On a grim morning in November, a man lay dead on the chilling ground near an underconstruction building. His blood was mixed with mud and rain. The body was so damaged that 

people hardly recognized him by his clothing. The police arrived and cordoned off the scene. 

After the police removed the corpse, the workers went back to work immediately as if nothing 

had occurred.

People remembered his name was Li, a mason who came from rural Anhui Province. He 

was known as a "lucky devil" because his family lives in extreme poverty due to diseases. He had 

a sick wife and a malformed son. Also, his grandmother, father, uncle, and two siblings are dying 

of cancers. Maybe it was due to the environmental pollution in his hometown, or perhaps it was 

due to some genetic defects; nobody knows the exact answer. Their disasters cost Li's family a 

lot just to stay alive. Now, Li is dead, and his family is doomed.

Even though Li's co-workers are sympathetic to him, no one would lend a hand. First, 

they could barely sustain themselves, either. Second, the efforts would be absolutely "pointless" 

because they are terminal patients. It is a "great waste of money" for them to seek medical care. 

Even the most selfless donators would grudge, helping this family.

A couple of days later, the cops summoned Mr. Zhao, the manager of the construction 

site, to proceed with their investigation. As a skinny man who is known for being scrupulous and 

righteous, he always had a quite successful career. Zhao originated from a bankrupt farming 

family, he worked hard to earn a decent life for his family. He even had some friends in the 

government. The police knew that he was a good man, so they don't want to trouble him. They 

sent Zhao to an interrogation room and let him wait there. A few minutes later, a half-bald cop 

came to Li's place.

"Good morning, Mr. Zhao. I am going to ask you a few questions if you don't mind," the 

cop wrote on a paper without looking at Zhao, "Has Li messed with anybody recently?" 

"No. Li was a nice guy, and he was humble."

"How is that possible？ His workmates are not even sad for him! He must have been an 

asshole."

Zhao didn't like this conversation; he knew the police only wanted the answer that he 

expected. "What was Li doing on that building last night? Have you asked him to go there? Was 

anyone with him?" the cop asked。

"I asked him to do some safety checks last night. I saw him go to that building alone."

"How was Li's mental condition?"

Zhao felt tedious, as he thought the police were an idiot, and the justice system of this 

country needed to do more investigation rather than just kept asking. However, he pretended to 

be patient and polite in front of the cop. In fact, Zhao hated being dishonest. Yet, pretending it is 

immoral and lying is deceitful, Zhao has done plenty of them. Zhao used to be a righteous young 

man, but as he grew older, Zhao realized that sometimes he had to be dishonest, not only for 

the sake of himself but for all the people he cared about.

The cop solicited Zhao about that case. Zhao was cautious about answers. 

"Mr. Zhao, your session ends now. You may leave. You are a courteous man, and thanks 

for your patience." 

Zhao took a look at his inexpensive but decent watch; it was 4:45 p.m.，yet he came to 

the police at 9 a.m. He had spent a whole working day there.

Zhao arrived home exhausted. His wife and son were having dinner. Zhao had married 

for 15 years and had a son studying in middle school. In fact, the couple still kept a romantic 

relationship. Zhao's wife immediately realized that something went wrong.

"Is everything okay?" Ms. Zhao asked.

"A guy from my construction site jumped off." Zhao tried to stay calm.

His wife ushered him into their bedroom, closed the door, and chattered about that 

"business affair" for about half an hour. When Zhao went out for some food, his son came to 

him.

"You mean he had committed suicide? What did the police say?" Lan asked. No doubt, 

he was eavesdropping their talk.

Lan is Zhao's only son; he is almost a spitting image of younger Zhao. Just like Zhao used 

to argue with his father a lot, Lan also often bicker with his father. 

"The police have not made a conclusion yet, but I am sure they will conclude it's an 

accident."

"Wait, have you just said that the man jumped off by himself? If that's true, he had 

committed suicide," Lan frowned.

"Well, that is the most likely what has happened. The man had a horrible life. "

"But why did you told the cop that it was an ACCIDENT?" 

Zhao bit his upper lip, a sign of anxiety.

