Chapter 388: Chapter 367: We All Don’t Want You to Become That Kind of Person!
Liang Feng laughed for more than half an hour at the fat man in front of her and still couldn’t stop: "Brother Xiao, what are you playing at? Halloween is already over."
"Find a more secluded place to talk." Xiao Lin tugged at his collar, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the tie choking him.
"Can you even ride a motorcycle like this?" Liang Feng held back her laughter, feeling that if she kept looking, she’d definitely turn into a madwoman laughing.
"Hmm!"
Liang Feng didn’t want to live on campus, so she rented a small apartment a few streets away next to Yan University. It looked tidy and comfortable, with a studio plus a small kitchen and bathroom, enough for someone living alone. After all, being a girl, the room always had a refreshing scent.
"Brother Xiao, make yourself at home." Liang Feng went into the kitchen to boil water.
Xiao Lin, having shed his disguise, took a shower and came out, placing the soft gel refined from vegetable oil into a large basin: "Do you have any alcohol?"
"On the balcony." Liang Feng put some leaves and some unrecognizable plants into the pot and stirred them with chopsticks.
Alcohol dripped onto the soft gel, quickly causing a chemical reaction. The soft gel slowly shrunk, and what was once a big balloon had now been crushed into a wad of paper.
"Your belly is gone?" Liang Feng playfully carried out two bowls of black liquid and handed them to Xiao Lin.
"Herbal tea from back home, to dispel dampness."
The tea didn’t have a special smell, but compared to Chinese medicine, it really had no taste. Xiao Lin took a sip, and his whole face scrunched up: "Did you put too many cooling leaves in!" It had no smell, but drinking it was definitely on par with Chinese medicine.
"Fatty, you’re despising my craft." After saying this, Liang Feng laughed heartily again: "Dragon Soul’s stuff is really amazing." She reached out to poke the wad of paper, but Xiao Lin stopped her.
"In its normal size, it’s harmless. Like this, if you touch it once, your hand’s done for. It’s highly toxic now." Xiao Lin took ice from the fridge and covered the wad of paper with it.
"Like this!" Liang Feng stuck out her tongue at Xiao Lin, almost getting poisoned just now.
"Now, care to explain what’s going on?" Xiao Lin lovingly ruffled Liang Feng’s head. In his eyes, she was still an undeveloped child.
"There’s a girl in our gang named Lin Jiaqi, you’ve met her!"
"Huh?" Xiao Lin really didn’t have an impression, but if Liang Feng said so, maybe they had met.
"Yeah, the last time at the police station, you forget things easily." Xiao Lin chuckled twice: "She was raped."
The straightforward topic made Xiao Lin raise his eyebrows. For a girl, this was indeed a huge blow.
"The place you’re waiting for me is?"
"Oh, that’s Lin Jiaqi’s home. Her family wouldn’t let us see her, so I had to call you."
"What’s your purpose in seeing her!" This matter should likely be handled by the police, he couldn’t comprehend what this little girl was thinking.
"I want to know who did it!" Liang Feng angrily gulped down the herbal tea, choked by the bitter taste she brewed herself.
"Feng, this is a matter for the police." Xiao Lin reminded Liang Feng, even though the Fei Feng Gang was supported under his command, it didn’t mean they could act recklessly. As long as it didn’t involve criminal acts, he could tolerate it.
"I know, but..."
"No buts!"
Xiao Lin’s face darkened. With Liang Feng’s character, it was hard to ensure she wouldn’t do something rash. From the reports from the Sword side, there were a few times if it weren’t for their timely intervention, her hands would’ve been stained with blood.
"I know you always didn’t want my hands stained with blood."
"You’re Liang Hu’s sister." Xiao Lin felt a pang in his heart. Though that battle rarely appeared in his dreams anymore, it remained a thorn unseen, always causing a lasting pain.
"We all don’t want to see you become that kind of person."
"So you had those people protect me?" At this point, Liang Feng was upset. Even a fool would know what those plain-clothed people doing breaking in at crucial moments to take the villains away meant.
"The Fei Feng Gang is your choice. Walking the dark path isn’t as straightforward as you think." Xiao Lin spoke truthfully. The dark path wasn’t easy, nor was the straight path. He hoped Liang Feng could follow her brother’s will and join Dragon Soul for formalized training, but everyone has their own aspirations.
"I understand!" Liang Feng looked at Xiao Lin’s hardly touched herbal tea.
"How many in the upright world aren’t colluding with the underworld? Even standing in the sunshine casts shadows; black and white are inherently hard to separate."
Xiao Lin squinted his eyes, surprised that Liang Feng could say such a thing. Uncertain if such maturity was too burdensome for her.
"My brother’s dead, but I believe he wouldn’t regret it. Even if he could do it over, he’d still do the same. I’m proud to have such a brother." Liang Feng’s voice was slightly sobbing, her eyes reddened, and Xiao Lin pulled her into his embrace.
"I also want to become someone like my brother, someone who can protect you. You, standing in the sunlight, have many things you cannot accomplish. Then, I can be your shadow. It’s a rule; your identity doesn’t allow you to do that."
