Chapter 8: For him, making Qin Ge angry was really fun.
Qin Ge lived in a self-purchased single apartment, struggling to pay the mortgage every month. He dared not even buy a car, relying on public transportation and his own electric bike for transportation.
The apartment was neither big nor small, on a middle floor, and located neither too far nor too close to the city center, sandwiched between the fourth and fifth ring roads, just like an improperly placed fried egg between a hamburger patty and the bun.
Xie Zijing arrived faster than him, and when Qin Ge approached the entrance of the residential complex, he saw Xie Zijing standing outside the security office.
Despite carrying such a heavy backpack, Xie Zijing didn’t put it down and just leaned against a tree, staring intently at a nearby intersection.
Qin Ge knew he was waiting for him.
…But the direction was wrong.
He’s really tall, Qin Ge thought. Wasn’t it said that something expands in heat and shrinks in cold? He spent a few years under a snow mountain; he wondered if he had shrunk.
Since it was just a temporary stay, Qin Ge had no intention of giving him a key, so he only told him the password on the door.
“142857?” Xie Zijing couldn’t help but laugh. “You believe in this kind of pseudo-science? Are you a liberal arts student?”
None of your business, Qin Ge thought; why look down on liberal arts students?
He walked in first, with Xie Zijing following closely behind him. As he watched Xie Zijing enter the house, Qin Ge’s palms suddenly started to sweat. He was more nervous than he had ever been before.
He bought this house last year, and after moving in, only Qin Shuangshuang’s family had visited. He had few friends to begin with, and he had never agreed to let Yan Hong come over despite his repeated requests. Colleagues were even less likely to visit.
A home is an incredibly private space, carrying a person’s deepest secrets. Qin Ge had always believed that those who received an invitation and were allowed into someone’s home were undoubtedly special.
Allowing someone to share your most intimate space and secrets with you demonstrated just how close you were to each other.
…So he must have been insane at the time.
Qin Ge grew increasingly frustrated.
He enjoyed living alone, and he had almost forgotten how to coexist with another person in the same living space.
Xie Zijing stood in the living room, looking around with curiosity. Qin Ge’s small apartment had an open layout, making the space appear much more spacious. The bedroom and living room were separated by sliding doors, which were now partially closed. He could see half of the bed and half of the bookshelf filled with books inside.
The living room led directly to the balcony, where lights from neighboring apartments were already shining in the night.
The balcony door was tightly closed, keeping the interior warm. The spring breeze, still chilly at times, couldn’t sneak in. It was a secure and stable space.
There was a certain softness in this home. It belonged to Qin Ge’s spirit. Like a timid, gentle creature, the calm air seemed to retain traces of its movements. Xie Zijing reached out and touched it. His movement disturbed the air, and those dormant traces suddenly came to life, affectionately wrapping around his fingers.
“What are you grabbing at?” Qin Ge looked puzzled.
Xie Zijing pointed at the sofa, “Can I sit here?”
Qin Ge: “Yes.”
Xie Zijing: “Can I put my bag on the floor?”
Qin Ge: “…Yes. Stop pretending to be pitiful, okay?”
Xie Zijing laughed heartily, “Okay, okay, okay.”
But his posture remained tense as he obediently sat on the sofa with his hands on his knees, his gaze fixed on Qin Ge as he prepared tea in the open kitchen and finally placed a can of juice in front of him.
Qin Ge intended to tell Xie Zijing about some things to be mindful of while staying in his home, but he realized there wasn’t much need for reminders.
“You should take a shower every day, and it’s best to follow my daily routine.” He pulled out a blanket from the bedroom, “You can sleep on the sofa; it can be used as a sofa bed. I’ll get you a chair, so you should be able to stretch your legs.”
Xie Zijing received the blanket and pillow, noticing the cute pattern on the pillowcase.
“What’s this?” Xie Zijing was very curious, “Is this your spirit animal?”
“Sugar glider,” Qin Ge went to get him a toothbrush and towel, “It’s my younger brother’s spirit animal. This set of bedding and the pillow is all his.”
Xie Zijing: “You have a younger brother?”
Qin Ge, holding the towel and toothbrush, couldn’t hold back anymore, “Didn’t you say we dated before? How did we talk back then? You don’t even know I have a younger brother?”
“I didn’t know,” Xie Zijing laughed and said, “Maybe you intentionally didn’t tell me. Sneaking around and secretly dating a bad boy outside while hiding it from your family, isn’t it exciting?”
Qin Ge: “…”
Xie Zijing furrowed his brows slightly, pondered for a moment, then curled his lips into a somewhat suggestive smile.
Qin Ge: “…What are you thinking now?!”
“The plot is progressing a bit too quickly; at seventeen or eighteen, we should still be a little reserved.” Xie Zijing cleared his throat, “Let me adjust it. We should start by dating on a motorcycle and then run away together. On that night, the rain was pouring down heavily. In an abandoned train station with no one around, I lit a candle, and then… under the candlelight, we did…”
“What did we do?” Qin Ge asked through gritted teeth.
Xie Zijing said with a serious expression, “We did a practice exam for the college entrance examination. The math questions were really difficult, especially the last one; it was way beyond the syllabus.”
The towel and toothbrush were thrown at his face, which he quickly caught. He covered his face and burst into laughter. Then, gradually, he laughed uncontrollably, lying on the sofa, his voice trembling.
“Go take a shower!” Qin Ge shouted.
The sound of the sliding door closing was very loud.
