The news about Wang Jue hit me like a bolt from the blue, catching me completely off guard. What should I do now? Where did he go? What about the future? I was at a total loss.

After a long silence, Xiao Shu spoke up, "I have a hunch that Wang Jue has gone to Miao Village, most likely."

"Why?" I wondered, puzzled by how she arrived at such an intuition.

"Because that's the only village connected to Hua Jinlan. I can't articulate any other reasons right now; it's purely a gut feeling," Xiao Shu said calmly, her voice devoid of emotion, appearing quite rational.

"I’ve been agonizing over why he would go to the guardhouse and stab someone. From Wang Jue's perspective, his relationship with the security guards was quite good. When Hua Gu and Ah Li first arrived at Wang Jue's house and had no money for groceries, the security guards even lent them some, saying they could settle up when Wang Jue returned. This suggests Wang Jue had no motive to harm them. As for Hua Jinlan, she’s a Miao woman who doesn't even live in the city; she has no feud with the guards, so why stab them? Could the police have made a mistake? Is the real culprit someone else?" My mind was still swirling with unanswered questions.

"How about we find a place to watch the news coverage? Television is currently the only reliable source of information," Xiao Shu proposed.

I wholeheartedly agreed with this suggestion. My older sister should have returned everything to normal yesterday, and since she’s a journalist, she might be able to dig up more information from the media. I suggested we go to my place to check the news first before formulating a counter-strategy.

Xiao Shu and I settled our bill and headed in the direction of my home. Midway, I received a call—it was the police, asking about my previous attempts to contact Wang Jue's phone. Wen Shu was right; Wang Jue’s phone was indeed being monitored. I told the officer I was Wang Jue’s friend, that I knew about the homicide, and wanted to reach him to find out what happened. The officer didn't say much, only urging me to contact them immediately if I had any news of Wang Jue. I meekly agreed.

People experience joy and sorrow, departures and reunions; the moon waxes and wanes. Recalling every instance of Wang Jue taking care of me back at the psychiatric hospital, a deep, heavy sorrow settled in my chest, lingering long after. How wonderful it would be if none of this had ever happened—if I were still attending school as an ordinary high school student, and Wang Jue was still going to work as a regular doctor. Perhaps we would never have met, yet both of us would be living our normal lives.

Before long, we arrived at the house. I pressed the long-unused doorbell, suddenly realizing how long it had been since I had been home.

My sister opened the door, dressed in her casual home attire. A fresh wave of emotion washed over me. During the few hours since Wang Jue's incident, I had been deeply uneasy, lacking any sense of security. Now, standing at my own doorstep, seeing my sister in her homemaker's clothes, the feeling of returning home enveloped my chest, making me want to rush forward and hold her tight.

However, Xiao Shu was standing nearby, and I was a man. The previous episode of failing to climb the ramp was embarrassing enough; I couldn't lose face in front of an outsider again. So, I suppressed my feelings, merely offering my sister a casual greeting, and then, acting as if nothing was wrong, followed Xiao Shu inside to change shoes.

"Sis, have you watched the news?" I deliberately avoided mentioning Wang Jue first, testing the waters, afraid the subject would be too sudden for her.

"I've been cleaning. The house is an absolute mess, covered in dust; the kitchen even has cobwebs. You didn't even clean the pots properly after you cooked last time…" She rambled on for ages, complaining only about the household chores.

Right, my fault! I shouldn't have spoken to her so casually while she was busy cleaning. Prompting such a tirade only exacerbated my already throbbing headache. Any man marrying a wife must avoid speaking to her while she is cleaning, or the result will be exactly like this—endless nagging.

With no other choice to quell her monologue, I had to state it plainly: "Sis, something happened to Wang Jue."

"What is it? Wasn't he fine yesterday?"

"He killed someone; the police are looking for him now," I said calmly.

"What?" My sister, who was walking out from the kitchen holding two cold drinks, intending to offer Xiao Shu one, dropped the glasses from her hands upon hearing the shocking news. They shattered on the floor, splashing orange-yellow juice everywhere.