their remaining years?

She crawled over, and, gathering up all her courage, hugged him from behind with shaking hands . It was really strange, after going through so much, she would not bat an eyelash if someone died in front of her . But, once at his side, it was as if she had returned to her 20-year-old self, that inexperienced and nervous girl .

Could she draw near to him once again? Would she have the fortune to be able to stay with him all their remaining years?

She crawled over, and, gathering up all her courage, hugged him from behind with shaking hands . It was really strange, after going through so much, she would not bat an eyelash if someone died in front of her . But, once at his side, it was as if she had returned to her 20-year-old self, that inexperienced and nervous girl .

She buried her face in his back, crying, and whispered, almost inaudibly, “Kris . . . do you still love me?”

Fu Ziyu was silent for a long time . All of a sudden, he laughed softly, “Are you asking me if I love you? Joe, if there’s ever a day when the stars disappear from the sky, that’s the day I stop loving you . ”

Han Yumeng was stunned, and her tears burst forth anew .

After Fu Ziyu had finished speaking, he turned around, intending to hold her once again . Who would imagine that she would unexpectedly jump off the bed and rush toward the door .

Fu Ziyu’s face changed in an instant . He ran after her and grabbed her hand . “Where are you going?”

“I . . . ” She looked up at him, her tears stilled . “I can’t stay here with you for too long, he’s continually pursuing me . Kris, please don’t tell anyone about my return, including your good friend, Bo Jinyan . I’m begging you . . . I don’t want . . . I can’t have any contact with the police . When the time is right, I’ll come to you again . ”

Fu Ziyu held on to her arm, refusing to let go . He did not imagine that she would break free easily with a twist of her arm . Without waiting for his reaction, she turned and left .

Fu Ziyu stood stock still, unable to move . After a brief moment, he dashed after her, but the corridor had long been empty . Downstairs, crowds of people and streams of traffic shuttled back and form ceaselessly; how could he possibly find her?

Fu Ziyu returned to his apartment . He looked at the wrinkled sheets, a strand of her long hair on the pillow, and felt that he was in a dream .

He walked to the balcony and sat in the wicker chair . He gazed at the distant night sky, took out his cell phone and scrolled to Bo Jinyan’s number, but did not call him . He sat by himself for a long time . Looking up, he could see only the myriad stars sparkling in the night sky .

Then, he smiled, a solitary and gentle smile . He put down his cell phone . He decided to trust, and to continue waiting .

The results of the on-site forensic investigation were quickly known

A forensic staff member reported, “The luminol reaction shows that there was a lot of blood at the scene, and it has been proven to be Ke Qian’s . Theoretically, it is impossible for a person who has lost so much blood to remain alive . ”.

——.

That evening, the members of the Special Cases Unit ate quickly at the restaurant on the first floor of the police station

While ordering, Bo Jinyan called Fu Ziyu to ask him to eat with them . However, the call was forwarded to a voice message . Fu Ziyu’s clear voice said, “h.e.l.lo, if you hear this tone, it means I am sleeping, on vacation or something similar, and am unable to take your call . Please call again later . ”.

Bo Jinyan smiled faintly and put down the phone

Fang Qing lit a cigarette and leaned against the doorway, smoking lazily . He watched as An Yan ordered a c.o.ke for himself, then asked, “Do you both not smoke?”.

Bo Jinyan merely looked at him, too lazy to answer . An Yan smiled and said, “I don’t like the smell of smoke . ”.

Fang Qing smiled and squinted into the distance as he continued to blow out cigarette smoke

He only entered the private room after he had finished the cigarette . Jian Yao could smell the smoke off his body, but it didn’t trouble her

“What do you think?” Fang Qing looked at Bo Jinyan

“The answer is obvious,” Bo Jinyan said

Jian Yao, whose mind was still entangled in the bizarre case, frowned slightly . An Yan said, “I believe, in all probability, Ke Qian should already have died . ”.

Bo Jinyan looked at Jian Yao and smiled slightly as he said, “Mrs Bo, your thinking processes tend to be meticulous and perceptive, which is both a strength and a weakness . Kindly remember a crucial rule in criminal investigation: The more complicated and bizarre the situation, the simpler the truth tends to be . ”.

“Uhm . ” Jian Yao nodded

Fang Qing laughed . “Is this how you two normally get along? Is there always this atmosphere of academic learning, with probing questions?”.

Jian Yao smiled and replied, “Yup!”.

Fang Qing just kept smiling . After a moment, he patted Bo Jinyan’s shoulder and whispered, “It’s really your good fortune* to be able to find a wife who tolerates you . ”.

*T/N 三生有幸 (san sheng you xing) – literally, the blessing of three lifetimes

Bo Jinyan had a subconscious aversion to people touching him, especially men . However, Fang Qing’s casual and natural tapping of his shoulder surprisingly did not irritate him

Still, he could hear the sarcasm in Fang Qing’s words . Was he trying to say he was too pedantic and tedious?.

“Ah . ” Bo Jinyan lowered his head and whispered into Fang Qing’s ear . “My fiery pa.s.sion is naturally not something which can be seen by outsiders . ”.

Fang Qing took a sip of water

“Therefore . ” Jian Yao pondered briefly, then looked up . “Disregarding the corpse’s disappearance and the bizarre possibility of his resurrection, disregarding his familiarity with the other members of the studio, this case has only two possibilities . ”.

Bo Jinyan and Fang Qing slowly drank their tea and listened to her . An Yan also gave her his attention

“First,” Jian Yao said, “he has really been blessed by heaven, and survived despite tremendous odds . He has been in hiding for several months, and has finally emerged to take revenge . ”.

