Futile Devices Scans

The fragrance of osmanthus blossoms lingered in the dream.

In a small courtyard shaded by lush green trees, children played under the sunlight. The young Lu Guang Ming crouched alone in a corner by the wall, a bloodied bruise upon his forehead, his gaze cold as he watched those carefree peers of his.

A hand reached out toward him—its palm warm—leading him into gentle, radiant light. The figure, shrouded in white brilliance and impossible to see clearly, spoke to him, “Mingzi, don’t be afraid. The bad people have already been taken away. Go play with the others.”

He heard his younger self reply, “I hate them. I only want to be with you.”

“I cannot stay here. I have to leave.”

Tears welled from his eyes. “Don’t go. I like you. Don’t go.”

“Mingzi, you must take good care of yourself, cherish yourself, and learn to like others—learn to like this world that holds both shadow and light. In the days when I am gone, you must illuminate yourself. You will meet someone who treats you even better.”

The person in the dream shattered into countless fragments of light.

Under the blazing noon sun, Lu Guang Ming opened his eyes.

The hotel room was in utter disarray. Torn clothing lay scattered across the floor along with several used condoms. The quilt and bedsheets were stained with ambiguous, intimate traces.

Lu Guang Ming stared blankly for a moment, then slapped his own cheeks several times before his memory finally returned—

Last night, Xie Jia Hua had been drinking himself senseless at a bar and mistook him for Tang Jia Qi when he arrived. After escorting him to the hotel, Xie Jia Hua clung to him stubbornly and refused to let him leave. This normally well-dressed, serious, and proper “Inspector Xie” turned into nothing less than a tyrannical hooligan once drunk!

When he coaxed Xie Jia Hua by claiming he was Tang Jia Qi, the man tried to have his way with him; when he corrected himself and said he was actually Lu Guang Ming, Xie Jia Hua tried to beat him instead. There was simply no escape!

He had taken two punches straight to the face from Xie Jia Hua and had been ready to fight back with everything he had—but before he could return even a single slap, he was overpowered by Inspector Xie Jia Hua’s overwhelming combat strength and pinned onto the bed, his backside soundly smacked.

In the end, he had no choice but to accept his fate, returning to being “Jia Qi” with a bruised and swollen face. Xie Jia Hua cupped his pig-headed, swollen cheeks, gazing at him foolishly while kissing him with a strange mix of tenderness and deep emotion.

Soon after, the two of them had stripped bare and rolled across the sheets. Xie Jia Hua’s physique was exceptional—enough to make one blush and heartbeat quicken—but his technique was abysmal, enough to make one cry out in misery. Kneeling on the bed, Lu Guang Ming bit down on a pillow, muffling his sobs while cursing furiously in his heart—if Brother Jia Qi were still alive, he would never hand him over to this damned bastard with impressive hardware but terrible skill.

Then Xie Jia Hua suddenly called out “Jia Qi” behind him, and a scorching tear fell upon his bare back.

He froze, turning his head. His fingers brushed against the tears on Xie Jia Hua’s face.

They were real.

The longing and pain lingering in the other man’s heart were just as real—just like his own.

He embraced Xie Jia Hua, and somehow, he too began to cry. Though he was being held as someone else, the tide of emotion between their souls surged—intense and overwhelming.

After that chaotic night, he woke alone in the hotel bed—

That irresponsible bastard Xie Jia Hua had actually slipped away without a word!

Lu Guang Ming bit down on the pillow in resentment. His entire body ached unbearably, his head heavy and dizzy. Giving up, he pulled the blanket over himself and drifted back to sleep.

…

Xie Jia Hua led a team of officers in surveillance from a building across from the suspect’s residence.

By afternoon, the sun blazed fiercely. Their window faced west, and the harsh sunlight left everyone scorched and irritable. Wearing sunglasses, Xie Jia Hua stood by the curtain, frowning as he watched the opposite building.

Suddenly, a subordinate behind him exclaimed, “Boss, are you injured?!”

“Injured?” Xie Jia Hua had yet to react when his collar was pulled open from behind. The subordinate took a glance inside and burst out laughing. “Wow! Everyone, come take a look! Boss had quite the intense nightlife last night!”

