Chapter Three: Revealing the Truth

A shrill old-fashioned ring broke the silence, and Zhuo Nan fished a mobile phone from his pocket. It was a yellow Ericsson T19, a top-of-the-line model that Lan Qian had bought for him at a cost of more than two thousand yuan. He answered with a grin, “Hello, Sis. Miss me?”

He was already out of school and standing at the bus stop, ready to head home.

“Miss you, my foot. How about dinner tonight?” came Lan Qian’s lovely voice.

Zhuo Nan teased her on purpose. “Sis, if you don’t miss me, why would you eat with me? I’m heading home now.”

“Brat, you’re doing that deliberately, aren’t you?” Lan Qian snapped into the phone.

“What did I do deliberately? I really am going home,” Zhuo Nan said with a laugh.

“All right, all right, I give up. I miss you, okay? Let’s have dinner tonight. I’ve already bought the ingredients.”

Only then did Lan Qian soften. Since sleeping with this boy, she had discovered that being apart from him for even a single day made her heart itch with unease. Now she understood that if she ever hoped to keep him in line, it would not be easy.

Zhuo Nan laughed in triumph. “Ha! Sis, it would have been better to admit it sooner.”

“Stupid boy, bullying your sister all day long. Hurry back; I’m already home,” Lan Qian said.

“Mm, all right. I’m coming back now.” After hanging up, Zhuo Nan hailed a taxi and headed straight for Lan Qian’s place.

Lan Qian had originally moved back in with Lan Zhenghao, but after she got together with Zhuo Nan, she moved out again for the sake of convenience in their secret meetings. Of course Lan Zhenghao knew what his daughter was up to, but he had already accepted Zhuo Nan as his future son-in-law, so he naturally no longer interfered with the two of them. Lan Zhenghao understood very well that Zhuo Nan had played a decisive role in connecting him to the Eastern family. More importantly, since Long Kun had taken control of Deqing’s underworld, public order had improved considerably, and as the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, his political record had risen noticeably. All of this, in one way or another, was thanks to Zhuo Nan. To Lan Zhenghao, this young man was the true kingpin of Deqing’s dark world.

Zhuo Nan unlocked the door with practiced ease; this place had already become the little nest of their love. As soon as he opened the door, a rich fragrance drifted out. No need to ask—Lan Qian must have been busy in the kitchen. Hearing the door, she hurried out, wearing a Snoopy apron, looking adorably endearing.

“Little brother, you’re back. Go wash your face; dinner will be ready in a moment,” she said, her face bright with joy at seeing him.

Zhuo Nan licked his lips, looking shamelessly hungry in a very different way. “Sis, I don’t want dinner. I want to eat you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he lunged at her, practically wanting to strip off her pants at once.

Lan Qian knew he was teasing her on purpose and quickly darted aside. Zhuo Nan missed his target, then steadied himself and turned back, saying, “Flower girl, I want to—”

Lan Qian frowned and said unhappily, “Little brother, why are you imitating those little punk boys? So lame…”

Hearing the displeasure in her tone, Zhuo Nan hurried to straighten up. “Sis, I got carried away. All right, all right, I’ll go wash up.” With that, he turned and headed for the bathroom. They had been perfectly fine, but some bratty imitation had soured the mood. Zhuo Nan felt he had been too foolish himself—if he had to imitate anyone, why imitate that bunch of idiots for no reason at all?

By the time Zhuo Nan came out of the bathroom, Lan Qian had already served the rice and was seated at the table. In that moment, she gave him the feeling of home—warm and comfortable. She was like a wife, having prepared a delicious meal and waiting for him to come and enjoy it.

“Come and eat,” Lan Qian said to him with a smile.

Brother Nan plopped down obediently across from her, picked up his bowl, and began in earnest.

The people of China have a saying: do not speak while eating, nor while in bed. But in real life, very few can truly do that. At a banquet, if someone only keeps his head down and eats in silence, that fellow will never amount to much. And when a family eats together, they are bound to chat about something; if everyone simply eats without a word, the meal would be rather dull.

