Good and Evil, Chapter 100: A Peculiar Love Triangle

People are capable of becoming human because they possess emotions.

Tang Linyi was twenty-four years old that year. He and Tian Yang were classmates, close friends, and, more than that, lovers. Yes, he and Tian Yang were lovers.

After Tian Yang’s death, the investigation remained focused on Tian Yang and his deceased first love, Duan Yiling. During the early stages of the investigation, it was discovered by chance that Tian Yang and Duan Yiling had been born on the same day of the same month in the same year—and had been lovers. In fact, there was one more person born on that very same day: Tang Linyi.

Tang Linyi and Tian Yang had been playmates since childhood. Their parents were close friends, and the two families lived not far from each other. In the beginning, while both mothers were pregnant, their parents had jokingly promised that if either child turned out to be a girl, the two children would be betrothed. No one had expected, however, that both babies would be boys—and that they would be born on the same day of the same month in the same year. Naturally, the joke about betrothal came to nothing.

Tian Yang and Tang Linyi had always been close. They were playmates, comrades, and friends. From childhood onward, they went to school together, walked home together, and were inseparable. In the eyes of their parents, this was a good thing. After all, the two adults were close friends, and their children were close friends as well. Surely, they would one day accomplish something together. Thus, neither family objected to the boys’ companionship. There seemed no reason to oppose the friendship between two boys.

For the first ten years or so, things remained that way. But as the two children grew older, they not only entered high school and gradually reached adulthood—their minds and emotions began to change as well.

With economic growth, the expansion of the internet, and the arrival of the information age, many things gradually spread through the increasingly widespread use of the web. In itself, this should have been a good thing. The rise of the information age and the development of the internet had brought enormous convenience to people’s lives, allowing them to learn what was happening throughout the world without ever leaving home.

As the saying went, where there was light, there was also darkness. Where there was justice, evil naturally existed as well. While the internet was making life easier, various kinds of harmful information began spreading across it—including information about homosexuality.

Affection between a man and a woman was called love. Feelings between people of the same sex were called friendship. Whether it was the intimate bond between two girls or the brotherly affection between two boys, it was all described as friendship. But when such friendship broke through its restraints and developed into another kind of feeling, matters became complicated. That other feeling was love.

That was what happened to Tian Yang and Tang Linyi. The first time they encountered the term “homosexuality” was in middle school. At the time, they happened to have a class called biology, which briefly discussed the differences between men and women. Of course, people were still fairly conservative then. Teachers generally rushed through that section, explaining it vaguely and in passing. After all, it was difficult for a teacher in his forties or fifties to discuss such matters with a group of children barely in their teens.

The boys were also at the age of adolescence, when they were confused and ignorant and beginning to develop an interest in the opposite sex. Yet whether at school or at home, they were strictly forbidden from becoming romantically involved at such a young age. Naturally, there could not really be any serious early romances among middle-school students. Even when such feelings did occur, they were usually nothing more than a vague fondness. As for why they liked someone, the children themselves often could not explain it.

Eastern people tended to be conservative when it came to relations between men and women, especially girls, who were even more reluctant to speak openly about such matters.

With no member of the opposite sex to confide in, what could they do? They could only whisper privately with their closest friends, hiding beneath the blankets and discussing such secrets. That was exactly what Tian Yang and Tang Linyi did. They were confused, understood only fragments of what they were talking about, and happened to come of age just as the internet was beginning to flourish. By then, even ordinary well-to-do families had begun purchasing computers, and both Tian Yang’s and Tang Linyi’s families had done so.

With a computer, they could not only study more conveniently but also surf the internet and learn about things they were not yet supposed to know. The internet was a virtual world filled with all kinds of information, a chaotic mixture where every sort of strange and disordered material could be found. During one of their online explorations, they unexpectedly came across information about homosexuality—an article calling for homosexuality to be legalized.

The article was beautifully written, eloquent, and skillful. The subject of homosexuality had first emerged as a public issue abroad, and whether it was good or bad depended on each individual’s opinion. There was no need to discuss that here in detail. The important point was that two adolescents standing at the crossroads of puberty and rebellion, their minds not yet mature, could easily be led astray. Their parents and teachers, however, failed to notice this.

After reading the article, ripples stirred within the two boys’ confused hearts. They had only recently learned about reproduction in biology class, and both their school and their families forbade them from becoming involved with girls. They had no way to interact with girls on any deeper level. So what else could they do?

The two of them boldly embarked upon this forbidden love.

When Xu Lang heard this part, he could not help sighing inwardly. Ever since entering the police academy, he had encountered all kinds of criminals and dealt with offenders of every description. Many criminals had taken the wrong path because their parents had not cared enough about them or had neglected their family education. Some parents believed that sending a child to school and leaving the teaching to the instructors was sufficient. After the child returned home, the question parents asked most often was:

“Have you finished your homework?”

