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Chapter 19: The kiss was light and fast, like a feather brushing against the corner of his lips.
When Xie Zijing’s lips were just two centimeters away from Qin Ge’s, he stopped.
“Do you smoke?” he asked. As he spoke, the cigarette between his teeth moved slightly.
Qin Ge was prepared to punch him in the stomach again, knowing that his fists were more than strong enough… but maybe it would be more direct to step back or simply warn Xie Zijing?
A flurry of thoughts raced through Qin Ge’s mind as Xie Zijing got closer, but in the end, he just clenched his fist and didn’t make any proactive moves.
So when Xie Zijing asked him if he smoked, Qin Ge couldn’t react immediately.
The cigarette brushed against his nose twice, making it itch. Xie Zijing’s eyes were so close to him, and his long eyelashes trembled slightly due to nervousness.
Qin Ge frowned and pushed the cigarette away, letting it fall to the ground. In that moment when he was distracted, Xie Zijing closed his eyes and leaned in, kissing his lips quickly and accurately.
After a kiss, Xie Zijing retreated, remaining on guard for Qin Ge’s fist.
The house was well-lit, completely exposing everything, including Qin Ge’s expression.
He wasn’t surprised, nor did he look disgusted.
“…I’ll forgive you this time,” Qin Ge said somewhat reluctantly. “But if there’s a next time, I suggest you buy some armor for your stomach. I don’t hold back, so you better think it through.”
Xie Zijing hadn’t expected him to be so calm, and all his complex emotions suddenly drained away from his tense body.
His nervousness and anger both disappeared. Qin Ge didn’t give him the response he had expected, but in truth, Xie Zijing couldn’t even explain what he was expecting. His desire for Qin Ge was clear one moment and obscured by vague memories the next, hidden away in a locked drawer of his desk, something he didn’t dare examine closely.
“Is that it? You didn’t feel anything? You didn’t remember anything from the past?” He was just unwilling to accept it. How could it be? That was a kiss—the kind of kiss on the lips. He hadn’t kissed Qin Ge’s nose or his fist; he had kissed his soft lips.
Qin Ge: “I didn’t feel anything.”
Xie Zijing: “Maybe it was too short, not strong enough. Let’s try again!”
When the landlord returned, Xie Zijing was on the ground, kneeling because of a severe blow to his stomach. Qin Ge confirmed that he had controlled his strength, but this guy was still pretending to be in pain.
“Are you special people always like this?” The landlord was anxious. “Just rent the house; there’s no need to kneel!”
***
Xie Zijing, who had successfully rented a house, was not very enthusiastic about the upcoming move.
All of his belongings fit into a single backpack; he was truly traveling light, without any attachments.
Bai Xiaoyuan looked at the photos of the house on Qin Ge’s phone and suggested that the dinner gathering by the adjustment department should be held at Xie Zijing’s new home.
“How about hot pot?” she asked cheerfully. “I have some Chongqing hot pot base at home, and we can use all of it.”
Xie Zijing: “I don’t want to.”
Qin Ge said, “Let’s go with hot pot. You guys can buy the ingredients, and I’ll reimburse you for everything. Since Xie Zijing doesn’t want us to go to his place, we’ll go to mine.”
Xie Zijing tugged at the tail of the sand cat’s tail for ten seconds, contemplating.
Eating hot pot at Qin Ge’s place meant that he would have to go back home alone in the cold wind after it was over.
He gently scratched the sand cat’s tail, and the cat had to extend its claws cautiously to warn him not to overdo it.
But when it scratched, it didn’t use much force. It knew what was hidden inside Xie Zijing, so its cat claws landed lightly on Xie Zijing’s arm, and its meow was timid.
“Fine, let’s go to my place,” Xie Zijing said, not knowing why the cat tickled him. He put it aside. “My place is more spacious than Qin Ge’s.”
The next day, Xie Zijing went to work with his backpack. When he left Qin Ge’s place, he asked if he could have a gift.
He pointed to the ukulele.
It was a gift from Jiang Xiaochuan, and Qin Ge hesitated for a moment before nodding. Xie Zijing quickly gave up and reminded Qin Ge as he left the house, “Remember to change your password, and be careful of my sneak attacks.”
He and Qin Ge went to work together. When they arrived at the office, the messenger in the office was quite surprised to see Xie Zijing again with a backpack. “Don’t you have anywhere to go?”
Xie Zijing smiled and handed him a cigarette. “What are you talking about? I do, I do.”
