Replacing the Evil Way

Chapter 48: Limited contact

In He Wei’s more than thirty years of life, apart from He Lu, this was the first time that he had been in such close proximity to someone that was not exceeding five centimeters. It was also the first time he had someone discover a sensitive spot—his earlobe. When Cheng Zesheng’s hand lightly rubbed against his earlobe, he felt as though his whole body had been electrified, and a burning sensation spread from his earlobe to his entire ear.

Almost instinctively, He Wei went into attack mode, grabbing onto Cheng Zesheng’s wrist. Cheng Zesheng looked up, their eyes locking. He Wei’s gaze was calm and indifferent, yet Cheng Zesheng sensed a hint of hostility penetrating his pores. In the next second, his hand was twisted, and pain shot from his wrist bones to his fingertips.

“…” Cheng Zesheng frowned, feeling like his fingers were being bent backward. Another hand pressed down on He Wei’s hand, with the thumb on the back of the hand and the other four fingers gripping the palm, lightly brushing the fingertips against the center of the palm. Seizing the moment when He Wei raised his hand, Cheng Zesheng used force to fold the hand and trap it within his palm.

“Angry?”

He Wei faintly smiled, as if preparing to launch a powerful attack.

Cheng Zesheng was taken aback by this punch. After dodging, he immediately distanced himself by half a meter. “Are you serious?”

He Wei stood up and rubbed his wrists. “What else?”

Cheng Zesheng was still a bit puzzled. Could pinching an earlobe really provoke such a reaction? He propped himself up on the couch’s backrest with one hand and leaned over, grabbing He Wei’s hand. He brought it confidently to his own face. “Here, you can pinch me too. There’s no need to be so angry.”

“…” He Wei narrowed his eyes and unreservedly pinched onto the delicate cartilage of Cheng Zesheng’s ear. He applied more force, causing Cheng Zesheng’s handsome face to twist in pain. “Hisss—You! If you accidentally pull it off, you better take responsibility!”

“We’ll talk about it if it comes off.”

Cheng Zesheng, without hesitation, embraced He Wei and both of them fell onto the couch together. He pinned He Wei beneath him. Cheng Zesheng’s ear had already slipped free from He Wei’s grasp, and it flushed and hot, probably having been pinched too hard. Cheng Zesheng held both of He Wei’s wrists together and pressed them against his chest, preventing any movement. He asked, “Hey, has anyone ever told you that you have a bad temper?”

“No.” He Wei struggled against the hold, realizing he couldn’t break free. Cheng Zesheng not only had strength but also applied some sort of grappling technique. He gave a cold smile, bent his knees, and aimed for Cheng Zesheng’s abdomen. Although Cheng Zesheng detected his intention, it was too late, and he took the knee strike head-on.

“…” Cheng Zesheng lowered his head. He Wei’s hands had slipped free, and he pushed Cheng Zesheng’s shoulder to move him aside.

Cheng Zesheng sat on the floor, his head still lowered, maintaining silence. He Wei straightened his disheveled shirt. Just as he wondered if Cheng Zesheng had been rendered speechless, he finally heard Cheng Zesheng’s quiet voice, “If I became impotent, you’d really have to take responsibility.”

“I avoided the vital points,” He Wei said with an expression that seemed to say, “Don’t try to trick me.”

Cheng Zesheng sighed, rubbing his injured abdomen. He had used quite a bit of force; even if they weren’t friends, they were still roommates, right?

After all this playful banter, He Wei’s interest in discussing the case had completely waned. By chance, He Wei glanced at the time and suddenly realized: Cheng Zesheng had been present for much longer than usual, nearing five minutes already.

Seizing the opportunity while he was still there, He Wei wanted to confirm some of the intriguing speculations in his mind. He stood up and asked Cheng Zesheng to join him on the balcony.

Cheng Zesheng sat cross-legged on the floor. “Can’t you see I’m hurt? Can’t get up.”

He Wei rolled his eyes, suspecting that this man was not just three years younger than him but ten. Playful yet petty. He reached out, and in the span of a second, Cheng Zesheng went from thinking, “I won’t back down if you don’t admit your mistake,” to standing up, holding He Wei’s hand, as if nothing had happened.

The two of them went to the balcony together. He Wei leaned on the railing, asking Cheng Zesheng to describe the buildings he could see.

