Chapter Seventeen (Part 1): Parting
He said, “The day you find out about the wrong things I’ve done, give me a chance. Don’t ever leave.”
Words spoken after drinking. Under normal circumstances, that kind of thing would never come out of Lu Qiang’s mouth. So humble, so powerless, it wasn’t him at all. For a while, she even suspected she had misheard.
The next morning, Lu Yin pressed him for answers. Lu Qiang, fully sober, turned back into himself again, refusing to admit anything no matter what she said. After getting nowhere despite pestering him for a long time, she had no choice but to drop it.
But Lu Yin could not shake the unease in her heart. Knowing him for so long, she had never seen him drunk before. Babbling nonsense, tossing and turning half the night, that rare glimpse of vulnerability and desolation had, unexpectedly, made her chest ache faintly.
Lu Yin had always been sensitive. After that, those words would often jump into her mind. Coupled with how abnormal he had been after getting drunk, she kept feeling that something was about to happen. She stayed in that uneasy state for several days, yet everything remained calm and uneventful all the way to New Year’s Day.
***
On the morning of New Year’s Day, Lu Qiang went to see Old Deng.
He seemed even thinner than the last time they met. The prison had issued winter clothes, the blue-green uniform hanging loose and baggy on him, making the body wrapped inside the padded jacket look even more gaunt, skin and bones. Back then, with Lu Qiang around, they had looked out for each other, chatted, joked to pass the time. Even the dull routine of life had held a bit of amusement.
He was taciturn by nature. After Lu Qiang left, he kept to himself. Unless necessary, he could go an entire day without saying a single word.
Seeing Lu Qiang come to visit, he grumbled aloud about him coming to this damned place again, but the murkiness in his eyes could not help but brighten, the corners of them crinkling with a smile.
Lu Qiang could not smile. He sat there, eyes lowered, watching him in silence for quite a while.
Old Deng sensed something strange in his gaze and could not help but turn a thought over in his mind, probing, “Yarong and Wu Qiong… are they… not doing well?”
Lu Qiang held the receiver, paused for half a second, then smiled. “They’re doing fine. The couple is still at the chemical institute. Your kid is twenty-five this year, graduated from Zhangzhou Institute of Technology, seems like she studied computer science. She’s quite pretty, tall too. At a glance, she actually resembles you a bit. Now she works in the city center’s tech district.” He recalled as he spoke, telling him everything he knew from years ago, pieced together with what he had learned from the nanny.
Old Deng narrowed his eyes in a smile, nodding again and again.
Lu Qiang added, “She doesn’t go by Deng Qiong anymore. She’s called Wu Qiong now. Her stepfather’s surname is Wu.”
Old Deng stiffened for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. “...I understand.”
The last time Liang Yarong had come was several years ago. She had not stayed long, basically said a few things and left, never mentioning Wu Qiong at all. In over twenty years, this was the only information he had about the daughter he had never met. Knowing she was safe was already enough.
Old Deng bared his teeth in a grin, the lines at the corners of his eyes gathering densely. It was the first genuine smile he had had in days.
Lu Qiang’s fingers unconsciously scraped along the tabletop. Without even waiting for the guard to urge him, he left after only a few minutes.
Old Deng watched his back, restless at heart, always feeling that he had wanted to say something but held it back, as if there were words left unfinished. But no matter how hard he stared, he could not leave. He was led back to his cell by the guard.
After coming out, Lu Qiang had been holding back his craving for a cigarette for quite a while. He tilted his head to the side and lit one first, took a deep drag before lowering it, then slowly raised his head to look at the sky. The sky was a bleak white, without a trace of blue. Gray clouds covered the sun, gradually pressing in from the horizon.
Lu Qiang drew his gaze back and walked toward the bus stop across the street.
