Chapter Sixty-Three: Making Amends for Past Mistakes

The next day, Yan Xue struggled awake to the sound of her alarm, muddled as she brushed her teeth and washed her face. As usual, she grabbed a carton of milk and headed downstairs on an empty stomach. She had long grown used to late nights; early mornings were far harder. She would rather go hungry and drink some milk on her way to work than get up half an hour earlier just to eat breakfast.

What a joke—sleep was so precious! Wasting even a minute or a second was a crime of the highest order.

Standing in the elevator, Yan Xue felt she could have fallen asleep with her eyes closed. It wasn’t until she stepped out of her building and a gust of cold wind swept over her, stealing away what little warmth she had, that she felt herself finally and completely awake.

Reaching the entrance of her residential complex, instinct carried her toward the bus stop. Suddenly, a car horn sounded behind her, making her jump. She turned and, to her surprise, saw Kang Ge’s car waiting by the curb. As she looked over, Kang Ge was waving at her from the driver’s seat, smiling broadly.

Yan Xue hurried over, opened the car door, and got in, still a little surprised. “What brings you here to pick me up?”

“We’re going to the detention center today. That place is so remote even taxis won’t go there,” Kang Ge replied, handing her a paper cup. “You look half-awake—I bet you haven’t had breakfast, right? Here, have this to perk up a bit!”

Yan Xue took the cup, realizing the rich aroma of coffee in the car was wafting from it. With the cup came a small bag containing a still-warm croissant.

Perhaps it was the scent of coffee that finally jolted her sluggish nerves awake. Just a moment before, her stomach had felt dormant, but now Yan Xue was acutely aware of the gnawing hunger. She had never been one for empty politeness—she’d already accepted the offering, so she took Kang Ge’s kindness with easy grace, sipping the coffee and breaking off a piece of the croissant to eat.

The coffee was robust, with a hint of bitterness, the croissant just sweet enough to offset it. The crisp, baked exterior gave way to a soft, tender crumb within, rich with the scent of butter—a breakfast perfectly suited for someone who hated early mornings but had no choice but to face them. After a night of emptiness, her stomach felt comforted at last.

“Where did you get this breakfast? The coffee’s great, and the croissant is delicious!” Yan Xue, never one to withhold praise—especially after receiving a thoughtful gesture—offered her compliments readily.

Tradition might have dictated a reserved response in such a moment, suggesting one should not gush over another’s gift for fear of seeming unsophisticated or inexperienced. Yan Xue’s mother had always taught her to thank others politely and put gifts aside, never tearing into them immediately, no matter how much she might want to.

But as Yan Xue grew up, she remembered vividly the first time she visited a senior colleague’s home. She and three other young women brought a set of Barbie dolls for the colleague’s daughter, who, upon seeing the present, tore it open in delight and played happily at once. Yan Xue found her own satisfaction as the giver matched the joy of receiving. She realized that sometimes, the recipient’s restraint was less about politeness and more about preserving their own pride. Openly showing joy and appreciation, in fact, was the truest emotional reward for the giver.

Since Kang Ge had gone out of his way to bring her breakfast before heading to the detention center, expressing her gratitude was the least she could do—especially as the coffee and croissant really were excellent.

“The croissant’s from the bakery next to my place; I made the coffee myself. Both are easy to get, just let me know anytime you want them,” Kang Ge said with a generous pat to his chest. “Go ahead and eat. It’s rush hour, so we won’t get to the detention center quickly. No need to hurry. There’s an apple in the glove compartment—I already had mine, that one’s for you. Don’t hold back.”

Yan Xue opened the glove compartment and found, indeed, a plastic bag containing a freshly washed red apple, still beaded with water. She took it out, examined it, then glanced at Kang Ge, curiosity in her eyes.

Kang Ge focused intently on the road ahead, looking as though nothing could distract him. Yan Xue quietly turned her gaze away.

Thanks to Kang Ge, she enjoyed a well-balanced, nutritious breakfast on the way.

Their main task that day was to speak with “Master Baili Jiufang,” real name Duan Yong, at the detention center. Though this charlatan had played at the supernatural, he lacked sufficient motive for murder and had not known about Xu Wenrui’s alcohol allergy. Besides, alcohol had played only a minor role in the case, so he bore no criminal responsibility for Xu Wenrui’s death.

Still, while his role in Xu Wenrui’s case could be written off as an unfortunate accident, Duan Yong’s long-running scams—swindling money from others by exploiting superstitious beliefs—were clear and undeniable crimes, with no room for denial.

So, ever since he was brought in for questioning, he had been under investigation for fraud, though his case had not yet been submitted to the prosecutor. This made it convenient to question him about Li Xuelin’s circumstances.

After going through the necessary formalities at the detention center, they were soon face-to-face with Duan Yong in the interrogation room.

