Kaize and Fumei knocked on the bedroom door. Fumei said to Yeey,
"Yeey, open the door. Whatever it is, we can talk it through slowly."
Kaize shouted,
"Yeey, we're not treating you like a fool. Just open the door and let us in, okay?"
Curled up on the bed, Yeey wiped away his tears. Listening to the noise outside from Kaize and Fumei, he covered his ears.
Kaize and Fumei looked at each other worriedly. Oye walked up and asked,
"Does he have princess syndrome or something?"
Kaize and Fumei shot him a vicious look. Oye immediately shut his mouth.
CuRiOsItY 3
Chapter Two: The Ring Finger
Jianhuo walked into a cane shop. He went up to the counter and sat down. The shop owner was lying on a recliner, a hat covering his face, giving off an oppressive presence.
Jianhuo said softly,
"Grandpa Chun."
Grandpa Chun ignored him. Jianhuo raised his voice,
"Grandpa Chun!"
Grandpa Chun woke up, adjusted his hat, and asked groggily,
"Huh… what is it?"
Jianhuo asked,
"Didn't you say you found evidence before? So who was the murderer in that case?"
Grandpa Chun replied perfunctorily,
"Turned into a zombie a long time ago. If you want to find him, go look for him yourself."
Jianhuo glanced at Grandpa Chun, then walked out of the shop. Just as Jianhuo drove away, Fumei arrived in her car with the kids.
Oye, Kaize, Lijuan, and Liu Ly got out of the car. Oye asked,
"It's been a whole day—has Yeey's princess syndrome still not been cured?"
Kaize swung his fist hard into Oye's chest. Oye staggered back a few steps in pain. Lijuan walked up to Kaize and Liu Ly and said,
"When you go home later, can you help me apologize to Yeey?"
Kaize and Liu Ly smiled and nodded.
From inside the car, Fumei said to them,
"When you're done, have Grandpa Chun call me."
They waved to Fumei and walked into the cane shop.
Oye shouted,
"Grandpa Chun, we're here to help clean!"
Grandpa Chun laughed.
"Hahaha, you finally came."
He looked around and asked,
"Didn't Yeey come?"
Oye was about to say something, but when he saw Kaize glaring at him, he closed his mouth. Liu Ly said,
"Yeey is sick, so he didn't come."
Grandpa Chun smiled and began assigning tasks.
"Liu Ly and Lijuan, go clean the basement. Oye, help me sweep all the dust off every cane here."
Oye widened his eyes.
"All of them?"
Grandpa Chun smiled and nodded. Lijuan and Liu Ly headed down to the basement. Grandpa Chun looked at Kaize and said,
"You, come with me."
Kaize nodded and followed him out, while Oye helplessly began cleaning.
Down in the basement, as Liu Ly and Lijuan worked, Lijuan said,
"Don't you think the two of us have a lot in common?"
Liu Ly asked,
"In what way?"
Lijuan looked at her and said,
"Both of us lost the people we loved while on the run, and in the end, we survived. Your parents died in an accident. My parents disappeared."
Liu Ly gave a polite smile. Lijuan said awkwardly,
"I think I said the wrong thing."
Liu Ly smiled back.
"It's okay."
Meanwhile, Grandpa Chun brought Kaize into a room. Grandpa Chun sat at the table and looked at him, while Kaize stood there frozen.
Grandpa Chun asked,
"Do you think people have already forgotten about the fact that you killed Chen Kai?"
Kaize's eyes widened, his heart tightening. He stepped back a few steps and asked,
"H-how do you know?"
In the basement, Lijuan snapped the handle of her broom. She said to Liu Ly,
"I'll go ask Grandpa Chun for a new one. Wait here."
Liu Ly nodded, and Lijuan went upstairs.
Grandpa Chun continued,
"I planned to solve that case in the final year of my career. But when I found the evidence and realized the murderer was you, the zombie outbreak happened."
Kaize asked in terror,
"W-what evidence did you find?"
Grandpa Chun looked at him and said,
"Yeey grabbed a hose and washed away the footprints on the floor. His fingerprints were on the hose. The surveillance cameras caught you entering the restroom with bulging pockets, but when you came out, whatever was inside was gone. I guessed it was gloves—gloves that let you kill without leaving fingerprints. Am I right?"
Kaize stared at Grandpa Chun in disbelief. Grandpa Chun smiled.
"Don't worry. Since you were such a good kid helping me clean, I won't tell anyone."
Kaize dropped to his knees. Grandpa Chun walked over and said,
"No need to kneel. Go clean. Hurry."
At that moment, Lijuan, standing behind the door, heard the entire conversation.
Soon, they finished cleaning the whole shop. After saying goodbye to everyone, Lijuan hurried out.
Oye sat on the floor and said,
"I'm exhausted."
Fumei drove over. Kaize looked outside the shop and said to Grandpa Chun,
"Grandpa Chun, we're leaving."
Grandpa Chun smiled.
"Ah, come again next time."
The three of them got into the car. Fumei asked,
"How did the cleaning go?"
Liu Ly replied,
"Grandpa Chun was very satisfied."
Oye said between gasps,
"My legs are about to break."
Laughter filled the car.
When Kaize opened the door and walked inside, he saw Yeey sitting on the sofa, watching a movie and eating snacks. Liu Ly and Oye followed him in.
Kaize walked up to Yeey and asked,
"You… you're not angry anymore?"
Yeey smiled at him and said,
"Sit down. I have something for you."
Kaize sat down. Oye pointed at Yeey and said,
"Am I the only one who thinks Yeey has a split personality?"
At that moment, Lee Yan, Fumei, and Liu Ly were sitting on the same sofa, watching Yeey and Kaize.
Liu Ly asked Fumei,
"What is he going to do?"
Fumei didn't answer, signaling Liu Ly to just watch.
Kaize looked into Yeey's eyes and asked,
"What is it?"
Yeey said,
"Open your hand."
Kaize opened his hand, looking confused. Yeey slowly slipped snacks onto Kaize's fingers—thumb, index finger, middle finger, and then the little finger.
Kaize wiggled his ring finger and asked,
"What about this one?"
Yeey took out a ring from among the snacks and placed it on Kaize's finger.
Kaize looked at him excitedly. Liu Ly and Oye stared at the two of them in shock. Seeing this, Fumei shyly leaned against Lee Yan's chest.
Kaize couldn't stop smiling and asked,
"When did you buy this? It wasn't too expensive, was it?"
Yeey said,
"To apologize for pushing you away yesterday, I specially bought it while you were out."
Kaize looked at the ring on his finger. Yeey knelt down on one knee and asked,
"Are you willing to spend your whole life with me?"
Kaize stepped forward and hugged him.
"I'm willing."
Yeey held Kaize's face. Their eyes met, and then they kissed.
Liu Ly showed a look of disgust. Oye watched with great interest. Fumei asked Lee Yan,
"When will someone give me a ring too?"
Lee Yan looked at her and asked,
"Are you hinting at me?"
The two of them smiled together.