Insights Chapter 27: The Little Prince

Chapter 27: The Little Prince

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

It was another weekend, and in the evening, Gu Yanchen had an appointment. He didn’t have dinner with Shen Junci this time. Instead, he drove out to a restaurant. It was a new Chinese-style restaurant, interestingly decorated, and the food was delicious. This was a rare gathering of friends. Sitting at the same table were several friends Gu Yanchen had met during his special training, all elite members of the police force from the City Bureau and nearby cities.

It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and they exchanged various gossips. Some of them were involved in criminal investigation, so the conversation naturally turned to recent cases.

Someone praised Gu Yanchen, “Captain Gu, your Special Criminal Division has solved a lot of cases recently, stealing all the limelight.”

Immediately, someone else chimed in, “That’s right. I’ve seen the police announcements. Cases are being solved rapidly. I bet your team’s year-end bonuses won’t be small.”

Gu Yanchen humbly responded with a few words. After a few rounds of drinks, Captain Gu pulled one of them aside. The man’s name was Yin Mingqing. He had been Gu Yanchen’s roommate during special training and was from the nearby Lincheng Bureau. He was on a business trip here recently.

The sky outside had already darkened, and they stood under the trees chatting. Yin Mingqing offered him a cigarette, which Gu Yanchen accepted and lit. As they smoked, Gu Yanchen casually asked, “By the way, you’re from Lincheng, right?”

Yin Mingqing nodded, “Yes.”

“Do you know Lincheng Third Kindergarten?”

“I’ve been there.” Yin Mingqing chuckled. “Brother Gu, how did you manage to dig up information about a kindergarten from household registration?”

Gu Yanchen said, “We recently conducted safety education at the kindergarten. I have a colleague who grew up in Lincheng, and it seems like you attended the same kindergarten.”

He had checked Shen Junci’s file and remembered the specific information about the kindergarten.

Yin Mingqing asked, “Who? A guy or a girl? Lincheng isn’t that big. There are only a few schools. My memory has always been good. I might have some impression.”

“Shen Junci,” Gu Yanchen said, “our medical examiner.”

“Shen Junci?” Yin Mingqing blew out a smoke ring. “I do remember him. We were in the same class in kindergarten. He was always very good-looking, gentle and quiet. The little girls in the kindergarten liked to play with him, and the teachers liked him too.”

“When you were in kindergarten, did you ever go to the amusement park and ride the small train?” Gu Yanchen flicked the cigarette butt and asked again. 

Yin Mingqing shook his head. “We didn’t go to the amusement park those years. Well, not just the amusement park, we didn’t even go out of the school.”

This contradicted what Shen Junci had told him before. Gu Yanchen’s voice remained calm, “That doesn’t sound right, does it? Kindergartens usually organize such activities.”

Yin Mingqing said, “Well, it’s because there was an accident during the previous year’s trip to the zoo. A child had a bone fracture. The parents made a fuss at the kindergarten. For safety reasons, all the subsequent spring and autumn outings were canceled. For three years, we stayed in the school and didn’t go out.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “Are you sure?”

“Not sure!” Yin Mingqing chuckled. “Big brother, you’re asking about kindergarten. So many years have passed. Even if my memory is good, I might remember it wrong.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “In primary school and middle school, did you hear about this person?”

Yin Mingqing recalled, “In primary and middle school, we weren’t in the same class. We were in the same high school. He was famous throughout the school. Because he was very good-looking, many girls liked him. He was considered the school hunk. I remember the girls in our class would go in groups to watch him during PE class or something. But it seems his grades were average, and he wasn’t very good at sports. His personality was pretty much the same as when he was a child, quiet and reserved, never having any conflicts with others.”

“What else?”

“When the college entrance exam results came out, I heard he chose forensic investigation as his major. His father helped him choose it. We were all surprised to hear that he chose this major. Later, there was a car accident in his family. Both his parents passed away, and he was injured too. After graduation, I stayed in Lincheng, and he worked for a while before joining the provincial department. I’m not very clear about what happened later. It seems Director He valued him a lot, but I didn’t expect him to be sent here to Penang.”

