Replacing the Evil Way

Chapter 52: Champagne Rose

Cheng Zesheng had a stern expression on his face, holding a mineral water bottle he had brought back from the scene of the accident. It was precisely this mineral water bottle that led Cheng Zesheng to conclude that this was not just an ordinary traffic accident but a murder case.

His gaze was sharp, his expression serious. Xiang Yang stood by, observing cautiously. Cheng Aiyue signaled to the child, calling him over so as not to disturb Vice-Captain Cheng’s search for loopholes.

In fact, what made Cheng Zesheng furrow his brow and ponder was not just the simple case, but He Wei’s words. Before he had a chance to express his feelings, he had already been struck out. He Wei wasn’t like those gentle and beautiful, he didn’t play nice; he handed over a blade, straightforward and direct.

It truly hit deep and without mercy.

With this face, Cheng Zesheng attracted the admiration of many boys and girls during his student days. After joining the police force, many policewomen’s hearts were secretly given to him. He even rescued hostages during missions, yet people didn’t send him banners of upholding society; instead, they offered themselves as a reward.

But Cheng Zesheng remained unmoved. Over the years, his heart hadn’t been swayed by anyone. And now, investigating a case, he found himself drawn to a “dead person,” only to be clearly rejected by them. This feeling was truly disheartening.

“Weird,” Cheng Zesheng’s low voice sounded, “Why can’t they be together?”

Even though he and He Wei were from different worlds, as long as there was this connection, wasn’t that enough? Many couples only had their own worlds after returning home from work. Their situation wasn’t so different.

Cheng Aiyue and Xiang Yang exchanged glances, saying in unison, “Because that man has a wife!”

“…” Cheng Zesheng put down the mineral water bottle, “It’s not about this case. I’m asking you, if there’s someone who lives under the same roof as you, cleans up the house, cooks, and even lets you get close without resistance, does that person have feelings for you?”

“Of course, they must. They even let you get close.” Cheng Aiyue smirked mischievously. “Vice-Captain Cheng, who did you get close to?”

Cheng Zesheng ignored her and continued, “But that person doesn’t want to be with you. They won’t even give you a chance to confess. They directly reject you, citing geographical reasons. If it were you, could you accept it in your heart?”

Xiang Yang was a bit puzzled, “Isn’t it cohabitation? Why a long-distance relationship?”

Cheng Zesheng nodded. A long-distance relationship couldn’t encompass it all; it was an otherworldly romance.

Cheng Aiyue tiptoed, barely placing her arm on Cheng Zesheng’s shoulder, “I’m not the one saying this, but you must have done something to upset them, so they’re deliberately making things difficult for you. Here’s what you do: buy a bouquet of roses, arrange a candlelit dinner, and in that romantic atmosphere, confess. Your success rate will skyrocket.”

Cheng Zesheng was skeptical, “…Will that work?”

“Enough nonsense! Most women have hearts filled with romantic fantasies. Blame it on you straight guys who don’t get the vibe.” Cheng Aiyue pointed at Cheng Zesheng’s face. “Your looks alone should do the trick. Besides, your face is quite striking. Believe me, no one can resist it.”

Cheng Zesheng felt like this approach might be riskier with He Wei. Given He Wei’s cold personality, a candlelit dinner might receive a cold response, like: allergic, can’t eat. You couldn’t really predict his reaction; who knew if he was really allergic?

Flowers might not work either. It might be more effective to just set a stack of crime-related books on the table. That might appeal to him more.

Xiang Yang, curious but wary of prying, asked Cheng Zesheng to end the workday. Cheng Zesheng removed his gloves. “Let’s wrap it up. Put things back where they belong.”

Cheng Aiyue was baffled and grabbed him. “Are you serious? Love has made you lose your mind to the point where you’re ignoring the case?”

“Who’s ignoring the case?”

“Aren’t we about to leave now?” Cheng Aiyue pointed at the evidence spread on the table. “You said we were going to reexamine it to find loopholes. But now, without any results, you’re just abandoning it. Which girl managed to bewitch you like this?”

