"Hmm... ah... hum..."
Humming a lighthearted tune, Liang Lu’s eyes were hazy; she had yet to fully recover from the pork-and-scallion-flavored French kiss.
She wandered into the library in a daze, only to see Qi Tongwei again.
This time, she did not rush forward. Instead, she took a small mirror out of her bag to inspect herself, then pulled out a handkerchief to dab away the trace of grease on her lips.
Liang Lu certainly did not have a crush on Qi Tongwei; after only three meetings, she had actually begun to loathe the man.
Blessed with a prestigious family background and striking looks, Liang Lu had lived her life surrounded by constant adoration.
Grooming herself now was merely a manifestation of her competitive spirit.
Once finished, she walked toward Qi Tongwei with her head held high. As she passed him, partly to get his attention and partly to see a flicker of awe in his eyes, she said in an intentionally haughty tone, "Excuse me, move aside."
Qi Tongwei did not even lift his head. He simply stepped back in silence, his mind still lost within the pages of his book.
"I said, move aside!" Liang Lu’s tone sharpened.
Qi Tongwei looked up. As their eyes met, a trace of bewilderment flashed across his gaze. "You again?"
Again?
What did he mean by that?
He couldn't possibly think I’m stalking him, could he?
Ridiculous!
Being repeatedly steered by his hints and suffering silent setbacks, Liang Lu’s sense of defiance was fully ignited.
But just like before, before she could figure out how to retaliate, Qi Tongwei had already left.
If Liang Lu could have just had a big argument with Qi Tongwei right then to vent her frustration—even if she ended up losing—she would have been annoyed for three days at most before tossing Qi Tongwei into a dusty corner of her memory.
But curiosity is the greatest trap. Director Qi just kept her hanging, letting her wonder, letting her stew in her own frustration.
Because only in this way could Liang Lu actively sketch the image of Qi Tongwei in her mind.
"What kind of person is he? So annoying."
She muttered a quiet curse, took a copy of Tagore’s *Stray Birds* from the shelf, and felt thoroughly disgruntled.
Most literature-loving girls with romantic ideals adored this book; many even revered it as the greatest literary work in the world.
Liang Lu’s favorite line was: "Darkness silently blooms flowers, but lets the daylight receive the gratitude."
"But if it were you, I think I would be willing."
"If it isn't you, how could it be anyone else!"
The pages of the book were slightly yellowed from frequent reading. Occasionally, one would find handwritten notes tucked inside as bookmarks. She—or he—longed for romance, and the book represented it.
It was, in a sense, like a modern-day social media comment section.
There were two layers of dialogue: the first floor belonged to Liang Lu, and the second floor belonged to an anonymous stranger she had never met.
Liang Lu’s eyes widened. She had come to the library early today specifically because she had thought of this line yesterday, but before she could even put pen to paper, someone had already filled it in for her.
Who was it?
Who was thinking exactly what she was thinking?
Her first thought was of her lover, Chen Shan, but the handwriting didn't match. She even wondered if Chen Shan was intentionally hiding it to surprise her and tug at her heartstrings.
But she knew Chen Shan; the weight and arrogance expressed in the brushstrokes did not belong to him.
"Is it a coincidence, or..."
To verify, Liang Lu chose another line to add a new layer to, placed it solemnly back into the book, and left the library with a complex expression.
Over the next few days, she did not encounter Qi Tongwei on the playground, by the artificial lake, or in the library, but that second floor—the one that resonated so deeply with her soul—continued to appear.
Liang Lu had even tentatively asked Chen Shan about it, but all she got were blank stares.
This left her feeling a bit lost.
The stranger on the second floor could always think what she thought and feel what she felt, perfectly synchronized with her literary sensibilities.
This was no longer just mutual appreciation; it was a resonance of souls on the same frequency. Humans usually called this a soulmate.
It was something far higher than the physical union that followed a marriage contract.
Realizing this, Liang Lu hadn't tasted a pork-and-scallion-flavored French kiss for three days. She felt guilty!
...
In the shantytown on the east side of the city.
