If the two words hadn't trembled, I wouldn't have discovered my suffering.
How to say it, it was nothing more than a breakup.
Ten years ago, Ping An was a shy young man, just starting his career. Full of dreams and hope, he longed to marry his beloved girlfriend and live together forever.
But reality was cruel.
On Ping An's 24th birthday, he knelt on one knee with a exquisitely crafted diamond ring and gently proposed to the one he loved.
He thought she loved him; he had prepared for this moment for a long time.
However, he was mistaken. Although she was tearful and overwhelmed with emotion, she ran away and boarded a plane the next day for Japan.
No farewell, no explanation, not even an argument.
Damn it! Ten years have passed.
On the hospital bed, Ping An breathed in pain, as if the harrowing experience of ten years ago was repeating itself.
He was clearly thinking of Lin Dang, so why did he hear a voice he shouldn't have?
Was it a hallucination caused by the overlap of two painful memories?
As if half-awake, a small hand tightly gripped his wrist.
He knew that such a small hand could only be Su Tang's. What message was she trying to convey?
In the ward, everyone had an awkward expression on their faces.
Until a faint voice came from Ping An's lips.
"Lin Dang?"
"I'm here!" Lin Dang, who had been standing at the periphery, rushed over at Ping An's call and tightly held her lover's hand.
"Don't lose your temper, speak to Uncle properly!" Ping An slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to see Lin Dang's furious father first.
What Chang Suo, what the son of a murderer.
The moment Lin Dang held his hand, he felt that everything would be alright! Nothing was insurmountable!
"Hmph!" Lin Dang's father seemed hesitant to pull his daughter away. After a polite exchange with Xiang Wanfeng, they left the ward.
"Xiao Fei, contact a hotel. Ping An is fine now that he's awake. First, arrange accommodation for Xiao Lin's parents!" Outside the ward, Xiang Wanfeng shouted loudly to Gao Xiaofei.
"Oh my, is this Xiao Lin's mother! Why didn't she come in earlier?" Outside the ward, Xiang Wanfeng naturally took on the role of Ping An's stepfather. Seeing a peasant woman squatting in the corner, he quickly and enthusiastically made arrangements.
"Director Xiang, please take the two of them downstairs slowly. I'll go get the car!" Gao Xiaofei said to Xiang Wanfeng as he left the ward, showing his perceptiveness.
"Excuse me! Are you also Ping An's—friend?" Lin Dang's father asked curiously, "What kind of bureau is it?"
"Oh, I'm the Deputy Director of the Hechuan City Public Security Bureau!" Xiang Wanfeng replied politely and thoughtfully, "I'm Ping An's father!"
"What? His father wasn't a murderer? He's dead?" Lin Dang's father looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"Oh, I'm his stepfather!" Xiang Wanfeng looked at Lin Dang's father and realized he didn't seem to understand, so he emphasized again, "His stepdad!"
"Oh, stepdad! Your Public Security Bureau arrested Ping An's father, and then you stepped in to be his stepfather?" Lin Dang's father clearly hadn't caught on yet.
"Ping An's father was indeed arrested by me, but I am also his mother's current legal husband!" Xiang Wanfeng explained patiently.
"Oh, I understand. To put it bluntly, you killed Ping An's father and then became his father!" Lin Dang's father said with a profound look, "You city people really know how to play!"
Inside the ward, Ping An was very weak, but his mind was relatively clear. Especially after Fei Keqing nudged her mouth so wide it was almost at her ears, he pretended to glance at Peng You.
"When did you get back? Oh, let me introduce you, Lin Dang!" Ping An pointed at Peng You, "Peng You!"
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
The two shook hands.
"I've been back for almost a week. I wanted to find you to catch up, but I never had the time. I came to the hospital today to see an elder and happened to find out you were admitted! Where's Jingjing? I miss her so much!" Peng You was still the same, speaking in her slow and gentle tone.
"Anjing is traveling and won't be back until next month!" Ping An said, looking at Peng You, "If there's nothing else, you should go back. I'll treat you to a meal with Lin Dang when I get out of the hospital!"
