After hanging up the phone, Xu Zhinan’s heart couldn’t calm down for a long time. Not just her—even Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue couldn’t remain calm.
When she was taking Lin Qingye’s call, Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue were right beside her. They instantly turned into screaming fans after hearing his two sentences.
Lin Qingye heard them too. Xu Zhinan was so embarrassed that she hurriedly tried to cover their mouths, and in her fluster, she ended up hanging up the phone without even responding.
Lin Qingye didn’t call back. There was still the closing celebration banquet, so Xu Zhinan didn’t disturb him further.
After lights out, the three chatted for a while before going to sleep.
Various topics related to the “I Come for Music” finals had already topped the trending searches, with #LinQingyeWinsChampionship# leading the list. Xu Zhinan clicked on it and looked through the posts.
The top comment was a GIF of him smiling at the camera while holding the trophy, with over a hundred thousand likes.
Xu Zhinan also clicked the like button, then continued browsing for a while. It was already very late, so she turned off her phone and went to sleep.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, there was a sudden “buzz”—her phone lit up.
Xu Zhinan drowsily squinted, reaching out from under the blanket to find her phone. Seeing the caller ID, she instantly became alert—it was Lin Qingye calling.
She pulled the blanket over her head, hiding underneath it, and whispered: “Hello?”
Only when Lin Qingye heard her voice did he realize how late it was: “Were you asleep?”
“Not yet, but the lights are out. Why are you calling so late?”
“It’s a special birthday. I want to see you.”
Xu Zhinan looked at the time: “There’s only 15 minutes left until tomorrow. Let’s meet tomorrow.”
“Ah Nan.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m downstairs outside your dormitory right now.”
When he said that, Xu Zhinan’s heart skipped a beat, then seemed to pause for two seconds before starting to beat even more rapidly.
Thump-thump, she could almost hear her heartbeat.
Weren’t you supposed to be at the closing celebration banquet?
Xu Zhinan couldn’t bring herself to ask, blinking slowly twice: “Right now?”
She hesitated a bit.
He smiled, his voice gentle: “I missed you.”
The October night wasn’t as stuffy as before.
Xu Zhinan carefully climbed down from her bed, afraid of waking her roommates. She didn’t even change her clothes, just adding a thin jacket over her light pink nightgown.
The corridor sensor lights lit up and then went dark in sequence with her footsteps.
When the wind blew, everything suddenly became quieter. She slowed her pace again, walking toward the campus entrance.
The dormitory supervisor asked: “Where are you going so late?”
“It’ll be quick, auntie. I have something to do.”
“Hurry back, you little girl. Don’t you know to be mindful of safety?”
Xu Zhinan swiped her card to exit, then replied: “I’m just going outside, auntie.”
The night was silent. She suddenly noticed that the streetlight by the road outside had been fixed at some point.
She didn’t see Lin Qingye, so she looked to the side, and her gaze paused.
He must have come directly from the recording venue, as he was still wearing the same clothes from the stage. His deep blue hair was tousled by the wind. Standing in the shadows with a mask covering half his face, she couldn’t see his expression.
Then he raised his hand, beckoning her to come over.
Xu Zhinan slowly walked toward him. Having left in a hurry, she hadn’t combed her hair, so she quickly smoothed it with her hand.
Standing in front of him, she looked up: “How did you get here so quickly? Don’t you need to celebrate with everyone at dinner?”
“I can eat anytime, but a gift can’t be given after the time has passed.”
There were only ten minutes left before the next day—the last ten minutes of Xu Zhinan’s birthday.
His right hand came out from behind his back, holding a trophy. It was exactly the one she had seen during the live broadcast: golden and beautifully designed, with the name “I Come for Music” and a microphone icon elegantly engraved on the base.
It was much more beautiful than her tattoo competition trophy.
“Here,” Lin Qingye said.
“This is for me?”
“Yes.” He laughed softly. “Didn’t you say you wanted me to win a championship too?”
Though that’s what she said, Xu Zhinan only wanted him to win the championship; she never expected him to give her the trophy.
Xu Zhinan hesitated briefly, but ultimately accepted it, hugging the trophy to her chest. She smiled with curved eyes: “Thank you, I love it.”
“I have another gift for you.”
“Hmm?”
Lin Qingye bent slightly, leaning closer to ask: “Can you guess what it is?”
Without any hint or range, how could Xu Zhinan possibly guess?
She blinked: “What is it?”
The young girl was wearing a light pink nightgown underneath, looking soft and gentle. Her hair was down—she had tied it up in the morning, and now there was still a crease in the middle of her black hair. Her clear eyes looked at him, her skin fair.
