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After Zheng Mingyi left, Jiang Chijing went to Luo Hai to clean the wound on the corner of his lips.

He didn’t intend to conceal it as he would still be having lunch with Luo Hai later. He wouldn’t be able to conceal it even if he wanted to.

However, he suddenly realised something. He initially thought that Zheng Mingyi had bitten him in a moment of hotheadedness, but in retrospect, this calculative bastard was clearly swearing sovereignty over him.

When the two of them were at the infirmary just now to change the bandages, Jiang Chijing’s lips were still intact. It was only a matter of an hour before the corner of his lips was stained with crimson blood. There was no way Luo Hai couldn’t figure out what went down.

However, reality proved that Jiang Chijing overestimated Luo Hai. No, to be precise, it didn’t go as Zheng Mingyi predicted it would.

Luo Hai crossed his arms, leaning against the office desk, austerely looking at Jiang Chijing. “Did Zheng Mingyi violate you?”

Hearing this deduction, an amused smile unconsciously tugged at Jiang Chijing’s lips, resulting in an immediate hiss from pain. He restrained his smile, throwing away the cotton swab in his hand, asking Luo Hai instead, “Do you think that’s possible?”

Given Jiang Chijing’s personality, if he felt that Zheng Mingyi violated him, then Zheng Mingyi would be the one sitting in the infirmary now.

“Then what happened to your lips?” Luo Hai still didn’t think in that direction.

“He bit me in anger,” Jiang Chijing said the facts as they were. “Who told you to bring up the perfume in front of him.”

The information contained in those two sentences was a bit much. Luo Hai’s expression turned into a rather spectacular sight, only saying incredulously after a long time, “You and him, really?”

“Mm-hmm,” Jiang Chijing uttered lightly.

His and Luo Hai’s working spaces were right opposite each other; they couldn’t get away from each other; it was too troublesome to keep this from Luo Hai. Moreover, Luo Hai was always so concerned about his love life, but he could now let him worry less. This would also serve as a reminder for Luo Hai to watch his words in the future.

Of course, the last bit was the key point.

If Luo Hai unwittingly upset Zheng Mingyi again, it would be Jiang Chijing with the headache in the end.

“So you didn’t listen to my advice,” Luo Hai sighed. “He’s a con. Has your worldview gone running off with your five senses?”

Jiang Chijing couldn’t blame Luo Hai for thinking that Zheng Mingyi was bad news. After all, considering everything, Luo Hai was more on the edge about this than Yu Guang.

“Do you believe me?” Jiang Chijing said. “He’s not a con.”

“Don’t many inmates claim that they’ve been wronged?”

“He’s my neighbour.”

At this, Luo Hai’s expression immediately froze. “Neighbour?”

Jiang Chijing gave Luo Hai the rundown, skipping some of the miscellaneous details. Luo Hai took a while to process the information overload, like he didn’t know where to start. In the end, he only squeezed out one sentence, “So Zheng Mingyi is really an honest man?”

“I believe him,” said Jiang Chijing.

Luo Hai wasn’t an obstinate blockhead. Since Jiang Chijing was already willing to vouch for him, he could only change his biases about Zheng Mingyi. He sighed, saying helplessly, “Actually, I can tell that you’re very attracted to him.”

Jiang Chijing didn’t deny this. Luo Hai had no idea how very much he was attracted to Zheng Mingyi. That night when he had forcibly kissed Zheng Mingyi wasn’t simply a momentary lapse from being overwhelmed by lust, but the burst-out of an impulse that he had been suppressing for a long time.

“Then what does he plan to do next?” Luo Hai asked.

“Get out as soon as possible, probably.” Jiang Chijing trusted that Zheng Mingyi would try to be released in the shortest possible time, but this wasn’t something that could be accomplished overnight; they had to take it step by step.

“Is Yu Guang related to this?” Luo Hai furrowed his brows, as though abruptly recalling how strangely Yu Guang was behaving. “He keeps running over to your side recently.”

This question was a bit difficult to define, because Yu Guang’s involvement was very small and he couldn’t even tell who Go was yet.

