CH 56

lu ye, of course, didn’t pay much attention to this nonsense. however, the word “artist” in elvis’s conversation triggered his currently overly sensitive nerves.

so he paused for a moment, propped himself against the door frame, and turned to look at elvis.

“don’t look at me like that,” perhaps lu ye’s gaze was too sharp, elvis visibly trembled, then he tilted his head and looked at lu ye, complaining with a touch of resentment, “so fierce.”

communication was difficult with someone who seemed lost in their own world. therefore, lu ye selectively ignored his words and straightforwardly asked his own question.

“do you know qí yanbai?” lu ye asked.

lu ye knew that it might be a bit of a stretch to connect qi yanbai with elvis based on a vague statement. however, he was feeling overly sensitive at the moment and had a nagging suspicion that there was more to elvis’s words than met the eye. moreover, qí yanbai had a brief interaction with this person after the concert last night. lu ye hadn’t paid much attention at the time, but now he found it increasingly strange.

“qí—?” elvis’s face displayed a perfectly timed hint of confusion as he asked, “who is that?”

his tone was natural, but his gaze was unclear, and there was a sly smile on his lips. he seemed to be eagerly waiting for something and asked, “is he an artist? is he someone you like?”

lu ye ignored his counter-question and calmly said, “he’s a painter. don’t you know him?”

“a painter?” elvis bent his eyes, assessed lu ye’s expression, and intentionally drew out the pronunciation, “i don’t know him.”

he deliberately piqued lu ye’s curiosity, hoping to see an angry expression on lu ye’s face. however, he didn’t expect lu ye to remain much calmer than he had anticipated.

lu ye didn’t say a word, just looked at elvis intently for a moment. then, he withdrew his gaze, turned around, and walked out.

lu ye got his answer, but he still didn’t feel comfortable. it was as if something was blocking his chest, something he couldn’t spit out or swallow, making him feel nauseous.

the crumpled paper that elvis had given him was still in his pocket. lu ye had no interest in having fun or getting involved with drug addicts. as soon as he returned to his office, he took out the crumpled paper from his pocket and casually tossed it into the trash can in the corner.

however, his current condition was far from ideal, and his aim was off. the crumpled paper elegantly arched through the air, then veered off course and landed in a flowerpot next to the trash can.

lu ye sighed in frustration. he had failed in his attempt to dispose of it. he was about to go pick it up when he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

“hurry, move out of the way—can’t hold it.”

yao xing pushed the office door with her shoulder, holding seven or eight bags of soy milk in her left hand and seven or eight servings of steamed dumplings in her right hand. she looked like a messenger of warmth in a disaster area, or a fortune-bringing deity, as she rushed in.

lu ye instinctively moved to the side to make way, but he hadn’t slept well the previous night, and he hadn’t had breakfast yet this morning. he might have low blood sugar, which caused him to sway when he turned back. as a result, he accidentally bumped into his office desk.

the office desk was solid at its four corners, so originally, this wouldn’t have been a problem. however, whether due to lu ye’s bad luck or something else, as he leaned over, he happened to hit the bookshelf on the desk. the heavy bookshelf toppled over with a bang, knocking over the mechanical alarm clock that was originally on the corner of the desk.

the metal alarm clock had some weight to it. as it fell from the edge of the desk, it made a loud “crash” sound when it hit the ground. it shattered into several pieces, and the delicate internal components scattered everywhere. it seemed to freeze in time, with its various-length hands all stopping at once, as if in some kind of uncertain stillness.

all of these chain reactions happened in the blink of an eye, and before lu ye could react, everything had already come to an end.

the loud noise had startled lu ye, and he felt like his heart had skipped a beat. he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain because, even though he didn’t know what qi yanbai was hiding, this was still a gift from him, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit distressed.

moreover, accidentally damaging something for no apparent reason always made one feel uneasy. lu ye frowned and pressed his hand against his chest. he had a restless feeling, as if something was about to happen.

“l-lu ge—”

his colleagues in the office knew that this alarm clock was a gift from qi yanbai. yao xing hesitated for a moment, realizing that she might have caused trouble. she hurriedly placed the takeout on an empty spot and nervously said, “i’m sorry.”

