NOS Chapter 43
by VolareChapter 43: The Sunken Plain (6)
Those words sounded extremely ambiguous, and besides, when had a “stubborn mule” like Yu Chunming ever willingly been managed by anyone? Even his mentor, Wang Zhen, rarely interfered with his affairs.
But now, Yu Chunming actually said, “Guan Yao doesn’t allow me to smoke. If he finds out you’re giving me a lighter, he’ll get mad at you.”
Han Chen’s face turned green. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Chunming, are you and him… together?”
Yu Chunming pretended not to understand. “What did you say?”
Han Chen patiently forced a smile. “I said, are you and Guan Yao an item?”
Yu Chunming narrowed his eyes, not answering.
Han Chen took that as tacit agreement, and he gasped. “You’ve only been in Za Mu Er for a short time, and you’re already, already together with him, even living in his house. Chunming, I chased you for four years, chased you for a whole four years, and in the end, you never even lived with me…”
“Stop talking nonsense,” Yu Chunming said while breaking apart his chopsticks. “You and I were roommates in police academy for four years. Doesn’t that count as living together?”
“Chunming…”
“The noodles are here, eat up.” Yu Chunming said considerately.
How could Han Chen be in the mood to eat noodles right now? He urgently asked, “When did you and Guan Yao get together? I, clearly, when I came to Za Mu Er a month ago, you and him weren’t like this.”
Yu Chunming deliberately didn’t answer.
“Chunming, everyone in the Linchang Police Station says Guan Yao dislikes you, do you know that? He’s said so many bad things about you behind your back, are you even aware?” Han Chen said incoherently.
Yu Chunming looked up at him. “Guan Yao says bad things about me behind my back? Han Chen, Guan Yao is a gentleman, when has he ever said anything bad about anyone behind their back? If you’re going to spread rumors, at least make them believable.”
“Chunming, that’s not what I meant, but you need to understand, how long has Guan Yao known you? Is he, is he…” Han Chen seemed to suddenly understand something, and he slapped the table, saying, “I get it, I get it! Chunming, tell me, did this Guan Yao become good with you after Deputy Director Yu came to Za Mu Er? Did he find out about your relationship with Deputy Director Yu, so he’s trying to cozy up to you? Chunming, open your eyes and take a good look at him!”
Yu Chunming hadn’t been speaking originally, but hearing this excuse, he suddenly chuckled, “Han Chen, don’t judge a book by its cover, and don’t think everyone is like you, doing such underhanded things.”
Han Chen paused, pursing his lips.
It was true that the two were police academy classmates, and it was also true that they were roommates, but why Han Chen had doggedly pursued Yu Chunming for four years was something they had both known tacitly for a long time.
Han Chen knew that no matter what explanation he made, Yu Chunming would no longer believe him.
“Isn’t your task force working overtime tonight? How do you have time to come find me?” Yu Chunming didn’t care at all about the topic he had brought up, and he asked, “If you’re not working overtime, why haven’t I seen Guan Yao come back?”
“Overtime,” Han Chen answered woodenly, “I asked my mentor for leave, saying I was coming to find you, to see how you were doing.”
Yu Chunming twitched his eyebrows, ignoring his words.
Han Chen continued, “Also, it’s been getting colder these past few days, and I was afraid you’d get sick, my mentor was worried about you too, so I came to find you. Chunming, I know you hate me, but can you give me a chance? From beginning to end, you haven’t been willing to give me a chance.”
Yu Chunming put down his chopsticks. “What kind of chance do you want?”
Han Chen grabbed his hand. “A chance to start over with you.”
Yu Chunming smiled, pulled his hand away, and remained indifferent.
He clearly remembered that this person had been beaming when he first arrived in Za Mu Er. After all, he now had a higher rank than him, could be considered a small leader, and had become the deputy leader of the task force, finally managing to rise above him. In such a situation, wouldn’t winning him back be a piece of cake?
But Han Chen never expected that in this backwater of Za Mu Er, Guan Yao would suddenly appear, snatching Yu Chunming away right under his nose.
So, he finally couldn’t sit still any longer.
“Chunming, I know what you think of me, I also know I was wrong in the past, but… but you can’t not give me a chance to turn over a new leaf.” Han Chen was practically begging, “Even criminals who go to jail have a chance to become a new person, why can’t I?”
“Why can’t you?” Yu Chunming chuckled. “Because criminals who go to jail have paid the price for the crimes they committed, but you, you’re still at large.”
Han Chen’s face turned pale, and Yu Chunming stood up to leave. He hurriedly chased after him, insisting on paying the bill himself.
“Don’t paw at me,” Yu Chunming said impatiently.
“Chunming, Chunming, listen to me, I know I made a mistake, but you have to understand, I had my reasons, if I hadn’t done that, I might already be…”
“Might already be what?” Yu Chunming glared at him. “Might already be like me, dealing with petty matters in a police station every day, right?”
