CH 73

ever since the idea of developing a relationship with lu ye crossed qi yanbai’s mind, ashley had cautioned him that it was fine to like lu ye but he must never fall in love with him.

certainly, part of this caution stemmed from ashley’s concern that qi yanbai might get hurt, but more importantly, it was because ashley knew her son too well.

deep down, qi yanbai had an almost childlike obsession. when it came to something he truly liked, something he had and couldn’t afford to lose, his determination was extraordinary. even if he were to lock the person in layer upon layer of safes, he would still want to hold those safes close to him every night, stroking the locked iron chains before falling asleep.

however, objects could be touched at any time, but people couldn’t. a human couldn’t be with him all the time, and there would always be moments when they were out of his sight. when that time came, ashley, understanding qi yanbai as she did, could even guess what methods he would use to fill his own insecurities.

if qi yanbai’s target were an ordinary and mediocre person, they might be deceived by his performance and unknowingly continue the relationship. however, he had chosen a perceptive and determined police officer, and this was nothing short of a predictable disaster.

“i know him too well,” ashley lazily reclined in her chair, exhaled a smoke ring, and smiled. “if he only likes you, he would definitely be the best lover in the world—gentle, considerate, not only observing your habits but also intentionally trying to understand your interests.”

that was true, lu ye thought objectively. qi yanbai’s ability to read people was indeed outstanding. he could make anyone he interacted with feel comfortable if he wanted to.

“but once he falls in love with you, things change,” ashley said. “his bad habits will come rushing out—such as being suspicious, possessive, wanting to have you all to himself but not wanting you out of his sight.”

the scent of tobacco mixed with citrus wafted through the air as ashley spoke. her long and beautiful eyes were hidden behind a thin veil of smoke, giving her a mysterious and unreadable aura.

“to be honest, i know he’s not right like this, and i know no one can endure such suspicion,” ashley said. she flicked off some ash with her slender nails, shrugged, and continued, “so when i found out he was in love with you, i decided to come personally and remind him of this issue.”

ashley intentionally emphasized the word “remind,” giving it a meaningful tone.

“but unfortunately, i was on vacation in saipan for the past few months, so i didn’t have the opportunity to talk to him,” ashley chuckled, speaking casually. “by the time i remembered, it seemed like it was too late.”

lu ye didn’t say anything but looked at her with a subtle expression.

after many years in the police force, lu ye had encountered countless people. while he might not have the skills of a detective, he had honed the ability to read people to some extent.

however, the woman in front of him made him feel a kind of unpredictability that he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

if she cared about qi yanbai, why didn’t she prioritize this matter over her vacation? even if she was immediately informed by elvis and had to make a decision, she should have packed her bags and bought a plane ticket right away to be sitting here before him now.

normally, a person’s character and attitude could be discerned from their behavior logic, but ashley’s behavior logic was inconsistent. with contradictions, which made it difficult for lu ye to understand her motivation behind this “plastic motherly” act.

“it’s indeed too late,” lu ye said calmly. “he has already done what he needed to do.”

as he spoke, lu ye touched his coat and took out his phone, which was already turned off. he pushed it across the table toward her.

“the gps tracking app he installed is still on here. if you’re curious, you can turn it on now. maybe you’ll see him appear downstairs in a little while.”

“i know you’re angry, mr. lu,” ashley heard the subtle resentment in lu ye’s words. she curved her lips, trying to reassure him with a smile, and didn’t touch the phone. instead, she placed the brewed tea on a tray and pushed it towards him.

“but don’t blame him entirely,” ashley admitted candidly. she just stated it as a matter of fact, “he’s my son, and as a parent i am partly to blame.”

she had never called qi yanbai “my son” before, but at this moment, facing a seemingly unrelated “outsider,” she uttered those words.

while saying this, her extremely enchanting aura faded a bit, revealing a hint of maternal protectiveness underneath.

“he indeed doesn’t know what love is and how to properly like someone, but it’s not his fault,” ashley said. “the qi family is not a place a good child can survive. if he doesn’t understands these things, he won’t receive the emotional nurturing he deserves, and he will only wither away even more than now. so i don’t want to see him hurting in the end.”

“is this your well-intentioned effort?” lu ye asked with a hint of ambiguity.

“in part,” ashley admitted openly. “in reality, i’m used to being free. even if i have a child, i don’t want to spend the rest of my life just being yanbai’s mother. life is only a few decades long, and i don’t want to waste all my time and energy on another person. so, maintaining this independent way of interacting is good for both me and yanbai.”

“we don’t have predetermined expectations of each other, so there are no demands either. it’s mutually beneficial, a win-win situation for both of us,” ashley said with a smile. “i know this may seem irresponsible in your eyes, but at least we haven’t argued in all these years.”

lu ye had nothing to say.

he finally understood where qi yanbai’s awkwardness came from—so, in this family, not only were they not on the same page, but also qi zhe, who had a passion for art, didn’t care about the family at all and ashley wanted her freedom and refused to take responsibility. it seemed like all the egotists in the world had gathered under the qi family’s roof. in their way of thinking, there was no room for compromise or middle ground.

lu ye couldn’t agree with ashley’s parenting methods, but he also couldn’t stand on a moral high ground to criticize her. after all, they were the ones living in “that world.” as an ordinary working-class person, he couldn’t dictate how the children of a wealthy family should be raised.

lu ye knew he might have fallen into ashley’s trap, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for qi yanbai.

qi yanbai wasn’t an irredeemable person. he made mistakes, but he also knew when he was wrong. sometimes, he acted like a child who couldn’t delay gratification, knowing that he could have a perfect outcome if he just waited, but he couldn’t resist picking up the first cotton candy.

however, in the qi family, if qi yanbai didn’t grab the cotton candy immediately, he might not even have a chance to grab one.

lu ye didn’t want to judge ashley’s parenting style, and he felt it was futile to discuss this topic with her. so, he changed the subject and said, “your relationship doesn’t seem to be good.”

