Chapter 36: White Mist in the Woods 1
On a lazy Saturday morning, not sleeping in would be a disservice to life itself.
At ten o’clock, Zhuang Ningyu dragged his sleep- softened bones into the living room. The moment he opened the window, the young waiter from the restaurant, who had been squatting on the curb across the street, shot to his feet. He confidently made an “OK” sign. A medium bowl of Qiaojiao Beef, a medium portion of cabbage, and a bowl of brown sugar tofu pudding. Brother Zhuang, on this street, no one understands you better than I, Huang Afa!
The revolutionary friendship was too sincere. Zhuang Ningyu, who had originally wanted to eat beef noodles in red soup, had to change his plans on the spot. He only asked him to help buy a few empty red envelopes from the flower shop on his way up. The season already carried a desolate chill, and Zhuang Ningyu didn’t like to close his windows, so even with the underfloor heating on, he was still wearing thick loungewear. He leaned by the window, soaking in the rare bright sun of the city for a while, before lazily moving to the bathroom to wash up.
A dozen or so minutes later, the doorbell rang. It still wasn’t Grandma Xiong, but a bratty kid. Yi Ke appeared at the door holding red roses, wearing a backpack, and carrying the Qiaojiao Beef, having clearly just completed a brief handover ceremony with Huang Afa. He showed not a shred of apology for his uninvited arrival and the potential disturbance to the master of 201. On the contrary, he scrutinized the decidedly unfashionable, worn-out, dark blue coral fleece loungewear—at least two sizes too big—on Zhuang Ningyu with a very suspicious gaze.
After a long moment of scrutiny—
Zhuang Ningyu pulled the toothbrush from his mouth and asked, puzzled, “Why did you suddenly squat down?”
Yi Ke clutched his stomach and said, “I’m so angry my stomach hurts.”
He wasn’t faking. He had genuinely been so winded that he suffered a gastrointestinal spasm. His face turned pale, and within minutes, he was covered in a cold sweat. Zhuang Ningyu hadn’t expected this person to show up on a weekend to stage a sick-act, so he quickly half-supported, half-carried him to the sofa, then ran downstairs in his coat to fetch the doctor from the clinic. The old traditional Chinese medicine doctor on duty today was very skilled in treating acute abdominal pain in children. After hearing the symptoms, he was completely unfazed. While unhurriedly packing his medical kit, he asked the young parent before him, “How old is the child this year?”
Zhuang Ningyu replied, “Twenty-four. Is he still treatable?”
The old doctor: “…The mechanism is similar. Yes, he is.”
He performed acupuncture, administered medicine, applied hot compresses, and gave a massage in the living room of 201. After nearly an hour of fuss, some color finally returned to Yi Ke’s face. He squeezed out a few fragmented, intermittent syllables from his throat. “I’m better. Thank you.”
Zhuang Ningyu paid the consultation fee via QR code, saw the doctor out, and then followed the doctor’s orders by going to the kitchen to cook millet congee for the large pediatric patient. His weekend was turning out to be busier than a workday. Yi Ke, who had just been diagnosed with “emotional imbalance and liver qi stagnation,” was curled up on the sofa hugging a cushion, weakly but frequently tapping his phone. He didn’t even lift his head, occasionally needing to use facial recognition to unlock it. Zhuang Ningyu came out of the kitchen and stood beside him for a while before he couldn’t resist asking, “What on earth are you doing?”
Yi Ke’s voice trembled, “Buying you some new loungewear.”
Zhuang Ningyu couldn’t understand the logic at all and deeply suspected the man had been pained into stupidity. He stepped forward and tested Yi Ke’s forehead with the back of his fingers. The chill from the pain hadn’t subsided from his body; he was damp and pitiful, feeling like he was touching the nose of a small animal in a park. Zhuang Ningyu bent his knuckles and tapped him on the head, both angry and amused. He didn’t ask any more questions, just took the cold takeout back to the kitchen to reheat later. The congee in the small pot was still bubbling away, but Yi Ke currently looked as busy as a head of state and was probably in no mood to be hungry.
Half an hour later, voices were heard at the door. Zhuang Ningyu turned off the gas stove and went to check. The flash delivery courier had already left, and Yi Ke was squatting on the floor, organizing the three or four shopping bags he had just received. He took out a set of cream-white loungewear from a box, held it up for a look, and seemed satisfied. He sniffled and said, “Go change into this now.”
Zhuang Ningyu ignored this bizarre demand and refused flatly. “It’s not washed.”
Yi Ke propped up his ailing body and, holding the clothes, walked unsteadily towards the bathroom, looking like a long-suffering palace maid from the laundry service in winter who couldn’t afford to bribe the supervisor. “Then I’ll go wash it for you now.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “?”
