Covet

Chapter 11: Keys

　　I asked him, "Didn't you faint in the ambulance?"

"It would be too regrettable if I missed hearing the words I wanted to hear most in this lifetime," he spoke so gently that it made me uneasy.

I really want to be with him. If only I hadn't made that mistake.

I withdrew my gaze from him, lowered my head, unsure of how to respond. At this moment, a string of keys was thrown into the hospital room, sliding to my feet. I quickly picked them up and looked outside... Zhang Shuxian. I softly uttered his name and ran outside. Just as I chased down the corridor, someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. Xiao Ran pulled out the IV needle, followed me, and blocked my way.

His eyes flickered, "Don't get involved in their affairs, okay?"

"I still have something to return to him." I tightly held the string of keys, looking towards the end of the corridor. "If it stays with me for another day, he might suspect that I've seen what's inside. Who knows, the next person stabbed might be me."

"I didn't consider that possibility and put you in danger. Return the USB drive to me, and I'll handle it."

"You lie down and rest."

"I'll let the steward handle it."

"In short, this thing shouldn't have passed through my hands, right?"

　　"Teacher." He gripped my wrist. "I won't leave any possibility for you to choose to leave me in this world. You can probably also tell, I am very dangerous. If this happens..."

"You shouldn't be like this," I shook my head. "You shouldn't become this kind of person."

"I am this kind of person." His lower eyelids reddened, smiling at me.

It seems I'm not the only one who is willing to risk everything on one venture and find it difficult to retreat.

I should have been deeply moved. I should have drowned in this love, possibly the only time in my life when mutual love is mutual, not caring about anything else. But I couldn't help but wonder, why a string of keys? Two cross patterned keys, one straight key, connected by a metal ring without a buckle, indicating that this was not the one he used to hang on his pants. Both types of keys correspond to low-security locks found in older buildings, but the keys were brand new, as if they had just been curved, even a bit sharp. He threw them all to me without a care, not afraid of not being able to get through the door, confirming that these were newly made duplicates.

Why did Zhang Shuxian, who had already decided to escape, take the risk to come back and give me this string of keys? Did he somehow know that the USB drive was in my hands? I focused my thoughts and looked at Xiao Ran, asking, "Do you know which hospital Zhong Li was taken to?"

"Do you have to know all the truths and unravel all the mysteries before you'll give up?"

　"Yes, don't you want to?"

"I thought you understood; the truth is always ugly,  it's better to cover it and not look. Without curiosity, you won't fall into traps, and without naive fantasies, you can forgive imperfections." He held my hand. "If I say I forgive you, will you not be in such a hurry to escape from me?"

"What are you saying?"

"I said I forgive you; I don't blame you."

It was a truly tempting proposition, implying that all past actions could be wiped away with a stroke. The happier I felt, the more desolate the thought occurred to me: he actually knew what I did back then.

Seeing that I didn't speak, he compromised, "City Central Hospital. Zhong Li should be in the intensive care unit now. I'll go with you."

"I'll go by myself. You rest assured." I ran out, glanced back, and said, "I'll be back soon."

In front of City Central Hospital, there was a conspicuous police car, surrounded by a noisy crowd. They said a patient with severe injuries who had just woken up was rushing to get out of bed. The nurse was busy; she reminded him to lie down and rest, but when she turned back after a while, the patient was gone. The arriving police and the patient's family were in a panic, searching everywhere.

I saw Zhong Li's grandfather.

　　I quickly stepped back and blended into the crowd, so nervous that I even controlled my breathing and kept my movements light. After retreating to a certain distance, I turned around to escape and ran out of the hospital gate. If I were to be mistaken as a criminal suspect again, there would be no way for me to explain.

I picked up the string of keys again, examined them, and leaned in to smell them. There was a hint of engine oil. It seemed the locks had rusted before, and oil had been applied for lubrication. The conclusion about the old house seemed more accurate now.

Today, due to the heavy rain, Zhang Shuxian was soaked and his shoes were covered in mud. However, when he threw the keys to me, he had already changed into clean clothes and shoes. This indicated that after saving me in the rain, he didn't rush to escape but found a place to stay.

This place should be relatively close to my newly moved-in neighborhood, the City Central Hospital, and the District People's Hospital where Xiao Ran was sent. It would provide him with the geographical conditions for quick back-and-forth movements. These three locations were situated in the relatively bustling city center, and within the enclosed area of these three points, there were few old buildings. I had seen locks used so poorly only in government-contracted resettlement housing. In this area, there were ten phases of such old resettlement housing, all adjacent, within one community.

　　Assuming that Zhong Li was taken away by Zhang Shuxian, he was seriously injured, had just woken up, was weak and could hardly walk. It would be challenging to execute the plan without a car. However, Zhang Shuxian was short of money and didn't own a car. If he were to hire a cab, Zhong Li would be a big trouble again. His condition was not right, making him susceptible to suspicion. He definitely wouldn't risk having the driver drop him off downstairs his residence. Getting off earlier and walking could also lead to being seen by others, compromising safety during subsequent investigations. Therefore, the place he chose to get off had to be relatively far from the residential area, with fewer people around.

Outside the back door of Phase Three resettlement housing, there was a river, which had been under levee construction for several years and sealed for a long time. Due to funding shortages, construction was frequently halted. As a result, some of the blue iron sheets surrounding the construction site had been pried open.

If he implemented the plan as I imagined, his movement would not be fast. By the time I reached Phase Three resettlement housing, I might arrive earlier than him, leaving time for me to wait at the back door. I thought Zhang Shuxian gave me this string of keys to lead me to him, and he couldn't avoid me.

However, I wasn't sure if I could recognize him at a glance. Standing there, I stared at every passing pedestrian coming and going, afraid of missing something. A delivery tricycle drove in, the driver's cap was low, and I couldn't see his face clearly, but his figure seemed somewhat familiar... I followed the vehicle, watching as he stopped in front of a building, made a phone call, said a few words, and carried a huge box down. He used a key to unlock the first-floor anti-theft door.

He didn't ring the intercom on the iron door and call the owner, he had the key to this building, appearing more like a resident than a delivery man.

I followed closely but was stopped outside the door. A cross patterned anti-theft lock... I took out the string of keys and started trying. The first key worked. It was really this place! I began to feel an unusual excitement.

There were still two keys left.

I slowly went upstairs, observing the doors of each floor's residents. 201 had two doors, an outer iron fence door with vertical bars that had rusted, and an inner wooden door. I went up to the top floor, confirming that this building had only one such special door, then returned and tried the keys.

The door opened.