Caja de cadáveres

Capítulo 8

Feng Junzi thought to himself, "That would be for the best." He then asked Han Shuang, "If you could see her, what would you want to say to her?"

"Piao Piao, I'm sorry," Han Shuang whispered into her empty room, then lowered her head and fell silent. She lost her appetite for drinking and went back to her room to sleep. Feng Junzi had already given his bedroom to Han Shuang and went back to his study to rest.

--

3-4. Using someone else to do the dirty work

Chen Xiaosan was shocked and frightened when he got home that night. His body was covered in cuts from flower thorns, and he seemed to have caught a chill. He then fell ill. He had a high fever for two days and was hospitalized. Lying in bed, he talked incoherently. During this time, Li Datou came to see him. After listening to his delirious talk during his high fever, he frowned, his face turned ashen, and he left without saying a word.

After Chen Xiaosan recovered from his illness, he went back to Huashan Residential Area during the day to check on Han Shuang. Han Shuang's car was still parked in the same spot, even covered in a layer of dust, as if no one had touched it in the past few days. For some reason, Chen Xiaosan's courage suddenly underwent a transformation, from being incredibly bold to being timid as a mouse. He no longer had the courage to go to Han Shuang.

However, Li Datou wouldn't let the matter rest, repeatedly pressing Chen Xiaosan about the progress of the investigation into Han Shuang. Chen Xiaosan simply claimed there were no leads. Li Datou was a shrewd man; after a few questions, he realized Chen Xiaosan was lying. Under pressure, Chen Xiaosan had no choice but to recount his terrifying experience that night. After listening to Chen Xiaosan's account, Li Datou looked at him with suspicion, saying nothing more. But Chen Xiaosan felt that Li Datou's gaze was cold, making him very uncomfortable.

Chen Xiaosan hadn't felt well at all. After this incident, he'd been somewhat dazed, and when he walked down the street, he no longer had the fierce demeanor he used to have. Some people's personalities are perhaps like a nut; crack open the hard shell to reveal a soft kernel. Chen Xiaosan was now like a nut that had been shelled.

Chen Xiaosan used to commit all sorts of crimes, always backed by gangs or unidentified forces. He believed that only by being more ruthless than others could he survive, and only by being more vicious could he be fearless in this world. Now, he suddenly sensed a danger that even evil forces couldn't protect him from, and the impact on his mental world was unimaginable to others. Feng Junzi didn't fully understand Chen Xiaosan's transformation, just as he hadn't fully understood Han Shuang's transformation. Han Shuang's transformation was the exact opposite of Chen Xiaosan's; she was like a peach or plum whose flesh had been peeled away, revealing its hard pit.

...

That day, Chang Wu was sitting in his office when his phone suddenly rang. It was Feng Junzi calling: "Chang Wu, are you in your office? I just happened to be passing by, can I come up and sit for a bit?"

"Old Feng, come up here. I'll call your security guard—no, I'll come down and get you."

Feng Junzi was chatting idly in Chang Wu's office when someone came looking for Chang Wu. Chang Wu told Feng Junzi, "Please sit for a while, I'll be right back."

Feng Junzi's phone rang twice and then stopped, so he said to Chang Wu, "Could I borrow the phone on your desk? My phone is dead."

"Whatever, just dial 9 to call the outside line."

...

Li Datou hadn't been feeling well these past few days. First, Chen Xiaosan stammered that he couldn't find any clues about Han Shuang, and then he told him a strange story. Li Datou didn't believe Chen Xiaosan's words, or at least not entirely. That day, he was sitting in his office reviewing documents when the office phone on his desk suddenly rang. He answered, and the other end's voice was very serious: "Excuse me, this is Weida Shares. Are you Li Jinkui?"

Li Datou: "Yes, I am Li Jinkui. And who are you?"

"Mr. Li, I'm here to verify something. Is Chen Xiaosan an employee of your company? Has he been working at Weida since 1999?"

"Yes, Chen Xiaosan is an employee of Weida, but he works for the Weida Group—who are you?"

"Okay, thank you. We'll continue to contact you to verify things later." The other party hung up without answering Li Datou's question. Li Datou stared blankly at the phone for a long time, then suddenly remembered something and dialed the switchboard to ask where the outside call had come from.

