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墨書 Inktalez
Guo Zhuanghuai crawled out of the Cellar with a notebook in hand. His injured shoulder brushed against the entrance, causing him to wince in pain. Two armed Thugs stationed at the Cellar entrance were sleeping next to a pile of burnt-out campfire. After Guo Zhuanghuai crawled out, he kicked them awake and instructed, "You two need to keep watch. Don't let anyone come near here, got it?"
The two Thugs rubbed their sleepy eyes and nodded, trying to shake off their drowsiness. Once Guo Zhuanghuai hurried away, they continued yawning.
"It was noisy all night and now that it's finally quiet, we can't even sleep?"
"Don't worry about that! They won't come over anyway; if we take a nap, who will see us?"
The two Thugs didn't even bother to stand up and shifted positions to continue sleeping.
Inside the Cellar, Zhou Junsheng was tied to a chair, looking pale and emaciated. He leaned forward just enough to grasp the large cigarette holder resting on the edge of the table. He was smoking, exhaling clouds of smoke and feeling euphoric. However, after just a few puffs, he fell silent, his expression turning despondent and gloomy. Suddenly, he slammed his forehead against the table repeatedly, producing dull thudding sounds that annoyed the two Thugs outside who were trying to sleep.
One Thug said, "This is so annoying; let’s go check it out!"
Finally, the two Thugs lazily stood up and opened the Cellar door to go down.
Zhou Junsheng continued banging his forehead against the table, which was already marked with bloodstains. The two Thugs, unfazed, picked up some bandages from nearby and tied his head to the chair while stuffing rags into his mouth.
One Thug said, "If you calm down, you’ll suffer less, you know?"
The other Thug replied, "Why bother with him? Let’s go! Let’s go!"
The two Thugs left the Cellar, leaving Zhou Junsheng sobbing quietly.
...
Breakfast was ready at the New Port Orphanage, and Guo Ziqian and Bond were serving food to the children. At that moment, a young girl with two braided pigtails walked in; she looked clearly from a poor background.
Her name was Li Ruolan, 16 years old and shorter than Guo Ziqian. Introverted by nature, she always spoke softly and kept her head slightly lowered when talking to others.
Guo Ziqian asked, "Lan, what brings you here?"
Li Ruolan: "It's the weekend, and Mr. Bond asked me to take the younger siblings to go foraging for wild vegetables. Brother Guo, why don't you come with us?"
"I won't go; I'm leaving soon."
"Oh."
Li Ruolan seemed a bit regretful.
After breakfast, Li Ruolan saw Guo Zhiqian off as he left Newport Orphanage. They walked along the road outside the orphanage, finally having a chance to speak privately.
Li Ruolan said, "Brother Guo, if it weren't for you and Cheng Gu Niang, this orphanage might have disappeared long ago."
Guo Zhiqian asked, "Who told you that?"
Li Ruolan replied, "Manager Jia told me. Manager Jia also mentioned that Cheng Gu Niang opened a café on Peaceful Street, and you often go there, right?"
Guo Zhiqian was surprised. "Yes, why do you ask?"
"I want to get to know Cheng Gu Niang. If I get a chance to meet her, I want to thank her on behalf of Mr. Bond and the younger siblings in the orphanage."
Seeing Li Ruolan like this, Guo Zhiqian smiled and gently patted her head. "It seems our Lan has grown up!"
Li Ruolan looked up at Guo Zhiqian with admiration, a smile on her face.
Guo Zhiqian said, "Alright, I'll stop here. I'm leaving now!"
Guo Zhiqian turned and walked away. Li Ruolan stood there watching him leave, clearly feeling a bit disappointed.
...
A car stopped in a desolate area. The driver, Liu Shifu, got out of the car and opened the doors for Zhang Zhaolin and Zhang Xin one after another.
Zhang Zhaolin asked Liu Shifu, "Where did you bury her?"
Liu Shifu pointed to a patch of wild grass ahead and said, "Right over there."
Zhang Xin anxiously walked along the path through the grass, leading the way for Zhang Zhaolin and Liu Shifu.
Liu Shifu added, "We're almost there; the area with fresh soil is just ahead."
