Watching a capitalist performance, drinking capitalist wine, dusk arrived unnoticed. More guests arrived, with many beautiful women swaying seductively on the dance floor.
Ye Zhengchen was somewhat drunk, his hand wandering restlessly on my leg. Typically, he drinks well, but tonight he had indulged for my sake. I had a glass of red wine, and when he touched me, waves of heat surged through my body, prompting me to quietly stand up.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Restroom.”
After washing my face, I noticed a quiet balcony separated by hanging curtains. I walked over, hands on the railing, looking into the distance. The harbor was visible, with navigation lights blinking beautifully.
“Are you bored?” a voice said behind me. I turned to find Zheng Wei, who extended a glass of ice mineral water.
“Thank you!” I replied. “No, I’m just a bit hot, coming out for some air.”
Zheng Wei leaned on the railing, looking at me sideways. “I’ve always wanted to chat with you. Will you spare me some time today?”
“I’ve wanted to talk to you too, just never found the opportunity…”
“Oh?!”
“I heard you were responsible for Yin Zhongtian’s case…”
Zheng Wei laughed casually. “I was the one who caught him.”
“Why did you catch him? Did he commit a crime?”
I asked this without fully understanding why, as if hoping Yin Zhongtian wasn’t telling the truth and that the Ye Zhengchen I knew was still that compassionate person in a pure white coat.
Zheng Wei replied officially: “He was unrelated to the case but cooperated with our investigation, providing significant evidence.”
“But I heard he admitted to all crimes and would receive life imprisonment.”
“If you have access to internal information, how can we investigate?”
I was speechless and asked directly, “Was this message released by Ye Zhengchen?”
Zheng Wei was taken aback. “Did he tell you this?”
I shook my head. “No.”
After a pause, he sighed, “It seems you don’t understand his character.”
“Wasn’t it him who asked you to do this?”
“No.”
Memories of the Past
“Really not him?” Anticipation made my grip on the railing tighten.
“I was the one who had your fiancé arrested… and arranged for someone to give you the presidential suite room card at the international hotel.”
“You?!”
“When Young Master Ye returned home, he saw you about to get married… do you know how he reacted?”
I recalled the tall, lonely figure outside the bridal shop and the arrogant military car that ran the red light.
What would his mood have been then?
Zheng Wei continued, “I just wanted to help him, create an opportunity for you two to talk and express everything he needed to say, but…”
“I don’t know what method you used, but he, always rational, was completely bewildered by you…” Zheng Wei laughed obscurely. “Strongly hoping you would beg him again!”
The navigation lights on the sea became distant and blurry. I recalled that day’s scene; Ye Zhengchen seemed to want to tell me something, but I wouldn’t listen. Later, when he negotiated terms with me, I just took off my clothes. Had I misunderstood him?
I drank a large gulp of ice water. It seemed he never actually wanted me; I was too eager! I looked up at Zheng Wei, starlight in his eyes. I suddenly felt I should thank him—precisely that moment of misstep made Ye Zhengchen and me see each other’s desires clearly, which made us confront the undeniable fact: we still loved each other. Otherwise, we might have regretted it for a lifetime.
My heart stirred, and I thought of a more important question. “Zheng Wei, why were you responsible for the Nanzhou City case? Is this just a coincidence?”
Zheng Wei smiled faintly, not answering directly but said: “When I was fifteen, I was addicted to gambling. I was scammed by a group of professional gamblers and owed them a lot of money. I didn’t dare tell my father, so I went to Ye Zhengchen for help.”
Actually, his family discipline was even stricter than mine, but he didn’t hesitate to steal his mother’s jewelry to pay my gambling debt. For this, he almost got beaten to death by his father, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.
I nodded, now certain I had the answer I needed. “Can you tell me more about him? I want to understand him better.”
Zheng Wei’s gaze swept across the hall, where his friends were taking turns toasting Ye Zhengchen, determined not to stop until he was drunk. Ye Zhengchen was also drinking enthusiastically, welcoming every toast.
“I knew him when I was five, and he was three. We lived in the same compound and grew up together. His family upbringing was extremely strict. Uncle Ye managed him like a soldier, constantly scolding or punishing him. He forbade him from playing with other children, fearing he would be led astray. He wasn’t allowed to smoke, drink, gamble, or have a girlfriend, worried he would lose his ambition. Yet he was stubborn by nature and had no idea how to spell ‘obedience.’ You can imagine how lonely his childhood was.”
I listened carefully, trying to picture the scene.
“Uncle Ye wanted him to apply to military school, but he insisted on studying medicine.”
To protest against Uncle Ye’s autocratic rule, he spent two months in nightclubs, living a life of drunkenness and debauchery. When Uncle Ye threatened to cut ties with him, he laughed and said, “Fine, these days doctors aren’t pitiful, but those elderly without children are.” He almost drove Uncle Ye to his grave, leading Uncle Ye to eventually allow him to apply to the military medical university.
I gave a bitter smile. “If he had lived during the War of Resistance, he would definitely have been an unyielding revolutionary.”
“Indeed. That’s why they sent him to Japan,” Zheng Wei said with a mocking laugh. “He’s a principled person who would never reveal what shouldn’t be said. Despite our close friendship, he never mentioned going to Japan. If I hadn’t seen that secretly taken photo of you in his wallet, I would never have known.”
“My photo?”
“Taken on the Togetsukyo Bridge in Kyoto. I’ve been to Japan for research and was deeply impressed by the bridge. When I saw your photo, everything became clear…”
I grew more confused. “Can you explain what’s going on more clearly?”
After a few sips, Ye Zhengchen stopped drinking, fumbling for his custom-made watch, then reaching for his wallet… The photo compartment was empty.
“Fuck!” he cursed softly.
“Still can’t let go?”
Ye Zhengchen remained silent, pulling a Panasonic phone from his pocket. After a moment’s hesitation, he turned it on. The text message alert sounded, making him tremble as he opened them one by one.
“I made dan dan noodles today, they were delicious! I made your portion… even though you’re not here.”
“The cherry blossoms by the window are about to bloom. I told them to wait a bit longer for you to come back and watch them with me.”
“My cultured cells surprisingly didn’t die; they’re alive and strong, probably waiting for you too!”
“I’m listening to ‘Love’…”
“Do you miss me? Say it, don’t be shy!”
“A handsome guy asked me out to Tokyo today; if you don’t come back soon, I might elope with him!”
Zheng Wei patted him on the shoulder. “Come, let me drink with you.” He opened another bottle of wine, tilting his head to take a big gulp. “Let’s drink to our heart’s content today. When we sober up tomorrow, go home and cherish your wife; forget what needs to be forgotten.”
After a long while of drinking, both were drunk. Zheng Wei asked, “What does truly liking someone feel like?”
“I miss her; I want to know what she’s doing, if she’s lost, if a professor scolded her, if she’s secretly crying in the research room, if she misses me…”
“That’s it?!”
Ye Zhengchen lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.
