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Caught

It wasn’t a secret among the prison staff that the warden had gotten Jiang Chijing to read to Zheng Mingyi.

That Zheng Mingyi could start afternoon labour half an hour late every day, also that guards would help him send the strawberry jam to the mailroom, was all out of the respect they paid the warden in accordance to his standing.

While it wasn’t that no inmates knew of this, as the number was few, Jiang Chijing had deliberately said that Zheng Mingyi was the warden’s man to warn Princess that it was inadvisable to lay hands on Zheng Mingyi.

However, discrepancies were easily formed in the propagation of information; it was human nature to want to hear juicer stories.

As the gossip continued to fester non-stop, even people who had inside details started to believe that there was some kind of hush-hush deal going on between Jiang Chijing and Zheng Mingyi. Say, for example, that Jiang Chijing took a fancy to Zheng Mingyi’s body, thus used sleeping with him as a condition for Zheng Mingyi to stay safe in prison.

“Do you know what those inmates are saying about you?”

Jiang Chijing was called over by Luo Hai to the infirmary. He had assumed at first that it was for the usual chat over a smoke, but little did he expect that as soon as he stepped in, he would get his ears nagged off by Luo Hai.

“It’s Zheng Mingyi’s misfortune if Princess has set his target on him, but no matter what it isn’t your duty to step in.”

Jiang Chijing disinterestedly walked towards the balcony, taking out a cigarette and lighting it, exhaling a puff of smoke. “If that’s the case, then Zheng Mingyi meeting me is his fortune.”

“Officer Jiang,” a head poked out from behind the computer, “did you really take a fancy to Zheng Mingyi?”

If it weren’t for Yu Guang babbling this gossip into Luo Hai’s ears, Luo Hai wouldn’t have known that Jiang Chijing had publicly backed Zheng Mingyi in the library.

“Why are you here again?” Jiang Chijing asked.

Normally when Luo Hai had something he wanted to talk to Jiang Chijing about, he would go directly to the library. Jiang Chijing had mistaken this call over to the infirmary to be for a casual smoke because he hadn’t taken into account that Yu Guang was over here, as such forcing Luo Hai to stay in the infirmary and keep an eye on him.

“I’ve got a migraine,” Yu Guang snickered. “Came over to get medicine.”

What migraine was he talking about? It was obviously just an excuse to pass time in the infirmary.

Jiang Chijing didn’t answer, shifting his gaze outside the window, wanting to drop the subject of Zheng Mingyi. But Luo Hai didn’t let him get away, picking up what Yu Guang started, “Did he really catch your eye?”

“There’s no such thing,” Jiang Chijing said, exasperated.

In actuality, he could tell Luo Hai that Zheng Mingyi was framed, but if he said so at a moment like this, Luo Hai would just think that he was being obstinate, and head over heels in love with Zheng Mingyi.

He could also explain the ins and outs of it, how Zheng Mingyi was his neighbour and he had by chance witnessed Zheng Mingyi being attacked by the man in black, as well as where Guan Wei fell in the picture…

But god knows how much he’d have to talk to get this across. Also, that he didn’t come clean to Luo Hai about Zheng Mingyi being his neighbour from the start was equivalent to having missed a prime opportunity to do so. Now, Luo Hai would only focus on why hadn’t he said so earlier, and instead feel that he really was hiding something.

As for why Jiang Chijing hadn’t said so earlier—it was simple. Zheng Mingyi was the object of his voyeurism; it went naturally that he didn’t want to expose the relationship between the two of them.

“Officer Jiang, you’re being superrrr sus,” Yu Guang typed with his eyes off the keyboard, looking towards Jiang Chijing. “You aren’t that easy, are you?”

“Easy?” Jiang Chijing, face of confusion.

“A’Guang said that the inmates ran a vote.” Luo Hai picked up the thread of conversation, saying, “The result is you’re the prison officer that inmates want to fuck the most.”

Jiang Chijing, “……”

“They’re even saying that you’re a public bus,” said Yu Guang, “as long as they’re a teensy bit good looking, they can hitch a ride on you.”

Jiang Chijing didn’t expect that just because he gave Zheng Mingyi a leg up, those prisoners with nothing to do but spout bull would morph the story into such.

What was this? The uprising of the oppressed?

Jiang Chijing had once heard rumours about him saying that he was loose and anyone who wanted to could just get it on with him.

The emergence of such rumours was normal. Like how the lower dregs of males would fabricate stories about single, beautiful women from thin air, those inmates without a moral bottom line would also mould Jiang Chijing into their ideal type.

But that wasn’t who Jiang Chijing was. The ones who tried to hit on him would get a taste of suffering, and over time, those rumours stopped spreading.

Consequently, now that Jiang Chijing gave Zheng Mingyi special treatment, those oppressed seemed to have found ‘evidence’ to latch onto. The rumours that had disappeared now resurged with a vengeance, even with a bit more credibility than before.

“They can try,” Jiang Chijing smoked, saying nonchalantly to Yu Guang.

“I still believe in Officer Jiang.” Yu Guang playfully saluted Jiang Chijing, then continued clickety-clacking on the keyboard again.

“Tell me why, though?” Luo Hai said to Jiang Chijing. “It isn’t your business in the first place, why did you have to stand up for Zheng Mingyi?”

“It was a passing impulse, okay?”

It wasn’t an answer as flippant as it sounded. In retrospect, it did seem to be a moment of hotheadedness for him. It seriously irked his eyes to see Princess constantly plastering himself to Zheng Mingyi’s side.

“I knew it, you’re acting weird.” Luo Hai crossed his arms in front of his chest, sighing. “Have you been single for too long? Do you want me to introduce you a tennis coach?”