A short while later, the switchboard operator called him: "Mr. Li, we have caller ID for that call. We know the number; it's the switchboard number for the Ganquan District Public Security Bureau. We don't know which extension it came from."

After hanging up the phone, Li Datou remained silent for a long time. The office wasn't hot, but a fine layer of sweat seemed to be on his forehead. His mind raced: "No wonder I've felt something was off with Chen Xiaosan these past few days. Turns out he's being watched by the cops. I wonder how much the police know about Chen Xiaosan now. Has that kid implicated me? He hasn't given me a single hint... could it be..."

He reconsidered and thought it unlikely. He had always had good relations with the police. If someone were investigating Weida Shares, someone would surely have spoken to them. But if the matter only involved Chen Xiaosan, Weida Shares wouldn't need to intervene for such a minor figure, and Wei Boxi probably wouldn't bother to get involved. It seemed that Chen Xiaosan had only committed a crime and hadn't implicated Wei Boxi yet. So, was he implicated? Why was the police specifically calling Li Jinkui?

Li Datou was overthinking things, and his head was spinning. He almost immediately wanted to call Chen Xiaosan over to ask him questions, but then he thought it wouldn't be appropriate. He then considered reporting the matter to Wei Boxi, but that seemed even more inappropriate. In the end, he decided to ask an acquaintance in the Public Security Bureau for information.

He would have been better off not asking; asking only confused him more. Nobody knew what Chen Xiaosan was up to. Even a deputy director of the Ganquan district bureau told him that they had absolutely not investigated Chen Xiaosan. He couldn't press the matter further, and naturally, he couldn't get any answers. Li Datou thought for a long time before finally making a decision.

...

When Feng Junzi returned home, Han Shuang had already prepared dinner. Han Shuang had truly been acting like a devoted wife and mother lately, obediently staying home and not leaving the house, even having Feng Junzi buy all the daily necessities. Feng Junzi felt a little awkward about this unusual cohabitation, especially when he went to the supermarket to buy women's toiletries; this feeling intensified. However, despite his awkwardness, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, since he was the one who brought Han Shuang home.

But Han Shuang seemed quite at ease, treating the place as if it were her own home. She kept all the rooms tidy and organized every day when she had nothing else to do. Today, she prepared dinner and waited for Feng Junzi to return. During dinner, Feng Junzi told her about calling Li Datou.

After listening, Han Shuang asked Feng Junzi with great interest, "You want to make their insiders suspect Chen Xiaosan, but will making such a random phone call really work?"

Feng Junzi: "This is called using four ounces to move a thousand pounds. Piaopiao told me that Chen Xiaosan has been behaving strangely these past few days, which is already suspicious. Now, with this inexplicable phone call, Li Datou will definitely suspect Chen Xiaosan."

Han Shuang: "Why did you specifically call Li Datou?"

Feng Junzi: "Piao Piao told me that Li Datou had contacted Chen Xiaosan more than once a few days ago, asking about you. Moreover, as far as I know, Li Datou was the head of Xiaowei's department when she got into trouble. I suspect that Xiaowei's situation is probably related to him as well."

Han Shuang sighed inwardly, then asked Feng Junzi in a low voice, "The situation with Piaopiao is becoming clearer, but do you know exactly how Xiaowei got into trouble?"

Feng Junzi: "I still have no clue. But it doesn't matter. No matter what happened to Xiaowei, in the end, Wei Boxi will be held accountable. Even if I can't find out the truth, I won't let Wei Boxi off the hook."

Han Shuang: "If Piaopiao's matter is finally investigated and clarified, wouldn't Wei Boxi be brought down?"

Feng Junzi glanced at Han Shuang and said, "It's not that simple. Even if the truth about Piaopiao comes out, there's nothing we can do about Wei Boxi."

Han Shuang: "Why?"

Feng Junzi: "At Wei Boxi's level, he doesn't need to lift a finger. He doesn't even need to say a word. As long as he reveals the slightest meaning, someone will arrange everything for him. Even if the truth about Piaopiao comes out and the police have everything, Wei Boxi will still find a way to clear his name completely."

Han Shuang: "Can he really absolve himself of all responsibility?"