“Across the street is the Goldman Sachs office building. Downstairs, there’s a bun shop, a liquor store, a small supermarket, and Heping Park. What’s up?”

In He Wei’s eyes, across the street was the New City Plaza; there were dry goods stores, clothing shops, and a convenience store downstairs, and the area Cheng Zesheng called a park was actually a construction site for the second phase of the New City Plaza.

“Come here.” He Wei tugged Cheng Zesheng’s arm again and led him to the entrance. “Now, let’s go out together.”

“But if you go out…” Cheng Zesheng’s words halted abruptly as he suddenly understood what He Wei wanted to do. He put on his slippers, gripped the handle of the security door, and after pushing the door open, just as He Wei stepped out, he seemed to walk into a mirror, disappearing without a trace.

He Wei turned to look at the open door; his home was empty, devoid of Cheng Zesheng’s figure.

Cheng Zesheng also stepped outside. The corridor was empty; only the harsh white light and cold walls remained. A colleague returning saw him at the doorway and waved to greet him.

There was no He Wei here, and there wouldn’t be.

Back inside their home, Cheng Zesheng lifted his head, and He Wei stood by the entrance, arms crossed, still wearing that aloof expression but with a touch of melancholy in his brows.

“As expected,” He Wei said.

“Yeah,” Cheng Zesheng nodded.

Once again, silence fell between them. The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy and stifling, and their breath seemed to carry a sense of constraint.

Perhaps due to their recent frequent interactions, they had developed a sense that the other person was genuinely present by their side. But the reality wasn’t so; their “reality” existed only within a limited time and space, confined within a predetermined dimension.

Although they could communicate, chat, and even touch each other, they still existed in two separate worlds. Only at this node could they prove each other’s existence, even though once they stepped out of this door, the traces of the other would disappear without a trace.

A limited interaction that shouldn’t have existed.

———

Zou Bin and Yun Xiaoxiao split into two teams to investigate several villages connected to Dangshui Village. The results were disappointing; hardly anyone had seen Zhao Shen, and there was no impression of him at all. These villages were at the border of two provinces, with the other province just across a river. Zou Bin even suspected that Zhao Shen might have escaped to the neighboring province.

However, if he truly wanted to go to the neighboring province, he wouldn’t have chosen the roundabout route through Shengzhou City. After all, Shengzhou City was the provincial capital, sprawling with people and strict governance. If he happened to be caught here, it would be due to his lack of intelligence. Thus, Lin Heyu was confident that he hadn’t left Shengzhou City, and he was likely still somewhere near Dangshui Village.

The Xinglin Garden residential area had only a few households that had moved in, as it had been completed earlier this year. Most residents were either still decorating or waiting for the surrounding facilities to be completed before moving in. Those who did live there were mostly elderly, taking buses into the city in the morning to buy groceries and leisurely returning in the afternoon. Those with good physical health could even hike up Longwang Mountain, making the place an excellent way to pass the time.

After checking on these elderly residents, it was confirmed that they hadn’t seen Zhao Shen, and he hadn’t been in Xinglin Garden either. Lin Heyu shifted his focus to Longwang Mountain and brought in two K9 units to search the mountain.

Despite their grand efforts, they didn’t find Zhao Shen but unexpectedly caught three other fugitive suspects. One was ragged, having lived in a cave on the mountain for several months, afraid to come down, and having survived on wild vegetables, wild chickens, and rabbits. Another had just fled into the mountains, planning to lay low for a few days, and escaped to the neighboring province. The most unfortunate was the one who had fled into the mountains the previous night, only to be apprehended by the police today. He thought the police were after him and, panicked, tumbled down the slope, breaking his leg.

Longwang Mountain wasn’t large, and they searched both marked and unmarked paths, yet still, they couldn’t find any trace of Zhao Shen. Since his arrival in Dangshui Village, it was as if he evaporated on the spot, disappearing completely.

Lin Heyu stood with arms crossed, staring at the spread-out investigation file on the table. He asked Yun Xiaoxiao to make some tea from his cabinet, the kind that calms nerves.

Zou Bin and Wen Huabei whispered, then made up their minds and stood up to request, “Captain Lin, can we continue investigating within the city? What if he’s taken a bus back into the city again?”

“Right, we should check all the train and bus stations. What if he’s left Shengzhou City?”

