Blank Charge

The number of people in the apartment building were not many, with a large portion of the houses on each floor being vacant, and various advertising flyers stuffed in the door cracks.

At both ends of the long corridor, there were two windows. Outside was a quiet street, and the light was blocked by the tall trees, making the corridor even darker.

Jin Zhou stood by the window at one end of the corridor, rubbing his right shoulder that was twisted by Yang Shi Yu, and looked at the person beside him, asking, “What are you doing here?”

Not only that, but, also dressed like this.

Black baseball cap, black short jacket, black work pants, black Martin boots — if it weren’t for the inappropriate timing, Jin Zhou almost wanted to ask Yang Shi Yu if he was wearing black underwear too.

But it had to be admitted that compared to the loose and large robe, that outfit made Yang Shi Yu look broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, and long-legged, quite handsome.

“I should be asking you that.” Yang Shi Yu naturally didn’t know Jin Zhou was scrutinizing his attire. He faced outside the window, glanced at Jin Zhou, and his deep eyes were hidden in the shadow of the baseball cap, showing no visible emotions.

The question was thrown back, and Jin Zhou couldn’t help but find it amusing. How come he hadn’t noticed before that Yang Shi Yu enjoyed teasing people like that?

Both of them appearing there at the same time, it was obviously Yang Shi Yu who was out of place.

Indeed, judges could actively investigate cases, but they did so openly and legally. No judge would come to a suspect’s house dressed like a lawless individual, as Yang Shi Yu did.

“Hey.” Jin Zhou was always courteous, but since Yang Shi Yu wasn’t being honest with him, he decided not to be polite either. “Do you think I’m that easy to fool?”

Yang Shi Yu didn’t answer, but slightly turned his face, finally making eye contact with Jin Zhou.

“I’m here to investigate my parents’ case, so it’s justified for me to be here,” Jin Zhou said. “But what about you? In what capacity are you conducting the investigation, as a prosecutor?”

A prosecutor and a judge were two completely different positions. Jin Zhou’s remark was simply to mock Yang Shi Yu’s earlier statement to him that “there will be a prosecutor following up.”

However, his sarcasm had no effect. Yang Shi Yu remained calm and answered indifferently, “A judge.”

Fine, Jin Zhou thought, Yang Shin Yu intended to play dumb until the end.

“You really are dedicated to your job,” Jin Zhou followed along with Yang Shi Yu’s words, “Do you investigate other people’s cases as well?”

Having dealt with the court numerous times, Jin Zhou knew that judges were more cautious than anyone else. They would never want to hold court proceedings twice for the same case, unless they had a screw loose, like Yang Shi Yu, who took over the police’s work for himself.

Yang Shi Yu didn’t answer anymore, as if intentionally ignoring the question. He looked back outside the window and asked, “Why do you know Wang Da Rong’s address?”

The topic shifted inexplicably, and Jin Zhou was frustrated. He retorted, “Why can’t I know?”

Yang Shi Yu furrowed his brows slightly. “Did the police inform you?”

Jin Zhou laughed at the interrogative tone, “What do you think?”

Although Jin Zhou didn’t explicitly answer, his attitude made it clear that the information didn’t come from the police.

Yang Shi Yu fell silent, seemingly pondering other possibilities. Jin Zhou remained silent as well, and a rare moment of tension enveloped the two of them.

The corridor brightened up as the hallway lights on the stairs turned on. Someone was going up and down the stairs. It seemed like someone was exercising, as the corridor echoed with the sound of “ping pong.”

Jin Zhou suddenly felt that the connection between people was truly mysterious. Just two days ago, he could never have imagined that he would unexpectedly run into Yang Shi Yu in that unfamiliar old building.

What he couldn’t imagine even more was the combination of the solemn judicial robe and the sharp attire on the same person.

 Jin Zhou didn’t want to waste any more time quarreling with Yang Shi Yu. He took out a cigarette pack from his pocket, picked up a cigarette, and placed it in the corner of his mouth, saying vaguely, “Besides the police, someone else is looking for Wang Da Rong.”

It could be the mastermind behind it all.

He didn’t say the latter part of the sentence because his cigarette suddenly disappeared from the corner of his mouth. Yang Shi Yu beside him had swiftly broken the cigarette into two with a “snap” and threw it into the nearby trash heap.

“I don’t want to inhale second-hand smoke,” Yang Shi Yu said.

Jin Zhou was completely stunned, his hand holding the lighter frozen in mid-air, unsure of how to react. He had been in the streets for so long, and no one had ever stopped  him from smoking before, let alone dared to take his cigarette away from his mouth—only fathers disciplining their sons would do such a thing, according to him.

Should he just punch Yang Shi Yu to let him know who the boss was?

Probably not, as he was a judge after all. His usual methods wouldn’t work.

Should he simply not smoke and be a considerate citizen?

Why did it feel a bit like being controlled…

Jin Zhou was hesitating whether to take out another cigarette and continue smoking when he heard Yang Shi Yu say again, “Wang Da Rong probably ran away, it won’t be easy to find him.”

