Blank Charge

Being a judge was indeed not an easy job.

Just recently, Jin Zhou had read a news article about a judge in a certain city who was attacked and killed at home in connection with a gang-related case. If you also consider his father’s incident, it became evident that being a judge was truly a high-risk occupation.

However, high-risk occupations were not limited to judges alone. Doctors may face medical malpractice incidents, every profession carried its own risks.

If Jin Zhou could choose, he would rather embrace the risks and pursue the career he wanted to.

As time flew by, the old buildings became increasingly silent.

The lights in the corridor were not very sensitive. As the two walked towards the staircase, their footsteps were neither too loud nor too soft, yet not a single light turned on.

Yang Shi Yu walked ahead without looking back, treating Jin Zhou as if he were invisible. Jin Zhou didn’t mind, his hands casually in his pockets, leisurely following behind Yang Shi Yu, and casually spoke, “Hey, Yang Shi Yu.”

Finally, the lights in the hallway responded, illuminating the path beneath Yang Shi Yu’s feet.

They reached the staircase just as the lights came on. Yang Shi Yu paused his steps for a moment. The pace that had slowed due to the darkness regained its speed as the hallway suddenly brightened.

Of course, the lights in the corridor didn’t just happen to turn on at that moment; it was simply Jin Zhou’s thoughtful consideration. Yang Shi Yu seemed to have noticed this and slightly tilted his head during the pause, a subtle response to Jin Zhou.

“You said being a judge wasn’t interesting before,” Jin Zhou maintained the same pace as Yang Shi Yu while descending the stairs. When Yang Shi Yu stepped forward with his right foot, Jin Zhou followed suit. When Yang Shi Yu lifted his left foot, Jin Zhou did the same. If it were in the past when they had a good relationship, he would definitely put his hands on Yang Shi Yu’s shoulders. But now, looking at that distant figure, he could only restrain the restless hands in his pockets.

“Everyone’s career plans can change,” Yang Shi Yu said.

“Are you sure you’ve changed?” Jin Zhou didn’t buy it. Although he hadn’t been involved in Yang Shi Yu’s life for those years, the security guard had already filled him in on everything. After graduating from college, Yang Shi Yu immediately started working at the court and quickly became a full-time judge, with a bright future ahead.

“Why do I feel like you’re tricking me more and more?” Jin Zhou said, but as he spoke, Yang Shi Yu, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Unaware, Jin Zhou’s chest bumped into Yang Shi Yu’s back, and he caught a whiff of the familiar scent of shampoo.

At the end of the stairs was the exit of the old building. Yang Shi Yu stood still at the exit, looking left and right to ensure no one else was around before continuing forward.

Jin Zhou also looked around, thinking that Yang Shi Yu’s counter-surveillance awareness was quite strong.

But thinking about it, a judge like him secretly investigating a case disregarding his status wouldn’t be easy to explain if it were discovered by the police or the prosecutor.

Especially since Yang Shi Yu was connected to the car accident victims, Jin Zhou’s parents. Although they didn’t have a direct conflict of interest, there were still many complicated connections. If someone with ill intentions exploited this, it could potentially lead Yang Shi Yu to avoid handling the case.

After the two emerged from the building, they hadn’t walked a few steps when they reached a long slope.

Jin Zhou had come from the downhill direction, but seeing Yang Shi Yu heading uphill in the opposite direction, he matched his footsteps, pretending that he had also came from that direction.

The two walked for a while, one in front and the other behind. Suddenly, the cries of a child echoed from the old apartment building, making the quiet street slightly eerie.

Jin Zhou shrugged instinctively, initially not paying much attention. However, after taking a couple of steps, he felt that something was off and stopped to look back.

Soundproofing in old buildings was not good, and Jin Zhou was well aware of that.

Occasionally, he would also hear the cries of children from where he lived, but there would always be an adult’s voice accompanying it.

No responsible adult would allow their child to cry like that without intervening. They would either comfort them or give them a scolding. In any case, in such situations, adults would always be involved.

But the crying in the apartment building seemed strange. The child was crying alone without any adult intervention.

It wasn’t Jin Zhou’s place to meddle in other people’s affairs. Although there were only a few residents in that building, if something really happened to the child’s family, other neighbors should step forward to investigate.

Not long after, Jin Zhou followed Yang Shi Yu to a secluded street.

Under the dense trees, there was a black car parked. Yang Shi Yu took out the car keys to unlock it, and Jin Zhou couldn’t help but feel surprised. “You have a car?”

Yang Shi Yu didn’t answer. He opened the car door and sat in the driver’s seat, clearly intending to part ways with Jin Zhou there.

Having followed him all the way, Jin Zhou naturally didn’t want to be ditched like that. He swiftly took the opportunity to get into the passenger seat.

Once the car door closed, the enclosed space immediately fell silent, as if forming a separate world from the outside street.

Yang Shi Yu’s hand paused on the release of the handbrake, and he furrowed his brow, looking at Jin Zhou. “Get out.”

“I didn’t drive here,” Jin Zhou casually fastened his seatbelt. “You’re giving me a ride back.”

“I don’t have time.” Yang Shi Yu’s brow furrowed even deeper.

“It’s on the way, won’t take much of your time,” Jin Zhou adjusted the seatback, leaning back comfortably. “Or how about I drive? I’m good at driving.”

Yang Shiyu still wore a baseball cap, and although Jin Zhou couldn’t see it clearly, he guessed that Yang Shiyu’s forehead was probably showing veins by now.

