It was a cold winter night,and the narrow street outside the old office was almost empty.Fog covered the windows,and cold air came in through the gaps around the old wooden door. The office was quiet and messy. Papers were spread across the desk,old files were piled against the wall,and a few empty cups sat beside a half-open laptop. A dark coat was hanging over the back of a chair. The only light came from the small desk lamp,leaving most of the room in shadow.
Cai Lang sat behind the desk with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.His hair was slightly messy,and a few strands had fallen across his forehead. He looked tired,with dark circles under his eyes. He rested one hand on an open file while slowly turning the pages with the other.Then a knock came from the door.Cai Lang didn't look up. "I'm not taking anyone tonight." The room went quiet again. Then another knock came. Cai Lang's fingers stopped on the page. He slowly lifted his eyes toward the door. "I said I'm not taking anyone." The door opened, and a man in a dark winter coat stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and stood there for a moment,his eyes moving across the messy office before settling on Cai Lang.
Cai Lang's expression changed. "Shen Mo." Shen Mo looked at him without smiling. "I thought you forgot about me." Cai Lang leaned back slightly in his chair. "You came here to say that?" "No." Shen Mo took off his gloves and slipped them into his coat pocket.His gaze moved over the old files on the desk. "You kept everything."Cai Lang's eyes followed his gaze. "Some things are difficult to throw away." Shen Mo looked at him again. "Especially things that were never finished." Cai Lang's expression became colder. "That was a long time ago." "Was it?" Shen Mo walked closer to the desk. "Then why are you still looking through the same files?"
Cai Lang didn't answer. Shen Mo's eyes fell on one of the folders. "You never told me what happened that night." "There was nothing to tell." "That's not what you said before you disappeared." Cai Lang's fingers slowly closed over the edge of the file. "You remember too much." Shen Mo gave a faint smile. "And you remember too little." Cai Lang finally looked directly at him. "Be careful." "I'm not the one who should be careful." Shen Mo's voice became quieter. "Someone started looking into Lu Cheng again." Cai Lang's eyes changed slightly. "Who?" Shen Mo didn't answer. He only looked at the old files on the desk. "You still haven't found out who was behind it,have you?"
Cai Lang slowly closed the file. "Why are you really here,Shen Mo?" Shen Mo held his gaze for a few seconds. "Because five years ago,you told me to forget what I saw." Cai Lang's face went still. "And now?" Shen Mo reached into his coat and placed a folded photograph on the desk. "Now I know why you wanted me to forget." Cai Lang looked at the folded photograph,but he didn't touch it. "You came all the way here for this?" Shen Mo leaned against the desk and watched him. "Not just for the photograph." "Then what?" "For the answer you refused to give me five years ago." Cai Lang's expression stayed calm. "I already told you. There was nothing you needed to know."
Shen Mo gave a quiet laugh. "It's easy to say that. It's harder to actually forget." Cai Lang's eyes shifted to the photograph. "You should have tried." "I did." Shen Mo's voice became quieter. "For a while,I even thought you were right." He paused,watching Cai Lang carefully. "Then I found something that made that impossible." Cai Lang looked up. "What did you find?" Shen Mo didn't answer immediately. Instead,he pushed the photograph a little closer to him. "That's why I'm here."
Cai Lang slowly leaned back in his chair. "You haven't changed." "Neither have you." Shen Mo pushed the photograph across the desk. "Open it."Cai Lang didn't move. "Who are you to give me order?And why I should listen?!" "Because you already know what's inside." After a moment,Cai Lang reached out and unfolded the photograph. His eyes stopped on the picture. It showed Lian Ziho and Lu Cheng standing outside the university building. Lu Cheng was holding a folder while Lian Ziho looked down at something inside it. The picture had been taken from across the street. Cai Lang stared at it without saying a word.
Shen Mo watched his face. "Why were you following them that day?" Cai Lang's fingers tightened slightly around the photograph. "I wasn't." Shen Mo's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me." "I don't have to explain where I was." "You were there." Cai Lang looked up. "You were standing across the street," Shen Mo continued. "I saw you. You watched them for almost twenty minutes. Then Lu Cheng looked toward you." Cai Lang slowly placed the photograph on the desk. "You remember a lot for someone who was supposedly nowhere near the case."
Shen Mo's expression hardened. "I was there because you asked me to stay away."
Cai Lang's eyes changed slightly. "You told me not to follow you," Shen Mo continued. "You told me to forget what I saw. You even came to my apartment that night." Cai Lang looked away. "You remember that,don't you?" "I remember." "Then tell me why." Cai Lang remained silent. Shen Mo stepped closer. "What was in that folder?" "Nothing." "Then why did Lu Cheng hide it?" Cai Lang didn't answer. "Why did he call you that night?" Silence. "Why didn't you go?" Cai Lang's jaw tightened. Shen Mo noticed. "So you do remember." "Enough."Shen Mo stepped closer again. "You don't get to say enough. Not after disappearing for five years."
