Tiannan College - Kapitel 7
Suddenly, a beam of light shone from the backyard, indicating that someone else was interested in the ruins. Jiaming gestured for Jianrou to be quiet, and the two waited silently in the darkness for the person to approach. Jianrou's breath was right next to his ear, making Jiaming's neck tickle. Jianrou instinctively took Jiaming's arm, and Jiaming felt himself blushing from his face to his neck. Luckily, it was dark and no one could see.
Suddenly, a bright beam of flashlight shone directly at him, and Jiaming couldn't open his eyes for a moment. He threw a punch at his opponent.
"Hey, it's me." The person grabbed Jiaming's arm.
"Who?" Jiaming's eyes were still adjusting to the bright light, and he couldn't see the man's face clearly.
"Detective Zhang..." Jian Rou called out softly.
"What are you doing sneaking around here? I almost beat you up." Jiaming flexed his wrist, which Zhang Zhi had grabbed.
"Brother, thank goodness I'm not as impulsive as you. Guns don't have eyes. You say I'm sneaking around? I'm a cop, I should be asking you why you're here." Zhang Zhi was both annoyed and amused.
"Inspecting the company's fire scene is a legitimate reason."
Zhang Zhi looked at Jian Rou, then at Jia Ming, and said "Oh" as if waking from a dream.
"What are you doing here, talking so sarcasticly?" Jiaming felt his face was about to turn into a tomato again, so he quickly changed the subject.
“Here,” Zhang Zhi held out his hand, revealing a silver lighter. “This is my most precious keepsake. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I thought it must have fallen here, so I came to look for it, and I actually found it.”
Jiaming and Jianrou glanced at each other subconsciously, both with questions in their eyes.
"I'm leaving, what about you guys?" Zhang Zhi carefully wiped his lighter.
“We,” Jiaming felt that Jianrou’s palms were already sweaty, “we’ll go too, let’s talk about it tomorrow during the day.”
Two beams of flashlight pierced the darkness. Jiaming suddenly felt something soft beneath his feet, as if he had stepped on something. The flashlight shone on his feet, and it looked like a charred corpse. Startled, he couldn't help but gasp.
“It’s not human,” Zhang Zhi said, squatting down to examine it.
"It looks like a cat?" Jiaming wondered, bending down to examine it as well.
Suddenly, there was a dull thud, and Jian Rou collapsed without even having time to make a sound.
twelve
When Jian Rou opened her eyes again, it was already daytime. A disheveled head lay beside her, with stubble and deep dark circles under his eyes; Jia Ming must have been exhausted. Jian Rou felt a lump in her throat and wanted to cry. She tilted her head back, letting the warm, salty tears flow backward.
The nurse pushed open the door, followed by Luo Xiuqing and her husband, and Zhang Zhi. Jian Rou wanted to speak, but no sound came out as she moved her lips.
Xiaoju was both surprised and sad, and tears streamed down her face. In just a few days, she felt much closer to Jianrou. Jiaming was awakened by the noise and, seeing that Jianrou was already awake, grinned.
"Brother, go home, take a shower, and get some sleep. Jian Rou is already awake, so you can rest assured. Xiu Qing and I will be here during the day." Xiao Ju felt really sorry for her brother, who had been up for two days straight.
Jian Rou was speechless, and something sparkled in her eyes.
"I'll take a shower and come back. You're not allowed to fall asleep again, understand?" Jiaming instructed Jianrou.
Jian Rou blinked twice, her expression urging Jia Ming to go home and rest. Only then did Jia Ming reluctantly leave.
After examining Jian Rou, the doctor announced that she was out of danger but needed to be observed.
"Ms. Jane, I have two simple questions for you. Just answer yes or no." Zhang Zhi asked the doctor his permission.
Jian Rou looked at him with difficulty, indicating that she was temporarily unable to speak.
“Okay, one blink means yes, two blinks mean no.” Zhang Zhi thought for a moment.
Jian Rou blinked; she agreed.
Did you see the person who attacked you that day?
Jane blinked twice slowly and clearly.
"Did you see what attacked you?"
She blinked twice. Jian Rou looked at Zhang Zhi apologetically; it seemed she didn't know any more than him.
“Alright, Ms. Jian, please get some rest. We’ll talk again once you’ve recovered.” Zhang Zhi stood up to take his leave.
Zhang Zhi was furious. Someone had been ambushed right before his eyes, yet he couldn't find a single clue. Had he really become so oblivious? Or perhaps, as the rumors suggested, the perpetrator was a ghost? Because at the fire scene, there was no suspicion of arson. And then there were the mysterious deaths of the Japanese man and the watchman. Zhang Zhi considered himself a staunch atheist, but this incident had left him uncertain. He knew that what he needed to do was find that single thread in this tangled mess, and then everything would become clear.
The fire scene needed to be cleared today, meaning he had to quickly conduct one last thorough inspection; he was confident he could find some clues. Stepping out of the hospital, Zhang Zhi saw someone waiting for him. The unshaven Jiaming took a deep drag on his cigarette; he was utterly exhausted.
Perhaps this is what it's like when someone falls in love. Zhang Zhi looked at Jiaming: "So, are you still coming to the scene with me?"
