Chapter Fourteen: Truths Revealed Under the Influence

New Year's Eve, a traditional courtyard house.

Myself, An Mingshan, my brother and his fiancée, and some of our old close friends were drinking and playing finger-guessing games in the courtyard, the noise resembling a lively karaoke session. An Mingshan and Song Linlin (that’s me) didn’t drink, so we poured drinks on the sidelines. My tolerance was the worst among us; I was out after less than three small cups. What embarrassed me more was that the cups were tiny shot glasses. Even after I passed out, I was somewhat conscious and heard An Mingshan say, “Stop drinking, get up, I’ll help you inside.” Then, I was unsteadily supported into the room by her. She helped me take off my shoes and laid me on the bed.

For some inexplicable reason, I blurted out, “Don’t leave! I’ll tell you a secret—your two years of muteness were caused by me! That thing is a silencing tool invented by the Divine Physiognomy Sect; it’s my great invention! Impressive, right? Haha…” Then I erupted into wild laughter.

I vaguely heard An Mingshan beside me, her voice choked with tears: “Why? What did I do to offend you? Why would you do this? Do you know how I’ve lived these past two years? No one knows what I want or intend. No one wanted to befriend me, a mute. Even my only friend died. Do you know I was so desperate I even thought of ending my life?” She cried bitterly, full of sorrow and injustice.

I fell silent, my mind clearing as the alcohol wore off. I knew I had said things I shouldn’t have, so I bit my lip and revealed the whole truth. Supporting myself with my hands, I slowly sat up, seeing An Mingshan sitting at the bedside, her face streaked with tears.

I said, “If you want to cry, cry loudly. Sooner or later, you were going to learn the truth.”

Between sobs, An Mingshan asked, “Why was it you? You’ve been so kind to me these past few months—is it to atone for guilt?”

I replied, “I’m not seeking forgiveness, nor do I have guilt to atone for. I treat you well partly because of your father’s last wish, and partly because your destiny chart foretells the path you must take. Moreover, I did this to give meaning to a comrade who sacrificed himself.”

An Mingshan stopped crying and asked quietly, “Who?”

I began, “It all started the day before you lost your speech. Two years ago, the year I returned, a senior undercover agent from the Paranormal Bureau who was infiltrating the Divine Physiognomy Sect was discovered. He had a trove of top-secret sect information. The sect leader ordered the retrieval of the data and the agent’s secret execution. On the night before his death, he sought me out, handed me a plastic box containing a tiny black chip-sized object, and implored me to survive and deliver it to the Paranormal Bureau. He also gave me a cloth pouch holding a letter to his brother and sister, his ID, a spy camera, and a voice recorder. The letter was to be delivered to his family; the ID returned to the bureau; I kept the camera and recorder. The next night, in the sect’s underground headquarters, I witnessed his execution: strapped with explosives, guarded by two men, standing before the leader, his face calm. The leader glanced once, said nothing, and waved his hand. Unexpectedly, the agent pushed away his guards, triggered the detonator himself, and lunged at the leader… The basement exploded. I was standing at the entrance and was blown out. Leaning against the wall, I saw a young woman looking in this direction. I caught only a glimpse before fainting. I recorded the scene on the voice recorder and spy camera as evidence.”

An Mingshan’s voice steadied: “That young woman… was me, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “After the leader learned of this, he ordered you eliminated to prevent any future leaks. Fortunately, I argued fiercely on your behalf. The leader allowed me to silence you with that device, so you’d never speak and reveal secrets. But he didn’t know I tampered with the device, embedding that small object inside it. Then, I secretly helped you escape. From that moment, I severed ties with the sect and fled to Chengyang City.”

An Mingshan said, “So that’s why you were searching through my vomit.”

I said, “You should know, I was gambling my bet on whether we could eradicate the Divine Physiognomy Sect completely. If you removed that object, my comrade’s sacrifice would have been in vain, and I would have lost.”

She asked, “You’re willing to sacrifice your own comrade for the cause?”

I replied, “When the nation and the people need me, I would sacrifice everything, even my life, just like he did. You will face such decisions too. I hope then you will choose as we did.”

We looked at each other silently.

Meanwhile, the bureau director was on the phone with a mysterious figure.

The figure said, “I divined tonight; An Mingshan faces a calamity this evening.”

The director asked, “A deadly one?”

“No, but be cautious. It seems they’re moving. The first target is her.”

The director replied, “She has Li Shucheng’s protection. What’s to fear?”

The figure said, “Li Shucheng? That boy is drunk out of his mind. If he can even stay safe without protection, that’s lucky. Surround the courtyard. They must survive tonight! Tomorrow, I’ll send reinforcements to bring them here.”

The director said, “Shucheng is reliable, but her… I’m not sure if she’s trustworthy. She’s only been with the Paranormal Bureau a few months.”

The figure said, “She’s just a figurehead with no real power. Besides, as long as she’s in our grasp, she won’t escape. You know what to do…”

The director agreed, “Understood.”

Reader interaction:

Q: Author, do you think drinking is good?

A: Moderate drinking is beneficial to health, but excess harms especially the liver. For a healthy adult, the amount of white spirits per session should not exceed 100ml for low-proof, 50ml for medium-proof, and 25ml for strong spirits; wine, being lower in alcohol, should be kept under 250ml for low-proof and 150ml for high-proof; beer, with about 3.7% alcohol content, should not exceed two cans daily.

Friendly reminder: Do not drink and drive; do not drive after drinking. Regret comes too late after an accident.