Chapter 22

Baroque 2, Justice and Morality.

After the incident, Mo Fei drove Anger back to the gallery. It wasn't until they parked the car, entered the house, and closed the door that Mo Fei let out a sigh of relief, thinking how reckless he had been. Thankfully, Anger was oblivious, or he might have been frightened by Mo Fei's boldness, potentially jeopardizing his job... He really liked the gallery and wanted to stay close to Anger.

After glancing at Anger again, Mo Fei sat down on the sofa. It was nearly nine, Anger's bedtime. Sure enough, Anger yawned, took off his coat, and went upstairs to shower and prepare for bed.

Sitting on the sofa, Mo Fei listened to the sound of Anger showering upstairs. The water's sound calmed his agitated heart. Looking at his hand, he noticed some bloodstains, splatters from the recent altercation. Mo Fei, head lowered, reflected on the impulsive violence he had just engaged in, feeling a sudden fear... Living with Anger, he almost forgot who he really was. Could one's true nature never truly be erased?

After sitting for a while, unable to calm his mind, Mo Fei finally picked up the phone and dialed a number he knew by heart. As the phone rang, Mo Fei felt his heart gradually settling.

"Hello?" The call was answered by a gentle, calming female voice, sounding somewhat aged. She patiently repeated her question a few times, receiving no response, and then fell silent for a moment before softly advising, "It's getting cold outside, remember to wear an extra layer when you go out." After a sigh, she hung up the phone.

Mo Fei was dazed for a long time before putting down the phone. Upstairs, Anger, having finished his shower and drying his hair, came out to see Mo Fei sitting blankly on the sofa. Anger leaned on the railing of the corridor, watching for a while, then asked, "Mo Fei, aren't you going to sleep? Have a shower and then sleep."

"…Yeah, okay." Mo Fei gathered himself, stood up, and went to shower. It took a while under the running water for the warmth to bring him back to his senses. He sighed internally, berating himself for being so weak. After all these years, he still couldn't control his temper, fearing that one day it might lead to something terrible.

……

Dressed in pajamas, Mo Fei shook his head, feeling downcast as he walked out of the bathroom. Noticing that Anger's room door was already closed, he prepared to go to his own room to sleep but then caught sight of the door to Anger's studio being open.

On a whim, Mo Fei walked over and gently pushed the studio door open. Entering the studio, he casually flipped on the light, illuminating the room. He paused in surprise... In the center of the studio on an easel was a new oil painting by Anger, depicting a naked man standing, seemingly looking off the canvas, beautifully proportioned with a slender physique exuding a sense of strength, his head slightly bowed, wet hair... His eyes held a faint melancholy and confusion.

Mo Fei looked closely for a while, realizing the man was himself... He recognized those features from the mirror. But in his own mind, his image wasn't supposed to be so harmless and sorrowful; at least... there should be a hint of ferocity.

Sitting down on the floor, Mo Fei stared blankly at the painting. He didn't know how much time passed before he heard a low voice at the door saying, "You look like a lost puppy."

Startled, Mo Fei turned and saw Anger standing at the doorway, arms crossed, leaning against the frame, watching him.

After a moment of eye contact, Mo Fei asked, "Anger... Aren't you sleeping?"

"Hmm," Anger nodded, gesturing with his hand towards Mo Fei, "Time for bed."

Mo Fei stood up and followed Anger out to the corridor. Hesitating at the door, he saw Anger inside, beckoning him in. Mo Fei then followed him into the room.

"Close the door and turn off the lights," Anger said as he lay down on the bed. Mo Fei complied, shutting the door and turning off the lights before feeling his way in the dark and lying down beside Anger.

Noticing Mo Fei lying there with his eyes slightly open, lost in thought, Anger whispered to him, "Let's sleep."

Mo Fei slowly closed his eyes, a wave of weariness washing over him, and gradually drifted off into sleep...

……

The next morning, Mo Fei was awakened by the sound of birds chirping. Opening his eyes, he realized he had slept soundly through the night. Glancing at the wall clock, it was only six o'clock. Mo Fei felt comfortably rested and was just recalling his sleep when he noticed his arm was pinned down. Looking down, he saw Anger wrapped in a blanket, using his arm as a pillow, fast asleep.

Mo Fei was taken aback. Anger was sleeping entirely in his arms. He knew that Anger hardly moved while sleeping, which meant it must have been him who had drawn Anger close.

Feeling a bit awkward about it, Mo Fei gently extracted his arm from under Anger's head, got out of bed, and went to make breakfast. The emotions of the previous night seemed distant, like a dream. Mo Fei took the clothes he had changed out of in the bathroom to wash, squatting in front of the washing machine, watching the clothes tumble in the water...

Just then, the doorbell rang... Who could it be this early?

Mo Fei, a bit puzzled, went downstairs to find a delivery person standing at the door with a large box. Seeing Mo Fei, the courier waved and called out, "Parcel delivery."

Mo Fei opened the door and asked, "For whom?"

"Uh..." The delivery person glanced at the package slip and replied, "It's for someone named Anger."

Mo Fei nodded, took the package, signed for it, and weighed it in his hands, feeling its heft. He decided to place the package on the table to open with Anger after he woke up, and then continued with preparing breakfast.

