Ten minutes later, everyone went downstairs. Those taking cars took cars, and those walking walked. Shen Qi and An Xun became Ling Lie’s “guardians,” following him to get bubble tea.

Ji Chenjiao felt a bit bitter in his heart. Ling Lie clearly didn’t want to communicate with him, but if this was a cold war, it was a very insincere one. Who wears the enemy’s clothes during a cold war?

As for Ling Lie acting alone, Ji Chenjiao himself hadn’t calmed down yet, but he had been holding it in. Some time had passed since the day they fought, and he had cooled off. He felt Ling Lie had cooled off too.

Conflict is inevitable when two people are in a relationship. Fortunately, this time didn’t result in irreversible consequences, but what about the future? He wanted to clearly express his feelings and worries to Ling Lie, and he was also willing to accept Ling Lie’s personality and listen to Ling Lie’s thoughts.

But Ling Lie was clearly refusing to communicate.

And in front of so many colleagues, he couldn’t flare up. Watching Ling Lie act like brothers with everyone else while giving him the cold shoulder alone, the fire in his heart was practically rushing through his internal organs.

When the dishes were basically all served, Ling Lie and the other two returned. The Major Crimes Unit had requested a private room with three tables. The seat next to Ji Chenjiao was empty; anyone with eyes could see it was left for Ling Lie. But Ling Lie insisted on squeezing in at a table with An Xun, and Shen Qi ended up sitting in that empty seat.

With a super low-pressure zone next to him, Shen Qi screamed internally while eating: SOS!

Naturally, Ling Lie was the protagonist at the table. People constantly toasted him with drinks, and the younger ones kept asking how he matched wits with Internal Affairs. Ji Chenjiao didn’t go over, but he kept listening to the commotion at that table.

Towards the latter half of the meal, Liang Wenxian sat over and whispered, “Captain Ji, let’s have a drink too.”

There were only juice and soy milk on the table. Ji Chenjiao picked up a glass of orange juice and clinked it with Liang Wenxian’s. “Brother Liang, you’ve worked hard recently.”

Liang Wenxian laughed. “No need to be polite with me.” After drinking, he added, “Going to have a drink with Ling Lie?”

That table had started playing games, noisy enough to give one a headache. Ji Chenjiao saw Ling Lie playing enthusiastically and sighed. “Forget it, I won’t disturb him.”

Liang Wenxian nodded. “Everyone has a bit of temper, especially toward the people closest to them.”

Ji Chenjiao wanted to say something, but Liang Wenxian stopped at that point, standing up and patting Ji Chenjiao’s shoulder.

Around 9:00 PM, the gathering broke up. Those going the same way carpooled, and those who weren’t took the subway fifty meters from the restaurant. Everyone tacitly left Ling Lie behind, knowing he would definitely ride in Ji Chenjiao’s car.

After most of the day, Ji Chenjiao finally had a chance to be alone with Ling Lie. He turned back to call out to him, only to see Ling Lie standing amidst the brilliant night lights. The backlight shadows cut his figure thin and sharp; clearly standing not far away, he seemed very, very distant.

Ji Chenjiao froze, a “Ling Lie” stuck in his throat.

The two stood just like that, the surrounding lights and shadows flowing like time. After an unknown amount of time passed, Ji Chenjiao snapped out of it and walked toward Ling Lie. “Let’s go home and talk.”

Ling Lie looked at Ji Chenjiao intently, then shook his head after a moment.

At first, Ji Chenjiao didn’t understand, thinking he didn’t want to go back just yet. “A walk is fine too, we can go…”

Ling Lie finally spoke. “I’m not going back with you.”

Ji Chenjiao didn’t react immediately. “What?”

A relaxed smile appeared on Ling Lie’s face, and he jutted his chin toward a nearby hotel. “I’m staying there tonight.”

Ji Chenjiao followed his gaze and suddenly realized—that was the hotel where Xiao Yuan and Ming Shu were staying!

