Extra 1. Summer 2015
After briefly regaining consciousness, Xu Cheng fell back into a stupor.
He was extremely weak, drifting in and out of sleep for two or three days. Only on the fourth day did his spirits improve a little.
During this time, leaders from the city, from the public security, procuratorate, and judicial system, as well as colleagues from his unit, came one after another to visit him. He remained asleep through all of it.
The hospital corridor was crowded with flowers sent by citizens, the cards overflowing with words of blessing.
How could wild geese pass without leaving a trace?
In official life and governance, the people always carry their own scale in their hearts. Some are respected, some are mediocre, some are infamous. Good or bad, none of it can be hidden by time.
Jiang Xi carried a thermos of warm water, walking past the stretch of flowers into the ward. The doctor had just finished examining Xu Cheng and said his recovery was good, that he could start getting out of bed and moving around.
Jiang Xi saw the doctor out. When she came back in, Xu Cheng was sitting propped up against the hospital bed, looking toward her.
Jiang Xi smiled at him, then glanced at the food on the small overbed table. As she had asked, he had finished every bit of the millet porridge and steamed egg custard.
She pushed the table aside and asked, “Do you want some hot water?”
“Sit with me for a while. Don’t keep busy, running in and out.”
“When was I running around?”
“Even getting hot water took you that long,” Xu Cheng said. “I finished breakfast and you still weren’t back.”
Jiang Xi protested, wronged, “How was that long? You make it sound like I abandoned you. I stayed with you while you ate. When I left, you only had a few bites left.”
Xu Cheng was silent for a few seconds, then said, “I just don’t want to be away from you even for a moment.”
Jiang Xi froze. Suddenly her nose stung, and she turned her head away.
Xu Cheng pulled her to sit at the bedside. Tears quickly fell from Jiang Xi’s chin.
“You were fine just now. Why are you upset again?” His voice was hoarse. “I’ll get better soon. Don’t worry.”
She said, aggrieved, “I said wherever I go, you go with me.”
His thumb brushed the back of her hand. “Didn’t I come back with you?”
“I support you. But this time it was… too dangerous.” Jiang Xi choked, “After a week passed, I didn’t even know what to do. Tiantian is still alive, I couldn’t leave him. If it weren’t for him, I would have—”
Xu Cheng’s heart jolted. He pulled her into his arms. “Jiang Xi, I made thorough preparations.”
Duan Mei had once been one of Lao Yong’s underlings in earlier years and had received his favor. He was unwilling to go against Qiu Sicheng, unwilling to testify and get entangled. But if Xu Cheng’s life had truly been in danger, he would have found a way to intervene. That would have ruined the plan, so unless absolutely necessary, he would not act.
So if, that day at the scene, Yang Jianming still showed no sign of wavering, Xu Cheng would have spoken the pet name of the child Yang Jianming had with Ji Taotao.
Yang Jianming knew he had done every bad thing imaginable. The only woman he ever acknowledged as his girlfriend, Ji Taotao, became pregnant. Fearing retaliation against her and the child, he sent them back to her hometown, outwardly claiming a breakup. In truth, the child bore Yang Jianming’s surname, and from their living conditions it was clear the child was deeply doted on.
If the police could not find Xu Cheng for a long time, and Yang Jianming still refused to surrender and confess, A-Dao would…
A-Dao had long wanted to do exactly that, cursing Yang Jianming as a rotten man who, despite everything, devoted himself completely to his family, protecting them with utmost care.
Xu Cheng stopped him. He did not want to take that step.
A-Dao had been furious. He said villains would use any means necessary, while good people insisted on principles, so in the end villains prevailed and good people suffered. But he, A-Dao, was not a good person. Xu Cheng was like his own family. Whoever touched his family, he would never let their family off either.
