CH 77

lu ye woke up from a deep slumber.

the room was dimly lit, with blackout curtains pulled tightly shut. a humidifier in the corner of the room silently emitted a thin mist of water vapor. the scented candle on the bedside table had burned halfway, filling the air with a fresh and gentle mossy fragrance.

lu ye’s body seemed to still be experiencing the aftereffects of anesthesia—his limbs felt heavy, his hands and feet were weak, and his head was muddled. he felt as though he were nestled in a soft cloud, light and powerless.

a faint aroma of fried chicken wings wafted in the air. lu ye squinted his eyes as he surveyed the surroundings. not far away, the bedroom door stood wide open, and next to the sofa in the living room, an easel was set up. an already-used palette lay casually on a small stool nearby, and there were several brushes of varying thicknesses in a brush holder.

in the distant kitchen, a warm, soft light emanated, and the sound of knives and chopping boards could be faintly heard. lu ye’s gaze passed over the familiar objects one by one, and he had a rough idea of the situation. he then calmly withdrew his gaze.

he really is a little lunatic, lu ye thought, kidnapping someone and bringing them home.

the events before he lost consciousness were still fresh in his mind. when he had realized qi yanbai’s true intentions, lu ye didn’t feel angry; instead, he had a feeling of anticipation.

after all, qi yanbai had grown up in the qi family. while he might be “relatively normal” compared to others, fundamentally, he was still a little insane. when pushed to his limit, he would show his claws and fight back.

moreover, lu ye had already witnessed qi yanbai’s pathological and obsessive possessiveness. so, before testing him, he had a rough idea of how he might react. although the current situation was a bit extreme, it was still within lu ye’s “preparation” range.

fortunately, he had taken leave from the bureau. otherwise, if he had disappeared without a trace, the sub-bureau would have to report him as missing.

although qi yanbai was quite bold, his “criminal methods” were truly amateurish. if anyone became suspicious, it wouldn’t take more than twenty-four hours to catch him.

sirens were blaring in his head, and lu ye couldn’t help but amuse himself with his imagination. he chuckled softly, and finally, he didn’t want to stay in bed any longer. he exerted a bit of force with his arms, trying to sit up from the bed.

but as soon as he moved, there was a crisp clattering sound under the bed. lu ye lifted the covers to see that his left and right ankles, both unharmed, were each attached to a shiny stainless steel chain.

these chains were connected to round shackles on one end and were fastened to the iron crossbar at the foot of qi yanbai’s bed on the other end. they were each about two meters long, allowing lu ye to move on the bed but not enough to reach the bedroom door.

interesting, lu ye raised an eyebrow and played with the heavy metal lock on his ankle, studying the additional “equipment” on his body. he thought it was quite something that qi yanbai had these real items at home.

perhaps the metallic collision had produced a sound because, in the next second, the sound of cooking in the kitchen abruptly stopped. this was followed by a flurry of disordered footsteps in the living room as qi yanbai hurried over, not even remembering to put down the spatula in his hand.

he moved with urgency, but as he approached the bedroom door, he seemed hesitant, as if he were an unfamiliar visitor in a strange place. he slowed down his pace, resting against the door frame, and looked at lu ye with a complex expression. it was a mixture of anticipation and reluctance to face him.

everything that had happened last night was too chaotic. qi yanbai’s last memory was of lu ye’s retreating figure, and at that moment, he was overwhelmed by panic and anger, easily slipping into a state of loss of control. when he finally came to his senses, he had already brought lu ye back.

at that moment, qi yanbai felt immense despair. he knew clearly that his actions had crossed lu ye’s bottom line. lu ye would never forgive him, and he could never accept a partner who could drug and imprison him at any moment.

his heart turned ice-cold, but as he sat by the bed, gazing at lu ye’s sleeping face, he sadly realized that he didn’t actually regret it.

lu ye’s return to his side had brought him great peace. his restless heart had calmed down, and the almost maddening frenzy had gradually subsided. he felt a sense of relief as if he had survived a disaster.

this kind of relief was too terrifying. despite his clear and sober rationality struggling to pull him back from the brink, his efforts seemed futile in the face of this almost insane satisfaction.

