Chapter 41: Rebirth

After the investigation, the police found a photo album in He Lu’s residence, filled with photos related to He Wei. The front pages contained pictures of the two brothers together, while the later pages were all individual photos of He Wei. These photos were taken at various locations and times, clearly indicating that they were taken without his knowledge.

Cheng Zesheng tossed the photos onto the table: “Did you hire a private detective to follow He Wei?”

He Lu admitted to it, but he explained that it happened several years ago. After the fallout between the two brothers, He Wei moved out to live on his own, and He Lu couldn’t keep track of his brother’s whereabouts. Frustrated and anxious, He Lu secretly hired a private detective to monitor his brother’s every move.

Later, he realized that He Wei’s life remained as mundane as before, and he wasn’t making any questionable friends other than Lian Jingyuan. So He Lu discontinued this invasive behavior.

“..He’s your brother, not your possession. You don’t truly care for him in the real sense; it’s just possessiveness,” Cheng Zesheng said, pointing at the photos with his index finger. “What you did hurt not only your brother but also your parents. Have you thought about that?”

When he mentioned his parents, He Lu suddenly looked up: “..Are you going to tell them?”

“It’s not about what I want; it’s a requirement according to the law. Family members must be informed. You are a major suspect in He Wei’s case. Until we thoroughly investigate, you can’t leave,” Cheng Zesheng asked Ke Dongrui, “Have his family members arrived?”

“They should be arriving soon.”

He Lu widened his eyes, his emotions fluctuating greatly, struggling to stand up: “Why do you have to tell them?! My dad has a heart condition, and my mom has high blood pressure; do you want to kill them?!”

Ke Dongrui retorted angrily, “When you were doing all these things, did you ever consider your parents’ feelings?”

“You don’t need to interfere!” He Lu exclaimed in frustration, clenching his fists. “And, I didn’t kill He Wei! Why are you detaining me?! Let me go, I want a lawyer!”

Cheng Zesheng raised his chin in response, fine, get him a lawyer. He didn’t believe He Lu was the culprit, but what he did to He Wei was disturbing. Keeping him in custody for a few more days would be a lesson.

Five minutes later, Xiang Yang reported that He Lu’s mother, Ye Lanlan, had arrived.

He Lu’s face turned pale in an instant, and his hands that were cuffed together trembled slightly. He bit his lower lip and whispered, “I don’t want her to see me. Aren’t family visits prohibited during criminal detention? I don’t want to see her.”

“Official visits are indeed not allowed, but just a brief meeting isn’t so strict,” Cheng Zesheng instructed. “Xiang Yang, take him back.”

In the narrow corridor, He Lu spotted a figure in a cheongsam standing there from a distance. He hesitated to move forward, turned to go back, but was stopped: “He Lu!”

He Lu’s shoulders tensed, and the hurried footsteps of high heels echoed behind him. His arm was grabbed, and Ye Lanlan questioned, “Is what the police said true? Did you really take your brother away before he had the accident?”

“..Yeah.” He Lu’s lips twitched slightly. “Mom, don’t ask; it’s all true.”

“Slap!” A resounding slap landed on He Lu’s right cheek. Ye Lanlan trembled all over, mustering all her strength to scold, “Beast! How could you.. How could you treat A-Wei like this? He was your brother! You were blood brothers!”

He Lu gently touched his swollen and fiery cheek, and after a while, he whispered, “If it weren’t for him being my brother, I wouldn’t have had to endure this for so long.”

This sentence was like adding fuel to the fire, completely shattering Ye Lanlan’s spirit. She collapsed onto a chair and cried bitterly.

“..Mom, take care of yourself and Dad.”

Ye Lanlan watched He Lu’s retreating figure with teary eyes. The elder son had died, and the second son had been detained by the police. Why did their ordinary little family have to suffer such a disaster?

