3 Rules

A somewhat inappropriate joke succeeded in stirring the stagnant air in the room, allowing it a breath of movement.

Fang Qingzhou’s rigid, defensive posture relaxed slightly as she leaned back, her hands resting on her lap twitching as she carefully wiped the cold sweat from her palms against her trousers.

Ji He keenly caught these subtle movements. Without a trace of acknowledgement, she withdrew her gaze and leaned back, crossing her legs with a sense of ease. Like an inquisitive student, she asked with great interest, "I have one more question. Why is this project called 'Anomaly Determination'? What is an anomaly? How do you determine it? And who does the determining?"

Fang Qingzhou declined with a polite evasion, "It is quite complicated to explain."

"That’s fine, I don't mind the trouble," Ji He said, reaching for her coffee and pressing on with brazen persistence. "You can't leave anyway; I might as well help you pass the time."

She reached for her cup only to realize it was empty. The nurse from earlier had forgotten her request for a refill, so she was forced to put it down in disappointment. As if half her life had suddenly been drained away, she slumped down with a heavy, dramatic sigh.

Her legs, long and straight, stretched out lazily beneath the table, almost brushing against Fang Qingzhou’s feet.

Fang Qingzhou often felt that she hardly seemed like a government official.

Fang Qingzhou tilted her head, stretched her neck, and organized her thoughts before starting: "Since you are a police officer, you must have seen many people who have gone astray because they could not bear their suffering. Human beings are inherently fragile. Compared to being dragged down by an unbearable past until one self-destructs—or worse, dragging others down with them—is it not a better choice to abandon the past and escape the endless mental torture?"

Ji He said firmly, "Those are only a tiny minority. Most people are constrained by morality and the law."

Fang Qingzhou’s tone was level, her breathing steady, as if she were reciting a text she had memorized long ago: "Pain intensifies, turning people into extremists. Even if they choose to endure it at the time, their tragic experiences—which differ from others—combined with the fact that their tormentors do not receive punishment equal to their own suffering, breed a sense of inferiority, resentment, and bitterness. In the future, when faced with any conflict, their threshold for killing will be much lower than that of a normal person."

The young man could not help but raise his hand, the urge to retort stirring within him: "Uh..."

Fang Qingzhou swept a quick glance at him without giving him a chance to speak, continuing: "Of course, these sound more like excuses, as they are essentially spoken from the perspective of blaming the victim. However, the dangers perceived by social morality and those perceived by legal order are indeed different."

The young man sheepishly lowered his hand, his chin held in his palm, lost in deep thought.

Fang Qingzhou’s throat felt dry. She swallowed hard and said nonchalantly, "Mimetic animals can change their form in different environments, but they do not truly become a leaf or a pile of sand just because they are in a rainforest or a desert. Just as an anomalous person cannot long disguise themselves beneath the rules of normal society."

"Regardless of how sentiment may sway or how right and wrong are distinguished, this is an unavoidable reality. They wish to return to normal, and so we provide the method."

Ji He’s expression was subtle. "So your original intention was to grant them release and salvation?"

Fang Qingzhou tilted her head. She was less certain than before, but still said, "Just as society needs psychiatrists to treat patients with mental illnesses, it is simply that we now have more effective means. The conflict lies in ethics, but for those who crave release and are powerless to achieve it, I do not believe my original intention is wrong."

When Ji He wasn't smiling, a faint, predatory sharpness would emerge in her eyes, like a carnivore measuring up its prey. She was clearly deconstructing every one of the other's disguises, yet her appearance remained kind and approachable. "Isn't this the very savior complex you were just disparaging?"

Fang Qingzhou cautiously defended herself, "I have no intention of controlling the lives of others. I advocate for the beauty of order and the maintenance of rules."

***

Ji He pressed the attack: "Sun Qingqing doesn't even have the ability to make her own decisions. She doesn't even know what society or family is. Your rules compel you to pity her, to control her life, and to define for her what is 'normal.' But this is not what she expected. You made a decision for Sun Qingqing; in the future, will you continue to make decisions for others out of self-righteous pity?"

Fang Qingzhou’s emotions were blank; she remained unmoved by the questioning and calmly countered: "Then what is the truly correct path? If she were to jump from the top of the Sanyao Building, would that be in accordance with the rules? If she continued her decaying life, trapped in a tiny room like a dog, would that be in accordance with the rules? Why is it not in accordance with the rules to allow someone to become a human being?"

"I hear your arrogance," Ji He said coldly. "Rules are rational, but emotions are irrational. To use rules as a standard while constantly wavering due to emotion will only cause desires to twist and swell in another direction. From the moment you wavered, you proved that you cannot firmly execute your own standards. If that is the case, by what right are you qualified to be an arbiter?"

Fang Qingzhou could only express regret: "It seems we have different viewpoints. But that is normal. We allow all voices. The future of science should not be limited."

Ji He stared at her steadily for more than ten seconds, unidentifiable emotions hidden in her half-closed eyes, as if she were looking at someone very far away from her.