“Little brother, how did school feel today?” Lan Qian asked as she put some food into Zhuo Nan’s bowl.

Still chewing a mouthful of rice, Zhuo Nan answered unclearly, “Not bad. Nothing special.”

“Did you run into any especially pretty girls?”

That was probably the question Lan Qian cared about most. How could Zhuo Nan not know what she was thinking? Since Fu Xinxin was no longer in the same school as Zhuo Nan, she had lost direct supervision over him, so neither woman could feel entirely at ease now.

Zhuo Nan answered without even thinking, “No way. The girls at First High wear glasses thicker than books…”

Lan Qian grew suspicious and asked again, “Really none?”

Only then did Zhuo Nan think it over seriously. “This morning, when I went to sign in, I ran into a little street girl. She looked decent enough, but I’m not sure she’s even a student. And there was also one girl in my class who’s passably good-looking... but from the looks of it, she probably has plenty of admirers already.”

“Do you have any thoughts about her?” Lan Qian asked, pointing at him with her chopsticks, fierce as a tigress.

“Sis, you’re too nervous. How could I have thoughts? Having you and Xinxin is already enough to make me happy. Why would I think about anyone else?” Zhuo Nan said with an aggrieved expression.

But as soon as he finished, Lan Qian blurted out, “Save it. I already asked Long Kun. You and that woman at his bar, the one called Yang Yilin, seem to have a rather close relationship…”

On hearing this, Zhuo Nan silently cursed Long Kun: if you don’t want this month’s bonus, just say so.

As for Yang Yilin, Zhuo Nan suddenly remembered what Long Kun had mentioned last time—a certain boss was pursuing her. He had been too busy lately and had forgotten about it, but now it seemed necessary to go and see this person for himself.

“Sis, don’t listen to Long Kun’s nonsense. How could that possibly be true?” Zhuo Nan quickly defended himself.

Lan Qian did not buy it. She glanced sideways and said, “I’ve seen that woman. She’s quite charming. No wonder you’d be tempted. But I’m warning you: if you dare mess around, I won’t let you into my bed again.”

What kind of threat was that? Would Brother Nan, a full-grown man of more than six feet, be so easily frightened? Though the world outside was full of excitement, and the women outside were thrillingly intense... for now, Brother Nan still had to yield for the moment.

“Sis, don’t worry. I really have no intention,” Zhuo Nan said sincerely, so sincerely that Lan Qian found it hard to continue pressing the matter.

“Hm, I believe you. Eat,” Lan Qian said, then resumed her battle with the rice.

Brother Nan truly deserved the title of master of expressions. Alas, this was an era before brothers, sisters, and emperors of expression had yet arrived...

As if remembering something, Lan Qian spoke again. “Little brother, there’s something I need to say very seriously to you.”

Curious, Zhuo Nan asked at once, “Sis, what is it? Why so serious? Go ahead, I’m listening.”

Only then did Lan Qian continue. “Little brother, I don’t really know what your relationship is with Ghost Manchao and Long Kun, but my instincts tell me that your ties with those two are anything but ordinary. Ghost Manchao is dead now, Tang Hao is dead too, and Long Kun has risen above the rest to become the top figure in Deqing’s underworld. I know you two are on good personal terms, but I still hope you’ll have less to do with him. You have to understand, in the kind of work Long Kun does, who knows when he might become the next Ghost Manchao.”

Her words made clear that she did not know the full story, but Zhuo Nan was still touched that she cared so much about him. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and said very seriously, “Sis, I think I should tell you a few things.”

Seeing how earnest he was, Lan Qian perked up, afraid of missing a single word.

“Sis, Long Kun is actually my man. The big thing that happened on Deqing’s streets this time was something I had him carry out, and your father was also one of the people involved.”

Lan Qian stared at him in disbelief.

“Sis, does that sound incredible? I hadn’t planned to tell you this, but one day you would have found out anyway. If that’s the case, it’s better to let you understand the reasons sooner.”

