Ghost Stocks

Chapter 43

Feng Junzi walked directly to the metal cabinet. It was a fairly common, high-end metal filing cabinet, with a combination lock similar to a safe. Feng Junzi turned the dial on the lock while muttering something to himself. He wore black gloves, a hood tightly covering his head, and shoe covers like those used in hospital intensive care units. After a short while, Feng Junzi opened the cabinet door and pulled out a green folder. Just then, there seemed to be a noise outside the window, and Feng Junzi quickly turned to look.

A rope had been hanging down outside the window sometime during the day, swaying constantly. It seemed someone was climbing down from the rooftop using it. Feng Junzi rushed to the window, glanced up, whispered something to the air beside him, and then muttered to himself, "That brat has some conscience, but he's taking too much risks!"

...

The "brat" Feng Junzi was referring to was Chang Wu, who was on the rope. Chang Wu was dressed in dark clothes, similar to Feng Junzi, and used the rope to slide down to the eighth-floor window. He first secured himself to the rope, then took out a small suction cup and a glass cutter from his bag. He reached out and tried to open the window, but to his surprise, it opened easily.

Chang Wu slid into the room, landing softly without making a sound. He cautiously looked around, shone a small flashlight around, and then went to the metal cabinet. He frowned when he saw the combination lock on the cabinet, took out several tools of various shapes from his bag, and tried the cabinet door handle. To his surprise, the door opened again—the filing cabinet hadn't been locked at all!

Chang Wu shone his flashlight into the filing cabinet and saw a green folder among the three rows of documents, half of which was pulled out. He casually pulled it out, opened it, and, with a pleased expression, put it in his pocket. After putting the folder away, Chang Wu took out the documents one by one from the cabinet, quickly reviewed them, and then put three or four more documents into his pocket. He closed the cabinet door and walked back to the window.

Chang Wu had just climbed onto the windowsill when a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart. He felt that he wasn't alone in the room, that someone else was observing him in the darkness. Besides, today's success had been too easy. But he didn't have time to think about it further in this environment. He shook his head and left through the window.

...

Seeing the rope outside the window being pulled back upstairs, Feng Junzi crawled out from behind the sofa. He carefully examined any possible traces left on the windowsill and found that Chang Wu's method was very clean; his feet hadn't even touched the windowsill, he had simply swung in by pushing open the window. Feng Junzi closed the window and went to the filing cabinet. Unlike Chang Wu, he didn't flip through the documents one by one, but instead opened the plastic woven bag he carried with him—the kind used for luggage and bedding. He threw all the documents from the three rows of filing shelves into the bag, then opened Sun Weidong's desk and emptied all the odds and ends from the drawer into it as well.

Feng Junzi was clearly struggling as he carried a heavy bag out. He said in a low voice as he walked, "Ya Zi, you go ahead and scout ahead. If anything happens, just shout loudly. No one can hear you anyway."

...

The next morning, around ten o'clock, Sun Weidong strolled leisurely into his office, took out his key, unlocked the door, leaned back in his chair, and smiled smugly with his eyes closed. He was thinking about the girl named Lin Zhenzhen, whom he had acquired a couple of days ago. He had been eyeing this girl for a long time, but hadn't had the time to make a move on her. Unexpectedly, she had taken the opportunity to come to him. So what if she was chaste and virtuous? No woman he, Sun, had set his sights on could escape him!

He thought to himself that this girl was really something. He didn't like girls who were too docile and easily swayed; they were too boring. Lin Zhenzhen had tried to resist, but he had ultimately succeeded. He recalled her feeble struggles and the alluring bounce of her breasts during those struggles, and a certain part of his body couldn't help but feel excited again. He remembered that he had recorded the whole thing. His purpose in recording wasn't to blackmail her, and he wasn't afraid she would report him. He wanted to preserve the experience for himself, to derive greater pleasure from it. The video was in his desk drawer; now he could take it out and enjoy it.

Sun Weidong grinned lewdly as he opened the drawer, only to find it empty. He looked down and saw it was completely empty! He quickly opened all the other drawers—all empty too! As if struck by a sudden realization, Sun Weidong turned to open the metal cabinet door. After turning the combination three times, the door opened, only to find it also empty! Panicked, Sun Weidong instinctively grabbed the phone on the table to call the police, but then put it down—he couldn't call the police for this, because some of the stolen items couldn't be known to them!

After a while, Sun Weidong finally came to his senses from the panic. He cursed angrily, "I was too careless! I never thought that someone would dare to mess with me in Binhai!" He grabbed the phone and called out to someone, "You all wait for me at the usual place. Call everyone else too. Something's happened here!"

...