Qi Tongwei was squatting in a corner, patiently waiting for his target to appear.
In '84, not only was tuition free for college students, but there was also a twenty-yuan monthly subsidy.
Qi Tongwei did the math.
The subsidy wouldn't arrive until the end of the month.
After deducting room and board, textbook fees, and other miscellaneous costs, his total disposable income was a pathetic three yuan and fifty cents.
Even if he had to make special allowances for his special situation, he was Director Qi! He couldn't be expected to drive heavy-duty SUVs, smoke cigars, or handle high-precision rifles if he had to spend a whole month chewing on steamed buns.
Living a college life eating other people’s leftovers and wearing other people’s hand-me-downs was something he could endure for a lifetime, but not now.
Qi Tongwei had started his career in '91. Generally, accessible case files went back three years, making the four years from '84 to '88 a blind spot in his criminal investigation history. However, when he began to reminisce, he discovered he could recall everything since his earliest memories.
Qi Tongwei soon realized that, in this second life, he had developed hyperthymesia—a condition that sounded impressive but actually carried a ninety-five percent suicide rate.
"The report states that the criminal Sun Ping started fleeing across the country in '81 and was arrested in '85. He hid in the shantytowns for two years. The final arrest took place at the Chunli Convenience Store in the shantytown."
"Classes start officially on September 1st, followed by a month of military training. I won't have any time to leave campus during that, so if I don't catch him now, I really will be eating steamed buns for a month."
Catching a criminal required not just skill, but a certain amount of luck—especially when going at it alone without teammates.
The report claimed Sun Ping was arrested while buying liquor at the Chunli Convenience Store.
But there were over a dozen places in the shantytown that were named "Chunli" and functioned as convenience stores.
Qi Tongwei had excluded the busy market areas, the heavily patrolled zones, and places with high foot traffic. That left three options.
If he had two teammates, or could split himself into three, he would be guaranteed to pin the guy down.
Now, it all depended on luck.
"Sun Babai, oh Sun Babai, whether I end up eating meat or drinking soup depends entirely on you."
Just as Qi Tongwei’s thoughts drifted, a short, thin, dark-skinned middle-aged man shuffled into the convenience store.
"Boss lady, one bottle of loose white liquor."
"Get lost! You look like that and you still want to drink? Do you want to drink my urine instead? Hurry up and pay your tab, or you won't even get that."
Despite the abuse and humiliation from the boss lady, Sun Ping didn't get angry. Instead, he just chuckled and apologized.
As a fugitive on the run for three years, he had his own set of rules.
First, use his own physique to build a persona of a cowardly, somewhat pathetic loafer, making it impossible for anyone to believe he was a murderer.
Second, even if his hiding spot was exposed, he could detect it early based on how acquaintances treated him.
Just like now, if the boss lady knew or suspected anything, she wouldn't dare scold him like that.
*Drink urine? I’d tear you apart.*
Just as the two were bickering over the bottle of liquor, Qi Tongwei pushed aside the door curtain and rushed in.
At that moment, all of Sun Ping’s attention was on the boss lady; his guard was virtually non-existent. Qi Tongwei seized the opportunity and slammed a brick squarely into the back of Sun Ping’s head.
*Thump...*
Sun Ping stiffened, the bottle of liquor dropped to the floor with a crash, and the boss lady was startled out of her wits.
"Who... who..."
Seeing Sun Ping still trying to turn his head to look at him, Qi Tongwei swung his hand and delivered another brick strike.
The world went quiet.
Qi Tongwei dusted off his hands, tapped on the counter, and said, "Boss lady, don't just stand there. Better call the police."
The boss lady was stunned. She strongly suspected this man before her was testing her.
"Understood, I understand. Don't worry, sir, I definitely won't call the police. I don't know anything."
The boss lady was very straightforward; she surrendered promptly and was thoroughly terrified.
She pulled the cash box out from under the counter and said, "Here’s today’s revenue, and the cigarettes and the liquor—please, help yourself to whatever you want."
"Just please, don't kill me!"