The Bund Storms, Chapter 33: When Affection Fades, Only You Know the Warmth and Coldness of Your Own Heart

As Chen Lin’s sedan reached the city gate, it was intercepted by several yamen runners.

As a bodyguard, Pan Qiliang was highly conscientious. He immediately moved into a defensive stance, stepping in front of the sedan door to block the runners. Seeing such a burly man standing in their way, the runners did not dare to act rashly.

Chen Lin’s heart skipped a beat. Why would the county yamen be intercepting him in broad daylight? He pinched the corner of the sedan curtain with his fingertips, quietly lifting a slit to peer outside.

Just then, a familiar voice, tinged with authority, came from beyond the crowd: "Move aside. Official business."

As the words fell, a man dressed in the black uniform of a constable pushed his way through. It was Tie Liang. He swept a glance at Pan Qiliang before turning his eyes to the sedan. "Chen Lin, come with me to the county yamen. There are some matters that require your explanation."

Chen Lin took a deep breath, slowly lifted the curtain, and stepped out with a steady gait and a forced smile. "Constable Tie?" He asked with a touch of feigned confusion, spreading his hands. "I am not sure what this is about. I am a law-abiding citizen."

Tie Liang looked left and right; the city gate was bustling with people, many of whom were craning their necks to look toward them. He lowered his voice, his tone softening slightly. "It is crowded here, so I will grant you some face. Just come back to the yamen and explain everything clearly; I will not make things difficult for you."

Chen Lin’s brow furrowed imperceptibly, his fingertips clenching inside his sleeves.

Jenny had also stepped out of the sedan. She hurried to Chen Lin’s side and whispered in English, "Jack, what is going on?"

"I am not sure," Chen Lin replied, turning to her, his speech rapid. "But it is certainly nothing good. Go back and help me find Mr. Hobson. Tell him I am a Chinese resident registered in the concession, and explain the situation here—he will know what to do."

After a pause, he added with a hint of caution, "Also, send someone to the Gu family to let them know."

Xiao Jingzi had mentioned to him that Gu Fuchang and Magistrate Wu Yun were both from Huzhou and shared a good relationship. Having another connection might offer a sliver of a turning point.

"Alright, let's go," Tie Liang urged from the side, his fingertips already resting on the hilt of his saber.

Chen Lin nodded. Just as he was about to move, Pan Qiliang suddenly stepped forward again, shielding him once more, his voice resonant and firm: "If you want to take our Mr. Chen, you must take me as well."

Tie Liang stared at Pan Qiliang, a flash of realization in his eyes. "You are Pan Qiliang?" He raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with disdain. "You haven't committed a crime, so why should I take you?"

As a constable, Tie Liang naturally knew of Pan Qiliang, who moved in the underworld of Shanghai.

"Is it absolutely necessary to have committed a crime to accompany him?" Pan Qiliang retorted with a stubborn, reckless air.

Before Tie Liang could refute him, he saw Pan Qiliang’s fist fly—a massive fist aimed straight for his eye socket, moving with such speed it left no time to react.

With a dull thud, Tie Liang felt a sharp, searing pain in his eye socket, which instantly turned red. He reflexively hunched over, clutching his eye, and pointed at Pan Qiliang with his other hand, his voice trembling. "You... you... seize him!"

Only then did the surrounding runners react, rushing forward to pin Pan Qiliang down in a chaotic scramble. Pan Qiliang did not resist, instead baring his teeth in a grin at Chen Lin.

Chen Lin watched this scene with wide eyes—what kind of bizarre maneuver was this?

And so, Chen Lin and Pan Qiliang were escorted by the runners toward the county yamen. Upon arrival, Tie Liang was reasonably fair; he did not leave Chen Lin waiting in the cells and brought him in for interrogation immediately.

Inside the interrogation room, the candlelight flickered. Tie Liang sat behind the official desk, the bruise on his eye socket particularly conspicuous. He slammed a stack of depositions onto the table, his voice cold enough to freeze. "Chen Lin, did you kill Liu Wei?"

Chen Lin sat below, his back straight, his tone calm. "Constable Tie, I do not understand what you are talking about. Do you think I have the ability to kill someone?"

He denied it outright.

Tie Liang’s evidence could not directly implicate him—when he had left the sedan earlier, Chen Lin had deliberately left his weapons inside, preventing the runners from seizing them. If those items were found, they would have become solid material evidence. Now, all Tie Liang had were Chen Lin’s "motive" and "opportunity"—such as the previous conflict between Chen Lin and Liu Wei, and the fact that Chen Lin had indeed been in the county seat that day. But these were merely conjectures based on reasoning, not ironclad proof.

