That night, they found a motel and stored their belongings there. To avoid being recognized, they took a bus for over an hour and settled on the other side of City D.
When they checked in at the front desk, Wang Gaozhan felt a deep, sneaky sense of shame. He kept his answers brief, fearing too many questions. He wondered if Wang Yifei had felt the same way when he was little.
The next morning, Wang Yifei said he needed to go to the hospital to get some reports.
Half a month ago, Wang Yifei had bought two comprehensive health checkup packages and had taken his father to the hospital for a thorough examination. Recently, the doctor had asked them to come back for some additional tests and follow-ups, which Wang Yifei thought was just a way for the hospital to make more money. With all the busyness, he had forgotten to pick up the reports.
Around noon, when Wang Yifei hadn't returned, Wang Gaozhan checked out of the motel and moved their things to the street.
He thought the motel's soundproofing was too poor, and they could hear noise late into the night, which kept Wang Yifei awake. They needed a better hotel or a new apartment.
Wang Gaozhan searched for rentals online but found the software difficult to use. The various pop-ups and permissions were confusing. After reading the dense text and convoluted explanations, he cautiously chose "Disagree."
He looked up, watching the bustling crowd, considering asking a young person for help, but then noticed his own sweat-stained clothes and hesitated.
As he fumbled with the screen, he accidentally opened a news page pushed by the system and saw a familiar name. He followed the link to an interview video posted by Tao Ruiming and sent it to Wang Yifei.
"Yifei, isn't this your friend? She seems to be in trouble."
Wang Yifei still didn’t reply, having been out of contact since morning.
Wang Gaozhan stared at the chat window, worried that his interference might annoy Wang Yifei. After much hesitation, he didn't call him.
He sat there for over an hour, waiting for a response. Seeing a nearby breakfast stall selling leftover buns at half price, he quickly bought two.
Just then, a black figure dashed past his pile of luggage, snatching a few bags and running off.
Wang Gaozhan was stunned. He had often heard his fellow inmates talk about how good modern security was, with surveillance cameras everywhere, so he never expected to witness a robbery.
He took a few steps to chase the thief but stopped, worried about leaving the rest of their luggage unattended. He stood there, holding the buns, unable to call out for help.
A nearby cyclist shouted, "Stop, thief! That guy in black stole something!"
When Wang Yifei returned, Wang Gaozhan was giving a statement to the police by the roadside.
He stood there, wringing his hands, eyes unfocused, shifting his weight nervously, glancing at his phone, and looking thoroughly anxious. A helpful bystander was describing the thief and the incident to the police.
Seeing the police officers and the crowd around his father, Wang Yifei’s face turned pale. He rushed forward, voice trembling with fear, "What happened to him?"
A police officer glanced at him, "Your luggage was stolen. Are you his son?"
Wang Yifei, feeling hot yet cold, blurted out, "Why didn't you stay in the motel?"
Wang Gaozhan, trying to explain, said, "Yifei, I just went to buy some buns..."
Seeing his son’s exhausted and sweaty state, he felt a pang of guilt and softly added, "I'm sorry, Yifei."
The police officer intervened, "Why are you so harsh? The old man probably didn't want to spend more on the motel and was waiting for you outside, hungry and under the sun. He just went to buy buns and got robbed. What’s the point of blaming him?"
Wang Yifei lowered his head in silence, on the verge of tears. Wang Gaozhan, sensing that he always made his son look bad, tried to smooth things over, "It's my fault, officer. Don’t blame him."
The police officer, seeing the tension, patted Wang Gaozhan’s shoulder, "It's not your fault."
Wang Yifei refused to go to the police station. The officer, not wanting to escalate their conflict, didn’t insist, and let them sign the report, saying they'd be notified if the stolen items were found.
Luckily, there was nothing valuable or important in the stolen bags.
Wang Yifei led the way back to the motel in silence, carrying the remaining bags. Wang Gaozhan, too, said nothing, following him into the room. He opened a bottle of water and handed it to Wang Yifei, who took it and sat on the bed. Sensing something was wrong, Wang Gaozhan wondered if it was because he had drawn attention from the police.
After two trips to the bathroom to wash his hands, he finally gathered the courage to talk.
"Should we stay in City D? Should we find a new apartment nearby?"
Since Wang Gaozhan was unfamiliar with City D, he hadn't felt its charm yet, but Wang Yifei seemed to like it. He had traveled all over the country and had finally chosen this place.
Wang Yifei didn’t answer, arranging his art supplies by the bed.
Wang Gaozhan remembered buying a bottle of milk and a rice dumpling, and, trying to please him, said, "Did you have lunch? I bought this for you."
