CH 104

it took lu ye more than half a month to find out what qi yanbai had been busy with.

that day, he happened to be out on assignment when he received a call from lu wenyu. lu wenyu got straight to the point, and as soon as she answered the phone, she started laughing, sending shivers down lu ye’s spine and giving him goosebumps.

“what’s wrong?” lu ye asked. “have you been possessed or something?”

lu wenyu chuckled but didn’t answer directly. she asked mysteriously, “guess what teacher qi has been busy with lately?”

“how should i know?” lu ye lowered his car seat and leaned back in the passenger seat. as he did, he tossed his police coat onto the back seat and continued casually, “he’s been really mysterious lately, either holed up in the art studio all day or wandering around the new house. the last time i asked him what he was doing, he wouldn’t tell me.”

lu ye paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. “why, do you know?”

lu wenyu teased, keeping the suspense but not revealing if she knew. she chuckled and said, “i sent the decoration company to inspect the new house today. when they asked about the property, the management told them that your renovation and decoration deposit has been paid, and they received the notification from ‘the owner’s family.'”

lu wenyu emphasized the words “owner’s family” and then continued with a smirk, “so, i thought, does my little brother not trust me? he asked for my help, and then he goes behind my back and has someone else pick up the job without even telling me.”

she sighed three times, as if she were here to investigate a serious matter. however, lu ye didn’t buy into it and burst into laughter, realizing what was happening.

“yanbai has already arranged for someone?” lu ye asked.

“yes,” lu wenyu replied. when she saw that he wasn’t taking the bait, she quickly returned to her usual self and hummed lightly. “when my secretary asked them, the management said it was picked up by ‘the owner’s family’ in person, and everything was done according to proper procedures.”

she then smiled mischievously. “so, is he planning to surprise you, or are you running short of funds and didn’t want to bother me?”

“no way,” lu ye chuckled. “the last time he took the keys from me, i thought he wanted to visit the house, but i didn’t expect him to do this. alright, you don’t need to worry about it. i’ll ask him about it.”

“alright then,” lu wenyu had only called to check in with him, and seeing that everything was fine, she didn’t press further. she just reminded him, “if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“i know,” lu ye replied.

he hung up the call with lu wenyu and immediately dialed qi yanbai’s number.

at this time, qi yanbai had already finished work. the phone rang twice before he answered it. lu ye listened carefully and heard some faint background noise from the other side.

“are you at the new house?” lu ye asked, hearing the faint sounds.

“yeah, did your sister tell you?” qi yanbai had received a call from the property management today, so he wasn’t surprised. he openly admitted, “they came today to take measurements. by the way, if you have some free time after work, can you drop by?”

“taking measurements?” lu ye asked. “did you already sign a contract with them and start construction?”

“yes, i gave them the full payment since there was a suitable discount,” qi yanbai said. “it’s better to start construction early and move in sooner.”

he had acted without prior notice, and now it was too late to oppose it. lu ye sighed in resignation and said, “alright, i’ll come over in a while.”

he hung up the phone and glanced at yao xing, who was driving. yao xing gave him a knowing look and grinned, “congratulations, lu ge. when did you guys buy a house? there’s been no news at all, and you haven’t even celebrated.”

“we bought it not long ago,” lu ye replied with a smile. “let me off at the next intersection; i’ll take a taxi.”

when lu ye arrived at the new house, the decoration company’s designer had already finished measuring and left. qi yanbai was the only one left, sitting pitifully on a small plastic stool that had been brought in temporarily, waiting for him.

he was sitting right next to the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, looking like a pet dog waiting for its owner to return. he gazed in the direction of the police station as if he were waiting for lu ye.

outside the window, the city lights were bright, and the bustling streets were filled with led lights that flickered, casting a soft and dim light on him.

the sound of the door lock being twisted startled him. the moment lu ye entered the room, he transformed from a statue back into a person. he turned to look at the door, and his eyes became lively and excited when he saw lu ye.

“you’re here?” qi yanbai said.

“yeah, just got off work,” lu ye walked up to him, raised his chin with his hand, bent down, and gave him a kiss. he smiled and said, “i haven’t seen you in a few days, and now you’ve learned to make decisions without consulting me first?”

qi yanbai accepted the kiss with satisfaction and licked his lips, then held lu ye’s waist. he stuck to him like glue and said, “i wanted to surprise you.”

he sounded like he was here to report his achievements, with a teasing tone in his voice. his eyes sparkled, and if he had a tail, it would probably be spinning like a propeller by now.

lu ye looked at him helplessly, smiling as he rubbed qi yanbai’s chin and then used his thumb to touch his lip corner.

“it’s quite a surprise,” lu ye said. “when my sister called me, i was really shocked.”

lu ye stroked qi yanbai’s lip corner and sighed in resignation. “do you know it’s not common for couples in china to do it like this? i buy the house, and you handle the renovation. do you realize that you’re taking a risk?”

