Chapter 14#
It’s Very Bitter#
Li Heng thought he was holding a shadow.
He weighed it and found it had weight. With a little force, his hands could feel the bones, so he could barely judge that it was a real person: “Ji Landong.”
Li Heng asked: “Are you still awake?”
He placed his palm on the neck that was so thin that it protruded.
The carotid artery was still beating weakly.
Ji Landong was awake, leaning quietly on his shoulder, his breath as cold as early winter mist.
Li Heng unconsciously reached out to touch it. He thought he would touch a bit of white steam, just like when people talk when they go out in the freezing cold, but there was none. What passed over his fingertips was a trace of cold airflow that was hard to detect.
“Is it tiring to sit?” Li Heng lowered his head, “Lie down?”
He guessed that Ji Landong became like this because he was truly too exhausted. When a person’s body and mind are tired to the extreme, it’s very difficult to speak smoothly again.
Li Heng held his neck and back, where there was simply no flesh, as if there were only bones under the skin.
Ji Landong was held by him and lay back on the bed. Li Heng helped him tidy up the quilt, looked at the eager puppy for a while, and finally broke his principle, picked it up and put it on the bed.
A warm and soft ball of dog-paddling quickly arched into Ji Landong’s neck.
Ji Landong was attracted, turned his head and looked for a while, slowly raised his hand, and touched the puppy’s smooth fur.
Li Heng stood by the bed, followed suit, and touched Ji Landong’s hair.
There was a rare trace of surprise in those eyes.
Ji Landong looked up at Li Heng. He was wrapped tightly by the quilt, covering all the way to his chin. The way he looked up even seemed as if he had instantly become ten years younger.
At least Li Heng thought so. He couldn’t explain what he was doing, so he simply didn’t explain and messed up Ji Landong’s hair at will: “Sleep, aren’t you tired?”
He covered Ji Landong’s eyes, the eyelashes moved weakly in his palm and then became quiet. When he moved his hand away, the person with closed eyes was no longer making any sound.
Li Heng carried the puppy out of the door, returned to the bedside, and put his hand on Ji Landong’s nose, waiting motionless for a few seconds.
There was a weak airflow.
Alive.
Li Heng laughed at himself, shook his head, pulled a chair and sat down, and continued to flip through the case files by the witness’s bedside.
Perhaps the atmosphere was too quiet and for no reason made one relax. Li Heng was sleepy while reading, and almost fell off the chair several times. The most embarrassing time was directly dropping the loose-leaf folder on the floor.
The sky outside the window was already dark. In the dim silence, it was an exceptionally loud sound.
Li Heng scrambled to pick up the loose-leaf folder.
Looking back, Ji Landong was indeed woken up and opened his eyes to look at him.
Li Heng: “…I’ll go out and watch.”
He wiped his face and wanted to go to the living room for some cold water, but then he was stunned for a moment. Half of the bed and bedding was separated, and Ji Landong was looking at him.
“Including me?” Li Heng rubbed his temples, a bit speechless, “Ji Landong, you’re quite generous. Do you know who I am?”
He asked this, but didn’t delay getting onto the bed. Li Heng naturally didn’t intend to do anything, but if Ji Landong, this key witness, was willing to cooperate more, he would also use all conditions to try to make Ji Landong trust him more.
Li Heng lay beside Ji Landong, stretched his body that had been sitting all day, and breathed a sigh of relief.
He pillowed his arm and turned his head: “Ji Landong.”
This kind of space really pulls the distance closer invisibly.
Ji Landong responded to his words, also turned his head, slowly blinked his eyes, and looked at him.
Close at hand.
Ji Landong’s eyelashes were very long, and his bone structure was extremely superior. Because he was so pale, the light blue veins on his thin eyelids could be seen. The corners of his eyes were slightly raised, and his pupils were black.
Li Heng forgot what he was going to say: “Your eyes are beautiful.”