Just now, that matter from six years ago had already reached his lips. But when he met Old Deng’s aged eyes, it circled once in his throat and was forcibly swallowed back down. It was not that he was deliberately hiding it or avoiding it. Sneaking around was not his nature at all. It was just that Old Deng’s days inside dragged on like years, alone and desolate. If even that one last bit of hope changed, how would he go on living?
That day, Lu Qiang stayed by the canal for half the night. The past resurfaced. He did not feel guilty for anything else, the wrong things he had done had already been paid for. But the moment he saw Wu Qiong get out of the car, he knew that what he owed Old Deng was something he could never repay in this lifetime.
The sky was glaringly pale. Something fell onto his forehead. He reached up and wiped it, a trace of dampness.
Lu Qiang lifted his head. The first snowfall of this winter.
***
That evening, Lu Yin cooked. Since the two of them had been together, this was, in a real sense, an important holiday. The meal was fairly abundant, five dishes and one soup. In high spirits, Lu Yin drank nearly half a glass of baijiu, then reached out for beer.
Lu Qiang watched her with a smile and did not stop her. He pulled the tab open before handing it to her. The television was almost entirely showing New Year’s gala programs. Lu Yin sat by the table, flipped through channels, and randomly stopped on a satellite channel where a new singer was performing a cheerful song. She set the remote aside. The volume was not loud, and neither of them really watched, treating it as background noise. Maybe because of their mood, the two of them still felt it was lively.
After dinner, Lu Yin went to wash the dishes. Lu Qiang pushed open the balcony window. Snowflakes drifted down one after another, having fallen from noon until now. A thin layer had already accumulated on the railing, glinting crystal-bright under the distant streetlights. Lu Qiang bent down and blew lightly, scattering the snow and clearing a dry patch. He propped his arm there, idly playing with his lighter for a while, then took the cigarette from behind his ear and lit it. He exhaled, smoke spreading. He clenched his teeth slightly and looked out at the snow-lit night in the distance.
In the time it took to smoke one cigarette, Lu Yin ran out as well, holding a half-finished can of beer, leaning beside him.
Lu Qiang turned his head. “Go back and put on some clothes.”
On a snowy day, the temperature was not actually that cold. She wore only a thick knit sweater, her hair half tied up, her slender neck completely exposed to the air. “I’m not cold.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.” Lu Qiang took her beer. “Hurry. I’ll hold it for you first.”
Lu Yin was chased back inside to put on more clothes. Lu Qiang pulled his gaze back from her, took a sip of the beer, turning the can lightly in his hand. She put on a padded coat and brought one for Lu Qiang as well, draping it directly over him.
Lu Qiang did not move, letting it hang loosely over his shoulders.
He handed the beer back to Lu Yin. She tipped her head back and took a small sip, her shoulder brushing against his arm as they stood side by side.
She glanced at the small garden downstairs and turned her head. “What are you looking at?”
Lu Qiang said, “If you’re good-looking, isn’t it for me to look at?”
Lu Yin let out a soft snort. “I’ll take that as a compliment. But don’t get carried away. It’s not like I’m specifically for you to look at.”
Lu Qiang said flatly, “Other people can look but can’t sleep with you. Looking’s pointless.”
Lu Yin’s face flushed red. She turned her gaze away and tipped her head back, downing the rest of the beer in one go. There had not been much left to begin with. That one sip of his had already taken nearly half the can. Her cheeks puffed out slightly, carrying a trace of girlish youthfulness.
Lu Yin shot him a glare. “Too lazy to deal with you.” After saying that, she turned and went back inside.
Lu Qiang smiled, grabbed her arm, and pulled her straight into his embrace, trapping her between his arm and the railing. They fell quiet, the two of them gazing together at the deep, distant horizon.
After a while, Lu Qiang lowered his gaze, letting it fall on the small patch of bare skin at her neck. Her padded coat was apricot-colored, soft in texture, just enough to cover the curve of her hips. Jeans, and on her feet a pair of winter cartoon cotton slippers, also in light colors.