“that’s true, but i occasionally have moments of conscience,” ashley didn’t deny this statement and instead took it as a compliment. she tilted her head and said, “so, i wanted to meet you, mr. lu.”

the topic seemed to have come full circle, but this time, ashley didn’t beat around the bush.

“yanbai is my biological son, and although i don’t want to let him affect my life, it doesn’t mean i have no feelings for him,” ashley admitted openly. she tapped her nails against the table, speaking candidly, “i’ve always known what defects he has in his personality and what shortcomings are in his character. i’ve also thought that perhaps someday there would be someone who could teach him to overcome these issues. now that i’ve met you, i can finally be at ease.”

“but we’ve already ‘broken up,'” lu ye replied, using her own words back at her.

“perhaps,” ashley smiled and casually replied, “but didn’t you already decide to save him? otherwise, you wouldn’t have come out to meet me.”

lu ye:

when he met ashley, he had figured out that elvis, the single-minded foreigner, probably didn’t understand his intentions. afraid that lu ye might break up with qi yanbai and he would return back home to compete for favor, elvis didn’t hesitate to contact ashley to get her help.

because lu ye also wanted to see what qi yanbai’s mother, who had always been “free-range parenting” qi yanbai, was here to do,, lu ye had never explained his relationship with qi yanbai or clarified the misunderstanding about “breaking up.”

even so, in this short fifteen minutes or so, ashley still saw through him so incisively.

this was an incredibly capable woman, lu ye thought. she was a “mother,” but she didn’t become blindly devoted just because qi yanbai was in trouble. at the same time, she possessed keen intuition and excellent communication skills. compared to that, qi yanbai seemed like a child.

lu ye silently exchanged a glance with ashley. after just a few seconds of confrontation, he suddenly curved his eyes and smiled.

“he’s nothing like you,” dealing with intelligent people, excessive caution would only make him look like a fool. lu ye didn’t want to be a fool, so he straightforwardly said, “but that’s good; otherwise, i’d probably break up with him for real.”

ashley smiled in response and accepted this statement as a compliment. “thank you,” ashley said. “mr. lu, it’s clear that you are a very nice person. but i’d like to ask one more question. how do you plan to deal with him?”

“do you care about that?” lu ye asked in return.

“it’s not that i care,” ashley arched her eyes lazily, and her mysterious demeanor returned. “i just wanted to remind you that if you want to see a permanent change for the better in him, it’s best not to give him a chance to catch his breath. a surefire hit is the most reliable approach.”

lu ye remained silent.

it was clear to anyone with discernment what qi yanbai’s issues were, and lu ye wasn’t surprised that ashley could guess his thoughts. however, what surprised him was the tone of excitement he detected in ashley’s voice when she spoke those words.

if it weren’t for ashley’s undeniable resemblance to qi yanbai, lu ye would have almost suspected she wasn’t his real mother.

“of course, if you push him too hard, there’s no telling what he might do,” ashley added with a clap of her hands, smiling brightly at lu ye. “officer lu, are you really sure you can handle it?”

now lu ye understood; ashley had been waiting to test him.

how to deal with qi yanbai and what their future together would be like, lu ye believed he didn’t need to report to anyone. still, because ashley held the title of “mother,” lu ye thought for a moment and decided to be straightforward.

“i know what he might do,” lu ye said. “that little madman might act stubborn, throw tantrums, or even try to kidnap me and chain me to the wall with an iron chain.”

it was clear that lu ye had imagined this scenario many times before. he mentioned these possibilities without any caution in his tone, even with a hint of amusement.

“but that’s about it,” lu ye continued. “he’s not fundamentally bad, and there’s nothing worse than what i’ve described.”

having served in the police force for so many years, lu ye had encountered too many criminals, so he had a keen eye for this. qi yanbai’s character had an abundance of quirks and eccentricities, but not enough violence. lu ye was confident that even if he pushed qi yanbai to his limits, there was only so far he would go.

ashley had anticipated that lu ye’s attitude would soften, but she hadn’t expected his bottom line to be this low. she was momentarily taken aback, and the prepared lines choked in her throat, left unsaid.

“there’s something i told that one-track-minded druggie elvis before, but he didn’t understand it. so, i’ll say it again now,” lu ye said, not caring about her reaction. he spoke calmly, “whether yanbai takes a soft or hard approach, whether he nails iron bars to my doorstep, i know how to handle it. i know how to control him and keep him from going too far.”

lu ye’s words might have sounded a bit self-assured, but ashley watched him, feeling strangely convinced.

no wonder qi yanbai was so infatuated with him, ashley thought. he had made it clear that he was willing to take on everything, the good and the bad. he was willing to bear this responsibility all by himself. even ashley herself felt a momentary touch of emotion.

“if this puts your mind at ease, then i’m honored,” lu ye finally grasped a glimpse of ashley’s true self and softened his tone for the first time since they had met. “by the way, should i inform yanbai that you’ve visited?”

“no need for that,” ashley raised an eyebrow, nonchalantly tossing her loose hair and smiling as she said, “don’t misunderstand, officer lu. i have no intention of developing a deep mother-son relationship with xiao yanbai. i’m well aware that i can’t provide him with conventional maternal love. if that’s the case, it’s better not to give him any expectations at all.”