Restricted Area

Languid, Princess sat upright, looking over at Jiang Chijing.

He had already stayed in prison for eight years thereabout and was one of those inmates who didn’t fear the prison staff. Additionally, with Xu Sheng backing him, most prison guards wouldn’t have any business to take up with him either.

But the library was Jiang Chijing’s territory. Just like how he wouldn’t encroach on someone else’s territory, he didn’t allow anyone to encroach his territory.

Princess and Jiang Chijing stared at each other for a time, during which Zheng Mingyi was also looking at Jiang Chijing.

A while later, Princess averted his gaze, turning back to Zheng Mingyi. “Handsome…”

“Another word and you get out,” Jiang Chijing directly raised his voice, interrupting the rest of Princess’ sentence.

The other inmates in the library were watching the two of them cautiously, looking split between being afraid to draw fire whilst also irresistibly drawn to gossip.

Jiang Chijing was unyielding. If Princess did speak another word more, he would drive him out.

However, before their soundless confrontation saw a conclusion, Zheng Mingyi stood up, gazing down at Princess, saying, “Move.”

Zheng Mingyi was in a corner seat, thus could only come out if Princess made way.

While facing ahead, Princess darted a sidelong glance at Zheng Mingyi, then leaned back, crossing his two arms in front of his chest with an ugly expression on his face.

This posture couldn’t really be considered as giving way; he only left a small space. If Zheng Mingyi wanted to get out, typically, he could only step across his body.

However, Zheng Mingyi didn’t do that. Instead, he bluntly used his knees to knock the legs away, just as if Princess didn’t exist, squeezing him aside.

After coming out from the corner, Zheng Mingyi came straight to the first row. There was another inmate seated there originally. He walked to stand in front of the other, staring expressionless at him, and that person had the acumen to harden his neck and take his book to another seat.

The first row seats by the window were the closest to Jiang Chijing. Zheng Mingyi sat down here, opening his comic book again, indifferent as if nothing had just happened.

Jiang Chijing also didn’t expect that despite the short time that Zheng Mingyi had entered prison, even some of the longer-serving inmates in prison didn’t dare to squabble with him over seats.

Behind, Princess rolled his eyes, disinterestedly leaving the library. However, from Jiang Chijing’s understanding of him, he wouldn’t give up so easily. Even if at the end, he really couldn’t bag Zheng Mingyi, he would at least let Xu Sheng know, forcing him to take a hit.

This earlier episode didn’t affect the other inmates in the library. Everyone read their books, as they should, and when it eventually reached two o’clock, they automatically returned their books and left.

Zheng Mingyi placed the comic book back on the shelf. But when he came to Jiang Chijing’s office area, he was holding another book in his hands—A Complete Collection of Cold Jokes.

Jiang Chijing’s lips twitched. “Put the book back.”

Zheng Mingyi laughed softly. He sat down next to Jiang Chijing, straightening his expression, and said, “Who was that just now?”

“You mean the one flirting with you?” said Jiang Chijing, “His nickname’s Princess. You’d best stay away from him.”

“Why?” Zheng Mingyi asked.

Jiang Chijing explained the situation between Princess and Xu Sheng, warning Zheng Mingyi, “You’ve already incited Old Nine and Old Nine is under Xu Sheng’s wing. If you annoy Princess as well, he won’t let you off for sure.”

Zheng Mingyi looked thoughtful. He asked, “What is Xu Sheng in for?”

Jiang Chijing’s heart stuttered. “Are you thinking of revolting again?”

The last time when Zheng Mingyi asked about Chen Er’s crime, he ended up stirring a big fuss; if he really went for it with Xu Sheng, the fuss arising from this might be something that even confinement couldn’t settle, his sentence might even be increased.

“Murder. He killed someone, it’s a death sentence that was changed to life imprisonment.” Jiang Chijing said seriously. “I repeat. Don’t get on his bad side.”

Zheng Mingyi nodded, pensive, asking, “And what if that Princess comes to annoy me?”

Frankly, that was a very likely scenario.

“He works at the sewing factory. Aside from the afternoon break, the two of you usually shouldn’t have much chance for contact.” At this, Jiang Chijing paused, contemplative as he said, “Just avoid him during meals, and come to the library during free time, I can help you keep an eye on him.

As soon as the words were spoken, Jiang Chijing felt something amiss. He and Zheng Mingyi had no relation whatsoever, why would he, for no good reason, help him keep an eye on Princess?

Zheng Mingyi seemed to also notice this point, gazing at Jiang Chijing and asking, “Officer Jiang, are you covering me?”

“Ahem,” Jiang Chijing cleared his throat, an awkward look on his face. “What I mean is, as a prison officer, I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Okay,” Zheng Mingyi said. “Thanks, Officer Jiang.”

Jiang Chijing felt that his explanation wasn’t solid enough, so he added, “The warden still needs you to study stocks for him, I don’t want him to have any business to pick with me.”

“Mm-hmm.” Zheng Mingyi hummed carelessly, clearly not taking this reason seriously.

“Also, I don’t want an incident to happen in my library,” Jiang Chijing went on.

“Yep,” Zheng Mingyi said. “In essence, Officer Jiang’s reason for helping me is because of the warden, because of the library, and most assuredly not because it’s me. That’s what you’re trying to say, right?”

Jiang Chijing pursed his lips. He also realised that he was overdoing it, but it also wasn’t possible for him to take back his earlier words, so he could only thicken his skin to say, “That’s right.”

“Got it.” Zheng Mingyi nodded, as though completely nonplussed about this question.

However, Jiang Chijing was clear inside that he hadn’t managed to hide any of it at all.

Back when he had heard Guan Wei’s analysis of the case, a part of him was moved to believe that Zheng Mingyi was innocent. However, as this part of him was very, very small, he still treated Zheng Mingyi as a normal inmate.

