Reservoir Dogs chapter 97
Exchange
Xiao Zhou’s injury wasn’t serious; he could have rested at home. However, Jiang Chengyuan insisted he stay a few more days at the hospital.
After a few days, an unexpected visitor came to the hospital room.
It seemed like Ji Yang and Liang Hanqing had planned it. As soon as Ji Yang pulled Jiang Chengyuan out to discuss some case matters, Liang Hanqing walked in.
Xiao Zhou didn’t expect to see him and was very wary. “What are you doing here?”
Liang Hanqing placed the fruit basket on the table and said, “I heard you were injured, so I came to check on you. I didn’t hear any news from you recently, and I was worried.”
Xiao Zhou was creeped out by his casual greeting. Liang Hanqing’s expression was calm, as if he was visiting an old friend. Despite what had happened, how could he act so nonchalantly? Jiang Chengyuan was already a master of deceit, but Liang Hanqing seemed even worse. What about before? How much of it was genuine and how much was fake?
Their standoff didn’t last long before Jiang Chengyuan came in. Seeing Liang Hanqing, he immediately stepped forward, grabbed him by the collar, and pushed him against the wall, his face icy. “Didn’t I tell you not to show up again?”
Liang Hanqing, seemingly weak, didn’t resist and just smiled lightly. “I have something to discuss with you, but you blocked all my contacts, so I had to come here.”
Ji Yang, who followed Jiang Chengyuan in, saw the confrontation and separated them. “Chengyuan, Hanqing indeed has something to say to you.”
Jiang Chengyuan let go, glanced at Ji Yang, and asked, “Are you two familiar?”
Ji Yang awkwardly rubbed his nose and evaded, “Not really, but we met a few times while working on cases, and we ran into each other downstairs.”
Jiang Chengyuan then looked at Liang Hanqing, who smiled warmly and nodded, apparently agreeing with Ji Yang’s words. Jiang Chengyuan, thinking Ji Yang had no reason to lie, accepted it and stepped back with a cold attitude. “I have nothing to discuss with you.”
Liang Hanqing, unhurried, straightened his clothes and stepped closer to whisper something in Jiang Chengyuan’s ear. Jiang Chengyuan instinctively moved away, but halfway through, his expression turned serious. After Liang Hanqing finished and left the room, Jiang Chengyuan hesitated, asked Ji Yang to stay with Xiao Zhou, and quickly followed.
Liang Hanqing, maintaining a dignified posture, walked even faster when Jiang Chengyuan chased after him, his coat flapping as he hurried down the stairs towards the parking lot, showing no intention of waiting for Jiang Chengyuan. Furious, Jiang Chengyuan quickened his pace, grabbed Liang Hanqing’s arm. “What are you doing? You made me come out and then walk so fast. Didn’t you say you had something to tell me?”
Liang Hanqing, his arm grabbed, didn’t resist. They were in the hospital lobby, surrounded by people. Liang Hanqing glanced around. “Come with me. Let’s find a quiet place.”
Jiang Chengyuan hesitated but followed him to the car. The sports car sped out of the hospital, racing down the road at high speed, frequently changing lanes and taking sharp turns, causing surrounding cars to honk in protest. Seeing Liang Hanqing drive recklessly, Jiang Chengyuan shouted, “What are you doing?!”
Liang Hanqing, his face tense and silent, clenched his jaw, his temples throbbing, his eyes filled with a fierce determination. Sensing something was wrong, Jiang Chengyuan grabbed his wrist. “Liang Hanqing, are you crazy?!”
With a sudden brake, the sports car screeched to a halt by the roadside, the tires almost sparking against the asphalt. Liang Hanqing lurched forward but was yanked back by the seat belt. His hand gripping the steering wheel, knuckles white, Jiang Chengyuan noticed his forehead was covered in cold sweat, his body trembling. After a moment, Liang Hanqing turned and smiled at Jiang Chengyuan. “We’re here.”
