Madness of the Heart

Los Angeles, Golden Rose Nightclub in Fukang District.

Under the gaudy and exaggerated lights, dozens of disheveled sex workers squatted in a row in the corner, and many of them were "male models" wearing only a pair of underwear.The men who came to hunt for beauty squatted on the other side, all naked, most of their heads were bald, and their beer bellies were protruding.

Fukang District is the most economically and culturally backward place in the main urban area of ​​Los Angeles. Although the name of the Golden Rose Nightclub has "gold" and "rose", it has neither the luxury of gold nor the romance of roses.The locals jokingly call this place a "massage room for the middle-aged and elderly".

Hou Cheng is small in stature, rarely put on weight, his shoulders are tucked in, and his bare chest is covered with his hands.

He was sandwiched between two fat drunk men, his damp eyes glanced out of the corners of his eyes from time to time, and his rough and yellow face showed disgust and dissatisfaction.

The nightclub was very noisy, and the plainclothes police officers included both members of the Security Detachment and the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

The criminal policeman was specially arranged by Hua Chong, because Mingshu analyzed before that Hou Cheng came to Los Angeles a month ago, but his name did not appear in any check-in registration, so he either lived in an acquaintance's house, or a wild hotel, or even went in and out. Erotic place.

Soon, the sex workers were taken away first, followed by the suspected prostitutes.

Hou Cheng stood up with the large army and stumbled towards the police car.

When the police car closed, someone let out a howl——

"Fuck! What a fucking disaster!"

The police car stopped at the Fukang District Branch, and most of the persons involved were brought into the branch.Hou Cheng also wanted to get out of the car, but was blocked back.

"What are you doing?" He grabbed a policeman's hand in a panic, "I want to get out of the car too?"

"You're not here," said the policeman.

"Why? Where are you taking me?" He was at a loss, and even trembled with fear.

The policeman withdrew his hand and gave him a quick glance before closing the door, "Be honest, don't ask what you shouldn't ask!"

Hou Cheng seemed to be frightened, and sat down tremblingly, not daring to move again.

The police went on the road again, and the lights on the street were broken by the car windows, dangling over Hou Cheng's face and body, reflecting a strange mottled scene.

Mingshu is already waiting at the city bureau.

Hou Cheng was taken to the interrogation room, and after sitting down, he kept looking around in bewilderment.

Compared with the photo, Hou Cheng looks older. He is about 1.7 meters tall, with thinning on the top of his head and loose facial skin. He is wearing a white sweater and polyester trousers that the previous generation often wore, and he is wearing a pair of ten-dollar shoes on his feet. leather sandals.

Being illuminated by the strong light in the interrogation room, Hou Cheng seemed very uncomfortable, rubbing his wrinkled hands frequently, and lifting his eyelids nervously from time to time.

Fang Yuanhang pretended to flip through the documents, "Hou Cheng, 55 years old, a native of Qingyue Village."

Hou Cheng nodded, "Yes, yes."

"How long have you been in Los Angeles?" Fang Yuanhang asked again: "Why did you come to Los Angeles?"

"June." Hou Cheng swallowed frequently, "Come, come to escape the heat."

"To avoid the summer heat?" Fang Yuanhang expressed disbelief, "Did you go to a prostitution place to avoid the summer heat?"

Hou Cheng shrank back and remained silent.

Fang Yuanhang asked sharply, "How many times is this today?"

"Number, first time..."

"Where do you live this month?"

Hou Cheng stared at the desktop, "Live, live in a hotel."

Fang Yuanhang pressed, "Which hotel?"

Hou Cheng couldn't tell.

"Today is not the first time you bought prostitution." Fang Yuanhang said in the tone of a member of the security detachment: "You still don't admit it?"

Hou Cheng trembled violently, first shook his head, then nodded, "It's not the first time, it's not the first time, I admit it."

Mingshu watched the situation in the interrogation room through the monitor.

Every reaction of Hou Cheng made him more sure that there was someone else in the grave.

"I'm single, and I don't have a wife at home. Is it a crime to go out to play?" Hou Cheng said, "I, I received a note at the hotel, so I went there."

"It's not a crime, but it's illegal to buy prostitution." Fang Yuanhang asked, "Aside from Golden Rose, what other prostitution establishments have you been to?"

Hou Cheng faltered, "And..."

Mingshu pushed open the door of the interrogation room and looked at Hou Cheng coldly.

Fang Yuanhang turned back, "Master."

