Night fell and the moon rose. One by one, the figures in the office drifted away until none remained. Yet the lights in He Chu San’s room never came on.
Past ten o’clock, a sudden ringtone pierced the silence outside his door.
Reclining on the sofa, He Chu San’s eyes flickered open for a brief instant—then shut again.
The ringing echoed again and again through the empty hall. No footsteps came. No one answered.
“Kevin?!”
No reply.
He Chu San sat up. Irritation warred with caution as he cracked the door open and glanced outside. The office floor lay deserted. Only at the distant reception by the company entrance stood a few of his bodyguards.
At his feet lay a brand-new brick phone, shrilling harshly.
He picked it up, shut the door behind him, and pressed the call button.
“Hello?”
“A’San, it’s me.” Xia Liu Yi’s voice came through.
In that instant, the blood in He Chu San’s body seemed to ignite.
He hurried away from the doorway, retreating to the window. Lifting a corner of the curtain, he glanced down below before whispering urgently, “Didn’t I tell you not to contact me during this time?! Do you know how many eyes are watching me? How many ears are listening?!”
“Shh, shh, don’t panic,” Xia Liu Yi soothed gently. “Listen to me—leave through the back exit, take the stairwell up to the rooftop…”
“You can’t come here! There are watchers downstairs!”
“I know, I know,” Xia Liu Yi continued patiently. “Just trust me—go to the rooftop first, alright?”
His thoughts in disarray, He Chu San nevertheless moved swiftly. Leaving his bodyguards behind, he slipped alone into the stairwell and climbed in darkness to the top floor.
The rooftop was cluttered with pipes and puddles of stagnant water. He scanned the area anxiously—but saw no sign of Xia Liu Yi.
“Where are you?!”
“Face the harbor. Walk to your right.”
He Chu San went all the way to the edge. The sea wind howled in his ears. The same rush of wind echoed through the phone.
Climbing onto the stone railing, he peered out—
Dozens of meters away, atop another building, a figure waved at him frantically beneath the moonlight.
“Can you see me?!” Xia Liu Yi shouted over the phone.
He Chu San’s nose stung. “I see you.”
“I see you too. You’ve gotten thinner.”
He Chu San wiped at his eyes. “Nonsense. From that far, what can you possibly see?”
“Kevin told me.”
“Did he ask you to come?”
“He only said you weren’t doing well. I came on my own—don’t blame him.”
“…Mm. I won’t.” He Chu San sniffed, his voice softening into its usual clingy warmth. “I’m happy to see you. I really want to hug you.”
“Sure! I’ll jump over right now!” The distant figure made an exaggerated leaping motion.
He Chu San burst out laughing.
The filthy, crushing burden on his back seemed to vanish in that instant. Leaning against the railing, he laughed so hard he nearly doubled over.
“Is it that funny?” Xia Liu Yi laughed as well.
“Mm, very funny. Brother Liu Yi even knows how to joke now.”
“When have I ever needed to coax you?” Xia Liu Yi chuckled. “Now this is—wait for it!”
The figure suddenly disappeared from sight.
“Where are you going?”
The phone seemed to have been set aside; only the howl of wind filled the receiver. He Chu San strained on tiptoe to look—
Suddenly—
“Piu—!”
A streak of golden light shot skyward from the opposite rooftop!
It exploded across the dark blue heavens into a dazzling bloom of fire and silver blossoms.
“Piu—! Piu—!”
One after another, fireworks burst forth, filling the sky—like a radiant bridge spanning the distance between the two rooftops, linking two hearts gazing at each other from afar.
Shimmering sparks rained down like illusionary stardust, illuminating the deep, dark pools of He Chu San’s eyes—rekindling within them a long-lost brilliance.
He stared upward, transfixed… until the final spark faded into the night wind.
“Do you like it?” Xia Liu Yi’s voice returned.
“I like you.”
“Hahaha!” Xia Liu Yi laughed smugly. “There’s more—look over here!”
Blinking, He Chu San watched as the figure across the way raised a massive heart-shaped sign!
It was wrapped in tiny lights, glowing in gaudy, multicolored brilliance—a flamboyant, dazzling heart that could not have been more ostentatious.
