CH 14

The detention centre’s transport vehicle was stopped at a lot in front of the criminal court. The two wardens, George and Li, stepped into the van. Right as they got properly seated, they saw a figure running past the vehicle door with a swoosh like a cannon that had been fired.

“Ah? Who was that?” Li pulled the door close, muttering as he fastened his seatbelt. 

George stared at that figure that shot past, mulling over it for a moment, and he suddenly shouted. “Joshua Dale!”

“Who?”

“That Joshua Dale, the one who was just released off our hands!”

“Damn. No wonder there was a bad smell. I almost got contaminated with it, too.” 

His colleague in the driver’s seat stepped on the gas pedal and the vehicle darted forward, spewing out exhaust as it chased after that figure.

Due to occupational diseases and certain conditioned reflexes, these wardens would want to chase when they saw people running.

Ultimately, two legs could never outrun four wheels; not more than a short while later, the vehicle chased up to that madly sprinting figure.

As the vehicle pulled level with him, Li rolled down the window and shouted, “Dale!”

Joshua Dale’s stomach filled with ire when he saw them. He shouted as he ran, “Bloody hell haven’t I already been granted bail, why the fuck are you still chasing me?!”

Li, “…” This brat was deserving of being locked up for eight years more with that vulgar mouth of his.

“What are you up to?!” Li looked at him with a face full of suspicion. “You only just got out of court and you’re already dashing off; what on earth are you up to, spit it out. Are you making a break for it or that much in a hurry to enter your next reincarnation cycle?”

However, once he finished this thought, he realised that the road they were taking could only lead back to one place— 

Coldlake Detention Centre.

This well-built warden held the vehicle window for three seconds. He abruptly turned over to ask George, “Is there something wrong with this kid? Why is he running back towards the detention centre right after getting out of court?”

Joshua Dale’s muffled voice from outside the vehicle reached his ears before George could answer him. “I’m going to bring my sister home.”

And just in that fleeting moment, Li’s heart twinged subtly. He stared at Joshua’s skinny figure for a while, and suddenly felt the urge to say: ‘You may as well get in the car. We can take you there on the way. Just make sure you stop that tongue of yours from spewing out trash.’ 

But he ended up rolling up the window without a word.

“What’s up with that expression on your face?” George was puzzled.

Li shook his head. He stretched his back. “Nothing much. I probably woke up on the wrong side of the bed; my heart softened for a moment.”

“Qtja obg? Tbe vbc’a fnfc xcbk lo tf’r gfjiis lccbmfca bg lo tf’r qgfafcvlcu ab yf lccbmfca. Qtja lo tf lr obecv uelias lc atf olcji aglji?” Xfbguf qea tlr tjcvr yftlcv tlr tfjv jcv gfrafv tlr fsfr, rcbgalcu, “Tbe cffv ab yf olfgmfg jcv tjgvfc sbeg tfjga j ilaaif wbgf, ufa atbrf jclwjir ab ub kfjx klat ogluta rfflcu sbe.” 

They arrived at the detention centre ahead of Joshua Dale. Before the vehicle entered the gate, they glanced at the distant corner of the wall where a thin figure was still curled up, almost melting into it.

“Keep going. That boy will be here soon,” George mumbled, and the vehicle turned into the centre.

The sound of the detention centre gates opening attracted the attention of the child in the corner.

Rosie Dale curled her hands and feet as she stared at those gates, unblinking, terrified of letting a familiar figure slip past her notice. 

Unfortunately, all she saw was a big black vehicle driving through the gates.

She had been squatting at this corner for five days already. Five days ago, she chased after her brother to this place, and had never left her corner since. She depended on two pieces of dry bread and the tap at the corner of the wall to provide her some water to subsist until now.

In truth, she had run out of food to eat since yesterday. The last meal she had was a piece of chocolate that a stranger had given her.

She felt very cold, and very dizzy. But she didn’t dare to sleep here in broad daylight, and had yet to see her brother come out from inside there. 

“Why are you squatting in a place like this?” a voice suddenly asked from above her.

Rosie Dale only raised her head after a long time, her eyes glazed over with unbearable hunger. She couldn’t clearly make out that man’s face and could only see a scar running down the side of it.

That scar was very familiar. It should be someone she knew.

“Oh my god, how many days has it been since you last ate?” 

Rosie bowed her head dizzily. She whispered, “I don’t know…”

“Let me take you to eat a little something first?” That man said, “There’s a bakery over there. Go eat something first, or you’d end up fainting here.”

Saying this, he gently caught hold of Rosie’s arm in his grip.

Rosie withdrew her hand and flinched back into the wall. “I’m waiting for my brother.” 