The cold water gushed. Seeing that the young master was about to shove the cashmere and silk garment into the sink, Zhuang Ningyu finally couldn’t stand it anymore. He went forward, tightened the faucet, and dragged the man back to the sofa. “Sit.”
Yi Ke was pushed and stumbled into a sitting position. The jolt upset his still-recovering stomach, making him feel even more wronged. He grabbed Zhuang Ningyu’s hand and, with a nasal tone, questioned plaintively, “Where did you get that outfit?”
Zhuang Ningyu: “…”
Zhuang Ningyu: “Take a guess.”
Yi Ke didn’t want to guess. He pressed his forehead against the back of that slender white hand, not forgetting to roll up the other’s sleeve a bit, adamantly refusing to let that clothing of unknown origin touch him. He had never intended to probe into his past, but when this suspected past presented itself in such a concrete form, Yi Ke felt as if he had been instantly exiled to the dark Russia of the nineteenth century under the Tsar’s rule—a land of ice and snow, with irreparable cracks, where suffering was visible everywhere. All that was left in his aching body was “a heart that seemed to have stopped beating and a nervous tremor.” It can’t be from an ex-boyfriend, can it? It can’t be from an ex-boyfriend, can it? It can’t be from an ex-boyfriend, can it? Why didn’t he throw it away after breaking up? What’s so good about this crappy 100% polyester garment?
He rubbed his head, only to be zapped by the static electricity from the sleeve cuff. He instantly felt even more aggrieved!
Zhuang Ningyu said, “Stop making things up. It’s my dad’s.”
Yi Ke: “…”
A tide of hope swept in with unstoppable force. Dark Tsarist Russia crumbled like foam into the river of history. The Trans-Siberian Railway spanned Asia and Europe, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, foreign trade continued to expand, the future was promising, polyester was good, and so was uncle! Yi Ke stood up as if nothing had happened and asked, “Where are my slippers?”
Zhuang Ningyu slapped him on the head, laughing and cursing, “Get over here and eat.”
Yi Ke: “Mhm, mhm.”
Sunlight filled the entire kitchen, casting it in a lovely warm hue. The dining table was covered with a linen placemat. Zhong Yu loved to collect all sorts of trinkets from around the world, so every time she returned from a business trip, Zhuang Ningyu’s residence would be forced into a major makeover. Yi Ke sat on a dining chair that was said to have been personally carried back from Central Asia by his future father-in-law, feeling refreshed and in high spirits. He crossed his legs and ordered, “I want the blue bowl with the lace trim.”
Zhuang Ningyu pressed his temples with one hand while scooping rice with the other.
The millet congee was cooked a bit thick and had no seasoning, having nothing to do with the word “delicious.” But Yi Ke still ate a full bowl and even snatched two slices of Qiaojiao Beef from Zhuang Ningyu’s bowl. He crunched on a celery stalk. “Sister Jing said the bookstore is organizing a Crime and Punishment sharing session next month. Are you going?”
Zhuang Ningyu nodded. “Yes, sign me up.”
“Mhm.” Yi Ke blinked, continuing to pretend to be casual. “Brother Liu said he’s coming to pick us up at three-thirty.”
Zhuang Ningyu was neither surprised nor surprised by this. The first “not surprised” was because the groom, Liu Xiaoyang, had come to the dispute resolution department yesterday with a large bag of wedding candy, stammering, “Captain Zhuang, Huanian Mountain Villa gave us an extra deluxe suite. It’s a waste to leave it empty anyway, so would you like to come and stay a night in advance? The scenery there is quite nice, just treat it as a vacation.”
Zhuang Ningyu had agreed. Firstly, Liu Xiaoyang was beet-red when he said this, looking like he had mustered up half a year’s courage. He couldn’t bear to refuse his fanboy. Secondly, it was a good excuse not to have Yi Ke pick him up.
The second “not surprised” was that although he initially had the idea of “not letting Yi Ke pick me up,” deep down, he actually had a faint premonition. So, he wasn’t surprised by Yi Ke’s appearance at any time, in any place.
At three-thirty in the afternoon, Liu Xiaoyang arrived on time to pick them up. He had been so busy lately that he had visibly lost weight. Zhuang Ningyu had originally chosen to take the minibus because he didn’t want to drive himself, but he never expected to end up as the driver. He knocked on the driver’s side window and said, “Get out. I’ll drive for you.”
Liu Xiaoyang quickly refused. “It’s fine, it’s fine, Captain Zhuang, you sit. I have Red Bull, coffee, energy gels, and preserved plums.”