The paper sign was as tall as a man, swaying wildly in the wind. Xia Liu Yi struggled to steady it with both hands, pinning the phone between shoulder and cheek as he panted, “Can you see it?”
“I see it.” He Chu San couldn’t stop smiling.
“I also li—”
Before he could finish, a gust of wind knocked him flat—sending both man and heart tumbling backward out of sight.
A clatter of chaos rang through the phone, followed by Xia Liu Yi’s frustrated curse:
“Damn it!”
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Damn—my heart got blown away by the wind.”
“Mm,” He Chu San said softly, “it’s been blown over to me.”
Xia Liu Yi laughed as he got back up, brushing dust from himself before climbing onto the railing again. “When it comes to sweet talk, you’re still the master.”
“Hahaha—you’ve improved a lot already.”
His voice softened.
“A’San.”
“Mm.”
“You’ve run into trouble, haven’t you?”
He Chu San’s smile stiffened slightly. “It’s nothing. I can handle it.”
“Do you remember what you once told me? ‘You’re my lover—whatever comes, we face it together.’ The way you are now… it worries me. Do you really have to bear this alone? Can’t you tell your husband what’s going on?”
Clutching the phone with both hands, He Chu San curled down onto the ground. After a long hesitation, his voice emerged, low and tightly suppressed:
“I met him… in person. He’s terrifying—like a black hole. Everything that gets close is swallowed whole. I was afraid… I thought I was going to die…”
Xia Liu Yi’s clenched palm drew blood under his nails.
“A’San, listen to me. You can still stop now. I’ll protect Father, Mother, and Xin Xin. Go downstairs—stay with your bodyguards. I’ll bring people to pick you up right away.”
“No—no!” He Chu San shook his head fiercely. “Don’t come! I’m really fine! Listen to me—I’m just a little short, just one step away from trapping him. I can finish this. Right now I just… I’m short on funds.”
“How much do you need?”
“…Twenty million.”
He knew clearly the state of Xiao Qi Hall—after purges and restructuring, their liquid funds barely reached a few million.
Yet Xia Liu Yi did not hesitate even a heartbeat.
“Alright. When do you need it?”
“Within two days.”
“Good. Don’t worry—I’ll think of something with Dong Dong.”
“It has to be clean money.”
“Got it.”
“I have to go. Staying up here too long might raise suspicion.”
“…Alright. Be careful.”
“I will.”
He Chu San pressed a kiss to the receiver and hung up.
Climbing onto the railing one last time, he looked toward the distant figure—then turned and hurried downstairs.
His rooted career, his aging parents who could never leave this land, and his stubborn desire to clear away old enmities so he and his lover could live in peace within this city—these clung to him like entangling water weeds.
He dared not speak further.
His heart was not unbreakable. One more word—and he feared he would abandon everything, rush across the distance to embrace that man, and wander the world together, never parting again.
If only a man could truly live as freely as a bird…
……
Escorted by his bodyguards, He Chu San returned to the hotel.
Kevin was nowhere to be seen. The bodyguards said he had left hours earlier after dropping off that new brick phone.
He Chu San casually dialed Kevin’s number with it.
The call connected after a long delay—but no one spoke.
“Hello? Kevin? Where are you?”
A young man’s voice answered, “He’s in the shower.”
“Who are you?” He Chu San frowned—the voice sounded vaguely familiar.
“You are?” the other countered, equally suspicious.
At that moment, Kevin snatched the phone back. “Don’t just answer my calls randomly. Hello?”
“It’s me.”
Kevin seemed to retreat somewhere private; a door shut with a click. “Are you feeling better?”
“Much better. Thank you. I’ve been in a terrible mood lately—I’ve put you through a lot.”
“It’s nothing. As long as you’re alright.” Loud knocking sounded from his side. Kevin called out, “Hold on!”
“Where are you? Who was that?”
“Ahem… someone I met at a bar.”
“……”
So he’d gone drinking to drown his sorrows—and ended up with a one-night stand.
Kevin sounded awkward. “Sorry… I drank too much and then… Do you need me? I can come back right now.”
“No, no—you… you two get some rest.”
Futile Devices Scans 
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