Chapter 40: Dream at Night

Upon hearing the news that Cheng Zhenqing had been located and arrested, Ding Xiang made a special trip to the police station, hoping to see him in person.

Clutching a handkerchief in her hand, her feelings were a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Her impression of her eldest son was stuck in his infancy, his tender and childish little face. Now, over thirty years have passed. Would she still be able to recognize him?

Two figures were walking down the corridor toward her. Ding Xiang stood up, watching as a tall man approached. His face bore some resemblance to Cheng Zesheng’s, and tears streamed down her face in an instant.

“It’s him; I can’t be wrong.. It’s Zhenqing..”

Upon seeing Ding Xiang, Cheng Zhenqing’s emotions visibly fluctuated. He stammered, and his voice trembled slightly, “Mom..”

Ding Xiang rushed forward and hugged Cheng Zhenqing, unable to speak through her tears. “You’ve been away for so long. Why didn’t you reveal yourself to us? I looked for you for four years. I was so disheartened that I gave birth to Zesheng, and I never expected to see you again in my lifetime..”

Cheng Zhenqing lowered his head, using one hand to comfortingly stroke Ding Xiang’s back. He softly apologized, “I’m sorry, truly sorry.”

He Wei stood to the side, and from his vantage point, he could see Cheng Zhenqing’s lowered eyelashes sticking together and his eye sockets slightly damp.

Although the reunion of mother and son was heartwarming, Cheng Zhenqing was still a suspect under criminal detention. During this period, visits from family members were not allowed. Being able to have this brief meeting was already a luxury. Ding Xiang wiped her tears, pulled He Wei aside, and anxiously inquired, “Officer He, how many years might Zhenqing be sentenced to for this situation?”

“Cheng Zhenqing is suspected of crimes including illegal possession of weapons, intentional harm, and smuggling firearms and ammunition. We still need to investigate whether his actions are related to Cheng Zesheng’s death.” He Wei’s hand lightly rested on Ding Xiang’s shoulder. “Mrs. Cheng, you should go back for now. If we need your cooperation further, we will inform you separately.”

After hesitating for a long time, Ding Xiang nodded. Just before leaving, her swollen eyes gazed intently at He Wei.

“Officer He, believe me, Zhenqing would never harm Zesheng. When I held him just now, I sensed an overwhelming sadness and helplessness in him. I think he can’t accept Zesheng’s death any more than I can.”

———

After Cheng Zesheng returned home, he found a note on the table. He Wei had listed several questions. If he answered them seriously, it would take up an entire A4 page.

So when He Wei came home that evening, the note on the table had been replaced with an A4 sheet of paper filled with content covering a full page, even detailing things like how old Cheng Zhenqing was when he stopped wetting the bed.

The kitchen’s exhaust fan was on, and a fragrant aroma of meat wafted out. He Wei walked to the kitchen entrance and saw that the gas stove was on. A piece of steak lay on a frying pan, with the side facing up showing streaks of blood, while the other side sizzled and spat oil, its edges turning golden brown.

“..” If this fire didn’t burn, it would be quite strange.

Looking to the right, the refrigerator door was open. Cheng Zesheng didn’t know what he was doing, but an adult like him was in the kitchen and wasn’t even paying attention to the fire.

He Wei walked in, turned down the flame, and then used a pair of chopsticks to flip the steak. Cheng Zesheng was looking for black pepper sauce when he suddenly turned around. He Wei was in the house?

Not only had He Wei come in, but he was also helping him fry the steak.

Cheng Zesheng pulled out the mayonnaise that had been stuffed in the compartment of the door, only to find the black pepper sauce hidden behind it. It was a sachet of sauce, and Cheng Zesheng tore one open and put it on the counter. In the blink of an eye, the sachet was gone, and the aroma of the black pepper steak filled the air, making one’s mouth water.

With the steak cooked, He Wei turned off the flame and switched off the exhaust fan. He left the kitchen directly. If he plated it himself, Cheng Zesheng’s steak would be gone.

He Wei took some clothes and went to take a shower, while Cheng Zesheng sat in the living room happily enjoying his steak. Having such a capable cohabitant was great—able to handle both the formalities and the kitchen, solve cases, and catch criminals; there was nothing they couldn’t do.

After finishing his meal, Cheng Zesheng washed the plates and put them back. Passing by the bathroom, he noticed that He Wei hadn’t finished showering yet. He stopped in his tracks, recalling a time when He Wei wrote on the glass. With a thought in mind, Cheng Zesheng decided to follow suit and show his gratitude for the dinner He Wei had made.

Opening the bathroom door, Cheng Zesheng looked up and was utterly shocked.

In the misty and otherworldly shower, there was a semi-transparent naked figure of a man. His body was slender, and his skin glistened with a pearl-like sheen after being soaked in water. At that moment, he was tilting his head back with his eyes closed, water droplets hitting his cheeks and sliding down his delicate jawline to his collarbone and then down to his chest..

“Bang!” Cheng Zesheng hurriedly shut the door and dashed out. His handsome face turned red to the roots of his ears. He rushed to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and grabbed a can of ice-cold cola to chug down.

He Wei opened his eyes and looked toward the trembling door. What was Cheng Zesheng doing coming in?

And, did he suddenly grow a tail or something? He didn’t even properly close the door on his way out.

Cheng Zesheng downed half the can of cola, wiped his mouth, and finally managed to calm his racing heart. He felt annoyed with himself—what was he getting all worked up for? He had seen plenty of naked men in bathhouses before; none of them made him feel like he was having a heart attack.

But then, Cheng Zesheng froze. He recalled a very serious issue—he had just clearly seen He Wei.

It wasn’t his reflection in the glass; he had seen him in full clarity right in front of him.

