Blank Charge

Yang Shiyu changed into a black suit, completely lacking the scholarly aura typically associated with a judge.

In comparison, Jin Zhou still preferred seeing Yang Shiyu in his judicial robes, a sacred and untouchable presence. He couldn’t touch it, and no one else could either.

But upon second thought, Jin Zhou realized that he had probably only seen that black outfit on him, and he found it quite decent.

The two of them went down stairs, and the sun had already set. The neighborhood was filled with the familiar atmosphere of ordinary households.

They arrived at Yang Shiyu’s inconspicuous car, and Jin Zhou took the initiative to walk to the driver’s window, extending his right hand towards Yang Shiyu. “Give me the keys.”

Only Jin Zhou knew the destination, and he had no intention of telling Yang Shiyu.

Holding the car keys, Yang Shiyu didn’t budge. “Do not wreck my car, no violations allowed.”

After the no-smoking and no-befriending sketchy individuals commands, Jin Zhou unlocked another new command from Yang Shi Yu. He sighed helplessly. “Yes, Your Honor, I’ll comply.”

The address sent by Sun Yi was in another district, a bit far from the area where Jin Zhou usually frequented. It would take at least half an hour to drive there.

It was the evening rush hour, and the roads in the old street area were already narrow and congested. However, Jin Zhou decided to take a different route and shortly after getting onto the main road, he followed a bus and entered the lane marked with yellow lines.

“It’s not yet nine o’clock.” Yang Shiyu frowned, reminding him.

The city’s bus lanes were not open to other vehicles from 7 am to 9 pm. The adjacent regular lanes were already packed, so only Jin Zhou and a few taxis dared to drive in that lane.

“Judge Yang, you’re still not informed enough.” Jin Zhou stared straight ahead at the road, skillfully steering the wheel. “In some places, the bus lanes actually cause congestion and have been canceled long ago. They just haven’t removed the paint on the road.”

Yang Shiyu glanced at the markings on the road, evidently half-believing.

“Many people don’t know, so they don’t dare use this lane,” Jin Zhou raised his chin slightly and pointed at a taxi driving ahead. “Do you think these taxi drivers are that daring?”

Taxi drivers knew the city’s road conditions best. They earned a inadequate amount of money every day, and no one wanted to be fined for violating traffic rules.

Yang Shiyu turned his face to look outside the window, no longer paying attention to Jin Zhou’s choice of lanes.

“Don’t always think of me as the same kid as before,” Jin Zhou stopped at a red light and resisted the urge to smoke, “You’re only three years older than me but I may have experienced more than you.”

“As a 27-year-old man,” seeing that Yang Shiyu wasn’t engaging in the conversation, Jin Zhou continued, “Is it abnormal for me to smoke and drink? I know, your life must be pretty boring.”

Yang Shiyu looked over quietly. “You seem to know me well.”

“That’s right.” After all, he had been paying attention for so long. “Have you saved enough money for your wife?”

Knowing that Yang Shiyu wouldn’t respond, Jin Zhou continued, “Why didn’t you become a lawyer? Being a judge pays less and involves more work, as you yourself have said.”

Jin Zhou had seen many people from within the system switch careers to become lawyers, and in simple terms, it was all for the sake of money.

“Do lawyers earn a lot of money?” Yang Shi Yu asked.

“I’m different,” Jin Zhou replied. As the traffic light turned green, he shifted gears and started driving. “Money is not something I lack.”

When others talked about their wealth, there was usually an element of showing off, but Jin Zhou was different.

With the compensation money he received for his parents’ deaths, compounded over the years, he had long entered the ranks of the wealthy. However, this was never something he boasted about.

The reason he chose not to go to university in the first place, aside from being at odds with Yang Shi Yu, was that he already had money and didn’t need to worry about his livelihood. Choosing to work at a car repair shop was also because of his love for cars and to pass the time.

Although he became a wealthy person passively, he was grateful that his life was luxurious enough. Otherwise, he might have truly resented Yang Shi Yu.

