October 29, 3020. According to the appointed time, Jiang Chengyan and Su Ke directly entered the Bolang bar together.
The bartender saw the two people walking in and greeted enthusiastically, “Mr. Su, Jiang dui, you’re here.”
They walked to the bar counter and sat down. Jiang Chengyan bluntly said, “We have an appointment with your boss today. Is he here?”
“Yes, he’s been waiting for you in the office. Do you see the stairs over there?” The bartender pointed to the northeast corner of the bar. When he saw Jiang Chengyan nodding, he then said, “Go straight up to the third floor. The room facing the stairs is the boss’s office.”
Jiang Chengyan nodded and thanked the bartender. He got up and walked towards the stairs with Su Ke. When they reached the third floor, he looked up at the room with the office sign hanging. When Jiang Chengyan knocked, it opened and a young man came into view.
Kong Fang offered a faint smile, but he couldn’t hide his tired expression. “Jiang dui, Mr. Su, please come in.”
Jiang Chengyan smiled politely. “Then we’ll be disturbing Mr. Kong.”
They went into the office and took a seat on the sofa. Kong Fang poured tea for the two, and planted himself across.
Jiang Chengyan casually started. “Mr. Kong’s complexion isn’t very good. Are you tired?”
Kong Fang gazed at Jiang Chengyan, his gentle eyes were reflecting chagrin. “Jiang dui, Changping, he…. He was in an accident?”
Jiang Chengyan’s eyes flashed. His eyes met Su Ke’s and he sounded out. “Listening to Mr. Kong’s tone, you and Mr. Jiang seems very familiar?”
Kong Fang unconsciously fiddled the ring on his ring finger. He was unresponsive for a while, until he decided to break the silence. “We’re gay partners.”
Jiang Chengyan was stunned. He hadn’t expected that the person they were looking for would smoothly and unexpectedly appear.
“You mean you and Mr. Jiang are same-sex partners?” Jiang Chengyan confirmed again.
“Yes,” Kong Fang spoke sadly. “But a few days ago, we broke up. Jiang dui, can you tell me what happened to him? ”
“He’s dead.”
“Dead…” Kong Fang’s eyes instantly reddened, and tears rolled down. “In fact, I had already guessed that something happened when you contacted me. If it wasn’t an accident, how could a criminal police intervene? It’s just that I…. I can’t accept….”
Jiang Chengyan took out a paper towel and handed it to Kong Fang. “Mr. Kong, we understand your feelings, but we still need your cooperation in investigating some matters.”
“I’m not a murderer, so I have no reason to be afraid of being investigated.” Kong Fang’s bottomless eyes were filled with melted grief. He added, “In fact, I don’t really possess any concerns about it since the people around me have long since known of my sexual orientation, but Changping is different. He has a wife and his son. If they find out, it won’t be good for their child’s growth.”
“When did you meet Mr. Jiang?”
“October 22, 3017 was the third anniversary of the bar’s opening. During this day, I stay in the bar until close time. That day, he was sitting at the counter, drinking cup after cup. I was afraid that he would get drunk and make trouble so I sat down to have a chat with him.” Kong Fang unconsciously looked at the tea cup on the table, and a gentle smile showed up at the corner of his mouth. Obviously, he had fallen into memory lane.
“When I sat next to him, he seemed a little nervous. He told me, ‘I have company’ so he could drive me away.” Kong Fang smiled and then added, “If it turned out ordinary, I will turn back and leave. Maybe I was too busy that day, but I was interested in him. I didn’t speak; just sat beside him and drank. When he saw me like that, he stopped instead. He was hesitant to talk to me and acted timid yet he dare not speak . Afterwards, I initiated the conversation, and he lost his previous resistance. He poured out to me, this stranger, everything in his heart.”
Kong Fang expressed. Jiang Chengyan and Kong Fang looked at each other, but they didn’t speak.
“He talked all day, and I listened to his inner quagmires and contradictions. He was a homosexual. He not only married a woman, but also had a child with her. He loves his son, but feels sorry for him because he was born not out of love, but to be his escape plan.”
“I understood his pain. People like us, who aren’t recognized by the society, have to love someone secretly, lest if others know, they will be excluded and discriminated against. It’s just that I don’t agree with his ways, and even I got tired of his cowardice. But emotions are so unreasonable, and some annoying people fall in love with each other in the end.”
“I bought this ring. It’s actually a pair, I wore the other one on my hand. I told him that when he could bravely tell the truth, I would put that ring on him and accompany him for a lifetime. Unfortunately…. What accompanied me was a break-up.”
After a moment of silence, seeing that Kong Fang didn’t plan to continue, Jiang Chengyan asked, “How often do you meet?”
“We meet two or three days every month.”
“Where do you meet each time?”