…Movie King Ji heard such a compliment in bed for the first time.
Li Heng didn’t realize there was anything wrong with his words. He had been focusing on his political development all these years and hadn’t been distracted by anything else. He just said whatever came to his mind: “If I ever want to film a movie, I’ll just film your eyes and let you blink like this for two hours.”
Ji Landong laughed softly, closed his eyes and turned back, and Li Heng stopped bothering him, pulled over the quilt and covered both of them.
To be honest, it was really cold at night.
Li Heng had been in the north for ten years and was used to the indoor heating system. When he came back, he just felt cold in his hands and feet, and couldn’t help tossing and turning several times.
At the last turn, the Movie King, who was woken up, reached out and shared a bit of warmth from his chest.
Li Heng forgot to move.
Li Heng paused for a few seconds and regained his senses: “Ji Landong.”
He wanted to remind Ji Landong not to mistake the person, he wasn’t Li Xingyun, but he felt that such words were truly rude. Ji Landong wasn’t someone who would mistake a person.
Li Heng was in a daze for a while and found that this misunderstanding originated from self-indulgence—the puppy that had sneaked back into the bedroom at some point crawled into the quilt, sneakily rubbed against Ji Landong’s chest, and there was also a ball of air that inexplicably pushed up the quilt. Ji Landong wanted to hug them.
But the space occupied by the puppy and the air was really small.
Li Heng laughed, shook his head and sighed softly. He guessed Ji Landong probably didn’t mind, so he also reached out.
He tried to hold Ji Landong, stroking the back that was thin to the extreme with his palm. Ji Landong slept quietly, even his eyelashes didn’t move. Li Heng touched it and it was dry.
In a daze for an unknown amount of time, Li Heng for no reason had a dream. In the dream, the Ji Landong he was holding became a piece of transparent ice, unconscious and wouldn’t open his eyes. One day this piece of ice suddenly shed tears, and then in an instant, it evaporated under the sun.
…This dream was really bad.
Li Heng woke up with a start, and it was already broad daylight outside.
The bed was empty. Li Heng jumped off the bed, strode out of the bedroom, looked around in the living room and several rooms, and was finally attracted to the kitchen by the aroma.
Ji Landong was frying eggs.
Li Heng rubbed his temples and swallowed back the heart that was in his throat: “Ji Landong?”
Ji Landong’s condition seemed much better than yesterday.
His movements were still not fast. When frying eggs, there would still be a pause between each step. Holding the spatula, he needed to think about what he was doing.
But the eggs were well-fried. Ji Landong appreciated them for a while, put them on the bread slices with lettuce, and cut them into two halves.
Half a sandwich appeared in front of Li Heng: “…For me?”
Ji Landong curved his eyes and pushed over a cup of coffee, which was much more fragrant than the one Li Heng had mixed haphazardly himself.
The long and cold white finger pressed against the coffee cup.
Li Heng stared at the warm mist for a few seconds and raised his gaze to thank him.
In Ji Landong, there seemed to be a steady instinct for taking care of people, effortless, not special, and unhurried.
Even if his thoughts are no longer doing complex operations and his self-awareness has sunk into an abyss that is difficult to respond to, he can still do these things in an orderly manner.
Li Heng finally understood a bit this time why Li Xingyun was so infatuated with Ji Landong during the time they were together that he would rather fall out with the Li family than stay with this person.
…What a pity.
“Ji Landong.”
Li Heng took the coffee. He didn’t realize how light his voice was: “How did you grow up?”
This question seemed to stump his witness.
Li Heng looked at Ji Landong. He found that there were some characteristics in Ji Landong that had never changed: his waist was always held very straight, and even when silent he looked unapproachable. Ji Ran interpreted this as arrogance, and later this view infected Li Xingyun.
“Before you could remember—before you were three years old, not counting eating, drinking, and excreting, infants and young children at this stage must be taken care of to satisfy their basic physiological needs. This is a responsibility that men and women who choose to procreate must fulfill.”