"Enough with the chit-chat, let's go." Jiaming was very dissatisfied with Zhang Zhi's mocking tone. "I don't believe anyone would dare to hurt someone right under our noses."
"Now the people are saying it's haunted, and everyone is terrified," Zhang Zhi said thoughtfully.
"You believe in ghosts?"
"I don't believe it. But the spread of rumors can't be stopped until the case is solved."
"We're sure to find a clue." Jiaming seemed to be encouraging himself, or perhaps summarizing his statement.
As they were talking, they arrived at the warehouse. The policeman guarding the yard saw Zhang Zhi and saluted from afar.
"The cat was found here that day, right?" Zhang Zhi pointed to a charred mark on the wall. The cat's body was gone, and only charred fat and cat hair clung to the wall, making it look black, as if the cat's soul was trapped there as well.
"Yes, it should be here. How did it disappear? Could it be just my imagination?"
"Is this warehouse used to store wine?" Zhang Zhi squatted down, fiddling with the wood chips on the ground.
“Yes, they’re all barrels of wine.” Jiaming looked around.
"The warehouse was well-sealed and had very complete fire prevention measures, so the fire was indeed very strange."
"Yes, all the workers were out moving drinks that day, and in just a few hours, a whole area was burned down. Luckily, no one was hurt, so we can only say we're fortunate."
"What kind of wood are the wine barrels made of?" Zhang Zhi suddenly blurted out.
"Oak, I think. Why are you asking?" Jiaming replied.
"It's nothing, I just thought of asking. Let's go check out the house that caught fire first; maybe we'll find some clues."
Thirteen
At Xiaoju's insistence, Jianrou moved into Xiaoju and Luo Xiuqing's home after being discharged from the hospital. Luo Xiuqing wasn't too keen on it; he wasn't used to mixing work and personal life, and to him, Jianrou was someone from the company. Xiaoju laughed at Luo Xiuqing, calling him a hermit crab who wanted to monopolize his nest. Luo Xiuqing knew that although Xiaoju was gentle, she wouldn't easily compromise when she was determined. Although Jiaming didn't say anything, it was obvious to everyone that he warmly welcomed Jianrou's arrival. Two to one, Luo Xiuqing agreed to compromise.
Jian Rou was much calmer than before her injury, as she hadn't returned to work because she wasn't fully recovered. Although she was recuperating at home, she continued to help Luo Xiuqing with the company's paperwork every day.
Jiaming wasn't happy. Although Jianrou had moved into his home, the distance between them hadn't shortened; instead, they felt estranged. Jiaming tried to reassure himself that it was just his imagination. Girls should always be reserved, and the doctor had said that the severe head injury might cause Jianrou temporary depression. Besides, his most important task now was to find the person who hurt Jianrou.
Since taking Doctor Yu's herbal medicine, Xiaoju's health improved day by day, and her face showed a rare healthy glow. Because she had promised to keep it a secret, Xiaoju didn't tell Jianrou. Fortunately, Jianrou recovered quickly, so Xiaoju didn't feel so guilty. In their spare time, the two of them would always whisper to each other; girls always have endless secrets to share when they're together.
“Xiaoju, we look so alike!” Jian Rou looked at herself and Xiaoju in the mirror.
"Really?" Xiaoju observed carefully. Yes, her eyebrows and eyes were seven-tenths similar to Jian Rou's, except that Jian Rou was a size bigger than Xiaoju. Xiaoju knew in her heart that the Hibiscus Soup was indeed working, and she was really becoming more and more beautiful every day.
"How come I never noticed before? Xiaoju, you're the kind of little beauty that grows on you." Jian Rou tapped the tip of Xiaoju's nose.
"Jian Rou, I've never told you this secret before. You won't blame me, will you?"
"Fool, what secret? Are we long-lost sisters?"
"Actually, I wasn't good-looking to begin with. It was the egg drop soup that made me look so bad, Jian Rou... I should have taken you to see that doctor. Maybe you would have recovered faster that way."
"Hehe, don't talk nonsense. You're naturally very beautiful. As for medicine, I've had enough. Please, don't tell me about taking medicine or seeing a doctor." Jian Rou exaggeratedly frowned and pretended to vomit.
"Jian Rou, I'm glad you're not angry. I promised to keep it a secret, that's why I haven't told you for so long."
"How could I be angry? I'm in great health and have a tough life. I'm not afraid of even the most wicked ghosts."
"Pah, pah, pah! Children say the darndest things, Jian Rou, you can't talk such big words."
Jian Rou smiled nonchalantly, letting Xiao Ju slap her hand on the table three times.
"Ring~~~" The phone rang.
"I'll answer it, it's Xiuqing." Xiaoju quickly picked up the phone.
As expected, it was Luo Xiuqing calling. Xiaoju said a few words, looking a little disappointed, "Xiuqing isn't coming back for dinner. Jianrou, you listen, Xiuqing has something to tell you about the company."
Jian Rou took the phone and hurriedly scribbled something down on a piece of paper.
"Xiaoju, I'm going to organize some documents for President Luo. We'll talk later." Jian Rou hung up the phone and started working.