SA 20.2 – FINAL

Everything is deception, but why, when such words rush into his mind, does he find there are still tears to shed?

“A Yang!!!” Chen Chen’s agonized shout pierced the air as Ye Jingsheng suddenly opened his eyes.

Had he fired the gun? Had he just shot Fang Yang?

Fang Yang clutched his chest, blood seeping through his fingers. Yet his gaze remained firm and steady as he looked at Ye Jingsheng. “I haven’t lied to you, not then and not now.”

“Stop spouting nonsense!” Ye Jingsheng roared, his voice trembling under the weight of his inner demons. He raised his gun again, his hand shaking. “You caused Xiao Jie’s death, and still, you chose to side with Chen Chen! You haven’t lied to me? Who the hell would believe that!”

He pulled the trigger again.

Fang Yang staggered, his knees hitting the ground as his strength gave out. Blood dripped from his hand, pooling beneath him. His body felt cold, the world around him beginning to blur.

“A-Yang!” Chen Chen cried out, tears streaming down his face for the first time in a long time. He had always believed he was the kind of man who would never cry over anyone. But Fang Yang… why did it have to be like this?!

“I’ve… never lied to you.”

“Shut up!” Ye Jingsheng froze, stunned by the sight of fresh blood flowing before him.

“Ye Jingsheng…” Fang Yang whispered with a faint smile. “You’ve always said you value righteousness above all else. Haven’t I done the same? I won’t allow you to kill Chen ge…”

In the distance, the rumble of several helicopters grew louder as reinforcements closed in. It was only a matter of time before they arrived.

A frantic voice crackled through the earpiece. “Jingsheng! What are you doing? Have you forgotten what you promised me? Do not mess this up!”

Ye Jingsheng seemed lost, as if his soul had drifted away. He ignored the voice completely and muttered, “You still choose to save him… Fang Yang…”

Fang Yang nodded firmly and slowly extended his bloodied hand. “To save him is to die with you.”

Ye Jingsheng froze in place, unable to move.

All the lies and betrayals seemed to vanish from his mind, leaving behind only one undeniable truth. It was Fang Yang, the only man he had ever both loved and hated in his life.

Pei Jun’s desperate voice continued to echo in the earpiece, but Ye Jingsheng ripped it off and threw it aside. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

“Xiao Jie died because of Chen Chen, and I can’t kill him. Fang Yang, this is for you.” Ye Jingsheng managed a faint smile, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You’ve made it impossible for me to face Jie-zai. You should come with me and explain it to him.”

Fang Yang nodded slightly, allowing Ye Jingsheng to cuff their wrists together with the cold iron restraints. “Everything I said was true. If it means diving into the sea again, as long as it’s with you, I’m willing.”

Ye Jingsheng pulled Fang Yang to his feet, guiding him step by step toward the edge of the rooftop. “Not the sea this time. Are you still willing?”

“Liao Qiu!” Chen Chen shouted, his voice frantic. “Stop them! They’ve lost their minds!”

Fang Yang smiled faintly as Ye Jingsheng raised a hand to gently wipe the blood from his lips. “There’s something I never told you.”

“What?”

“I love you.”

Ye Jingsheng laughed softly, pulling Fang Yang’s hand as he echoed the words he had once said. “With you as my cushion, even death is worth it.”

It all happened in an instant.

“Yang ge!” Liao Qiu lunged forward.

Fang Yang was pushed backward, falling several meters away. On his wrist hung a shiny pair of handcuffs, the other side swaying emptily in the night sky.

Ye Jingsheng had never really cuffed himself. He only wanted to jump alone. He had never trusted him!

“Ye—Jing—Sheng!” Fang Yang roared, his voice breaking with anguish.

Is this your final punishment?!

Three months later

The Hongyun gang-related case commenced in early February at Hong Kong’s First Court. After a month of what seemed like scrutiny, the defendant Chen Chen was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

The wind tugged at his hair, pulling it wildly in the brisk sea breeze, which should have been bone-chilling. Yet, Chen Chen seemed oblivious.

“Chen ge, are you really letting Yang ge go?” Liao Qiu whispered beside him.

Chen Chen did not respond; he simply stood aloof, watching the man who had accompanied him through his darkest times walk towards the pier.

“Are you Fang Yang?”

“You don’t need to pretend to care! It’s just a life, isn’t it? I don’t give a damn!”

He chuckled, curious to see how this stubborn youth would grow: “Then, stay by my side, will you?”

Fang Yang looked at him in surprise but didn’t immediately nod. Yet, from that day on, they began thirteen years of relying on each other for survival.