Lin Qingye teased her: “Me.”
“Huh?”
“A clean me.”
“…”
Xu Zhinan was confused, and the words sounded strange, inevitably making her think in odd directions. She couldn’t help but look him up and down.
A clean Lin Qingye.
He couldn’t help but laugh again, his finger tapping her face twice: “Why are you blushing? What are you thinking about?”
Xu Zhinan immediately recalled the time when he had accused her of being “perverted” while being guilty himself. She quickly swatted his hand away: “I wasn’t thinking anything.”
With a “slap” sound, Lin Qingye’s hand was pushed away. He put his hand back in his pocket and lazily explained: “I’m giving you a clean me to practice tattooing on.”
He said it so seriously, but Xu Zhinan just laughed: “Oh.”
“Just ‘oh’?”
“You’re not so clean anymore.” She extended a finger, pointing. “You already have a tattoo on your back.”
“And it wasn’t even done by you. Now you’re rejecting me.”
Xu Zhinan turned her head away, making a humph sound, but couldn’t help smiling: “Who wants to practice on you?”
“Next time, if you need to participate in a competition, let me be your model.” He said carelessly. “Or if I ever make you angry, you can stab me.”
…As if she were that fierce.
Time passed second by second, about to cross midnight.
The campus was especially quiet at this hour. She and Lin Qingye rarely had the opportunity to stand outside talking like this.
“It’s getting late. You should go back, and I need to go back to sleep too.”
Lin Qingye took out his phone to check the time.
11:58 PM.
“Wait.” Lin Qingye grabbed her wrist. “Did you believe that my gift to you was myself?”
“Hmm?” Xu Zhinan was taken aback, not understanding why he asked this, and replied dumbly, “Aren’t you going to let me tattoo you?”
“I will.” He chuckled. “If you want to tattoo me, I will. But I’m giving you a third gift.”
“What is it?”
He looked at the time again, then started counting down in a low voice:
“Five.”
He raised his hand, closed it in a fist, and held it in front of her eyes.
“Four.”
He opened his five fingers, and a necklace dropped from his palm, hanging from his middle finger. The beautiful blue sapphire refracted dazzling light before her eyes.
“Three.”
Suddenly, there was a “bang” in the air as fireworks exploded in the sky.
“Two.”
He smiled and said, “Happy birthday.”
The time crossed into October 9th.
The last few seconds of her birthday were spent with him.
Meanwhile, Guan Chi and Shi Si had nothing to do tonight, so they agreed to eat a late-night snack at the commercial street next to the bar.
Halfway through their meal, they received a message from Lin Qingye asking for their help with something.
When the captain spoke, they naturally helped.
So the two of them, each holding a skewer of barbecue, squatted by the roadside, watching the fireworks in the distance. There were only three shots, which were already finished.
“Why is the captain doing this stuff so late at night?” Shi Si was very confused.
“Celebrating his championship win?”
“That can’t be it, and this place is far from the broadcasting hall. If he wanted to celebrate, wouldn’t he do it at the hall?”
Guan Chi rubbed his eyebrows, tentatively suggesting: “Maybe it’s a celebration for Ping Chuan’s Light to hear?”
“…” Shi Si remained puzzled. “It’s so late, Ping Chuan’s Light must be asleep. Isn’t he disturbing people’s dreams?”
Guan Chi gave him a complicated look: “Now I understand why you’ve never had a girlfriend all this time.”
Guan Chi took a bite of his skewer, stood up, and kicked Shi Si’s backside: “Hurry up and collect the firework tubes to throw away, or the barbecue shop owner will come out and scold us.”
“…”
Last night, Xu Zhinan’s secret exit from the dormitory hadn’t awakened Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue. When they woke up in the morning and saw the trophy on her desk, they were both startled.
Zhao Qian went straight over to pick it up, and after seeing the words “I Come for Music” on the base, she was shocked. She carefully put it back, afraid of damaging it.
“Holy shit, is this the championship trophy Lin Qingye won yesterday?”
Xu Zhinan climbed down from her bed: “Yes.”
“How did it end up here? Did I have a memory lapse??”
“He came to find me after lights out yesterday.” Xu Zhinan pressed her lips together. “It’s my birthday present.”
“Damn.”
Zhao Qian couldn’t help but curse again, looking at Xu Zhinan, then at the trophy. “This birthday gift is just too fucking perfect.”
Zhao Qian cupped her face: “Wuwuwu, the trophy he won on a show with millions of real-time viewers, given as a birthday gift to the girl he likes. If I ever hear anyone say Lin Qingye is cold again, I’ll punch them!”
