Now that I think about it, among the four members of the Four-Color Elder K, I had the earliest contact with Ke Yingying, yet I knew the least about him. To put it this way, the others had distinct personalities: Ye Qingcheng was aloof, proud, and even prouder. Xiao Zi'an was low-key in his demeanor, but his skills were anything but. With a face that could change in countless ways, he was definitely a monstrous talent.
Then there was Lu Yao. Calling him the worst repeat student was clearly him playing the pig to eat the tiger. If he hadn't been killed by Ye Qingcheng, who possessed a born criminal personality, by a thousand cuts, who knows what immense trouble he could have caused me.
Compared to these three, Ke Yingying, also a member of the Four-Color Elder K, seemed more like an ordinary person. Involved in the underworld, yes, but he also had an informant identity, making his dealings in the shadows somewhat justifiable. Apart from his identity, Lin Han's impression of him was accurate: like a middle manager, with a greasy smile, and adept at handling all sorts of situations. He seemed to get along well with everyone, friends and superiors alike, and I bet his subordinates were also loyal to him.
However, I had to deal with him!
...
The weather was excellent today, like a composition written by a primary school student: a blue sky with a few white clouds drifting by. Perhaps it was because the Olympics were approaching, but even the air in Beijing felt sweeter.
I wanted to go for a walk, but the doctor said I shouldn't put too much strain on my spine, so I couldn't use crutches. I went out in a wheelchair, with Tang Yi sitting on my lap, and Lin Han pushing us. We looked like a picture of a typical harmonious family.
Just then, my phone rang. It was from Teacher Wang Ren. I answered, "Uncle-Master!"
"Where are you?"
"Out getting some sun?"
"When did Ke Yingying contact you?"
"Two days ago. He visited my ward. What's wrong?"
"Ke Yingying is missing. He sent me a fax asking me to help him confirm something, and then he completely lost contact."
"Does this have anything to do with me?"
"The fax contained a psychologist's business license. Ke Yingying wanted me to use my international connections in the field of psychology to verify it. And the applicant for this psychologist's business license is Xiao Zi'an."
"Xiao Zi'an is a psychologist?"
...
Originally, it was certain that Ke Yingying was The Schemer and Xiao Zi'an was the victim. But the appearance of this psychologist's license made the whole situation take a sharp turn. If Xiao Zi'an was a psychologist and could perform psychological hypnosis, then the outcome might be reversed.
I had to go to the special investigation team. Lin Han accompanied me as I "escaped" the hospital, taking me to the special crime investigation team, which was structured like a community activity organization. Because it was an independent unit, it was also called the Special Crimes Division.
"Xiao Zi'an is a psychologist?"
"She obtained her medical license in the United States and has over three years of clinical experience. In 2000, her medical license was revoked."
"Why?"
"Xiao Zi'an's psychology clinic primarily served adolescents. In 1999, the state where Xiao Zi'an was practicing experienced a school shooting. In that incident, 12 students and 1 teacher lost their lives. This incident shocked the entire United States, and the two young perpetrators ended their own lives by suicide."
"What does this have to do with Xiao Zi'an?"
"One of the young men who committed the shooting had been a victim of severe bullying at school, and he was also a client of Xiao Zi'an."
Hearing Teacher Wang Ren say this, I frowned. This was not part of the information I had, and it was beyond my imagination. Seeing my expression, Teacher Wang Ren asked me, "Do you know Ke Yingying?"
I shook my head.
"Because Wang Ren is an underworld informant, we know a little about him. I'll tell you..."
Before entering Li Jiu's training class, Ke Yingying was a civil servant, working as an administrator in a landscaping company in Xi'an. His life was simple and happy, working from nine to five and then going home.
Fate changed for him around that time. Ke Yingying and his wife had been married for three years without any children. They went to the hospital for check-ups, and it turned out Ke Yingying had a problem: his sperm motility was extremely low, making it impossible for him to have children.
This greatly affected Ke Yingying. Once, while drinking, a disreputable friend, finding Ke Yingying's wife attractive, suggested that Ke Yingying have a child with another woman and pass it off as his own. Perhaps driven by his strong desire for a child, Ke Yingying inexplicably agreed.
However, his wife did not agree. Ke Yingying's disreputable friend attempted to force himself on her, but failed. Ke Yingying's wife then jumped from a building, but she did not die. Later, she divorced Ke Yingying, and both Ke Yingying and his friend were sued. In 1992, Ke Yingying was released from prison. He visited his wife and found that she had remarried and had a child.
Ke Yingying did not disturb his ex-wife, but he sent her money every year, with the amount increasing each year. He still does.
...
Later, Ke Yingying became The Schemer, and he had many mistresses. He also didn't use contraception, but he still had no offspring. Ke Yingying had thought he would be childless his entire life, but fate decided to play a trick on him.
During his youth, Ke Yingying had lived in the countryside for a period and had a relationship with an older sister who had questionable morals. Ke Yingying was only sixteen that year, while the sister was twenty-four.
Ke Yingying had long forgotten this youthful indiscretion. But unexpectedly, as he became a wealthy man through his dealings as The Schemer, that older sister, having somehow learned of his success, found him with a twelve-year-old son.
Seeing this emaciated woman, Ke Yingying thought it was nonsense. This woman had a notorious reputation and was known to be promiscuous. Ke Yingying believed she had come with this child solely for his money.
Honestly, the child did not resemble Ke Yingying in appearance. Moreover, Ke Yingying was well aware of his own condition; he couldn't possibly make a woman pregnant.
Thus... Ke Yingying refused to let the woman in.
Later, the police found Ke Yingying. It was then that Ke Yingying learned that this woman had an incurable illness, had sold all her property and land, and was now in the hospital, close to death. The hospital, seeing that she had no money and was nearing death, could only report it to the police. The police learned from the child that his father was named Ke Yingying and thus found him.
Before she died, the woman met Ke Yingying and said only one sentence: "Feng is your son."
When Ke Yingying met this woman, she was already married but widowed. Her husband had left her considerable property and land. She rented out her land and houses, living a carefree and dissolute life.
Even after the woman's death, Ke Yingying still believed she just wanted to secure a future for her son. Looking at the ten-year-old child with a bewildered look in his eyes, Ke Yingying gritted his teeth and took him in.
...
Raising a child did not pose any financial burden for Ke Yingying. The problem was that Ke Yingying felt unsettled. The child was very sensible, and they got along well. But when the child was not around, Ke Yingying would think that the child was not his biological son. Yet, for some reason, Ke Yingying also harbored a hope that perhaps this child was indeed his biological son.
That year was 1995. Lin Zhijun, Liu Shou, and Jin Bengui from the training class were already capable on their own. Ke Yingying, Ye Qingcheng, and Xiao Zi'an were essentially confirmed as their substitutes.
"Ke Yingying, take your son to America too," Li Jiu said.
"Why?"
"Although it exists domestically, America has more advanced technology called deoxyribonucleic acid."
"What is that?"
"Paternity testing."
Li Jiu understood better than anyone that Ke Yingying needed to press the confirmation button. Regardless of whether Feng was Ke Yingying's son or not, once the results came out, Ke Yingying would be able to extricate himself from his current mental state.
With this goal in mind, Ke Yingying and Xiao Zi'an went to the United States.