Jian Jing waited until she got home to open the letter in her bedroom. There was sealing wax on the flap of the envelope, embossed with a cursive purple "z".
The color was vulgar, just like the sender.
She tore it open. Inside was a piece of quite exquisite stationery, handwritten in ink with a flowing, dashing script:
Miss J:
We meet in writing.
There are numerous places named "Saint Angelique" at home and abroad, and several shops that sell greeting cards of that name. I wouldn't dare make presumptions about Miss's aims, so let me just tell you about the one I find most unique.
In Switzerland there is a Saint Angelique Academy called "Lle", which is actually a hospital renowned for treating psychological and mental illnesses. It goes by this name to protect patients' safety and privacy, avoiding public attention as much as possible so outsiders can't find out anything.
I've heard that when patients are cured and discharged, they're given a congratulatory card for "graduating", along with the exclusive case file for their illness - this sole copy, with no duplicates retained by the hospital.
I hope my answer satisfies you.
Sōya -
Case file?
It was actually a case file.
That clinches it.
Her parents' graves were bought in 2014, so she lost her parents when she was 14. And the property deed for this apartment is dated 2018.
According to what Ji Feng said, she should have been living in the Kang family home then - in other words, during those 4 years from 2014-2018, she had a serious illness at some point.
Jian Jing took the memory card reader out of her drawer and plugged it into her computer.
The familiar account login screen appeared.
She hadn't dared enter anything before, afraid it might trigger an alarm or lock her out entirely if she put in the wrong thing. But if it was just to protect patients' case files, it should be fine.
For the account, it would be her name, right?
jianjg? No, jgjian - they put the surname last overseas.
The password...
Her birthday would be too easy to guess. Maybe the name of a character she liked, or some memorable quote? So that would be "Go Pikachu!" (?) or "There is only one truth" (?)...
She silently despaired, unsurprised when both were wrong.
Who was her favorite when she was 14 or 15?
The snow rabbit? Yukimura? The fourth Hokage?
Qike Xiu - she couldn't even remember them all clearly.
Or maybe the password really was just her birthday?
She entered it again, but it was still incorrect.
A new window popped up: [Password incorrect, contents locked. Please try again after 24 hours.]
Jian Jing was extremely frustrated. Why wasn't there a forgot password option?
She might as well try asking Kang Mu Cheng after all.
The only person who could have taken her to the hospital was him. Maybe he'd know. Forgetting a password was common enough, he probably wouldn't be suspicious.
She hesitated, picking up her phone and typing a few sentences before deleting and rewriting them over and over. Accidentally, she sent the unfinished message.
[Kang, do you still remember--]
Just as she was about to recall it, her finger froze.
After a while, he replied: [In a meeting, I'll call you back later.]
Ah, having just returned from vacation, he must have piled up quite a bit of work. Jian Jing heaved a silent sigh, responding with an "Okay" but knowing there was no hope for two or three days.
She might as well check Moments.
Jiang Baiyan had posted a little workout video, cheerfully saying "Finally put some weight back on." Zuo Xin was wailing "Why is there so much work during my internship?!" Liang Yigan was full of fighting spirit, "The net of law is vast and loosely woven, but nothing escapes."
Yuanyuan Jie's post was "Convalescent meal prepared for my hospitalized brother", with a photo of a bowl of rice porridge.
Jian Jing froze, immediately calling her.
The wind picked up lazily, with little energy. "Hello, Teacher Jian, back from vacation?"
"What happened to you?" she asked. "Are you in the hospital?"
He said, "Yeah, are you coming to see me?"
"Where?" she asked tersely.
"City Hospital No. 1. Bring me some food. Baozi will do - I want a meat bun." His tone was abject.
Jian Jing hung up and hurried to the flower shop to buy a bouquet.
Ji Feng craned his neck expectantly, thinking he'd get to wait for piping hot, fragrant meat buns. Who knew there'd only be useless tulips?
He was bitterly disappointed. "That's not how you should treat me."
"I never said I would." Jian Jing was indifferent. She put the fresh flowers in the vase she'd brought and added water.
The aunt in the next bed saw her and struck up a conversation enthusiastically. "Little Ji, is this your girlfriend?"
"Just a friend." Ji Feng answered dispiritedly.
The nosy aunt immediately lectured, "Then you have to work harder. Such a pretty girl, if you don't hold on tight she'll be snatched away."
Jian Jing: "...Pfft."
"I'm too busy with work to have a girlfriend." Ji Feng mumbled indistinctly as he got up into the wheelchair. "Let's go, take a walk outside."
He didn't even need her to push, capably wheeling away quickly by himself.
Jian Jing had no choice but to hurry and catch up.
Ji Feng slipped skillfully into the garden, finding a secluded but open spot. He cut to the chase, "I won't waste time chatting. My wound really hurts like hell. Let me put it this way - I got into trouble this time."
Jian Jing was shocked. "What?"
"The few days you were away on vacation--" Ji Feng bit off the words "vacation" with emphasis, along with the covetous gaze of a corporate slave, "I was investigating a serial murder case. The criminal specifically targeted young women living alone, killing them and then engaging in relations with the corpses. His methods were extremely cruel, the circumstances especially atrocious."
