Chapter 26#
Another Good Ending#
The sun was dazzling.
The bright white light, enough to cause temporary blindness, did not have the warmth it should have.
The wind was still bone-chillingly cold, just like before.
What was different from before was the figure standing by the roadside with a small cake, eyes downcast. It was clearly a youth, with a thin and frail frame.
Thin, sharp, and excessively silent.
And excessively good-looking.
In a chaotic upbringing, this face didn’t help much; instead, it was dangerous. Eighteen-year-old Ji Landong carried a sharpened knife with him.
This made a mushroom that had managed to grow with great difficulty a bit nervous: “Ji, Ji Landong, listen to me.”
The System hurried to finish its remaining words: “I am your friend.”
—A friend from the future.
The System added a patch in its mind. It had made time to travel back and had to return quickly.
Li Heng and Ji Landong were making Christmas apple pie, Pudding was sneakily eating sliced apples, and the house was decorated with streamers and colorful lights. They were going to exchange gifts in the evening.
The System had resigned and was no longer an employee of the Transmigration Bureau. The time it could exploit gaps was very limited, so it blurted out in one breath: “Ji Landong, I’m here to ask how your consideration is going. Do you really want to try finding Li Heng for a hookup!”
Eighteen-year-old Ji Landong: “…”
System: “…”
System: “Sor—Sorry.”
The System was anxious. Looking at the teenage Ji Landong it had never seen before, it really wanted to hug him. Ji Landong wore an oversized hoodie that didn’t fit at all, and he still had many injuries on his body—bruises on his neck, cuts at the corners of his mouth, and his thin, cold fingers holding the cake still had blood seeping from the knuckles.
Eighteen-year-old Ji Landong was too thin, clearly malnourished, perhaps even anemic. His pale skin made his pupils look pitch black.
Those dark eyes were like icy lakes, clear yet indifferent.
Now, Ji Landong looked at the mushroom that had appeared out of thin air. He was silent, unresponsive, his expression suggesting he was wondering if he had gone mad early or if he was dying.
…He was even seeing such an absurd hallucination.
But the System persisted. It was piggybacking on a time-limited bug from the Transmigration Bureau; its time was up and it had to leave immediately. It couldn’t touch the eighteen-year-old Ji Landong—that was a travel rule—so it exerted all its strength to use the jam it brought to draw a small red flower on that shabby slice of cake with only a thin layer of cream.
“Ji Landong,” the System said quickly, “I know you can protect yourself. I know you’ve done well. I know you can grow up on your own.”
“But I still want to…”
The System said, “I want you to not be lonely.”
A mushroom that seemed to appear in a hallucination said to the boy who had stopped: “Ji Landong, I want you to not be lonely.”
Then everything returned to peace.
As if nothing had ever appeared. The sun was still the sun, and the wind was still the wind.
The silent dark eyes moved.
Ji Landong showed no expression, sitting on the roadside fence. The wind buffeted his eardrums, and the cheap hoodie couldn’t block any of the chill. The numbness born of cold clung to his skin.
He had just been in a fight. This kind of retaliation was constant because it was a business grown in the gutters. To escape, he had to find a way to stand out as soon as possible. He was in a hurry to get home to prepare for a movie crew’s audition.
On the way, he passed a cake shop clearing its stock and found a slice of cake that no one wanted. It was perfectly fine, and the packaging was sealed, but because it didn’t look good, it was thrown at the trash station.
Ji Landong originally intended to take the cake back to his newly bought second-hand house to eat.
He picked up the cake and suddenly frowned.
Beneath the plastic shell, on the plain cake that no one wanted and had only a thin layer of cream.
Extra jam appeared.
A crooked little red flower.
…
…
The bus to the bus station was at 2:00 PM.
The fare was one yuan.
The long-distance bus departure was at 3:30 PM. The fare was five yuan, with a sweet smell of gasoline, old and uncomfortable seats, and air conditioning that made people carsick.
The time the bus arrived at the train station was 5:00 PM.
The nearest train was at 7:00 PM.