“But your complexion looks terrible. I know your brother, I live in the same alley as you, remember? I’m sure that your brother wouldn’t want to see you faint here.”

“No. I want to wait for my brother…” Rosie Dale struggled again.

That man lightly sighed. “Okay…”

— 

Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan were back at Two Moon Street. There were only so many places that a person could take a stroll about in Wine City.

Besides, since he said he was going to treat a meal, even if Yan Suizhi was really very poor now, he couldn’t take them somewhere too shabby.

Gu Yan could still be said to have a conscience. He swept a gaze down the entire street, saying to Yan Suizhi, “Are you sure you want to treat me to a meal here? In light of your good performance in court today, I can help you save a little money. Eating the occasional sandwich is fine as well.”

The esteemed Professor Yan had no end to his shamelessness. He glanced at Gu Yan, saying, “Please don’t make any casual suggestions. I really would do it.” 

Gu Yan, “…”

With that, Yan Suizhi actually looked at the bakery opposite them and thought hard about it for a few seconds. But he shook his head in the end. “Forget it. I can’t bear it anymore. Let’s have something proper.”

Lawyer Gu coldly said, “…I seem to remember that I’m the one being treated.”

How can there be a person who cared about his own taste without taking the tastes of his guests into consideration at all? 

Yan Suizhi pointed above. “There’s a restaurant on the fourth floor upstairs. They have good grilled lamb chops with soup, just right for this occasion.”

He took off his lawyer’s robe, wore his coat back on, and slipped on a pair of black leather gloves.

“Are you cold?” Gu Yan asked.

“A little. Maybe your lawyer’s robe is too thin,” Yan Suizhi casually complained and started to walk upstairs. “So let’s eat something hot to warm up a bit.” 

The restaurant was at a cosy temperature. Yan Suizhi could finally bear to take off his gloves and coat. He unconsciously breathed into his hands.

They took a table by the window. When the waiter brought the menu over, Yan Suizhi pushed the menu to Gu Yan and said dismissively, “Just order whatever you want.”

Gu Yan, “…Is this a habit from before?”

“What?” 

“Giving others the menu and letting them order whatever, was this a habit that you had from before?” Gu Yan looked down and flipped through the menu, asking lightly.

Yan Suizhi froze before starting to complain, “Yeah, that’s right. I was even quite rich before I was robbed.”

Not only did he have money, he also spent it even more generously.

“Shall I order, then?” 

“Go ahead. Money is made to be spent.” Yan Suizhi added in his head, ‘And I believe that you’d have a sense of propriety, Lawyer Gu.’

As a result, Gu Yan calmly scanned the page and tapped thrice on it. “These three.”

Then, flipped over. “These two.”

And flipped over to the third page. “And this, as well as this.” 

Seeing him about to turn to the fourth page, Yan Suizhi felt that his smile was about to crack.

“And a lamb chops with soup.” Gu Yan ended off with this, passing the menu back to the waiter.

He clasped his hands together on his lap and silently admired Yan Suizhi’s face for a moment. He commented lightly, “Very green.”

Yan Suizhi, “…” 

“I don’t like inadvertently owing people favours,” said Gu Yan. “So you don’t have to treat me to this meal. The lamb chops with soup are yours, the rest are mine, you can feast on them with your eyes.”

Yan Suizhi, “…”

Lawyer Gu sipped from his cup. “So, what is the reason behind wanting to treat me to a meal today?”

Yan Suizhi swirled the water in the cup in front of him. He went straight to the point. “Nothing much. First, I just wanted to ask if you could introduce me to a place to stay, somewhere cheap and comfortable. Secondly, I also wanted to ask if you have any extra work for me to make money on the side. Just these two things. No hurry, we can discuss it as we eat.” 

“…”

Gu Yan thought for a moment and set down his cup. He recalled a certain someone’s sequence of questions and calmly said, “I’m not an intermediary. No. You can stop eating now, let’s go.”

“…”

Professor Yan mentally table-flipped. 

At this time, he all the more hoped that Gu Yan would recognise him. He wanted this student to look at his revered teacher’s face and have the guts to say those words once more.

However, before he could shoot back at him, busy man Gu’s smart device buzzed again.

Yan Suizhi didn’t have a habit of eavesdropping on people’s conversations. Due to his upbringing, he turned his head to look outside the window, giving Gu Yan space to take the call.

The view outside the restaurant wasn’t at all beautiful. Because it was located at the fringe of Two Moon Street, slums were densely packed next to it, so this look out the window was filled with low-rise slum housings complexed with messy, winowy alleys. 

He watched a taxi hurriedly turn into an alley and pull the brakes by a corner. Following which, two people stepped out of the car, one of whom even looked very familiar…

That head of unwashed hair; who else could it be, but Joshua · Stinky · Dale?