A Hypocritical Visit

Time seemed to lose all sense of pace in the detention center, reduced to a mechanical cycle of waking, exercise, meals, and sleep. Only the cold notification in Lin Feng's mind at midnight each day gave him any way to mark the passing days.

Several more days went by. The summons continued, and the deathsworn he obtained still came from the bottom rungs of society-a courier who delivered packages around the nearby blocks, and a temporary laborer who worked odd jobs at construction sites. Lin Feng did not lose heart. He continued to give them surveillance orders within their abilities, silently weaving a web of information with hatred as its guiding thread, like a patient spider.

The oppression in the cell never stopped. If anything, Lin Feng's continued forbearance only made it worse. Scrubbing toilets and wiping slippers had become part of his daily routine, while verbal abuse and occasional "accidental" shoves were even more commonplace. Lin Feng silently endured it all. Outwardly, he grew ever more silent and numb, like an empty shell stripped of its soul. Only the cold flame deep in his eyes burned with an ever darker intensity.

That afternoon, shortly after exercise ended, someone knocked on the viewing hatch in the iron door. A guard's voice came through. "1078, Lin Feng. You have a visitor."

Several curious glances immediately turned toward him in the cell. Scar lounged on his bunk and sneered. "Oh? Someone actually came to see the likes of you? Don't tell me the victim's come back to cry about it again?"

Lin Feng stood up in silence, though something stirred in his heart. Who could it be? My parents? No, they're in another province. The news shouldn't have reached them so soon. A lawyer? I can't afford one. Then...

A guard led him once more down the familiar corridor to the visitation room. His heart began to beat a little faster, not from anticipation, but because a cold foreboding and the hatred he had stored up were beginning to surge.

Just as I thought.

When he was seated in the chair before the bulletproof glass and picked up the cold telephone receiver, the face that appeared on the other side belonged to his counselor, Li Jing. She looked concerned, but her face was full of anxiety and unease.

She had made a point of wearing a plain-colored business suit today, and her hair was meticulously arranged in an attempt to maintain a teacher's respectable appearance. But her slightly shifty eyes and forced smile betrayed the panic and hypocrisy in her heart.

"Lin Feng," her voice came through the receiver, distorted by a crackle of static. "How... how are you doing in there? They haven't... mistreated you, have they?"

Lin Feng held the receiver without speaking. He merely lifted his eyelids and calmly watched the woman on the other side of the glass with those deathly still eyes, in which barely a ripple could be seen. His silence and his gaze made the smile on Li Jing's face grow even stiffer.

She shifted a little awkwardly, avoiding his gaze. Lowering her voice, she adopted an even more "heartfelt" tone. "I know you must feel terribly wronged and miserable. I never expected things to come to this either. Sun Tingting was very upset at the time, and I was only thinking of settling things as quickly as possible. After all, she's a girl, and her reputation matters... I asked you to write that confession because I really wanted to handle it within the school and make a big problem into a small one. I was trying to protect you!"

The corner of Lin Feng's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. Protect me? What a fine, high-sounding word.

Seeing that Lin Feng was still silent, Li Jing seemed to grow anxious. She leaned forward, closer to the glass, lowering her voice further and speaking faster. "But I really didn't expect Tingting... she's so headstrong that she went straight to the police! I was stunned too. I wanted to stop her, but I couldn't! I regret it terribly, and I blame myself too!"

At just the right moment, just the right amount of regret and helplessness appeared on her face, as though she were one of the victims too.

"The police have very solid evidence now, especially that confession..." Her eyes flickered away for an instant when she said the word. "Things look very bad for you. Take my advice and stop stubbornly resisting, all right? Confess and accept your punishment. Show a better attitude and try to get lenient treatment. As for the school... I'll do everything I can to speak up for you and work things out, see if we can get them not to prosecute, or at least get you a suspended sentence!"

Her words were full of "concern," yet every one of them shifted the blame away from herself while pressing him step by step. She had only one aim-to make him confess.

"You're still so young, with a long road ahead of you." Li Jing's tone grew even more "earnest." "If you really get a criminal record, your life will be ruined! Your prospects, your job, your marriage... everything will be over! I'm doing all this for your own good, thinking of you! There's no benefit in holding out. It'll only make your offense worse!"

