Ji Yunyun and Jian Jing, two girls and a dog, were sitting on the sofa eating oranges.
Ji Yunyun asked, "Teacher Jian, have you seen Devil 2?"
"No," Jian Jing replied.
"Should we watch it now then?"
Jian Jing's interest was piqued: "Sure."
The TV drama Devil Doctor 2 was released today at noon, and within just a few hours the number of views was already quite impressive.
Ji Yunyun had originally wanted to watch it with subtitles, but they were too dense and she couldn't even see the male lead's face clearly, so she turned them off.
There were only two episodes aired today. The first episode started with a narrator recapping the plot of the first season, then the scene changed to show a familiar yet unfamiliar hospital.
The face of actor Qi appeared on screen. Same suit and tie, same warm reception from doctors and nurses, he perfectly embodied the devilish charm.
Ji Yunyun said, "He's more..." she was at a loss for words.
Jian Jing nodded in understanding: "More at ease."
Shao Meng had already given a great performance, but Qi was more relaxed and nonchalant, with a carefree attitude befitting a devil toying with the human world.
The narrator said, "Some may notice I have a different face now. This is just a small trick, just like when humans get bored of wearing the same clothes for too long, I feel the same way."
He breezed past the change in casting, and quickly moved on to the main theme: "New face, new life, what remains the same is the tedium of humans, and... sin."
"It always follows like a shadow, traces can be glimpsed no matter where one goes."
"Ah, that is — the smell of food."
Behind the desk, the doctor dressed in a white coat revealed a satisfied, delighted smile.
In this less than 1 minute scene, everything important was clearly conveyed. Then, the new story began.
A dreary mansion, a virtuous and elegant wife, and a husband who outwardly dotes on his wife but actually has a secret lover.
The scene was full of details. The man playing Mr. Qin joked around with his wife, the picture of marital bliss. But if one looked closely, it was clear he was not wearing a wedding ring.
And the cell phone tucked into his pocket would light up from time to time.
"Kill the wife or kill the husband?" Suddenly, someone asked from the side.
Ji Yunyun nearly jumped in fright: "You scared me to death!"
"Staring so intently for such a simple case?" Ji Feng said blankly, "Are you guys hungry? Have you eaten?"
Ji Yunyun was reluctant to look away: "Let's eat after we finish this."
Jian Jing: "Agreed."
Ji Feng shook his head and sat down to join their viewing.
The scene jumped forward three months.
One policeman said: "There's not enough evidence to convict."
Another replied: "We all know it was her though, right?"
The resident devil who regularly stopped by the police station to gather (food) intel overheard their conversation.
"How interesting," he remarked, and began investigating the case.
Ji Feng said: "They showed a few close-ups of the security system. Hm, that's pretty rare. It's easy to detect tampering of systems so how could there not be enough evidence? Did the screenwriters consult any professionals? Who are they looking down on!"
Jian Jing curled and uncurled her fingers into fists.
He continued: "What does that doctor mean? Pausing time in a crime drama is too fantastical! Then what's the point of solving cases?"
Jian Jing took a deep breath: "Knight."
The dog Knight who had been watching TV suddenly stood at attention: "Woof!"
She gestured with her hand.
Knight leaped up and tackled Ji Feng, crouching over him with his tail batting Ji Feng's face, blocking his line of sight.
Ji Feng: "..."
He rubbed the dog's head and squeezed its leg bones, inspecting its teeth: "Not bad dog."
"Too kind," Jian Jing replied evenly. "Just a bit better than you."
Ji Yunyun spurted Sprite as she burst out laughing: "Hahaha, bro you really are a dog!"
Ji Feng patted Knight's head. More so than flashy TV shows, he actually preferred a familiar companion like this: "Teacher Jian, what does the dog eat? Let me feed him first."
"Meat, eggs, some fruit can be added too," she said.
"Got it." Ji Feng whistled. "Little buddy, come eat with me."
Knight didn't budge, waiting for the command.
Jian Jing waved her hand: "Go on."