Food prices near the train station were expensive—bottled water was three yuan, bread was ten yuan, a roasted chicken was fifty, and tap water to fill one’s belly was free.
The train ride took an hour and a half. In front of the station, there were illegal taxis shouting to pull people in, taking long detours. The address on the back of the crumpled note was not far from the station; walking there would take only an hour and forty-five minutes.
…
10:19 PM.
Eighteen-year-old Ji Landong, clutching a slice of cake, wearing a cheap hoodie, jeans, and sneakers bought from a street stall, stepped onto the expensive white ash wood floor.
As an investigation bureau detective, Li Heng’s anti-intrusion vigilance was excessively lacking.
Ji Landong stood in silence. After standing for a while, he reached out and closed the bedroom window, immediately blocking the continuous influx of cold air.
—Or perhaps.
Perhaps it was another situation.
The one truly lacking anti-reconnaissance awareness was him. Li Heng had set a trap with those people.
The words were intentionally spoken for him to hear.
The money and the note were to lure him in.
The shameful vermin were searching for traitors, swearing to find the informant who leaked secrets and torture them to death. He had appeared at Li Heng’s house with the note; everything was self-evident.
This was a danger that could not be ignored. Ji Landong looked at his sneakers, whose original color could no longer be identified. He decided to turn back and leave as quickly as possible. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed that there was already jam decoration on the cake. This trip was quite irrational—
Outside the window, a dazzling light suddenly flared.
Car headlights pierced the night.
A car with a roaring engine pulled back into the yard. The car door slammed with a thud. The youth’s silent black pupils suddenly contracted. He flashed into the closet, pulling the self-closing door shut soundlessly. In the next second.
The sound of keys jingling came from the doorway.
Footsteps.
The creaking of wooden boards.
The person who entered was clearly looking for something. Within half a minute, all the lights were turned on. The footsteps were fast, the search efficient and highly organized.
Coming prepared, and with a clear target.
Ji Landong stared at the light leaking through the crack of the door.
…He really shouldn’t have trusted Li Heng.
Ji Landong put down the cake and touched the knife in his sleeve. His eyes were dry and aching, possibly because he wasn’t used to this overly warm and dry environment, or perhaps due to lack of rest. He closed his eyes forcefully.
The footsteps finally entered the bedroom. Under the lamplight, muddy footprints were obvious, leading in but not out.
The footsteps slowly approached.
Stopping outside the closet.
Ji Landong watched the figure: checking the footprints and the window, back turned to the closet. This was the only chance. Ji Landong pushed the closet door open with force.
The loud noise would cause a brief moment of shock. Li Heng was grabbed by the shoulder, a cold blade pressed against his throat.
The captor’s voice was low and hoarse: “Don’t look back.”
Li Heng cooperated by raising both hands.
Ji Landong pressed the knife down, the cold metal pressing against skin and flesh. He signaled Li Heng to turn around and slowly move toward that window.
Li Heng suddenly spoke: “Ji Landong.”
The youth’s arm seemed to freeze in an instant.
“There’s no more danger,” Li Heng said softly. “I’ve dealt with all the lookouts. I’m sorry; I didn’t respect your privacy. I did something that crossed the line and used some methods to find the house you bought.”
Li Heng said, “I went to find you today.”
The blade pressed against him in silence. The body behind him seemed to have no temperature, as if frozen.
The breathing was frantic.
In the next second, Li Heng moved.
The skills of a top investigation bureau detective were beyond doubt. Li Heng seemed to just lift a hand, and the knife fell to the ground. Ji Landong twisted his body to push the window and jump out, only to find it wouldn’t budge.
The indifferent, cold black pupils contracted silently.
A string snapped in his mind.
Li Heng did not harm Ji Landong at all. He held him like a desperately struggling, utterly hopeless deer. Ji Landong was so thin that bones could be felt; his heartbeat was intense, his breathing erratic, and his skin was cold and damp.
The words Li Heng spoke could no longer be heard by him.
Li Heng could only call his name over and over again, tirelessly: “Ji Landong.”