"You're in such a hurry to get rid of me? Don't you want to know why I'm back?" Peng You said with a smile.
"Go!" Ping An closed his eyes in pain.
A series of urgent coughs made Ping An close his eyes in pain.
He was clearly struggling with the relationship between Chang Suo and Lin Dang, so why did that damn Peng You have to show up? He clearly had a stomach full of grievances, even anger, and was prepared to have a big fight with Lin Dang, but why did he feel guilty first?
In the room, Fei Keqing didn't need to give Su Tang a look, because Su Tang obediently picked up the kettle full of hot water and offered to fetch some more.
Finally, they were the only two left in the ward.
Although they hadn't seen each other for only a few months, it felt like years.
"How did you get sick? Last night Su Tang..." Looking at Ping An staring at her without blinking, Lin Dang, who was used to it, felt a little embarrassed.
"Don't talk, let me hold you. I've been miserable these past few days!" Ping An said aggrievedly.
"Bullshit, I've only been gone a few days and my ex-girlfriend shows up!" Lin Dang glared.
"Sigh, she said she was here to see her uncle. The world is this big, what can I do?" Ping An made a lame excuse.
"I won't tease you anymore, you should rest first!" Lin Dang gently stroked Ping An's face with her hand.
"We're not teasing. Do you have something to tell me!" Ping An, despite Lin Dang's objection, sat up with effort.
"There are some things, but I don't know how to tell you." Lin Dang lowered her head silently.
"Your parents don't agree with us being together?" Ping An asked calmly.
"Mmm..." Lin Dang nodded gently.
"Just because I'm a murderer's son?" Ping An asked.
"Not entirely..." Lin Dang suddenly looked up and said bravely to Ping An, "I got injured last year, and I didn't tell my family. My parents..."
"Oh, that's my fault too!" Ping An smiled, a little constrainedly.
"They said it's too dangerous to be with you, that you're restless and like to meddle in other people's business." Lin Dang said word by word, with her head down.
"I'm sorry for making you feel wronged." Ping An took Lin Dang's hand and gently placed it on his chest.
This is a gesture that lovers often make, but Lin Dang withdrew her hand.
"So, Lin Dang, what do you think?" Ping An looked at the hand that had left his chest and after a long wait, asked softly.
"My dad said that being a reporter isn't a good profession either, it's not peaceful. He wants me to apply for Chang Suo teacher's postgraduate program." Lin Dang didn't answer directly but brought up another matter.
"Which Chang Suo?" Ping An asked, suppressing a smile.
"Don't listen to him; he likes to joke. There's nothing between us," Lin Dang said. "He just takes good care of me and says I have a talent for flying drones and wants me to join the research institute as a test pilot."
"Test pilot? That sounds like a good job. It sounds quite safe," Ping An slowly lay down, tears falling from the corner of his eyes without him realizing it, and he didn't want her to see.
"It's not bad. I've been considering it. After all, my parents raised me not easily. The salary and benefits for a test pilot are decent, and I can get a hukou, etc. Compared to popular units like news agencies, I'm more confident I can pass the exam!" Lin Dang unconsciously rubbed her hands.
"Then, are you going to move out?" Ping An continued to ask.
"If I get accepted, maybe. Hebian District is quite far, and I might not take the exam in Hechuan. My hometown has civil servant exams in the fall, which I'm also considering..." Lin Dang's voice grew softer.
"Actually, you know, I have the ability and the means to support you!" Ping An seemed to be making a final effort.
"Actually, you also know that I'm not as excellent as you imagine. I'm only in my early twenties, and my experience and knowledge are not very mature." Lin Dang seemed to be crying, her voice becoming hoarse.
"So, what about me?" Ping An smiled self-mockingly.
"I don't know. Can you give me some time? Perhaps we're developing a bit too fast! I'm a little scared."
...
Midday in midsummer, the sun shone brightly, and a few playful birds perched on the lush green branches.