Jiang Chengyuan was creeped out by his smile, feeling it was a bottomless black hole. He got out of the car and looked around, finding they were at a shabby little eatery that seemed old, its sign blackened and unreadable. Two tall ginkgo trees in front had shed yellowed leaves all over the ground. Looking around, Jiang Chengyuan felt a strange familiarity but couldn’t recall when he’d been there before.
Liang Hanqing parked the car and walked over, having regained his usual gentle and kind demeanor, his features looking fresh and bright, completely different from the manic driver earlier.
Jiang Chengyuan frowned slightly, feeling that Liang Hanqing had changed so much that he could no longer understand him at all.
Liang Hanqing walked up and grabbed his hand, but Jiang Chengyuan shook it off. Unbothered, Liang Hanqing simply walked into the eatery. “You might have forgotten, but you brought me here when I was a kid.” He entered the eatery, and the lady behind the counter, recognizing him as a regular, asked if he wanted his usual order. Liang Hanqing nodded and said to make it two servings because he had a friend with him.
The lady looked up from the stove and saw Jiang Chengyuan. She was momentarily surprised, then smiled. “Xiao Liang Hanqing, is this the friend you always talk about? He’s quite handsome.”
Liang Hanqing smiled faintly but didn’t respond.
They ordered two bowls of braised pork rice and two bottles of cold beer. Liang Hanqing poured hot water over the chopsticks and spoon for him, placing them in front of him thoughtfully. Jiang Chengyuan coldly watched without moving. “I’m not here to eat with you.”
Liang Hanqing shrugged and mixed his rice with a spoon, taking a bite. Jiang Chengyuan silently watched him eat and said nothing more.Liang Hanqing then smiled while eating, “It’s awkward being watched by you.” After swallowing a mouthful, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, “Actually, I’ve already told you the news. Wang Li died in prison, and our mentor’s revenge has been avenged.”
Jiang Chengyuan lowered his eyes, opened a beer bottle, and poured himself a glass. “How did he die?”
“Suicide. He hanged himself with a bedsheet on the bunk bed frame. It was a painful death,” Liang Hanqing said coldly, though there was a hint of excitement in his tone.
Jiang Chengyuan poured the beer on the ground as a tribute to their mentor, then poured himself another glass and drank it. “He was initially sentenced to three years, but the second trial extended it to seven years, and additional charges made it ten years in total. That’s quite rare.”
Liang Hanqing said, “Evil people get what they deserve. Letting him die easily would have been a mistake.”
Jiang Chengyuan exhaled lightly, as if a long-standing grudge had been resolved. “That’s good.”
There was a moment of silence between them. Liang Hanqing lowered his head, expressionlessly stirring his rice with a spoon. Suddenly, he said, “Senior, are you back with Xiao Zhou?”
Jiang Chengyuan’s brows furrowed. “What’s it to you?”
Liang Hanqing said, “You previously canceled Xiao Zhou’s identity documents but didn’t send him back. I knew he couldn’t escape you. When you truly want to do something, nothing can stop you. Given his personality, it’s too easy for you to hold on to him.”
Jiang Chengyuan sneered coldly. “You’ve been paying close attention.”
Liang Hanqing said, “Because I’ve known Xiao Zhou for a long time. He’s a good person, and I don’t want to see him get hurt.”
“Doesn’t it feel ironic for you to say that?”
Liang Hanqing smiled bitterly. “Believe it or not, but I genuinely think so.”
Jiang Chengyuan stopped smiling. “So what? What are you trying to say?”
Liang Hanqing changed the subject, “I mean, if you don’t love him, let him live his own life. Stop entangling him.”
Jiang Chengyuan thought Liang Hanqing was being absurd and felt foolish for arguing with him about this.
Seeing Jiang Chengyuan’s impatience, Liang Hanqing continued, “When you selected people from the Clemency Court, you reviewed his case file, didn’t you?”
Jiang Chengyuan glanced at him. “Hmm?”
Liang Hanqing continued, “Then you must have also seen his case. With your expertise, you must have noticed the flaws in it, right?”
Jiang Chengyuan fell silent, then harshly rebuked, “You handled that case, and it’s a mess. You have the nerve to bring it up. If our mentor were alive, he’d be furious. Everything he taught you went to waste.”
