Decayed Vulgarian chapter 13
I Want To Get Rich
Shen Xun was a bit puzzled.
In the receiver, Meng Yuan Cen’s somewhat helpless voice came through, tinged with a hint of amusement. “Didn’t you read the order notes?”
At his words, Shen Xun belatedly picked up the takeout receipt and saw several neatly printed lines in black ink on the order notes:
“Considering that working overtime late into the night and then cooking for yourself at home is just too ‘inhumane,’ I took the liberty to order you a portion of Oden in tribute to our great forensic officer. From Meng Yuan Cen.”
Shen Xun’s gaze lingered on the last four words for a long time. His thoughts suddenly returned to the taxi, and he remembered the momentary disappearance of Meng Yuan Cen from their chat.
Meng Yuan Cen had gone to order takeout, and surprisingly, he already knew Shen Xun’s address.
Shen Xun couldn’t help but clutch the takeout in his hand, and the plastic bag produced a rustling sound as if it were fireworks crackling and popping. Each sound resonated through his chest to his heart. His eyelashes quivered slightly. With a very sincere tone and a light voice, he said, “Meng Yuan Cen, thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” In contrast, the other person’s voice was light-hearted and casual.
“How much does it cost?” Shen Xun lowered his gaze and continued seriously, “I’ll transfer the money to you.”
“No need to transfer money to me; this meal is on me. It’s not much anyway,” Meng Yuan Cen replied, pausing briefly before adding, “If you really want to show your gratitude, it’s better to treat me in person. Transferring money seems too formal.”
The voice coming through the receiver had a hint of distortion and a magnetic quality, and the words “too formal” resonated with him. He silently contemplated these two words. Was it indeed too formal? They had only known each other for a day.
Shen Xun fell into silence for a few seconds and said once more, “Thank you.”
Perhaps human nature is to be repetitive. He made a promise to Meng Yuan Cen, “I’ll treat you in person in the future.”
“I’ll remember that,” Meng Yuan Cen said with a smile. “By the way, do you like spicy food?”
“I do.”
“Then I got lucky. I happened to choose the flavor you like. There’s chili sauce in the takeout. Remember to dip it.”
“Alright.”
“I won’t disturb you any longer. Take a shower and get some rest.”
“Okay.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
He hung up the call and immediately saved Meng Yuan Cen’s phone number in his contacts.
He returned to his chair and opened the takeout.
The oden was served in a paper container with skewers of shrimp balls, crab sticks, kelp, tofu, and more. The restaurant was generous and included plenty of napkins. Under the napkins, there were two small transparent plastic containers with fresh red sauces, looking quite enticing.
Shen Xun casually opened one container, picked up a skewer of shrimp balls, and dipped it in the sauce before bringing it to his lips.
Why was it sweet?
He opened the other container, repeating the same action. This time, he finally tasted the spicy sauce.
Shen Xun vaguely realized what was going on. He skeptically checked the receipt and couldn’t help but smile.
On the order, it was clearly written: “Sweet Sauce * 1, Spicy Sauce * 1.”
He opened WeChat to confront him.
“You ordered both sweet and spicy sauces for one portion, so, of course, you’d get the flavor I like! 😅”
After all, in this world, there shouldn’t be anyone who doesn’t like either sweet or spicy sauce, right?
“Haha, you found out,” Meng Yuan Cen replied almost instantly.
“I didn’t know what flavor you liked, so I asked the restaurant not to mix the sauces but to pack them separately. Luckily, this restaurant only has two sauce options. Otherwise, you might have received five or six sauce containers! 😅”
Shen Xun replied while taking another bite of oden.
“You’re very clever.”
“Thank you.”
He discarded the skewers one by one into the trash bin, leaving behind only the soup in the paper container, which he drank in one gulp without wasting any.
After finishing his meal, he immediately cleaned up the table, gathering the sauce containers, napkins, and more into a plastic bag. As he was about to throw it away, he suddenly remembered something.
There was a paperclip attached to the top of the receipt. He straightened the bent tip of the paperclip and then carefully threaded the receipt off it. He successfully removed it and then walked over to the bookshelf, sliding it into his current favorite book.
After a while, the bathroom light turned on, filling the room with steam, and the sound of water echoed against the walls.
The next morning.
Shen Xun woke up somewhat groggy. He looked through the tattered curtains, which offered minimal protection against the sunlight pouring in.
He checked his phone and was surprised to find it was already ten o’clock.
After double-checking the call records for any missed calls, Shen Xun marveled at how Meng Yuan Cen’s casual well-wishing from last night had actually come true. He didn’t need to return to the branch right away to continue working on the case. In fact, their task related to the case was limited to conducting the autopsy and inspecting the body. No new tasks had come in. Shen Xun was grateful for the unexpected day off.
With no overtime work in sight, he felt relaxed and leisurely. Shen Xun slowly made his way to the kitchen, boiled some noodles, and added a handful of washed greens.
He even took the time to fry an egg, watching as the egg white quickly lost its transparency and began to turn golden brown around the edges. He deftly flipped it over.
On mornings when he woke up naturally, his mind became active, drifting around aimlessly. Shen Xun remembered how smoothly he had fallen asleep last night after taking a shower. It took him about half an hour less than usual to fall asleep.
This made him think of Meng Yuan Cen’s comment about having a good night’s sleep.
Could Meng Yuan Cen possess some kind of hidden magical powers?
Shen Xun placed the fried egg over the steaming hot noodles, retrieved a bottle of chili sauce from the fridge, and sat at the dining table, savoring each bite of noodles. In no time, he reached the bottom of the bowl.
After satisfying his hunger, he suddenly felt a void, likely due to being prepared for a full day of overtime work but now left with unanticipated free time. This, in turn, reminded him of Meng Yuan Cen.
