Reservoir Dogs chapter 89
Inappropriate
The flowers on the balcony had withered after being unattended for a few days. Jiang Chengyuan took the flowers to the office and handed them to his secretary for care.
But it was still too late to save them. By September, they began to decay. The petals lost moisture, turned dark brown, and curled up, leaving only two stems standing lonely in the water.
The secretary, trembling, asked Jiang Chengyuan whether to throw them away. Jiang Chengyuan shook his head and asked her to trim the wilted flowers and leaves. He would take care of the rest himself and place them in the most conspicuous spot on his desk.
Thus, there was a pot of withered flowers in Jiang Chengyuan’s office. When he was tired from work, he would look up and count how many days had passed, then go smoke a cigarette. During that time, he smoked heavily, consuming two packs a day. His throat became hoarse from the smoke, and he spoke less, only making simple gestures, which made everyone in the office walk on eggshells, fearing they might misunderstand his intentions and make a serious mistake.
Everyone could see that Jiang Chengyuan was in a bad mood, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot. But no one dared to be the scapegoat to address it. Eventually, Sun Xu was pushed forward to negotiate normal time off for everyone. After spending two hours inside, he emerged with his white shirt soaked in sweat, only to conclude that everyone had to continue working overtime. Everyone was disheartened.
Someone quietly asked him what had happened to Jiang Chengyuan, since they had just won the lawsuit. Sun Xu mysteriously squinted and said, “I think he’s heartbroken.” Everyone was surprised because no one knew Jiang Chengyuan was in a relationship. They asked Sun Xu how he deduced this. Sun Xu nervously said, “Didn’t you notice? He changed his perfume; it’s completely different from his previous taste. What situation would make a man change his habits? The conclusion is either someone new has entered his life or someone has left. The former would turn him into an angel, the latter into a devil.” Sun Xu grinned, and just then Jiang Chengyuan came out of the office and saw the desks still occupied at midnight. He frowned and asked, “Aren’t you all off work yet?”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to Sun Xu, who awkwardly smiled and didn’t dare mention that he had been inside for two hours. The atmosphere was so oppressive that he didn’t even dare to make a sound.
More than two weeks later, Jiang Chengyuan was invited to cut the ribbon for a legal cooperation project in the city. On the way back, there was a car accident that blocked the road. They had to detour through an old district. As the vehicle drove over the bumpy concrete road, Jiang Chengyuan looked out the window at the gray sky divided by electric wires and asked, “How long has it been since the trial for Jiang Wenhao?”
Sun Xu sat in the front passenger seat, looked at the date, and counted the days, “21 days.”
As they passed through an intersection, an old building came into view. Jiang Chengyuan asked the driver to take a detour to a wonton shop. Sun Xu got out to buy three bowls of wonton noodles, carrying the soup and all, and handed them to Jiang Chengyuan, “Boss, eat now. You won’t be able to eat this once we get to the station.”
Jiang Chengyuan took the noodles and said, “Go back to where we were.”
The car returned to the old building. Jiang Chengyuan got out with the wonton noodles and asked the driver and Sun Xu to wait downstairs. The hallway had no lights, and even though it was daytime, visibility was poor. The walls were covered with peeling paint and small advertisements. Jiang Chengyuan stood in front of a green-painted iron door and knocked.
The person inside was probably in the kitchen, and there was a bit of an echo to the voice, “Who’s there?”
Jiang Chengyuan said, “It’s me.”
There was a moment of silence, and after a long time, footsteps in plastic slippers were heard.
Xiao Ping peeked through the crack in the door, saw Jiang Chengyuan smiling, and opened the door, “Ge, why are you here suddenly? You didn’t give any notice.”
Jiang Chengyuan naturally took off his shoes and came in, handing over the three bowls of wonton noodles, “I happened to be passing by and thought I’d stop by to bring you something to eat.”
“What is it?” Xiao Ping took the bags eagerly and, upon seeing the wonton noodles, looked disappointed, expecting something like abalone or shark fin.
Jiang Chengyuan looked around the living room, “Where’s your brother?”
Xiao Ping opened the plastic lid, took some noodles with chopsticks, and ate sloppily, “He’s not here. He went out.”
Jiang Chengyuan glanced at the closed bedroom door and the smell of cooking oil from the kitchen, but didn’t press the issue and sat down on the sofa, “When will he be back? I’ll wait for him.”