Leaning back in his chair, Liang Hanqing said calmly, “Yes, I’m not as skilled as you and did a terrible job. But if this is a wrongful case, with unclear facts and insufficient evidence, why haven’t you overturned it for him? Instead, you watch him bear an unjust charge, suffering for something he didn’t do. After all this time, how dare you say you love him? Is this how you love him?”
Jiang Chengyuan’s pupils contracted quickly, his face growing stern. “What are you getting at? If you think you did a poor job, then fix it yourself.”
Liang Hanqing softened his tone, “I believe love involves sacrifice and fulfillment, not just blind possession. I sympathize with him, admire him, but I don’t love him. Why should I devote my time and energy to him? But you’re different. If you genuinely care for him, you need to make sacrifices.”
Jiang Chengyuan was momentarily speechless.
“Actually, it’s not difficult for you. Are you afraid of losing?” Liang Hanqing smiled slightly.
Anger flickered in Jiang Chengyuan’s eyes, and his hand trembled on the table.
Liang Hanqing glanced at him, “Oh, maybe you’re not afraid of losing, but afraid of winning?”
Jiang Chengyuan slammed the table and stood up. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but don’t try to provoke me. It won’t work.”
“Why are you angry? Do you think what I said is wrong, or do you feel I’m making you look bad? Did I hit a nerve?” Liang Hanqing leisurely opened a beer, poured himself a glass, and said, “Indeed, if you win, you have no reason to keep him by your side, no means to control him. If one day he changes his mind and wants to leave, you’ll have to let him go. He’s an alpha, with more choices. Will he still want to be with you then? He never wanted to be with you; he was forced. If you clear his name, be a good person to the end. Help him find a gentle omega, let him have a happy family and children.”
“Dream on!” Jiang Chengyuan’s face was pale. After a long while, he said, “I don’t need you to tell me how to do things.”
Liang Hanqing continued, “The best thing to do is to deceive and hide from him for a lifetime. After all, he’s already used to the current situation. Are you good to him? Of course, you are. You support him and protect him, but that’s it.”
Liang Hanqing lifted his eyes, staring unblinkingly at him. His voice suddenly turned cold, “Senior, you don’t love him that much. You love yourself the most. I’m not forcing you; I’m just using this opportunity to make you see yourself clearly.”
Jiang Chengyuan stood there stiffly for a while, his back rigid, then turned and left without a word.
After Jiang Chengyuan left, Liang Hanqing gave a dry laugh, slowly swallowed a mouthful of cold beer, and began eating his bowl of rice.
He ate meticulously and cleanly. Jiang Chengyuan hadn’t touched his bowl at all. When Liang Hanqing finished his own, he took Jiang Chengyuan’s bowl and slowly ate it too. Despite having a good appetite, he wasn’t a big eater. After a few bites of the second bowl, he felt so full he wanted to vomit, but he forced himself to swallow it all. When he finally finished the last bite, he dry-heaved into a trash can, his stomach churning as he threw up everything.
The owner, terrified, rushed out to ask if he was okay. Liang Hanqing waved her off, grabbed another bottle of beer, went outside to a tree, rolled up his sleeves, and bent over, rinsing his mouth with the beer. His actions were rough, no longer displaying his usual refined demeanor.
His stomach still uncomfortable, he leaned against the tree and dry-heaved some more. Then he began to cough violently, unable to stop. Covering his mouth with his hand, he felt a tearing pain as if his insides were being ripped apart, and blood seeped through his fingers. He stared at the bright red blood in his palm, stunned for a long time before returning to the eatery to wipe it away with a napkin.
He sat in the eatery for a while longer. The owner brought him a glass of water, advising him not to drink if he was unwell. Liang Hanqing smiled gratefully at her, then pointed at the menu on the wall, lost in thought. “The first time I came here, they only served one kind of meal—pig trotter rice. I thought twelve yuan was ridiculously expensive. Senior was also poor and didn’t have much money on him. He bought me a bowl and just sat there drinking water, watching me eat. I was starving, practically licking the bowl clean, not leaving him a bite. Thinking back now, I was really inconsiderate. No wonder he doesn’t like me.”