He held Ji Landong, stroking his hair and his neck, which was covered in cold sweat. Both of his hands were occupied. He tried to lean down and kiss the pale forehead.
Ji Landong reacted as if it were a bullet.
Passing through his head, shattering his skull.
Only bewildered, dazed, and unfocused black pupils remained.
“Ji Landong,” Li Heng said softly, “Trust me. I won’t harm you.”
He picked up the knife and placed it in Ji Landong’s hand, closing the cold, numb fingers around it. Ji Landong could still use this to protect himself.
Li Heng had knocked it away only because Ji Landong didn’t know how to take someone hostage at all.
Who holds a knife with their thumb against the blade while taking a hostage?
If he had pressed a bit more, another gash would have been added to his hand.
Li Heng tried to soothe the out-of-control hostility with kisses.
Ji Landong completely did not understand what this was—even though the boy who turned eighteen today hadn’t even gone home or packed his bags, clutching a slice of cake and a slip of paper for half a day to come here, truly wanting a hookup under the mushroom’s instigation.
Li Heng’s kisses were like rain, warm rain, or as if the warm lights overhead had melted and fallen.
The forehead, the injured brow bone.
Trembling eyelashes.
The bridge of the nose and the cheekbones, which also had several abrasions.
The corners of the lips seeping with blood.
Li Heng tried to properly hold the person in his arms. Ji Landong’s body was sinking. A section of the youth’s thin, flexible waist was exposed from the hoodie. On his bloodless skin, he was covered in bruises, either green or purple.
Looking at these marks, the elite investigation bureau detective could not restrain his murderous intent for several seconds.
After a few seconds like this, Li Heng confirmed one by one that there were no fractures under the bruises. After adjusting his emotions, he cautiously tightened his arms and carried Ji Landong to the bathroom.
He found that Ji Landong’s body temperature was severely low. This wouldn’t do; he had to warm up as soon as possible: “Have you eaten?”
Ji Landong did not react, his eyes open, motionless, his face transparently pale.
When he was carefully picked up, his arms dangled.
The knife fell to the floor.
Li Heng touched his face and found it completely cold. He placed him in the bathtub, leaning him steadily, and stood up: “I’ll go get food.”
He had gone to find Ji Landong for his birthday today, and there was actually an exquisite three-layer luxury cream cake in the car—but the way from the room to the car was too far. Li Heng couldn’t leave the bathroom for so long. He tore open several bento boxes stocked in the refrigerator and put them in the microwave to heat, returning to check on Ji Landong continuously during the process.
Ji Landong didn’t seem to like eating.
But this wasn’t something to be decided by preference. Li Heng sat on the edge of the bathtub, holding a spoon, trying to persuade Ji Landong to take a bite of the beef curry rice.
“I’ll cook tomorrow,” Li Heng said softly. “Ji Landong, you have to eat.”
Ji Landong rested his head on the edge of the bathtub.
The rising steam seemed to have washed his eyes once, making them darker and cleaner. Li Heng couldn’t help but lean down and kiss them.
Ji Landong trembled.
He finally spoke in a hoarse voice: “Uncomfortable.”
He didn’t understand how such contact could strip away the consciousness’s control over the body.
Losing control meant danger, destruction, and death. Life was very difficult, but Ji Landong didn’t want to die immediately.
He believed he didn’t like being kissed.
Being kissed was uncomfortable.
“Then you kiss me.” Li Heng was quite easy to negotiate with. “Take a bite of food, please. If my accomplice suddenly starves to death in my bathtub, I’ll be arrested tomorrow.”
This “please” was said without any real attitude. Anyone with a bit of a sense of humor would know Detective Li was telling an investigation bureau joke.
The clear, hard eyes moved.
Ji Landong pursed his damaged lips: “Accomplice?”
“Partner in crime? Co-conspirator?” Li Heng changed a few words, letting the person involved choose for himself. “A grasshopper on the same string?”
Perhaps it was a bit too much.
