Decayed Vulgarian chapter 30
Don’t Go
During the meeting, Captain Liu led everyone in reviewing the existing evidence chain. They reasoned and eliminated possibilities, unanimously suspecting the deceased’s husband. This suspicion arose because during the initial interrogation, the husband had insisted that his wife had committed suicide, a claim inconsistent with the forensic autopsy results.
After the meeting, Shen Xun and his colleagues returned to the office to continue working on their reports.
During this time, Lao Wang and Old Zhang went out for DNA analysis and, upon their return, Lao Wang rubbed his chin and said, “Let me share some progress. I feel like we’re close to solving the case. Hang in there, everyone, victory is right ahead.”
Lao Wang was a highly experienced and respected figure, and his words had an encouraging effect on the team. They were revitalized and filled with determination.
This also included Shen Xun, so when he finally wrapped up his work and was ready to call it a night, it was already 2 a.m.
With his work temporarily set aside, Shen Xun couldn’t help but think about Meng Yuan Cen. It was a late hour to make a call and potentially disturb someone, but he didn’t want to delay it until the next day. After some hesitation, he sent a voice message.
“What I wanted to explain in the previous call is that I did notify you immediately to cancel our meeting. It’s just that my phone ran out of battery on my way to the crime scene, and my power bank happened to be dead. I borrowed a colleague’s phone to send you a message, but I got your phone number wrong. I thought you received the message. Also, I was busy with the autopsy in the afternoon, so I couldn’t return your missed calls. I’m really sorry.”
In the quiet night, he didn’t receive an immediate reply.
Before going to sleep, Shen Xun took solace in the thought that sleeping at the sub-bureau had its perks. He would wake up on Monday, and he wouldn’t have to squeeze onto the subway for work. No, wait, it was already Monday.
Awakened by his alarm clock, it was another busy day ahead.
On Monday evening, the leaders called to announce that the case had been solved. The entire forensic team erupted in cheers. Solving the case meant no overtime that night and no need to deal with the case’s stress the next day. There was also no possibility of being sent for a second crime scene examination. At most, there would be some wrap-up work to handle.
As they left work that Monday evening, Shen Xun sent a screenshot to Meng Yuan Cen. The screenshot was of the text message he had mistakenly sent to the wrong person, which displayed the date, November 28, 2022, and the time, 11:28 a.m. The recipient’s number ended with “3069.”
Meng Yuan Cen immediately replied, though the content had nothing to do with the screenshot. He asked, “Are you off work?”
[Yes.]“Can I call you?”
[Of course.]A call request from Meng Yuan Cen appeared on the screen. Shen Xun answered and preemptively said, “The screenshot I just sent is evidence. If you still don’t believe me, I can provide witness testimony to prove that I did send you a message before 12 o’clock.”
Meng Yuan Cen, in a slightly teasing tone, said, “You don’t need to do that. I trust you.”
Then he mentioned something else in a jesting manner, “The screenshot you sent me, the row with the recipient’s phone number, at first glance, I thought it was my own number. I had to read it again to realize there was an issue with the order.”
Shen Xun felt embarrassed and reassured him, “I’ll remember your number correctly this time. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Meng Yuan Cen chuckled, “Don’t worry about it.”
As colleagues passed by one by one, saying their goodbyes, Shen Xun waved to them through the phone and said, “I’m heading home now.”
Meng Yuan Cen replied, “Okay.”
Shen Xun hesitated and asked, “Should I hang up now?”
Meng Yuan Cen playfully remarked, “Hanging up on me again?”
Although it was meant as a joke, it made Shen Xun hesitant to hang up. He stood still for a moment, then tentatively suggested, “How about this, I don’t hang up, and you hang up first?”
Meng Yuan Cen let out a soft laugh. “Is there really a difference between the two?”
Shen Xun found himself at a loss for words, as he realized there wasn’t much of a difference since the original intention was to end the call.
Luckily, Meng Yuan Cen changed the subject, asking, “Are you taking the subway back?”