Yet, in this era, what talk was there of "nullum crimen sine lege" in the yamen? Torture to extract confessions was the norm.

Tie Liang was an upright man with a sense of justice. He knew Liu Wei was a villain who deserved to die. However, he could not release the man based solely on Chen Lin's word—the Liu Wei case was being supervised by the prefectural government; if he released the prisoner on his own authority, he would have no way to answer for it.

After struggling for a long time, Tie Liang waved his hand. "Lock him in the dungeon!"

In the end, Chen Lin was thrown into the county jail. This dungeon was worlds apart from the prisons of later generations. The cell door was narrow, allowing only one person to pass sideways. The interior consisted of a few dark, damp compartments, the air thick with a musty, foul odor that made one’s nose wrinkle. A small, half-foot-square window on the back wall, barred with thick wooden stakes, allowed only a sliver of faint light to filter in. The floor was covered with moldy straw crawling with damp-loving insects and fleas, and the sound of rustling could be heard from time to time.

Before the interrogation, the other prisoners had been cursing at Chen Lin, acting like tough men not to be trifled with. But now, they all hung their heads, squatting in the corners with disheveled hair, not even daring to breathe loudly.

After the escorting runners left, the prisoners suddenly looked up, kneeling in unison toward him, their voices filled with sycophancy. "Master Chen, we were wrong! We shouldn't have cursed you earlier. You are a magnanimous person; please don't hold it against us!"

Chen Lin was stunned for a moment, turning to look at Pan Qiliang with an inquiring gaze. Pan Qiliang raised an eyebrow and, imitating Chen Lin, extended his right hand, rubbing his thumb against his index finger.

Chen Lin understood instantly and couldn't help but smile, waving a hand at the prisoners. "Don't worry, I'm not that petty."

With that, he walked over to sit beside Pan Qiliang. In the entire cell, only the straw under Pan Qiliang was dry, and even the ground around him looked as if it had been specially swept, free of any debris.

Chen Lin thought to himself—sure enough, no matter where one goes, there is an underworld. When it came to handling these matters, he was truly not as adept as a seasoned underworld figure like Pan Qiliang.

"What exactly did you do?" Pan Qiliang leaned toward Chen Lin, his voice low and his tone filled with curiosity.

"They say I killed Liu Wei," Chen Lin said nonchalantly, as if speaking of someone else’s affairs.

Pan Qiliang’s eyes widened in shock. "You... did you really kill Liu Wei?"

Chen Lin did not answer directly but asked instead, "What do you think? Do I look like I did?"

Pan Qiliang examined Chen Lin carefully and shook his head. "Doesn't look like it. Liu Wei was a villain, but he had decent fighting skills." He lifted the hair at the back of his head, revealing a two-inch-long scar. "See that? This scar was left by him. I still remember—that guy had no humanity; he only knew how to bully orphans and widows. I wanted to take care of him for a long time." He looked at Chen Lin, his tone turning grave. "If you really were the one to kill that bastard, I respect you as a hero for ridding the people of a scourge."

Chen Lin sighed and changed the subject. "Let's not talk about that. Why did you insist on coming in with me?"

Pan Qiliang scratched his head, smiling bashfully. "I, Pan Qiliang, value loyalty above all else. Brother Chuan told me to protect you, so I must do it. Besides, you paid me for it."

Chen Lin couldn't help but laugh. It seemed his payment had not been in vain.

Bored in the cell, Chen Lin began to chat with Pan Qiliang. The two talked back and forth, growing more compatible and gaining a deeper understanding of each other. Pan Qiliang explained that as a child, he was sold as an apprentice because his family was too poor to feed him. Later, unable to bear the master's abuse, he ran away, eventually drifting to the Shanghai Bund and becoming a small-time hoodlum. Fortunately, he was clever, and after learning some martial arts from a street performer, he managed to gather a group of followers around the City God Temple, finally finding a foothold. Despite his rough appearance, Pan Qiliang was not slow-witted, and could even be described as "having refined thoughts within a rough exterior."

Meanwhile, Tie Liang had returned home. He sat on a stone stool in his courtyard with a cup of cold tea in hand, though he had not taken a single sip. His heart felt as if it were weighed down by a heavy stone, refusing to settle. Although Chen Lin had been covering his tracks, based on his years of experience in solving cases, Tie Liang believed it was highly likely that Chen Lin was the killer. He knew Liu Wei was a villain who deserved his fate. But the country had its laws, and the family had its rules—even if Chen Lin had acted to remove a scourge, the act of taking a life was still a violation of the law.

