Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

For seven consecutive days, Hu Xiaozhen howled like a banshee every night. The prisoners were driven to the brink of madness, and their cursing never stopped.

Cheng Dong, however, remained calm and patient, always dragging Hu Xiaozhen to squat in the corner to keep watch at night. While keeping watch, he would often chatter about trivial matters, but no matter how much he talked, Hu Xiaozhen wouldn't say a word—clearly, she was keeping an eye on him.

Cheng Dong originally planned to wear this guy down using the "enduring the eagle" method, but ended up wearing himself down to a state that was neither human nor ghost. Hu Xiaozhen would rather chat with thin air than utter a single word.

There was no other way, so Cheng Dong confided in Instructor Lu. Old Lu shook his head, sighed, and didn't say another word, probably having given up on the idea.

On the tenth night, Cheng Dong, as usual, pinned the delirious Hu Xiaozhen to a stool in the corner. Unexpectedly, this time the other woman spoke up: "When you came in the first day, you lent me a pair of leather pants. I haven't thanked you yet."

Cheng Dong looked completely bewildered, rubbing his ears as if he were hallucinating. "This kid actually remembered me? Then why was he pretending to be mute before?"

Realizing he had lost his composure, Cheng Dong forced himself to remain calm and replied, "No need to be polite. We're all in the same boat; who would dare laugh at whom?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Hu Xiaozhen blurted out, "They changed me to this cell, they must have told you they had a mission, right?"

Cheng Dong suddenly felt like he'd been seen through. Although Hu Xiaozhen wasn't in a good mental state, she was definitely not mentally impaired. The reason she hadn't said a word was simply to avoid revealing anything!

Everyone wanted to find out where her brother was hiding from him, but in order to keep the secret, Hu Xiaozhen refused to communicate with outsiders. Perhaps, only in this way could she protect her brother.

Shocked, Cheng Dong had many thoughts flashing through his mind. Since he couldn't figure out the other party's intentions, it would be better to play dumb for now.

"No...no, that's not true. I'm in jail just like you..."

"You don't need to lie to me, I know everything. After I was arrested, I made up my mind to keep the secret. Anyway, I'm just a worthless life, so what if I die? But if you try to get any information out of me, you won't get it!"

It was obvious that Hu Xiaozhen had seen through Cheng Dong's lie.

Realizing that the other party was no ordinary person, Cheng Dong simply laid his cards on the table: "Actually, what you did doesn't warrant the death penalty. If you explain yourself well, they will treat you as if you were making amends for your crimes."

"Life is meaningless, I don't want a reduced sentence, and besides, I..." At this point, Hu Xiaozhen scratched her arm, which was covered in needle marks, and then changed the subject, saying, "I started using drugs when I was a teenager. My brother forced me to quit three times, but I failed. I never expected that I would actually be able to quit while I was in the detention center. Isn't that strange?"

"Wow, that's impressive!" Cheng Dong continued, "Once you get involved with this stuff, you'll be lucky to escape with your life. I bet your insomnia is a side effect."

Hu Xiaozhen's lips twitched, as if Cheng Dong had hit a nerve. Although he was no longer afraid of life and death, not being able to sleep all night was indeed quite torturous. In the end, he really wanted to talk to someone, otherwise, he wouldn't have talked so much with Cheng Dong.

"Not being able to sleep is really annoying; you guys must have had a tough time these past few days..."

As she spoke, Hu Xiaozhen actually showed an embarrassed expression. Cheng Dong was a little surprised, paused for a moment, and chuckled, "You really don't know how many people have wanted to beat you up these days, but Master Ding and I stopped them all."

"Thank you," Hu Xiaozhen nodded in thanks, then gave a wry smile and said, "When I first arrived, I thought you were an undercover agent sent by the police. You wouldn't let anyone beat me up, and you even tried to get close to me at night, which made me suspect that you were one of them."

"And now?" Cheng Dong asked noncommittally.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter anymore." Hu Xiaozhen's eyes dimmed. "They interrogated me again yesterday, and I understand the gist of it: if I don't confess, I'm dead. I guess the verdict will be coming soon."

"I'm not an undercover agent! I was implicated by you guys!" Seeing the other person looking at him with confusion, Cheng Dong explained, "On February 12th, one of your men shot at a policeman. After that, the armed police surrounded the highway exit, and the police checked every vehicle. In the end, they didn't catch the main culprit, but they arrested us tobacco smugglers! Heh! It's just my bad luck. If it had been a day earlier or a day later, I probably could have gotten through..."

Mentioning this matter made Cheng Dong angry, and his grumbling made Hu Xiaozhen, who was standing next to him, laugh.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry!" Hu Xiaozhen said apologetically, then suddenly frowned. "We shouldn't have brought the gun in the car in the first place. I told my brother, but he wouldn't listen! Now things have gotten so bad. My brother and I are willing to risk our lives, but someone has to take care of our mother at home..."

It's clear that Hu Xiaozhen is different from his older brother. Hu Dabang shot the police officer; he was a ruthless and desperate criminal. But Hu Xiaozhen wouldn't do such a thing. If he had no conscience at all, he would never have taken the blame for everything, let alone end up being shot.

"Forget it, what's past is past. Now, we just eat when we're hungry and sleep when we're tired. Isn't that better than risking our lives running around in the mountains?"

Cheng Dong was trying to calm Hu Xiaozhen down, after all, Hu Xiaozhen's situation was much worse than his.

"I've noticed that of all these people, you're the strangest. You don't seem like someone who's been put in jail; you seem more like someone who's here specifically to keep things in order. Sigh! If only I had your mindset, I probably... could get a good night's sleep too..."

Looking at the several criminal law books next to Cheng Dong, Hu Xiaozhen's eyes revealed a hint of envy. He couldn't understand how the other party could still have the mood to read books when he had fallen to such a state. Strange, really strange!

"Oh, you want to get a good night's sleep? That's easy! Here's what I'll do: I'll ask Master Ding to give you a massage tomorrow. I guarantee you'll sleep soundly!" Cheng Dong said, patting his chest.

Since the other party was being so kind to him, Cheng Dong couldn't be stingy. They were both in the same boat, so he should help out in any way he could.

"Really?" Hu Xiaozhen's spirits immediately lifted.

"Would I lie to you? The Taoist priest is a nice guy, he just likes to take advantage of people. Okay, I'll help him all the way. I'll give him some food and have him give you a full-body massage. Hey! I'm not bragging! You might not find such a good master even outside!"

Cheng Dong praised Master Ding to the skies, but deep down he looked down on him. The old Taoist was insatiable, and every time he asked him for help, he had to pay a considerable price. It seemed that Cheng Dong was going to have to bleed again this time...

"Thanks then. Hey, if only I had met you outside, we might have become good buddies. But now, it's too late..." Hu Xiaozhen gripped the gleaming handcuffs, looking utterly hopeless. Then, the atmosphere fell silent again.

Seeing that the other person was listless, Cheng Dong wanted to say something more, but Hu Xiaozhen narrowed his eyes and leaned against the wall in a daze. Cheng Dong didn't disturb him anymore, bent down, and picked up the thick book of criminal law again...