“Why don’t you say anything whenever anything about my parents is mentioned?” Jin Zhou mentioned that he didn’t lack money, which led to associations with compensation money and his parents’ car accident. As a result, Yang Shi Yu became tight-lipped, and the atmosphere in the car suddenly became tense.

“Don’t be so serious,” Jin Zhou said. “Let me guess why you became a judge.”

After leaving the old district, Jin Zhou merged into the traffic jam.

Yang Shi Yu still didn’t respond, so Jin Zhou stretched his neck and began to explore possible theories.

“So you obviously know who is related to my parents’ car accident, but the other party is unknown. They knew how to disguise intentional murder as a car accident. If I’m not mistaken, Wang Da Rong’s account should not have any financial transactions with the other party—probably used cash to hire a hitman, right?

“So, the person is most likely Wei Ge. You need to gather evidence of Wei Ge’s connection to Wang Da Rong and then establish a connection between Wei Ge and the mastermind behind the scenes. Only then will the chain of evidence be complete.

“You only started investigating Wang Da Rong recently, which indicates that you didn’t initially plan to start with him. After all, you know who the mastermind behind the scenes is, and since that person is involved with my father, they definitely have other cases as well.

“I think you haven’t made progress all this time, but recently, Wang Da Rong was suddenly reported, so you decided to change direction and start with him.

“So, the reason you became a judge is quite simple. Judges have power in their hands, making it convenient for investigations. In some cases, they might even be involved in the trials.” After saying so much, Jin Zhou paused and took a moment to look at Yang Shi Yu, asking, “Am I right, Judge Yang?”

Actually, there was no need for Yang Shiyu to answer. Jin Zhou also knew that he made a close guess.

Sure enough, Yang Shiyu turned his face away from the window and changed the topic casually, saying, “Just drive properly.”

After leaving the congested city center, the road became smooth, and before long, Jin Zhou parked the car in front of a low-grade KTV.

“Wang Darong’s girlfriend works here.” Jin Zhou locked the car and tossed the keys to Yang Shiyu. “I’ll do the talking, don’t interrupt and follow my lead.”

Yang Shiyu seemed to dislike Jin Zhou’s domineering tone and frowned. “She might recognize us.”

“I know. Didn’t she also see us at the casino that day?” Jin Zhou said. “Let’s wait until she comes in.”

The decoration of the KTV was very cheap. When they entered, the pink lights were flashing, as if they had entered a dance hall from the 1990s.

“A small private room.” Jin Zhou said to the manager who came forward. “And call for an accompanying singer too. Is Chunjie here?”

Chunjie was Wang Darong’s girlfriend. She used to engage in illegal activities and was involved in prostitution, but now she settled down and worked as an accompanying singer in the KTV.

“She’s here, she’ll come right away.” The manager asked the waiter to lead Jin Zhou and Yang Shiyu to a private room and then used the microphone on his earpiece to call for Chunjie.

The small private room was located at the end of a winding corridor, less than ten square meters in size. The screen on the wall used for karaoke was actually a small television.

Sitting behind the coffee table, Jin Zhou had no place to put his knees. He simply leaned and twisted against Yang Shiyu, feeling slightly more comfortable.

“I’m going to interview Judge Yang.” Jin Zhou held the microphone and casually turned to Yang Shiyu. “May I ask who was your first love?”

The corner of Yang Shiyu’s eye twitched, and he glanced at Jin Zhou with a cold gaze.

“Don’t have one?” Jin Zhou brought the microphone back to himself. “Our honorable judge can’t be impotent, right?”

After saying that, he shoved the microphone back in front of Yang Shiyu.

Yang Shiyu’s shoulder moved, apparently preparing to punch someone, but at that moment, the door of the private room was suddenly pushed open, and a smiling woman walked in.

“Did you request an accompanying singer?”

Only then did Jin Zhou turn on the microphone and greeted, “Come, Chunjie, let’s start with me singing a song.”

The lights in the private room were chaotic, flashing around, and Jin Zhou couldn’t see Chunjie’s specific appearance clearly, but he could tell that she was in her thirties.