“…it’s okay.” lu ye regained his composure and managed to force a smile at yao xing, indicating that she didn’t need to come closer. “i knocked it over myself. i’ll clean it up.”

he kneeled down, picking up the metal scattered on the floor.

the alarm clock was already beyond repair, with its structure and components in a mess. lu ye carefully picked up a relatively intact component, but before he could secure it, the outer casing unexpectedly detached and fell to the ground with a slight clatter.

following that, a small, dark object dropped and landed on the floor, emitting a soft, crisp sound.

lu ye’s gaze instinctively followed the tiny object as it fell to the floor. he only glanced at it for a moment, but he was suddenly stunned.

the small component was exquisitely crafted, with a faint red light from within. its outer casing was made of hard plastic material, with exposed circuitry on the interface, entwined with a complex electrical connection box.

lu ye, a police officer of many years, was extremely familiar with this gadget. at a glance, he recognized the “true identity” of this device.

— it was a listening device.

it was ordinary, neither an exceptionally high-end product nor a professional tool. it was probably taken from a gps tracker bought on taobao or a similar platform. although its listening range was limited, it was easy to use. it could last for half a year on a single charge.

but why would there be such a thing inside the alarm clock? lu ye wondered in confusion.

in that moment, lu ye’s mind raced through many possibilities. his initial reaction was that the origin of this gift was unknown, and someone had used an intermediary to spy on the on-duty police officers. however, he also knew that this possibility was close to zero—after all, the public security brigade was not the criminal investigation brigade, and there was no reason for someone to monitor them.

lu ye’s mind was in turmoil, his thoughts tangled into a mess, causing him a headache.

“lu ye, don’t worry; the clock can still be fixed.”

perhaps lu ye had been lost in thought for too long, making yao xing feel uneasy. despite lu ye reassuring her that it was alright, she rushed to help clean up after hurriedly placing the food on an empty seat.

“uh, there’s a good old-fashioned clock shop in the city; i can—”

she began to say, planning to offer help after her shift, but before she could finish her sentence, she saw lu ye suddenly snap back to reality. his movements became swift as he picked up the small listening device and clenched it in his palm.

“l-lu ye?” yao xing hadn’t seen what he had picked up, so she looked at him cautiously and asked, “what’s wrong?”

“it’s nothing, just watch out for the sharp metal.” lu ye, forcing a smile, spoke to yao xing in as natural a tone as possible.

yao xing responded with an “okay” and nodded cautiously, without raising any suspicions. she carefully gathered all the visible metal and wrapped them in two tissues before placing them on lu ye’s desk.

“lu ye, i’m really sorry. i should’ve been more careful,” yao xing said, her hands clasped together, offering a sincere apology. “breaking the gift that teacher qi gave you, i’m really sorry.”

“teacher qi.” that name pierced through an obvious disguise like needles, and lu ye took a deep breath, repeating that sentence in his mind.

qi yanbai, this was a gift from qi yanbai, lu ye thought.

in the blink of an eye, lu ye recalled qi yanbai’s words, “a match made in heaven.” before this, he had wondered how casual conversations between him and lu wenyu had reached qi yanbai. but now it seemed the answer was right here, right in front of him.

lu ye didn’t want to doubt the person in his bed, but he couldn’t turn a blind eye to the facts.

lu ye strangely regained his composure. he calmly nodded at yao xing and said, “it’s not a big deal. i’ll just ask where he bought it when i get back.”

lu ye paused for a moment and, as if guided by some strange force, added, “besides, it’s not too severely damaged. it can still serve as a decorative item.”

yao xing thought that it was smashed into pieces, how was it not considered severely damaged?. she looked at lu ye’s expression and, despite her initial thought, decided to swallow the rest of her sentence. then, hesitatingly, she nodded and returned to her workstation, focusing on her tasks.

this minor incident quickly faded into the background amid the bustling office environment. the remnants of the clock lay on lu ye’s desk, and he sat there in silence for a long time. it wasn’t until his overly fast heartbeat returned to normal that he finally loosened his tightly clenched right hand, revealing the listening device concealed in his palm.

the hard plastic casing had left several distinct red marks on his palm. lu ye stared at the small listening device, and for a moment, he felt a shiver run down his spine, an eerie sensation of being watched.

this clock had been on his desk for several months. lu ye couldn’t help but wonder if, during these months, qi yanbai had been secretly listening to his conversations.

lu ye’s back was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat as he looked the small device. he suddenly felt like the name “qi yanbai” had become unfamiliar.

for that moment, his thoughts drifted aimlessly. he recalled all the “well-timed” dinners, the “perfect” gifts, and the countless instances of “telepathy.”

so many “timely” and “perfect” moments, as well as “sympathy,” all turned out to be because of this.

“there was never such a thing as a match made in heaven,” lu ye thought.