497 A Song with the Demon
“Why am I on trending again?” Han Fei clicked on the link and it led to a video which had been rapidly shared. The video was of Han Fei singing on the roof as he slowly approached Seaglass Cat before finally saving her. The video taker was probably a worker at the building. He took down the whole process from the entrance of the roof. From his perspective, Han Fei’s song weaved together with Seaglass Cat’s humming. The encounter at the deep abyss was hard to describe with words.
Compared to Seaglass Cat, Han Fei’s singing was normal but there was a unique charm to his tone. Inexplicably, he matched her song. If Seaglass cat was an elf in the dark, then Han Fei was darkness itself.
Once the video was uploaded, it was shared madly. The video taker didn’t know Seaglass Cat was saved thanks to the words Han Fei said earlier. The video started from Han Fei singing along with Seaglass Cat so those who watched the video had the impression that Han Fei managed to save the girl from singing alone.
Using a song to save a suicidal person? All the comment sections exploded.
“When I saw the title, I thought it was clickbait but after watching the video, I believe the title is not real enough! Such harrowing event! Such voices! No, I’ll come up with a more epic title for you!”
“My mother asked why I was kneeling before my phone.”
“Damn, isn’t that Han Fei? Isn’t he a bounty hunter? I have no idea he’s such a good singer!”
“Han Fei has clarified many times, he is not a bounty hunter. He is an informant for the police!”
“Wait, are you two serious? Isn’t he an actor?”
“Damn, we’re going to see him on the law program again.”
Han Fei had done many such things before but every time he would bring people surprises. This time, he shocked everyone with his melodious voice. The video was still gaining views. Han Fei was thankful that Seaglass Cat’s face was blocked off in the video so no one came to harass her.
“I’ve gained more fans but it feels like they’re not my fans because of my movies.” Han Fei looked at his social account when he received a call from Director Zhang.
“Director Zhang, how can I help you?”
“You know how to sing?! Why didn’t you tell me? You are a treasure!” Director Zhang was very excited. Thriller Novelist was about to release soon. Han Fei’s action was a great promotion for the movie.
“I only know a little bit.”
“Don’t be so humble. If I knew you’re such a good singer, I’d have you sing the movie’s theme song and end song. Instead of hiring a singer, I’d rather give you the chance.” Director Zhang was really considering that. “You should branch out. As you release more projects, you’ll eventually become a A-list actor! Furthermore, a few variety program producers have reached out to me. They want you on their shows and they are paying very good price. If you have time, you should go to play on their shows. Anyway, I was calling to check on you, I was afraid that you might be injured. You sound fine so that’s wonderful. Remember to come to Bai Xiang Ge tonight to discuss the script.”
After hanging up, Han Fei waited for a long time before Seaglass Cat was released. Her eyes were no longer so dull but they were very puffy. She kept apologizing to the officers that some of them were embarrassed.
“We are not afraid of troubles. When you trouble us, it means that you trust us and that is where our values come from.” The aged officer comforted Seaglass Cat. Then he turned to Han Fei. “Look at him. I heard from my colleagues from another district that there was a period of time when he came to work earlier than most of the officers. Even so, they welcome him whenever he shows up.”
“I can prove that he is right. You can always trust Xin Lu Police.” Because they hadn’t caught Butterfly in real life, the police were still watching the old city to ensure Han Fei’s safety.
“Go home and rest. If you need anything, call us.” The aged officer patted Han Fei’s back. “I don’t know how you two meet but you need to accompany her. She needs friends.” The officer asked Han Fei some questions and went through the routine and let the two go.
“It’s already noon, are you hungry? My treat.” Han Fei walked ahead and Seaglass Cat followed behind me.
“I’ll treat you since you have saved my life.” Hearing Han Fei, Seaglass Cat raised her head carefully. For some reason, when she saw Han Fei, she would be reminded of the image from her mind. A cat wandering in the abyss looked up at the extremely scary demon. The cat was afraid but the demon picked up the cat and placed her on his shoulder to bring her away. She was afraid of Han Fei but she also felt Han Fei was the only person she could rely on.
“A cat and a demon…” Seaglass Cat uttered. Then she picked up her pace.
