CH 40

Lu Ye exchanged a few jokes with his colleagues and then left work on time with his keys in hand.

After the winter vacation for primary and secondary schools, the class schedules at Qi Yanbai’s training institution were adjusted. Several evening classes were moved to daytime, giving their teachers more free evenings during the week.

That evening, Lu Ye had plans to go shopping in the new shopping mall in the new district with Qi Yanbai. Before leaving, he sent a WeChat message to Qi Yanbai. However, when he arrived at the training center’s entrance, he hadn’t received a reply. So, he parked his motorcycle across the street and looked up at the second-floor window.

Qi Yanbai’s classroom faced the street and was lit up at the moment. Several rows of teenagers were sitting inside, seemingly in the middle of a class.

Coincidentally, it was as if they had a telepathic connection. Just as Lu Ye looked up, Qi Yanbai happened to walk to the window and glanced outside, locking eyes with him.

Their gazes met through the glass, and a gentle smile appeared at the corners of Qi Yanbai’s eyes and lips. He raised his hand slightly and signaled Lu Ye to wait for him.

The training center was an educational institution, and sometimes, when there were more inquiries from parents, the management encouraged teachers to extend their classes as a way to attract more students. Qi Yanbai, as the face of the institution, often had fluctuating class schedules, so it wasn’t unusual.

When Lu Ye entered, there were several parents in the lobby inquiring about courses. Since Lu Ye had visited many times, the front desk staff were familiar with him and knew he was there to see Qi Yanbai. They didn’t bother him and just gestured upstairs with a chin raise, smiling, “Mr. Lu, you can go upstairs and wait. Teacher Qi still has a little while.”

Lu Ye nodded and thanked them before heading up the stairs. He knew the way well and soon reached the door of Qi Yanbai’s classroom.

That day, it was an advanced class, and all the students were around thirteen or fourteen years old. The classroom was quiet, and all that could be heard was the sound of pencils scratching on paper as the students worked on their art projects.

The back door of the classroom was open, and a few parents sat sporadically near the door. Lu Ye slipped in quietly through the back door, found a corner by the window, sat and watched Qi Yanbai teach with great interest.

Qi Yanbai was different when he was teaching. He appeared gentle yet distant, like a soft knife with a hint of assertiveness. Lu Ye was used to seeing his usual gentle demeanor, so seeing him teach like this occasionally made him find Qi Yanbai quite charismatic.

The students in the advanced class had good foundational skills, and unlike the more chaotic beginners, they were quiet. After Qi Yanbai explained the key points at the front of the classroom, he put down the teaching stick and began to inspect the students’ work.

As a privileged observer, Lu Ye received special treatment in Qi Yanbai’s class.

The paper in front of him was completely blank, and he hadn’t drawn anything. However, when Qi Yanbai walked over to him, his steps slightly paused, and then discreetly behind the easel, he handed something small into Lu Ye’s hand.

Lu Ye was taken aback, not expecting Qi Yanbai to exchange a secret with him in front of everyone. He instinctively glanced up at him, but Qi Yanbai blushed and seemed a bit embarrassed after handing over the item. He didn’t say anything and quickly moved on to the next artwork.

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, and when he examined the item in his hand, he found it to be a crystal lemon-flavored candy meant as a reward for “improving young students.” The packaging even had a custom sticker from their training center with an excellent red flower.

Qi Yanbai had handed over the item and left, appearing serious and proper, except for the blush on his ears, which seemed like it was about to drip blood. Lu Ye couldn’t help but smile but also felt a sweet sensation in his heart. So, when no one was looking, he tore open the candy wrapper and popped the lemon candy into his mouth.

The mildly sour and sweet taste spread across his tongue, and as he crinkled the candy wrapper, he looked at Qi Yanbai’s side profile in front of him. Suddenly, he sensed a hidden sense of romance.

Right there, in the classroom, in Qi Yanbai’s familiar work environment, they had exchanged a secret known only to the two of them, just like how lovers in their school days used to pass notes to each other behind the teacher’s back. This secretive excitement was like a bond that tied them even tighter, unnoticed by others.

