Deadly Emails - Chapter 5
Upon hearing the old man's words, Li Zu felt a surge of warmth in his heart and hurriedly asked, "When will we begin treatment?"
The old man glanced at his watch and said, "Wait a while, it's not time yet."
Li Zu was taken aback. "Time?"
“Yes,” the old man stroked his white beard and said with a smile, “Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the movement of Qi and blood. The location of Qi and blood movement in the body is different at different times of the day. The principle of acupuncture is to use silver needles to stimulate acupoints in the body to promote the smooth flow of Qi and blood. If there is no flow, there will be stagnation; if there is stagnation, there will be blockage; if there is blockage, there will be illness. Hehe, it’s the same principle as a traffic jam.”
Li Zu nodded as if he understood but not quite.
The old man continued, “In traditional Chinese medicine, a patient who is in a deep sleep cannot wake up because the flow of qi and blood in the brain is blocked. I must wait until the flow of qi and blood in his body reaches the blocked area before I use acupuncture to clear it. Once it is cleared, he will recover.”
Li Zu continued to nod. Regardless of whether he understood or not, he felt that what the old man said made a lot of sense. Just these few words were enough to convince Li Zu completely.
He Se felt the same way as Li Zu. She sat on the edge of the bed, holding Cheng Hai's hand tightly. She had been holding his hand and talking to him ever since she woke up that morning, because there were often scenes on TV where people were awakened by the words of their loved ones. No matter what, she had to try.
The old man looked at He Se and said, "Actually, sometimes the words of relatives can wake him up, because even though he is asleep, his brain activity has not stopped. He can feel the external qi. If that qi is strong enough, and it is combined with his own qi, when the two qi come together, it may clear his blocked qi and blood. Therefore, the efforts that this lady just made were correct. After I finish acupuncture, you can continue with your method. It may be more effective that way."
He Se nodded, his face full of determination.
“I can only do acupuncture for one hour each day, and I will come at that time every day,” the old man said in conclusion.
"Thank you," Li Zu said sincerely, once again squeezing the old man's hand tightly.
Xiao Dong then walked over and called Li Zu outside to speak: "Starting today, we will send a policeman to be on duty here every night. You can let Cheng Hai's wife go home with peace of mind. I think she's in pretty bad shape."
Li Zu nodded. Xiao Dong then asked, "By the way, why did you go back again last night?"
"Oh, my wife called me later saying she wasn't feeling well, so I told the security guards before I went back."
"Is that so? What happened to her?" Xiao Dong asked, unusually.
Li Zu hesitated for a moment, just about to speak, when Xiao Dong asked again, "Did you fall and hurt yourself?"
Li Zu was startled and stared intently at Xiao Dong.
Xiao Dong smiled slightly and lit a cigarette. "We found a woman's shoe downstairs at the hospital last night. Could it be your wife's? But I still don't quite understand, so I didn't go to your house to investigate this morning. I wanted to ask you first because I've met your wife. I don't think she would dare to jump from the third floor without getting hurt. Also, I don't think she has the ability to attack Cheng Hai."
Li Zu nodded and said, "You're right, my wife sprained her ankle, but it wasn't from a fall, and when I got back, she wasn't missing a shoe."
“Maybe I’m overthinking it, because I really can’t imagine Cheng Hai knowing that woman in this place,” Xiao Dong said, patting Li Zu on the shoulder. Actually, he hadn’t found any women’s shoes; this was just one of his deductions. For Xiao Dong, if Li Zu’s family kept a dog, then that dog would also be one of his deductions.
Back in the ward, the old man's acupuncture had already begun. He removed Cheng Hai's shirt, revealing several acupuncture needles already inserted into Cheng Hai's body. The old man was now carefully manipulating the needles on Cheng Hai's temples, gently rotating them as they slowly penetrated deep into the skin. The old man's movements were swift and meticulous, and everyone around held their breath, quietly admiring the old man's superb skill.
Not long after, the old man finished the acupuncture process, then lit a stick of mugwort to heat each silver needle, again and again.
Time slipped by gently, and the acupuncture was over. Li Zu stepped forward again to thank the old man, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, Master, thank you, Master."
Upon hearing this, the old man burst into laughter. "I'm not some kind of master, just an old man who practices medicine to help the world. You can call me Old Zhang from now on."
“Yes, Master Zhang,” Li Zu replied.
Old Zhang left, and Xiao Dong and his colleagues also left. The room became quiet. Li Zu went over to look at Cheng Hai. "His complexion seems a bit rosier."
He nodded.
“This Master Zhang seems to really have some skills,” Li Zu said again.
He nodded again, his eyes still fixed on Cheng Hai.
“He Se, thank you for your hard work,” Li Zu said, looking at her.
"Where's Xiaoyuan? I haven't seen her at all?" He Se suddenly asked.
“She—” Li Zu was caught off guard by her question and was momentarily speechless.
"Did something happen to her too?" He Se asked, noticing Li Zu's strange expression.
"No, no, of course not. She just happened to be feeling unwell. This morning she even said she would send her regards to Cheng Hai and you."
