Chapter Sixteen: Two Kinds of Character

The young man who entered spotted Xu Hao and was about to greet him, but then he saw Kang Ge and Yan Xue sitting opposite Xu Hao. He paused, clearly surprised, probably because Xu Hao hadn’t mentioned on the phone who else would be present. Suddenly confronted with two strangers, he seemed momentarily bewildered, his gaze tinged with suspicion.

It was obvious this young man was Zhuang Fukai, Xu Wenrui’s roommate. By rights, as seniors in the same major, they should be similar in age, but Zhuang Fukai appeared much more mature than Xu Wenrui or Xu Hao. He had a narrow, gaunt face, thick eyebrows, and eyes not particularly large, but his prominent brow and high cheekbones made his eye sockets look deep, almost shadowed, casting a dim, unclear light in his gaze. The entire aura about him was somewhat gloomy, something a young man barely in his twenties shouldn’t possess.

“Hey, you’re here! This is Zhuang Fukai!” Xu Hao, as usual, let his mouth outrun his thoughts. Upon seeing Zhuang Fukai, he waved eagerly, first explaining to Kang Ge, then teasing, “Fukai, guess what these two do? Let me give you a hint—just guess the most outrageous thing you can!”

As he spoke, he covertly gestured toward Yan Xue, but when he glanced up and saw her looking at him in exasperation, he sheepishly stopped, grinning awkwardly.

“Xu Hao, what’s going on? You said you wanted to have dinner and had something to talk about. What’s this all about?” Zhuang Fukai’s face showed no trace of a smile, only deep confusion mixed with a hint of wariness.

“Oh, come on! Sometimes you really are no fun at all. Can’t you just sit down first? Do you think I’m luring you out to sell you or something? Sit down already, I told you to guess!” Xu Hao, feeling let down by Zhuang Fukai’s reaction, simply stood up, grabbed him, and pushed him toward a chair. Zhuang Fukai didn’t resist too hard, settling in with some reluctance, but his expression made it clear—he had no intention of playing along as Xu Hao hoped.

“Hello, Zhuang Fukai. We’re from the Criminal Investigation Division of W City Police. We’re here to learn a bit about your roommate Xu Wenrui,” Yan Xue, noticing Zhuang Fukai’s obvious resistance, didn’t bother waiting and revealed their identities directly.

Zhuang Fukai was visibly startled, shifting as if he might stand up again, but after a moment of surprise, he restrained himself and sat back, his gaze moving from Yan Xue to Kang Ge. Upon meeting Kang Ge’s eyes, he quickly looked away, turning his face toward Xu Hao.

“What is going on here? Why didn’t you tell me anything about police, or about Xu Wenrui?” He was clearly trying to suppress his emotions, but he still sounded somewhat annoyed.

“I don’t know either.” Xu Hao spread his hands. “Simply put, these two came to our school to find out about Xu Wenrui, and I happened to run into them. But I’m not from your dorm, you know I’ve never gotten along with him and never dealt with him much. You’re his roommate, so you must know him better. That’s why I called you out.”

“When will you ever be reliable? We’re seniors, about to graduate. You know what stage I’m at, don’t you? I barely sleep these days, preparing for my graduate exams. This means everything to me, and you know it. I thought you had something serious to discuss, so I made a special excuse to the professor to come out. And now you’ve landed me with this mess? You’re just adding to my stress!” Zhuang Fukai’s voice was low, his tone somewhat grim.

“I know, I know!” Xu Hao quickly tried to soothe him. “I just thought you were way too tense, so I wanted to help you relax a bit. Don’t let exam prep drive you to the edge—come out, clear your head!

These two are real detectives! We’ve always just heard about them, never met one. Isn’t it broadening your horizons, enriching your life’s experience, mutually beneficial? You help them with some info on Xu Wenrui, and you get a fresh perspective, clear your mind—a win-win!”

Zhuang Fukai didn’t argue, but he sat there expressionless, clearly unwilling. Kang Ge smiled at him, as if oblivious to his mood. “Where were we just now?”

