Wu Zhi spent the night nursing a hangover, only to wake up to a commendation from Xie Lin: The idea was good.
“…”
It took Wu Zhi a long time to remember what idea he was talking about.
Wasn’t that the same idea you taught me in the past?! He really worried that his friend’s brain hadn’t been functioning well these last few days.
Then, Wu Zhi scrolled down and immediately saw another message: Find a way to set up a get-together tomorrow. Make sure to invite my assistant and Officer Ji and his group.
Xie Lin just wanted an excuse to take Chi Qing out. It was hard to find a pretext to ask him out alone, and given Chi Qing’s personality, he likely wouldn’t go out anyway. He had no choice but to use other people as a cover.
Wu Zhi made a call, mentally crossing off everyone’s birthday: “No one’s having a birthday, no one’s traveling abroad or coming back. Why would I host a get-together for no reason?”
Xie Lin: “If you want to find a reason, you’ll find one. Just leave it to you.”
Chi Qing was sitting in the living room reading when Wu Zhi, who hadn’t said a word to him in ages despite being on each other’s friend lists, suddenly sent him a message.
Wu Zhi: Hello!
“…”
Chi Qing: What do you want?
Under pressure from Xie Lin’s threats, Wu Zhi struggled to type on his phone screen: Today marks 1,000 days since the day of my first heartbreak… To commemorate my first, I want to hold a party… I’d like to invite you and Officer Ji and his friends to join.
Chi Qing didn’t reply to Wu Zhi directly; he forwarded the message to Xie Lin.
—Does your friend have a mental problem?
Xie Lin hadn’t expected Wu Zhi to be such a walking airhead. He’d asked him to come up with a random excuse, but he’d come up with something so lame—the angle he chose was even worse than “helping an old lady across the street.”
Xie Lin couldn’t pretend not to know him, so he had to pretend to be oblivious.
—He does have some issues with his brain.
Chi Qing replied: He should see a doctor.
Chi Qing hadn’t intended to attend this bizarre party, but he happened to be meeting Ji Mingrui the next day. Ji Mingrui was very interested in the gathering, and the group of three decided to go check it out, dragging Chi Qing along with them.
Considering that the attendees were all from the police force, Wu Zhi thoughtfully chose a very traditional KTV. The layout and decor were in the style an old leader would like; all it was missing was a plaque at the door that said “Integrity and Uprightness.” As soon as Chi Qing and his group stepped inside, the first song playing was On the Fields of Hope.
“Our ideals, on the fields of hope—”
“The seedlings sprout in the farmer’s sweat,”
“Cattle and sheep grow to the sound of the herdsman’s flute…”
Wu Zhi was sitting bolt upright on the sofa, secretly sending a message to Xie Lin: Everyone’s here, why are you so slow?
Ji Mingrui was stunned by the song: “There was really no need for this…”
Wu Zhi put down his phone and smiled: “It’s necessary, it’s necessary. I not only want to praise the motherland, but also praise you all. It is precisely because of your hard work that our Huainan City can be so stable—”
Wu Zhi pushed the tea in front of them: “Drink some tea.”
In the KTV room, there wasn’t a single box of alcohol; on the table sat a pot of Da Hong Pao tea.
Chi Qing confirmed it again: Xie Lin’s friend might really have something wrong with his brain.
Even though Ji Mingrui was a police officer, he rarely got to rest on weekends and didn’t need to endure such boring recreational activities—it felt like forced overtime. “Really, no need…”
Su Xiaolan: “You might have a slight misunderstanding about us.”
Of the group, only Jiang Yu obediently picked up his cup of tea: “This tea isn’t bad.”
The others went to pick songs, while Chi Qing sat on the side with an unopened bottle of mineral water.
Chi Qing unscrewed the cap with his gloved hand: “You… a commemoration for your first heartbreak?”
Wu Zhi nodded: “Yes.”
Chi Qing: “Do you celebrate it every year?”
Wu Zhi bit the bullet and nodded again.
Chi Qing took a sip of water. He said today: “Next year, you can go to the place 1,000 meters in front of this shop to celebrate. It’ll be more useful than staying here.”
Wu Zhi searched where the location 1,000 meters in front of the shop was. The search results popped up: Neurological Hospital.
Wu Zhi: “…”
Is this guy a bit mean?
Chi Qing didn’t actually want to ask about his ridiculous anniversary; he wanted to ask why Xie Lin hadn’t shown up. But the words came out as an irrelevant question he had no interest in whatsoever.
If he were coming, he would have texted him ahead of time. Or chatted with him about all sorts of nonsense.
Thinking of this, Chi Qing glanced at his phone without a sound. No unread messages.
He put his phone down, but when Ji Mingrui picked up the mic to clear his throat and prepare to sing, his gaze moved past Ji Mingrui and landed on that deep brown private room door.
The door seemed to sense his gaze. A moment later, the sound of a waiter speaking came through, and an hand pushed the door open.
“Officer Ji,” Xie Lin arrived fashionably late. He leaned against the doorway, clapping idly, and praised him: “You’re full of hidden talent.”
Ji Mingrui actually wasn’t a great singer; he had plenty of lung power, but he was tone-deaf. However, he had enough presence to get by. He had just finished the first half of “When Dreams Wake”: “Not bad, not bad. I am the reigning Karaoke King of the police station.”
Ji Mingrui replied during the instrumental break, then continued singing.
However, no one paid any attention to his strenuous performance. Ever since Xie Lin appeared at the door, everyone’s gaze had unconsciously moved past him.
Wu Zhi’s mouth opened slightly, letting out two words: “Holy…”
He finally understood why Xie Lin had been so late—he had clearly gone off to dress up meticulously.