“…”
Jiang Yue had sharp eyes and quickly noticed what was on Xu Zhinan’s neck: “Wow, Ah Nan, when did you buy this necklace? It’s really beautiful.”
In the middle was a blue gemstone, exceptionally beautifully cut and polished. Around the gemstone was a ring of diamonds, making it look like a small planet at first glance.
Zhao Qian also leaned in to look: “This isn’t also from Lin Qingye, is it?”
“Ah.” Xu Zhinan felt embarrassed, paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”
“I think I’ve seen this before in a designer’s Instagram.” Zhao Qian said as she took out her phone and scrolled through the screen until she finally found it. “Look! This designer’s jewelry is all unique, and I heard it’s extremely expensive. Since the group that can afford her designs is quite fixed, the actual prices are never listed on these social media platforms.”
Xu Zhinan was surprised; she hadn’t expected the necklace to have such a background.
“So he gave you two birthday gifts—the trophy and the necklace. Anything else?”
“…”
Xu Zhinan recalled what he had said last night—a clean me.
A clean Lin Qingye.
She shook her head: “That’s all.”
She had previously promised Lu Xihe and Xu Zhenfan that she would treat them to a meal when she won the tattoo design competition championship. She had been too busy before and kept delaying, but finally had time now.
When she asked the two what they wanted to eat, they unanimously said “buffet.”
Treating these two big guys to a meal—a buffet would probably be the most economical option.
They chose a mall close to Ping Chuan University for the meal.
They ate until two in the afternoon before finishing, leaving under the strange gaze of the buffet restaurant owner.
Standing at the mall entrance under the bright sun, Lu Xihe asked: “Little sister Ah Nan, if you drive east from here for about five minutes, you’ll reach my shop. Do you want to come and visit?”
Lu Xihe had extended an olive branch to Xu Zhinan at the end of the preliminary group stage, giving her his business card, hoping she would consider becoming a resident tattoo artist at his shop.
“Assassin” was indeed lacking a strong enough realistic-style tattoo artist.
Even though Xu Zhinan had refused him before, Lu Xihe truly admired her and hadn’t given up on the idea.
Xu Zhinan wasn’t particularly good at social interactions and had initially wanted to refuse, but with Lu Xihe’s sincere invitation and Xu Zhenfan’s encouragement and prodding, she reluctantly agreed to go.
The “Assassin” shop looked like it was from an entirely different dimension compared to her tattoo shop.
It was a large space, with all the surrounding areas opened up. The black, white, and gray decor, with various bold and unrestrained images painted on the walls, created a distinctively strong style.
As soon as Xu Zhinan stepped in, someone recognized her.
“Hey, isn’t this the champion who crushed our boss on the beach?”
Lu Xihe waved his hand: “Go away, get lost.”
Someone else asked: “Boss, are you now going with the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ approach?”
Another tattoo artist teased: “How can you talk like that? This is him eagerly seeking talent, right, boss?”
Customers also laughed along.
Everyone bantered back and forth, creating a great atmosphere in the shop. It was clear that Lu Xihe usually didn’t put on airs, as his tattoo artists dared to tease him directly.
Lu Xihe pointed his index finger at them: “I can’t be bothered with you all.”
He turned back to Xu Zhinan, “Come, little sister Ah Nan, let’s go inside to talk.”
Inside, there was Lu Xihe’s own office, though it would be more accurate to call it a tea room.
He brewed a pot of tea, poured two cups, and began his “brainwashing” techniques.
“By the way, take a look at this first. It’s our collection of design drawings.”
Lu Xihe said, pulling out a thick book from the bookshelf beside him. Several loose papers were tucked inside. “These represent our shop’s main styles, which are quite different from yours. That’s why our shop typically attracts more men, with few women getting large tattoos. That’s also why I’m so keen on having you join us.”
“To be honest, although specializing in one style of tattooing is enough to make a living, if you want to improve, you need to integrate various styles. Coming to our shop would benefit you. Our shop’s style might give you many new inspirations.”
There was a reason Lu Xihe had made “Assassin” so successful. In just a few sentences, he hit the nail on the head, making a convincing argument.
But Xu Zhinan had already considered these points. Later, she thought that if she continued to develop her shop, she could also hire other tattoo artists and take on apprentices. With more people, the learning and integration of different styles could still be achieved.
Moreover, she had invested a lot of effort in her shop and was indeed reluctant to give it up.
Xu Zhinan opened the book he had handed her.
The book kept clear records, marking the name of each design’s creator and sorting them by serial number.
