Chapter Sixteen: Waiting (Please Subscribe)

  Jade Rooster must reach dawn immediately, four times blowing the wind wheel. The cold lamp's short flame is just burning, the painted horn's residual sound has already announced spring. Tomorrow will be a guest of the past year, yesterday was still a young man. The new year's fixed number decreases with each passing year, in this fleeting world, one should respond to the hundred repetitions of novelty.

  As I get older, I really don't want to celebrate the Spring Festival anymore. It always reminds me that I've grown another year older.

  These days at night, the streets are always brightly lit and bustling with excitement. Wu Hui stands by the window, looking out at the congested cars on the road. Although the New Year's atmosphere is getting weaker, it's still more lively than other festivals.

  Today is New Year's Eve, a day when families gather together, but Wu Hui stands alone in front of the window watching others reunite. Zhang Qiang has returned to the United States to spend Chinese New Year with his parents due to their reasons. Although Zhang Qiang's parents have lived in the US for many years, during Chinese New Year, a traditional Chinese holiday, the whole family must rush back home from all over the country to accompany the elderly, this is the first rule of their family, no one is allowed to violate it.

  Zhang Qiang always feels guilty towards Wu Hui at this time of the year. He has invited Wu Hui to return to America with him for Chinese New Year several times, but was rejected each time. That is Zhang Qiang's home, not his own, and he doesn't want to follow along and cause trouble.

  In the past, Spring Festival was accompanied by Jingran, and he didn't feel lonely or cold. However, in recent years, Jingran disappeared from his life, and every time the Spring Festival arrived, he felt an unprecedented sense of loneliness, and his longing for Jingran grew stronger with each passing year.

  Wu Hui and Jing Ran were both orphans, growing up in an orphanage. Wu Hui was a quiet person since childhood, so whenever someone came to the orphanage to adopt children, Wu Hui would always run away, not wanting to live under others' strange gazes.

  Jing Ran was always a lovely and cute little girl, many people who came to adopt her fell in love with her, but the reason why they all failed to adopt her successfully was because of Wu Hui. She would always follow behind Wu Hui, and whenever someone came to adopt Jing Ran, she would beat up Wu Hui right in front of them, while scolding him at the same time. The result was predictable.

  Wu Hui didn't understand why Jing Ran wanted to do this. Every time he beat him, Jing Ran would take Wu Hui and sneak out of the orphanage, accompanying him to play outside for a day. When they returned, they would always be discovered by the principal and educated together. However, Wu Hui didn't care; as long as Jing Ran was with him, everything seemed fun.

  Two people spent their childhood, adolescence and youth together in the orphanage until they graduated from university. Wu Hui proposed to Jing Ran, and he felt that this life would be with Jing Ran, no matter what forces would not separate them.

  However, just a few days after Wu Hui's proposal, Jing Ran disappeared. He had never thought that Jing Ran would disappear from his life, and he had no idea that after Jing Ran disappeared from his life, his world would become as quiet as death, like a dead water, where nothing could stir up even a ripple.

  "Bang!" With a sudden burst of sound, the long-absorbed silence was broken, and a colorful light rose rapidly, dazzling lights blooming in the sky, like a vibrant, multicolored flower unfolding.

  That huge flower bloomed in the beautiful night sky, lingering in Wu Hui's heart, such a dazzling firework, so beautiful that it made people unable to open their eyes.

  But in an instant, the flowers withered, the fireworks went out, and everything returned to calmness, and it was just a moment of beauty.

  How could there be fireworks? Wu Hui only reacted now, this area is not allowed to set off fireworks and firecrackers. Who was it over there? Wu Hui looked down and saw that except for the empty shells left from setting off fireworks, he didn't see a single person.

  The security guards in the residential area soon sprang into action, looking around at the empty space, with only a burnt-out firework shell left behind. The security guards dispersed in all directions, presumably to look for the person who had set off the fireworks.

  At this time, Wu Hui's mobile phone rang, and the sound came from the bedroom. Wu Hui was a bit strange, who would call him on New Year's Eve? It shouldn't be an insurance salesman, they also need to celebrate the new year and take a holiday.

  She walked into the bedroom and picked up her phone, on which Yang Rong's call was displayed. Wu Hui frowned slightly, wondering what had happened that she would call him at this time?

  "Hello!" Wu Hui answered the phone, but there was silence on the other end of the line. No one spoke. Wu Hui waited for a moment and just as he was about to speak again, he heard several people whispering in hushed tones. Then he heard Yang Rong's voice, very low, as if she was speaking directly into the phone receiver. "Brother Wu, how are you? Did you enjoy the fireworks earlier?"

  Wu Hui suddenly understood that the fireworks just now were set off by Yang Rong. Wu Hui looked downstairs and saw that the security guard was still searching around, it seemed that Yang Rong and the others had been blocked somewhere.

  Wu Hui helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose. They were police officers, after all. Wasn't this a case of knowing the law but breaking it? "How many of you are there?"

  "Haha, can't cheat Wu Ge, we're all here, waiting for you downstairs, hurry up and come down!" Yang Rong awkwardly laughed a few times before hanging up the phone.