Li Heng waved his notebook, indicating that this was a routine inquiry for a witness.
“Besides this, has anyone ever taken care of you?”
Li Heng asked: “Even for one day.”
He waited for a while and saw Ji Landong shake his head under the principle of “witnesses must guarantee honesty.”
“No need.” Ji Landong spoke slowly. When he said this, he seemed to have turned back into an arrogant and insolent Movie King who looked down on everyone: “Leader Li, I’m fine.”
Ji Landong made cream of mushroom soup for the system and boiled salt-free sausage for the puppy. He was fine and could take care of his friends.
His body seemed to be rusty and it was an effort to do things, but it was barely usable.
Li Heng looked at Ji Landong who was half-squatting on the ground, putting sausage into the food bowl.
This question seemed to push Ji Landong away in an instant, push him back to the other side, and an ice river was again between them.
Ji Landong propped his knees and slowly stood up. His movements had been slowed down enough, but a darkness still quickly slid in front of his eyes, and his body swayed and knelt down.
…When he regained consciousness, he was leaning in Li Heng’s arms, with his head and hands hanging, and his vision was blurred by cold sweat.
He could see his fingertips, but couldn’t move them.
Like a completely broken puppet.
All sounds seemed to disappear in an instant, turning into a monotonous electrical sound. Ji Landong quietly looked at his hands, he couldn’t control them. The system revolved around him and kept talking to him, and the puppy attacked Li Heng’s knees.
Half a sandwich touched the cold lips.
“Eat slowly.” Li Heng supported him, “The doctor said, chew slowly and swallow, or you’ll have stomach pain.”
Ji Landong looked at his fingertips.
Li Heng couldn’t free his hand, so he simply sat on the floor and let him lean on his shoulder: “Help me, my future, alas, my Senate.”
This was a small joke. Leader Li learned this frivolous tone but it didn’t look like the real thing.
But the Movie King gave face. When someone made a joke, his eyes cooperatively curved. Ji Landong slowly opened his mouth, bit a bit of bread, pursed his lips and held it, and chewed.
Li Heng patiently fed him, raised his hand, and wiped away the cold sweat that flowed into Ji Landong’s eyelashes with the heel of his palm.
In the gap of rest, Li Heng picked up his phone and read some good news to him: “There was a very intense conflict among Ji Ran’s fans.”
Of course, it was because of Ji Ran’s own reaction—that video caused an uproar, the fans were heartbroken, and many hardcore fans who warmly supported him made videos announcing their departure from the fan base, and their combat power dissipated in an instant.
Thus, the angry and grand torrent receded, and without the screen-sweeping of those who followed blindly, the covered doubts were exposed.
[So, that is to say.]
Someone left a message: [Up to now, all the “evidence of Ji Landong’s crime” you mentioned has no actual evidence?]
[It’s all guessed by you, heard by you, and specifically taken out of context and distorted by you?]
[Because you judged him to deserve death, so you gave false testimony, quibbled, and distorted the facts, because your goal is justice… isn’t this logic a bit wrong??]
[Do you even know…]
[You are fabricating justice and setting up a private court.]
[Are you committing murder?]
A stone stirred up a thousand waves. Naturally, the furious fans couldn’t stand such an accusation and immediately fought in a mess. This time Ji Ran was no longer treated as “Aran” with preferential protection. The fans’ anger also burned towards Ji Ran. Many people criticized and accused him severely, calling him a waste, and still not coming out to speak for the fans in such chaos.
It was cowardice, lack of responsibility, and irresponsible evasion.
Clearly the people who cared about him were being attacked and besieged, yet he hid like a turtle.
The person who followed up was even more incredible: [Right! So did you just find out?]
[Hasn’t he always been like this??]
[Back then, when he didn’t speak for Ji Landong, what did you say?]
—Of course, it’s because Ji Landong did something wrong.
