mauvaises graines - Chapitre 42
"You think I'd tell you? Go ahead and arrest me if you dare, but I heard that torture is no longer allowed." He laughed arrogantly, his eyes dark and sinister.
“We captured Old Chun yesterday. He didn’t save you, and you didn’t stay in Tongtian Village for six months. You were in the Manxi tribe’s settlement for those six months, weren’t you?”
Lu Mingjie was a little surprised. He used Lao Chuntou as a cover, hoping that Tongtian Village would be far away and communication would be inconvenient, and it would take at least four or five days to verify his words.
"What kind of place is that?" Xu Haicheng became inexplicably nervous. "Is Fang Li... there too?" He looked at Lu Mingjie with expectant eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Lu Mingjie had regained his composure. "How would I know where Fang Li is?"
“I’ve been wondering if you’ll become a ruthless person because of this change, but you visited Professor Ma twice in five days, and you looked so sad sitting next to him just now. I know you’re still the same person you were before. Although you’re a bit extreme, you’re still kind at heart.”
Lu Mingjie scoffed, "Kindness."
Ignoring his reaction, Xu Haicheng continued, "I've also been wondering why you sent that threatening email? Was it because you hated them for using Mansi culture for show, or were you warning them that someone would harm them?"
The sneer on Lu Mingjie's face vanished instantly, and he turned to look at Xu Haicheng, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.
“Judging from your expression, I think it’s the latter. You know someone is trying to harm them, right?” Xu Haicheng coaxed. “Lu Mingjie, tell me who it is. Four people have already died, and I don’t want any more murders to happen.”
Lu Mingjie lowered his eyes, then looked up again after a moment, saying expressionlessly, "You're wrong. I'm not kind." With that, he turned and left.
Xu Haicheng rubbed his temples, his head aching; days of hard work had left him utterly exhausted. Leaning against a tree trunk, he wanted to light a cigarette to refresh himself when he caught sight of Hawke standing not far away, her white lab coat standing out starkly against the desolate trees. He wondered how long she had been standing there, or what she had heard.
The memory of that drunken night at the bar was still vivid in Xu Haicheng's mind. He lit a cigarette, feeling dejected, and thought that what had to be faced must be faced.
Hawke walked towards him and said calmly, "The nurse informed me of your arrival."
"Oh?" Xu Haicheng was a little puzzled.
"Because Ma Junnan fell ill last time you came, they were afraid that history would repeat itself this time, so they notified me."
Xu Haicheng smiled and pointed to the tree-lined path in the backyard, saying, "Perfect, come for a walk with me."
The sun was setting in the west, and the light filtered through the sparse branches, falling on us without any warmth. Xu Haicheng exhaled a smoke ring, watching it dissipate in the wind, and said, "When I first met you, I found it strange that such a gentle and refined gentleman would be called Hawk?"
“Hawk, an eagle, a predator, a hawk.” Hawke calmly closed the book. “Don’t you think I am?”
Xu Haicheng tilted his head and looked him over carefully, saying, "Looking at you now, I realize that you look more like your mother than your father."
“Yes, I also think I’m too delicate-looking.” Hawke stroked his chin. “Now I finally know whose son I am. I thought you would have found out much sooner.”
“Hmm, it seems you’re not planning to hide anything from me. You made it very clear at the bar, but I just didn’t catch it,” Xu Haicheng said. “I’ve heard a lot about you. You don’t like business, you like studying psychology, and you’re quite well-known in the clinical psychology field in the United States.”
"To be honest, there is some truth to it, roughly equivalent to your reputation in the Nampo City police force."
Was it a coincidence that he became my therapist?
"You could say that, or you could say that. Your boss values talent and wants to find you a good doctor, and I happen to be a doctor..." Xu Haicheng grinned, and Hawke pretended not to see it and continued, "Of course he doesn't know me, but a city leader happened to mention me to him one day."
"You knew all along that Ma Junnan was lying?"
"Pretty much. I'm a doctor, after all. His emotional changes before and after seeing you were too sudden. And I feel that he hasn't lost his memory, he's just afraid to remember, but his memories torment him every day. He's a pitiful person."