Shen Xun grabbed his phone, opened WeChat, and scrolled back through his chat history with Meng Yuan Cen. Although there were only a few dozen messages, they were enough to keep him occupied for quite a while. As he read, he found himself smiling once more.
A sudden idea popped into his head—a way to strike up a conversation.
“Your well-wishes worked; I really don’t need to work overtime today.”
After typing this message, Shen Xun reviewed it twice to ensure there were no typos.
After much hesitation, he pressed the send button, feeling an inexplicable sense of relief.
“The other party is typing…”
His phone started vibrating at its familiar frequency.
Meng Yuan Cen: “Really? That’s great.”
Shen Xun replied: “Because I often suffer from insomnia, especially after working late at crime scenes. However, I unexpectedly had high-quality sleep last night. I think I have you and your oden to thank for that.”
Meng Yuan Cen: “Haha, do you have any dreams? Why don’t you tell me, and I’ll send my blessings now. Then your dreams might come true.”
Shen Xun: “I want to get rich.”
Meng Yuan Cen: “Wishing you great wealth.”
Shen Xun: “Thank you. After I get rich, the first thing I’ll do is treat you to a meal.”
Meng Yuan Cen followed up with a question: “Do you usually suffer from severe insomnia?”
Shen Xun: “Not too severe. I simply have trouble falling asleep and tend to sleep lightly. Compared to my colleagues, I’m doing pretty well.”
Shen Xun continued: “In this line of forensic work, sleep is always somewhat affected, either due to sudden overnight overtime calls or the fact that you’ve seen too many distressing things. The emotional toll sometimes leads to difficulties in falling asleep. These are inevitable challenges that we must strive to overcome.”
This was the first time Meng Yuan Cen had seen Shen Xun respond with such a lengthy message. He figured Shen Xun might have some free time to chat now.
So he replied: “You all work so hard.”
Meng Yuan Cen: “Yes, seeing negative things repeatedly does indeed affect your mood. Every time I read through case files or learn about the facts from the clients, I experience something similar. I can understand how you feel.”
He continued: “By the way, you work at the Yuhai Sub-bureau of the City Public Security Bureau, right?”
Shen Xun: “Yes, that’s right. Why do you ask?”
Meng Yuan Cen: “About two hours ago, a friend of mine suddenly reached out to me and passed my contact information to a relative. This relative’s surname is Wang, so for now, let’s call him Mr. Wang.”
Shen Xun: “And then?”
Meng Yuan Cen: “Mr. Wang told me that his daughter was killed yesterday, and her body was found in Blue Lake Park.”
Shen Xun was momentarily stunned. It couldn’t be…
It was the parents from the Forensic Identification Center.
Meng Yuan Cen: “If it’s okay with you, could I have a voice call to discuss this matter?”
Almost immediately, there was another message: “If it’s inconvenient, you can refuse; it’s okay.”
Shen Xun: “Go ahead.”
The screen displayed an incoming call, and Shen Xun quickly answered.
Meng Yuan Cen’s voice came through the phone. “Hello?”
Shen Xuan: “Yes, go ahead.”
Meng Yuan Cen, currently seated on his balcony, had a clear view of the tranquil neighborhood below. But his gaze seemed distant, not quite focusing. He said, “I thought of Blue Lake Park, which is in the Yuhai District of our city, and the possibility that you might be a forensic expert at the local sub-bureau.”
Shen Xun: “That’s right. I was at the scene last night in Blue Lake Park. I also met Mr. Wang, as well as his wife, at the Forensic Center.”
Shen Xun paused for a moment and added, “From the preliminary examination and the four-cavity examination results, it’s highly likely that the cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation, suggesting she was strangled. We can’t rule out the possibility of poisoning until the forensic toxicology results are available. The Criminal Investigation Division is actively investigating, and that’s all I know for now. Of course, these details will be documented in the case file. The family just has to patiently wait for the prosecutor’s office to bring charges.”
“Your tone seems to be conversing with the family, especially the last sentence. It sounds quite official,” Meng Yuan Cen noted.
Shen Xun sighed, “Sometimes, we also need to comfort the family’s emotions.”
“The waiting period for the prosecutor’s office to bring charges can be months, even half a year, or longer. It must feel excruciatingly long for the family.”
“That’s true. The family has no choice but to wait, and I’ve explained to them the process and duration of criminal case proceedings. The last part is about Mr. Wang’s wife tearfully asking me if the perpetrator will receive the death penalty and insisting that the person who killed her daughter must pay with their life.”
“She asked me this question repeatedly, and I couldn’t give a definite answer. Right now, I can’t see the case file, so I can’t speculate how the court will decide on the sentence. I consoled them for a long time before ending the call.”
“Right,” Shen Xun slowly fell into silence again and then sighed. “Not being able to provide an answer is the right approach. These are still unknown matters.”
“Moreover, the standards for sentencing to death are very strict, and legally, not every murder leads to capital punishment,” Meng Yuan Cen said, pausing briefly. “Saying this seems to go against the simple moral view of the general public. Do you think I’m being cold-hearted? Like I’ve become dehumanized due to studying law?”
Shen Xun: “Not at all.”
He responded without hesitation.
Meng Yuan Cen suddenly said, “Thank you.”
Shen Xun: “You’re welcome.”
Meng Yuan Cen: “I think I felt this way because I just finished listening to the deceased’s parents’ distress. So, I wanted to talk to someone. Like you said before, when you encounter negative things, it tends to affect your mood. And I know that sometimes being too empathetic is not a good thing. I understand the reasoning behind it, but it’s challenging to implement. It’s impossible for people to rid themselves of their emotions.”
“I understand,” Shen Xun replied softly, accompanied by a subtle sigh. “I’ve seen everything you’ve seen on case files, and I’ve seen it in real life.”