Futile Devices Scans

Xie Jia Hua visited Lu Guang Ming every day, bringing him breakfast and peeling an apple for him. Contrary to his usual behavior, Lu Guang Ming was polite and quiet with him, thanking him solemnly. He no longer chattered endlessly or searched for things to talk about, asking only whether Xie Jia Hua could bring him a book to read.

And so the two of them read together in the hospital room, from morning until night each day, in peaceful silence.

That evening, Xie Jia Hua’s subordinates had just solved a major case. They all came to visit their boss and, while they were at it, held a welcome party for Qin Hao—Qin Hao had rendered meritorious service by protecting the witness Kevin during the Xie Ying Jie case, and Xie Jia Hua had used the opportunity to apply for his transfer back to the Major Crimes Unit. The transfer order had been approved that day. Everyone jumped and made a commotion in the hospital room, popping champagne with repeated bangs in celebration.

“You little bastards! The patient still needs to rest!” Xie Jia Hua rarely cursed at people. “Take your racket outside!”

“Wow, Boss, you’re here all day, every day. Where else are we supposed to find you?” his subordinates said with grins. “Exactly. Besides, Investigator Lu won’t mind, right?”

Lu Guang Ming smiled as well. “As long as everyone enjoys themselves. Pour me a glass too.”

“You’re still recovering. You can’t drink.” Xie Jia Hua blocked them from reaching him.

“Wow, Boss is feeling protective!” “Of course. Boss has to ‘take responsibility’ for him.” His subordinates exchanged meaningful glances, then dragged Qin Hao, who had been silently pouring champagne, into it as well. “Hey, A’Hao, tell us—isn’t this Mrs. Hua…”

“Every one of you, shut up! Get out!” The more Xie Jia Hua heard, the more outrageous it became. He grabbed a pillow and swung it wildly at them. His subordinates laughingly scattered throughout the room.  “We’re going, we’re going. Let’s continue at karaoke.” “Wow, we spent three nights straight catching criminals, and you still have the energy to sing? I can’t. I’m going home to sleep.”  “Let’s sleep together.” “Get lost, pervert.”

The entire group slipped away before Xie Jia Hua could truly lose his temper. Only Qin Hao remained behind, looking awkward and innocent as he whispered, “Brother Jia Hua, I never said anything like that. They were making wild guesses on the way here. They asked me, and when I didn’t answer, they said my silence meant I admitted it…”

Xie Jia Hua was even more embarrassed than he was and hurriedly pushed him outside. “I know. Go home and rest early.”

After closing the door, Xie Jia Hua turned and faced Lu Guang Ming. Lu Guang Ming remained silent. The smile had already disappeared from his face, and he merely lowered his head quietly, his gaze resting on the quilt. The atmosphere instantly became even more awkward than before.

“You… You should rest early too. I’m leaving,” Xie Jia Hua said.

“Wait.”

They remained awkward for another moment before Lu Guang Ming said softly, “I want to visit A’San. The nurse said he hasn’t been willing to eat these past few days, and I’m very worried about him. Can you help me over there?”

Xie Jia Hua asked a nurse for a wheelchair and directly lifted Lu Guang Ming into it. He pushed him to the door of He Chu San’s hospital room, where Lu Guang Ming turned and said, “This is far enough. Thank you. I’ll go in by myself.”

“I’ll wait for you here.”

“There’s no need. I know how to use the wheelchair. Go back and rest.”

Xie Jia Hua did not insist and closed the door from outside. Lu Guang Ming wheeled himself into the room and was surprised to discover He Chu San propped against the headboard, drinking one mouthful of congee after another. A teenage girl was feeding him, gently and attentively wiping his chin with a tissue as she did so.

“Who are you?” the girl asked.

“My name is A’Ming. I’m his friend.”

With his bandaged hand, He Chu San tugged at the girl’s clothes. Opening his mouth, he managed to produce a faint, hoarse sound. “Water.”

The girl lifted the thermos beside the bed and discovered that it was empty. “All right, I’ll go get some hot water. Big Brother, talk with your friend for a while, but be careful with your throat. Don’t speak too loudly.”

“I’ll feed him,” Lu Guang Ming said, taking the bowl of congee from her.

The moment the girl left, He Chu San’s face turned pale. He tugged at Lu Guang Ming’s clothes and gestured with his eyes toward the rubbish bin beside them. Lu Guang Ming hurriedly put down the bowl and lifted the bin. He Chu San bent over and vomited everything into it with a loud retch. He coughed as he vomited, choking until his entire face turned bright red. Lu Guang Ming pulled out tissues to wipe his face and patted his back. After their frantic efforts, the two weakly caught their breath together. Looking at each other’s miserable, sickly appearance, they both laughed.