Qin Ge felt that his mind must have been messed up by Xie Zijing. He couldn’t focus all day at work. After work, the other three rushed to Xie Zijing’s new home, but he drove to a music store and spent over an hour picking out a ukulele for Xie Zijing.
Sometimes, Xie Zijing would play it at home, and his fingerwork wasn’t particularly skilled, but Qin Ge could tell that Xie Zijing was very happy at those times.
Qin Ge often thought about Xie Zijing’s sea area—that small room filled with his own traces.
He hadn’t had this soft spot before, but it had suddenly developed after meeting Xie Zijing, and it probably couldn’t be cured anytime soon.
When he handed the ukulele to Xie Zijing, Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo whistled meaninglessly in the steam from the hot pot.
“A housewarming gift,” Qin Ge said, then turned to look at Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo. “What about you two? Any gestures?”
Bai Xiaoyuan pointed at the hot pot. “Base, pot, induction cooker, utensils.”
Tang Cuo pointed at two large plates of seafood. “Ingredients.”
Xie Zijing took out the ukulele, tuned it, and played a few notes before clearing his throat. “It’s not bad.”
But he obviously treasured it, and he held it by the French window, smiling inexplicably for a long time.
The four of them had a lively dinner, and Tang Cuo had bought too many ingredients. Looking at the leftovers, he said somewhat regretfully, “I should have invited Lei Chi to eat with us.”
Bai Xiaoyuan asked, “What does that have to do with Lei Chi?”
Tang Cuo replied, “I saw him when I got off work, and I was going to invite him to eat hot pot together, but I overheard him talking to Director Gao, saying that he had to work overtime tonight.”
———
Lei Chi, who had finished organizing all the field team’s documents at the Crisis Management Office, stood up from his desk and rubbed his eyes, planning to make another cup of coffee.
The Criminal Investigation Department was filled with smoke, and the smell of cigarettes and coffee was strong, overpowering the fragrance of tea brewed by the older officers.
“Are you finished organizing everything?” the section chief asked while refilling his teacup with hot water.
“Yeah,” Lei Chi opened a packet of instant coffee and couldn’t help but yawn, “There aren’t many people in the field team, but there’s a lot of turnover.”
The section chief used the steam from the hot water to refresh his eyes and smiled, saying, “Actually, you’re qualified to apply for the field team. However, the work in the field team is much harder than in our office, so think it over carefully.”
Lei Chi’s heart skipped a beat, and after hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Isn’t the ‘Wolf Fang’ squad the most famous one in the field team right now?”
“Forget about ‘Wolf Fang,'” the section chief said, “That squad specializes in carrying out confidential missions arranged by the Crisis Management Office and the Special Management Committee. They haven’t recruited new members for three or four years. What’s on your mind? Are you interested in the ‘Wolf Fang’ squad, or are you interested in their squad leader? I can’t describe that leader as anything other than a wolf, but at first glance, he doesn’t look particularly fierce. He’s chubby, short, and definitely not as impressive as your transformed appearance.”
“I’m interested in a mission ‘Wolf Fang’ carried out.” Lei Chi recalled the information he had just seen. “Among so many missions, there’s only one without a detailed case report—an unsolved mystery from eleven years ago in Luquan. Is there anything hidden in the Luquan incident?”
The section chief was scalded by the hot tea and started coughing uncontrollably.
Lei Chi quickly patted his back and refrained from asking further questions.
“Don’t ask anyone else about this matter,” the section chief reminded him after recovering. “Even though there’s no detailed report, the Luquan incident has already been concluded as an accident.”
Lei Chi closed his mouth. Seeing that he still seemed unsatisfied, the section chief pulled him aside into the corridor and whispered, “The Luquan incident resulted in the deaths of all the members of the Field Unit ‘Falcon’ under the Crisis Management Office, and that’s why the previous chief was transferred out of the Crisis Management Office. Many members of the Falcon Unit were contemporaries of Gao Tianyue, and he doesn’t like others bringing up this matter.”
The section chief’s expression grew serious, and Lei Chi nodded reluctantly.
In the courtyard of the Crisis Management Office, there was only one big light left. Lei Chi caught a glimpse of two people passing by the messenger’s office door and heading straight for the Crisis Management Office building.
A few minutes later, the elevator stopped on the floor where Gao Tianyue’s office was located.
Gao Tianyue had already brewed tea and was admiring his own work while waiting for his guests.
“Your book is really poorly written.” Qin Shuangshuang’s voice rang out at the door. “It’s all old clichés, and I can’t see any insights you’ve gained as the director of the Crisis Management Office these past few years.”