Was Ling Lie’s suggestion to have hot pot on Xiawan Road because…

“I’m going to catch up with them,” Ling Lie said.

With things said to this point, Ji Chenjiao felt like his punch had landed on empty air. He knew Ling Lie was deliberately avoiding him, yet he had no reason to expose it. After two seconds of silence, he said, “Alright, see you tomorrow then.”

“Mn, drive carefully.” After saying that, Ling Lie went up the pedestrian bridge.

Ji Chenjiao stood under the bridge, watching Ling Lie climb the last step, walk to the other side, and disappear down the descending stairs. At that end of the bridge, lights shone like a sea, and Ling Lie seemed to be swallowed by the seawater in his vision.

Only when the startled cries of drunk men and women came from beside him did Ji Chenjiao withdraw his gaze.

The car was parked alone by the roadside. He drove it back alone, feeling for the first time that the distance of a single stop could be so long.

For the next two days, Ling Lie went to work on time. Sometimes Internal Affairs looked for him, sometimes Xie Qing looked for him, and sometimes he discussed cases with everyone. In short, everything seemed normal.

But he didn’t return to the family housing complex; he disappeared as soon as work ended every day. Ji Chenjiao knew he went to the hotel to leech food and lodging again.

Xiao Yuan and Ming Shu’s mission was basically complete; they would return to Dongye City in another day. Ji Chenjiao thought that once they went back and Ling Lie couldn’t stay at the hotel, he would naturally come back.

But before that, he still had to figure out how Internal Affairs decided to lift the restrictions on Ling Lie.

“It’s a long story. Ling Lie’s entry into the Special Action Team seemed somewhat unusual back then; it was Fu Zhong who made the call. Fu Zhong was the first person in charge of the Special Action Team, and his words carry considerable weight,” Xie Qing said. “As a local unit, it’s not appropriate for us to inquire too clearly. Xu Jiang actually still has doubts. You all need to be more cautious in your actions from now on.”

The more secrecy required, the more Ji Chenjiao thought of what Xiao Yuan had said—Ling Lie had experienced many life-or-death moments in the past. Ling Lie lived that kind of life for ten years, and even when he was younger, Ling Lie walked alone in this world.

He didn’t know what to do to change Ling Lie’s mindset, to let Ling Lie know that his life was as important to Ji Chenjiao as Ji Chenjiao’s own.

In the Major Crimes Unit, Ling Lie didn’t deliberately avoid him. He communicated when necessary. When a group went to the cafeteria for lunch, Ling Lie wouldn’t be absent just because he was there. He called him “Captain Ji” as before and smiled at him, but the intimacy from before was gone.

Ji Chenjiao knew there was a problem between them. The fight was just a fuse. He wanted to solve the problem, but Ling Lie didn’t give him a chance to sit down and talk.

Finally, the day came for Xiao Yuan and Ming Shu to return to Dongye City. They went to the high-speed rail station in the morning, so logically, the hotel room should have been checked out. Near quitting time, Ji Chenjiao couldn’t stop observing Ling Lie. Seeing Ling Lie start packing, he also picked up his phone and keys.

Team members left one after another. Ling Lie walked to the door, and Ji Chenjiao followed, only to see Ling Lie turn a corner, not going to the elevator lobby but walking toward the restroom instead.

So Ji Chenjiao waited in the hallway.

Five minutes later, Ling Lie returned. “Captain Ji, why haven’t you left?”

Ji Chenjiao blurted out, “Let’s go together. What do you want to eat tonight?”

Ling Lie said, “We can only walk together to the main gate. Our directions are different.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Where are you staying tonight?”

“Hotel.”

“Didn’t Director Xiao and the others already…”

“But they extended the room for me.”

Ling Lie looked innocent and natural as he spoke, leaving Ji Chenjiao speechless.

