Reservoir Dogs chapter 38
The Fox
This sudden call caused a sensation, catching everyone by surprise.
Immediately, there were some whispers.
“Judge Liang and Lawyer Jiang knew each other before?”
“They must have an extraordinary master to have brought these two out in one go. Who could they be, some kind of immortal beings?”
“You’re so uninformed. Liang Hanqing is the nephew of Wu Yichang, who was known as the foremost expert in criminal defense. Unfortunately, Professor Wu passed away five years ago.”
“I know Judge Liang, but I had no idea about Lawyer Jiang. Their defense styles are so different.”
Despite their long-awaited reunion, the two didn’t seem close. Apart from an initial greeting, they hardly spoke. Liang Hanqing lingered briefly, exchanged a few casual remarks, then left the building.
As he exited the hotel, he encountered Xiao Zhou leaning against a pillar lost in thought.
Finding the car stifling, Xiao Zhou stepped out for some fresh air. An old man guarding the parking spots offered him a cigarette. Accustomed to smoking with Jiang Chengyuan, he found this brand harsh, wrinkling his brow as he smoked slowly, feeling the burning sensation in his lungs.
“Xiao Zhou?”
Startled by his name, Xiao Zhou looked up in surprise.
Liang Hanqing walked over quickly, equally surprised, but soon broke into a gentle smile. “It’s really you. I was worried I might have mistaken someone else.”
Xiao Zhou stared blankly at the person in front of him for a moment. Once he regained his composure, his first reaction was to hide the cigarette behind his back. The ember almost burned his arm, causing him to wince before using his fingers to put it out. Then he opened his mouth and called out, “Han… Hanqing Ge?”
Seeing his small actions, Liang Hanqing didn’t reveal anything, continuing with a soft and concerned smile. “When did you get out? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Xiao Zhou pursed his lips, genuinely pleased. “It’s been a month. My phone broke, lost all my contacts. Couldn’t reach out.”
Liang Hanqing looked at him. “Xia Jie must have your contact. Surely you’ve been in touch with your mom?”
Xiao Zhou felt a bit embarrassed. “I went back home. Sorry for not letting you know. I just… didn’t figure out how to tell you.”
Liang Hanqing paused, then realized something, asking quietly, “You’ve been released on parole?”
Xiao Zhou nodded. “Yeah, waited a month for it.”
Liang Hanqing sighed. “You didn’t want to cooperate before, I understood that. But now that you’re out, wouldn’t those four years inside seem wasted?”
Xiao Zhou flicked the remaining cigarette into the trash bin in front of the hotel. “It’s alright. It takes time to figure out if it’s worth it. And it’s not like it was wasted time. Originally, there wasn’t much difference whether I spent more or less time inside.”
Liang Hanqing put his hand on Xiao Zhou’s shoulder, patting it gently as he spoke warmly. “Since you’ve chosen to come out, make sure it’s worth it. Don’t regret it.”
Feeling the warmth spreading through his shoulder, hearing the deep and gentle voice, Xiao Zhou caught a faint scent of flowers. Liang Hanqing’s aura was gentle and calm, lacking any overpowering presence, just like the man himself.
Liang Hanqing was Xiao Zhou’s lawyer during his appeal for the case. At that time, under the guidance of industry insiders, Liu Xia went to seek help from Wu Yichang, going through great efforts to find his address, only to discover that Professor Wu had passed away half a month earlier. Liu Xia was in despair, wandering aimlessly downstairs, where she met Liang Hanqing, who was there to collect Wu Yichang’s belongings. After learning the situation, Liang Hanqing took on the case without asking for payment.
Due to the first-instance verdict and the grief and anger of Li Xin’s parents during the trial, Xiao Zhou had some self-destructive tendencies. He thought he deserved it and believed that since he had already been sentenced, spending a few more or fewer years in prison would make no difference. He felt that his life would end forever behind bars, so he was not enthusiastic about the retrial. Coupled with the incompetence of his first lawyer, he had a poor impression of lawyers, thinking they were only after their fees and not genuinely standing on his side, so he did not cooperate with the lawyer’s investigation work.
However, Liang Hanqing showed remarkable persistence in helping Xiao Zhou. Contrary to his gentle and mild appearance, Liang Hanqing was tenacious in assisting Xiao Zhou. He visited him in the detention center many times, conducting ideological work, persuasion, and bringing him things from outside. On Xiao Zhou’s birthday, he even gave him the famous novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” as a compulsory reading for moral education. Xiao Zhou had read this book when he was young, but he didn’t remember much about it.
The days in the detention center were incredibly boring, with fewer rules and schedules compared to prison. Most of the time, Xiao Zhou just sat there daydreaming, reflecting, and reminiscing. Being alone with his thoughts for too long often led to either madness or extreme thoughts. Reading books was his only way to pass the time. He thought that Liang Hanqing might be like Atticus, persistently engaging in some unloved work, but he couldn’t be like Tom Robinson because he wasn’t that innocent.
