Chapter 24 Part 1

"Good morning, everyone, and welcome to today's news."

"Last night at 12 o'clock, the police received a call from an enthusiastic citizen, stating that they had apprehended the fugitive, Suspect Wang."

Lu Yan's small room, less than twenty square meters, was filled with the sound of a TV show. The small television was mounted on the wall; it was a second-hand item he had picked up from a clearance sale last year.

Two people were squatting in front of the TV.

Xiao Heng wasn't fully awake. He had been up all night and was still trying to catch up on sleep when Lu Yan dragged him up. Lu Yan now entered his room as if it were his own, not treating him like a stranger at all. Xiao Heng said, "Don't knock on my door in the future."

Lu Yan glanced at him. "You think I want to knock? Don't you have a TV in your room?"

Xiao Heng: "There's a thing in this world called a replay."

Lu Yan ignored him, speaking with a fried dough stick in his mouth, "It's on. Get ready to record."

Xiao Heng was unmoved. "Record it yourself."

"I'm eating," Lu Yan said. "It's inconvenient."

Xiao Heng took the bowl of congee from his hand. "Now it's convenient."

"..." 'Fuck.'

After Lu Yan's hands were empty, Xiao Heng noticed that the scraped part of his palm looked worse than when he had just fallen last night—not only had no medicine been applied, but it hadn't been treated at all. This time, the female anchor's tone was no longer calm as she reported the news: "After receiving the call, the police immediately rushed to the scene."

As she spoke, the screen behind her switched to a photo. In the photo was none other than the fugitive, Suspect Wang, tied up like a hairy crab.

The female anchor continued, "Last night was a sleepless night for the citizens of the Lower District. Countless residents united as one, taking it upon themselves to punish evil, and actively gathered clues. They finally pinpointed the residential area where Suspect Wang was located and captured him in one fell swoop. Today, we have invited this man-on-the-street hero—"

Brother Wei's fierce and menacing face appeared in the middle of the TV screen.

Brother Wei's performance last night was truly heroic. After the police arrived, reporters came over for an overnight interview, and the TV station even invited him onto the news program to tell everyone what had happened.

This matter greatly bothered the actor Zhang Xiaohui.

An on-screen opportunity he had struggled to get for so many years on the fringes of the entertainment industry was thus snatched up by an outsider, Brother Wei.

Lu Yan had been waiting in front of the TV since early morning, and he finally caught the start of today's news.

Brother Wei seemed a bit shy and embarrassed to face the camera. His expression was very stiff, which made him look even more intimidating. Compared to the photo of the fugitive, Suspect Wang, next to him, Brother Wei actually looked more like the law-breaking criminal.

On the TV.

Host: "May I ask how you found Suspect Wang's whereabouts?"

Brother Wei: "Never give up, dig three feet deep."

Host: "I heard that four members in total participated in this event."

Brother Wei: "Yes."

Host: "What made you willing to fight with Suspect Wang in such a critical situation, disregarding your own safety?"

'It was the one hundred thousand.'

Lu Yan thought.

However, Brother Wei was a man with a dream. He said with great ambition, "To maintain peace in society."

Just as Lu Yan was about to complain to Xiao Heng, he heard Xiao Heng ask him, "Where's the first-aid kit?"

Lu Yan was confused. He pointed to the cabinet. "On top."

"What? Are you sick somewhere?" Lu Yan asked again.

Xiao Heng took down the first-aid kit, his tone lazy. "Your guitar playing is already terrible."

Lu Yan: "..."

"Do you still want your hand or not?"

"..."

Xiao Heng added, "If you just stand there, is the disinfectant going to sterilize it for you automatically?" Only then did Lu Yan belatedly realize what he was talking about. He looked down at his palm. "Ah, I forgot."

He really had forgotten.

He had returned very late yesterday and hadn't noticed it while showering. After being soaked in water, the wound looked a bit scary.

Xiao Heng: "Get over here."

Lu Yan held up his phone and took two steps back, retreating to the edge of the sofa. The phone screen was recording Brother Wei's face. "You're not working today?" Lu Yan extended a hand.

"Your daddy took the day off," Xiao Heng said.

"..." Lu Yan was speechless for a moment. "Are you addicted to being a dad?"

"It's alright."

