Xiao Wang disappeared after a phone call, leaving Lin Fan bored. She took out her phone and started scrolling through Weibo, looking at paranormal events. Suddenly, a hand appeared on her head, and Lin Fan instantly felt a chill down her spine, stunned. She then saw a shadow on the ground and looked up to see Qin Feng. She breathed a sigh of relief as he squatted beside her. “Don’t you watch enough of this stuff already? Why are you looking for more?”
He was too close, and Lin Fan suddenly felt hot, her palms sweating. She forced herself to ask, “What did Luo Long say? Who killed the person?”
Qin Feng had a faint smell of cigarettes, not strong, but it made Lin Fan feel uncomfortable. He finally stood up, reached out his hand, and after staring at his hand for a few seconds, Lin Fan put hers in it. Qin Feng pulled her up and asked, “Where’s Xiao Wang?”
“He’s on the phone with his girlfriend.”
“Let’s go eat.”
Qin Feng pulled Lin Fan along, and she looked back to search for Xiao Wang. “Aren’t we waiting for him?”
“No need.”
They found a nearby stir-fry chicken restaurant. Qin Feng drank two glasses of water before looking up at Lin Fan across from him. “Still cold?” Lin Fan’s lips were pale, and despite wearing long sleeves, her hands were still cold. Qin Feng reached out and touched her hand, “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” His hand was warm, and Lin Fan felt a bit of heat in her body. “Just cold.”
Qin Feng looked at her thoughtfully, “Are you tired?”
Lin Fan quickly put her hand back when Qin Feng released it and shook her head. “Not tired, just cold, can't feel warm.”
Qin Feng frowned slightly and finished his water. He remembered what that gentleman had said; if Lin Fan were a bit older, it might be worth trying, but now, he didn’t know how to bring it up. “Drink some hot water.” He poured hot water into her cup. Lin Fan recalled seeing a topic on Weibo about what it’s like to have a boyfriend with low emotional intelligence, like telling you to drink more hot water.
“What are you laughing at?”
Lin Fan held her cup and giggled, not speaking.
“Hmm? What’s so funny?”
Lin Fan quickly glanced at Qin Feng and then buried her face again. The words “boyfriend” felt so embarrassing to say out loud. Qin Feng watched her leisurely, a smile in his eyes.
Lin Fan coughed and sat up straight, forcing herself to look at Qin Feng. “Nothing.”
“Really?”
“Just thought of something, the ‘drink more hot water’ joke.”
“What’s that?”
Lin Fan opened Weibo and found the post, handing her phone to Qin Feng. “It’s really funny.”
It was a post from a comedian, and it had a lot of shares. Qin Feng read it, smiled, handed the phone back, and rubbed her head. “What nonsense.”
Lin Fan pouted and dodged his hand, and Qin Feng pulled his hand back. “You’re different from them.”
“It’s just a joke.” Lin Fan said softly, “I didn’t mean anything else, just thought it was funny. If you don’t like it, I won’t look at it anymore—”
“It is funny.” Qin Feng saw her nearly bury her head in the ground. “Lin Fan.”
Lin Fan looked up, “Brother Qin?”
Qin Feng’s dark eyes stared at her, just about to speak when the phone rang. He looked away, took out his phone, and answered. Xiao Wang’s voice came through, “Captain Qin, have you seen Lin Fan? I turned around after a call and couldn’t find her.”
“We’re having dinner.”
Xiao Wang: “……”
“The stir-fry chicken restaurant across the street.” Qin Feng hung up, put the phone away, and motioned to Lin Fan. “Come sit over here.”
Lin Fan: “Is Brother Xiao Wang coming over?”
“Yeah.”
Lin Fan thought about it and realized she should indeed sit next to Qin Feng, so she moved over. In less than five minutes, Xiao Wang arrived in a hurry, and the stir-fry chicken was served. Xiao Wang looked at the two of them, “That’s not fair, you didn’t call me. I thought I lost Lin Fan and you’d kill me.”
Qin Feng asked the owner to add more soup, motioning for Lin Fan to eat and not look around. Then he spoke, “You were busy, so we didn’t want to disturb you.”
Xiao Wang: “……”
So annoyed.
“How’s the interrogation going?”
“No confession yet, but Luo Long is definitely connected to Song Liang’s death.”
After dinner, Qin Feng found a hotel for Lin Fan to sleep first and went back to the county police station. Lei Weiyu called, and Qin Feng answered, “Captain Lei.”
