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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 144: Unintentional Shock
The Fourth Detention Center is located on the outskirts, requiring a ten-minute walk after getting off the bus. As Rong Ying arrived once again at this familiar place, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.
She never imagined that one day she would have such a connection to this place. She couldn't fathom what it felt like to be locked away in a steel cage like this. There had been someone in her family who experienced it, but she was too young then. The only memories left were of her mother weeping and her brother's distressed expression. To her, home was a shattered concept; her mother remarried and took her along, and she timidly played the role of a burden. Her shoes were worn out with no replacements, and her clothes were patched up with no new ones. She always kept her head down, avoiding the gaze of others, terrified that someone would recognize her and call her a Death Row Inmate. Until one day, her brother appeared, calling out to her from a distance. When she joyfully rushed into his arms, he was in tears.
Later, they moved to a new home, relying on each other for support. Her brother took her wherever he worked while she attended school. It was during this time that she met Nie Qifeng, who was still a martial artist then, gaining another brother who treated her like his own sister.
She didn't know what her two brothers were doing, but in her eyes, they were capable of anything. They had come from a small city to the big metropolis, transforming from ordinary people into wealthy individuals, from objects of scorn to figures of admiration and envy. They went from struggling to spending money freely, from being alone to having many supporters around them—a dreamlike ascent that quickly fell back to the ground, everything coming to an end before her eyes.
Standing in front of the detention center, wiping away tears, she noticed that most people in line looked similar to her. Yet she didn't want to appear like this; she pulled out her makeup kit and dried her tears, applying makeup hastily to avoid letting others see her in such a state.
"0211, Rong Ying... follow me."
A solemn-faced Discipline officer called out as Rong Ying hurriedly followed him through the first iron gate. The procedures were tedious; everything she brought was meticulously checked. In reality, there was nothing of substance—those annoying Discipline officers even squeezed instant noodle packets as if checking for hidden items.
After the inspection was complete and her belongings were taken by the Discipline officer, she followed closely behind him into a room marked for meetings. It seemed somewhat privileged—a large room guarded by four armed police officers at the entrance. As she sat down inside, an unexpected calm washed over her. Strangely quiet it felt; when faced with an unchangeable fate, waiting quietly seemed like the best option.
Wasn't it?
She looked at the armed police officers, the sentinels on high watchtowers, and the thick prison walls topped with barbed wire halfway up. Suddenly, she understood her brother's choice.
He was a proud man—too proud to beg for pity from anyone else—even if he faced scorn from thousands and rejection from society.
Rong Ying thought silently as her mind began to spiral while her emotions remained calm. She pondered that in his final moments, he must have faced his fate with the same tranquility as she was now preparing to accept everything.
There was no choice; all that remained was acceptance.
She thought to herself, from the beginning of her wailing to today’s calm acceptance, it unexpectedly reminded him of another man...
Xiao Mu stood at the door of the hospital room, feeling quite unsettled. Inside the room, things were even more chaotic. Guan Xiangdong and Su Rongle were trying to persuade Sun Qinghua to be discharged, but Sun Qinghua stubbornly refused to leave. It seemed he was seriously lacking affection, relishing the attention from old friends who came to visit him. Of course, there was a deeper reason—he was afraid of the bank coming after him.
There he was again, burrowed under the covers, clutching the blanket tightly and shouting, “I’m not leaving! I’m still sick!”
“Stop it! You’re comfortable lying here while we’re suffering. Coming to see you every day is more effort than taking care of my own father,” Lezi snapped.
“You’re really not sick, Tsinghua. Just get out for some fresh air and move around a bit; it might help,” Guan Xiangdong urged.
Suddenly, Ruhua threw off the covers and sat up angrily. “I am sick! Why don’t you believe me?”
“What sickness? The nurse said you eat more in a day than a pig! If you stay here any longer, you’ll scare her into a sickness,” Lezi retorted.
“I’m mentally ill! I’m not leaving; you guys can go away and ignore me,” Sun Qinghua insisted stubbornly.
Guan Xiangdong was at a loss for words. “Why make it harder on yourself? Staying here is worse than a five-star hotel. Look at your medication list; they even prescribed you pregnancy preservation drugs.”