"Is that so? Then let her get some rest." He Se sighed after saying that. It seemed like everyone had been having a run of bad luck these past two days.
“Officer Xiao just said that he found a shoe last night, and I think we can solve the case soon,” Li Zu suddenly felt that he should reassure He Se.
"Yes, that's good," He Se replied casually, seemingly not very interested in solving the case.
"Then, I'll go to the company and come back this afternoon."
He nodded.
As soon as he arrived at the company, Li Zu called in the technical supervisor of the computer department, took out the mailing address he had copied down the night before for sending a series of emails to Wu Xiaoyuan, and added the mailing address for sending emails to himself, and handed it to him, saying, "Help me check and see if you can trace where these two addresses came from. Let me know as soon as you find out."
The technical manager said, "An address alone isn't enough. You need to give me the computer you use to receive emails so I can install tracking software to find it."
Li Zu pushed the laptop over, saying, "Mine is here, take a look first. We'll go back to my house later, and I'll have another computer there."
Li Zu sat nearby, watching the tech lead fiddling with the computer, his thoughts wandering far away. He had a premonition that there was something wrong with those two emails; perhaps the problem wasn't with the emails themselves, but with the sender. Who was it? And why did they wait two years to send them an email?
A few hours later, the technical supervisor, covered in sweat, looked up and said, "Mr. Li, we don't need to go to your house to investigate."
"Why?" Li Zu asked in surprise.
"It can't be found. It was forwarded through a foreign proxy server. It seems the sender doesn't want you to know where they are."
Li Zu slumped into his chair.
eight
Wu Xiaoyuan spent the whole day tidying up at home, and her ankle was still aching. She applied some medicated wine in the morning and felt much better in the afternoon, so she called Li Zu and said that she wanted to see Cheng Hai that evening. Li Zu said, "Then you should go to the hospital directly. I will go too."
After hanging up the phone, Wu Xiaoyuan had nothing to do, so she hugged a pillow and sat on the sofa, lost in thought. Since meeting and marrying Li Zu over two years ago, although they often argued, none of the arguments had ever left her feeling depressed all day. Li Zu was handsome and successful in his career. She knew that in Shenzhen, domestic men were like domestically produced goods—the least reliable. It wasn't that men were bad, just that there were too many temptations. However, she always trusted Li Zu. Even if he did something slightly out of line, she believed it was just for social occasions, just as she now believed that nothing had actually happened between Li Zu and He Se. But she strongly felt the pressure from He Se. It was a woman's intuition; even if nothing ever happened between them, she was still jealous. This intense jealousy made her restless.
Or perhaps she was a little sad at this moment, sad that she had never had Li Zu. She had wondered about something when they were in college: Li Zu would always be especially nice to her when the four of them got together, and he would often start things to flirt with her. Now that she thought about it, it was just that He Se's appearance made him especially excited.
She felt a surge of anger—having lived with an empty shell for two years—but a greater sadness overshadowed the anger. What could she do? She loved Li Zu so much, yet he had been deceiving her all along!
Lie? Why lie? If you truly love each other, why drag me into this? Why? Why?
Perhaps things aren't so bad. Maybe Li Zu loves me too, and his feelings for He Se are just unrequited. He Se is unaware of this; otherwise, if they love each other, why aren't they together?
Things will pass, and Li Zu and I will go back to our old lives, as long as I forget. Isn't it said that people who know how to forget are happy?
Wu Xiaoyuan felt that if she could face Li Zu and He Se at the same time in the evening as usual, then everything would be fine and the problem would be solved.
After Li Zu brought He Se food in the evening, He Se said she wanted to go back and take a shower, so Li Zu drove her back to the place he rented for her.
When they got downstairs, Li Zu said, "I'll wait for you in the car. It's okay, don't rush, take your time."
He Se nodded silently. She knew that Li Zu was trying to avoid embarrassment. There was an invisible thread between them, and neither of them wanted to pull it first, because no one knew whether the other end of the thread was connected to a wall, and that the wall would collapse if it was pulled even slightly.
Li Zu leaned against the car, smoking one cigarette after another, subconsciously telling himself that it would make time pass faster. However, he knew it was a scam, but he willingly fell for it. In fact, all the so-called scams were voluntary; otherwise, they wouldn't be called scams.
When He Se came down, it was already dark. The moon was beautiful tonight, but people couldn't feel it because the city lights were too bright. With the evolution of the times, the moon was one of the first natural objects people abandoned; hundreds of years ago, it degenerated into something only a source of inspiration for poets. Humanity may have long forgotten how the moon once illuminated our way home late at night...
As Li Zu drove, he spontaneously joined He Se in expressing their grievances about the moon. He Se revealed the only smile she had shown in days, saying, "Aren't you a poet yourself?"
Li Zu glanced at He Se, pouted, and said, "Poetry? Heh, I've long forgotten it. Even if the moonlight is as bright as silver, it won't inspire me."
"What a pity, why give up?" He Se asked.
“Give up? I never even thought about giving up on it. It was it that gave up on me. Sometimes when I really want to find it, I can’t find it again no matter what I do,” Li Zu shook his head with a bitter smile.