“Let me think… Oh, we were talking about how ‘doggy’ Xu Wenrui is!” Xu Hao, energetic as ever, continued, “Our school has a hot water room, but the water is hardly ever actually hot. So nobody drinks from it; we just drink purified water in the dorm. But the dorms don’t allow large water dispensers—too much power, they trip the breaker. But now there are mini dispensers, so everyone buys one and uses small bottles of purified water.

With that, plus drinks after basketball or during hot weather, the dorm inevitably accumulates plastic bottles, cartons, and cans. We usually store them on the balcony, and once they pile up, we sell them to the recycling guy, maybe get thirty or fifty yuan. Sometimes we buy ice cream for everyone, other times we pool a bit and go for barbecue.

Yan Xue nodded; she’d done the same during her school days, though back then, Xia Qing and her friends used the money for cleaning supplies, mosquito coils, and other shared items.

“It’s a common thing, but their dorm is the weirdest!” Xu Hao gestured at Zhuang Fukai. “Xu Wenrui is their dorm leader, so he usually takes the bottles out to sell, comes back with twenty or thirty yuan each time. The others didn’t think much of it, but one day, our dorm wanted to sell bottles too, and someone from their dorm suggested doing it together.

Guess what happened? They took out fewer bottles than Xu Wenrui usually did, but somehow sold them for over ten yuan more! That means Xu Wenrui’s usual sales brought back twenty yuan less than what he actually made selling the recyclables!”

“What’s the point of talking about this? Petty and trivial, it means nothing,” Zhuang Fukai interjected during Xu Hao’s pause, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.

Xu Hao, confused, replied, “How does it mean nothing? Isn’t this a small thing that tells you a lot? If he’s willing to pocket ten or twenty yuan, it really speaks to the kind of person he is! And even small amounts add up over time! We’re seniors now, and even I, from the next dorm over, know his habits. Surely you guys, living together, know even more! Everyone else shares snacks, but has he ever reciprocated?”

“What’s really going on?” Zhuang Fukai ignored Xu Hao’s retort and directed his question at Kang Ge and Yan Xue. “Why do you want to know about Xu Wenrui? Is there a problem, or did something happen?”

“See, your classmate gets right to the point.” Kang Ge smiled at Xu Hao, almost as if they were old friends. “How long have you been here, and have you ever asked?”

“What good would asking do?” Xu Hao shrugged. “With my relationship with Xu Wenrui, if he did something to someone and I said bad things about him, it’d look like I was kicking him when he’s down! If it was the other way around, and he got in trouble, saying bad things would make me look petty. So it’s better not to ask—speaking frankly carries no burden!”

Unlike Xu Hao’s casual attitude, Zhuang Fukai was much more serious, his gaze never leaving Kang Ge, clearly hoping for answers.

“All right, I’ll give you a hint,” Kang Ge lowered his voice mysteriously, leaning forward. “Xu Hao’s second guess was correct—something happened to Xu Wenrui.”

“Really?! What exactly happened?” Xu Hao’s interest revived, pressing for details.

Kang Ge played coy. “I can’t say specifics. That would break our professional rules!”

“Man, you’re so sly!” Xu Hao scoffed. “You’re not telling us anything, just acting mysterious!”

“You’ve been roommates with Xu Wenrui for over three years, right?” Kang Ge asked Zhuang Fukai gently. “Besides your dormmates, did Xu Wenrui have any close relationships at school?”

“I’m not sure,” Zhuang Fukai replied, expressionless. “I’m not very outgoing, nor particularly clever. I barely manage my own affairs, so I don’t pay much attention to others. Apart from sharing a dorm, I haven’t interacted much with Xu Wenrui.”

“See, what did I tell you! I said asking Zhuang Fukai was pointless. He’s always so quiet, slow to warm up, never competitive or concerned. You’d be better off asking me!” Xu Hao chimed in.

“No matter how outgoing you are, you aren’t his roommate, so you can't know as much. Even the most oblivious person can't know absolutely nothing,” Kang Ge kept smiling at Zhuang Fukai, clearly waiting for him to answer.

“I’m sorry, I really don’t know anything,” Zhuang Fukai stood abruptly, facing Kang Ge. “Sorry, I can’t help you. My professor is waiting for me, so I’ll leave you to it.”

With that, he hurried off, leaving behind a chair that had barely warmed.