"Yeah." Mingshu sat down and asked, "You work in Qingyue Village, and Qingyue Village produces watermelons. You are a melon farmer, right?"

Hou Cheng said, "Yes."

Mingshu asked: "Then it's the season for watermelons, why didn't you stay in the village to take care of your melon fields, instead you went to Los Angeles to escape the summer heat?"

"Ah..." Hou Cheng rolled his eyes, "This..."

"Because you have other income, you don't care about the money from selling melons at all?" Ming Shu stared at Hou Cheng's face, but Hou Cheng didn't dare to raise his eyelids.

"I haven't." Hou Cheng whispered, "It's too hot, I want to rest."

"is it?"

"Yes Yes."

Mingshu stopped talking, but did not look away.In his field of vision, Hou Cheng's anxiety leaked from every micro-expression, almost unstoppable.

After 10 minutes of silence, Mingshu spoke slowly, "Tomb Heart."

Hou Cheng didn't respond at first, and after about 30 seconds, he woke up like a dream and raised his head, "Ah? It's me, it's me."

Such a reaction can already show that Hou Cheng is not the heart of the grave.

The writer in "Some people deserve to die" is not the dull old man in front of him who sleeps on the bed of a prostitute in the middle of the night.

Mingshu asked: "Who is the tomb heart?"

Hou Cheng opened his mouth in surprise, his eyes dodged, "I am Tomb Heart. Tomb Heart is my pseudonym."

Mingshu said: "Didn't you just say that you have no other income, and you don't care about your own melon fields, and you came to Los Angeles just because it was too hot and wanted to rest? Why did you suddenly say that Tomb Heart is your pen name?"

Hou Cheng's face was probably hot enough at this time, but the blush could not be seen on the yellowish black skin.

"I don't want people to know." Hou Cheng buried his head extremely low.

"What don't you want people to know?" Ming Shu asked, "Do you know that you are the tomb heart, or are you coming to Los Angeles to prostitute?"

Hou Cheng opened his mouth for a long time, "My editor told me to package me and not let others know that the grave is me."

Ming Shu snorted coldly, "The heart of the grave is indeed not you."

Hou Cheng's arm was dripping with sweat on the table, and he leaned forward helplessly, "What do you mean? What are you looking for me for?"

Mingshu deliberately repeated, "Are you the author of the suspense, Tomb Heart?"

Hou Cheng nodded one after another, "Yes, it's me."

"You wrote those?"

"it's me."

Mingshu smiled: "Your editor wants to package you so that others don't know that you are a grave heart. But why do you not let her worry so much? You were arrested for buying prostitution, and your readers will know soon."

Hou Cheng panicked, "Don't, don't! It's not like this!"

Ming Shu said: "If you are not Mu Xin, then it is another matter."

Hou Cheng was silent, as if he was struggling.

Mingshu changed the subject again, "What does your pseudonym mean?"

"Take it casually." Hou Cheng said anxiously, "Why are you asking this?"

"The heart is buried in the tomb, and the soul is floating in the world." Ming Shu said, "You wrote that in the book."

"Yes, yes, that's what it means." Hou Cheng wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead, "The heart is buried in the tomb, the soul, the soul stands in the society."

Mingshu shook his head, "You never wrote that in the book."

Hou Cheng's expression froze suddenly.

"I made it up just now." Mingshu's eyes were like swords: "You are not Tomb Heart! Tell me, who is Tomb Heart, how did you know each other, and why did you sign a contract with the publishing house for Tomb Heart?"

Hou Cheng was dumbfounded by this series of highly skillful interrogations, stunned, sweating, and said for a long time: "I'm really the heart of the tomb, Xiao, Xiao Guo can prove it to me!"

"How to prove it? Use a signed contract to prove it?" Mingshu said, "It's better than this. Tell me about your mental journey of writing."

Hou Cheng looked distressed, "This..."

"Can't tell?" Mingshu smiled, "It's okay, I don't want to embarrass you, don't talk about your mental journey, just tell me the outline of your latest book, I just haven't read it yet."

Hou Cheng said, "Yes, someone was killed..."

Mingshu waited for a while, "And then?"

"Then, then..." Hou Cheng wrung his hands together, and after struggling for a few minutes, he couldn't speak at all, and anxiously covered the upper half of his face, "I forgot."

"You are a writer, you wrote it yourself, and it is the latest book, how could you forget it so easily?" Mingshu stood up, "Hou Cheng, do you want to continue lying?"

Hou Cheng opened his mouth in vain, and looked at Mingshu in fear, "I don't know."