As Lu Xihe had said, the overall style of the “Assassin” shop was very different from Xu Zhinan’s, which was evident from this book.
Seeing her looking so intently, Lu Xihe added: “Almost all of ‘Assassin’s’ designs since its founding are in here. Some are quite old. Wei Jing’s incident involved copying several designs from here.”
Xu Zhinan continued flipping to the last few pages when suddenly her gaze froze, and her heart began to race.
She saw a “familiar” pattern.
“Brother Lu.” Her voice trembled. “Was this design also done in your shop?”
Lu Xihe straightened his back: “Which one?”
Xu Zhinan pointed it out to him.
It was a totem tattoo composed of flames and a venomous snake.
“Oh, that one? That’s quite old. At that time, I had just started with tattooing. Strictly speaking, this can’t be counted as done in the ‘Assassin’ shop. There wasn’t even an ‘Assassin’ back then.”
Xu Zhinan’s heart sank a bit more. There wasn’t even a signature on that design drawing.
“Do you remember who designed it?”
Lu Xihe said cheerfully, “Of course I remember. This was done by my mentor.”
“Your master?”
“Yes, though he doesn’t do this anymore. He’s enjoying his retirement and taking care of his grandchildren now.”
Xu Zhinan then noticed that many of the detailed treatments in this design were similar to Lu Xihe’s style.
Lu Xihe finally noticed something was wrong from her very serious expression: “What’s wrong? Have you seen this design before?”
“Yes. Brother Lu, can you take me to meet your master? This design is extremely important to me.”
Lu Xihe’s master was named Xie Ying.
Xu Zhinan followed him to Xie Ying’s residence. As they turned into an alley, she heard Lu Xihe call out: “Master!”
Xu Zhinan looked over to see an old man sitting at the entrance of a courtyard house. He was very old, with white hair, but his body was still strong. He wore a loose white tank top, showing muscular arms covered in tattoos, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, looking very leisurely.
“Oh, what brings you to visit me?” Xie Ying sat up.
“Just came to see you.” Lu Xihe handed over the fruits and pastries they had bought on the way.
Xie Ying looked at Xu Zhinan behind him, waving his fan like an ancient immortal: “Cut the pleasantries. Tell me, what do you need from me?”
“I’m not sure either.” Lu Xihe gave Xu Zhinan a push on the shoulder. “This young lady saw one of your early tattoo designs and insisted on meeting you.”
“Oh? My tattoo designs are probably out of date now. Which one are you talking about?”
Xu Zhinan said, “Hello, grandfather,” and showed Xie Ying the photo she had just taken on her phone: “This one.”
Xie Ying fished out his reading glasses from his pocket.
“This one? Flames and a venomous snake. This is quite old, probably about 10 years or more.”
“Did you tattoo this design on many people, or was it exclusively bought by one person?”
“This wasn’t completely drawn from my inspiration. That customer told me the elements, and I drew this design according to his requirements. So it was an exclusive purchase—I wouldn’t tattoo the same design on others.”
Xu Zhinan’s heart suddenly accelerated, and her fingers unconsciously tensed, her nails digging into her palms.
Lu Xihe squatted nearby: “Ah Nan, why are you asking about this? Are you looking for that customer?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Xu Zhinan took a deep breath: “The person who killed my father had such a tattoo.”
Both Lu Xihe and Xie Ying fell silent, exchanging a glance. Xie Ying also became serious, sitting up straight: “Young lady, are you sure the killer had this exact design? You’re not mistaken?”
“I’m not mistaken. I would never forget. My father was a police officer. I saw this case file from other police officers. This image was in the evidence section.”
Xu Zhinan had never told anyone why, after her father’s death and her mother’s serious illness, she chose to earn money through tattooing.
For newcomers, this is definitely not a job that brings quick money. Even being a waiter would be faster than learning to tattoo. But at that time, she wanted to start from this angle, hoping to find some clues about her father’s killer.
When she first started practicing, she constantly practiced this totem on artificial skin. She couldn’t possibly forget.
But after so many years, she still hadn’t found an identical tattoo. She was almost ready to give up.
“Grandfather Xie, are you still in contact with him?”
“No. Back then, WeChat and such weren’t popular. Even if I had his phone number, I’ve lost my phone twice since then, so it’s long gone.”
“Then… do you remember if that person had any distinctive features?”
“That person…”
Xie Ying fell into memories. He remembered this totem because he had to revise it several times before the customer was satisfied, and the combination of flames and a snake was indeed unique and striking.