After Xu Cheng finished speaking, he saw that Jiang Xi was so shocked she had even stopped crying. He forced a faint smile. “I know that would have been too much, but fortunately, it didn’t come to that—”
“It’s not too much!” Jiang Xi bit down hard, her voice trembling. “I thank A-Dao for having that as a backup plan. And I thank you for making that preparation.”
As soon as she finished, her tears fell again.
“If you keep crying, your eyes will swell again.” He gently touched beneath her eyes.
“I just feel… it hasn’t been easy.”
“Easy or not, it’s all over now.” He held her again, soothing her softly for a while.
She stopped crying, her voice muffled as she said, “Xu Cheng, while you were gone, I kept thinking about The Wild Swans.”
He remembered. “The fairy tale you really like. When I listened to it back then, I thought you were a lot like the protagonist.”
“No, I think you are. A little sad, a little pitiful, and a little heroic. It was so hard. You were clearly doing the right thing, but at the beginning you couldn’t say anything, couldn’t defend yourself. Once you chose that path, you chose silence and misunderstanding. There was no one you could confide in, no one who could understand. I kept thinking about how, some time ago, so many people online were cursing you—”
“It’s all in the past now, and…” Xu Cheng said, “isn’t there you, who understands me?”
“But you wrote letters to everyone, except me.”
He said softly, “When I picked up the pen, I didn’t know what to say. It felt like nothing would be enough, and anything I wrote would make you cry, so I left it. And besides, I was certain, Jiang Xi, that I would do everything, risk everything, to come back to you.”
He said, “I still haven’t told you in person. I liked you a long time ago.”
“I know. Du Yukang told me. He said you forgot.” When Jiang Xi reached this point, tears fell again with a pang.
“He doesn’t know.” Xu Cheng held her gaze. “Jiang Xi, when I said it was love at first sight that day, I wasn’t speaking nonsense in a daze. In the studio, the first time I saw you, my heart was moved. But at the time I didn’t understand, and I was too immature to admit it.”
“Xixi, I already liked you back then.”
Jiang Xi’s heartbeat quickened. Her gaze seemed to clutch him with force, full of urgent longing. “Really?”
Her heart had been sour just a second ago, and now it felt like it had fallen into a jar of honey, sweet enough to bubble over.
“Did you forget? That time you came to my school, I kept shooting hoops right in front of you, almost like a peacock showing off. You didn’t notice?”
“How would I know that was peacock behavior? I thought you just liked playing basketball.” Jiang Xi sounded regretful, then quickly grew shy and let out a soft laugh. “I was too busy watching you. You really looked handsome playing.”
Their eyelashes were still damp, and they looked at each other and smiled.
Jiang Xi leaned in, tilting her head onto his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I regret it so much. After getting off the boat, I should have gone to find you. We shouldn’t have missed each other for more than nine years. I’m sorry.”
Xu Cheng paused, his eyes reddening slightly. “It’s not your fault. I also regret leaving that boat back then. But Jiang Xi, don’t blame yourself. You were so young then. What else could you have done? Just… don’t leave me again in the future.”
“I promise. I’ll never leave you again. Never. Xu Cheng, I keep my word.”
“Alright.”
They held each other quietly for a while. Jiang Xi seemed to remember something and got up. “I’ll go—”
Before she could finish, Xu Cheng pulled her back into his arms, and she fell against him again. He said, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t leave?”
Jiang Xi blinked. “Huh?”
She paused, then said, “I’m going to get the medicine, to apply it for you.”
“Oh…” He still didn’t let go. He lightly brushed her lips before releasing her.
Jiang Xi pressed her lips together, secretly smiling.
Xu Cheng caught her hand again. “What are you laughing at?”
“Laughing at how you’re like a sticky rice cake.”
Xu Cheng: “…”
He said, “What’s a sticky rice cake?”
“I don’t know, I just made it up. It sounds cute.”
He couldn’t help but laugh.
He had been bitten by insects in the wild, his neck and arms the worst affected. Fortunately, while he was unconscious over the past few days, Jiang Xi had applied medicine to him every day, and it had already improved a lot. It no longer itched.