The other officers swarmed over, collectively gawking at the bloody scratch marks across Xie Jia Hua’s shoulders and back.

Xie Jia Hua yanked his collar shut and cursed, “Whoever doesn’t get lost right now is writing this report!”

The subordinates scattered instantly like startled birds.

Left alone, Xie Jia Hua stood by the window, his face dark. He twisted awkwardly, trying to reach behind his back, regret gnawing at him bitterly.

When he woke that morning, he had wanted nothing more than to strangle himself.

Of all people to sleep with while drunk—he had to end up with that shameless, unscrupulous brat Lu Guang Ming!

He couldn’t remember a single fragment from the night before. All he knew was that he had absolutely no interest in Lu Guang Ming in that regard—

Could it be that the brat had drugged him to extract information and taken advantage of him?

But if that were the case, why did Lu Guang Ming look like the one who had been taken advantage of instead—his face bruised and swollen, his body covered in kiss marks?

Xie Jia Hua rubbed his temples irritably, a storm of frustration brewing inside him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his subordinates peeking curiously from the doorway.

“What are you hiding for? What are you staring at? Get out here and work!”

…

By evening, the suspect under surveillance finally appeared downstairs and entered the building opposite.

Xie Jia Hua immediately deployed his team, sealing off multiple exits, and personally moved in to make the arrest. Leading several officers, he cautiously ascended the stairwell, pressing close to the walls. They were only half a floor away from the suspect’s apartment when the pager brick phone at his waist suddenly began to vibrate loudly.

Everyone was startled.

Xie Jia Hua raised a hand to steady the team, pulled out the brick phone, and saw that it was a call from Lu Guang Ming. Expressionless, he declined it and signaled for the team to continue.

After only two steps, it rang again.

He declined it once more.

This time, not even three seconds passed before Lu Guang Ming called again.

The subordinate beside him read the irritation written all over his face—the unmistakable look of someone who had spent a wild, passionate night with an unexpected person and was now being pestered afterward without any intention of taking responsibility.

Unable to resist, the subordinate nudged him and whispered, “Boss, maybe just give it a try. After all, you’ve been single for so many—”

Before he could finish the word “years,” he received a sharp knock on the head.

Covering the brick phone, Xie Jia Hua shot a glare at the surrounding officers, whose faces were brimming with gossip. They immediately lowered their heads, feigning innocence.

With a dark expression, the senior officer signaled for them to stay put. Holding the brick phone, he quietly descended half a floor and answered the call at the stairwell corner, speaking in a low, impatient voice, “What is it?”

The subordinates stretched their necks like ostriches, peering downward. They vaguely heard their superior say coldly, “Why are you still at the hotel? I don’t have time to come over.”

A few more words came from the other end.

Xie Jia Hua’s expression stiffened slightly. After a moment, he said, “Wait there,” and decisively hung up.

He quickly dialed another number, gave a few instructions, and hurried back upstairs.

The subordinates once again wore eager, gossiping expressions, about to speak—

“Whoever talks is writing the report.”

“…” Heads shook in perfect unison.

…

On this side, Xie Jia Hua led his officers to kick open the door, subduing the suspect together. They then leapt through windows and scaled walls in pursuit of an accomplice who had escaped through the bathroom window.

On the other side, Lu Guang Ming put down his phone and curled weakly beneath the blanket, half-conscious.

He had slept until the afternoon, only to discover he had developed a high fever.

His entire body ached and felt unbearably heavy; he couldn’t even get out of bed.

In such a situation, of course the instigator had to take responsibility. So he called Xie Jia Hua, demanding that he return to the hotel to “take responsibility,” saying that he had a high fever. Yet he was so dizzy that he could barely hear what Xie Jia Hua said—only vaguely catching something like “wait there.”

“I’ll wait until you get here, then punch you hard,” Lu Guang Ming muttered groggily, burying his head under the blanket.

His body burned with fever, drenched in cold sweat beneath the covers. After an unknown length of time, the hotel room door was finally opened with a keycard.

With great effort, he lifted his eyelids and looked toward the door—

And saw a hotel attendant, along with two paramedics pushing a stretcher.

“……”

That heartless bastard surnamed Xie—after using him, he had simply called an ambulance for him.

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