For my own good? Lin Feng sneered inwardly. Is it for my own good, or yours? You want to settle this as quickly as possible because you're afraid the school will hold you responsible for papering things over, and afraid Sun Tingting's well-connected uncle will make trouble for you!

The vague information Wang Wu had passed on about "the list of students recommended for graduate admission has already been decided" flashed through his mind, along with the orderly life Liu Cuihua had observed Li Jing leading, going to work on time every day. They were outside enjoying the fruits of their victory and living peaceful lives, yet they wanted him to bear the burden of it all-and gratefully confess to this trumped-up charge!

His fingers trembled slightly with extreme rage, but he gripped the receiver tightly and kept his expression under control. He could not lose his temper or let her notice anything unusual.

Seeing him keep his head lowered in silence, Li Jing thought her "persuasion" had worked and hurried to strike while the iron was hot. "Lin Feng, I know you're a good kid who was just confused for a moment. Wrong is wrong. Having the courage to admit your mistake and bear the consequences is what makes a real man! As long as you agree, I'll contact the police for you right away and tell them you're willing to confess, so we can get you the most lenient treatment possible! What do you say?"

She looked at Lin Feng expectantly, as though waiting for a lost lamb to find its way home.

Lin Feng slowly raised his head and looked straight through the thick glass into Li Jing's eyes, which gleamed with shrewd calculation. His face was expressionless, and his voice was hoarse but steady as he spoke slowly.

"Ms. Li..."

He paused, as though every word took an enormous effort.

"Thank you for your... 'kindness.'"

His tone was so flat that it held not a ripple of emotion, carrying even a strange numbness.

"I... will give it careful 'consideration.'"

With that, he looked away from Li Jing, slowly set down the receiver, and ended the call.

On the other side of the glass, Li Jing froze. All the arguments she had prepared, all her reasoning about "thinking of his interests," were lodged in her throat by that utterly flat, even slightly odd response. There were no tears and grateful thanks as she had expected, nor any fierce objections or arguments. There was only a stillness like stagnant water and an... indifference that made her heart uneasy for reasons she could not explain?

She wanted to say something more, but visiting time was up. A guard stepped forward and motioned for Lin Feng to stand.

Lin Feng obediently got to his feet and took one last look through the glass at Li Jing's astonished face, with its barely perceptible trace of irritation. Then he turned without hesitation and walked back to the cell under the guard's escort.

His back was straight and his steps steady, revealing no sign of emotional turmoil.

Even when he returned to cell 107, the iron door shut behind him again, and all eyes focused on him once more, he kept the same silent, numb appearance. He walked quietly back to his corner, curled up, and buried his face.

"Hey, who was that? Was it your sweetheart come to see you?" Skinny Monkey sidled over and asked with a cheeky grin.

Lin Feng did not react at all, as though he had not heard him.

Only someone right next to him might have been able to sense that his curled-up body was trembling almost imperceptibly and uncontrollably.

It was not fear, nor was it sorrow.

It was an icy killing intent and extreme rage that threatened to burst through his chest and destroy everything, which he was using tremendous willpower to suppress, holding them down with all his might beneath that seemingly calm shell.

Li Jing's visit was like a poisoned dagger. Far from bringing him any comfort, it had stabbed even deeper into his heart, making him see these people's hypocrisy and cruelty with absolute clarity.

For my own good?

Confess?

My future?

They joined forces to destroy everything I had, and now they want me to kneel down and thank them for their "kindness" and "guidance"?

In your dreams!

He clenched his teeth tightly, and the taste of blood filled his mouth once more.

Just wait.

You'd better wait.

He would "consider" it.

He would consider very "seriously" how to repay them for this "immeasurable" kindness!

There were no tearstains on his buried face, only an extremely twisted, cold and frenzied determination.

The next summons would come soon.

He needed power, desperately needed the power to tear that hypocritical mask to shreds!

Darkness was gathering, and hatred was fermenting.

At the bottom of the abyss, a venomous serpent's fangs were being silently sharpened, flashing with a deadly, cold light.