“I don’t care! I can’t afford a villa anymore; why should I worry about hospital bills?” Sun Qinghua scoffed.
At that moment, Xiao Mu couldn’t take it anymore. He stormed into the room and stood in front of Sun Qinghua with fury. Seeing the hostility in his eyes, Sun Qinghua nervously shouted, “What’s that supposed to mean? You want to fight? I’ve been looking for an outlet for my frustrations!”
Slap… slap… Xiao Mu swung his hand and landed two hard slaps, scolding, “Your wife ran off, she’s definitely sleeping with someone else, and you still have the face to stay in the hospital… You can earn money again after you squander it, but our brotherhood is worth so little. Once you’ve wasted it all, you’ll have nothing left.”
Ah Wu… Ruhua grimaced and began to wail in sorrow.
Slap! Another slap followed as Xiao Mu shouted, “What are you crying for? You’re just a loser, back to being a loser again. What’s there to be sad about? Your wife is with someone else… You should work harder, cherish life, and sleep with other people’s wives.”
Huh? Ruhua was taken aback, momentarily confused by this logic.
Lezi’s eyes lit up as he clapped his hands in delight, saying, “Well said! Brother Hua, you need to rise up! How many other people’s wives are waiting for your attention?”
Sigh, Guan Xiangdong felt depressed; nothing good ever came from these fools gathering together.
There seemed to be some truth in it. Ruhua pondered for a moment before Xiao Mu urged him on, “Get up! Your father doesn’t care for you, your mother doesn’t love you, and your wife doesn’t like you either. Why are you sulking in bed? I know you’re in pain, but you can’t keep moping around.”
“What should I do then?” Ruhua replied with a bitter face.
“Transfer your pain onto others; let them suffer instead… Get up! At worst, I’ll take you out to find some excitement through theft or trickery. There’s plenty we can do! Get up; I’ll take you back to Suzhou and Hangzhou to meet some regulars. By the time you're done playing around, you won’t even want to marry in your next life,” Xiao Mu said boldly.
Ruhua glanced at the three of them, his eyes rolling around before he sighed and sat up to get dressed.
Xiao Mu gestured for the other two to hurry and handle the discharge paperwork. As Lezi and Guan Guan stepped out and closed the door behind them, they heard Ruhua lamenting:
“Mu, brother… You don’t understand my struggles. I’ve been too busy trading stocks; I haven’t even slept with my wife much. I reckon others have had more than me… It’s not that I don’t want to leave the hospital; where would I go after? The bank is about to seal my house…”
The two exchanged glances, both amused yet feeling a pang of sympathy. Living as a person truly was difficult…
Nie Qifeng was carried in by two strong armed police officers, even the chair was brought along. He sat comfortably, and Rong Ying stood up in shock, looking at the thin yet spirited Nie Qifeng. Surprisingly, she managed to suppress her emotions and did not cry.
"Good," Nie Qifeng said with one of his remaining hands, giving a thumbs-up. Clean and neat, stripped of his once flamboyant appearance, Yingzi looked pure and unblemished; she did not seem haggard at all. This made Nie Qifeng's heart sink.
The meeting, which was close to a farewell, was unexpectedly stable in emotion—much more stable than he had anticipated. Nie Qifeng reminisced about the amusing moments from when he first met them as siblings, gesturing about how Yingzi was just a little girl back then. Rong Ying spoke about how she used to be terrified watching Brother Nie fight on stage but later became excited every time she saw a sparring match. As they talked animatedly, they exchanged smiles.
Rong Ying knew that Brother Nie had not appealed his case and was waiting for the death sentence review, which had no suspense. She could not connect this thin, handsome Brother Nie with the ruthless criminal he was accused of being; it was hard for her to believe that her brother was among them.
Nie Qifeng was surprised by Rong Ying's demeanor. He liked this unexpected change in her; the once clingy and troublesome Yingzi seemed to have transformed overnight into someone sensible enough to make him feel pain for her. He could not imagine how impoverished Rong Ying had managed to survive.