“That’s because it’s no longer in the same space as you,” He Se said thoughtfully.
"That's right, the space I live in now doesn't need, nor can it possibly have, the passion for poetry, so I'm no longer going to search for it in vain, haha."
“Maybe it will come back on its own when you don’t look for it,” He Se suddenly said.
Li Zu remained silent for a while before saying, "No, I think I've already finished my poem."
“If it’s really done, then it really won’t come back,” He Se said quietly.
The two remained silent. After a while, Li Zu turned on the car stereo, and the music playing was Takako Nishizaki's violin rendition of "The Butterfly Lovers." Her unique, varied playing style brought out the poignant and moving emotions of the Butterfly Lovers.
As the butterflies in the music fluttered among the flowers, He Se silently and repeatedly recited in her heart: "Morning dew, white mist, a lone iris stands tall, rustling in the wind... Morning dew, white mist..."
It was as if there truly was an invisible connection between their hearts. At this moment, Li Zu was reciting the second verse in his mind: "Stop, step by step, I want to pick her and take her back to my home, to plant her deep in my heart... deep in my heart..."
Wu Xiaoyuan walked slowly, imagining how she would feel facing Li Zu and He Se. What should she say? Perhaps she shouldn't say anything at all; she only needed to answer. Once she faced them, she would have overcome a hurdle, and everything would disappear. ... Just then, she saw a car slowly driving into the hospital gate—it was Li Zu's car.
As Li Zu got out of the car, he looked up at the moon in the night sky and said, "It seems there is still a place that needs the moon."
He Se noticed that the streetlights in the parking lot were broken. The parking lot was now entirely lit by the bright moon in the sky. "Of course, it's not just poets who need it."
Li Zu smiled, turned around and locked the car door.
Looking at Li Zu's retreating figure, He Se suddenly suggested, "I'd like to take a walk in the garden of the sanatorium. It's been a long time since I've been bathed in moonlight."
Li Zu paused for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll go with you."
Just to the right of the parking lot is the sanatorium garden. This garden is very large, with dense shade, towering coconut trees reaching into the clouds, and large banyan trees as thick as waists planted among plum blossoms and bamboo. There are only a few people strolling around.
"Do you remember? There's a big banyan tree like this behind the university library, even thicker than this." He Se clasped her hands behind her back, gently stepping on the soft grass. Today, she felt much more relaxed, perhaps because she saw Cheng Hai's condition improving. Or perhaps because she had just taken a shower, she felt a release of the pent-up frustration of the past two days.
Li Zu thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "I don't remember. Although I passed by every day back then, I really don't have any impression of it at all. Does this count as being forgotten once the person leaves?"
“You know what? I have a feeling that Cheng Hai will wake up soon. Last night I thought I heard him talking in his sleep, but he stopped talking as soon as I woke up,” He Se said.
"Really? Could you be dreaming?" Li Zu asked incredulously.
“It could be, but I don’t think so. I really heard his voice, very clearly,” He Se said, trying to think.
"It's good that he's awake. Perhaps it's just that good things don't always go as planned for the four of us. We just got together and this happened. Cheng Hai survived such a disaster; he's bound to have good fortune in the future," Li Zuzhong said sincerely.
"Is Xiaoyuan feeling better?"
"Oh, she's better. By the way, she said she'd come over tonight, I wonder if she's arrived yet," Li Zu looked ahead. They had unknowingly walked deep into the garden, and there wasn't a soul in sight.
He Se nodded and said, "Okay, don't keep her waiting." After saying that, she didn't move, but just stood there, looking up at the night sky. The moon was mostly covered by the leaves, with only a corner peeking out from between the treetops. The shadows of the trees on the ground overlapped and intertwined, as if the ground was originally black and scattered with silver pieces.
Li Zu waited quietly for He Se to walk back. He felt a bit stuffy and his mouth was dry, so he habitually took out a cigarette, put one in his mouth, and lit it with a snap. At that moment, a heavy, slow breathing sounded.
Li Zu was so startled that his hand trembled and he dropped the lighter. He quickly looked at He Se.
He Se heard it too, and stared at him with terrified eyes. Li Zu quickly glanced around, saw no one, and then turned back to look at He Se.
“That’s the voice.” He Se said quickly, “That night, the person who hit me had this voice.”
Li Zuchao nodded to her, then pulled her body closer to him. He Se instinctively hugged his waist tightly, her breathing becoming heavier and heavier, as if the air was filled with his breath. He Se's hands trembled uncontrollably as she held him.
"Who is it—" Li Zu shouted sternly, "Come out, come out here, we're not afraid of you—"
Li Zu's voice suddenly faded, but his panting continued, like a huge beast admiring its prey.
Li Zu also became frightened, but seeing He Se in his arms, he had to muster his courage and open his eyes wide, looking around frantically. The warm breath He Se exhaled on his chest seemed to give him boundless energy.
At that moment, a figure suddenly darted out from not far away and ran towards the hospital building at an extremely fast speed, the panting sound disappearing immediately.
"It's Xiaoyuan!" Li Zu exclaimed. He Se also saw her and quickly let go of Li Zu. The two of them chased after her.