Chapter Fifty-Four: The Puppet

“So, the boyfriend Wu Beibei had after that, the striker for your school’s soccer team—is his name Zhang Lei?” Kang Ge didn’t miss the name Xu Hao had inadvertently mentioned.

Xu Hao hadn’t even realized he’d said the name out loud. He paused, then snapped back to attention. “Ah, yes, his name is Zhang Lei… Are you planning to look for him? If that’s the case, I have a favor to ask—please, don’t tell him I was the one who told you about him and Wu Beibei dating! With the whole business about Xu Wenrui’s death, it somehow got out because of me, and Zhuang Wenrui really gave me an earful. Just thinking about it makes me nervous. I really need to work on keeping my mouth shut from now on! I agreed to cooperate with you police, so I’m taking the risk here. Otherwise, I shouldn’t be talking about these things, or Zhuang Fukai will scold me like I’m his grandson again!”

“You’re quite an interesting guy!” Yan Xue laughed. “The first time I met you, you seemed like the cool, aloof type, but now I think my first impression was way off. You’re actually pretty easygoing. Even when Zhuang Fukai gives you a hard time, you don’t get upset!”

“Well, you know, a person should be able to tell the difference between good and bad! Some people criticize you because they’re mean, but some do it because they don’t want you to suffer. It’s important to distinguish between the two!” Xu Hao waved his hand. “Zhuang Fukai’s a good guy. He may not be talkative and seems a bit dull, but he’s really dependable. I’m the impulsive type, speak without thinking, and he’s always there to remind me.”

“I still find it hard to believe that someone as reserved and conflict-averse as Zhuang Fukai could have such a poor relationship with Xu Wenrui. From what we know, both Zhuang Fukai and Xu Wenrui are pretty distant from the other two in their dorm. Still, even if they aren’t close, things shouldn’t be this tense. Why can Zhuang Fukai coexist peacefully with the others but not with Xu Wenrui? Is it what they call ‘incompatible fates’?”

After chatting for a while, perhaps because Kang Ge and Yan Xue were so relaxed, Xu Hao gradually loosened up as well, losing his initial nervousness.

“It really is a bit mysterious; I can’t quite explain it myself! I’ve asked Zhuang Fukai about it, but you’ve met him, you know how stubborn and taciturn he is—like a bull! If he doesn’t want to engage, no one can change his mind.” He seemed intent on enlightening Yan Xue and Kang Ge.

As he spoke, Yan Xue recalled the scene at K University, where Zhuang Fukai had been dragged to the sports field for questioning, unwilling but unable to resist Kang Ge’s insistence.

So, in the end, there’s always someone who can keep another in check. Whether a bull can be forced to drink depends less on the bull’s will and more on the strength of the person holding its head down.

“Personally, I think what made Xu Wenrui so disliked by Zhuang Fukai was that Xu Wenrui was just too pretentious!” Xu Hao continued, “You see, the other two in their dorm get along with both of them just fine because those two are just drifting through college, not ambitious at all. Zhuang Fukai may not say much, but he’s got a strong competitive streak, especially in areas where he excels—like academics. The other two just want to pass exams and get their degrees so they can find jobs. In that sense, they live in a different world from Zhuang Fukai.”

“By that logic, Xu Wenrui and Zhuang Fukai shouldn’t be in the same world either. One’s a top student, the other’s active in literary and cultural events—they don’t even mix in the same circles at night,” Yan Xue pointed out.

“Exactly! Normally, they could have left each other alone. But the issue is what I mentioned earlier—Xu Wenrui was always putting on a front, like he had to maintain some idol image, which would have been fine if he left it at that. But he went overboard, insisting on pretending to be a genius student! That’s crossing the line.”

“Would anyone believe a student who had to retake courses is actually a genius?” Yan Xue sounded incredulous.

“I certainly wouldn’t!” Xu Hao scoffed. “The problem is, Xu Wenrui never said it outright. He’d always vaguely imply he was really smart, just hadn’t focused on his studies before, but if he put his mind to it, not only could he ace the grad school entrance exam, he’d be a shoo-in for a recommendation! If he’d just boasted to himself, it’d be one thing, but then others would take his words and make snide remarks—like, ‘Life really is unfair. Some people could get by on brains but insist on using their looks, while others, well, they can’t rely on looks and have to slog away with not-so-bright minds.’”

“Was that aimed directly at Zhuang Fukai?”

“Not by name, but Zhuang Fukai’s got a lot of pride and is pretty sensitive. Plus, he’s Xu Wenrui’s roommate. Maybe no one else knew, but he took it personally. He was secretly upset about it for a while—I even tried to cheer him up, telling him to just let Xu Wenrui brag all he wanted. When it came time for grad school placements, we’d see who was the real deal and who was the fraud. But he was still down about it, so I said, ‘If you really can’t take it, I’ll beat him up for you, really teach him a lesson so he won’t dare run his mouth again!’ I think I scared Zhuang Fukai a bit—he quickly talked me down, said it wasn’t worth it. We’re juniors and seniors now, getting punished over something like this would be stupid. He begged me not to do anything rash, said he’d adjust his mindset.”

“That’s quite the counter-strategy!” Yan Xue gave Xu Hao a thumbs-up.

