Reality Programming Association

Chapter 6: Chapter 3: ”The Smiling Suicide Case

A knock at the door woke Yu Xian.

He struggled to pry his eyes open. His head was heavy and groggy; the hangover from the previous night’s drinking still hadn’t completely faded. He wasn’t used to the feeling.

The curtains weren’t fully drawn, and a sliver of gray light filtered through the gap. It was impossible to tell if it was morning or dusk.

All he knew was that the rain outside was still pattering down.

The sofa had grown warm from his body heat. His limbs were sore and numb as he stood up.

He glanced through the peephole. It was Yu Zhengze.

When he opened the door, a gust of damp, cold air rushed in, carrying the smell of rain and earth.

Yu Zhengze stood in the doorway, his wet hair plastered to his forehead. He was holding breakfast.

His stubble wasn’t cleanly shaven, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He must have been pulling a lot of late nights recently.

Yu Xian let Yu Zhengze in. ”Bro, you’re here early?”

”Early? It’s almost noon.”

Yu Zhengze wrinkled his nose. He glanced at Yu Xian. ”You’ve been drinking?”

Yu Zhengze’s gaze swept across the living room, quickly locking onto the nearly empty liquor bottle on the floor. He sighed and closed the door.

”Go wash your face. I bought soy milk and steamed buns. They’re still hot.”

Yu Zhengze tossed the breakfast onto the table, then took off his damp jacket and hung it by the door.

”I showed the photos from last night to the technical department. I also talked to property management and looked through the tenant records.”

Yu Xian froze on his way to the bathroom. ”What did property management say?”

”According to property records, the building has only ever had eight floors since its construction was completed in 1998. It’s never been expanded, and there’s no Room 905.”

Yu Xian splashed some cold water on his face. Even though he’d been expecting it, a small part of him had still been holding out hope.

”Also,” Yu Zhengze said, picking up a piece of scratch paper from the table. It was covered with the various ”possibilities” Yu Xian had outlined the night before.

”I checked the tenant registration for the complex, as well as the student rosters from your old school...”

Yu Zhengze’s gaze fell on Yu Xian’s still-damp face. His expression was serious.

”The name Xia Li isn’t on any of them.”

Instead of shock, hearing the news left Yu Xian with a hollow feeling, as if the dust had finally settled.

Like a die that had been tossed, finally coming to rest.

”Eat something before you think about all this.”

Yu Zhengze stuck a straw in the cup of soy milk and pushed it toward him. Then he took a steamed bun out of the bag.

Steam rose from the soy milk. He took a sip but couldn’t taste a thing.

Yu Zhengze’s eyes went to the whiskey bottle on the floor, which now held only a shallow puddle at the bottom. He looked like he wanted to say something, but held his tongue. Finally, though, he spoke.

”Why don’t you pack a bag and come stay at my place for a few days? It’s not far from your school.”

Yu Xian knew his brother was worried, but this was something he had to face alone. He refused.

”I’m fine, Bro. I’m not a kid anymore...”

”I’m on a tough case right now,” Yu Zhengze interrupted. ”I haven’t had time to tidy up my place. You can come help me clean out the fridge. Think of it as you doing me a favor, okay?”

Yu Xian paused for a moment. He lowered his head, took a bite of his bun, and mumbled an ”mm.” He didn’t refuse again.

...

After packing a few changes of clothes, turning off the main breaker, and double-checking that the doors and windows were locked, the two of them headed downstairs.

The stairwell was heavy with moisture. The rain had been falling for nearly a week.

Yu Zhengze started the car. The windshield wipers pushed aside the curtain of rain, but a fresh sheet of water instantly blurred the glass again.

The air in the car was a bit stuffy, so Yu Zhengze turned on the A/C and casually switched on the radio.

”——The National Meteorological Center has issued a Code Orange torrential rain warning. Due to the influence of a subtropical high-pressure system, North China, the Huang-Huai region, Southern China, the Jiangnan region, and most of the Jiang-Huai region will experience sustained, heavy precipitation. According to meteorological satellite monitoring, the current rainfall covers over 70% of the nation, with many areas reporting precipitation levels that have surpassed historical highs...”

The announcer’s voice was clear and formal. The mist splashing against the car window seemed to confirm her report.

”The whole country?” Yu Zhengze asked, steering with one hand. He glanced at the downpour, which was so heavy it looked like a solid sheet of water, and clicked his tongue.

”And here I thought it was just raining in Jiangcheng.”

Yu Xian leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the rain-swept streets recede outside the window.

The last time it had rained this hard was probably during the monsoon season in his final year of high school.

Back then, the rain had lasted for days. A lot of people caught colds, and Yu Xian was one of the unlucky ones.

The classroom was always damp. The homeroom teacher wouldn’t let anyone bring wet umbrellas inside.

So the students would leave their open umbrellas by the classroom door to dry, a crowded tangle of colorful canopies.

Rainy days always felt chaotic, and sure enough, when school let out, Yu Xian’s umbrella was nowhere to be found.

And so, he found himself stranded under the eaves of the school building.

The athletic field was a vast white blur, and the basketball hoops were smudged into faint shadows by the mist.

Xia Li gave him a helpless look, then glanced helplessly at her watch, and finally looked helplessly up at the sky. With a sharp SNAP, she opened the folding umbrella in her hand.

He stared at the tiny, little-yellow-duck-patterned canopy and hesitated.

”You should go on ahead. I can just make a run for it.”

”Run? What are you talking about?” Xia Li shot him a glare over her shoulder. ”Get over here.”

Raindrops spattered the sleeve of his uniform, but the spot on his shoulder stayed dry.

Just beyond him, he could see that half of Xia Li’s shoulder was completely exposed to the rain, her uniform soaked to a Deep Blue color.

”Move the umbrella over yourself a little,” he said with a frown, reaching for the handle.

”Don’t you move it.” Her small hands gripped the handle tightly.

”If you catch a cold and can’t shake the cough, all the students in your exam hall are going to be miserable during the listening comprehension part of the college entrance exams.”

He couldn’t win an argument with her, so he shut up and moved a little closer, just enough for the umbrella to cover them both.