Feng Junzi: "If I were Wei Boxi, I would have a way to completely deny everything. The real Wei Boxi is far superior to me, Feng Junzi. How could he not have a way?"

Han Shuang: "Is he more cunning than you? I don't believe it."

Feng Junzi: "That's because you haven't dealt with him. This kind of person can be described as a demon. I can't beat him."

Han Shuang smiled and asked Feng Junzi, "Knowing you can't beat him, why do you still oppose him?"

Feng Junzi: "If we don't fight when we can't win, what's the point of this world? I'll just do what I should do, and I believe that God still has eyes."

Han Shuang: "That's right, so what if I can't beat him? As long as I'm not afraid of him, that's fine! I've already suffered enough, can I get any worse? At worst, I'll just die again. -- But -- you're different from me, you should be careful."

Feng Junzi smiled wryly, then suddenly changed the subject, asking Han Shuang, "What are your plans after this matter is resolved?"

Han Shuang was silent for a moment, as if she was considering it, and then replied, "I really haven't thought about this question, but it seems like I've been thinking about it all along. To be honest, I should thank you."

Feng Junzi was taken aback: "Thank me for what?"

Han Shuang: "Actually, I didn't want to be a prostitute anymore, but I hadn't decided when to leave. I was just being carried along by a kind of inertia, and I was afraid I would need some external force to change things. Your sudden appearance that night was an opportunity for me, and I took this opportunity to get rid of the past. I had been hesitating about whether to stay quietly for a while before thinking about the future, and you just happened to give me that time."

Feng Junzi: "That's interesting. You actually want to thank me. In fact, you've helped me so much, I should be thanking you. But I'm afraid things will get more and more dangerous in the future. You'd better think about your way out as soon as possible."

Han Shuang answered irrelevantly: "Actually, everyone in our line of work as prostitutes has thought about saving some money so that one day we can change our identity and become respectable people. But thinking about it is easy, doing it is not. I have seen too many examples of this, and most of them are unsuccessful. I originally thought that Xiaowei had successfully gotten rid of it, and I was very relieved. But I didn't expect that Xiaowei would do such a thing. From my point of view, I also hate Wei Boxi."

Feng Junzi felt a pang of pain in his heart when he thought of Hu Shiwei, and sighed, "Actually, I also bear some responsibility."

Han Shuang stared at Feng Junzi, seemingly trying to see through his inner thoughts, and then said, "You are a really strange person. When you were with her, you were not truly sincere towards her. Now that her life or death is unknown, you are actually spending so much energy to avenge her. Do you regret it? Or do you feel guilty?"

Feng Junzi was hit where it hurt by Han Shuang's words and lowered his head in silence. But Han Shuang did not let him off the hook and continued, "I am very grateful that you once told me the theory that there are only black and white in the world. But in your opinion, even if it is white now, can the black of the past never be washed away? Have you thought the same way about Xiaowei?"

Feng Junzi: "That's not what I meant."

Seeing Feng Junzi's dejected expression, Han Shuang felt a little guilty and changed her words, saying, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that just now. Actually, you're a good person. At least you thought about my future, and you didn't just use me. Why think so much about the future? Isn't it good as it is now?"

Feng Junzi: "Everything eventually comes to an end."

Han Shuang: "You don't need to worry about me. I've made some money over the years, I'm confident I'm still young, and I'm not bad looking. As long as I change myself, there's still a lot I can do in this world. If I go back to my hometown now, I'll be considered a small success story. What do you think?"

Feng Junzi suddenly laughed: "Then why don't you just go back to your hometown and spend some money to erect a memorial archway for your chastity?"

Han Shuang's expression changed abruptly, and she angrily said, "You're such a spoilsport." With that, she turned and went back into the house, ignoring Feng Junzi. Feng Junzi sat alone for a long time, seemingly lost in thought. He didn't understand why he had inexplicably said such hurtful things to Han Shuang; perhaps it was because Han Shuang had inadvertently grown closer to him, making him uneasy, and he had unintentionally revealed his sharp edges.

...