Jiang Chijing was still considering how to answer this when someone suddenly jogged into the infirmary with a broom. It was Yu Guang, the very subject of their conversation.

“Officer Jiang, you’re here too!” Yu Guang probably didn’t expect to see Jiang Chijing at the infirmary, and his eyes instantly lit up. “Have you guys seen the reflection that Old Nine wrote?”

“What reflection?” Luo Hai asked.

“Xu Sheng got Old Nine to write a three thousand-word reflection essay. Old Nine refused to write it at the start, so Xu Sheng took up with the guards some of the things he did before and his confinement time got extended by a week; indefinitely longer if he continued not to write it. So Old Nine ultimately wrote it and now copies of his reflection are posted on every bulletin board.”

“That’s possible?” Jiang Chijing almost laughed. He imagined how humiliating it would have been to have his reflection essays plastered all over school.

“Xu Sheng’s being really savage,” Luo Hai said. “he’s completely tearing Old Nine down.”

“Why shouldn’t he be torn down?” Yu Guang was delighted. “Everyone’s taking him as a joke now.”

“But don’t you go joining in the fuss,” warned Luo Hai.

“Relax, Dr. Luo, I don’t run with them anyway.” Yu Guang earnestly said then looked at Jiang Chijing, saying, “By the way, Officer Jiang, the stock market has been fluctuating a lot recently, don’t you have any thoughts?”

Yu Guang wagged his brows at Jiang Chijing, obviously hinting to him that the netizens on the forum were eagerly waiting for the arrival of the God of Go.

But Jiang Chijing was a noob at stock trading. He could wear the disguise of the God of Go, but he couldn’t speak the words of the God of Go. He was going to say a couple of words to tide the topic over when Luo Hai spoke up first, “What kind of thoughts can he have? He doesn’t do stocks in the first place.”

Yu Guang’s brows frowned and his eyes read: You’re full of fart. “How can Officer Jiang not do stocks? Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about him?”

Luo Hai was casually leaning against his desk at first, but hearing Yu Guang’s words, he immediately straightened up, saying coldly, “Get over here.”

Yu Guang immediately wimped out, dragging his feet towards Luo Hai, grumbling softly, “I’m just saying, how can Officer Jiang not do stocks? Right, Officer Jiang?”

Jiang Chijing didn’t know how to answer this, either. He only heard Luo Hai continue to say, “I’ve known him for this many years, do you think that I wouldn’t know if he dabbled in stocks? His family has a personal financial advisor; do you think he has any need to do stocks?”

At this, blankness and uncomprehending leaked into Yu Guang’s eyes. Jiang Chijing awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, saying, “I’m going to take a look at Old Nine’s reflection essay.”

The bulletin board on the second floor was by the staircase. The three-thousand-word reflection occupied three A4 papers and was much more conspicuous than any other notice on the board.

Jiang Chijing concentrated on reading it for a while. It wasn’t difficult to tell how much brain juice Old Nine had wrung when writing this, even confessing to having stolen money when he was young. The words were full of disparaging remarks about himself, calling himself trash and not even worthy of being a human being.

He had to admit, Old Nine wrote this reflection essay well. At least, it was easy to feel the adjustment in his attitude.

However, looking at that forceful signature at the end of it, a thought suddenly flashed through Jiang Chijing’s mind. If Old Nine wasn’t sincerely repentant, he’d probably be holding a deep grudge against Xu Sheng.

Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress

***

Please do not repost or retranslate.

After lunch, Jiang Chijing went to take his phone from the locker room, passing on the message to Guan Wei, getting him to look into those pieces of intel in his hands.

The two of them casually chatted for a bit before Jiang Chijing locked his phone and returned to the library.

At noon, inmates slowly started trickling in. Many would usually make simple greetings with each other, but today, their greetings all contained talk of Old Nine’s reflection.

From their expressions, they were all delighted by the show. It was obvious how thoroughly Old Nine was put in his place this time.

The usual faces were pretty much present, and the library gradually quietened after a few minutes.