—Aran is so kind, even he doesn’t stand up to speak. Isn’t it obvious how disgusting and deserving of death Ji Landong is?
[According to this logic, Ji Ran doesn’t stand up now and doesn’t speak for you.]
[What are you then?]
The comments back then hadn’t been cleaned up yet, and retribution has arrived. The two are compared and executed in public.
The fans, who were driven crazy, completely disregarded everything and scolded madly, tapping the keyboard madly with red eyes, not caring at all that the words they said were already illogical.
But they were startled by the sound of an email.
An indictment.
Li Xingyun was actually really fighting a lawsuit. Liyang Media, which was half-disbanded and half-paralyzed, now lived up to the promise made back then and really served Ji Landong alone.
Lawyer’s letters flew out like snowflakes, and one after another accounts that were extremely arrogant suddenly silenced without warning and quit the cursing battle.
Clicking in to see, the owner was madly deleting posts. Unfortunately, the network has never been without traces. What’s the use of deleting them? They still have to see each other in court.
…
Li Heng put down his phone.
He couldn’t find anything he could read to Ji Landong.
Ji Landong probably didn’t want to hear the discussion about “whether he deserves to die.”
Li Heng bit the sandwich with more than half left, picked up Ji Landong, bypassed the puppy that kept trying to trip him to rescue Ji Landong, and went to the balcony wanting to let him bask in the sun: “How did you grow up?”
He wanted to know this more and more, both for the sake of investigating the case and for some unknown selfish reasons.
Ji Landong was still slowly chewing the last bite of bread.
Chewing very slowly, he drifted off after a while.
His cheeks bulged slightly.
Li Heng was attracted by his gaze and for some reason couldn’t look away, thinking that this was perhaps the Movie King’s talent. No wonder Ji Landong had been scolded like this these years but was still so famous, and whatever he filmed became a hit.
Ji Landong swallowed the bread.
Li Heng regained his senses, swallowed the sandwich in a few bites, supported Ji Landong to lean on the recliner, and got up to get him water and medicine.
There are many kinds of medicines. Ji Landong’s condition was not good, and the doctor added several new ones with strong effects.
Li Heng counted for a long time according to the instructions and medical advice, and finally confirmed it was correct. When he came back, Ji Landong was in the same posture as when he left.
Only the sun had moved and was shining directly in, giving the person a faint golden edge, especially the tips of the hair hanging between the eyebrows, the bloodless lips, and the pale, slightly curled fingers.
Li Heng walked over and shaded the sun with his hand.
By the way, he handed him the warm water: “Ji Landong, time for medicine.”
The sun was piercing, but Ji Landong didn’t know to dodge. If his eyelashes weren’t long and dense enough, his eyes would be sunburned.
Ji Landong lay in his shadow, his eyes moved slightly, and he slowly regained his senses. The self-defense instantly triggered by the question “has anyone ever taken care of you” had disappeared, and these eyes again looked very gentle.
“Leader Li.” Ji Landong greeted him softly.
Li Heng leaned over, holding the medicine and the water cup in one hand, and holding his shoulder and the back of his head with the other, letting him sit up slightly.
Li Heng sat on the side, lent him half of his shoulder, and spread his palm: “Are the medicines correct?”
Ji Landong didn’t know either.
He saw the medicine in Li Heng’s hand and lowered his head to take it.
Li Heng’s palm touched the cold lips. The force was very light and weak, like a deer that slowly walked out of the mist and bowed its head to drink water by the source.
Li Heng fed him water. Seeing him holding the medicine and drifting off again, he raised his hand and waved it in front of his eyes to attract back his attention: “Swallow it, yes, you have to swallow it.”
Ji Landong swallowed, there were many medicines, and his throat followed with a slight movement.
Li Heng felt it was difficult just by looking: “Is it bitter?”
Ji Landong raised his eyes.