He Chu San glanced toward the door and said with a bitter smile, “That was my younger sister… If I don’t eat, she worries…”

Looking at the unnatural flush on his face, Lu Guang Ming suddenly felt the urge to embrace He Chu San and cry his heart out. But he could not. He Chu San’s skeletal appearance caused everything Lu Guang Ming wanted to say to lodge painfully inside him. He knew He Chu San had suffered no less than he had these past few days.

He Chu San placed his bandaged hand over Lu Guang Ming’s cold, pale one. Lu Guang Ming had to strain to make out his hoarse voice. “What’s wrong with you? You avenged your great hatred. Aren’t you happy?”

Lu Guang Ming could not tell him about the deaths of his colleagues, afraid that He Chu San would blame himself even more. “What about you? Why won’t you eat? That isn’t good for your recovery.”

He Chu San moved the hand with the IV needle. “I won’t die… I’ve tried very hard to eat, but I still can’t…”

His unfocused gaze followed the medicine slowly flowing through the tube. “Ever since I was little, my father taught me that where there’s a will, there’s a way… He never told me that no matter how hard you try at some things, the ending will still be the same…”

Lu Guang Ming knew what he meant and clasped his hand in return. “No. This ending is different. Xia Liu Yi wasn’t captured, nor did he remain beyond the reach of the law. He turned himself in—for you, for himself, and for everything he once did. It isn’t the same ending.”

“I know all of that. I’ve accepted it,” He Chu San said calmly. “But he said he wanted to break up with me… He told me to find someone else. He doesn’t want me anymore…”

“I truly want to kill him,” he said with absolute calm.

Lu Guang Ming opened his mouth soundlessly, momentarily unsure how to comfort him. He Chu San continued just as calmly, “Or when he testifies against Xie Ying Jie in court, I could sneak inside and kill Xie Ying Jie in front of him. Then they would convict me of murder, and I could go to prison to keep him company.”

Lu Guang Ming’s hair stood on end as he tightened his grip on He Chu San’s hand—he genuinely believed He Chu San was capable of doing it!

Instead, He Chu San laughed, lowering his head to wipe the corner of his eye. “Don’t worry. I still have my parents and younger sister. I won’t really do anything foolish.”

He placed his other hand over Lu Guang Ming’s and continued, “He doesn’t understand. As long as he still wants me, I can endure any night, no matter how long. But if he no longer wants me, then every day of this long life will be torment. I will never be with a second person. For some people, there is only that one person in an entire lifetime. Once they are gone, they are gone. There will never be anyone else.”

He gestured for Lu Guang Ming to open the bedside cabinet and take out the little shark stored inside. “I’m returning this to you. Thank you, A’Ming. Cherish the person before you. He’s still waiting outside.”

Lu Guang Ming had originally come to persuade He Chu San to eat, yet he instead emerged from the hospital room after receiving a thorough brainwashing. He wheeled himself out in a daze. Xie Jia Hua truly was still waiting outside. When he saw Lu Guang Ming come out holding the little shark, he gave him a faint smile.

It was the first time Lu Guang Ming had ever seen Xie Jia Hua smile at him. Stunned, he could not stop his cheeks from heating. He lowered his eyes and silently allowed Xie Jia Hua to push him forward. Once they entered the elevator, he suddenly asked, “Were you actually discharged several days ago?”

Xie Jia Hua did not dare lie to him again. “Yes.”

“You come here to keep me company every day. What about your own rest and work?”

“I took medical leave. Reading with you counts as rest.”

Lu Guang Ming lowered his head and gently stroked the little shark. “Tomorrow… could you accompany me to the cemetery?”

They went to the public cemetery. Most of Lu Guang Ming’s fallen colleagues had been buried there. On the day of the funeral, music had played and flags had covered their coffins. Even the Governor of Hong Kong had come to lay flowers. At the time, Lu Guang Ming’s leg was still infected and inflamed, and he had not yet been permitted to leave the hospital. He had lain in bed staring out the window, imagining everything taking place at the cemetery.

Now he personally arrived at the cemetery in a wheelchair, holding a large bouquet of flowers. At every gravestone, he bent forward with difficulty and laid down a carnation. No memorial ceremony was being held there that day. The grounds were empty and silent, with seagulls circling overhead and crying sharply. Beneath the clear blue sky, there were only flowers and the loyal spirits that had yet to depart.

