CH 52

the break during the job rotation had ended, and lu ye glanced at his wristwatch. he placed his fully charged phone back under the car seat and checked his communication devices before opening the car door and stepping out.

outside, the light rain continued to drizzle. lu ye adjusted the hood of his transparent raincoat and crossed the small path beside the parking lot, returning to the carnival venue.

the sudden winter rain couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the young crowd. the main stage was still lit up, and the young people below, wearing colorful transparent raincoats, were having a blast. the high-pitched sound system vibrated wildly, shattering the raindrops into a blurry mist.

the pathways between the activity areas were lined with food trucks, and colorful umbrellas crisscrossed, blocking the paths solidly.

lu ye lowered his hood and, wrapped up like a cotton candy syrup, weaved through the crowd. he stopped at a food truck not far from the main stage, handed over twenty dollars through the glass window, and said, “a glass of draft beer, please.”

the young man inside the food truck, dressed in a uniform, glanced up at him briefly, silently took the money, and filled a glass with beer from a beer barrel that was nearly as tall as a person.

“here’s your order,” the young man said, “enjoy.”

lu ye nodded and, adjusting his undercover earpiece while donning his raincoat, reached into the food truck counter to grab a handful of complimentary salted peanuts. he casually asked, “what’s the situation like?”

“there’s been no movement so far,” the young man inside the food truck said in a hushed voice while wiping the table, “no suspicious individuals have passed by this area yet.”

lu ye nodded slightly without replying and walked away, holding the beer glass in his hand.

he took a few steps along the path in front of the food truck, found a spot to sit down at a semi-outdoor booth, and removed his hat. leaning back in his chair, he casually scanned the distant stage area.

due to the heavy rain, the organizers had temporarily canceled the underground band’s performance, citing “technical difficulties.” instead, they had a singer in plainclothes performing to keep up appearances.

without the excitement of clubbing, the number of genuine fans near this area had significantly decreased. only a few scattered young people lingered near souvenir shops or sat in the booth area chatting.

the rain continued to fall, and the main venue in the distance echoed with loud cheers. lu ye took a sip of his beer and saw the lights dimming around him. someone sat down across from him and handed him a plate of pan-fried potatoes.

“today’s rain came right on time,” yao xing said. “the crowd has decreased by half. it’s like a stroke of luck from heaven.”

lu ye took a sip of his beer, nodded, and said, “it’s just a bit cold. are you okay? if not, you should get an extra jacket from the food truck.”

undercover operatives needed to blend into their surroundings, and yao xing was wearing a very eye-catching clubbing outfit that day, with a small white boot jacket, shorts that exposed her thighs, and a short jacket. lu ye felt that she must be cold.

“no need,” yao xing said nonchalantly, crossing her legs and tugging at the “bare-leg wonder” on her leg. “i’m dressed warmer than you.”

lu ye was momentarily speechless, took another sip of beer, and re-directed his gaze back to the stage area.

“is it almost time?” lu ye asked.

“yes,” yao xing glanced at her watch and said, “the informant has been in position for a while, but we haven’t received any messages yet. i don’t know if the other side has sensed something is wrong and cancelled.”

“i don’t think so. let’s wait a bit longer.” lu ye stared at the informant not far away and said in a low voice, “besides, i don’t think he’ll make the transaction in person. so it’s best to keep an eye all around.”

the suspect had initially chosen the meeting point near the stage, probably intending to use the crowd as cover during the performance. however, with the performance now canceled, the stage area was sparsely populated, with only undercover tourists left. lu ye felt that if the other party grew suspicious, they might change their transaction location on the spot.

as time passed, the informant had been loitering around the souvenir shops for three rounds, but there were still no new developments in the activity area. apart from a staff member with an id badge coming to perform audio maintenance, there were no unfamiliar faces.

seeing that more than half of the scheduled time had passed, the people from the city bureau started to grow anxious. dispatch instructions kept coming through lu ye’s earpiece. he took a sip of beer, about to stand up and walk around the stage area when yao xing suddenly froze and pointed behind him.

“lu ye, is that teacher qi?” yao xing exclaimed in surprise. “why is he here?”

lu ye was momentarily taken aback and instinctively turned to look in the direction she was pointing. on a small path on the other side of the activity area, qi yanbai was approaching. he was wearing a thick windbreaker, holding a black umbrella, and occasionally checking his phone while glancing around. it didn’t seem like he was here for leisure; it was more like he was searching for something or someone.

why would he suddenly come here? lu ye furrowed his brows, filled with questions. not to mention that qi yanbai never liked joining such crowded events. even if he did decide to come out for leisure, he would have notified lu ye in advance.

in his earpiece, li zhiwen, who was monitoring the situation nearby, also noticed qi yanbai. he used binoculars to observe for a moment and saw him approaching. he had to call lu ye.

“he’s about to enter the surveillance area.” li zhiwen said, “lu ye, go stop him and find a way to persuade him to leave.”

“but who’ll keep eyes on the informant?” lu ye asked.