“…” Cheng Zesheng gestured at the mineral water bottle. “The fingerprint position is wrong. The hand gesture to hold the bottle looks normal, but try using a needle to inject something at this position.”

Xiang Yang immediately tried and realized that if he held the mineral water bottle exactly as indicated by the fingerprint position, it was impossible for a pinhole to appear where it should. He exclaimed, “Someone framed him deliberately, leaving his fingerprints on the mineral water bottle!”

“It might be his friend. We did find evidence that he had ill intentions towards the deceased.” Cheng Aiyue speculated.

Cheng Zesheng didn’t quite agree and instead instructed Xiang Yang to investigate the suspect’s wife, a weak and unsuspecting woman who had been deceived by her husband.

Before leaving the lab, Cheng Zesheng cleared his throat. “Um… does giving flowers really work?”

“Give it a try. It’s a last-ditch effort. Anyway, you’ve been rejected already, so there’s nothing to lose.”

———

After investigation, it was discovered that after arriving in Shengzhou City and making a call to his cousin, Zhao Shen’s phone had been turned off. There were no communication records with Qiao Ruofei before that either. However, with so many modern social apps, even if they didn’t use phone numbers, they could communicate online through other apps. All of Qiao Ruofei’s social apps were checked, proving she hadn’t been in contact with Zhao Shen. After Zhao Shen arrived in Shengzhou City, he seemed to vanish into thin air.

The allotted time for cooperation in the investigation had ended, and Qiao Ruofei and Zhao Yang were released. Upon learning that Zhao Yang had been deceiving her all along, Qiao Ruofei went crazy when they met, hitting and kicking him wildly. The officers quickly restrained her, but she scratched Zhao Yang’s face in the process. Annoyed, he was about to lash out, but a stern glare from Chong Zhen made him shut up.

Yun Xiaoxiao intended to arrange for Qiao Ruofei to return to Haijing, but Qiao Ruofei stubbornly shook her head, refusing to go back. She wanted to find Zhao Shen. She moved out of Zhao Yang’s place and found a small inn to stay in. Hearing that Zhao Shen went missing near Dangshui Village, she visited there intermittently, asking the local residents and exploring the mountain. In the eyes of many, she was acting foolishly in the name of love.

Twenty-two days had passed since Zhao Shen’s escape to Shengzhou City. The end of the month was approaching, and there was still no news of the suspect. The arrest warrant had been issued long ago, and the police had also posted a reward notice on various platforms. They offered a reward of 100,000 yuan to anyone providing significant information leading to the direct capture of Zhao Shen, hoping to leverage the power of the masses to uncover his whereabouts.

“Where do you think he could be hiding?” Lin Heyu stood on the balcony, holding a can of beer. He Wei rested his elbow on the railing and said, “I feel like he hasn’t gone far, probably still in the vicinity of Dangshui Village. His social and financial accounts haven’t been active for all these days. If no one is helping him, then unless—”

“Unless he’s already dead,” Lin Heyu said nonchalantly.

He Wei had considered that possibility too, but the evidence they had didn’t point to anyone wanting to take his life. He thought about the slow progress in Cheng Zesheng’s case. According to He Lu’s testimony, He Wei disappeared right in front of him, and the body that appeared later wasn’t He Wei. The current situation with Zhao Shen was quite similar to his own disappearance, suggesting he might have fallen into some sort of space-time rift.

“He might have time-traveled,” He Wei joked, and surprisingly, Lin Heyu didn’t deny it. He nodded in agreement, “It’s possible.”

The two exchanged a smile. It was better to stay grounded; reality rarely aligns with such scientific notions.

“Your roommate isn’t coming back tonight?” Lin Heyu looked back at the entrance.

“Not sure,” He Wei shrugged. He wasn’t familiar with Cheng Zesheng’s work schedule. He had been waiting for him to return that day, hoping to discuss the case, but an accident happened. Later, when He Wei returned to his room, they hadn’t spoken again.