He held his ribcage, brow furrowed. "I won't go into the investigation process - nothing special. At the time, my partner went to rescue a severely injured woman while I pursued the killer alone. The man was a retired athlete, strong and sturdy. We grappled for a while before I arrested him.
"But just as I was about to handcuff him, a third person appeared and shot me. I could only dodge to the side in a rush. Though I avoided a fatal hit to the heart, the range was too close. I still got hit where you see now."
Jian Jing listened in horror and bewilderment. "You want me to help investigate the case?"
"No." Ji Feng looked at her deeply. Lowering his voice, he said, "There's something I've kept from my colleagues. Listen carefully. The person who shot me said something then."
He imitated the other's tone coldly. "You can't save my darling."
Darling? What a disgusting term of address. With relations with a corpse, it must have been the man. Jian Jing's first thought was scornful.
But very quickly she realized she had misheard.
Can't save darling.
In a flash it dawned on her. The chill wind was like a demon's fingers, ghosting over the nape of her neck. Gooseflesh prickled over her body and fear spread from the depths of her heart like the tide rising.
Ji Feng asked slowly, "Do you think he's the one who was stalking you?"
"It's him." Jian Jing gritted her teeth lightly, affirming, "He mistook you for..." Damn!
No wonder there had been no reaction from Scarface all this time after Rose Gold went on the market. He wasn't scared - he was looking for the "killer"'s true identity.
She knew herself that the emotional inspiration for Hitman came from Xie Wei, but the inspiration to save came from her.
Xie Wei was dead already. She owed nothing more. Scarface could think whatever he wanted.
She never imagined that his reading comprehension would be so off. He had aimed at the men around her instead.
What nonsense!
He knew nothing about her.
Why Ji Feng? Because he was a cop, naturally taking on the role of savior?
Wake up! A cop and a hitman weren't alike at all!
Ji Feng looked askance at Jian Jing, taking in her rapidly shifting complexion. Extremely interesting. He couldn't help asking, "Could it be he thinks you like me?"
Jian Jing took a deep breath, for a moment at a loss over who to mock more.
Ji Feng was still absorbed in analysis. "Comparatively, your relationship with Kang Mu Cheng is closer, right? Why doesn't he think it's him?"
At first Jian Jing didn't understand what he meant, but after a moment it dawned on her: "Are you suspecting Kang?"
Whenever Ji Feng talked about a case, he always told it like it is, never mincing words based on personal feelings. He said solemnly, "Kang Mu Cheng is very protective of you, and a person's physique and appearance can be disguised. According to my analysis, the man with the knife scar has a strong sense of possession towards you."
Jian Jing flatly denied it: "If it was Kang, he wouldn't have misunderstood that it was you. He would know who it was."
Curious, he asked, "Who was it?"
Jian Jing was cold. "A dead man."
Ji Feng: "..."
"There are two possible reasons why he didn't target Kang," Jian Jing sorted out her thoughts and analyzed, "First, he doesn't think Kang has the ability to save me, which means there was something that happened before that Kang didn't stop from occurring at the time.
Ji Feng nodded: "I think Kang Mu Cheng is keeping something from you."
Jian Jing nodded. Focusing her mind, she said, "Second, after comparing you two, he feels your identity and profession fit the image of a savior more."
"Or perhaps both reasons are true," Ji Feng supported his head with his hand, unexpectedly somewhat itching for action, "In that case, since he failed to kill me once, he's extremely likely to try again."
He immediately started scheming: "It's a pity that the murderer got away, but his identity has already been found out. The police have issued a wanted notice, so as soon as he's caught, they can follow the vine to get the info on Knife Scar Man—I don't believe his appearance back then was a coincidence, this is a trap."
After pondering some more: "Looking at it this way, he has the ability to incite crime."
"No." Jian Jing interrupted his plan and said directly, "This guy is too dangerous, I can't let you take that risk."
Ji Feng waved his hand with profound meaning, "I'm not doing this for you. For me, he's also a very valuable prey."
Jian Jing: "I have a better idea."
He raised his brows.
She showed him her phone, a new Weibo post—
Jian Jingv:
I've received many questions from readers about Rose Gold. I will answer below the issues you all are most concerned with.
Is there love between the assassin and the girl?
Regretfully, I also don't know. The assassin's prototype came from a deceased friend. He never uttered any words related to "love," so there's no way to know.
That person has passed on, the answer is no longer important—
When Jian Jing published this message, a feeling of melancholy she hadn't felt in a long time flashed through her heart. The sadness was faint, like mist on a rainy day, hazily settled on the glass window, making the world seem illusory.
But very quickly, the spotty fog was blown away by the bloody winds.
She couldn't help but wonder, when he sees this, what will he do?
The phone rang.
Jian Jing made a gesture at Ji Feng and walked away to pick up: "Director Kang, your reaction is too fast. I just posted that Weibo, and you saw it already?"
"I set up special notifications." Kang Mu Cheng was very confused. "Why did you post that?"
She was silent for a moment, no longer avoiding the topic, and said directly: "That person made a move against my friend."
"Who?" He didn't react for a moment.
Jian Jing said: "The man with a knife scar on his hand."
The other end of the phone suddenly went silent.
"Director Kang, were you the one who sent me to Saint Angel's?" she asked gently. "I don't remember, but it was you, right? What exactly happened?"