Jiang Xi squeezed some ointment onto her fingers and slowly spread it over his skin. It felt cool and soothing. When she reached his neck, he shivered slightly.
Jiang Xi looked up. “What’s wrong?”
He smiled faintly. “It tickles a bit.”
Jiang Xi leaned forward and kissed his dimple. After meeting his eyes for a moment, she continued applying the medicine.
He tilted his chin slightly upward. Her fingers brushed over his Adam’s apple, tracing a small circle very lightly.
He smiled again. “That really tickles.”
Jiang Xi laughed too. “Oh right, the corridor is full of flowers, sent by citizens. It’s even more spectacular than a flower shop. There are so many cards too. Want to go take a look? The doctor also said you should get up and walk around.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Xi helped him slowly to his feet.
Xu Cheng was a bit unsteady when he stood up and swayed slightly. Jiang Xi immediately stepped in to support him.
But once he straightened, he felt much better. He smiled a little shyly and said, “A Xi, I really liked that just now.”
Jiang Xi, still startled, was holding him tightly. She looked up, confused. “Huh?”
“When you ignored me before, I imagined it several times: that I was seriously ill, you would come to see me, you wouldn’t be angry anymore, and you’d feed me water, help me get out of bed to walk…”
“You’re not allowed to think about such unlucky things in the future—” Jiang Xi’s heart ached. “Xu Cheng, those first few months, were you suffering a lot?”
He didn’t answer, because he didn’t want to lie to her.
He took a step and leaned toward her again. She quickly steadied him, and her attention shifted.
They slowly walked out of the ward.
Xu Cheng’s room faced the nurses’ station, and the space outside was wide. Centered around his ward, flowers filled the area: pink, purple, orange, white… sunflowers, roses, peonies, daisies… a riot of color, like stepping into spring.
Xu Cheng glanced at a few nearby cards. They read:
“Captain Xu, the lights of countless homes shine because of you. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Hold fast to justice and move forward bravely.”
“Wishing Officer Xu Cheng a brilliant badge and a bright future.”
“Thank you for holding up a sky for strangers like us.”
“The brightest morning star in Yucheng’s night sky! Charge ahead. You protect the people of Yucheng, and the people will stand behind you!”
He looked at them quietly. Jiang Xi let go of him and walked into the sea of flowers, slowly gathering the cards he had read. There were too many to collect at once, so she would have to do it in batches.
“Last time Tiantian ate a box of biscuits. The box was really pretty. I haven’t thrown it away. I’ll wash it and use it to store the cards. It’s perfect.”
Xu Cheng smiled. “Okay.”
He said, “Jiang Xi, you treat me so well.”
Jiang Xi was puzzled, not knowing why he suddenly said that. Xu Cheng did not explain. He simply leaned lightly against her, relying on her, letting her slowly support him back to the ward, as if they had already grown old together.
Back in the room, Jiang Xi wrapped the stack of cards in newspaper and put them into her bag.
They were everyone’s goodwill, and also his medals.
Xu Cheng walked to the bedside and stopped, turning around stiffly like a robot.
“What is it?”
“I want to use the bathroom.”
“Which kind?”
“…Pee.”
Jiang Xi followed him into the bathroom. Seeing Xu Cheng about to bend down to lift the toilet lid, she quickly stepped ahead and flipped it up first. “Don’t move around. Let me do it.”
“It’s not that serious.”
“How is it not serious? The doctor said if you’re not careful, your concussion could leave aftereffects.” Her brows knit together, full of worry.
Xu Cheng fell quiet for a moment, then said, “Alright. I’ll be careful.”
He stood there, untying his hospital pants, feeling a bit dizzy, trying to steady himself.
Jiang Xi glanced at his waist and said, “Do you want me to help hold you?”
“…” Xu Cheng’s expression turned peculiar, a mix of awkward amusement and fondness at her innocence. “Since when did you start making jokes like that?”