Mingshu said: "What's 'don't know'? Is it because you don't know who Mu Xin is? Or what is written in it? You sign the contract for Mu Xin. If Mu Xin is involved in a crime, you have to bear the consequences for him!"

Hou Cheng's face was dull and flustered, "What? He committed a crime? What did he do?"

Mingshu sat down again, "You are finally willing to admit that you are not the tomb heart."

The interrogation room fell silent, and the sound of breathing and heartbeat could be heard.

Hou Cheng shook his head in despair, "I'm not him. Please let me go, I didn't commit a crime."

Mingshu asked: "Then who is TA?"

"I don't know." Hou Cheng said guiltily.

Even the recorder thought that Mingshu would get angry, but Mingshu just said calmly: "Let's talk about the process of your acquaintance. You don't know who the tomb heart is, but you have always seen him, communicated with him, and know who he is. Is it male or female, old or young?"

This time, Hou Cheng nodded as if disarming, and told the truth: "It's a young man, very young, he, he used to ride my tricycle..."

In Hou Cheng's narration, Tomb Xin's real identity is a mystery, and he is a handsome man. Three years ago, Hou Cheng drove a tricycle to the town to pick up free disinfectant, but was stopped by a graveyard standing on the side of the road on his way back.

There are a lot of "backpackers" nowadays, and Hou Cheng had picked someone up before, and when he saw that there was still space in the back seat, he let Mu Xin get into the car.

Hou Cheng seldom talks, but Mu Xin is very good at words, chatting all the way, talking about the world, talking about what he saw and heard during his travels.Hou Cheng answered occasionally, thinking that the other party was very knowledgeable, completely different from the young people in the village.

When he returned to Qingyue Village, Hou Cheng had already learned that Mu Xin was a writer.

Hou Cheng has lived alone for decades, guarding a yard and a field. When he is free, he reads second-hand books bought in the town to pass the time, and gradually forms a hobby that is not considered a hobby.Although Hou Cheng can't say he admires Tomb Heart who can write books, he admires him from the bottom of his heart.

Qingyue Village has no tourism resources. Tomb Xin claims that he came here by accident, wandering around looking for inspiration, without a destination, and hitchhiking all the way, thinking that something is good, he stops and lives for a while.

"I think it's good here, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the pace of life is very slow, I'll just live for a few days." Tomb Xin said so.

At first, Hou Cheng didn't intend to leave Mu Xin to live in his own home, but Mu Xin walked all over the village, but couldn't find a suitable place to live, and finally went around to Hou Cheng's house.

Hou Cheng was in a dilemma. First, there was nothing at home to entertain guests. Second, he was used to living alone, and he was afraid that someone would enter his territory.

But it was late at that time, every house was closed, and it was not safe in the wild.After hesitating again and again, Hou Cheng still invited Tomb Heart into the house, and vacated the best room in the house for Tomb Heart to live in.

Tomb heart this stay, is a week.

I don't go out, don't see other people, and write in my room all day long.

Hou Cheng was a little dissatisfied at first, but Mu Xin took out a wad of money from his mountaineering bag, "Uncle Cheng, these are my board and lodging expenses, thank you for taking care of me."

There was thirty thousand in that pile of money.

Hou Cheng did farm work for a year, and his net income was only tens of thousands of yuan.The young man in front of him actually sold [-] yuan!

Hou Cheng was dumbfounded.

"Uncle Cheng." Tomb Heart said, "I got a lot of inspiration from you. For a writer, inspiration is the most important and priceless. I should thank you, so just keep it."

Few people would not be tempted by money, so Hou Cheng let the tomb heart live in a daze.

Before leaving Qingyue Village, Mu Xin proposed to replace the contract.

Hou Cheng basically didn't understand, but he knew that as long as he signed a contract with Luocheng Xinyun Publishing House on behalf of Tomb Heart, delivered manuscripts, paid taxes on his behalf, received manuscript remuneration on his behalf, and transferred the remuneration to Tomb Xin, he could get [-] a year. reward.

For Hou Cheng, 10 yuan is already a huge amount of money.

"Uncle Cheng, I know you are worried, but think about it, you helped me, how could I hurt you?" Tomb Heart said sincerely: "I have some personal reasons here, and it is not convenient for me to sign a contract with the publishing house in person. That's why I'm asking you to do me this favor. Am I a bad person? We've been getting along for so many days, don't you still know? Well, it doesn't matter if you don't agree to me for the time being, and mine hasn't been revised. You can think about it Well, I'll come back to you later."