Wang Yifei paused, shook his head, "You eat it."
"This motel isn't great," Wang Gaozhan stammered, "We can switch tomorrow. I have some savings and can look for a job."
Wang Yifei turned away, and Wang Gaozhan followed but stopped short, sensing his son was avoiding him.
"You’re really good at drawing. I always knew you had talent," Wang Gaozhan tried to find a topic that would cheer him up. "Even He Xu wrote to me, saying you won a provincial art award in middle school. That’s amazing."
Then he remembered He Xu’s current troubles, realizing it wasn’t the best topic. He quickly shifted, "You could go to college again. Do you want to study art? We could rent a place near the school. I could set up a small stand, and if you don’t like the cafeteria food, I’ll bring you meals. Don’t worry, I can take care of myself."
Wang Gaozhan used to be an accountant and had a university degree in the late '80s. If not for the murder burying his career, he might have had a successful life instead of this aimless wandering.
He walked over slowly, standing behind Wang Yifei, and asked in the gentlest tone he could muster, "We can sell the house in City A and buy a smaller one. Whether you want to go back to City A or stay in City D, I’ll support you... But if Han Songshan knows you're still here, he might come looking for trouble. We should buy somewhere farther away."
Wang Yifei's movements grew rougher, clearly not pleased by his promises or having any hope for the future.
Wang Gaozhan continued, "Yifei, what do you want to do in the future? Do you have any wishes?"
He placed a hand on Wang Yifei's shoulder. Wang Yifei turned, his gaze icy, his words cutting, filled with a familiar yet deeply unsettling ferocity.
He spoke, each word sharp and deliberate, "I want Han Songshan dead!"
Wang Gaozhan had never seen such intense anger and murderous intent in his son. Wang Yifei's eyes were red with rage, his face twisted, bordering on madness.
"He Xu was a good man, but what good did that do? He died unjustly and still gets criticized. And Han Songshan? With a few strokes of his pen, he ruins lives. No matter how hard we try, he can destroy us with a flick of his finger. He could live to 60, 70, or 100, continuing to harm others!"
Wang Gaozhan's throat tightened. He watched his son's lips move, but all he heard was a sharp ringing in his ears. He struggled to respond, hating his own stupidity, and managed only a weak, "You shouldn't think like that..."
"You know nothing! You don’t know what my life has been like! You killed someone and went to prison, where all you had to do was work. But I was the one humiliated, treated like trash. If anything bad happened, the teachers blamed me first! I had no dignity, no home. I ate from garbage bins, worse than a dog! A dog wags its tail and people find it cute, I cry, and they find me disgusting! I was punished, but I did nothing wrong! He Xu helped me, he was the one who helped me! But why? Why must we suffer forever?"
Wang Yifei shook off his hand, his years of pent-up grievances exploding, his emotions overwhelming his reason and composure. "I have no future, I just want Han Songshan dead now!"
In his anger, he said, "Why didn't you kill him back then?"
Wang Gaozhan had experienced two moments in his life that felt worse than death, times when his soul felt crushed to dust, only to be blown back into his body with grains of sand that scraped and tormented him from within.
He wanted to explain that he couldn't just kill whoever he wanted, that he had no right to decide anyone’s fate. He had killed, served 17 years, had nightmares for 17 years, lost his youth, his future, caused his son to be stigmatized by society. He could no longer hold his head high or stand tall.
Killing wasn't something to be spoken of lightly.
He wanted to tell Wang Yifei this, but felt he lacked the standing.
Having once succumbed to hatred, how could he now tell Wang Yifei to let it go?
Though he could endure any punishment on himself, seeing his son suffer unjustly tore at him, a pain that now turned back on him, cutting him to pieces.
Wang Gaozhan, heartbroken, met his son's tearful eyes. He felt lost again, his mind in chaos, unable to form words, relying only on Wang Yifei for strength.
He apologized first, "I'm sorry."
Wang Gaozhan hoped his son would act like nothing happened.
But Wang Yifei, even as he calmed down, remained distant. He moved his lips, as if to say something, then left with his bag, never to return.
Wang Gaozhan waited in the motel for two days, receiving no word. Finally, he realized Wang Yifei had abandoned him.
The silence of that time seemed to fill the car.
He Chuan Zhou looked out the window, avoiding eye contact, and said, "He didn’t mean it. He always wanted to apologize but was afraid of reconciliation, fearing it would hurt you again."
"I know," Wang Gaozhan nodded, speaking softly, "But I was really scared that he would kill Han Songshan."
Wang Gaozhan had known Zheng Xianwen from even earlier.
Both had served time in the south district prison of City A. They rarely saw each other and never spoke. They only became familiar after the incident.