Chapter Fourteen: We Are Brothers

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“There are no legends about me in the underworld, simply because I am still in it,” Zhuo Nan could say with a swagger. Even though he was alone in his cell, Zhuo Nan did not feel lonely. He had a super-intelligent brain to keep him company, chatting and talking together. Now, he had also begun to train his body. The brain had once told him that the stronger the host, the more effective it could be; a robust body was part of that.

He was doing push-ups and sit-ups with great enthusiasm when Old Wu came in to disturb him. “Zhuo Nan, someone’s being brought in later—can we put him in here with you?”

Zhuo Nan lay on his bunk with his arms behind his head, sat up forcefully, and replied, “Sure, it doesn’t matter to me.” Then he continued training. Old Wu twisted his mouth and muttered, “Are you working out so hard because you plan to come back one day?”

Though the words were quiet, Zhuo Nan’s ears were sharp enough to catch them. Lying on his back, he shouted, “If I get out, I’ll never come back!” Old Wu, who was about to leave, was startled. “Couldn’t you keep your voice down, you little punk?” he cursed, then shuffled off.

Zhuo Nan smiled to himself. Old Wu was a decent guy, having looked after him well during these past few days. He resolved that he would repay him if he ever got the chance.

About half an hour later, Old Wu returned, this time escorting a young man, probably in his early twenties. The newcomer was short, thin, and wore glasses with lenses thicker than the pages of a book—a clear sign of someone who could hardly defend himself. His attire, a plain dark gray jacket and navy trousers, did not resemble the kind of clothing worn by street thugs. Zhuo Nan wondered how such a person had ended up here; he didn’t look like a petty thief, either.

“In you go. Behave yourself. You’ll be notified when it’s time to eat.” Old Wu took off the newcomer’s handcuffs, pushed him into the cell, and before closing the door, said to Zhuo Nan, “It’s his first time. Look after him.”

Zhuo Nan couldn’t help but curse Old Wu in his mind: “It’s my first time, too, damn it.”

The newcomer was clearly nervous, unlike Zhuo Nan, who had been calm and composed when he first arrived. Seeing his discomfort, Zhuo Nan found it amusing and said, “Come on, sit down. There’s still some time before we eat.”

Trembling, the young man came over and sat on the communal bunk, not daring to speak. In fact, he was puzzled—Zhuo Nan looked like a youth, but acted as if he were familiar with the place, almost as if he was a regular. Remembering what the guard had just said, he realized that Zhuo Nan must be an old hand at this, more at home here than anywhere else. Such a man was not to be offended.

Since he stayed quiet, Zhuo Nan took the initiative. “Brother, what’s your name?”

With preconceived notions already at work, Du Fanhao replied honestly, “Big brother, my name is Du Fanhao.”

Zhuo Nan was amused by the respectful tone. Was he really that intimidating? This man even called him “big brother,” though from the looks of him, he was older than Zhuo Nan. But since Du Fanhao had already started calling him that, there was no point in asking him to change.

“Don’t be nervous, Brother Du. There’s no one else here, just the two of us. Since we’re here, let’s look out for each other. So, what brought you in?” Zhuo Nan asked gently.

At the mention of this, a trace of agitation broke through Du Fanhao’s otherwise calm expression. “I was framed.”

Zhuo Nan cocked his head, listening. Du Fanhao continued, “After I graduated from university, I started a network technology company with some classmates…” Zhuo Nan was listening intently when Du Fanhao suddenly asked, “Do you know what the internet is?”

Zhuo Nan almost wanted to kick him off the bunk. “Damn it, if you hadn’t come back from the dead, I’d know more about the internet than you.”

“Of course,” Zhuo Nan replied with a smile. “It started as a military technology used by the US Army before it was developed for civilian use.”

Du Fanhao’s eyes lit up in surprise. He hadn’t expected this rough-looking youth to know about the origins of the internet. Impressed, he went on, “Our main business was a wireless network paging system, and business was always good. Many small and medium enterprises in Deqing City used our products.”

Zhuo Nan was stunned. For a moment, he thought this man was just like Brother Ma—all their experiences seemed so similar. If Du Fanhao had Brother Ma’s vision, he probably wouldn’t be stuck here. Alas, opportunities are everywhere these days, but how many can truly seize them?

“So, what happened next?” Zhuo Nan asked, eager to hear more.

“Later? Well, as business grew, I took less part in management and focused on product upgrades. I left all the management to my classmate, who had started the business with me. Who would have thought he’d embezzle company funds? When I found out, I spared him for old times’ sake and didn’t call the police. But he pretended to apologize and invited me to his house for dinner. When I arrived, only his girlfriend was there. That woman started tearing at her own clothes and ran out screaming that I’d tried to rape her. And, well, here I am, as you can see,” Du Fanhao recounted his misfortune, ending with a self-deprecating laugh.

