SDT 29

Chapter 29 Decision

The blackmailer’s life seemed very simple, without any doubts. Why he chose himself for blackmail, at the beginning, was indeed what Lu Kongyun cared about most. Because if he could know the other’s motive, perhaps he could avoid falling into deeper traps.

But his calm life had already been stirred into chaos by the blackmailer. Far beyond imagined crimes had been suffered; the blackmail behavior also seemed to have reached its end. The so-called motive, in terms of actual effect, seemed to have little significance.

Moreover, this police blackmailer was not simple and might be plotting some new trap. Every interaction with him only made his life a bit more chaotic.

The rotating die on the phone screen went dark due to no response for a long time.

The two confronted for a while; the blackmailer leaned back in the chair first and pressed the order bell.

“Think about it; I will order,” he said. “No rush; you can decide after eating.”

The waiter quickly entered and stood bowed before the two. The blackmailer ordered several dishes, did not order the most expensive one, just paired with seafood and added some side dishes.

After the waiter left, the blackmailer looked at Lu Kongyun. But when Lu Kongyun focused and met his gaze, he looked out the window.

Many tour groups held bonfire parties on the shore and set off fireworks. From this height, colorful fireworks muted by distance could be seen flashing below from time to time.

“I have a friend who went to C Country for travel,” the blackmailer said casually. “He said there is a city called Jiang City, no sea but a river. In winter, Jiang City has heavy snow; when it snows heavily, the platforms on both sides of the embankment set off fireworks. He said it is better than the noisy beach; the fireworks seen over the river on a snowy day are particularly beautiful, as if set off just for him.”

Lu Kongyun looked at the distant fireworks outside the window until they paused.

Then he looked at the blackmailer across the table and responded to this casual chat: “Yes. I also like Jiang City very much.”

The blackmailer: “…Even you have been to Jiang City?”

Even?

Lu Kongyun: “I am a biochemical medicine expert; I often go to many places for conferences.”

The blackmailer: “Even you have seen snow?!”

Lu Kongyun: “Yes.”

The blackmailer sniffed. Then he exhaled and said: “Being a police officer is damn hard.”

Lu Kongyun did not speak.

And the blackmailer would not let the air stay quiet. He twirled the wristband on his arm in circles and picked up the thread of this topic again: “Then what conference did you go to Jiang City for?”

Lu Kongyun organized his words and answered him in a way without professional terms: “The people there seem to have weaker pheromone perception ability than other regions. Various professional societies organized to research the related climate, magnetic field, and biological evolution reasons causing this situation.”

The blackmailer blinked blankly.

After a while, he asked: “So you think weak pheromone perception is a kind of evolution?”

“This is not just a physiological issue but also social ethics and philosophy,” Lu Kongyun answered. “But personally, I think yes.”

The blackmailer leaned forward again, placed both arms on the table, the small lighthouse in his eyes lit up again.

“Not sure if I misunderstood; you said magnetic field and climate reasons. Meaning us foreigners might also be affected in Jiang City. For example, there, you are very likely not to feel my pheromones as disturbing…”

The blackmailer paused, then after a few seconds changed the phrasing and continued: “In Jiang City, you are very likely not to perceive my pheromones much. Even as a S-class Alpha.”

“Yes,” Lu Kongyun answered.

The blackmailer clicked his tongue in wonder. Then he continued looking at the night view outside the window, his eyes seeming to hold some outlook and imagination.

He raised his hand, thoughtfully touching his lips with his fingertip: “Then there, I would not be affected by Alpha pheromones either. Even as an inferior Omega.”

Lu Kongyun: “The possibility of you being affected by Alpha pheromones would decrease greatly.”

Soon, the dishes arrived.

The blackmailer withdrew his gaze, wiped his hands with a wet tissue, and began dismantling a crab.

This remembered clicking sound made Lu Kongyun think of what the blackmailer said last time at the roadside stall. At that time, he had asked the blackmailer what grudge there was between the two. He answered: Grudge? Being with you is Valentine’s Day every day.

And Valentine’s Day was the blackmailer’s birthday.

At that time, due to this clue, Lu Kongyun had investigated his past experiences, even suspecting he was a child Lu Qingchuan had messed around with outside and was using this face-losing way to find him. Then he would be his younger brother by a few months.

Lu Xiaowen.

Ruled out.

Later found he had attended the same school as him, but not the same class, no intersection, and soon transferred due to personal family reasons. No doubts.

Ruled out.

Because I am very useful, helpful to his work? He had once brought his team leader to find him.

But just now he refused to help his colleagues, and his attitude was not abnormal, and he said to separate public and private.

Ruled out.

