Before the summer heat had even faded, the autumn rain began to fall. Raindrops large and small fell to the ground, waving to and fro in the wind. Under the eaves and on the sidewalk, there were puddles mixed with car exhaust, and the air was filled with a salty and damp smell, making people feel annoyed.
"Tell me, why can't you change your mind?"
Yan Xie held a black umbrella and was squatting on the rooftop. His well-tailored trouser legs had been soaked with dirty water, which was dripping onto his leather shoes, but his expression was like Budda, full of detachment and calmness.
A young man was standing outside the guardrail of the building, his face full of snot and tears mixed with rain: "You don't have to persuade me, I'm not going to live! I'm going to die to show that fickle woman what it means to lose before regretting it. The rich one will dump her one day! Dump her!!"
The floors below were bustling with onlookers, and the voices of "Why didn't he jump till now?" "Will he jump or not?" were constantly being heard. The firefighters had already arrived at the scene to set up ladders and air cushions, and there were three or four special police officers crowded in the corner of the roof, all of them staring nervously at Yan Xie with solemn expressions.
"I'm telling you, don't waste your time and come down, little brother." Yan Xie sighed the 108th time and changed his words: "Look at me, I'm a department-level division leader who deals with drug trafficking, smuggling, and serial murders every day. I've been squatting here and talking nonsense with you for two hours today. Isn't it just about being dumped by a woman? Which man hasn't been dumped before? Didn't everyone deal with everything and stand up strong, and here you're looking for death, disgracing our fellow men."
Two heart-piercing roars came from inside and outside the headset at the same time. Kang Shuqiang, the leader of the special police team, was pulled by several team members: "I beg you, surnamed Yan! If you can't speak, then don't speak, okay?!"
The young man shook the iron railing loudly: "Nonsense! Only a poor loser like me who has no money and power will be dumped! Those rich people drive luxury cars and hug beautiful women. How can this society care about the life and death of a loser? !"
"That's not right." Yan Xie didn't hear Kang Shuqiang's roar in the earphone. He stretched out his index finger and shook it, and asked calmly, "Little brother, do you know why I am here today when I was engaged in Criminal investigation? "
Young man: "…?"
"Because my surname is Yan. It's the Yan of Jianning Yize Investment Group. The property under your feet is developed by my family. As long as you jump from here, this building will not be sold. Do you know how much I would lose?"
Young man: "..."
Kang Shuqiang stopped struggling, and squatted on the ground, covering his face in grief: "If I were him, I would push Yan Xie down to die together…"
"Do you think people like me won't be dumped? Naive. If you are dumped, you can still drink two bottles of yellow stuff1, and ask a few friends to sing karaoke. If you drink too much, you can scream and squat on the roof, and you will immediately invite a bunch of 110 and 119 upstairs and downstairs to guard and persuade you. What about me? I was cheated on both money and sex. I gave my sincerity and in the end, lost both money and the person. Did I cry like you and yell to jump off the building?"
"You, you are lying!" The young man's face was full of suspicion.
"Why will I lie to you? Come and see for yourself how many calls I've made to him in the past two days." Yan Xie took out his phone and shook it with a bitter smile: Not to mention money, he drank my six-figure tea like he was watering the flowers. The problem is, we slept together for such a long time in vain. If I were a woman, I would've been pregnant by now. In the end, when it comes to getting married, heh! He slipped faster than a rabbit! He even pretended to be single with me. I asked him why he didn't mention that he was single when the light was turned off and they were on the bed. Does loving his singledom still depend on the situation whether I performed well at night?"
Young man: "..."
Kang Shuqiang: "..."
The special police not far away: "...."
"If I were in my twenties like you, I'd wipe my tears and think nothing happened. Who hasn't met a few scumbags when they were young. But little brother, look at me, I'm in my thirties. Other people at my age already embraced their child, and even if I want to make a clean break and move on, how can I find another one at this age? And I can't let him go."
Yan Xie squatted on the ground and sighed with vicissitudes in his eyes, and those who heard it were sad, and those who saw it wept.
"Big brother… Big brother, don't be like this." The young man seemed to have a trace of sympathy for the other: "That woman2 lied to you, you should find another one! Dump her decisively!"
"I can't dump him, I don't want to leave him." Yan Xie sincerely wiped the corners of his eyes and swiped his dry nose: "There are no rivers to one who has crossed the ocean, and no clouds to one who has passed Mount Wu3… I'm sorry, my dad used to be a language teacher. In short, the meaning is although he rejected my marriage proposal, turned his head, and ran away with the opposite sex for a self-drive tour, and everyone watched me grow green grass, which is about to develop into the Hulunbuir Prairie… but as long as he is willing to come back, I have to keep waiting."