“East of Guangmei district. My family has an old house over there.”
“When was the last time you saw Mr. Jiang?”
“8pm on the 22nd, we separated.”
“Where did you go after you split up? Who can testify for you?”
“After that, I went home. The next morning, I went on a business trip to Ancheng. I just came back today.”
“Where’s your house? When did you arrive home? Could someone testify for you?”
“I only live alone in He Mei district so no one could testify. I got home at about nine o’clock, however, the monitoring facilities in the district are relatively perfect, so I should be able to provide you the image of my home. ”
“He Mei district?” Jiang Chengyan and Su Ke subtly glanced at each other and then asked, “Since you already guessed that Mr. Jiang had an accident, why didn’t you come back yesterday?”
“When you called me, I was hospitalized with a high fever and couldn’t get out of bed at all.”
“From Huacheng to Ancheng, how did you get there?”
“I drove, but I came back by high-speed rail. I still have a slight fever and I won’t be able to drive for the time being.”
“What’s wrong with Mr. Kong?”
“Pneumonia caused by a high fever.” Kong Fang announced with a bitter smile. “In fact, that night when I arrived in Ancheng, I already realized something was wrong. I just felt so sick but I didn’t want to go to the hospital. As a result, I have pneumonia. If my friends didn’t find out in time, it might’ve grown more serious than now.”
“Where did you stay in Ancheng and where were you hospitalized?”
“I stayed in a star hotel. I was admitted to the West Wing of Ancheng People’s Hospital.”
Jiang Chengyan nodded then asked, “Why did you break up?”
Kong Fang was silent for a while and said, “He said that our relationship was wrong, and that he didn’t want to be wrong anymore. He wanted to fly back to his family and take good care of his wife and child.”
“And you?”
“Me? He already made his decision. What else am I supposed to say? I was a proud person for three years, but because of my love for him, I felt like a thief sneaking behind close doors. Yet what I get in return is “we’re wrong”. How ridiculous. I’m tired, too.”
Su Ke, who kept his silence from the start, suddenly said, “You were indeed wrong from the beginning. Regardless of how much you love someone, you should’ve known where to draw the line.”
Kong Fang was stunned and offered a self mocking smile, “So who is to blame?”
“Have you met Mr. Jiang’s family?”
“Yes. We ran into each other when we went to a gallery to pick up paintings.”
“In your opinion, do you think Mr. Jiang’s wife has an idea about you?”
“I don’t know. He won’t let them know.” Kong Fang looked at Jiang Chengyan and asked, “Can I see him?”
“Now? But your body…. ”
“I’m fine, I just want to see him. People who were still alive before Ming Ming, why did they suddenly disappear?” Kong Fang’s frame of mind was obviously teetering at the edge.
Jiang Chengyan looked at Su Ke. When Su Ke nodded, he got up and said, “In that case, Mr. Kong will come with us.”
Kong Fang stood up and acquiesced gratefully, “Thank you.”
They didn’t talk much and drove straight to the police station. When they arrived at the cold room, Su Ke swiped the exit card and went in first. Kong Fang paused and looked at the open door with his fists clenched. Jiang Chengyan stood aside and didn’t speak; he just recrusively accompanied him. Although Kong Fang has always shown a calm disposition, he could see that he’s trying to restrain himself. His deep love for Jiang Changping couldn’t be ignored.
His lodged feet were fixed in the threshold for an eternity, until Kong Fang finally decided to step inside and walked close to Su Ke. He said apologetically, “Sorry, Mr. Su. I’ve kept you waiting for a long time.”
No matter how somber and grief-stricken, Kong Fang still has a good upbringing. Who would have thought that such a person would be willing to be a third party for three years because of love?
Can love really make a person risk everything and transform the person into something they once hated? Jiang Chengyan couldn’t help the rising doubt in his heart.
“It’s fine, I understand how you feel.” Su Ke observed Kong Fang’s pale face and asked with uncertainty, “Mr. Kong, are you really okay?”
Kong Fang examined the large rectangular cold locker in front of him and nodded calmly.
“Mr. Kong, Mr. Jiang’s corpse isn’t whole, so you’d better be mentally prepared.”
Kong Fang reluctantly glanced at Su Ke and blurted, “You mean…”
Su Ke nodded and calmly added, “Mr. Jiang was dismembered, and only the head was still missing.”
“How could that be…” Kong Fang swayed and staggered a step, bumping into Jiang Chengyan’s body in the process.
Looking at his dreadful complexion, Jiang Chengyan got worried. “Mr. Kong, if you can’t do it, you can see it next time.”
Kong Fang’s bloodshot eyes were shaking as he shook his head, “Open it. No matter what, I still want to see him. ”
Su Ke gave Jiang Chengyan a once-over then pulled open the locker containing Jiang Changping’s remains.
