"Little Shen, why are you sharing so much with me? What's your real intention?" Li Banfeng cut straight to the point, wanting to see Shen Jingye's reaction.
Shen Jingye downed the beer from the can, took a bite of jellyfish: "I've always acted with a clear conscience."
Li Banfeng sipped his drink: "Have you ever acted against your conscience?"
Shen Jingye was silent for a while, lit a cigarette, opened another can of beer, took a large gulp, and didn't speak for quite some time.
He glanced at Li Qi's office, hoping to find a chance to change the topic.
He saw a wind-up phonograph on the bookshelf, asked: "Is this a decorative piece?"
"Not just decor," Li Banfeng shook his head, "it's a phonograph; I brought it from Puluo State. It can play music."
"Really?" Shen Jingye was doubtful, "Play a track for me?"
Li Banfeng wound the phonograph and placed the needle on the record.
Crackle~
Shen Jingye shook his head slightly: "The noise is a bit much."
Li Banfeng said: "With shellac records, the noise is considered small."
After a brief prelude, a mournful song began to play.
"Butterflies fly away, the heart also not here; who comes on this long, lonely night, to wipe tears from the cheeks? A little bit of reliance, a little bit of love, the old fate should be over and yet hard to end, exchanged for a heart full of sorrow..."
Shen Jingye listened intently, the cigarette in his hand was half burnt, but he didn't pay attention.
"What's the name of this song?"
"Wild Grass and Idle Flowers Bloom in Spring."
"Who's singing?"
"The Singing Empress of Puluo State, Jiang Mengting."
Actually, this record wasn't recorded by Jiang Mengting, but by his wife; Li Banfeng couldn't mention her name, so he attributed it to Jiang Mengting.
"It's really beautiful," Shen Jingye carefully savored the taste of the song, saying to Li Banfeng, "Could you play it again?"
Li Banfeng nodded and put the needle back at the starting point.
As the song started again, Shen Jingye's hand shook.
Ash fell on his pants, and the cigarette was completely burned out, so he lit another one.
Under the cover of music, Shen Jingye muttered: "If talking about things done against my conscience, there are indeed some, like Big Head's matters... I wronged him."
Li Qi asked: "Only Big Head?"
"There's more," Shen Jingye took a deep drag, "Preserved Fruit, Cone, Huajia... the previous director wronged them, and I wronged them too.
Perhaps because it's always been this way, I don't want it to be, but it is, even though it's always been this, I still wronged them."
Shen Jingye spoke haltingly, the cigarette in his fingers trembling unsteadily.
"The forest flowers wither, even the hearts are buried, one day when the spring swallow returns, where will the body be."
The tune ended again, Shen Jingye extinguished the cigarette, grabbed his jacket, and rose: "I'm heading home, my wife gets anxious if I don't tell her I'm not coming home, so I better go."
As he reached the door, Shen Jingye turned his head: "This song is truly beautiful."
Li Banfeng nodded: "We'll listen more next time."
Today, Shen Jingye was indeed acting out of character, but Li Banfeng was sure that he wasn't an imposter impersonating him.
This was the true Shen Jingye, his abnormal behavior likely connected to Yu Yaoming, during Yu Yaoming's trial, he was present at the scene.
Yu Yaoming has the ability to affect others' emotions, at the academic conference hall, many people's emotions were influenced by him, including his students and the conference organizers.
Shen Jingye was influenced, and he talked to Li Banfeng about matters he wouldn't usually speak openly on.
But his rationality remained; when critical topics emerged, he sought ways to steer around them.
But after listening to his wife's song, his emotions were amplified, consequently losing some control.
Oh Little Shen, how should one describe someone like you...
Li Banfeng touched the projector, greeted the projector and the surveillance equipment in the room.
Shen Jingye did issue orders to shut down the surveillance in Li Banfeng's office, but it's uncertain when they might be reopened.
Even if they were activated now, nothing out of the ordinary would be detected; Li Banfeng left the projector guarding the office, returning to the Portable Residence to discuss Yu Yaoming's lecture notes with his wife.
...
Puluo State, Flower Fairy Mansion.
Manor owner Hua Manchun was listening to Yuan Chunping relay messages from outside provinces: "Situation has changed, Li Qi is still alive for the time being, but cannot leave the outside provinces for a short while."
Hua Manchun nodded: "As long as he's stalled."
He looked at another woman, asked: "Any news on He Jiaqing?"
This woman named Lian Cui, a member of Flower Fairy Mansion, naturally showed more respect in front of Hua Manchun compared to Yuan Chunping: "Master, we've yet to find his whereabouts."
"Still haven't found?" Hua Manchun seemed to ask nonchalantly, scaring Lian Cui into instability.
"The servant will immediately dispatch more people to investigate..."
"Send all your people," Hua Manchun pinched Lian Cui's cheek, "I'll wait for your news on He Jiaqing by tomorrow, at this time tomorrow, I must hear about He Jiaqing."
Lian Cui indeed got lucky, by the next dusk, she did find He Jiaqing's whereabouts: "Master, He Jiaqing just arrived at Chu Yaoxian's territory."
"Good!" Hua Manchun was in high spirits, saying to Yuan Chunping, "Kindly notify our friends in the area, tonight is the night for Hua's revenge, if there's gratitude towards Hua's deeds, and cherish Hua's friendship with everyone, please lend Hua a helping hand."
Yuan Chunping said: "Don't worry, manor owner, two seniors in the area are nearby."
Hua Manchun turned back to Lian Cui: "You take people and guard the manor, if anything goes wrong, don't blame me for being ruthless."