This time, his hospital stay did not last as long. Wenjie welcomed this circumstance, as it meant, he could resume his studies. This should distract him from the flashbacks, that haunted him at times. At the hospital, he had had too much time to think, despite the visits, the study materials, and the Playstation Portable. Maybe, it was because the atmosphere there was so different. 

At the university, his focus was naturally drawn to the lectures, which made it easier for him to ignore dwelling on the past. Fortunately, Zhiyue had refrained from drawing the attention of his fellow students to the fact that he was attending lectures again and how he had helped the police with the last case. The fact, that the newspapers didn't report anything about his abduction either, was another relief that allowed him to focus on things, other than catching up during the day. 

Only at night did the memories come. To avoid them, he took on extra shifts, which put a strain on his body and did not escape his boss. It came as it had to come. She ordered him to take compulsory leave, even paid. Inevitably, he felt thrown back on what he didn't want to deal with. Suppression seemed so much more expedient.

Returning home from his job, he was tempted to ask Ding Wei if he wanted to stay over night. But he only had a bed and no mattress to provide the older. Therefore, he said nothing when Xiao Dao dropped him off at his apartment. Merely, he wished him a good night. He could actually get used to the private cab service. To his surprise Ding Wei had turned out to be quite a nice guy. At leas as long, as he was not under the control of his father Ding Shenghuo.

From the stairs, leading up to Wenjie's apartment, the student caught a glimpse of the street. Xiao Dao parked in the spot, where he had let him out. Was he going to spend the night out there, or was he just waiting for Wenjie to arrive safely at his apartment? It was as if Xu Zhengqing was still alive. Captain Luo had confirmed to him twice that Monsieur was dead. The coroner had found clear evidence, that the body in the warehouse had been the watchmaker and thief. Although the dead man had been burned beyond recognition, his DNA spoke a clear language. At least, if they were to believe the police. 

Captain Luo would not leave him in the dark about this. And his gut feeling didn't seem to say anything to the contrary either. Only a small residue of suspicion remained. The police had been wrong about Zhuang Yaobai, too. However, Wenjie's father's body hrad been missing. Therefore, the student was more concerned about the poison that the doctors had neutralized.

What if Xu Zhengqing had given him more than one poison? An additional one, that neither the police nor the doctors had discovered. This had been worrying him, since he'd left the hospital. The reason was, that at times he meant to see either Monsieur or one of his henchmen. Usually it was a case of mistaken identity, a person of similar stature whom he mistook for Mr. Xu from behind. Still, it worried him, which was part of the reason he stayed extra vigilant along the way. 

But like the last few days, he noticed nothing unusual that evening. He encountered the same people who lived in his apartment block. It was quiet in the stairwell and he met no one in the hallway. There was a new lock on the door. Upon close inspection of the frame, he could find no signs of a break-in. Everything was as it should be. The windows were closed, the apartment dark, when he opened the door. 

Behind him, he locked the front door several times before placing his backpack on the dresser and changing his shoes. Only then, did he flick on the light. His things lay where he had last put them. Next to one of the windows, his books were piled up. 

Wenjie went to the window and glanced down into the courtyard. The cone of light from the streetlamp illuminated the square. No one was to be seen. He drew the curtains at both windows. Then he poured himself a glass of water, which he placed on his bedside table. It was so quiet, that even his breathing seemed loud. 

In one corner was his weiqi board. Wenjie froze for the moment, involuntarily reminded of the game he played together with Xu Zhengqing. Forcibly, he tore himself away from the sight and decided to take a shower. It helped only minimally. The bathroom brought up completely different memories. In the mirror, he saw his face, pale and sunken. It frightened him to see his reflection like that. The need to shower died. Instead, he finished brushing his teeth in record time, before fleeing from the bathroom again. He hung his clothes over a chair. Then he slipped into his pajamas and turned off the main light. Darkness fell in the room. 

His pulse quickened abruptly. Out of an inner reflex, he reached for the bedside lamp. A small cone of light illuminated the bed. Immediately his organism calmed down again. In bed, he reached for a book that was on the wall shelf next to the guitar, that a previous tenant had left here. He would read until his eyes closed. 

The cell phone vibrated. He had received a message from Xiao Dao. It was brief and to the point. "Good night."

The news brought a smile to his face. He put the book aside and answered the older with the same greeting. That should convince Ding Wei, he was fine and thus the other didn't have to spend the night out there. Again Wenjie picked up the book and began to read.

Time passed until his eyelids became heavy. It wasn't long before fatigue forced him into a light sleep. Completely exhausted, he was not even able to put the book down and so it remained half under his head. 

He didn't know how long he had been asleep, when a creaking of the floorboard woke him up. Blinking, he caught a glimpse of the shadows of the furniture outside the cone of light from his bedside lamp. There, on the chair where he had hung his clothes, sat a person. 

Wenjie's breath caught in his throat. The light of the lamp burned in his eyes. The figure did not move. But he didn't need to see the man there clearly to know who it was. Xu Zhengqing. His pulse raced again. Something was pressing on his chest. He was freezing cold and boiling hot at the same time. Hastily, he fumbled for his phone without taking his eyes off the visitor. 

He was still sitting there on the chair, frozen to a pillar of salt, looking at him silently. 

Wenjie's finger got a grip on the cold metal of his phone. His breath rattled. He didn't dare to look away, blindly squinting at the cell phone to press the next best number. The sound of the beep thudded painfully in his ears. Then it crackled. On the other end of the line, he heard the familiar voice of Ding Wei. "You're not asleep yet? Want me to come up?"

Wenjie didn't even register what the other was implying, that he actually spent the whole night down there in his car. He wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to utter a sound.

"Wenjie?" It was Xiao Dao again. This time, concern resonated in his tone. "Say something damn it. What's wrong?"

The student breathed heavily. He couldn't bring himself to say more than a stammered "Xu Zhengqing." 

to be continued...