Xu Hao waved his hands, embarrassed. “No, no! You’re giving me too much credit! I wasn’t being clever—I just really didn’t like how fake Xu Wenrui was, and since Zhuang Fukai’s my friend, I wanted to stick up for him. I don’t care about grad school placement, so I had nothing to lose.”

The longer Xu Hao talked, the more at ease he became. It wasn’t until his friend called to remind him about their dinner plans that he realized he was running late.

But before getting out of the car, the caution he’d shown upon getting in returned. He pressed his face to the window, checked the surroundings to make sure Zhuang Fukai wasn’t nearby, and then waved to Kang Ge and Yan Xue. “I’m off now! Don’t roll down the window to wave goodbye, just in case Zhuang Fukai spots us!”

With that, he quickly slipped out, hurrying away as if he’d just finished a secret meeting.

“Did you see the person from the surveillance footage?” After Xu Hao left, Yan Xue turned to Kang Ge.

Throughout their conversation with Xu Hao, the two had seamlessly alternated between talking to him and scanning the passing pedestrians outside the car for their target.

“No, did you?” Kang Ge replied, shaking his head.

“I didn’t either.” Yan Xue checked the time. “Based on the times that person showed up before, if he’s coming, it should be soon. But then again, if he shows up now, doesn’t that make him less suspicious? At this point, I don’t know whether I hope he appears or not.”

“That’s hard to say,” Kang Ge mused. “If he’s inexperienced, he’d probably stay away after the death. But if he’s got more cunning, he might show up just to gauge which way the wind is blowing—so he knows where to hide next! We should get someone unfamiliar with Zhuang Fukai to sound him out.”

Yan Xue nodded. Their talk with Xu Hao had clarified some of the oddities about Zhuang Fukai. The most immediate question was—how did he know about Xu Wenrui’s death? And why, knowing Xu Hao was notorious for his loose tongue, did he make a point of telling him?

Furthermore, recalling Kang Ge’s earlier story about the crocodile and the plover bird, Zhuang Fukai’s actions seemed full of contradictions.

On one hand, he acted like the ultimate scholar, oblivious to everything but his books; on the other, he seemed to know all about Xu Wenrui’s affairs.

He claimed to avoid trouble at all costs, steering clear of Xu Wenrui, but at the same time befriended the trouble-loving, Xu Wenrui-baiting Xu Hao, even bringing him into their dorm regularly.

Looking closer at the details Xu Hao mentioned, there was food for thought. Zhuang Fukai had nearly been exposed online after venting his anger, making him more cautious, yet he seemed to encourage Xu Hao’s recklessness under the guise of holding him back.

Yan Xue had once wondered which of the two—Zhuang Fukai or Xu Hao—was the crocodile, and which the plover bird. Now she was almost certain: it was the silent one who was truly dangerous.

So, what was Zhuang Fukai’s goal in telling Xu Hao about Xu Wenrui’s death? Most likely, he wanted the notorious gossip Xu Hao to spread the news. As for why, that remained to be seen.

It was clear, though, that when Kang Ge hauled Zhuang Fukai in for questioning, Zhuang Fukai became anxious about getting too involved, and started to fear Xu Hao’s big mouth, warning him off talking to the police and even threatening him with being held responsible for spreading the news.

Kang Ge called Luo Wei to check in, learning that they still hadn’t spotted the man from the surveillance footage. They decided to wait in the car a little longer until their colleagues came to relieve them, after which they’d go to the school to look for Zhang Lei, the soccer team’s striker.

“Most people have a type when it comes to attraction—either the refined, handsome kind, or the passionate athletic type. But Wu Beibei seems to like both!” Yan Xue recalled Xu Hao’s account with some amazement. “If Xu Hao’s information is accurate, Zhang Lei the striker treated Wu Beibei very well. So why did she dump him for Xu Wenrui? And then there’s Deng Chun. What sort of spell did Xu Wenrui have, that made people willing to play housekeeper just to be with him? Is this what they call brainwashing?”

“I don’t think so,” Kang Ge disagreed. “We’ve met Wu Beibei. She seems to hold quite a grudge against Xu Wenrui, hardly the look of someone still pining over him. If she’d been brainwashed, she wouldn’t be so heartless now. Deng Chun, even more so—we’ve spoken with her at length. She might sound gentle and dependent, but if you listen carefully, you’ll notice she’s actually quite controlling beneath the surface. Like an overbearing ‘maternal figure’—appearing gentle and harmless, but really confining. She strictly governs the roles in the relationship, not tolerating the slightest deviation. Call it deep love or humility if you like, but to me, it’s more like a chain of love, a gentle web.”

“That’s true. Forcing someone to accept care can be suffocating. Someone so assertive in their giving hardly seems brainwashed—it’s more like Xu Wenrui’s needs played right into her hands!” Yan Xue agreed with Kang Ge’s assessment.

Looking at it another way, Xu Wenrui didn’t seem to have the power to brainwash anyone. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent all these years shaped by his mother’s vanity, developing such a twisted personality, always seeing reputation as life’s highest value.

Yan Xue sighed. She realized that people often only see one side of each other, just as everyone saw Xu Wenrui as the golden child, the proud peacock others envied, the one who made everyone else feel pressured as the “model student.” Yet almost no one saw that, in truth, he was desperately seeking approval, his polished exterior nothing more than a puppet molded by the values others had forced upon him.