When they reached the main gate, Ling Lie waved. “Captain Ji, bye-bye.”

Having endured for so many days, Ji Chenjiao really couldn’t hold it back anymore and said sternly, “Ling Lie!”

“Huh?”

“You…”

But he had always been decent, and this was the main gate of the city bureau; he couldn’t pull and tug with Ling Lie.

“I’m going, you go back too.” Ling Lie waved. “See you tomorrow.”

Supressing his resentment, Ji Chenjiao watched Ling Lie leave again.

He was also holding a grudge. The spot on his leg where Ling Lie kicked him started hurting again. The anger he had to suppress outside finally burned fiercely after returning home.

He threw Ling Lie’s special cushion and messed up his hair. He didn’t understand why Ling Lie resisted communication so much. If he was wrong, wasn’t Ling Lie wrong too? Why couldn’t they act like adults living together and solve the problem honestly?

If Ling Lie had a big argument with him, at least emotions could be vented. What was this now? Could he live in a hotel forever? Even if Ling Lie made snide remarks like before, it would be better.

It was already dark. Full of pent-up anger, Ji Chenjiao took a cold shower even though the weather was cooling down. Coming out, not only did the fire not die down, but he felt even worse.

The clock ticked in circles. He sat on the sofa playing the Switch Ling Lie had tricked him into buying. After playing for over an hour, he didn’t even know which game he was playing.

The little figure jumping on the screen turned into Ling Lie in his vision. His mind wasn’t on the game at all, and he played terribly. “Ling Lie” died within seconds—falling to death, eaten by monsters, drowning—dying in all sorts of strange ways.

The more he played, the more his eyelid twitched. The scene of learning Ling Lie was at Rongmei, and Rongmei was about to explode, kept appearing in his mind.

Fear and lingering dread gripped his heart. Later, when Ling Lie appeared before him amidst the firelight, he felt it wasn’t real. It was like throwing a cup of water onto a raging fire—utterly inadequate; the only thing visible was an annoying puff of white smoke.

After another “GG,” he threw down the Switch and stormed out the door impulsively.

After returning to the hotel, Ling Lie had dinner in the restaurant, worked up a sweat in the gym, and was now soaking in the bathtub watching boring short videos.

An incoming call rudely interrupted the video. The screen displayed two big words: Ragdoll.

Ling Lie: “Tsk!”

As soon as he connected, Ming Shu’s voice came through. “Dog, we got home safely.”

Ling Lie lazily propped his leg up on the bathtub. “Your high-speed train was in the morning, and you’re only hypocritically reporting safety now?”

Exposed, Ming Shu cleared his throat. “I’m very curious if you’re still at the hotel. What was that sound just now? Are you taking a bath?”

Ling Lie: “Yeah, so as not to waste the room fee, of course I have to make full use of the bathtub.”

“…” Ming Shu: “You’re really squatting in the hotel and not leaving!”

“How am I squatting? Who booked the room for me?” Ling Lie said. “Who said they hadn’t bullied me in a long time and wanted to book me a room next to his and a certain director’s room?”

Ming Shu: “…”

Low laughter came from the other end. Ling Lie knew who it was and became a bit more serious. “Anyway, I’m still staying. Remember to extend it for me.”

Ming Shu sighed. “It’s not that we won’t let you stay, but you can’t just not go home when you have one.”

Ling Lie: “Nagging and nagging, hanging up.”

Ming Shu: “Hey! Dog!”

The short video started playing again, but Ling Lie had lost interest. He threw the phone aside, muttering to himself, “You Ragdolls talk too much.”

After soaking a bit longer, Ling Lie wrapped himself in a bathrobe. Hearing the phone ring again, his eyes flickered. He hesitated for a moment before picking up.

“Captain Ji, is there a case?”

Ji Chenjiao said, “I’m at the front desk. I want to say a couple of words to you.”

Ling Lie: “Sure, go ahead.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…Can you come out for a moment?”