Gu Yanchen extinguished the cigarette.

At the end of Yin Mingqing’s words, he asked strangely, “Captain Gu, why are you inquiring so much about him? He hasn’t made any mistakes as a medical examiner, has he?”

Gu Yanchen said, “Don’t think too much. I’m just gossiping with a colleague.”

“I don’t think you’re the gossiping type.” Yin Mingqing replied.

“I’m helping someone inquire.”

When the conversation reached this point, Yin Mingqing smirked and deliberately lowered his voice, “He’s quite popular with the ladies, but he hasn’t had a girlfriend in all these years. It seems he’s turned down quite a few. I’ve heard some say it might be due to different preferences, but it’s just hearsay.”

After chatting for a while longer, the two went back inside to continue their meal. During the latter part of the meal, Gu Yanchen went to the front desk to settle the bill, using the excuse of having urgent matters at the bureau and leaving early.

Back at home, Gu Yanchen retrieved the kindergarten roster from Shen Junci’s year. He scanned it and indeed found that Yin Mingqing was in the same class as Shen Junci. Then he counted; there were only 22 children in the entire class. Gu Yanchen then searched through Lin Luo’s file. In the overview of his time at kindergarten, it listed 25 children in the class.

Gu Yanchen took out a record book, where he had jotted down various clues encountered in life. Lin Xianglan had taught him that a sharp mind was better than a dull pencil, and in forensic investigation, one must be keen and not overlook any suspicions. So he developed a habit of noting down things that seemed off at the time, and reviewing them later, perhaps connecting the dots.

One page in the notebook was about Shen Junci. Shen Junci denied knowing Lin Luo, his favorite foods were similar to Lin Luo’s, he said things similar to Lin Xianglan, and the residents in his neighborhood particularly liked him…

Gu Yanchen turned to look at the wall opposite him, where Shen Junci’s residence was. He murmured to himself, “Shen Junci, what exactly are you hiding?”

He could sense that Shen Junci was concealing something, perhaps without malicious intent. But Gu Yanchen didn’t know why Shen Junci was doing this or what it had to do with Lin Luo. Late at night, while walking the dog, Gu Yanchen sat on a stone bench outside the residential area, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. Sitting in the yard, looking at the dog, Gu Yanchen’s mind was filled with thoughts.

He adopted this dog for a reason; it was because he had seen it once before. He knew this dog because of Lin Luo. It was shortly after Lin Xianglan’s death that he suddenly had some interactions with Lin Luo. The memories associated with that name were fragmented, but now they were incredibly clear when recalled.

—

In the past, Captain Lin always sighed about Lin Luo, saying that he was a handful. The most commonly used term for him was “that little rascal.” Once during a lunch break, the topic came up again. Lin Xianglan lamented about Lin Luo’s antics.

Gu Yanchen said, “Nobody’s perfect. Lin Luo’s grades are so good.”

“He’s definitely smart,” Lin Xianglan replied, “but he’s stubborn and obstinate.”

“Lin Luo seems obedient.” Gu Yanchen tried to reassure him. At that time, Gu Yanchen had only seen pictures of Lin Luo from the bureau, a handsome and refined young man.

Captain Lin shook his head, sighing, “You don’t know. Lin Luo has always been daring since elementary school. He dares to try things other kids wouldn’t dare to do. Our neighborhood is next to an air force training base, and there’s a climbing frame about ten meters high. Once, I went to find him and saw him standing at the top of that frame. There was a gap of more than a meter between the bars. Just one slip and he would have fallen. I was scared to death at the time. When he came down, he said others were afraid to climb up, so he tried it. He even said he was very careful. Do you think this child is asking for trouble?”

Gu Yanchen laughed, “That shows he’s fit for the air force.”