"Yingzi... you..." Nie Qifeng finally reined in his smile and asked curiously. Before he could finish, Rong Ying seemed to know what he wanted to say: "Brother, don't worry. I found a job; I can support myself now... Actually, you and my brother have always wanted me to be safe and sound. I understand your concerns."
Nie Qifeng sighed with relief and smiled appreciatively: "Yes, if your brother saw you now, he would be very happy."
"Brother, is there anything else... you want to arrange?" Rong Ying asked softly.
"No," Nie Qifeng shook his head, awkwardly smiling as he casually said, "Just scatter my ashes somewhere far away so that others won't spit on me."
Rong Ying forced a smile; she bit her lip and nodded. It was a reflection of her inherent resilience. She looked at Nie Qifeng with sympathy and said, "Brother, if there's even a slight chance to save you, I'll do anything... If I can't save you, I'll find a beautiful place for you..."
Her voice choked up, causing Nie Qifeng to panic. He raised his hand with restraints urgently and urged her: "Yingzi, don't cry... I've come to terms with it; why are you crying? I need to thank you—thank heaven for allowing me in my lifetime to meet a good brother and such a wonderful sister like you... It's really nothing; everyone dies eventually; it's not that terrifying."
Rong Ying held back her tears, wiped her eyes, and sought a cheerful topic. The only source of happiness for her seemed to be one thing, and she told Nie Qifeng, "Brother... I have something to tell you. I have a partner now."
"Oh, really?" Nie Qifeng asked curiously, then immediately added, "Don't tell him you have a brother in the detention center watching over you."
"It doesn't matter; you know him," Rong Ying replied. Nie Qifeng was taken aback, and then Rong Ying happily informed him, "Do you remember that time I went to see you and scared him off? My brother is gone, and he helped me handle the aftermath. For more than a year now, he has been the only one by my side. He has taught me so much; even my job was found by him... You all said he was quite capable, but I didn't believe it... Brother, what's wrong?"
With a clank, Nie Qifeng's hand, shackled with restraints, fell limply to his side. His face was haggard, and his expression was one of terror. Rong Ying was puzzled by this sudden change and looked at him in surprise. At that moment, even the police moved; two officers entered from outside and stared at Nie Qifeng with threatening eyes.
"Bah!" Nie Qifeng spat heavily, unafraid. He turned to Rong Ying and said, "Yingzi, Mulin Shen is a fraud. He betrayed me, your brother, and Old Li... He has ulterior motives for being with you... Don't stay with him; he's a wolf cub. I'm in this situation because of him... Keep your distance; stay far away from him... Hahaha... Look at these police officers; they're scared now, hahaha..."
Nie Qifeng was taken away, leaving Rong Ying stunned and standing there, unsure of what to do.
She had no idea how she got out of the detention center. She didn't hear what Discipline and the guards were saying in her ear. Once she stepped through the main gate, she hurriedly dialed a number. When the call connected, she held the phone to her ear but suddenly found herself speechless, unsure of what to ask.
Strangely enough, Xiao Mu on the other end wasn't his usual self either; he was silent.
"I saw Brother Nie," Rong Ying said.
"From your tone, it seems you know something," Xiao Mu replied.
"It seems he was right; you betrayed them and caused my two closest people to end up dead and crippled?" Rong Ying bit her lip until it bled without realizing it.
"Yes. Didn't Niezi tell you? He came to kill me but mistakenly killed my best brother instead," Xiao Mu said over the phone.
"You've been lying to me all along?" Rong Ying shouted angrily.
"Before, I tricked you into surviving. Now, you have your own reasons to live," Xiao Mu said before hanging up the phone.
On the other end, Rong Ying was furious as she rushed toward the bus station. The veins on her hands were bulging, and her face was frighteningly dark. For the first time, she felt how deep love could be, but in an instant, the hatred born from that love was even deeper...
...
"Finished... finished..."
Xiao Mu pressed the power button, realizing that luck had not come to his aid in the end. He stood there for a moment, then turned to leave, only to unexpectedly bump into an ugly face.
Ruhua was eavesdropping, leaning in to listen to him. Surprised, he asked Xiao Mu, "Damn, you really joined the Black Society? What’s with one dead and one crippled? Oh right, you’ve been hiding like a turtle; looks like you’ve been quietly up to something big."