Ling Lie: “Isn’t it just a couple of words?”

Ji Chenjiao: “I can’t explain clearly over the phone.”

After a moment of silence, Ling Lie gave the room number. “Then come up.”

When the door opened, Ji Chenjiao wasn’t calm. He had rushed from the family housing complex in a hurry, and his head hadn’t cooled down. seeing Ling Lie standing before him with wet hair wrapped in a bathrobe, the nameless fire grew even more vigorously.

“Come in and sit.” Ling Lie closed the door. As they passed each other, the moisture from his body tainted Ji Chenjiao.

Ji Chenjiao said, “You showered?”

Only after the words left his mouth did he realize they carried an implication. Ji Chenjiao frowned. Ling Lie, however, acted as if he didn’t understand and sat on the sofa first.

This was a luxury king room, quite spacious. Ji Chenjiao observed roughly and sat opposite Ling Lie.

Ling Lie asked, “It’s so late. What does Captain Ji want to say?”

At this moment, Ling Lie restrained the little bit of righteousness he had. Light flowed in his eyes like water. Under the warm-toned light, he looked like a bewitching demon.

Ji Chenjiao stared at him for a moment. “How long do you plan to stay here?”

Ling Lie crossed his legs. “Who can say for sure?”

Ji Chenjiao was about to speak again when Ling Lie suddenly said, “Both questions have been asked.”

Ji Chenjiao paused before remembering he had asked Ling Lie if he had showered when entering. This person was exploiting loopholes again!

The suppressed fire instantly flared up. Ji Chenjiao’s expression darkened. “Ling Lie, what do you mean by this?”

Ling Lie: “Hm? Didn’t you say you had a couple of words to say to me? Now you’ve finished saying them.”

Did he mean to show him the door? Ji Chenjiao’s eyes were deep, as if waves were rising, and the malicious factors sleeping in his blood clamored one by one.

He suddenly stood up and walked toward Ling Lie. With the light behind him, his shadow almost completely enveloped Ling Lie.

Ling Lie, however, curved his lips. “Captain Ji, if a couple of words aren’t enough, you can say a couple more.”

Every word from Ling Lie seemed to pour oil on Ji Chenjiao’s fire. Ji Chenjiao bent down, one hand propped on the sofa armrest, the other pinching Ling Lie’s chin just like that day outside Rongmei.

Only this time, he didn’t use much force, just gently forcing Ling Lie to look at him.

They stared at each other at close range, their pupils seemingly only able to hold each other. Ji Chenjiao gritted his teeth, while Ling Lie remained at ease.

Ji Chenjiao couldn’t help but add a bit more force. Ling Lie’s neck tightened further, his Adam’s apple moving slightly.

“Ling Lie, do you actually know that you are different now from when you were in the Special Action Team?” When Ji Chenjiao said this, his eyes were already slightly red. “Do you know we are dating? Do you know I am your boyfriend?”

Ling Lie’s eyelids opened wider, and a different look flowed in his pupils, somewhere between surprise and guilt—very soft, contradicting the sharpness he usually showed outwardly.

A very faint tremor came from his chin. Rough calluses on fingers bit gently into the skin. Ling Lie shifted his gaze downward and grasped Ji Chenjiao’s wrist.

“I apologize for what happened that day. I shouldn’t have pushed you, shouldn’t have held you down so hard.” Pain surfaced in Ji Chenjiao’s eyes again. “I was very worried about you. I have never cared about someone like this!”

“After you got on the ambulance, I calmed down. These past days, I calmed down repeatedly and persuaded myself repeatedly, but I still can’t tolerate you risking your life behind my back without a word!”

Ji Chenjiao spoke faster and faster, pouring out deliberately suppressed emotions, and the indignation needed more outlets.

His breath entangled with Ling Lie’s. He knew he was losing control; the self-control and decency he prided himself on were vanishing.