“Zhuo Nan, are you saying it’s true? My father was involved too?” Lan Qian’s voice trembled with excitement. Zhuo Nan nodded and went on, “Sis, for something this big in Deqing, do you really think Chen Longming would have been so easy to talk to without the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee giving the nod? You’re a cop yourself; surely you understand the rules inside the police force better than I do.”

Lan Qian stared blankly at him. In her heart, her father had always been a good official, a fair and upright government cadre. True, he was busy with work and had shown her too little care, but she had never imagined that he would also collude with street thugs.

A current of thought raced through Lan Qian’s mind: the embodiment of justice, the bane of evil, now learning that the father she had always respected was in fact the kind of man who would stop at nothing for power—what would that feel like?

By now, Zhuo Nan and the super brain had fused perfectly. At times Zhuo Nan did not even need to give an order; the brain would act on its own. Right now, the super brain was using thought waves to stabilize Lan Qian’s emotions, while Zhuo Nan began his persuasion.

“Sis, you have to understand that society is just like this. Uncle Lan has his own ambitions. He’s only in his forties now, in the prime of his life and at the perfect age to build his career. Of course he hopes to go one step further on the political ladder. Besides, you’re a police officer—you know exactly how Deqing’s public order used to be. When Ghost Manchao was boss, society was in chaos. But look at it now: since Long Kun took over, it’s been less than a month and the crime rate has already dropped by twenty percent. What is that? That’s achievement. That’s Uncle Lan’s political performance.” Zhuo Nan picked up his drink, took a sip, and continued. “Sis, on the surface Long Kun is the number one man in Deqing’s underworld, but in reality he still has to listen to me. You should know what kind of person I am. I may not be perfect, but at the very least I would never do things like ruin ordinary people’s lives, force decent women into prostitution, or traffic drugs. That’s already much better than when Ghost Manchao was in power, isn’t it? Besides, I’ve always believed the future of the underworld must be corporate, group-based management—organize these idle people in society, slowly turn black into white, and in doing so solve employment problems while stabilizing public order. It kills two birds with one stone. The underworld is not frightening; what matters is guidance.”

The way Zhuo Nan put it, he made himself sound like the savior of the underworld, as though only he could lead it to do more meaningful things for society. Of course, all that was nothing but nonsense meant to soothe people. Which country on earth does not have gangs? Which country can eliminate the underworld? Still, Zhuo Nan did have one thing right: the direction of the underworld must be guided.

His words, force-fed by the super brain, took root in Lan Qian’s mind and formed a fixed pattern of thought. Only after this was done did she say, “Little brother, I can’t outtalk you. You always have a pile of reasons. But you must not do anything that harms heaven and reason... otherwise I really will be angry.”

Once she said that, Zhuo Nan knew the super brain had completed its task. From this incident, he gained a new insight: if he forcefully implanted his thoughts into someone else, could he achieve the purpose of controlling them?

The moment that idea surfaced, the brain spoke up: “Zhuo Nan, impossible. It only works on people who already like you, or on friends. It absolutely cannot be done to enemies or strangers, because their memories are already resistant to you.”

Since the brain had given such an explanation, Zhuo Nan naturally had no reason to keep thinking about it. Besides, even if he controlled those people, what then? The ones who liked him were mostly friends anyway, people who should already be on the same side. If there were occasional differences of opinion, they would be like Lan Qian’s; in most cases, such differences would not arise.

“Little brother, what are you thinking about?” Lan Qian asked when Zhuo Nan fell silent.

Zhuo Nan rolled his eyes and said with a lecherous grin, “Sis, I was thinking, after dinner, should the two of us bathe together or separately?”

Lan Qian’s fair face flushed red at once. Pouting, she said, “Dream on. I’m not bathing with you.”

Zhuo Nan stood up, walked over to her, and scooped her into his arms. “Sis, I’m not dreaming. We’re bathing right now...” And with that, he carried her toward the bathroom.

“Put me down now. I haven’t even finished eating...” Lan Qian hammered her small fists against Zhuo Nan’s chest, but it only tickled him, stirring his lust still further.

“Sis, a grown man like me can wait while you eat slowly...”