———

In the next interrogation of Cheng Zhenqing, it wasn’t He Wei conducting the questioning but Wu Xiaolei and Yun Xiaoxiao. Cheng Zhenqing still had that air of being in control, with five out of ten of his statements infuriating enough to make people jump with anger. He even raised an eyebrow and watched with an air of nonchalance, as if he was enjoying a show.

“The owner of Fusheng Jinlong Garden’ is Cheng Zesheng. Why were you frequently entering and leaving?” Wu Xiaolei asked.

“Because that’s the house my younger brother bought for me. Is there a problem with me coming and going?”

“Since it’s your house, why didn’t you have the password and key to the basement and instead have to call a locksmith?”

Cheng Zhenqing quickly explained, “You can’t put it that way. It’s not that I didn’t have them; it’s just that the password was recently changed, and I forgot it. The keys are all with Zesheng. His house has been sealed by you guys, so if I want to go back in, I have to get someone to unlock it.”

“When was the last time you met?” Wu Xiaolei asked.

“On the 11th. He asked me to think about how to decorate the house, including what to do with the basement. When I left, I absentmindedly handed him the keys and forgot to take them back.”

Chong Zhen pointed at Cheng Zhenqing: “This guy’s lying! The old man next door said he only saw him coming later on. Cheng Zesheng wasn’t with him at all!”

“He only said he met with Cheng Zesheng, not where they went.” He Wei picked up the microphone. “Xiaolei, ask him about his renovation plans. He said he thought about them for a few days; let him chat with us about it.”

After Wu Xiaolei’s questioning, Cheng Zhenqing first hesitated, then started talking non-stop like a machine gun: “I planned for a simple style, white walls, gray floors, black and white furniture. I wanted to put a bookshelf behind the sofa, separating the dining room from the living room and making the kitchen semi-open. I was thinking of putting a small, narrow table outside, using it as a bar..”

Listening to him, He Wei’s mind went to the description Cheng Zesheng wrote about his brother’s residence. After buying the house, Cheng Zhenqing had lived outside, with white walls, gray floors, a living room bookshelf, and a semi-open kitchen—all of this matched what Cheng Zesheng described.

Cheng Zhenqing’s tone was composed and skilled, not at all like a vague plan in his mind but rather like reciting a complete decorating blueprint. And this well-furnished house was the one he lived in before, his home in another world.

“Officer, do you need to hear more details? I can even provide the brand of the bathroom supplies and the model numbers of the household appliances.”

“..” Wu Xiaolei was embarrassed, glancing at the one-way mirror. Cheng Zhenqing laughed, “Officer He, if you want to ask me something, it’s best to come in person. The young officer here is inexperienced; I’m afraid if we keep asking, he won’t be able to handle it.”

As expected, He Wei let Wu Xiaolei and Yun Xiaoxiao come out again and let everyone go eat while he conducted the interrogation. Chong Zhen prepared to go in and take notes but was stopped by He Wei: “You go eat too. Didn’t we say the curry chicken from the place across the street was delicious last time? Bring me some.”

“You’re going to interrogate him alone?” Chong Zhen tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “Are you planning on using unconventional methods? Even so, you can’t do it at the bureau. Take him to the police station this afternoon; they have more tools there, and it’s more discreet.”

“..” He Wei furrowed his brows, “What unconventional methods? Your words just revealed your intentions. You’re not cut out to be a cop; you’re just a thug.”

“Then are you really planning to interrogate him alone? That’s not in accordance with regulations either.”

He Wei smiled and said, “Don’t be so rigid. Although we all follow the rules, special circumstances require special treatment.” He looked around at the colleagues he saw every day, asking, “Or should I say, do I need to report to Chief Zheng right after I go in?”

The three of them shook their heads in unison, including Wu Xiaolei. His admiration for He Wei was like the never-ending flow of a mighty river. Sometimes he even felt the urge to transfer to the Criminal Investigation Division, how could he ever betray Captain He?

