In Lu Min’s apartment, the stark overhead lights cast sharp reflections onto the floor. The man wore a black silk shirt. He took his time slowly rolling up his sleeves before pulling over a stool. He looked at Ying Yulian, who stood frozen at the doorway, and gestured with his chin.
“Sit,” Lu Min commanded.
Ying Yulian moved with hesitant steps and slowly sat down. He was keenly aware that the atmosphere had shifted, and he cautiously observed the stern expression on the man’s face. He reached out, intending to take Lu Min’s hand, but Lu Min pulled away. Ying Yulian withdrew his hand awkwardly and spoke in a small, sweet voice.
“Brother, has something happened? Why is this like an interrogation? I told you everything over the phone.”
“But I also told you that I am only familiar with Zhou Wei’s case because the method used matches a story I told her while we were doing group work together. Perhaps I simply have a natural talent for understanding the criminal mind? Even Officer Chen mentioned it.”
“That is not a talent; it is a curse,” Lu Min interrupted coldly.
To Lu Min, Ying Yulian’s intuitive grasp of crime felt like an inescapable curse spanning two lifetimes. Hearing the boy call it a talent made him think of the madman from his past life who treated murder like an art exhibition. A wave of nausea surged from his stomach. He leaned against the table, enduring the sharp throbbing in his nerves as memories of his previous life flashed back vividly.
He remembered the G-City Psychological Hospital. He had been on the phone, trying to reassure his partner, Chen Shen. Since Lu Min had cracked the major 118 Bank explosion and robbery case, Chen Shen had been worried about his mental state. The bank had been filled with charred remains, and Lu Min had been the first witness on the scene.
“I have arrived at the hospital,” Lu Min had said before hanging up. He took a number from the nurse and walked to the consultation room. Just as he was about to push the door open, he heard muffled arguing from inside. He frowned and listened closely.
“Why did you tell him that story? You knew his mental state was precarious. You could have told him something gentle, a story about the beauty of the world. Why did you tell her how to kill? Should you not be responsible for every word you say?”
“I did not tell him to kill. Killing was his choice. The only thing I did was kneel down while the rest of the world taught him how to suffer with dignity and asked him: ‘Why should the person who hurt you be allowed to live well?’ Is that a crime?”
“Officer Lu?”
Lu Min had frowned at the mention of murder and prepared to enter, but a nurse called his name.
“I am sorry, there seems to be a situation here. I will move you to another room.”
“What was that about a murder?” Lu Min asked, narrowing his eyes at the nurse.
“It is just a doctor-patient dispute. It seems a girl Dr. Ying treated during a volunteer session tried to kill her father. She was unsuccessful, and though Dr. Ying promised to mediate, the girl committed suicide recently.”
“Is that so?” Lu Min asked.
“Yes. Most people who come here are just unfortunate souls.”
Unfortunate souls? Lu Min looked back at the psychiatrist walking out of the room. Through the hazy light of memory, that doctor’s face became increasingly familiar. He looked exactly like someone Lu Min knew: Ying Yulian.
His eyes widened. Lu Min pushed past the nurse and strode toward the man, reaching out to grab his white lab coat. But when his hand closed around the fabric, he realized he was not holding a lab coat, but rather Ying Yulian’s cotton T-shirt.
He looked up and saw Ying Yulian’s face covered in tears. He realized that in his trance, he had shouted the words the patient had said in his memory, using them to interrogate the boy. Even though it was not his intention, he had once again mistaken the Ying Yulian of this life for the man from his past.
Lu Min hurriedly pulled tissues from a box and began to wipe the boy’s tears away. He felt a deep sense of regret for projecting his anger toward the past onto this innocent teenager.
“I am sorry. This is my fault,” Lu Min said. He pulled Ying Yulian into a hug, patting his back gently to soothe him.
“You told me to get along with my classmates. When Zhou Wei asked me those things, I did not think much of it. I just wanted to comfort her. And you were the one who asked me to analyze the case. I only did it because I saw how hard you were working. I wanted to be useful to you,” Ying Yulian sobbed.
“I know. You did not do it on purpose,” Lu Min replied. He gave the boy small sips of water. “From now on, I will take you with me whenever I investigate a case. I will take you everywhere.”
“Really, Brother?” Ying Yulian looked at him with surprise. He wondered if his brother had finally recognized his talent for criminal analysis. He felt a surge of hope. If he could prove his value by helping solve difficult cases, perhaps he would never be abandoned.
“Yes. I will guide you and help you use your talent,” Lu Min said. He smiled warmly at the boy, but his eyes remained cold.
Since the boy’s criminal instincts and powers of persuasion were as sharp as they had been in the past life, Lu Min decided to keep him under constant surveillance. He would know exactly where the boy was and what he was doing at all times. This talent would only be used for the right reasons. If the boy began to turn bad, Lu Min would strike without hesitation.
Lu Min would watch him forever. He would not allow a repeat of the past. In this life, there would be no stalemate. There would be only one winner, and that would be him.