Did he love Fang Yang? He didn’t know.

He only knew that the most important person in his life was now walking out of his sight with resolute determination, never to look back.

And with him, the memories of their youth disappeared as well, never to return.

“He was bound to leave.” Chen Chen sighed deeply. “That day, Ye Jingsheng’s body wasn’t at the scene. Of course, someone like him wouldn’t commit suicide, would he? But from that moment on, Fang Yang was bound to leave as well. In the end, I couldn’t keep either of them.”

“Chen ge! Your phone!” Someone handed him a mobile phone. Chen Chen greeted the caller, only to hear a familiar deep voice: “Chen Chen, the sea breeze is cold; too much of it, beware of harming your health.”

Chen Chen raised an eyebrow and quickly turned around, scanning his surroundings. Yet, no matter where he looked, there was nothing unusual.

“Inspector Pei, I haven’t yet congratulated you on your promotion. What brings you to enjoy the sea breeze with me tonight?”

“I dare not take all the credit. If it weren’t for the leads you provided that helped me catch some big fish, my promotion wouldn’t have come so swiftly.”

Chen Chen let out a cold laugh. “No need to be polite. If you hadn’t ensured that those officers ended up with no evidence to prosecute, I wouldn’t have been so generous as to help you succeed.”

“But now that I’m sitting in the position of Chief Inspector, it seems the day when you and I face off directly is not far away.”

“A good leader must excel at nurturing their enemies. You understand this better than I do, Inspector Pei. This game of cops and robbers we’re playing may still have a long way to go.”

Pei Jun snorted coldly. “Chen Chen, don’t forget that I still have the chip in my possession. Just because I didn’t hand it over to the police this time doesn’t mean I won’t in the future.”

“Ye Jingsheng, you’re the one who hid him away, aren’t you?” Chen Chen suddenly spoke. “Under those circumstances, only you could have made him disappear without anyone noticing. Where is he?”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

All that could be heard was the sound of their uneven breathing.

“They left because their hearts still held feelings,” Pei Jun finally replied, his voice steady. “We stayed because, in our hearts, power outweighs emotion. If they truly have a connection, let them chase their dreams of freedom and endless horizons. But you and I… we are destined to remain here, locked in this battle of wits and wills for the rest of our lives.”

Chen Chen’s breath hitched. He lifted his gaze again, only to see the ship carrying Fang Yang had already left the pier. It cut a long, white trail across the surface of the sea, gradually fading into the distance until it was no longer clear to the eye.

Epilogue

Switzerland, distinctly European, yet its lifestyle diverges sharply from its continental neighbors. Unlike the bustling UK, meticulous Germany, spirited Italy, or ostentatious France, Switzerland exudes a relaxed rhythm of life, suggesting that if one is born without worries, any place can be a paradise.

This small country oozes understated luxury everywhere.

A tanned-skinned youth walks the streets of Zurich, his purely Eastern features quite conspicuous in the crowd. Yet no one gives him a second glance; the locals are too used to minding their own business to care about someone else’s identity.

“LING, you skipped class again! Does no one care about you in college? Just wait until your brother finds out; see what happens then!” A Chinese café owner yelled at him in heavily accented Mandarin.

The commotion caught the attention of the café’s patrons, who turned their heads in surprise. One of them abruptly stood up in shock, even knocking over the low chair beside them.

“Don’t, don’t, I’ll go back to class right away! Just don’t tell my brother!” The young man stuck out his tongue with a sheepish grin, ready to slip away.

But before he could take a step, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist. Startled, he turned to see a tall, scruffy man with a rugged face and a travel-worn appearance.

As the young man frowned, the man spoke in a low, gravelly voice, “Where is your brother?”

—-

Ye Jingsheng gently brushed the dust off the tombstone. Among the many epitaphs engraved in elegant Western script, this Chinese inscription stood out. Of course, it was merely an empty grave; the true owner lay within the pendant hanging around his neck, never leaving his side.

He placed the wooden windmills he had painstakingly crafted into the ground before the tombstone. As the breeze passed, the spinning windmills seemed to take him back to the orphanage, to the time when that frail boy would always follow behind him, laughing with such contentment.

“Ah Sheng, can you take me… to Switzerland… to see the windmills?”

He let out a deep sigh, slowly straightening his back. But as he turned, he froze in place.

A man in a black trench coat stood there, smiling at him softly.

He should have known. No matter where he was, no matter how far he went, this man would always find him.

Even to the ends of the earth.

-END-