Reservoir Dogs chapter 65

Reaping the Bitter Fruits

After Jiang Chengyuan finished speaking, Xiao Zhou remained in a daze. The truth was so disgraceful that it felt like a lump in his throat; human life seemed cheaper than ants.

“So where will Lu Xi be sent this time?”

“If she doesn’t want to stay there, she’ll be sent to a sanatorium. You’re right; she needs to be exposed to the outside world, not trapped in past nightmares day and night,” Jiang Chengyuan said.

Jiang Chengyuan had already arranged for a top-notch sanatorium. The yacht would first dock and then take Lu Xi away.

When Xiao Zhou saw Lu Xi again, she seemed much quieter. Her hands and feet were bound, lying on the bed. When she saw Xiao Zhou, she smiled at him and said, “I’m sorry, I broke my promise.”

When Xiao Zhou agreed to help Lu Xi, the condition was that she would not attempt to harm anyone from the Jiang family.

Xiao Zhou remained silent.

“I’ve been praying for this yacht to explode so that we could die together at sea,” Lu Xi looked out at the vast ocean through the window, leaning on her pillow with a cold smile on her lips. “I want to die with him.”

“He left you to help you. You don’t have to hate him so much.”

Lu Xi turned to look at him, her eyes filled with venomous resentment, like a steel needle pinning Xiao Zhou with no escape. “Have you been bewitched by him too?” Lu Xi suddenly burst into mad laughter, banging her head against the cabin and making a muffled sound, her body twisting wildly. “I see it now, you must be saying this because you’ve fallen for him. You’re done for, you’ll suffer just like me. He uses everyone, his own interests above all. I’m waiting for you to join me!”

Xiao Zhou was startled and instinctively took a step back, his heel hitting the step at the door. He turned sharply and left the cramped space, but the sound of her insane, eerie laughter lingered in his ears.

After sending Lu Xi away, the yacht was much quieter.

Under the starry night, in the stillness of the night, with everyone else asleep, the yacht sailed alone across the endless sea, occasionally swaying with the rolling waves.

When Xiao Zhou came up, he saw Jiang Chengyuan in casual clothes, lounging on a sofa on the deck, resting. He wore beige pants with bare feet and a silk shirt with only two buttons fastened, exposing most of his well-built chest. There was half a bottle of red wine next to him. He looked elegant and handsome, with no trace of age. The moonlight, like a thin veil, made his face look as profound as a Greek statue.

Noticing Xiao Zhou’s arrival, he looked up, his eyes as deep as the sea.

Under such a gaze, Xiao Zhou’s breath caught slightly, and he took a few more steps forward.

Jiang Chengyuan made some room for him to sit. “Can’t sleep?”

Xiao Zhou sat beside him, took the wine Jiang Chengyuan handed him, and nodded.

“I’m surprised,” Jiang Chengyuan said.

“Surprised about what?”

“I thought you would have a more intense reaction after learning the whole story.” Jiang Chengyuan’s fingers rested on the back of his neck, caressing lightly.

“I’m not that unreasonable. Lu Xiyuan is not innocent. Lu Xi is pitiful, but you’re not to blame,” Xiao Zhou said calmly as he took a sip of wine. “The truly unfortunate ones are those who were sentenced in the company’s legal proceedings, the innocent pedestrians Lu Xi hit and killed, and the plaintiffs who did not receive the justice they deserved. Compared to disliking you, I dislike your father and Lu Xiyuan more. Lu Xiyuan fabricated evidence and twisted the facts despite knowing the truth. Jiang Bin ignored the judge’s oath and ruled unjustly for personal gain, whereas the judge should be the representative of justice. If they deserve sympathy, what about ordinary people with no power, who don’t even understand the law? They trust the judiciary, but their human rights are trampled, and the judiciary becomes a plaything of the privileged class.” He looked up at Jiang Chengyuan. “You think the same way, don’t you? Everyone reaps what they sow.”

