CH 90

When the door lock clicked, Qi Yanbai was trapped in a sluggish and numb despair.

This despair was like a bucket of spoiled yogurt, sticky and sour, wrapping around his entire body, entangling him as he fell endlessly downward, as if it wanted to drown him in this darkness.

Qi Yanbai knew he was plunging into an irreversible catastrophe, but he was physically and mentally exhausted, unable to summon even the slightest resistance. Even though he heard the sound of the door lock, he only moved his eyes slightly, appearing completely unresponsive.

He had thought that it was either the property management or a part-time student delivering food, and if he didn’t answer the door, they would leave on their own. But he waited for two seconds, and instead of the expected doorbell, the keypad lock suddenly lit up, as if someone outside had activated it.

The clear sound of inputting the code quickly echoed, and before Qi Yanbai could react, the indicator light on the door lock suddenly turned green. After the correct password prompt sounded, the door lock automatically sprung open, revealing a very narrow opening.

In the quiet night, this sound was like a thunderclap, finally jolting Qi Yanbai out of his statue-like state. He lifted his head in disbelief and saw someone pulling the door open from outside. Then, a foot stepped into the entrance, crushing a dead shrimp on the floor.

The weight of the high-top Martin boots was astonishing, and the shrimp was instantly flattened into a mess. Qi Yanbai’s gaze followed the movement upward, illuminated by the dim light from the hallway’s motion-activated lights, and he saw the face he had been longing for.

Lu Ye had changed his clothes and was wearing a duty uniform jacket over his casual outfit. The fabric on his shoulder was darkened by water stains, making it look heavy on him.

He appeared natural, and after entering the room, he didn’t even glance at Qi Yanbai on the sofa. Instead, he habitually wiped his shoe soles on the doormat and then turned around to close the door.

At that moment, Qi Yanbai truly believed he had gone completely mad.

How else could he explain seeing Lu Ye at this moment, and seeing him walk into the house so naturally, as if nothing had ever happened?

Was it an illusion? Qi Yanbai thought with almost eerie calmness. Could illusions be this real?

Qi Yanbai’s thoughts were in chaos, but before he could fully tell whether the Lu Ye in front of him was a product of his imagination, the Lu Ye’s gaze shifted slightly downward, scanning the messy floor. He furrowed his brow slightly, turned back, and switched on the wall light.

The previously dark living room was instantly illuminated by the bright light, piercing through the illusionary boundaries and firmly piercing Qi Yanbai’s heart.

Qi Yanbai’s eyes hadn’t seen light in a long time, and the sudden brightness was a bit uncomfortable, but he stubbornly and intently stared at Lu Ye in front of the door.

The person in front of him was clear in appearance, natural in demeanor, and every detail of his clothing was lifelike. He didn’t look like an illusion no matter how you looked at him.

Qi Yanbai’s eyes flickered, and the frozen emotions slowly began to awaken. The sharp feeling, like thorns, swept over him once again. Qi Yanbai’s chest heaved heavily for a moment, and a thousand words flashed through his mind.

He had countless questions to ask, but as he looked at Lu Ye, he could only utter a bewildering question.

“…Where did you go?” Qi Yanbai asked.

“I went to the hospital,” Lu Ye said. “Then I returned to the police station and canceled my leave.”

In the afternoon, Lu Ye first went to the hospital for a check-up. His injuries had healed mostly, and the cast had been replaced with a more lightweight brace.

After leaving the hospital, he went back to the police station to check on the situation. In fact, the person who had knocked on the door yesterday was indeed an intern from the police station. Fortunately, it was not related to official business; they were just having a department dinner and happened to pass by his neighborhood, so they wanted to see if he was home.

Yao Xing and the others had also asked Lu Ye why he had been out of contact for so many days, but Lu Ye only said that he had lost his phone and hadn’t had a chance to get a new SIM card. He managed to brush off their questions with just a few words.

“The police station?” Qi Yanbai’s eyes flickered, finally realizing what was happening. He reached out to support himself on the coffee table, slowly stood up, and stared at Lu Ye across the living room. His tone was stiff as he asked, “Didn’t you resign?”

“I didn’t resign,” Lu Ye looked at him openly and said each word distinctly, “the resignation was a lie; I just took an extended sick leave.”

A buzz resonated in Qi Yanbai’s mind.

Lu Ye hadn’t resigned, so all of this was a deception, Qi Yanbai thought. His previous panic was fake, his suffering was fake, and even his desperate move to cut ties with him was fake.

Why? Qi Yanbai didn’t understand. He just felt an indescribable anger surging from the depths of his heart. It was like a wildfire, scorching him to the core.

Does he hate me so much? Qi Yanbai wondered. Is that why he chose to deceive me and push me into a corner with no way out?

If he hadn’t thought that Lu Ye was leaving, Qi Yanbai would never have kidnapped him. He wouldn’t have revealed this embarrassing and crazy side of himself, resulting in the irreversible loss of their last chance for reconciliation and the uncontrollable descent into the abyss.

Qi Yanbai suddenly understood something. He had suppressed his emotions all afternoon, and now they poured out like a flood. He was overwhelmed by a sharp and vivid sensation, even nurturing a sharp sense of hatred.

He hated Lu Ye for deceiving him, toying with him. But at the same time, he hated himself even more. He despised himself for being manipulated so ruthlessly, for feeling so desperate, yet still being overjoyed at the prospect of seeing him.

Qi Yanbai couldn’t tell what this mixture of love and hate represented. He only felt unbearable pain, as if his heart was being crushed.

He stared at Lu Ye intensely for two seconds, then suddenly took a step forward, ignoring everything, and kissed him.