With this realization, Cheng Zesheng rushed back and opened the bathroom door. Yet, the bathroom was empty, the sound of water had stopped, and only the damp water marks on the floor and the lingering scent of shampoo remained as evidence of a bath taken.

Gone.

Cheng Zesheng felt regretful. He had finally had a chance to see him, and he didn’t cherish it. Although the circumstances were unusual just now, a simple greeting would have sufficed. It was a missed opportunity.

He Wei hadn’t left the bathroom yet; he was still there, drying his hair. He glanced at the wet marks on the floor and saw two imprints of slippers behind him—Cheng Zesheng was standing there.

What was this guy trying to do? He barged in twice; couldn’t whatever he wanted to say wait until he was done showering and out?

Little did he know that he had missed an unexpected encounter with Cheng Zesheng just moments ago. Although their chances to meet were extremely precious, under such circumstances, He Wei might have only said two words.

Get out.

———

“I want to show you something (tell you something).”

Both of them spoke at the same time, and they both paused. Cheng Zesheng asked, “What do you want to show me?”

“An envelope, found it from your brother. There’s something inside that looks like photographs, but I can’t be sure.”

A parchment envelope appeared on the coffee table, but Cheng Zesheng didn’t reach out to take it. Instead, he asked, “.. How am I supposed to judge? I can’t touch it.”

“What do you think your brother would put in a safe?” He Wei countered.

“Probably something very important, perhaps related to that other Cheng Zesheng. After all, he’s suspected of smuggling. It’s likely that these could be photos of transactions involving the mastermind behind the crimes.”

He Wei hesitated, pondering whether to tell Cheng Zesheng that the Cheng Zhenqing they apprehended could possibly be his brother. Considering various reactions, this speculation was highly plausible. Cheng Zhenqing also possessed information that they didn’t know about. Perhaps he had connections to both parallel worlds.

Cheng Zesheng was also struggling, debating whether to inform He Wei about the progress of this side’s case. While they had agreed to share their case details, the unexpected twists and turns were beyond their expectations. Sharing this information with He Wei might also shock him.

“What did you want to tell me?” He Wei asked.

“Um.. you should be mentally prepared first. What you’re about to hear might be disturbing.”

“Just say whatever you want.”

And then, Cheng Zesheng spilled out all the crazy actions and thoughts of He Lu, every detail of it.

“..,” He Wei fell silent, suddenly realizing that the gentle and sincere younger brother beside him was like an angel, in stark contrast to the one next door, who was just paranoid and controlling.

“It’s okay. He isn’t here in your world anyway. You don’t need to accept him,” Cheng Zesheng comforted. “He’s your parallel counterpart’s brother. It has nothing to do with you, and you don’t need to worry about him.”

“Fortunately, he’s not here with me.” He Wei said coldly.

Cheng Zesheng felt a surge of killing intent for a moment; even the breeze blowing in from the balcony seemed to carry a murderous scent. The audacity of He Lu over there was probably because he hadn’t experienced the beatings from his older brother next door. If he had grown up beside Officer He, he would likely have become well-behaved and not dared to step out of line.

“Over there, He Wei disappeared, and another body appeared. You suspect the existence of another parallel universe?”

Cheng Zesheng spread his hands, “Then how else can you explain it? You are standing right here, and it’s the third He Wei who died.”

“But—it doesn’t add up. If the He Wei over there belongs to the third universe, then where do you fit in?” He Wei furrowed his brows. “Haven’t you noticed that our relationship is reciprocal? You’re investigating my case, and I’m investigating yours. Both parallel versions of us died in each other’s worlds. If there’s an extra He Wei, where is the other Cheng Zesheng?”

He stood up and drew a relationship chart on the whiteboard, saying, “If that’s the third universe’s He Wei, then the one who died here wouldn’t be pianist Cheng Zesheng, but another unknown version of you. If Employee He Wei disappears, then the disappearance of Pianist Cheng Zesheng also makes sense, right?”

Cheng Zesheng remembered the reactions of Lian Jingyuan and He Lu. They both firmly believed that He Wei hadn’t died and was living well somewhere. If that was the case, then He Wei and Cheng Zesheng had fallen into the time-space rift together, not dying but trapped without escape.

“I feel like this is too unscientific,” Cheng Zesheng rubbed his forehead.

“Do you think it’s more scientific to talk to the air like we’re doing now?” He Wei rolled his eyes.

“..,” He?Tianluo?(Snail)?was great in everything, but he was just too sharp-tongued. If only he could be a bit gentler, he’d be even more likable.

Cheng Zesheng had a fleeting thought, “Daydreaming when awake, dreaming at night,” and the gentle He?Tianluo?had indeed entered his dream.

In the dream, He Wei sat inside an open giant shell, wearing ancient clothing that perfectly suited the image of a field snail. However, this attire was as thin as a veil, revealing his well-proportioned figure and fair, translucent skin. He arched an eyebrow, showing a shy and bashful smile, “Master, besides being able to do laundry and cook, I can also warm your bed.”

“....Warm my bed?” Cheng Zesheng’s tongue tied in knots, but He Wei had already grabbed him, and they both fell into the shell. His hands hooked around Cheng Zesheng’s neck, gently brushing against his shoulder. Cheng Zesheng felt dry-mouthed and tongue-tied, being subjected to such advances from another man. Instead of feeling disgusted, he found his heart and thoughts stirred with a sense of desire.

Passion and desire intertwined, like turbulent clouds and rain; in the warmth of the hibiscus-covered bed, they spent a passionate spring night together.

Cheng Zesheng opened his sleepy eyes, his mind foggy and muddled. His thoughts were overwhelmed by the sound of He Wei calling him “Master.”

Sitting up, he discovered his underwear was cold and damp at the front.

He was done for.