“Someone said Song Liang was beaten to death and buried by the people at the mine, but there’s no evidence. It’s all rumors. We’re trying to find the person in charge at the mine at that time for further confirmation.”
Qin Feng pinched his brow. “Why would the miners beat Song Liang?”
“Apparently, there was rampant ore theft. People from nearby villages would steal, and the guards were angry. They would either send them to the police station or beat them on the spot. Song Liang was mentally disabled. We suspect that if the mine caught him, they might have beaten him. The deceased had multiple fractures, which fits. After Song Liang disappeared, many people speculated he was beaten to death by the mine guards.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Did Song Liang steal ore?”
“We heard he did under Luo Long’s orders. We don’t know if his death is related to this. We spent the afternoon asking around, and they said the last time they saw Song Liang was at the dock.”
“Did Luo Long ever pay Song Liang?”
“Probably a small amount. Luo Long often beat Song Liang, who was very afraid of him and didn’t dare ask for money. One of Luo Long’s drinking buddies said Luo Long bragged that Song Liang was his long-term laborer…”
“I see.”
Qin Feng hung up the phone and frowned with a sigh. Entering the interrogation room, he saw Luo Long slumped in his chair, eyelids drooping. Qin Feng knocked on the table, and Luo Long, startled, quickly sat up straight. Qin Feng pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at him. “Ready to talk?”
“I didn’t kill him.”
“Then why did you send him to the mine?”
Luo Long was taken aback, staring at Qin Feng with tightly pursed lips.
“You withheld Song Liang's wages. His father was seriously ill and couldn't afford treatment, so he asked you for money, and you beat him up. Then you forced him to steal ore to make money, didn’t you?” Qin Feng’s voice suddenly grew stern. “Concealing Song Liang’s death and failing to report it, even if you didn’t kill him, harboring a criminal is enough to put you in jail!”
---
Lin Fan stepped out of the bathroom and immediately saw two figures in front of her—no, to be precise, two ghosts. The elderly man knelt before her, kowtowing repeatedly. Startled, Lin Fan quickly said, “Please get up. Do you need something?”
Song Liang stood next to the old man, head down, not speaking.
“Miss, thank you. Those police officers can't see us. We can only thank you through this. After so many years, someone finally found my son and is investigating his death.”
“Don't be in a hurry. Please stand up.”
Song Liang, with a low IQ, could work and recognize money, but anything more complicated was beyond him. He didn’t talk much; when working, he just kept his head down and worked hard, oblivious to social norms and never slacking off.
Others would take breaks while loading a cart of ore, but he worked nonstop from dawn to dusk. His father told him that working meant earning money, which meant supporting the family. His mother died early, leaving him and his father to rely on each other.
But Luo Long didn’t pay him, instead often beating him. When his father was not sick, he would take Song Liang to demand a portion of the wages. When his father fell ill and couldn't get out of bed, they couldn't afford medicine. All their money could only buy a bottle of painkillers. For the first time, Song Liang mustered the courage to ask Luo Long for money. Luo Long scolded him and, along with his gang, beat him up. Finally, Luo Long squatted down and said to his bloodied face, “Here’s a tip: do a good job, and I’ll give you a thousand.”
Do what?
Steal ore from the mountain. Those heavy stones could fetch a high price. If he didn’t go, his old man might die.
That night, Song Liang went. Luo Long drove the boat, and Song Liang carried the stones four times. The stones tore his skin, but he gritted his teeth and kept going, thinking Luo Long would pay him more if he carried more.
Eventually, he was caught. Luo Long fled in the boat. The guard, who had just been reprimanded by his boss for not doing his job, was furious. He hated thieves and tied up Song Liang, beating him with whatever he could find. After tiring, they locked Song Liang in a small room. As a warning to others, they hoped to deter further theft by showing one severely beaten person.
Song Liang hit his head on a stone and bled to death. Luo Long used the money to build a house in town and bought a new motorcycle, showing off every day. No one knew where Song Liang went. The mine shut down, and the people left. No one cared about the disappearance of a mentally disabled person, nor did anyone notice.
Perhaps only his father waited for his son to come home, but he never did.
Lin Fan clenched her fists, unsure of what to say. The miners, fearing responsibility, buried Song Liang in a secluded area near the big locust tree, thinking no one would find him.
---
“They gave me two choices: take the money and shut up, or go to prison for theft,” Luo Long said. “Of course, I chose the money. I didn’t kill him, but I knew the fool died at their hands.”