As expected of his ex-boyfriend; Luo Hai perfectly understood his tastes. The lawyer the last time belonged to the competent type, and the tennis coach this time belonged to the fit type, both of which were the sort that Jiang Chijing liked.

“Are you going to change professions to become a matchmaker?” Jiang Chijing said indifferently. “You’re even more annoying than my relatives.”

“Do your relatives know your tastes as well as I do?” Luo Hai said.

Jiang Chijing knew that Luo Hai was only doing this out of concern, afraid that he would be ‘brought astray’. However, he didn’t need Luo Hai’s worry. Comparatively, that brat Yu Guang was clearly more worrisome.

At the thought of this, Jiang Chijing raised his chin pointedly towards Yu Guang, saying, “What’s he doing, he’s typing on the keyboard so fiercely.”

The infirmary was entirely filled by the clickety-clackety sounds of the keyboard. Luo Hai seemed to suddenly notice this as well, walking over to the computer to take a look. Immediately, he frowned, tugging Yu Guang up by the back of his collar. “Kid, are you up to something bad again?”

“I’m not.” Yu Guang stretched out his arms, struggling to reach the keyboard. “I’m right about to succeed!”

“Succeed in?” Jiang Chijing put out his cigarette and walked over in curiosity.

“I’ve narrowed down the God of Go’s IP address, it’s right in our area.” Yu Guang excitedly said, “Just give me a bit more time, I’ll definitely pinpoint his exact location.”

“Do you have nothing better to do?” Luo Hai said, nursing a headache, “And even if you find him, so what? You’re in prison now; are you going to get your idol to drop by for a visit?”

“This isn’t just about me!” Yu Guang spoke firmly, “Something must have happened to the God of Go. His recent IP address is different from before, I just need to find out where he is then I can leave the follow-up to others on the forum.”

“Follow-up?” Luo Hai knocked the back of Yu Guang’s head, turning off the display monitor of the computer. “Just do your time in prison, don’t give me any trouble.”

Yu Guang covered the back of his head, pouting like a fish. “Dr. Luo is really fierce.”

“I can be even fiercer. Do you want to try me?”

Yu Guang didn’t make a peep, protesting with his eyes.

Once again feeling a little extra, Jiang Chijing bid Luo Hai goodbye and went back to the library.

Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress

***

Please do not repost or retranslate.

Princess returned to the library in the afternoon.

Jiang Chijing believed that Princess had heard his sentence of how Zheng Mingyi was the warden’s and thought that Princess would draw back his swords a little. And while Princess was more restrained than before—no longer dropping ‘Handsome’ with every sentence—he took to staring provocatively at Jiang Chijing.

That expression seemed to say: Your man’s delectable, let me sample him too.

As Princess wasn’t disturbing anyone, Jiang Chijing didn’t have any opportunity to scold him off. Moreover, the rumours about him and Zheng Mingyi had spread like wildfire through the prison, so he couldn’t get Zheng Mingyi to sit next to him again.

He stared back apathetically, only to see Princess stick out his tongue and mimic licking Zheng Mingyi’s face in the air, all the while looking towards Jiang Chijing as he did so.

Zheng Mingyi’s eyes were steadfastly fixed on the comic book, but his brows were tightly furrowed and his frustration was plainly visible from his face. He was probably able to sense that Princess was playing a dirty trick on him.

The more Jiang Chijing watched it, the greater his ire grew. But just as he was about to speak up to stop Princess, Zheng Mingyi, who had stayed silent all this while, suddenly stood up, looking disdainfully down at Princess. “Let’s step out for a bit.”

Princess cocked his eyebrows in surprise, interest pooling deep in his eyes.

Jiang Chijing immediately perceived that Zheng Mingyi was going to deal with Princess himself.

But how was he going to resolve this?

Xu Sheng had kicked that thug in the testicles, sending him to an external hospital for medical attention. If Zheng Mingyi were really to make a move against Princess, Jiang Chijing didn’t dare to imagine what Xu Sheng would do in retribution.

The two of them left from the library’s front door, and Zheng Mingyi turned directly towards the recreation room.

Jiang Chijing hurriedly opened the surveillance he had on the recreation room, taking out his wireless earphones and wearing them. The interface first showed several inmates playing cards inside, but upon seeing Zheng Mingyi and Princess, they naturally gave up the space, not even daring to eavesdrop outside.

“What the hell do you want?”

Zheng Mingyi was facing the surveillance. Jiang Chijing could clearly read the impatience in his expression.

“What else can it be?” Princess walked up to Zheng Mingyi and laid a hand on his chest. “I want to taste you.”

Jiang Chijing’s grip tightened around the mouse, trying to suppress the rage that billowed in his heart.

Even if there wasn’t any kind of special relationship between Zheng Mingyi and him, nor could they even be termed friends, Jiang Chijing had already made clear that he was covering Zheng Mingyi. Yet, Princess still made such overt moves on Zheng Mingyi, clearly not taking him seriously at all.

He reckoned that Zheng Mingyi would push Princess away, but at this time, a shocking development appeared on the interface.

Zheng Mingyi gestured downwards with his chin, his eyes hooded as he told Princess, “Sure, come on then.”

Princess laughed cheekily and got to his knees in front of Zheng Mingyi.

Immediately, Jiang Chijing’s eyes widened and his breathing caught in his throat, but at this time, Zheng Mingyi suddenly lifted his gaze and looked straight at the pinhole camera. He mouthed to Jiang Chijing, seated behind the screen—Come over.

Jiang Chijing’s heart violently clenched. For the very first time in his life, he discovered exactly how terrifying it was to be caught.