Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Delivery Slip

The character for "mountain" consists of two peaks, and its meaning is straightforward: to leave, one must climb over mountain after mountain, overcoming every obstacle. Wang Chao, dressed in a gray jacket, wanted to exit the hospital parking lot. He had to rack his brains to overcome difficulties, even if it meant hiding in the mountain of garbage inside a sanitation truck, even if he had to tumble about with the trash as the truck bumped along.

It's hard to get out, and coming back isn't easy either. Life is sometimes like this—you think that once you leave a place, you'll escape your previous predicament and find new scenery. But after you cross a peak, you realize nothing has changed on the other side, and you start longing to return to where you began.

For instance, after hiding in the sanitation truck to leave the parking lot, Wang Chao found himself back in the noisy hospital, surrounded by police tape and cordoned off from everyone.

Or, after Zhang Xiaoman had gone to great lengths to get someone out of jail, the suspicion still lingered, and it even brought trouble to Nie Yi and Li Jun.

Chaos reigned in the hospital, and it was no less hectic at the police station. Officers in blue uniforms moved about like schools of fish, some rushing between offices with files clutched in their hands, faces anxious, others juggling ringing telephones, while still others distributed materials to colleagues at various desks in a flurry.

“You can see how busy I am right now,” a female officer in blue, her face weary, said impatiently to Nie Yi and Li Jun. “Stop fooling around. Go home already, don’t make trouble here.”

Li Jun propped his chin with one hand and sneaked a glance at the officer’s chest, the blue uniform barely concealing two prominent peaks. He swallowed, blinked, cheeks flushed, and said, “Officer, as the saying goes, fate can’t be blocked even by mountains. Our fate isn’t finished yet—how can we just leave? We’re suspects, after all! We ought to be guarded by officers like you, not accused of causing trouble...”

“Officer?” The female officer narrowed her phoenix eyes, lips curving slightly, arms folded across her chest. “If I recall correctly, you’re only twenty-two this year, right? Do you know how old I am? When I met your master, Zhang Xiaoman, I was twenty-two as well. You weren’t even a cell back then.”

“You know my master? That makes things even easier!” Li Jun switched hands, propping his chin anew. “We’re all on the same side, our fate is even deeper...”

Seeing the officer purse her lips, Li Jun sat up, face ingratiating. “Don’t you think we’re destined? I remember you recorded our statement last time, too. Now, again,” he raised two fingers, “twice. There are so many people in the station, why is it always you talking to us? Have you ever heard this saying?”

The officer’s lips curled into a cold smile, feigning curiosity. “What saying?”

Nie Yi’s face suddenly turned grim, he coughed and tapped Li Jun’s arm, giving him a meaningful look and stuttering, “Don’t... don’t say it.”

Li Jun waved him off, oblivious. “Don’t interrupt, I’m bonding with the pretty officer...” He cleared his throat and addressed her seriously, “They say it takes five hundred glances in a previous life to earn a single passing encounter in this one. Five hundred brushes past in a former life for one meeting now. We’ve met twice—one thousand brushes past, fifty thousand glances. Isn’t that fate?”

The officer covered her mouth, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. “Interesting...” She lifted her chin to look behind Li Jun. “Zhang Xiaoman, your apprentice is much more amusing than you. To get into detention, he’s flirting with me! Should I oblige, lock him up for ten years or so? Hmm... I recall there’s an empty bunk in the cell with that rapist in Block C. Maybe I should arrange for him to move in, what do you think?”

“Scoundrel!” Zhang Xiaoman smacked Li Jun on the back of the head, lips quivering with rage. “How did I end up with such a shameless apprentice? What face will I have to meet your father in the afterlife? A thousand brushes past—aren’t you worried you’ll wear your body out? Fifty thousand glances... very well, I’ll make you glance fifty thousand times when we get home, so we’ll have fate in the next life too!”

Li Jun shuddered, sprang up, but slipped and landed flat on his backside.

Nie Yi rolled his eyes and stood, facing Zhang Xiaoman, head bowed, hands respectfully clasped, and addressed him as “Master.”

Li Jun scrambled up, dusted himself off, face embarrassed. “Master, why are you here?”

“If I hadn’t come, you’d have ruined my reputation,” Zhang Xiaoman glared at Li Jun, then smiled apologetically at the officer. “Sorry you had to see that. It’s all my fault—I haven’t taught him well.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. You play both the good guy and the bad guy,” the officer snorted, stood, stretched, and turned to leave. “You master and apprentices can play here as long as you like. I’m busy—I don’t have time for your nonsense.”

“Do your thing, and remember to say hello to Fatty Ma for me...” After the officer left, Zhang Xiaoman let out a long sigh and sat opposite Li Jun and Nie Yi. “Sit down. The audience is gone, no need to keep acting...” He glanced at Li Jun rubbing his head. “Don’t blame me for hitting hard. If I hadn’t, you really would’ve ended up in a cell with a rapist. Do you know who she is? Why provoke her?”

Li Jun shook his head blankly. “It can’t be that bad—I didn’t do anything.”

Nie Yi chimed in, “Ma Liang’s former subordinate, that female detective from the police duo?”

“Glad at least one of you has a working brain,” Zhang Xiaoman nodded with relief. “That’s right. She never holds a grudge—she settles scores right away. With suspects who resist or with lecherous thugs, she usually just kicks them...” He glanced at Li Jun’s crotch. “That’s why she’s nicknamed the Ruthless Gun Sister—ruthless in every sense.”