“Jokes?” Jiang Xi looked puzzled. “Holding your waist, what joke is that?”
Xu Cheng’s expression shifted slightly. “It’s nothing.”
She immediately caught the odd look on his face and pressed, “What did you think I was going to hold…”
“Pervert,” she muttered, indignant under her breath. “At a time like this, what are you thinking?”
Even as she said it, her hands quickly went to support his waist, waiting.
Xu Cheng stood there, unmoving, looking at her awkwardly. “If you stand here, it’s inconvenient for me. Go out first.”
“I’m afraid you’ll faint halfway through,” Jiang Xi muttered. “It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
“How is that the same?”
“How is it not the same?”
“Then you try doing it in front of me now.”
“…Fine, I’ll go out.”
Only then did Xu Cheng pull down his pants and slowly sit on the toilet.
Jiang Xi stepped out, leaving the bathroom door slightly ajar.
Leaning against the door, she said, “There was a time when Jiang Tian wouldn’t sit on the toilet to pee. All these years, the places we lived mostly had squat toilets. But sometimes, on the boat, there were seated ones. He knew he had to lift the seat. But even then, standing to pee made everything around it dirty. Back when we were at the Jiang household, there were cleaners. After we left, I was the one who had to wipe everything. I told him so many times. Sometimes Tiantian would listen, sometimes he was extremely stubborn. That day, I had just been scolded by someone, I felt awful. I went back to clean the bathroom and suddenly broke down crying. I said I wanted to kill Tiantian, and then kill myself too. Tiantian got so scared. He rushed to clean the bathroom and toilet all by himself. From then on, whenever he used the toilet, he would sit to pee.”
At this point, Jiang Xi laughed. “The look on his face back then was really funny.”
Xu Cheng could not laugh. He slowly stood up and pressed the flush button.
Jiang Xi immediately went in to support him to the sink, pulled out a paper towel, and dried his hands.
Xu Cheng said, “Next time I see Tiantian, I’ll give him a kick.”
Jiang Xi laughed. “That was a long time ago. Besides, he’s much better now.”
Xu Cheng wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her hair.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” he said.
Suddenly, he felt deeply fortunate, deeply grateful, that he had lived. That he had not left her behind.
She had suffered so much. From now on, there should only be sweetness.
From this moment on, he would give her all the sweetness in the world. He would never leave her again.
Xu Cheng sat down on the hospital bed. Seeing his face turn a little pale, Jiang Xi knew he was in pain and went to find a doctor to prescribe more painkillers.
Just as she stepped out, someone knocked on the door. It was Zhang Yang.
Xu Cheng smiled.
Zhang Yang greeted him with a string of well-wishes. Seeing his obvious improvement, he added, “Director Fan will be here soon. I walk fast, so I came ahead.”
“Huh?”
“Xiao Hu and the others have all visited you. They’re coming again today, but I sent them back to work. It’s been insanely busy lately. While you were unconscious, most of the city leadership already came. But today’s group—”
“You were asleep last time they came. Now you’re awake.” Fan Wendong walked in, his voice loud and clear. “Feeling better?”
“Much better,” Xu Cheng said.
Behind Fan Wendong followed several middle-aged men in black jackets, sharp-eyed and composed. Shang Jie was among them. At the front was a man whose face carried a particularly clean, resolute look.
“Xu Cheng, this is Shao Houyong, head of the Central Joint Investigation Team. This is Xu Cheng.” Fan Wendong smiled. “Minister Hou set out from Beijing this morning and just arrived in Yucheng. First stop, nowhere else, he came to see you.”
“As I should.” Shao Houyong carried no airs. He stepped forward and extended his hand to Xu Cheng. “I’ve long heard of your name.”
Xu Cheng shook his hand. “Thank you for your concern, Minister.”
“Where are you injured?” Shao Houyong pulled over a chair and sat down himself. Zhang Yang poured tea for them.