Perhaps knowing the correct answer already had no significance. Perhaps every interaction with the blackmailer brought no good. Just being tossed for so long, that reason “very important” to the blackmailer, Lu Kongyun found it hard to ignore.

…

“Why are you not eating? Slurp.” Yu Xiaowen sucked on the crab’s biceps. He thought if this crab participated in the bureau’s physical test evaluation, it would definitely drop his ranking by one.

The victim, hearing his words, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of vegetable. Then he looked at Yu Xiaowen gnawing the crab again.

…The victim put down his chopsticks, picked up the small copper tongs from the tray beside, clamped off the crab’s other large arm. Then he put down the tongs, picked up the small bamboo stick beside it, and along the crab shell, pushed the complete crab leg meat onto Yu Xiaowen’s plate.

After demonstrating the correct way to eat, he put down the crab and tools, and wiped his hands with a wet tissue.

Yu Xiaowen looked at the crab meat on his plate; the clicking sound of gnawing the crab became much smaller, then he gradually stopped.

“You are the only one who knows how to eat crab?” Yu Xiaowen said.

The victim paused, put down the chopsticks he had just picked up: “What is wrong?”

Yu Xiaowen: “Crab meat is only most fragrant when still in the shell. Do you not even know that?”

The victim looked at his mouth and stared. Yu Xiaowen subconsciously pursed his lips, then reached to pick a crab shell fragment from his lips.

The victim moved the corner of his mouth, picked up the crab leg shell with one hand, the bamboo stick with the other, scooped up the crab meat and stuffed it back into the crab leg shell, handed it to Yu Xiaowen: “Fine now? Hurry and eat.”

“…” Yu Xiaowen felt that the victim had mastered his blackmail behavior pattern, was used to it, and was not letting him play anymore.

His eyes squinted; he did not reach to take it but directly brought his mouth over: “Ah~”

The waiter pushing the meal cart opened the door; his gaze stuttered for a few microseconds, then immediately straight ahead, mind focused, continued pushing the cart in.

“…Ah~ Aah mother single… Mother single,” Yu Xiaowen sang a strange song, propping half his face with his palm and turning to look out the window.

After the waiter serving the dishes left, Yu Xiaowen turned his head back. He saw the victim with his head buried very low, putting the crab leg in his hand into his own mouth and chewing.

Yu Xiaowen suddenly laughed out loud. If the table were not so big, he would want rub the other until he smelled like crab.

After the two finished eating and settled the bill, the victim showed no sign of covering his wallet and crying in regret, so Yu Xiaowen packed several seafood as midnight snacks. After leaving the restaurant, the victim drove Yu Xiaowen home.

The ride was silent.

The car quickly took the seaside route. The seaside was misty with fine drizzle; the streetlights illuminated the dampness on the car window glass. Yu Xiaowen opened the car window and looked toward the sea. He smelled the mixed scent of sea breeze and rain, heard the mixed sounds of waves and wind-rain.

He combed back his wind-messed hair and, when turning back to say something to the victim, saw his focused face in the lonely night.

A small flower suddenly grew in his lung lobe, blooming in his chest.

He rolled his throat to flatten it and press it in.

Then he took out his phone, turned off the flash, and silently took a photo.

“I have decided,” the victim suddenly turned to look at him. Yu Xiaowen immediately pointed his phone at the pitch-black night sea. The victim inexplicably looked at the black scene on his screen, then turned back to watch the road ahead.

“I accept your proposal,” the victim said. “But wait until I return from training to start. Because I need to consider more possible answers, so I do not want to be too hasty.”

“Fine. You are quite concerned about my matters,” Yu Xiaowen put down his phone and teased.

The victim ignored him.

The victim dropped Yu Xiaowen at the alley mouth beside his home. Yu Xiaowen stood by the car, holding the packed seafood boxes: “Thank you for treating me to dinner.”

Then he took out his phone countdown and shook it at the victim: “Do not forget the nightly task. Send voice messages.”

The victim answered: “Yes.”

Yu Xiaowen: “Study well.”

The victim: “Yes.”

Yu Xiaowen: “You can think of me when nothing is wrong.”

The victim looked at him with little fluctuation.

Yu Xiaowen made a phone-calling gesture again: “Contact me when you are out.”

The victim’s mouth tensed a bit, and he said: “I am just going for two weeks of training, not getting arrested.”

Yu Xiaowen waved to him: “Go back. Sweetheart.”

…

Lu Kongyun looked in the rearview mirror at that little figure, who seemed still waving at him.

Did he also look at me in the rearview mirror last time? Lu Kongyun felt not. As soon as work was mentioned, he slipped away very fast.