“Second,” Bo Jinyan added, “Ke Qian is indeed dead . It doesn’t matter if it was Fang Qing or Gu Fang Fang, whoever saw him only saw him at night, and only from the back or the side . Plus, he was wearing a cap . Therefore, a close friend who understood him very well and looked like him in terms of height and appearance could have stolen his body and avenged him . ”.

“What should we do next?” An Yan asked

“Everything leads back to the point of origin,” Fang Qing said . “We have to restart the investigation from Ke Qian . ”.

——.

It was not completely dark yet, but the curtains in Fu Ziyu’s house were tightly pulled across the windows . Only a soft bedside lamp illuminated their faces

At the beginning, even their hug was full of apprehension . The two of them stood, facing each other, for quite a while, before Fu Ziyu reached out a hand and pulled her into his arms

He hugged her gently at first, then slowly tightened his embrace

It was this movement that caused Han Yumeng to feel as if something were obstructing her heart and giving her pain

“Joe?” He asked in a trembling voice, as if trying to determine that she was really there

“Mm . it’s me, Kris . ”.

After hugging her quietly for a span of time, he lowered his head to look at her, down the straight line of her high nose bridge, following the contours of her face, slowly moving down until he reached her lips . Both of them were silent for a moment, then he forcefully covered her lips with his, eliciting a startled widening of eyes from Han Yumeng

She had never thought that he would kiss her so fiercely and wildly . In a flash, her mind was full of noise and confusion . Dazedly, she sensed that the man in front of her was not 30-year-old Fu Ziyu, but the pa.s.sionate and presumptuous boy in his early twenties . But, his eyes were so clouded over; she had never seen him like this . He bit her lip hard, so hard that it hurt . With one move, he pushed her onto the bed and pressed her down, but did not touch her clothes . He just held down her shoulders, rendering her unable to move

He lowered his head, so that she could not see his eyes clearly

After a pause, he suddenly laughed, and asked huskily, “Why have you suddenly . returned? It’s been eight years, Han Yumeng, eight years! You have been dead in my world for the past eight years; why have you suddenly come back? And why have you searched me out?”.

A hot tear landed on Han Yumeng’s cheek

He was crying

In a split second, Han Yumeng’s eyes were also br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with tears

“I . ” Unexpectedly, she found herself lost for words . At that moment, all she wanted to do was to bolt for the door, but her body seemed to have lost all its strength, and she could not move at all

Her face wet with tears, she said slowly, “I, and he . we encountered a storm at sea . We did not die, but drifted to South America . ”.

Fu Ziyu lifted his head to look at her

“I . ” With every word she spoke, she could feel the dryness in her throat . “He made me do a lot of things that I didn’t want to do . I couldn’t come back . I thought that I would never see you again in this lifetime . Until recently, when he was seriously ill, and I escaped . I fled, all the way from South America to China . ”.

She raised her hands and covered her face

Fu Ziyu remained silent for a while before asking, “Then, why have you been hiding from me? And, why suddenly appear now?”.

Han Yumeng replied, “I . was not sure if I should still appear in front of you . However, I still wanted to come, to come and look for you . ”.

Fu Ziyu gazed at her in contemplation for a long time . He then abruptly released her and sat at the side of the bed in total silence

Han Yumeng stared blankly at his back, acutely aware of the deep grief in her heart . He was once her G.o.d, her faith, her love of a lifetime . Now, he was inaccessible

Could she draw near to him once again? Would she have the fortune to be able to stay with him all their remaining years?.

She crawled over, and, gathering up all her courage, hugged him from behind with shaking hands . It was really strange, after going through so much, she would not bat an eyelash if someone died in front of her . But, once at his side, it was as if she had returned to her 20-year-old self, that inexperienced and nervous girl

She buried her face in his back, crying, and whispered, almost inaudibly, “Kris . do you still love me?”.

Fu Ziyu was silent for a long time . All of a sudden, he laughed softly, “Are you asking me if I love you? Joe, if there’s ever a day when the stars disappear from the sky, that’s the day I stop loving you . ”.

Han Yumeng was stunned, and her tears burst forth anew

After Fu Ziyu had finished speaking, he turned around, intending to hold her once again . Who would imagine that she would unexpectedly jump off the bed and rush toward the door

Fu Ziyu’s face changed in an instant . He ran after her and grabbed her hand . “Where are you going?”.

“I . ” She looked up at him, her tears stilled . “I can’t stay here with you for too long, he’s continually pursuing me . Kris, please don’t tell anyone about my return, including your good friend, Bo Jinyan . I’m begging you . I don’t want . I can’t have any contact with the police . When the time is right, I’ll come to you again . ”.

Fu Ziyu held on to her arm, refusing to let go . He did not imagine that she would break free easily with a twist of her arm . Without waiting for his reaction, she turned and left

Fu Ziyu stood stock still, unable to move . After a brief moment, he dashed after her, but the corridor had long been empty . Downstairs, crowds of people and streams of traffic shuttled back and form ceaselessly; how could he possibly find her?.

Fu Ziyu returned to his apartment . He looked at the wrinkled sheets, a strand of her long hair on the pillow, and felt that he was in a dream

He walked to the balcony and sat in the wicker chair . He gazed at the distant night sky, took out his cell phone and scrolled to Bo Jinyan’s number, but did not call him . He sat by himself for a long time . Looking up, he could see only the myriad stars sparkling in the night sky

Then, he smiled, a solitary and gentle smile . He put down his cell phone . He decided to trust, and to continue waiting