Xiao Ping, with a mouthful of noodles, looked up in surprise, “You’re going to wait for him?” He hurriedly swallowed and said with a smirk, “You’re so busy, how can you waste time here? Why not just tell me what’s going on, and I’ll tell him when he comes back?”
Jiang Chengyuan calmly crossed his legs and took out a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it, “It’s fine. I’m free today.” He seemed prepared to stay for a while.
Xiao Ping frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, “Actually, my brother went to the hospital. He caught a cold and it’s contagious and quite serious.” He sneezed, rubbed his nose, and said, “Look, I’ve caught it too. Maybe you should come back after he’s better.”
Jiang Chengyuan looked at him coldly, “A cold? I know a doctor. Have him come back, and I’ll take him to see the doctor.”
Xiao Ping grew anxious, lowering his voice, “Don’t you understand?”
Jiang Chengyuan turned his gaze to the bedroom door, suppressing his restless emotions, “Is he at home?”
Xiao Ping pressed his lips together, nodded, and said softly, “My brother is in a bad mood. Did you two have an argument?”
Jiang Chengyuan took the cigarette out of his mouth, holding it in his hand, “What did he say?”
Xiao Ping shook his head, “He didn’t say anything. He’s always been reserved. He wouldn’t want others to know his troubles.”
Jiang Chengyuan looked at the door again, extinguished the cigarette on the coffee table, and stood up to walk toward the bedroom. Just as he took a step, Xiao Ping grabbed his wrist. He turned to the side, and Xiao Ping said anxiously, “What are you doing? He’s deliberately avoiding you.”
Jiang Chengyuan said, “I’ve given him enough time.”
Xiao Ping stubbornly held him back, “It’s not enough. He hasn’t figured things out yet and doesn’t want to see you.”
Jiang Chengyuan impatiently shook him off. “In the end, there’s only one outcome. I’ll make him understand.”
Xiao Ping was pushed away but suddenly said, “I’ve never seen him like this before!”
Jiang Chengyuan stopped moving, turned around, and stared at him with deep, serious eyes, no longer the gentle and refined look from before. It was as if his facade was torn off, revealing a truly cold side. “How is he?”
Xiao Ping felt uneasy under that gaze but still forced himself to say, “He’s been absent-minded since he came back. I haven’t seen him happy. My brother is very stubborn. Once he decides something, it doesn’t change. He’s also soft-hearted. I’ve never seen anyone more naive than him. If it weren’t really difficult for him to get past this hurdle, he wouldn’t be avoiding you like this.”
Jiang Chengyuan stood there, stunned for a while, and then said, “Do you think he’s avoiding me?”
“Yes.”
After a moment of silence, Jiang Chengyuan seemed a bit stunned. When he spoke again, his eyes were half-closed, and he had softened his sharp demeanor, “I’ll wait another ten days. If he doesn’t come to see me, I’ll come find him again.”
After Jiang Chengyuan left, Xiao Zhou came out. Xiao Ping offered him the wonton noodles. The noodles had already softened and mixed with the wontons, not looking very appetizing, but Xiao Zhou still ate slowly. Midway through, Xiao Ping reached under Xiao Zhou’s eyes, felt something, and showed his hand with concern, “Ge, why are you crying?”
Xiao Zhou was stunned for a moment, touched under his eyes, and indeed found some wet traces, but he didn’t feel particularly sad. How could he be crying? He swallowed what was in his mouth and asked dryly, “What did you tell him?”
Xiao Ping withdrew his hand, “I said you weren’t home.”
Xiao Zhou nodded.
Xiao Ping poked at the bowl, “He said he’ll wait another ten days for you.”
Xiao Zhou sighed softly and nodded.
Would ten days make any difference? It would only delay things. Jiang Chengyuan was the type who preferred to address problems head-on, and his patience to wait was already a concession. What else can be hoped for? An apology or a change in behavior? Xiao Zhou knew it was unlikely. Someone as arrogant as Jiang Chengyuan, who had reached a high level professionally, wouldn’t easily change his views due to a few words from an outsider.