“Okay, which song do you want to start with?” Chunjie walked straight to the song selection booth, facing away from the two of them.

Jin Zhou was thinking about choosing a song that he was good at. At that moment, Yang Shiyu’s phone suddenly vibrated. He looked down and immediately stood up, saying to Jin Zhou, “Let’s go to the restroom.”

“You go.” Jin Zhou raised his chin.

“Come with me.” Without saying a word, Yang Shiyu grabbed Jin Zhou’s wrist and pulled him up from the sofa.

Jin Zhou was completely confused. “Do you need me to accompany you to the restroom? Do you want me to help you hold it or something?”

He stumbled as Yang Shiyu pulled him out of the private room. Only then did Yang Shiyu say, “The police are here.”

Jin Zhou was slightly stunned, suddenly remembering that the police were also looking for Chunjie. It wasn’t surprising that they could find the place.

He felt a strange feeling in his heart and frowned, looking at Yang Shiyu. “How do you know the police are here?”

Just as he finished speaking, the voice of the lobby manager desperately trying to stop someone came from the corner of the corridor. Jin Zhou quickly looked around and realized that they were at the end of the corridor. If they went out, they would definitely run into the police.

In fact, Jin Zhou didn’t need to panic at all but it was Yang Shiyu he was worried about. If he was seen privately investigating by the police, then things would become complicated.

“Follow me.” Jin Zhou keenly noticed that the neighboring private room was empty, and at the same time, the figure of the police appeared at the corner.

Jin Zhou quickly pushed open the door of the private room, and before the police looked over, he hurriedly pushed Yang Shiyu inside. His movements were too fast, and as a result, the two of them stumbled and fell on the sofa at the same time.

Yang Shiyu was below, and Jin Zhou was on top. The heavy door of the private room closed automatically, and the sound of their heartbeat gradually subsided.

Jin Zhou pressed down on Yang Shiyu and didn’t move, silently listening to the sounds outside.

The police explained that they were not there to cause trouble for the KTV but just wanted Chunjie to cooperate with the investigation. The lobby manager no longer stopped them and let the police take Chunjie away.

In just a few minutes, the outside returned to calm, and no one noticed that two people who went to the restroom had disappeared out of thin air.

“Aren’t you getting up?” Yang Shiyu propped himself up with his elbow behind him and frowned at Jin Zhou.

Jin Zhou shifted his attention from outside the door and looked at Yang Shiyu beneath him. Then, a mischievous idea came to his mind, and he lowered his voice pretending to be shocked, “Do you think it looks like we’re having an affair?”

Yang Shiyu pretended to push himself up, but Jin Zhou held down his shoulder and asked, “should we take this opportunity to do something?”

“Are you sure?” Yang Shiyu narrowed his eyes, grabbed Jin Zhou’s wrist, and suddenly sat up, leaning close to his face.

The two faces were very close. Jin Zhou was captivated by Yang Shiyu’s gaze and suddenly felt that something was off. It was only after Yang Shiyu sat up that he realized he was seated on Yang Shiyu’s lap, which was not the appropriate sitting position.

“Get off me.” Yang Shiyu calmly pushed Jin Zhou aside, stood up, and adjusted his clothes. ” let’s head back.”

Jin Zhou stood up, feeling powerless. “Fine, what progress is there with the police? You won’t tell me anyway.”

Yang Shiyu nodded in agreement and walked towards the exit of the private room. However, at that moment, Jin Zhou’s phone suddenly rang.

Looking at the screen, he said to Yang Shiyu, “Wait for me outside.”

—Yang Shiyu had something to hide from him, and he also had something to hide from Yang Shiyu.

Yang Shiyu subtly furrowed his brow, seemingly aware that Jin Zhou was deliberately avoiding him with the phone call. However, he didn’t say anything and left the private room.

“Jin Lawyer, it’s me,” came Luo Xueqing’s voice from the phone. “I found out some information about what happened back then. Do you have time tomorrow?”