Shen Xun nodded, saying, “Yes.”
Meng Yuan Cen inquired, “Well, walk to the subway station before hanging up, and spend a little more time chatting with me.”
Shen Xun agreed immediately, saying, “Sure.”
He still felt guilty about canceling their plans on Sunday afternoon, so he was willing to comply with Meng Yuan Cen’s request.
Walking along the sidewalk, Shen Xun and Meng Yuan Cen chatted as the day turned into night. The surroundings gradually darkened, streetlights illuminated, and people continued to bustle about. This scene seemed familiar, except for the temperature.
Huafu City had significant temperature fluctuations, and it was already past the beginning of winter. Shen Xun’s knuckles reddened from the cold, and he shivered in the chilly wind.
Wearing fewer layers of clothing than he should, Shen Xun would need to add more clothes when he got back. He contemplated it for a moment, then took out his Bluetooth earphones, put his phone away in his pocket, and finally freed his hands.
Arriving at the subway station entrance, Shen Xun sent a subtle message indicating that he had reached the station, hoping to wrap up the conversation and continue it later. However, Meng Yuan Cen was engrossed in the conversation and seemed to overlook the hint.
Shen Xun had no choice but to step inside the subway station. He was not comfortable discussing personal matters in a public place, so he withdrew to a corner, lowered his voice, and continued the call. Meng Yuan Cen still didn’t appear to intend to hang up.
Shen Xun didn’t want to initiate ending the call again, so he stood in the same place, accompanying Meng Yuan Cen in conversation. He thought that the conversation would naturally reach its end eventually. But Meng Yuan Cen was a professor and lawyer. His experiences in both fields had honed his speaking skills. Shen Xun waited for some time, but there was no sign of the conversation concluding. He simply continued listening without interrupting.
“I need to get my ticket”.
The implication was that he was about to board the subway and they could continue their conversation later.
Finally, Meng Yuan Cen chuckled on the other end of the line and said, “I’ve been talking to you all this time, and you didn’t notice anything, did you?”
Shen Xun was bewildered. “Notice what?”
Meng Yuan Cen revealed, “Look to your right.”
Shen Xun turned his head to the right.
Meng Yuan Cen was right in front of him.
In that moment, the people around them became mere shadows, and Meng Yuan Cen’s figure was clear and unwavering. His black wool coat resembled a few elegant strokes from a painting, outlining his tall figure. His Adam’s apple was subtly visible at the edge of his white turtleneck, square-framed silver glasses, and a gentle smile.
“See me now?”
In the earpiece, Shen Xun heard Meng Yuan Cen’s voice. In his line of sight, Meng Yuan Cen approached.
Shen Xun was stunned and blurted out, “How did you get here…”
Meng Yuan Cen replied matter-of-factly, “Didn’t I say I wanted to see you?”
Shen Xun was momentarily silent, and he thought he heard the sound of his heart pounding. He had no time to dissect it when Meng Yuan Cen asked again, “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
Shen Xun hurriedly denied, “Of course, I am.”
“Are you not cold dressed like this?”
“It’s fine.”
Meng Yuan Cen, who had been a bit far a moment ago, was now standing right in front of him. Shen Xun tucked his phone into his coat pocket, pushed up his sliding glasses, and said, “I happened to be passing around here and thought I’d give you a ride home.”
It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. The tone was calm, with a hint of an irresistible implication. As he spoke, he took Shen Xun’s hand, and they walked together to where his car was parked.
Shen Xun’s hand, initially chilled by the cold wind, started to warm up as it met Meng Yuan Cen’s. It gradually became hot. Neither of them pulled away, and they silently agreed, an unspoken understanding between them.
This was the second time Shen Xun had sat in Meng Yuan Cen’s car, still in the passenger seat.
Before starting the car, Meng Yuan Cen asked, “Do you get motion sickness?”
Shen Xun replied, “I don’t get motion sickness.”
