Late at night, Xie Jia Hua returned home and found him lying on his bed, “stiff as a corpse,” covered in blood. Naturally, chaos broke out. Lu Guang Ming was too groggy to pay him any mind—he simply buried his head and slept. He slept straight through until around eleven or twelve the next day, only then waking to find himself tightly wrapped in blankets, drenched in sweat, hot and dizzy.
He touched his forehead—sure enough, he had a fever. After soaking in the sea all night, who wouldn’t?
Dizzy and unsteady, he went to the bathroom to relieve himself, then crawled back to bed and noticed a glass of water and a box of fever medicine placed by the bedside. After taking the medicine, he burrowed back under the blanket, thinking contentedly: “The Big Sweet Potato is still sweet.” He closed his eyes and fell asleep again.
He slept in a haze until evening, when hunger woke him. Wrapped in the blanket, he rummaged through Xie Jia Hua’s home but found nothing except instant noodles—though he did discover something quite unexpected. Cheerfully, he sat on the sofa gnawing on a block of dry noodles, turning on the television like he owned the place.
The news was reporting his disappearance.
The day before, he had requisitioned a vehicle from the ICAC under the pretext of carrying out a task. Early that morning, the car was found abandoned on a remote beach, with what appeared to be a suicide note in his handwriting left on the seat. His superior, Chief Investigator Xu, was being interviewed at the ICAC entrance, stating that the matter was under investigation and that details could not yet be disclosed.
On screen, Chief Investigator Xu’s expression could not conceal his grief. He clearly did not believe it was suicide, looking determined to uncover the truth and seek justice. Lu Guang Ming figured that within five minutes of returning to his office, Chief Investigator Xu would discover the “fake-death leave note” he had left behind. He only hoped that A’San—that rascal—would manage to secure real evidence this time. Otherwise, when he returned, he might very well be beaten to death with a folder by an enraged Chief Investigator Xu.
Crunching through half the noodle block, the door creaked open—Xie Jia Hua had returned.
Lu Guang Ming’s heart leapt with delight. Hugging his noodles, he stared fixedly at the television.
“Come check on me. Come on.” he shouted inwardly.
Xie Jia Hua, as if hearing him, walked over and touched his forehead to check his temperature. “Did you take your medicine?”
Lu Guang Ming kept his expression cool, though inwardly he was pleased. “Mm.”
“Why didn’t you order takeout?”
“No money.”
“What happened last night? Why are you hiding here instead of going home?”
“None of your business.”
“……” Xie Jia Hua began rolling up his sleeves.
Lu Guang Ming instantly ducked behind the sofa cushion with his noodle block. “Hey, I’ve got a fever—have some conscience. Don’t hit a sick person.”
“Once your fever’s gone, get out!” Xie Jia Hua snapped with full force.
For some reason, Lu Guang Ming suddenly felt inspired. Swallowing the crumbs, he boldly imitated He Chu San, blinking his eyes innocently. “Brother Jia Hua, I’m hungry… could you order some takeout? I want roast goose.”
“……”
He still got pinned to the sofa and had his backside smacked. “Help! Police brutality!”
After the beating, he still got his roast goose.
They sat side by side on the sofa eating. Wrapped in the blanket, Lu Guang Ming extended one arm to pick up food, grinning as he ate.
“Aren’t you eating?” Xie Jia Hua frowned. “What are you laughing at? Did the fever fry your brain?”
Lu Guang Ming set down his chopsticks and pulled out a lunchbox from beneath the coffee table—the one he had discovered earlier. It was a cheap plastic container, worn from long use but thoroughly cleaned.
“How come I didn’t notice this before?” he thought, grinning. “What’s this, Inspector Xie? Why are you keeping it?”
Xie Jia Hua’s face darkened slightly, but he replied righteously, “I meant to return it to you. Forgot.”
“How was that milk scrambled egg?”
“Too salty.”
Lu Guang Ming immediately lost interest in eating. Throwing off the blanket, he lunged at Xie Jia Hua, wrapping them both up like a baguette.
“What are you doing?!” Xie Jia Hua’s head and arms stuck out of the blanket, still holding chopsticks.
“Eat breakfast from your bedmate, then repay with a round.”
“Who’s your bedmate?!”
“Come on, Inspector, just have some fun. Haven’t done it in a while—you’re not pent up? Fine, I’ll let you have one round today. You’ll owe me later.”
Xie Jia Hua, face dark, struggled with the blanket. “Get off!”
Lu Guang Ming ducked under the blanket, still clinging to him.
……
The roast goose ended up scattered on the floor, the coffee table in disarray. Sauce stained the blanket corner. Xie Jia Hua, breathing heavily, frowned at the mess, thinking: This brat—he’d better wash the sheets later. He himself hadn’t even had time to eat properly all day.
As he thought this, his breath suddenly hitched sharply—Lu Guang Ming had brushed against a sensitive spot. After days of restraint, heat surged through his body like fire.
He flipped Lu Guang Ming over onto the sofa.
Lu Guang Ming still grinned mischievously, until he was overwhelmed and cried out, clutching at Xie Jia Hua’s shoulders. “Are you trying to kill me, Inspector Xie! Where’s the protection?!”
“I don’t have that in my house!”
“The lotion from last time—quick! Inspector Jia Hua, it hurts.”
Xie Jia Hua muttered irritably, fetched some lotion, and continued.
……
After a while—
Lu Guang Ming collapsed on the sofa, completely dazed. In barely twenty minutes, he had been utterly exhausted, as if an entire century had passed. His lower body was bare, marked with flushed imprints, his shirt disheveled, even his lips swollen.
Meanwhile, Xie Jia Hua had merely unzipped his trousers. Calmly zipping them back up, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and resumed eating the remaining dishes on the table.
Lu Guang Ming weakly kicked his legs. “Are you a beast? You’re still eating?!”
“I haven’t eaten all day. Don’t bother me. Rest five minutes, then go wash the sheets. There’s a dryer on the balcony.”
“I won’t!”
“Then you’ll have no blanket tonight.”
“I’ll share yours!”
“No. Get lost.”
……
In the end, they still ended up sharing one blanket that night.
Lu Guang Ming had fully realized that Xie Jia Hua was harsh on the outside but soft on the inside. Clinging to him, he continued pestering him.
“Will you let me sleep?!” Xie Jia Hua roared. “You slept all day—I didn’t!”
“You still owe me three times…”
“I owe you nothing! Sleep or I’ll throw you out!”
“Don’t be angry, Brother Jia Hua. Anger makes you age faster. Tomorrow I’ll get you milk scrambled eggs.”
“Don’t call me Brother Jia Hua!”
“Handsome Big Brother, I’ll sing ‘Handsome Lad’ for you…”
“Get out—!”
Futile Devices Scans 
Leave a comment