“what kind of risk?” qi yanbai had a smile on his face, but his eyes were full of seriousness.

“i know what i’m doing,” without waiting for lu ye to respond, qi yanbai continued, “i also know what you’ve done for me.”

qi yanbai loved lu ye without restraint, but he wasn’t a fool. he clearly understood that lu ye was managing him, controlling his emotions, and protecting him. he could boldly do whatever he wanted as long as it didn’t cross the bottom line, and whatever he did, lu ye had his back.

“besides, it’s not much money,” qi yanbai said and immediately returned to being the obedient teacher qi, bending his eyes and saying with a triumphant tone, “from now on, i can take care of you too.”

lu ye didn’t take his “showing off wealth” statement seriously. some things only needed a casual mention; trying to split everything between partners like it was a transaction was too cold-hearted.

so, lu ye just smiled and teased, “what if i’m a bad person?”

“then i’ll be a bad person with you,” qi yanbai said. “we’ll stick together and be naughty until death.”

“in that case, i’ll continue being a law-abiding citizen,” lu ye smiled and teased him. “let’s make it easier for society.”

as he was speaking, he suddenly noticed a flash of color in the corner of his eye. lu ye turned his head, reached through the gap near the window, and pulled out a colorful pamphlet.

it was probably left behind by the decoration company during their inspection. on the blank back page, someone had used a pencil to scribble down some numbers. lu ye absentmindedly unfolded it and saw that it was a price list from a decoration company.

this company was quite well-known in the city, known for good aesthetics, short project duration, excellent after-sales service, and transparent pricing—except for being expensive, it had almost no drawbacks.

“did you hire this company?” lu ye asked casually.

qi yanbai nodded and leaned over to look at the brochure in his hand. he said, “one of my students’ parents works in their marketing department. i asked my colleague if there was a reliable decoration company to recommend, and he happened to overhear.”

“then he said, it’s the off-season for renovations right now, and they have some unused internal staff discount quotas they can offer me,” qi yanbai squinted his eyes, smiling as he made a hand gesture, “30% off.”

“that’s not bad,” lu ye chuckled, “it’s also a way to save money.”

“well, this is where you and i are going to live in the future, so we need to find a reliable company,” qi yanbai said as he stood up from the chair and excitedly took lu ye’s hand, walking to the floor-to-ceiling window. he gestured, “the designer hasn’t drawn up the plans yet, but i told them to leave a small sofa on the balcony for me.”

the room was still a mess, covered in dust, with nothing but cement fragments and bricks everywhere. however, when lu ye saw qi yanbai’s excited expression, he could almost imagine the future from his words.

“we can also place the easel here,” qi yanbai said, “i can paint while waiting for you here.”

as they spoke, the lights of a nearby high-rise office building flickered, casting a bright glow on qi yanbai’s eyes.

he looked so happy, with his eyes filled with anticipation, like a child going on a spring outing for the first time, finding everything fresh and exciting.

lu ye watched him from the side, feeling his heart soften. he lowered his head, smirked, and said, “alright, i’ll go along with your plans.”

“what about you,?” qi yanbai asked, “how would you like it? tell me, and i’ll talk to the designer.”

“i don’t have any specific requirements; as long as i have a place to stay,” lu ye said, tilting his head and gesturing to the nearby guest bedroom, “you can use that room as your studio, and you can decide on the rest.”

lu ye didn’t have many demands for living. a roof over his head was enough for him, and he didn’t pay much attention to things like “infrastructure” and “lifestyle routines.” whether the refrigerator was in the living room or the kitchen didn’t matter much to him; it was just a matter of a few extra steps.

but qi yanbai was different. he seemed to have a longing for everything, as if he had imagined what his “home” should look like countless times in his spare time.

so, since that was the case, lu ye was willing to indulge his “imagination.”

“since you’re the one paying, you have the final say,” lu ye joked, “once you have the design ready, just let me know.”

after some banter, it was time to get down to business. lu ye took out his wallet from his pocket, carefully selected a card, and handed it to qi yanbai.

“here,” lu ye said, “the money from selling the motorcycle is in this card. if you run out of money, just use this card. you know the pin.”

“pin?” qi yanbai’s eyes brightened, and he asked, “is it my birthday?”

“…it’s my birthday,” lu ye corrected.

qi yanbai: “…”

seeing qi yanbai’s disappointment, lu ye couldn’t help but chuckle as he pinched his chin and said, “i’ve had this card for years. my birthday has always been the pin.”

qi yanbai, of course, knew this. he wasn’t really upset; he was just making a playful “demand.”

but before he could carry on with the joke, his phone in his pocket suddenly rang.

it was already the end of the workday, and the training center had finished its classes. qi yanbai was puzzled as he took out his phone from his pocket, only to find that the caller id displayed an unfamiliar number.

qi yanbai usually didn’t like to answer spam calls, but he had recently taken over a new class and hadn’t quite bonded with the students and their parents yet. he thought it might be a parent with some questions, so he made a hand gesture to lu ye and walked to the side before answering the call.

he took a few steps away, and lu ye couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end of the call. however, he noticed that qi yanbai had been overly silent from the moment he answered the phone. the smile on his face gradually disappeared, and within a few minutes, his lively and vibrant demeanor seemed to have turned cold and distant.