moonlight poured into the room through the clean french windows. qi yanbai slowly sat down by the bedside, using his fingertips to trace lu ye’s eyebrows and eyes, while trying hard to suppress the excitement that was slowly spreading in his heart.

i know i was wrong, qi yanbai thought, but i should have done this long ago.

before lu ye woke up, qi yanbai had imagined many scenarios for when he did. he might get angry, resist fiercely, or simply ignore him, using cold violence as a means of resistance.

qi yanbai wasn’t afraid of lu ye getting angry, and he was prepared to make amends. but what surprised qi yanbai was that when lu ye finally woke up, he seemed much calmer than he had imagined.

he just sat on the bed, briefly made eye contact with qi yanbai upon hearing his voice, and then lowered his head again to move the stainless steel chain on the bed.

qi yanbai couldn’t read his mood, so he didn’t dare to speak.

although he didn’t regret his impulsive actions, the thought that “lu ye might be angry” still made him nervous.

his heart was almost in his throat, his fingers unconsciously gripping the sheets tightly, and his gaze was fixed firmly on lu ye’s feet, almost unwilling to leave for a single second.

it seemed like only a few seconds had passed, or maybe it had been a few minutes, but lu ye finally looked at qi yanbai with a faint expression.

“do you have any cigarettes?” lu ye suddenly asked.

qi yanbai seemed surprised that this was the first thing lu ye said. he paused for a moment and then nodded hesitantly. he hurriedly walked to the living room, first putting down the spatula, and then took out a brand new, unopened pack of cigarettes from the storage cabinet.

red pagoda in a hard box, it was the brand that lu ye smoked most frequently. qi yanbai must have prepared it for a while.

he hesitated for a moment, glancing at lu ye’s injured right hand, and then opened the cigarette box. he removed the outer wrapping carefully, tore open the paper, took out a cigarette, and walked to the bedside, half kneeling down. he reached out and handed it to lu ye.

lu ye took the cigarette but didn’t immediately put it in his mouth. he just held it between his fingers and looked at qi yanbai, assessing him with his eyes.

in truth, he didn’t really need this cigarette; he just wanted to see how much control qi yanbai had over him. people are often too relaxed when they believe they have complete control over someone, revealing their deepest intentions. lu ye wanted to see how qi yanbai truly viewed him.

most controlling people have a strong desire to control everything about their possessions. however, to lu ye’s surprise, it seemed that qi yanbai’s desire for control was limited to a very small range. he didn’t care what lu ye did, didn’t care about his habits or health, as long as “lu ye,” the person, could stay with him. it was as if he had no other demands as long as lu ye remained with him.

“is it because i’m already ‘controlled’ that his emotions have stabilized?” lu ye wondered.

perhaps lu ye’s attitude sent some signal to qi yanbai. he carefully observed lu ye for a while, noticing that lu ye’s emotions seemed relatively stable. consequently, he slightly shifted his position, moving closer to lu ye, and cautiously approached him.

“lu ye…” qi yanbai looked up at him from bottom to top, softly asking, “why aren’t you smoking? is there something else you want?”

his tone sounded cautious, but his eyes sparkled with anticipation. lu ye sensed the expectations and tests in qi yanbai’s eyes, lowered his gaze, and nonchalantly averted his eyes, ignoring him.

lu ye intended to observe qi yanbai’s true state, so he had to continue acting out this “abduction” scenario as it was.

“why aren’t you talking to me?” qi yanbai, becoming anxious, approached persistently and asked, “are you mad at me?”

“what if i am? are you planning to let me go?” lu ye finally spoke, moving his feet and making the chains on the ground rattle. “are you willing to release me from this damn thing?”

lu ye, despite his experience as a police officer, was new to being forcefully held in this situation. his tone was cold but lacked anger, and he seemed more indifferent than furious. fortunately, qi yanbai was too nervous to detect any flaws in his act. qi yanbai instinctively held his wrist, shaking his head.

“why not just tie up both my hands and feet to prevent any escape risks?” lu ye raised an eyebrow and said, “it would save you the trouble.”