While Sun Weidong was gathering his men, Chang Wu was also meeting Feng Junzi in a private room at a bar. This was exactly what Feng Junzi had expected, but he pretended not to know anything. When he saw Chang Wu, he still had a cold expression, but the resentment he felt towards Chang Wu was gradually subsiding. Lin Zhenzhen's matter wasn't Chang Wu's fault, and he had personally witnessed Chang Wu risking his life to steal the night before. For others, burglary might not be a very serious crime, but Chang Wu was different. As the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team, the price he paid for such a risky act was likely to be much greater than for ordinary people.

Chang Wu closed the door, handed Feng Junzi a few documents, and said calmly, "I managed to get these things. What do you think we should do now?"

Feng Junzi didn't speak, but opened the document and began to read it carefully. He read it quickly, but after finishing, he read it again carefully from beginning to end. After the second reading, it seemed not enough, so he read it a third time, carefully examining it. More than an hour later, he looked up at Chang Wu and said, "Officer Chang, do you want to report a case?"

Chang Wu frowned and said in a deep voice, "I don't know what to do either."

Feng Junzi closed the documents: "These documents can send Sun Weidong and Zhou Song to prison or even be executed, but Lin Zhenzhen will also go to jail!"

Chang Wu: "You and I both know that Lin Zhenzhen is innocent."

Feng Junzi: "You know that, and I know that too, but the judge won't believe it. You're a police officer, you should understand that the court is based on evidence, and this evidence is enough to convict Lin Zhenzhen."

Chang Wu: "But this is a shocking case. It's one thing for Sun Weidong to use a foreign trade company for smuggling, but he also smuggled Japanese nuclear waste into the country and illegally provided storage sites. And Zhou Song is actually his accomplice, using the restructuring of a listed company to launder money! If this matter is exposed, even if they have the strongest backing, they won't be able to cover it up."

Feng Junzi: "So, are you going to report it to the police or not?"

Chang Wu: "I think we should report this to the police. If we don't, we're not Chinese."

Feng Junzi: "What about Lin Zhenzhen?"

Chang Wu: "I don't know what to do either. You always have a solution, don't you think?"

Feng Junzi: "Let's not talk about that for now. May I ask where you got these documents?"

Chang Wu: "You don't need to worry about that. I have my own way of doing it."

Feng Junzi: "I see that all these materials are originals, not a single one is a photocopy. I suspect you stole them. If Sun Weidong or Zhou Song discovers these materials are missing, Lin Zhenzhen will be in immediate danger. Have you thought about that?"

Chang Wu: "Even if I stole it, what does that have to do with Lin Zhenzhen?"

Feng Junzi: "When Sun Weidong discovers the materials are missing, his first suspicion will be about whoever had access to them. As far as I know, Lin Zhenzhen personally saw these documents in Sun Weidong's office and also witnessed him taking them out of the filing cabinet. If I were Sun Weidong, I would also suspect Lin Zhenzhen. Moreover, given Sun Weidong's methods, he will take action regardless of whether there is evidence or not. Wouldn't that put Lin Zhenzhen in danger?"

Chang Wu: "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Feng Junzi: "You're the one who caused this mess, so I'm giving you a task: do your best to protect Lin Zhenzhen's safety."

Chang Wu: "I know that, but I can't follow her around every day."

Feng Junzi: "There is another way to completely eliminate the problem, which is to let Sun Weidong know who stole the materials. However, this method is rather risky."

Chang Wu: "Do you want me to tell Sun Weidong and warn him not to do anything reckless?"

Feng Junzi: "It can't be you, you're a policeman. Let me handle this. If all else fails, I'll call Sun Weidong and tell him the materials are in my hands. That will also be a way to blackmail him."

Chang Wu: "If you didn't steal it, why are you carrying it on your back?"

Feng Junzi: "Give me the materials, and you can pretend you know nothing about this. Remember that!"

Part Four: A Pair of Chopsticks, Chapter 28: I am always thinking, therefore I am.

"Lingdang, do you believe in ghosts?" Feng Junzi asked Taomu Ling, sitting at the dining table.

Peachwood Bell: "I believe."

Tao Muling's straightforward answer surprised Feng Junzi: "I thought that with your education, you should be considered a highly educated person. How could you believe in ghosts?"

Peach Bell: "That's not surprising. The ghosts we're talking about aren't the same thing. My major is psychology, which studies the human mental world. Everything in the mental world is a projection of the real world onto people's minds. If the phenomenon of ghosts exists in people's minds, then ghosts exist."

Feng Junzi blinked: "The world is a dialectical and abstract existence. So you believe in Hegel's philosophy."

Tao Muling: "You can't say that. It's hard to find a philosophical school of thought to be the root of this major. The theory of Freud, the father of neuroanalysis, is still a scientific myth, or rather, modern theology. My mentor once told us in class about a saying that was popular in contemporary China."

Feng Junzi: "What words? Haven't I heard them before?"

