Chapter 48: A Choice to Make

2022-05-20

There’s a reason I often feel like I’m losing my mind.

Part of me despises certain people. I hate the harm they’ve caused, the way they never think about anyone else—not even their own family. But at the same time, I can’t help but pity them. I know so many were driven to this point. Most of them never wanted to do these things.

So I hate them—and yet I can’t help but care about them too.

It’s like living in hell and paradise at once.

I could never be as unwavering as Team Leader Shao, clear about his purpose and never bothered by doubts like these. But I’m not like Zhao Mingkun either—once she chose the darkness, she walked that road all the way.

I’m just an ordinary person, tied up in knots, too sensitive for my own good.

“Do you like stargazing too?” I asked.

Zhao Mingkun made a curious sound. “How’d you know I like looking at the stars?”

I didn’t answer—sometimes, that’s all you need to say.

“I have an idea, but the odds of it working aren’t great.” I sat up, choosing my words carefully. “And if we mess up, people are probably going to see us and we’ll look like idiots. But if we don’t try, we’ve only got two ways out.”

I held up one finger. “First, we die in here.”

Then another. “Or second, we get caught.”

Zhao Mingkun let out a little laugh. “Well, if those are the options, we might as well give it a shot.”

It was a risky—and honestly, humiliating—plan, but based on the timing, Guan Zengbin and the others should already be on their way here. That meant Wang Ergou was likely with them. And if anyone could pull off a rescue, it had to be Wang Ergou.

I’d seen him in action back at the psychiatric hospital. With nothing but a shoe, he’d sniffed out a patient who’d hidden in the sewers for three days. His nose was unnaturally sharp. Maybe, somewhere in his mind, he’d even started to identify with us. But what really set Wang Ergou apart was being a dog with actual technical training.

He understood these tombs better than any of us.

The plan was simple—crude, even. In this cramped space, we’d do our business and let the smell attract Wang Ergou. Crazy? Definitely. But I’d lost my sense of shame back in primary school.

So we put the plan into action, launching the filthy bundle up until it stuck to the ceiling.

Silence.

The kind of silence that makes you wish for anything else. An awkward silence if there ever was one.

Trying to break the tension, Zhao Mingkun said, “Hey, I saw a birthmark on the back of your leg earlier.”

If anything, that just made things more awkward.

I cracked a smile and shrugged. “Everyone says it means I’m lucky. That way, if someone ever cuts off my head someday, they’ll recognize me by the birthmark and know it’s me.”

Suddenly, Zhao Mingkun started crying. I wasn’t expecting that at all. I had no idea whether it was my words or the birthmark itself that hit her.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked.

She looked at me, her face all twisted with emotion. “If we get out, don’t do this anymore. Whatever’s in that bag should last you a lifetime. Just be a normal person, alright? You have a chance to start over. Try living with your little girlfriend, understand?”

Honestly, I couldn’t figure her out. She treated me nothing like everyone else. To others, she was always cold, but with me, there was this gentle warmth.

And yet, I was supposed to be the one catching her.

I didn’t say a word.

Now, all we could do was wait.

I don’t know how long passed before I heard footsteps above us on the iron plate. It was just a soft sound, but in the silence, it rang out loud and clear.

“Who’s up there? Pull the latch!” I shouted, scrambling to my feet.

Someone pulled open the iron plate. I shined my flashlight upward, and there was Wang Ergou, his big face filling the light. I’ve never thought he looked as good as he did right then; I almost wanted to hug him and smother him with kisses.

“Master?” Wang Ergou called.

“Come on, step on my shoulders and climb up,” I told Zhao Mingkun.

But Zhao Mingkun shook her head. “If I go up first, how will you get out? Let me help you up instead.”

She had a point—it was only three meters, but I still wasn’t sure how to climb up alone. I stepped onto her shoulders as she stood up, and with Wang Ergou’s help up top, they pulled me out together.

I glanced back to see Zhao Mingkun shove the flashlight into her pocket and take a few steps back. Then she sprinted forward, kicked off the wall, and expertly hauled herself up to the edge of the cellar. Before either of us could lend a hand, she’d already slipped up and over.

Her movements were so smooth, so practiced—I couldn’t help but admire her.