"Silly girl!" Xiao Lin couldn’t refute her words. In fact, she wasn’t wrong at all. However, facts don’t equate to necessity; he didn’t think such a burden should fall on a young girl’s shoulders.
"I’ll handle Lin Jiaqi’s matter."
"No, I..." Liang Feng still wanted to say something.
"This matter is non-negotiable!" Xiao Lin gave Liang Feng a thumping on her head.
"That hurts!" Liang Feng complained coquettishly, realizing she had no chance if Xiao Lin refused to let her get involved. "I won’t give up. I want to avenge Lin Jiaqi."
"How did you know about Lin Jiaqi’s case?" As a standard criminal case, the police follow judicial procedures. As long as the victim reports, a case will be filed and investigated.
"Everyone hanging around outside knows."
"Oh?" Xiao Lin began to ponder. A girl getting raped—is there anything to show off about? The victim never came forward, so who spread this news? That’s a point of suspicion.
The Fei Feng Gang replaced the Poison Dragon Gang, and with someone backing them, people generally didn’t dare to mess with Fei Feng Gang easily. Knowing this and still making a move—either they’re not afraid of death or deliberately provoking. Clearly, it’s the latter; their intention is more than just lusting after beauty. Provoking Fei Feng Gang is equivalent to provoking the people behind it. This is point of suspicion two.
"Feng! There’s something I need you to do." Xiao Lin didn’t voice his doubts. The victim hadn’t reported it, and going through official channels might be unfeasible. Even if reported, the procedure would delay things significantly.
"Alright!" Liang Feng’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Xiao Lin pinched her nose playfully, "What do you want me to do? I, Liang Feng, would go through fire and water without hesitation."
"It’s not that dramatic!" Xiao Lin started to regret it; how is this kid the same as her brother—so impulsive and never stays calm for even a moment?
"Find out who spread the news, but don’t act rashly; always stay in touch with me and report back!"
"What’s this got to do with the case?" Liang Feng decisively picked up the medicinal tea from that night, wrinkling her nose.
"Drink any more and you’ll have a stomachache." Xiao Lin snatched the bowl from her and began drinking.
"If you’re not drinking, I won’t either, or it’ll be wasted." Liang Feng pouted in grievance, "What happens when you find the person?"
"Lin Jiaqi didn’t report it. In a rape case, either the victim speaks up, the criminal boasts, or someone accidentally witnessed it." Putting down the bowl, Xiao Lin shivered, "Ruling out the first possibility..."
"Oh, I get it." Liang Feng jumped up, exclaiming, "Brother Xiao, are you planning to solve this case yourself? As long as we find the person who spread the word, we can find the criminal, right?"
"I hope this matter isn’t too complicated." Xiao Lin muttered softly.
"What did you say?" Liang Feng was still immersed in her calculations, not paying attention to Xiao Lin’s grave expression at all.
"Liang Feng, your only task is to find out who spread the rumor. Don’t concern yourself with anything else." Xiao Lin warned Liang Feng, still not reassured.
"Got it!" Liang Feng agreed.
"You should know, deceiving me will have serious consequences." Like hell you’d agree, Xiao Lin thought, his face expressionless as he scrutinized Liang Feng’s crafty eyes: "Did you hear me?"
"Alright!" Her thoughts exposed, Liang Feng unwillingly slumped her shoulders. Xiao Lin was far more terrifying than her brother; she was self-aware enough to realize that.
"Get some rest early."
Wrapping up the paper ball that had turned into water with a towel, he placed it in a plastic bag. Then, putting the steel frame meant for elongating thigh bones into water, a strange scene unfolded again. The seemingly indestructible material snapped into pieces after soaking for a short while.
"What are these?" Liang Feng bit her finger, watching Xiao Lin with an expectant gaze.
"Don’t even think about it. These things are impossible to give you," seeing through her thoughts, Xiao Lin cleaned the water out of the basin and put it, along with the basin, into a plastic bag. "I’m leaving! Remember not to tell a third person about this matter."
Walking out the door, Xiao Lin didn’t throw the trash into the bin; instead, when exiting the community gate, he split the trash bag apart and threw them into different trash cans.
"Hey! Come pick me up!" Xiao Lin casually said over the phone.
His fingers accidentally touched the damp towel, and he felt a slight numbness at his fingertips. Leaning against an electric pole, Xiao Lin lit a cigarette, subtly channeling energy to expel the small amount of poison from his body.
In less than ten minutes, a silver BMW, making an unnatural noise, stopped in front. Xiao Lin got in.
"Wasn’t it supposed to be tomorrow?" Hua Qingyi swiftly maneuvered through the bustling traffic.
"Yeah, I got discovered." Using a tissue to wipe the water mist off his fingers, at a red light, he accurately tossed the tissue into a trash bin three to four meters away. Hua Qingyi raised an eyebrow at this display.
"Seems like you’re in a bad mood."
"Yeah." Xiao Lin nodded, his face somber. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian, your support is my biggest motivation.)