Qin Feng stood up, stretching his neck. Luo Long flinched back in fear. “You cops can’t hit me! You can’t hit me!”
Qin Feng signaled the recording officer. “I’m stepping out. Continue without me.”
He walked out into the yard, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag, looking up at the distant sky. The moonlight was beautiful, and the sky was full of stars. After a while, he stubbed out the cigarette and walked back briskly. His phone rang.
“Qin Feng here.”
“Brother Qin, I saw them again.”
“Who?”
“Song Liang and his father.”
“Luo Long confessed. The miners killed him.”
“Yes, they told me the same.”
“Are they still there?”
“Yes.”
“I’m coming back right now.”
“Is it difficult to catch the killer?”
“Now that the motive is clear, it won’t be hard.”
Luo Long had confessed, and finding the miners wouldn’t be difficult as their company was still around. Qin Feng returned to the hotel and knocked on the door. Lin Fan quickly opened it. Her skin was pale, her eyes bright and shimmering. She quickly stepped aside. “They’re gone.”
Qin Feng entered the room. There was only one bed, and Lin Fan, wearing shorts, had her slender legs exposed. Qin Feng averted his gaze and pulled over a chair to sit down. "What did they tell you?"
Lin Fan recounted everything that had happened and then stared at Qin Feng. "Did you guys find out the same thing?"
Qin Feng nodded, picked up the bottle of water on the table, unscrewed it, and took a sip. "Once we find the guards from that time, everything will be clear."
"Will Luo Long be sentenced?"
"Driving a motorcycle illegally, hit-and-run, occupying others' property, theft—any one of those can get him sentenced." Qin Feng finished the bottle of water, set it down, and pointed at her. "Are you cold?"
Lin Fan got on the bed and wrapped her legs in the blanket. "No."
Qin Feng leaned back in his chair, massaging his temples.
"Song Liang was quite pitiful," Lin Fan said. "If he had the ability to make better judgments, he probably wouldn't have gone to steal. He was just a fool, used and deceived by others."
"Yes."
Qin Feng put his hands down, but Lin Fan's brows were still furrowed. She sighed. "Many people are like that, bullying the weak and fearing the strong."
It was already 11:30 PM. Lin Fan was getting sleepy, and Qin Feng was sitting across from her, looking at something on his phone. Lin Fan's mind was racing. "Where are you going to sleep tonight? Brother Xiao Wang snores."
Qin Feng looked up, his dark eyes landing on Lin Fan. She sank further into the blanket.
"Lin Fan," Qin Feng's voice was low and hoarse.
His gaze was intense, making Lin Fan a little scared. Her heart was racing.
"Yes?"
Qin Feng turned off his phone and set it on the table. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "What do you think our relationship is?"
Lin Fan's throat tightened, her hands under the blanket gripping the sheets. "Huh?"
Qin Feng didn’t give her a chance to escape. He leaned over, placing his hand by her head, and stared into her eyes. "What relationship?"
"Brother Qin—"
"Just call me by my name."
He was so close that Lin Fan could barely breathe. Her pinky finger was trembling. "I—you're my—" She couldn't finish her sentence, her face flushed red.
Qin Feng lowered his head, his lips meeting hers. Lin Fan froze, eyes wide open.
Qin Feng's voice was very close. "Close your eyes."
His mouth tasted like mint gum, probably from chewing it on the way back. Lin Fan closed her eyes. He gently pried her lips apart.
Lin Fan quickly pulled her hand out from under the blanket and grabbed Qin Feng's arm, her mind blank. It was summer, and they weren’t wearing much. By the time Qin Feng let go of Lin Fan, she had pinched his arm so hard it was bleeding.
Qin Feng removed her hand, his voice still very low. "There's a difference between a boyfriend and a friend, and also between a boyfriend and family. A boyfriend can be closer than family."
Lin Fan pursed her lips, then bit them, her eyes filled with confusion. Qin Feng pinched her flushed face. "Don't like it?"
Lin Fan sank further into the blanket, her hands gripping the edge tightly, with only her eyes showing. She looked at Qin Feng. "Why did you—do people always kiss like this?"
Qin Feng paused, then laughed. She was really too young. He didn’t know how to handle her. He placed his hand on her head, indicating for her to look up. "More or less."
Lin Fan sank back into the blanket, her voice muffled and dull from inside. "…Have you kissed others like this?"