Now that Wang Ergou had found us, that meant Guan Zengbin and the rest had arrived too. It wouldn’t be long before the others followed Wang Ergou’s trail here. If we stuck around, Zhao Mingkun wouldn’t stand a chance of escaping. With that in mind, I said, “We’d better get moving.”

Zhao Mingkun frowned, but she didn’t argue, running alongside me toward the exit.

Up ahead, at a fork in the tunnel, a beam of light grazed the wall—someone with a flashlight, probably about to come around the corner.

“We have to split up,” I told Zhao Mingkun. “If even one of us can make it out, it’s worth it. Go!”

She clapped my shoulder. “Be careful, alright?”

A sudden ache hit my chest. “Will we see each other again?”

“We will.”

She pressed a kiss to my forehead, then vanished down a different passage.

It only felt right to help her as much as I could. With Wang Ergou beside me, I didn’t worry about getting lost.

There wasn’t anything more I could do for her now. If she still ended up in our hands, luck just wasn’t on her side. The truth is, she and I were too much alike—looking at her was like seeing another version of myself. With someone as driven as Zhao Mingkun, how bad could she really be?

Maybe it’d be best if we never met again.

“What the heck happened!” Team Leader Shao was pounding on his office desk so hard I thought it would cave in. I’d never seen him this angry before. “How did she manage to escape? I told you to keep an eye on her! How did you lose her again?”

Head down, I looked as pitiful as a bullied daughter-in-law. “She’s slippery, that’s all I can say. After Ergou got us out of the cellar, I finally relaxed. But just for a second—I turned around and she was gone. We chased, but we lost her. It’s all my fault, really. Punish me if you want…”

Team Leader Shao watched me for a long time. “Is that how it went, Ergou?”

“That’s exactly what happened!” Ergou nodded.

A truly loyal dog—too bad he’d have to return to the psychiatric hospital soon. I hated the thought of saying goodbye to him. Creatures like Ergou are rare. Maybe that’s why Xiaocui never gave up on him, no matter what the doctors said about his chances.

The more people I know, the more I love dogs.

Mary spoke up from the side. “I don’t think we should blame Little Wu too much for this. Zhao Mingkun has slipped away from us more than once. Seven years have passed—it’s just one more close call. Honestly, now that she’s resurfaced, I suspect we’ll meet her again.”

Will we, really? And if we do, what will I choose next time?

Better to leave tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow.

Team Leader Shao heaved a great sigh, then lifted his mug again. “Well, I’ve already yelled at you. For what it’s worth, it was clever using that trick to escape.”

Sometimes you have to sacrifice your pride just to stay alive.

“Oh, right!” Guan Zengbin cut in. “What exactly went down in the tomb? There were bodies everywhere.”

So I filled them in on everything that happened down there.

“Hey, where’s Gu Chen?” I asked.

Guan Zengbin replied, “When we got there, we saw someone in red running out of the tomb. Too far to see who it was. Gu Chen took off after them without a word. But honestly, it looked just like that woman in white we saw at the courtyard that night.”

I nodded. “I’ve figured out the truth. The one in red was Lin Daiyu. She’s connected to everything that’s happened. She used Lao Liu’s thirst for revenge to orchestrate a plan—pushing them all to turn on each other over that old secret. If it weren’t for Ergou, Lin Daiyu’s secret would’ve died with all of us.”

“Daiyu?” Guan Zengbin asked.

“Exactly.” I turned to Mary. “Mary, can you check the backgrounds of Lin Daiyu’s parents and Chu Mei’s parents for me? I know Daiyu’s the killer, but I still don’t know her motive. And what’s really the connection between Chu Mei and Lord Chu? It’s all a mystery.”

Mary flashed an OK sign and went to work on her computer.

Gu Chen eventually returned, empty-handed but relieved to see me. “Hey, I thought you’d bought it for sure this time.”

I grinned. “Just because you weren’t here. If you had been, everything would’ve gone south on day one. It’s lucky you missed out. And with those calluses on your hands, nobody would mistake you for this line of work. Anyone with experience would’ve spotted you immediately.”

Gu Chen looked at the rough spots on his palms and fingers. “You’re not wrong.”

He sighed. “I lost her—just couldn’t keep up.”

I rapped my temple with my finger. “Come on, let’s go catch someone.”