The young man said in a trembling voice, "Big brother…"
"To be honest, I haven't slept in the three days since he left. As long as I close my eyes, my mind is full of his shadow. In this way, I have to go to work during the day, go to the scene, interrogate prisoners, organize files, and when I am free, I still have to come here to persuade a fool like you, who was dumped by a woman and wants to jump off a building. Do you think I don't want to jump, ah? Do you know that I also want to jump down for a long time, and let the person who is still whispering loving words to the opposite sex regret it?"
"Big brother, you are suffering…"
Yan Xie seemed to have finally made up his mind. He threw the umbrella away, suddenly got up, and walked toward the guardrail with his sleeves up: "Forget it, it's meaningless to live anyway. Let's just be companions on the way to the underworld, come on."
The young man was shocked: "Hey, don't come here, what are you doing?!"
"Being a f*cking police officer, you can't even run away with your wife, let me jump with you!"
"No no no, wait!"
"Anyway, the green hat is already worn firmly. I don't think there is any need for both of us to live. I'll jump first, you follow!"
"Big brother, big brother, listen to me, don't get excited! What are you doing, big brother!!"
Yan Xie grabbed the guardrail and was about to turn over. The young man forgot about committing suicide in a hurry and grabbed his hands. Yan Xie grabbed him in a flash and dragged him across the guardrail. The force of the impact caused both of them to fall on the roof of the building at the same time.
"Go!"
Kang Shuqiang took the lead, and the special police rushed out. Some people pressed his hands and others pressed his feet. Within three seconds, the young man who was going to commit suicide was firmly pressed to the ground!
"Reporting, reporting, the person who was going to jump off the building in Pinghu Community has been successfully rescued. The person who was going to jump off the building in Pinghu Community has been successfully rescued…"
There was a commotion in the walkie-talkie, and loud cheers erupted from upstairs and downstairs.
After an hour.
"What, Consultant Lu doesn't want to develop a long-term sexual relationship with you?"
When the police car made a turn, a large splash of water splashed. Yan Xie put his elbows on the passenger's window, rubbed the stubble on his chin, and frowned: "Can you just keep it as a 'long-term relationship', don't add the rest, that sounds weird…"
Ma Xiang drove the car, his mouth grew into a round shape, and he said with emotion after a long time: "I thought that the legend of the special police team that 'Division Vice-Captain Yan was deceived and lost both his money and virginity' was made up to slander you. "
On rainy days, the roads were crowded and cars weren't moving very fast. It was very difficult to drive to the vicinity of the Municipal Bureau, and only then did it become a little smoother. Yan Xie took off his wet shirt, took out a black short-sleeved T-shirt that was probably not too dirty from the back seat, and put it on. His wet hair stood up making him look even more unruly.
"No, how can you not accept the account when you sleep?" Ma Xiang frowned and muttered, obviously this was beyond his acceptance: "Since you slept together, you have to accept the account. Lu Xun4 taught us that all the interactions that are not premised on marriage are improper — what about now? Consultant Lu is still ignoring you?"
"He ran away with Yang Mei the night before yesterday and didn't return the night before, and only drove back to Jianning with Yang Mei yesterday morning." Yan Xie snorted coldly, "Did he think I wouldn't send someone to monitor the Sleepless Palace KTV? Bah!"
Ma Xiang was also deeply troubled: "This is not easy to handle, Brother Yan. If the object of Consultant Lu's cheating was a man, it wouldn't be a big deal. The brothers will handcuff the adulterer to the bureau and scare him to ensure that he will get out obediently. But Boss Yang is a woman, and the limited number of policewomen in our bureau has very little combat effectiveness. Like the little girl Han Xiaomei, she wears the same dress as Boss Yang, and they both can even share lipstick…"
The city bureau gate slowly opened, and the police car drove in while splashing water. The cold moisture drilled into the bones of the human body, causing a dull pain in Yan Xie's abdomen where the bullet had once penetrated, which probably hadn't healed completely yet.
This was quite normal, after all, the abdominal cavity once opened two holes both in the front and rear; even for someone as strong as Yan Xie, it would take at least half a year to replenish that blood and energy.
The car stopped at the bottom of the steps. Yan Xie didn't take the umbrella anymore, he directly opened the door and jumped down, and suddenly made an "ouch".
"What's the matter," Ma Xiang turned from the driver's seat, only to see Yan Xie clutching his lower back, and immediately rejoiced: "Brother Yan, your waist, are you overdoing it at night? Listen to my advice, don't act like a wolf when you are middle-aged. No wonder Consultant Lu wants to run away from home, he must be forced by you…"
"You know the shit," Yan Xie scolded, "Your consultant Lu loves my strong body to death. This is because of that suicidal fool who fell to the ground and hit me!"
