Blank Charge

“You mind your own business.” Jin Zhou hung up Yang Shiyu’s phone call.

He didn’t want to obey Yang Shiyu’s orders. Since he had come there as an “undercover” for the “adventure,” he couldn’t easily be called back by Yang Shiyu.

Perhaps because of the clear contrast during the negotiation just then, Luo Xueqing looked at Jin Zhou, who seemed to be in a good mood, and asked, “Is she your girlfriend?”

“Huh?” Jin Zhou finally shifted his attention away from Yang Shiyu.

“You look like you’re in love right now,” Luo Xueqing said with a smile.

“Not really.” Jin Zhou touched his neck and, not being accustomed to discussing love with people, awkwardly changed the topic. “Are you going to work later?”

Luo Xueqing had a busy job, sometimes not even getting weekends off. In comparison, Jin Zhou couldn’t love his current lifestyle more.

“Not today,” Luo Xueqing said. “I’m going to pick up my son from cram school later.”

Jin Zhou nodded. “Being a single mother is really not easy.”

“I’m used to it.” Luo Xueqing smiled nonchalantly. “I do it all for my son, and I don’t feel tired.”

After parting ways with Luo Xueqing in the underground parking lot, Jin Zhou drove back to the repair shop.

Xiao Wu’s girlfriend was on leave that day, and Xiao Wu had planned to take the day off as well, but Jin Zhou had to negotiate the false advertising settlement, so he had to let him work for half a day.

When Jin Zhou got back, Xiao Wu’s girlfriend was already waiting for him in the shop. The two of them sat affectionately behind the desk, watching some videos and even exchanging a kiss.

“What’s that smell?” Jin Zhou entered the shop and fanned the air in front of him with his hand. “The sour smell of love.”

“Brother Jin.” Xiao Wu seemed to have been eagerly awaiting Jin Zhou’s arrival, and he finally got his wish. He had introduced the two of them before and there was no need of exchanging pleasantries again, so they rode off on his beloved motorcycle.

“Young people,” Jin Zhou sighed and shook his head and sat behind the desk. “What’s more important, career or love?”

The empty shop didn’t respond to his question, so he answered it himself, “Of course, it’s the career.”

After a while, Jin Zhou’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and deliberately waited for a moment before answering, “Hello?”

“Where are you?” Yang Shiyu asked from the other end of the phone.

“I’m outside,” Jin Zhou lazily leaned back in his office chair.

“Come home now.” Yang Shiyu said firmly, not allowing any refusal.

“Why?” Jin Zhou repeated his earlier line, “No one’s home. I don’t want to go back.”

“I’m outside your house.”

Upon hearing that, Jin Zhou froze for a moment, then immediately stood up from behind the desk.

“Uh, then I’ll , cough, cough,” he paused, “wait right there.”

After hanging up the phone, Jin Zhou quickly packed his things. He hadn’t moved so fast even when rushing to the bar to watch the World Cup finals.

As he was walking out, a car arrived at the shop entrance. The driver stuck his head out of the window and asked, “Boss, not doing business anymore?”

“Not doing it!” Jin Zhou waved his hand without looking back and ran towards home.

Back in his residential complex, Jin Zhou took a breath downstairs before slowly going upstairs.

The hallway was dimly lit, and Jin Zhou recognized the figure waiting in front of his door at a glance.

“Why are you here?” Jin Zhou asked from a distance.

Seeing Jin Zhou, Yang Shiyu looked at him, taking in his slightly breathless state, and asked, “So fast?”

“I drove,” Jin Zhou casually brushed it off, took out the keys, and opened the door.

The house was arranged the same way, with the redwood shoe cabinet at the entrance being a piece of furniture given by Jin Zhou’s parents when they got married. Inside, there was still the pair of slippers that Yang Shiyu used to wear.

“What are you standing there for?” Jin Zhou tossed the slippers in front of Yang Shiyu and put on his own. “Come in.”

Yang Shiyu glanced around the living room and looked at the slippers on the floor, only entering the house after a while.

“It’s cleaner than I imagined,” Yang Shiyu said.

“Of course,” Jin Zhou took out two water cups from the kitchen and poured cold water into them. Seeing that Yang Shiyu was still standing in the living room, he asked again, “What’s wrong? Do you want a tour of my house?”

