Under the meticulous and ever-attentive care of the caregiver uncle, Lu Guang Ming spent several days in the hospital surrounded by an ever-present odor of breath freshener.
Xie Jia Hua, on the other hand, avoided him as though fleeing a plague. Not only did he never appear at the hospital again, he didn’t even answer Lu Guang Ming’s harassment calls.
Relentlessly, Lu Guang Ming bombarded Xie Jia Hua with calls for two days and two nights. So long as his eyes were open, he made sure Inspector Xie had no peace.
Finally, on the morning of the third day, he received a response—
His number had been blocked.
“Ah! Fuck!” Lu Guang Ming bit down on his pillow in fury. He should never have believed that man surnamed Xie had any conscience! The son of a weasel—naturally the sort to steal eggs and not even wipe his mouth!
Seething with anger, even his urine turned a deep yellow. By afternoon, he staggered out of the bathroom, walking bow-legged back toward his ward, mentally stabbing little voodoo dolls of Inspector Xie with every step.
By chance, he overheard a voice drift through the air:
“Bed B12?”
Lu Guang Ming’s ears perked up instantly.
B12 was his bed number.
At the front desk, the nurse flipped through medical records and patiently explained his condition to the person on the phone.
“…Don’t worry, he’s recovering well. The doctor said he can be discharged in a couple of days. Oh? Mr. Lu, why are you out of bed? Perfect timing—your friend is calling to ask about you. You can speak to him yourself…”
Lu Guang Ming quickly stepped forward, took the phone, and lazily drawled, “Hello—”
“Beep—”
Only a busy tone answered him.
The call had already been hung up before he could even speak.
“Hehehe.” Grinning from ear to ear, Lu Guang Ming wiggled his hips and limped back to his ward.
What “friend” did he have? He had been hospitalized for days and not a single person had come to visit. Aside from that hypocritical bastard Xie Jia Hua, who else could it be?
…
With his mood greatly improved, Investigator Lu’s recovery sped up remarkably. By the next day, he was discharged.
Propping his backside up on a chair, he worked overtime for several days, making up for the backlog he had missed. That evening, after submitting his report, he hummed a tune as he stepped into the elevator. Several colleagues cast him sideways glances, frowning—but he paid them no mind, completely pleased with himself.
“Look at him—he’s definitely plotting something again. I really don’t understand why Chief Investigator Xu keeps someone like that,” someone muttered once he left.
Hearing the slander behind him, Lu Guang Ming merely smiled, utterly unconcerned.
He exited the building, boarded a tram, and swayed his way to the police station where Xie Jia Hua was stationed. Blending in among a group of thugs who had been arrested for group fighting, he slipped effortlessly into Xie Jia Hua’s office amidst the noisy commotion.
Xie Jia Hua had been seated, reading a report. The moment he saw him, he stood up, frowning.
“What are you doing here?!”
Lu Guang Ming paused mid-motion while closing the door, then simply left it half-open, smiling brightly.
“Why shouldn’t I come?”
“You…” Xie Jia Hua hesitated. “You’ve been discharged?”
“When I got discharged—wouldn’t Inspector Xie know?” Lu Guang Ming plopped himself onto the desk. “Didn’t you call the nurse every day?” He deliberately raised his voice, glancing toward the door. “That nurse was so concerned about me—every day she cursed that rapist—mmph!”
Xie Jia Hua lunged forward, covering his mouth and kicking the door shut in one swift motion.
“What exactly are you here for?!”
Blinking in his palm, Lu Guang Ming signaled for him to let go.
“Came to see you. And to collect a debt.”
Xie Jia Hua restrained himself again and again before speaking, “That matter—I wronged you. What do you want?”
“You’ve been investigating Xiao Qi Hall, haven’t you? Lend me your informant inside.”
“In your dreams!”
“Heh—so there is an informant?”
“……”
Xie Jia Hua’s face darkened in silence. Finding his reaction amusing, Lu Guang Ming’s mischievous streak flared up. Tugging at his sleeve, he began to act coy.
“Just lend them to me for a bit, Inspector Xie.”
“……”
“Jia Hua? A’Hua?” Lu Guang Ming continued shamelessly, changing forms of address to tease him. “A’Ward…”
Before he could finish that last name, Xie Jia Hua shoved him to the ground with a slap!
Thud!
His recently healed backside suffered once more. Grimacing in pain, Lu Guang Ming was about to complain when he looked up—
Xie Jia Hua’s face was ashen. He was genuinely furious.
“What’s with you?” Lu Guang Ming muttered as he struggled to his feet. “Just joking.”
“Get out,” Xie Jia Hua said coldly.
Lu Guang Ming bared his teeth in a grin. “In your dreams.”
“Boss!” A young officer burst in. “That wretch finally spilled some ‘info’—come listen—whoa!”
He froze at the sight before him—
His boss, face dark, was pushing a sharply dressed handsome man toward the door, while the latter clung tightly to his waist, refusing to let go.
“You owe me—don’t think you can just ditch me!” the handsome man shouted.
The young officer stared, dumbfounded. “Wow, Boss—even if you’ve been single for a long time, you don’t have to be this desperate, right? It’s a man!”
“Shut up! Get out!” Xie Jia Hua roared.