Captain Lin shook his head, “No, he’s too unruly. When he got a bit older, because he looked delicate, many boys provoked him, and he learned to fight. I was a captain back then, and the class director often called me over. I was afraid this child would go astray.”

Gu Yanchen said, “That’s just childhood. Who hasn’t done something foolish when they were young?”

“You’re different from him.” Captain Lin squinted at him. “Little Gu, I think you might be able to handle him.”

Gu Yanchen looked up and asked, “Why do you say that, Captain Lin?”

Captain Lin replied, “You handle things calmly and cautiously. You’re never flustered, and you don’t blindly follow rules, but you’re not rigid either. These are exactly what Lin Luo lacks. There’s a saying that goes, ‘one thing suppresses another.’ With someone like you, who can see through him, maybe you can get a hold of Lin Luo, find his weak spots.”

At that time, the officers nearby laughed. “Captain Lin, you might as well take Captain Gu as your adopted son.”

Others joined in, “If Lin Luo were a girl, Captain Lin might have already accepted Captain Gu as his son-in-law.”

At the time, Gu Yanchen just treated these as idle chatter after dinner and didn’t think much about it. As for the fact that Lin Luo was a little rascal, Gu Yanchen didn’t truly understand until after Lin Xianglan’s death. He felt responsible after Lin Xianglan’s death and kept an eye on Lin Luo to prevent trouble. He even left his phone number with Lin Luo’s homeroom teacher at school. But he didn’t expect that less than a week after the start of the school year and before Lin Xianglan’s funeral, something would happen.

One night, the teacher called him in a bit of a hurry. The call sounded rushed, but the gist was that Lin Luo had gotten into a fight with a classmate, injuring the other party. The teacher accompanied the injured student to the hospital first, and they arranged to meet at school later to discuss further action.

Gu Yanchen rushed to the school and saw Lin Luo and another boy sitting in the teacher’s small office. The classmate had been beaten badly, his face bruised and swollen, with cuts on his head and bandages. His parents were there, a middle-aged woman who seemed to be his mother, crying and wiping her tears, while his father stood beside her with an unpleasant expression.

The whole family was there, with the female teacher in the middle, making Lin Luo standing on the side look even more fragile. But Lin Luo seemed unfazed, his expression calm as he looked aside. Gu Yanchen stepped forward. Upon hearing the teacher and Gu Yanchen greet each other, Lin Luo turned his head to look at him.

The homeroom teacher, a bespectacled woman, addressed Gu Yanchen as he entered, “This is Zhou Chen and his parents. He and Lin Luo share a dormitory, and they got into a fight tonight.” 

The boy who had been beaten seemed a bit resentful and muttered something under his breath. Gu Yanchen could smell not only medicine but also alcohol on him. Adhering to his principle of resolving issues, Gu Yanchen got straight to the point, “How much are the medical expenses? I’ll cover it.”

Zhou Chen’s father said, “Medical expenses are the basic requirement. My son was injured on the head and hand, which may leave sequelae. Additionally, he needs to rest at home, nutrition expenses, missed school fees, and compensation are all necessary.”

Zhou Chen’s mother wiped her tears on the side, “We’ll definitely report this to the police. Troublemakers who fight should be expelled from school!”

Gu Yanchen felt a bit helpless seeing the situation and flashed his police officer’s badge. “I’m a policeman. I’ll report this to the bureau.”

“Oh,” Zhou Chen’s mother looked at him disdainfully, “knowing a policeman, so what? No wonder you dare to beat people up!”

Ignoring her, Gu Yanchen turned to Zhou Chen’s father, “Regarding this matter, I’ll handle it fairly. Do you want it resolved publicly or privately?”

After considering for a moment, Zhou Chen’s father said, “Publicly.”

Zhou Chen added, “I want him to go to jail.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “Then tell me, what happened today? Who started the fight?”

