“Mmm—”
Another ambiguous moan.
Ji Xun pulled his gaze away from Huo Ranyin. He stared at the bathroom tiles and asked in a low voice, “Has Lian Panpan turned fifteen this year?”
For a girl under fourteen, regardless of consent, having relations with her is considered r*pe and is a criminal offense.
But once she turns fifteen, this situation no longer exists. Based on what they had seen of Lian Panpan, whether the man next door was deceiving or inducing her was one thing, but at least there was no coercion.
Huo Ranyin: “She has.”
After these two simple, very proper, but useless sentences, both fell silent.
Ji Xun waited for Huo Ranyin to leave, and Huo Ranyin was probably waiting for him to leave as well.
So neither of them moved.
They faced each other in a stalemate, huddled there, feeling the cold, sticky discomfort of their wet clothes, and occasionally having to listen to Lian Panpan’s meaningless words from next door…
For a moment, Ji Xun’s thoughts drifted:
He and Huo Ranyin were both gay.
Both were young, full of vigor, and had normal physical needs.
And both had almost taken the final step with each other just over twenty days ago.
…
They had actually only known each other for just over twenty days.
…
Fortunately, it was a man and a woman next door, so he could listen calmly.
If it were a man and a man…
Mmm…
Huo Ranyin still didn’t move. Ji Xun decided to get up and leave himself. “You listen, I’m going out.”
Huo Ranyin, who had been quietly leaning against the wall, turned his head at the sound.
Only then did Ji Xun notice that the other’s expression was relaxed, carrying much more of a personal air than during his usual work hours—well, faced with this kind of situation, it was indeed difficult for anyone to work as coldly as a machine.
“Afraid you can’t control yourself?”
Even the words from his mouth were sharper, Ji Xun thought, and replied:
“This isn’t a question of being afraid or not, it’s a question of necessity. Do we really need two people to eavesdrop on an R-rated scene?”
“Persistence is a virtue, and case handling requires standards.” Huo Ranyin’s lips curved slightly. His words were proper, but his smile held a hidden provocation. “Don’t be afraid. Nothing unexpected will happen if you stay.”
After speaking, he turned his head back. The tips of his water-soaked hair swayed gently, and a drop of water splashed onto Ji Xun’s finger.
Ji Xun’s fingers curled slightly.
Everywhere on his body was cold, but this single drop of water, warmed by a human body, scalded him.
He stared at his finger, momentarily suspecting that Huo Ranyin, having been teased by him so often, was now deliberately getting his revenge…
In this delay of not knowing whether to go or stay, the sound of water next door stopped. The battle was over.
Ji Xun let out a breath.
It’s finally over.
The two came out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. They listened along the wall again, and surprisingly, the people next door were still talking.
Because the sound of water was gone, their conversation was much clearer this time.
The middle-aged man was coaxing Lian Panpan:
“It’s very late, go to sleep. Don’t overthink things, and don’t get involved. You’re still young, just focus on your studies. Don’t meddle in adults’ affairs. Once you graduate from high school, you’ll be free, and they won’t be able to control you anymore.”
“Three more years, that’s so long,” Lian Panpan complained.
“It’ll be quick. As long as you graduate high school and get into college, uncle will pay for all your tuition and living expenses. That way you can completely break free from them, okay?”
“Really?”
“When has uncle ever lied to you?”
“What about the thing I wanted? The new fall Chanel bag you promised me,” Lian Panpan said again.
“I brought it, I brought it. Come, look at the bag. After you see it, go to sleep, or you’ll be sleepy again tomorrow—and, you must study hard, you know?”
“Ah, you’re starting to nag more than my parents. If you keep this up, I’ll dump you for someone else. As for my grades, my mom doesn’t know, but you should know, right? My grades are unstable, going up and down, because—I’m fooling her.”
The girl’s laugh rang out like silver bells, each crisp chime filled with malice.
“I just love to see the worried, anxious, and frustrated look on her face because of my grades.”
After this, there was some rustling, probably the sound of unwrapping a gift, and then there were no other sounds.
Huo Ranyin opened the window and went to the balcony for a look. The lights next door were already off.
He stepped onto the balcony railing and leaped over.
His movement was so decisive that Ji Xun didn’t even have time to see how he jumped over. But he saw him jump back.
The crescent moon was like a hook, hanging on a night curtain studded with starry gems.
The person outside pushed off the railing with a leap, and like a black panther under the moon, light and agile, he landed silently on the balcony.
He took off his jacket and, stepping through the faint light of the moon and stars, walked inside.
He really has the air of a master of stealing intimate moments.
Ji Xun, sitting loosely on the end of the bed, thought with admiration. He tasted a bit of a romantic movie in this scene.