October 29, 3020. According to the appointed time, Jiang Chengyan and Su Ke directly entered the Bolang bar together.
The bartender saw the two people walking in and greeted enthusiastically, “Mr. Su, Jiang dui, you’re here.”
They walked to the bar counter and sat down. Jiang Chengyan bluntly said, “We have an appointment with your boss today. Is he here?”
“Yes, he’s been waiting for you in the office. Do you see the stairs over there?” The bartender pointed to the northeast corner of the bar. When he saw Jiang Chengyan nodding, he then said, “Go straight up to the third floor. The room facing the stairs is the boss’s office.”
Jiang Chengyan nodded and thanked the bartender. He got up and walked towards the stairs with Su Ke. When they reached the third floor, he looked up at the room with the office sign hanging. When Jiang Chengyan knocked, it opened and a young man came into view.
Kong Fang offered a faint smile, but he couldn’t hide his tired expression. “Jiang dui, Mr. Su, please come in.”
Jiang Chengyan smiled politely. “Then we’ll be disturbing Mr. Kong.”
They went into the office and took a seat on the sofa. Kong Fang poured tea for the two, and planted himself across.
Jiang Chengyan casually started. “Mr. Kong’s complexion isn’t very good. Are you tired?”
Kong Fang gazed at Jiang Chengyan, his gentle eyes were reflecting chagrin. “Jiang dui, Changping, he…. He was in an accident?”
Jiang Chengyan’s eyes flashed. His eyes met Su Ke’s and he sounded out. “Listening to Mr. Kong’s tone, you and Mr. Jiang seems very familiar?”
Kong Fang unconsciously fiddled the ring on his ring finger. He was unresponsive for a while, until he decided to break the silence. “We’re gay partners.”
Jiang Chengyan was stunned. He hadn’t expected that the person they were looking for would smoothly and unexpectedly appear.
“You mean you and Mr. Jiang are same-sex partners?” Jiang Chengyan confirmed again.
“Yes,” Kong Fang spoke sadly. “But a few days ago, we broke up. Jiang dui, can you tell me what happened to him? ”
“He’s dead.”
“Dead…” Kong Fang’s eyes instantly reddened, and tears rolled down. “In fact, I had already guessed that something happened when you contacted me. If it wasn’t an accident, how could a criminal police intervene? It’s just that I…. I can’t accept….”
Jiang Chengyan took out a paper towel and handed it to Kong Fang. “Mr. Kong, we understand your feelings, but we still need your cooperation in investigating some matters.”
“I’m not a murderer, so I have no reason to be afraid of being investigated.” Kong Fang’s bottomless eyes were filled with melted grief. He added, “In fact, I don’t really possess any concerns about it since the people around me have long since known of my sexual orientation, but Changping is different. He has a wife and his son. If they find out, it won’t be good for their child’s growth.”
“When did you meet Mr. Jiang?”
“October 22, 3017 was the third anniversary of the bar’s opening. During this day, I stay in the bar until close time. That day, he was sitting at the counter, drinking cup after cup. I was afraid that he would get drunk and make trouble so I sat down to have a chat with him.” Kong Fang unconsciously looked at the tea cup on the table, and a gentle smile showed up at the corner of his mouth. Obviously, he had fallen into memory lane.
“When I sat next to him, he seemed a little nervous. He told me, ‘I have company’ so he could drive me away.” Kong Fang smiled and then added, “If it turned out ordinary, I will turn back and leave. Maybe I was too busy that day, but I was interested in him. I didn’t speak; just sat beside him and drank. When he saw me like that, he stopped instead. He was hesitant to talk to me and acted timid yet he dare not speak . Afterwards, I initiated the conversation, and he lost his previous resistance. He poured out to me, this stranger, everything in his heart.”
Kong Fang expressed. Jiang Chengyan and Kong Fang looked at each other, but they didn’t speak.
“He talked all day, and I listened to his inner quagmires and contradictions. He was a homosexual. He not only married a woman, but also had a child with her. He loves his son, but feels sorry for him because he was born not out of love, but to be his escape plan.”
“I understood his pain. People like us, who aren’t recognized by the society, have to love someone secretly, lest if others know, they will be excluded and discriminated against. It’s just that I don’t agree with his ways, and even I got tired of his cowardice. But emotions are so unreasonable, and some annoying people fall in love with each other in the end.”
“I bought this ring. It’s actually a pair, I wore the other one on my hand. I told him that when he could bravely tell the truth, I would put that ring on him and accompany him for a lifetime. Unfortunately…. What accompanied me was a break-up.”
After a moment of silence, seeing that Kong Fang didn’t plan to continue, Jiang Chengyan asked, “How often do you meet?”
“We meet two or three days every month.”
“Where do you meet each time?”