Most of her clothes were in light tones.
Lu Qiang asked casually, “Why do you always wear colors that don’t hide dirt?”
Lu Yin said, “Back in university I liked black, gray, darker colors. Felt stylish, had personality. Now that I’m getting older, I actually want to wear something more colorful or lighter, lift my mood a bit, pretend I’m still in my youth.”
Lu Qiang said, “So, acting young?”
Lu Yin shot him a look of disdain. Coming from him, it sounded completely different. She gave a small huff, unable to find the right words to argue back.
Lu Qiang said quietly, “You’re overthinking it. How old are you, worrying about all that.”
Lu Yin’s eyes turned sly. “Compared to you, I’m still young.”
Lu Qiang paused, then said, “There’s only five years between us.”
“Three years is already a generation gap, haven’t you heard?”
Lu Qiang squeezed her breast, grinning wickedly. “I don’t understand you well enough?”
They chatted idly for a while. The snow seemed lighter than before. Everything in sight was a blur of white, the night not quite dark enough to be pure. Outside the railing was the air conditioner unit, covered in a thin, soft layer of snow, clean and translucent, glinting under the light.
Lu Yin rested her chin on her hand. A mischievous thought rose in her. She scooped up a small chunk with her finger, turned around, and aimed to press it onto his forehead. Lu Qiang had been looking into the distance, but caught her movement from the corner of his eye. He tilted his head slightly and easily dodged. Then he stretched out his hand, wiped a handful of snow, and smeared it straight onto her face.
Lu Yin froze for a moment, then let out a small cry, poking at his face with her fingers.
Lu Qiang grabbed her wrist, laughing low. They struggled and tangled for a moment. Then Lu Qiang stopped laughing and looked at her steadily. Snow still clung to her face, a small white fleck resting on the tip of her nose. Her lips, drawn tight in anger, were thin and lifted, revealing a row of tightly clenched white teeth. Her eyes shone, bright and alive.
Lu Qiang turned her body toward him. Face to face, he brought her snow-dampened finger to his mouth and took it in.
Lu Yin was startled, forgetting to resist. She only felt her index finger tightly wrapped by the softness of his lips and the tip of his tongue, confined within a narrow space, warm and wet. He sucked hard, the fingertip flushing and swelling, her heart trembling along with it.
On the ground, they lay overturned in the snow. But neither of them had the time to care…
“Don’t…”
Lu Yin tried to stop him, but he only increased the force, biting her lightly, not too hard. His tongue hooked and drew, swallowing her entire finger in one motion.
Lu Qiang’s cheeks hollowed deeply, his dark eyes fixed tightly on her expression, domineering and forceful. Lu Yin’s breathing nearly stalled, her face flushed like peach blossoms, even the roots of her ears burning. The snow on her face slowly melted into water, the mingling of ice and fire, an agony hard to bear.
The snow had stopped. The wind was still. The faint rustling of snow filled the quiet night. Beneath the silent sky, he held her tightly.
The heat of skin, the chill of water, he was a mingling of ice and fire.
Before long, Lu Qiang’s breathing turned rough, his voice hoarse beyond recognition. “Looks like I’ve fallen right into your trap.” After saying that, he bent down, urgently lifting her by the hips, bracing against the full curve of her thighs as he held her, turning and striding back inside.
Lu Yin let out a soft cry and wrapped her arms around his neck. In the confusion, his padded coat slipped off, her slippers were flung to the ground, overturned in the snow. But neither of them had the time to care…
The long night stretched on.
That night, he first threw her up into heaven.
***
After an unknown stretch of sleep, Lu Yin heard a ringtone, followed by his low curse. She thought she was dreaming, drowsily turning over, only to see him hanging up the phone and pulling clothes onto himself.
Lu Yin rubbed her eyes. “Where are you going?”
“Something happened on Da Long’s side. He beat someone and got taken into the station. I’m going to take a look.”
