Until the police arrived, Lin Shiyu didn’t make another move towards Zhao Bin. It seemed that the outburst had consumed an extraordinary amount of energy from him. While the police collected evidence in the room, Lin Shiyu sat still on the living room couch with Zhong Qi beside him, neither of them speaking.

After a while, two doctors in white coats came upstairs and assisted Xiao Ran out of the house. Xiao Ran’s handcuffs had been removed from her hands and feet, and she was dressed in her own clothes. Supported by the doctors, she walked slowly out of the room and glanced at Lin Shiyu, who turned his head to look at her.

Xiao Ran handed over the coat Lin Shiyu had used to cover her and he took it.

“Thank you,” Xiao Ran looked somewhat weak but still spoke kindly to Lin Shiyu. “Remember to wash the clothes I returned. They might be a bit dirty.”

Lin Shiyu responded with a grunt and held the coat in his arms without saying anything else.

Xiao Ran and the doctors left. After a while, a man in a police uniform walked out from the bedroom.

“Oh, why are you still holding hands?”

Lin Shiyu seemed to snap out of a trance and looked down to see that Zhong Qi was still holding his wrist.

Zhong Qi retracted his hand. “Forgot to let go.”

The police officer was a slightly chubby middle-aged man with a big head and big ears, a face filled with blessings, and appeared nonchalant. He lifted the lower part of his trousers and sat down at the coffee table in front of the two, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you, my surname is Shen, you can call me Uncle Shen.” 

Zhong Qi shook his hand. “My name is Zhong Qi.”

Officer Shen then extended his hand to Lin Shiyu. “And you, young man?”

Lin Shiyu had no choice but to shake hands with him. “Lin Shiyu.”

“Not good-tempered, huh? So impatient to shake hands,” Officer Shen teased. Lin Shiyu, who was unwilling to engage, remained silent and turned his head away, displaying a complete lack of interest in conversing.

Officer Shen didn’t mind, and continued to ask them, “Which school do you attend?”

“Wenzhong,” Zhong Qi replied.

“Wenzhong, what grade?”

“Freshman year.”

“Oh, and which class?”

“Class Seven.”

Officer Shen made a sound and looked back and forth between the two, asking, “In your class, isn’t there a girl named Shen Ziyi?”

Even Lin Shiyu turned to look at him now, looking shocked. “Are you… Shen Ziyi’s dad?”

They hadn’t expected to encounter a classmate’s family member here. Even more surprising was that the seemingly rather willful Shen Ziyi’s father turned out to be a policeman. Upon closer observation, the father and daughter indeed shared a striking resemblance, with the same broad forehead, thick eyebrows, narrow nose, and the same smile that curled their eyes into joyful expressions, making their biological relationship unmistakable.

“Let’s not digress for now. Let’s first clarify the current situation.” Officer Shen wasn’t going to ask them about his daughter’s behavior at school just yet, focusing instead on the immediate tasks at hand. “I’ve taken a quick look at the contents of Zhao Bin’s computer, and the other two uncles are still reviewing it. The situation is much more serious than you two probably know. When we take him to the police station, the interrogation will continue. What I want to say is, you two did very well. You didn’t overlook any details around you, which helped us catch this bad guy. Thank you very much.”

He mentioned the seriousness of the matter twice, prompting Lin Shiyu to ask, “What else did he do?”

“This will be revealed when the time comes, no rush. Right now, the main thing is for you two to tell us how you discovered Zhao Bin doing these things and how you found his whereabouts. Describe to me everything you know and have experienced. Don’t be nervous, as you are witnesses. We just need to understand how everything unfolded.”

Lin Shiyu and Zhong Qi then recounted all their knowledge and experiences to Officer Shen. He listened and made notes in a notebook, occasionally asking a few questions, retracing the entire sequence of events from the time Zhao Bin engaged in conversation with Lin Shiyu to the present.

After hearing their accounts, Officer Shen said, “You’re quite courageous, but in the future, avoid following people. It’s dangerous. If you’re discovered, what if they retaliate against you? In such unusual situations, just report it directly. We will investigate. Don’t risk yourself. Remember, you’re still students; self-protection comes first.”

He then asked, “He was beaten quite severely, and still can’t stand up. Did you two…?”

Lin Shiyu said, “I kicked him but didn’t use much force.”

“Why does he have a scar on his head?”

“I hit him too,” Lin Shiyu answered calmly. “I planned to continue, but Zhong Qi stopped me.”

