CH 94

ecause of qi yanbai’s playfulness, they ended up waking up more than two hours later than planned. by the time they finally got out of bed, it was well into the late morning.

the spring rain had been on and off, with yesterday’s heavy rain lasting the entire day. today, the weather forecast showed a significant increase in temperature, and hints of late spring and early summer were in the air.

the weather forecast for the coming week displayed a row of bright suns, bringing a sense of optimism.

lu ye, barefoot, pushed open the window, allowing the dry, hot air to fill the room. it instantly dispelled the stuffy atmosphere and left a refreshing feeling behind.

qi yanbai quickly took his second shower of the day, with his hair still dripping as he exited the bathroom. lu ye turned to look at him, reached for a dry towel hanging on a rack, and called outto him.

“come here,” lu ye said.

qi yanbai blinked, obediently walked over, lowered his head, and allowed lu ye to drape the large, soft towel over his head, gently drying his slightly damp hair.

with most of his vision obscured by the thick fabric, qi yanbai’s gaze had nowhere to wander but landed on lu ye’s slim waist and abdomen. lu ye had just showered, and his body still carried a slight coolness from the water. his pajama top was casually open, revealing a well-defined outline of abdominal muscles.

qi yanbai couldn’t help but admire the view. lu ye’s figure was impressive, not overly muscular but displaying an appealing and defined muscle tone when his waist and abdomen were tensed. qi yanbai’s gaze lingered for a while, and he unconsciously licked his lips, feeling a hint of itchiness in his heart.

after breakfast, lu ye watched a supposedly popular romantic movie with qi yanbai. then, they thoroughly cleaned the room together, taking care of the spoiled and rotten shrimp left from before.

“isn’t this a waste?” lu ye wiped away the water stains and shrimp residue from the floor, raising an eyebrow. “i came back yesterday, and when i walked in, it seemed like you didn’t want to live here anymore.”

“you weren’t here, so i really didn’t want to.” qi yanbai half-knelt beside him, helping hold the garbage bag open. hearing lu ye’s words, he blinked, then quickly stood back up. “without you, it’s not as fun.”

“nonsense,” lu ye chuckled, tossing the dirty tissue into the garbage bag and glancing at qi yanbai. “just leave the trash by the door. i’ll take it downstairs on my way out.”

“huh?” qi yanbai gathered the handles of the garbage bag, and upon hearing this, he hesitated. “are you going out?”

lu ye responded with a simple “hmm” and continued, “i need to go to the station.”

“but it’s the weekend today,” qi yanbai asked anxiously. “even if you canceled your leave, do you really need to go in such a hurry?”

qi yanbai had accepted the fact that lu ye wouldn’t disappear, but he still felt uneasy when lu ye had to leave. it was as if he had some separation anxiety, which wasn’t apparent when they were together but would surface when lu ye had to go.

“the station is conducting an inspection of police conduct recently. i’ll see if i can help.” lu ye walked into the bedroom, putting on his duty jacket while speaking casually. “it’s not a regular shift, so i’ll be able to leave early in the evening.”

the station currently had enough personnel, but lu ye and qi yanbai’s relationship was just entering a more stable phase. it was a good time to establish some rules. lu ye felt that a short separation now would not only help qi yanbai gradually adapt to a normal life but also set some boundaries.

qi yanbai wasn’t a particularly strong-willed person, so he needed lu ye to set clear boundaries and let him know what was acceptable and what wasn’t. for lu ye, now was the perfect time to draw these lines.

“then… can i take you there?” qi yanbai tentatively suggested. “i don’t have anything to do this afternoon, and i can go to the station with you.”

“you don’t have anything to do?” lu ye raised an eyebrow, playfully countering, “you’ve already taken quite a few days off. why don’t you go back to work instead of waiting around?”

qi yanbai was left speechless by his question and couldn’t help but say, “i…”

“it just so happens that mingming’s class was rescheduled to the afternoon today. if you go back now, you can catch her class,” lu ye cut him off, checked his attire while speaking, and then remembered something. he walked over to qi yanbai, wearing slippers, and casually said, “by the way, is my phone with you? — give it to me.”

perhaps touching upon a sensitive topic, qi yanbai hesitated for a moment and displayed an unwilling expression on his face. however, he also understood that now that he had reconciled with lu ye, he shouldn’t continue to hold onto his phone. after a moment of hesitation, he walked to the door, took out lu ye’s phone from his jacket, and reluctantly handed it over.

“…do you really have to go?” qi yanbai handed lu ye’s phone to him, but he still couldn’t let it go. he struggled and said, “if you’re not in a hurry, why don’t you come to class with me? you can see mingming.”