Lu Yin sat up. “I’ll go with you.”
“No need. It’s too cold. Go back to sleep.”
Lu Qiang went quickly to the bathroom, ran some water, splashed his face to wake himself up. When he came out, he saw Lu Yin already dressed, holding the car keys, waiting for him.
Lu Qiang said, “Why are you still coming along? Go back to sleep.”
Lu Yin said, “It’s the middle of the night, and it’s snowing. There won’t be any cars. I’ll drive you.”
Lu Qiang said, “The roads are slippery in the snow.”
Lu Yin changed her shoes. “Then I’ll just drive slower.”
Lu Qiang looked at her for a moment, then did not refuse again.
It was past one in the morning. There was not a single pedestrian outside. Frost clung to the bare branches, and the road, pressed by tires, gleamed with a cold sheen.
Lu Qiang glanced at her. “Want me to drive?”
“You don’t even have a license. Better not.”
Lu Qiang said, “Then watch the road. No need to rush.”
The distance was not far, but because of the weather, it took a full half hour. Lu Yin parked the car at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau. She did not get out, waiting in the car.
Lu Qiang took a few long strides up the steps. Genzi came out to meet him. He asked what exactly had happened.
Genzi said Da Long’s current logistics company had a small team leader named Liang Yajun. He liked to throw his weight around, always bullying newcomers and making things difficult for him. With Da Long’s hotheaded temper, after swallowing his anger again and again, he finally could not take it anymore. Tonight he followed him all the way and beat him up.
Lu Qiang remembered that when they had eaten together that day, Da Long had mentioned it. He followed up, “How’s that team leader now?”
“Still in the hospital. Da Long got detained by Old Xing, he’s squatting inside right now. Heard the family is on their way.”
As they spoke, they entered the interrogation hall. As expected, they ran into someone they knew. Tan Wei and her mentor Old Xing were both there. Lu Qiang nodded at her, his gaze sweeping the room. Da Long was crouched in a corner, holding his head.
Seeing him come in, he stood up unconsciously. “Qiang-ge!”
Tan Wei said in a low voice, “Squat down. Who told you to stand up?” Then she looked at Lu Qiang. “Is this related to you?”
Lu Qiang said, “No. I’m here to bail him out.”
Tan Wei maintained a businesslike tone. “Fill out the paperwork first.” She tossed a few sheets of paper to him. “The victim’s family hasn’t arrived yet. We don’t know the full situation. For now, bail isn’t possible.”
Lu Qiang’s gaze darkened. “When will it be?”
Tan Wei looked at him. “I don’t know.”
Expressionless, Lu Qiang tossed the pen to Genzi. “You fill it out.”
At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor outside, and two women pushed open the door to the interrogation hall.
All eyes turned. Everyone froze.
For a few seconds, the air seemed to stagnate. Lu Qiang was the first to look away.
At the doorway stood an old woman and a young one. The younger looked about twenty, with short ear-length hair and a red padded coat. The older had a slightly puffed hairstyle, a few strands of silver at her temples and forehead, and a thick knitted scarf around her neck. Wu Qiong was briefly startled; after one glance, she averted her eyes. Liang Yarong, however, stared straight at Lu Qiang, hatred in her eyes like a blade, as if she wanted to swallow him alive.
Tan Wei was already informed. She glanced at Lu Qiang, then at the doorway, and asked, “Are you the victims’ family?”
Wu Qiong quickly said, “Yes, yes.”
“Sit over here.” Tan Wei recorded. “What’s your relationship?”
“Liang Yajun is my uncle.”
Tan Wei looked at her. “Your name?”
“Wu Qiong.”
***
The situation was quickly clarified. Tan Wei said, “Based on the circumstances, you may seek appropriate compensation. Our people have just gotten information from the hospital, and Liang Yajun’s injuries aren’t serious. You can decide whether you need police intervention,” she paused, “or handle it privately?”