But he didn’t care. There were no outsiders here, only him and Ling Lie. Even if there were outsiders, he probably couldn’t control it.

“You have your experiences. You’ve executed many missions I can’t imagine. Your way of doing things is fixed. I understand, I know, I fucking know it all!” Ji Chenjiao panted, the bloodshot veins in his eyes deepening. “That’s why I thought we could sit down and talk properly. I’m willing to compromise with your principles, and you listen to my thoughts, my fears!”

“But why do you insist on avoiding me? Director Xiao and Captain Ming went back, yet you still won’t go home. Ling Lie, is it so hard for us to have a talk? You don’t want to hear me mention this matter, don’t want to make a tiny change for me?”

The room was quiet for a moment. Ji Chenjiao drew a deep breath into his lungs. When he spoke again, the trembling in his voice was no longer disguised. “Ling Lie, is us being together a joke?”

Ling Lie’s hand holding Ji Chenjiao’s wrist gradually moved up, covering the back of Ji Chenjiao’s hand and removing the force clamping his chin. Ji Chenjiao didn’t know how he let go so easily. His eyes hid unwillingness and sadness, as if letting go now meant losing Ling Lie completely.

This relationship came like a drifting cloud. His feelings for Ling Lie changed from concern to liking. He wasn’t willing to be just roommates with Ling Lie and had a strong possessiveness toward him. Perhaps there was also the reason of that fairytale-like encounter in childhood. He unilaterally wanted to be with Ling Lie, and Ling Lie was just cooperating with him.

Ling Lie might be more like a cloud than this relationship with no origin—drifting as he pleased, shedding rain as he pleased. What does a cloud care about? Ling Lie cared about nothing either. If he gave up, Ling Lie would definitely stop playing this love game with him immediately.

Ji Chenjiao’s lips were pressed tight like a sharp sword, but the sword broke in the sand at this moment.

Ling Lie’s fingers covered his lips, stroking slowly. The pain in his eyes had at some point burned into the depths of Ling Lie’s eyes. Ling Lie rubbed repeatedly, his gaze also shifting to his lips. “Little Snake, sorry.”

Ji Chenjiao froze. It sounded like a hurricane blew past his ears. He looked at Ling Lie in disbelief, thinking for a moment he had heard wrong.

Until Ling Lie said again, “Sorry for making you sad like this.”

Ji Chenjiao said hoarsely, “You…”

Ling Lie’s fingers laced through Ji Chenjiao’s, clumsily completing this unpracticed interlocking of fingers.

Ling Lie’s palm was cool, and compared to that beautiful face, the roughness was very incongruous.

Ji Chenjiao suddenly sobered up. The tension in his back gradually dissipated. Unable to support himself, his body sank, his right knee almost touching the floor as he squatted in front of Ling Lie.

“I didn’t know you would be that worried. I haven’t experienced…” Ling Lie leaned forward, his other hand stroking Ji Chenjiao’s cheek. There was rare confusion and urgency in his eyes, as if he wanted to express his feelings properly, but his usual glib tongue failed him. After deliberating for a long time, his words were still intermittent and lacked logic.

“It’s not that I didn’t know. That day I… I actually thought about your reaction, but I had to do it. Do you understand? ‘Floating Light’ was coming for me, Sha Man was coming for me. I felt I could handle it. I am your boyfriend; I can protect you.”

The word “boyfriend” was like a handful of cool water poured onto Ji Chenjiao’s nearly out-of-control nerves. He looked at Ling Lie in astonishment. Ling Lie used to say this word often in the past, but this time, it had an absolutely different meaning.

“When I was besieged by Sha Man’s mercenaries, I regretted it a bit. If I acted a step too slow and died, I wouldn’t be able to see you. When I climbed out the window, I was still thinking about my Xiao Ji; I had to break through the siege.”