After Tomb Heart left, Hou Cheng regretted it more and more.

It's just signing a contract for someone, what can happen?Tomb Xin looks like a cultural person, what can he write about?You can get 10 yuan if you sign the contract, and you can't earn that much in a year of farming.Where can such a good thing be found?

A few months passed, just when Hou Cheng thought he had lost his chance to make a fortune, Grave Heart appeared again.

This time, Tomb Heart did not go to Hou Cheng's house, but went directly to Tianshang, holding a USB flash drive in his gloved hand, and asked Hou Cheng to send the contents of the USB flash drive to Xinyun Publishing House and destroy the USB flash drive.

For this reason, Hou Cheng also went to the town to buy a second-hand laptop computer.

Under Tomb Xin's guidance, Hou Cheng published the manuscript, waited, and successfully signed a contract with Xinyun Publishing House, becoming a fake Tomb Xin.

But the real tomb heart's whereabouts are erratic, appearing like ghosts and ghosts, and every time it appears, it takes away the manuscript remuneration that Hou Cheng took out, and gives Hou Cheng a corresponding remuneration.

They have been working together for two years now.

"When was the last time Tomb Heart came to see you?" Ming Shu asked.

"May this year." Perhaps because the confession was almost done, Hou Cheng heaved a sigh of relief, "He came to collect the manuscript payment, and then gave me 5 yuan to let me have a good rest. The summer in the village is too hot and difficult. I have After paying the money, I came out. I didn’t expect, I didn’t expect to be caught by you..."

"This case is very strange." Hua Chong entertained Mingshu for dinner in the alley opposite the Municipal Bureau. Sitting in a dry pot restaurant, he not only ordered a super-large pork ribs, rabbit, and eel mixed pot, but also ordered the hoof flower soup and tin foil grilled fish next door. , the table was full, "There must be something wrong with the tomb heart. Regardless of whether he is instigating something now, it is very suspicious just that he asked Hou Cheng to replace his identity. Would a normal writer do this?"

"If you want to make a fuss about paying taxes, it's possible." Ming Shu has been busy for a few days and urgently needs some appetizers, so he is not polite to Hua Chong, "But the tax that should be paid is worth a penny." No less. This is obviously to hide his identity, and he is very smart, looking for someone like Hou Cheng. Hou Cheng has no family, lives alone, and is very lonely, and there is no surveillance in places like Qingyue Village, only Hou Cheng is alone Know the truth, there is no physical evidence, and no other witnesses."

"Tomb Xin can even get rid of Hou Cheng when necessary." Hua Chong thought for a while, and then added: "The premise is that Tomb Xin is a person with criminal potential."

"Go with me." Mingshu said, "The suspects in the two murder cases were affected by the tomb heart. I must find the tomb heart as soon as possible."

"Hou Cheng, how do you plan to arrange it?" Hua Chong asked.

"He is the key. Team Hua, I want to apply with you." Ming Shu clinked glasses with Hua Chong, "Hou Cheng..."

Before Mingshu finished speaking, Hua Chong already understood, "Don't worry, I'll communicate with you here. Hou Cheng is the only clue now. If he is detained in the security detachment, he may startle the snake."

Mingshu smiled, "Thank you. I'll treat you and Teacher Liu to a drink after the cases are successfully resolved this time."

Hua Chong asked, "Shang Leran?"

"Definitely call him!" Mentioning Le Ran, Ming Shu felt a little more relaxed, "That little idiot."

Le Ran is a teammate that Ming Shu met in the special operations team. He is young but has deep qualifications.At that time, a large group of them had just completed a mission, and after taking a rest, they were invited to go out for a drink, happy to fight, drinking is not bad at all, but they can only drink one kind, and they will be dizzy when mixed together.

I don't know who poured the red wine for Le Ran first, and then the white wine. Le Ran was caught immediately and lay motionless on her seat.

Most of the drunken people go crazy, or simply sleep, this guy is quick to answer every question, which makes a circle of brothers amused.At first, Mingshu felt that bullying his teammates was unfair, but later he became addicted to it.If it wasn't for Shen Xun, the head of the special operations team, who took Le Ran away, the group of people would have quarreled until dawn.

"Leran has gone to Xiaben Village, and I'm working on your transfer to the Special Operations Team." Hua Chong said: "The truth has been hidden for 12 years, and it's time to get to the bottom of it."

Thinking of Li Hongmei, Mingshu sighed, and cheered up immediately, "The case I'm in charge of will soon come to light."