“Are you getting married or competing in a triathlon?” Zhuang Ningyu said, exasperated and amused, pulling the car door open. “Get out. Go sleep in the back for a bit.”
Liu Xiaoyang was both touched and apprehensive, with a hint of nervousness. Perhaps his brain was truly oxygen-deprived, because after getting out of the car, he even shook Zhuang Ningyu’s hand excitedly, holding on for a long time without letting go. Yi Ke, considering the man was about to enter the beautiful halls of matrimony, magnanimously chose not to argue. He opened the passenger door and sat down, asking, “Should I drive?”
“Is your stomach better?” Zhuang Ningyu fastened his seatbelt. “Let’s wait. We’ll switch after we leave the city.”
There were a lot of cars in the city at this time, and to make matters worse, Liu Xiaoyang had to pick something up in the city center. The three of them could only crawl forward slowly in the heavy traffic. On the way, they happened to encounter a car accident, which blocked half the road. After all the detours, by the time they finally got on the ring road, it was already five-thirty. November days weren’t as long as in summer. After the sun set, the sky instantly darkened, and the wind blew chilly.
Liu Xiaoyang hadn’t expected the traffic to be this bad, but he had already apologized several times. Saying it again would be annoying, so he could only scratch his head in embarrassment and say, “Captain Zhuang, I’ll take over after we pass the service area.”
Zhuang Ningyu didn’t let him drive. Mainly, the road was dark and long, and they still had to go into the mountains. It wasn’t safe to let a tired person control the steering wheel. Besides, the groom should enjoy some privileges. Yi Ke had already switched with him once in the city and was now sitting in the passenger seat, connecting his phone’s Bluetooth to the car stereo. After leaving the service area, the traffic on the road suddenly thinned out. The headlights illuminated the dark mountain road, and the shadows of trees flashed past the window. Zhuang Ningyu glanced at the navigation; it showed two hours left to the destination.
Yi Ke was scrolling through local news on his phone. The Yi Corporation was recently co-developing a project with the government, so there were special reports everywhere. After clicking “not interested” on his father’s photo five times in a row, some other news finally popped up, but it wasn’t very interesting either. Something about the demolition of Xihai Street causing crowds to gather, a certain rescue organization drawing suspicion, a well-known influencer condemning shameless hype by web celebrities, and—”Silence for Qingquan Mountain! Jincheng’s multiple departments join forces to crack down on ‘mountain blasting’!”
Qingquan Mountain, isn’t that the mountain they were on right now? The joint law enforcement in the news was scheduled for yesterday and today. Yi Ke turned to look at Liu Xiaoyang, wanting to remind him to buckle up so he wouldn’t get caught by their old acquaintances. But his eyes suddenly ran into a patch of white fog—it was right outside the rear window, made hazy and indistinct by the taillights, like a corporeal ghost.
Liu Xiaoyang also noticed something was wrong. When he turned his head and saw it clearly, he gasped, instantly sobered up. “How can there be a rule zone here?”
Zhuang Ningyu glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that the white fog wasn’t expanding. He said in a deep voice, “Sit tight. Buckle up. Yi Ke, call Chief Huo.”
The call was answered quickly. Yi Ke briefly reported the situation, then passed the phone to the driver’s seat. Zhuang Ningyu floored the accelerator, his eyes fixed on the winding mountain road ahead. “The fog’s moving speed isn’t too fast. I want to try to shake it off first.”
“Okay,” Huo Ting agreed. “I will arrange for the mountain to be sealed off and other matters. You guys be safe.”
Zhuang Ningyu gradually pressed the accelerator deeper. The car’s performance was good; it accelerated quickly and had a stable chassis, making mountain driving effortless. Liu Xiaoyang was currently a deputy captain in the Third Action Division, so logically, he was the one with the most authority to command among the three of them. He could roughly guess why Zhuang Ningyu was driving so desperately to shake off the white fog, so he took the initiative to speak. “Captain Zhuang, I’m fine.”
“Sit still and don’t move.” Zhuang Ningyu took a sharp turn, the tires almost sparking against the ground. Liu Xiaoyang’s wedding hadn’t been easy to arrange; it had already been postponed several times due to missions. This time, they had finally made it to the banquet stage. He didn’t want him to postpone his wedding date again. Anyone could complete a mission, but the groom should be properly enjoying his honeymoon.
The car’s engine roared in the quiet mountains, but along the way, they saw no sign of the joint law enforcement officers mentioned in the news.