Under Liu Shifu's guidance, they quickly found a spot hidden by a tangle of weeds, marked by a pile of freshly turned earth. This was where the maid Cui was buried.
"This is it. It was buried in a hurry, so there wasn't time to build a proper grave," Liu Shifu said to Zhang Xin, his tone somewhat apologetic.
Zhang Xin asked, "Do you have a shovel in your car?"
"Yes. I'll get it for you right now."
With that, Liu Shifu ran back to the sedan and retrieved a shovel from the trunk.
Zhang Zhaolin questioned Zhang Xin, "Xing Er, what are you doing?"
Zhang Xin remained silent, waiting for Liu Shifu to bring the shovel. She quietly began to gather the surrounding soil to create a mound for Cui.
Zhang Zhaolin stopped Zhang Xin and said, "You're her sister; she's just a maid. It's already good enough that she has a place to be buried."
Zhang Xin stubbornly replied, "She grew up with me; I've always considered her my sister."
Liu Shifu quickly took the shovel from Zhang Xin's hands and said, "Sister, let me do it!"
Zhang Zhaolin released Zhang Xin's hand, but Zhang Xin did not pass the shovel to Liu Shifu. Instead, she resolutely continued to shape the earth herself.
At that moment, Zhang Xin suddenly recalled events from two months ago.
Two months ago, Zhang Xin had never met Tao Ziwen. Then, Zhang Zhaolin suddenly brought her a photo of Tao Ziwen, claiming that he was the carefully selected future son-in-law and asked if she was satisfied.
Zhang Xin took the photo of Tao Ziwen to her bedroom, where it was discovered by Cui. Seeing the handsome face in the photo, Cui asked, "Sister, who is this? He's so good-looking!"
Zhang Xin lay on the bed, pouting and said, "It's not like I have a choice. My father insists on marrying me off to him, claiming he's a talented detective and a dragon among men. How can I not see through that?"
Cui looked at the photo and suddenly said, "Sister, do you want me to test him out for you?"
Curious, Zhang Xin asked, "How would you test him?"
Cui whispered her idea into Zhang Xin's ear, making her laugh out loud.
Following Cui's suggestion, Zhang Xin and Cui sat in a carriage. They deliberately tossed a coin at Tao Ziwen. When Tao Ziwen saw the coin on the ground, he bent down to pick it up and hurriedly asked several passersby if it belonged to him.
Cui remarked to Zhang Xin, "Look at that! Others would just keep the money they found, but he’s asking who dropped it. What a fool!"
Zhang Xin watched Tao Ziwen and found herself drawn to him. She said, "In today's society, there are hardly any people as naive as him. Don't you think his foolishness is charming?"
Zhang Xin and Cui quietly followed Tao Ziwen to the base of the city wall. They saw him hand over the coin he had picked up to a thin beggar child and kindly instructed him, "Take this and buy something to eat."
The child looked at the coin in his hand and then at Tao Ziwen, repeatedly thanking him before happily running away. This attracted more beggars nearby, who surrounded Tao Ziwen and began to beg from him. However, Tao Ziwen remained calm and slowly took out his money pouch, distributing the money inside to everyone.
Inside the carriage, Cui chattered on, "Sister, how can he be so foolish? He’s actually giving away his own money!"
After finishing her rant, Cui noticed that Zhang Xin was lost in thought as she watched Tao Ziwen.
Tao Ziwen stood tall in the distance, surrounded by beggars as he shared his wealth while advising them not to fight or squabble over it.
Seeing Zhang Xin's captivated gaze on Tao Ziwen, Cui called out "Sister" twice before Zhang Xin finally responded.
Cui asked Zhang Xin, "Have you fallen for him?"
"Where?" Zhang Xin's cheeks flushed red as she sat back in the car, looking charming.
"Your face is so red, isn't it?"
"No means no!" Zhang Xin replied, then shouted to the driver, Chen Master, "Chen Master, let's go home!"
After that, the incident at Zhang Dashuai's birthday banquet where Zhang Xin clung to Tao Ziwen and danced occurred. Perhaps if it weren't for the photo that Zhang Zhaolin gave her, and the introduction from Cui, Zhang Xin might not have developed feelings for Tao Ziwen. If Zhang Xin had never liked Tao Ziwen, the Sanlitun shooting incident would not have happened, and Cui and Chen Master would not have gone because of it.