Lu Yan's response was a raised middle finger.

Lu Yan had assumed this guy's skill at applying medicine would be terrible, that he'd be rough and heavy-handed. He had already steeled himself for a sudden poke somewhere that would make him flinch in pain.

After the iodine was applied, apart from the slight sting of the antiseptic on the wound, there was no sudden poke that made him flinch.

The TV screen cut to a commercial.

Lu Yan put his phone down and turned his head just in time to see Xiao Heng applying the medicine.

...It really couldn't be described as diligent.

Looking at him, one would think he found it quite annoying, just like when he was mixing formula before: 'I don't want to do this.'

However, the man had his head lowered, the pads of his fingers resting against his wrist, warm and dry.

The warmth seeped through his skin.

The commercial ended, and the sound effect for the daily news played.

The host asked a few more questions.

At the end of the interview, the topic finally turned to the reward money that Lu Yan cared about.

Host: "Regarding the one hundred thousand yuan reward—"

In the few short seconds it took for the host to say this, Lu Yan had already gone through a series of mental calculations. He tapped the back of Xiao Heng's hand with his finger and began to discuss how to split the money: "For this hundred thousand, we'll be fine taking twenty percent."

After all, Brother Wei had the highest damage output on the team.

At most, they were just support.

Xiao Heng was still applying medicine to him. "Don't fucking move."

After Lu Yan finished dividing the money in his head, he started to fantasize about how he would spend it once he got it. "When I get the money, I'll first get a new synthesizer..." On the TV screen.

Before the female host could finish talking about the reward money, Brother Wei abruptly stood up. He interrupted the host's words, and also interrupted Lu Yan's fantasy. "I don't want the money!"

Brother Wei scratched his head at the camera and said, "I'm truly ashamed to accept it. I didn't do much. This one hundred thousand should be given to people who need it more! I'm willing to donate this one hundred thousand to the poor!"

Lu Yan: "..."

Xiao Heng: "..."

Brother Wei was still continuing his heroic speech. "As a citizen of society, I was just fulfilling my duty! I didn't catch the fugitive for the reward money, it was all for justice!"

After his heroic speech, in front of all the viewers in Xiajing City, he began to recall that summer when he failed his exams at eighteen, full of melancholy. "Actually, I've always had a dream in my heart."

In front of the TV, the impoverished citizen Lu Yan's mentality collapsed.

A certain down-and-out young master, who barely survived on an advance on his salary from the internet cafe owner, also paused his hand as he was packing up the first-aid kit.

Lu Yan: "What is he saying?"

Xiao Heng: "Is that something a human would say?"

Lu Yan: "Is he even human?"

"..." Lu Yan with great difficulty tore his gaze away from the TV, finally letting out a question from the depths of his soul, "Are we not poor enough?"

The host clearly didn't expect that this enthusiastic citizen who captured the fugitive had such a story behind him. The title given in the script was just the words 'man-on-the-street hero'.

Out of respect, the host went off-script and couldn't help but ask, "Sir, what is your name?"

The camera zoomed in.

The lights in the news studio focused on the top of Brother Wei's head, making his tough forehead shine smoothly.

But what shone even brighter was the brilliant light in the depths of Brother Wei's eyes.

Brother Wei faced the camera, at this highlight moment of his life, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet. After a long while, he looked at the camera nervously yet solemnly and said, "My surname is Zhou. My name is Zhou Mingwei."

This was actually an ordinary scene.

But Lu Yan was suddenly stunned.

He was no longer thinking about the one hundred thousand yuan, or the electronic effects processor that had slipped through his fingers. At that instant, for some reason, his mind went blank, except for Brother Wei's line, "My name is Zhou Mingwei."

On the TV, the host was saying, "Let's give a warm round of applause to thank this Mr. Zhou."

Then the news program entered its final segment. A familiar end-credits song, one that hadn't changed in over a decade, began to play. The show was over.

"I," Lu Yan scratched his hair, not knowing what to say. "This is the first time I've ever known Brother Wei's name."

Lu Yan added, "Brother Wei has lived in this building for many years. Everyone usually calls him Brother Wei. Anyway, just calling him Brother Wei is fine." After calling him Brother Wei for so long, no one cared if his surname was Zhang or Wang.