“um,” after a long while, qi yanbai finally uttered a few words, “i understand.”

it wasn’t how he usually spoke to the parents of his students. although qi yanbai wasn’t very social, his attitude towards everyone was always gentle and polite. even with nuisance calls, he would politely say, “no, thank you,” before hanging up, and he wouldn’t be so dismissive and indifferent.

so who was the caller, lu ye wondered? was it someone bringing news that qi yanbai didn’t want to hear?

lu ye’s first thought was of ashley, but from what he knew, qi yanbai’s relationship with her wasn’t so strained that it would lead to such a reaction. so, he thought for a moment and ruled out that possibility.

the person on the other end of the phone continued speaking, but lu ye couldn’t hear what was being said. however, qi yanbai seemed to be getting impatient. he appeared to want to retort but was held back by some factor, leaving him unable to speak. instead, he lowered his head and impatiently tapped the white lines drawn on the floor with the tip of his shoe.

the call lasted for several minutes, and qi yanbai seemed to have been passive in listening to the voice on the other end of the line the entire time. he could only occasionally say, “mm-hmm,” or “i understand,” to indicate he was listening.

after a while, qi yanbai hung up the phone in silence and turned to walk towards lu ye.

it was as if he wanted to draw comfort from lu ye, as he walked up to him in silence and reached out to hold his waist, pressing his entire body close to lu ye’s chest to listen to his heartbeat.

“what’s wrong?” lu ye noticed something was off in his expression, furrowed his brow, and lifted qi yanbai’s chin, saying firmly, “who called you?”

qi yanbai held his phone and glanced at lu ye, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start.

“what’s going on?” lu ye’s tone turned serious, and he said, “tell me.”

“it’s nothing,” qi yanbai said, “it’s… my father.”

lu ye couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

it had been a long time since that word had come out of qi yanbai’s mouth. except for the initial period when they first met, when qi yanbai used his family background to test lu ye, he almost never mentioned this stereotypical father again. so hearing the news about him out of the blue, lu ye’s initial reaction was almost absurd.

“he called you?” lu ye asked, his brow furrowing deeper, “why?”

“do you remember the painting in my room, the one hanging right in the center?” qi yanbai asked.

“of course,” lu ye said.

during the time when he was “kidnapped,” lu ye had visited qi yanbai’s studio more than once. he had also seen the painting that buried all of qi yanbai’s inner turmoil and desires.

“i showed that painting to ashley before,” qi yanbai continued.

as he said this, he hesitated for a moment, as if he was contemplating whether to explain the name, but lu ye quickly understood and made a sound to indicate he understood, allowing qi yanbai to continue.

“at that time, my father also saw that painting, and he wanted to buy it from me. he offered 20 million, but i refused,” qi yanbai said, his teeth gritted. “he’s a person who only cares about art, and he’s always been stubborn about emotionally charged artworks. this time, he called to try and persuade me to let him take that painting from me.”

lu ye didn’t have a good impression of that dad. if ashley’s actions were driven by a desire for freedom, then qi zhe’s sickening education methods were the root cause of turning qi yanbai and his brothers into half-crazed individuals.

lu ye couldn’t understand this so-called “artist” and had no interest in trying to understand. so he brushed qi yanbai’s forehead and asked, “do you want to sell it to him?”

“of course not,” qi yanbai said through gritted teeth. “that painting is of you. even if he offered me 2 billion—”

“2 billion?” lu ye raised an eyebrow and said, “well, that might be worth considering.”

qi yanbai burst into laughter at this and was quickly relieved of the icy demeanor that had taken over him.

“do you really want me to?” qi yanbai asked, his eyes sparkling. “in that case, maybe we should think about it.”

“forget it, if that’s not what you want” lu ye chuckled and said.

lu ye, of course, wasn’t really interested in the money. he was used to being a working-class person and had no interest in sudden wealth. moreover, that painting belonged to qi yanbai, and he wanted to keep it. even if it could sell for 2 billion, lu ye felt it had nothing to do with him.

“since you don’t want to sell, just ignore him,” lu ye said. “after all, without him, you’re still doing well.”

“but he’s already here,” qi yanbai said helplessly. “he’s a very stubborn person. ashley said he happened to be launching something in shanghai, so he came over.”

qi yanbai, despite his aversion to social interactions, suddenly had the courage to confront qi zhe, perhaps because he had lu ye by his side. he had a sudden desire to prove to qi zhe that he was no longer just a commodity but someone who lived in this world in a completely new way, as someone else’s lover.

“but i still want to meet him once,” qi yanbai finally said, “consider it… a final closure and settle it once and for all.”