In his mind, Gu Yanchen thought that even though the boy looked heavily injured, it didn’t necessarily mean he had started the fight. Lin Luo seemed calm and quiet; perhaps he was the one being bullied.

Lin Luo took the initiative to say, “I started the fight.”

Gu Yanchen was taken aback. That one sentence changed the situation. Just as Gu Yanchen was about to ask further questions, Lin Luo took out his phone. “I recorded what happened earlier.”

Without waiting for consent from the others, he played the recording. The phone captured the boys gossiping with malicious intent. The recording was quite long and clear, and the small office fell silent. Gu Yanchen got the gist of it.

The boy who had been drinking had been pursuing a girl, but she rejected him and added Lin Luo on WeChat. Feeling embarrassed about his rejection, Zhou Chen and others in the dormitory were gossiping and ridiculing him. Unable to bear the insults, Zhou Chen started verbally abusing Lin Luo.

“You rely on your good looks, don’t you? Knowing I was pursuing Song Lan, you still flaunted yourself in front of her. You! You always walk around with a sour face, who do you think you are? Do you need to be taught a lesson? You bastard, pretending to be deaf and dumb. Every day, you bring bad luck to this dormitory with your gloomy face. Maybe your father did something wrong before he died. Did he bribe someone or sleep with the wrong person? This is karma.”

After this statement, there were sounds like things being thrown to the ground, followed by the fight.

Lin Luo stopped the recording and said, “He broke my MP4, the last birthday gift my father gave me before he passed away.”

At this point, Zhou Chen sobered up a bit, his face changing color. To speak like that when someone’s father had just passed away was truly despicable. Gu Yanchen felt that Lin Luo hadn’t hit Zhou Chen hard enough. If it weren’t for his status preventing him from doing so, he would have liked to give Zhou Chen a few slaps himself.

Zhou Chen’s parents also seemed uneasy, and the office fell quiet.

Gu Yanchen understood. Lin Luo was quite low-key at school, and his classmates didn’t know that his father was the former head of the City Bureau. They bullied Lin Luo as soon as Lin Xianglan died. It was deserved for him to fight back.

After clarifying the situation and not wanting to resolve it immediately, Gu Yanchen decided to play along with a bit of acting, also intending to teach Lin Luo a lesson. With this in mind, he took out a pair of handcuffs and walked up to Lin Luo.

The female teacher was shocked by the situation and quickly intervened, “Captain Gu, it’s just a minor altercation between students, it doesn’t need…”

Gu Yanchen interrupted her with a righteous tone, “Fighting is never right. Lin Luo started it, which is always wrong. If we handle it publicly, he’ll be detained.”

But then Gu Yanchen changed his tone and turned to the parents, “since we’re handling it publicly, it should be fair for both sides. You all heard the recording just now. Lin Luo’s father just passed away, and my former boss was his father. Your son is suspected of defaming and insulting a government official, and he also damaged Lin Luo’s property. I have evidence and will sue him with a lawyer, which could result in a sentence of up to three years in prison.”

Upon hearing this, the parents’ expressions changed.

Zhou Chen’s father hesitated for a moment and said, “This is just a minor altercation between children. Those were drunken nonsense…”

Zhou Chen’s mother also changed her tone, “Let’s settle it privately.”

Standing next to Lin Luo, Gu Yanchen seemed to be reproaching him, but his words were meaningful, “You’re going to be detained for a few days. I’ll come pick you up later. You’re not a child anymore; you’re in your fourth year of college. Adults have to take responsibility for their actions.”

Lin Luo played along with the act, nodding, “Okay.”

“Never mind, my son was also at fault,” Zhou Chen’s mother hastily interjected.

Zhou Chen’s father also realized the situation and said apologetically, “Sorry, it’s all my son’s fault. He talks too much and acts impulsively. We’ll take care of the medical expenses ourselves, cover the repair costs, and there’s no need to involve the school and the police. You’re all busy with your jobs.” Then he nudged Zhou Chen, “Apologize to Lin Luo.”