Zhang Xin was still tending to Cui's grave. She was already sweating profusely, and the grave was beginning to take shape. Liu Shifu said to Zhang Xin, "Sister, why don't you take a break? Let me help you."
Zhang Xin ignored Liu Shifu's suggestion.
Zhang Zhaolin said, "Let her do it herself."
Finally, Cui's grave was completed. After compacting the loose soil with a shovel, Zhang Xin handed the shovel to Liu Shifu and sat down in front of the grave.
Zhang Zhaolin said, "Xing Er, the grave is done; let's go back."
Zhang Xin sadly replied, "I want to sit here for a while."
Liu Shifu urged Zhang Xin, "Sister, you should listen to your father..."
Before Liu Shifu could finish, Zhang Xin suddenly shouted, "Is it wrong for me to sit here for a while? Cui is gone; no one will smile at me anymore. I just want to sit here for a bit..."
Zhang Xin continued to cry.
Zhang Zhaolin sat beside his daughter and gently stroked her hair, saying softly, "Dad is here with you."
Zhang Xin pushed Zhang Zhaolin's arm away in disgust. "No! Cui is afraid of you. Cui died because of you! You killed Chen Master with your own hands! You only know how to kill!"
Zhang Zhaolin angrily retorted, "Cui and Chen Master took you to such a dangerous place; they deserved to die!"
"You deserve to die!" Zhang Xin said with a look of grief and anger. "If it weren't for you wanting to marry me off to Tao Ziwen, Cui wouldn't have been shot dead! What’s so good about that Tao Ziwen? If you hadn't sent me to the police station to find him and stop him from investigating, Cui wouldn't have been killed by a stray bullet, and Master Chen wouldn't have been executed by you!"
Master Liu hurriedly said, "Sister, you shouldn't speak to the master like that! Everything the master does is for you!"
Zhang Zhaolin felt deeply saddened. "Who did all this to you?"
"Hmph! Do I need anyone else to do it? I heard your conversation with Tao Gongjin. Cui and Master Chen died because of me; I should die in their place!"
Zhang Xin and Zhang Zhaolin sat side by side in front of Cui's new grave, maintaining a distance between them. Master Liu stood behind them with a shovel, not far from the sedan they had arrived in.
At this moment, the evening glow was full, casting a golden hue over the entire area, making the desolate countryside feel even more sorrowful. In this silent moment, Zhang Xin's murmurs became increasingly clear and resonant.
"I don't want to marry Tao Ziwen! I don't want to marry Tao Ziwen! I don't want to marry Tao Ziwen..."
On the other side of a glass door, Tao Ziwen stood on the street outside the café. He looked through the glass at the bar inside, watching Cheng Yuwan serving customers and making coffee.
Wang Zhiyuan stood beside Tao Ziwen and patted his shoulder. "If you like her, just go in and tell her."
Tao Ziwen sighed. "Forget it; she's already taken. We've been busy all day; let's head back to the police station."
Wang Zhiyuan looked puzzled at the bar inside the café. Cheng Yuwan, who was busy making coffee, didn't even notice them outside.
Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan left the café with a team of police officers.
Cheng Yuwan finished making three cups of coffee, placed them on a tray, and brought them to the table where Guo Zhiqian and Cheng Yuying were sitting by the window, distributing the coffee to the other two.
Guo Zhiqian said, "My lightness skill is better than yours; I want to follow my father myself."
Cheng Yuwan sat down at the table. "You failed last time; it was my sister who saved you. Have you forgotten?"
Guo Zhiqian confidently replied, "It won't happen this time. This time, I will definitely find out where he's holding Zhou Junsheng."
Cheng Yuyuan thought for a moment and asked, "When are you going?"
"Tonight, right now."
Cheng Yuyuan quickly asked, "Are you leaving after finishing this cup of coffee?"
Guo Zhiqian replied, "It's already late, so I won't drink the coffee. I found out where they are holding Zhou Junsheng tonight, and I will come to find you."
Cheng Yuyuan looked at Guo Zhiqian with gratitude and said, "We will be waiting for your news!"
"Okay!"
Guo Zhiqian stood up and walked towards the entrance of the café.
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