It was mainly about the face. Beauty is justice. Who could blame him when Huo Ranyin was so handsome?
“The two next door are in bed. They should sleep for a few hours before leaving,” Huo Ranyin said, coming to stand before Ji Xun. “Are you cold?”
Of course, he was cold.
Not just cold, but damp and very uncomfortable.
Ji Xun thought, looking at Huo Ranyin’s sleeve.
It was the most soaked part of Huo Ranyin’s clothing. The fabric, as if its bones had been removed, had completely lost its usual crisp straightness and began to curve softly, clinging to Huo Ranyin’s arm.
Huo Ranyin had already pushed up his sleeve, revealing a small section of his well-proportioned wrist, but the rest of his arm was still under the sleeve, faintly visible and breathing softly beneath the water-colored fabric.
Huo Ranyin read the answer on Ji Xun’s face and continued, “Good timing, the stakeout is temporarily over. Our clothes are all wet. Let’s take them off to dry, take a shower, and rest for a bit.”
“So you’re saying…” Ji Xun interpreted the deeper meaning in Huo Ranyin’s words, “work is temporarily over?”
“Yes,” Huo Ranyin’s tone was relaxed.
The jacket was tossed onto the sofa under the air conditioner.
Standing in front of Ji Xun, Huo Ranyin raised his hand to unbutton his shirt. Just as he loosened the top button, he looked up again and broke into a smile.
“Forgot to ask. You seem very interested in my clothes. Do you want to see me take them off and wear a bathrobe?”
Wow—
Ji Xun whistled in his mind.
Work was over, and Huo Ranyin was once again enjoying the pleasure of walking on a tightrope.
Responding seriously during a rare break would be a mood killer. Ji Xun said flippantly, “I do. Are you going to wear it for me? I’ll be sure to appreciate it.”
“I can.”
Huo Ranyin agreed in one breath, then slowly made a demand:
“An equal exchange. You wear one for me too.”
It was hard for Ji Xun to refuse such a request. After all, their clothes were both wet. They had to take them off, go in for a shower, and then come out in the hotel’s matching bathrobes.
Ji Xun showered first.
When he came out, he walked out of the bathroom with a cloud of steam, and the other person went in.
This was a king-sized bedroom, with only one bed in the room.
Ji Xun picked the left side of the bed and lay down. His thoughts drifted and roamed in the hotel room like clouds in the sky, until the closed bathroom door opened again, and Huo Ranyin also came out from his shower.
He could feel the other’s gaze.
The other’s gaze traced the line of his collar, then looked at the empty space on the bed next to him.
Then Huo Ranyin walked over.
A well-defined hand pressed onto the bed, followed by a solid weight. Ji Xun clearly felt the mattress sink.
And a little bit of fluffiness.
It was Huo Ranyin’s bathrobe. It had crossed the border, brushing against his calf.
“What are you thinking of doing next?”
“I’m thinking about how much more audacious it can get,” Ji Xun said, staring at the corner of the bathrobe.
“…”
“Oh—” Ji Xun came back to his senses and righted the derailed topic. “I think next we should check the license plate of the BMW, see whose name it’s under. Then investigate his connection with Xin Yongchu.”
“Mmm,” Huo Ranyin agreed. “Did Lian Panpan’s parents not notice at all?”
“Probably,” Ji Xun said blandly. “There are quite a few parents like that. They seem to pour all their energy into their children, but in reality, they are just ‘raising the child well’ for the sake of ‘raising the child well.’ They neither care what the child is thinking, nor do they actually care what the child is doing. Don’t think that just because they sign their kids up for so many classes, they are worried about their future. Many are just thinking of dumping them in a tutoring center so someone else can watch them.”
Everything that needed to be said was said.
“Sleep,” Huo Ranyin said.
“?”
“Just sleep normally,” Huo Ranyin added, then said, “Are you disappointed?”
“How can something expected be a disappointment? But it’s a buzzkill, that’s for sure. I thought Captain Huo was in the mood to continue our verbal sparring tonight.”
“We don’t know when Lian Panpan will go home. We still have to watch.”
“Of course,” Ji Xun said. “Let’s arrange the watch schedule. Do you want to sleep first, or should I?”
“There are only a few hours left. I can handle it myself. You go ahead and sleep. I’ll wake you if there’s any movement,” Huo Ranyin replied.
“Such a gentleman,” Ji Xun raised an eyebrow. “Then I won’t be polite.”
He lay down, his head resting on the soft pillow, but he didn’t close his eyes.
His gaze wandered across the ceiling, surveying every piece of furniture in the room, and finally landed on Huo Ranyin beside him.