“East of Guangmei district. My family has an old house over there.”
“When was the last time you saw Mr. Jiang?”
“8pm on the 22nd, we separated.”
“Where did you go after you split up? Who can testify for you?”
“After that, I went home. The next morning, I went on a business trip to Ancheng. I just came back today.”
“Where’s your house? When did you arrive home? Could someone testify for you?”
“I only live alone in He Mei district so no one could testify. I got home at about nine o’clock, however, the monitoring facilities in the district are relatively perfect, so I should be able to provide you the image of my home. ”
“He Mei district?” Jiang Chengyan and Su Ke subtly glanced at each other and then asked, “Since you already guessed that Mr. Jiang had an accident, why didn’t you come back yesterday?”
“When you called me, I was hospitalized with a high fever and couldn’t get out of bed at all.”
“From Huacheng to Ancheng, how did you get there?”
“I drove, but I came back by high-speed rail. I still have a slight fever and I won’t be able to drive for the time being.”
“What’s wrong with Mr. Kong?”
“Pneumonia caused by a high fever.” Kong Fang announced with a bitter smile. “In fact, that night when I arrived in Ancheng, I already realized something was wrong. I just felt so sick but I didn’t want to go to the hospital. As a result, I have pneumonia. If my friends didn’t find out in time, it might’ve grown more serious than now.”
“Where did you stay in Ancheng and where were you hospitalized?”
“I stayed in a star hotel. I was admitted to the West Wing of Ancheng People’s Hospital.”
Jiang Chengyan nodded then asked, “Why did you break up?”
Kong Fang was silent for a while and said, “He said that our relationship was wrong, and that he didn’t want to be wrong anymore. He wanted to fly back to his family and take good care of his wife and child.”
“And you?”
“Me? He already made his decision. What else am I supposed to say? I was a proud person for three years, but because of my love for him, I felt like a thief sneaking behind close doors. Yet what I get in return is “we’re wrong”. How ridiculous. I’m tired, too.”
Su Ke, who kept his silence from the start, suddenly said, “You were indeed wrong from the beginning. Regardless of how much you love someone, you should’ve known where to draw the line.”
Kong Fang was stunned and offered a self mocking smile, “So who is to blame?”
“Have you met Mr. Jiang’s family?”
“Yes. We ran into each other when we went to a gallery to pick up paintings.”
“In your opinion, do you think Mr. Jiang’s wife has an idea about you?”
“I don’t know. He won’t let them know.” Kong Fang looked at Jiang Chengyan and asked, “Can I see him?”
“Now? But your body…. ”
“I’m fine, I just want to see him. People who were still alive before Ming Ming, why did they suddenly disappear?” Kong Fang’s frame of mind was obviously teetering at the edge.
Jiang Chengyan looked at Su Ke. When Su Ke nodded, he got up and said, “In that case, Mr. Kong will come with us.”
Kong Fang stood up and acquiesced gratefully, “Thank you.”
They didn’t talk much and drove straight to the police station. When they arrived at the cold room, Su Ke swiped the exit card and went in first. Kong Fang paused and looked at the open door with his fists clenched. Jiang Chengyan stood aside and didn’t speak; he just recrusively accompanied him. Although Kong Fang has always shown a calm disposition, he could see that he’s trying to restrain himself. His deep love for Jiang Changping couldn’t be ignored.
His lodged feet were fixed in the threshold for an eternity, until Kong Fang finally decided to step inside and walked close to Su Ke. He said apologetically, “Sorry, Mr. Su. I’ve kept you waiting for a long time.”
No matter how somber and grief-stricken, Kong Fang still has a good upbringing. Who would have thought that such a person would be willing to be a third party for three years because of love?
Can love really make a person risk everything and transform the person into something they once hated? Jiang Chengyan couldn’t help the rising doubt in his heart.
“It’s fine, I understand how you feel.” Su Ke observed Kong Fang’s pale face and asked with uncertainty, “Mr. Kong, are you really okay?”
Kong Fang examined the large rectangular cold locker in front of him and nodded calmly.
“Mr. Kong, Mr. Jiang’s corpse isn’t whole, so you’d better be mentally prepared.”
Kong Fang reluctantly glanced at Su Ke and blurted, “You mean…”
Su Ke nodded and calmly added, “Mr. Jiang was dismembered, and only the head was still missing.”
“How could that be…” Kong Fang swayed and staggered a step, bumping into Jiang Chengyan’s body in the process.
Looking at his dreadful complexion, Jiang Chengyan got worried. “Mr. Kong, if you can’t do it, you can see it next time.”
Kong Fang’s bloodshot eyes were shaking as he shook his head, “Open it. No matter what, I still want to see him. ”
Su Ke gave Jiang Chengyan a once-over then pulled open the locker containing Jiang Changping’s remains.
