In the few days following the resolution of Chu Yan’s case, Baldy continuously pestered. He would call me every few minutes, asking me out for a meal together. I refused every time, but after that he sent me a large gold chain in the mail. I returned it, of course.

Once, the bastard even sent a prostitute to my dorm for me. Although she tried to dress up like a college girl, there was no mistaking her real profession. I became the butt of my roommates’ jokes for a long time after that because of it.

Baldy, being a gangster, could only think of gold and women as the best ways to repay me for solving his boss’s murder. I told him repeatedly to stop bothering me, but to no avail.

“Song-ge,” he told me, “I’ve only ever respected two people in my life—the boss, and you. You managed to solve a mysterious murder case within a few days. There’s only one word to describe people like you—genius! From now on, you will forever be my big brother!”

“I don’t mind making new friends,” I replied, “but can you please not make a huge deal out of it? Besides, I’m not even a real police officer. What use am I to you?”

“You may not be a policeman, Song-ge,” Baldy said, “but you’re even better than that! I’ve asked around, and I heard that you’re close friends with the mighty Sun Tiger! Even the Director-General knows you!”

I later found out that the Black Panthers gang had just chosen a new boss. Baldy, being a friend of the old boss, was in a precarious position at the moment, and he needed a powerful ally to protect himself. With a connection to the police, no one would dare to hurt him.

Still, I insisted that I couldn’t accept any of his ‘gifts.’ How would I face Xiaotao later if I did?

A few days later, Baldy came knocking on my door. I was surfing the internet in my dorm room at the time when I heard his voice calling out, “Does Song Yang live here?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” I spat as I opened the door. Based on his looks, it was obvious at first glance that he was a member of the triad. All my roommates were scared stiff when they saw him.

Baldy looked weirdly timid and awkward. Just then, a man stepped out from behind him. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. His ears were pierced, and although he was wearing a normal suit and leather shoes, it was apparent from his temperament that he was not an ordinary salaryman.

“Are you Song Yang?” he asked coldly. “Come outside and have a chat with us.”

Dali took out his mobile phone and mimed the words, “Want me to call the security guards?”

I shook my head. I was sure that there was nothing to fear from these guys since I had done nothing to provoke them. Besides, what good would it do to call the security guards?

When I got outside, I realized that these two weren’t the only ones there. A handful other gangsters were gathered there too.

The man slapped Baldy’s head, then stared at me menacingly and asked, “I heard that you’re the one who solved my father’s murder. Baldy here refuses to tell me who the killer is no matter how much I beat him up, so I’m here to ask you myself.”

So it turned out that this man was Cao Da’s son. That explained why Baldy was so diffident in front of him. I noticed that the corner of Baldy’s mouth was bruised. It was obvious that he’d been this man’s captive and was dragged here.

A handful of powerful figures within the Black Panthers gang were vying for the highest position in the gang, and I heard rumors that said whoever could avenge Cao Da’s murder by attacking the murderer would be proclaimed the new leader. It was surprisingly heroic of Baldy to keep the identity of Cao Da’s real murderer secret, even in the face of torture and at the risk of his own life.

“I’m sorry,” I said, staring straight into the man’s eyes. “I was involved in the investigation, but everything regarding this case is confidential. I can’t disclose anything. All I can say is that Cao Da’s death had nothing to do with gang disputes.”

He came closer to me and stretched out his hand. I thought he was going to hit me, but he merely fixed my collar. What a cheesy attempt at intimidation, I thought. He must’ve learnt that from a movie.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, “the secret stays with me. Just tell me who killed my father, and maybe when I become the gang leader, I’ll give you a nice villa in the countryside. What do you think?”

“I have nothing to tell you,” I replied, stepping away from him.

“Fine,” he said. He turned to Baldy and spat, “What about you? Got anything to say?”

“Boss,” Baldy whimpered. “You know how much of an idiot I am! I know nothing!”