Gao Tianyue put down his book in displeasure: “My book is an innovative academic treatise that focuses on popular science.”
He invited Qin Shuangshuang and Jiang Leyang to sit down, and he poured hot tea for both of them.
“You even asked me not to leave after work.” Gao Tianyue smiled and asked, “If you want to inquire about Qin Ge’s situation, we could have discussed it over the phone.”
“It can’t be explained over the phone.” Qin Shuangshuang’s voice was solemn. “Qin Ge told me that day that his new department includes Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo.”
Gao Tianyue said, “Those two are not bad.”
“Don’t give me that nonsense.” Qin Shuangshuang’s low voice carried a hint of anger. “Why did you arrange all the orphans of the Falcon Unit from back then in the same department? They have been living peacefully, and you didn’t need to do this.”
Gao Tianyue slowly pushed the tea cups in front of the couple.
“Because I am puzzled by the Luquan incident from back then. It wasn’t an accident.” As he spoke, his smile gone and his gaze flickering between Qin Shuangshuang and Jiang Leyang, he said, “And you underestimate Qin Ge too much. Why do you think he joined the Crisis Management Office and insisted on working in the archives back then?”
———
Qin Ge sneezed, his nose feeling congested, as if someone was talking about him.
He rubbed his nose and turned to wave at Xie Zijing, “It’s getting chilly at night; you don’t need to see me off. You can go back.”
Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo had both been drinking, and Qin Ge planned to drop them off at the subway station before heading home. Xie Zijing watched as Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo got into the car and hesitated, not leaving.
He was dressed lightly, with only a thin jacket over his shirt, and Qin Ge felt like he would be cold.
“See you tomorrow,” Qin Ge said. “You’ve just recovered from a cold, so you should go back.”
As he turned to leave, Xie Zijing suddenly grabbed his hand.
Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo had been closely watching their actions and immediately started whistling drunkenly.
“First, let me make an announcement,” Xie Zijing said, looking at Qin Ge. “I’m going to start pursuing you.”
Qin Ge: “…”
He checked multiple times to make sure Xie Zijing wasn’t joking.
Xie Zijing took a key out of his pocket, held it up for a moment, then suddenly kissed the key before swiftly placing it in Qin Ge’s hand, not letting him push it away.
“I know the code to your place, and you have the key to mine,” Xie Zijing said with a smile. “It’s only fair.”
As if afraid of rejection, he quickly stuffed his hands into his coat pockets, took a few steps back, and wore a silly smile that he couldn’t hide. Then he turned around and dashed away.
Qin Ge held the key and only examined it closely when he got back into the car. At the time, he didn’t pay much attention, but Xie Zijing had attached a keychain to it with a sun-like lion-head soft rubber pendant.
Qin Ge: “…”
It was too childish. He sat on the bed, staring blankly at the key and the keychain in his hand. Xie Zijing had opened the door to him—but how could Xie Zijing open the door to him?! Xie Zijing definitely didn’t understand the significance of home as a private space… He must not understand. Qin Ge clenched the small lion head that was only the size of his palm. Xie Zijing must not know the significance of this key to him.
The rabbit slipped out of its hiding place, nestled in his arms, and stared at the key and keychain endlessly with him.
“This is a lion,” Qin Ge said to the rabbit. “You haven’t seen it before. It’s a very gentle big lion.”
He held the key and the keychain out in front of the rabbit. The rabbit wiggled its tail and ears, then suddenly approached and affectionately kissed the key.
Suddenly, Qin Ge’s heart trembled, and his heart raced rapidly within his chest. The rapid heartbeat and the sound of blood rushing in his ears made him panic. The physical reaction was too strong; his face turned completely red, and he felt anxious and puzzled.
Memories seemed to be incessantly stirred up. He saw Xie Zijing kissing the key in the night light, and his eyes were looking at him. The streetlight illuminated half of Xie Zijing’s profile, and even his eyes were smiling. He saw the neon lights and streetlights reflecting through the glass window. Xie Zijing closed his eyes and kissed lightly and quickly, like a feather brushing against the corner of his lips.
“Don’t kiss it!” Qin Ge grabbed the rabbit and took the key back from its claws.
After kissing the key, the rabbit was now holding the soft rubber lion head, rubbing it back and forth. When its precious item was suddenly taken away, it made an unhappy, threatening sound, and its small teeth nibbled on Qin Ge’s fingers.
Qin Ge held it in his arms, lying on the bed, his body curling up, involuntarily tensing up.
He wasn’t without feelings. It was just that this feeling was delayed for too long and was too intense.
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qg’s reaction to the key is so sweet!