At this point, Zhou Chen was a little scared, with swollen eyes and stuttering, “I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean it…”

Gu Yanchen turned to Lin Luo, “What do you say?”

Lin Luo didn’t raise his eyebrows, coldly saying, “Forget it, it’s a small matter.”

Gu Yanchen didn’t push for further action and turned to the teacher, “Please arrange for Lin Luo to change dormitories.”

With the matter resolved, Gu Yanchen escorted Lin Luo out. He asked him, “Are you injured?”

Lin Luo shook his head, “Just kicked a couple of times, not serious, no big deal.”

Gu Yanchen didn’t completely believe him and checked his hands and feet. Seeing no obvious injuries, he felt relieved. “If you feel unwell later, be sure to let me know. Sometimes internal injuries can be dangerous if left untreated.”

Lin Luo nodded quietly. He had delicate features, and his wrists were so thin that Gu Yanchen could grasp them with one hand. He didn’t seem like the type who would resort to violence at the slightest provocation.

Gu Yanchen said, “I didn’t expect you to fight so well.”

Lin Luo replied, “Fighting isn’t just about physical strength; it also requires brains.”

Gu Yanchen mentioned, “Captain Lin said you used to get into fights often and your parents were called to school.”

“He didn’t pay much attention to me for a while. Only when my dad was called to the school did he remember that I existed,” Lin Luo said with some regret. “But I haven’t fought in a long time; my hands aren’t used to it.”

Gu Yanchen frowned.

Lin Luo continued calmly, “After my dad became the bureau chief, I stopped getting into fights because I didn’t want to bring shame to my dad by getting reported to the City Bureau. I didn’t want to embarrass Old Lin.” He gazed ahead calmly. “But now that my dad has passed away, I don’t have to care about what others think anymore. I can finally give him a good beating.”

At that moment, as Gu Yanchen looked at Lin Luo’s expression, he finally understood why Lin Xianglan would often refer to Lin Luo as a little madman. A rational madman, a bit dangerous but also captivating. For a moment, he even felt a hint of desire to conquer, wanting to get closer to him and understand him better.

Two days after this incident, a typhoon suddenly hit. On Friday night, the wind and rain were intense. Just as he finished work, Lin Luo suddenly called him. He answered the phone, and Lin Luo’s voice sounded urgent, “Captain Gu, I can’t get a cab because of the rain. I need to go to the City Bureau. Can you give me a ride?”

Although Lin Xianglan had left him a message to take care of Lin Luo, in his memory, this was the first time Lin Luo had asked him for help. He didn’t ask what it was about. It happened to be a day without overtime, and his car was available. Despite the flooded streets, he quickly drove to the university gate. Lin Luo was already waiting there, soaked to the bone.

“Where do you need to go?” Gu Yanchen asked.

Lin Luo gave him an address. “To the Third Animal Hospital near the City Bureau.”

“Is your pet sick?” Gu Yanchen asked.

Gu Yanchen had been to Lin’s house more than once and had seen a leash but never a dog.

“It’s one of the police dogs from our unit,” Lin Luo replied.

Gu Yanchen drove Lin Luo to the animal hospital. Once they arrived, Lin Luo immediately went to find the old policeman who was taking care of the police dog and entered a postoperative observation room with him.

The old policeman explained to Lin Luo, “This afternoon, someone attempted to transport drugs during the rain. They were discovered by the drug enforcement team and injured two people. Among the police dogs, he was the bravest. If he hadn’t bitten the gun out of the opponent’s hand, the casualties would have been even worse.”

The room had a strong smell of blood. Lying on the table was a black police dog, obviously just out of surgery and still groggy. The dog’s abdomen was wrapped in thick bandages. He tried to stand up when he saw Lin Luo but struggled due to his severe injuries.

The old policeman continued, “He’s seriously injured. The doctor doesn’t know if he will make it through the night. After the surgery, he kept whimpering. The officers who brought him here couldn’t calm him down, so I thought of you… After all, you raised him since he was a puppy.”

