Nouvel An chinois

Chapitre 12

"Because I have first aid training and there are first aid tools where I live, sending him to the hospital would only delay things. Fortunately, he just fainted due to low blood sugar."

"Can you prove he didn't leave?"

“Yes, he was unconscious the whole time, except for waking up once in the middle of the night to eat something. How could he have killed someone?”

"Then why did he say he was in a hotel when he woke up? You can't even coordinate your stories properly."

Jian Rou paused for a moment, then tidied her hair. "I took him to the restaurant."

"Why."

“He’s alright, I don’t need to keep him here.” Jian Rou’s voice trembled slightly.

In a flash, Luo Xiuqing's mind was filled with the scene from that night. Had she mistaken Jian Rou for Xiao Ju? Was it not a dream after all? Was it all real? But she...

“Witness, since you are here to testify, you must answer my questions clearly.” The lead prosecutor looked at Jian Rou meaningfully.

“Okay, I’ll answer you clearly. I spent the whole night with Mr. Luo. What can a man and a woman do together all night? I sent him away because I didn’t want him to feel guilty when he sobered up.” Jian Rou’s lips were pale and bloodless.

The next moment, Luo Xiuqing felt better that Jian Rou hadn't testified for him. He felt detached from reality; all the dialogue in the courtroom seemed to come from a distant place, so empty and vast. "Xiao Ju, Xiao Ju, look up at me!" Luo Xiuqing cried out in his heart, the voice loud enough to make him explode. But Xiao Ju listened silently, without any expression; her face, mostly covered by a white mask, was almost transparently white.

"Witness, why did you wait so long to testify?" the judge asked.

"Because I hope that someone else can prove Mr. Luo's innocence, I really don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But right now, only I can save him."

"Your Honor, given the ambiguous relationship between the witness and the defendant, I ask you to consider whether you can accept this testimony." The prosecutor's expression was one of utter disdain.

“Sir, I have witnesses to corroborate my testimony. One is my landlord, and the other is the general manager of the Bohai Hotel; both are British citizens.” It seemed that Jian Rou understood what she was about to face and had therefore made thorough preparations.

The judge hesitated for a moment, then summoned the lead prosecutor and defense attorney to the table. The three of them spoke briefly in hushed tones. After the two attorneys returned to their seats, the judge tapped the table again to signal for silence.

"Given the emergence of completely contradictory evidence, the court needs to conduct further investigation and hereby adjourns."

“Sir, please consider my request.” The defense attorney stood up and reiterated.

"I agree to the defense attorney's application, but the bail amount required by the court must be paid in advance. In addition, I must appear in court at any time when summoned before the conclusion of this case."

The courtroom erupted in noise again. The judge, no longer lingering, rose and left.

Standing in the dock, Luo Xiuqing seemed oblivious to the judge's announcement, lost in thought. He felt a pair of eyes staring at him, annoyed by their gaze, and wanted to wave them away. Just as he raised his hand, he suddenly felt a heat in his chest. Looking down, he saw a dagger plunged into his left breast. The owner of those eyes bit her lip tightly, two flames dancing in her eyes.

Luo Xiuqing didn't feel any pain. He suddenly thought that it would be good if things ended like this. At least he saw Xiaoju's concerned look again. Maybe this way she wouldn't be angry.

Hell is probably made up of two layers: ice and fire.

Luo Xiuqing felt as if she had entered hell. One moment she was chilled to the bone as if pelted by hail, the next her face was scorched red by blazing flames. Who said hell was dark? There were countless suns there, and so close at that. People can go blind in bright light, Luo Xiuqing thought, opening her eyes wide, but in this bright, white world, everything was blank.

"His heart is located slightly off-center from the average person's."

"Hmm... clamp that blood vessel..."

The fragmented conversation amused Luo Xiuqing; did these little ghosts already rush to rip out her heart the moment she died? A sudden, sharp pain made Luo Xiuqing's muscles cramp, and the light before her eyes finally vanished into darkness.

Twenty-one

Zhou Family Canteen.