“What did you say? You ran into a demon? Where? Perhaps I can help you.”
The two walked and stopped until Seaglass Cat led Han Fei to a small restaurant at the street corner. The shop had simple decoration, it was run by a pair of couples. Seaglass Cat walked up the stairs to the second floor immediately. She glanced at the wooden table beside the wall and walked towards it. She picked up the menu. “After grandma adopted me, the first meal we had outside of the orphanage was at this place. We sat at this table. The boss at the time was a large uncle.”
Seaglass Cat ordered the same food but this time her company wasn’t her grandmother but Han Fei. Her adoption by the old lady was when she saw light in her life for the first time. Returning back here probably meant that there was going to be a new start to her life. After they had their fill, the two got to know each other better.
During the meal, Seaglass Cat kept looking at Han Fei and in the end, she couldn’t help but ask. “What should I call you then? Is it Han Fei or…”
“Just call me Han Fei.” There was no one around. He looked into the girl’s eyes. “Remember not to tell anyone about the secrets from yesterday night.” Seaglass Cat nodded. She had sworn not to tell.
“I will help you see the old lady again but before that, I have many questions for you.” Han Fei placed the girl’s schoolbag on the table. Other than the orphanage’s name, there was only a number, 031.
“In exchange, I need you to tell me some things.” Han Fei moved his hands away from the schoolbag. “I grew up at the orphanage too but my memory of that time is blurry, I can only remember it being related to Immortal Pharma but I can’t remember my own code number.”
“You grew up at the orphanage too?” Seaglass Cat was surprised, “You look only 1 or 2 age older than me. If we grew up in the same orphanage, I would have remembered you.”
“The orphanage I was at had been abandoned. It was burnt down in a fire. All of its walls and tables were painted red.” Han Fei shared the image he saw from the memory fragment. “I only remember bits and pieces but I can’t even tell if they are real or not.” Han Fei told Seaglass Cat everything he remembered about the orphanage. Seaglass Cat was surprised. The orphanage Han Fei described was similar to the one she grew up in. However, how could they not see each other and have an impression of the other if they grew up in the same place?
“Your number is 013 but what does it mean?”
“Should be my test subject number.” Seaglass Cat opened the schoolbag. Inside was a picture of her and the old lady, as well as some songs she wrote. Seaglass Cat looked through the pages and handed a page to Han Fei. “Look at the back.”
The first thing Han Fei did after entering the restaurant was to check for cameras. He knew there was no camera on the 2nd floor. He turned over the script and the handwriting was completely different on the back. “Child No. 013—Perfect personality Failure?”
“My grandmother left this behind. She worked for Immortal Pharma her whole life but in the end, she believed she had done wrong.” Seaglass Cat was sad whenever she mentioned her grandmother.
“You are supposed to have a perfect personality?” Han Fei studied the girl with confusion. “Do you remember the tests you’ve been through?”
“I was too young to remember much.” Seaglass Cat shook her head. “It also feels like the more tests you’ve taken, the less you’d remember about them.”
“You’re number 031 so there are 30 children before you. Do you remember them?” Han Fei wanted to find out his past. The wounds were deep on his heart but he couldn’t remember the people who left them there.
“I remember their young faces and their corresponding number but after I was adopted, I lost contact with all of them.”
“Well, we still have something,” Han Fei tapped the table and finally said, “These people have experimented on our lives and treated our humanity as something that can be manipulated. Our lives are ruined for no reason, they injected endless pain and despair in us. We need to use our whole lives to mend the childhood wounds but the culprits are still out there, using our pain and memory to exchange for money and status. Do you think that’s fair?”
Seaglass Cat shook her head. “No.”
“I think so too so we need to survive to fight for what we’re owed.” Han Fei smiled at Seaglass Cat. “Are you willing to help me?” The demon was smiling, as he reached out his bloody hands. Seaglass Cat looked at Han Fei. The demon in the song and Han Fei overlapped. She knew the man was dangerous but she nodded seriously. “Yes.”
The cat lost in the abyss encountered the demon looking for light. She padded behind the demon, having chosen to walk with him.