Lin Heyu fell silent. Hei We took up a pen, circling Dangshui Village on the map. “I’m curious; why did he choose to come here and not somewhere else?”

“Maybe he thought it would be safer the more remote it is?” Zou Bin guessed.

“Don’t forget, he had an appointment with someone. That person must have arranged for him to go to Dangshui Village,” He Wei picked up Zhao Shen’s file, flipping through it. “Being unfamiliar with the area, yet able to find someone to help him escape to such a remote location, it’s not easy for a fugitive to achieve that.”

Lin Heyu stood up, asking He Wei, “Shall we go together?”

He Wei placed a hand on his shoulder. “If we ask now, there will certainly be all sorts of excuses. Let Zou Bin and the others go first to check whether there are any properties under his name in Dangshui Village.”

Before Zou Bin and Wen Huabei could ask who to check on, Yun Xiaoxiao approached with a cup of honeysuckle tea. “Captain, who are we checking on?”

Lin Heyu pointed his index finger at the “relatives” column: “Zhao Yang.”

———

After a thorough investigation, it was found that there were no properties owned by Zhao Yang in Dangshui Village. However, his grandmother’s house had been demolished three years ago, and the distributed houses were in Xinglin Garden. This significantly increased the suspicion that Zhao Yang was harboring a fugitive. When questioned again, Zhao Yang still claimed innocence. He even invited the police officers to his home for inspection, where they found it still under construction with no signs of habitation.

Zou Bin pressed, “How else would he have come to Dangshui Village if not through you?”

Zhao Yang pleaded, “Officers, I really don’t know. I never told him about the house demolition. We never discussed it.”

“Zhao Yang, you better cooperate with our work. If you confess now, we’ll count it as your voluntary statement. If we find out that you’re sheltering Zhao Shen, it’s harboring a fugitive!”

Zhao Yang repeated the same statement. He hadn’t been in contact with Zhao Shen. When they checked his call records, he was in business and received numerous customer calls every day, but there were no calls resembling Zhao Shen’s.

Lin Heyu and He Wei made a trip to the decoration city. As they wandered around, they stopped in front of a store selling flooring. The shop owner greeted them, “Young man, are you renovating your home? We just got a batch of oak flooring that has amazing colors. Come in and take a look!”

He Wei took it seriously and walked into the store. He looked through the oak flooring that the shop owner recommended, then asked for Lin Heyu’s opinion. Lin Heyu shook his head with a sullen expression, his eyes glancing at the shop across the street. He Wei said, “You want to go for tiles instead of flooring? Sure, tiles are easier to maintain.”

“No one’s at the shop across the street,” Lin Heyu said.

The shop owner immediately beckoned them over, “The owner of the shop across is out, left me in charge. You’re looking for tiles, right? Come, let me take you there.”

He Wei and Lin Heyu followed her. He Wei casually browsed the tiles, listing various demands. He wanted simple patterns, light colors, a hard and crack-resistant material, and no reflective surfaces. The shop owner was quite enthusiastic, showing them sample tiles and providing non-stop explanations. When it came to discussing prices, He Wei negotiated, and the shop owner offered a sincerely business-friendly price. He Wei chuckled, “You can make these decisions, Boss?”

“Oh, I have a good relationship with Xiao Zhao. I often help him sell things. I’m also in business, so I wouldn’t let him suffer losses.”

“But if he’s often not here, why keep the shop open?”

“It’s just that he’s been out a lot lately. Seems like he’s dating someone.”

“Dating to the point of neglecting the shop, huh?” He Wei chuckled.

“It’s the passionate early stages of a relationship, you know. He has to pamper her.” The shop owner held onto He Wei’s arm. “Are you still interested in the flooring? If you need a lot, I can talk to Xiao Zhao and give you a good price.”

He Wei asked Lin Heyu, “Hey, what do you think?”

Lin Heyu shook his head. He smiled at the shop owner and said, “We’ll discuss it further when we get back. Thanks a lot, boss.”

The shop owner nodded, her gaze shifting between He Wei and Lin Heyu, a peculiar glint in her eyes. These two young men were quite extraordinary. They came to the decoration city to pick out things together like a couple. The two of them—tsk tsk, modern young people are really open-minded.

Leaving the decoration city, He Wei lit a cigarette. “Talking about girlfriends, huh? Quite a coincidence.”

Lin Heyu’s tone was grave. “For a few days with him.”