Zhong Qi looked at Lin Shiyu and then back at Officer Shen, who nodded, indicating that it was okay.

The man turned to face Lin Shiyu. “Why did you hit him?”

“I didn’t like him.”

“The door was also forcibly damaged from the outside. Was that you?”

“Yes.”

Officer Shen nodded. “Are you close to that girl?”

“No, I’m not familiar with her.”

Officer Shen paused for a moment. His tone was very calm and his questions were very neighborly as Lin Shiyu answered every question without mincing words or any impatience.

“Okay, I’ve got a general idea of the situation. How about this: Uncle will take you back to do a simple transcript, then I’ll drive you home.” Officer Shen closed his notebook and stood up. “It’s late, so let’s try to get you home as soon as possible.”

He went to the bedroom to talk with the other two officers for a while. Then, Zhao Bin was escorted out, handcuffed. As they passed through the living room, Zhao Bin turned his head to glance at Lin Shiyu.

Lin Shiyu met his gaze. His previous rage had gradually subsided, replaced by a look of cold disdain making it seem like he was looking at garbage. Lin Shiyu didn’t conceal his hatred for Zhao Bin at all, making this intense emotion seem somewhat abrupt in a situation where they were completely unrelated.

From the moment Lin Shiyu anxiously lingered downstairs in the residential building, Zhong Qi had felt this abruptness.

They followed Officer Shen downstairs. The autumn night was chilly, but Lin Shiyu seemed unaffected by the cold, one hand holding his coat and silently walking in the wind wearing only a thin hoodie.

Zhong Qi had his hands in his pockets and gently nudged Lin Shiyu with his foot. “Put on your coat.”

Lin Shiyu, not entirely present, was almost tripped by Zhong Qi’s push. However, he didn’t show any signs of anger. He simply glanced sideways at Zhong Qi and put on the coat.

On their way to the police station, Lin Hui called Lin Shiyu again, asking why he hadn’t returned home when it was already so late. Lin Shiyu, sitting in the back of the police car, casually made up a reason, saying he was out having a late-night meal with classmates and would be back soon.

“Having a meal with classmates… hmm.” Lin Shiyu leaned against the seat, looking out of the window at the swiftly passing streetlights. His voice was lower and colder, a tad softer than usual. “It won’t be very late.

“I have the keys, you can go to sleep first.”

Zhong Qi sat beside him, listening to his conversation with his mother. Lin Shiyu’s attitude towards family members, especially towards those he liked, was entirely different from his behavior towards outsiders. Although Zhong Qi had only seen him twice—once when he coincidentally met Lin Shiyu and the mother and daughter parting on a weekend morning—Lin Shiyu’s expression when talking to his sister was that of an affectionate older brother.

The second time was now, during Lin Shiyu’s phone call with his mother. His voice was low and gentle, bearing a protective undertone that he might not have even realized himself. It was as if the person who had violently kicked open the door just a while ago was an entirely different soul.

The coexistence of extreme emotions within a person’s body for a long period would undoubtedly cause a rift.

However, no one knew how long Lin Shiyu’s divide had existed; whether it had stopped growing wider, or if it continued to expand day by day, seemingly without an end.

Upon arrival at the police station, Lin Shiyu and Zhong Qi were separated into two different offices to write their statements. At first, Zhong Qi didn’t understand why witnesses had to write separate statements until Officer Shen walked in and took a seat next to him.

“Zhong Qi, right? Good height, good-looking, and steady.” Officer Shen patted Zhong Qi’s shoulder and raised an eyebrow. “Do you often hang out with Shen Ziyi?”

This question was quite tricky, and Zhong Qi was somewhat amused, but he answered honestly. “I’m not familiar with her.”

“You’re in the same class, you should hang out together often and communicate more, encourage each other.” Officer Shen threw in some casual remarks, then shifted the conversation. “You should have a pretty good relationship with Lin Shiyu, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be involved in this together, right? What kind of person is he usually?”

Zhong Qi stopped writing.

Officer Shen clicked his tongue. “Why are you looking at me like that? I was just asking casually to understand the situation, not to punish you. Don’t worry, even though he hit someone, we’ll just give some criticism and education. After all, special situations call for special handling, and we won’t be reporting it to the school, so relax.”

Lowering his head, Zhong Qi continued writing his statement. “I’m not worried about that. I’m just curious why you’re asking about him.”