Release Chen Lin? Then where would that leave the laws of the Great Qing? If others followed suit, wouldn't the world fall into chaos? But if he were to convict Chen Lin...

He had no concrete evidence. Furthermore, Chen Lin had risked his life to save Hu San from the foreigners, which showed the boy was kind-hearted, courageous, and resourceful. Tie Liang could not bear to convict him just like that.

What was he to do? Tie Liang rubbed his throbbing temples, his head aching.

As the sky gradually darkened, the light in the cell dimmed. Chen Lin leaned against the wall, his anxiety mounting. There was still no word from the reinforcements he had sought. It seemed he would have to spend the night in the county jail.

In the British Concession north of the city, Jenny was hurrying into Mr. Dent’s office. She grabbed his arm the moment she entered, speaking with rapid urgency: "Daddy, this is bad! Chen Lin has been arrested by the county yamen! We must find a way to save him!"

However, Mr. Dent did not seem to care, instead asking with a frown: "How did the negotiation with the Gu family go? Was it successful?"

Jenny paused for a moment before nodding. "It was. The Gu family agreed to cooperate with us, and the silk matter has been settled."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Dent’s face broke into a smile. He reached out to pat Jenny on the shoulder. "Excellent! That is the most important thing." He asked casually, as if only just remembering the arrest, "Chen Lin was arrested? How did that happen?"

Seeing her father’s reaction, Jenny felt a surge of disappointment—it turned out that in her father’s eyes, only profit mattered. She bit her lip and continued, "Father, we must save Chen Lin first."

"Why? Didn't the Gu family agree to cooperate?" Mr. Dent spread his hands, his tone dismissive. "Can’t you handle the follow-up? Chen Lin was arrested by their government; what can we do? If his crime is minor, we will pay to bail him out; if it is severe, then he brought it upon himself."

"No!" Jenny retorted urgently. "The Gu family made the agreement with Chen Lin! I don't know what method he used, but at first, the people from the Gu family were very arrogant and ignored us completely. If something happens to Chen Lin, the cooperation might fall through!"

To save Chen Lin, Jenny had to reveal the truth—which was effectively an admission that she had played no significant role in the negotiation, lowering her standing in her father's eyes. But she could no longer concern herself with that.

Mr. Dent’s expression darkened. After a moment of silence, he waved his hand. "Alright, go out first and let me think."

Helpless, Jenny had to turn and leave the office. Just outside, she saw James waiting anxiously. As soon as he saw her, he hurried over: "Miss, how did it go? Did Mr. Dent agree to save Chen Lin?"

Jenny shook her head, her tone filled with frustration. "No. Daddy only cares about the cooperation and doesn't care at all about Chen Lin’s safety."

James looked toward Mr. Dent’s office, frowning in disappointment. "Then what do we do now? We can't just watch Chen Lin sit in jail."

"We can only go to Reverend Hobson," Jenny said, biting her lip. "Before we parted, Chen Lin told me—if anything happened to him, I should ask Mr. Hobson for help."

James paused. "Reverend Hobson? Is he very close to Chen Lin? Will he agree to help?" His tone was full of doubt.

"I don't know," Jenny shook her head, though her gaze had become firm. "Regardless, we must try. We cannot just sit and wait for death."

At the same time, the Gu residence in Yu Garden had also received news of Chen Lin’s arrest. Gu Fuchang sat in the parlor, his fingers tapping gently on the tabletop. He had already sent Gu Shousong to the yamen to inquire about the situation and was now waiting for word.

Before long, Gu Shousong hurried back. He stood bowing beside Gu Fuchang, reporting with a rush of breath: "Father, it was Tie Liang who took him. I inquired through a clerk at the yamen; it seems Chen Lin is involved in the death of Liu Wei—Tie Liang suspects Chen Lin killed him."

Gu Fuchang turned his head sharply, his eyes as sharp as blades. "Do you believe it?" He scoffed with disdain. "A frail boy like Chen Lin, capable of killing Liu Wei? That is pure fantasy! Hasn't this Tie Liang always been an impartial enforcer of the law? How could he make such a foolish mistake?"

"Father, it is precisely because Tie Liang is always impartial that it suggests the possibility of Chen Lin being the killer is high," Gu Shousong replied cautiously, fearing he might anger his father. "If there were no evidence at all, Tie Liang would not have made an arrest so lightly."

Gu Fuchang fell silent. He rubbed the armrest of his master chair, his eyes deep and contemplative. After a long while, he spoke, his tone calm: "Then, do you think we should save him?"

Gu Shousong’s heart tightened; this seemed like a life-or-death question.