Xiao Zhou pushed aside the overcooked noodles, feeling just as drained inside. Compared to Jiang Chengyuan using him to exonerate Jiang Wenhao and disregarding his feelings, placing the outcome of the case above everything else, what he found even harder to accept was Jiang Chengyuan choosing to believe Jiang Wenhao’s claims. In court, Jiang Chengyuan twisted the facts and made a defense that turned black and white into gray, showing no personal stance. It was like those online comments saying he was aiding and abetting criminals; Xiao Zhou never imagined he would one day use such words to describe Jiang Chengyuan.
Xiao Zhou’s eyelashes trembled with a sense of helplessness, as if a mountain had crumbled and fallen.
He used to think he understood Jiang Chengyuan well—cold and harsh on the outside but sensitive and gentle inside. But now he felt unfamiliar. After this foundation crumbled, his strongest emotion was fear, fear that even those who seemed perfect and strong had cracks and voids. With one blow, everything could collapse in an instant. All the love he had given was a castle in the air, a fragile bubble, built on imagination.
Suddenly, he stood up, making a harsh screech as the chair leg scraped the floor. Xiao Ping looked up, catching a glimpse of Xiao Zhou’s tear-streaked face, but before he could get a better look, Xiao Zhou had already hidden it, hurriedly wiping his face with the back of his hand and sleeve.
Xiao Zhou took his keys and phone and went to the door to change his shoes.
Xiao Ping anxiously asked, “Where are you going?”
Xiao Zhou kept his head down, hiding his face in the shadows of his hair, his voice hoarse and low, “I’ll be back soon.”
He took a cab to the courthouse. Liang Hanqing’s office door was closed. Xiao Zhou knocked, and after a while, someone let him in.
Xiao Zhou walked in to find Liang Hanqing surrounded by a pile of documents, circling and marking with a pen while occasionally coughing softly. Surprised to see Xiao Zhou, Liang Hanqing quickly stood up, “What are you doing here?”
“Are you sick?”
“I caught a cold, just a minor one.”
Sitting down on the small sofa, Liang Hanqing got him a cup of hot water from the water dispenser. “Is there something you need?”
Xiao Zhou held the cup, “Am I disturbing you?”
Liang Hanqing sat down beside him, smiling warmly as usual. “No, I have time.” Noticing Xiao Zhou’s dejected look, he offered comfort, “I heard about the outcome of your friend’s case. Don’t be too upset. Actually, since they wanted to replace me earlier, I expected this.”
Xiao Zhou said, “So you also think the result is unfair?”
Liang Hanqing sneered, “I’ve never seen a more absurd outcome. Jiang Chengyuan must have manipulated things. He brought up irrelevant minor issues to make it seem reasonable, but it doesn’t hold up.”
“What do you think will happen in the appeal?”
Liang Hanqing thought for a moment, “The appeal is in the high court. I can’t say for sure. Jiang Chengyuan has influence in the local judicial system, but higher up it’s uncertain. There will be more complications, but it definitely won’t be as easy as this time.” He paused, then added, “Actually, if you hadn’t come to find me today, I would have gone to see you. I know you must be feeling terrible now. In the trial, he played tricks, so don’t blame yourself too much. It’s not your fault.”
Xiao Zhou asked, “So it’s all his fault?”
Liang Hanqing looked at him, “Did you two have a fight?”
Xiao Zhou smiled bitterly, “Is it that obvious?”
“I’ve always said you two aren’t suited for each other.” Liang Hanqing stood up, glanced at his watch, “I’m about to get off work. If you don’t mind, could you wait for me a bit?”
Xiao Zhou nodded, leaned back, took a sip of his water, and gazed out the window at the parking lot. The building was somewhat old, with walls covered in large, red ivy.
About an hour later, Liang Hanqing saved the documents and looked up to find Xiao Zhou still staring out the window, maintaining his original posture. The mottled sunset cast light and shadows on his face, making him appear much softer. Over the more than five years since he first saw him in detention, the sharp, naive young man had almost completely faded away.
Driving out of the courthouse, Liang Hanqing asked, “Where do you want to go?”
With the car window half-open, Xiao Zhou rested his head on his hand, the wind blowing through and messing up his hair. “I don’t have anywhere in mind.” Then he turned and asked, “Do you have any wine at home?”
Liang Hanqing was slightly surprised, turning his face, “Yes, do you want to come over?”
Xiao Zhou nodded, “Mm.”