There was nothing inherently wrong with that. The problem was that very few parents or teachers paid attention to a child’s psychological changes. This was especially true during adolescence, when a child’s mind was still immature. Guidance and education concerning a child’s emotional and psychological development were far more important than academic instruction alone.

This forbidden love continued from their final year of middle school until they entered university. By then, they were adults, knew much more about the world, and had begun to mature mentally. They also understood that what they were doing could never be accepted by their families, their school, or society.

It was then that Tian Yang, who enjoyed spending time online, met a girl. Her name was Duan Yiling.

The two immediately hit it off through QQ. Although they had not yet met in person, they found it easy to talk to each other. Tian Yang was especially delighted when he learned that Duan Yiling shared his birthday. Their conversations naturally became even more frequent.

As Tian Yang’s brother and his special lover, Tang Linyi naturally knew how the two had met. Since childhood, the two boys had kept no secrets from each other.

At first, Tang Linyi was delighted that Tian Yang had met a girl. He even took the initiative to arrange a private meeting between them. Tian Yang and Duan Yiling’s first meeting took place with Tang Linyi’s help.

Duan Yiling was a delicate, pretty girl who appeared quiet and reserved. Tian Yang, meanwhile, was somewhat introverted and shy. They did not say much when they met, but they fell in love at first sight. From then on, their feelings developed rapidly, which was only natural.

At first, Tang Linyi fully supported Tian Yang and Duan Yiling’s relationship. He was highly intelligent and emotionally perceptive. At university, his handsome appearance, good physique, and eloquence naturally attracted many girls. Yet Tang Linyi politely rejected them all, for one simple reason: Tian Yang.

Whenever Tian Yang and Duan Yiling were dating, Tang Linyi helped create opportunities for them and secretly offered Tian Yang advice. After all, Tang Linyi and Duan Yiling were classmates, so he naturally knew far more about her than Tian Yang did.

With Tang Linyi’s assistance, Tian Yang soon began a relationship with Duan Yiling. At first, they were lovers only through QQ. During their third year of university, however, they officially became a couple in real life.

University life was, in truth, both happy and relatively easy. As long as a student did not fail his courses, he could obtain his diploma and degree upon graduation. University was not as tense or oppressive as high school, but students still had to study seriously if they wanted to pass their subjects and earn their qualifications.

Thus, throughout those four years, although Tian Yang was dating Duan Yiling, he spent most of his time with Tang Linyi. The three of them continued to maintain this unusual love triangle.

The only person unaware of the true nature of that relationship was Duan Yiling.

Tian Yang was introverted and shy, while Tang Linyi was outgoing and sunny. Their bond was that of special lovers, best friends, and brothers all at once. For more than twenty years, Tang Linyi had always been the one taking care of Tian Yang.

After graduating from university, Tian Yang found a job at a fashion design company, while Tang Linyi and Duan Yiling joined a financial firm. Leaving the relatively simple world of school and entering society—a vast dye vat of competing interests—dealt a considerable shock to all three of them. Compared with the uncomplicated friendships of their school days, professional life brought endless troubles and intrigue.

It was also during this period that the relationship between the three of them gradually changed. Tian Yang and Duan Yiling grew increasingly close, spending more and more time together. After graduation, they even began living together. This naturally left Tang Linyi neglected. Although he offered them his blessings, he also felt a profound sense of loss.

Still, they were all adults. They understood the difference between right and wrong, and Tang Linyi understood this as well.

Their unusual love triangle did not end there. A year after graduation, Tian Yang and Duan Yiling discussed the matter and each brought the other home to meet their parents, allowing both families to gradually become acquainted with the person they intended to spend their future with. Their parents were all pleased and readily gave their consent. Soon, news spread that the two intended to marry.

Since he planned to get married, Tian Yang naturally told his good friend—and special lover—Tang Linyi at the earliest opportunity.

The news was a happy one for Duan Yiling and, in a sense, for Tian Yang as well. But for Tang Linyi, it was anything but good. Once Tian Yang and Duan Yiling married, the secret relationship between Tian Yang and himself would have to end. That was something Tang Linyi could not accept.

After Tian Yang told him, the two drank heavily that night and spoke about countless things. Drunk, they did many reckless and outrageous things. After that night of madness, they decided to bring their forbidden love to an end.

Yet no one could have imagined that while Tian Yang and Duan Yiling were preparing for their wedding, Duan Yiling would die unexpectedly in a traffic accident.

The accident was impossible for either family to accept, and Tian Yang found it even harder to bear. The moment he learned of Duan Yiling’s death, his first thought was that she had not died accidentally at all—that Tang Linyi had plotted her murder.

He went to Tang Linyi and demanded to know why he had done it.

