Xie Jia Hua intended to take Lu Guang Ming back to the police station to record a statement, but Lu Guang Ming refused.
“For something this minor, there’s no need for Inspector Xie to go through the trouble of opening a case. If it turns out in the end that it was your own people, wouldn’t that make the police lose face?”
Xie Jia Hua’s temper flared. Grabbing him by the back of his collar, he dragged him toward the car. “Even if it was done by a policeman, I will still give you justice!”
“Hey—don’t drag me, hey—” Lu Guang Ming struggled in his iron grip like a little lamb, yet was effortlessly shoved to the side of the car. “I’m filthy—I’ll dirty your car…”
Xie Jia Hua yanked open the passenger door and shoved him in with a single push. “Shut up!”
The door slammed, the key turned—Lu Guang Ming was locked inside the car. Xie Jia Hua remained outside for about five minutes before finally getting into the driver’s seat. Lu Guang Ming, unable to get out, leaned crookedly against the passenger seat, enduring the pain as he wiped at his wounds. The moment Xie Jia Hua got in, he immediately put on a mischievous grin.
“Inspector Xie, I really don’t have time to go to the station. I’ve got a meeting first thing tomorrow morning—I just want to hurry home and sleep. Be accommodating and let me go, will you?”
“Where do you live?”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll take you home.”
“…Huh?”
……
Streetlamps and neon lights slipped past the window one after another. The car gradually left the city center, turning onto desolate, run-down roads. Lu Guang Ming rolled down the window, yet it did nothing to disperse the thick stench of garbage inside the car—his entire body reeked, his shoulder still smeared with rotten egg and bits of eggshell. He shifted his gaze slightly, sneaking a glance at Xie Jia Hua. The latter drove on as if he smelled nothing at all, his expression unchanged.
“Inspector Xie…”
“I don’t want to hear you speak. Be quiet,” Xie Jia Hua said flatly.
Lu Guang Ming turned his head toward the window, blinking into the darkening dusk. He knew that Xie Jia Hua disliked him even more than he disliked the stench of rotten eggs—yet upon seeing him in trouble, he still endured both the revulsion in his heart and the foul odor clinging to him, just to send him home.
He slumped against the seat, blinking into the darkness, thinking: No wonder Brother Jia Qi liked this man so much.
Toward Xie Jia Hua, his feelings had begun as jealousy and suspicion, then turned into teasing and curiosity After that chaotic night, once he had confirmed Xie Jia Hua’s sincerity toward Brother Jia Qi, there was now an additional trace of something else—an unfamiliar emotion he could neither name nor explain.
Sometimes, before falling asleep at night, he would think of Xie Jia Hua. In such a cold and pitch-black world, if someone like this were lying beside him… perhaps it would feel a little warmer.
……
The car stopped beneath an old, crowded residential building. One after the other, the two climbed the dark stairwell. Their feet stepped on trash scattered across the floor, producing harsh creaking sounds. The corridor was piled with scrap paper and broken odds and ends collected by residents, while passing mice emitted faint squeaks. Walking ahead, Lu Guang Ming stepped on a banana peel and slipped—only to be caught squarely in Xie Jia Hua’s arms from behind.
They froze awkwardly for a brief moment in the darkness. Xie Jia Hua quickly pushed him away and could not help but ask, “How can you live in a place like this? Doesn’t the ICAC pay you? Didn’t you apply for staff housing?”
“To save money. And for freedom,” Lu Guang Ming replied calmly, pulling out his key to open the door. “Anywhere else, you couldn’t rent a place this big for eight hundred yuan.”
He switched on the light. The room measured over three hundred square feet (about 30㎡), which indeed counted as “spacious” in land-scarce Hong Kong. Unlike the filthy and cramped exterior, Lu Guang Ming had kept the interior extremely neat and clean—perhaps too clean. Aside from a bed, a table and chair, and a few cardboard boxes, there was almost nothing else. In one corner, a small darkroom had been constructed out of cardboard, with several photographs hanging inside. The curtains were tightly shut. The bedsheets, quilt cover, and curtains were all in dull shades of gray-black.
Standing at the doorway, Xie Jia Hua looked around in astonishment. He had never seen such an empty, cold, utterly lifeless “home.” Meanwhile, Lu Guang Ming had already gone to the balcony to change clothes—there wasn’t even a wardrobe in his house; his few sets of clothes were hung out there. As he pulled off his shirt, his voice sounded muffled from within the fabric:
“Thanks for sending me back. If you’re done looking around, I won’t see you out. Help me close the door.”
Soon, the sound of the door shutting was heard. Lu Guang Ming removed his shirt, kicked off his filthy shoes and socks, and walked back into the room bare-chested and barefoot—only to discover that Xie Jia Hua was still there, crouching on the floor rummaging through his cardboard boxes.
“Inspector Xie? You’re actually going through ICAC secrets so openly?”
“What secrets?” Xie Jia Hua said coldly, setting down several thank-you letters sent from an orphanage. “Do you have disinfectant? I’ll treat your wounds.”
