Reservoir Dogs chapter 6
Zhou Jun
This time, the client was in his thirties, a private entrepreneur, who looked decent but was balding and had a beer belly. He looked unwell, with a grayish complexion and heavy bags under his eyes, a typical example of someone who couldn’t carry the look of a prince no matter how fancy his clothes were, making his high-end suit look like cheap street market goods.
As soon as he entered the office, he started handing out cigarettes and business cards to Ji Yang and Jiang Chengyuan, bowing humbly, “Lawyer Jiang, you must help me this time, I’m truly innocent.”
Jiang Chengyuan took the cigarette, glanced at it, it was a Tianzi, expensive and a good brand.
He flipped the business card. Zhou Jun, General Manager of Fengsheng Food Co., Ltd. Casually tucked the card into his notebook and gestured, “Have a seat, tell me what happened.”
Zhou Jun pulled up his trousers and sat down. He had gained a lot of weight in recent years, and his clothes were already a bit tight. He rubbed his hands, looking anxious, “My wife and son died half a month ago. I should be a victim too, but my wife’s sister insists it was me. The police took me in for questioning twice, locked me up for two days, and only released me recently. I’m really worried that if they can’t find the real culprit, they’ll pin it on me. Lawyer Jiang, as long as you ensure I’m fine, you can name your price.”
Jiang Chengyuan didn’t even look up, flipping through the files, “Your wife was called Xu Juan, her sister Xu Cuiping, with a daughter. Half a month ago, Xu Juan jumped to her death with her newborn son, and you were present at the scene.”
Zhou Jun’s face turned purple-red from agitation, his eyes bulging slightly, “Yes, but it has nothing to do with me. My wife had postpartum depression, she went crazy after giving birth. I treated her well, never said a harsh word to her, I never expected her to suddenly commit suicide.”
Jiang Chengyuan raised his eyes, “She had postpartum depression?”
Zhou Jun nodded desperately, eager to be believed, “Not just postpartum, even before that. When she was pregnant, she was very irritable, hitting and cursing me, paranoid, always thinking I had other women outside. I was extremely accommodating, did everything for her, hired a nanny to take care of her, she didn’t have to do any housework or earn money, just stayed home. I worked hard outside and still had to serve her when I got home. I sympathized with her pregnancy, never complained, and did whatever she said.”
“I thought this hardship would end after she gave birth, but it got worse. She only cared about the baby, wouldn’t let anyone else near, screamed if anyone got close, even threatened with scissors. She didn’t eat, and wouldn’t feed the baby either, the baby cried from hunger. I had to take her to see a doctor, who said she had postpartum depression and prescribed medication. I took leave to stay home with her, and after a week, she got a bit better, could talk normally. But the company couldn’t run without me, so I went back to work and hired a caregiver for her. Then this happened within two weeks.”
Jiang Chengyuan frowned, “So you saw her jump that day?”
Zhou Jun said, “When I went home that night, she was holding Xiao Hui and standing on the balcony, yelling and screaming like a madwoman. The neighbors all heard it and can testify. I was scared to death, afraid she would do something drastic, so I didn’t dare go near her. In the blink of an eye, she jumped off with our son. I rushed to grab them but couldn’t even catch a piece of her clothing.”
Jiang Chengyuan nodded, “They interrogated you twice but still let you go, which means the police don’t have solid evidence to press charges. You don’t need to worry too much.”
Zhou Jun wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, “I hope that’s the case. I’m worried. They interrogated me like a criminal and I couldn’t sleep for two days.”
Jiang Chengyuan handed him a business card, “If anyone comes looking for you again, you can contact me directly.”
Zhou Jun accepted it with both hands, showing a look of relief, knowing that Jiang Chengyuan had taken the case.
He kept thanking him and then hesitantly said, “There’s one more thing, Lawyer Jiang, do you have any solution?”
“Hmm?” Jiang Chengyuan raised an eyebrow.
“My wife’s sister, Xu Cuiping, she’s been harassing me like a mad dog. She shows up at my company and blocks my house, bangs on my door at night, gathers people to protest at my company, and yells through a megaphone. I’m a businessman, and she’s ruining my business. I’ve lost several deals. She even insulted me in front of my hundreds of employees. It’s so humiliating.”
Jiang Chengyuan crossed his legs and flicked the ash from his cigarette, “Have you called the police? This is a civil dispute, not a criminal offense.”
Zhou Jun was irritated, “I did. They detained her but let her out in less than a day. Her husband died, she has a child and no other relatives. If she’s detained, no one can take care of her child, so the police just warn her and let her go. She knows this now and isn’t afraid at all.”
Jiang Chengyuan thought for a moment, “I can send her a lawyer’s letter, sue her for infringement of personal rights, but it will probably have little effect. If she’s not afraid of the police, she won’t be afraid of a lawsuit. It will drag on for months, wasting time, effort, and money. The judge might sympathize with her as a widow and mother who just lost a relative, so the verdict may be biased. Even if you win, you won’t gain much.”
Zhou Jun sighed, “If you say there’s no way, then there really isn’t. Damn, I don’t know what’s gotten into this woman.”