The so-called master was a shadow of his former self—no trace remained of his earlier bravado, no airs of battling monsters or performing miracles. He looked timid, hunched, and shifty—a down-and-out scoundrel through and through.

Watching him through the barrier, Yan Xue couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Superstition truly blinded people; “blind” didn’t even cover it—it was as if they were willfully ignorant. How else could anyone believe that such a shady character was a “grandmaster” with mystical powers to solve their problems?

“You’re looking for me?” Duan Yong greeted them with a servile smile, bowing slightly.

“Of course, we are! I wouldn’t come here just to have a drink with you, would I?” Kang Ge joked, relaxed. “We do have business, but it’s good news for you.”

“Officer Kang, please, don’t tease me!” Duan Yong replied skeptically. “In my situation, how could there be good news? Unless you’re here to let me out?”

Though it sounded rhetorical, hope flickered in his eyes as he spoke.

“You’ve got some nerve! After all the money you’ve conned over the years, getting out of here would take a real miracle!” Yan Xue, having no sympathy for this fraudster, dashed his hopes without mercy. “We can’t just let you out, but there’s a chance for you to make amends. If you cooperate, you might not have to stay in here as long.”

“How can I make amends? You mean returning the money? I really can’t. I’ve told the other officers at your station—whatever I earned over the years, I spent on food, drink, and gambling. There’s nothing left. Even if you sold my body for spare parts, you wouldn’t get enough for restitution!”

Yan Xue could only shake her head at his ill-timed wit.

“Don’t worry, you can keep your spare parts right where they are; no one would pay much for them at your age anyway,” Kang Ge laughed, amused by Duan Yong’s quick tongue. After a few chuckles, he composed himself and said, “Just tell us about one of your old clients.”

“Which one?” Duan Yong hesitated. “Most of them, I only met once and never saw again. They’d come to me, pouring out their troubles, and I’d listen without much thought. I can’t even remember most of them…”

“Li Xuelin. Do you remember him?”

Yan Xue expected Duan Yong might need time to recall, but at the mention of the name, the fraudster immediately remembered. “Li Xuelin! Of course I do! That poor devil whose wife ran off, whose hotel was losing so much money he almost couldn’t keep it open. I remember him well! Why, did he die too?”

“If he died right now, you’d really have trouble explaining yourself! Don’t worry, Li Xuelin’s alive and well,” Kang Ge reassured him with a wave. “We just want you to recall what he came to you for.”

“Oh, him? He wanted me to change his luck! He thought he was cursed—every other business nearby was booming, but his was so dead, not even flies bothered to show up.

I’ll be honest with you—there’s no need for me to keep up appearances at this point. Li Xuelin was the easiest client I ever had! With most people, I have to put on a show to convince them. With him, I barely said a word and he believed it all!

I told him the reason for his bad luck was that he’d used up his fate. By all rights, he should have already died in some bloody disaster, but for some reason, he was still alive.

So, I said, the best way to fix things was to find a scapegoat to ‘die’ in his place! That way, his luck would improve—like in a video game, when you’re down to your last life, and then you get another and your health bar is full again. Same idea!”

“You really told him that, and he believed it?” Yan Xue was incredulous.

“He did! It was so easy, I almost doubted myself. That guy really believed in this stuff!” Duan Yong replied, shaking his head as if he, too, found his gullible “fish” hard to believe.

“So you suggested he kill someone to serve as his scapegoat?” Kang Ge interjected quietly.

“I said he needed a scapegoat, but I never told him to kill anyone!” Now Duan Yong’s mind caught up to the implication, and his eyes widened in alarm. “I never told him to kill! Don’t say that—I can’t carry that kind of blame!

You might call me shameless, but I’m not that bad. I’m just greedy and like to have fun, so I found a crooked way to make some money and live comfortably, that’s all.

As for murder and robbery—no way! I wouldn’t dare, not even if you gave me twice the courage!”

“Then what did you mean by a scapegoat?”

“I was just stringing him along! I figured I’d scare him a bit, and when he came back, I’d charge him a hefty fee, make a paper doll or something, ask for his name, date, time of birth—the more complicated, the better—then make a scapegoat doll, and call it done.

That way, I’d have solved his big problem, he’d pay a fat offering, and with his unlucky heart set at ease, his luck would improve. Honestly, his wife left because he didn’t treat her right, and after she left, he lost interest in his business. How could things go well? If he just got his spirits up and worked hard, he’d make money again, and if he had money, another woman would come along soon enough!”

For a charlatan, Duan Yong could be startlingly rational and materialistic.

“Did you ever tell Li Xuelin exactly how you’d perform this ritual?” Yan Xue asked.

He shook his head decisively. “Of course not! If I told him everything, he’d just do it himself and I’d lose out. You have to keep things close to the chest!”

“Did he ever pay you to ‘cast the spell’ for him?”

“No, he didn’t… I actually regret that a bit. I must have quoted him too high a price and scared him off!” Duan Yong sighed, not without a trace of regret.