Ji Landong looked at him inexplicably for a while, leaned forward, took the spoonful of curry rice with a large piece of beef, and chewed slowly.
The food immediately caused severe spasms in his throat and stomach. He didn’t remember how long it had been since he last ate. It hurt terribly; he had to close his eyes.
A warm palm covered his stomach, slowly massaging it.
Li Heng simply removed the obstructive clothing in a few moves and got into the bathtub so Ji Landong could lean more comfortably on his shoulder. He tried to feed Ji Landong a little hot coffee that could warm his body.
Ji Landong swallowed it and closed his eyes in the dizziness caused by the sudden intake of food. He didn’t remember Li Heng could brew such delicious coffee.
But he also didn’t know when he had ever drunk the terrible coffee Li Heng had brewed.
“Coffee powder,” Li Heng admitted. “Instant coffee I bought, just brewed.”
Ji Landong: “…”
Li Heng saw Ji Landong smile, a smile he clearly didn’t want to be noticed.
The youth’s cold shell seemed to have melted a bit. At least when the back of his head and neck were stroked and his damaged lips were pursed, his chin would tilt up slightly, appearing very relaxed.
Very… obedient.
Very kissable.
Li Heng stroked Ji Landong’s hair with just the right amount of pressure, his fingertips making slow circles against the scalp. This could alleviate the headache caused by high tension.
Li Heng washed him, carefully avoiding the bruises and trying not to let the still-bleeding wounds touch the water. Ji Landong thought it wasn’t necessary to go to such trouble. He gulped down a bento, took the soap, and splashed a handful of water on his face.
The food and hot water made the youth warm and clean.
His brows and lashes were pitch black, his pupils clear. Although his face was still inevitably pale and he had no expression, Li Heng was clearly reflected in his eyes.
“I brought a souvenir,” Ji Landong said. “Li… Heng.”
He was still a bit hesitant when he spoke the name, but it felt familiar, his lips, teeth, and tongue naturally knowing where to place themselves.
The souvenir was a cake.
Forgotten in that closet.
Li Heng nodded. He touched Ji Landong’s face; this time it was warm. The youth’s body was easy to nourish and recover, as long as he ate heartily.
Ji Landong asked: “Shall we kiss?”
This sentence also sounded familiar.
Li Heng smiled slightly. He reached out and hugged the person close at hand, nodding. They kissed under the bright, warm light.
Ji Landong had some habits that needed correcting, such as an unconscious craving for pain, which made some things almost masochistic.
Li Heng gently stroked the warm hair and discussed softly: “Reasonably speaking, if someone is to feel pain, it should be my turn.”
Ji Landong’s body trembled, his slightly long forehead hair hanging over his brow bone. His chest rose and fell, and his thin eyelids lifted, making those still somewhat cold black eyes look like an exquisitely beautiful blade.
Ji Landong remained silent, watching him quietly for a long while before saying, “It’s none of your business.”
He seemed to be talking about the current matter, but also seemed to be summarizing tonight’s impulsive trip—Ji Landong just suddenly wanted to see Li Heng, so he came. He would leave after tonight.
He was something haunted by ghosts, something made very dirty, half a juvenile delinquent.
So the two of them being inexplicably entangled had nothing to do with Li Heng.
The pain had nothing to do with Li Heng.
The sin had nothing to do with Li Heng.
Ji Landong paused for a moment. He prepared to apologize for his misunderstanding of Li Heng. He looked at the time; if he returned to the train station now, he could catch the earliest train.
His wrist was grabbed by Li Heng.
The youth frowned slightly, his icy black eyes meeting the elite detective’s gaze, but he froze. He had never seen this expression on Li Heng’s face.
Even as the youngest special-grade detective in the investigation bureau—Li Heng was a very stable person who knew how to assess the situation and was mostly indifferent.
How not to get involved in the mud, how to protect himself and avoid getting burned, how to watch the fire from across the river while holding a cup of coffee.
Li Heng was a natural politician.
“Ji Landong,” Li Heng said, “You are not allowed to leave.”
“You are under arrest.”