“Maybe this will help you remember something!” shouted the man. He then punched and kicked Baldy until he curled up on the ground. Baldy endured the assault silently, resolutely refusing to divulge anything. A few guys who just got back from playing basketball stumbled upon the scene and immediately turned and bolted away in fear.

I felt a deep sympathy and respect for Baldy at that moment. He could’ve just uttered the words “Chu Yan” and the beatings would instantly stop, but he stubbornly remained silent. It seemed that the guy had genuinely fallen in love with the angelic Chu Yan, and was resolved to protect her no matter what. I later found out that after Chu Yan’s death, Baldy would visit her grave every Valentine’s Day, bringing her 999 roses.

I couldn’t bear to watch Baldy getting hurt anymore, so I shouted, “That’s enough!”

The man stopped kicking Baldy and grinned at me, saying, “I know you’re with the police, so I won’t bother you. But I’m only teaching my underling a lesson here.”

He then slipped a business card into my pocket.

“Call me before dawn,” he crowed. “Otherwise, I’ll split Baldy’s skull in half.”

“I will hunt you down!” I shouted. “I’ll make sure you rot in prison!”

The man chuckled and bent down to pat Baldy’s face.

“Who got you into this state, Baldy?” he asked.

“No one…” answered Baldy. “I… fell down the stairs…”

“Did you hear that?” sneered the man. “You know nothing about the underworld. Even if Baldy gets killed, his ghost wouldn’t dare tell the police who did it! Now let’s go!”

The men lifted Baldy up and carried him away. Baldy stared at me with pleading eyes as he was leaving. He looked both sad and helpless, but above all, I could see that he was begging me not to say Chu Yan’s name under any circumstances.

Once they left, Dali jumped out from behind the door and asked, “What the hell just happened, dude? Did they hurt you?”

I shook my head wordlessly. I was at a loss about what to do and felt depressed. I contemplated the matter for a long time, then called Xiaotao to ask her opinion.

“You’ve landed yourself in a hot mess, Song Yang,” she told me after I explained the situation to her. “There really isn’t much that you can do now. The underworld has their own rules, and the police can hardly do anything when it comes to matters like this.”

I couldn’t go to sleep that night. The thought of Baldy being tortured hurt as if a knife was plunged into my heart. We weren’t exactly friends at the time, but I felt solidarity for him knowing that he would rather endure pain than let harm come to Chu Yan and her father. Besides, Cao Da’s son was using him to intimidate me.

After much deliberation, I called Sun Tiger and asked him if he could rescue Baldy.

“I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do, kiddo,” he answered. “They may be gangsters, but we can’t do anything to them without a proper warrant.”

“But they’re torturing Baldy as we speak!” I argued.

Sun Tiger sighed. “If he’s found dead, then we’ll open an investigation to find those who killed him. But until then, all we have is a verbal threat. We can’t do much with that. Don’t forget, kiddo, Baldy chose to walk this path himself. In fact, he was involved in many illegal activities too. You shouldn’t feel too sorry for a guy like him. He’ll meet an ugly end sooner or later anyway.”

I hung up the phone in despair. I finally realized how restricted the real world was with its rules and regulations. Even a director like Sun Tiger, or perhaps someone more powerful than him, couldn’t cross some lines.

Take Xiao Lanlan’s death for example. No one could bring justice to her murderer, not even the police. In the end, it took a girl like Chu Yan to avenge her death!

I couldn’t sleep a wink that night. As I was about to get up from bed the next morning, I heard a knock on the door. Dali was brushing his teeth. He answered the door and rushed back in, holding a plastic box in his hands. The surface of the box was wet with beads of condensation.

“It’s a delivery for you, dude,” Dali told me. “Did you order seafood or something?”

I didn’t recall ordering anything online lately. Dali urged me to open the box and check out what was inside. He told me someone probably sent me some fresh crabs. They were in season at the time.

I pulled up the lid. Dali immediately screamed and collapsed to the floor. Almost half of the box was filled with ice, and it was stained red. On the pile of ice sat a single human ear.

I noticed the earring on it which looked very familiar. I wondered for a while where I had seen it before. And then, it all came back to me…