Good and Evil Chapter Fourteen Xu Lang

Behind every person’s success lies a story of hardship and sorrow.

Xu Lang was a man surrounded by controversy. In S City, the mention of his name always elicited two distinct reactions. One camp believed Xu Lang was born to be a police officer, worthy of the organization’s cultivation—Lu Ye was among these, and Xu Lang did not disappoint him. Since being specially recruited from the police academy into the Second Division of Criminal Investigation by Lu Ye, Xu Lang had, in his three years on the force, solved case after baffling case. Every time, Xu Lang was always the first to spot the overlooked clues and evidence, leading to the apprehension of suspects. In contrast to this chorus of praise and admiration, the second voice was far less kind—and this stemmed from Xu Lang’s family background.

Xu Lang’s grandfather, Xu Yu, was a veteran of the Red Army. After the national liberation, he fought in the Korean War and died on the battlefield. His grandmother, gravely ill, passed away just before the liberation. When Xu Yu sacrificed his life, Xu Lang’s father, Xu Yuan, was only eighteen.

Xu Yuan did not disappoint his father. He was admitted to university, joined the Party, and became a people’s police officer. For over twenty years in law enforcement, Xu Yuan was always on the front lines, cracking countless major cases, apprehending innumerable criminals. Policing is a high-risk profession, fraught with mortal danger; Xu Yuan himself was gravely injured several times in the line of duty.

Xu Yuan’s wife—Xu Lang’s mother—was Zhang Lan, a doctor at the First People’s Hospital of S City. She and Xu Yuan met while he was hospitalized, having been stabbed three times by a criminal, his intestines spilling out. If not for timely medical intervention, Xu Lang would never have been born. Zhang Lan was Xu Yuan’s attending physician. During his stay, they grew close; after his discharge, they kept in touch, fell in love, and eventually married. Three years later, Zhang Lan gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Xu Chan. The following year, she was pregnant again and gave birth to their second child—Xu Lang.

This should have been a time of happiness, but everything changed when Xu Lang was five. That year, one stormy night, Xu Lang was jolted awake by thunder. Frightened, and discovering his mother gone and his sister away at their grandmother’s, he got up to look for his mother. What he found in the living room was his father, Xu Yuan, covered in blood, sitting motionless—while his mother, Zhang Lan, lay dead, her body already cold. The sight petrified Xu Lang; he stood frozen, then broke into hysterical sobs, pushing his mother’s lifeless body and calling out to her over and over.

A homicide had occurred. The police arrived swiftly, taking away the bloodied Xu Yuan. After a cursory investigation, they found no footprints other than those of the family. Xu Yuan was covered in blood, and with investigative methods still rudimentary, the torrential rain and the throngs of people who entered the scene destroyed much crucial evidence. At trial, Xu Yuan was convicted as Zhang Lan’s murderer. Murder was already a capital crime, but for a police officer to commit it was a scandal, bringing immense negative impact to the police and the government. Xu Yuan was sentenced to death.

He appealed, but to no avail. Before the sentence could be carried out, Xu Yuan maintained his innocence, and ultimately hanged himself in prison. In the span of days, young Xu Lang lost both parents—his mother to murder and his father to suicide. From then on, he and his sister were orphaned, left to the care of their grandmother, who raised them as best she could.

Had life continued in this vein, at least they would have still had each other and their grandmother. But ten years ago, when Xu Lang was fifteen, tragedy struck anew—his sister, Xu Chan, disappeared one weekend while returning home. A week later, she was found, her seventeen-year-old body dismembered into as many pieces as her age and stuffed into a suitcase, discarded in the river.

The forensic report determined that Xu Chan had not been sexually assaulted or tortured, but she had been dismembered alive. The killer’s methods were highly professional, the incisions avoiding all joints—a sign of deep anatomical knowledge. The police suspected a doctor or someone with similar expertise, and scoured every hospital and clinic in the city, but the murderer was never found. After killing Xu Chan, the perpetrator vanished without a trace. To this day, the case remains unsolved, a decade-old cold case.

At fifteen, Xu Lang saw his sister’s mangled remains in the city morgue. Their grandmother, grief-stricken, soon fell ill and passed away. It was then that Xu Lang resolved to become a police officer, to find his sister’s killer and to uncover the truth behind his mother’s murder. He refused to believe his father—a lifetime policeman—could have killed his wife.

Xu Lang applied to the police academy, and for his outstanding performance, was specially recruited by Lu Ye into the Second Division of Criminal Investigation—the very unit where his father once worked.

In the three years since joining the police, Xu Lang solved case after case. Yet everyone in the division knew he had a flaw: when dealing with cases of wife-killing or dismemberment, his attitude toward suspects was harsh, even vicious. For this, Lu Ye criticized him repeatedly, spoke with him privately, and even issued disciplinary actions, but Xu Lang remained unchanged—until three months ago, when he was suspended for assaulting a suspect in a wife-and-daughter murder case. Xu Lang resigned soon after.

His controversial reputation was not just due to his unconventional methods, but also his father’s case, which had sparked a nationwide sensation—not just because Xu Yuan killed his wife, but because he was a police officer.

Before he turned five, Xu Lang was happy. After his mother’s death and his father’s execution by suicide, his childhood became a bleak landscape. Bullied by his peers as the son of a murderer, he found solace only in his sister’s protection. Whenever she was present, she would shield him, fighting with the other children if need be. Afterwards, the siblings would cling to each other and weep.