Li Heng said, “For trespassing.”
This charge really couldn’t scare the informant. Ji Landong didn’t take it seriously. He wanted to find a set of clothes from Li Heng’s closet; he would pay for them.
He didn’t want to touch that pile of junk covered in mud and blood again.
Ji Landong wanted to stand up, but found Li Heng’s arm wouldn’t let him. He was made a bit lazy by this unfamiliar clean hot water and warm light. He raised his hand and tapped Li Heng’s arm.
Li Heng lowered his head and kissed this hand.
Ji Landong was startled, his eyes widening slightly. He curled his fingers, wanting to withdraw them, but Li Heng still did so.
Li Heng wrapped him in a bath towel, carefully dried him, blew his hair with warm air, applied medicine and Band-Aids to his hands, and applied liniment to the bruises.
All these movements were extremely gentle, except that Li Heng wouldn’t let him go.
They returned to the bedroom. The moonlight was very bright, spilling onto the floor through the window.
Ji Landong saw his own footprints.
Exceptionally conspicuous.
“My fault. I’ll clean it up later.”
Li Heng kissed him, reiterating repeatedly, his lips against the lips that were scarred from being bitten: “It’s because I just renovated the garden and it’s all dirt. Ji Landong, I want to plant some flowers for you.”
He hadn’t decided what to plant, discussing in the gaps between kisses: “Dianthus? Ji Landong, have you heard of the Skeleton Flower? Its flowers are white, but they turn transparent when it rains.”
Li Heng pulled the curtains shut, the last bit of moonlight flowing into Ji Landong’s eyes.
“Shall we have a garden?” Li Heng said while pulling back the quilt. “Ji Landong, trespassing is a very serious problem now. We need to discuss it seriously. I have to keep you at home.”
“You are responsible for eating well, eating heartily—that’s not easy, is it?”
“You have to have a long, deep sleep.”
“Sleep until your whole body is soft, completely comfortable, and completely warm, so lazy that you don’t even want to move. Then it will be proper. And then you do this, tap the headboard twice, and shout: ‘Li Heng!’”
Li Heng tapped the wooden headboard twice, making a loud sound, and taught him: “You just shout: ‘I’m hungry, serve the food!’”
“I’ll come over very quickly and ask what you want to eat.”
“I still have to go to work. Since you’re confined by me, you’ll have to develop some personal hobbies. Try to think about what you like? How about we go to a symphony when we’re on vacation? If you like going to school, I’ll go and ask. You can take the central exams next year.”
“You haven’t missed a bit, Ji Landong. You’re smart, you’re young, and your grades are very good. By then, plenty of schools will want you, and you’ll have to worry about which one to go to.”
“Since you’re confined by me, I must be responsible for your food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Ji Landong, you have to cooperate with my law enforcement.”
“Currently tentatively set for Monday to Friday, five days of confinement, eight hours each day. How about that?”
“10 PM to 6 AM? If you want to go out and play, we can adjust it.”
“You can’t run.” Li Heng’s breathing was also a bit unstable. He supported Ji Landong and finally lifted him up gently, protecting him against his chest. “I can… find you.”
He didn’t delay anything else because of talking. His heart pounded against his breastbone. Across a layer of skin, something more intense was responding. The body he was holding was even trembling in slight waves. His pale skin was flushed faint red.
Li Heng held the hand covered in Band-Aids.
He had to be extra careful and not neglectful. All these bruises on Ji Landong had to be properly medicated. He should go to the hospital tomorrow.
He knew Ji Landong was sweating a lot and wiped it gently with his palm, wondering if he should go get some chilled coconut water: “Ji Landong, I—”
He froze.
He looked into those eyes. The youth turned his head, his lips pursed until they were white, refusing to meet his gaze because he couldn’t control his tears.
Ji Landong propped himself up with his arms and slowly climbed up, stumbled, and propped himself up again.
Li Heng protected him, cupping his ribs and gathering his injuries.
Li Heng whispered: “…Ji Landong.”
