Blinded chapter 4

Chang Xiaojia was not easy to deal with.

At night, Xie Li lay in bed, somewhat sleepless, raising his arms over his head, using them as a pillow. In the darkness, he lay with his eyes wide open.

He felt that Chang Xiaojia regarded him with some interest. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let him sit across from him at dinner or allowed him to share his shower.

But when Chang Xiaojia rejected him, it was done without any sentiment, as if there was no room for negotiation.

What should he do? Pestering and bothering seemed too suspicious. Deepening the conflict between Chang Xiaojia and Dai Hao and then helping Chang Xiaojia with Dai Hao might not be accepted by Chang Xiaojia, and the more actions taken, the greater the risk of being exposed. What about trying to approach people around Chang Xiaojia?

Xie Li couldn’t figure it out. Restless, he curled up one leg and suddenly remembered Chang Xiaojia touching the scar on his waist. That gesture made him uncomfortable. What was Chang Xiaojia thinking?

Before falling asleep, Xie Li felt the scar on his waist suddenly itching again.

It rained the next day.

The summer rain wasn’t like the gentle, lingering spring showers. It suddenly enveloped the earth and came pouring down, splattering loudly on the ground with a strong force.

Despite the intensity of the rainfall outside, the small building in the prison district was still hot. The rain, thick with moisture, enveloped people’s bodies, penetrating their pores. Even sitting still, one would soon be drenched in sweat.

Perhaps the only benefit was not having to face the scorching sun and go for a walk on the exercise ground.

During the afternoon exercise time, the prison opened the activity room and library on the first floor.

The activity room had a ping-pong table and a pool table. Most of the prisoners went there, either to play or watch others play.

Xie Li was among the last to go down. When he arrived on the first floor, the activity room was already packed with people. He glanced inside and saw Dai Hao playing pool with someone.

Dai Hao played pool quite well, with people around him praising his skills. He seemed pleased. It appeared he hadn’t found time to cause trouble for Xie Li.

Xie Li moved away from the activity room’s entrance and saw two of Chang Xiaojia’s men sitting outside the library, chatting against the wall.

He walked over. The two men looked up at him but said nothing.

The library had seven or eight rows of bookshelves, with two long tables near the door. At that moment, Chang Xiaojia was the only person inside, seated at a desk, reading.

As Xie Li entered, Chang Xiaojia didn’t raise his head. So, Xie Li walked to the bookshelf and glanced at the spines of the books. He wasn’t particularly fond of reading. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone directly from high school to the police academy. In his twenty-six years, his strongest memory of the library was spending half a summer in the city library with a girl from the neighboring class, trying to win her over. Sadly, the girl, who was accepted into a prestigious university, broke up with Xie Li, who was studying at the police academy, less than a year later.

Xie Li randomly pulled out a historical novel, walked to a table and sat directly across from where Chang Xiaojia was sitting.

There were no guards in the library; they were all focused on the adjacent activity room. Occasional noises from the prisoners in the activity room and the conversation of the two men outside the door were the only sounds, aside from Chang Xiaojia turning pages.

Xie Li didn’t say anything since Chang Xiaojia showed no intention to do so. Keeping his head down and flipping through the pages, he actually didn’t read much.

Suddenly, Chang Xiaojia looked up and said, “Don’t sit here.”

Xie Li was puzzled for a moment, looking at him inexplicably.

Chang Xiaojia, with his hands pressed against the edge of the desk, slightly leaned forward, saying, “You’re disturbing my reading.”

Xie Li felt the voices outside stopped suddenly, as if listening intently to their conversation. A strange feeling surged within him.

“You’re really annoying,” Chang Xiaojia said softly, his voice sticky and sticky, sounding like a complaint between lovers.

Xie Li started feeling a bit nervous for some reason he couldn’t quite grasp.

At that moment, a young, spectacled prisoner appeared at the door. He was a college student involved in financial crimes, introverted and always somewhat reserved. He looked hesitantly guarded at the door. Upon seeing Chang Xiaojia, he suddenly stopped, standing foolishly at the entrance.

Chang Xiaojia gave him a glance, then shifted his gaze away.

The student seemed to gather some courage, entering the library and picking out a book. He returned to the door, sat at an empty table near Chang Xiaojia’s table, and opened the book.

Chang Xiaojia looked at the young man again, then slowly stood up and started walking between the two rows of bookshelves, not going too far inside. He stopped in the middle, facing Xie Li.

Xie Li wrinkled his brow, then quickly relaxed. He stood up and walked towards Chang Xiaojia, as if understanding his meaning and yet completely clueless.

The rain outside continued, with a few drops tapping against the window glass now and then, making a sound. The air was humid, with the smell of old paper mixed in the library, heavy and suffocating.