Chen Xiaosan had been feeling paranoid for the past few days, constantly sensing that someone was watching him. His intuition was correct; at least one ghost—Piaopiao—had been monitoring his movements intermittently. But it wasn't just one ghost watching Chen Xiaosan; there were at least two others. Piaopiao had also discovered the two people spying on Chen Xiaosan and informed Feng Junzi. Feng Junzi was secretly delighted, knowing that Li Datou had taken the bait.

Feng Junzi said to Piao Piao, "You once told me that ghosts cannot directly change the world, but they can influence a person's behavior at the right time. For example, you said you could make a restless person drop their water glass. Why don't you try this on Chen Xiaosan? I remember you said that Chen Xiaosan has a lot of evil energy and is not easy to approach. I wonder if you can do it."

Piao Piao: "It's strange, ever since that night, Chen Xiaosan has lost all his fierce aura. He's been restless and weak all the time, and it's easy to get close to him."

...

Li Datou recently heard from his subordinates that Chen Xiaosan had been acting suspiciously lately, which made him even more suspicious. While Chen Xiaosan's behavior was indeed unusual, "sneaky" was another matter entirely. However, his constantly restless demeanor certainly gave others the impression of something suspicious.

Chen Xiaosan has been having a lot of bad luck lately. For example, one day while drinking water, he was so distracted that he dropped his glass, startling everyone in the office. Such an occasional slip-up wouldn't be so bad, but Chen Xiaosan broke three glasses in a row, which everyone found strange.

After work that day, Chen Xiaosan inexplicably tripped and fell on the stairs, scraping his forehead. Then, as he entered his home, he tripped again on the threshold. As he fell, he looked up and suddenly saw two pairs of feet in front of the sofa in the living room—clearly, someone was waiting for him at home. Looking up further, he noticed that both men had bulges around their waists, indicating they were carrying weapons.

Although Chen Xiaosan's murderous aura had vanished, his experience in the underworld remained. Almost without thinking, he scrambled to his feet, turned, and ran. As he stumbled down the stairs, he heard someone shout behind him, "Chen Xiaosan, stop right there!"

Chen Xiaosan didn't dare to stop. He rushed forward like a madman. Just then, a police patrol car passed by on the side of the street. He waved to the police officer as if he had seen a savior and stopped him. He said breathlessly, "Officer, someone is chasing me..."

The two people following behind Chen Xiaosan saw him run to find the police from a distance, then quickly turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

The next day, the police called Weida Group and told them to come and take Chen Xiaosan back. It turned out that one of the three patrol officers Chen Xiaosan had stopped the previous night recognized him and, seeing his strange behavior, took him back to the police station. After questioning him for a long time, they couldn't get any answers. Chen Xiaosan was trembling and didn't dare to leave, so they had to keep him overnight.

After hearing about this, Li Datou was very worried and went to the police station to inquire about the situation. The police were very impatient and told him, "Don't mess with the police. I think this guy from your company has mental problems."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by Li Datou. His eyes lit up and he quickly continued, "Yes, yes, yes, something happened to this person's family recently. He's not mentally stable. We'll take him out and send him to Dongshan Mental Hospital for examination immediately."

The other party said impatiently, "If you're going to deliver it, then deliver it quickly!"

Chen Xiaosan was indeed sent to Dongshan Mental Hospital, personally escorted by Li Datou. The examination confirmed that Chen Xiaosan's mental state was indeed somewhat abnormal. In fact, Li Datou had already decided on the way there that even if Chen Xiaosan didn't have a mental illness, he couldn't leave Dongshan Mental Hospital. The fact that Chen Xiaosan really did have a mental illness was an unexpected stroke of good luck; Chen Xiaosan stayed behind when Li Datou left. Before leaving, Li Datou specifically instructed the hospital on many things, so it seemed Chen Xiaosan wouldn't be getting discharged.

Upon hearing the news of Chen Xiaosan's "madness," Feng Junzi felt a pang of sadness, secretly thinking that perhaps Dongshan Hospital was a good place for him. Only Han Shuang said bitterly, "That kid got off too easy!"

3-5, The Gentleman of the Wind and the Courtesan at the Feast at Hongmen

When Feng Junzi returned home that day, his face was very pale. Han Shuang noticed his unusual expression and asked if he was feeling unwell. Feng Junzi shook his head, beckoned to Han Shuang, and led her to the window. Pointing to a car parked downstairs, Feng Junzi said to Han Shuang, "Did you notice how long this car has been parked?"