Li Heng’s throat moved. He didn’t know what else to say, so he finally negotiated: “Let’s try… try for a month.”
“Is that okay?”
He couldn’t really handcuff Ji Landong.
If Ji Landong insisted on leaving, he could only follow him and try to buy the entire building at the address of the old second-hand house.
Although it wasn’t difficult—the population outflow in that city was extremely serious, and the building Ji Landong bought was a “columbarium building”—it wouldn’t cost much even to buy a whole building. But wouldn’t doing that be a bit too arrogant?
To investigate the truth of Ji Landong’s case would conflict with a cohabitation relationship. He had planned to resign from the investigation bureau to open his own firm. By then, things would indeed be much more relaxed. It would also be good to run for election as a politician in the future as a private citizen.
But would it be bad if it was later dug up that a “prospective congressman had stalked and followed an international superstar for twelve years”?
Li Heng was accustomed to being pragmatic and thinking of countermeasures. This was the influence of the investigation bureau’s style.
Although he thought these methods were inappropriate, he had already begun to ponder their feasibility.
He watched Ji Landong walk toward the closet.
Ji Landong found a shirt he often wore. The size was a bit too large; Ji Landong should eat well.
The over-emaciated youth crouched down, propped himself up on the ground to rest for a while, picked something up, and slowly walked back, placing it in front of him. His silent black eyes watched him quietly.
Li Heng raised his hand and gently stroked the cheek that was becoming cold again.
There was a very imperceptible force.
Like a quietly wandering deer, like a free bird being carefully stroked and touched, Ji Landong accepted his touch and was willing to try being arrested.
Perhaps dangerous.
Dangerous.
The cake with the little red flower was pushed toward Li Heng. Ji Landong had walked all afternoon with it. The cake hadn’t fallen over, hadn’t been bumped, and was still clean. It was a very good cake.
The youth’s still somewhat thin back was straight.
Li Heng couldn’t help but stroke Ji Landong’s hair. For a moment, when the thin eyelids lifted, they were no longer icicles, no longer blades that hurt others and himself.
There was probably no one easier to coax than Ji Landong in this world.
To avoid truly scaring the person away, Li Heng had to do his best to restrain his thoughts and not immediately hold Ji Landong tightly… even if he really wanted to.
Li Heng looked at Ji Landong.
He did his best to be steady, only gently grasping Ji Landong’s wrist.
Ji Landong was a person who, if his hair was properly stroked, would smile gently at you.
…
The plastic lid of the cake with the little red flower was opened and pushed in front of him.
The temperament in Ji Landong was innate. Such a movement was made beautiful and elegant by him, as if this were a high-end restaurant and this was the most expensive and rare dessert.
Of course it was.
Li Heng thought while looking at the cake.
Much better than that crappy cake he had ordered.
…
Ji Landong thought so too.
He could find a decent cake and get a place to shelter from the wind and rain.
He had the confidence to pass the crew’s interview. He knew he had talent. He knew he could stand out.
Life was manageable. He could manage completely on his own without help—what Li Heng said indeed sounded nice, but that wasn’t the true attraction.
Ji Landong looked at the hand that had “handcuffed” him.
Uncomfortable, as uncomfortable as kissing.
As uncomfortable as uncontrollable tears.
As uncomfortable as plunging into a warm bedroom from the cold wind.
He was probably out of his mind; he wanted to see the flowers Li Heng mentioned that “turn transparent when it rains.”
The force of stroking his hair was soft, but the technique was strange, as if stroking some small animal that would run if slightly startled. Ji Landong looked up, meeting Li Heng’s gaze.
Ji Landong tapped the wooden headboard: “Li Heng.”
Li Heng immediately responded: “Hmm?”
The youth, like thin ice, smiled slightly at him.
“Li Heng.”
Eighteen-year-old Ji Landong said, “It’s my birthday.”
It was the first time he had said such words to anyone.
A softness he wasn’t aware of in his black eyes.
Very unfamiliar, each word carefully considered and only spoken after confirming it was correct.
“I’m inviting you… to eat cake.”