He placed the water cups on the coffee table, grabbed Yang Shiyu’s wrist, and brought him to his own bedroom, leaning against the door frame. He raised his chin and said, “Take a look. Is it tidy?”

The bookshelf was filled with law-related books, neatly arranged by category and size. There was now a laundry basket next to the bed, where the worn clothes were put instead of being casually thrown on the bed as before.

Seeing Yang Shiyu lost in thought while looking at the desk, Jin Zhou snapped his fingers in front of him and asked, “What are you thinking?”

Yang Shiyu quickly withdrew his gaze, looked at Jin Zhou, and said calmly, “The bed is not made.”

“That doesn’t count,” Jin Zhou said without any guilt. “The sheets don’t want to be folded. They  want to be free.”

Yang Shiyu obviously didn’t want to entertain such a childish excuse. He returned to the living room, sat on the sofa, and finally mentioned the reason for coming to Jin Zhou’s place, “Why did you go to Jia you?”

“As an undercover,” Jin Zhou followed and sat next to Yang Shiyu, “Wang Darong’s girlfriend was released, and you didn’t even notify me. I knew I couldn’t rely on you.”

Yang Shiyu frowned and opened his mouth, as if wanting to say the same old things, but he seemed to realize that it was useless no matter what he said. He let out a sigh and said in a calm tone, “I will investigate Wang Hetai. You don’t have to act on your own.”

“So, my parents’ deaths are indeed related to Wang Hetai.” Although Jin Zhou was already very certain, he still wanted to hear it from Yang Shiyu’s mouth.

“Yes,” Yang Shiyu finally said, “Judge Jin had told me that Wang Hetai tried to bribe him.”

The Judge Jin mentioned by Yang Shiyu was Jin Wei, Jin Zhou’s father.

Jin Wei knew that Yang Shiyu aspired to become a judge and thought highly of his abilities, so he had been mentoring him as his own student.

Upon hearing the words ‘Judge Jin,’ he composed himself, slightly lowered his head and with an empty look in his eyes, he said, ‘But my dad never accepted bribes.’

‘Hmm,’ Yang Shiyu responded, ‘I never thought they would really cause trouble.’

Jin Zhou’s emotions fluctuated, and he furrowed his brows, looking at Yang Shiyu, asking, ‘How could Wang Hetai dare to do such a thing?’

‘Because he is cautious in his actions,’ Yang Shiyu replied, ‘He has taken at least a dozen lives, yet no case can directly link him to the crimes. For instance, during the construction of the Wangtai Building, a well-known contractor mysteriously disappeared. He might be buried under the concrete floor of the underground parking lot.’

Jin Zhou fell silent for a moment. Most of the information he had gathered about Wang  Tai was based on ‘rumors’ .

Now, hearing such specific details from Yang Shiyu, he truly felt the danger posed by Wang Tai.

‘So, you haven’t made any progress in all these years?’ Jin Zhou asked again.

‘Not entirely,’ Yang Shiyu paused, seemingly hesitant about whether to disclose everything, ‘In these cases, the police couldn’t find any money transactions, including the accusation that Wang Darong was instructed to commit murder. There were no abnormal inflows in his accounts.’

‘That means,’ Jin Zhou interjected, ‘they must be conducting transactions in cash.’

‘Correct,’ Yang Shiyu simply agreed without elaborating. It was evident that he wasn’t prepared to reveal everything yet.

However, Jin Zhou had already delved deeper into his thoughts and speculated on his own, saying, ‘That implies Wang Tai had a money laundering channel. It should be easier to investigate from that angle than a murder case.’

Yang Shiyu sighed helplessly, surprised that Jin Zhou had figured it out so directly. He moved his lips slightly and said, ‘Yes.’

‘But money laundering doesn’t carry the death penalty,’ Jin Zhou rubbed his chin, feeling something amiss, ‘So, that’s why you started with Wang Darong?’

‘Yes,’ Yang Shiyu said, ‘The police are already tracking the money laundering angle. Don’t act rashly. I’ll keep an eye on Wang Darong and his girlfriend; you don’t need to worry.’

‘Do you have time for all this?’ Jin Zhou didn’t plan on getting involved in this matter, ‘You have so many cases to handle; you can’t possibly devote yourself fully.’

‘I’ll make time,’ Yang Shiyu said.

‘I have a way to improve your efficiency,’ Jin Zhou’s eyes lit up as an idea popped into his head.