Huo Ranyin was sitting up against the headboard, one leg bent, his arm resting on his knee.
In this position, his gracefully lined arms and calves were fully exposed.
Ji Xun’s gaze couldn’t help but linger on these limbs, which were exceptionally beautiful due to good and rigorous training.
He watched for a few moments, until Huo Ranyin suddenly raised his hand and covered his eyes with his palm.
The other’s cool thumb slowly wiped down from his temple.
“I’m staying in Ning City for the New Year. I’ll be on duty, but not every day.”
“That’s a lovely invitation.”
Ji Xun saw the swaying, hazy lights through the gaps in Huo Ranyin’s fingers.
He said with a smile, “But you’re somewhat mistaken. I’m not keeping my eyes open right now because I’m thinking the night is short and we should seize the moment, but because… I’m sorry, I have neurasthenia and extremely poor sleep. I can’t fall asleep with someone else in the same bed.”
A brief silence.
Huo Ranyin coldly withdrew his hand, got off the bed, went to the sofa, and turned off the light as he did so.
“Thanks,” Ji Xun let out a long breath.
In the darkness, he finally closed his eyes.
His body and mind seemed truly exhausted.
An invisible hand dragged his soul down into a dream under black water. He walked passively through one gray-and-white dreamscape after another, until the hand holding him disappeared, and he could finally see his surroundings clearly.
Ahead was the sea, an ocean of white, churning waves.
Kneeling beside the ocean was a man, holding a suitcase, but the suitcase had fallen onto the sand, buried by the yellow grains.
This man was Ji Yu’s senior at school, and also Ji Yu’s boyfriend.
The initial smugness on his face was gone. It had become twisted, streaming with tears and snot, full of pleading. “No… no… spare me… I was wrong… I was really wrong… I shouldn’t have done that to Xiao Yu! But you have to believe me… I love Xiao Yu…”
“Really… believe me… Brother Xun… I love Xiao Yu… I regret it…”
Ji Xun saw his own hand.
His hand held a knife, the blade pressed against the man’s neck. The sharp tip had already pierced the man’s skin, and scarlet blood decorated the edge.
An icy fire burned his spirit, and his heart was just an empty numbness.
That scene appeared before his eyes again and again, day and night.
His sister in a white dress, covered in blood. His shocked parents slumped on the ground, no longer breathing.
A harmonious and happy family, shattered to pieces.
Whose fault was it?
Xiao Yu’s? The man in front of him?
He raised his hand high, but it wouldn’t fall. In the end, only the dagger dropped into the yellow sand.
Along with it fell all the strength and spirit from his body.
It’s mine.
My fault.
Ji Xun staggered two steps and fell to the ground. He crawled up and continued forward. He never, ever looked back, only squeezing out a single word from between his teeth:
“Get lost—”
He opened his eyes!
The dream receded like a tide.
The gray ceiling of the hotel appeared in his vision. He heard his own frantic heartbeat. The hatred brought from the dream paralyzed his limbs, and then, a cup was handed to him.
The glass was filled with water. The person handing it to him was Huo Ranyin.
“Had a nightmare?”
“Mmm,” Ji Xun responded vaguely. With Huo Ranyin’s help, he propped himself up and took a sip of water.
The water was warm.
“Very thoughtful,” he praised Huo Ranyin, but when he turned to look at him, he found Huo Ranyin sitting beside him, looking at him with a contemplative expression.
Huo Ranyin’s face was gently covered by darkness, but his bright eyes pierced through the dark, projecting onto him, penetrating his skin, and touching his soul.
Even Huo Ranyin’s lips were moving slightly, and the syllable he was forming was…
“Don’t imitate it,” Ji Xun was immediately on alert. “I don’t have a habit of talking in my sleep.”
“It sounded like the word ‘get lost’,” Huo Ranyin said. “What did you see in your dream that you cursed at?”
“…I dreamt of the annoying you.”
Ji Xun irritably pulled Huo Ranyin next to him. He rolled over, pinning the man to the bed, and pressed a finger against Huo Ranyin’s mouth to stop him from saying anything more annoying.
He used a bit of force. Under his touch, Huo Ranyin’s pale lips gradually turned red, as if holding a cherry between them.
“Officer, I know you’re smart, capable, and competent. Can you let me off? That’s enough, don’t be so serious every single time,” he leaned down and, in an intimate whisper, negotiated with Huo Ranyin. “I still want to develop feelings with you. I don’t want to actually hate you.”
“I can’t.”
Huo Ranyin’s reply was equally soft and intimate.
“I am a people’s police officer. I won’t let you go.”
He opened his mouth, bit the finger between his lips, and his tongue gently curled over the fingertip.
“Besides, the two are not in conflict.”