Peach Bell: "You must have heard that in the old society people were turned into ghosts, and in the new society ghosts are turned into people."

Upon hearing this, Feng Junzi burst into laughter, and after a long pause, he said, "So that's what you meant. Does your mentor also promote socialism?"

Peach Bell: "It's not what you think. Our mentor only meant to study the mental phenomena of social groups, not to say that one phenomenon is better or worse than another."

Feng Junzi: "Sartre once said, 'No situation is freer than another.' So your mentor was an existentialist."

Momoko Rin: "It doesn't seem to be like that. My mentor belongs to the Jungian school, and his research specialty is personality analysis. I don't know what the connection is with existentialism. But he did tell us that 'ghosts are also a kind of existence,' and I think you understand what I mean."

Feng Junzi: "A threshold becomes a threshold not because of what it is, but because of its location."

Peach Bell: "Who said that?"

Feng Junzi: "From Aristotle's Metaphysics."

Tao Muling looked at Feng Junzi with a slightly surprised expression and said, "Your erudition surprises me. We rarely discuss such in-depth issues when we communicate with our Chinese counterparts. The West often thinks that contemporary Chinese scholars lack spirituality."

Feng Junzi sighed: "I heard the same thing from an annoying guy in a restaurant. There's nothing we can do about it; this place has its own set of philosophies."

Peach Bell: "Can philosophy be legalized? Can the phenomenon of the soul be legislated, or can legislation be enacted to determine whether ghosts and gods exist? This is not something determined by secular rules."

Feng Junzi: "You live in the West, yet you've forgotten its history. In medieval Europe, not only was philosophy legally recognized, but even religion and theology had their own legal status. What's so surprising about coming here now!"

Peach Bell looked into Feng Junzi's eyes thoughtfully and asked, "Why are you suddenly bringing this up with me today? It seems you really did see a ghost. What kind of soul is that? Could I see one too?"

Feng Junzi: "I know I can't hide it from you. I really did see a ghost, and it was my own doing. But you can't see her because you can't see or hear her."

Peach Bell: "I have a way. As long as you can touch it, I can touch it too. Can you cooperate with me to do a small experiment?"

Feng Junzi quickly waved his hand: "Let's forget it. Now is not the time for you to meet. We'll talk about it later."

...

Feng Junzi and Tao Muling were getting along better and better. He rarely had anyone to have such conversations with, and he even felt like he had met a kindred spirit. However, when he was with Lin Zhenzhen, he didn't know how to handle his feelings. After not seeing her for a few days, Lin Zhenzhen looked much more haggard and seemed like a different person. She was no longer the tomboy she used to be, and even her eyes were dim and flickering, unwilling to meet Feng Junzi's gaze.

Feng Junzi met Lin Zhenzhen, but upon seeing her, he didn't know how to begin. He simply handed her a stack of documents. Lin Zhenzhen took the folder and began flipping through the pages. As she read, her face and eyes flushed, and her breathing became rapid. Before Lin Zhenzhen could speak, Feng Junzi spoke first: "Chang Wu obtained these things at great risk. Don't ask how he got them. Someone might have used these things to threaten you, but you don't need to be afraid anymore... Have you finished reading?"

"I've finished reading it." Lin Zhenzhen's voice was a little hoarse.

"Give it back to me when you're done reading it." Feng Junzi took the document, lit a lighter, and the document disappeared page by page in the flame.

Lin Zhenzhen asked in surprise, "Why did you burn it? These are all evidence of the crime!"

Feng Junzi replied expressionlessly, "These are indeed pieces of evidence, evidence of Sun Weidong's crimes, and also evidence of your crimes. When Chang Wu gave me the materials, he said something like, 'The purpose of catching bad guys is to protect good guys, so we cannot harm good guys while the bad guys are caught, otherwise we would lose the original purpose.' That's why I destroyed them in front of you."

Lin Zhenzhen gritted her teeth and said, "I'd rather die with these people."

Feng Junzi: "Zhenzhen, don't do this. You did nothing wrong. Don't let Chang Wu's good intentions go to waste. As a policeman, he has already made a mistake by breaking and entering. Destroying evidence is making things worse. So he can't do this in front of you. That's why he specifically asked me to come see you."

Lin Zhenzhen lowered her head and said, "Thank you."

Feng Junzi: "Don't thank me. Thank Chang Wu. I didn't do anything. There's one thing I need to tell you: let's pretend today's events never happened. Don't mention this to your family, friends, or anyone else, including Chang Wu and me, or you'll harm yourself and implicate Chang Wu as well."

Lin Zhenzhen looked at the ashes on the ground: "What a pity, letting these people continue to get away with it."

Feng Junzi: "You can't think like that. My thoughts are different from Chang Wu's. He believes that evidence is a means of punishing bad people, but he doesn't know what kind of secret is the most threatening secret."