“i’ll send someone to handle that for you. we have enough personnel. your task now is to ensure the safety of the public.” li zhiwen said, “the transaction is still in progress, and the suspect could appear at any moment. involving civilians in this poses too much risk; we can’t afford it.”

as li zhiwen finished speaking, lu ye had already set down his beer glass and stood up.

he adjusted his communication devices, then unbuttoned his collar and rolled up his raincoat sleeves a bit. afterward, he turned and walked towards qi yanbai.

the carnival seemed to be in a remote area, or perhaps some signal jamming system was in place, as phone signals were on and off. qi yanbai was looking at his phone’s blank signal screen with frustration, shaking his phone to get it to work properly..

a couple of raindrops from the umbrella’s edge splashed onto his phone screen. qi yanbai shook off the droplets and was about to turn it off and restart it when he heard someone calling his name not far away.

“yanbai—”

qi yanbai was startled. he had only intended to sneak a look at what lu ye was doing, but he hadn’t expected to be spotted. he instinctively put his phone back into his pocket and raised his umbrella while glancing in lu ye’s direction, nervously gripping the umbrella handle.

lu ye hurriedly approached from a short distance away. but before he had taken many steps, there was suddenly a loud explosion from the direction of the stage. following that, dust billowed, and most of the lights on the stage went out.

the ground trembled for a moment. qi yanbai staggered back a step, still not fully understanding what had just happened. lu ye swiftly looked in the direction of the commotion, and his expression changed. he quickened his pace towards qi yanbai.

it all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. qi yanbai hadn’t fully understood what was going on yet when he suddenly saw lu ye dive towards him, knocking him down. in a swift motion, lu ye rolled, propped himself up on his elbow, and pinned qi yanbai down.

qi yanbai’s umbrella slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. the next moment, a steel frame, wrapped with light strips, crashed down from above. it landed on lu ye’s back.

qi yanbai’s pupils constricted, and he instinctively tried to block it, but lu ye quickly held his hand down.

“lu ye!”

lu ye didn’t speak. he didn’t immediately console him either. instead, he just gently shook his head at qi yanbai and reached for his communication earpiece.

“we’ve captured him; everything’s okay now,” li zhiwen’s voice came through the earpiece. “damn it, this guy posed as a maintenance worker, trying to drop the goods directly into the cargo lift. luckily, we spotted him—”

li zhiwen paused for a moment, recalling the situation on lu ye’s side, and asked, “how about teacher qi? is he alright?”

“he’s fine,” lu ye replied, taking a deep breath. “i saw the frame falling and moved him out of the way. he’s fine now.”

the steel frame that had fallen on lu ye was hollow and not as heavy as it appeared. although he felt some pain, he was fortunate that it hadn’t caused any serious injuries.

lu ye sighed in relief and temporarily turned off his communication microphone and looked down at qi yanbai, observing him closely. he softly asked, “are you hurt?”

qi yanbai’s chest was heaving, and he hadn’t fully recovered from the shock of the moment. he used one hand to support the steel frame on lu ye’s back and instinctively shook his head.

“did i cause trouble for you?” qi yanbai’s mind was blank. he spoke softly, “you’re working on a mission, aren’t you?”

qi yanbai wasn’t foolish. in a short time, he had grasped the situation. he felt regretful and furrowed his brow. he realized that he had been too reckless this time and shouldn’t have come here so casually.

“you didn’t.” lu ye shook his head. he didn’t try to comfort qi yanbai  deliberately. he was just stating the facts. however, qi yanbai still looked dazed, and his lips quivered slightly, whether from the cold or shock.

“it’s okay.”

the steel frame was still on top of lu ye, and he attempted to move it. realizing he couldn’t lift it with his own strength, he decided not to struggle. instead, he reached up and brushed off some raindrops from qi yanbai’s wet forehead, then lowered his head and smiled at him.

perhaps due to the mission they were on, the smile appeared faint, but it was gentle, carrying a sense of relief, silently comforting qi yanbai.

qi yanbai’s heart was still pounding, but he had gradually recovered from the sudden shock. while he held the cold steel frame, he took a long, deep breath. the intense emotions he had experienced during the initial scare began to subside, transforming into a more profound sentiment.

“why is he always like this?” qi yanbai thought. “how could he protect me so unreasonably and without hesitation?”

when qi yanbai closed his eyes, he could recall lu ye’s determined look when he had rushed over.

the steel frame was five meters tall, and no one knew how heavy it was before it fell. but when lu ye had thrown himself forward, he had done so resolutely, without a hint of hesitation.

in that instant, many thoughts had flashed through qi yanbai’s mind and his heart rate quickened for a moment. he suddenly realized what those complex and subtle emotions he was feeling were.

he didn’t just like lu ye; he loved him deeply.

those shallow and simple affections that had taken root within him had fermented unnoticed into an irresistible deep love, with roots spreading densely in the fertile soil of his heart.

“i already love him this much,” qi yanbai thought dazedly.

this realization was like a very fine needle, piercing through some shoddy disguise. his heart seemed to skip a beat momentarily. but in that moment, he suddenly sensed not only deep gratitude but also indescribable anger and bitterness.

lu ye’s gaze was focused and compassionate, tinged with a hint of worry. qi yanbai enjoyed the attention involuntarily, but he also understood that lu ye was looking at “teacher qi” rather than the real him.

but that’s not right, qi yanbai thought. you shouldn’t love “teacher qi.” you should love me.