He didn’t speak. Li Heng touched his hair, gave up on this question, and went straight to the kitchen to find sugar for him.
…What the hell, find sugar.
The system looked at the bag of granulated sugar that had already lumped in Li Heng’s hand, both happy and worried. There was too little it could do, so it could only try its best to lead the puppy to protect Ji Landong: “Ji Landong, Ji Landong.”
The system asked: “Are you feeling better?”
Ji Landong lowered his head, slowly moved his fingers, and gently touched the mushroom. He spoke less and less, but the expression in his eyes was really gentle.
The system liked to be touched and rubbed against these cold fingers. It somewhat knew what Ji Landong was thinking: “Don’t care about the protagonist, don’t care about the plot. No matter what it collapses into, we don’t care. If the task is not completed, then so be it.”
“Ji Landong, from now on you don’t need to care about anything.”
The system said: “Just make yourself a little happier, be unscrupulous and behave willfully.”
Ji Landong cooperatively acted out being happy. His appearance was really outstanding. Even though he was so thin, he had a clear sense of boyishness. Smiling in the winter sun, he had a bright elegance that people couldn’t look away from.
The sound of footsteps stopped outside the balcony.
Ji Landong looked up and greeted warmly: “Leader Li.”
Li Heng couldn’t make a sound immediately. He stood outside the balcony in silence. The Ji Landong in the sunlight in front of him overlapped with the boy under the moon in his memory, and a shimmering deer came across the water.
“It’s very bitter.” Ji Landong said.
So Li Heng was taken over by his own legs.
He was still holding that bag of hard and lumped granulated sugar, but didn’t open the bag, just walked into the sunlight.
Ji Landong was very weak.
A weakness that could deceive data but not intuition.
Ji Landong’s kissing scene was brilliant. Rumor has it that there was no actor he couldn’t lead into the scene. Rumor has it that Ji Landong was quite romantic and absurd, someone who would kiss a person at first sight but never take responsibility… Li Heng was held by his wrist and didn’t know to break free.
The touch was very cold.
This was really a very gentle and half-joking kiss.
“Much better.” Ji Landong smiled, “Thank you.”
Ji Landong didn’t go deep, as if this was just a performance about “being unscrupulous and behaving willfully.”
The redemption value rose steadily, and the system celebrated joyfully, trying its best to urge Ji Landong to carry forward the villain style and catch Leader Li for a kiss whenever he had nothing to do.
Li Heng frowned, his brow locked tightly, not because of offense. He temporarily had no leisure to consider the witness’s rather arrogant frivolity and offense.
Li Heng asked: “Are you much better?”
Ji Landong gently raised his eyebrows, as if he had recovered to normal in an instant, curved his eyes to speak, but was hugged.
Li Heng half-knelt by the edge of the recliner and reached out to encircle his waist and back.
“Like this, Ji Landong, your… friend.” Li Heng said in his ear, “Can’t hear it.”
Whether it’s true or false.
Li Heng accepted this setting.
But he didn’t accept Ji Landong just melting away without a word, leaving a transparent, hollow, and seemingly good ice shell.
“Ji Landong.”
Li Heng said: “I want to… please, give me another chance.”
Twelve years ago, he didn’t notice the boy’s silent cry for help. He knew that today’s Ji Landong didn’t want to anymore. He knew it, but at least, at least.
Li Heng grabbed the scarred wrist.
Ji Landong’s heartbeat pressed against the heel of his palm, weak and disordered. Ji Landong mockingly acted out a kiss, but was actually extremely stingy, even refusing to let him taste the bitterness of the medicine.
Perhaps there were emotions that overrode official business, perhaps something was out of control, or perhaps because a pair of eyes were beautiful. Someone like Li Heng would never usually think that some eyes were beautiful.
Li Heng held the simple bag of granulated sugar.
His heart was beating very fast.
“If it’s very bitter.” Li Heng requested this person, “Don’t be in a hurry to leave, tell me.”