Ma Xiang made an "Oooohhhh" expression before tossing the car keys and following Yan Xie upstairs.
Recently, there seem to be no major cases in Jianning's criminal scene. The robbery, extortion, murder, and drug trafficking reported by several key sub-bureaus were not serial nor involved guns, and the number of deaths was not more than three, so it was not at the level of requiring the Municipal Bureau to personally come forward.
Therefore, there was no overtime during this time. Everyone came at 9:00 in the morning and left at 5:00 in the evening, and the Criminal Investigation Division was filled with a rare leisurely and comfortable atmosphere.
"Hey, Old Yan, what's wrong with your waist?"
Yan Xie grimaced and covered his waist as he passed by the pantry, and was suddenly stopped by a familiar voice. He stopped and turned his head to look, only to see Qin Chuan boiling water to make instant coffee. He raised his chin at him, with faint tiredness on his face after staying up late.
"Hey, why does everyone care so much about my waist?" Yan Xie took a breath and touched his waist, and asked, "Let's be honest, brother, how long have you all coveted my attractive body?"
Qin Chuan sneered and knocked on the glass window behind him: "Which side of yours is good? You should get rid of this misconception. I only asked when I saw you twist your waist while coming upstairs. What happened, were you deceived by someone for sex and money until your kidneys had a deficiency?"
It was really true that good things didn't go out, and bad things spread thousands of miles. Now, the story of Division Vice-Captain Yan's being deceived and cuckolded could be regarded as spreading all over the land of China.
"F*ck off. Laozi doesn't have a kidney deficiency, you can try me." Yan Xie was so angry that he laughed: "What's with the smell on you?"
"What smell?"
"It's you…F*ck, have you been drinking?"
Qin Chuan sniffed at his cuff and suddenly realized "Oh": "No, it's raining these days and I'm a little rheumatic. Just now, the Captain helped me apply some medicinal wine, not to mention it's quite effective — You're here to apply it too?"
Yan Xie and Fang Zhenghong were at odds. Even if he wanted to visit the anti-drug division just now, he was too lazy to go there when he heard the name of Captain Fang. He waved his hand casually and said, "Forget it, there is also a medicine box over on the criminal investigation side. Don't think about coveting my young and handsome body with those old bones of yours."
"Sh*t-faced!" Qin Chuan walked out of the pantry with coffee and laughed while scolding him.
The habit of using medicinal wine was brought into the Criminal Investigation Division by Yan Xie. Sometimes, when he came back from the cold winter operation, his whole body would be completely frozen. Drinking two sips of medicinal wine to warm the blood and stomach could greatly reduce fever, cold, headache, and chances of rheumatism.
Yan Xie returned to the main office of the Criminal Investigation Division. There was still half an hour before getting off work, and he had nothing to do, so he took out the medicine box from the cabinet, took out the medicinal wine used last year, poured a small half glass, and took a sip first. Then he took the rest into the Division Vice-Captain's office and smeared it all over his lower back in front of the mirror.
"Hiss..."
It might be that he had a lot of strength, and the young man who was arguing about committing suicide looked obviously thin, but the weight that slammed down on him from behind the guardrail was quite heavy. Yan Xie was hit by him on the spot and lay on his back on the floor, there was a large piece of purple-red appeared on his lower back, and soon he saw more bruises that were interlaced with blue and red.
If Jiang Ting was at home, he would be able to use a hot towel to help him apply it — a thought suddenly popped into Yan Xie's mind.
He would lie comfortably on the bed, watching Jiang Ting carefully adjust the hot water, soak a towel with it, fold it into a square piece and press it on his lower back. Then Jiang Ting would massage with both of his hands. Although he didn't have much strength, he was very serious. After messaging for a while, he would be tired. Maybe he would lie on the big bed beside him, and tilt his head to talk to him…
Yan Xie stopped moving unconsciously and stared blankly at the phone on the table.
It's been three days.
In the past three days, there had been very few conversations between them. On the night Jiang Ting and Yang Mei left Jianning, Yan Xie took the initiative to send a message: [Where are you?]
Jiang Ting's reply was only a few words: [Sweeping the grave.]
[Sweeping whose grave? When are you coming back?]
[Tomorrow morning.]
The next day Yan Xie sent his subordinates to monitor the Sleepless Palace KTV, who came back and said that there was indeed a man and a woman who fit the characteristics driving a white Lexus car, and the car was parked downstairs at the KTV. The woman was fine, but the man's expression was very tired, and his face was vaguely pale and sick. The two were not very close, and they entered the KTV door one after another, and never came out again.
