He Chuan Zhou still decided to go see him. She didn't want to let him wait there.
Brother Huang took the advertisement from her desk, waved his hand to reassure her, and didn't give her a chance
to argue: "I'll handle the rest. You think this shop is suspicious, right? Yu, go with Zhixin to A
University and check the identities of the shop owner and employees. Also, find out who has recently been in
contact with Liu Guangyu. Does Zhixin still suspect it's a murder for hire? Check on that too. It won't take
long, and since you haven't had dinner yet, hurry up."
Even if it really is a murder for hire, such underground transactions certainly wouldn't use online
transfers. Brother Huang mainly wanted to investigate Liu Guangyu's financial situation and spending habits.
Whether there have been large loans recently, or any urgent need for funds.
Xu Yu said, "It could also be revenge for love."
According to the accounts of several colleagues of Liu Guangyu, although he is not good at socializing, he
has never shown any violent tendencies. He's hardworking at work and not someone who deceives. He moves in
different circles from Tao Xianyong, so there shouldn't be any reason for enmity. He shouldn't be involved
in this murder case.
His appearance was completely unexpected. If it weren't for the surveillance footage capturing his image, it
would have been difficult for the police to consider him a suspect based solely on interviews.
He Chuan Zhou grabbed her phone and was ready to leave, "What do you guys want to eat? I'll bring it for you
later."
"Alright, alright." Brother Huang grinned, rubbing his hands together, "Get me ten pounds of crayfish."
He Chuan Zhou replied, "In your dreams."
·
With no sign of anyone all day, knowing that Zhou Tuo Xing was still at the sub-bureau, Xiao Chen couldn't
rest easy and specially came to pick him up.
He accompanied Zhou Tuo Xing for a while, but his patience ran out in less than ten minutes. He planned to
go find someone to ask, but was stopped by Zhou Tuo Xing.
Xiao Chen looked at the hands holding him, eyes full of absurdity.
These hands, at this time, should be on He Chuan Zhou's body, not firmly gripping his arm.
"Brother, what's wrong with you? I told you from ancient times that this silent sacrifice behind your back
isn't popular. I came to be your pilot!"
Zhou Tuo Xing waited all afternoon and wandered in his thoughts all afternoon. There was no sign of
impatience on his face, only an overly calm demeanor. His eyelashes half-closed, he pondered for a moment
and said lightly, "Forget it, let's go."
"Don't go!" Xiao Chen anxiously revealed his true feelings, "Are you crazy?"
Zhou Tuo Xing grabbed his coat, disregarding Xiao Chen's angry glare, and sidestepped him. When he reached
the staircase, Xiao Chen lightly pulled him down, stopping him in his tracks.
Xiao Chen earnestly advised, confident that his analysis was thorough and reasonable: "When you see her,
just act pitiful. It's a rare opportunity, so what's wrong with swallowing your pride a little? Someone like
Captain He, who seems tough, is actually more likely to soften. She still cares about you—it's just that you
were too stubborn last time."
Zhou Tuo Xing appeared like a stubborn student who disliked taking advice, responding not only ungratefully
but also recklessly, "Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"
Xiao Chen: "You're driving me crazy! When will your hand heal? As long as you're injured, I have to
chauffeur you around every day. If this continues, you'll have to find a designated driver yourself!"
He Chuan Zhou entered the stairwell and faintly heard someone speaking in a low voice below. Upon closer
listening, the voice seemed familiar.
She descended a flight of stairs, apparently unnoticed by the other person, and then heard Zhou Tuo Xing
sternly correcting, "Get your subjects straight. She was the one who got mad at me first. She's the one who
told me to get lost."
Xiao Chen was taken aback and asked in disbelief, "She directly told you to 'get lost'?"
Zhou Tuo Xing didn't answer, and He Chuan Zhou guessed he must have tacitly accepted it.
Xiao Chen found it hard to believe, "That can't be."
A moment of silence.
He Chuan Zhou leaned on the railing with one hand, leaning forward to look down.
Xiao Chen asked, "What else did she say?"
Zhou Tuo Xing calmly repeated, "Even if I die outside, it has nothing to do with her."
Xiao Chen: "..."
He asked, "Anything else?"
Zhou Tuo Xing's voice was cold, "Out of sight, out of mind. She told me not to bother her again."
Xiao Chen now felt he was just talking nonsense, or perhaps after so many years apart, he had dreamed too
many random dreams and was now advocating across time and space.
He had a wooden face, was about to hear what else Zhou Tuo Xing could enumerate, when a voice from above cut
in, "What else did she say?"
They both looked up. Zhou Tuo Xing's peripheral vision caught sight of her face, casually avoiding her gaze
when she approached.
With a bit of an attitude, "Don't you remember what you said yourself?"
"I don't remember." He Chuan Zhou had a faint, not entirely sincere smile on her lips, "But I'm sure I didn't
say something so harsh."
Zhou Tuo Xing fell silent, his gaze dropped to the ground, his lips pressed lightly together, his fingers
that had been hanging relaxed for a moment curled up, then weakly loosened. Although there was no obvious
change in expression, based on Xiao Chen's understanding of him, he seemed deeply hurt by that remark.
At this moment, He Chuan Zhou’s politeness seemed particularly relentless. It was like sand being whipped by
the wind, causing a painful abrasion.
"Sorry, I was going to treat you to dinner after I finished my work, but things piled up unexpectedly, and I
didn't expect you to still be here."
Xiao Chen glanced around, asking, "Are you still eating now?"
He Chuan Zhou said, "Yes."
Xiao Chen smiled, "Can I join you for a meal?"
"Of course."
