Aunt Jiao was an old neighbor of Lin Zhijun's family. In terms of age, Aunt Jiao was more than ten years younger than Grandpa, almost a generation younger. However, Aunt Jiao's son and Lin Zhijun were the same age, so Grandpa was considered to have had a child late in life.
It was said that Grandpa had offended ancient heroic spirits due to his archaeological work, which was why he had no heirs for a long time. This superstitious notion had plagued Grandpa for over a decade until a few years after he transferred to the museum, Grandma Lin became pregnant and gave birth to Lin Zhiyuan. Grandpa was already thirty-seven that year, and having a child late in life, he doted on Lin Zhijun immensely.
Lin Zhijun was very smart from a young age. In a boy's life, intelligence often came hand-in-hand with naughtiness. Initially, Lin Zhijun's mischievous acts were genuinely naughty. He would stand on the eaves and urinate on adults, or stuff toads caught from the wild into girls' clothes. In short, the child's naughtiness knew no bounds.
The neighbors were very annoyed by Lin Zhijun's behavior and complained to Grandpa. Grandpa, however, paid no mind, considering it the natural behavior of a boy, and saw no need to intervene. He believed that as Lin Zhijun grew older and more sensible, he would naturally rein himself in.
However, Lin Zhijun did not rein himself in as he grew older. By the time he was thirteen or fourteen, his parents' indulgence had made him arrogant and overbearing. He would often hide in the toilet with his friends to smoke, and drink in the small woods after school. Furthermore, Lin Zhijun would instigate other children to steal money from adults and water down the liquor stored at home.
Surprisingly, despite his unruly personality, Lin Zhijun was an excellent student at school. Some parents informed Grandpa and Grandma about Lin Zhijun's instigation of others to do bad deeds, but they did not seem to impose any punishment on Lin Zhijun.
Lin Zhijun continued to do as he pleased, constantly switching roles between a good child and a bad one. That year, Lin Zhijun was seventeen, and so was Aunt Jiao's son, Jiang Cheng. Lin Zhijun asked Jiang Cheng to steal money from home, but Jiang Cheng refused. To maintain his reputation among his peers, Lin Zhijun beat Jiang Cheng severely. Because Lin Zhijun had more people with him, Jiang Cheng dared not fight back.
Afterward, the stubborn Jiang Cheng, unwilling to suffer humiliation, waited for Lin Zhijun to return home and ambushed him from an alleyway with a brick. The two scuffled. Lin Zhijun, having more experience in fighting, managed to snatch the brick and hit Jiang Cheng in the eye.
The eye is the most vulnerable part of a person. Jiang Cheng's eye was rendered useless on the spot, bleeding profusely. After being rushed to the hospital, Jiang Cheng's eye could not be saved.
Aunt Jiao found Grandpa, who was shocked by the incident. After understanding the situation, he approached Aunt Jiao.
"Little Jiao, I'll give you ten thousand yuan. I hope you won't publicize this matter."
Ten thousand yuan in the early 1980s was considered a fortune. In an era where a 'ten-thousand-yuan household' was a mark of pride, ten thousand yuan was indeed a lot.
However, Aunt Jiao could not calm herself down after hearing the proposal. She pointed at Grandpa's nose and said, "Lin, my son has lost his eye, and you still want to cover up your son's scoundrel behavior. Are you even human?"
"Little Jiao, I understand your feelings, but I must remind you that your son threw the first punch. Moreover, your husband is a teacher. If people find out that your son got into a brawl with someone else's child, can he keep his profession? Your son's eye is ruined, and your husband's livelihood is lost. You are an accountant at the steel mill, but I heard the steel mill is also going to be contracted out. Your life might be ruined as a result. Yes, my son injured your son, but he is not the primary party responsible. As long as he changes schools, he can start anew. Time will make people forget his misdeeds, and we will be safe. What about you? Your entire family will be ruined."
Grandpa's words persuaded Aunt Jiao. At that time, Aunt Jiao accepted the ten thousand yuan, and the matter was hushed up. But she never expected that her actions would ruin her son's life.
Because he was missing an eye, people always pointed at Jiang Cheng behind his back. Jiang Cheng himself became timid and fearful, gradually developing social phobia. He dared not interact with others. After graduating from high school, he did not dare to apply for university, nor did he dare to work. He just wanted to hide at home for the rest of his life, reading, drinking, and talking nonsense. Things had gotten a little better in the last two years. Aunt Jiao bought a computer for her son, who was in his forties, allowing him to interact with people online. He stopped drinking, but he still smoked. Currently, Jiang Cheng has no source of income. Even at his former school, his classmates had forgotten about his existence. Aunt Jiao could support her son during her lifetime, but people grow old and die! Aunt Jiao did not know what would happen to her son after she died!
Aunt Jiao deeply regretted the incident back then, but what use was that? Grandpa's career flourished, and he eventually became a museum director. Lin Zhiyuan frequently graced newspaper covers. Even if she told the truth now, no one would believe the ramblings of a woman from a disreputable family.