Before the age of five, Xu Lang had parents, a sister, and a grandmother. Before fifteen, though orphaned, he still had his sister and grandmother’s care. But after his sister’s murder and his grandmother’s passing, he was truly alone.

Xu Lang became a police officer to catch his sister’s killer, and to find the real murderer of his mother.

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While the group chatted idly, the dishes began to arrive one by one. The first to dig in was Zhang Lei, renowned in the Second Division for his love of food—and for his stinginess. Some called him a “Pixiu,” a mythical beast said to attract wealth, but in his case, it was a veiled insult: Zhang Lei was notoriously tightfisted. He never missed a free meal, but the times he actually treated his colleagues could be counted on one hand. Even when he did, it was only for cheap hotpot at a street stall. Eventually, no one bothered urging him to host dinners anymore.

Zhang Lei’s family background was actually quite comfortable. Both his parents were teachers, with modest but decent incomes. As an only child with no siblings, no girlfriend, and no habits like smoking or drinking, no one knew where his salary went. Xu Lang had asked him once, but Zhang Lei, evasive as ever, would not answer, and Xu Lang never pressed the issue.

With the dishes on the table and the team finally gathered after work, they ordered two bottles of baijiu and some beer. Amidst the shifting lights and the clinking of glasses, conversation flowed freely. During the meal, Ning Yanran, sitting beside Xu Lang, turned to him and asked, “Xu Lang, you’re twenty-five now. Do you have a girlfriend?”

At her question, all eyes turned to Xu Lang. They were curious; in all his time with the Second Division, no one had ever seen him get close to any woman, not among the policewomen nor those outside the force. The only woman who had any sort of rapport with him was the medical examiner, Ye Xuefei, but theirs was strictly a friendship and professional relationship. In three years, nothing had developed between them, much to everyone’s disappointment.

Xu Lang took a sip of beer and replied, “No.”

Ning Yanran pressed, “Why not? You’re not bad looking. Surely some girls must like you?”

Before Xu Lang could answer, Ye Xuefei, uncharacteristically, blushed and lowered her head, silently eating.

Without looking up, Xu Lang continued to drink. “Why should I date?”

“Why not?” Ning Yanran persisted. “Don’t you plan to get married?”

At that, Xu Lang finally set down his glass, glanced at Ning Yanran, and said, “I’m going to the restroom.”

With that, he stood and left the private room.

After Xu Lang’s departure, a brief silence settled over the group. Ning Yanran herself wasn’t sure why she had asked. Since meeting Xu Lang, she had found him to be an enigma—always elusive, alternately near and far, close yet unattainable. Her curiosity grew, compelling her to unravel his mystery.

Zhang Lei, now sated after a day of retching, noticed the heavy silence and turned to Ning Yanran. “Captain, do you have a boyfriend?”

Ning Yanran, unfazed, answered forthrightly, “I’m single for now.”

Zhang Lei grinned mischievously. “Captain, what do you think of me? Would you consider it?”

“You?” Ning Yanran looked him up and down with her bright, beautiful eyes, then shook her head. “I’m not fond of gluttons.”

Laughter erupted, the room’s atmosphere lightening once more.

Zhang Lei, undeterred by Ning Yanran’s rejection, shrugged off the teasing. Suddenly, he blurted, “I think Captain and Brother Lang would make a good pair.”

Instantly, the liveliness in the room froze to ice. Everyone fell silent, first glancing at Ning Yanran, who showed no reaction, then at Ye Xuefei, whose bowed head concealed her expression.

As the others turned to glare at Zhang Lei, Ye Xuefei abruptly stood and walked out.

Li Lei quickly stood up and called after her, “Dr. Ye, where are you going?”

“The restroom,” she replied without looking back.

Li Lei sat down, shooting Zhang Lei a fierce glare before taking a deep swig of baijiu.

Realizing his blunder, Zhang Lei hung his head, his usual cheerfulness gone.

Ye Xuefei’s feelings for Xu Lang were an open secret, not only within the Second Division but throughout the S City police force. Xu Lang himself was well aware, yet the two always interacted as colleagues, rarely seen together outside work. This puzzled everyone. What surprised them most was that Xu Lang’s suspension was the result of Ye Xuefei’s injury assessment report.

When Xu Lang assaulted the suspect in the wife-and-daughter murder case, the entire Second Division was present. Though everyone loathed the killer, no one else resorted to violence—they were, after all, police officers. No matter how heinous the crime, the law must judge the guilty, and the police’s duty is to apprehend, not punish.

After Xu Lang’s beating, the suspect fell into a coma and was hospitalized with a moderate concussion. As the medical examiner, Ye Xuefei assessed and truthfully reported that the injury was caused by human force, leading to Xu Lang’s suspension. Xu Lang’s actions, though understandable, were unbefitting of a police officer and set a poor example. Ye Xuefei, in issuing her honest report, did nothing wrong, but it drew criticism upon her—especially within the Second Division.

After Xu Lang’s resignation, Ye Xuefei’s relationship with the team cooled dramatically, only improving somewhat with Ning Yanran’s arrival.

Seeing Ye Xuefei leave, Ning Yanran feared misunderstanding and promptly excused herself, “I’ll go check on Dr. Ye.”

After she left, Li Lei glared at Zhang Lei. “Can’t you keep your mouth shut even while eating? Next time, maybe we really should make you try barbecue pork made from human flesh.”

It was anger talking, and Zhang Lei, recognizing his mistake, said nothing. The room lapsed into silence again; no one had any appetite left.