"Get lost... I can't deal with you right now. I need to escape," Xiao Mu pulled him aside and hurried off. Not feeling reassured, he turned back and said, "Just wait here; I'll have Lezi arrange something for you soon."
"Damn, escaping?" Ruhua paused for a moment; the word excited him. He patted his chest and said, "How thrilling."
Then he took off after Xiao Mu, catching up in just a few steps. He pleaded, "Hey, hey, hey, Mu, take me with you... Do you even know where you're running? Do you have any money on you? What exactly happened?"
"You’re better off not knowing," Xiao Mu replied without looking back.
"I'm not interested in knowing; just take me with you! I have nowhere else to go," Ruhua insisted as he chased after him.
"That’s different. Forget it; I’m not telling you anything. Just don’t follow me," Xiao Mu said irritably.
"You said you wanted to take me along for some excitement, right? You also said you'd help me get my wife back and even teach me how to sleep with someone else's wife... What the hell, was any of that true? Hey, I'm telling you, if you don't take me, you can't leave!" Ruhua shouted in the hospital corridor, dragging Xiao Mu along. This scene left Xiao Mu utterly embarrassed as he tried to comfort Ruhua. "Let's just go... I haven't even figured out where we're headed."
"Then listen to me. If it's far, that's where we'll go. I just don't want to stay here anymore," Ruhua declared.
Those words resonated deeply with Xiao Mu's feelings. He remained silent and hurriedly made his way outside the hospital, hailing a cab and simply saying, "To the airport."
This truly was a spontaneous trip. Luckily, Ruhua had all his savings on him, and he paid for the tickets with his card. They bought tickets to Urumqi in the far north. After squeezing through the bustling terminal and passing security, Xiao Mu noticed with a heavy heart that Ruhua was actually in high spirits. Unable to hold back, he teased, "Ruhua, do you really think you can escape your loan shark?"
"Debtors just hide day by day. I didn't sign anything; let's see if they dare sell my house," Ruhua replied defiantly. His worries were twofold: his house and his wife—both of which would no longer belong to him.
"That's useless; they can enforce it," Xiao Mu pointed out.
Ruhua shot back angrily, "Are you trying to mess with me on purpose? I just bought you a ticket, and now you're clinging to my bankruptcy and divorce?"
"No, I'm just saying hiding isn't a solution," Xiao Mu clarified.
"That's nonsense! Then what are you hiding from?" Ruhua retorted.
Xiao Mu was momentarily taken aback by that question. Right, he was talking about others when he himself couldn't escape either. He pondered silently, moving from guilt to comforting lies, then from comforting lies to sweet talk. He didn't know when he had started getting trapped in this situation; now he felt an inexplicable sense of fear and unease inside him. For someone like him with low moral standards, it was hard to experience such feelings.
"What's wrong?" Ruhua asked curiously as he noticed Xiao Mu lost in thought.
"Nothing. Hey Ruhua, turn off your phone. This time things are complicated; who knows when I'll be back," Xiao Mu said.
Ruhua grinned and replied, "I turned it off long ago. You’re not getting into trouble, are you?"
"I’m not afraid of getting into trouble, but I can’t handle this situation," Xiao Mu said.
"What’s going on that has you so worried?" Ruhua asked, following closely behind, curiosity overwhelming everything else. Xiao Mu felt cornered and had no choice but to explain, "It’s like this: for more than a year, I’ve been taking care of a girl. I’ve been helping her out of a sense of guilt. I’ve been comforting her, helping her get back on her feet, finding her a job, teaching her to be independent… um..."
"That sounds like a good thing. Why are you so troubled?" Ruhua asked, confused.
"But a few days ago, I couldn’t hold back anymore and ended up sleeping with her," Xiao Mu admitted, his expression sheepish.
Ruhua burst into laughter but still didn’t understand. "You’ve done it plenty of times before; why feel embarrassed now?"
"Honestly, I just wanted to take care of her. I had no ulterior motives. You tell me why I’m such a failure—here I was doing something noble, and in the end, I couldn’t resist sleeping with her," Xiao Mu replied.
