Kaleidoscope of Death

Chapter 97: Door Eleven

Some things, just thinking about it was enough. Actually doing it was impossible. Lin Qiushi felt there was no real advice to be gleaned from Gu Longming, and so turned his computer off. Returning to bed, he fell hazily to sleep around dawn. He'd wondered how he ought to behave around Ruan Nanzhu the next day, but when he got up in the morning, Ruan Nanzhu had already left the mansion.

"Where did Ruan-ge go?" Not seeing him at breakfast felt odd.

"Something happened over at White Deer last night, he left at midnight," Cheng Yixie, who knew what happened, answered.

"Something happened at White Deer?" The name was enough to remind Lin Qiushi of Li Dongyuan. "What is it?"

"Insurrection," Cheng Yixie said. "It seems a few of the old timers got involved, and things got complicated."

"Oh." Lin Qiushi knew he couldn't really help with this matter, so continued eating his food.

Actually, his understanding of White Deer started and ended with Li Dongyuan. After Li Dongyuan's death, Lin Qiushi knew nothing more of White Deer—and all that he knew was from hearsay.

Only around noon did Ruan Nanzhu return.

He brought with him an impassive-looking young woman. Lin Qiushi remembered her. At the scene of Li Dongyuan's suicide, this woman had been knelt by his side, weeping. He remembered her because of everybody present, she'd been the one crying the hardest.

She came in with Ruan Nanzhu and introduced herself: "Hi everyone. I'm Zhuang Rujiao."

Ruan Nanzhu told Lin Qiushi, "an acquaintance."

Watching her, Lin Qiushi recalled the door he'd passed through with Li Dongyuan. "She's... Xia Rubei?" He remembered that shaky and timid girl Li Dongyuan had brought along, but just couldn't match her up with the cool-faced person before him.

The change to Zhuang Rujiao was too immense—so immense that even when Lin Qiushi spoke, there was clear doubt in his tone.

"Mh." There was a thread of exhaustion in Ruan Nanzhu's gaze. "Get her something to eat. I'm going to get some rest."

"Go," Lu Yanxue said. "We'll get her settled in."

Ruan Nanzhu went upstairs, leaving Zhuang Rujiao standing alone and silent in the living room. Lu Yanxue guided her to the dining table with enthusiasm, going off to prepare her a hot breakfast.

Zhuang Rujiao ate in silence, without saying a word.

"What happened at White Deer?" Chen Fei asked at the side.

"Nothing major," Zhuang Rujiao replied. "Just got rid of a few traitors." The naivete and weakness had completely gone from her, leaving a faint expression of indifference. "Some people disapproved."

Chen Fei asked, "does this have to do with Li Dongyuan?"

Zhuang Rujiao smiled, but didn't reply.

Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, nobody pursued the topic. After all, if they really needed to know, Ruan Nanzhu would tell them.

Ruan Nanzhu slept through the afternoon. It wasn't until dusk that, in lounge wear, he lazy strolled back downstairs.

Lin Qiushi saw him and asked, "hungry? Lu Yanxue left some lunch for you, I'll go heat it up."

"Mh," Ruan Nanzhu nodded.

So Lin Qiushi went to the kitchen. Coming out, he saw Ruan Nanzhu chatting with Zhuang Rujiao. Well— "chat." Neither of their faces had much of an expression; it was more like a somber negotiation.