After Xie Zijing had his fill of laughter, he lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling light fixture for a while before letting out another “ha” of laughter. To him, teasing Qin Ge and making him angry was quite amusing.
However, everything he had just said was purely imaginary. He really couldn’t remember how he fell in love with Qin Ge before.
Qin Ge suspected that Xie Zijing knew that he had romantic fantasies.
Among people with romantic fantasies, a very small percentage are self-aware, but generally, once someone realizes that their feelings were entirely based on fantasy, they quickly become sober and don’t become obsessed with it.
But Xie Zijing seemed to enjoy teasing Qin Ge by taking on the role of his ex-boyfriend.
However, Xie Zijing had been suspended from work because of the “Sea Area” incident. If he had no knowledge of his romantic fantasies, then the reason for his suspension at that time should not have been related to romantic fantasies.
But there should be a problem more serious than romantic fantasies.
Qin Ge had a headache. The “Sea Area” already presented a significant problem, and now it seemed that Xie Zijing might have at least two major issues.
He heard the sound of water from the bathroom. Xie Zijing obediently went to take a shower.
Qin Ge opened his notebook and started jotting down notes, trying to organize his thoughts on the Peng Hu and Cai Mingyue matter.
All he needed was to confirm that Cai Mingyue had done something improper in operating room No. 6, and he could apply to initiate an investigation.
However, hospital records were only kept for thirty years, and that time had long passed, making it impossible to find any records.
Even if some records were still preserved, the hospital wouldn’t allow them to be accessed without a valid reason.
Most of the doctors and nurses who had worked with Cai Mingyue back then were either deceased or difficult to locate due to their old age.
Finding Cai Mingyue’s patients was also extremely challenging. Those whose children were born healthy could be found, but those who had lost their infants had likely moved on, and it would be almost impossible to track them down. Moreover, even if the parents were located, they might not be willing to share the truth, especially if they had asked Cai Mingyue to handle their child.
Cai Mingyue’s coronary artery bypass surgery was scheduled in a few days. It was a risky procedure, and there was a significant chance she might not make it off the operating table.
Every possibility had been ruled out, leaving only the last line.
“Forced infiltration.”
When Qin Ge was contemplating those two words, the door suddenly swung open, and Xie Zijing, wearing long-sleeved clothes, stood there steaming with warmth, saying, “It’s your turn.”
Seeing Qin Ge sitting at the desk, Xie Zijing walked in without an invitation, approached him, and peered at his notes.
Qin Ge first noticed the warm scent of shower gel emanating from Xie Zijing. In the next moment, he realized that the two of them were already well beyond the boundaries of social distance. He immediately covered his notebook and scolded sternly, “Get out.”
Before he could finish his sentence, Xie Zijing had already turned and walked to the bookshelf.
Qin Ge just wanted him to leave his bedroom as soon as possible. A sentinel with romantic fantasies about you, who had just taken a shower, entered your bedroom all steamed up—no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like the beginning of a crime thriller or an R18 movie. What comes next is either murder or intimacy.
“Take whatever you want; I’m getting ready for a shower. Stay in the living room by yourself.”
Xie Zijing pointed to the corner of the bookshelf where a ukulele was placed.
It was a gift from Jiang Xiaochuan when Qin Ge moved in. Unfortunately, Qin Ge only knew how to play the first four lines of “Those Flowers.” Although it was short, he could get quite emotional playing it, and it could easily ensnare the player in its melody, much to the listener’s annoyance.
“Sure.” Qin Ge immediately agreed.
After taking a shower, Qin Ge’s opinion of Xie Zijing changed slightly.
Xie Zijing had left the bathroom spotless, with not a drop of water to be seen on the floor or walls, and even the mirror was completely devoid of condensation.
Qin Ge decided to compliment him a bit; after all, he was his guest. However, when he walked into the living room, he suddenly found Xie Zijing standing on the balcony, playing the ukulele.
It was already past nine o’clock, and Qin Ge hurried to the balcony, speaking in a hushed tone, “Come back; don’t disturb the neighbors.”
Xie Zijing strummed a few more chords on the ukulele, then contentedly put it away. “Did it sound good?” he asked Qin Ge.
“It was nice, very nice,” Qin Ge replied absentmindedly.
“I played a love song (情歌 Qíng gē). I learned in the snowy mountains,” Xie Zijing chuckled.
Qin Ge could tell he was making a pun on his own name and decided to swallow the compliments he had just thought of.
After bidding each other goodnight, Qin Ge locked his bedroom door.
Xie Zijing sat on the sofa for a while, covered himself with a blanket, and took out a book from his backpack to read.
He had trouble falling asleep at night, and tonight was no exception.
After reading half the book, he noticed a change in the room and slowly sat up from the sofa.
A gentle aura flowed out of Qin Ge’s bedroom.
Xie Zijing knew that Qin Ge had fallen asleep. The presence that belonged to Qin Ge’s spirit animal was more pronounced than ever before. It enveloped him from head to toe, soothing his restlessness but also bringing about new restlessness.
Milky white mist passed through the walls and glass, eventually settling on the balcony and condensing into a small, round creature. Two ears perked up from the thick white fur, and after a moment, they drooped to the sides. A small, fluffy tail rhythmically wagged on its backside.
Xie Zijing sat up straight.
It was Qin Ge’s spirit animal, a tiny, long-haired rabbit no larger than the palm of his hand.
It was basking in the moonlight.