Tears welled up in Lin Luo’s eyes as he walked over and embraced the dog’s neck, stroking his fur. The dog gradually calmed down.

“I’ll stay with you. You’ll make it through this,” Lin Luo comforted softly, rubbing the dog’s head. “You’ll be fine. I’m waiting for you to retire with honor and come home with me.”

As if understanding his words, the dog quieted down, tears in his eyes, his body trembling slightly from pain. Lin Luo hugged the dog tighter. “I don’t have my dad anymore. I only have you now…”

The rain that day was indeed heavy, pouring down from the sky, causing thick puddles on the ground. Outside, the wind and rain roared incessantly, as if the small animal hospital could be swept away at any moment. It was like the center of a storm.

Lin Luo stayed in the room with the dog, while Gu Yanchen sat outside, watching him. At that moment, he thought Lin Luo had raised a dog before. He had such a gentle side to him. What else about this young man did he not know? 

In addition to dogs and cats, the hospital also housed sheep and even a zoo’s alpaca, their cries mixing with the storm outside. They stayed until dawn, and the dog survived the critical period before they left.

The typhoon was too severe that day, and Gu Yanchen couldn’t take Lin Luo back to the school. So he took Lin Luo to his own home. He told Lin Luo to take a shower first and then gave him some of his clean clothes to change into. After Lin Luo finished showering, Gu Yanchen went in to wash up. When he came out, he saw Lin Luo sitting on the window sill of his home, holding a book and reading quietly.

Gu Yanchen’s gaze lingered on Lin Luo. It was a book his sister had left behind during her last visit, “The Little Prince” by a French author. He had read it several times, and the content was still fresh in his memory. He liked many passages, and each time he read it, he found new insights.

Outside, the storm continued to rage. Lin Luo had just finished showering, his skin pale, his hair slightly curly. He wore an oversized T-shirt, revealing a section of his white, jade-like collarbone. When he lowered his head, his long eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks. For some reason, whether it was from reading a certain passage or thinking about his father or the injured dog, a hint of loneliness and melancholy appeared between the young man’s brows, illuminated by the lamplight, like a painting.

Gu Yanchen realized that when Lin Luo lowered his head quietly, he felt like the Little Prince from the stars. But then he forgot that the Little Prince eventually returned to his planet. 

Later, the dog recovered and continued to serve on the frontline. But not long after, Lin Luo ran into trouble.

Years later, Gu Yanchen saw the dog again at the retirement ceremony for police dogs. He recognized it at a glance—the same coat, the same melancholic eyes, the dog hanging its head low. At that moment, Gu Yanchen suddenly wondered, would the dog think it had been abandoned by his owner because no one came to take him home? But the reality was that the person who promised to take him home was no longer around.

At that moment, his steps halted. Despite never having had a pet before, he acted on impulse and went to the department responsible for the police dogs, saying, “This dog doesn’t need to be put up for adoption. I want to take care of him.”

That evening, after finishing work, he took the leash and approached the dog. He ran his hand over the dog’s fur, feeling the warmth of its body. Its coat was short, but it felt smooth to the touch. He said, “From now on, come home with me.”

The dog, as if understanding human speech, lifted his head to look at his new owner, panting gently, obediently following him. 

At night, Gu Yanchen sat in the yard. Unnamed approached him after observing his Master for a while and licked his hand. Startled, Gu Yanchen snapped out of his reverie. He tossed the nearly burnt-out cigarette into the nearby trash can. Now, he understood.

Shen Junci might appear calm and gentle on the surface, but there was something about him that always reminded Gu Yanchen of the young man he failed to protect back then. Especially the day he saw the wound on Shen Junci’s arm in the hallway. He felt sorry for him. Just like when he saw Lin Luo’s lonely and desolate expression sitting on the windowsill all those years ago, his heart rate suddenly accelerated.