Then, the car started moving, and Meng Yuan Cen turned on the heater.
Shen Xun had a deep gray car window on his right. Beyond the window, the scenery sped past as they continued forward. He watched for a while but found it uninteresting, so he shifted his focus to secretly observing Meng Yuan Cen’s profile.
He was very handsome, with perfectly balanced features.
His gaze was too revealing, quickly caught by Meng Yuan Cen. ‘Why are you staring at me? Do you have something to say?’
Shen Xun remained silent for a few seconds, as if he had made up his mind. ‘…How about tonight? Let’s go have hotpot tonight.’
‘No need,’ the other side refused without hesitation. Shen Xun felt his heart sink. Just as he suspected, Meng Yuan Cen didn’t seem willing. If it were him, he probably wouldn’t agree either. Getting stood up, followed by a casual apology, felt insincere.
As he was lost in thought, the car made a right turn, causing his body to sway due to the inertia. The car continued forward.
‘You messaged me at two in the morning yesterday, after working for over ten hours, and you want to have hotpot with me despite being tired?’ Meng Yuan Cen explained. ‘Go back and get some rest; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.’
But no one knew how long that future would be. Shen Xun’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and he lowered his gaze. ‘okay.’
When they arrived at the entrance of the residential area, Meng Yuan Cen insisted on walking Shen Xun to his door.
At his doorstep, Shen Xun insisted that Meng Yuan Cen stay for a while before leaving.
Shen Xun poured two glasses of water, one for himself and one for Meng Yuan Cen, and they sat side by side on the sofa, closer than ever before.
Gripping the glass tightly, Shen Xun took a sip of warm water and spoke. ‘I’m really sorry about what happened on Sunday afternoon.’
Meng Yuan Cen replied, ‘That’s in the past. Let’s move on. We don’t need to talk about it.’
Shen Xun took another sip from his glass and said, ‘I felt that you were upset when I called you late Sunday night… I’m sorry.’
Meng Yuan Cen, laughing, immediately denied, ‘I wasn’t upset. Which eye of yours saw me upset?’
Shen Xun struggled to find a suitable retort and admitted, ‘I didn’t see it.’
‘That settles it, then,’ Meng Yuan Cen said, lowering his head to look at Shen Xun. He tapped the glass rim in Shen Xun’s palm with his knuckles and said, ‘So it was you who overthought.’
The glass rim vibrated, sending ripples through Shen Xun’s chest. Shen Xun nodded slowly.
Meng Yuan Cen asked, ‘What about dinner later, after you’ve had enough rest?’
After considering it for a moment, Shen Xun suggested, ‘How about ordering takeout?’
‘Sounds good,’ Meng Yuan Cen replied. He quickly finished the water in his glass, placed the glass on the coffee table, and stood up. He held the keys in his hand and said, ‘It’s getting late; I should go. Get some rest.’
Shen Xun also stood up and looked up at him. ‘Do you have plans for the evening?’
Meng Yuan Cen said, ‘Not really, but I thought I might disturb your rest if I stayed here.’
Shen Xun responded, ‘You won’t.’
Meng Yuan Cen watched Shen Xun quietly for a moment and then smiled. ‘Are you sure? I talk a lot, and you might find it noisy. Get a good rest, don’t overexert yourself.’
With that, he walked to the door and bent down to change his shoes.
Shen Xun watched Meng Yuan Cen’s back, then lowered his head to glance at his own hand. The warmth that had been passed from one hand to the other was probably gone by now, but it felt somewhat unfamiliar to him.
In contrast, after Meng Yuan Cen left, Shen Xun would be alone. He would communicate silently with his phone and computer in the bedroom, lie in bed alone during a long night of insomnia. This was the familiar routine.
‘Don’t go.’
This was the first time Shen Xun had heard himself say this.
He then lowered his head, stretched out his hand, and grasped the hem of Meng Yuan Cen’s coat. ‘If you have nothing planned for tonight, could you… stay with me?’