Han Chen was silent.
Yu Chunming then shook his head. “No, that’s not right. If you hadn’t shifted the blame onto me, you might not even have had the chance to continue being a police officer. You would have taken off that uniform long ago and gone wherever it was cool.”
“Chunming…”
“Tell me, if the mentor eventually discovers the truth, will he still recognize you as his disciple? If Deputy Director Yu knew everything, would you still have the opportunity to report on me behind my back?” Yu Chunming paid the bill, walked out of the noodle shop, and sighed with a smile, “What a pity, Han Chen, what a pity. It’s a pity that there’s no way to prove it now, otherwise, how could you, a murderer, still be at large?”
The words “murderer” completely enraged Han Chen. He glared with reddened eyes, took a few steps forward, and grabbed Yu Chunming’s collar. “I won’t let you say that about me!”
“Aren’t you?” Yu Chunming didn’t panic at all. “Han Chen, which word did I say wrong? Aren’t you a murderer?”
Han Chen shouted, “Of course not! I’m a police officer, a police officer! What right do you have to say that about me?”
Yu Chunming leaned close to Han Chen’s ear, and he whispered, “Officer Han, I’m also a police officer. When you framed me and accused me of being a murderer, what right did you have?”
Those words made Han Chen’s hands tremble. Yu Chunming took the opportunity to push him away. “Stop daydreaming, there’s no chance for us, not now, not ever. It has nothing to do with whether Guan Yao and I are an item, it has to do with your personal morals.”
Han Chen stood there, refusing to move.
“Of course, with Officer Han’s proactive spirit, he can succeed at anything in the future. I wish you a bright future, a successful career, and a steady rise in rank.” Yu Chunming smiled and turned to leave.
The street corner was dimly lit, and the road surface, which had just snowed, was muddy and slippery. In the distance, a plume of smoke gradually spread over the boiler factory, and the smoke choked Han Chen’s eyes.
When Guan Yao hurried to the entrance of his home, the first thing he saw was a person standing outside the courtyard wiping their eyes. He surveyed Han Chen up and down with some surprise before cautiously asking, “Officer Han, did you… run into some trouble?”
Han Chen was stunned to see Guan Yao, and he stuttered, “Aren’t you working overtime tonight?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t we be,” Guan Yao answered with a smile. “It’s just that I, cough, happened to have something I needed to come home for.”
After speaking, he pointed inside. “Did Yu Chunming go back?”
Han Chen didn’t speak.
Guan Yao took his silence as an answer, and he waved his hand. “If he went back, then I won’t chat with you anymore. Your mentor was just talking about you, don’t stand here in the wind, it’s cold.”
Seeing that Han Chen still didn’t answer, Guan Yao didn’t plan to say more. He exhaled a breath of cold air, preparing to go home.
But at this moment, Han Chen spoke, “Do you even know what kind of person Yu Chunming is?”
Guan Yao paused and looked back at him. “Do I know what kind of person Yu Chunming is? Deputy Team Leader Han, what’s that got to do with you?”
Han Chen’s mouth twitched slightly, and he spat out a sentence, “I’m afraid that Officer Guan, you… will choose the wrong person.”
After speaking, he turned and left.
Those words confused Guan Yao.
Choose the wrong person? What does “choose the wrong person” mean? Han Chen was referring to… Even after reaching the door of his home, Guan Yao still hadn’t figured out what those words meant, until Yu Chunming opened the door—
“I saw you at the window, you’re back pretty early today.” He said with a smile.
Perhaps the overly abundant warmth in the house gave Guan Yao a sense of illusion. He actually felt that what was rushing towards him along with Yu Chunming was the scent of home.
—A real home, not this house where he had lived alone for many years.
Guan Yao clearly smelled a faint fragrance lingering on Yu Chunming, the fragrance of milk heated in the microwave and bedding warmed by the winter sun. When that fragrance entered his nostrils, Guan Yao actually had the urge to embrace Yu Chunming in that moment.
At this moment, he suddenly understood what Han Chen had been saying just now.
“Why aren’t you coming in? Have you eaten?” Yu Chunming looked back at Guan Yao, who was still standing outside.
“Not yet.” Guan Yao closed the door and lowered his head to change his shoes.
“Then I’ll make you a plate of dumplings?” Yu Chunming seemed to be the owner of this house, and he naturally asked, “What kind of filling do you want?”
“Anything is fine.” Guan Yao didn’t dare to look into Yu Chunming’s eyes, and he dropped his bag and hurried into the bathroom.
Yu Chunming didn’t seem to notice Guan Yao’s abnormality, and of course, he wouldn’t ask why this person ran to wash his face with cold water as soon as he came in the door. Only when the dumplings were brought to the table did Yu Chunming casually mention, “Are you working overtime tonight?”
