Inferior by Nature

He hugged me so tightly that I could feel my heart beating through my chest.

For maybe several minutes, we just hugged each other in silence, only the continuous sound of water and shallow breathing in our ears.

I didn't dare to struggle, and I didn't even dare to breathe too hard, for fear of disturbing this giant beast that had finally exposed its fragility and let go of its defenses in front of me.

For a moment, I wanted to tell him to leave here, to leave the Jin family, but I opened my mouth, but I didn't know what standpoint or identity I should use to persuade him.a roommate?An old classmate with a holiday?It's ridiculous to think about it.

And... If he really has another identity, and that identity is still opposed to the Jin family, then everything he chooses now is not just his own choice.

Gradually, the hands on his back moved away, he let go of me, and we each backed away a little.

The moment the eyes crossed, I noticed the reddish underside of his eyes, and the complex and unpredictable things in the depths of those eyes.But like a broken lake in the sun, it's hard to see through the ripples, and it's hard for me to see him.

But in the blink of an eye, those things were gone, he looked away and looked elsewhere.

"Get out, I'm fine..." After a brief gaffe, he returned to his previous appearance, as if those who were uncertain and confused were redefined and stabilized with the hug just now.

Seeing that his mood had improved, I felt a little relieved and got up to leave.

"I'll give you a hot cup of milk. You'll go out and drink it later, and you'll sleep better."

He didn't say yes, and he didn't refuse, but when he woke up the next day, the milk was gone from the dining table, and the glass was cleaned and hung up again.

Within two days after that, Jinchenyu was summoned by the police to assist in the investigation, but within 12 hours, under the skilled operation of the group's lawyers, he returned to the island unscathed.

Chonghai was originally a city occupied by various forces, but after years of fighting and integration, now only the Jin family is left.Nanxian said that "Lion Island" was not called Lion Island at first, but it was changed to Lion Island because Jin Feisheng considered himself the king of beasts.

This also shows his conceit.

As the Jin family grows stronger and stronger, the police have never stopped closely monitoring them.But because the Jin family is cautious and there are many dead ghosts, even if they occasionally catch a useful clue to investigate, it will only hurt the surface every time, not the root cause.

The two parties are stalemate, and the two generations of the Jin family have already figured out some strategies on how to deal with the police relying on more than 20 years of experience.

Chen Qiao's death did not bring about any change. The island was always sunny and sunny, and the Jin family was still as stable as Mount Tai.

Two days later, Ran Qingzhuang and I went to Chen Qiao's hometown to send pensions to his family.

Normally I don't have to go, but I always want to get acquainted with Chen Qiao and want to do something for him in the end.

Before I went, I asked for leave with Butler Feng, but Butler Feng sighed a long time and told me to just go.

"Although I'm not familiar with him, when we meet at the door occasionally, he always greets me warmly, he's a polite boy." Steward Feng sighed, "I didn't expect him to be so young..."

"He didn't have to die." As long as he cooperates with the inspection, nothing will happen. Even if the container is full and contraband is found, he is a small guy, and he will go to jail at most, so why not die?

Steward Feng shook his head, and said: "I have served the Jin family for most of my life, and watched the eldest son grow up. I can only say that he is better than his father in some aspects."

I remember that on the day of Chen Qiao's death, it was he who came in to pass the news to Jin Chenyu, and he probably knew the inside story to some extent.

On the surface, these words sound like they are praising Jin Chenyu, but after careful consideration, they seem to be saying that he is cruel and cold-hearted.

"In two years, I will retire and return to my hometown. I hope I can live until then in peace." After saying this, Steward Feng walked slowly along the corridor with his hands behind his back.

Chen Qiao's hometown is in a small town five hours away from Chonghai. At first, it was a road, but the road became narrower at the back. When entering their village, it became a rough dirt road.

We set off around noon, and when we arrived, it was already evening, the sky was still dark, and the wind blew sand and dirt onto our faces, making it hard to keep our eyes open.

Most of the houses in the village are small two-story buildings, but Chen Qiao’s house has only one floor. Several houses are connected together. The outer walls are covered with colorful bricks. bacon.

Chen Qiao's mother is in her forties, and her skin is rough and dark red from working in the sun all year round. When we walked in, she was sitting on a small chair in a daze, with no tears in her eyes.Beside her was a teenage girl with a white flower pinned to her head, kneeling on the futon, burning paper in the copper basin in front of her, while wiping her tears with her head down. Judging by her appearance, she should be Chen Qiao's younger sister.

There are also some with black armbands on their arms. It is hard to tell whether they are relatives of the Chen family or fellow villagers in the village.

Chen Qiao's portrait was placed on a square table at the end of the hall. It seemed to be a passport photo, with black hair and restrained smile.

Ran Qingzhuang and I put incense on Chen Qiao separately, looked up through the smoke, and looked at the eyes that were no longer active in the photo. The cognition of "Chen Qiao is dead" has really intuitively and quickly attacked me for many days.It's like waking up from a big dream, and I have to recognize the reality, which makes me a little suffocated for breathing.

