Chapter Seventeen: Night Run

Yan Xue watched the video on Luo Wei’s phone—a short five-minute clip. Judging by the angle, it did seem to have been filmed surreptitiously, so the quality was only average, but it was clear enough to make out the basic features of those involved. In the footage, the three young men all appeared quite tall; based on the objects around them, each stood well over 180 centimeters. They all had the sort of slender, tall figures popular among young women these days. The “Fox Guy” showed half his face, the “Vampire Guy” had his entire face visible, though painted up as a vampire so that his real features were hard to discern, and the last, “V for Vendetta Guy,” had his entire face blocked by a mask—a pale hard shell painted with a bizarre little face.

When “V for Vendetta Guy” stopped in front of the other two, “Fox Guy” eagerly pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. The way the two approached and spoke to him made it clear they were on very familiar terms—undoubtedly not strangers meeting for the first time.

“I think Song Chen only guessed half of it right,” Yan Xue said as she watched, eyes fixed on the screen, speaking to Kang Ge and Luo Wei. “If you ask me, these three are more than just friends. That ‘Fox Guy’ and ‘Vampire Guy’ obviously look to ‘V for Vendetta Guy’ for direction.”

“You’re spot on there,” Kang Ge said from the side. “What happens next in the video really proves it—there’s a surprise in store.”

Yan Xue perked up and continued watching. She saw “V for Vendetta Guy” refuse the cigarette offered by “Fox Guy,” standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed. The two others watched him nervously, as if waiting for some guidance from him.

The three huddled together and whispered. Since Song Chen had filmed from a distance, even with Luo Wei’s phone at maximum volume, Yan Xue couldn’t make out a word. She could only infer from their body language that they were discussing something, and that “V for Vendetta Guy” played the role of mastermind, offering advice to the other two.

After a while, “V for Vendetta Guy” turned to leave, but after a few steps, “Vampire Guy” suddenly called out to him.

This time, because he used a full name, it was especially clear: “Li Jialong, are you sure?”

“V for Vendetta Guy” stopped and beckoned back, “I’m sure. Just listen to me!”

With that, he strode back inside through the glass doors. “Fox Guy” and “Vampire Guy” exchanged a glance, then hurried after him, leaving the terrace as well. The video ended there.

“Li Jialong—Lin Zhen did mention that name to us,” Yan Xue said, handing the phone back to Luo Wei. “He was one of her previous boyfriends, a student at a university in W City, probably a sophomore. Unfortunately, we can’t be certain it’s the same person.”

“That’s easy to check,” Kang Ge replied. “Lin Zhen already gave us her ex’s personal information. We’ll just use a bit of cunning—soon enough we’ll know for sure! We’ll pay him a visit tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow morning? Isn’t that when Bai Yueni’s parents are supposed to come identify the body?” Yan Xue asked, thinking Kang Ge had forgotten.

He shook his head. “Bad news. After the police called Bai Yueni’s parents, they hurried to get tickets, but somehow the news about Bai Yueni’s possible accident reached her grandfather. The old man had a fit and ended up in the hospital, still in the ICU now.

Bai Yueni’s father is an only child, so with everything in chaos, there’s no one else to help. While you were out, they called—her mother could barely speak for crying, begging us to wait until the situation with her grandfather stabilizes. As soon as he’s out of danger and under a nurse’s care, they’ll rush over, but it might take a couple of days.”

“The doctors told them that, at his age, if he makes it, it’ll be in the next two or three days—if not, well, that’s it,” Luo Wei added sympathetically.

Yan Xue felt a heavy weight settle over her. According to what they knew, Bai Yueni was her parents’ only daughter—this was truly a string of misfortunes for the Bai family.

“All right, then tomorrow we’ll go see about this Li Jialong,” she said, adjusting her mood. “Did Song Chen say anything else after that?”

“Not really,” Luo Wei replied. “She said the friend she went with was interested in a rich, handsome guy at the ball, hoping to make a connection, but the guy barely paid her any attention. So she got bored and dragged Song Chen off with her. After leaving Lin Zhen’s place, they went to another nightclub and partied for a few more hours before finally going home to sleep.” He clicked his tongue. “Your cousin has some serious stamina!”

“What about that friend of hers…?”

“Don’t worry, we’ve confirmed everything. Song Chen recognized the friend she left with in the surveillance footage, gave us all the details she knew, and could clearly recall which nightclub they went to,” Kang Ge assured Yan Xue, aware of her concerns. “And, to prove her own innocence, Song Chen volunteered that when they left, Bai Yueni was still alive.

She said she saw Bai Yueni on the small terrace, chatting animatedly with someone—really lively. Since she was the only one in a white ballet-style dress, she was easy to spot.”