Qingquan Mountain was under the jurisdiction of the First Action Division. After receiving Huo Ting’s call, the various teams had already mobilized. The mountain forests would get very foggy at night, especially during this season. A rule zone mixed in with it would be almost invisible without careful observation. However, it didn’t seem particularly interested in chasing their car. After the third mountain bend, the white fog visibly thinned and was eventually blown away by the wind into the dense forest.
The other two people in the car let out a collective sigh of relief. Liu Xiaoyang collapsed in the back seat, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, and said from the bottom of his heart, “Captain Zhuang, your driving skills are really something.”
“We’ve shaken it off,” Zhuang Ningyu reported to Huo Ting over the phone. “How are things on your end?”
The background noise on the other end was chaotic; clearly, Huo Ting had also arrived at the office. He said, “I’ve dispatched two teams. Captain Ye and Captain Wu have already entered the mountain with their members. Qingquan Mountain usually has a lot of ‘mountain blasters,’ but fortunately, due to the recent joint law enforcement by various departments, almost all major motorcycle club activities have been canceled, so we haven’t received any reports of trapped civilians yet.”
“What about the joint law enforcement officers in the mountain?”
“Still trying to contact them. All their phones are unreachable. There are five of them in total, in a small car.”
Yi Ke had already shared their coordinates with the team. Huo Ting looked at the red dot on the map that had already left the mountain and continued, “You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll take care of it.” He also privately didn’t want Zhuang Ningyu to frequently participate in rule-breaking missions. Pei Yuan had once specifically come to him with a laptop and projector, using an eighteen-page PowerPoint to scientifically explain the side effects of injecting NO.9. The Yin Bar incident was a last resort, but this time there was really no need to keep him in the rule zone.
Before hanging up, he specially instructed, “Xiao Yi, look after your Captain Zhuang.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “…”
Yi Ke: “Yes, leader.”
After leaving the mountain and passing through a desolate and bleak tourist town, they arrived at Huanian Mountain Villa. The relatives and friends who had checked in a day earlier were extremely nervous upon hearing news of the white fog in the mountains and had been waiting anxiously at the villa entrance. When they saw the familiar black car arrive safely, they finally felt relieved. The bride was a quiet girl and looked very worried. Zhuang Ningyu patted Liu Xiaoyang’s back and said, “Don’t thank me. Hurry up and go be with your wife.”
Two relatives came forward and escorted Zhuang Ningyu and Yi Ke to their reserved suite. The scenery here was indeed nice—tall trees, quiet forests, and deep greenery. You could even soak in hot springs, but neither of them was in the mood to appreciate it. Zhuang Ningyu’s nerves had been on high alert the entire way, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, so his muscles hadn’t recovered yet. His knuckles remained in a semi-clenched position, and the slightest movement sent a numbing, stabbing pain through his nerves and blood vessels, like countless poisonous ants gnawing at him.
Yi Ke took his cold hands. Zhuang Ningyu tried to pull back, but they were held even tighter. He gently kneaded his stiff fingers, his thumb pressing inch by inch over the small joints, massaging with exceptional care. The skin of the palm is actually very sensitive. When the pressure points were pressed, Zhuang Ningyu visibly flinched. The painful, numbing sensation mixed with a subtle itchiness, creating a strange sense of awkwardness. He couldn’t help but say, “That’s enough.”
“It’s not.” Yi Ke was very stubborn. He squeezed his metacarpal joints and rubbed them back and forth with the pads of his fingers several times until he felt a slight warmth, the same as his own body temperature. Only then did he let go, adding, “Take a bath tonight and get a good night’s sleep.”
Zhuang Ningyu pulled his hand back. Actually, the appearance of a rule zone was a common occurrence, nothing to worry about. He wasn’t part of the Order Maintenance Department now, and there was no need for him to get involved. But Yi Ke was in the First Action Division, and according to that slick old fox Division Chief Huang Huihuang’s habits of deploying personnel—
As expected, the next moment, Yi Ke’s phone chimed. He didn’t look at it; he knew what it was without looking. He just pouted, leaned his chin on Zhuang Ningyu’s shoulder, and complained in a small, muffled voice, “It took so much effort to get a king-sized bed room, and I even brought a new set of pajamas!”
Zhuang Ningyu was exasperated and amused. He deeply suspected that Liu Xiaoyang’s claim of “Huanian Mountain Villa gave us an extra deluxe suite” was also this person’s doing. But considering the groom’s teary-eyed expression earlier, he felt that this suspicion was a bit unfair to the fanboy’s fervent admiration. So he just patted Yi Ke’s back and said, “Be safe. Have the hotel get you some heat packs and stomach medicine. Go on.”
Yi Ke didn’t want to leave. He nuzzled against his warm neck. It was soft and fragrant.