As Lu Guang Ming laid down the flowers, he introduced each person to Xie Jia Hua. “His name was Franky. He was an excellent singer. He had two younger brothers and three younger sisters. He was the eldest and gave his family one thousand dollars every month. He worked very hard.”

“He was Brother Win. His daughter was only six months old. I once stole a case from him, and later he made me drink three glasses of alcohol. He changed careers midway through life. He used to work at a finance company before joining the ICAC.”

“Sister Milly was lively and always smiling. She liked movie stars. She knew how to make soup and promised to teach me.”

“Chief Xu was an old classmate of my university professor. My professor died of cancer during my final year. Before he died, he recommended me to Chief Xu, and I began working beneath him immediately after graduation. He always took very good care of me. His daughter only started university this year.”

“A’Huo and Lan-zai were from the Technical Department. I worked with both of them on a case…”

“I worked at the ICAC for three years and had only just become friends with everyone. I was so unlikeable, but none of them rejected me. Now everyone is gone, and I’m the only one still alive. Every time I close my eyes, I see Chief Xu dying in front of me. I should keep living, carry on everyone’s final wishes, and finish the work they left undone—but what right do I have to be happy?”

Xie Jia Hua bent down and pressed Lu Guang Ming’s tear-soaked face against his chest. Lu Guang Ming clung to his waist with all his strength and said through his sobs, “I like you, Xie Jia Hua. I like you so much. I want to love you for Brother Jia Qi too. I want to cherish the person before me. I want to pursue you seriously—but what right do I have to be happy?”

Xie Jia Hua kissed the crown of his head, his own eyes reddening with tears. “You do. You do…”

He cupped Lu Guang Ming’s face and gently kissed those tear-drenched lips. “They would give you their blessing. They wouldn’t blame you. I like you too, Lu Guang Ming. I like you too. I want to care for you for Jacky as well. Is that all right?”

That evening, Xie Jia Hua pushed the wheelchair back to the hospital room. After lifting Lu Guang Ming onto the bed, he fetched a damp towel and wiped his dirty little face, his eyes swollen like peaches from crying. Once everything was tidied, Xie Jia Hua switched off the light and prepared to leave, but after reaching the hospital room door, he turned back again.

“What book would you like to read tomorrow?” he asked.

Lu Guang Ming lay quietly in the darkness. Only after a long while did he answer in a small voice, “I want to read comics. I don’t want to read classics anymore.”

“All right. I’ll buy you comics tomorrow.”

Although Xie Jia Hua had finished speaking, he still did not leave. After hesitating for a while, he asked, “Have you been sleeping well at night these past few days?”

“You said that whenever you close your eyes, you see Chief Xu. Have you been sleeping well?”

“It’s all right. Chief Xu wouldn’t hurt me.”

Xie Jia Hua’s heart ached faintly, and he remained standing where he was. “Would you… like me to stay here with you tonight? I can ask the nurse for an extra bed.”

He watched Lu Guang Ming remain silent in the darkness, unable to see the expression on his face. After a long period of silence, Lu Guang Ming slowly lifted the quilt and shifted aside, leaving a tiny amount of space.

Xie Jia Hua removed his jacket and squeezed onto the hospital bed, pulling Lu Guang Ming’s head and shoulders into his embrace. Lu Guang Ming carefully adjusted his injured leg and curled into a ball against him in an awkward position.

“Sleep.” Xie Jia Hua kissed the crown of his head. He remembered the night he had first brought the drunken Lu Guang Ming back to his home. Lu Guang Ming had caused a drunken scene before finally crying himself to sleep in Xie Jia Hua’s arms. From that moment, Xie Jia Hua had understood the relationship between Tang Jia Qi and Lu Guang Ming. From that moment, he had sincerely wanted to care for this boy who would never truly grow up in Jia Qi’s place.

His feelings for Lu Guang Ming had begun with guilt and sympathy. Did he truly love Lu Guang Ming now? He believed that he did. He could no longer distinguish when that love had begun. Their relationship had always been so tangled and complicated that it was impossible to unravel clearly. He knew only that on this night, and on every night to come, he was willing to hold Lu Guang Ming tightly and remain beside him like this.

The empty space left in both their lives by the person they had shared had caused each of them to walk alone through countless nights of pain, guilt, uncertainty, and remembrance. From this moment onward, the long night would give way to dawn.

The Story of Xiao Lu — End.