Insights Chapter 128: Watching the Stars

Chapter 128: Watching the Stars

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The night was hazy, and the city was very quiet. Shen Junci cried well, using up half a box of tissues. He usually endured silently; even when crying, he always held back tears, at most shedding a few drops, making the corners of his eyes slightly red. But now, his shoulders trembled as he cried, unable to control himself.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he cried so miserably; it might have been the night Lin Xianglan died. Back then, he cried out of collapse, but now, he cried out of being moved. This crying was a kind of release.

After crying, the dark clouds in his heart dissipated, and the feeling of suffocation gradually disappeared. The dream he had today might have been Lin Xianglan reassuring him, telling him to rest assured that if there was another world, he would be fine.

Gu Yanchen watched Shen Junci cry, feeling like his heart was breaking too. He felt sorry for the person in front of him, softly comforting him. Unable to resist, he reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his fingertips.

Shen Junci dried his tears and went to wash his face. Now he felt even more rational and calm. In the past, it seemed like he had always been running, chasing. Now that he had finally found the answers and learned the truth, there were no more regrets. He was like standing in front of his childhood self, reaching out and gently stroking the child’s head. He could finally tell that little boy that his father loved him, unquestionably. 

Smoothed over the scars of childhood, he felt himself becoming stronger. Like returning to that childhood platform, he looked up, questioning the teacher, voluntarily leaving other children behind. He took his own steps, stepping alone onto a train that belonged to him.

On the train, he grew up gradually, becoming a warrior who upheld justice. He met like-minded friends, met Gu Yanchen, and traveled together. The train headed towards the place where the sun rises, towards a bright tomorrow.

When it was time to sleep, after washing up, the two of them entered the bedroom. Shen Junci lit an incense stick from a box nearby, a habit of his to comfort the deceased. Gu Yanchen also came to bed.

Shen Junci said, “I want to watch the stars. Let’s talk for a while before sleeping.”

Gu Yanchen turned off the light and turned on the star projector he had bought before, projecting dots on the wall. The disc they used today was particularly impressive, with thousands of stars, making the entire room feel like a universe filled with stars. They leaned against the headboard, watching the slowly rotating starry sky. They smelled the scent of incense and listened to soothing music.

Having revealed his identity, Shen Junci suddenly felt relieved. He could finally tell Gu Yanchen about his experiences during that time. Shen Junci lowered his head and looked at the star projector in his hand, “During the coma, I actually had some feelings. Sometimes I could hear you reading to me. I still remember some of the plots and conversations. During that time, I fell asleep to the sound of your reading.”

Gu Yanchen sincerely said, “I chose books you liked, and I saw your signature.”

Shen Junci chuckled at his words and couldn’t help but tell him the truth, “Some of them had a good hypnotic effect.” He continued, “After my initial heart transplant, I lost my memory for a while. I woke up suddenly, not knowing who I was. It was also a period of physical recovery. The doctors thought it might be a sequelae of the car accident. After the tests showed no problems, they discharged me. I was soon brought to Lincheng by Shen Junci’s relatives. They told me about Shen Junci’s experiences and asked me to gradually adapt to this identity, but I couldn’t integrate into Shen Junci’s life. Many details and habits didn’t match. I could unlock the phone with my fingerprint, but everything inside left me perplexed.”

During that time, he was in a strange place, without relatives or any support. He couldn’t recall any of the knowledge he had learned and could only apply for a leave of absence from school.

Shen Junci said, “Then various images began to appear in my mind, like scenes from a movie. Many fragments came back to me, gradually connecting. I remembered Old Lin, remembered you. I verified and found out that those were not my hallucinations but real memories. I realized that I am Lin Luo.”

He retained Lin Luo’s memories, Lin Luo’s habits, and knew nothing about Shen Junci’s past. He couldn’t explain this phenomenon scientifically; it might be reincarnation. His soul seemed to reside in that heart, moving into a new body.

After experiencing the initial shock, he quickly accepted this fact. And his self-awareness was very clear.

Shen Junci continued, “I remember all the relevant knowledge about communications, but my understanding of being a medical examiner was not detailed enough. I carried those textbooks while seeking out an old medical examiner at school, telling him about my amnesia from the accident and hoping to quickly supplement my knowledge as a medical examiner. He sympathized with me and recommended me to the corpse farm. Taking advantage of my leave of absence, I went abroad to study medical examiner techniques. After returning to the country, I was assigned to the provincial bureau, where I encountered Li Zhongnan again. I joined Director He’s plan, and you probably know about many things that happened afterward…”

Shen Junci and Gu Yanchen talked about the corpse farm and his life in the provincial capital.

At that time, he also cared about everything happening in Penang. He heard that new leadership had arrived at Penang City Bureau, Li Zhongnan had left, and Gu Yanchen had joined logistics.

