There is an undeniable human inclination to feast on the misfortunes of others, particularly those within one’s own circle.
Enfinietta, engrossed in her book, idly placed a black piece on the chessboard.
Liana meticulously studied the chessboard. Her proficiency in chess was considerable, boasting a nine-to-one win ratio, which fostered an unreserved, audacious style of play, always seeking victory. However, when facing Enfinietta, Liana found herself utterly restricted, her strategies stifled. Enfinietta’s approach wasn’t merely a display of chess prowess; it was an exercise in pure, cold calculation.
Each move seemed meticulously pre-calculated. She would analyze the board’s configuration and her opponent’s placements, then perform targeted deductions, predicting the optimal probability of their next effective move to formulate her response. Theoretically, such complex analyses were beyond the rapid processing capabilities of a human mind, especially when the person was concurrently engrossed in a book. Yet, for Enfinietta, accomplishing this with effortless grace was entirely plausible. Her brilliant intellect stood among the most formidable in all of Vega, though her emotional intelligence, it must be said, was a separate discussion entirely.
“Do you truly find enjoyment in playing chess like this?”
“The superficial appearance of things holds no significance; what truly matters is their essence.”
Enfinietta cast a brief glance at the board, selected a piece, made her move, and then her eyes promptly returned to the pages of her book.
Li Qiwei’s eyes widened, fixated on the unfolding chess match. She then slapped her forehead in exasperation and began pacing restlessly around the room.
“Oh, my sisters! How can you both remain so utterly composed?! Gan Lan is our colleague! Our *colleague*! Who knows what the ‘disciplinary police’ will do to her? Sister Ke, how are situations like this usually handled?”
In response to Li Qiwei’s fervent inquiry, Ke Yiyi remained utterly silent. Her mind was consumed by the thought that both instances of finding someone today were inextricably linked to her, leaving her with a profound sense of unease. Had she simply walked past, ignoring the other party entirely, would her conscience have been clearer? She had no answer. Even if she hadn’t guided them, the individual would still have located the club, and the subsequent events would have unfolded precisely as they did.
She was at a loss as to how to approach this incident. As a former police officer, she was bound to impartiality, unable to favor any side, only capable of evaluating circumstances through the lens of existing law. Firstly, Mu Xuanming was a married man. While Gan Lan might have been ignorant of this fact at first, she had later become fully cognizant of it. Ke Yiyi abandoned her train of thought. She harbored no desire to judge Gan Lan with ill intent; she was no longer a police officer and, as such, lacked the authority to render any legally-based judgment on the matter.
“Sister Ke? Sister Ke?”
Li Qiwei’s insistent calls brought Ke Yiyi’s wandering thoughts back to the present. She looked up at Li Qiwei, who was clearly awaiting something with palpable anxiety.
“What is it?”
“How will Gan Lan be handled?! Will she be fired?!”
“Please stop asking. She’s already troubled enough.”
Liana cast a sidelong glance at Ke Yiyi, shook her head almost imperceptibly, and then made a move on the chessboard.
“I’m sorry… I’m no longer a police officer, so I cannot make a legal judgment on this matter.”
Ke Yiyi stood up and walked towards the door.
“I’m going out for some air.”
As she pushed the door open and departed, only Li Qiwei remained, standing transfixed, her gaze locked on the now empty doorway.
“Oh dear! What are we going to do?!”
“What do you mean, ‘do’? With the disciplinary police handling it, is there truly any need for *us* to fret?”
“I’m just worried Gan Lan will be fired!”
“Since the war, such incidents haven’t been uncommon!”
Liana, without raising her head, continued to place her pieces, speaking as she did so.
“The Great War claimed an exorbitant number of men on Vega. The current, alarming degree of gender imbalance here has been widely reported in the news. This disparity isn’t confined solely to the older civilian populace; players, too, are affected. Let’s not forget that the ‘new players’ maintain an equal gender ratio.”
“Setting aside all manner of subjective factors, even on an objective plane, in the current landscape of fewer men and more women, instances of men abandoning their wives and children are lamentably commonplace. As for these ‘two-timing’ affairs, they barely warrant a mention in the news. The disciplinary police have witnessed countless such cases; if every responsible party were to face severe repercussions, Vega society would simply cease to function, collapsing into utter paralysis.”
“Compared to these, Gan Lan’s situation is hardly unique. Moreover, her demeanor has been cooperative, showing no inclination to prolong the entanglement. Furthermore, considering Mu Xuanming’s wife’s astute intelligence… I doubt she intends to exploit this for any grand display. She likely knew all along and is merely seeking to resolve the matter definitively, putting it behind them. After all, her work is demanding, leaving her scant time for trivial domestic affairs.”
“Hmm?”
Having caught wind of something intriguing, Li Qiwei swiftly leaned closer.
“What do you mean, ‘busy with work’?”
“It’s… the ‘Social Security Bureau.’ You understand, don’t you?”
Liana refrained from elaborate explanations, trusting that Li Qiwei’s keen intellect would readily comprehend her veiled implication.
‘The Social Security Bureau,’ as its name implies, is an agency dedicated to maintaining societal order. To put it more plainly, they are ‘undercover operatives embedded throughout society.’ They could be your colleagues, the shop owners you patronize, or even the sanitation workers emptying your bins, and so on… Vega, in numerous respects, had taken to emulating Venus, and its system of covert operatives was no exception.
“Oh? You knew each other before?”
“We met during the ‘Snooker Board Game Training Class.'”