"Bang!" The ward door closed.
The playful birds were startled and flew away.
Ping An sat on the bed in a daze, looking at the birds outside the window, tears streaming down his face.
Outside the ward, Lin Dang covered her mouth and squatted in the corner with difficulty, letting her tears fall.
At the end of the ward corridor, a middle-aged man wearing a hat watched this scene from a distance. He smiled with satisfaction and then quietly turned and left.
After only one meeting, Lin Dang returned to her hometown with her parents that evening. According to Gao Xiaofei, who drove them to the station, Lin Dang went to Ping An's house before leaving and took all her belongings. Later, she informed Fei Keqing by phone of her decision to resign. Finally, Chang Suo actually appeared at the station. Especially when Gao Xiaofei saw Chang Suo and Lin Dang's parents chatting happily, he wished he could rush up and kill the man.
Ping An's illness came quickly and lingered.
No one dared to tell him about Lin Dang's situation, but everyone also knew that Ping An probably knew everything.
A week later, Ping An was finally discharged and returned home. To everyone's surprise, among those who took him home, the former girlfriend named Peng You greeted everyone as his official girlfriend. Only when Ping An could no longer stand it did he roar at her—
"Are you a pig! You gave up your publishing job in Japan to come back and work for that bastard Zhan Dou?"
"Do you know that half of my misery today is caused by that bastard!"
"You want to win me back? Dream on!"
After holding back for a week, Ping An finally vented his anger on Peng You.
At this moment, Gao Xiaofei knew that Ping An's period of sadness was over, and he would be busy with cases again.
Seeing that Ping An finally remembered that there were cases to solve, Gao Xiaofei immediately informed him of the latest developments.
"First, some good news—after inspection by provincial technical experts, that drone was indeed equipped with guided flight technology. Chang Suo denied it at the time. In fact, we contacted him again later, and he claimed he was mistaken and didn't see it clearly..." Gao Xiaofei said, watching Ping An's expression gradually change.
"I already suspected he had a problem when I was at the municipal bureau! Without even looking closely, he knew that machine was the one he recognized!" Ping An, back to normal, was indeed operating at full capacity. He analyzed seriously, "Unless he knew from the beginning that the drone was the one he recognized!"
"Yes, how could I have thought of that!" Seeing his old friend back to normal, Gao Xiaofei wished he could hug Ping An and kiss him.
"Alright! This is my deduction. As usual, you'll have to find the evidence!" Ping An said. "I was blinded by some things these past few days, and I put aside my research on the case. Now it seems that Chang Suo used that person to provoke me, which was also a way to protect himself!"
Some seemingly blinding things can actually be cleared up with a simple puff of air. Ping An's emotional intelligence might not be high, but his intelligence was about average. After figuring out Chang Suo's role in these cases, he gradually understood why Chang Suo was targeting him.
"We urgently need the drone's source code, otherwise we can't determine its flight trajectory, but Chang Suo still claims he doesn't have it!" Gao Xiaofei said. "If we had even a little more evidence, we could apply for a search warrant!"
"By the way, about the camping night, wasn't there a disabled person in a blue raincoat found by the lake?" Ping An suddenly asked.
"Yes, I haven't had time to tell you yet. That disabled person is currently a key target for the police. According to video footage from a monitoring camera near the geological survey station around Hushan, this person was seen pushing a three-wheeled vehicle carrying something covered with a tarp towards Hushan." Gao Xiaofei took out his phone and displayed two photos. "Look, these are screenshots. Doesn't the object behind the three-wheeled vehicle look like a drone! Furthermore, according to Cheng Jian, the drone was stolen by a disabled elderly man the first time it was lost, and the old man used a three-wheeled vehicle identical to this one."
"What's the police's stance? Oh, this old fellow is the one who flies the drone? Have you checked his information?" Ping An asked.
"Chang Suo has too many students, and there are at least hundreds of old men from rural areas like this." Gao Xiaofei said, "The police and the wind power company have no useful information!"