After all that talk, they finally got to the point. Jin Zhou wearily put away the lighter, “If the police haven’t revealed Wang Da Rong’s address to you, it means they haven’t made any progress.”

If things were going smoothly, Yang Shi Yu would just have to wait for the results. But on the other hand, Jin Zhou felt somewhat reassured that he was willing to personally investigate.

“Since the police didn’t inform you of Wang Da Rong’s address,” Yang Shi Yu looked at Jin Zhou and asked, “How did you know about this place?”

The same question as before.

Perhaps it was an occupational instinct of being a judge, wanting to get everything clarified.

Jin Zhou didn’t intend to hide anything, he just answered briefly, “Wang Da Rong orders takeout every day.”

The convenience of life comes with the risk of privacy leakage. Jin Zhou’s method of obtaining Wang Darong’s address was somewhat in the gray area between ethics and law, so he didn’t fully disclose it to Yang Shiyu.

But just that sentence was enough for Yang Shiyu to understand Jin Zhou’s meaning.

“You better behave yourself,” Yang Shiyu frowned, and the shadow under his hat became deeper. “Stay away from bad company.”

Similar words were said by Yang Shiyu to Jin Zhou before.

Back in their first year of high school, Jin Zhou used to go to internet cafes to play games with his classmates, and Yang Shiyu advised him to spend less time with those classmates.

Unexpectedly, after nine years, their relationship changed, their identities changed, but Yang Shiyu’s habit of scolding Jin Zhou remained the same. He would stop him from smoking and discourage him from making friends with kids he considered bad company.

But Jin Zhou’s focus was not on that.

“Do I have any bad friends?” Jin Zhou asked Yang Shiyu. “Are you stalking me now?”

Jin Zhou often chatted with the court’s security guard, so he knew a little about Yang Shiyu’s situation – a workaholic, the fastest-promoted judge, not at all concerned about his own personal matters, and he ignored the numerous single girls who showed interest in him.

But, on the other hand, Yang Shiyu knew that Jin Zhou had a group of bad friends, which was strange.

After all, when Jin Zhou went to the court for a trial or observation, he didn’t  bring his friends along. The security guard even praised Jin Zhou’s talents and always wanted to introduce him to potential partners.

“Do I need to stalk you to know that?” Yang Shiyu coldly observed Jin Zhou. “Just look at yourself now.”

What’s wrong with me?

Jin Zhou looked at himself inexplicably. Besides his shirt collar being slightly low and his pants loosely hanging around his waist, he looked pretty normal. How come he didn’t meet the standards of this esteemed judge?

While Jin Zhou was wondering, Yang Shiyu suddenly turned around without saying a word. Jin Zhou quickly grabbed Yang Shiyu’s elbow and then threw a punch him without hesitation.

Yang Shiyu instinctively dodged to the side, and his speed surprised Jin Zhou.

Jin Zhou had been preparing for that punch for a long time. He didn’t really want to hit Yang Shiyu; he just wanted to test his skills. As expected, Yang Shiyu managed to avoid it.

It seemed Jin Zhou guessed right. It wasn’t that he was careless and subdued by Yang Shiyu earlier.

Taking advantage of Yang Shiyu’s sidestep, Jin Zhou pressed him against the wall, using his forearm against Yang Shiyu’s collarbone.

Their faces were only about twenty centimeters apart. Yang Shiyu didn’t seem to feel threatened, nor did he resist. He calmly looked at Jin Zhou. Feeling that the light was insufficient to see him clearly, Jin Zhou leaned forward, bringing their noses only about a punch’s distance apart.

Now Yang Shiyu finally became alert. The veins on his neck tensed, and Jin Zhou believed that if he got any closer, Yang Shiyu would definitely throw a punch without hesitation.

However, the goal had already been achieved. Jin Zhou moved his face back a bit, and with a smirk, he said, “You’re wearing contact lenses.”

Previously, Yang Shiyu wore black-framed glasses without a non-slip chain. Jin Zhou had always felt that those plain glasses didn’t match Yang Shiyu’s beautiful eyes. He had mentioned it to Yang Shiyu countless times, asking him to switch to contact lenses, but Yang Shiyu never listened.

Previously , during a tutoring session, Jin Zhou had one time mischievously took off Yang Shiyu’s glasses, which made Yang Shiyu angry for a long time.

Now, looking at the fluttering long eyelashes in the dim light, Jin Zhou couldn’t help but smile to himself. His judgment was indeed accurate.”

The beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, as if displeased with Jin Zhou’s bold scrutiny. Yang Shi Yu didn’t evade or flinch, but looked straight at Jin Zhou and asked, “Can’t I wear contact lenses?”

“Thats not what i meant,” Jin Zhou smiled. “You look good this way.”

After saying that, he casually asked, “When did Judge learn to fight?”

Perhaps Jin Zhou’s tone was too casual and he repeatedly touched a nerve with Yang Shi Yu. Just as Jin Zhou’s words fell, he felt a dull pain in his abdomen. The pain made him take two steps back, unable to help but curse.

Yang Shi Yu slowly retracted his fist and coldly said, “Do you think being a judge is easy?”