The interrogation room had been cleared. Just like last time, He Wei turned off all recording devices. When Cheng Zhenqing saw him enter, he smiled, “Officer He, what would you like to talk about today?”

He Wei closed the door and said calmly, “Nothing much, just chatting about your past.”

He took a chair and sat across from Cheng Zhenqing, getting straight to the point: “Why did you only recognize Cheng Zesheng as your brother three years ago?”

“We only met three years ago, I didn’t know I had a younger brother before that..”

“Cheng Zhenqing, there are things you know, and things I know. There’s no need to beat around the bush.” He Wei locked eyes with him. “Because three years ago—wasn’t that when you came from there? January 17th, right? Your death anniversary.”

Cheng Zhenqing’s smile gradually faded as he recalled the unforgettable memory. He had been tied to an electric chair, his hands covered in blood, every joint in his body screaming in pain. A scar-faced man from the drug cartel held his hair, forcing him to lift his head, and asked in a mix of Burmese and Mandarin where his accomplices were hiding.

His vision blurred with blood, his body alternated between hot and cold, and he experienced waves of hallucinations. Cheng Zhenqing knew he didn’t have much time left. Swallowing hard, he cursed in Burmese, which angered the scar-faced man. He raised a Burmese knife and stabbed it into Cheng Zhenqing’s chest. The knife struck his heart perfectly. Cheng Zhenqing’s brow twitched slightly, but the corners of his lips trembled into a distorted smile.

Finally, he was free.

Was it really so?

Cheng Zhenqing opened his eyes again, this time in a dirty alley in Toronto. The cold wind was biting, but he was only wearing a thin shirt and lying face down in the snow. The air he breathed felt like a knife piercing his lungs, and his hands, feet, and joints were numb from the cold. Cheng Zhenqing suddenly coughed, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

But he still managed to get up, covered in bruises and cuts, presumably beaten and then abandoned in this alley. The freezing weather, unfamiliar street scenes, and bright red maple leaf flag were all far from the blood-soaked drug den. Cheng Zhenqing hugged himself and walked up to a storefront window. He saw his reflection in the glass. Despite the bruised and swollen face, the eyes and brows were familiar.

All of this made Cheng Zhenqing feel curious. At first, he thought it was all a dream, but later he realized the dream was actually reality. He was in Toronto, Canada, and named Millor, which sounded similar to “Mirror” at first. He lived in the slums as a street thug. Today, like every day, he was caught stealing something, beaten, and left abandoned on the street like a discarded doll.

Cheng Zhenqing gradually realized he had unknowingly arrived in a parallel world. Perhaps he was also near death here, so at the moment he perished in the other world, God gave him a chance to be reborn and start a new life.

Canada was too unfamiliar for him; he didn’t know French, and his English wasn’t great either. He managed to find a job washing dishes. However, not long after, he discovered the elegantly dressed Cheng Zesheng, and he was overjoyed. He couldn’t wait to recognize him.

Although the Cheng Zesheng of this world was far different in character from his previous brother, for Cheng Zhenqing, they were still the same person, blood-related brothers. The love for him was the same.

Life after rebirth was far from drug dealers and gunfights—a life he had once yearned for but couldn’t attain. Cheng Zhenqing thought he could continue like this forever, until April 14th, when Cheng Zesheng died, starting another nightmare.

“Cheng Zhenqing, I’ve encountered a lot of bizarre things recently, so I’m not surprised by your situation either.” He Wei whispered, “What puzzles me are the motives behind some of your peculiar actions. On that day, you could have escaped. Why did you let us catch you again?”

Cheng Zhenqing lowered his head, clenched his fists, and slowly tightened them.

“Some things can’t be easily changed. They’re like a complete script, and reckless alterations will only lead to a worse ending.” Cheng Zhenqing looked up, giving He Wei a helpless smile. “I can’t unravel this situation, but I only have that one brother. Please don’t involve him; I’m begging you.”