Only then did Knight jump off the sofa and follow Ji Feng to the kitchen, not forgetting to carry his little backpack from the foyer in his mouth.
Ji Feng opened it to find Knight's water bowl and food tray packed inside too.
"Good dog," he said, continuing to vigorously ruffle the dog's fur as he replenished his food and water.
Without his interference, Jian Jing and Ji Yunyun quickly finished watching the first episode.
"Not bad!" Ji Yunyun said excitedly. "The killer's identity isn't a mystery, but everyone must be curious about the murder method, and whether or not she'll be able to eat his heart."
Jian Jing nodded, half-relieved.
Ji Feng brought out dish after dish with impressive speed, the aroma of the steaming food wafting forth, the white steam floating gently amidst the warm, soft lighting.
Ji Yunyun asked: "Teacher Jian what do you want to drink? What about you, bro?"
"I'll have a soft drink," Ji Feng said to Jian Jing. "Go ahead and have some wine, I'll drive you back later."
Jian Jing looked him up and down for a moment before slowly asking: "Really?"
Ji Feng: "Why would I joke about that?"
"Alright then, I'll have a beer," she happily replied.
Ji Yunyun took out two cans of beer.
Ji Feng glanced over: "Oi!"
"I'm an adult now, I want to drink too," Ji Yunyun challenged boldly, tossing him a can of coconut water. "You can drink this."
He had no choice but to restrain himself from hitting a child during New Year's. Ji Feng held it in and looked pointedly at Jian Jing's flashy nails before shaking his head and opening the tabs for them.
White foam overflowed, carrying notes of malt amidst the bitterness.
On the table was a dish of twice-cooked pork, thin slices of fatty pork that were crispy on the outside, a saucepan stir-fry of eggplants bursting with oil and sauce, pieces of fish with sour mustard greens that had the table salivating from the tantalizing aroma, plump shrimps braised in oil without chili peppers since Ji Yunyun couldn't take spice, a hot pot of tomato and beef that was still bubbling, and two vegetable dishes.
Jian Jing looked at the spread, then back at Ji Feng, astonishment written all over her face: "A workaholic who's busy with overtime all day actually found time to learn cooking?"
"He had to make meals for me to eat before," Ji Yunyun explained as she peeled shrimp shells. "I had to fend for myself only after he started working."
Ji Feng rolled his eyes. "Looks like you're back to leftovers starting tomorrow."
Jian Jing was shocked: "You have work tomorrow?!" On the second day of the New Year?!"
"I'm on call," he replied. "No choice, we're short on people since everyone else went back home for the holidays. At least until the fifth."
"How tiring," she lamented, albeit with little sincerity.
But Ji Feng didn't hold it against her: "Eat more, what did you have for lunch today?"
Jian Jing: "Takeout."
Ji Feng: "Tsk!"
Jian Jing gripped her chopsticks.
Ji Yunyun viciously stomped her brother's foot: "Where's the ladle for the tomato hot pot?"
"I'll go grab it."
Aside from these little interruptions, the meal was still extremely pleasant.
The dishes were very homey, far less sophisticated than a chef's creations, the steps crude with ingredients added on a whim - the tomato and beef hot pot, for example, held corn, carrots, soft tofu and king trumpet mushrooms, all things Ji Yunyun liked to eat.
Also, the braised shrimp didn't contain chili peppers since Ji Yunyun couldn't tolerate spice, making it less robust. The fish slices were irregular in thickness, not as thin and translucent as restaurant-style slices, and still contained some small bones.
There were many flaws, but these imperfections somehow tasted more like home cooking.
Jian Jing couldn't help but think of her parents.
Both had busy jobs, rushing to cook dinner upon returning home from work each day. There were always mistakes here and there - overcooked or tough vegetables from buying groceries too early, or a heavy-handed pour of soy sauce because the phone rang.
"Is it really that bad?" Ji Feng asked, stroking his chin. "You're actually spacing out?"
Jian Jing returned to the present, irritated: "Just recalled some things."
"What things?"
"My time spent with my parents."