“Later Bo Lingxue took me to Jade Face Sighing Song, and Rongmei exploded. In the middle of the night, ‘Floating Light’ threw me back. I kept running because I knew you were in the ruins, and you definitely wanted to see me.”

“The moment you saw me, I saw you too. You don’t know how happy I was in my heart. I wanted to hug you and show you—I came back in one piece. But before I could say anything, you rushed over to push me, scold me… Xiao Ji, I was also very angry.”

“I’ve always lived like this, executed missions like this. I rushed back so urgently just to let you see I was fine. If you weren’t there waiting for me, what was I running for? Go ask the people in the Special Action Team—would I run foolishly like this before? I wanted to see you quickly! But how could you, how could you look at me with those eyes? And scold me?”

It was like a soft lump of sourness and sweetness blocked his chest. Ji Chenjiao couldn’t speak, his eye sockets swelling with pain.

“So I hit you too. Those two kicks were heavier than you pushing and pinching me. I know; later when I thought about it, I understood everything. But I couldn’t help it. I came back to see you; why didn’t you hug me?” Ling Lie’s eyes glistened with water. Under the light, it looked like lake water would roll down the next second.

Ji Chenjiao pulled his hand to his lips and kissed it hastily and lightly. When language struggled to express one-ten-thousandth of emotion, physical action seemed to become the best narrator.

Ling Lie suddenly shuddered. When Ji Chenjiao kissed him before, he never had such a reaction.

“I know I was wrong. When Xu Jiang locked me up, I thought and thought alone, like an idiot. I seemed to know where I was wrong, yet seemed not to know.” Ling Lie’s nose tip turned red. A tear fell onto Ji Chenjiao’s hand, causing Ji Chenjiao’s heart to contract abruptly.

He raised his hand to wipe it for Ling Lie.

“I didn’t avoid you. I wanted to talk to you too, but I didn’t know what to say, or if I could explain clearly. If I couldn’t explain clearly and you were still angry at me, would we be over? Would you stop being my boyfriend?”

Large drops of tears fell onto Ji Chenjiao’s hand. Ji Chenjiao wiped the tears half in panic, half in agitation. His knees hit the ground completely as he cupped Ling Lie’s face, resting his forehead against his. “How could that be? How could I be angry with you?”

“You were angry, and I was angry too.” Ling Lie’s voice was muffled. “Xiao Ji, I didn’t know what to do, how to tell you my feelings. It’s my first time dating, first time having a boyfriend. I have no experience and made my boyfriend so angry. I was afraid if I didn’t say it right, you would run away…”

Ji Chenjiao suddenly kissed those tear-stained lips. The taste of tears permeated their breathing.

This kiss was more painful than any before, like invading each other’s flesh and blood. Ling Lie held Ji Chenjiao’s shoulders, eyes wide open.

The taste of blood began to spread, but the two deeply immersed in it were completely unaware.

When they separated, Ling Lie’s eyes lacked focus. It was a long time before he said intermittently, “Xiao Ji, do you understand what I mean?”

Ji Chenjiao buried himself in his embrace. “It’s my first time having a boyfriend too.”

“Hm?”

“I want to change together with you.”

Ling Lie was stunned for a moment, then touched Ji Chenjiao’s earlobe. “Then are we reconciled now?”

Ji Chenjiao raised his head, looking deeply into Ling Lie’s eyes. After a moment, he tucked a strand of hair falling on Ling Lie’s forehead behind his ear.

“Mn.”

Ling Lie stood up and pulled Ji Chenjiao up too. Ji Chenjiao circled his waist. The two looked at each other for a moment, then kissed again.

When they fell onto the large bed, Ling Lie suddenly fumbled on the bedside table.

Ji Chenjiao saw what he brought over. “Ling Lie…”

Ling Lie held the packet between his lips. “Xiao Ji, how do you use this?”

The night was rich and colorful. In the depths of the lights, people gave each other brands deeper than the long night and the firelight.

Case 4: Jade Dagger — End