“I don’t remember his facial features anymore. He was probably quite ordinary. I only remember that the man had shoulder-length hair, probably in his thirties or forties at the time, so he should be around 50 now.”
Xie Ying had already tried his best to remember, but the information wasn’t very helpful.
Regarding age, the police station had already done criminal profiling and estimated the age range.
As for the hairstyle, after more than ten years, who knew if it had changed already.
“Okay.” Xu Zhinan still thanked him. “Thank you, grandfather. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Young lady, I see you’re still quite young. I don’t know what you plan to do, but let me add one more thing: be careful of your safety, and leave it to the police.”
“Yes, I will.” Xu Zhinan smiled at him. “My father was also a police officer. I know what to do.”
“It’s getting late. We should go now,” Lu Xihe said goodbye.
Xie Ying saw them to the door, and suddenly remembered: “Oh, right.”
Xu Zhinan turned back.
Xie Ying frowned and said: “That person seemed to have an accent, like he was from an ethnic minority.”
After returning to the tattoo shop, Xu Zhinan called Fang Houyu to tell him about this.
Reopening an old case presented tremendous difficulties.
With insufficient evidence and no related cases providing new leads, the killer might have already passed away in these years, making it impossible for them to ever find him.
They might never find the person who killed Xu Yuanwen.
Fang Houyu reminded her to be careful about her safety and to leave the investigation to them before hanging up.
Xu Zhinan lay on the table, burying her head, tightly closing her eyes.
From the moment she saw that tattoo design until now, her hands and feet had remained ice cold.
Xu Zhinan had a deep bond with her father.
Their family was once considered a model of happiness in others’ eyes: loving parents with respectable jobs, if not wealthy, and a beautiful, well-behaved daughter with excellent grades.
All three family members had gentle personalities. Even when their views occasionally conflicted, they remained calm. Xu Zhinan had never heard arguing in her home before.
Xu Yuanwen was busy with work, but whenever he had time, he would take Xu Zhinan out to play.
When she was little, her mother was busy teaching graduating classes, so her father would bring her to the police station. Everyone there liked her and always played with her.
Xu Yuanwen raised Xu Zhinan generously, giving her whatever she wanted. There was nothing he wouldn’t provide.
At that time, a type of chocolate was very popular at school, but it was expensive—imported from abroad with exquisite packaging, a box containing various colors and flavors.
Only one chubby boy whose family was in real estate had it at school. He shared it with everyone, and because he thought Xu Zhinan was pretty, he gave her an extra piece.
After she told Xu Yuanwen about this, he quickly asked a friend to buy her a box.
In Xu Zhinan’s memory, her father was upright and kind, especially good to her and her mother, the pillar of their home.
Xu Zhinan knew about the kidnapping case he was investigating, but she wasn’t particularly worried at the time.
Having seen her father handle so many cases since she was young, in her eyes, Xu Yuanwen was a hero who caught bad guys and upheld justice. She never thought her father would die.
How could a hero die?
But he did die.
Before she had even graduated from high school.
Xu Zhinan lay on the table, pressing her eyes hard against her arm, feeling a spreading wetness.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open. Xu Zhinan looked up to see Lin Qingye walk in.
He had been very busy these days. After “I Come for Music” ended, many programs sent him invitations, but Lin Qingye refused them all, focusing entirely on producing his new album.
The young girl’s eyes were rimmed with red, though there were no tear tracks on her face. Only her eyelashes were wet, hanging with teardrops.
Lin Qingye noticed as soon as he walked closer. His steps paused, then he moved even faster toward her.
He walked up to her, bent down, cupped her face, his voice magnetic and gentle: “What’s wrong, Ah Nan?”
Because of his words, the tears that had been on the verge of spilling finally broke through, falling into his palm.
She tried to hold back her tears by biting her lip. The young girl hunched on the chair, her silhouette thin and slender. But in the end, she couldn’t hold back and began to sob.
Since her father’s death, she had always missed him deeply. But after so many years, that longing had been buried deep in her heart. Now that it had been dug up again and placed vividly before her eyes, the longing became too much to bear.
“I miss him so much.” Her voice was thin with crying.
“Who?”
“My father.” Amidst her grievance, anger, and frustration, she covered her eyes wretchedly, lowering her head. “I miss him so much.”
Lin Qingye was quiet for a moment. He didn’t say anything, just gently pulled her into his arms.
Xu Zhinan’s tears seeped into the clothes on his shoulder. Biting back her sobs, she called his name, as if trying to grasp something that even she couldn’t clearly define.
Lin Qingye gently patted her back, not asking questions, only tirelessly repeating: “I’m here.”