An awkward silence fell over the table.
Ji Yunyun looked uneasily between her brother.
Ji Feng shook his head at her, then asked Jian Jing in an extremely annoying way: "What, want to join our family or something?"
Jian Jing: "..." She took a deep breath, resisting the urge to get violent in front of his little sister, and said coldly: "Don't let your imagination run so wild."
Ji Feng: "It was just a joke."
"Very funny," Jian Jing said flatly.
"Alright, alright," he conceded halfheartedly with a nod. After a bit, he added: "Eat more, don't think too much."
Ji Yunyun tried to liven the mood: "It's true Teacher Jian, don't feel down. You see, from the day I was born I've never met my mom."
Jian Jing was shocked: "I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Ji Yunyun said. Perhaps never having it meant she couldn't feel the pain. Ji Yunyun regretted it, but rarely felt sad because of her mother. The most important relative in her life had always been her older brother.
Therefore, even if he was a lousy brother, she still had to stand up for him: "Dad is rarely home too. Ji Feng is the one who has been taking care of me, even coming to pick me up from elementary school every day, when it only took 10 minutes by bus."
Jian Jing's eyebrows raised slightly, her side glance landing on Ji Feng.
He didn't say anything.
"I wouldn't have guessed," she laughed. "It seems I misunderstood."
Ji Yunyun reluctantly praised him: "Yeah, his mouth is foul and his EQ is low, but..." She was stuck for a moment, unable to come up with anything else nice, and lamely said, "he looks decent. Some of my classmates even say he's good-looking. Oh right, at the last parent-teacher meeting, my Chinese teacher asked for his number."
Jian Jing played along, feigning surprise: "Really?"
"Yeah, the teacher called me and said she was concerned about my mental health because I wrote a story about a murder," Ji Feng snorted.
Ji Yunyun: "..."
Jian Jing burst out laughing.
The hour hand ticked away quickly, soon reaching 9 p.m. Ji Yunyun said she had plans to do an online murder mystery party with her friends, so she went back to her room early to play games. Only Ji Feng and Jian Jing were left talking.
Ji Feng took the initiative to explain the previous question: "Our father was murdered when Yunyun was in elementary school."
Jian Jing was shocked: "Murdered? The killer..."
"Turned himself in," he said softly. "It was a very special case."
An already closed murder case wouldn't make him so equivocal. There must be some heart-wrenching details involved.
Jian Jing couldn't help but glance at him.
"It's getting late," he said. "Let me take you home."
"Alright."
On the night of New Year's Day, the streets were almost deserted. The population in Heping City was at its lowest point all year, the emptiest the city had ever been.
"It's the most peaceful during the New Year holidays," Ji Feng remarked. "Less people, less cases."
Jian Jing agreed: "All murders stem from human nature."
"After seeing so many, do you lose faith in people?" he asked.
She asked back: "Do you?"
"Sometimes."
She was slightly surprised and turned to look at him.
Ji Feng focused intently on driving, looking no different than usual at a glance. But Jian Jing knew better. He was extremely observant of his surroundings, often irritating people, while keeping his inner thoughts to himself.
His curiosity far exceeded his desire to confide in others. Very few could guess what he was thinking.
"Why are you staring at me?" He raised an eyebrow.
Jian Jing said, "First time seeing someone get drunk on coconut juice. A little strange."
Ji Feng rolled his eyes.
"Something's bothering you," she said. "Take the wrong meds?"
"Can't even chat casually?"
Jian Jing said, "Alright, what do you want to chat about?"
"Forgot."
"Hmph."
Before they knew it, the journey came to an end.
Ji Feng parked the car in the underground garage and bid her goodbye: "See you."
"Wait," Jian Jing stopped him and signaled to her robotic dog not to hurry home yet. She looked at Ji Feng and asked, "Really not saying anything?"
Ji Feng thought for a moment and sighed, "Next time."
"You'll tell me next time?" she asked doubtfully.
He said, "Don't know, I'll try."
Jian Jing didn't ask anymore.