Zhuo Nan asked, perplexed, “Are the police idiots? Can’t they check whether you did anything with her?”

“They did check. They found my semen in her underwear.” Du Fanhao’s words left Zhuo Nan momentarily speechless. If he was telling the truth, the other party was clearly out to destroy him.

Since he’d only just met Du Fanhao, Zhuo Nan didn’t want to express his opinion. Still, he could see that Du Fanhao was a talented man. He recalled that Brother Ma had made his fortune in wireless paging—a BP machine network. In 1998, pagers were still the dominant communication tool, and many people were involved in this business. Brother Ma’s genius lay in recognizing opportunity.

Zhuo Nan wondered if he should help Du Fanhao, but quickly dismissed the idea. He himself was in a desperate situation, hardly able to protect himself, let alone someone else. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel it was a shame. Du Fanhao was clearly an IT man, and although Zhuo Nan had returned to this life with many memories and ways to make money, he still needed people to execute his ideas. Take Brother Ma’s QQ, for example—it hadn’t even been developed yet. If he had the right talent, he could outline the general idea and let them handle the design and coding. After all, creativity was crucial, but opportunity mattered even more.

If the chance arose and he got out first, he’d try to help. For now, that was all Zhuo Nan could decide.

“Brother Du, have you tried to get someone to help you find out the truth?” Zhuo Nan asked.

Du Fanhao smiled wryly. “How? Zhang Xinhong has connections everywhere, inside and out.”

Clearly, this Zhang Xinhong was the one who had “sent” Du Fanhao here.

Du Fanhao seemed obsessed with technology development, clueless about social dealings or the business world. Otherwise, how could a company boss be so thoroughly destroyed—losing his company and now, possibly, his life? That’s what struck Zhuo Nan just now. If Zhang Xinhong could buy off everyone on the legal side, he could just as easily arrange for someone on the criminal side to kill Du Fanhao here. People died in detention centers all the time; one more wouldn’t matter. It would be up to the police to explain things to the family and the public. Even in 2010, the media often reported suspects dying in custody.

2010 was a time of rampant networking and information. Any trivial matter could spread far and wide. But now, news traveled slowly, and deaths in custody could hardly be reported immediately. This gave the police a lot of leeway.

From this, Zhuo Nan deduced that Du Fanhao was in real danger. Of course, he hoped his fears were unfounded and that nothing bad would happen.

Perhaps because he’d never met such a mature youth before, Du Fanhao became interested in Zhuo Nan—interested, not attracted, for Zhuo Nan was a perfectly normal man. “Big brother, what are you in for?”

“Me?” Zhuo Nan pointed at himself. Du Fanhao was puzzled—who else could it be? There were only the two of them here. “I beat up a bastard and got arrested.”

Zhuo Nan tapped his leg, gesturing as he spoke, with all the mannerisms of a street tough. Du Fanhao thought to himself, we’re getting along now, but what if he loses his temper and beats me up? Better to keep my distance. As he thought this, he edged away on the bench. Zhuo Nan noticed the movement but wasn’t offended. He found it amusing—if he’d wanted to cause trouble, he’d have taught Du Fanhao the rules the moment he walked in.

Deliberately moving closer, Zhuo Nan threw an arm around Du Fanhao’s neck, putting on the airs of a boss and saying, “Brother Du, since you’re in here, we’re cellmates, brothers in this place. But once we’re out, don’t pretend you don’t know me—am I right?”

Du Fanhao nodded frantically. “Big brother, you’re right. We’re brothers, brothers…”

As he spoke, sweat broke out on his forehead. Seeing his frightened expression, Zhuo Nan decided to stop teasing him. With a laugh, he said, “Alright, I’m going to rest. Call me when it’s time to eat.”

Watching Zhuo Nan lie down at the other end of the bunk, Du Fanhao finally exhaled in relief. He’d heard that there were all kinds of rules inside, and though he hadn’t “enjoyed” any yet, this youth was intimidating enough. Still, though Zhuo Nan looked fierce, he’d been polite, and that put Du Fanhao at ease. Sitting there, he thought back on what had happened to him, feeling more and more aggrieved. If only he’d called the police on Zhang Xinhong right away, maybe none of this would have happened. One shouldn’t be too sentimental or soft-hearted. Du Fanhao kept telling himself that if he ever got out, he would never let Zhang Xinhong off…