Aunt Jiao was actually right; her family was unfortunate. But what could be done? It was just an accident. We cannot question Lin Zhijun's character because of this accident, nor can we shake Lin Zhijun's position as the "King of the Underground Palace" in the antique world. We cannot even use this accident to evaluate Lin Zhijun's contribution to the anti-fraud campaign.
"How about..."
I whispered a few words into Yu Xiaoluo's ear, suggesting we give Aunt Jiao some money. Yu Xiaoluo shook her head firmly. "You're not Guanyin Bodhisattva; you can't change other people's lives."
I sighed, but had to admit Yu Xiaoluo was right. What right did I have? With just my meager wealth, how could I possibly change someone's life?
With a sense of helplessness, we bid farewell to Aunt Jiao. We had been hoping to find some clues, but all we gained were heavy stories that weighed on our hearts. As we were about to leave, I suddenly caught sight of Jiang Cheng engrossed in playing a game.
"I'll go chat with Brother Jiang Cheng for a bit."
Aunt Jiao gave a wry smile. "He doesn't talk to people."
"I'll try."
Aunt Jiao was about to say more, but Yu Xiaoluo stopped her, smiling. "Let him go. He always does things that people don't expect."
I walked over to Jiang Cheng. He didn't even look at me, continuously playing his game. This man, in his forties, was unshaven, with not-so-short, greasy hair. He was emaciated, looking like a walking skeleton due to his lack of exercise. And from smoking, his knuckles were all yellowed, but his hands were nimble as he manipulated the mouse with a cigarette butt between his fingers.
"What level is your Daoist?"
"31."
"Got a dog?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you still using a level seven skeleton?"
"A level seven skeleton is stronger than a level one big dog."
I glanced at Aunt Jiao and Yu Xiaoluo. Aunt Jiao's eyes were filled with tears, perhaps because she hadn't heard her son speak to anyone in years. Yu Xiaoluo also gave me a thumbs-up, boosting my confidence.
"Do you play CS?"
"Yes!"
"Are you good?"
"No one online is my match, but if the opponent is a team, I will lose."
I thought for a moment and stood up to go outside. Aunt Jiao seemed anxious. "Why don't you talk with Jiang Cheng a bit more? I'll make you a stewed lunch."
"Aunt Jiao, don't trouble yourself. Do you have paper and a pen?"
"Yes, yes!"
I took the paper and pen into the room. Jiang Cheng was still engrossed in his game, very focused and immersed. I wrote on the paper: "From today onwards, I, Tang Nan, and Mr. Jiang Cheng officially establish the ( ) e-sports club. I will be responsible for any operational failures, and profits will be split fifty-fifty." After finishing, I signed my name and placed the card Lin Zhiyuan had given me on the paper, folded it, and pressed it under Jiang Cheng's ashtray.
Jiang Cheng, with his left hand controlling the mouse, picked up the paper with his right, glanced at it, placed it back down, and continued playing. But he said, "You're here because of Lin Zhijun, aren't you?"
"Yes! You know?"
"I just don't want to say, I'm not stupid. Lin Zhijun is guilty. In his third year of high school, he stole a national treasure and sold it. After he was discovered, his father had a colleague's son take the blame for him."
"Was the colleague named Zhang Bing?"
"I don't know. That's all. You can leave now, I want to play my game."
"Alright, we won't disturb you."
Yu Xiaoluo and I left. As we were leaving, I glanced at Jiang Cheng through the crack in the door. Jiang Cheng was staring at the note I had given him. He put out his cigarette, but this time he didn't touch the mouse. Instead, he slicked back his greasy hair, looked up at the ceiling, as if he were shedding tears.
The door closed...
"What did you say to Jiang Cheng?"
"I proposed we start an e-sports club together."
"What's that?"
"An electronic game e-sports club."
"A club for something that ruins people? You might as well have just given the money directly to Aunt Jiao."
"I didn't give him money. I've heard of e-sports clubs online. I genuinely believe this is the future."
"You believe?"
"Yes, it's a strategist's intuition. Forget it, let's not talk about this. I did gain something. Back then, the museum lost a national treasure, and the thief was Lin Zhijun."
Yu Xiaoluo was stunned and asked me, "Is this true?"
I sighed. "Jiang Cheng hasn't spoken a sensible word in half his life. This statement should be true."
"Lin Zhijun, how is that possible? Are we investigating correctly?"
I didn't answer Yu Xiaoluo's question, my mind racing. Lin Zhijun knew my identity. When we reached Xi'an, Grandpa and Grandma showed that they already knew my identity.
Based on this deduction, what we are investigating now is the past of the "X driver." If Lin Zhijun is indeed the "X driver," then he is truly terrifying. Ever since the Public Security Department targeted the "X driver" fraud ring, Lin Zhijun had keenly predicted the future trend. Thus, he successfully became an informant, cleaning up the fraudulent atmosphere in Xi'an's antique circles, and gained Wang Zezhi's trust.
Then, using this trust, he executed a 'lizard shedding its tail' maneuver, erasing everything he had done. The biggest fraud king is now living a comfortable life in Xi'an, posing as a righteous figure. At this moment, I began to understand the "awe-inspiring scheme" that Old Ghost had spoken of.
Move your fingers, cast your precious gold and silver tickets, thank you!