Chang Suo's situation and the investigation into the drone are on hold for now. In fact, the police have also made new progress in the investigation of the wind power community over the past week.
"By the way, the glass shards that you asked Liu Kedu to collect have been restored, and mechanical experiments have proven that the glass was broken by human force, not by the shadow person breaking it in desperation." Gao Xiaofei took out his phone and displayed a document. "According to the technical department's determination, the outer edge of this glass was cut with a knife, so you didn't feel any glass fragments when you peered through the window."
"What's the connection? Why was it cut in advance? Why did the shadow person know we had him cornered there?" Ping An said, "Unless—"
"The shadow person came out from that spot!" Gao Xiaofei interjected.
Various clues pointed to Shui Gang, who lived in this unit, as the most likely suspect!
"Ping An, do you think Shui Gang could be the shadow person? Or just his accomplice?" Gao Xiaofei asked Ping An, taking a puff of his cigarette. "We haven't been idle this week. We've investigated Shui Gang, but his alibi is too solid! Almost all of it is hard evidence, so he couldn't possibly be the shadow person!"
"Are you suggesting that Shui Gang might be the shadow person's accomplice?" Ping An asked.
"Currently, he's the most suspicious! The shadow person disappeared right in front of him, unless there are ghosts! Or he went into the building. We searched the entire unit, and there are thirteen people who fit the age and physique, including Shui Gang!" Gao Xiaofei said, "It's a pity he has an alibi, and we don't know how to deal with him!"
"What's the situation with Jiaozi?" Ping An suddenly asked. "And what about Liao Yuan and Yang Jie?"
"Since being taken away by Liao Chaomei, they haven't appeared in public. Liao Yuan and Yang Jie have resigned!" Gao Xiaofei said.
"What? Resigned? Don't these two still hold shares in the wind power company?" Ping An asked in surprise.
"Holding shares is one thing, working is another! It's two different matters!" Gao Xiaofei said. "Regarding the hallucinogen, Liao Chaomei gave up pursuing it at the critical moment, and we don't have further evidence, so we could only release the couple!"
"Alright, I understand. You go and be busy. I have something to say to Peng You!" Ping An didn't expect that so many new developments had occurred in just one week, and he found it difficult to process.
"Okay, I'm leaving!" Gao Xiaofei glanced at Peng You, who had been sitting beside him quietly, and exchanged a look with Fei Keqing and Su Tang. The three of them quietly left the house.
With everyone else gone, only Ping An and Peng You remained. It was time to clarify some things.
"You've been visiting me these past few days, and honestly, I'm quite happy. You seem to be doing well, and I know you're living a good life!" Ping An said, looking at his former lover with some emotion. "I was rude to you just now. You have the freedom to choose your job now that you're back in the country, and I shouldn't have said that."
"It's okay. It's fine. You've been too polite to me these past few days, and I've actually become a bit embarrassed. After all, I let you down, and you have every right to be angry with me," Peng You said understandingly.
"The past is in the past. We're all adults now, and there's no need to dwell on it!" Ping An said. "As you can see, I've also started a new relationship, although it's been a bit turbulent, and you've had to witness the joke."
"No, at least I can see that you're still as pure as ever, just like ten years ago!" Peng You, who had been sitting opposite Ping An, suddenly moved to his side. Whether intentionally or not, she whispered into Ping An's ear, "Still as cute!"
Peng You was a typical woman from the Northwest, tall and voluptuous, with large eyes that could captivate a man's soul. Perhaps it was because she was over thirty, but upon seeing Ping An this time, she had lost some of her girlish innocence and gained a more mature charm.
Her husky whisper into Ping An's ear almost made him get a nosebleed.
"Speak properly, go sit over there!" Ping An pushed Peng You away, embarrassed.
"Hahaha, I thought you'd have some stories by now. How can you not handle this? Oh, I see. You've always liked pure young girls, haven't you? No wonder you've ignored a stunner like Fei Keqing for so many years, and she ended up with that pig!" Peng You teased Ping An without restraint.
