SDT 82

Chapter 82 A New Relationship

A weekend arrived several days later.

Lu Kongyun rose from bed, and he showered. He carried coffee to the study afterward, and opened the computer to process work tasks.

Ever since he told Yu Xiaowen to think it over before he replied, Lu Kongyun refrained from pursuing the matter actively or from reaching out to Yu Xiaowen. Yu Xiaowen made no contact either, and several days passed already. Lu Kongyun unlocked his phone, and he checked the messages. The messages halted at the one he sent: “I await your reply.”

Lu Kongyun started to feel nervous. The feeling of Yu Xiaowen’s abrupt vanishing infected him anew, and it resembled a PTSD.

Lu Kongyun knew he should not react this way at such a moment. Yu Xiaowen perhaps needed time to ponder carefully.

Lu Kongyun wondered whether he raised the topic too soon. He alone desired deeper commitment perhaps, while Yu Xiaowen held no wish to advance further. Yu Xiaowen always behaved this way.

Lu Kongyun lifted the coffee cup, yet he sipped no coffee. He clamped the cup’s rim between his teeth, and he started regretting.

Lu Kongyun should not have broached the subject hastily.

The leave application dangled unresolved, and Lu Kongyun wondered whether he ought to keep going with it.

Lu Kongyun rarely felt such agitation.

Around ten o’clock, Lu Kongyun’s mood has completely turned gloomy.

At noon, he made up his mind to visit Yu Xiaowen’s home in person and to inspect the situation. Lu Kongyun did not insist on extracting any particular answer.

He perhaps just to observe Yu Xiaowen’s response to the matter after so many days of reflection. If the timing seemed inopportune, Lu Kongyun saw no need to hasten any progress. Lu Kongyun contemplated this idea, and he acted quickly. He donned clothes, and took the car keys before living the house.

Autumn rain fell again. Lu Kongyun reached Wax Apple Alley, he unfurled the umbrella as he got out the car and walked toward Yu Xiaowen’s residential building. Yu Xiaowen should rest today absent any urgent duties, but it’s unpredictable when cases would appear. No one could guarantee Yu Xiaowen’s presence at home.

Lu Kongyun deemed his impulsive arrival irrational once more. He entered the building’s vestibule, and collapsed the umbrella as he ascended the stairs with long strides.

Lu Kongyun arrived at Yu Xiaowen’s door, he raised his hand to knock. His fingers brushed the door just then, the door creaked open gradually by itself.

The door lacked a lock surprisingly.

Lu Kongyun froze briefly, and he shoved the door wide immediately.

The room remained unlit, and the rainy day rendered it dim. Something differed amid the darkness. The cramped space appeared somewhat vacant. Lu Kongyun swept his gaze methodically across the details, and he noted the furniture was still there, but the belongings vanished entirely. The red lingonberry flower mug disappeared, the photo frame vanished, and… Lu Kongyun advanced another step inside, and he continued to survey.

The crystal swans vanished too.

Lu Kongyun approached the bedroom doorway, and the light improved slightly there. The bedroom mirrored the same state almost, and it resembled a vacant rental unit save for the furniture alone.

Lu Kongyun stood motionless there. He stared ahead.

Lu Kongyun remained immobile, and he lost track of time’s passage. He heard no rain patter from the balcony either.

Lu Kongyun’s hands commenced trembling.

…His residence contained a basement.

Lu Kongyun possessed a basement.

Lu Kongyun owned a…

“Sweetheart.”

Lu Kongyun turned around, and he beheld those pale eyes that frequently haunted that recurrent scene. The eyes blended reality and illusion.

…

Wax Apple Alley, where Yu Xiaowen resided, faced demolition talk ever since his illness onset, but it commenced now. Many residents evacuated recently, and Yu Xiaowen refused to dawdle either. He stowed personal items temporarily at the police dormitory first, and he assessed the small furnishings. He sold the worthless ones to scrap collectors.

Yu Xiaowen just finished coordinating with the scrap station’s elder, and he wiped beads of water from his hair. He went upstairs and reached the landing. Unexpectedly he discovered his front door open.

…Did a thief enter?

Such an event seemed improbable on a weekend midday though. Yu Xiaowen wondered suspiciously, and he stepped inside. He spotted a silhouette then. The day grew dim, yet that stature and build unmistakably belonged to his Dr. Lu. Yu Xiaowen required no clearer view. Yu Xiaowen switched on the light directly, and he approached. He called out.