The owner asked, “Is the friend who was here just now your senior?”
Liang Hanqing’s face was fair and delicate. Smiling, he looked youthful and nodded.
The owner said, “That’s wonderful. It’s rare for senior and junior brothers to still be in contact after so many years, eating and drinking together.”
Liang Hanqing left the eatery, walking slowly along the sidewalk. Perhaps at a certain stage in life or nearing the end, one becomes particularly nostalgic. Recently, he often thought of the past.
When he was 13, his parents died in a car accident. Relatives shirked responsibility until an uncle agreed to take him in. He packed his bags and sat outside his home waiting, from morning until night, until a boy not much older than him arrived with a shoulder bag, wearing a cheap tracksuit. It was his first time seeing Jiang Chengyuan. His initial thought was how stern and difficult to get along with he looked, as if someone owed him money.
After confirming his name, Jiang Chengyuan said Wu Yichang had sent him. Wu Yichang was in another city for a court case and couldn’t come. Jiang Chengyuan then helped Liang Hanqing with his suitcase, telling him to follow and taking him to the bus. Liang Hanqing had been waiting all day and was so hungry he felt faint, insisting on eating first. They stood stubbornly in the corridor until Jiang Chengyuan relented and took him to find an eatery.
Liang Hanqing, spoiled since childhood, refused to eat plain food and demanded meat. Jiang Chengyuan scraped together twelve yuan for him. Despite being small, Liang Hanqing forced himself to finish the meal even when he was full, only to vomit everything up on the train from the stench of sweat and dried fish. He was so weak he broke out in cold sweat.
Jiang Chengyuan had only bought a standing ticket. Fearing Liang Hanqing would be jostled in the crowded car, he held his hand the whole time, shielding him with his body. Liang Hanqing clung to his clothes, standing there. Despite being four years older, Jiang Chengyuan was already nearly two heads taller. They were so close it was like being embraced.
Liang Hanqing noticed Jiang Chengyuan’s cool body, barely sweating, with a faint soap scent mixed with an odd hint of alcohol. He’d never smelled that on anyone before and didn’t understand why someone would smell of alcohol, not the soothing kind but sharp and dizzying.
When they got off the train, Liang Hanqing felt feverish, thinking he had food poisoning. Jiang Chengyuan, noticing his paleness, touched his forehead and said, “You’re just a kid. How are you already starting to differentiate?”
Liang Hanqing, prematurely differentiated at 13, triggered by Jiang Chengyuan’s pheromones. Since then, the alcohol scent haunted him at night, like a worm burrowing into his bones, itchy yet unreachable, torturing him secretly, making him both fearful and addicted.
His most direct reaction to this subtle feeling was to follow his alpha instincts, always opposing Jiang Chengyuan, competing in everything to prove himself stronger and attract his attention.
But unfortunately, Liang Hanqing did not do well in this regard.
He was always looking up to Jiang Chengyuan, trying to keep up with his steps but could only helplessly hide in the shadows. As long as Jiang Chengyuan was around, he would never be noticed, he was just Jiang Chengyuan’s obedient junior. But looking at Jiang Chengyuan’s natural talent, he inevitably felt that it was only right to lose to him, and he had no reason to resent it. He gradually accepted it, willingly becoming the green leaf that complements the red flower. He became humble and gentle, satisfied with this neither too close nor too far position.
Until later, the incident occurred. Jiang Chengyuan left, Wanwan committed suicide, and his uncle was devastated; the world he was used to collapsed.
When the verdict came out, he couldn’t understand how a rapist who ruined others’ lives could be sentenced to only three years. It all seemed so unfair.
But what he couldn’t come to terms with the most was that Jiang Chengyuan left so decisively, as if nothing here was worth his concern. This departure made Liang Hanqing feel betrayed; maybe Jiang Chengyuan was the kind of person who looked down on everything and never looked back.
He had chased a goal for too long, so long that he no longer knew what he wanted to do. His world was left with only one question: what is it that Jiang Chengyuan wants to do but can’t?
An answer was on the tip of his tongue.
And everything, as always, required an equal exchange.