But ever since Zheng Mingyi injured Chen Er, the scales in Jiang Chijing’s heart suddenly tipped in the other direction, because if Zheng Mingyi was really wicked at heart, he wouldn’t have asked about Chen Er’s crime before determining whether it was deserving of him going hard on this person.

Jiang Chijing had a clear-cut standard of good and evil, similarly, his treatment towards these two different types of people was poles apart.

As such, the reason that he said he would help Zheng Mingyi wasn’t because of the library, nor was it because of the warden—it was purely out of the sense of justice that he carried in his heart.

Zheng Mingyi had already missed a few days of financial news. Jiang Chijing helped him fill in the important highlights from these past few days, then left him to study the stocks.

The library was very quiet. Normally, Jiang Chijing would be reading Strawberry Planting Techniques for Zheng Mingyi at this time, but since the book was already completed, Jiang Chijing had nothing to do.

He picked up the latest week’s sudoku, pointing his pencil to a square. Just as he was about to start working it out, Zheng Mingyi reported a number from beside him, “3.”

Fine. It really was a 3.

Jiang Chijing continued down, and Zheng Mingyi spoke again. “8.”

Jiang Chijing breathed in deeply, speedily working to the next empty square, but before he could be sure, he heard Zheng Mingyi speak again, “1.”

Jiang Chijing, “……”

“Too easy.” Zheng Mingyi unhurriedly shifted his gaze away, going back to study the K-shaped graph that was incomprehensible to Jiang Chijing.

“Do you have a problem?” Jiang Chijing glared crossly at Zheng Mingyi.

“I’m a little bored.” Zheng Mingyi turned his head over, gazing at Jiang Chijing. “Won’t you tell me a joke?”

“No!”

Zheng Mingyi rested his elbow on the table surface, propping up his chin, looking bored out of his mind.

As if Jiang Chijing could care less whether or not Zheng Mingyi was bored. He picked up his sudoku again, but as he continued solving it, he also began to feel a little bored, so he bumped Zheng Mingyi with his knee, saying, “Ask you something. Answer me honestly.”

“Hm?” Zheng Mingyi, with his chin in a hand, turned his head to look over at Jiang Chijing.

“Were you wrongfully charged?” When Jiang Chijing asked this, his gaze remained fixed on the newspaper in his hands, as if he was asking about an utterly insignificant trifle.

Zheng Mingyi didn’t immediately answer, but changed from a forward-leaning posture to lean back into his seat, returning Jiang Chijing with a question. “If I said that I was framed, would you believe me?”

Jiang Chijing set down the newspaper in his hands, meeting Zheng Mingyi’s gaze and looking straight at him. He said, “I would.”

These two words, like Jiang Chijing’s question, were spoken breezily, as if they didn’t carry an iota of weight. But Jiang Chijing had clearly caught a dazed expression flit past through Zheng Mingyi’s gaze, as though he didn’t expect that he would be this frank, and this unhesitant.

Well, it did make sense. From the moment they were acquainted, they had only been testing the waters, probing back and forth at each other. Jiang Chijing was always hiding himself before Zheng Mingyi, never telling him his honest opinions.

Now, having abruptly revealed his heartfelt thoughts, it was no wonder that Zheng Mingyi was caught off-guard.

Zheng Mingyi very quickly concealed the dazedness in his gaze, and when he next spoke, even the line of his lower jaw had turned softer. “Officer Jiang, you’re a good man.”

“You haven’t answered,” said Jiang Chijing. “Stop changing the subject.”

“You can trust me.” This time, Zheng Mingyi finally gave Jiang Chijing’s question a straight answer. “I’m also a good man.”

Jiang Chijing averted his gaze from Zheng Mingyi’s face, quietly continuing the sudoku on the newspaper.

Although he long had a hunch that it was very probable that Zheng Mingyi was wrongfully charged, hearing this personally come out of Zheng Mingyi’s mouth still felt quite some different.

Now, Jiang Chijing nosedived again into a complicated mood.

In the past, he no longer felt any guilt over Zheng Mingyi as he had considered Zheng Mingyi a convict. Now, based on his own definition of good and evil, Zheng Mingyi was drawn apart from the wicked. And now, he seemed to be, perhaps, possibly, maybe… starting to feel guilty about his voyeurism on Zheng Mingyi again.

Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress

***

Please do not repost or retranslate.

Nearing the end of work, Jiang Chijing had made a mental checklist of items he needed to purchase at the supermarket for later.

It was Friday yet again. Under normal circumstances, he would make a trip to the supermarket on this day to buy beer or snacks to tide him through the leisurely weekend.

There was a sports broadcast on this week; a bit more beer would be good. Oh, right, his strawberry jam was about to run out as well, he should replenish his stock.

Jiang Chijing’s standard breakfast was strawberry jam on toast, simple to make and simple to eat. Sometimes when he got up late, he could also grab his toast and go.

It soon became five in the afternoon. Jiang Chijing went to the locker room to change into casual wear, then headed for the carpark as usual.

Lao Wang was still fiddling with his phone while watching dramas in the mailroom. Jiang Chijing greeted him as he always did, but today when Lao Wang caught sight of him, he called him right over.

“Eh, hang on, Officer Jiang,” Lao Wang took something from his desk, passing it through the window. “An inmate said to give this to you.”

“Which inmate?” Jiang Chijing took the item from Lao Wang. It was a glass jar, filled with a concentrated gooey red something inside.

“That guy… tss…” Lao Wang seemed unable to remember the inmate’s name and number. “The guy that you read to! He said he personally made it for you to thank you for reading to him.”

Zheng Mingyi?

Jiang Chijing glanced at what was in his hands. It was a jar of strawberry jam.