"Be polite to my friends!" Ping An looked at Peng You helplessly and said, "Youyou, you see my current situation. Don't tell me nonsense about getting back together, you know I'll never believe that!"
"Mmm, I wasn't sure how to see you when I came back this time, especially when I heard from some old classmates that you had a new love. I really didn't know how to face you. But then, fate brought us together—well, people are always greedy. When I was young, I didn't know my limits and thought I was the best in the world. I went to Japan to study and write novels. Now that I'm old and tired, someone like you is a good place to entrust my life!"
"Stop kidding. Are you short of money? Your 'Shijuro' detective series has had seventeen installments, and the copyright alone is enough for you to achieve financial freedom. Why would you come back to tease me?" Ping An said. "Alright, tell me the truth. I only found out this morning that you're working with Zhan Dou? What are you trying to do? Please, you know me, there's no possibility between us!"
Just then, Gao Xiaofei, who had gone out, suddenly returned. Seeing Ping An talking to Peng You, he hurriedly interrupted, "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you about Zhan Dou's situation just now!"
"Wait, tell me after she leaves!" Ping An said to Gao Xiaofei, casting a wary glance at Peng You.
"It's okay, even if she's with Zhan Dou now, how much trouble can she cause for the case?" Gao Xiaofei said dismissively.
"Hmph, there's a very powerful writer-detective in Japan, her pen name is Camellia. Have you heard of her?" Ping An picked up the water on the table and took a slow sip.
"Yes, I have. Her novels are quite good, on par with yours. And I heard that in recent years, she has also helped the Japanese, Malaysian, and Singaporean police solve several major cases. She's a very formidable detective!" Gao Xiaofei replied.
"See? Peng You is Camellia. You admire her so much, don't you?" Ping An looked at Peng You and saw her smiling with pursed lips, shaking his head helplessly.
"What?" Gao Xiaofei sat down on the sofa in surprise.
"Alright, let's cut to the chase. To be honest, I'm not leaving this time. Teacher Zhan Dou and my husband are sworn brothers. This time, he asked me to investigate the wind power company case." Peng You, shedding her flirtatious demeanor, said in a firm voice, "Although we're not on the same side, we have a common goal. Ping An, how about we cooperate? I need your resources on the police side."
"How much did Zhan Dou pay you?" Ping An asked.
"No money. I'm doing this because of my master's commission and for an even more important reason," Peng You said.
"First, I don't cooperate with people whose intentions are unclear. Second, I solve minor cases. Unlike you, an international detective, our methods and original intentions are different. So, I'm very sorry, but I have to say no." Ping An said earnestly.
"Ping An, let me help you. At least this time, I won't let you nearly die at the hands of the enemy like last year!" Peng You insisted.
"It's really impossible. I'm solving this case with the police's approval, and you can't!" Ping An waved his hand, indicating that the conversation should end here.
"Ping An, don't refuse me. I know I hurt you before, but I had my reasons!" Peng You said. "Do you know why Lin Dang backed down at the critical moment? Have you thought about it? You care too much about emotions, like a cat protecting its food. Being in a relationship with you is a burden! This burden is too heavy, too tiring!"
"You are you! She is she! Don't downplay your mistakes like this, Peng You. Ten years! Ten years! How many ten years can a person have in a lifetime? Do you know how I've lived through it?" Ping An, unable to hold back any longer, poured out all his grievances.
"I'm sorry, all I can say now is I'm sorry. I know I hurt you, and I regret it. I really want to get back together with you this time," Peng You said emotionally. "Ping An, if you say one word, I'll leave Zhan Dou immediately and help you solve the case together. I have many ideas for this case, I can..."
"Get out!" Ping An rudely interrupted Peng You, pointing to the door and saying loudly.
Ten years is a long time, long enough to get used to everything, including scars.
Ten years is also very short. Even the scars from ten years ago remain, and the pain is still sharp.
The conversation reached a stalemate. Peng You knew that continuing to talk would be useless. She sighed softly and left Ping An's house.