“If you want me to get out of the car, that’s also fine,” Jin Zhou nestled in the seat, tilted his head, and looked at Yang Shiyu. “Carry me out.”

Jin Zhou knew very well that Yang Shiyu wouldn’t carry him. He said it just to express his attitude: I’m not getting out, what are you going to do about it?

At that moment, the judge’s authority had no effect. Yang Shiyu could only stare at Jin Zhou with a blackened face.

The two of them confronted each other for a while, but in the end, Yang Shiyu helplessly let out a sigh and started the car, saying, “Where did you learn such rude manners?”

Before Jin Zhou could respond, Yang Shiyu glanced at him again and said, “You’re just like a little hooligan.”

Jin Zhou never minded being treated as a hooligan by others. After all, he wasn’t a civilized and polite citizen himself.

But when Yang Shiyu said it, he didn’t like it.

“Are you serious right now, Yang Shiyu?” Jin Zhou’s tone turned serious. “Isn’t it all because of you that I’ve become like this?”

Jin Zhou’s words were somewhat heavy. The real culprits were those who had killed his parents, but he didn’t lie about it being partly Yang Shiyu’s fault. After all, if it weren’t for Yang Shiyu’s indifference, he wouldn’t have nearly given up on the path of law, descending into self-destruction.

However, his attempt at appearing deep only lasted for a second. Jin Zhou couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Yang Shiyu’s reaction.

He thought Yang Shiyu would say something like “It has nothing to do with me” to distance himself. But Yang Shiyu only pursed his lips and didn’t deny anything, accepting Jin Zhou’s accusation like that.

Could it be that he was truly feeling guilty?

A strange and heavy atmosphere filled the car. Jin Zhou never intended it to be this way. He wasn’t a resentful little woman who wanted Yang Shiyu to take responsibility for his life.

If he really had such thoughts, he would have gone to him long ago when he found out that Yang Shiyu worked in the court. There was no need to wait until now.

“Cough.” Jin Zhou awkwardly cleared his throat, breaking the heavy atmosphere in the car. “When did you buy a car?”

“A long time ago,” Yang Shiyu looked ahead, answering in a flat tone, his voice no longer as cold as before.

Jin Zhou couldn’t help but find it strange. “You live right next to the courthouse. Why did you buy a car?”

Jin Zhou naturally obtained Yang Shiyu’s address from the security guard. He pretended to casually ask if the court had a shuttle bus for employees and gradually obtained all the information he wanted to know.

— Judge Yang lived in a nearby neighborhood, walking to work every day, probably saving up for his wife.

Jin Zhou had no intention of hiding the fact that he knew Yang Shiyu’s address. After all, he could find Wang Darong’s address as well, so it wasn’t surprising that he knew about Yang Shiyu’s situation.

As expected, Yang Shiyu didn’t react and only glanced at Jin Zhou indifferently. “Do I need to report to you when I buy a car?”

“That’s not what I mean,” Jin Zhou felt that the logic didn’t add up.

Since Yang Shiyu didn’t need to drive to work, there was naturally no need for him to buy a car. But seeing how skillfully he drove, it was clear that he often went out driving often.

Could it be that…?

An idea popped into Jin Zhou’s mind. Could it be that Judge Yang went out for ride-hailing every night?

… What a joke.

 Jin Zhou asked. “How did you buy a car?”

Although the car was just an inexpensive one worth a few tens of thousands, not a high-end purchase, Yang Shiyu had always been frugal and wouldn’t buy unnecessary things.

This time, Yang Shiyu didn’t answer. Instead, he slowly pulled the car over and said to Jin Zhou, “Get out of the car.”

Jin Zhou looked confused, not understanding why Yang Shi Yu wanted him to get out of the car again. But when he looked outside the car, he realized they had already arrived at an intersection. He only needed to walk a few more minutes to get back to his own home.

“How did you know that I haven’t moved?” Jin Zhou sat still, looking directly at Yang Shi Yu.

He felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation, hoping that Yang Shi Yu was secretly paying attention to his life too, However, Yang Shi Yu wasn’t taken aback by his question. He calmly replied, “You mentioned it was on the way.”

Jin Zhou choked for a moment. How could he forget that Yang Shi Yu had a sharp mind?

By using the excuse of being on the way, Jin Zhou had refused to get out of the car, which sounded like a lie.

But not long after, Yang Shi Yu mentioned that he knew Jin Zhou lived near the courthouse, which unintentionally added some credibility to the excuse of being on the way. Because Yang Shi Yu had worked as a tutor for Jin Zhou before and knew that their house was not far from the courthouse.

Of course, that still couldn’t confirm whether Jin Zhou had moved or not, but the next step was to simply stop the car and find out.

In fact, before Yang Shi Yu said anything, Jin Zhou had already revealed that he was still living in his old house.

Interesting, Jin Zhou thought.

Since Yang Shi Yu had brought him here, Jin Zhou had no reason to stay in the car any longer.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, pulled the door handle, and said to Yang Shi Yu, ” About Wang Da Rong, I will continue to investigate.”

Yang Shi Yu immediately frowned with a headache. “Jin Zhou.”

“I won’t get in your way,” Jin Zhou stepped out of the car, slightly bending down, looking at Yang Shi Yu inside the car, “But don’t interfere with me either.”

After saying this, Jin Zhou slammed the car door shut and waved goodbye to Yang Shi Yu.