Yet, strangely, Zheng Mingyi had disappeared off to god knows where.

Jiang Chijing kept checking his watch from time to time. When it reached twelve-thirty, Zheng Mingyi still hadn’t turned up. Annoyed, he glanced out of the window, unexpectedly finding Zheng Mingyi and Xu Sheng standing together, talking in a corner of the yard.

Xu Sheng spoke and Zheng Mingyi nodded apathetically. At that exact moment, as if sensing Jiang Chijing’s gaze, he abruptly lifted his head to look towards the library, and he mouthed to Jiang Chijing: Wait for me.

Jiang Chijing averted his gaze without a flicker in his expression, but the annoyance in his heart had eased somewhat. But not long later, he curiously looked out of the window again, only to see that Zheng Mingyi was still listening to Xu Sheng talk, like Xu Sheng was reporting on his progress.

Inexplicably, Jiang Chijing got this feeling that Zheng Mingyi would probably end up becoming a prison boss if he didn’t leave.

“Can’t you keep your horse in check?”

Princess’ voice suddenly came by his ear, cutting into Jiang Chijing’s thoughts. He lazily shifted his gaze towards Princess, saying, “Can’t you keep your man in check?”

The chat’s been so long, yet your man’s still hogging Zheng Mingyi.

Princess didn’t seem to expect that Jiang Chijing would display his possessiveness of Zheng Mingyi this openly, and playfulness instantly pooled in his eyes. Lounging his body over the desk, he whispered to Jiang Chijing, “Is Zheng Mingyi really a bottom?”

Jiang Chijing volleyed back, “What business is this of yours?”

“Last time when you got me to keep an eye on Old Nine,” Princess said, “I took pains to swap the showering order so that I’d enter the showers at the same time slot as them.”

Princess occupied a cell in Block B, whereas Zheng Mingyi and Old Nine were locked in Block A. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t appear at the showers at the same time.

“He’s really, really—big.” Princess deliberately dragged out his syllables, speaking the last two words with exceptional clarity. “I’m suddenly less convinced that he’s a bottom. If someone like him is a bottom, it’d really be a ‘reckless waste of natural resources.'”

“You…” Jiang Chijing’s brain suddenly jammed slightly. “You even know how to use idioms?”

Princess raised his brows in dissatisfaction. “Do you think I never attended primary school?”

All right. This wasn’t the main point.

Jiang Chijing forced himself to remain a calm facade, asking, “You showered with Zheng Mingyi?”

“Yeah, the day that Old Nine acted out,” Princess said. “You got me to keep an eye on Old Nine; he has the same shower time as Old Nine.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chijing’s mind was all jumbled for a moment, only after a long time then accepting the reality before him—Princess had seen Zheng Mingyi down there.

Why hadn’t he thought of this problem in the past?

Inmates showered in a large bathhouse. Everyone could see each other bare-bottomed. Which also meant to say that all inmates who shared the same shower slot as Zheng Mingyi would have seen his private parts.

This was a perfectly normal thing. Just like going to a public pool, everyone would inadvertently compare their sizes when changing into swimming trunks in the locker rooms.

Yes. It was perfectly normal.

Jiang Chijing kept consoling himself non-stop, but his mind was on the verge of exploding.

It was something that so many people had seen before; yet he, a voyeur who had been spying on Zheng Mingyi for the better part of the year, hadn’t seen it.

Yes. Everyone had seen it. Except him.

“Really a feast for the eyes, lucky~”

Princess even stoked the fire. Jiang Chijing suppressed the ire that flared in his heart, saying icily, “You even know how to speak English, huh.”

“Of course.” Princess rolled his eyes. “I graduated from middle school.”

“I got you to keep an eye on Old Nine,” Jiang Chijing pulled words from between his teeth, “not stare at Zheng Mingyi.”

“Old Nine’s plaything is small and ugly, what’s there to look at.” Princess roasted, and he looked at Jiang Chijing mischievously. “Yo, is our Officer Jiang jealous?”

Jiang Chijing wasn’t jealous. He was furious.