"I can't imagine, I truly can't imagine..." her tone was light. "In your own eyes, Fang Qingzhou... you are such a person."

Many of her statements were incomprehensible, laced with a pretentious mystery. While she pressed with endless questions, she remained tight-lipped and evasive regarding her own doubts, causing Fang Qingzhou to feel an instinctive resistance toward her, subconsciously sensing that this person did not have good intentions.

She was keen on rolling problems into a snowball, only to wait for an opportunity to smash them onto Fang Qingzhou.

As Fang Qingzhou mentally cataloged her grievances against her, Ji He suddenly said, "Forget it," and reached out toward the young man beside her.

The young man was still pulling a stern face, trying to show his own authority and coldness. He stared blankly at the palm before him, then tremblingly extended his own hand, his eyes holding a trace of humility and surprise.

Ji He cast a cold glance at him, her face plainly suggesting he should be careful.

Alarm bells rang in the young man's heart. He quickly retracted his hand, his survival instinct briefly boosting his IQ. He had a sudden flash of insight, rummaged through his jacket pocket, and respectfully handed over a mobile phone.

"Thank you for the clarification today," Ji He said, waving the phone with sincerity. "Because you were willing to cooperate today, I can return this to you temporarily."

Fang Qingzhou was surprised again, taking the phone from her hand with suspicion.

She had thought the other party would choose a better time to take the opportunity to check the information inside, but Ji He just sat there, making a considerate "be my guest" gesture.

Fang Qingzhou suspiciously unlocked the screen, looking at the mere 33% battery life remaining in the top right corner and the "no signal" notification. "There is also a charger."

"That is another reward; it depends on your future performance," Ji He shrugged, acting innocent. "Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't agree to provide a patient with a phone or charger at all. Given your unique status, I have already been very lenient."

"I am not a patient," Fang Qingzhou said.

Ji He scoffed, "I thought you wouldn't say such useless things."

Fang Qingzhou did not hesitate long before pushing the phone back, offering a bargain: "I will give you the lock screen password; you help me contact someone."

Ji He accepted just as quickly, as if she had expected it: "You are very sensible. I like dealing with people like you."

***

Ji He asked, "What is the lock screen password?"

Fang Qingzhou hadn't used a passcode to unlock her phone in a long time; she paused before saying, "620378."

She immediately followed up with a question: "When can I leave?"

Ji He slid her finger across the screen, inputting the numbers, and replied nonchalantly, "When you remember what you should remember. I said, you should think. Thinking is the most useful way to prove the authenticity of one's own existence."

"What exactly do you want me to think about?!" Fang Qingzhou suppressed the anger in her chest and asked in a civil tone, "You say I killed someone; does it have anything to do with the 'Anomaly Determination' project?"

Ji He was focused on studying the phone, saying sparingly, "The deceased was the criminal who kidnapped Sun Qingqing back then."

Fang Qingzhou: "The connection between him and me is too far-fetched, isn't it? I have no motive to kill him."

Ji He peeked out from behind the phone, a half-smile on her face: "We only believe in evidence, and the evidence shows you were at the scene."

Fang Qingzhou: "So? You keep me locked up here; even if you ask a hundred times, there will be no result. I cannot remember."

Ji He said with finality, "We will make you remember. You must remember."

The next second, she softened her tone and asked, "What did you say the password was just now? I forgot. Does it have any special meaning? These numbers are not easy to remember."

Fang Qingzhou said coldly, "There is nothing special about it."

Ji He put down the phone, and when she turned her face back, her eyes had become sharp.

She rose and leaned forward, grabbing the ID badge from the table and rudely pressing it in front of Fang Qingzhou. She used her index finger to press against a very small line of numbers at the bottom, her warm breath accompanying her mocking voice, right up against her face: "Fang Qingzhou entered university at fourteen and won the gold medal in the Sanyao Youth Comprehensive Grand Prix as an individual at twenty. Sanyao formed a top-tier team for her. Never mind a string of numbers that has only appeared a few times—even if one were to ask her how many eggs she ate for breakfast a year ago, she would remember it clearly."

Fang Qingzhou froze at the sight of those numbers, blinking involuntarily.

Ji He put down the ID badge, gripped her chin, and turned her face to the left toward the meal tray: "Don't you remember that you are very picky? Fang Qingzhou does not eat scallions, ginger, garlic, or the vast majority of strong seasonings. You don't eat spicy food, carrots, or broccoli. The dinner just provided to you had almost everything you don't eat. Have you forgotten?"

Fang Qingzhou’s focus shattered. A sharp, stabbing pain in her head pulled at her neck muscles, forcing her to lower her head. She took a deep breath and, as a reflex, swatted Ji He’s hand away with force.

Ji He did not give her a chance to think, pursuing her with an overbearing momentum: "You don't even remember your own stance; you don't remember that the 'Anomaly Determination' project was not proposed by you initially, but by your teacher. You don't remember that you were the one who opposed it most vehemently, yet now you are cheering for it."