Meanwhile, Anger, feeling colder and colder in bed, finally woke up to find Mo Fei no longer beside him. Sitting up and rubbing his chin in thought, he mused that Mo Fei's body was so warm; sleeping together in winter must be very comfortable.

Getting dressed and out of bed, Anger yawned and staggered downstairs where Mofei was just bringing out a dish, saying to Anger, "You've got a package."

Anger sat at the table and blinked at the box, saying, "Mofei, this box is bleeding."

Startled by this, Mofei came over for a look and saw bloodstains at the bottom of the box.

Mofei moved the dishes aside on the table and lifted the box slightly, revealing a pool of blood seeping from the box's seams.

"What's inside?" Mofei checked the sender's name and address, found them blank, and asked Anger, "Do you know what's in there?"

Anger raised an eyebrow. "I don't know."

Mofei fetched scissors and gently cut open the box's sealing tape. As they opened the lid and looked inside, both furrowed their brows sharply.

Inside the box were two bloody human heads. Mofei, shocked, almost dropped the scissors and looked at Anger.

Anger stared at the heads for a long time, then said to Mofei, "Mofei, they are the two from last night."

Upon closer inspection, Mofei realized they were indeed the two troublemakers from last night's alley, who had provoked Anger and got beaten up by him.

"How could this happen?" Mofei, puzzled, turned to Anger. "Should we call the police?"

"Hmm..." Anger frowned, nodded, but kept staring at the two heads.

It wasn't long before Os hurried over with his team. Upon entering, he saw Anger and Mofei sitting on the sofa by the coffee table, eating porridge. On the table was an open box containing two human heads.

Os found the scene eerie and quipped, "You guys didn't use them for your porridge, did you?"

Anger glanced at him with disgust and retorted, "Os, that's really disgusting."

Os glanced at the heads and asked Anger, "Who did you offend this time?"

Anger ate his porridge silently while Mofei recounted the previous night's events: their visit to Baroque Bar, the encounter in the alley with the two men who provoked Anger, and how he had beaten them up.

After hearing this, Os frowned and scolded Anger, "Didn't I tell you to stay away from the Black JK matter?"

Anger, having finished his porridge, elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "Yes, you did tell me, but why should I listen to you?"

"You..." Os, always at a loss with Anger, rolled his eyes to the heavens and asked the forensic team nearby, "Is everything done?"

"Yes," one of the forensic officers replied to Os, "It seems similar to the previous few cases."

"Cases?" Anger, with sharp ears, caught their conversation and looked up at Os.

"The bar you went to last night was Baroque, right?" Os asked, "The one that's a gathering spot for homosexuals?"

Anger turned to look at Mofei.

"Pretty much," Mofei nodded.

"So, Anger was harassed?" Os asked.

Mofei nodded again, prompting an eye roll from Anger.

"There have been two similar cases before," Os said. "Three months ago, behind a bar called Blue Note, a young man was assaulted. The next morning, he received a package containing the head of the man who had assaulted him."

Mofei and Anger exchanged a look, slightly shocked.

"Another incident happened a month ago. A girl was harassed outside the Omer Bar... but the bartender saved her. The next morning, she also received the harasser's head."

"A girl?" Anger seemed puzzled.

"Omer is a bar primarily for lesbian clientele," Os explained, then winked, "I've been there for the investigation... lots of beauties."

Anger gave him another disgusted look and asked, "The cases are so old, why haven't they been solved yet?"

"Well..." Os shook his head, "They're tough cases. On one hand, there's insufficient evidence and suspects. On the other, the victims refuse to provide much information. They see the avenger as a hero, maintaining order in the area. They argue if the police were effective, outsiders wouldn't need to intervene. They believe the police should focus on catching the real criminals, not those who punish them."

"Hmm," Anger stroked his chin, "That makes sense."

"Makes sense, my foot," Os scoffed, "If everyone thought like that, it would be chaos. We live in a society governed by law! If everything's settled privately, what's the need for police?"

"Os," Anger, sipping the tea Mofei poured for him, said earnestly, "You can't deny the existence of dark forces... There are many shady corners where the sun doesn't shine, and order needs to be maintained there too. That's why most people wish for the existence of figures like Spider-Man or Batman, representing a kind of justice that's more efficient and pure, beyond the law."

"And then?" Os looked at him with a mix of amusement and disbelief, "Your idea of justice brought you two heads. Are we investigating this case or not?"

Anger sipped his tea, slightly displeased, and said, "Investigate."

As Mofei stood up to clear the dishes, the forensic team finished their work and left. Os sat down beside Anger, noticing Mofei busy in the kitchen, and whispered to Anger, "Do you really know the background of this guy with you?"

Anger paused, then looked at Os, "You mean Mofei?"

"Yes." Os handed a file to Anger, "I looked into it earlier. Do you want to see? Despite appearances, he's known in K City for his violence."

Anger didn't take the file, merely sipping his tea and said calmly, "I trust my grandmother's intuition and my own judgment more than the information you've pulled from a computer."

After speaking, he put down his cup and called out to Mofei in the kitchen, "Mofei, no need to prepare tea for Os. We're going out soon."

"Oh..." Mofei placed the dishes and went upstairs to change.