One Third Remaining Chapter Sixty-Four Broken Strings (Part Two)

Informants are people whose lifelines are held in the hands of others. They are extremely sensitive, much like the more vulnerable, clingy partner in a romantic relationship—the one who truly cares. When the other half doesn’t respond for a long time, their mind starts racing, and they instinctively resort to that ultimate, self-taught move: the relentless string of calls.

If, at some point, the other person picks up, all is well—a few words of reassurance, and the mountain becomes a molehill, the issue dissolves. But if the calls go unanswered, if the messages are ignored, things escalate. Is he flirting with someone else and forgetting about me? Is he growing tired of me? The imagination spins a spectacular drama—anger, anxiety, hysteria. In their hearts, they despairingly cry out again and again: Why abandon me? So love really does vanish... doesn’t it?

Despair is a curious thing—it’s only loathed by those who possess it.

After calling Zhang Xiaoman seventeen times, Blondie was utterly despondent. Feeling the immense force on the doorknob behind him, he quickly pressed the lock, leaned against the door, and muttered resentfully, “Damn it, so unreliable.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket, mustered a smile for Han Mei, and said, “Mei, maybe we should wait in the delivery room. I’m afraid I’ll get flustered when the time comes…”

“It’s still early,” Han Mei bit her lip, clutching the bedsheet tightly with her right hand. “Some women have to endure more than ten hours before they can even enter the delivery room... I’ve only been here an hour, at least four or five more to go. Why are you more anxious than me? Is something wrong? I saw you calling and calling, and the other person still hasn’t replied?”

“No, it’s fine,” Blondie glanced out the door and window, relieved to see the shadow had disappeared. “It’s not urgent anymore… I’ll have a good talk with my friend later. Dropping the ball at a critical moment, as if I don’t matter at all.”

Han Mei forced a pale smile. “I didn’t expect you’d start dating, Blondie. Not bad, not bad…” She suddenly remembered something. “Earlier you said you were going to the real estate center. Don’t tell me you added her name to your property deed? Let me warn you, don’t act on impulse. There are a lot of marriage and property scams out there—you need to keep your wits about you…”

Blondie waved his hand awkwardly. “No… I didn’t go to the real estate center to do that…”

“Whatever the case, just be careful,” Han Mei said seriously, watching him intently. “Don’t let love cloud your judgment. Of course, if she’s really good and you’re sure about a future together, it’s only right to add her name… Bring her to dinner sometime, let me and He Wei meet her, give you some advice. After so many years as a cop, I may not have many skills, but I’m good at reading people.”

Blondie could only laugh, feeling helpless. “Mei, you misunderstand. He’s not my girlfriend…”

“Oh?” Han Mei frowned. “Blondie, I didn’t expect you to be so modern… Well, a boyfriend is fine too, as long as you’re happy. In the end, it’s all about companionship. But maybe don’t bring him to meet He Wei—I might understand, but He Wei never could. He’d definitely be upset.”

“My orientation is perfectly normal…” Blondie stared at Han Mei, realizing the more he explained, the worse it sounded. He was just about to confess being Zhang Xiaoman’s informant when a knock came at the door, snapping him to attention. He returned to the door, wary. “Who is it?”

A man’s cold voice answered from outside, “I’m the obstetrician. Please open the door.”

Blondie peered through the glass pane and saw a man in a white coat standing outside. He relaxed his shoulders and opened the door, stepping aside to let the white coat in, then returned to Han Mei’s side.

“Why keep the door closed in broad daylight?” The man in the white coat frowned, seeing Blondie sitting close by Han Mei’s bed. “The room needs ventilation, you know.”

Blondie offered a sheepish smile. “It’s just noisy outside. I didn’t want to disturb the baby.”

The man glanced around, then cleared his throat. “The delivery room is ready. You can go now and get used to it ahead of time. Bring your things and follow me…”

Han Mei eyed him suspiciously. “So early? Aren’t we supposed to wait until the second stage of labor to enter the delivery room?”

The man snorted impatiently. “Are you the doctor or am I? It’s for your own good—to avoid getting too nervous and taking even longer, making yourself suffer more. It’s like visiting the driving test site before your exam, to get familiar with the environment. It’s quiet there, good soundproofing, no unnecessary people…”

“Yes, yes, always trust the doctor,” Blondie immediately chimed in. “I was just saying we should wait in the delivery room anyway. Better to be ready early than flustered at the last moment. See, great minds think alike.”

Han Mei rolled her eyes and pointed to a pink tote under the nightstand. “There’s nothing much to prepare. I packed my hospital bag months ago… Fine, waiting is waiting, and I’d like to see the delivery room early anyway.”

Blondie gave an “OK” gesture, placed the pink bag on the bed, and leaned in to push the bed toward the door. “Doctor, could you open the door a bit wider for me?”

The man’s hand hesitated at his pocket, then he forced a stiff smile. “Sure.”

After Blondie rolled Han Mei out of the room, he turned to the man in the white coat. “Thanks… Which way to the delivery room?”

“Turn right down the hall,” Han Mei answered, pointing. “I checked it out during a prenatal visit.”

Blondie nodded eagerly, pushing Han Mei toward the delivery room. Nearing the room, he glanced back at the man following behind. Suddenly, the shoes the man wore looked familiar—his hair stood on end, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.

At the delivery room door, Blondie wheeled Han Mei inside, hurriedly closed the door behind her, and stood outside with his back to her, one hand gripping the doorknob. He swallowed, staring at the man’s icy gaze, and called into the room, feigning calm, “Mei, wait inside for a moment. I need to speak with the doctor…”

Han Mei’s dispirited “okay” drifted out. The man in the white coat tilted his head, a contemptuous smirk on his lips. “What do you want to say to me?”

“I know who you are,” Blondie said, voice fierce but trembling. “Look, whatever’s between you and Han Mei, I advise you to stop. As long as I’m here, you won’t succeed! If you don’t leave now, I’ll call for help!”

The man pulled off his blue mask, revealing Wang Chao’s face, cold as ice. He raked his hair with bloodshot eyes, licked his lips with a crimson tongue. “Do you know how annoying you are…” His right hand slipped into his pocket as he stepped slowly forward, a crazed look in his eyes. “Even if you scream yourself hoarse today, it won’t matter. I’ll kill you first, then that woman inside. Whether I get away depends on fate. It doesn’t matter anymore!”

“Damn, a real lunatic…” Blondie’s pupils shrank, his breathing quickened. His eyes darted left and right, spotting a fire alarm nearby. With his free hand he balled a fist and slammed it down hard. Instantly, the alarm blared through the corridor. Blondie brightened, shouting, “Help—”

The word had barely left his lips when Wang Chao closed in, covering Blondie’s mouth with his left hand. A flash of steel—he stabbed Blondie, blood spraying everywhere, and whispered a single word in Blondie’s ear, “Shh!”

Blondie’s left hand pressed against Wang Chao’s chest, trying to push him away, but couldn’t budge him an inch.

One stab, two, three, four… Wang Chao watched coldly as Blondie refused to fall, still clinging to the doorknob. His eyes grew redder as he hissed, “Let go,” stabbing again and again, each wound blossoming with blood.

“Not… this side…” Blondie’s left hand slipped from Wang Chao’s chest, fingers twitching weakly as blood loss sapped his strength. He grabbed Wang Chao’s knife hand, and with his last ounce of energy, guided the blade toward his right side as it plunged down. “If you ruin the rattle I bought for my godson, I’ll haunt you even after death…”