Shen City, inside an old house less than thirty square meters in size.
Lu Zimo opened his eyes on the bed and saw Huang Xiaofei sitting at the head of it, smoking amid swirling clouds of smoke.
As if facing a formidable enemy, he discreetly clenched the thin wire hidden in the crack of the bedframe with his right hand.
Huang Xiaofei turned to look at him, her expression obscured by the white smoke. "There isn't much time. I'll only say some things once—remember as much as you can.
"The bank cards and passbooks are under my bed. There are some other things too, a pretty heavy box. You can deal with it yourself when the time comes. The passwords to all the accounts are..."
"I'm dead," Lu Zimo interrupted. "Cheng An killed me."
He found himself calmer than he had imagined. Perhaps there had never been much in life worth clinging to; perhaps he had finally torn things apart with Huang Xiaofei and had no regrets left.
Or perhaps... it was simply because, before death, everyone was equal. Whether one faced it calmly or hysterically, neither could change the outcome.
Huang Xiaofei looked at him calmly, without any surprise, as though she had expected this outcome all along.
The two of them sat facing each other, with only half an hour left to live. No matter how much love, hatred, resentment, or grievance lay between them, neither knew where to begin.
"Useless!"
Huang Xiaofei suddenly raised her hand and slapped Lu Zimo across the face.
Lu Zimo turned his head without a sound, as though he had become once more that younger brother who obeyed his sister in everything.
Silence spread through the cramped, dark little room. After a long stretch of quiet, Huang Xiaofei said, "Come take a