“Hmm?”
Li Qiwei was on the verge of pressing further, but a sudden realization struck her: the Snooker Board Game Training Class was a post-war intelligence training institution, a hub for Vega’s top intelligence talents from every sector. Delving too deeply into this topic would be unwise, potentially leading her to ask forbidden questions. She instantly curbed her curiosity, refraining from any further inquiry.
Ke Yiyi’s thoughts were a chaotic jumble; she felt utterly lost. In truth, this affair was a private matter, completely unrelated to her, yet such was her nature that she invariably felt an inescapable connection to every situation. Her heart heavy with unspoken worries, she drifted towards the counter. She longed for a glass of orange juice but found none, ultimately leaning against the surface, her gaze lost in a vacant stare at the doorway.
“Here.”
“Hmm?”
Ke Yiyi paused, surprised by the offered orange juice, and turned to find Fletcher standing there.
“I’m sorry…”
“There’s no need to apologize. I approached from behind you. It’s quite natural you didn’t notice me, preoccupied as you were with Mu Xuanming’s situation.”
“Thank you.”
Ke Yiyi accepted the orange juice, her gaze lingering on the amber liquid within the glass. A deep sigh escaped her, and she took a large, forceful swallow. The moment the juice touched her tongue, she sensed something amiss and turned to Fletcher.
“How did you know I…”
“That’s an easy deduction. Given your nature, the only matter capable of rendering you so utterly distracted right now would be Mu Xuanming’s situation.”
Ke Yiyi set the orange juice down, released a soft sigh, and then, with a lost expression, inquired,
“Did I do something wrong?”
“You merely did what a citizen of Vega should do. What fault is there in that?”
Fletcher glanced at the end of the corridor and picked up another glass of orange juice.
“This is their problem, not yours.”
“How will Gan Lan be dealt with?”
“Do you want the honest truth?”
Ke Yiyi nodded. Fletcher took a sip of orange juice, then stood to the side.
“I’m acquainted with those inside. Mu Xuanming was once my comrade-in-arms; his nature remains perpetually unchanged. I also know his wife, a woman of exceptional intellect. Perhaps the only one I don’t fully comprehend is Gan Lan, but her character is straightforward, requiring little in-depth understanding. If you ask me, there will likely be no repercussions whatsoever.”
Fletcher poured himself another glass of orange juice. He swirled the liquid within the cup, his gaze thoughtful and distant.
“That would be the best outcome.”
“What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“You’ll understand once the outcome is revealed.”
Fletcher cast his gaze towards the main door.
“I don’t care about anything else. The Robin Club needs staff; don’t even think about reducing our numbers.”
“Why would Gan Lan choose Mu Xuanming? Even if she was initially unaware of the full circumstances, she later learned the truth, so why did she persist…?”
Ke Yiyi articulated the confusion that plagued her heart, despite a nagging feeling that she ought not to have posed such a question.
“Humans are inherently emotional beings, particularly when a teacher, holding a position of dominance in a field like painting, readily becomes an object of dependence, leading to sentiments that transcend the typical teacher-student dynamic. It’s quite normal, really; I myself once experienced something similar…”
Ke Yiyi stared at Fletcher with undisguised astonishment, yet he spoke with an air of detachment, as if recounting a mundane event utterly disconnected from himself.
“But Mr. Mu didn’t refuse…”
“Men are inherently like that; their gaze seldom remains fixed on a single person for an extended period. There are virtually no exceptions, myself included. If you happen upon one who defies this, consider yourself fortunate.”
Fletcher winked at Ke Yiyi, who felt a blush of awkwardness creep up her neck. Her mind, unbidden, drifted to an old acquaintance.
‘Would he… be an exception?’
Ke Yiyi shook her head, attempting to dislodge the lingering awkwardness from her thoughts.
****
As the door at the far end of the corridor swung open, a familiar uniform came into view. It was the disciplinary police…
Ke Yiyi instinctively snapped to attention at the side, but then abruptly recalled that she was no longer a police officer. Nevertheless, her body stubbornly refused to revert to its earlier casual lean against the counter.
The disciplinary police greeted Fletcher and presented him with a document. Fletcher promptly opened it, perused its contents, affixed his signature, and returned it. Ke Yiyi observed that Gan Lan and the two others stood in a triangular formation, each maintaining a palpable distance from the others.
“Thank you! Please come again next time.”
Upon hearing Fletcher’s parting words, the disciplinary police exchanged knowing glances, their expressions plainly indicating, ‘Such matters are best kept to a minimum.’
As the disciplinary police departed, Mu Xuanming and his wife followed in their wake. Gan Lan remained rooted to the spot, her eyes fixed on their retreating figures.
Mu Xuanming reached the doorway, turned to cast a glance at Gan Lan, and ultimately, with a helpless shake of his head, turned and left.
Ke Yiyi watched as two faint streaks of light traced paths down Gan Lan’s cheeks, yet she found herself utterly at a loss for how to offer comfort.
From the corner, Li Qiwei and a few others cautiously peeked out, observing the unfolding scene. Ke Yiyi, however, no longer had the heart to wave them back inside.
Gan Lan rushed to the doorway, watching Mu Xuanming and the others depart, then returned to her room, utterly dejected.
Just as Fletcher had predicted, there was no official reprimand for Gan Lan.
Mu Xuanming and Gan Lan had, in the end, separated.
This time, however… it was not a temporary parting, but an eternal one.