Jiang Chengyuan glanced at him, “In such a delicate situation, with all sides watching closely, I advise you not to act rashly. Think about it, besides seeking justice for her sister, does she have any personal motives?”
Zhou Jun was stunned, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He stood up abruptly, grabbed Jiang Chengyuan’s hand, “Lawyer Jiang, I understand now. Thank you.”
Jiang Chengyuan frowned slightly and pulled his hand away, “Don’t misunderstand, I didn’t imply anything.” He paused, then smiled kindly, “You can settle the consultation fee at the door.”
After Zhou Jun left, Ji Yang asked him, “So, do you think he’s innocent?”
Jiang Chengyuan extinguished his cigarette, took out the business card, glanced over it again, and coldly smirked, “I don’t believe a word he said.” After a pause, he added, “But it doesn’t matter if I believe him, as long as someone does.”
…….
When Xiao Zhou woke up, Jiang Chengyuan was already gone.
The large house was empty. He tried the door, which was locked from the outside and couldn’t be opened from the inside.
Starving, he went to the kitchen but found almost nothing to eat. The fridge only had water, milk, and a box of eggs. Xiao Zhou almost suspected Jiang Chengyuan wanted to starve him to death.
He cooked the eggs and poured a glass of milk. Halfway through drinking, he noticed the taste was off. Checking the expiration date, he saw it had expired two weeks ago.
Holding the milk in his mouth, he ran to the bathroom to spit it out and rinsed his mouth with bottled water. After all this, he felt dizzy and weak, probably from hunger, and his stomach no longer felt anything.
Weakly lying on the bed, he took out his old flip phone from his backpack, plugged it in to charge. Half an hour later, accompanied by the start-up music, the phone was surprisingly still working.
He looked through the contacts, his head resting on the soft pillow. He wanted to call home to say he was safe but didn’t know how to explain his current situation. He wasn’t even sure if the phone numbers were still the same and was afraid of hearing “the number you dialed is not in service.” His thumb wandered over the rubber buttons as he dazedly stared.
Soon, the phone suddenly vibrated, playing a popular song from four years ago, Justin Bieber’s “Baby.”
Startled, Xiao Zhou looked down at the unknown number.
Frowning, he nervously answered, putting it to his ear. A low chuckle came first, “Awake?”
The voice was smooth as velvet, clear as spring rain, oddly fitting such a person with such a good voice.
Xiao Zhou relaxed a bit, hummed in response, his eyelids drooping slightly. He wasn’t surprised that Jiang Chengyuan had his number but was curious how he timed it so precisely.
Jiang Chengyuan stretched, leaning back in his chair, fingers tapping idly on the desk. The computer screen showed the surveillance footage of his home. The overhead view captured the man lying on the bed, with long legs, a narrow waist, sharp side profile, high cheekbones, a prominent nose, and a clear jawline with no excess flesh.
The quilt was folded into a neat square and placed aside. Even though someone had been lying on the bed, the sheet remained unwrinkled. The room was very clean and tidy, a result of long-term strict discipline and good organizational habits.
Seemingly aware of something, Xiao Zhou turned over on his back and looked at the hidden camera on the wall. His dark eyes met Jiang Chengyuan’s directly.
Jiang Chengyuan raised an eyebrow in surprise, thinking Xiao Zhou resembled a sharp-witted dog.
After a moment, Xiao Zhou turned to his side, back facing Jiang Chengyuan.
He was accustomed to being watched in prison, familiar and sensitive to this feeling. It wasn’t surprising that Jiang Chengyuan would install surveillance in the room, just as he would lock the door to trap him inside.
The phone call remained connected.
“I also have to fulfill my duty as your guardian. You haven’t been marked yet. If you escape, I’ll be held responsible,” Jiang Chengyuan explained.
Xiao Zhou responded flatly, “Anything you need?”
“Are you hungry? What would you like to eat? I’ll bring it back later.”
Xiao Zhou pressed his empty stomach but still pretended to be strong, “I just ate.”
Jiang Chengyuan chuckled, “That expired milk?”
Xiao Zhou’s stomach ached, probably from the questionable eggs too. He curled up a bit, “You saw that and still ask?”
“Just wanted to check if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies.”
“No, I can eat anything.”
Jiang Chengyuan casually suggested, “Fried rice? The mixed fried rice from the restaurant below our law firm is pretty good and comes with soy milk.”
“Thanks,” Xiao Zhou said, then added, “If you want, you could bring back ingredients, and I’ll cook.”
“You can cook?”
“Yes,” Xiao Zhou replied, “You can choose what you like to eat.”
Jiang Chengyuan imagined Xiao Zhou busy in the kitchen with an apron on, finding it surprisingly fitting. “You won’t secretly poison me, will you?” he joked, “To get back at me for locking you up again.”
Xiao Zhou paused, not catching the joke, and seriously replied, “I wouldn’t do that. I understand if you don’t trust me right now.”
Jiang Chengyuan was taken aback, then laughed, “Wait at home for me.”