The sea breeze was cold, the sound of waves was constant, and under the starlight, Xiao Zhou’s eyes sparkled, his features sharp and resolute. For a moment, Jiang Chengyuan was entranced, smiling slightly. “I told you, you want to be a hero.”

He reached out and touched those eyes that had been looking at him. Xiao Zhou instinctively closed his eyes, his eyelashes brushing against Jiang Chengyuan’s palm. Jiang Chengyuan’s fingers gently stroked the faint lines on his eyelids and then lingered on the now-healed, faded white scar.

“At that time, it was very dangerous, wasn’t it? You almost lost this eye?”

Xiao Zhou felt a bit ticklish from his touch. Jiang Chengyuan’s hand was bony with thin calluses, pressing on the most delicate spots, making one nervous and uneasy, as if the heart might leap out of the throat.

“You might be suited for being a policeman. Have you ever thought about that?”

Xiao Zhou’s eyes nervously darted under his eyelids, then he said, “My uncle died on a mission. My mother doesn’t allow me to take the exam.”

Jiang Chengyuan nodded, removing his hand from Xiao Zhou’s eye and starting to inspect other areas, like an expert meticulously examining his cultivated fields. The brow bone, the straight and narrow nose bridge, the lips of appropriate thickness, the slightly protruding cheekbones, and the sharply defined, resolute chin—every detail was carefully measured by hand.

A bit of flush traveled from Xiao Zhou’s pale neck, gradually fading and disappearing into the collar of his shirt.

Noting the blush, Jiang Chengyuan withdrew his hand and picked up a wine glass instead. He leaned lazily toward Xiao Zhou, resting against the sofa, his shoulder just brushing against him.

There was still a heavy weight transmitted from the point of contact. Xiao Zhou could feel the breath of the person beside him, carrying a hint of alcohol.

Jiang Chengyuan looked up at the night sky and said, “When I was a child, I admired my father a lot. Even though he was rarely at home, never took us out, and missed all the holidays, he would stay and have dinner with us only on my birthday. He would often stay at night and disappear by morning. So whenever he came home, I would sit on the stairs to block him, but I would always fall asleep and couldn’t stop him. When I missed him, my mother would tell me he was a great judge, punishing the guilty, so he was very busy and couldn’t spend much time with us. Because of him, bad people wouldn’t dare to bully us, and we could have a peaceful life.”

Jiang Chengyuan chuckled softly as he said this. “I really believed that, not knowing his split attention was being divided between two women, needing clever talk to cover up and allocate his time. It wasn’t until I saw another woman standing next to him on TV that I realized that for him, relationships were of two kinds: one that was open and public, and another that was hidden from the light, existing in the dark corners, a product of his weak, despicable, and hypocritical side.”

“He kept me as a backup, but I was a blemish on his glorious resume, so his attitude towards me was always contradictory. Since he didn’t know what stance to take, ‘A strict father produces a filial son’ was always safe. My mom used to say that in inheriting Jiang Bin’s bloodline, I also inherited his stubbornness. Jiang Bin became a golden phoenix flying out of a poor mountain village because of his stubbornness, and my stubbornness manifests in competing with my father. Ultimately, I just think that man is not worth any woman giving everything so devotedly.”

This was the first time Jiang Chengyuan spoke so much about himself. Xiao Zhou looked at his profile under the moonlight, his white cheeks slightly reddened from the alcohol, his black hair disheveled on his forehead. Although his speech was clear, his pace was unusually slow.

Xiao Zhou, as if possessed, reached up to push the hair that was blocking his eyes to the side and concluded, “You’re drunk.”

Jiang Chengyuan glanced at him with lowered eyes, his deep and long gaze partly hidden by long lashes, appearing gentle and affectionate, with an incredible softness concealed. “Am I drunk?”

He leaned down, capturing Xiao Zhou’s lips passionately, his tongue prying open Xiao Zhou’s teeth, then entwining with his tongue. The action was tender but forceful, not allowing escape or retreat.