This bit of sweetness made the interruption in class seem trivial. Lu Ye was in a good mood, leaning against the corner and not paying attention to the class. While the students were busy drawing, he was leisurely folding origami with the candy wrapper.

“That’s impressive as well.”

Qi Yanbai didn’t know when he had finished with the students and returned. He stood next to Lu Ye, curiously examining the origami crane.

“I can do much more than this,” Lu Ye said, blowing a breath onto the small origami crane. The little creation floated into Qi Yanbai’s palm.

“I’m giving it to you,” Lu Ye said with a smile. “What do you think?”

Qi Yanbai had a unique filter for everything, not just the origami crane. Even if Lu Ye had folded a shapeless piece of paper, Qi Yanbai could compliment it as “postmodern art.”

“It’s beautiful,” Qi Yanbai said with a smile. “I’ll put it in my office and tidy up before leaving.”

With that, he picked up the partially framed iris flower specimen from his desk.

No wonder Liu Mingming had asked about it. Lu Ye thought that while making one iris would be fine, Qi Yanbai had gone to great lengths. He hadn’t thrown away a single one and had made a whole stack of them, overlapping them in a square frame that was a meter wide. At first glance, it looked like a flat bouquet, so it wasn’t surprising that Liu Mingming had asked.

“Why are you keeping them?” Liu Ye asked, slightly amused. “It’s a lot of effort, with all the cutting, arranging, and maintenance. You could just throw them away and I’ll buy you new ones next time.”

Qi Yanbai took the partially framed iris specimen back from the edge of his desk, and gently stroked the frame as if it were a precious treasure. He then took out a clean sheet of rice paper and covered it.

“How can that be the same?” Qi Yanbai said. “This is the first time someone has given me flowers. In the future, if you give me more, it won’t be this one.”

Qi Yanbai’s family background was well-off, but he remembered Qi Yanbai’s comments about Qi Zhe and was well aware of his complicated and cold childhood.

Qi Yanbai had grown into a warm and gentle person on his own. Lu Ye admired him, but also felt sorry for him.

So, even though Lu Ye never thought he had anything extraordinary to offer, he was sure of one thing – he could give Qi Yanbai love and warmth which he lacked growing up.

Lu Ye paused and his eyes softened. He looked like he had been bathed in moonlight, his voice gentle and rippling, as if he had been coated with a layer of moonlight that made his words sound like ripples.

“…Like you said, people don’t have many things to hold onto in their lives. What they can give is not much either. I don’t have much to my name, I’m just an ordinary police officer with modest beginnings and an average future. I don’t have any special treasures to offer you.

“But I can say this: from the moment you’re with me, whatever I have, is yours as well.”

Qi Yanbai was momentarily stunned, caught off guard by Lu Ye’s sudden proposal. He pointed at himself, still not fully comprehending. “Me?”

“Yes,” Lu Ye replied casually, shifting his posture slightly as he leaned against the door frame. He continued in a relaxed tone, “Don’t worry, there won’t be anyone else at home for the Lunar New Year, just my sister and that little brat, Liu Mingming.”

Qi Yanbai knew it was about spending the New Year with Lu Wenyu. However, Lu Ye’s proposal had come so suddenly that it left him a bit bewildered.

“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?” Qi Yanbai asked, slightly taken aback. “Isn’t it a bit too soon?”

“It’s not that sudden. I’ve already talked to my sister about it, so I wanted to know your opinion now.”

Lu Ye’s gaze moved past Qi Yanbai’s shoulder and landed on the large floor-to-ceiling window behind him. The night outside had darkened completely, and the streetlights cast a thin orange glow against the pitch-black night, while the bright moon hung high, partially hidden behind clouds.

Lu Ye’s eyes returned from the moonlight to Qi Yanbai, and he couldn’t help but think that Lu Wenyu’s words were true – sometimes, all it took to spend a lifetime with someone was a single moment.

Like when Qi Yanbai had just moved in across from him, and when he had stood at the kitchen door with the warmth of hot soup wafting over his hands. Or when he had been bedridden with a high fever and had woken up to the scent of home-cooked meals filling the house. And now, this moment.

So, even though Lu Ye didn’t think he had anything exceptional to offer, he was certain of one thing – he could give himself to Qi Yanbai fully.