Xu Cheng smiled. “It’s not too bad.”
“What do you mean not bad?” Zhang Yang began listing them one by one. “Took several blows to the head and got kicked, severe concussion. If you don’t rest properly, there could be lasting effects. A stab wound to the side ribs, luckily not deep. A broken finger that somehow healed on its own. A minor fracture in the arm. Lung inflammation. Who knows how many blunt force injuries all over the body, not to mention the bites from wild insects.”
The atmosphere grew heavier.
Xu Cheng smiled. “You’ve memorized my medical chart pretty well. Not planning to be a detective anymore, thinking of becoming a doctor?”
He wanted to lighten the mood, but Zhang Yang suddenly blurted, “To be a police officer means ending up like Fang Xinping or Li Zhiqu, or like you, risking your life by throwing yourself into the game just to get justice. The ones who don’t want to do it could line up from here all the way to our office building.”
“Zhang Yang,” Shang Jie said, “don’t let your emotions get the better of you.”
“Having emotions is normal,” Minister Shao Houyong said, his expression heavy, anger held in check. “This is too brazen. No matter how big his conglomerate, how powerful a CEO he is, how could he dare to do something like this? The protective umbrella is so vast it blocks out the sky, corruption has rotted the inside, people are living in misery. Who wouldn’t feel something? This kind of tumor must be cut out. Otherwise the people will grow disheartened, and those of us within the system will lose heart as well.”
Several members of the investigation team nodded gravely.
At that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open. Jiang Xi stood there holding a bundle of newspapers, wrapped around another thick stack of cards she had collected.
Seeing so many people inside, she startled and moved to step back, but Xu Cheng’s gaze had already found her through the crowd. “A Xi.”
Everyone in the room turned to look.
Jiang Xi pressed her lips together and walked in, heading straight to Xu Cheng’s bedside.
“What’s that?” Shao Houyong asked.
“Flowers sent by citizens for Xu Cheng. There’s no way to take them all home, so I thought I’d keep the cards first.” Jiang Xi had even thought of collecting some petals tomorrow, but there was no need to mention that.
“Let me see.” Shao Houyong picked up a stack. The messages on the cards varied in length, filled with anger and condemnation toward corruption, pessimism about the state of society, blessings for Xu Cheng, and hope for a faint light. Even Shao Houyong, seasoned by years of storms, found his emotions unsettled. He gestured. “You should all take a look.”
The others also began reading the cards.
“Didn’t I say it before? The people all carry their own scale in their hearts. They see things clearly. This time, since such a great price has already been paid, we must clean it out completely. We cannot let the people grow cold and disappointed again. If we keep scratching at the surface again and again, public trust will be gone. You and I, everyone here, we were all lifted up by the people. If we fail to act, we will be thrown down by them with their own hands.”
After speaking, Shao Houyong looked at Xu Cheng.
“You focus on recovery, but the investigation team will need you as well. We will set up a special unit to coordinate with you daily. Let’s strive to dig out every last rotten root buried deepest in Yucheng.”
Xu Cheng clenched his teeth and nodded firmly. He glanced at Jiang Xi, and she happened to be looking at him too.
Their eyes exchanged words in silence. Jiang Xi took out a snow-globe from her bag.
She twisted open the base and took out a small data card hidden inside a compartment, handing it to Shao Houyong.
“This is evidence left by the graduate Chen Di. Wang Wanying didn’t want her to die unjustly, so she hid it inside something precious belonging to a girl named Yao Yu, not yet nineteen, a childhood gift left to her by her mother. Yao Yu didn’t know. She gave the gift to the boy she liked.
“But when she saw Xu Cheng standing alone with no support, she wanted to help him. Foolishly, she brought a recorder to try to get Qiu Sicheng to talk. She… was killed. Please, you must seek justice for them.”
Shao Houyong’s expression grew solemn. He received the small data card with both hands, and unexpectedly bowed. “We’re sorry. We came too late.”
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