Officer Shen replied honestly, “Because I found Lin Shiyu’s reaction to this situation a bit too intense compared to an average person. So, I wanted to understand his specific circumstances.”

With his earnest attitude, Zhong Qi confessed, “He has a bad temper.”

“Any tendency towards violence?”

“None.”

“You guys have a good relationship, right?”

“…We sit together.”

“Seems like you understand him quite well. What’s wrong? Is the relationship so good that it’s hard to talk about it?”

“Sometimes we argue,” Zhong Qi felt a bit overwhelmed by the affable and talkative police uncle. “Do you have any questions to ask, Uncle Shen?”

Officer Shen led the conversation around and finally got to the point. “If you have a good relationship, you can chat and talk about your feelings more often, so he might feel more at ease.”

Zhong Qi frowned slightly, faintly sensing the meaning behind these words. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Based on my experience, Lin Shiyu might be sensitive to these… similar situations or people,” Officer Shen’s expression turned slightly serious, choosing his words carefully. “For example, when you see such things, you might feel anger, incredulity; these mindsets are normal. But most people won’t immediately decide to beat up the suspect on the spot or kick open a locked door with their feet. Usually, people only unleash such strength under extreme anger. Lin Shiyu has no connection or liking toward that girl, so why is he so angry? It’s highly probable that he has witnessed or experienced similar forced or violent situations, triggering a stress response or creating a psychological shadow, which causes his behavior to be different from that of ordinary people.”

Zhong Qi was awakened by his words, finally understanding where that abrupt feeling came from.

“Psychological issues,” Zhong Qi murmured softly to himself.

“Generally, it’s a psychological issue. But don’t be biased against him because of this,” Officer Shen said. “If it’s not a severe psychological problem, it’s not an illness. It’s just that there are certain things he hasn’t resolved yet in his mind. As long as we don’t let those things grow larger and slowly untangle them, it will be fine. That’s why I suggest you talk to him more often, chat, and do simple things like playing basketball together or hanging out online. It’s easy, not that complicated.”

After finishing their work at the police station, Officer Shen was off duty and, casually driving his own car, dropped off Lin Shiyu and Zhong Qi at their homes. This police uncle was obviously quite talkative and seemed enthusiastic about educating young people. Throughout the journey, he shared a long discourse about life philosophy, eventually rendering Lin Shiyu utterly impatient with the conversation. He eventually fell silent. Fortunately, Officer Shen didn’t seem to mind if there was no one to respond to his chatter. He continued his monologue, only stopping when he reached the front of their community.

“Go back and rest early!” Officer Shen rolled down the car window, leaning out and waving to them. “I’ve left you my number. If anything happens, just call the police or me. Don’t go messing around by yourselves, okay? Especially you, Lin Shiyu, got it?”

“I got it,” Lin Shiyu replied, his head aching.

The car drove off, leaving Lin Shiyu and Zhong Qi standing at the entrances of their respective residential areas.

After a night of turmoil, Lin Shiyu felt tired. He absentmindedly ruffled his hair and waved to Zhong Qi. “I’m off, bye.”

He had just turned around when he heard Zhong Qi calling him from behind. “Lin Shiyu.”

Lin Shiyu halted and turned back. “What’s up?”

In the tranquil night, the cool breeze brushed by. Zhong Qi’s slender figure appeared somewhat blurry in the dim light, but his eyes were dark and bright, fixated on Lin Shiyu’s face.

“Why were you so angry today?” Zhong Qi asked.

This question probably won’t get an answer. Lin Shiyu was obstinate, sometimes making it impossible to approach him, so much so that most people chose to give up. Though the heart has a door and windows for ventilation even when there’s a wall between, Lin Shiyu seemed to never want to open those doors or windows.

Zhong Qi asked anyway. Without a specific reason, it was hard to explain. He preferred to choose easier ways to deal with things, but he had done things that were both taxing and unappreciated with Lin Shiyu.

What’s the point of not getting an answer, and what could one do if they did? It seemed like nothing could change.

In the serene and peaceful night, the wind was cool and light. The night sky was scattered with stars, some faint, some bright, distant and lonely.

“Because she reminds me of my mom.” Lin Shiyu broke the long silence quietly.

Zhong Qi was taken aback for a moment, a trace of subtle surprise flickering on his face without a trace.

“It reminded me of when my dad used to hit my mom,” Lin Shiyu stood under the dim streetlight, the backdrop being the darkened neighborhood. He told Zhong Qi, “So, I was very angry, angry to the point of losing control.”

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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