Lin Zhenzhen: "What do you mean?"

Feng Junzi: "The real threat is a secret that doesn't even exist. Sun Weidong is definitely trying his best to find these materials now, but he will never be able to get them back. He will live in fear forever... Zhenzhen, do you still want to work at the newspaper? Have you thought about changing jobs?"

Lin Zhenzhen: "A while ago, a magazine wanted me to work for them, but..."

Seeing Lin Zhenzhen's hesitant expression, Feng Junzi couldn't help but whisper, "There's something else I need to tell you. It's not just these few documents that are missing from Sun Weidong's office; almost everything is gone—the filing cabinets and the things in his desk are all gone. It might be haunted. You shouldn't stay in a haunted place; you should leave immediately."

Lin Zhenzhen then raised her head: "Is what you said true? Everything in Sun Weidong's desk is gone? What happened? Where did they all go?"

Feng Junzi: "Of course it's true. They might have wrapped it with stones and thrown it into the sea... As I just said, from now on, we should pretend this never happened. Don't mention it to anyone, including me and Chang Wu."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Does Chang Wu know that there is... a video recording in Sun Weidong's desk?"

Feng Junzi: "Chang Wu doesn't know, but that video recording is gone. Even the computer hard drive in the room has been taken away. Don't mention this matter again. It's all in the past."

Lin Zhenzhen: "I will go back to the reporter station immediately to complete the resignation procedures."

Feng Junzi: "Chang Wu said he'd be waiting for you at the entrance of your reporter station at 3:30 this afternoon to help you pack. It's almost time now, you should go. Don't keep him waiting."

...

Feng Junzi thought he had handled Lin Zhenzhen's matter quickly enough, but he had also overlooked something. Lin Zhenzhen's decisive resignation immediately alerted Sun Weidong, and around 10 p.m. that night, Feng Junzi heard the news that Chang Wu was injured.

The incident occurred around 8 PM. The assailant's target wasn't Chang Wu, but rather Lin Zhenzhen, who was with him. The incident took place on the way to Lin Zhenzhen's dormitory. That afternoon, Chang Wu accompanied Lin Zhenzhen to submit her resignation, quickly packed her things in the office, and had dinner with her. After dinner, he accompanied Lin Zhenzhen to the reporter's dormitory to pack up her other belongings. Although Lin Zhenzhen's parents lived in Binhai, she had a Beijing hukou (household registration) and was considered an out-of-towner transferred to work in Binhai. The reporter's station had also provided her with a single dormitory room, and Lin Zhenzhen often stayed in the dormitory instead of going home.

Chang Wu and Lin Zhenzhen were attacked while walking down a deserted street. Although Chang Wu wasn't a martial arts master like Xiao Zhengrong, he was still quite skilled compared to ordinary people and might have been able to handle the three thugs. However, the attack happened too suddenly. Chang Wu only had time to raise his arm to block the first blow aimed at Lin Zhenzhen before he could counterattack, knocking down two of them. When the third one tried to attack, Chang Wu stepped in front of Lin Zhenzhen and shouted, "If you don't stop, I'll shoot!" Chang Wu wasn't actually carrying a gun, but his shout scared the three away. Lin Zhenzhen supported Chang Wu from behind, her hands covered in blood.

When Chang Wu woke up, it was already the next morning. The first people he saw when he opened his eyes were Feng Junzi, Lin Zhenzhen's mother, Yuan Xiaoxia, and his colleagues from the criminal investigation team, but he didn't see Lin Zhenzhen. Seeing Chang Wu open his eyes, Feng Junzi, who was sitting in front of the bed, said jokingly, "You brat, you're finally awake. You know, sleeping in late isn't a good habit."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Chang Wu had woken up. They gathered around and greeted him all at once. Yuan Xiaoxia stepped forward and said, "Captain Chang fought off the robbers with his bare hands. The team has decided to write up your heroic deeds and report them to the bureau. It looks like you have a good chance of being promoted to deputy captain this time."

Chang Wu was clearly still confused about what was going on. Looking around, he asked, "What robbers? Where's Lin Zhenzhen? How is she?"

Lin's mother said softly, "Zhenzhen is fine. She's resting in the next room. I'll call her over to see you as soon as you wake up."

Chang Wu: "What? She's in the hospital too? Is she injured?"

Feng Junzi interjected, "There's no injury, but having 500cc of blood drawn by the doctor at once probably requires some rest, right?"

Chang Wu: "500cc of fresh blood, what happened?"

Feng Junzi: "It's all because of saving you. Actually, you're not seriously injured, just superficial wounds. You'll be fine after a couple of days of rest and bandaging. Looks like you've learned how to block a knife. It's just that you lost too much blood last night, and your condition was critical when you got to the hospital."