That once-beautiful city with good public security had become a negative example in the mouths of provincial police officers. Everyone sighed and shook their heads whenever Penang was mentioned.

Shen Junci said softly, “I later learned that Shen Junci and his parents went to Penang because his father, as a prosecutor, was going to be transferred there. His father took his family there in advance, hoping to settle down, but they encountered a series of accidents on the highway.”

Gu Yanchen said, “It might also be those people…”

The Foundation, Mansion 13, Hetu Trading Association—these people controlled Penang and naturally wouldn’t want any threats to enter.

Shen Junci nodded, “Later, I thought, Lin Xianglan, Shen Junci, and Shen Junci’s parents—so many people couldn’t just die without any explanation.”

He returned from hell, bearing a mission, like a seed of justice taking root and sprouting. He couldn’t tolerate starting anew, living happily, and forgetting about the blood feuds of the past to live as an ordinary person. Penang was where Lin Xianglan had put in so much effort, struggled, and even sacrificed his life. The city was still trapped in darkness, and he couldn’t stand by idly.

He had thought about whether to contact Gu Yanchen, but the more he obsessed over it, the more afraid he was to see him again. At that time, he wasn’t sure if Gu Yanchen would want to be involved again. He also realized that he couldn’t let others know that Lin Luo was still alive. He had to become Shen Junci to complete this plan.

Gu Yanchen looked at him. Shen Junci bore too much on his shoulders. But Gu Yanchen loved him just the way he was.

As Shen Junci softly narrated, he played with the star projector. With every movement of his fingers, a shooting star streaked across the sky. Those stars seemed to fulfill their wishes. It all started with the touch of their fingertips. Shen Junci’s cold fingers touched Gu Yanchen’s warm skin.

Gu Yanchen pulled his hand over and kissed the back of it. His fingers were long and slender, with distinct joints, resembling a perfect piece of art. Then he turned and kissed Shen Junci’s slightly cold lips. The touch was soft, starting from gentle pecks to passionate embraces.

Only they knew how difficult it was to meet again after all they had been through.

After the kiss, Shen Junci set the star projector aside. “I should check your body.”

Gu Yanchen pressed him down. “If anyone’s checking, it’s me checking you. Let me see if your injuries have healed.”

He unbuttoned each button with his fingers, as if unraveling those memories sealed in the past. They didn’t turn on the light. Gu Yanchen’s slender fingers traced over Shen Junci’s body, the calluses from handling guns gently rubbing against his skin. The wounds from the recent injuries had mostly healed, leaving behind a thin scar.

Gu Yanchen asked him, “Does it still hurt?”

“No,” Shen Junci shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt.”

The wound felt a bit tight, and there was some itching, only a slight tug when moving vigorously.

Gu Yanchen said, “I’ll be gentle then.”

Desire surged like a tide. Gu Yanchen kissed over the scar on Shen Junci’s chest, kissing the heart beneath the flesh. His heart pounded, and Shen Junci’s breath quickened, feeling the heat enveloping him. He smelled the hint of mint on Gu Yanchen’s body, his arms wrapping around his neck.

Shen Junci spoke, “For a long time, I felt like you were my anchor.”

Now, it felt like a dream come true. In those dark and bleak days, he had yearned from afar for someone good, like gazing at the stars in the sky. He was like a shooting star streaking across the sky, without kin, drifting aimlessly. But his planet waited in place, shining its light, waiting for him to come home. They stood on two different planets, watching over each other in the vast expanse of the universe, finally brushing past each other again and meeting.

Their bodies came very close.

If he were still asleep, and this was a dream, he wanted to immerse himself in it, unwilling to wake up.

“Thank you for coming back to me.” Gu Yanchen nibbled on Shen Junci’s ear, his voice husky beside him. “I like you, I really like you.”

As the Little Prince said, love is a process of taming, and they had tamed each other. They were each other’s rare treasures, unique among the billions of stars. 

It’s the nature of humans to be beasts. Two life forms without blood ties, attracted to each other, gradually drawing closer. It was a wonderful and enticing process. Shen Junci had never felt such a need for the person in front of him. He raised his neck, gazing up at the starry sky.

The sky was deep, and the stars seemed endless. He felt like he was walking on a desolate ice field in a foreign land. When he was cold and surrounded by freezing winds, he suddenly found a place to shelter from the wind and rain.

Gu Yanchen was like a sturdy fortress, surrounding him, blocking out all the storms, leaving only warmth behind. Shen Junci felt the void in his heart gently filled with tenderness. His eyelashes trembled lightly like butterfly wings, his chest rising and falling steadily. Unstoppable, fearless, unrestrained.

They felt happy because they had each other.

Satisfied, Shen Junci was enveloped in love and drifted off to sleep.

