CH 75

children always tend to like younger adults who have some life experience but aren’t as strict as their parents, and lu mingming was no exception.

the news that lu ye was about to leave his hometown again had a profound impact on young mingming’s innocent heart. the thought that in the future, during festivals and holidays, there would be no one to build houses with her or play with building blocks made her feel that life had lost its luster. even her favorite custard buns didn’t taste as good anymore.

her low spirits persisted from the evening into the next day’s class. while other kids had already finished listening to the key points and started sketching, she remained motionless behind her blank drawing board, idly tapping her pencil and sighing.

perhaps due to his connection with lu mingming, qi yanbai had developed a habit of paying extra attention to her. noticing her unusual behavior, he put aside his teaching materials and stepped down from the platform, crouching beside her and gently touching her shoulder.

“mingming?” qi yanbai lowered his voice and softly asked, “what’s wrong today? are you not happy, or is the class too boring?”

to avoid disrupting the classroom discipline, qi yanbai spoke quietly, almost like a whispered conversation.

he was always patient when dealing with children, and his gentle tone, combined with the soft rustling of pencils filling the room, made him seem especially tender. when mingming felt ignored by everyone and then received his care, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

“teacher qi,” mingming twirled the pencil in her hand and said with a pout, “my uncle said he’s leaving in a few days, and he might not come back.”

children’s memories are easily confused. in fact, during the past few years when lu ye was working elsewhere due to job transfers, he would still come back for holidays. however, he usually couldn’t stay for more than a few days. consequently, when mingming thought back to that time, she remembered scenes of meeting her uncle over video calls.

qi yanbai initially assumed that mingming had been upset or had a disagreement with her classmates. however, her words suddenly hit him like a bolt from the blue, causing him to feel as though he’d been struck by lightning. he stumbled for a moment and instinctively dropped to one knee beside her, barely managing to steady himself.

the shock was so overwhelming that qi yanbai’s mind went blank, and it seemed as though his emotions and thoughts had collectively abandoned his body. he stared at mingming, seemingly unable to understand what she was saying, his heart beating irregularly, causing his hands and feet to go weak, and his fingertips to turn ice-cold.

“leaving…?” qi yanbai struggled to control his trembling voice, “where is he going?”

“i don’t know,” mingming honestly replied, “he won’t be working here anymore and said he’s going to another city.”

mingming suddenly remembered something and urgently grasped qi yanbai’s sleeve, asking, “by the way, teacher qi, are you also leaving with him? will i still be able to see both of you in the future?”

she was anxious and had exerted herself a bit too much. qi yanbai was caught off guard and almost fell over from her sudden tug. he swayed for a moment before finally breaking free from the paralyzing shock he’d experienced earlier. gasping for breath, he managed to regain control of his emotions.

qi yanbai was unable to make sense of his own feelings, but he felt an inexplicable surge of anger in this moment. he couldn’t quite pinpoint what he was angry about, only that the possessiveness and anxiety he had suppressed during this time had suddenly resurfaced. it overwhelmed him to the point where he could barely focus.

however, qi yanbai had not completely lost his rationality. perhaps he didn’t want to accept this situation, so his subconscious mind sought another reason to avoid facing it. he told himself that maybe mingming had misunderstood, and lu ye was simply going on a business trip.

“teacher qi?” mingming noticed that he hadn’t spoken for a long time and gently prodded him. “what’s wrong? you don’t look okay.”

“it’s nothing,” qi yanbai closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced a smile. he said, “i don’t know about this yet. i’ll ask him about it tonight, okay?”

“okay.” mingming was a very obedient child. she nodded, but she still hoped that teacher qi could persuade her uncle to stay. she tugged on his sleeve and whispered, “please talk to him nicely, teacher qi.”

qi yanbai’s voice softened as he reassured her, “i will.”

qi yanbai gave his assurance, but he had no idea how to handle the situation. he completed his class in a daze, saw off the children, and then walked back to his office with unsteady steps.

lu ye hadn’t come to pick up the child that day. instead, auntie from lu wenyu’s house came to pick mingming after school. qi yanbai indirectly asked her about lu ye’s whereabouts, but she couldn’t provide any clear information. however, she mentioned that lu wenyu had reserved a private room at a hotel for a few days from now, apparently planning to treat someone to a meal. the exact details were unknown and might require direct confirmation from lu ye.

qi yanbai didn’t get a definitive answer from the lu family, and his anxiety only grew. he wandered around his office for a while, then couldn’t resist taking out his phone and calling lu ye’s office.

it was during work hours, so someone quickly answered the phone—a young woman’s voice greeted him with a casual “hello” and asked, “who is this?”

“is this yao xing?” qi yanbai said, “i’m looking for lu ye. can you please call him for me?”

“lu ye?”

the phone’s receiver had previously been splashed with water, and the sound quality was terrible. yao xing’s voice sounded somewhat distorted, as if muffled by fog. it was hard to discern her emotions.