  Wu Hui looked at the blackened phone screen, shook his head helplessly, picked up the keys and put on his coat to go downstairs, where the empty shells of the fireworks were still there.

  "Mr. Wu, Happy New Year!" One of the security guards saw Wu Hui and rushed over to greet him.

  "Wu Hui pointed at the firework shell, 'Yeah, Happy New Year. I saw someone setting off fireworks, let's go take a look.'"

  The security guard heard Wu Hui's words and was worried that he couldn't catch anyone, so he had no way to report back to the captain. "Mr. Wu, did you see who set off the fireworks?"

  "Wu Hui pointed to the garden behind him, 'It seems like a man, running towards the back garden!'"

  "Thank you Mr. Wu!" The security guards heard Wu Hui's words and all ran towards the backyard.

  After Bao'an left, Yang Rong and a few others ran out from the dark, "Brother Wu, how did you know we were here?"

  Wu Hui looked at Guo Yining, Yang Rong, Fang You, Wang Hua, and behind them, Wang Siting. "Yang Rong's phone call just now, I heard her deliberately lower her voice and quickly hang up the phone. I think you must be very close to Bao Anli. From the time you set off fireworks, I noticed that the security guard was searching around this area downstairs, so I'm sure you're nearby."

  Yang Rong smiled awkwardly, "Nothing can be hidden from Brother Wu."

  Wu Hui thought to himself, could it be that another case has appeared around him? "What are you doing here?"

  Guo Yining had received a call from Zhang Qiang a few days ago, so he contacted several people in the team, carrying big and small bags, to go to Wu Hui's house for New Year's Eve. "Tonight is not New Year's Eve, we are all lonely people, gathering together to celebrate the new year."

  Wu Hui understood that they had come to spend the New Year with him on purpose, and knowing their good intentions, he didn't expose them. He pointed to the fireworks shells on the ground, "So you plan to spend the Lunar New Year's Eve like this with me, as a policeman who knows the law but breaks it?"

  Wang Hua occasionally glanced towards the direction of the back garden of the security room, worried that they would turn back again. "If there's something to say, can't it be said upstairs? If the security guard finds out that there's no one in the lump, he'll definitely come back, let's withdraw first!"

  "Let's go!" Wu Hui walked ahead, leading several people into the house.

  Fang took out the things they had brought from their bags one by one, and thinking of the silly looks on their faces earlier, he couldn't help but admire the security guards in this neighborhood. "Brother Wu, your neighborhood's security guards react pretty quickly! We thought it would be easy to escape, didn't expect to get blocked there."

  The security guards in this community are definitely different from elsewhere. They are all provided by professional security companies, "all of whom are veterans or have received special training, so their reaction is naturally quick!"

  Guo Yining sat on the sofa as if he had returned to his own home, turned on the TV and started watching. After all, he had lived here for over a month, and if Zhang Qiang hadn't driven him away, he would have continued to stay here. "I said, if we didn't come today, how were you planning to spend New Year's Eve by yourself?"

  Wu Hui was originally in the kitchen helping a few people find the necessary utensils, he still wasn't quite used to so many people coming home, his things were placed wherever they were, if someone messed with them, he definitely couldn't take it, he had a bit of OCD, hearing Guo Yining's words, his hands didn't stop moving, "It's just like usual, doesn't feel any different."

  Guo Yining turned on the TV, and the Spring Festival Gala had just begun. "Alright, the Spring Festival Gala has started, come over quickly! Let them handle it, don't worry, they won't tear your house down."

  Yang Rong had just poured water into the dough, and her hands were still covered in flour. She could only use her elbow to push Wu Hui out of the kitchen. "Yes, Brother Wu, let's go to the living room, watch TV while wrapping dumplings."

  Wu Hui's kitchen is open-plan, so even sitting in the living room, you can see what's going on in the kitchen. Although he's not very reassured about these few people, standing here actually makes him a bit of a hindrance. "You guys be careful, that plate isn't supposed to be put there, it's supposed to be put on the left side, third cabinet, second layer, don't put it in the wrong place for me."

  Wang Siting discovered that Wu Hui had a strong obsessive-compulsive disorder. Several times, she put used kitchen paper on the bar, and Wu Hui quickly picked it up and threw it into the trash can, then put the unused ones back to their original position, neatly arranged. "Alright, why are you so fussy? Hurry up and go out, we'll finish up quickly and eat early, what time is it now? You're not hungry, but we are!"

  Wu Hui looked at the originally clean and tidy kitchen, which instantly turned into a car accident scene. He felt extremely uncomfortable in his heart. There was no way out, so he could only wait until they were all done before cleaning up last.

  Guo Yining and Yang Rong are both locals. What are they doing on this New Year's day? "Don't you guys go back home for the new year?"

  Kuo Yining pulled out a pack of melon seeds from his pocket. He knew that Wu Hui's family didn't have these, so he had already bought them on the way here. "I don't usually stay at home, our old man and old lady went to Sanya for New Year's today, leaving just me. I was thinking about Wang Huadong being in the Northeast, definitely not coming back home, planning to invite him out for a drink, didn't expect Fang You to be at his place, so they came together. The three of us old men definitely wouldn't have much fun, so we gave those two a call, they said they had nothing going on either, so after discussing it, we decided to come to your place."