Liuran Qingzhuang negotiated with the relatives of the Chen family, and I went out of the house to breathe.There happened to be two villagers smoking and chatting outside nearby, whispering about Chen Qiao's family.

"Poor thing, I lost my husband earlier in the morning, and now I don't even have a son."

"The old lady died immediately when she heard the news. She couldn't get out of bed for the past two days. I don't know if she will go with her..."

"Chen Qiao's life is also bad. He can open ditches for people to drive."

"I heard that it's fatigue driving, tell me...you can find someone to reason with it."

The two didn't chat for long, and went into the house after smoking.

There are some chickens raised in the yard of Chen Qiao's house. I don't know if no one has fed them for a few days. They are so hungry that they keep pecking at my shoes, and they will not leave after several times.I simply didn't chase them away, and let them peck at them. When they got bored with pecking, they scattered again.

After waiting for ten minutes, Ran Qingzhuang was escorted out by a middle-aged man.

"Thank you, thank you, I thank you on behalf of his mother." He held Ran Qingzhuang's hand tightly, with genuine gratitude on his face.

I approached, and the convenience turned to shake my hand, the same words, the same gratitude.

They didn't know that Chen Qiao died because of an empty box, they didn't know Jinchen Island, they didn't know United Group, they didn't even know what Lion King Island was.They only knew that Chen Qiao was driving for others and died of fatigue driving. Now that the company sent someone to send him a generous pension, he had done his best, and there was nothing to complain about.

They will be kept in the dark all their lives, not knowing the truth.

It's hard to tell whether this is a blessing or a misfortune.

It was already late, and we drove back after dinner, and it would be midnight to reach Chonghai, and it would be even later if we wanted to take a boat.After thinking about it, Ran Qingzhuang drove to the town, planning to rest for one night and leave the next day.

There is only one hotel in the town, which has been open for some years. The rooms are not too small, but there are only big bed rooms.

It's not that Ran Qingzhuang and I have slept in the same bed, a big bed room is a big bed room, it's better than no place to sleep.But when I was about to fall asleep, I suddenly came back to my senses...why didn't we book two double bed rooms?Neither of us thought of this kind of operation, so we naturally decided to sleep in one room for the two of us.

Maybe...it's the matter of Chen Qiao that makes us not in the mood to think about other things.In the end, that's all I can put things down to, too.

It may be that my mood has not completely calmed down. I lay on the bed for a long time and couldn't fall asleep, staring at the dark ceiling. My mind was full of what Chen Qiao, Chen Qiao's mother, his family, and the two villagers said.

"Are you asleep?" I couldn't sleep, so I wanted to chat with Ran Qingzhuang, but because he drove a long distance today and needed to rest, I only dared to ask in a low voice, for fear that I would wake him up if he fell asleep.

The person beside him moved, as if turning over.

"No."

I turned my face to look at him in the dark.The curtains in the hotel are ordinary single-layer curtains without blackout fabrics, so the outside light can easily penetrate.Slightly weak, just enough for me to see his profile clearly.

"Why... Jinchenyu deliberately designed bait?"

I've been thinking about it.The act of baiting itself can explain a lot of problems. Jin Chenyu deliberately set up a fake cargo box to lure the police and hide the real thing, or there is no real thing at all. Did he already know that the news would be leaked? ?

"Because he has always suspected that there is an inner ghost around him." Ran Qingzhuang's voice sounded from the darkness, "He released false news in advance, making the inner ghost think that there is really a batch of goods waiting to be shipped to the north. He also deliberately sent Chen Qiao and the others to pretend to be transported to lure the police to pursue him. From the beginning to the end, it was just his trap."

My heart trembled, and I couldn't help becoming nervous: "Then what happened this time...doesn't it, doesn't it confirm the existence of the inner ghost?"

Ran Qingzhuang didn't deny it: "It was just a suspicion before, but now it's completely confirmed."

I don't understand why he is still so calm, propped himself up slightly, and said anxiously: "Then the ghost is still running away?"

He was silent for a while, and then smiled very lowly: "Unless he kills everyone around him one by one, the inner ghost will not be caught so easily. Running away now...isn't all previous work wasted?"

I can somewhat guess his answer, but when I really hear it, I still feel lost.

"So he won't run away," I said.

"He will not."

"What if you get caught?"

This time he paused longer, and after a while, he spit out three words nonchalantly.

"Then die."

I don't understand how he can say the word "death" so easily, it hurts my nerves, provokes my precarious emotions, almost in the next second, my hand tremblingly covered Ran Qingzhuang's lips .There was no accuracy in the dark, at first a few fingers stuck to it, and then it was covered tightly after fumbling.

"Don't say that." I felt a little resentful in my heart for his unscrupulous words, and my tone couldn't help becoming more serious, "Don't tell me you...the inner ghost has nothing to cherish?"

Ran Qingzhuang stopped talking.

Biting my lip, I removed my hand and lay back down again: "Forget it, let's not talk about this, go to sleep."

I turned my back, my eyes were still open, and I couldn't sleep at all.

After some time, just when I thought Ran Qingzhuang had fallen asleep long ago, his voice sounded again in the darkness.

"I chose him because he didn't miss him. Lion King Island may be in danger, but he... has no way out."