“no need,” lu ye had clearly made up his mind. he pressed the power button on his phone while speaking. as it powered on, the tracking app on qi yanbai’s phone also restarted. a notification popped up on his screen, displaying prominently as the screen lit up, drawing extra attention.

qi yanbai: “…”

“sorry, i forgot,” qi yanbai, who had just reconciled with lu ye, was particularly sensitive about such matters now. he was afraid that lu ye would think he was incapable of changing, so he suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. he quickly walked to the coffee table, grabbed his own phone, and said in a fluster, “i… i’ll delete it right now.”

“no need,” lu ye pocketed his phone and said calmly, “leave it as it is.”

“leave it?” qi yanbai paused for a moment, uncertain if lu ye was being sarcastic or contradicting himself. he gave lu ye a cautious look and hesitated, “lu ye, what do you… mean?”

“it means i want to establish three rules with you,” lu ye said as he draped his duty jacket over his arm. while walking towards the door, he continued, “you don’t have to delete the tracking app. you can still use it whenever you want to. but there’s one condition: you must inform me and get my permission before checking it. and you can’t secretly add other software into it—this includes various monitoring and surveillance devices.”

qi yanbai was suddenly stunned.

he could definitely sense lu ye’s unspoken message, but precisely because of that, he felt increasingly unsure. he couldn’t quite put into words what he was feeling at the moment. while he certainly felt grateful and happy, there was also a complex and intense bitterness, as if an invisible hand had suddenly grasped his heart.

lu ye’s willingness to reconcile meant a lot to him, and qi yanbai had already prepared himself to bear the consequences of his past mistakes, no matter how bitter they might be or how many times he had to endure them.

however, he hadn’t expected that lu ye, at this point, would still be willing to lower his status and actively accommodate him. qi yanbai held his phone in his hand and found himself at a loss for words.

“no,” qi yanbai felt as if a lump had formed in his throat, making his eyes sting. after a long pause, he struggled to squeeze out a few words, “you don’t have to do this, i really can change.”

“you are willing to change, but there’s no need for self-torture,” lu ye stopped at the door, turned around to face qi yanbai, and said calmly, “i’ve said it before: as long as you are honest with me, everything else can be discussed. that includes your flaws and your insecurities.”

qi yanbai’s paranoia and possessiveness stemmed from his life experiences and mental state. it couldn’t be simply categorized as “mistakes.” therefore, it couldn’t be changed with a simple “correction.” lu ye had decided to take responsibility for him, so he wouldn’t let qi yanbai bear all the trouble alone.

“you always seem to worry about my whereabouts,” lu ye said firmly. “in that case, we should find a solution that both of us can accept to address this issue.”

lu ye had never intended to completely transform qi yanbai. even if he could easily do so, he never wanted to erase all of qi yanbai’s anxieties and fears. after all, qi yanbai’s imperfections were part of who he was, and lu ye wanted to change the fundamentally flawed parts of his mindset but not obliterate his insecurities and fears.

“however, i will accommodate you, but i won’t always indulge you,” lu ye continued. “let’s make it clear from the beginning: during work hours, i won’t reveal my location. so, after i arrive at the precinct, i’ll leave this phone on my desk and use another one. moreover, whether i’m on a mission or patrolling, i won’t carry it. understand?”

qi yanbai vaguely understood lu ye’s intention, so he made an effort to keep up with his thoughts and tried to express his own views using a “negotiating” approach, which felt challenging and unfamiliar.

“so, you mean that as long as it’s not during working hours, it’s allowed?” qi yanbai asked.

“not entirely,” lu ye clarified. “sometimes, i need privacy too, so i might voluntarily turn off the location tracking. however, if that happens, i’ll explain the reason to you beforehand.”

the scope of these conditions seemed vast, and qi yanbai felt that he had lost all initiative in this situation. his breathing faltered, and he felt the discomfort of being out of control surging within him once again.

but qi yanbai understood that he had to overcome this discomfort himself this time. lu ye had accommodated him on the matter of boundaries, and if he pushed the boundaries too far, he would feel unworthy of lu ye’s heart.

“so, what if i want to know where you are?” qi yanbai gritted his teeth and asked softly, “or if i want to know your location during your working hours, what should i do?”

he was genuinely concerned, genuinely confused. qi yanbai had become used to seeking security through unconventional means. now, even if he genuinely wanted to change his ways, he couldn’t think of any methods to manage his emotions.

he was well aware that he had little self-control when it came to lu ye. so, to prevent any future mistakes, he had no choice but to seek lu ye’s assistance.

lu ye knew that qi yanbai had never received proper guidance and didn’t get angry. he simply reached out and ruffled his hair, then suddenly smiled and said, “that’s easy.”

“send a message or call me,” lu ye said.

qi yanbai was suddenly taken aback.

“you can’t monitor or stalk me, but you can ask me about my whereabouts anytime,” lu ye continued. “as long as i’m not on a mission, you can ask me whenever you want, as many times as you want—i’m giving you this right.”