This kiss was like a release of frustration. The easel in the living room was knocked down by Qi Yanbai’s movement, crashing to the ground with a loud bang. Lu Ye stumbled back a step, and his shoulder blades hit the door behind him. He felt a metallic taste filling his mouth.

This kiss was fierce and violent, and it was hard to tell who was getting hurt, but the metallic taste seemed to stimulate Qi Yanbai’s emotions even more. His eyes were red, and he clenched Lu Ye’s shoulder tightly.

“You lied to me—” Qi Yanbai sobbed and shouted in despair, “You lied to me! You lied to me!!”

It was like he was accusing Lu Ye of deceit but also blaming him for leaving without a word.

His tone sounded intense, yet he seemed so aggrieved, as if he had suffered a great injustice and wanted the person in front of him to support him.

Lu Ye’s heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly. The tension was unbearable, and he silently accepted this accusation. Occasionally, he turned his head slightly, wiping away the sweat from Qi Yanbai’s temple with his cheek.

After what seemed like a long time, Qi Yanbai finally caught his breath and calmed down. The intense emotions had drained him of all his strength. He slumped down, almost kneeling on the floor. Lu Ye bent down slightly, reached out with one hand, and pulled Qi Yanbai into his arms, allowing him to lean on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Lu Ye’s voice was still calm but tinged with a hint of redness in his eyes. He admitted straightforwardly, “I lied to you.”

“But you also lied to me,” Lu Ye said, “about the tracking, the surveillance—I can count two lies from you, and I lied to you twice as well. So, we’re even now, and you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“Even?” Qi Yanbai seemed to have only caught the word “even” and shook his head lightly, smiling faintly. “We can’t be even.” But his smile was weak and seemed more heartbreaking than crying. “I like you so much, I can’t be without you.”

“Why did you come back?” Qi Yanbai murmured softly to himself. “You left, so why did you come back?”

After the breakdown, Qi Yanbai’s emotions suddenly dropped from their peak. His brain quickly cooled down, followed by a deeper exhaustion.

His emotions were like the embers of a fire, still retaining some warmth but would turn to ashes with the slightest touch, dissipating into dust.

Qi Yanbai closed his eyes, leaning against Lu Ye’s shoulder. His fingers clenched the fabric beneath them tightly. After a long while, it seemed like he had figured something out and asked softly, “Did you come back to arrest me?”

Besides that reason, Qi Yanbai couldn’t think of any other reason that would make Lu Ye willingly return to this place that had humiliated him for so many days.

Lu Ye didn’t expect that it would take Qi Yanbai so long to understand. He felt both sympathetic and amused at the same time. He raised an eyebrow, made a sound of agreement, and said, “I came back to arrest you.”

With a slight shove of his shoulder, Lu Ye separated Qi Yanbai from himself. He then twisted Qi Yanbai’s arm skillfully and locked the metal handcuffs onto his wrists, all in one smooth motion. He did it in a manner that suggested he was arresting a criminal.

Lu Ye kicked off his boots and, holding Qi Yanbai’s hands firmly, walked confidently towards the bedroom. Qi Yanbai couldn’t move with the handcuffs on, so he awkwardly followed Lu Ye’s footsteps.

Lu Ye pulled Qi Yanbai into the bedroom and tossed him onto the bed. Then, he casually picked up the metal handcuffs that Qi Yanbai hadn’t had a chance to put away and made a motion to fasten them on Qi Yanbai’s hands.

Qi Yanbai’s overwhelmed brain finally started to process what was happening. The cold metal made him shiver, and a strange sense of unease suddenly dawned on him.

—Do police arrest criminals in the bedroom? Qi Yanbai wondered.

It was only at this moment that Qi Yanbai finally realized something odd. His mind suddenly flooded with a bizarre suspicion, and a storm of thoughts surged in his head. He didn’t struggle; instead, he propped himself up on the bed with a sense of urgency, reaching out to grab Lu Ye’s collar.

“Why—” Qi Yanbai began to speak, but his voice was choked as if something had blocked his throat. He was almost instantly hoarse. “Why did you come back?”

“Why—” His emotions were too overwhelming, and he stuttered, almost incoherent. He stumbled over his words, repeating, “Why, why didn’t you just—”

He spoke for a long time without reaching a conclusion. Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, looking intensely as he watched Qi Yanbai.

“Aren’t you the one who said I came back to arrest you?” Lu Ye asked.

Under normal circumstances, Qi Yanbai would have detected the teasing and banter in Lu Ye’s tone, However, in his current state of turmoil, he was so consumed by an addictive desire for an answer that he didn’t notice. He clung tightly to Lu Ye’s collar, his eyes unwavering as if he were a desperate stray dog, pleading for a kind passerby to take him home.

Seeing that Qi Yanbai was genuinely distressed, Lu Ye decided to stop teasing him. He placed his hand on Qi Yanbai’s cold hand and gently stroked the corner of his reddened eye.

Qi Yanbai’s chest heaved violently, and he stared at Lu Ye with an intense gaze, his eyes filled with a pitiful look.

“I left to show you that I have the ability to walk out of this door anytime,” Lu Ye’s fingers moved from Qi Yanbai’s eye corner and lightly touched the corner of his lips. He said softly, “I came back to tell you that I love you, so I’m willing to stay here for you.”

“Not everything has to be obtained through scheming and competition,” Lu Ye continued. “Love can be given freely.”

With a slight pressure from his hand, he completely locked the handcuffs with a crisp sound.

“I know it might be difficult for you to understand this right now,” Lu Ye said calmly and seriously, “but that’s okay. Since your family and your parents didn’t teach you this, I’ll teach you.”