“Sweetheart, why did you not tell me you would come…”

Yu Xiaowen stopped beside him, Lu Kongyun finally reacted and turned his head.

Yu Xiaowen saw Lu Kongyun’s eyes brimming with crystalline sparkles. It pooled in his sockets initially, but the turning motion caused it to spill from the eyes’ lower center.

“…” Yu Xiaowen was shocked.

Lu Kongyun often witnessed Yu Xiaowen’s tears. If You Xiaowen recalled correctly… it was the first time he ever saw Lu Kongyun cry.

Even one drop sufficed to fluster Yu Xiaowen instantly: “What happened to you? Hm?”

Yu Xiaowen raised his hand and he caressed Lu Kongyun’s cheek. He wiped the tear’s trace gently.

Lu Kongyun’s eyes gradually widened as he saw Yu Xiaowen. He stared at Yu Xiaowen with a persistent gaze.

Yu Xiaowen shifted his gaze from Lu Kongyun’s visage to the barren room that Lu Kongyun faced moments earlier.

He had a guess at why Lu Kongyun was crying. He looked back at his face immediately and sought clues there.

Yu Xiaowen drew breath: “You thought I…”

“I’m fine.” Lu Kongyun stated. He removed Yu Xiaowen’s hand from his cheek then, and he departed the room with broad steps.

Yu Xiaowen froze for two seconds, and he recalled that single tear. He regarded the vacant room, and that tear’s warmth ascended in his chest. The warmth scorched until it inflicted searing agony, and realization dawned on Yu Xiaowen. He ran to the doorway, snatched Lu Kongyun’s umbrella left there, and followed him outside.

“Lu Kongyun!”

Yu Xiaowen sprinted rapidly, and he overtook Lu Kongyun at the building’s base corner. He raised the umbrella over both heads.

Lu Kongyun stopped, and he turned to regard Yu Xiaowen.

Yu Xiaowen stood before him, and he steadied his breath. Their eyes met briefly, and Yu Xiaowen drew nearer. He clarified: “Demolition looms for my building, so I plan to relocate soon. I mentioned it before, right? Many residents already departed, and I seized the chance these past days to move too. I own few possessions, and I drove the small items to the police dormitory temporarily myself. You…”

You could message me on WeChat if you arrived and found me absent. Yu Xiaowen wanted to say this, but he recalled how his vanished self evaded messages once. Yu Xiaowen withheld the words.

Lu Kongyun looked at him too, and a moment passed. Lu Kongyun said: “Mm, you mentioned it. Old memories surfaced in my mind briefly. I apologize for alarming you.”

Yu Xiaowen paused, and then he felt relieved.. He extended his hand and patted Lu Kongyun’s arm: “I certainly will never disappear again.”

“Mm.”

“…These past days, I’ve thought about what you said.” Yu Xiaowen stated, “I intended to settle matters here first and then contact you.”

“I reflected, and I concluded,” Yu Xiaowen paused in thought before he continued, “I fear that I cannot sustain your happiness indefinitely.”

Lu Kongyun’s already somber eyes darkened further. He said no words.

Yu Xiaowen observed those eyes, and they regained their usual clarity. Yu Xiaowen’s mind retained that face etched with the tear. The scorching in his chest diffused now, and it spread throughout his body. The sensation eased from pain gradually, and it transformed into a vital heat. It became a temperature that invigorated him.

“I.” His voice was hoarse as he said that single word.

He took a deep breath and exhaled again.

“But I really don’t want you to marry anyone else.”

Lu Kongyun looked into his eyes. The dullness faded, and light appeared.

“So, I’ll move toward something better.”

Yu Xiaowen scratched the back of the hand holding the umbrella. He felt embarrassed to say the whole sentence. He held it in for a while, then said, “Hey, I think, no one’s perfect. That whole thing about being happy forever, well, we’ll see as we go, right? We’ll take care of it as we walk. Anyway, I’ll always love you, that won’t change. And you, uh, you’ll love me too… then happiness isn’t that hard, right?… So.”

Lu Kongyun said softly, “Do you want to get married?”

“……”

He actually said it!

Yu Xiaowen instantly felt the heat rush up to his face.

“Do you want to get married?” He actually said it again!

Yu Xiaowen bit his lip and whispered like a mosquito, “Ah. Yes.”