Yan Xue nodded, satisfied with the information Song Chen had provided. For all her personal dislike of this cousin, she had to admit that, in a situation like this, someone with a muddled sense of right and wrong, timid and self-protective, was far better than someone utterly stubborn and unyielding.

“Yan Xue, this cousin of yours… what’s the family connection? Distant or close?” Luo Wei hesitated a moment before finally asking.

“My real aunt’s daughter. Why?”

“Oh, nothing. I just thought, maybe you should call home and give them a heads-up?” Luo Wei chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Even if it was a trick, what you did today was, in a way, putting justice above family. You really scared your cousin.

That kind of thing looks admirable in heroic stories, but when it’s your own family, the admiration tends to evaporate.”

“Don’t worry, I can handle it! Better a short pain than a long one. She needs a lesson—not everywhere is like home, where she can do as she pleases. It’ll be good for both of us.” Yan Xue waved her hand carelessly, as if unconcerned.

In truth, she knew Song Chen would exaggerate the story to the family, and her mother—her aunt—would certainly pester her parents to vent her grievances. In the end, the pressure would fall back on Yan Xue herself, the “ringleader.”

But she had no other choice. Principle was principle—work was not something to be muddied by family ties. She’d seen enough of her aunt’s family’s ways over the years; the more trouble, the less she cared. In her circle, Yan Xue was known for her temper, and she didn’t mind living up to her reputation.

Having finally obtained some important information from Song Chen, the day’s work was still not done—there was more surveillance footage to review. The group worked late into the night before each finding a place to rest for a few hours.

Yan Xue was exhausted at the end of the day, but while the others yawned and went off to sleep, she couldn’t find a trace of drowsiness. Worse, there was a restlessness gnawing at her from within.

The day’s matters were over, but she knew all too well what awaited her in the days ahead—the same familiar cycle, no unexpected blows, just an inescapable sense of frustration.

Since sleep wouldn’t come, tossing and turning in the duty room would only make it worse. She might as well go out and get some fresh air.

She quickly changed into her spare workout clothes and sneakers, planning to jog around the police station a few times to burn off some energy and calm her mind.

Just as she reached the stairwell, someone called her quietly from behind. Turning, she saw Kang Ge, also in sportswear, phone in hand, striding over to her.

“You’re going out for a run too?” Yan Xue was surprised. She herself often ran at night, but tonight it was only because she couldn’t sleep. She hadn’t expected Kang Ge to have the same idea.

“I figured you wouldn’t be able to sleep, so I thought I’d ask if you wanted to go running. Didn’t expect you to move so fast—I didn’t even need to call!” Kang Ge was always direct with Yan Xue.

“How did you know I’d want to go running after a day like this?” she asked.

“Because I have eyes,” Kang Ge said, pointing to them. “From the moment we learned Song Chen was at the party, right up until now, if I couldn’t see you were off, I’d need to see an eye doctor.”

“So you’re worried about a ‘helpless woman’ running at night?” Yan Xue laughed, no longer in the mood to complain, and walked down with him.

“Of course not. I just think running alone makes it easy to slack off—no challenge, no motivation. So I’m here to make things more interesting!” Kang Ge waggled his eyebrows at her. “Well? Dare to accept the challenge?”

“Bring it on! Whoever loses buys breakfast tomorrow!” Yan Xue readily accepted. She had a lot of pent-up frustration that needed release.

“Here, put this on—safety first!” Kang Ge took a pair of LED running armbands from his pocket, slapping his own arm to show he was ready.

Yan Xue took one and fastened it on.

They left the building and started running along the street. It was late, the streets deserted save for a few scattered cars. Right from the start, Yan Xue poured all her energy into the run. She prided herself on her running; she didn’t know how Kang Ge compared, but she figured at the very least she wouldn’t lose by much.

At first, she could see Kang Ge just behind her. As she neared her first rough patch, he suddenly accelerated, easily overtaking her and widening the gap.

Yan Xue’s competitive nature flared. She forgot everything else, pushed through the discomfort in her limbs and the stabbing in her sides, and quickly caught up, overtaking him. But just as she settled into her pace, Kang Ge abruptly sped up again, forcing her to chase him anew. This cycle repeated several times, and by the final stretch, Yan Xue realized she simply had no energy left—she could only watch as Kang Ge kept just ahead of her, clearly holding back so as not to outpace her completely.

At last, they stumbled back to the police station, both out of breath. Yan Xue, never so exhausted after a night run, nearly sat right down on the steps, but Kang Ge caught her just in time.

“I’ll buy breakfast tomorrow,” Yan Xue panted, bent over with her arms propped on her knees.

But Kang Ge only smiled and waved a hand. “Who buys breakfast doesn’t matter. What matters is you understand why you lost just now.”