Wu Qiong bit her lip. “Then—”
Before she could finish, Liang Yarong yanked her arm. “We’re suing. We must pursue this to the end,” she said, glaring at Lu Qiang, her words pointed. “Those beasts doing such inhuman things. If the law can’t punish them, heaven will. They’ll get struck down by lightning, die without a complete corpse.”
Tan Wei clicked her tongue. “Watch how you talk.”
Wu Qiong also said softly, “Mom!”
Tan Wei said, “Go back for now. Come again when there’s a result.”
Wu Qiong agreed, pulling Liang Yarong hurriedly out the door.
The room fell quiet again. Old Xing sat at the back, blowing on his teacup, eyes studying the young people in the room. Before anything further could happen, hurried footsteps sounded again in the corridor, followed by screams. The door was slammed open.
Liang Yarong had come back.
Wu Qiong tried to pull her back but failed. She raised her bag and hurled it straight at Lu Qiang.
Lu Qiang tilted his head; the bag landed on the table and knocked over a teacup.
Liang Yarong screamed, “Rapist, beast! You ruined my daughter’s life, and now you’re coming after my Liang family!”
Wu Qiong cried, “Mom, what are you doing! It has nothing to do with him!”
“What difference does it make?” she shouted back. “Wu Qiong, aren’t they all beasts?” She ignored all attempts to stop her, like a madwoman, grabbing anything she could and throwing it at Lu Qiang.
Lu Qiang did not dodge this time. With an unlit cigarette in his mouth and his head slightly lowered, at that moment he made a decision.
No matter what, he would not hide it from Lu Yin anymore.
He took several hits head-on. Tan Wei stepped in to stop it. Genzi also lost his temper, pointing at Liang Yarong: “Are you done yet? Watch your mouth.”
Dalong stood up. “Old woman, try hitting him again!”
The hall instantly turned chaotic, filled with screams and curses.
Old Xing slammed his porcelain cup heavily onto the table with a dull thud. “All of you shut up!”
Silence fell instantly.
He turned to Tan Wei. “Anyone who can’t behave, lock them up. I don’t care who they are. A few days inside and they’ll calm down.”
Wu Qiong wiped her tears and quickly apologized. “Sorry, sorry. We’ll leave right now.”
Old Xing said, “Tan Wei, send them out.”
Tan Wei half-guided, half-dragged Liang Yarong out of the station, gave a few instructions, and sent them to catch a taxi across the street. When she turned back, she saw a white Volkswagen Bora parked at the entrance, headlights on. In the driver’s seat was a delicate-looking young woman, blinking at her.
Lu Yin took a moment to register what was happening. After staring for a while, she finally remembered she had seen her at the restaurant that day.
Tan Wei stood in front of the car without moving. Lu Yin couldn’t just keep sitting inside, so she quickly got out and greeted with a smile. “Officer Tan, what a coincidence.”
Tan Wei had her hands in her pockets. “You came here with Lu Qiang?”
Lu Yin said yes.
“Then why aren’t you going in? It’s freezing outside.”
“Should be over soon,” Lu Yin said.
“It was supposed to be quick,” Tan Wei looked at her, pausing slightly. “Who knew we’d run into Wu Qiong and her mother and cause a scene.”
“Wu Qiong?”
Tan Wei smiled faintly, already understanding something. “You don’t know?”
Her smile carried meaning. Lu Yin’s heart turned cold, though she still kept a polite expression. She neither said she knew nor that she didn’t.
Tan Wei said, “It’s that case from six years ago. They accused Lu Qiang of rape. Today, one of his friends happened to beat up Wu Qiong’s uncle. Bad timing, they ran into each other.”
“What did you say?”
Tan Wei blinked. “I said Lu Qiang’s friend got into a fight with—”
“Not that.”
“Oh.” Tan Wei said, “Six years ago…”
A buzzing filled Lu Yin’s ears. After that, she no longer heard what was said.