In the early morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, birds began to chirp. The sun rose as usual. As the temperature dropped recently, the grass by the roadside began to change color, no longer the fresh green of summer but a pale yellow. Autumn in Penang was always short. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, winter would come quickly, and the weather would turn cold.

Two police officers from the sub-bureau knocked on a building. This was a medium-sized cold storage in Penang.

The on-duty security guard let the police officers in. One of the older police officers said, “Routine inspection. Who is in charge of this cold storage, and what is stored here?”

The security guard was accustomed to such inspections. He recognized the leading police officer and said, “Officer Zhang, why are you still working overtime on the Mid-Autumn Festival? Didn’t you just check a few months ago?”

Officer Zhang said seriously, “You don’t know? A supervisory team came from above and needs to strictly inspect all the enterprises and factories in the jurisdiction, leaving no blind spots. We found incomplete information about this cold storage near us.”

The security guard hurriedly contacted the leaders and filled out the information again. They could tell this time was different from before because after the police officers finished asking questions, they wanted to go into the storage to inspect.

The security guard was reluctant. “Brother, we’re just a private cold storage. What could we be hiding?”

Officer Zhang was unusually stern. “It’s hard to say. What if there are drugs, smuggled animal specimens, or something like that?”

The young police officer also comforted the security guard, “We’ve been checking a lot recently, especially in this area. We really could find something. They salvaged contraband near Xin Gouzi the day before yesterday, and we found several bottles of high-risk chemicals in nearby factories last night. So don’t think it’s too much trouble; we’re working overtime too.”

The demands of the supervisory team were strict, and the police officers were also worried about losing their jobs.

Officer Zhang said, “And if we don’t inspect, the police from the city will come later.”

The security guard sought permission from the leaders before letting them in.

On the morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the workers in the cold storage were all absent. Neither the movers nor the warehouse managers were there. This is an ultra-low temperature cold storage, maintaining around minus twenty degrees Celsius throughout the year. Even wearing thick work clothes, they still feel chilly. The cold storage wasn’t large, only about three hundred square meters, divided into different areas, with a lot of goods stacked horizontally and vertically.

The refrigeration units hum. Officer Zhang shivered while asking the security guard.

The security guard checked the list, “That area is for seafood, this side is for ice cream, and these are frozen meats.”

As they checked, they walked further in. Officer Zhang pointed to a pile of miscellaneous items and asked, “What’s here?”

The security guard explained, “This is the miscellaneous area. There’s always someone who freezes something here and doesn’t come to collect it on time. After missing the deadline, the management fears the other party might suddenly come looking for it, so they let us pile it up in this corner. Anyway, the cold storage isn’t lacking space. If needed, we can always move it out.”

They themselves knew the likelihood of someone coming to claim it was slim. The owners of these goods probably forgot about them, but without permission, no one dared to discard them.

Officer Zhang looked at the dates on top; the outermost were from a few years ago, below them were about ten years old, and further down were even older. They even found a can from fifty years ago.

The cold froze the passage of time. Frozen shrimp, ice cream, chicken wings, lamb rolls for hot pot. Once something becomes routine, it tends to be overlooked. They wore gloves and rummaged for a while, feeling like their fingertips were about to freeze off.

The security guard wasn’t surprised, “It’s so cold here, and no one organizes. Every cold storage is like this.”

Leaders didn’t want to take responsibility either; stacking was the simplest solution.

Officer Zhang sniffled, pointing at the top, “What’s that?”

“I don’t know.” The security guard hadn’t seen that thing before. “I’ve been working here and seen it piled up like this, but it’s not listed on the inventory. No one has opened it.”

The security guard helped the two police officers, and together they removed various boxes piled on top and placed them aside in an empty space. Officer Zhang opened the lid, and a blast of cold air rushed out. Inside, there was something, frozen for many years, covered in ice shards.

Officer Zhang glanced inside and was startled. “Quick, call the City Bureau!”

Sitting in that barrel was a naked female corpse. Her slightly tilted head, pale, almost ghostly dried skin, emitted a chilling aura, making her look like a mythical ghost. No one knew how long she had been frozen in that barrel until today when she saw daylight again.

The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains into the bedroom. Gu Yanchen was awakened by the ringing phone. He picked up his phone, quickly composed himself, and answered, “Hello?”

After listening for a few moments, he frowned and sat up, asking about the situation seriously. He wanted to put on clothes. Just as he picked up a white shirt and looked at himself, he put it back down.

Last night, Shen Junci went wild, leaving marks all over his skin. Fingerprints, bite marks, and hickeys were everywhere.

Gu Yanchen continued talking on the phone, changing into a black shirt to cover the marks on his body, buttoning it up to the top.

Shen Junci, hearing the sound, rubbed his eyes sleepily and asked, “What’s wrong?”

His eyes were still a bit swollen from crying last night.

Gu Yanchen said, “There’s a case. A frozen female corpse was found.”