Xie Li stood in front of Chang Xiaojia, who was staring at him. Hesitating, he spoke, “Chang Xiaojia?”. Upon hearing his own voice, he felt a slight tightness in his throat. His fingers instinctively clenched tightly, and he found himself in a state of alertness.

Chang Xiaojia, however, remained relaxed in posture. He even leaned lazily against the bookshelf, raising his index finger to his lips, indicating that Xie Li should not speak.

Xie Li stared at him.

Suddenly, Chang Xiaojia lifted his hand and placed it on Xie Li’s cheek, just as he had touched the scar on Xie Li’s waist the night before. The soft tips of his fingers moved gently against Xie Li’s face.

If Xie Li hadn’t understood Chang Xiaojia’s intention by this point, then he would have truly been foolish.

Chang Xiaojia’s fingers felt a little cool and were exquisitely sensitive. Xie Li felt a strange sensation, as if bugs were crawling slowly across his face. Goosebumps erupted all over his body, and cold sweat began to form on his forehead.

Then, he heard Chang Xiaojia lean close to his ear and whisper, “Kneel down.”

Xie Li’s gaze turned momentarily fierce as he grabbed Chang Xiaojia’s hand and forcefully pulled it away from his face.

Chang Xiaojia remained composed, speaking softly, “You wanted to work for me and guard me, right? I don’t need anything else, just need someone to vent on. I find you suitable for that.”

Xie Li tightened his grip on Chang Xiaojia’s hand, and his fingertips turned pale due to lack of blood flow.

Chang Xiaojia continued, “I’m a bit aroused. Use your mouth to satisfy me.”

Suppressing the urge to throw a punch at his face, Xie Li let out a low growl from his throat, “Get lost!” He then forcefully pushed Chang Xiaojia’s hand away and walked out without looking back.

Chang Xiaojia’s hand hit the bookshelf with a “bang.” Xie Li was seething with anger, nearly trembling throughout his body. It took enormous effort to refrain from laying a hand on Chang Xiaojia.

For the next couple of days, Xie Li couldn’t shake off the anger. He was even unwilling to look at Chang Xiaojia. During meal times, he’d rather carry his tray and seek the guards than sit opposite Chang Xiaojia.

After two days, the anger faded, and Xie Li became calm and rational. He realized a troublesome issue: his mission might fail.

Deploying elite police forces from elsewhere and embedding them undercover into the prison to approach Chang Xiaojia wasn’t an easy task. Although Chief Yu Zhengkun had emphasized that Xie Li’s safety was the priority, he couldn’t easily accept giving up.

He was never mentally prepared for Chang Xiaojia to have such thoughts. After his firm rejection, trying to approach Chang Xiaojia again would clearly seem suspicious. It wouldn’t be easy to change the current situation without a suitable opportunity.

Xie Li felt somewhat anxious.

Three months could be considered long or short. Once he left the prison, it would be difficult to see Chang Xiaojia again.

That night, Xie Li dreamt of bloody and blurred scenes. He woke up in the middle of the night, covering his face with a pillow, breathing heavily.

How could so much blood be shed in vain? He couldn’t let Hongfang go, nor could he let go of Chang Guanshan and Chang Xiaojia. When he entered the prison, he thought even if he lost his life in the end, he would ensure Chang Xiaojia faced justice before dying. If he had prepared everything, why did he get angry just because Chang Xiaojia said a few vulgar words, touched his face, and harassed him?

As rain fell for two to three consecutive days, the temperature in the harbor city dropped significantly. This afternoon, during the absence of sunlight, the inmates were not as sluggish.

Chang Xiaojia was no longer sitting under the shade of a tree. He slowly strolled along the exercise yard, circled twice, then sat against the wall. He rested his hands on his knees, with dull eyes gazing ahead.

Xie Li stood near the large tree where Chang Xiaojia usually stayed, when suddenly a basketball flew towards him. He swiftly caught it and saw that Dai Hao was motioning for him to come play. The inmates on the whole exercise ground looked towards him, aware that Dai Hao was about to deal with him.

Xie Li walked to the center of the court with the basketball.

Dai Hao smirked, took the ball from him, and said, “Let’s do this.”

This game wasn’t about basketball; it was about Dai Hao dealing with Xie Li.

Dai Hao and his gang took advantage of the normal confrontation on the basketball court, constantly elbowing, kicking Xie Li’s ankles, and deliberately shoving him.

Of course, Xie Li could have resisted. He knew how to fight back slyly without leaving a trace, but he chose not to. When two men pushed him from either side and caused him to fall, he pretended to be injured and clutched his head. The guards quickly blew their whistles and rushed in, warning Dai Hao and his group not to move.

As Xie Li was taken to the prison hospital, he glanced at Chang Xiaojia, who was still sitting against the wall, looking around with dull, widened eyes in Xie Li’s direction.