Liang Yingwu still looked the same, scholarly and handsome, a real lady-killer, adored by middle-aged women. Remembering the last incident, I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. No one would imagine such a person was involved with the X Organization, dealing with supernatural matters. “Was that your colleague? You got a ride, no wonder you agreed so readily,” I teased Liang Yingwu, probing. “Yes, a colleague from school, not very close. He was coming this way, so I hitched a ride,” Liang Yingwu replied, his eyes slightly evasive. Observing his expression, I was sure he wasn’t telling the whole truth. Although Liang Yingwu was one of my best friends, he was very clear about separating personal and professional matters, sometimes for my safety. Thus, I concluded Ruan Xiwen must also be from X Organization. From the attitude of the Cultural Relics Management Association earlier, it was likely that even the leader didn’t know what “the relevant party” truly was, just that it was very important and secretive. In that moment, many thoughts raced through my mind. After much hesitation, I decided not to mention the Zhidan Garden matter to Liang Yingwu. Since Ruan Xiwen was from X Organization, it meant X Organization was directly involved, and I wasn’t sure if Liang Yingwu was part of it. Although Liang Yingwu was good at physics, the essence of the Zhidan Garden excavation was unclear. Liang Yingwu was very principled, and X Organization’s consistent policy was to ensure absolute confidentiality. Even if he wasn’t involved, he would keep secrets from me. If he knew I was particularly interested in the Zhidan Garden case, they might become wary of me or even attempt to erase my memory, so bringing it up was not a good choice. I hoped for a normal life. Although I had never visited X Organization in person, from Liang Yingwu, I had some understanding of how they operated; I knew they would never allow ordinary people to meddle in their affairs. Their tasks were indeed arduous, maintaining social safety, the current scientific understanding, and the order of the entire Earth, including some unknown regions. If information leaked out, potentially causing serious consequences, they would resort to extreme measures.
“What’s up?” Liang Yingwu asked with a smile.
“It’s nothing special, just wanted to catch up with you since it’s been so long. Isn’t that okay?” I also responded with a smile, pouring him a cup of tea. “Anything interesting happening lately?” I asked Liang Yingwu. He sometimes shares amusing anecdotes from their outdated research subjects with me, knowing I won’t make a big fuss about it. After all, I’ve had my share of extraordinary experiences, and we’ve been through thick and thin together. “Nothing much,” he replied, which was no surprise to me. So, I casually chatted with him about some interesting things I heard at the newspaper. After a while, feeling the time was right, I casually brought up Ruan Xiwen, but I didn’t mention that I had interviewed him. I just asked, “Are university professors earning a lot these days?”
“Why would you think that?” he hadn’t caught on yet. “We live quite modestly.”
“Really? I just saw your colleague, who’s about your age, driving a Honda.”
“Well… that’s because he’s quite the up-and-comer.”
“Oh!” I feigned a look of sudden realization. “I almost forgot, he might be your… colleague, right? I totally forgot for a moment.”
“No problem. You’ve guessed right.”
“Really? Is he from your institution?”
“Oh,” he seemed unaware of my probing. “Kind of.”
“Ha, I could tell, you two have a similar vibe!” This was actually true. The first time I met Ruan Xiwen, I felt an immediate kinship, partly because there was something in his demeanor that reminded me of Liang Yingwu. However, Ruan Xiwen’s knowledge in archaeology was extensive, and he hadn’t shown any suspicious behavior. I continued to test Liang Yingwu: “But he seems richer than you, and he has a nice car too.”
“Of course,” Liang Yingwu laughed. “He’s got quite the background; I can’t compare.”
“Oh?” I showed an expression of disbelief. “Do you know his surname?”
“How would I know?” I replied without a hint of guilt.
“His surname is Ruan. You might not know, but the Ruan surname has a big history, not just ordinary.”
“Is that so? I only know of the three Ruan brothers from ‘Water Margin,'” I said jokingly, though I was secretly shocked.
“The Ruan family is one of the few mysterious families recorded in China. From what I understand, they’ve been dealing with the same things our X institution does now, engaging with supernatural phenomena and mysterious events throughout history.”
“So, it’s a very remarkable family then?”
“Undoubtedly. It’s said that the Ruan family used to deal with extraterrestrials, and their family history is the history of ancient Chinese people interacting with paranormal events. That’s why now, when the X institution needs expertise, they can’t even get a Ruan, it’s all about family legacy.”
“But isn’t your institution supposed to keep outsiders out of investigations?” I asked.
“Well, this has historical precedence. Nowadays, every generation of the Ruan family sends a few members to join the X institution as a sign of their support. When we encounter issues, we still need their help; their contacts, experiences, and so on are invaluable to us. So, it’s only natural for Ruans to become key personnel in the X institution. They are formidable, and their family background is something ordinary people can’t match. You could say the X institution couldn’t function without the Ruan family’s support.” Liang Yingwu explained all this to me in one breath.
I pretended to take it in stride, but inside, I realized that Ruan Xiwen’s background indicated that the archaeological event at Zhidan Garden was far from ordinary. Since I was already involved, I couldn’t just sit back; I needed to find out the truth. At least I should understand the whole story. Despite Liang Yingwu’s intelligence, he couldn’t guess my intentions. After chatting for a bit longer, I bid him farewell.
Once in the taxi, I immediately dialed Ruan Xiwen’s number, feeling a bit nervous. “Hello, Mr. Ruan Xiwen? This is Nado from Morning Star Newspaper. Do you remember me?”
“Oh, yes, yes, what’s up?”
“Any recent developments?”
“You’re quite diligent! Nothing yet.”
“Well, I have some details to clarify, could I arrange another interview with you? It won’t take too long. Are you free today?”
“Not today, how about tomorrow afternoon?”
After setting the time, I felt as if the answer was right in front of me, and my mood lightened. I didn’t expect him to spill everything, but just to clarify the truth.
Back at Zhidan Garden, I tried to put aside the troubling thoughts and opened my computer to write some notes. Honestly, the experience with the “Malevolent One” was far more terrifying and surreal than what I had seen and heard these past few days, and reflecting on that experience helped me face the current issues with more calm. I was confident that I could extract some information from Ruan Xiwen the next day.
Then there was a knock at the door. Without thinking, I opened it to see Su Ying with her flowing long hair. I realized it was already past seven. Could it be… My perception of Su Ying had shifted several times over the past few days, so seeing her now left me somewhat flustered.
“I saw your light was on, so I knew you were back. I’ve come to chat. Do you have time?”
Su Ying indeed came to invite me for another chat. Her persistence over the past few days moved me, and I felt it would be rude to refuse her again, so I agreed and went up to her room.