Li Jun wiped the cold sweat from his brow. “That won’t do—the Li family has only me left after eighteen generations. I haven’t even married yet...” His eyes lit up and he grinned at Zhang Xiaoman. “Master, why not settle my marriage with Yoon Hee soon? We’ll be family, and you can have a grandson early—the child can even take your surname...”

“Scram!” Zhang Xiaoman shot him a look, then glanced at Nie Yi, who was silent and downcast. “These days, arranged marriages are out—no more parental orders or matchmakers. If you want something, go after it yourself. Whoever Yoon Hee chooses is up to her. I won’t interfere. But I’ll say this up front—mind your boundaries. Don’t hurt each other’s feelings.”

Li Jun thought Zhang Xiaoman meant him and Yoon Hee, and laughed breezily. “Don’t worry, Master. With your blessing, and our childhood bond, it’ll happen naturally. Just wait for the wedding feast.”

Nie Yi buried his head deeper, not daring to meet Zhang Xiaoman’s gaze, and especially not Li Jun’s. He’d heard people say the eyes are the windows to the soul—through them, you see the one you love.

“Li Jun...” Zhang Xiaoman’s expression twisted oddly. “Where do you get the confidence to think Yoon Hee likes you? Tell me.”

Li Jun leaned back with hands behind his head, face proud. “Plenty of reasons. For example, when we were kids, Uncle, you know this—Yoon Hee came to my house to play every day...”

“Let me clarify,” Zhang Xiaoman interjected. “Jun, there weren’t many kids in our village. Your house was next door, and your father and I were childhood friends. I sent Yoon Hee to play with you so she wouldn’t make trouble at home.”

“And another simple example,” Li Jun pouted, not convinced. “Every time I liked her posts, she’d update. If I got busy and forgot, she’d stop. There’s a saying—‘A woman beautifies herself for the one she loves.’ Social media is a second face.”

“Maybe... she was just too busy or in no mood to post. You know she’s a best-selling author,” Zhang Xiaoman scratched his head. “Her schedule is upside down, always up late. People who stay up often forget things. Besides, can you be sure it’s your likes that made her stop posting? Did the timelines match?”

“I never checked...” Li Jun coughed. “Even if that’s a misunderstanding, I have more proof. When Nie Yi and I were in City A, Yoon Hee waited downstairs at the detective agency every evening for dinner... When Nie Yi and I were packing to move to Green Vine City, she handed me a bag herself. I saw deep reluctance in her eyes.”

Nie Yi coughed softly. “Actually... she ate with us because the publisher was next to the detective agency. She had to deliver manuscripts every day. Plus, her favorite dish was the stir-fried pig liver at the restaurant opposite. As for the day we packed... she handed you that bag because you were slow. When she saw us off, she kept grumbling behind our backs—you were making her late for a book signing.”

Li Jun shot Nie Yi an unhappy look. “Nonsense, you’re just jealous... I have the most convincing proof,” he pulled out his phone. “No matter what number I use, every time I text Yoon Hee for the first time, she recognizes it instantly. Doesn’t that mean I’m on her mind?”

“Let me see...” Zhang Xiaoman took the phone, scrolled through the messages, and his face froze. He muttered, “This isn’t texting—it’s a bombardment.”

Li Jun didn’t catch the last part. “What?”

Zhang Xiaoman gave a thumbs-up. “Nothing, very impressive...” He rubbed his nose and handed the phone back. “Jun, step outside for a bit. I need to talk to Nie Yi alone.”

“Can’t you say it in front of me?” Li Jun frowned. “Talking to him is talking to me, talking to me is talking to him—it’s all the same. Nie Yi and I are partners, hand in hand, heart to heart, inseparable...”

“Quiet!” Zhang Xiaoman suddenly couldn’t contain his annoyance, barking at Li Jun. After a deep breath, he forced a pleasant expression, smiling. “Jun, the fewer people know what I’m about to say to Nie Yi, the better. You’re great in every way, but you talk too much and are too straightforward. If you accidentally spill something, it’ll be a disaster. So please step outside for now.”

Li Jun murmured an “oh,” reluctantly standing, looking back with every step as he left the station. “Always a bother... not even a ‘please’...”

“Out!” Zhang Xiaoman thundered, breathing deeply, then coughed loudly once Li Jun was gone. “Alright, Nie Yi... let’s have a proper talk.”

Nie Yi kept his head down, stammering, “Master... about Yoon Hee... I...”

“I’m not here to talk about that mess, and you don’t need to fake a stutter...” Zhang Xiaoman pulled a delivery slip from his pocket, his tone serious. “A few days ago, someone intercepted a package... Actually, it wasn’t intercepted—a courier accidentally damaged the box during transit, revealing its contents. The courier called the police, and the item landed in my hands...”

Nie Yi’s eyes narrowed. “The item is unusual?”

“Very much so,” Zhang Xiaoman replied, “but the delivery slip is even more unusual. Though the box was damaged and the slip torn, the recipient’s name still has one character left.”

“You brought this up without Li Jun—so...” Nie Yi thought for a moment, eyes widening in shock. “Does this mean...”

Zhang Xiaoman placed the slip on the table, nodding. “You guessed right. So for now, don’t expect to return to the detention center to chat with your cellmates... For you and Li Jun to regain some freedom, I’ve paid a heavy price.”

“But...” Nie Yi’s face was full of worry. “Isn’t the prosecutor’s office giving you trouble?”

“Don’t worry about them,” Zhang Xiaoman tapped the slip. “Investigate this properly. Let me see how much you’ve improved these years.”