“he’s not here today,” yao xing replied confused. “he’s been away since yesterday.”

qi yanbai couldn’t help asking, “when will he be back?”

“i’m not sure,” yao xing’s tone was awkward. “it depends on the situation. but, teacher qi, do you have something urgent to discuss with him?”

qi yanbai’s relationship with lu ye was known to everyone at the public security bureau. yao xing realized what might be going on and, with some apprehension, cleared her throat. she tentatively asked, “if it’s urgent, should i call him? his phone shouldn’t be turned off; he just spoke with our captain.”

“…no no it’s okay,” qi yanbai said hesitantly, his voice trembling slightly. “i’m sorry for bothering you.”

after hanging up the phone, qi yanbai sat down at his desk, his hand gripping the edge of the table. he slowly lowered his head.

in truth, he could have easily confirmed the situation by calling lu ye directly. however, qi yanbai had already made up his mind, and there was a glimmer of hope that, as long as lu ye didn’t confirm it personally, there might still be room for a turnaround. it wouldn’t be a definitive end.

this self-deception continued until the end of the workday. when he returned home, qi yanbai noticed a moving truck parked downstairs, with the back door open, revealing several large pieces of furniture covered with dust-proof cloth inside. there was only one driver in the entire truck, leaning against the window and watching short videos on his smartphone.

the noisy background sounds of the app echoed relentlessly, causing ear pain. qi yanbai frowned slightly, hastening his steps as he circled around the front of the truck and entered the lobby on the ground floor.

qi yanbai got into the elevator and pressed the ninth floor button, thinking that maybe lu ye had returned early.

this thought calmed his heart somewhat, dispelling the restlessness that had plagued him all afternoon. qi yanbai let out a long breath, thinking that as long as lu ye didn’t avoid him, there would be hope for a resolution.

he mentally rehearsed the scene of meeting lu ye later. however, when the elevator door opened, instead of seeing lu ye, he saw several middle-aged men in blue work uniforms at lu ye’s door.

the door to lu ye’s home was wide open, and one man stood with one foot on the doormat, peering inside and occasionally uttering a few words in a dialect that qi yanbai couldn’t understand, as if directing something.

the trash can at the entrance had disappeared, replaced by a sealed cardboard box. qi yanbai glanced at the packing tape on the box and felt his heart tighten. he instinctively took a few steps forward, halting the group of men.

“what are you guys…” qi yanbai asked, “what are you doing here?”

“we’re from a moving company,” the man at the door turned around, revealing the company logo on his work uniform. he explained, “the homeowner asked us to come and move their belongings.”

“move?” qi yanbai’s mind raced, and he asked instinctively, “when did this happen, and where’s the homeowner?”

his tone was subtly different, showing more concern than a typical neighbor. the moving worker, giving him a puzzled look, said, “the homeowner… i don’t know. it was a woman who placed the order and gave us the door code to come and move their stuff.”

a woman, could it be the landlady? qi yanbai wondered. but where was lu ye? had he already left, or did he not want to see him?

the anxiety that qi yanbai had intentionally suppressed in the morning suddenly resurfaced. he took a deep breath and realized he was feeling an urge to destroy something for the first time.

is this how you want to leave me? qi yanbai thought, am i not enough for you?

he watched as strangers moved in and out of the room. suddenly, he remembered his favorite artwork when he was twelve years old. he had spent an entire month on that painting, but because he went downstairs for a glass of water, it was secretly set on fire by elvis, who had sneaked into the room.

the empty rental house in front of him seemed to overlap with the studio he had when he was a child. qi yanbai took a step back, placed his hand on the wall, and felt as though lu ye had been split into two halves in his heart. one half had become his favorite painting, while the other half had turned into the fire that destroyed his work.

that fire soared into the sky, and qi yanbai felt his sanity and emotions being torn apart by this chaotic cognition. he was torn between two conflicting desires. on one hand, he desperately wanted to keep lu ye, but on the other hand, he couldn’t help but want to punish him.

keep him, qi yanbai heard a voice suddenly pop into his head. to keep what you want, the best way is to lock it up and keep it within your reach, hidden from everyone else’s discovery.

ashley’s words of advice from the past echoed in his mind like a seductive demon, tempting eve to eat the forbidden fruit. qi yanbai covered his ears with one hand, feeling that his rationality and emotions were being torn apart. one voice told him that he would lose what he wanted if he didn’t act now, while the other reminded him that lu ye was someone who responded better to gentleness. if he acted forcefully, he might genuinely loose him.

but what difference would it make? qi yanbai thought. he’s leaving anyway, and he doesn’t seem to care if i’m hurt or not.

however…

however, if he did this, lu ye would be angry, qi yanbai thought.

the moving workers had already finished moving the belongings and left at some point. in the empty corridor, qi yanbai stood alone, feeling a growing surge of anger, but he kept his eyes fixed on lu ye’s closed door. just then, he realized that a new location had been added to the tracking app on his phone.