Cai Lang stood slowly. The chair moved back with a quiet scrape against the floor. He rested one hand against the edge of the desk for a moment,his eyes never leaving Shen Mo. "Shen Mo." Shen Mo lifted his gaze from the files on the desk. "What?" "Go home." Shen Mo stared at him for a second, then gave a small scoff and pushed himself away from the desk. "I'm not a child anymore."Cai Lang's fingers tightened slightly against the desk before he let go. "I know." Shen Mo took a step toward him. "Then stop talking to me like one."
Cai Lang didn't step back.He walked around the desk,closing the distance between them."You're asking questions about something you don't understand." Shen Mo's jaw tightened. "Then make me understand." Cai Lang stopped a few feet away. His gaze dropped briefly to Shen Mo's hands before returning to his face. "I can't." Shen Mo let out a quiet breath and looked away for a moment. When he looked back, his expression had changed. "You won't." Cai Lang's face remained still,but his hand curled once at his side before relaxing again. He took one more step forward. Shen Mo didn't move. For several seconds,neither man spoke.
Shen Mo's eyes moved over Cai Lang's face.He noticed the tiredness around his eyes,the loose strands of hair falling across his forehead,and the faint tension in his jaw. "You know what I found?" Cai Lang's expression remained still,but his eyes narrowed slightly. "A copy of Lu Cheng's last call." His breathing stopped for half a second."He called you three times."
Cai Lang's gaze shifted away. "Stop." Shen Mo watched the reaction carefully. "You answered once." Cai Lang's fingers slowly curled into a fist. "Shen Mo." "He said something before the call ended." Cai Lang looked back at him. His voice was quieter this time. "What did he say?" Shen Mo paused,then stepped closer. "He said,'If Cai Lang comes,don't let him see the room.'" Cai Lang went completely still. The change lasted only a moment,but Shen Mo saw it. Cai Lang's eyes hardened,and his shoulders straightened. "Where did you hear that?" "So you do remember the room."
Cai Lang moved closer. His expression had lost the calmness it had a moment ago. "Where did you get that recording?" Shen Mo didn't answer. Cai Lang's voice became sharper. "Where?" Shen Mo held his ground. "You're scared." Cai Lang's hand tightened at his side. Shen Mo watched it,then gave a faint smile. "I've never seen you like this." Cai Lang's eyes flicked toward him. "You don't know what you're talking about." "Then why are your hands shaking?"
Cai Lang immediately looked down. They weren't. His fingers slowly loosened,and he raised his eyes again."You came here looking for the truth," he said quietly. "But you don't know what to do when you get close to it." Shen Mo's smile disappeared. His shoulders stiffened as he stepped forward. "And you think you're the only one who can handle it?" "No." Cai Lang's voice became colder. He stopped directly in front of him. "I think you're already too close."
Shen Mo stepped forward until only a small space remained between them. "Then stop me." Cai Lang didn't move. His jaw tightened,and the hand at his side slowly curled into a fist. Shen Mo stared directly into his eyes. "Come on. You've been hiding behind silence for five years. Tell me to leave again." Cai Lang's eyes hardened.He reached out and caught Shen Mo by the front of his shirt,pulling him a little closer. "Leave." His voice was low,and the anger in it was no longer hidden. Shen Mo didn't move. He glanced down at Cai Lang's hand gripping his shirt,then looked back at him. "Say it again." Cai Lang's grip tightened for a second before he shoved him back half a step. "Leave." Shen Mo's expression tightened. He stepped forward again. "Make me."
Cai Lang's jaw tightened. Shen Mo suddenly shoved him in the chest. Cai Lang stumbled back,the heel of his shoe scraping against the floor. His lower back struck the edge of the desk. He caught himself with one hand and looked at Shen Mo. "Don't." Shen Mo's breathing had already changed. "Then talk." Cai Lang straightened slowly and adjusted his shirt where Shen Mo had pushed him. "Go home." Shen Mo stared at him for a second,almost disbelieving. Then he shoved him harder again.
Cai Lang's shoulder hit the wall,and the old frame beside him shook against the plaster. His eyes closed briefly from the impact. When he opened them,his expression had gone flat. Shen Mo stepped in again.Cai Lang caught his wrist before he could push him a third time. "Enough." Shen Mo tried to pull free. Cai Lang's grip tightened. "Let go." "Stop." Shen Mo yanked his arm back. Cai Lang released him,and Shen Mo immediately rubbed his wrist.
For a moment neither moved. Shen Mo's chest rose sharply as he took a breath. Cai Lang's shoulders lifted and fell once. Then Shen Mo swung without warning. Cai Lang turned just enough for the punch to miss his cheek and catch the side of his jaw instead. His head jerked sideways. He took two quick steps back,one hand coming up instinctively to his face. Shen Mo froze for half a second. "Cai—" Cai Lang looked at him. "Don't." He lowered his hand and wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb. There was a small smear of blood.He looked at it for a second,then glanced back at Shen Mo. "That's still your idea of a conversation?" Shen Mo's jaw tightened. "You wouldn't listen."