“I should be.” Guan Yao ate in silence. “We have to go to a crime scene in the middle of the night.”
“Crime scene? Where?” Yu Chunming asked.
Guan Yao didn’t avoid him, directly answering, “The colleagues who went to Baohua Jianzhong River for interviews and investigations are back. They’ve collected a very useful clue.”
Yu Chunming’s eyes lit up. “Did they discover the whereabouts of the suspect who jumped from the car?”
“Yes,” Guan Yao nodded. “When they were interviewing villagers in nearby villages, they heard from the locals that half a month ago, the Jianzhong River Shibalitun Health Clinic had received a man who claimed that he had injured his leg while hiking in the mountains. The nurse at the health clinic said that the man was over 185cm tall, over 50 years old, and the injury was on the calf of his right leg, looking like a cut. As for what he was cut by, it’s hard to say. And the nurse also told us that the man was already hypothermic when he came to the health clinic. Although his coat was dry, his close-fitting clothes were very damp. Therefore, we speculated at the meeting that if this person is really the one we’re looking for, then his injury was likely caused by the rocks or sharp plants at the bottom of the river during the process of falling into the river. But no one was found near the Jianzhong River at the time, and no key clues were found either. Now that so much time has passed, it will probably be even more difficult to find him. But luckily, the Shibalitun Health Clinic didn’t dispose of medical waste in a timely manner. We’ve collected all the gauze, needles, and related medicines they’ve used in the past two weeks, and we’ll definitely be able to find the suspect’s DNA among them.”
Yu Chunming breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, there’s been some progress.”
Guan Yao also smiled. “Yeah, after working so hard for so long, there’s finally been some progress. So tonight, we have to bring back the evidence obtained there for identification, to see what the specific situation is.”
Yu Chunming raised the corners of his mouth and deliberately asked, “Officer Guan, telling me so much, isn’t that a violation of discipline?”
Guan Yao focused on eating dumplings. “This is what Team Leader Wang specifically asked me to tell you, he wants to hear what you think.”
“He wants to hear what I think?” Yu Chunming raised an eyebrow. “He wants me to analyze the suspect’s escape route and course of action.”
What Yu Chunming said was indeed not wrong. Wang Zhen did mean that, especially after he saw the half of the route analysis that Yu Chunming had done before leaving the task force.
Guan Yao came home tonight for this. He took out the half-finished report that Yu Chunming had left behind from his bag. “Team Leader Wang promised to treat you to dinner.”
Yu Chunming folded his arms and refused to take it. “I’m no longer a member of the task force, it’s not appropriate for me to do this.”
Guan Yao took his hand and put the document on it. “You’re no longer a member of the task force, but you’re still a police officer, so don’t be hypocritical and decline.”
Yu Chunming directly turned his wrist over and grabbed Guan Yao’s hand. “Then Officer Guan should represent Team Leader Wang and beg me.”
The ending of those words rose slightly, making Guan Yao’s heart tremble. He said, “Then I beg you.”
Yu Chunming’s eyes looked particularly bright in the reflection of the kitchen ceiling light. He looked at Guan Yao and smiled, then said, “I don’t want Wang Zhen to treat me to dinner, I want you to treat me.”
“Okay, I’ll treat you.” Guan Yao agreed without thinking.
Yu Chunming pulled his hand away and picked up the folder. “Okay, I’ll send the completed report to the Municipal Branch tomorrow morning.”
Guan Yao clenched his palm, which had suddenly become empty, and cleared his throat unnaturally. “Okay, I’ll… I’ll wait for you then.”
That night, Guan Yao, who still had to work overtime, couldn’t stay at home for too long. He ate his meal quickly, changed into a thicker coat, and left the house again with his bag.
“Remember to take your medicine,” Guan Yao instructed before leaving.
Yu Chunming was looking down at the materials, and he said perfunctorily, “Got it, got it.”
“Also, remember to lock the door,” Guan Yao was still worried. “When I came up earlier, I heard the owner of the store at the entrance say that there have been unfamiliar faces wandering around the yard these past two days, don’t open the door for strangers.”
Those words made Yu Chunming laugh, and he looked up at Guan Yao. “Officer Guan, do you remember that I’m also a police officer?”
Guan Yao’s face turned red, and he said defensively, “I’m just afraid your professional skills aren’t up to par.”
“Okay, okay,” Yu Chunming nodded. “I won’t open the door for strangers.”
Guan Yao finally left reluctantly. After he closed the door, Yu Chunming got up and came to the window. After watching him leave, he sat back at the table.
He casually picked up the photo frame that was placed face down on the table, looked at the two boys, one big and one small, in the photo, and chuckled softly.
[The author has something to say]
An extra update for Lunar New Year’s Eve~
Happy New Year to everyone~