Feeling ashamed, Ruhua countered, "I still don’t get it. Isn’t it just about one night?"
"Do you know about Erhu Lu getting killed?" Xiao Mu asked subtly.
Ruhua nodded; he had heard something about it but didn’t know the details. It seemed to be the reason Xiao Mu had become more low-key. Seeing the serious look in Xiao Mu's eyes, he exclaimed in surprise, "Wait… the girl you slept with is related to the one who killed Erhu Lu?"
"She’s his sister. He had another brother who jumped off a building. They were all forced into it," Xiao Mu said sadly.
"Damn," Ruhua said, looking at him with newfound respect and giving him a thumbs up. "You really went all out—killed him and then slept with his sister… damn, I love it."
Forget it; none of us have normal values anyway, Xiao Mu thought bitterly as he found a seat in the waiting area and decided not to discuss relationships any further with this slightly unhinged Ruhua.
Ruhua kept talking and asking questions until he suddenly fell silent. Finally quieting down, Xiao Mu turned to look at him, only to find Ruhua staring at him as if he had seen a ghost. Then he tilted his head slightly to indicate something off to the side. When Xiao Mu looked over, his heart sank again—Aeming appeared like a ghost right there.
He strode over and sat down beside Xiao Mu, tugging at his clothes and crossing his legs. Xiao Mu grumbled, "Baldy, I'm in a bad mood right now, so stop bothering me."
"On the contrary, I'm in a great mood and looking for someone to talk to... Ah, this must be Mr. Sun," Aeming said, reaching out toward the lewd Ruhua. Ruhua smiled and shook his hand, asking, "Who are you?"
"He's a cop," Xiao Mu replied.
"Here to arrest you?" Ruhua asked.
"Inviting me," Xiao Mu corrected.
"Pfft," Ruhua scoffed dismissively.
Aeming was thoroughly enjoying Ruhua's company and chimed in, "That answer is concise and to the point—pfft."
Ruhua laughed and reached out to high-five Baldy, jokingly asking, "It's not easy for a cop to look like you."
With his buzz cut and a face full of flesh, he had scared away the female patrons sitting nearby. Upon hearing this, Aeming got angry while Xiao Mu chuckled. Ruhua felt it was inappropriate and quickly amended, "No, no! What I meant to say is that it's even harder for someone who looks like you to be a cop."
Xiao Mu burst into laughter, shaking with amusement. He teased Aeming, saying, "Baldy, Brother Hua's thoughts and mind are twisted. If you can communicate with him normally, I'll be impressed."
Ruhua didn't mind at all; instead, he introduced himself, "Right! I'm a twisted rich kid; he belongs to the perverted second-generation rich. Now that we're both broke, our twists and perversions have only intensified."
Xiao Mu laughed again while Aeming stared blankly at these two clowns. He couldn't handle either of them alone, let alone both together—it was quite a tricky situation.
After a long pause, he finally managed to blurt out, "Are you just going to leave like this?"
"Are you talking about your business or mine?" Xiao Mu asked.
"My business is already over. Yours—have you thought about what the consequences will be?" Aeming retorted angrily.
"Don't worry about my business. I won't concern myself with yours either. Let's just go our separate ways. Is it really worth it for you to keep chasing after me?" Xiao Mu replied bluntly.
Aeming rubbed her forehead, then suddenly swung her hand and slapped Xiao Mu sharply across the face. Caught off guard, Xiao Mu sprang up, glaring furiously at her.
At that moment, there was a loud banging on the door of Nirvana Studio on the top floor of the complex. Rong Ying was outside, pounding and kicking the door, shouting angrily, "Xiao Mu, Mulin Shen... get out here!"
Suddenly, the door flew open, and Liu Yang was pushed back several steps by Rong Ying. The tattoo artists in the room were present but hadn’t had a chance to intervene before Rong Ying pulled a kitchen knife from her bag and pressed it against Liu Yang's neck, shouting, "Where's Mulin Shen? Get him out here! I want him to pay today... Where is he?"
She yelled in a fit of rage, her fury reminiscent of Sister Dongjiang's past dominance. The tattoo artists in the room were so frightened that they stumbled backward in retreat.
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