Cai Lang gave a short,humorless smile. "Right. I forgot. You always had trouble getting my attention without hitting me." "You deserved it." "Apparently I still do." Cai Lang touched his jaw once and winced slightly. "You haven't improved much."Shen Mo came at him again. Cai Lang raised his arm just in time. Shen Mo's fist struck his forearm,and the impact made Cai Lang's arm go numb for a second. He stepped sideways,but Shen Mo caught his shoulder and shoved him back. Cai Lang's heel caught on one of the fallen files. He lost his balance for a moment. Shen Mo reached for him,and Cai Lang grabbed the front of his coat to keep from falling. The two stumbled into the desk together and cup tipped over, spilling cold coffee across several papers. Shen Mo pushed himself away. "Look what you did."
Cai Lang glanced at the coffee spreading across the desk. "You were always the one who knocked things over." Shen Mo went still for half a second. "And you were always the one cleaning them up." Cai Lang looked at him. "Someone had to." Shen Mo's expression tightened. "You still think that's your job?" Cai Lang wiped the corner of his mouth. "You still think you can leave a mess and come back when it's convenient?"Shen Mo grabbed Cai Lang's shoulder and drove him backward.
Cai Lang hit the wall with a dull thud,and his breath caught.Before Shen Mo could do anything else,Cai Lang caught his arm and twisted sideways,breaking his hold. Shen Mo threw an elbow. Cai Lang ducked,and the elbow passed over his shoulder. He caught Shen Mo around the upper arm and shoved him away. Shen Mo staggered two steps before turning back. "Still hiding behind that?" "Behind what?" "That calm face." Cai Lang straightened slowly,rolling his shoulder. "You used to like it." Shen Mo's eyes flickered. "I was younger." "So was I." Shen Mo stared at him. "You weren't this quiet back then." Cai Lang's expression changed slightly. "You weren't this angry."
Shen Mo rushed forward again.Cai Lang blocked the first punch,but the second caught him in the ribs. He sucked in a breath and bent slightly before stepping back.Shen Mo moved toward him,but Cai Lang grabbed his wrist and pulled him off balance. Shen Mo stumbled forward and caught the desk with both hands. He stayed there for a moment,breathing hard.Cai Lang stood a few feet away,one hand pressed against his side. "Still rushing in without thinking," Cai Lang said quietly. Shen Mo straightened. "You used to say that every time." "You never listened." "You always came after me anyway." Cai Lang looked at him for a moment. "You always came back." Shen Mo's expression tightened. "Not that time." Cai Lang's hand slowly fell from his side. Neither of them moved.
Shen Mo looked away first. "You knew I was looking for you." Cai Lang didn't answer. "All this time,and you knew." Cai Lang reached for the edge of the desk and steadied himself."I knew you would eventually find me."Shen Mo gave a quiet,humorless laugh. "You always knew how to wait." Cai Lang looked at him. "Waiting is easier when you already know what comes next." Shen Mo's eyes narrowed. "Do you?" Cai Lang said nothing. Shen Mo studied his face for a moment. "Five years ago,you told me to forget that night." Cai Lang's fingers tightened against the desk. "You should have." "I tried." Shen Mo's voice dropped. "But every time I thought I had,the same question came back."
Cai Lang slowly lifted his eyes. "Which question?" Shen Mo held his gaze. "Why were you already there?" Cai Lang went still. Shen Mo continued quietly. "And why did you leave before anyone came looking?" Cai Lang looked toward the scattered files. "Some answers don't change what happened." "Maybe not." Shen Mo's expression hardened. "But they can change who was lying." Cai Lang's eyes returned to him. Neither spoke for a moment.
Then phone on the desk suddenly vibrated. Cai Lang glanced at the screen. His expression became colder. He picked it up and made one short call. "Come in." Shen Mo frowned. "You're calling someone?" Cai Lang ended the call and put the phone down. "Yes." "Because you can't handle this yourself?" Cai Lang looked at him. "Because I don't want this to go any further." A few seconds later,the office door opened. One of Cai Lang's bodyguards stepped inside and stopped when he saw the state of the room. His eyes moved from the overturned chair to the scattered files,then to Cai Lang's bruised face. "Sir."Cai Lang nodded toward Shen Mo."Take him outside."
Shen Mo stared at Cai Lang for a moment,then smiled. "Still giving orders for other people to finish your conversations?" Cai Lang's eyes hardened. "Go home,Shen Mo." Shen Mo didn't move immediately. He looked at the files on the floor,then back at Cai Lang. "You know where to find me." He walked toward the door,then stopped beside the bodyguard. Without turning around,he added quietly,"And this time,I won't disappear just because you tell me to." Cai Lang's expression tightened. Shen Mo left without another word. The door closed behind him,and the room fell silent again. Cai Lang remained still for a moment before slowly looking down at the scattered files.