Han Shuang shook her head and replied, "I really didn't notice. It seems to have been parked here since this morning. Is there anything wrong with it? There are often cars parked downstairs."

Feng Junzi: "Of course not. No car has ever been parked there. It would be inconvenient to park there and get in and out, and no one would park their car in the blazing sun on a hot day. There are plenty of empty parking spaces nearby, and they are all under the shade of trees. If this car just moves back one space, it would be much easier to get in and out, and it wouldn't block the way."

Han Shuang: "Why is that?"

Feng Junzi: "There are no inexplicable things in the world. Everything that seems to defy common sense must have a reason. This car is parked one body length in front of a normal parking space. Just from that position, you can clearly see the entrance to our building and the pedestrians coming and going in front of the door. The car window is also directly facing the window where we are standing now."

Han Shuang: "You mean someone's watching us?"

Feng Junzi: "That's right. I really didn't expect it to be so fast. It seems that Wei Boxi has finally noticed this matter. Only he has such efficient methods to track me down so quickly."

...

Chen Yidao was dead, and Chen Xiaosan had gone mad. Li Datou appeared relieved, but in reality, he was even more anxious. He could ignore Chen Yidao's situation, but Chen Xiaosan was, after all, Wei Boxi's henchman, and he had to report the whole story to Wei Boxi. That day, he was in his office considering how to report this matter to President Wei when President Wei's secretary called and asked him to come over, saying that Wei Boxi wanted to see him.

Li Datou was a returnee from overseas, a master's degree holder at least. Initially, he looked down on Wei Boxi, a fisherman by trade with a relatively low level of education. However, after working with Wei Boxi for a while, those thoughts completely disappeared. He discovered that Wei Boxi wasn't just ruthless; he was also shrewd and calculating, even adept at navigating complex social circles. He was a highly capable figure in officialdom, business, and both the legitimate and underworld, far surpassing Li Jinkui. He not only admired this Boss Wei but was even somewhat afraid of him.

When Wei Boxi saw Li Jinkui enter, he calmly asked him to sit down and casually inquired about the upcoming clarification announcement from Weida Shares, as well as the progress of the investigation into the online rumors. Li Datou honestly reported that the clarification announcement would be released in a few days, and that he would send the original draft to Wei Boxi for final review that afternoon. As for the investigation into the online rumors, there were still no results, but he was certain that clues would be found if the other party made any new moves in the future.

Wei Boxi remained noncommittal, and after listening to Li Datou talk for a while, he suddenly said, "You handled Chen Xiaosan's matter very well. What are your plans for the next step?"

Li Datou was taken aback and stammered, "So President Wei already knows about this. I was just about to give you a detailed report and see what your instructions are."

Wei Boxi snorted and said, "Do you think I'm just sitting around doing nothing? I know about Chen Yidao and Chen Xiaosan's affair. I was too busy to pay attention the other day, but I've found out everything now. You, on the other hand, don't even know how you got tricked."

Li Datou quickly explained, "Of course, President Wei is much better than us, but I still don't understand this matter. Could President Wei explain it to me?"

Wei Boxi: "The affair between Chen Yidao and Chen Xiaosan was orchestrated by two people. One is Han Shuang, who used to be a hostess at a nightclub, and the other is Feng Junzi, who is a stock commentator."

Li Datou: "Han Shuang? I've heard Chen Xiaosan mention him. So Boss Wei already knew about him. I've also heard of Feng Junzi in the securities circle. How did he get involved?"

Wei Boxi: "I don't even know how the guy surnamed Feng got involved. These two, a prostitute and a stock commentator, are a truly despicable duo. They actually want to go against me? They must have taken the wrong medicine!"

Li Datou quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes, these kinds of people are simply overestimating themselves by going against Weida. Don't worry, Mr. Wei, I will definitely teach them a lesson."

Wei Boxi's words seemed to contradict himself: "Forget it, you're no good. That bitch is one thing, but that Feng Junzi is also a character. When it comes to being cunning and treacherous, you combined probably can't compare. I've dealt with him before."

Li Datou: "Oh? So what does Boss Wei suggest we do?"