‘What?’ Yang Shiyu furrowed his brows slightly, sensing a change in Jin Zhou’s gaze and growing cautious.

‘You can give me all your work,’ Jin Zhou said, ‘I’ll help you handle the trials, ensuring fair judgments and leaving no room for the defendants to complain.’

Yang Shiyu’s brows twitched, suppressing his frustration. ‘Why don’t you write the judgments for me as well?’

‘That’s possible too,’ Jin Zhou genuinely thought it was a good idea, ‘I’m good at writing legal complaints, so judgments shouldn’t be a problem.’

‘Are you crazy?’ Yang Shiyu furrowed his brows, ‘Can you even write judgments?’

‘If you don’t say anything, and I don’t say anything, who would know?’ Jin Zhou became mischievous again, ‘Let me satisfy my desire to be a judge.’

Yang Shiyu sighed in exasperation, he pressed his temples lightly and said, ‘You should be thankful that you’re doing well now; otherwise, I would hate you, you know?’

‘Just because I didn’t let you become a judge?’ Yang Shiyu smoothed out the crease on his forehead, ‘Do you know how many death threats I’ve received over the years?’

‘Because you abandoned me,’ Jin Zhou interrupted, not letting Yang Shiyu finish.

‘Do you really want to hear my thoughts?’ Yang Shiyu said, ‘You don’t need me by your side.’

What kind of excuse is that?

‘Give it a rest,’ after chatting with Yang Shiyu for so long, they ended up having an argument, ‘Why do I need you to decide what I need or don’t need? Who are you?’

His words were ruthless, and Yang Shiyu closed his mouth and remained silent. Jin Zhou didn’t speak either. Neither of them were willing to give the other a way out.

After a while, it was Yang Shiyu who calmed down first and asked, ‘What do you want me to do so that you stay out of it?’

Yang Shiyu was clearly making a concession, showing a hint of compromise in his words. But Jin Zhou wasn’t so easily appeased. Taking advantage of Yang Shiyu’s softened attitude, he raised an eyebrow and said, ‘Didn’t I mention the conditions to you before?’

Yang Shiyu recalled for a moment, seemingly not remembering, and asked, ‘What?’

Seizing the opportunity while Yang Shiyu wasn’t paying attention, Jin Zhou suddenly grabbed his collar, pressing his lips against Yang Shiyu’s, completely unprepared and uncoordinated.

Yang Shiyu widened his eyes instantly, instinctively trying to push Jin Zhou away, but Jin Zhou was prepared and held onto his collar tightly..

‘I said it before, if you kiss me, I won’t interfere,’ Jin Zhou said while nostalgically replaying the moment in his mind. So it turned out that Yang Shiyu’s lips were so soft after being so stubborn.

People say that kissing is sweet, but he didn’t taste it. He would try it again when he had the chance.

“You…” Yang Shiyu had just snapped back to reality, and his brows immediately furrowed.

Jin Zhou wasn’t afraid, as this was his territory. He could kiss without any hesitation, not only because Yang Shiyu made a concession but also because it was his home. Naturally, he felt invincible in his own home.

He thought he was going to get beaten up again, but unexpectedly, Yang Shiyu only furrowed his brows, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and sternly said to Jin Zhou, “Condition fulfilled. Don’t interfere anymore.”

Hmm, why is he suddenly so easy to talk to?

Jin Zhou suddenly became restless again. As a lawyer, he naturally wanted to fight for his rights. So he added another condition, “One day.”

“What?” Yang Shiyu clearly didn’t expect Jin Zhou to be so shameless. Veins started to pop on his forehead.

“Just for today, I won’t interfere,” Jin Zhou smiled. “But you have to kiss me every day, and so that I…”

He didn’t finish his sentence when Yang Shiyu abruptly grabbed his collar. By the time Jin Zhou reacted, Yang Shiyu had already kissed his lips fiercely, biting and nibbling on them forcefully. Before long, Jin Zhou felt the taste of blood between their lips and teeth.

Who’s the dog after all? He wondered dazedly. Wasn’t it supposed to be sweet? Why is it so aggressive?

After what felt like a long time, just as Jin Zhou felt like his lips were about to be chewed to pieces, Yang Shiyu finally released him and looked at him expressionlessly. “One month.”

It was only then that Jin Zhou understood Yang Shiyu’s intention. He wiped the bloodstains from the corners of his mouth with his thumb and said with a crooked smile, “Deal.”