"That's all about the insurance companies that don't pay to the family of a person who 

commits suicide. Also, the polices don't have enough pieces of evidence. That means whether it 

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is an accident or suicide totally depends on the will of people. I tried my best to convince them 

that it was an accident."

"Nonsense, Go find out more pieces of evidence. I don't care about compensation. I 

want the truth."

"You are naïve, and you should put yourself into others' shoes. That man is already 

dead. Who cares the exact reason he died? What his family needs are money. The police will do 

nothing further. That's it: the man died of an accident."

Justice is luxury that price too much for some people to afford. 

"What are you talking about? What if it was actually a murder? You will just let the killer 

go!"

Zhao bit his upper lips again.

"Okay, okay, Mr. Justice. Go, do your schoolwork. You should first find out the truth in 

your schoolwork."

"I have already got them done."

"Then go play outside with other boys! Get out!"

Zhao sometimes "expelled" his son from the house when Lan talked back; it not 

unusual. However, it was an unusually cold November evening. Lan did not have any friends to 

hang out with him on such a lousy night. Even the stores closed earlier because there were few 

customers. It was "nice" to hang out alone in the street at night after having messed with family. 

Lan decided to explore some remote areas of the town where he had never been to. He 

departed from the avenue and went into an alleyway, old, dark, and soundless where only 

ghosts might haunt. No people lived there, and swarms of stray cats gathered there to shelter 

from humans.

"If I can't talk to anyone, maybe I can talk to cats. I am such an idiot," Lan soliloquized. 

"Why are you calling yourself an idiot? You should love yourself," a voice said.

Lan saw no one, and the alleyway looked like a place where only ghosts would haunt. 

Lan was terrified. 

"Who is it? "Lan shouted. He shouted out to hide his fear. 

"Relax. I am here, look up." A cat was sitting on the eaves of a house. 

"What are you? An evil spirit? "

"As you can see, I am a cat. Is it strange to see a cat talking?"

"Absolutely."

"Well. I have lived a long life, and I have been to many places. It's hard for me to feel 

strange about anything now. But you are making me feel curious. Cats can't overcome their 

curiosity. I have seen some kind of unusual thing from your eyes. What happened?" 

"It is a lousy story, but if you are interested…" Lan told the cat about the story. 

"I see. You are right about the truth of that man's death."

Lan's eyes opened wide. 

"What are you driving at?" Lan asked. 

"It was NOT AN ACCIDENT. Somebody pushed that man off the building. I happen to 

witness that last week. I have seen plenty of deaths, but the way he died still shocked me. A 

person's life is short and fragile. By the way, does your dad wear a cheap watch?" the cat started 

to lick its paw, "Besides the poor victim and the killer, I also saw a man who was wearing a 

cheap watch. I guess he was your father, the construction manager." 

Lan felt overwhelmed by the magic dialogue with the cat. The man who wore a cheap watch 

was definitely his father. It was a gift from Lan to his father who wore it all the time even though 

it's a bit disgraceful for a man like him to wear. In conclusion, Zhao had witnessed that murder 

too. 

"Am I dreaming?" Lan asked himself, "My father knows the truth, but why did he lie to 

me?" 

Lan collapsed to the wet ground with a livid face. He covered his face with hands, he 

was crying. 

"Why? What should I do?" Lan said with a trembling voice. 

A few minutes later, Lan suddenly jumped to his feet as he has determined to do 

something. 

"Hey, cat. I want to find out that murderer. But I don't know who he is and where he 

lives. Could you help me?"

"No, I can't. What do you expect a cat can do? By the way, I agree with what your father 

is doing. I remembered insurance companies don't pay the family of a murdered victim. His 

family needs money rather than truth, don't they?"

"Let me tell you, I know about the dead man's family. The killer remarried the dead 

man's wife, and he is spending his indemnity and beating his children. Is that money helpful for 

him?" Lan made that information up, it is a "white lie" for justice. 

"Well… Maybe I can help you, but you need to know that I am merely a cat, after all. If I 

make something good happen, the price would be letting something unwanted and unexpected 

to happen. Do you still want me to help?"

"Yep," Lan said firmly. 

In that gloomy alleyway, deception reigns supreme, the street is even darker. The cat 

looks at the young man, but it became dark to differentiate between the young man Lan and his 

father.