He Wei wondered if Cheng Zesheng was avoiding him due to being rejected or if he genuinely had a busy workload, causing him to return less frequently. They hadn’t crossed paths these past few days, and He Wei actually felt okay with that. It might be good to let Cheng Zesheng cool off, to prevent him from harboring unrealistic fantasies.

He Wei’s indifferent expression was interpreted by Lin Heyu as a sign of conflict. As someone who had been through similar situations, Lin Heyu advised, “Relationships like these are hard to come by; you should treasure them. You might regret it later if you lose them.”

“You seem experienced,” He Wei raised an eyebrow. “I kept forgetting to ask you – how were you able to interact with my invisible roommate?”

After the experiments in the mansion, Chong Zhen couldn’t sense Cheng Zesheng’s presence, so He Wei deduced that, apart from him, others couldn’t understand the peculiarities of parallel worlds. However, Lin Heyu not only sensed Cheng Zesheng but could also physically touch him, shattering He Wei’s understanding once again.

“It might be because I’ve had similar experiences. I’ll tell you something eerie, but don’t get spooked.” Lin Heyu smiled and continued, “I’ve been to another world.”

“Another? Another parallel world?”

Lin Heyu shook his head; he wasn’t sure, and he didn’t know how he got there. All he remembered was waking up with a strong conviction to find someone. Despite the early morning light, he went mountain climbing. However, the sky grew increasingly dark, and the day turned as black as ink, with thunderstorms rolling in.

As if guided by some unseen force, he sought refuge in a wooden cabin to escape the rain. Coincidentally, there was a suspected criminal hiding there. After a struggle, he managed to subdue the suspect. At that moment, someone else entered the cabin. In that moment of eye contact, he recognized that it was the person he was searching for.

However, that person had no recollection of his existence.

Taken back to the unfamiliar police station, wearing an unfamiliar uniform, Lin Heyu was brought in to cooperate with the investigation. He had been trailing behind that person, and in the blink of an eye, the rain cleared up and a group of tourists appeared, their laughter and chatter drifting by. Bright sunlight shone from above, and the people around looked at Lin Heyu strangely, as if they couldn’t understand why a completely drenched man would appear on such a sunny day.

Lin Heyu kept this incident hidden in his heart, not telling anyone. He had held onto the determination to find that person, but as time passed, he forgot a little bit every day. Until the serial murders happened, he had completely forgotten the person’s name and appearance, and all memories related to him had vanished.

“I know he’s important, but I forgot who he is,” Lin Heyu said with a bitter smile, shaking his head gently. “I used to write about him. When I opened my notebook, it was all blank. I can’t find him anymore.”

“You started gradually losing your memory after you met him? Your experience seems even more bizarre than mine,” He Wei patted his shoulder. “Maybe you have a special constitution; you can even go to another world. No wonder you can interact with Cheng Zesheng.”

“Cheng Zesheng? The pianist?”

“Yeah, but the one you met is not him. He’s in the same profession as us.”

As they were discussing Cheng Zesheng, the security door at the entrance opened. He Wei and Lin Heyu both turned their heads simultaneously, hearing rustling noises and faint, ethereal humming.

The connection between the nodes was becoming clearer. Now, it seemed that as long as they stepped into this place, they could sense each other’s presence.

“He Wei, are you here?”

“Um… yeah, on the balcony, and—”

Just as He Wei was about to mention that Lin Heyu was also there, Lin Heyu gripped his arm and gave it a squeeze, silencing him.

Lin Heyu put his index finger to his lips, then pointed toward Cheng Zesheng’s location, playfully winking.

He Wei fell silent, feeling that trouble was brewing.

Cheng Zesheng stood in the living room. Although he couldn’t see where the person was, he could imagine how they were leaning against the balcony railing. His heart suddenly raced, and he nervously fiddled with the gift he had brought.

“That day, I acted impulsively, but I don’t regret what I did. It’s my true feelings.” Cheng Zesheng sounded a bit uneasy as he placed the item he was holding on the coffee table. “Don’t rush to make a decision either. Take your time to think about it.”

In the blink of an eye, something appeared on the clean and tidy coffee table.

A delicately packaged, slowly blossoming champagne rose.