The officer shrank back and left, but poked his head in before closing the door. “Hurry up, Boss—they’re all waiting.”
“Shut up!!”
Once the door closed, Xie Jia Hua finally tore Lu Guang Ming off like a stubborn plaster. Both of them were left panting.
Though not particularly strong, Lu Guang Ming recovered quickly thanks to his youth and immediately tried to pounce again.
Xie Jia Hua stepped back sharply. “Stop messing around. I have work. Don’t force me to charge you with obstruction of justice,”
“Wow, I’m so scared,” Lu Guang Ming said lazily. “I came here for work too. Careful, or I’ll charge you with non-cooperation with the ICAC and unlawful detention of an ICAC officer.”
“You’re completely unreasonable!” Xie Jia Hua snapped, dizzy with anger.
“And whose fault is that? You ran off after eating!” Lu Guang Ming shot back confidently.
“You—! I—” Xie Jia Hua nearly wished he could cut off his own useless second brother—of all people to stab, it had to be this nemesis!
In a moment of desperation, he blurted out the classic melodramatic line of a wronged heroine:
“Don’t come any closer! You heard just now—I still have a suspect to interrogate. I’ll talk to you after I’m done.”
Standing in the middle of the room, Lu Guang Ming placed his hands on his hips and smiled triumphantly.
“Sure. I’ll wait for Inspector Xie to come back… and talk slowly.”
Xie Jia Hua turned to leave, but after a moment’s thought, he came back and locked all his drawers in front of Lu Guang Ming.
This brat was scheming and unpredictable—he might be here to steal information. He couldn’t fall for such a diversion tactic!
After locking everything, the usually unstoppable inspector shot him a resentful glare—and fled the room before Lu Guang Ming could grab his sleeve again.
…
Burning with pent-up frustration, Xie Jia Hua stormed into the interrogation room, his killing aura palpable. Within moments, the suspect was terrified into confessing everything.
Afterward, he washed his face, sighed deeply at his reflection, and resigned himself to returning to the office—to “talk slowly” with Lu Guang Ming.
But Lu Guang Ming was no longer there.
Frowning, Xie Jia Hua checked the time. Only an hour had passed. Someone like Lu Guang Ming, used to long stakeouts, wouldn’t lack that much patience.
He searched around and checked his drawers—no signs of tampering.
At last, his suspicious gaze fell on the office next door—his former superior, Deputy Superintendent Liu, who had left earlier for an urgent matter.
He approached quietly and pushed the door.
It wasn’t locked.
Inside—no one.
The next day at noon, Lu Guang Ming finished lunch at a tea restaurant below the ICAC building. Feeling drowsy from the meal, he yawned as he walked back.
Passing through a narrow alley, he was suddenly dragged inside!
Instinctively, he raised his elbow to resist—but his arms were easily subdued and pinned against the wall like a criminal. Just as he opened his mouth to shout, it was covered by a warm palm carrying a faint scent of blood and gunpowder.
Lu Guang Ming stopped struggling and calmly looked up.
Xie Jia Hua’s fist was clenched, originally aimed at his abdomen—but at the last moment, he diverted it, slamming it into the wall instead, sending dust scattering.
Breaking free, Lu Guang Ming grinned.
“What a rare guest, Inspector Xie. You actually came to find me?”
“What did you steal from Deputy Superintendent Liu’s office?” Xie Jia Hua demanded.
Blinking innocently, Lu Guang Ming said, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
“Cut the act! You had just left yesterday, and this morning your ICAC people took Deputy Superintendent Liu away! Did you steal information from the station?!”
“I did no such thing,” Lu Guang Ming replied calmly. “His case isn’t even under me. I know nothing. Besides, if he was taken, that means corruption exists. Don’t you hate corruption? Why are you angry?”
“I’ve worked with him for five years. He’s not that kind of person!” Xie Jia Hua snapped.
“Maybe not now. But before?” Lu Guang Ming sneered. “He’s nearly fifty, isn’t he? How many from his generation are clean? Just like your Deputy Commissioner father—”
Before he could finish, Xie Jia Hua’s fist shot toward his face.
Lu Guang Ming didn’t dodge.
At the last moment—
The fist slammed into the wall again.
Glancing sideways at the dust, Lu Guang Ming chuckled. “Feeling guilty, Inspector Xie? Can’t bring yourself to hit me?”
Xie Jia Hua’s gaze burned into him before he finally lowered his fist.
“Lu Guang Ming, there’s nothing in this world you wouldn’t exploit. I despise that about you. That night was an accident—I wronged you. You can hit me, you can report me—but don’t even think about using me again to hurt others!”
Meeting his furious, disdainful gaze, Lu Guang Ming was silent for a moment.
Then, suddenly, he smiled—eyes curving with amusement.
“Inspector Xie, you’re really interesting… really adorable.”
He wrapped his arms around Xie Jia Hua’s waist.
“What you said—I don’t want any of that. I only want…”
Leaning close to his ear, he whispered something softly.
Before he could finish smirking, he was shoved away again.
Xie Jia Hua’s face darkened, glaring at him in disbelief before turning and leaving as though fleeing a plague.
“Are you agreeing or not? If you do, we’re even.”
“I never want to see you again! Get lost!”
Futile Devices Scans 
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