Nevertheless, Xiao Zhou was very grateful and admired Liang Hanqing’s efforts. Eventually, under Liang Hanqing’s insistence, Xiao Zhou accepted his help. As a result of the retrial, his sentence was indeed reduced, and Liang Hanqing’s efforts paid off.
Thinking back, Xiao Zhou hadn’t met many lawyers. The first one he encountered was a greedy, slick, and incompetent fraud. The second was Liang Hanqing, who was compassionate and just, fitting the image of a humble gentleman. As for the third, Jiang Chengyuan… Xiao Zhou couldn’t find a suitable description for him at the moment. But if Liang Hanqing represented absolute brightness, then Jiang Chengyuan would be his opposite, standing at the completely opposite end.
“Why did you come here today?” Liang Hanqing asked.
Xiao Zhou withdrew his gaze that had been fixed on Liang Hanqing. “I’m driving for someone.”
Liang Hanqing paused for a moment. “Driving, huh? Well, at least it’s a legitimate job. Have you ever thought about going back to school? You’re smart and still young. There’s a long road ahead of you, and it would be a shame to give up on your education.”
Xiao Zhou felt Liang Hanqing always spoke to him as if giving earnest advice. It made him feel cared for in a special way, almost like going back to the past. He smiled faintly. “It’s not about whether I want to or not. I was expelled after that incident.”
Liang Hanqing’s eyebrows furrowed, and a look of regret appeared on his fair cheeks. Then he asked, “Who’s your alpha? How are they treating you?”
Xiao Zhou’s smile stiffened for a moment.
Seeing Xiao Zhou’s silence, Liang Hanqing knew from the parole court’s outcomes that not all matches made there ended well. Despite the seemingly fair mutual choices, there was often a significant power imbalance that led to tragedies. Liang Hanqing didn’t know how to comfort him and could only gently ask, “Is there anything I can help with?”
Xiao Zhou shook his head. “I can handle it.”
Liang Hanqing sighed. “Are you going to wait here for long?”
Xiao Zhou replied, “It should be soon. Hanqing ge, you can go back. No need to accompany me.”
“Then give me your contact information first, so even if you don’t find me, I can find you.”
Xiao Zhou nodded and took out his phone to input his details. His contact list had only three numbers, a stark reminder of how sparse it was.
“Have you contacted your old friends?” Liang Hanqing asked.
Xiao Zhou shook his head. “I don’t think it’s necessary. Contacting them might only trouble them.”
“You can’t decide for others,” Liang Hanqing pretended to be serious. “According to parole data, socializing more and integrating into society as soon as possible, having normal social relationships, will be beneficial for you. Especially familiar friends—they can support you and help you adapt quickly.”
Xiao Zhou chuckled at these words, half genuine and half ironic. “Alright, Teacher Liang, I understand.”
Liang Hanqing softened his expression. “I don’t know when you’ll be free. To prevent any trouble, could you call me proactively?”
Xiao Zhou hesitated for a moment, then nodded repeatedly to reassure Liang Hanqing. Only then did Liang Hanqing leave.
Xiao Zhou stared at the newly added number on his phone, feeling a bit dazed. He hadn’t even noticed when Jiang Chengyuan had appeared.
“What are you looking at?” Jiang Chengyuan’s voice startled Xiao Zhou, who quickly put away his phone. Some characters flashed briefly, unnoticed by Jiang Chengyuan, but Xiao Zhou’s startled expression amused him. He squinted and asked, “What’s so shocking? Something incredible?”
Xiao Zhou casually replied, keeping his hand behind him, “Nothing, just a joke I read.”
“What kind of joke?”
Xiao Zhou said seriously, “There’s a hunter who shot a fox, and then the hunter died. The fox said, ‘Haha, I’m a reflex fox.'”
…
The air seemed to quiet down.
Xiao Zhou saw Jiang Chengyuan’s mouth twitch and deliberately asked, “Not funny?”
After a while, Jiang Chengyuan slowly chuckled, “Quite interesting. The fox was lucky. Tell me one like this every day from now on.” Then he didn’t say anything else and walked ahead on his own.
Xiao Zhou followed behind him, watching his figure. Suddenly, he wondered, if it had been Jiang Chengyuan defending him during the retrial instead of Liang Hanqing, what kind of relationship would they have now?
As soon as this thought arose, Xiao Zhou dismissed it. After all, as a destitute and powerless victim like him, perhaps he wouldn’t even be able to get his case in front of Jiang Chengyuan. He felt like a worthless Zhou Jun, not worth Jiang Chengyuan’s second glance.