Lu Guang Ming froze briefly. His eyes shifted, then he smiled. “I do. Come over here.”
The moment Xie Jia Hua stepped closer, he was suddenly tackled onto the bed!
Lu Guang Ming sprawled triumphantly over him, his bare chest pressing into Xie Jia Hua’s arms. “Inspector Xie, you insisted on escorting me into my home and now you refuse to leave—don’t tell me you’re here for this?”
He reached down suggestively, only to have his hand slapped away by Xie Jia Hua. Swinging a leg, he straddled Xie Jia Hua’s waist again. Xie Jia Hua pressed his hands against Lu Guang Ming’s bare, warm skin and tried to push him away—but did not dare use force. Lu Guang Ming’s entire body was covered in fresh bruises from the earlier beating; he simply could not bring himself to strike hard.
Furious, he snapped, “Lu Guang Ming! You are completely unreasonable!”
With skin thicker than city walls, Lu Guang Ming began tugging at his trousers while leaning down to plant a bold kiss on his face. “Xie Jia Hua, what’s wrong with admitting desire? That night, didn’t you enjoy it? I know you don’t like me—and I don’t like you either—but liking each other’s bodies is enough, isn’t it? Why don’t we just be bed partners?”
Xie Jia Hua’s handsome face flushed red with anger. Unable to strike him, he grabbed a pillow and smacked it straight into Lu Guang Ming’s face. Taking advantage of the moment Lu Guang Ming toppled backward onto the bed, he hastily pulled up his trousers and jumped away, striding quickly toward the door.
He turned back, intending to curse Lu Guang Ming a few more times—but he was never good with harsh words. Seeing Lu Guang Ming’s pale face, his body mottled with bruises, and the wound on his forehead beginning to bleed again—he could not comprehend why this madman, injured as he was, still had the energy to mess with others.
Afraid that if he stayed any longer he might lose control and beat Lu Guang Ming to death, he slammed the door and left, his face dark.
Left alone, Lu Guang Ming knelt on the bed, laughing loudly toward the door. After laughing for a long time, he raised a hand to touch the blood on his forehead. Even he himself did not understand what he was doing—he only felt extremely happy, though mixed with a faint, indescribable bitterness. Without applying any medicine, he casually turned off the light, curled into the blanket, and fell asleep hugging the pillow Xie Jia Hua had just thrown at him.
……
Xie Jia Hua was so angry that he had nightmares all night. The next day, with dark circles under his eyes, he went with his team to apprehend a fugitive. His subordinates, having followed him for years, knew that beneath his cold exterior he was soft-hearted, and they chattered in concern inside the vehicle.
“Boss, why do you look so bad? Didn’t sleep well last night?”
“Inspector Xu Hao Jie was taken away by those bastards from the ICAC for ‘tea’ so all the work’s piled onto Boss—of course he’s exhausted.”
“The ICAC’s getting too arrogant! Heard they took away Inspector Wang from Team B yesterday—Team B is in total chaos now. They don’t even know who’s leading today’s operation!”
“Damn it—completely lawless! Makes you want to sack them and beat them up!”
“Watch your mouth!” Xie Jia Hua slammed his fist against the car window. “You don’t want to wear that uniform anymore?!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop. Boss, take it easy—if the window breaks, those foreigners from the Political Department will start making trouble again. Did you forget how you smashed two interrogation tables last time…?”
The group got out of the car amidst their chatter. The moment they entered the fugitive’s hideout area, everyone immediately grew serious. This fugitive was extremely vicious, having committed murder and robbery before fleeing into the mountains. The officers in charge had requested support from headquarters, which dispatched Xie Jia Hua to lead the operation. Also present were members of Team B, now leaderless after their superior had been taken away by the ICAC.
Outside the encirclement, several Team B officers approached in a crouch, lining up before Xie Jia Hua. The one in front spoke in a low voice, “Inspector Xie, I’m A’Huang from B Team. We’ve been instructed to follow your command in this operation.”
Xie Jia Hua glanced at him, his gaze lingering briefly on a noticeable scrape on his cheek, then sweeping over the other men, who bore varying degrees of injuries on their faces. Calmly, he said, “Alright. Follow me.”
……
Three hours later, the fugitive was captured, and the mission concluded successfully. Over twenty officers, disheveled and grimy, escorted two fugitives down the hillside. As everyone caught their breath and straightened their uniforms, Xie Jia Hua noticed A’Huang wiping sweat as he passed by. Suddenly, he reached out and stopped him.
“What is it, Inspector Xie?”
“There’s dirt in the wound on your face.” Xie Jia Hua took out a fresh handkerchief and personally wiped his face clean. “Good work. Get in the car, apply some medicine, and rest.”
A’Huang thanked him repeatedly and climbed back into the vehicle. Xie Jia Hua remained outside alone. When no one was looking, he took out a small evidence bag, carefully folded the handkerchief, and placed it inside.
Futile Devices Scans 
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