She felt herself unable to stand properly and instinctively braced herself against the car, leaning into it. It felt as if she had fallen into a sealed space. Across from her, the other woman’s lips were moving, but in her mind only two words kept circling, pressing down on her until she struggled to breathe.
Lu Yin told herself she shouldn’t believe it. She should hear it from Lu Qiang himself. But police don’t lie. She had also asked him twice before, and he had continued to hide it. Combined with his drunken behavior that day, those words rose clearly again in her mind.
Lu Qiang’s complicated background meant his past was never going to be simple. When she decided to be with him, she had broken through layers upon layers of social constraints and made full psychological preparations. No matter what happened, she wanted to face it calmly, but even so, the accusation of rape was still something she could not accept.
The person across from her was still speaking. She forced out a smile. “I’ll go first. You’re busy.”
She stumbled as she turned away, forgetting to open the car door, and stepped into the night one step at a time.
The snow had already stopped. The early-morning temperature kept dropping, the cold wind cutting into bone, even a padded coat could not hold it back.
Lu Yin’s lips turned pale. Her heart tightened again and again—stabbing, twisting, constricting.
A few hours ago, they had eaten together, watched the snow together, and tangled passionately in bed, sweat and breath and bodies all entangled.
She slept once, and the world had completely changed.
That night, he had ultimately thrown her into hell.
Not long after, Old Xing escorted Lu Qiang and Genzi out. Da Long would likely have to stay inside for a few nights. Just then they ran into Tan Wei returning. Lu Qiang swept her a glance, his eyes landing on the car at the entrance. The lights were still on, but the inside was empty.
Lu Qiang grabbed her arm. “Did you see the person in the car?”
“You mean the woman who came with you?”
Lu Qiang pressed his lips together and stared at her. She felt a bit uneasy and forced herself to answer, “She… she said she had something and left first.”
His pupils contracted sharply. He seemed to realize something instantly, strength tightening in his hand.
“Ah! You’re hurting me, let go!”
Lu Qiang: “What the hell did you say to her?”
Tan Wei’s shoulder was wrenched upward. She gritted her teeth. “She just asked what was going on inside. Didn’t you tell her everything? I thought she knew.”
Lu Qiang’s gaze turned dark and violent. The muscles in his jaw tightened. He grabbed her collar with one hand, and with the other formed a fist, about to smash it into her face.
Old Xing seized his wrist. “Lu Qiang, calm down! Do you know this is assaulting an officer?”
But that bit of force wasn’t enough to restrain him. Seeing him still ready to move, Old Xing quickly added, “Even if you get detained for a few days, that’s one thing. But at this time of night, how are you going to find her?”
Lu Qiang paused. The rage compressed in his chest. His fist tightened, then he swung his elbow instead, smashing it hard into the driver’s side window. A web of frosted cracks immediately spread outward.
Old Xing and Genzi worked together to pull him away. Tan Wei, shaken badly, stepped back. Tears were already in her eyes as she said unwillingly, “Lu Qiang, you’re just a coward. You don’t dare face what you’ve done. If you had the guts, why didn’t you tell that girl all your dirty secrets yourself? I did her a favor today. I let her see you clearly.”
Lu Qiang ground his back teeth together. He pointed at her. “Before I hit you, you’d better shut that mouth.”
His anger still hadn’t subsided. He knew exactly how much this would hurt her. Worse still, she had heard it from another woman. He couldn’t even imagine what state Lu Yin had been in at that moment. He didn’t linger, afraid that in the next second he would lose control and tear her mouth apart.
Lu Qiang opened the car door. “Get in,” he told Genzi.
Tan Wei still felt some regret. At first she only wanted to vent her anger and hadn’t intended to escalate things. She stepped forward, unsure what to say. “Did you reapply for your driver’s license?”
“Reapply my ass.” Lu Qiang spat. “You’d better pray she’s okay.”
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