“i don’t want to do that, lu ye.” qi yanbai blinked and gently stroked lu ye’s wrist, showing concern. “i just want you to stay here, but i don’t want to treat you like a pet.”

“is there really a difference?” lu ye asked.

“of course, there is.”

lu ye’s willingness to engage in dialogue gave qi yanbai new confidence. he slightly straightened up, knelt at the edge of the bed with his knee, and tentatively leaned forward, getting closer to lu ye.

“you are the person i love the most,” qi yanbai’s eyes were filled with affection as if his words were the most genuine expressions of his feelings. “under this roof, you have absolute freedom. you can ask me to do anything if you’re willing to stay with me.”

he appeared so sincere and genuine, as if every word came straight from the depths of his heart, with each phrase carrying a sense of tenderness.

however, lu ye had witnessed qi yanbai’s abilities and knew that teacher qi excelled at setting sweet traps. so, he remained unaffected, only squinting slightly, observing qi yanbai cautiously.

“you’re getting so close to me. aren’t you afraid i’ll fight back?” lu ye asked, moving his wrist away from qi yanbai, allowing his hand to climb up to qi yanbai’s collarbone, and his fingertips gently resting on qi yanbai’s neck, creating a silent threat.

“for instance, right now,” lu ye continued, “what if i asked you to hand over the keys? what would you do?”

though lu ye’s right hand was injured, his left hand was still functional. with his strength, even if qi yanbai bound both his hands and feet, qi yanbai wouldn’t stand a chance in close combat.

qi yanbai’s pupils contracted, but he didn’t appear afraid. instead, he seemed to be slightly excited. he affectionately nuzzled lu ye’s palm.

“if you’re angry, you can vent it however you like,” qi yanbai said with some regret. “but the key isn’t in this house, and i can’t give it to you.”

he paused for a moment and added, “lu ye, i know what i did was wrong, but if i let you go this time, you’ll never come back. i can’t bear to see you leave me. i’m sorry.”

lu ye couldn’t help but almost laugh at qi yanbai’s words.

what was this, a deep apology but no change in behavior? lu ye thought with amusement.

he had an urge to give this wayward and misguided young man in front of him some moral guidance. however, as he raised his head for a moment, he suddenly felt dizzy. he wondered if qi yanbai, the unlicensed doctor, had been a bit too heavy-handed, perhaps from the effects of the medicine administered the previous night.

lu ye’s eyebrows briefly furrowed and then relaxed. however, qi yanbai, who had been carefully observing his expressions, didn’t miss this change. he slightly furrowed his brow, showing concern, and cupped lu ye’s face, touching foreheads with him.

“i was wrong; please don’t be angry,” qi yanbai whispered. “you’re running a low fever.”

low fever? lu ye realized he had been injured not long ago, and the anti-inflammatory injection from the hospital was still one day away from being completed. inflammation was a possibility.

he opened his mouth to remind qi yanbai indirectly, but before he could speak, qi yanbai released him and took out a box of anti-inflammatory pills from the bedside table.

lu ye watched as qi yanbai retrieved a new capsule from the medicine box and instinctively reached out to take it. however, to his surprise, qi yanbai didn’t give him the pill. instead, he retracted his hand, keeping the medicine away from lu ye’s reach.

lu ye raised an eyebrow, not showing any signs of anger, just waiting to see what qi yanbai was up to.

qi yanbai was playful and enjoyed pushing boundaries. seeing that lu ye didn’t get angry, he smiled and toyed with the capsule by holding it with his teeth. he knelt on the edge of the bed and leaned closer.

he pretended to kiss lu ye, but lu ye tilted his head, avoiding the kiss.

“what’s the matter?” lu ye smiled coldly and asked, “are you planning to poison me if i don’t agree?”

qi yanbai knew he had gone too far. he didn’t dare to press lu ye further and moved the capsule away from lu ye’s lips. he softened his tone, conceding, “of course not. i told you that you have absolute freedom here.”

despite just a small capsule separating them, their proximity was so close that their breaths intertwined. although they were just a little closer, they could touch each other, the silent rejection from lu ye felt like an impenetrable barrier.

“but could you kiss me once, lu ye?” qi yanbai whispered softly. “i miss you so much.”