After hearing the news, Yan Xie didn't wait for even half a second, and immediately sent another WeChat message: [Are you back?]
No one knew that when he typed these three calm words, even his thumb was trembling slightly. His whole heart seemed to be tossed and turned on the fire, and then he saw that the dialogue box of Jiang Ting's state changed and became "Typing".
How will he respond to me? Where did he go?
Does he miss me as much as I miss him?
Yan Xie stared closely at the "Typing". If his eyes had lasers, the screen of the mobile phone would have melted out two holes at that moment.
But after a while, the typing state disappeared out of thin air. Yan Xie's face didn't have time to change color when it appeared again after a few seconds and disappeared again.
Jiang Ting never replied to him again.
—Why didn't you answer me? What the f*ck do you take me for?
Yan Xie was in his thirties this year, and he had long passed the age of youth, arrogance, and irrationality. But even if he could keep his temper, a man was somewhat uncontrollable when his lover left him out.
He held himself back for another day. On the third day of Jiang Ting's departure, the autumn rain outside the window was terrible, and no one was in the office. He finally couldn't control his hand again and picked up the mobile phone while gritting his teeth. He took a picture of his bruised lower back in front of the mirror with difficulty and was about to click send when suddenly the phone vibrated without warning.
Caller: Jiang Ting.
Yan Xie immediately stopped the hand that reached out to the green answer button, thinking you didn't answer me when I asked you, but I have to answer it immediately when you make a call?
Buzz—buzz—
The phone was still vibrating, emitting a faint light, reflecting Yan Xie's handsome face in the dimly lit office. After a few seconds, Yan Xie took a deep breath, and finally suppressed the anger of a 16-year-old high school boy who fell in love for the first time. He pressed the answer and said in a deep voice, "Hello?"
"Come out for a meal?"
"…What?"
Outside the gate of Jianning Municipal Bureau, across a busy street, the Mercedes-Benz G65 parked in the shade of a tree beside the sidewalk. Jiang Ting was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, a slender and fair hand was on the handbrake, and he was looking at the rustling world outside through the car window:
"I have something to discuss with you."
There was a rustling noise in the car's Bluetooth, then he heard Yan Xie ask, "What's the matter?"
"It's not about your marriage proposal, but it's also important."
"Why didn't you reply to me when I sent you a message yesterday?"
Jiang Ting was stunned, his dark pupils reflected in the rearview mirror.
"I'm asking you?" Yan Xie's tone was raised slightly, with an oppressive pressure in his calmness, "Where did you go with Yang Mei the day before yesterday? Why didn't you reply to me yesterday?"
In the Division Vice-Captain's office, the door was suddenly knocked on twice and then opened in response. A familiar voice raised and asked, "Who are you talking to, who ignored you?"
Yan Xie turned around.
Deputy Chief Wei.
"My leader is here, can't talk to you for now." Yan Xie was not flustered and met Wei Yao's gaze steadily, and at the same time reprimanded on the phone impatiently: "What meal, I'm not eating. You make it clear with that surname Yang first. Everyone is an adult, what the hell with having both feet in different boats? Do you think it's so easy for me to wear a green hat?! — Let's not talk about it like this, I still have a job. Let's get back in touch again."
Deputy Chief Wei was still a little itchy to ask questions, which was also the normal desire of the elderly to guide the emotional life of the younger generation. However, Yan Xie's hint of holding a gun and carrying a stick blocked his preaching heart, and he didn't dare to ask. Seeing that Yan Xie hung up the phone in anger, he tentatively asked with a "Hey": "A quarrel?"
"..." Yan Xie waved his hand as if restraining his irritability, and forced a smile: "Chief Wei is looking for me for something?"
Is this about love? Which girl did you find? When young comrades fall in love these days, why don't they exchange ideas and hearts with the team?
Deputy Chief Wei murmured and said, "Lao Lu has been looking for you for a long time, and no one has informed you — there is an urgent matter about Jiangyang County, you need to hurry up and come with me."
Another "urgent matter".
There was no abnormality on Yan Xie's face, but his sensitive nerves jumped slightly as if he suddenly vaguely felt something.
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1[*T/N: Referring to rice or millet wine.]
2[*T/N: In Chinese, both characters 他 (Tā) for he and 她 (Tā) for she are pronounced the same, so the young man couldn't tell whether Yan Xie was talking about a man or a woman.]
3[*T/N: Idiom – One who has seen the world doesn't stop at small things.]
4[*T/N: Lu Xun, one of the earliest and best-known modern Chinese writers.]