Xie Lin usually dressed quite elegantly, using hair gel to style his hair, never missing a watch or a coat, but his usual attire was quite daily—the minimalist style. But today, the outfit he wore had too many details. He had completely changed his style, dressing like a “young master” at a nightclub—the kind of top-tier talent you couldn’t afford to hire.
He had swept one side of his hair back, leaving the other side loose with stray locks falling by the corner of his eye. He was wearing an oversized casual coat, and instead of his usual shirt, he paired it with a simple white T-shirt and added two rings to his hands.
Wu Zhi thought: …This is the standard look for a nightclub scumbag. Is Xie Lin trying to show off?
The man leaned against the doorway, giving instructions to the waiter, then brought two fingers together and waved them slightly, signaling that the waiter could leave.
After entering, he sat down next to Chi Qing. He frowned at the dozen beers Ji Mingrui and the others had just ordered and asked Chi Qing, “What are you drinking?”
Chi Qing pointed at his ear, signaling he couldn’t hear clearly.
Xie Lin leaned in and asked again: “I said—what are you drinking?”
Chi Qing heard him clearly this time, but the room was too noisy and he couldn’t be bothered to talk, so he pointed at the water bottle in front of him.
Xie Lin leaned over to look, letting out a sigh of relief only after confirming it was mineral water.
“I thought they didn’t order you anything to drink,” Xie Lin said as he put the water bottle back. “I was afraid they’d get you drunk.”
Although Chi Qing would cling to him every time he got drunk, seeing how uncomfortable he was every day, it was best he didn’t touch it.
Through those two questions, Xie Lin discovered the advantage of the private room, so his conversation started to flow. Every so often, he would lean into Chi Qing’s ear to talk, asking him how long he’d been there, or why he hadn’t told him in advance.
The content was all meaningless nonsense, but the breath near his ear was impossible to ignore.
Chi Qing shifted to the side: “You’re annoying.”
Xie Lin chased after him, pretending to be deaf: “The room is too noisy, I can’t hear you.”
“…”
Xie Lin asked again: “Are you hungry?”
“Do you want to order some food?”
Chi Qing thought: It would be better if you could just shut your mouth.
Wu Zhi tugged at the corner of Xie Lin’s coat: “I’m hungry.”
Xie Lin glanced at him, his usual emotional intelligence nowhere to be found: “If you’re hungry, order it yourself. Why are you telling me?”
Wu Zhi: “…………” Damn it.
After listening to Xie Lin nattering in his ear, Chi Qing felt much more at ease in the room than he had before he arrived.
Before the silence could last more than a few seconds, three words sounded in his ear: “Give me your hand.”
Chi Qing was confused.
After he held out his hand, he watched Xie Lin pull a silver earring from his coat pocket and place it in his palm.
His black gloves made the silver of the earring look even colder.
Xie Lin said: “I was in such a rush to leave that I forgot to put it on. Help me put it on.”
Chi Qing hadn’t seen Xie Lin wear an earring before: “You have your ears pierced?”
As a qualified “fox spirit,” Xie Lin still had a few piercings: “I got them done back when I was in school. I don’t really wear them often, though, and most of them have grown back, leaving only one.” As he spoke, he took advantage of the dim light in the room to pull Chi Qing’s hand, signaling him to touch his ear piercing.
Chi Qing was wearing gloves, so he couldn’t really feel much, but he did brush against the cartilage of Xie Lin’s ear.
Chi Qing: “Since you don’t wear it often, don’t wear it today either.”
Xie Lin: “…”
I brought it here specifically to seduce you; it took me half a day just to find the earring.
You’re telling me not to wear it?
There was no way Xie Lin would let him off the hook.
“I went to your place to feed the cat before I left,” Xie Lin said. “Now you won’t even help me put on an earring? Do you have a conscience?”
Chi Qing had almost forgotten; he needed a favor from him now. The cat was still waiting for him to feed it.
Chi Qing looked at the earring in his palm and said: “Fine, shut up, I’ll try.”
In the environment of this karaoke room, there was no way to put on an earring just by looking. He had to do it by touch. After a while, Chi Qing reluctantly took off his gloves. Xie Lin leaned against the edge of the sofa, leaning over quite naturally.
He had sprayed on a bit of perfume—a light, woody scent, very similar to the smell Chi Qing had caught when he stood at his door after showering that day.
Chi Qing’s dry fingertips parted Xie Lin’s messy hair and touched his earlobe.
In the singing area, Su Xiaolan had snatched the microphone from Ji Mingrui. The difference between men’s and women’s tastes was vast; Su Xiaolan had chosen a very gentle love song. When she wasn’t shouting, her voice was exceptionally calm: “The rain drenches your eyes…”
“In a heavy rain, I saw you.”
The wallpaper in the room was old-fashioned, and once the lights dimmed, the light was cut into fragments by their shadows.
Chi Qing touched around for a while before finding Xie Lin’s piercing. His other hand followed the spot he had just touched, guiding the earring in bit by bit.
Xie Lin turned his face to the side, quietly observing Chi Qing’s reaction.
Then, he let go of the edge of the sofa, lifted his fingers slightly, brushed aside the hair by Chi Qing’s ear, and suddenly gave his earlobe a little pinch. Chi Qing’s hand paused, the earring slipped a few inches, almost stabbing into the flesh.
Xie Lin let out a hiss.
Chi Qing: “If you move again, I don’t mind piercing another hole for you.”
Pain was pain, but Xie Lin didn’t let go.
He pressed his thumb against Chi Qing’s smooth, soft earlobe and, before letting go, rubbed it very lightly, explaining: “Just wanted to see if you had your ears pierced…”
Naturally, Chi Qing didn’t have anything like piercings. He didn’t even like people touching his hands, let alone his ears.