In the empty stairwell, only the sounds of their conversation echoed, and the lingering echoes sounded
strangely desolate.
Xiao Chen said, "You must be busy today. Can I save this opportunity and have a big meal next time?"
He Chuan Zhou said, "Sure."
The atmosphere was tense, and even Xiao Chen smiled uncomfortably, "Then you two go ahead and eat. I'll
bother you another time."
He turned to look at Zhou Tuo Xing, who maintained his previous posture, lost in his own thoughts. Helpless,
Xiao Chen smiled at He Chuan Zhou, hesitated for a moment, and then left first.
He Chuan Zhou stood for a while, walking to the opposite side of Zhou Tuo Xing.
Zhou Tuo Xing's gaze was a bit dim and cold, when his eyes were occupied by her, he closed his eyelids,
stepped back, but still met He Chuan Zhou's gaze, still carrying a hint of resentment.
He Chuan Zhou pulled his hand and said, "Don't be angry, let me treat you to dinner."
He Chuan Zhou took him to a small noodle shop not far from the street.
There were many shabby shops on this street, with crowds of people coming and going, many of whom were
workers nearby.
The two found a seat in a corner, He Chuan Zhou picked up the chopsticks, wiped them with a tissue, and
handed them to Zhou Tuo Xing.
The air was filled with the aroma of sauce and the bustling surroundings, all with a strong sense of
liveliness.
Zhou Tuo Xing was in the midst of it, but his mind was wandering outside, unable to pull back. He stared at
the blue menu on the wall for a long time, and in the end, He Chuan Zhou ordered a bowl of beef noodles for
him, saying it was a specialty here and quite good. She also ordered several small dishes and paid.
As they waited for the boss to serve the food, the two sat silently opposite each other like strangers.
He Chuan Zhou bowed her head to check the messages on her phone, while Zhou Tuoxing watched her in silence.
In the somewhat illusory clamor, Zhou Tuoxing couldn't help but wonder if He Chuan Zhou was doing it on
purpose, if she thought his feelings didn't matter, or if she believed the issue could be resolved with a
few words and thus didn't need to be concerned.
After replying to her colleague's message, He Chuan Zhou placed her phone face down on the table and, seeing
Zhou Tuoxing's sullen expression, said, "Let's settle this time, and I'll treat you to a meal next time."
Zhou Tuoxing coldly spat out a sentence, "You still owe me a meal."
He Chuan Zhou asked, "Why?"
"It seems you're very forgetful now." Zhou Tuoxing looked at her levelly, "Back then, Uncle He gave me five
yuan to keep you company for a day. You took the money and never returned it."
It was summer vacation at the time, no need to attend classes every day, so Zhou Tuoxing wandered the
streets with nowhere to go during the day.
He wanted to earn money but couldn't find the opportunity. He asked several shops, but even when he offered
to work for less than half the usual pay, the owners didn't want to hire him for part-time work. They didn't
believe him when he lied about his age.
Finally, He Xu gave him five yuan, saying that He Chuan Zhou was in a bad mood and had no friends to talk to,
so he asked him to accompany her for a day.
He really needed the money, knew it was somewhat inappropriate, but agreed anyway.
He accompanied He Chuan Zhou on a 40-minute bus ride to the suburbs, then walked for nearly half an hour
before he realized she was visiting her mother's grave.
Zhou Tuoxing knew she must indeed be in a bad mood and kept silent the whole way. As they neared the
destination, they passed a flower shop, and He Chuan Zhou suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked him,
"Did my dad give you five yuan?"
Zhou Tuoxing was a bit flustered.
The scorching sun of July was fierce and merciless. He hadn't had a sip of water the whole way, his face
reddened from the sun, his lips dry and peeling, and his voice came out hoarse, "…Yes."
He Chuan Zhou extended her hand, "Give it to me."
Zhou Tuoxing was stunned, incredulously saying, "He Chuan Zhou, are you even human? I've walked with you for
over an hour!"
He Chuan Zhou was unreasonable and directly reached for his pocket.
Zhou Tuoxing dodged, feeling a bit wronged and disappointed, but in the end, he stood still and handed her
the money.
At the time, he was wearing his school uniform. The pants had two layers, with the inner layer made of a
mesh material, which was too thick for the scorching summer. The old banknote, dampened by his sweat, was
just a small, crumpled ball in his hand.
He Chuan Zhou ran into the flower shop and picked out some brightly colored flowers.
Zhou Tuoxing squatted by the roadside alone, plucking tall wild grasses. His arms and palms were reddened by
the sharp edges of the leaves, but he didn't care, resting his chin on his knees, feeling a sense of
indescribable sadness.
When He Chuan Zhou came out with the flowers, he couldn't help but complain, "Who buys roses for a grave?"
He Chuan Zhou replied, "They're pretty. As long as my mom likes them."
At this moment, the server brought their noodles, the rising steam not nearly as intense as that summer
heat.
Through the thick white steam above the rich red broth, He Chuan Zhou called his name through the haze, “Zhou
Tuoxing."
He Chuan Zhou placed her hands on the table, seriously and earnestly filling in the latter half of this
tragic memory, "Didn't I buy you an ice pop and a bottle of water on the way back down? And then treated you
to a bowl of noodles when we got home. That was more than five yuan."
The breath Zhou Tuoxing had been holding in his chest suddenly deflated. He lifted his eyelids, raising his
left eyebrow slightly. The tight lines of his facial features softened a bit, and he quietly said, "You
remember that?"
He Chuan Zhou was amused by his expression, "Is this your excuse for spreading lies? Thinking I wouldn't
remember anything."