Xu Haicheng recalled asking him if Ma Junnan's recovery had been sudden, and how he had confidently replied that it hadn't at all. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Why should I tell you? Do you know why I like psychology? Humans can land on the moon, but we still know nothing about the human mind. I enjoy watching people struggle and despair when faced with negative emotions like fear, loneliness, and loss. So, I'll treat your situation with Ma Junnan as a good show, watching your struggles and his cautiousness. Life is boring, especially for people like me. We're born with everything at our fingertips, we don't need to strive or struggle. I have to find some fun for myself..."
"So you told your father about it."
“I didn’t think that way at first, and I didn’t intend to tell Dad about it. Later, when you came to my house, I stood at the bottom of the stairs and listened to you talking to my dad. I didn’t like your tone, especially when you mentioned my sister.” Hawke’s eyes turned cold. “Actually, it would have been easy for my father to suspend you. I just gave him a little hint.”
"I see." A moment later, the sunlight completely disappeared, leaving only a pale white cloud on the horizon. Xu Haicheng felt a chill. "Your father started the cultural festival to avenge your sister?" On the way here, he had already deduced that Yu Congrong's purpose in launching the festival was to avenge Yu Yan. He already knew the truth about the destruction of the Mansi ancient tomb, and he also knew that joining forces with Huang Yisen and Lei Yunshan to launch the Mansi Cultural Festival would incite the hatred of the Mansi descendants, who would definitely seek revenge. Therefore, he had specifically assigned a large number of bodyguards to protect him.
“He truly loved the Mansi culture. You don’t know I have a secret room in my house filled with exquisite Mansi artifacts. He also truly hated them; they killed my sister, my sister…”
Xu Haicheng suppressed the anger slowly rising within him, "Do you know that because of his ulterior motives, he has caused the deaths of several innocent people?"
“Isn’t my sister innocent?” Hawke glanced at him sideways and said, “My sister has always loved beauty since she was little. She looks in the mirror seventeen or eighteen times a day. Every time she buys new clothes, she can’t wait to run to me and ask, ‘Brother, do I look good?’ Do you know what she looked like when she died? Her entire right cheek was corroded to the nerves, twisted into a ball, and covered in blood…” He couldn’t continue, biting his lip, his eyes filled with hatred.
After a moment, he calmed down slightly and continued, "My mother's health wasn't good to begin with, and because of this blow, she's become quite confused. She calls any girl her age 'Yan Yan.'" Hawke's gaze flickered as he looked at Xu Haicheng. "Sometimes she calls her 'Xiao Li' too..."
Xu Haicheng looked slightly saddened.
“I don’t agree with many of my father’s things, but when he said he wanted to avenge my sister, I immediately agreed to go back to China. I’m not a saint; I can’t overcome hatred.”
Xu Haicheng turned his head to look at him, and he met his gaze, making no attempt to hide the hatred and murderous intent in his eyes. The two stared at each other for a moment, as dusk slowly fell and a light gray night mist gathered around them.
After a long pause, Xu Haicheng asked, "That day you helped me with hypnosis to regain my memories..." He suddenly felt a bitter taste in his mouth and couldn't continue.
Hawke understood what he meant and said, "That's your problem. If you can't overcome your fear of death, how can you regain your memories? Of course, if you die, I won't feel guilty. That's your own choice."
Although Xu Haicheng was somewhat prepared, he still felt as if he had been punched in the chest. He gave a wry smile and said, "I thought you considered me a friend."
“Friend…” Hawke murmured repeatedly, his expression shifting unpredictably.
"Tell your father to take care of himself." After saying this, Xu Haicheng turned to leave, but suddenly remembered something, turned to look at Hawke for a long time, and hesitated to speak.
Hawke raised an eyebrow impatiently. "You're not the type to fuss over nothing."
"You often inquire about Fang Li, is it because..." Xu Haicheng found it difficult to express himself, and simply looked at Hawke.
Hawke looked puzzled. "What is it?"
"It's nothing." Xu Haicheng walked away without looking back.
Hawke chose another direction and slowly walked back to his office. He sat down in a chair, all his previous coldness and impatience gone, as was his usual gentle composure. Now he was expressionless, his gaze deep. From the window, he could see Xu Haicheng's back as he walked through the empty courtyard gate. He casually opened a drawer and took out the top photo.
In the photo, Fang Li is eighteen, just admitted to university, still carrying the naiveté of a young girl; in the photo, he is twenty-one, preparing to study in the United States, full of anticipation for a bright future. The two stand side by side under the wisteria tree in the Yu family garden, the summer branches and leaves swaying behind them, like their youthful days…