"Master, this dish needs to be thickened with cornstarch. Okay, here you go."

"Miss, let me do it. You'll get covered in cooking fumes."

"It's alright, let me do it. You can try my cooking today."

"Oh, what are you saying? Hehe, I must say, your skills are actually better than mine."

As they were talking, several dishes were already plated, and a pair of very well-maintained hands carried the dishes to the table.

"Master, please eat, I'm leaving. I won't wash the dishes for you." The owner of those hands turned around, taking off her apron and hat. Her chestnut-brown hair cascaded down her back; she was Jian Rou.

"No, wait until it's ready before you leave. Aren't you hungry? Eat before you go." The person wearing the white chef's uniform was an elderly man of about 60 years old.

"I have something to do next time, so I'll be going now."

"Young Miss, please take your time." The old man sighed as he watched Jian Rou's retreating figure.

It wasn't yet time for customers to sit down at the restaurant, but the lobby was spotless; the terrazzo floor had just been scrubbed, and a few water stains still remained. A man was smoking with his back to the entrance.

Jian Rou stopped in her tracks as she watched the person's figure.

"You haven't been home or back to your apartment these past few days. Where have you been?" The man didn't turn around, as if asking a question to thin air.

"How did you know I was here?" Jian Rou did not answer the question.

“I have my own way.” The man stood up and turned around.

Jian Rou didn't answer; her hands were clenched tightly together, and her knuckles had turned white.

"You used to have so little confidence in yourself and others."

"Jiaming, let me be by myself. I've been feeling very confused these past few days."

"Let's go." Jiaming grabbed Jian Rou's hand and walked outside without saying another word.

"Where are we going?" Jian Rou had lost a lot of weight these past few days, and she couldn't resist being pulled along by Jian Ming.

"Go eat, you're getting so skinny you're practically a dried-up human body."

Two jugs of liquor,

A large plate of boiled tripe

Fresh and tender lamb

Various kinds of wild mushrooms were cooked in a copper hot pot broth.

Jian Rou stared at Jia Ming with wide, unblinking eyes.

"Don't look at me, look at the pot, look at that meat, it's so fatty, have a piece." Jiaming kept putting the cooked meat slices in front of Jianrou.

"Jiaming, don't you hate me?"

"Why would I hate you? If I hate you, why would I invite you to dinner? Eat up, the meat will get cold and you won't be able to chew it. Here, have another bowl of soup, this soup is really good."

Jian Rou shook her head and smiled helplessly, "You're such a weirdo."

"Haha, I don't blame you, you do. People who want to starve themselves to death are not only strange, they're also stupid."

"Jiaming, can't you answer my question seriously? I'm a wicked woman who seduced your brother-in-law. And you still come to me?"

"I don't believe you would do that. It's that simple. Stop talking and eat."

Jian Rou picked up the small wine pot and filled her and Jia Ming's cups with piping hot liquor. She then drank it all in one gulp.

"I knew you could drink. Come on, have some more." Jiaming smiled and refilled Jian Rou's glass.

"If you're this nice to people, you'll easily get taken advantage of."

"I'd love to. Wait here, I'll get you something good to eat." Jiaming jumped up and said a few words to the waiter at the restaurant.

Several large, steaming hot roasted potatoes were served on the table.

"Ah, it smells so good," Jian Rou exclaimed, unable to resist using her chopsticks to peel off the skin of the potato that had already burst open from roasting.

"Okay, at least it smells good. These are big potatoes from outside the Great Wall, even better than those from Russia. Eat up, eat up."

Jian Rou picked up the small bowl in front of her. The soup was indeed incredibly delicious. Her vision blurred, probably from the heat of the soup.

"Jian Rou, come with me." Jiaming said, his head buried in his rice bowl.

"If I were twenty years old right now, I think I would agree to your request without hesitation."

“Take your time to think it over. I’m not in a hurry.” Jiaming didn’t look at Jian Rou. He carefully selected a piece of tripe that best suited his aesthetic taste.