In fact, Xu Lang and Ning Yanran had harbored the same suspicion when they heard this part. Duan Yiling’s traffic accident had been so sudden and so horrific that their first thought was that her death must have had something to do with Tang Linyi. It was entirely possible that he had arranged her murder. After all, he had a powerful motive.

However, the preliminary investigation showed that Tang Linyi had had no opportunity to commit the crime around the time of the accident. He had a complete alibi, and many people could testify that Duan Yiling’s death had nothing to do with him. The investigation of the scene also confirmed that she had indeed died in an accidental traffic collision.

Xu Lang could understand why Tian Yang had gone to find Tang Linyi, and he knew why Tian Yang had done so. But Duan Yiling’s death truly had been an accident, leaving Tang Linyi—who was under overwhelming suspicion—unable to defend himself.

For the first time, these former friends, brothers, and special lovers became embroiled in a fierce argument that escalated into a physical confrontation. A crack appeared in their relationship—and this time, it split all the way through.

After Duan Yiling’s death, Tian Yang remained immersed in grief over her sudden passing. Once he had helped Duan Yiling’s mother arrange the funeral, he could not stop thinking that Tang Linyi had murdered her.

He therefore requested an extended leave of absence from his own company and went to work at Tang Linyi’s firm. He intended to investigate the truth behind Duan Yiling’s death.

Naturally, entering the financial company where Duan Yiling had worked was no easy matter. Since she was dead, the only person Tian Yang knew there was Tang Linyi. He sought Tang Linyi out and asked him to help him get into the company.

Faced with Tian Yang’s request, Tang Linyi agreed without hesitation. He assumed Tian Yang had finally come to understand that Duan Yiling’s accidental death had nothing to do with him. Tian Yang’s arrival at the company seemed like an excellent opportunity to repair their relationship, so Tang Linyi spared no effort in helping him.

With Tang Linyi’s assistance, Tian Yang entered the company where Duan Yiling had worked before her death without difficulty.

During that period, Tian Yang investigated Tang Linyi both openly and in secret, but ultimately found no clues. Deeply shaken and unwilling to accept the result, Tian Yang made an absurd decision: he resurrected Duan Yiling’s QQ account.

His purpose was to frighten Tang Linyi into revealing a weakness and confessing that he had murdered Duan Yiling.

At first, Tang Linyi noticed strange things happening on Duan Yiling’s QQ account. The bizarre status updates and the marked photographs left him confused and unsettled. Later, Tian Yang told him that Duan Yiling’s QQ account had seemingly returned from the dead, along with a series of extremely strange messages.

This truly frightened Tang Linyi. But at the same time, the first person he thought of was Tian Yang. Worried that something might have happened to him, Tang Linyi tried to comfort him.

Tian Yang’s mind, however, had already entered an extreme and irrational state. He could neither believe Tang Linyi nor feel moved by his concern. The more Tang Linyi tried to reassure him, the more convinced Tian Yang became that Duan Yiling’s death was deeply connected to him.

When a person’s thinking becomes trapped in a dead end, he can no longer take in anything anyone else says. Tian Yang was precisely such a person.

Tian Yang’s abnormal behavior alarmed Tang Linyi, who had grown up with him and remained inseparable from him for most of his life. Tang Linyi therefore began secretly investigating Tian Yang, trying to unravel the mystery of Duan Yiling’s apparently resurrected QQ account.

The answer was actually simple, and Tang Linyi solved it before long. Only Tian Yang and Duan Yiling’s mother knew the password to her account. Yet after Duan Yiling’s death, her mother had never logged into it again. Unless a hacker was responsible, Tian Yang was the only person who could have done it.

After uncovering the secret, Tang Linyi confronted Tian Yang and demanded to know why he had done such a thing. Tian Yang naturally refused to admit that he had orchestrated everything himself. Once again, the two became involved in a fierce argument, which inevitably escalated into a physical struggle.

After that confrontation, Tang Linyi was completely heartbroken. He decided to leave S City and begin a new life elsewhere.

Tian Yang, however, became convinced that Tang Linyi’s decision was proof of a guilty conscience. In his mind, Tang Linyi had discovered that Tian Yang was investigating him, feared that the truth would be exposed, and was preparing to flee.

Thus, when Tang Linyi submitted his resignation to the company, Tian Yang submitted his own resignation at the same time. Finally, one month earlier, the two of them left the financial firm together.

After resigning, Tang Linyi intended to leave S City, but Tian Yang stopped him. The two exchanged only a few words before their conversation once again descended into a bitter argument. The men who had once been brothers and special lovers finally went their separate ways.

Because Tian Yang prevented him from leaving, Tang Linyi remained in S City. At that point, his state of mind began to change as well. He started wondering whether his relationship with Tian Yang had ever been normal, and whether there was any reason to continue it.

It was then that something happened—something that completely transformed Tang Linyi’s state of mind and drove him to decide to kill Tian Yang.

Remember the permanent address of Ultimate Evil.