Lu Kongyun hugged him. It was a hug so tight that it almost suffocated him.

“No regrets.”

Yu Xiaowen said, “No-no regrets.”

Lu Kongyun said, “Don’t stutter at a time like this.”

“……”

Yu Xiaowen held back the sting in his nose after saying those words. He calmed down and answered him again, enunciating clearly, “I’ve decided. I won’t regret it.”

….

A week later. A bright morning.

Lu Kongyun wore his uniform. He sat at the table and stared at the black screen of his phone.

The phone suddenly vibrated.

He picked it up before the vibration stopped and looked.

艹: I’m here. I’m waiting for you outside your neighborhood. [grin] But no rush, finish getting ready first.

艹: Or maybe just wear the uniform? Looks more formal.

….

Yu Xiaowen had come early in the morning. He walked back and forth under the tree until the sun rose high before he got the courage to send the message. Now he waited. His heart hammered, and he struggled to breathe, but he kept his collar buttoned and didn’t loosen it. His legs were sore, but he didn’t squat down to rest because he didn’t want his pants to wrinkle. He had woken up at five and ironed over and over, so there couldn’t be a single crease.

A figure came out from the neighborhood.

He really listened and wore the uniform.

When that person appeared, everything else blurred. Yu Xiaowen immediately ran toward him.

When he stood face to face, he saw that Lu Kongyun’s already stunning face somehow looked even better today, almost shining. His hairstyle seemed the same as usual, but every strand of hair was perfectly arranged, like it had been trained by the strictest hand. Compared to that, his own hair, which he had washed and blow-dried clumsily this morning, looked stupid.

Yu Xiaowen suddenly wanted to back out.

He forced himself to stop that thought. He lifted his chin, propped one leg on the curb, tugged at his collar to let in some air, and said in a cocky tone, “You look amazing!”

Lu Kongyun didn’t respond to the compliment. He didn’t say “you too.” It made Yu Xiaowen a bit unhappy.

….

Lu Kongyun saw those light-colored eyes again.

This person who entered his life through blackmail wasn’t a real blackmailer.

He had earned many commendations and solved major cases. He was a brave, remarkable police officer.

He was someone who secretly showed him a lot of affection.

The sun was shining . The shadows of the trees were scattered. His uniform was perfectly tailored. Even in the heat, he hadn’t undone a single button, probably because it was required by his superiors. He straightened his back and stood tall. His hand lifted to shade his eyes, blocking a petal of red berry flower drifting in the hot wind.

He looked over and the wind stopped. The red berry flower stopped rolling, brushed his collar, and fell to the ground.

He squinted his eyes like a reckless gambler.

He lifted them again like a cautious believer.

…He walked over.

When he saw Lu Kongyun, his eyes lit up. He waited for him, or came closer to him.

He would touch the red patch on the back of his neck, see that it stuck firmly, puff himself up again with that sly, worldly look, and go back to acting bossy.

He stood in front of him and said something. His light-colored eyes blinked again. Then, step by step, he walked around to Lu Kongyun’s back.

…What are you doing? You want to tease me again, Yu Xiaowen.

You…

You’re a brave, lovely, vivid, amazing person.

You’re someone I miss and can’t forget.

I really want to hug you in the sunlight.

In many dreams, when Lu Kongyun turned to face him, the golden sunlight would fall over his face, and he would wake up through a damp, blurred vision.

….

“I’m saying,” Yu Xiaowen circled behind him and looked at his uniform with a slightly sullen tone, “the fabric of your uniform doesn’t even need ironing to stay this crisp. Damn, that’s nice. Not like ours…”

But Lu Kongyun suddenly turned back and looked at him with a bright, perfect smile.

Yu Xiaowen stared at him, dumbfounded, not knowing where that smile came from.

“You look better than me,” Lu Kongyun finally said.

“……” Yu Xiaowen pressed down his hair that felt too puffy. “I checked. They say the photos from the registration office on Funnan Street are the best in the whole city of Manjing.”

Lu Kongyun stepped forward and embraced him.

“Okay.”

Today, in Manjing’s endless rainy season, rare sunlight filled the city.

The blackmailer and the victim were about to fulfill their final wish and end their blackmail.

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Author’s Note: Thank you, everyone, for accompanying Kongyun and Xiaowen all the way here.

And thank you for staying with me through the whole writing of this book.

I wish all my dear readers happiness, joy, and good health.